Eszter finishes the Tour Divide

I'm not exactly sure how to summarize the Tour Divide in a single blog post so I'm not going to try.  Instead, I'm going to revert back to the tried and true tactic of adding a lot of photos and then writing a few choice words to accompany them.

The Tour Divide was a longtime dream of mine.  I'd been dreaming about it for years so when the stars aligned and the opportunity arose, I jumped at it.  I got all my gear together.  I trained.  I planned for as many contingencies as I could.

When I left the start line in Banff, I knew all I had left to do was pedal, eat, and sleep.  It was a simple existence.

I did this, through the snow in Montana, the gravel and sand of Idaho, the winds of Wyoming, the passes of Colorado, and the heat of New Mexico.  Everyday, wake, eat, pedal, eat, pedal, sleep.  Somewhere in there would hopefully be a hot meal and a stop at a gas station to restock provisions.

I finished pedaling the 2,745 miles in 19 days, 3 hours, and 35 minutes which was good enough to be the fastest woman, 7th overall out of 111 starters, and set a record that I think will be difficult to break.  Not impossible, as I think I can go faster with my newly acquired course knowledge, but difficult.

None of this would have been possible without the unconditional support of the team and I owe them more than I could ever repay.  Thank you all!

Fat Tire 40, Crested Butte

 Brian Smith

 Ethan Passant

 Travis Scheefer

 Brian Dillon

Amy Beisel

Here's a few photos from the Mountain States Cup race that was here in Crested Butte a week ago.  And since it has been raining here for the last few days it is only going to get more off the hook.  YEA!!!!

One of these is not like the others!!

Sometimes I just feel the need to get out of my comfort zone.  Which couldn't have been more true this last weekend when I went and did the Coeur D'Alene Ironman.  It is still an endurance race but not the sort of thing I ever really train for. 

I borrowed a TT bike and had a whole 5 days on it before I was racing.  If you are one of 'those' people that can learn from other peoples mistakes than learn this, that isn't enough time to get trained in the aero postition.  Second, running less than 20 times before doing a marathon is about the same.  Doable but not very enjoyable. 
It was a perfect day in Coeur D'Alene, a little bit of cloud cover so I didn't fry like an egg and a little windy to keep me a cooled down.  The change in the bike course was great for me.  Lots of big hills.  I was nervous coming off the bike though.  I knew I was in a pretty good position but I hadn't been running so I basically just tried to conserve as much as possible.  I have never eaten so many gu's in my entire life at one time, 22 to be exact.  But once I was at the second turn around I knew I was going to be able to make it I had a little bit more energy to pick it up to the finish line. 
All said and done I did the best I could do on that day (not the same thing as the best I could do ever but I'm going to have to let this slide) and ended up 17 in the age group women and 25 with the pro's and 247 overall. 
But now it is time to go back to my love, mt bike racing.  Next stop will be the Breckenridge 100.  Lets hope for a better race in the mountains.

Fast and Serious.

MSC #2, Chili Challenge, took place in Angel Fire, NM.  First real mountain race for me (big climb up and long descend down)  My plan: drive there fast, pre-ride the course, eat, sleep, RACE!!  Ahhh (serious) and drive home fast again.  Everything went as planed.  I didn't get lost driving there (I always get lost) so I'm more happy about this then anything! 

The race took off at 8am.  Usually its divided into categories and we take off in 2 minute heats.  Not this race, pro men, pro women and all CAT 1's took off together.  SURPRISE.  The start loop was a bit chaotic, but I liked the rush.  Hitting the single track, I got on Nina Baum's wheel.  The climb begins.  Lots of switch backs.  Nina pulled away, as hard as I tried to not let that happen.  The descend was smooth and so fun!  I had to complete 3 laps.  First lap was good, sometimes running into traffic, but stayed motivated.  My second lap was a bit difficult.  I kept thinking 'how am I going to do this a third time??'  Trying to stay focused, my third lap ended up being over a minute faster!!  

After the three laps, I took 2nd, about 4 minutes behind Nina!  So stoked and keeps me motivated! 

Next race is just a  half hour up the road (guaranteed not to get lost driving here!) in Crested Butte.  We will be riding some classic trails, one including Dear Creek!

by Amy Beisel