Sarah's Life on the Dirt

Gearing Up For a Strong Finale

2008-08-13T16:11:00.001-07:00

So I've made it this far. 15 races down. 6 to go. Not bad for my first full-on season of racing. I've learned a lot so far this year, been on a tons of amazing adventures amongst all of the racing, that haven't even made it to the blog since there's always so little time and so much to do.

(Like our little jaunt from Breckenridge to Copper via the Colorado Trail. You think skiing at 13,000' is hard, trying biking at that elevation.)

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, been adopted by a local team, the aptly named Yeti Beti's. It's been great to ride with a kickass group of women who push me and show me that in ten years, I'll be that much faster. Check it out at http://www.yetibeti.com/. There's always a weekly Tuesday ride at 6 p.m. at various trails in the Golden area.

Sarah's race recap for July in one word: a lull. The Firecracker 50 toasted me. Snowmass lit me on fire and then Winter Park, just cooked me. By the third week I was pretty burnt out. Not really feeling like I had a ton of direction, I turned to my friend Amy for a bit of friend advice. She got me in contact with a great coach who is taking me on for the remainder of the season and for next year. At this point, not a whole lot of room to leap. All of that is done pre- and beginning of season. It helps having some guidance, especially for scheduled recovery time, and knowing when to go hard, and knowing when not to. I'm pretty excited. I have always wanted to be coached, but haven't found the right one. This guy really knows what he's doing, and I am excited for the potential that lies in next year. I know that with some of friends, it has made leaps and bounds in their racing. This was a good year to try and do it all, and next year, I'll probably do things a bit differently. Plus, I'll be training with a powertap!

My mom came and visited for 12 days and got to experience the nuttiness of a full race weekend. It's interesting to have an outside perspective. Someone who is supportive, but still says, "and why do you do this?" Good question. Because I'm a nut. That's why. Luckily I have a mom who is just as much of a nut, and we did tons of biking, both road and mountain (see us above at Copper Mountain on our way to Vail Pass). We also went on a couple hikes, which I was incredibly out of shape from. Hiking down Chimney Gulch on Lookout Mountain, my mom was having to wait. I think I'll start running again this fall . . . . for cyclocross that is . . . . and so I can keep up with my mom.

Although I haven't been feeling the greatest, race results have been okay. Podium results at Winter Park, sixth place (yet again) in MSC. But the past week and a half I have been getting rested, and I think tomorrow's race will be a good one. Especially since it's gonna be 40 degrees and raining, and yes I'm from Oregon. Hopefully I'll be able to peak by the end of the month for the last few races.

Yeah, a day off from racing! Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park at Cub Lake.

The Longest Race of My Life!

2008-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Five hours fifty nine minutes twenty.7 seconds. I started with a big seven on my leg, and sure enough I finished seventh place. This race was long enough that there is a story to go along with it. More a like chapter book. Let's start with the prologue.

Prologue: Pre-Race

With race time set at 11 a.m. the pancakes were flipping at 8:30 and the coffee was brewing at 9:30. It was nice to be so relaxed, fixing last minute details on bikes, eating lots of peanut butter, and looking at all of the riders warming up Wellington Road. Who warms up two hours before a 50 mile mountain bike race? Well as Nick claimed valiantly that all three valves were clear, I was cruising around the neighborhood warming up. Somehow 9:30 became 10:45 real quick and it was time to start. Town was busting with Fourth of July pride, and I was amazed at how many people were lined up to race this. No other Vanderkitty's in sight, but lots of familiar faces. Many were Firecracker veterans. I kind of felt like the newbie. But before there was time to really think about what I was getting myself into, the Stars and Stripes were sung, and we were off.

Chapter 1: Neutral Start?

I was thinking the neutral start was going to be full of hi-fives, beauty queen waves, but it felt like a full-throttle start, at least faster than a 10 mph parade through town. I started the race knowing that I had a looong ways to go. The first lap I concentrated on eating. So hard, that I made my Gu explode over my rear shifter and brake within the first hour. I'm glad I pre-rode the course so I knew what to expect. Everybody definitely broke up on the road climb and dirt road. It was such a relief to make it to the singletrack to have a bit of fun. But then the climbing . . .

Chapter 2: Little French Gulch

This climb is notorious. I heard horror stories at work about people falling off their bikes and rock massages to help seizing backs. My first time through I concentrated on one pedal stroke at a time. Tons of people were getting off their bikes, so I figured if I stayed on, I would pass the walkers. Sure enough I did, and went on to descend into the long arduous climb to the final descent.

Chapter 3: Where did my legs go?

Not sure when, where, or why it happened, but coming into the second lap, I lost something. In retrospect, I think my body was lacking water, I elevated my blood sugar so much, I bonked, the fact that I haven't been riding long enough for old-woman strength, or it just got in my head how hot it was. Unfortunately, I watched some people ride away who really shouldn't have. It took until the next aid station and a few mile beyond to come out of my funk. It was slow and it hurt.

Chapter 4: And then they came back!

It was weird. 3 hours into the race I wanted to quick. 4:30 I was back in the game. Actually I was better than ever. My body must have decided to start processing all of the Gu's, the Clif bars and Gatorade I was consuming. I passed a guy at the very end who seemed delirious. "Are we still on course?" "Yep! Lemme by! I gotta finish in under six!" And so I did. Five hours fifty nine minutes twenty.7 seconds.

Not sure if I'll call it my best race of the season, or my favorite, but an accomplishment nonetheless. And I'll be back. One year more experienced, one year faster!

Gettin ready for fireworks in my legs!

2008-06-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty hectic around here. Maybe that's why I'm about a week overdue for posting some action. But it's been chock full of crashing, downhilling, Super-D, cross country racing, and riding some incredible singletrack.

The weekend after the Winter Park Hill Climb Nick and I took off to Crested Butte for Mountain States Cup No. 4 The Wildflower Rush. And oh what a rush it was. I raced my first Super-D race in addition to the cross country race, and was just about to enter into the downhill race after having some fun practice runs, but registration was closed by the time I got down the hill. I had a blast riding the lifts. That will keep me going until its ski (oh tele-ski) season!

The cross country cross was two incredible 10-mile laps with tons of singletrack and lots of wildflowers like they promised! I took head over heels crash on the first lap down the rutted-out descent. It wasn't anything that dramatic, but it sure took the wind out of my sails for the rest of the race. Or maybe it was the 1800 feet of climbing per lap. Regardless I still finished 5th place. I keep holding onto that 5th place. Not quite good enough for the MSC podium, but not too shabby. I think for the next race, it's time to get out of that rut. Literally.

I had an awesome weeking though with the Yeti Beti gals. We all stayed in this gigantic house in downtown Crested Butte. The hottub was practically in the river. Okay, if you stepped out of the hottub the wrong way, you'd fall into the river. I got the official invite to be a Yeti Beti next year. Seems fitting! At least I have the bike!

Nick kicked ass in his races. The cross country he ended up getting a flat within the last mile and lost about 10 places. But in the Super D, he crushed his division winning it and then got third in the DH. Maybe it's time for gravity . . . . . (Keystone this weekend!)

I fell totally head over heels for Crested Butte. It reminds me of what Switzerland looks like. We also went fishing on Saturday and jumped into the lake by Gunnison. I loved it. We didn't catch any fish, but I sure worked on some reeling technique. I better stick to just riding bikes.

Crested Butte beat the crap out of me, but I was rearing and ready to go race the next weekend. Nick and I pre-rode the Firecracker 50 course last Saturday with a group of guys part from Breckenridge, part from the Front Range. They all were of the Pro men class, and apparently their "slow pace" is a little fast for this oxygen deprived female expert. They took off like rabbits up the hill. Keeping in mind that I had a race the following day, I made sure not to blow all my matches, just a few.

The course for the Firecracker 50 will start the Fourth of July Parade in downtown Breckenridge. There are two 25-mile laps with 5,400 feet of climbing. That means, there will be 10,800' of climbing. That's practically riding your bike from sea level to the the top of Mount Hood! The pre-ride was fine, took a while and I started to get nervous about riding this at race pace, and twice! But I'll have to remember that race pace for five hours is a lot different than race pace for two.

Riding on Saturday didn't seem that hard, but I'm almost positive no one else rode over four hours the day before the Winter Park Superloop Race. This 16.1 mile race climbed over 2600' feet. To be honest, I felt like I raced 29 miles and climbed over 4100' feet. The race hurt, the competition was good (they send all pro, expert and singlespeed women together, so I always end up chasing the pros), and I was so glad when it was over. The racing took a lot longer than I thought it would so at 1 hour 48 minutes, I was toast. I managed to make it back to car where I cried, I coughed, I choked and wheezed for a bit. I think all I needed was a hug. Then I felt a lot better.

Regardless of the pain, I managed to make it on the podium again for third place! And make it into Velonews in a picture! Finally Team Vanderkitten is making it to the top. http://www.velonews.com/photo/79060

This week is full of rest and stretching before the big race on Friday. I pulled my hamstring on Sunday, and it's still recovering. I've been to yoga already three times this week and am going again this afternoon. Lots of arnica, lots of rest, lots of good fruits and veggies and I'll be as good as gold! And the base miles, I now see their purpose. Friday, I'll feel them.

Team Vanderkitten on the Podium

2008-06-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend truly reminded me how much I love biking and why I love it for both racing and riding. Saturday's Hill Climb kicked off the Winter Park Series, and I sure kicked it off with a bang! I went into the race so focused and just had to put all the outside distractions aside, and just do I love to do: pedal uphill fast. I had a tremendous warm-up. For some reason I overestimated how long it takes to get from Golden to Winter Park, so I ended up there around 7:15 a.m. and was warming up at 8:30 for a 10:21 start time. It was good though, I slowly woke my body up and a got a good feel for what the climb was going to feel like. It felt steady, not too steep, however the altitude was definitely flattening my lungs.

All pro, expert and singlespeed women were started together. Luckily I got a good spot on the front line and knew that all distractions aside, I just needed to focus and ride my heart out. And so I did. I had a good start, but instead of the blowing up feeling after about 5 minutes, I kept feeling stronger. (I guess some of those 15 minute intervals up Lookout Mountain are beginning to settle in). Before I knew it, I was chasing down the pro women. Amy (Yeti Beti) took off with the pro women like dynamite, and I thought, well there she goes. But slowly I got stronger bit by bit, and was able to climb really consistently. After I took lead for the expert women I was starting to play a game of yo-yo with a pro gal. On all the steeper grade, I would accelerate, on the flats, she would. About a mile from the top an expert woman came flying by, and I knew I just needed to stay steady for second. At the very top is "The Wall" the final push at over 12,000 feet on the top of Mary Jane, and I knew if I could put in short pull, I could beat the pro lady. And I did! (Actually I beat two of them!)

It was such a good feeling to really get into my racing zen and stand on the podium proud in pink!

Plans changed for the weekend, so instead of rallying up in Breckenridge, I headed back down the hill. Taking some advice from Bubba who I work with, I stopped at Centennial Cone on my way down Clear Creek Canyon. My legs felt spent, but inside I felt so inclined to ride. I decided to ride up until I got tired and coast down. Well, 17 miles later I rode the whole loop and was so excited that I did. I rode with three different people, rode beautiful smooth singletrack through meadows, down into the forest, up a peak. It was incredible!

I ended up in the Clear Creek down by my house, and I have now decided that is the best post-ride recovery (besides eating!)

Sunday I was planning on doing a long base ride on the road. My friend Chris wanted to tag along, so off we headed up Golden Gate Canyon. He's a runner, so of course, is biting the bullet for the first ten minutes. I think after that he learned what endurance means. It was good training for me to stay in a base zone and mini top-base intervals after I'd coast down past him and catch him at the top.

Originally we were planning on doing the whole Golden Gate Canyon, Peak to Peak Highway, Coal Creek Canyon loop. But we ended at HWY 119 and turned around for home. It was a good solid 20 mile climb, and after hearing the incessant beeping of his heart rate monitor, I decided it was in both our best interests to coast home. Another ice bath, another day of training.

This week has been a bit more relaxing ride-wise. Although I did manage to be riding my mountain bike home last night at 9:15 p.m., in the dark, on the bike path, with a water bottle full of beer. I do like the mountain bike mentality sometime. Amy, my friend Jenny and I did the Chimney Gulch-Apex Loop. I'm having a blast riding with the Yeti Beti's: Amy, Sarka, Natalie, Julia and Sonya. They're a super sweet and super strong group of women who ride Yeti's.

This weekend should be a blast. Headed to Crested Butte, CO for MSC No. 4 The Wildflower Rush. We're all staying at this ridiculous house right in town with a hot tub. I'm bringing a carrot cake (Nick's got the frosting!), some wine, and stoked to race the XC course first thing Saturday morning and then Super-D on Sunday. That's right. This Vanderkitten is headed downhill . . . .

I'm a real Colorado girl now!
License plates and all!

Teva Mountain Games: XC MTB Race

2008-06-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

The start: a cluster fuck. The course: a death climb (1264' per lap to be exact). The finish: thank goodness I'm done.

To see some pics visit http://www.mcclarrinonphotography.com/gallery/5137681_jkg3N#310607249_QioGP

and http://www.mcclarrinonphotography.com/gallery/5137681_jkg3N#310588954_v8sAT

I signed up for the Teva Mountain Games last minute. Originally I had planned on competing in the Rio Stampede, a 12-hour endurance race in Steamboat Springs on June 7. But since that got cancelled due to massive snowpack, I decided to skedaddled up to Vail, Colo. to compete in one of the bigger races of the season.

This race was not NORBA-sanctioned, so you could essentially sign up for any category you. You could sandbag the whole thing or go get whipped by the pros. I decided to stay within my category since they were scoring all experts together. They are some really fast older women out there. I swear, the more miles in your legs, the faster you are.

The Teva Mountain Games XC MTB Race was a part of a three-day competition that included slopestyle competition, a hill climb, kayak competition, trail runs, mud runs, paragliding, dog competition, rock climbing, flyfishing- you name it. It was cool to see all of these outdoor extreme sports converge in one event. Sometimes you become so wrapped up in your micro-cosm of a world, that you forget that people are just as passionate about a different sport and their lives revolve around it in a very different way.

The race kicked off for the pro men at noon sharp on Saturday. 12:00:30 for pro women, 12:01:00 for expert men, and 12:01:30 for expert women. All of the climbing was done on fire roads, and it was very apparent that there was 1264' to climb each lap since the pros ahead started a freight train than trickled all of the way down the mountain. Each lap was 5.3 miles. Originally the Expert women were going to do four laps, and last minute they made some changes and we were knocked down to three. In the staging area there was some moaning and groaning, but as each of us started lap number three, I think there was no complaining whatsoever.

The whole race hurt, a lot. It felt like interval after interval after interval. I am beginning to know myself as a racer pretty well. I don't shoot out of the cannon very fast (it takes me about 12-15 minutes to work into it) and then slowly, I get stronger throughout the entire race. Good for a repetitive climbing race. I watched a bunch of women ride away in the beginning, but slowly I picked them off one by one to claim 13th by the end. I still need to work on a few of the final pushes. I was able to beat a few competitors from my past, but there is still a long ways to go to get up to front. A few of the girls I have been racing with moved up to the pros. I think I have a ways to go yet, but I know it's attainable.

Finally I wasn't the sole vanderpussy out there racing. Patty Buerkle is a fellow Team Vanderkitten rider from Bend, Ore. who flew out for the race. I think she did pretty decent in the women's pro race. At one point I had Ned Overend fly past me, as well as the winning pro man Ryan Trebone and my friend Spencer Paxson. Kind of fun to be "racing with" the pros out there.

After the race Nick and I rendezvoused with some old friends and watched the slopestyle qualifiers. Amazing that these guys fly through the air, crash, get up, and throw another 360. The World Championship Rock Climbing competition was going on as well.

Sunday I woke up to a few inches of snow filling in my bike racks and covering my bike. It was a little unmotivating to spin my legs when that would require putting on thermal tights, a thermal jacket, my mittens and headband. By late afternoon (and an icy bike-bath in the front yard) we were geared up and ready for exploration.

Nick recently moved up to the Wellington neighborhood in Breckenridge, Colo. He was told that most local cyclists live in that neighborhood. Now I see why. About 50 feet from the neighborhood you can jump on singletrack and fire roads that will extend for miles into the mountains. The whole area used to be a big mining area. We found old cabins, johns, rusted artifacts, and mine shafts scattered all around the mountain. We kept climbing and climbing and climbing. Kind of like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. We dropped a rock down a mine shaft and it took nearly 3 seconds to hit bottom. We got dead ended by a bunch of snow banks- it's hard to believe that its barely coming out of winter up there. It was definitely a fun way to putz around the day after a race. My knee felt like it was burning, I think it was just inflamed from the day before. Finally had to coast back home.

Next on the calendar: time to kick off the Winter Park Series with the hill climb next Saturday, June 14. A 5.3 mile non-technical hill climb with a 2,062 foot elevation gain. The course starts at the base of the Winter Park Resort and climbs to the top of Mary Jane Ski Area following the mountain service road. Damn. I hope to do it under 48 minutes. Under 45? Even sweeter.

Does it get any higher than New Mexico?

2008-05-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Living in Denver you tend to think that you are acclimated to high elevation. But I guess with some mountain bike racing, you are truly bike racing-- up a mountain.

The base of Angel Fire, New Mexico stands at a mere 8,500 feet. That's where we started. The course consisted of 60% technical singletrack and 30% fire roads. The long loop was approximately 9 miles and climbs up to 10,500 feet each lat with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. This we did twice. So yes Nick, when I said I felt like I climbed 4000 feet, I wasn't kidding!

My warm up hurt pretty good. When you look down and see 182 on your heart rate monitor, and you're spinning about 60 RPM, you're doing some major climbing. The good thing though, it that you aren't the only one suffering. When the race kicked off, our pack moved like jello up some of the steepest sections of the course. I knew I had to settle in pretty fast, otherwise it would be an anaerobic burnout. I gradually moved up to about 5th place by the top of the first lap. I was stoked on the final technical climb that I was outclimbing girls. I told myself I would just keep pedaling until I fell over, and sure enough I just kept going.

I have been gaining major confidence in my technical riding skills as I have become more acquainted with my Yeti. This was the first race where I could rely on my technical downhill skills to gain ground as opposed to losing ground. I was only passed by one gal in my class (Expert 19-29) on the downhill, and considering she was the Women's Open Super-D the previous day, I didn't feel too shabby.

By the end of the first descent, I felt more exhausted than at the top of the descent. Apparently it served no recovery. I could barely shift into my granny gear from round number two of the climb. Overall, I finished sixth. It was rough, but I'm not too disappointed considering the circumstances coming into the race: moving furniture the day before instead of pre-riding, still being physically hungover from the Tribe Gathering, sleeping with a dog on my head the entire night, and well, being there and just finishing was good enough.

As of now I am third in my class (Expert 19-29). I am ready to get back into some "training." Today I am going to go and ride Lookout Mountain and see where I am at fitness wise. Yesterday I had the most incredible commute to work, I climbed up Chimney Gulch trail from my house in Golden to the very top of Lookout Mountain and then descended down Apex to work. What a way to start the day! I think that will have to be my new morning mountain biking commute. Screw the bike path!

I'm headed into the heart of race season soon. The Rio Stampede on June 7 was cancelled. It was rescheduled for August 9th. Unfortunately I'll have the miss the 12-hour bonanza for a friend's wedding. In place of the Rio Stampede, I'll be doing the Teva Mountain Games XC race on June 7. It'll be a good time to see a friend coming in from out of town to race and to race with a gigantic pack. Looking forward to it.

So I realized finally I need to replace the rechargeable batteries in camera. So no new pics from the weekend. I do have a few pictures of the downhill racing that was going on in Angel Fire. It was 4X Nationals also that weekend. A little peak into what I may be getting myself into up in Keystone this summer. (Actually this looks very similar to the descent on the XC course, funny how that works!)

The 7th Annual Yeti Tribe Gathering

2008-05-21T14:16:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I have last written, but that only means I have been busy playing on the dirt! A lot has happened since racing the Rabbit Valley Rally in Fruita, Colorado the beginning of April. Since then I have raced the Chalk Creek Stampede in Nathrop, been riding with the kickass Yeti Beti's every Tuesday night, built up my brand new steed (the luscious Yeti AS-R Carbon built to finally fit me!), and accomplished a big milestone in burgeoning career in the bicycle industry: The 7th Annual Yeti Tribe Gathering.

Finally, I'm nailing the wheelies, one pedal stroke at a time- May 15, 2008 Fruita, Colo.

So I'll start in the present and work my way backwards. The Yeti Tribe Gathering. This was my first whack at planning an event of this size and caliber. I had over 200 people come to Fruita, Colorado to ride the Kokopelli and Taubeguache trails. The Yeti Tribe Gathering originated back in the Durango days of Yeti, where the freaks would come out of the woodworks to celebrate the fat-tire. It was evolved into an official event, which picks a different location in Colorado every year. Last few scenes have included Crested Butte, Steamboat Springs, Monarch and Aspen/Snomass.

I was hired to put all of this together for this year, and boy was it a task. The week leading up to the tribe was a little hectic, but when it came down to it, Dale's Pale Ale was flowing, people were smiling and worn out from long, technical rides out in the sun, and I only had one girl fall off a 12-foot ledge. All-in-all, mission accomplished. Even had the leisure of getting a bit snockered Saturday night off a bottle of wine (my sure bet that I wouldn't be hung-over the next day, wouldn't be too great of an event planner if I was). I strayed away from Bike Limbo, barrel racing and the bunny-hopping contest, as I'm not sure how I would be without 100% coordination in effect, so I made a much better announcer and timer.

On Saturday during the day we guided the groups down The Ribbon, a massive stone slab with earth-shaking cliffs on both sides. Somehow at the end of the ride I ended up with Conroy (Yeti President), Matt Phillips (editor, Mountain Biking Magazine) and Taff Darner (the most kickass 40-year-old woman out there) and I was suppose to know what trails connected to what on the Taubeguache Lunch Loops. Truth be told, I was shit lost, and luckily their names held true and we were eventually looped back to the parking lot, with perhaps a bit more pedaling that even I would have liked.

Sunday was spent cleaning up and sending people off on their own excursions on the Kokopelli Trails. Luckily I had three days prior to the event to do some exploring with Anthony Sloan, the demo guy for Yeti and my second hand for the entire weekend. My favorite was Horsethief Bench--a little sidekick loop to Mary's Loop that has the perfect mix of tech, flowing trails and fantastic views of the Colorado River. Even the lizards came out in their best Yeti colors for the weekend.

After Saturday's guiding adventure, I realized I should have paid more attention to the trail when I pre-rode it with Anthony on Wednesday. I almost led my entire group off of a cliff, and then realized we should have gone one more slab to the right. But riding it with just one other person, you get going so fast! It's almost kind of scary, riding you bike feels like chattering skis going 50mph over corn sludge snow. Except the consequences seem much more severe when it's you've only got skin and Lycra covering you.

The last two weekends leading up to the Yeti Tribe Gathering were filled with lots of racing! I watched as a CSU alum the 2008 Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals which were held on home turf in Fort Collins, Colo. (darn early graduation!) Oh well, it was probably more fun to watch from the side than to be out in the gail force headwinds in a race. My Vanderkitten teammate Amanda Miller took fourth in the omnium for the Division I Women's racing. Rock on! As much as I love a little spin on the road, I am loving mountain biking more and more.

I raced at the Chalk Creek Stampede in Nathrop, Colo. the weekend before May 3-4, 2008. The property is owned by Keith Darner, and has a full on XC course, 4X, DS and short cross course. What a place to live! Except for the sand . . . .

When I pre-rode the course on Friday evening, I was cursing the sand left and right. I was still riding a demo at that point and didn't realize that my tire pressure was over 40 psi. So after lowering it by more than half, and getting a few "Quick Nick MTB Lessons" I was good to go. We camped out at the campground across the street, and boy did I get cold! Good thing I wasn't racing until noon.

I wouldn't say my warm-up was great or anything, but boy was I ready to race. This XC course was a 7-mile lap, four times over. The women were groaning at the start line that we had to do 28 miles. For some reason it didn't even phase me. I had a great start, and really felt like the racer I knew was deep down there. Every time I saw someone up ahead I had the mental game to give it a push to pass them. I ended up in 5th place, which was far better than second to last in Fruita. I guess three weeks of more structured training paid off.

The short track race on Sunday encompassed portions of the XC and portions of the 4X course. This was the type of race where starting position was crucial. Luckily I had a chance to pre-ride a lap, but unluckily it stuck me at the back. Passing in the sand pits was nearly impossible, and going over the jumps--well let's just say I got too confident on the first two laps, then cased it, and wrecked right in front of the Yeti tent/trailer and pro riders. Score.

Tonight I leave for Angel Fire New Mexico for the Mountain State Cup No. 3 Chile Challenge. This is a huge event, more on the gravity side, but I hear for the XC course on Sunday, it's a climber's course. Hope my legs are ready to give it full throttle. I have been riding my mountain bike a ton lately, but mostly just for fun. So it'll be a good measure of what is the best kind of training, on the mountain or on the road.

It'll be me, my new carbon baby (which I crashed on concrete this afternoon skidding off of Apex Trail onto the bike path) and the dirt. Hope it goes well, and I'll be giving much more frequent updates now that racing is in full swing and life is not so hectic (wait a minute . . . it's always hectic!)

My new carbon baby: a black full XTR AS-R Yeti Carbon!

Fruita Fat-Tire Luvin'

2008-04-17T16:09:00.001-07:00

First race of the season under the belt, or under the bibs.

Was I race ready? Not quite. But my philosophy is that the best way to train to race, is to just race, suck it up and suffer. The legs will come around.

Being just a week over lifting weights, my legs were a big heavy to say the least. Intensity hasn’t been very regular in my training regimen. For once, I wanted to do a bulk of base mileage to hold me through a long season of mountain bike racing, so although the long five and six hour days have slowly been building the little capillaries in my legs, they left them lackluster to go fast.

Nonetheless, the weekend of racing the Rabbit Valley Rally in Fruita, Colo. was a blast. I was impressed with the organization, professionalism and turnout at the first event of the season. There were more than 60 women participating at the event. Within that, there were two types: women who have been riding bikes for so many years, endurance and riding bikes is coded into their muscles, and women my age who have been racing on the road for two months. Unfortunately, I was neither. So although I had an outstanding start for the first mile and a half, I became a bit dogged down as my muscles screamed, “Sarah you’re above threshold!” That and a slow leaking rear tire. (at least I felt like a rock star in the sandy sections)

The Dale’s Pale Ale Off-Road Time Trial on Saturday was nearly six miles of technical terrain. It appeared that you climbed to a ridge and then rode down. The parts I wasn’t expecting were the technical sections, the eroding trail, the undulating ridge and power climbs, and a three foot drop that nearly dropped my jaw.

Luckily I was riding a brand new Yeti AS-R Carbon for the first time that kept me from endoing over the handlebars. After that ride I was convinced—this bike rocks. I was so surprised at its quick responses, accelerations in the climbs and steadiness in technical descents. I felt confident pumping through the rollers, and for the occasional discount, it was light enough to throw over my shoulder like a cyclo-cross bike. I guess there are perks working for a sweet mountain bike company, especially when my other bike is sold, and I need one in a pinch. Anthony (our demo guy) was so kind to set me up perfectly on it. I can’t wait until my beauty comes. It’s going to be black, full XTR, with a white and pink saddle. Gotta keep the pink somewhere.

I wasn’t totally stoked with my 25:42.5 result on course, but at least I enjoyed the feeling of burning lungs afterwards.

I went and pre-rode 10 miles of the XC course with Nick shortly afterwards. The trails in Fruita are incredible. Miles of rolling (partly sanding) with just enough technical sections to keep you entertained, but not too much to slow you down. We didn’t make it out to the long loop. Better to save that one for the race.

Sunday morning was a long one. I’m not use to a noon start time. I guess that leaves enough time for the ground to warm up and for people to get over their hangovers. I had a short warm-up, and things weren’t opening up as quickly as I thought after a hard day yesterday. I gulped a few sport leg pills with a sip of Cyto-max and three Honey Stinger Gummis, and lined up next to my teammate Amanda Miller on the front line.

I was wondering where my pre-race jitters were. Maybe I left them in the portable toilet. But as the race official began to count five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . two, I found them again . . . one . . . and then we were off. A smooth clip in and fast and furious pedal kept me in the top five for about a mile and a half. One by one I was passed. So I settled into a sustainable rhythm and kept trucking. Good thing the scenery was so amazing! We rode approximately five of the 20 miles along the Western Rim. I wish I would have checked out the scenery a little more, but I was afraid of falling over the edge, so I kept trucking along.

One hour, forty-five minutes and 6.08 seconds later, I came across the finish line. Nick said he has never seen me finish a race so relaxed. I figured at that point, I was either DFL or at least a mile or two ahead of the last gal. Turns out I was just two places ahead.

I think my average heart rate for the race was about 182. Seemed high considering the highest I had seen it previous to the race weekend was 178. So to sustain it for that long, damn, my heart was working. Wish it could relay the message a little better to the legs.

The good news from the race though, is that I fell in love with my bike to come, my bike fit is finally settling in, I pushed some pre-season limits and I have a good sunburn to kick off the shorts and jersey tan line. I had a bike fit reevaluation on Friday and we moved my cleat back to a normal position since my hips had rotated back to a normal position. Although I may look like a goof with the theraband in the gym, I still get to keep the lift in my left shoe—if I was a boat, I would be portside without it.

I have three weeks until my next race. I was a little disappointed with my results, as girls I was competitive with last collegiate season, just rode away. But it just reminded me that I am in a different phase of training and now it is time to transition. It’s time to focus on training on the bike, not off the bike. Instead of working out in the morning, lifting weight, building up my running, swimming a few days a week and doing yoga every day like an exercise-aholic, it’s time to choose two. Yoga and biking. Add some intensity to the bike to bring my race game up, and keep up the yoga to keep my balance. Oh, and the theraband. It’s actually quite sexy. The trails are starting to clear, until my carbon steed arrives, it will be road riding under sunny skies and bringing up the quality, not quantity.

The Trails Are Calling

2008-04-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

So today I am offically kicking off my season of dirt. I am stoked to get out on the trails near Golden, Colo. this weekend for some mountain biking in preparation for the first Mountain States Cup race on April 12-13 in Fruita, Colo. I am stoked. It's been a while since I have truly been in touch with some mountain biking, so it's time to get to it.

A little background as to why I am here, and what's I'm doing.

I ride bikes.

I plan events for riding bikes.

I look at bikes all day long.

I wish I were riding bikes all day long, but for now, this is good enough.

I recently graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. and moved to Golden to begin a new job with Yeti Cycles. I do their marketing, public relations, communications, event planning, etc. Basically I am there to jump start some new projects, be organized and keep the lines of communication open. I love my job and enjoy having an hour and a half to ride bikes at lunch, watch dogs runs around the place, and see how excited people get about mountain biking each and every day!

One of my big projects is planning for the 7th Annual Yeti Tribe Gathering. This year we holding it in Fruita, Colo. on May 16-18. It is full of fat-tire festivities all weekend long! I am hoping to make it one of our best yet.

Yeti makes some pretty sweet bikes. I'm talking big time. I'll get my very first Yeti in May, and I am stoked to take the full carbon steed out on the trails and see what she can do.

Check it out on their website.

It's crazy to think bikes have only been in my life just under three years. I fell in love when I lived in Hood River, Oregon one summer, had tons of fun hanging out with guys at a bike shop, and decided to take one of their advice and try a collegiate race back at school. That was my sophomore year in college.

Fast forward two years, I have been racing just two years, competed in four national collegiate races (two mountain, two road) and it has become my career, a new passion and such a growing point in my life. I am hoping that it's true that women don't peak until their late twenties/early thirties. That gives me some time to get fast.

This summer should be a blast. I will be racing most of the Mountain States Cup series and Winter Park series plus a 12-hour endurance race in Steamboat Springs on a duo team with my boyfriend Nick. I am pretty lucky to have found someone crazy enough to ride bikes so much and someone that I can learn from and who can push me. Considering he has nearly 10 years of bike racing under his belt, I have a lot to live up to. It awesome to have your best friend and boyfriend at each and every race, someone who'll have a recovery bottle waiting at the finish line, and who is just as much of a nut.

I am racing for Team Vanderkitten which is based out of California. They make some incredible women-specific cycling clothes. I rode for the first time this weekend in the new kit, and wow, what a great chamois does for a ride. I'll be riding with teammate who still races at CSU for some of the races, so I won't be the only pink one out there. Although I currently do have a pink bike . . . . . and sunglasses . . . and socks. It'll stop there.

I got out this weekend and did get some time on the dirt. After about 5 hours on the road, Nick and I packed up our mountain bikes and headed to White Ranch. The grueling climb kicked my butt, and when my left calf said "No More!" I kicked my bike and then bombed the hill to feel better. I am hoping some bike-fit follow up will alleviate some of the issues I am having with my left calf and knee, and I'll be back in action in no time.

For now, I am hoping to get one last ski day in. The hills were alive with powder today at Copper Mountain and I am still not ready to put away the skis. My first and deepest passion- skiing- keeps me coming back.

More to come . . . . race update and new pictures next weekend.