Howdy from Salt Lake City! I got here yesterday and met the Ergon crew.
I have to say, I was expecting to meet some really fun, cool guys, but my expectations were far surpassed and I couldn’t be having more fun! It’s like being on vacation.
We worked on getting the booth set up for Outdoor Retailer at the convention center. The German technology behind the booth design is really impressive. The internals of the booth frame is made of super light Aluminum (I think it’s Al anyway) and the structural engineering is super cool.
Innovation? You bet your ace!
Frame…complete booth view coming tomorrow
We have been eating good food. ESSEN. Don’t worry, we shared this plate, it wasn’t all mine.
Happy Deutsch!
Greek authority.
Martin isn’t so sure about crazy Americans. Particularly Looney ones.
Today we started at the Open Air demo at Snowbasin. It’s by a lake and there are all kinds of water sports being displayed there. We had a lot of interest in the Outdoor packs, especially from ski patrollers. People were also asking me questions about the grips that I hold so near and dear to my heart.
It was actually getting to be oppressively hot on Sunday morning. I melt like ice cream(vanilla! hee hee) in Phoenix when it’s hot out, and have had the need for an IV after a race more than once, despite my grandest efforts to hydrate. This time, I was planning to drink 2 bottles per 8 mile lap (sounds crazy, but necessary) and was downing some electrolyte capsules. Oh irony, how you taunt me.
I had a nice, long warm-up, but was slightly concerned because when I tried to do some openers, my legs did not respond. They just felt like lead- like they wouldn’t contract. Sometimes I feel bad in the warm-up and good in the race- similar to the Breck 32. No such luck. The gun went off and I went straight backwards. I also could not get my HR up! I usually race an XC in the low 190s and I was hovering around my Lt - 173 and pushing as hard as I could. I have been training pretty hard, so my legs were done. I was going to ride a second lap and assess the situation and hope I felt better.
Suddenly, it got really dark. The bad kind of dark. I heard thunder rumbling…and very soon after that, I could actually see lightning bolts striking all around me. There was no longer thunder rumbling, it was CRACKING around me. I was thankful that I was heading downhill, but was not doing such a good job of descending because I was shaking from the lightning. The rain came as I was getting back to the start/finish. I saw girls in front of me had dropped out. Normally, I am a big fan of tough conditions- I am able to mentally suck it up and bust out a good result. As I was contemplating the safety of my life for another lap, I heard the announcer yelling to the spectators, “SEEK COVER! EVERYONE OFF THE MOUNTAIN! If you’re under a tent, you are still not safe! They closed the lifts!!!” At that point, I decided it was not worth it. I told the official I didn’t want to get struck by lightning, which is what several other women had said. They capped the men’s race as they came after just 2 laps and had turned the women around who had gone out on their second. Epic. The dirt was also the kind that turns into clay. I waited under one of the “unsafe” tents for Mr. Kerkove to finish. I was watching wreck after wreck, and seeing the state of some of these guys’ bikes. He looked strong and happy, and ready for more.
Darkness falls on Sol Vista.
Awesome. We got to sit in traffic coming back too! Not surprising though….
Big MOFO Pimpin. Hell yeah! and they brought a bike!
I figured out how Je-kove gets so fast…he rides with 10 lbs of mud on each shoe! Shhh…don’t tell him I told you!
The storm was a blessing in disguise for me. Now it’s time to head to Outdoor Retailer for a great time and a week to rest the legs. I’ll be back feeling strong and buzzed on all the awesome product I will have feasted my eyes on.
“Somewhere, over the [DOUBLE] rainbow, skies are blue.
and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” Dream it. Be it. Seriously….. I am somehow lucky enough to be finding that place.
You bet your bad self that I’ll have my camera in Salt Lake this week. I won’t leave my peeps hanging. Adventure on!
Mr. Kerkove and I hopped in the badass Ergon FJ on Saturday and prepared ourselves to brave the traffic on the way to Sol Vista MSC.
Temps were hot heading out of town.
We were unsure what the traffic would be like headed to the mountains on a Saturday because we definitely know what it’s like coming back.
Burn…. Rush hour all the way. I think we were moving at 7 mph. Damn all these outdoor enthusiasts! You know you’re in Colorado when it’s rush hour any time of year to get to and from the mountains. My Ipod was appropriately playing the right songs (it was on shuffle).
I just want to ride my bike!!! ARGH!
I don’t want to sit here going 3 miles an hour downhill!! GO!!!! VENGA! ALLEZ!
The only nice thing is that it started to rain. More like torrential downpour over Berthoud pass, complete with thunder and lightning. This would soon be a foreshadowing for the next day. However, the temp was nice and cool. 50 degrees cooler than just 1.5 hours before in Boulder.
We finally got to the venue, and although it was a bit cloudy, we were able to get out on the course without getting rained on for the pre-ride. Keep in mind that Sol Vista is the new venue for the Norba National Championships for the next 2 years.
I was able to ride easy on the pre-ride and my legs felt decent. I even got chills as to what that could mean.
Laying the smack down on me…. as usual.
Mmmm. beetle food.
We went to the sparse yet overly simple race “camping” (i.e. dirt parking lot with no drinking water, but at least there were porta-johns) and put out the Ergon vibe hardcore.
Yes. My Scalpel is a little piece of heaven, thank you very much.
Lefty Love. That’s right. I freely just used the L-word.
Skins compression tights… I’m giving them a try this year. Extra recovery.
Put the man to work in the kitchen. Dish it out, biatch!
Race report to come in the next post. So you’re not in too much suspense, they shut the race down after 1-2 laps due to crazy lightning. It was a blessing in disguise because I had one of those days. You know. The kind where your legs feel like lead and you can barely get your HR up to your LT…
and I’m not talking about the kind you get from a steaming cup of java bean extraction. I’m talking about renewable energy. I don’t talk about my “civilian” life too much, but 30 hours a week, I work as a solar design engineer. I design solar electric systems for commercial and residential systems alike. Our company has been upgrading the website, and there’s some cool stuff on there so I figure I will share it. Standard Renewable Energy home page
Be conscious of your usage so more of my precious pine trees don’t die because the winters are not cold enough here in CO. I like the Rocky Mountains rocky, but I like my trees too. “I thought the rocky mountains would be rockier than this! That John Denver is full of shit!” It’s as easy as buying compact fluorescents (CFLs) and you’ll have more money for lattes. From a blog I used to update.
Tomorrow- off to Sol Vista to race the State Championships! Wish me happy legs.
Thursday as a mellow road ride. I rode up to Sunset up 4 mile Canyon. It’s cool because the views are great and it’s easy to ride in zone 2.
My teammate and one of my best friends, Nina Baum, raced the Frazer Hill Climb in Taos, NM this past weekend. She totally crushed it up at 13,200 ft! She’s my hero and has taught me everything I know about coffee. Thank God!
That’s what I like to see.
Boulder Canyon Trail
Supersix. Supa! Yes…I ride my road bike on dirt as much as possible
Accidentally artistic. It’s like my bike has a halo, and I have horns. >:)
Today was a little endurance, a little Zone 4 hill intervals up Four Mile Canyon. It was good. :) I dusted off my Cannondale SuperSix road bike and we took off for about 3 hours this morning. I still could not stay away from the dirt though!!
High Five!! VERY NICE!
I also am going to start teaching one or two spin classes a week atApex Recreation Center. I figure it’s an AWESOME way to teach people about cycling, the right products to use, nutrition, and training. Heck, I got into cycling from spin classes! I went and sat in a class for an hour today. I love talking to people who are new to the sport. In fact, some of my really good girlfriends just got bikes and I’ve been having a great time answering all their questions!!!
I’m doing a little bit of riding the rest of the week, but mostly working my tail off and resting up for the race this weekend. I’m getting really excited. Next week I’m going to Outdoor Retailer where I will be carrying a large beach towel around to sop up my constant stream of drool. And Bonus!!!! I’ll be working for Ergon there. MY DREAM!!!!
This past weekend was really awesome. Jeff and I camped outside Twin Lakes (between Leadville and Aspen) and got in 2 3.5-4 hour quality days at 10,000 ft +. The views were spectacular, the trails were flowy and amazing, and the weather was nice and cool. I really can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.
Black goodness in the french press. Boulder Blend: Sumatra and French Roast. That is Jeff’s french press. I bought a super cool orange one today!
Breakfast…. gotta do ‘er up right. Here is a hint from chef Looney- put a little Bear Naked trail mix on top or even IN your pancakes. Delicious…
Dinner time!! People think it’s hard to cook while camping. It’s not!!! Just go for it.
“I will dominate your ass!!!!” (and he did too!)
Saturday was some Colorado Trail love up by Copper for about 4 hours. Coach came too to show off his MAD skills. He’s amazing on the bike. I am still in shock and awe. Check out Jeff’s site for a video of Coach killing it over a log.
Whoa guns!!! This is Coach!!
Where the singletrack takes you.
My videos are getting better….
We had to do this a lot on the ride….
a hee hee hee. Maybe just a little more than a high altitude high. shhhhh!
That is called Janet’s Cabin. It’s one of those huts people hike, ski, or snowshoe to in the winter.
CO Trail. I really need to ride from Denver to Durango on this thing. Must conquer!!!!!
Sometimes when you’re camping, a baby wipe showdown is the only way to get clean. And yes, the bag says biohazard. I needed a souvenir from the doc’s office at one point to be put to good use.
Perfection. Wow.
Jeff is so tough that he drinks and bleeds chain lube.
Sunday was awesome because I got to ride the large and in charge climb that is in the Leadville 100. It’s a mountain road up to Columbine Mine at about 12,500′. It actually felt easier than the singletrack ride from Saturday even though it was roughly the same elevation… must be all that fireroad climbing in the snow to Gold Hill all winter long that helped.
On top of the world.
That would be a large herd of elk on the right slope.
The bane of my existence. Every Sunday back to Denver on I-70 from the mountains is like this. Rush hour, and then it magically fixes itself after about 15-20 miles. I don’t understand the physics of traffic.
It’s like being on vacation. 
Innovation? You bet your ace!
Frame…complete booth view coming tomorrow
We have been eating good food. ESSEN. Don’t worry, we shared this plate, it wasn’t all mine. 
Happy Deutsch!
Greek authority.
Martin isn’t so sure about crazy Americans. 
Das booth
Jeffrey LOVES his iphone!
The boys! Lucky me. 
and they brought a bike! 
