Conditions were better today, but still less than perfect.  Rain was not falling from the sky, but the trails were definitely wet, and some of the trails were unrideable.

Brad Keyes is perfecting his own drink mix, Carbo Rocket, and gave me some to try today. It was tasty.

Our group from yesterday had shrunken considerably with the forecasted 50% of rainfall for the day.  Lynda decided to change the route today because the soil in the desert turns into clay.  We didn’t get to avoid it entirely.  The road we took to get to the singletrack was wet, and it was only a matter of minutes until everyone’s bikes were bogged down in mud.  After some time scooping handfuls of mud off the tires and drive-train, we hiked for a little while and conditions improved.

When your bike gets this much clay on it, it becomes obese.

I rode a bit easier today than I did yesterday with my average HR being about 25 beats lower, but still got in a great workout.  The terrain today was considerably more technical and rocky.  I enjoy flowy, fast singletrack, but I also have a love for challenging terrain as well.

The sky was huge today…and the sun came out.

Putzin’ along.

Food break! Nom, nom, nom.

Mr. Kerkove is Mr. Kool.

I stole this video from Jeff. It’s kinda funny. Move aside, boyoyois!

High point, looking down on Arizona.

I had to look over the edge.

I rode up to get a good view of the group hanging out at the end.

Some of us wore our Sunday best. I love this jersey!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a 100 mile day. We’ll see how the trails fair after the sunshine today. Cross your fingers!

After 10 hours in the car yesterday, Jeff and I arrived in San Horhay(George)… which of course, in German, means… … but I think scholars lost the translation years ago.

One pic from the car ride:

I woke up this morning to Jeff staring out the window, lamenting, “NOOO!!!!” I knew what he was seeing because I could hear the cars driving on the wet roads. Yes, it was raining which is apparently a Kerkove curse. That is, coming to St. George and having to ride in the rain. No matter, at least it was warm out with temps in the 50s. I don’t mind riding in the rain if it’s warm. The only bummer is we couldn’t ride all of the trail because the soil turns into clay when wet.

Day 1 bitches. Let’s roll.

I was doing some product testing for a new Ergon pack that will eventually be available to the market – the BC3. Given that the pack is waterproof and it was currently raining, it seemed like the perfect pack to use for the day. I loaded it up with warmer clothes in case things got worse, plenty of bike tools, an extra water bottle, and FOOOOD.

Out of that pile, I ended up eating 1 cherry pop tart, the rice krispie treat, 1 Gu, 1 Larabar, and 2.5 bottles of Cytomax.

The ride started from a Starbucks, and a lot of really cool peeps showed up.

Lynda and I were the only girls there.

Sweet rides….

I was riding with the really fast boys for awhile, but my heart rate hit 206 on the first climb and I decided that was probably a little too much. I decided to back it off, and also to strip off a layer or two.

Just then, Lynda and a few guys rolled by, so I stuck with them for the rest of the day.

The rain would sprinkle on and off, and it was most certainly wet and red desert muddy. I had to loose the sunglasses. It was like a sauna between my eyes and lenses.

It was awesome riding with Lynda. She definitely pushed me and I was riding in zone 4 and 5 most of the ride… and mind you, she was on a singlespeed. I think she has super powers…

More photos:

The wet desert. Wow, that is an oxymoron.

Must fuel. Must.

Dave Beyers

Wet rock is slick rock.

HUP!

My bike got pretty dirty and my drive train sounded like a cement mixer. We cleaned it up though.

Same with other folks

People were pretty psyched up at the end of the ride. WEEE!

I also got throttled by Brad Keyes during the ride. He’s another singlespeed hammer. He hurt his ear somehow… said it was from his wife giving him an earful, but that sounds like an excuse to me!

Me and Heffay.

Some bike rides will “put hair on your chest.” In this case, it put mango shaped boobs on Jeff’s.

Day 1. 4 hours, 40 miles. Check!! Good fun.

Yep, today is the day that Mr. Kerkove and I are heading to Camp Lynda. It’s going to be a 9 hour drive, but Jeff and I always have a great time.

Yesterday was a day to spin the legs out. It was almost 70! (I know…it be crazy.) And don’t worry, it’s going to snow this weekend- good thing I won’t be here. Kind of like a fling-it was good while it lasted, but you gotta come back to reality sometime. hehe It was pretty windy out with 25mph constant wind. Good for wind power if it’s always like that where you live.

Some photos for you-

I like to ride my road bike on the dirt.

The sun was just right, and I am obsessed with shadows, so I attempted to quickly be artistic. I bet these would have been cool if I spent more time… or if I had more photography talent!

And the Flatirons…

We have had an update. Kerkove HAS confirmed it. We are staying near the IHOP. Am I surprised? Um, no.

Mr. Bush, it’s been a long 8 years. Here’s to you.

Today was a great day. Not only did we get an awesome new president, but it was almost 67 degrees here. Yes, you read that right!!!! And even better, I had a ride scheduled for today.

I got to ride in short sleeves and knee warmers! Most people were riding in shorts, but I am trying to be extra caring towards my knees.

Today’s ride was the first interval ride of the year. I did some 15 minute tempo intervals. I found something out today – it’s really hard for me to ride in zone 3. When I do an interval, traditionally it has been in zones 4 and 5. It was really challenging to keep my HR where it was supposed to be. My power was also over the place, ranging anywhere from 150-500W! My average power and average HR for each interval was within 5 watts of one another, so at least that was consistent! Hats off to those who can train with power and hold the number steady. I don’t know how they do that!

I have decided that the road bike needs a make-over. I have recently started hating my seat. I can’t get comfortable on it (it’s a Specialized Jett). I am thinking of trying out WTB saddles. I want something a little softer, with at least some difference where my taint will rest. I think cut outs might put too much pressure everywhere else, and cut out seats are usually harder and make my ass bones ache. The WTB saddle seems to be a good compromise, but I have no idea! I am also starting to save quarters for a new handlebar. I am thinking I want this bar. (the K-Wing) What I’d give for a handlebar sponsorship right now…

Tomorrow is going to be another warm day, and I have a 1.5 hour recovery ride on deck. Last day at work till Camp Lynda. I can hardly wait! I get to spend tons of time on my mountain bike on new trails with FUN people! The weather should hold out. I am hoping the rains stay away!!

Just another quick note. I am selling these brand new sunglasses if anyone is interested. I got them and they are too big for my face.

Today was one of those days. You know, the kind where you can’t seem to wake up. Usually, I feel better after I get out on the bike, but today was an exception. I was feeling really sleepy, my HR was like 115 BPM and a zone 2 effort. Top it off with 30 mph winds with 40 mph gusts, and it’s no fun.

I decided it’d be better to go home and relax the rest of the day. It’s still my rest week, so why not. Gotta be ready for Camp Lynda!

I was going to do the Oval Ride yesterday, but I decided it’d be better to take matters into my own hands and go hard only when I wanted to due to the fragile state my knee has been in. Yesterday was the first day that it wasn’t hurting, and I didn’t want to make it explode on a lung busting group ride.

Instead, I took the mountain bike and rode Blue Sky Trail in Fort Collins. Unfortunately, executing this ride wasn’t so simple. I have Stan’s in both my wheels and Jeff lives about 45 minutes from the trailhead. Halfway there, I felt something wet spewing up my leg (get your mind out of the gutter!). I kept going hoping the tire would seal. Denied. I tried to add air to the tire with hopes of the hole sealing, but Stan’s would erupt like a geyser if I got above 10psi. Mind you, I flatted on pavement – guess I ran over a nail or something.

Somehow I am able to clean technical sections with ease on my mountain bike, but in real life, I am very clumsy. I trip over cracks in the sidewalk and if there is a chainring in site, it usually claims some skin.

After a few tries, I decided to add a tube. I just had one spare, so I decided to head back to Jeff’s, get another tube just in case (after almost getting stranded a month ago, I didn’t want to take my chances), hit the reset button like when you’d get pissed playing the old school Nintendo, and headed out.

I actually saw the Oval Ride in Horsetooth Park on my way out. I barely recognized Jeff – he was off the front from the main pack. He looked so itty bitty on his road bike.

Horsetooth Park

and then I reached the trail….

My knee wasn’t hurting at all, and coach told me I could go hard if I felt ok. I have not done any intensity since September-October. I have been in a zone 2 euphoria for quite a long time, so I started to give ‘er.

It was so warm that I was riding in short sleeves and knee warmers.

I tried to ride at XC pace and would explode after 5 minutes, recover for a minute, then throttle again. I definitely have some building to to do on the intensity front. Back in August, I could ride 50 miles at that pace. ha ha The distant memory of suffering always seems to be worse than I remember for the first couple efforts every year after base. I was drooling a little bit, tasting iron, and had the suffer cough after I got back. I couldn’t completely let it go because there were a lot of people on the trail, but it was good enough.

A little excitement on the way back – doggie on the loose. The dog catcher was out in full force.

And Kerkove kooked up some yummy dinner. mmm hmmm.

Today was an event on Pearl St. Mall in Boulder, CO. The Prana store has everything half off, and a “garage sale” downstairs where shirts are 5 bucks and pants are 10 bucks. I am a Prana brand hor, so you bet your booty I was there. Their pants fit me really well – most girl pants are made for ladies with teeny tiny quads. Seeing that my former gym nickname was Quadzilla, you can see how this is a problem for me. The pants are made for ladies with more muscular tendencies, and they look great and stylish!!

So. I was in the communal fitting room (it was so packed in there, they needed to do that) and there was a divider between men and women. I laughed to myself. The women were all talking saying things like, “Does this make my butt look big? How does this look? Are my boobs too small to wear this shirt?” Then I tuned into the men’s side. It surprised me that they were conversing – so many guys are homophobes, so chatting with strangers when you are half dressed might be uncomfortable to some. I heard things like, “The crotch on these pants might hang down too low for my climbing harness, I wonder if this material is durable enough” etc. I love hearing gender differences and laughing.

Of course, after this, it’ll probably snow 9 inches, but I’ll enjoy the moment for now!

I changed it up at work today and went out to a solar install for awhile. It was fun to get up on a roof and get my hands kinda dirty. It was really foggy here this morning which is unusual, and then my friend, the sun burned through to say hi.

I used one of my new Twin Six Water Bottles, and it almost matched my Rotwild. I have a pink bottle too. YES!

My knee is feeling much better from the previous injury, but is now hurting around the patella, particularly when I go to stand up from a sitting position. I am getting a massage tomorrow, that will hopefully take care of my problems. It usually helps. I have also had this kind of pain before. It’s so weird, when I was a runner and running 60 miles a week, I never had knee pain. I have had more knee problems when I started cycling, and have them every year. It’s frustrating, but I guess it’s part of the game.

Today’s reward was more Deschutes Black Butte Porter. I also love the Obsidian Stout and Inversion IPA. mmm mmm

Tomorrow is Friday… TGIF. On deck -work, ride, rub, and head up to Fort Kerkove.