Don’t you worry, I”ll have lots of fun pictures. Camera is charged and ready. Coffee time!

It rained here today, but it was still hot in the morning. I drank about 140 oz of water… thank goodness for my Hydrapak, single bottle cage on my Scalpel (I have named him Heeman) and Ergon BD2 pack. Phew! That is 8.5 lbs of water!!!!

I accidentally left my lights on the Tough Bastard because I was so excited to go ride, and was very very lucky that a nice mountain biker guy name Gino gave me a jump. thank you thank you thank you thank you.

Enchanted Forest Trail… simply enchanting!

Oh so happy…and sweaty…and beastly. roooaaaar!!!

Chimney Gulch… trying to take different photos of the trail since this has appeared on here once or twice.

View from up high.

I’m trying to get better, I swear. I need a helmet cam sponsor or something.

Another milestone I hit this week is that i have been trying to get to 3 pull-ups in a row by August. I did yesterday, and I was able to do 3 sets. I’m not a T-rex after all.

I’m really looking forward to the weekend. Me and my favorite studly mountain biker and I are heading up to Leadville for some cool, thin air (I intend to wear my down jacket camping at about 10,000 ft) and some excellent high altitude training. My favorite. I actually have not been to Leadville before, strange I know. I am also really looking forward to Sol Vista MSC next weekend. I feel like I may actually and finally have something in the tank after everything I have been through this year. I have never been there either. Rumor has it that it’ll be a national next year and possibly even a World Cup. Weeee!!!!

made of riding on the Colorado Trail the day after a SICK race. I ventured out on my own and did a SWEET loop that Coach told me about. I thought I was in Heaven, or at least hoped that is what it is like. I felt actually decent the day after… definitely a bit tired, but still able-bodied and wanting to ride longer than the 3 hours prescribed. I think I felt alright because I was very careful with nutrition for the race. I consumed 6 bottles and 5 Gus during the race, and also drank 3.5 L of water in the morning. Yes, I am a sweat beast. Need hydration.

I finally got to do a long enough ride where I used my Ergon BD2 pack for mountain biking. I was even more impressed. I have always hated mountain biking with stuff hanging on my back because it’s heavy, it moves around, it makes my shoulders hurt. So much that I usually stuff my pockets with bottles. There were moments that I actually FORGOT I was wearing anything on my back and it was not cumbersome AT ALL on the ripping fast descents. In fact, it stayed in one place.

My best friends for the day. Woodland friends. My Hydrapak 70 oz. bladder fit nicely.

Mmm Hmm

Game on!

Some people don’t believe in global climate change and look the other way. Believe it. These trees are dead b/c of the pine beetles. Why? Because it isn’t getting cold enough in the winter to kill them off…so instead, they are killing my glorious pine trees. Pretty soon, all that will be left is pine tree air fresheners for my car. ugh.

I’ll have my singletrack EXTRA single please!

I was able to put my direction in the top of my fork. A bike of many uses…

Video attempt number 2. Need to learn to ride one-handed a little smoother. I need a helmet cam…..

I forgot to include this in my last post. Ummm…. someone has a riding addiction, or just likes to go sit in the tanning booth for hours on end, ripe in the chamois!

Anyways!! The race!!!! I love riding in Breckenridge. I want to move there. Anyone want to give me a job? And then give me a job somewhere nice and sunny and warm in the winter so I can have cool tan lines all year? This was the first time that I felt GOOD in months…and I think it’ll just keep getting better. We’ll find out at Sol Vista MSC in two weeks. I rode up a long road for the warm-up and did some out of body hard efforts and was actually slightly concerned that I blew myself up.

There was a neutral start and I found myself riding with the fast boys for awhile…mostly trying to suck fat tire (no, not the beer…but I wish) until I could not hang on any longer. I made it up most of the paved road. The group had split in two and I was with the slower of the fast boys. We jumped on the singletrack and my legs were happy and telling me, “GO LOONEY!!!” so I did. Maybe a little too hard… I pegged my heartrate at 198 for about an hour. I did the 32 mile loop- the one that uses a large portion of the Firecracker course. The DH was very disappointing- all fire road and I actually blew myself up riding parts of the flat road and the DH. We filed back onto the CO Trail- I was going back and forth with a couple of guys. There were no ladies anywhere in sight, so I was duking it out with the boys. I had some tough moments at about an hour 45 into the race. It was climbing singletrack, I was blown, and getting to the length of a “normal” XC. I tried to sit back and spin the legs out, and backed it off to bring my HR into mid Zone 4. I usually race in Zone 5… I managed to recover and get a second wind. I destroyed the singletrack DH with my Scalpel- my bike is my true love. It is amazing and every time I look at it, I think, “I love my bike.” I really do. I know it’s sick. There was a really long fire road climb at the end and I managed to actually ride it with a lot of power and surprised myself. I crossed the line and was excited, but also wished I was doing the 68 mile race b/c I wanted to keep going. Sick?? Yes.

Following the race, I got to do an interview with the announcer guy and probably sounded like a toolbox…but it was fun anyway.

Results: What’s up boys? Good thing I didn’t pre-ride the course or every single one of ya woulda been chicked. Seriously…at the start, they were like, “yeah..some people took some of the arrows down, so don’t go too fast on the road or you might get lost. Hopefully you brought the course map with you. We even provided a zip lock bag.” Yikes?

My trophy. hahahaha

Garth (my teammate) got 6th in the 100.

Rocky Mountain High….

It was cool to attend and “enduro” event even though I was a wuss and did the shortened version. The feed zones are full of food and drinks, and you get more than a plastic number when you register. I got a whole goody bag of treats. It felt like looking in an Xmas stocking and Santa knew I was a good girl this year. I might have to try my hand at some 50 milers next year, just one or two. I used to do that my second year racing bikes. If anything, for the food.

Also, big congrats to Mr. Kerkove. He won the B-68 and stomped the competition. Maybe there was something in that coffee I made that morning….something that beckoned the top of the box…

And yes, there were many in his race…

Yes. Those are huge earrings. They are my podium flare. I did not wear the minimum number of pieces. I wanted to express myself

Umm… 32 is sort of endurance?

Getting my caffeine on

Aide station…too bad my race was too short to eat that stuff. Motivation to do the 100?

Sweet ride… beats my tough bastard.

So cute and tiny! That is NOT what she said.

Mr. Kerkove and I headed up to Breck on Friday and rode a little portion of the course to get the legs primed and ready, and to giggle at the buffed out, smooth, delightful Colorado Trail. That was actually one of the first times I have actually ridden the CO Trail (shame on me). I want to go back in the fall and do some epic rides.

Pointing with the imperial finger.

At least the beetles contribute to making the forest more colorful. Not cool.

Working on my video skillz…work in progress, and next time sans girly giggling and screaming.

Ugh. I’m sick of waiting for you. (hehe)

Fahren Die Team Vagen in Das Topeak Ergon Shades.

Coffee and working at 6:30 AM. That’s hardcore. Yes people. He actually does take off the helmet and sunglasses sometimes….

Update coming later tonight. Must get food. Must!

My site in da ghetto talk: Sonya Lizooney

Well I have had a few days rest and a nice long ride today. I’m gearing up for the B-32 in Breckenridge. There are a bunch of other distances like the 78 and the 100, but I think 32 will be quite long enough. It’s actually the second longest XC I have chosen to partake in this year!! (Sea Otter was the longest) This is another training race for me, but the course is going to be super sweet. Who knows, maybe I will continue to feel better on the bike!! I sure hope so. I ate a steak AND took iron today. I’m wondering how soon I’ll gain those 6 points of hematocrit back that I lost this year. Oxygen is useful and good, and my muscles would really like some.

Took a ride today on the token trails in Boulder- Marshall Mesa and Dowdy Draw for zone 2 work and then the Betasso Connector for some serious pain Z4/Z5 pain in the quads! Pics for your viewing pleasure.

Ummm.. moo?

I ate some cow for dinner. He was delicious.

The Flat Irons.

Marshall Mesa

Singletrax!

Connector. FUN!

More Betasso connector. The actual loop at the top is closed on Wed and Sat, so that was a no go.

We were bike pathletes for the day….

We were riding to “Someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place called Aspen.”

Nature…

and even more nature….

and wildlife in his natural habitat and I quote, “Treeline makes me giddy and I drool everywhere. I need an adult bib that says ‘I heart mountains’”

My sentiments exactly. Duuuude, blown out!

Me love smoothie. Me love almond butter smoothie.