OMBC at East Fork

The race went off with a bang with Nicole from IN and the Amandas leading the pain train. I did my best to hang in there but after we past the MTB trailhead I had to back off a bit. I was at max there and could feel even my fingers filling up with lactic acid.
Amanda "Superfly" Sproat was leading heading into the trail and I never saw her again. I passed Christina on Phase 1 who was fumbling with some mechanical issues. Some mechanicals made it a bummer race for her.

My legs were showing me no love at all today. I didn't have that "spark" nor the ability to ride fast at all. I did manage to finish in the money 4/7 (2 "pros" in my class...so 2nd place expert really) so that was good. My sweet hubby James was able to cheer me on and do bottles for me. My pooch Button was able to tag along and cheer me on as well.

The good news is that James and I taped the Euro Cup finals and the Spain won! Woo Hoo!

Race for the Graves

I did the CORA (Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance) series kick-off this past sunday. It was just across the Ohio River in Burlington, KY at England Idlewild park.

I got to the race in plenty of time to warm-up. Ride a bit of the trail and chat with some friends. I was hoping for a better turnout for expert women but I think most of the ladies were at home with their Dads. My Dad was out in Denver expecting his first Grandbaby so I didn't feel bad cutting out for the day.
The start was pretty crazy because we started with the expert men but there wasn't enough trail to spread things out before the start. I stayed right behind a pack of expert guys for the first few minutes of the race. I was surprised to see the guys sliding out on the first few sections. I was out climbing a few of em. No joke, I'm lovin the 29er on those muddy steep climbs. It rules.

Anyhow, the rest of the race was pretty uneventful. I lead from the start. I felt bad for a lot of my friends as I saw Joe, Justin, Bill, & Bob all suffer bike/body mechanicals. I felt especially bad for Joe in his recent bad luck.
The actual race was pretty darn hard. A lot of the expert guys were finishing and looking like they were pretty toasted. Mitch was coughing up a lung. Marty cramped bad. They were broken. I was certainly lucky to have only had to do 2 laps.

It was a sweet, hard, fun, and best of all a LOCAL race. I'm certainly looking forward to the rest of the CORA series.

Mohican 100K

I have been up to race up at Mohican no less than 5 times. Each time I race there I forget how those climbs can sneak up on you & rip your legs to shreds. It is never an easy ride. It does however give you satisfaction knowing you tamed it - a bit.

I decided the Sunday before the race that I was out. I hadn't had enough time to prepare, I was lacking some endurance race essentials, like a camelbak, repair stuff, energy food. I hadn't put in a ride longer than a few hours. It didn't make sense for me to go there to race 60+ miles in one day. Then, I got an email from a friend. He had a place we could stay. It was only 2 miles from the start. Dang, how could I say no! So, I put in my last minute request to get off work the friday before the race off so I could get my s*** together.

I ran around like crazy on friday getting everything together. I picked up a few last minute supplies and got my bike tuned up by the awesome guys at the Trek Store. They hooked me up big time by getting my bike all ready to go (of course I bought it by at the the last minute) for the race. Thanks Jacob, Justin.
Finally, it all came together and I headed out to pick up my husband James at work. We loaded up his commuter bike and we hit the road.

We made pretty good time and ended up getting to Camp Nuhop, to register just before 7. I got myself signed up and as I turned around I saw Floyd Landis there chatting it up with Ryan, the race director. My husband James & I were star struck. We should have both gotten a photo with him but we were in fear we would say something stupid.

We headed out of Camp Nuhop and to our hotel. When we pulled up we saw Bob, (area 106 Trek rep.) Travis & Michelle (of the Trek store Pittsburgh). We chatted with them a while. Chris Eatough came out to chat as well. Again, we were star struck. We were invited to head over to the Pizza Hut with the gang but I opted to get my things sorted for the next day and hit the hay.

I hit the hay early thinking I'd be able to sleep really great that night but when I laid down I couldn't sleep. I was worried about the next day; the 7am start, the 60+ miles I'd be doing. I couldn't help but think - what am I getting myself into?! Then about 3-4am the thunder and lightning rolled in. Again, what am I getting myself into?!

At 6 am I was tired but the pre-race nerves jolted me awake. I got my stuff together and James and I headed to downtown Loudonville for the start. The crowd of cyclists quickly gathered and before I knew it I was stuck out in the back. It was hard to get around and to pass in the bottlenecked area so I was stuck behind a group of riders with no way to gain ground. This is where I made a critical mistake. I never was able to make up for the lost time there. The next 15-20 miles I was hurting. My legs were stiff & slow. I knew I was in for a long day. I figured I'd ride it out to the first aid station and then see how I felt.

I knew that Chris would be there (owner of the Trek Store C-Bus, Cincy) and I was happy to see a familiar face to cheer me on. I stopped for a minute or two to get some Clif Blocks down and refill my Camelbak. I felt better when I got back on my bike and I knew that as tough but that I was going to be able to finish. The next 15ish miles were hard. Lots of bike hiking and narly trail. Truly some backwoods stuff. I got a few leg cramps in that hike-a-bike section and I thought I'd be a DNFer but for some reason; or some miracle, they never returned. The subsequent miles were much easier but with all of the mud I was getting major chain suck. I was wishing I'd have lubed it up at the midway point. My journey through the Mohican Wilderness was irritating because I was on/off, on/off my bike.

I hit the one of the last aid stations; got my chain lubed, got some quick refuels and was off. Sure, there were some monster climbs that never seemed to end but with each climb I could see the end in sight. I did loose a lot of time on the road sections. It was like ride, look for the signs, ride, stop, where am I going?! I dunno...I felt like there could have been about 50 more course markings. I finally rolled into the last aid station where I learned I only had about 7 miles left to go. I was no longer "racing" at this point. I had no idea who was ahead or who was behind. I really took my time finishing it off. I rolled into Camp Nuhop with 8:00 of riding time. It was good enough for a top 5 finish (out of 15) but not good enough to finish in the money. Dang! Well, it was fun, it was hard, and it was shear mayhem at times but I can't wait to do it all over again.

Great photos of the race by Bob Meyers here.
More on the race here.

KYMBA - Capital View XC

My husband, my doggie Button and I headed down to KY for the 3rd race of the KYMBA series. Despite some poor directions (my fault) we managed to arrive with about a half hour to spare. I was sorta nervous before the race, perhaps because my stomach felt hungry and I had only had a few pancakes and a lone energy gel. We (pro/expert) women took off after the sport guys. I had a good start but sort let the pro racer in our field go ahead of me. I stayed on her wheel for a while but I had to do a lot of passing during the race and I lost enough time that I didn't see her again. The course was a blast and I was loving my 29er on the uphill rooted sections. I felt pretty good during the race but I wish I'd have put the hammer down a bit more. I ended up finishing 2/4. My skills are coming back & I'm getting a tiny bit faster each race. Next weekend I'll be headed to the DINO race out in Brown County, IN.

Is it a sign?!

Humm...we were out riding last night and we cruised past the VW dealership in Loveland, OH. I spotted a sweet GTI out front, it was white w/ a black racing stripe. So, I had to get on the VW website to check them out. I found these photos:




Is it a sign - I dunno, you tell me. I think I just figured out what my new car (2009?) will be.

The goes my Bike Part $

I had to get a root canal yesterday, so after a 2 hour & $980 prochedure I'm broke. (I still need a permanent bridge costing another $500-1,000 - awesome!) The root canal itself was not painful at all, but after a few hours the pain set in. I was good to get out on my MTB last night. I was having so much fun riding I forgot all about my aching tooth. My Superfly is exceeding all of my expectations. Light, rolls fast, corners like a dream, all it needs is a faster pilot (and perhaps a tubeless set-up).

Today we are getting more rain in Cincy...uggh! It has been a nasty & wet winter followed by more of the same in spring. I'm hoping to do a OMBC race at the Wilds this weekend...I hope the weather holds out.

It is out!

I saw that Saris finally launched a powertap for MTBs. It will only set you back a mere $1,500. I'm sure a MTB ride with this thing would be humbling for sure!

Turkey Vultures

I almost never stop during a ride but last night I came upon something pretty crazy. I saw some giant birds hanging out in a tree above the river. I have seen some pretty big random birds but to see 15 or so of em together was really amazing.

Anyhow, I got online to identify these big old black birds and I think I probably saw some Turkey Vultures...aka...Buzzards. Dang, I wish I'd have had my camera!

They are some pretty amazing animals so I'll leave you with some interesting facts about em:

Turkey Vultures live and work together, in cooperation and friendliness. They communicate with friends and neighbors when they find something to eat. They let the others know where the food is. When there is a big feast they communicate with neighboring flocks in distant roosts.

They enjoy playing games, too. Almost every evening when they return to the roost there will be about half an hour of follow-the-leader, tag, and speed soaring, if the winds are favorable.

Thermoregulation is the name of the game. Turkey vultures allow their body temperature to drop in the evenings. So, in order to prepare for flight the next morning they spread their wings in the sun to warm up. They can also get to hot. To battle over heating, turkey vultures will defecate on their legs. When the defecation evaporates, it cools them off. How conservation minded can an animal be!?!

Younger's Creek / KYMBA Series

I got up pretty darn early (6am) to get ready for my race down in KY. It was a 3 hour drive both ways and with a 11am start time I had to leave by 7am to make it there an hour before so I could warm up, register, etc. (Yes, Amanda and Joe that makes for 3 races now where I have made it there on time!) The further I got down into KY the more I was psyched for a good race. When I got to preride the course it did not disappoint, tons, of hills, rocks, creeks, trees on the course etc...Kentucky just has some great trails. They weren't kidding when they named the race the switchback attack, there was plenty of em going up and coming down. Real fun stuff out there. Anyhow, the KYMBA series seems to be picking up some steam again and the race was well organized, the trail was pretty challenging and the turnout was decent. I raced against 3 other expert women - yeah, no pro's in my class for once! My start went well, I hit the singletrack in 2nd. I stayed behind #1 and probably only 1 min. back for the first 7-8 miles. Then I came across her sitting on the side of the trail fixing a flat. I stayed in the lead for the rest of the race but I was falling apart slowly. My back was iffy going into the race and my legs had a lot of work in em prior to two interval heavy workouts, I went through 2 water bottles during the race but I probably could have used another bottle and some more energy gel. So, she passed me in the last 5 min. of the race. Ah, well hopefully I'll seal the deal next time. That was a better but not great. I still have a lot of work to do. I can't wait for a race on my home turf. I got my registration fee back + $5. Can't beat that!

KY here I come

I have had a 2 day block of hard training. I got in nearly 4.5 hours in the past two days. The next two days will be easier rides and then I'll head down to Kentucky for a KY series race at Youngers Creek. It looks like the KY series is picking up some good momentum this year. I can't wait to check out a new course.

East Fork MTB

I went home last night and grabbed my bike and headed out to East Fork for some MTB therapy. This is really the first time this year that the trails around here have been dry and I have grown quite bored with my road riding.

I saw quite a lot of deer last night. I think I easily counted about 20. I was hoping to spot some wild turkey but I had no such luck. I got in a nice ride though, 2:15. It was pretty dark and scary for the last half hour, I probably should have jumped back on the road at 8:30-8:45 but I was having too much fun.

Here are some photos from last night:

The bike I love:


Me trying to take a self portrait:


A cute little deer:


The lake at East Fork:


Cute little deer on the bike trail:

My not so recovery ride

I admit it. I racer in me can't hit the "easy" button. I was out doing my recovery ride tonight and my 2 of my friends rode up behind me. I probably should have continued on with my super easy ride. I couldn't do it.

What I do keep wondering is when I'm going to start improving. My watts/per kilogram seems so low, so average. I'm not fuzzing out my powerfiles because I think the competition will see them, nope, I have to fuzz them out because I'm embarrased.

THIEF!

The photos above are of my pooch, Button. Sure she might look cute but underneath the fuzz of orange & white is a counter surfing thief. After I returned from my race on Sunday I placed the some leftover food on the counter. I left a tasty vegan muffin among other things. When my husband, James returned from running errands he noticed an empty plastic bag on the floor. This was not a first for Button. She devoured a whole loaf of pumpkin bread, a half loaf of carrot-ginger bread, and now my blueberry muffin. Rather than snatching some meaty goods she seems to be into baked goods. She is snoozing next to me now with her fat little belly all full dreaming of her next score.

Mt. Wood Wrap-up

Dear Bridget,

It is me your Superfly. I'm a bit disappointed you rode me so slow today. What was wrong with you today? You know you can roll superfast over stuff with my 29" wheels. You know I can climb. Why then did you ride like you had a broken leg today?

If you don't start riding me faster I might just have to find another owner worthy of my ride. 6/10 just isn't going to cut it.

Sincerely,
Whitey your Superfly

Gary Fisher, Trek, Gary Fisher, Gary Fisher

I just got finished with the flyer for the OMBC series. If you look at the photos of the series champs you'll notice they are all riding Gary Fisher/Trek MTBs.

Tsalified

I had the itch to race my MTB this past weekend. So, when my friends Amanda (Fisher 29er team/Trek Store Columbus) and Joe (Trek area 106 regional racing team/Trek Store Columbus) decided to head down to Bryson City for the SERC AMBC race at Tsali trails I decided to join em. I did the 12 hour race down there last year and I knew the trail would be nice this time of year. Amanda was chasing down some points for her pro upgrade and I was just itching to ride my Superfly.

Well, Amanda and Joe drove down from Cincy and we headed off for the long drive to Bryson City. Along the way Joe and Amanda thought it was hilarious to make fun of my pasty white Irish, lack of sun, skin. What can I do? The drive down there is always long and it seems like there isn't a shortcut through those twisty mountain roads. After 7ish hours in the car we finally arrived at our hotel. We had 1 small room, 3 bikes, and tons of food and gear. We barely fit all our gear in the room. After we unpacked we headed over the course to do a pre-ride. It started to rain, rain, and rain. We decided to just return to the hotel rather than face a slow, muddy pre-ride.

We ate dinner at the hotel room and carbo loaded on pasta and whatever snacks we could put away. I didn't get much sleep that night. It was still raining when I went to bed and I was thinking it was going to be a long, muddy race. Well, the next morning it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. Thankfully, we were not racing until 1:30. Just enough time for the trails to dry out. The trail was surprisingly dry, a few large mud puddles here and there but nothing like the midwestern tacky, stick to your wheels mud. My nerves subsided when I realized I hadn't REALLY ridden my MTB since September of last year and it was pretty realistic that I'd be lucky to just finish. My new Superfly was out for her maiden voyage. Between selling off my old bike and our wedding last year my road fitness has greatly improved while my MTB fitness has been lackluster. In addition we had a long snowy winter followed by a super wet spring.

Amanda and I warmed-up and then headed to the start in what is the biggest field I have ever raced in, 17 expert/pro women. I got a crappy starting postition and ended up getting into a early bottle neck and hitting the singletrack 3rd from last. Oh crap. It was kinda game over for me then. I was hurting, my handling skills were just not there, my speed was slow. My Superfly was amazing and I was embarrassed to be riding something so light & fast, so slow. I passed a few women then they would pass me. I ended up finishing 11th expert & 14th overall. If not for my road fitness I don't think I'd have survived the 30 mi. race. Joe had the similar feeling I had after my race that we both just wanted to forget the race and move on. The trip turned out to not be a total bust, Amanda finished 3rd in expert women/6th overall. Now she is really to race with the big dogs. That is a dream realized for Amanda so A - take this moment to be proud of your accomplishments. Way to go A.

Back to the world of blogging

Hi all,

I'm back to the world of blogging after about a six month hiatus. A lot has changed. I'm with a new team/sponsor, the Trek Store in Cincinnati. I have two new bikes; a Trek OCLV carbon frame & a Gary Fisher Superfly that I can't wait to chat about.

I'll have some new and more interesting posts up here soon so please check back.