All in Good Fun

A little furniture switcharoo

2012-01-27T07:40:00.001-07:00

Our very dearest Laura Tingle is growing up and moving into her very own place so we had to part ways with her big comfy couch :( It's been a wonderful part of the 3166 household for the past 2 years but I'm sure it will be just as happy in it's new home! Since we are leaving for Phoenix this morning, we needed to find something quickly so this is what we got.

The space on the far wall inhibited us from going with IKEA because they didn't have anything small enough, however, we were able to stick with our life colored theme of red, black and grey so everything worked out okay!

Someday I'll learn how to take better photos and use the appropriate lighting...until then, you're all stuck with crappy iPhone snapshots and crystal clear website images!

New gear for a new season!

2012-01-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

I was super fortunate to be connected with a very special rep in the Denver area and was treated to a couple of sweet deals! I've always LOVED the women's Troy Lee Designs moto apparel because of it's fit so that is what I'll be sporting during the 2012 Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit season :)

When I went to pick my gear, I was welcomed with an opportunity to pick up some new goggles at a pretty smokin' good deal as well! On our way down, I was telling Bryce how I needed another set of goggles and tearaways so the timing couldn't have been any better. Now Bryce and I have the same model goggles/lenses/tearaways so things don't get mixed up. He just has to wear the pink ones!

New for 2012, I'm going to try out the Leatt chest protector that is supposed to fit perfectly with my neck brace and hydration pack. I'm really excited about this as all the past configurations I've tried have been very awkward and uncomfortable.

As much as I despise wearing elbow pads, I simply cannot take the risk not wearing them with the amount of crashing I tend to do. The current ones I have are not only bulky and annoying, they also irritate my skin when I sweat making it even more unbearable. I'm hoping these new TLD youth sleeves with elbow protection will be the ticket to comfy protection!

I'm looking forward to testing it all out this weekend at the 2 day enduro in Phoenix. Stay tuned for updates :)

Something to make a cyclist laugh!

2012-01-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to good friend Allen Krughoff at Hardcastle Photography for putting this together! It's priceless...

If this doesn't get you excited for CX, not sure what will!

2012-01-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

5ème Manche de CDM cyclo-cross from Petitesreines on Vimeo.

6 years ago...

2012-01-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

...I was welcomed onto the most prestigious team in the world of triathlon. Today, I am still honored to be a part of this incredible family and cannot imagine my world without the Timex Multisport Team.

Throughout the years, we have had many different sponsors and supporters. Each of them has brought something different to the table and has allowed all of us to try something new and exciting from year to year. We normally run our major sponsors for 2 concurrent years and 2012 was a year to re-sign or find something else. After lots of great chats, our team manager did what was best for the overall group and brought on some new and exciting brands!

The first major change was our bike sponsor! Partnering with American Bicycle Group would mean that the triathletes would the flying on the new and improved Quintana Roos and the roadie's and off-roadie's would be smashing it on Litespeeds. I'm very excited about this as I've never ridden a Litespeed and our contacts at ABG are extremely eager to work directly with the athletes. From mountain bikes to road bikes to cyclocross bikes, look for some great product review posts throughout the season on my new hardware :)

The second major sponsor change for 2012 was our clothing provider. Champion System offers a variety of custom clothing for all types of athletes. With a strong cycling and triathlon background, it was a no brainer that CS would be a great fit for the team. If you haven't jumped on Facebook and seen the sneak peek pics of our new kits, I'd highly suggest it...we're gonna be one sharp looking team this season!

New all around for the Timex Multisport Team in 2012 is a bicycle tire sponsor. Challenge is an extremely well known brand in the cycling world and has a reputation for having some of the best tubulars (sewups) on the market. Not only do they have a sweet selection of cyclocross tires, they are also one of the only company's to produce a tubular mountain bike tire. This will definitely be a first for me but I'm really excited to give it a go!

RMEC Ladies Champion!

2012-01-16T20:41:00.001-07:00

After a busy 2 days in Winter Park, I headed home early Saturday to pack up the van and head to Denver with Bryce. The annual Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit banquet was at Red and Jerry's and we needed to be there extra early to help set up and get everyone checked in. As always, it was a blast to see everyone we race with throughout the year and fun to start planning for the upcoming season.

Not only did I come home with a ridiculously massive trophy for winning the Ladies series, the RMEC gave all the class winners a killer enduro jacket with our names and classes embroidered in it. Freaking awesome! After a late night of chatting and cleaning, we drove down to Colorado Springs afterward to stay at our friend Ron's place so we could go ride dirt bikes with him on Sunday.

It was a bit chilly Sunday morning and my new jacket was quickly put to use. We had a huge group out riding in Pueblo which was super fun. I'm still a bit rusty and run out of breath doing hard efforts but I couldn't be happier to be back riding and having fun with everyone. We head down to Phoenix in 2 weeks so let the practice begin :)

Oh, I love Winter Park!

2012-01-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was informed that my Timex Team manager was going to be up in Winter Park for a few days so I decided to drive up Thursday night to do a bit of skate skiing and hang out with him and his lovely lady. For the first time in a few weeks, WP and the surrounding areas got a bit of snow, so Shelby and I headed out for an easy ski. My goal was to try and ski as easy as I could while stopping as few times as possible. I skied for a total of 75min with a few short shops here and there but holy cow was I fried afterward. Nordic skiing at 9000ft when unfit might just possibly be the most difficult activity I have every attempted! Nonetheless, it was a blast and I seriously cannot be happier to be back at it.

On our way out to Snow Mountain Ranch to go skiing, we ran into our neighbor who had purchased a whole cord of firewood. We ended up splitting the cord with him and gave the drivers a few extra bucks to throw it on my back deck. We had to re-stack the pile and cover it with a tarp but it was $55 well spent. Maybe we should start using the wood burning fire place in our place in Boulder too!

We planned dinner at my condo for Friday evening with my manager but the ultimate plan was to ski in the morning then for me to work in the afternoon. However, that idea got cut short when I realized that I forgot to bring up my computer charger and my laptop went dead around 3pm. Even though a nap sounded good, I decided to put together the 4 new barstools we ordered. They weren't from IKEA so they were a pain in the butt to put together but dang are they awesome. Absolutely perfect fit!

Before dinner, I also put a few more finishing touches on the walls by framing and hanging the Fraser Valley Trail Map and Trestle Bike Map. As always, Shelby made us a fantastic dinner and dessert and good times were had by all. It was great to see Tristan for the first time in many months and I cannot wait to get the 2012 season rocking and rolling. Team camp is only a month away, wooohooo!!!!

Our first HOA meeting

2012-01-11T11:53:00.004-07:00

Last night Bryce and I attended our first HOA meeting since we moved into our place in Boulder. Enough said.

Bryce's 2012 Ride

2012-01-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

After giving it much thought, Bryce decided to get a 2012 Trek Superfly 100 as his mountain bike race machine this year. He had the hardtail version last year but didn't really love it so he was torn whether or not to go back to 26 inch wheels. Everyone talked him out of it so he opted for the 29er dual suspension instead. Since he will be racing for the Boulder Trek Store this year, he got hooked up with a smoking deal and is ready to rip it up on the Winter Park circuit! Watch out expert men :)

Team Timex 2011 Recap

2012-01-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

My 2012 Goals Are Set!

2012-01-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

After an extremely rough couple of years, I have a lot of really exciting things to look forward to in 2012! My number one goal for the entire season is the stay healthy and major injury free for 12 consecutive months. Although that might seem easy on paper, I haven't even come close since December 2008.

I'll spare you the details, but I had a phenomenal chat with coach Neal Henderson this afternoon and we have a concrete plan that should have be rockin' and rollin' for cyclocross season this upcoming fall. For the first quarter, I'll just build back into shape on my own doing minimal exercise and strength training - it will be treated like any normal off season. In the second quarter I will buckle down and become more structured with specific power work and higher intensity training. By the third quarter, I will be racing the Winter Park MTB series that will help build my base and lung capacity. And fourth quarter will be my peaking season to kick ass and take names in Cyclocross. Of course I will be racing the entire RMEC off-road moto series and misc road and MTB races, but those will all be for fun and practice as CX is the number one focus this year.

Here's to an awesome 2012!

New Years Fun!

2012-01-02T11:09:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately when we woke up the morning of New Year's Eve, the wind was howling in Winter Park. We weren't able to go for our planned hike but we did manage to jump on the bicycles back in Boulder to show Russ and Katie around. After doing a bit of primping, we headed down to Pearl Street to meet up with all our good friends to have a classy dinner at Antica Roma.

After a delicious meal, we walked down to the Rio where we met up with the other half of Boulder :) Between margaritas, Coronas, Red Bull, wine, etc, everyone was having a good time!

It was a great night with lots of good laughs and a great way to bring in the New Year.

After a somewhat slow start and pancake breakfast, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and work off the previous night's toxins.

We hiked up Mount Sanitas then had a great lunch on Pearl Street. Russell and Katie were scheduled to leave Sunday evening so we shuttled them to the airport and made plans for our next adventure together this summer. Russell has a busy race schedule, as do we, but we're hoping a mountain bike trip to British Columbia is in the near future!

Good times with good friends!

2011-12-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a bit MIA this week but it's for a good reason! After my family left on Tuesday, we had our good friend Russell Bobbitt and his lovely girlfriend Katie fly in from Georgia on Wednesday afternoon. We started their trip out with a fun dinner to catch up then we sent them up to Winter Park Thursday morning so they could get their snowboard on. It was Katie's first time on a snowboard and when we met up with them later that evening, she had already gone through a half bottle of Advil :)

After a relaxing morning, we decided to meet up with the Boulder crew to get our skate skiing on at Snow Mountain Ranch. Russ and Katie have never been before but they picked it up like champs.

I haven't been skiing in almost 3 years and I was nervous as all could be that it was going to irritate my hip, but thankfully it didn't. I was able to ski just fine and my new Salomon boots that I got for Christmas were awesome.

Later that evening, we had everyone over to our place for a delicious meal and fun games. This was our first time entertaining our friends at the new condo and it couldn't have been more fun.

The night wouldn't be complete without a homemade dessert from Shelby. Mmmmm! Between dinner, dessert and all the wine we drank, I'm pretty certain everyone left quite satisfied :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

Since we just finished setting up the condo in Winter Park, we decided to celebrate the holiday season with our families at the new place :) We had a Bingham-Kummer gathering on Christmas Eve that included hikes, laughs, chats and lots of good eats!

Christmas Day was filled with more delicious foods, another great hike, lots of relaxation and fun times with our good friend Shelby!

We headed back to Boulder late Christmas night where we indulged in Chinese food and opened our gifts. I'm not going to lie, almost everyone had a pretty good idea of what they were getting but we did have some great surprises. Last year we inherited Courtney and Tito's 2000 piece puzzle that was on our floor for almost 3 months before it got finished so this year my parents bought us another one but included a cool mat that can be used to store or transport the puzzle so we can work on it anywhere!!! Perfect gift :)

As always, there were many new MTB and moto videos to be unwrapped and watched! We actually watched all three over two days and everyone loved them!

I had planned Monday as a relaxation day with some go-karting in the late afternoon, however, when we got to Unser to rip it up, they were booked solid for the next 4 hours! I was super bummed out but there's always next time. Instead, we went shopping on Pearl Street and had a great dinner at the Gondolier. My mother even got her ''New Year'' picture of Jerry and I for the yearly card! Big thanks to my family for coming out and spending the holidays with us at our homes and battling the crazy holiday madness!

Hooray for Christmas Time!

2011-12-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

There are several things I love about the holidays but one of my favorites is all the family cards that come in the mail the week leading up to Christmas! These are only a few but it's exciting to hear from family and friends and see all the fun photos from the year.

Christmas is never as exciting without a fresh blanket of white snow :) I think we may just have that this year! It hasn't stopped snowing since 6pm last night and it's coming down like crazy! Good thing I got those new snow tires, huh?!?

And the final touches have been made!

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

After all the craziness of last week, we were looking forward to going up to Winter Park to put the finishing touches on the condo before our families meet up there for some holiday activities.

We put up some wall art in the living room and master bedroom and hung a really cool wine rack in the kitchen.We also met the cable guy and now look forward to our first DirecTV experience.

After about an hour of rest and relaxation, we got conned into riding moto down in Colorado Springs Sunday morning. This meant that we had to get up at the butt crack of dawn Sunday morning and drive from WP to Boulder, pick up the bikes then head down another 2 hours to Colo Springs. It was definitely a long day worth of travel but worth every second. It was great to meet up with some good friends and rip around on the dirt bikes in some of the warmest winter weather we've had!

A Rough Week!

2011-12-17T19:35:00.003-07:00

December and January are some of the busiest months of the year for my accounting business and this year has been the busiest yet! On my list of nightmares, there is one thing that rates worse than my computer crashing this time of year. Luckily I didn't have any stomach related issues, however, my number two on the list came to haunt me. After my computer got attacked by a virus early Wed morning, it immediately went dark and my heart completely sunk. I ran into FRG where the IT guys worked as quickly as possible to extract all my data off the hard drive. Ironically, they had ordered a new computer for me and it was almost ready to go until I flew through the doors and begged them to expedite the process. Mark and Mike worked their magic for several hours and by noon I was finally able to be semi productive! I'm still slowly adding programs and files but I am now 100% functional and cranking away.

After an incredibly long day of catching up due to my computer issues on Thursday, I met Bryce at the Trek Store for the 2012 Team meet and greet. Bryce is riding for a bike team for the first time in many years and he's really excited about it. After catching up with some good friends, we hit up the second party of the evening at Courtney and Tito's. This was a cookie party where everyone was supposed to bake a batch of cookies and bring them to share. Not gonna lie...I substituted about 14 cookies for dinner and dessert that night!

The cookie party was going great until we all began to take off. Apparently a new parking policy had been instilled and almost everyone got a boot on their car for not having a parking permit. Great day for Bryce and to both drive to a party, huh?!? I was surprisingly calm considering the all the other madness going on in my life, however, the sticker stated that we couldn't get the boots off until 7am at earliest the next morning. Thankfully, Allen and Jenny gave us a lift home and we would figure things out in the morning. To make a long story short, I tried calling the number on the sticker to meet someone at the cars for over 2 hours and no one answered. I called the Police, I called the apartment leasing office and 5hrs/$150 later, I was able to get both cars un-booted.

Friday followed the same trend with a familiar busy day at work, followed by a holiday party. Friday's evening party was Bryce's work Christmas party held in Westminster. I worked late, and we arrived to the party a little bit late. We planned on making it to our friend Allen's annual Christmas party later in the evening, but unfortunately ran completely out of time and energy. We've really been burning it at both ends and are looking forward to a having a few days to relax over the holidays!

Top 3 Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt that holiday shopping is a difficult task! How do you find the perfect gift for someone who already has everything? Who wants to battle the insane crowds anyway? Personally, I absolutely despise shopping malls but I do like to find that "perfect" gift for my friends and family. Below are my top three holiday gift ideas for the endurance athlete that may seem impossible to buy for!

Nordic Ski Package - In all honesty, as much as we try, type A personalities just simply cannot rest during the winter. Our lives wouldn't go forward without some sort of daily exercise, even if it's running in below zero temps or getting on the bike trainer and suffering for hours. Although this gift is a higher price point item, it's definitely an investment. Whether skating, touring or classic skiing, any form of nordic skiing is a great way to cross train for endurance sports in the winter time. It's new and exciting so you don't get burned out, it's outside, and it's a killer workout! Packages start as low as $250 new but going to your local ski swap is perfect way to find inexpensive used gear that is perfect for starting up. Check out this link for new Nordic Ski Packages - http://www.skiessentials.com/browse.cfm/complete-packages/2,333.html

Timex 80 Watch - In case you haven't noticed, the 80s have been creeping back into style :) Personally, I'm not that into clothing but I absolutely have to have matching hats and watches. The Timex 80 watch is a fun gift that is assured to get tons of compliments and within a great price point. Check out the full line at www.timex80.com

DVD of Choice - This item is not only the best bang for your buck, but totally customizable for any type of athlete. Whether you're rocking out on the bike trainer, smashing it on the treadmill or just enjoying some hot cocoa on the couch on a cold winter night, an entertaining sports flick/documentary is where it's at. Since I'm a big mountain biker, I like to shop at www.mtbmovies.com - they have a variety of videos that suppress that itch to go out and shred the trails. In our house, we call watching biking/moto/ski videos "e-riding". There's nothing like a rad video to you get you motivated and excited for the sports you love. I have to admit that opening new bike videos on Christmas morning is certainly the highlight of the day!!!

NEW SNOW TIRES!!!!

2011-12-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that I have officially done the correct thing this year and purchased specific wheels and tires that fit my vehicle (at retail) for my winter setup. For those of you that know what happened last season, I will NEVER make that mistake again :)

Since I wasn't trying to fit tires that were in my garage to a set of cheap aftermarket rims, I had lots of options. I decided to go with the burliest and best snow tire they had with studs. Go big or go home, right?!? Kummer family - there will be no issues going up to the mountains this holiday season, I promise!!!!

I'm starting to feel old!

2011-12-07T17:05:00.001-07:00

Okay, not really...however, I have recently been meeting with a financial advisor so I can begin to understand the road to retirement. I've always been a good saver but since I'm actually starting to grow up a bit (obviously only in age), I think that planning for the future is probably becoming more of a necessity :) I honestly wouldn't have gone out seeking any advice on the topic myself, but I had a great opportunity to meet a very intelligent young man who offered to get me going. After a few meetings, I am already feeling confident in my current plan and hope to be able to continue at the same rate, if not better. If you're in the market for a personal, smart and good looking financial advisor, Eric Hoelter is the man for you!

A relaxing weekend!

2011-12-05T06:39:00.001-07:00

Since the first weekend in November, this was the first weekend we were not up at the condo in WP fixing it up and getting it ready to rent! Instead, we did a lot of relaxing, a little shopping and a bit of walking. Although I did find out that I am no longer testing positive for Epstein Barr on Thursday, we got a bunch of snow this past week so going on any sort of bicycle ride was out of the question. Instead, we did a few snow walks all bundled up which was just as much fun. We also did some present wrapping and tree decorating. Above is one of our new 2011 ornaments. We decided that we would buy 2 new ornaments each year for the tree that were meaningful instead of a bunch of generic stuff. I couldn't resist...it looks sooooo real!

Bryce also received an early birthday present from our roommate, Joe. He won a 24 pack of Red Bull in his race on Saturday and knows how much Bryce loves that crap so he put the pack under the tree for him :) Too funny!

To top off the weekend, we also planned out some fun new meals to cook for the week as well as bake some delicious ''Peanut Butter Buckets'' to celebrate Melanie's birthday and engagement on Monday evening! The recipe called for 40 cookies but between Bryce and I nibbling on batter and a few completes, I think we manage to save just under 30 :) Oops!

My boyfriend is a moron!

2011-12-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

So Bryce decided to participate in the whole ''No Shave November'' party. He's never had facial hair like this before so it was kinda funny seeing how thick it got so quickly!

I knew Bryce was ready to shave the whole thing off, but I didn't think he was going to go artistic on it!

After I fell asleep at 7:30pm Wednesday night, Bryce went to Target to get a new shaver and started going to town. After several different options, he finally settled for the creeper stash.

I absolutely despise mustaches and this is what I woke up to this morning. Gross. I still can't believe he actually went into work like this either...at least he's not driving the van :)

Looks like we're getting a new van...

2011-11-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Just ordered this sucker today!!! Moto/MTB road trips, here we come :)

Some good and some not so good!

2011-11-28T11:14:00.001-07:00

After a really great time with Doug and a couple of relaxing days in Boulder, Bryce and I headed up to the Winter Park condo to put the finishing touches on the property! The first thing that we always do when we get there is start a fire in the wood burning fireplace...luckily we have A LOT of cardboard to burn after unpacking all the new furniture.

The trip started out really great with an easy drive in the sunshine with little traffic. We were able to get the chandelier up and the granite cut without too many issues and then hung up some fun artwork in the bathrooms and bedrooms!

I did somehow manage to break the glass in a picture frame while trying to fasten the back board and then all things went downhill from there :(

Bryce somehow wired the 4 prong 220 volt plug incorrectly and not only blew the main power circuit to our entire unit, he also sent 220 volts to a 110 volt circuit inside our oven and it no longer functions...oops! After several phone calls to the electrical company, we found the main breaker box to turn the power back on but unfortunately the range display still needs some fixing...I think Bryce is calling Whirlpool today :)

I honestly cannot sew to save my life but the curtains we chose for all three closets were 3-6 inches too long and it just wasn't going to work for me! I decided to hem each curtain (yes, that would be 6 total) by hand so they would not drag on the ground. I'm pretty sure I poked myself about 15 times per curtain and my fingers are extremely sore today!

After we get a new picture frame, hang a few more pieces of art and fix the range, we will officially be 100% finished with the remodel. All the kitchen drawers have been fully furnished with every cooking gadget you could think of and the place feels just like home! Now all we need is a renter for the winter and we'll be all set :) You can find more pics here https://picasaweb.google.com/Golfchick84/WPForRent.

More Holiday Fun!

2011-11-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

Well, I made my first attempt at going uphill on my MTB and it wasn't a failure. It was pretty either, but I made it and good times were had by all :) After running a few errands on Friday morning, Doug and Bryce convinced me to head up to Betasso on the mountain bikes for an easy spin. It was absolutely perfect and a great ''first ride'' back!

My general rule of thumb is that the Christmas tree cannot go up before Thanksgiving so Friday evening was the perfect time. We had just devoured a great lunch at Moe's and Shelby had come over to hang so we put on some good tunes and got in the holiday spirit.

The boys also even convinced Shelby to make her world famous chocolate chip cookies! I have to admit I wasn't part of the heckling but I sure didn't mind that she wiped those things out...holy yummy cookies!

A Very Relaxing Turkey Day!

2011-11-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

My favorite mechanic in the world, Doug Berner, surprised me on Tuesday evening by telling me that he was on his way to Colorado after working at Ironman Arizona! After he got into Boulder Wednesday afternoon, we went out to the Valmont Bike Park to play around. This was my first time on a bicycle in over 5 weeks and it was Doug's first experience at Boulder's newest $4.2 million bike park! After our short ride, we headed home to meet up with Bryce and hit the infamous Rio Grande restaurant for dinner!

Doug's most favorite thing to do while traveling on the road is to hit up all the mountain bike trails he can find! Since I am most definitely not ready for any kind of mountain biking, Bryce took him out to Heil and Picture Rock where they connected via the ''Wild Turkey'' trail...how ironic for a Thanksgiving Day ride :) Shelby and myself headed out for an easy spin on the CX bikes while the boys did their thing then we all had a delicious dinner of potatoes with BBQ chicken and yummy pastries from Alfa Alfa's for dessert! Not the typical turkey and stuffing meal most people were having but the combination of the simple food and a good movie was perfect for a relaxing Thanksgiving night!

Health Update

2011-11-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

I know I've been busy posting photos and updates about the condo but I've been pretty quiet about how I've been feeling. I had several rough patches during the first few weeks as my body really struggles with the high dosage of medication, but I've almost hit 6 weeks of resting and I'm starting to finally feel a bit better. I'm not getting the head rushes and dizzy spells I was before but I'm still falling asleep on the couch around 8pm and waking up around 6am each morning. It's supposed to be REALLY gorgeous this week so I think I might try to get out and go spin around outside very easy with some friends to enjoy the nice weather! I have another blood test next week to see where the Epstein Barr Virus stands in the body but I'm definitely heading in the right direction which puts a huge smile on my face :)

Soooo close!

2011-11-20T18:33:00.001-07:00

Bryce and I drove up to the WP condo Thursday evening so we could have the appliances delivered and the plumber come fix the hot water heater on Friday morning...we also spent the day working from the condo :)

Although the plumber was there for over 2.5hrs and our stupid home warranty wouldn't cover the claim, we now have hot water and that is truly all we care about. On the appliance side of things you might have noticed the nice gap in the counter top on the first photo...well that is because our range is less than 1cm too wide and will not slide in! We were not prepared for this so we will bring the proper tools to cut the granite tiles next weekend. I keep forgetting that everything that is supposed to take 2 minutes usually takes 2 hours and that was true for the dishwasher and refrigerator as well. We still need to hook the dishwasher up because we were missing a piece and the fridge came with the hinges on the wrong side so those needed a lengthy fix as well!

As Bryce worked on the technical pieces in the kitchen, I was busy building more IKEA furniture. This queen sleeper is NOT lightweight but it was actually pretty simple to put together.

The bunk beds in the guest room, however, were NOT simple to put together :) This piece of furniture was by far the most complicated of all items I've purchased from IKEA...I totally understand why but I'm still going to complain.

Several hours later, we had 2 bunk beds with bedding, a dresser, and a nightstand for a finished guest room.

I know I swore that I wouldn't pick up another paint brush ever again, but I had to finish painting the brown bathroom white. I also added the final decor to both the master and guest baths and we took our first showers using the newly heated hot water!

Bryce made a huge difference in the overall look of the place by changing all the switches, plugs and thermostats.

After picking up that center beam from IKEA that we were missing last weekend, we were finally able to get the master bed all made up. It felt so good to sleep in our own place for the first time since we've owned it.

What a difference the long stainless pulls make on the cabinets. The combination of the appliances and finished cabinets really make the place feel complete.

Lastly, I began to un-package and organize all the kitchen and dining items. I know it's nothing too exciting, but it feels good to start putting all the boxes of stuff that have been on the floor in their proper place! We plan on making our final shopping trips for the last minute items this week then completing all the remaining work during Thanksgiving weekend so it will be ready to rent by December 1! If you or anyone you know is interested, please send them my way :)

Another close call

2011-11-16T17:46:00.001-07:00

For whatever reason, I cannot seem to keep my iPhone with me to save my life. From leaving it on the top of my car and having it fly off on I-70 to leaving it in the grocery basket at Safeway, I seriously think I need one of those fancy wrist phone carriers so I don't lose it anymore! It just can't be pink :)

Although misplacing my phone is a serious problem, I do have to say that Apple's new ''Find My iPhone'' application is pretty darn cool. Bryce downloaded it to his phone, typed in my info and tada, found my phone inside the grocery store. Once the phone is found, you have the option to lock the phone remotely or even wipe all the info inside the device right from the application. Yes, the app is neat but it's not an excuse to constantly misplace and forget my phone everywhere...as everyone always tells me 'Erin, SLOW DOWN'...I'm working on it!

We're making progress!

2011-11-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

After this weekend, I'm pretty sure I never want to see a paint brush or a can of paint EVER again!!! After a bit of a stressful day on Friday, I headed up to the condo with Shelby in the afternoon to crank out some oh so dreading ceiling painting. Quite obviously I'm not very good at it either!

Bryce drove up later that night and after a good night sleep, we were ready to crank out some major work Saturday. One of the first items on the list was to switch out the front door lock and install some weather stripping so it doesn't snow inside anymore :) As an added touch, we replaced all the interior door knobs with new stainless ones!

While Bryce cranked out his projects, Shelby and I were busy painting, painting and more painting. I honestly hate painting but we really didn't have much of a choice unless we wanted to stare at poop brown colors everywhere! Along with painting walls, I had to re-paint all of the trim which is soooo tedious! I got through it but swore I wouldn't pick up another brush after Saturday

I stayed true to my promise and didn't touch one paint brush on Sunday. However, my hand is still sore from building endless amount of furniture from IKEA. I do have to admit that their products are by far the simplest to put together than another other brand I've ever worked on! We're both extremely excited about the new dining table...not only because it looks awesome but there are actually 2 leafs underneath that you can add to make seating for 8-10 people.

We don't have all our furniture yet but adding the simple things such as curtains, a side table and rug really make the room feel more like a home.

Add a TV and stand and it really feels like a home :)

Oh the infamous red couch! This thing has the world's greatest queen fold out mattress in it but holy crap is it heavy. I'm still not quite sure how, but somehow Bryce and I managed to get it from the van to the living room.

To top the weekend off, we built the night stands, dresser and bed frame for the master bedroom. I've been extremely impressed with everything from IKEA but unfortunately got stumped because we didn't purchase a $10 center beam for the bed frame separately. How difficult is that to add into the box and how many people leave the store without getting that miscellaneous extra piece? It's a good thing that we weren't planning on sleeping there and that I've got another trip planned to visit IKEA later this week!

We joined the ridiculousness club :)

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Torrance brothers were the first of our friends to indulge in the EXTRA large television department. Although they gave us crap for over a year about how tiny our 37in TV was, we could have cared less since we hardly watch anything on it.

However, after a few movie nights at their places, we were slightly envious and decided to go for the 55in LED as well. Since we're furnishing the Winter Park condo from zero, we're taking a lot of our current household items up there and refreshing the Boulder house. There's gonna be some serious E-riding (mountain bike/moto video watching) going on this winter :)

Boulder House Changes!

2011-11-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

The above picture is how my office/guest room used to look. It wasn't bad by any means but we really wanted to bring the couch to Winter Park since it has an amazing sleeper in it. Also, Bryce has started working from home a few days a week so we wanted to incorporate a desk that we could share when he's home.

After doing lots of IKEA internet shopping, I sent Bryce to the store downtown Denver with a big list and an empty moto van to pick up the goods. I'm sure it probably took him 3 times longer to find everything than the average person, but he and the goods made it home safe and sound :)

After a full day of furniture building, I finally got the new office put together. We now have a double desk with a super comfy chair/ottoman to read or relax. It's absolutely perfect and we're totally loving it!

Last Brrraaaaaap of 2011

2011-11-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the final Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit race for the 2011 season. It was out at Miliken in Jamestown which is only 45 minutes from our house and a really fun place to ride.

Although I was super bummed not to be racing because I'm still pretty sick, it's always fun to be on the sidelines supporting your favorite person in the world :) Plus, as you can see, it was SOOOO muddy and I hear it was really sketchy.

Bryce has finished in the top 10 overall and therefore has been racing in the AA/Pro class for the past 6 consecutive years. However, after a few stints of bad luck, he needed a 3rd place in this race to maintain his AA status for 2012 but fell a few spots short. I know he's a bit bummed out because several contributing factors were out of his control, but he's okay with it and excited to make some good contingency money racing the A class next year.

Deep down, his only true goal was to beat our good friend Scott Bright, and that he did! I'm super proud of him for wrapping up another solid season injury free and motivated for 2012. I'm also excited to unofficially say that I tied up the RMEC Women's Series Championship :) Brraaaaaaaaaaaaap!

And the remodel begins!

2011-11-05T15:44:00.000-06:00

After hanging out in Best Buy an hour longer than we planned to order appliances, Shelby and I finally made our way up to Winter Park late Thursday night so we could get a solid day of prep and painting in on the new condo before Bryce came up Friday evening.

There is so much to do but since painting the cabinets is a several step process, we started there!

This is the horrid brown cabinetry and wooden paneling with in the kitchen that does not match the speckled gray granite counters at all.

It is obviously very far from finished but holy cow what a difference the black makes!

This picture doesn't do justice to the brown color on the walls. To give you a better idea of how gross it is, the ceilings are actually cream.

A nice coat of gray on the two far walls is MUCH better :)

Again, no one wants a beige/brown color that doesn't match the light floors...

So we took care of that with an ''almost'' white to really brighten up the room and accentuate the floors. Add some colorful artwork and it will be dazzling :)

A humungous thanks to Shelby for helping Bryce and I out for 2 straight days! We are so excited to have a rocking place to PART-A this summer with a kickass neighbor upstairs!

OMG We Finally Closed!!!

2011-11-03T10:21:00.000-06:00

After all the craziness, I honestly wasn't sure we were EVER going to actually get this condo in Winter Park. We had everything ready by mid September for an October 7th closing but with the appraiser taking 3 weeks and a huge rush of other loans and refinances going through our lender, everything kept getting pushed back and back and back. Although it was a very frustrating time period for us, it's all water under the bridge now and we're super excited to bring on the joys of home ownership x2! We plan on getting the ball moving this weekend then hitting the remodeling hard throughout the rest of November in hopes to have it rented by December through the ski season. Once the snow has melted, we plan on spending almost every weekend up there riding mountain bikes and dirt bikes and letting all family and friends enjoy the place free of charge! Let us know if you're up for some painting and furniture building over the next couple weekends because we could sure use some help :)

Product Review - 2011 Orbea Carbon Terra

2011-10-31T18:49:00.000-06:00

Seeing that I've been racing almost every weekend since the cyclocross season has started and now I'm sidelined once again by the evil Epstein Barr Virus, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to share with you my thoughts on the Orbea's newest carbon Cyclocross ride! As you can tell right of the bat, this is one gorgeous bicycle! From the colors to it's sharp lines, this is without a doubt, a serious eye turner. Not only is the frame a beautiful looking product, the engineering and construction of it is also spectacular. Created with Silver carbon, the bike is extremely light and perfectly rigid for the ultimate race blooded rider. The ATT Ergonomy System technology took all things cyclocross into consideration and gave the bike an asymmetric horizontal frame design suited for ease of carrying it on your shoulder. All cross racers know how difficult it is to properly lift your bike up and place it correctly on your shoulder while your heart rate is near 200 BPM, but with the Terra, you have no worries. The frame design makes it much more comfortable and makes running up those stairs is that much easier :)

Along with the brilliant frame shape, the designers also routed all of the external cables to the right side of the top tube for yet another ergonomic feature when shouldering the bike! Lastly, along with all of the new Orbea's, the Terra incorporates the new GORE cable housing throughout the bike. This housing is perfect for the CX racer because we all race in a variety of conditions and it allows the cables to remain smooth and debris free no matter what the weather is like. There's nothing like getting a gunked up cable and not being able to shift during a super muddy race and the GORE housing will completely prevent that from happening.

We all know that Shimano has the most reliable products on the market so I went with an Ultegra 10speed shifting setup with an 11-25T cassette. Since Shimano's CX components will not be released until 2012, I'm running an FSA SL-K crankset with 46/36T chainrings and feel as though the gearing combination is perfect. A lot of people choose to race on a single front ring set up to avoid dropping their chain but I find having the gear options is much more advantageous. I prefer to use the same Shimano XTR pedals that I use for mountain biking for reliability and ease of getting in and out of no matter what the conditions.

Until all cross bikes convert to the disc brake system, in my opinion there will never be the perfect cantilever brake. These brakes are extremely finicky to setup and never seem to work worth a damn in any other condition except when it's dry with zero dust :) Can you tell I have beef with CX brakes?!? Coming from a mountain bike background, I've been spoiled with unbelievably great working hydraulic disc brakes so it's difficult to switch to the polar opposite and I find myself forgetting how different they are when racing! However, like everyone else, I cope and have found the Avid Shorty Ultimates with Swiss Stop yellow pads to be the best working combo for both carbon and aluminum rimed wheels.

Wheel and tire setup might possibly be the most important part to a successful cyclocross race. Most competitive racers want to run the lowest tire pressure possible to maximize traction while braking and cornering. Each second you save in a corner is multiplied by the hundreds of corners on the course. The preferred setup with most racers is a stiff, lightweight carbon wheel in conjunction with a tubular tire filled with sealant. On the plus side, without the use of a tube inside the tire, you don't have to risk any pinch-flats. However, unless you have multiple sets of tubular wheels, you have to choose a suitable tire that you won't have to change throughout the season as gluing and ungluing tubular tires is NOT fun! For my personal race wheels, I've chosen to the Vittoria Cross XG Pro tire that is multi-directional (at least for the front wheel) for a choice of tread pattern. Colorado doesn't have too many mud races so it's overall the best option for my specific race terrain.

My training/pit wheel setup, however, has multiple options. The Shimano Dura-Ace C24 wheels have a tubeless ready rim (similar to mountain bike rims) so you not only have the option of easily changing the tire for various conditions, you also have the option to run the setup without a tube. Although the tubular setup allows you to get away with a slightly lower tire pressure, the tubeless setup is a great alternative and may even be a bit lighter!

All in all, I couldn't be happier with my 2011 cyclocross rig and have nothing but great things to say about how Orbea has gone about constructing this phenomenal bike. If the Luna Chix are winning World Cup and USGP races on it and I can manage a podium here and there in the Colorado series, I don't think anybody would disagree :)

Team Timex Adopts a Road

2011-10-29T20:15:00.001-06:00

The Boulder crew of the Timex Multisport Team committed to adopting a 2 mile stretch of road for the next 2 years. As adopters, we are required to do multiple clean ups a year so today we did our first round! Although half of the ground was covered in snow, we were all amazed to see how much trash there was and how much more efficient we could be with several more people.

We managed to fill up twice as many bags as we thought and had a blast working together to give back to our amazing community. We plan on inviting more than just Timex team members next time so we can clean up double or triple the amount we did today! Great job team, it's so great to be apart of such a fantastic group of people :)

Hello Winter!

2011-10-26T20:49:00.000-06:00

Life was all fun and dandy with everyone enjoying all the beautiful fall colors until...

Wabam...we woke up to this view and a crazy snow storm this morning! It was in the 60s yesterday then this arrived out of nowhere.

The snow was really wet and every tree still had it's leaves so the combination led to a lot of droopy trees and a lot of broken branches. Bryce parked the van under one of the willows in our complex and like a lot of other vehicles, it got a little beat up! Oops.

Ahhh, such a relief!

2011-10-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

It's really scary to think that only 4 years ago I was a fully functioning person without a smartphone. Once introduced to the Blackberry, I was 100% roped into the concept of having all my emails on my phone. After upgrading to the iPhone, I couldn't imagine my world without it! I know it's pathetic, but it's true. After dealing with my crappy Blackberry for 2 weeks, I finally received my new iPhone 4S (courtesy of my mother's upgrade) and have been absolutely loving it. I did, however, learn the hard way that trying to save $15 on a case by ordering it online was 10 times more of a hassle then actually just spending the money in the first place and paying for convenience. Let's just say I'm still trying to find the package with USPS and have since gone out and spent the original amount on a case so I don't break another phone!

The Blood Test Results

2011-10-19T18:27:00.001-06:00

First and foremost, I want this mug! I don't think I would ever get bored of drinking my coffee out of it every morning :)

So the EBV results came back ''equivocal'' meaning they are between positive and negative. How that's possible, I don't know. However, I do know that my actions can greatly influence which way the virus sways so I've been put on another ''take it easy'' period so that I don't relapse the EBV or Chronic Fatigue. What that means is incredibly vague and I'm not quite sure how to handle it. I took it easy for 9 months last year and I am now finally starting to feel like an athlete again...I don't want to rest! I also found out that my iron levels are quite low so hopefully with some supplements and midweek rest I can still hammer out a race or two on the weekends. Stay tuned.

Some ups and some downs

2011-10-17T19:08:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday was the 2nd Colorado Cross Cup race in Longmont at Xilinx. Bryce left really early to drive down to Colorado Springs to ride moto with the boys so I was flying solo for the day. I woke up feeling really groggy and after a solid breakfast I really didn't feel much better. I rode out to the race with Flora and although I wasn't feeling much better, I wasn't feeling any worse. After registering and doing a few laps, I was on the fence about racing as that 'delirious-like' feeling just wasn't going away. In the end, I slammed a caffeinated gel and decided to just go for it and pull out if I started feeling really crappy.

Go figure that after getting the 2nd call up, I screwed up the start because I totally missed my pedal...duh. After getting onto the singletrack, I immediately started making my moves and made my way into 4th where I battled back and forth between 2nd and 3rd over the next 3 laps. There was a barrier section where you could either bunny hop (which was faster) or dismount and run and since I was the only one bunny hopping the section out of the 3 of us, I was able to take that 2nd position each time. However, I would always fall back to 3rd when I had to dismount and jump over the massive barriers on the back side of the course...my hip does NOT like that!

Knowing there was a good chance I could podium, my adrenaline was high and the thought of not feeling well never crossed my mind until half way through the final lap. It was like a switch inside me had simply turned off. I got super dizzy, completely fell off the pace of the other 2 girls and somehow soft pedaled to the finish in 4th where I immediately saw Flora and asked her to hold on to me as I was about to faint. We went directly to the medical truck where I spent the next 30min then got a ride home with some friends and went straight to the hospital to get my blood tested for a possible relapse of Epstein Barr. My symptoms were identical to what happened originally and Tingle (my roommate) just found out she has it too.

After the way I felt on Saturday, I would have never thought I would wake up Sunday and feel almost 100% normal. My stomach was a bit upset but otherwise the dizziness and deliriousness had completely gone away. There was another Colorado Cup race in Louisville that I had intended on doing but I wasn't so sure it was the right thing after Saturday's insanity. I decided to just go up there with Shelby to show her how to mount and dismount on her new CX bike then make the call at the venue. After a chill warm up and an easy lap, I didn't feel weird so I decided to give it a go and again, just pull out if I felt at all off.

The start was pretty intense but I kept my cool and let the faster girls by and picked off the ones I knew I could withhold. The course was extremely fast and drafting was a huge factor. The 2 girls that I rode with yesterday quickly got off the front and for the final 4 laps I led a train of girls behind me. I had to dig deep but I was able to hold on to 3rd and get back on the podium and win a bit of cash :)

Regardless of my place, I was ecstatic to have finished feeling worked and not dizzy. I should hopefully have the bloodwork back today or tomorrow so fingers crossed that I just had an off day or it's just an iron issue. Huge thanks to everyone out there cheering and hugs to Bryce and Shelby for being a great pit crew.

My mechanic will be proud!!!

2011-10-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

After using James' Craftsman corldess inflator at the Ft. Collins CX races last weekend, I didn't even think twice about ordering my own :) Thank You Sears.

Tire pressure is so important in mountain biking, moto, cyclocross, etc., and having an automatic digital reader has no monetary value (in my opinion). Our pumps are never accurate so this will be a huge change from the ''squeeze test'' we normally do and it will hopefully give both Bryce and I an added advantage in our various races!!!

My first UCI racing experience!

2011-10-12T20:03:00.001-06:00

This past weekend was the US Grand Prix New Belgium Cyclocross race in Ft. Collins. I've never done a UCI sanctioned race so there was a lot of preparation in terms of purchasing my license from USA Cycling and pre-entering for Saturday and Sunday's events.

I knew the weather wasn't looking so hot for the weekend but I wasn't expecting 37 degrees and pouring rain at all! I've never raced CX in those conditions and although I was excited, I was a little nervous too. After a solid warm up on the trainer under the Breeze Bars tent, I was able to get out for a lap before the actual race started. It was then that I knew it was going to be an absolute shit show and a test of who could stay on their bike for 45min. Since I don't have any points, I didn't receive a call up so I was one of the last people to start out of 50ish girls. The first lap was an absolute debacle of people crashing all over the place and my frustration levels were so high that I just shut it down and decided to just try and stay upright and save my legs for Sunday. I'm usually a good technical rider but between not being able to feel anything on my body and having slick tubular tires, it just wasn't my day! After a hot shower, it took me hours to clean up my bike and gear but I was finally ready to rock and roll on Sunday. Big thanks to Bryce for being a trooper in the rain and pitting for me :)

I'm still unsure how the race course was completely dry as a bone on Sunday but I'll take it! The weather was a mere perfect 57 and sunny and the crowds were out in full force. Again, I had to start in the last row but did my best to move up as quickly as possible. Bryce was out racing moto in Nebraska so I was flying solo for this race but I couldn't believe how many people I could hear cheering for me. I absolutely love the Colorado CX scene and no matter how your race is going, it's so fun to be out there.

I had a great experience and excited to have been just outside the top 20 of 47 on Day 2 with a crappy start position. Colorado is hosting another UCI event Oct 29-30 at the Valmont Bike Park so I'm excited to see if I can get some points for Nationals so I can maybe get a call up! I have to thank Annette at Mountain Moon Photography once again for getting some incredibly awesome shots!

CX USGP MUD-FEST and FUN-FEST!

2011-10-10T08:34:00.002-06:00

Although I had some bad luck and a terrible race on day 1, I got a rad photo in the Cycling News Race Report!

Day 2 was a little better but not great but managed to hit the photo album again in Cycling News! Race report for both days and more photos coming soon!

I OWE MY MOTHER!!!

2011-10-07T11:13:00.000-06:00

As I'm sure you saw on a previous post, last weekend I left my iPhone on the roof of the car and drove off. Let's just say it is in no fashion eligible for any kind of "warranty'! Although I was able to hook up my phone line to my old Blackberry, it just wasn't the same. Once you go to an iPhone, there's no going back. The bad news was that I wasn't eligible for an upgrade until October 2012 and if I wanted to purchase a new iPhone, it was going to be at full price ($750). Luckily, my parents had an eligible upgrade on their plan and my mother was beyond kind enough to let me use it instead of getting a new phone for herself. So today I ordered the new iPhone 4S and I'm very excited to finally have a functioning and user friendly device arrive on October 14th. Mom, I owe you big time, THANK YOU.

Mountain Moon Photography

2011-10-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most of you have been wondering why and how I've been able to post such spectacular mountain bike and cyclocross photos over the past year. Annette Hayden, photographer at Mountain Moon Photography, has a passion and hobby for taking pictures and comes out to every mountain bike and cyclocross race she can. She takes phenomenal photos and is beyond generous with distributing them out to each of us athletes. So next time you see an amazing image from a cycling race, you know where it came from :) Enjoy a few shots below from this past weekend's races in Frisco.

My Momma's Colorado Visit

2011-10-03T16:40:00.000-06:00

On Thursday evening, my mom flew in from Michigan to spend a long weekend with Bryce and I. Since I was planning to race on both days over the weekend, we had a relaxing day on Friday with an enjoyable walk to Whole Foods for lunch. Apparently my mother never comes home with enough pictures so every 5 minutes Bryce and I were asked to pose for another shot....hehe, I promise I was only annoyed at the time :)

The first Boulder Cup Cross race was on Saturday in Frisco so we headed up after breakfast on Saturday morning for the 12:10pm start. This was a big race so there were A LOT of people up there to race and spectate. I haven't been able to kick this stupid cold, but I decided to race anyway and give it a shot...45min of 190+HR at 9000+ft, it couldn't be that bad!

Since I wasn't in the points for this series last year I didn't get a call up so I was forced to play catch up and really push it during the first few laps to grab my position. Luckily, I was able to get in a few great surges during lap 2 and move my way into 3rd and remain there to the end.

Although I couldn't stop cackling, spitting, coughing and snotting (yes, gross, I know), I was absolutely thrilled with my finish considering the stacked field and jazzed to be standing on the podium with Allison Powers and Rebecca Gross.

Since Sunday's race was also being held in Frisco, we were all invited to stay up at Bryce's parent's place in Vail and celebrate Bryce's 27th birthday on Sunday. As always, Momma Bingham made us several homemade birthday cakes which were amazing. We'll be eating them for the next week for sure :)

As great as the weekend was going, I unfortunately had to put a damper on that. I accidentally left my phone on the roof of my car while packing up to head to the race on Sunday morning and as it was flying off the car on I-70, I realized I had left it up there. It definitely took a few tumbles and I'm sure about a dozen or so vehicles ran it over but I still went and found it. That's 2 iPhones down in a month in our household...bummer. Luckily we made it to the race just in time for me to get dressed, registered and do lap of the course.

You know it's going to be a rough day when Katie Compton rolls up in her Stars and Stripes jersey and you're still hacking away from Saturday's race, however, it really wasn't as bad as I thought. I tried to stay tough for the first lap but settled into 4th behind another girl I had beaten on Saturday and stayed there to the finish.I just didn't have it in me to gap the 20 or so seconds she had on me and I wasn't too worried about the girls behind me. I definitely worked hard but my knee was super sore from that dumb crash in Buena Vista so I played it smart and just did my thing. Brent and Barbara were out there taking photos and the usual crowds were cheering loudly and it made for a nice ending to a fun weekend (minus the phone debacle).

GET EXCITED!!!!

2011-09-30T08:32:00.000-06:00

Click here to read all about Timex's new Road Trainer GPS Cycling Computer!

Thought this was funny...

2011-09-28T15:14:00.000-06:00

I don't really have much going on right now other than being super busy at work and fighting a cold so I thought I would post something funny Bryce and I saw at a Walmart this past year :) Hehe.

A much needed relaxing weekend

2011-09-26T07:52:00.002-06:00

With both Bryce and myself fighting the ''Boulder Cold'', I say that because everyone in this town is sick, we decided to skip the CX racing this weekend to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep. We spun around on our bikes both days but just to get some fresh air and enjoy the warm weather. We also took our first trip to IKEA in preparation for the Winter Park condo transformation. Above is round 1 of the items needed to fully furnish a place that will sleep 10 in beds, 2 full baths and a functioning kitchen. Obviously none of the big stuff is there but we're almost done with all the small things :)

On a totally random note, most of you know that I have a SERIOUS chocolate and peanut butter addiction. As usual, I was craving Reeses Sunday afternoon and although we didn't have any, I did a little improvising and was pleasantly surprised! Just some food for thought if you every need to satisfy that chocolate/peanut butter craving :)

Valmont Bike Park Trail Maintenance

2011-09-23T07:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to the VBP to get my volunteer trail maintenance on with several other great friends.

Since we will be racing several cyclocross events on this course, there's a lot of weeding and prepping to do to ensure it is clear of as much debris as possible. Heck, I'd be out there every night if I knew for sure it would prevent another tubular flat!!!

Big thanks to Pete Weber of IMBA and the BMA for getting it all set up. It's amazing how fast 2 hours of work can fly by when you're having a great time!

Also, another thank you to Mix 1 and Breeze Bars for the delicious snacks at the end of the session. It was much needed. Until next time!

Winter Park Condo Update

2011-09-21T07:14:00.000-06:00

We are under contract and ready to close!!! It's been a long process of getting things together but we've agreed on prices and concessions now just finalizing the loan piece.

The property definitely needs some TLC and you know I'll do a full ''before and after'' report but figured I'd show a few snapshots from the listing so you can get a better idea.

The bottom patio is ours and the one right above it is our good friend's Shelby and Will. We are really looking forward to spending some fun summer nights with friends and family up there :)

Since the place has been vacant, this is how the living/dining room presents itself when you walk in. Pretty bland and boring now but if you've seen the transformation from our place in Boulder, you know it's in for a great facelift!

The above pic is obviously a bit over the top and much more high end then we are thinking, but it really gives a good view of our overall idea - light floors, grey walls, black accent furniture, grey couch and black kitchen cabinets with stainless appliances! Let the IKEA shopping spree begin :)

Valmont and Buena Vista CX

2011-09-19T07:56:00.000-06:00

Since the Valmont Bike Park opened, there was no doubt it would hold numerous cyclocross races throughout the fall. With multiple sand pits and stair climbs, it has all the suffer obstacles one could think of for a perfect CX course. Not only was I pumped to race there due to the terrain, it's only a 7 minute bike ride from my house so the logistics couldn't be any better!

The day started out great with getting the holeshot on the start then settling in behind rockstar Nicole Duke. About half way through the first lap, I noticed my front end getting incredibly squirrely and soon noticed I was completely flat! I tried to ignore it until I went around a corner and totally wiped out. I very easily rode into the pits while almost all 28 girls in the field passed me and changed my wheel as quickly as possible. I got back on course and managed to pick off girls through the next 4 laps but my head just wasn't in it. I was super bummed that I had blown a tubular in the first 4 minutes of the race and just didn't have the right girls around me to get me back in the game.

Although I wasn't racing my heart out, I managed to get back into the top 10 with a 9th place finish and a minute or two behind the race leaders. I was also very happy that I didn't burp any air out of my spare front wheel as I'm trying them out as a tubeless setup! PSI was a bit high but it got me to the finish :)

Check out this sweet video from the race. It will give you a good perspective of the course!

Since I didn't have the race I was looking for at Valmont, Bryce and I drove down to Buena Vista early Sunday morning to try it again! It was a perfect fall morning with no clouds and crisp cold air that eventually hit mid 60s just before the race start! There wasn't a large field since it was a solid 2.5hr drive from Boulder, however, it was strong one. Apparently this was the weekend to get the kinks out because I totally biffed during a practice mount on a warm up lap and sliced the top of my knee cap really good. So, before the race started I was already a blood mess with a swollen knee. Oh well! During the first lap, I found myself in second behind a very strong girl and looking to stay close. On the first sandy hill, I attempted to ride it instead of run (which was dumb) and accidentally dropped my chain which caused me to move to 3rd. I chased the girl down for a few laps then decided to make my move on the final lap. That didn't last long as I totally wiped out on another sandy/rocky run up and aggravated my hip REAL bad to the point of having to soft pedal in. I remained in 3rd and came home with a bit of cash but mostly happy to be getting these silly issues and mishaps out of the way earlier in the season!

Interbike 2011

2011-09-16T17:24:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday morning, Bryce and I jumped on a plane to Las Vegas to attend the 2011 Interbike convention. This is the country's largest bike show that is designed to show off the upcoming year's product and get retailers excited to carry their brands. Below is a view outside our 52nd story hotel room in the Cosmopolitan!

I went out there to work with one of my clients, Madd Gear, and Bryce was out there to run around and check out all the cool new stuff he could find :) Although it was strictly a business trip for me, it was fun to sneak away and see the Timex peeps and several other good friends either working or roaming the show. It was also awesome seeing how influential our brand is in the Skate/BMX world and how much we really are going to grow in 2012! Lots of planning to do but definitely excited for the next steps and SUPER jazzed about the opportunity to go to Australia this fall to help integrate our new online ordering system into my accounting software. Also, stay tuned for some new and exciting news for the 2012 Timex team!

Bicycle Village - Boulder

2011-09-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

When Timex switched bike sponsors in 2010, I was forced to sell my Trek Top Fuel. Luckily, a great couple out of Pennsylvania were interested and extremely happy with the purchase :) A year later, Jennifer decided to take a job in Colorado and they moved out to Boulder! Small world. Her husband, Chris, worked in one of the top 100 nationally ranked bike shops in PA and wanted to continue his success in the industry so he joined the Bicycle Village Boulder team. Just recently he was promoted to the shop manager and has been doing a fantastic job. I highly suggest checking the shop out and asking for Chris Arterburn!

The Cyclocross season has officially started!

2011-09-12T21:45:00.000-06:00

Saturday kicked off the first CX race of the year in Golden, CO. The Tough Girls team put on the 'Queens of Cross' race that had a fantastic turnout, a great course, and perfect weather.

It was great to see the usual cyclocross crowd at the venue cheering and getting ready to race. There's truly no other sport that can match the vibe and fun atmosphere that a Colorado cross race has :)

This was the first time I was able to test out my tubular wheel setup on the ever-so-awesome Orbea Terra and it was sick! I was able to run a really low tire pressure which made the extremely rough course much more comfortable.

Although getting on and off your bike is not an easy task, it's still so much fun and a great change of pace from all the summer's road and mountain bike riding. The mounts and dismounts are a critical skill in the sport and I still have a lot of practicing to do!

It's been a while since I've raced CX so I was forced to race the SW 3 category on Saturday. After grabbing the holeshot, I didn't look back and took the W with several minutes to spare.

Sunday was the Lookout CX race in Golden. Bryce and I actually did this race in 2009 before we went to a moto race. Luckily I was able to race with the SW Open and had a great time. Again, I was able to grab the holeshot but quickly found myself chasing 2 girls that were putting in strong efforts right from the gun. I wasn't able to match them but fortunately stayed strong for a solid 3rd place finish.

It's been a while since I've been on the cross scene and I'm stoked to be back at it and look forward to lots of improvement throughout the season.

It really did feel like Fall today

2011-09-08T15:24:00.000-06:00

It was quite ironic that the first Wednesday cyclocross practice brought 50 degree temps with pouring rain. Although we were a complete muddy mess, it was an absolute blast and got me more than excited for the fall and the start of the CX season!

Later that afternoon, everyone from Franklin (one of my clients) headed downtown Denver for a rooftop BBQ at the VP's house then over to Coors Field for an evening Rockies baseball game. We were incredibly fortunate that the rain stopped but it was super chilly and it was the first time in a while I had to indulge in a warm cup of hot cocoa! As much as I love summer, I can definitely do without the 100* days and constant application of sunscreen. Hooray, Fall may finally be here!

Horray, Bryce can ride CX again :)

2011-09-06T20:21:00.000-06:00

As of this weekend, I can finally ride my favorite dirt roads and race cyclocross with Mr. Bingham. He bought Shep's XO2 which was the exact same bike I used to have :) We christened the new ride on a long backroad ride on Sunday, then rode up to Jamestown with his dad today! For his first time on a ''road-like'' bike, he's not doing too bad!

Gotta Love Bouder, CO!

2011-09-03T19:11:00.000-06:00

Bryce and I went for a long walk to run several errands Saturday morning and stumbled upon this ''Bike Repair'' stand near Whole Foods. Whoever was genius enough to think of putting a fixed stand with the standard bicycle tools along with a pump for public use deserves a big round of a applause. Just when I think Boulder couldn't get any better, it does! I love my home :)

Homeowners #2 ?!?

2011-09-01T20:53:00.000-06:00

So it's actually a really funny story because I would never have thought one month ago that we would be buying a mountain home in Winter Park, Colorado! Ready for it? Here it goes - as planned, we went up to Winter Park for the second to last race of the Epic Singletrack series on Friday evening since it was a much earlier start than normal. Also, as planned, we were staying at our good friend Shelby's condo in Fraser (about 3 miles from WP) so we didn't have to get a hotel. At dinner, one conversation led to another and we got on the subject that the unit below hers was up for sale on foreclosure and was less than half the price that she bought her place for over a year ago. If you know me well enough, you knew my brain was on complete overboard with ideas spinning left and right!

I did some math and figured out that buying this place was not only affordable, but a ridiculously good investment and a potential money making opportunity for the future. I knew the floor plan was identical to my friend's without the lofted ceilings but still needed to physically check it out with Bryce before we put in an offer. We knew it needed work but we were actually quite surprised at how nice it truly was. We immediately rushed home to put in an offer and found out that the price had actually been lowered another $10K! Sweet! We put in an offer that was just silly low and the bank came back telling us that there were multiple offers and to submit our highest and best offer. Ugh...how badly did we want this place? Regardless of what we paid, it was going to be a good deal so it was up to us to figure out what the highest number we were willing to go was. We settled for upping the price $15K more than our offer plus $3K in paid closing costs and they countered back with $9K over our original asking price and $2200 in paid closing costs...weird counter but we were all over it and verbally submitted our acceptance :) It's not 100% ours until we get the final paperwork Friday or early next week but it's pretty safe to say it's most likely ours! It's super exciting but we still need to be prepared for the worst so we're trying to stay relaxed. Stay tuned for lots more info once we get the 'yeh' or 'neh' and sign on the dotted line!

The Winter Park MTB Series Wrap Up

2011-08-30T07:20:00.006-06:00

I couldn't have been more excited for the final race of the WP series as all I heard was how fun it is. Since Bryce was doing an epic day on the dirt bikes with the boys on Saturday, I drove up with Shelby Friday afternoon for a relaxing evening and good night's rest. Race morning brought perfect weather and at 10:16am, we were off.

I was able to stick with the top girls for the first few miles but when we hit the first big climb, I settled in 6th and was focused on my race. I knew it was going to be a long day so I paced myself well until I hit the first descent where I was ready to rip! Wrong...within seconds of bombing downhill, I got a bit of ''chainsuck'' and the cage on the rear derailleur pulley ripped right off :( I jumped off my bike to figure out what was wrong but realized quickly there wasn't much I could do. The above pic is how I road about 17 miles of trail to the finish! It was not pretty, nor did it sound good and my gear selection was very limited (i.e. non-existent). Needless to say, I didn't finish all that great but still had a blast and can't wait to ride those trails again.

The highlight of the day came about a half hour after the race when I found out that I had placed 3rd in the pro women's class for the series! We all got sweet Epic Singletrack jerseys and had a great time celebrating :) Big congrats to Shelby for winning her class as well. This was her first season racing mountain bikes and she rocked it!

After a fun evening of chatting, eating delicious pizza and watching Kingpin, we woke up on Sunday ready to rip it up on the dirt bikes. We had a huge group ride planned in Rand with a great route. I've never ridden in the area before and couldn't believe how fun the trails were.

Everything was going great until I tagged a tree with my handguard and it slingshot me off the trail into a rock ravine. I tried to bail but unfortunately smashed my finger so badly that I'm pretty sure it's broken. My day was over as pulling in the clutch was pretty much impossible but luckily it began raining right as we got back to the truck. I'm thinking a few weeks in the splint and I'll be good to go for the first cyclocross race on September 9th. Fingers crossed :)

Send Judy Freeman to Worlds Fundraiser

2011-08-27T07:32:00.002-06:00

On Thursday evening, Rocky Mounts hosted a great event catered to raising money to send our good friend Judy Freeman to the mountain bike world championships in Switzerland this fall.

Ideal market and Boulder Sausage donated tons of food so Tom was on grilling duty. Big thanks to Dale's Pale Ale for providing heaps of beer and Izze for giving away some delicious non-alcoholic beverages! Also, huge thanks to Tom for getting the idea together and organizing the whole thing. He's one nice boyfriend :)

The turnout was absolutely fantastic and the event couldn't have gone any better. People donated $10 for all you can eat and drink then could buy raffle tickets (3 for $10) or walk around the silent auction and bid on over 30 killer products!

As always, Timex stepped up and sent me several watches to bring to the event. Some were auctioned and some were raffled. They were all a huge hit and raised quite a bit of money for Miss Judy. Thanks again for all your support, my life has never been the same since our partnership in 2006!

Jason Fryda of Pearl Izumi was the dedicated MC of the night and couldn't have done a better job. He facilitated the raffle as well as the thanking of the sponsors and overall vibe of the party.

The best part of the event is when Tony surprised and presented Judy with her custom made Team USA cycling shoes in front of everyone. It couldn't have been more perfect and the shoes were totally rad! Great Job TT.

Judy was able to raise enough money to cover her entire trip and I haven't stopped getting thank you notes and emails 2 days later :) She leaves for Europe next week and we all wish her the best of luck. GO TEAM USA!!!

Another Global Trainer Demo

2011-08-25T13:10:00.005-06:00

On Wednesday afternoon, Trista and I drove up to Ft. Collins to meet our teammate Wendy at the local Runner's Roost. We had another GPS demo scheduled for their weekly run group!

Pre-run we had a lot of great questions about the product and how it compared to the Garmin.

We also gave the runners a chance to personally enter their user info on the computer and set up their customized screens before heading out!

During the run, one of Wendy's previous athletes came by to check out the watch. She's an engineer so was very intrigued with the technology and sophistication of the product. We also introduced her to the new Health Tracker which she was extremely excited about. I think we might made 2 sales for the Runner's Roost in FOCO :)

As usual, we also downloaded the runner's data into the Device Agent and Training Peaks and gave them a quick tutorial of each of the programs! Other fun and successful Team Timex demo night!

One year older!

2011-08-23T10:50:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I turned 27 and have until October 2nd to be the old woman in Bryce and my relationship before he catches up :) I can't even tell you how many times I'll be called a ''Cougar'' between now and then...oh boys.

On a more exciting note, I was treated with grilled pork, yam chips, strawberry/feta salad and barbeque peaches for dinner and an AMAZING homemade Nutella Cheesecake for dessert from our wonderful roommate Paddy! Holy moly was it incredible. My parents sent out a massive box of goodies from Trader Joe's which also made my day :) Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone!!!

My first mental bonk!

2011-08-21T21:14:00.001-06:00

Saturday was another one of the epic Winter Park MTB races. Since there was another big event going on, the start was moved up to 9am so we decided to go up Friday evening and stay with our friend Shelby instead of getting up super early race morning.

This race is a little unusual because you have to take the chairlift up to the start! Yes, that means that it begins at a much higher elevation! The start was at 10,800ft and we did 3 loops of 5 miles that brought us up, down and around some great singletrack then we had a 1 mile uphill climb to the finish.

The race started on a mile uphill climb then jumped onto the loop which went straight down then straight up. The entire loop was really fun but really tough. The altitude was at an average of 11,000ft so having a third lung would have been extremely helpful!

Bryce rocked a first in his age group and I came in a mere 7th in the pro class. I was sitting in 3rd going into the final climb and feeling extremely strong on both the climbs and descents until I just completely cracked. I honestly don't know what happened. I was tired but not totally spent but my brain just told me that it didn't want to go hard anymore. Soon after those thoughts, I got passed by 2 girls and then just totally gave up! Every girl that passed me on that last 3 mile stretch just made me even more mad. I couldn't control my mental state, nor could I make myself go hard again. The feelings that happened on the trail are indescribable and I sure hope that doesn't happen again. Coach Neal assures me that it happens to everyone and you usually rebound stronger...let's hope so because that was the weirdest thing that has EVER happened to me before.

After I stopped thinking about the race, we headed down the mountain to hit some of the really fun and technical descents. Our lift passes were good until 1:30pm so Bryce demo-ed a 2012 Trek Superfly 100 and we played around for the rest of the afternoon! In racing there are good days and bad days, however every race is a learning day :)

My New Favorite Bicycle Accessory!

2011-08-17T20:45:00.004-06:00

The Rockshox Reverb dropper seatpost is by far the best invention to date for the all mountain rider. With a hydraulic remote button to change your seatpost height on the fly, what in world could be better?

This was an early birthday gift from Bryce and I was so fortunate to have it on our trip to Crested Butte last week. It makes going downhill even more fun than it already is on a 6in travel bike!

Simply amazing...

The remote is perfectly placed so that you don't have to take your hands off the bars to hit the switch to raise it or put it down. The Orbea Rallon just got a facelift and it pretty much changed my entire view of all mountain riding. Giddy up!

Crested Butte Part 2

2011-08-15T11:06:00.005-06:00

How come vacations always seem to go by at double speed? Since Jon got stuck on a work project back in Boulder on Thurs/Fri, we held off on riding the infamous 403 and 401 trails until Saturday so he could join. This was the midway point of the climb up 403. The views are just terrible aren't they?!? Hehe.

When we stopped to get a quick snack, there were several other people checking out the views and a couple came over and offered our whole group a cut up watermelon. It was not only the best tasting thing at the time, but so awesome that they did that. We had a great chat with them then headed back to hit the summit of our first climb.

Crested Butte is known as the Capitol of Wildflowers and it was absolutely apparent. They were everywhere and unbelievably gorgeous.

Right at the top of the 403, Tom got a flat so we had to wait until he fixed it.

I guess it wasn't all that bad though...the views were great and at an elevation of 11,500ft, it was a perfect temperature!

Me and my hunny!

After descending the 403 and waiting for Tom to fix flat #2, we began the climb back up to the 401. Midway through we hit the biggest patch of snow I have ever seen in August! It had to have been over 8ft tall. The last part of the climb was super steep and pretty treacherous, but we all made it and enjoyed another epic CB descent! As most people forget, there is a pretty long climb out of the 401 which totally cracked me and a few others.

After being out for almost 6hrs, a nice cold soak in the small creek by our condo was very much needed! That and a cold Coke and a big bowl of ice cream of course :)

After a killer sleep Saturday night, we woke up very tired but ready to do some fun and easy dirt biking on our way back. We met up with our good friend Eric who was camping with is family and planned out a 2hr ride (or what we thought) around some trail we had never ridden. Let's just say that 2hrs turned into 5+ on some of the gnarliest trail I have EVER ridden...no joke. I wish I had pictures but then again I don't think an image could describe how difficult this stuff was. Needless to say, I was beyond wrecked at 2.5hrs and the trail just kept going and going and going. I made it back alive, but barely and our 5hr drive home in the rain and traffic was brutal. It's almost noon and I'm still in my pajamas trying to crank out work and get motivated to shower! Great 4 day vacation...I really needed it :)

It's VACATION Time!!!

2011-08-12T22:18:00.003-06:00

Although our summer has been 100% jam packed, we were able to squeeze in a small 4 day getaway with our good friends in Crested Butte. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend my one and only vacation of the year! After an effortless drive through the mountains and over Cottonwood Pass on Thursday afternoon, we geared up and did our first ride of the trip - Snodgrass. It's short and sweet but left everyone excited for the weekend's festivities.

Crested Butte is a fun and quaint little town that has great people watching and fun shops to visit. We ate dinner at the Brick Oven then headed home for a big day on Friday. Tom was in charge of breakfast and made everyone some mmmm good pancakes. I'm pretty sure he got batter just about everywhere in the house and on himself as well but it was well worth the laugh. After a short drive in Bobby's Rocky Mounts van, we began the infamous Doctor Park ride.

The first part of the ride was on a paved road that quickly turned to dirt and climbed for 9 miles up to 10,000 ft.

After this really fun creek crossing (where Bobby fell in and Robert snapped his chain), we had a very steep 3 miles to the top of the mountain!

Since Robert had to fix his chain, we took the opportunity to get some good photos and eat a quick snack :)

The climb was tough but well worth it as the views from 11,000ft are pretty spectacular!

This was the beginning of the wicked awesome 3000ft descent! It was a combination of steep rocky trail with fast and flowy singletrack through trees. Bryce got me an early birthday present which I still need to write about but I have to say that a remote dropper post is the absolute coolest thing EVER! After a quick lunch downtown, Tony, Bryce and myself got right back at it and rode our dirt bikes on the Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman loop. 3hrs on the mountain bikes followed by a 3 hour moto ride...ahhhh, the life :)

Another Mountainous Weekend

2011-08-09T16:02:00.004-06:00

After an easy drive up to the mountains Friday evening, Bryce and I woke up Saturday morning and rode out to the Meadow Mountain trailhead for a casual 3hr mountain bike ride. It was a ride Bryce used to do all the time when he lived up there so it was fun to check it out. Once we got back to the house, we quickly showered and hit the road towards Grand Junction. Sunday was another RMEC dirt bike race that was supposed to have awesome high country trail!

After stopping at the local grocery and grabbing a large pizza from Little Ceasars, we drove the last hour up the gnarliest dirt road to the race site and campground. We got registered, mingled with everyone around then had our pizza for dinner. Our usual crew was there as well so we had a great fire pit chat to sum up the night. We slept in the back of the van on sleeping pads and in sleeping bags which was actually quite pleasant. Bryce made me coffee on a camping stove in the morning while I was in charge of peanut butter and banana sandwiches for breakfast!

9am came a lot quicker than we thought and before we knew it the race was about to go off. As always, Bryce started at 9:19 and I went at 9:40. The first 8 miles was a transfer section and a combo of dirt roads and really technical and fun terrain with some serious drops. The first test was 3 miles with lots of roots and steep rocky climbs. Everything was going great until some guy behind me ghostied his bike on top of me and pinned me against the side of the trail. I was totally fine but in a super awkward position and losing a lot of time. Since there were tons of racers behind us, we had to wait until they went by to get the bikes untangled and back on the trail. When I saw the guy at the next stop, he was super apologetic :) The second test was 6 miles of really open and dusty trail that was more dangerous than fun (in my opinion). However, I did make it out crash free and headed to gas then to the third test. About a mile into that test, I came upon a young rider who didn't make it up a rock ledge and was stuck under his bike screaming. The guy in front of me was already to the rescue but it was apparent that the fallen rider was really hurt. I dropped my bike, fought the oncoming race traffic and ran to the start of the test for help. My hip was absolutely killing me but at this point, it didn't matter. I found some course workers who immediately got the EMT's on the radio and we headed back into the woods to help the 13 year old who crashed. After being evaluated, we ended up carrying him out on a backboard. My race was obviously over at this point but I knew I had done the right thing. I heard the last 2 tests were super fun but I'm glad I was able to help and there's always next year.

Bryce, on the other hand, had a great race finishing 3rd in the Pro class. There were a lot of local guys there that ride those trails day in and day out so he didn't finish quite as high as he would have liked in the overall. After a long trip down the mountain, we made our way back to Edwards where Bryce's Mom had prepared us a delicious dinner to go. We thought it would be a good idea to just eat there but as expected, once we got out of the van, there was no way we were getting back in it to make the 2hr trek home. We crashed in the mountains and woke up early Monday morning to get back to Boulder where Bryce immediately turned around to drive to Denver to be to work by 9am! Just another fun and typical weekend for us :)

Spreading the Powerbar Love!

2011-08-07T14:51:00.001-06:00

Although I didn't compete at the 2011 Boulder Tri Series events, I worked the Powerbar tent at each of them and had lots of fun and interesting interaction with various individuals walking the expos!

June 19th was the Boulder Sprint where I worked with Tim Hola and Jenni Keil. July 10th was the Boulder Peak where I worked with Wendy Mader. And lastly, August 7th was the Boulder 70.3 where I worked with Ellen Hart! I couldn't be more fortunate to have such an amazing sponsor that provides such great support to keep me properly fueled for each of my favorite sports. Thanks Powerbar, I couldn't do it without you!!!

Global Trainer Demo RR Denver Take 2

2011-08-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

After a bit of a traffic debacle last time we set up this event, Dennis and I made sure to leave EXTRA early this time around. As expected, we were held up in the rush hour madness but arrived plenty early to set up and be ready to take on over 150 people for the evening's activities. We were joined by Trista, Tim, Brian, Wendy and Barry and couldn't have had a more perfect night!

From the second we stepped into the store, it was go time! Each of us were busy checking out watches and getting them setup both manually and through the Device Agent and instructing how to operate the different screens. I even had a gentleman who attended the original Demo in Lone Tree come up and show me his newly purchased Timex GT and tell me how much he loves it...now that is cool!

After getting almost every watch out and personally customized to each runner, Tim, Dennis and I helped a gentleman update the firmware on his personal Global Trainer that he had bought from that exact store over a year ago! He was so excited we were able to help him as the watched worked so much better and he will now be able to download and use all the various functions that weren't quite up to date!

After everyone took off for the run, we got the computers set up for the post activity data downloading. This was also a great opportunity to talk to those who didn't go on the run about various Timex products. We always get so many fun and interesting questions which makes the night so exciting.

As with all of the other demos, the most exciting part is having the runners upload their info into the computer and download into Training Peaks. Most people are simply amazed at the sophistication of the program and how many metrics, statistics, etc they can play with! I'm pretty sure the most popular phrase after displaying the graph/map duo is ''Wow, that's awesome''!

Dennis was looking way too good next to the Timex display so I couldn't help but snap a photo :)

NEW - Powerbar IronGirl Energy Bar

2011-08-02T18:54:00.000-06:00

If you haven't had the opportunity to try out the brand new IronGirl energy bar from Powerbar, I'd highly suggest hitting up your local supermarket or endurance specialty shop to give a whirl. Not only do the cocoa crunch and strawberry/cranberry flavors both taste amazing, each bar contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals that every woman could benefit from. It has excellent sources of calcium, iron, and B vitamins so that it meets the unique needs of active females. It also includes all natural ingredients with whole grains and real fruit so you know that you're putting the best fuel possible in your body! Although this bar is marketed mainly towards women, there is no added estrogen in it that men should stay away from! Food is food and vitamins are vitamins :) Just ask Colorado Powerbar Rep, Tim Hola, he LOVES them!

Out of the ordinary

2011-07-30T11:38:00.001-06:00

After an extremely busy week, Bryce and I hopped on a late flight Thursday evening to attend my cousin's wedding back in Michigan. Although it was a very quick trip, it was so great to see all of my family and friends that we haven't seen in almost an entire year. My grandparents who live in Climax also took time out of their schedule to drive out and hang with Bryce and I on Saturday afternoon and take us to the airport on their way home :) It was the first time in MANY years that I put on a dress and heals so I was extremely out of place, however, the fun and gorgeous wedding made all that awkwardness disappear! Congrats to Jessica and Christopher on their marriage and thanks for such an amazing time!

Time for some physiological testing!

2011-07-27T06:45:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went into the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine to have my first Lactate Threshold and V02 test done since February of 2009! Coach Neal is a man of numbers so not having these tests done in almost 2.5 years just shows how long it's been since I've actually needed informative data to properly train! Since I'm only racing the bicycle these days, both tests were done on the spin bike to find out at what wattage my muscles begin producing lactic acid and ultimately max out.

The graph above is a generic view of how an LT test looks on paper. The harder it gets, the higher your heart rate goes (blue line) and the higher the amounts of lactate appear in your blood levels (red line). Considering my ridiculous couple of years, I was actually fairly pleased to see where I was. It's definitely in a solid range for a professional cyclist and for the beginning of the cyclocross season and I can only imagine it will be much higher from the intense racing in the fall. The V02 test was okay except when my claustrophobia kicked in during the final stages and I had to stop earlier because I was about to freak out! It is so hard to breath with a giant tube in your mouth and an awkward contraption on your head while trying to go as hard as you can! Haha. Either way, the data was good and it's a great starting point for more detailed training in the future!

A fun, yet productive weekend

2011-07-25T15:20:00.004-06:00

There are definitely perks of owning your own home, but there are also several downsides as well! We're learning quickly how much work it involves but truthfully, it's worth it :) This past weekend was one of our only free weekends of the summer so we decided to get some of the unpleasant house work done. After a fun hike at Betasso early Saturday morning, we tag teamed the various chores. While Bryce cleaned the windows (in and out) and screens, I was busy tackling our bathroom and bedroom as well as wiping down every shelf in the fridge/freezer. We cranked out lots of other misc housework even though it was over 100* outside and we unfortunately lack AC in our place! Regardless, it was a good accomplishment and rewarding to finally have it done.

Sunday morning we went up to Nederland with our dear friend Tom to do some mountain biking before getting more items checked off the to do list. Although I was a little bit of a mechanical mess, we still managed to have a great time.

During our numerous trail side maintenance sessions, the boys made sure to remind me how lucky I was to have 2 very talented mechanical engineers on my ride...blah, blah, blah :)

After getting back from our ride, we slammed some food then headed directly to the garage for a night's worth of moto and bicycle maintenance. While I cleaned bicycles, changed tires, fixed brakes, and spewed brake fluid everywhere (unexpectedly), Bryce was tearing apart my dirt bike and replacing bolts, throttle cables (see above) and radiators (see below). I'm not exactly the easiest on my toys :)

Luckily, my issues didn't take up the whole night and Bryce was able to get several things done his own bikes too. After the world's coldest shower, we were both asleep within seconds. Although it was an exhausting weekend, it was extremely productive!

West End 3K Stretches

2011-07-22T14:03:00.003-06:00

Last night, Barry Siff, Christine Anderson, Brian Schaning and myself helped out at the West End 3K which is the second race in the Run Boulder series.

Before the main event, there is both a kid's race and a mascot race.

We helped lead the warm up and stretches for over 125 kids so they would be ready to jump off the line like little rockets!

It is always so much fun to ride your bicycle downtown for an evening of good mingling and lots of smiles. Boulder truly is one of a kind :)

Why I have been racing my bike so much...

2011-07-20T15:43:00.005-06:00

Let me begin with rewinding a few years back. In November of 2009, I not only had my second knee surgery of the year, but I also fractured my pelvis from a really silly cyclocross crash. Many of you got to see me wear a seatbelt-like girdle to help it heal during the winter months of 2010. When I returned to training, running was the last to be incorporated into the mix and it honestly never felt quite right. I was somewhat able to run in May and June but then I got struck with Epstein Barr and Chronic Fatigue in July that left me on the couch until February. Although those 8 months might have been some of the hardest times I had to go through both mentally and physically, I was really excited that I was finally going to be able to heal up my pelvis and be 100% structurally ready to go when the doc gave me permission. As I eased back into exercising, swimming, biking and walking were definitely the first things on the agenda as my body was nowhere ready to endure the impacts of running. However, things progressed well and I was able to start doing several walk/runs and eventually made my way to the track in late April. I hadn't had any signs of pelvis pain until the first time I did a few openers. It was like deja-vous all over again with the same exact pain in the same exact spot. My first reaction was to completely ignore it and believe it was all in my head. After getting extremely sore, I took a few days off from running and attempted an easy jog which didn't bother it in March/early April and made it only 20min before I absolutely broke down into projectile tears. Not only was it extremely painful, but I couldn't believe this was happening when I was finally starting to feel healthy after 2 years of surgeries, injuries, illness, etc. I JUST WANTED TO RACE XTERRA!!!!!

After several good discussions with my coach, family and friends, I decided to take the next couple months off of running and focus on the most important part of XTERRA which is the mountain bike. I planned on attempting to run again in July to see if the pain was still there then go forward with another MRI to reveal what the true problem was if the pain still existed. Deep down I really hoped there would be no pain but alas there was and back to doctor I went to have another 8 inch needle jammed in my pelvis then into the tube for lots of images. As the hip specialist predicted, I have a tear in the labrum (see above) as well as a possible separation of labrum from the bone itself (see below) that most likely happened at the same time of the crash but just never found. They say that pain in the groin with a snapping noise suggests something is torn or loose inside the joint or possibly a muscle is snapping in front of the joint itself. Pain that is sharp, stabbing or has a catching sensation in certain positions may be due to a torn labrum or an impingement. Sometimes a torn labrum will make a loud clicking noise. So they pretty much nailed it to a T.

What does this mean? Sometimes a labral tear can be repaired with minimally invasive surgery using an arthroscope. Other times, there may be a fracture or the socket itself may need to be deepend or re-positioned by dividing the bone around the socket. Unfortunately, either surgery will require an overnight stay in the hospital with a 4-6 month recovery period. As much as I want to be able to run right now, I am not mentally ready to be injured and out for another season. I can get by with minimal pains when riding my bike so I'm 100% okay with being a bike racer for a bit until I am ready for the big surgery. It is definitely not my #1 choice, but the women who are at the top of the XTERRA circuit came from a mountain biking background so I guess it's not a bad thing :)

Finally...A Race Win!!!

2011-07-18T19:16:00.001-06:00

After a full week of being tortured by my friends for going to race and not doing a big epic ride along the ridge-line of Vail, I stood my ground and kept true to my plan of racing. I am so glad that I didn't buckle as their ride was mostly in 4 foot snow drifts and I actually found my racing legs for the first time this year during this past weekend's race!

The Breck 32 is one of 3 races held during the day in the heart of Breckenridge, Colorado. There is a 100 mile race that does 3 loops, a 68 mile race that does 2 loops and a 32 mile race that does the most fun and technical loop. Since my endurance is almost non-existent these days, I opted for the shorter distance since I knew it was already going to take longer than 3hrs to complete!

I had been told about how fun this loop was so I was actually REALLY excited to get on the race course and see what it was all about. We began on a road section that went uphill for a short bit then quickly ducked into some epic singletrack that went straight up through the trees and around several steep switchbacks. I had managed to pull away from the women's field on the paved road and never looked back. The 100 miler and 68 miler had started before us so it was a bit tricky trying to get past the racers that were pacing themselves for a much longer distance race. However, most people were really nice and just let me go by. As you can see from above, there was A LOT of climbing...and a lot of descending. It was by no means an easy day, but I can assure you that there were more smiles than there were suffer grimaces :)

I knew that we were doing a huge moto ride the next day and assumed I had a large enough lead, so I decided to cruise the final section to the finish. I definitely did not fuel nearly enough and was on the early stages of bonking so I wanted to be sure I didn't go too much in the hole. I can get away with not fueling properly during a 90min race but I need to learn how to get it together for these 2hr and 3+hr races. I'm having a hard time consuming when my heartrate is so high then before I know it, I'm on the verge of bonking and totally unable to consume. My goal for the next race is to nail my nutrition regardless of the outcome of the race...gotta learn somehow!

Not only did I have a great race, but so did Bryce. I call him my little mutant...he works his butt off all week, doesn't touch his bike but once a weekend to race with me, then just absolutely crushes it. He not only beat the next guy in his class by 40min, he was in the top 10 in an very competitive race! I'm sure you can only imagine how nuts it makes me :)

As with most weekends, we cannot get away without a fun dirt bike ride in the high country! It was in the 90s in Boulder so we grabbed our good friend Tony and rode up to the treeline and played on the most amazing singletrack for over 4 hrs!

Life honestly doesn't get much better than this!

Product Review - 2010 Orbea Carbon OIZ

2011-07-13T15:22:00.004-06:00

Although the current trend in the mountain bike industry has been all about 29 inch wheeled bikes, it's imperative to not forgot what a sweet machine the 26 inch dual suspension truly is. As a matter of fact, I like to call that sexy 2010 Orbea Carbon Oiz above, my secret weapon! Living and racing in Colorado, I'm constantly climbing extremely steep, rocky and technical terrain for hours on end. After testing both the 29er and the Oiz on the same trails, I think that for a person 5'4'', the 26in 'dually' is the absolute perfect all around ride. Check out the features below of ultimate race ready bike that is guaranteed to knock your socks off!

I should probably start with aesthetics of this gorgeously stealth looking bike! The black carbon color combined with the sleek and integrative frame design is a total head turner. I know the built-in fender on the down tube looks cool, but it's also incredibly effective and really helps shed a lot of mud. Same goes for the small fender behind the rear wheel. It's not something you'll see on any other bike and everyone knows that a shock full of mud is never good so protecting it from flying dirt and debris is exactly what it is designed to do.

The Suspension - it's almost impossible to go wrong with the Fox RP23 rear shock! The 85mm version on this bike is spectacular for cushioning and absorbing rough terrain. It allows the bike to ride comfortably and reduce the fatigue on your body as you plow through jarring trail. My favorite component of this shock is the ProPedal function. With a flip of a switch, you can eliminate the ''bob'' while climbing or on flatter terrain from having the suspension semi locked out. It gives you just enough 'cush' to keep the ride comfortable while staying stiff enough and allowing the rider to be as efficient as possible. I also have to mention how nice the pivotless design is. It is so simple which requires very little maintenance and saves quite a bit of weight as well!

The Fork - The Rock Shox SID XX World Cup might possibly be the best all around cross country fork on the market! With 100mm of travel, a hydraulic remote lockout, a carbon steerer/crown and BlackBox Motion Control, this front end is a high end racer's delight. It delivers stiffness with the when the trail gets tough for complete efficiency but has total plushness for a smooth ride. What could be better?!?

The Motor - I guess you could say that I'm technically in charge of producing the power, but the mechanics of how the OIZ flies on the trail are all in the Shimano XTR Hollowtech II Crankset. Although it doesn't incorporate the newest technology of 10 speed, this 3x9 drivetrain can get the job done...and well! The 44-32-22 chain combo in conjunction with an 11-32T XTR cassette provides an array of gears that work perfectly for the various and steep terrain of the Rockies. The shifting is flawless and smooth which gives added confidence with racing and riding. Add an XTR pedal on the 170mm crank arms and you have a devine set up to crush it on any mountain!

The controls - I generally prefer to run an extremely wide bar but the 660mm Orbea Carbon riser handlebar couldn't be more perfect for XC racing. It's light, stiff, has just enough rise/sweep and works great with my favorite ESI Super Chunk Grips. To compliment the XTR shifting, I am running the 2010 Shimano XTR hydraulic disc brake setup. These brakes are powerful, consistent, have a great feel and EXTREMELY reliable - all things an XC racer needs! With a Specialized Phenom 130 saddle for sheer comfort and a 90mm Orbea OC carbon stem for precise handling, I'm not sure what else I could do to make it better :)

How the OIZ rolls - Mavic calls the Crossmaxx SLR Disc wheels ''The reference wheelset in Cross-Country''. Not only are they are extremely responsive to fast accelerations, they are lightweight and high quality wheels. They aren't the lightest on the market but they are durable and reliable which is a component I would rather have any day in a mountain bike wheel. There's nothing worse than braking an ultralight wheel during a race and not being able to finish. Attached to these rims are a set of the Maxxis Ikon 26 inch cross country tire. Unless it's a total mud fest, you will find this tire on every one of my race bikes. Great in almost every condition, this tire acts just like velcro and makes cornering way too much fun.

I'm still recovering from some health issues in 2010, so I'm not 100% on form but the races I have brought the OIZ out to, I haven't been let down. Since the OIZ was truly my 2010 race bike, I contemplated selling the black beauty earlier this year and boy am I glad I didn't! There is definitely a time and place for the Alma 29er, and it too has been extremely good to me, but the OIZ is the ideal bike for my riding style and the terrain in my area. If you're in the market for a new mountain bike, definitely demo as many different bikes as you can and take into consideration the majority of trail in your area before you purchase solely based on a written review :)

Drive, Race MTB, Drive, Race Moto, Drive, All Done!

2011-07-11T08:03:00.006-06:00

After a late night of bicycle and moto maintenance, grocery shopping, packing and organizing, we woke up early Saturday morning to drive up to Winter Park for another mountain bike race. Bryce opted out of this one since his moto race on Sunday was more important, but it was game time for me. During my warm up I didn't feel that great, but truthfully, I hardly ever do. However, I toed the line for my 10:16am race start ready to rock and roll.

We were assured that the 24 mile race length was accurate (last race was almost 6 miles longer than we were told...read WP XC Super Loop race report for details on the epic bonk) so I planned my nutrition accordingly. The starts at the Winter Park races are always straight up a steep fire road which sets the tone for the race and just plain hurts. I jumped onto the single track around 4th place and felt really strong. After a few back and fourths with some girls, I found myself catching 3rd place around halfway and was really pumped. She eventually passed me back but knowing who the girls were up front, I was stoked to be sitting back in 4th. I maintained my place until the last few miles when I began to fade. I got passed about 2 miles from the finish then again less than a mile from the finish. I finished 6th less than 10sec behind 5th, 50sec behind 4th and 2min behind 3rd in a 2+hr race! With absolutely no base mileage this winter, I know that my endurance is lacking, but nonetheless, I'm pleased with how my fitness is finally starting to unfold.

I can't even begin to describe how amazing the trails were. This was a point to point race from the ski resort to Fraser and it couldn't have been any more fun. Bryce rode out to the finish with a cold coke which put the biggest smile on my face EVER. It was also nice to get in a solid 40min spin back to the van before hitting the road for a long drive to Sidney, Nebraska.

After a fun dinner at the local steakhouse in Sidney, we both crashed hard and woke up ready to play on bikes with motors. Now it was Bryce's turn to be on the stage and rip it up :)

The above video is the first of 4 laps for Bryce. It was a super dry and dusty course but there were some really fun and technical sections with logs and big tires :) The pro guys also had a final moto at the end of the race. Unfortunately, Bryce had a bad start and lost several overall spots due to not being able to see at all during the whole moto. However, he did finish top 10 and gained some decent points for the series.

Although, I was exhausted and it was super hot, I was able to pull off the W for the ladies class. I had a few spectacular crashes and am super sore now but as always, I had way too much fun :) Just another typical ''Erin & Bryce'' weekend!

More Global Trainer Demos!

2011-07-07T17:18:00.003-06:00

Wednesday evening was scheduled for our 3rd Global Trainer Demo at Runner's Roost. This time we were headed to the Denver store in the heart of the city. Although it is a mere 35min drive without traffic, we hit some major construction and it took over 1.5hrs to get there :(

We arrived 5 minutes after the club runners took off, defeating the purpose of the demo, but we set up and decided to do a big Q&A instead.

There were well over 50 people there for the run so Denny, Will, Trista, Brian, Christine, Wendy and myself ran through all the various functions and features of the watch and programs that go along with it.

We rescheduled the ''demo'' for the first week in August and as everyone walked out, all we heard was that they can't wait to see us next time!

Along with tons of great questions on the Global trainer, we had a lot of interest in the Timex Race Trainer Pro as well as the new GPS watch that will be launching later this fall. Although the runner were unable to physically try out the product this time, they loved being able to touch/feel/learn about it and get hyped up for the August 3rd Demo :)

Another Epic Weekend!

2011-07-05T14:14:00.004-06:00

Although our 4th of July weekend got off to a rocky start on Saturday with Bryce forgetting to bring his helmet to the moto track and me blowing up during a hard road ride, we pretended that didn't happen and drove to the mountains for 2 more days of good fun!

After a stellar meal at Vista, we hit the hay and woke up refreshed and ready for a killer ride with some good friends.

We ventured up to the first section of the Beaver Creek XTERRA course then continued up and up and up. It looked a little like the graph above!

We eventually made it over 10,500ft and it was amazing. It definitely wasn't easy getting up there but we all made it and enjoyed some seriously fun singletrack descending on the way down. Big thanks go out to Tyler for playing tour guide as well as letting us come lay out by the pool after the big adventure!

Later that evening, we had yet another delicious meal at the Bingham's then hiked up to the top of their neighborhood to watch the fireworks. We had planned a big moto ride for Sunday but called it a bit short since we were really tired then relaxed the rest of the day. Another great one in the books :)

Global Trainer Demo - Runner's Roost Louisville

2011-07-01T09:38:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday evening, I was joined by Trista, Denny, Will, Barry, Wendy and Christine for another Timex Global Trainer Demo. This week's demo was at the Runner's Roost in Louisville.

We had an incredible turnout with a lot of eager runner's looking to test out the new GPS watch.

Around 4o people came out for the run and with 7 Team Timex members around, we were all able to give a little one on one instruction and attention!

Having the opportunity to interact directly with the consumer has been really beneficial. Each person has different questions and learning curves with technology. We've had many thanks and positive feedback for coming out and spending the time we do with each person!

Just like the last demo, we had the runners download their data into Training Peaks so they could see all the various ways to analyze their activities and training. It's also fun to show them how the Device Agent is used to input all of their personal information rather than having to do it directly on the watch face. They LOVE that :)

I'm pretty sure the gentleman in the blue was completely sold on the Global Trainer. He came with an older Garmin model and left asking where he could find the best deal on a Timex!!! Hooray :)

I thought this was pretty cool...

2011-06-29T16:01:00.000-06:00

One of the events at the Teva Mountain Games is the ''Mountain Click Photography Contest'' where individuals can submit 3 photos into 3 different categories throughout all the weekend's events. Photographers are free to shoot whatever they want so the artistic aspect is super fascinating. It appears that someone submitted the photo above in the ''Performance Category''! Check out this link to see all the submissions for this year's event. I believe they select the winners in each category tonight at 5pm :)

Winter Park MTB XC Race

2011-06-27T19:22:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday was the Winter Park Cross Country Loop MTB race. Since we are only 90min from the mountain, we decided to head up early that morning in the Gas Gas Sprinter van with Cole and Emily who were visiting from Texas! It was a 10am start and the weather was absolutely PERFECT so everyone was ready to rock and roll. The course was originally supposed to be 25 miles but since the excessive snowfall has yet to completely melt, we were told that the loop was only 18 miles at the start of the race. Ready, set, go...

Like always, it was a mad sprint off the line. The first mile was a 9% climb on a fire road which just plain hurts and sets the tone for the rest of the race. Luckily, I was able to position myself well going into the singletrack and put myself in a great position going into what I thought were the last few miles of the race. I pushed as hard as I could to stay in front of a few girls during mile 17 but when mile 18 came and there was no finish line, I began to panic. I pushed even harder thinking that maybe my watch was off but I soon saw miles 20 and 21 and there was no finish line in sight. I was running on pure fumes and at this point we just kept climbing and climbing. At mile 22 we ducked into some tight singletrack where I absolutely cracked. I was seeing stars, bouncing my handlebars off trees and eventually just had to stop. I got off my bike for a quick minute and watched my 5th place go to 9th in a blink of an eye.

I managed to make my way the last 2 miles back to the bottom but it wasn't pretty and the ground never felt so good after crossing that finish line. Had the race been a mere 18 miles like we were told, I would have been thrilled with my race as that was the distance I paced and fed myself for. However, everyone else had to deal with extra 5 miles so I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm a bit bummed out as I was well ahead of all 5 girls that passed me at the last race but oh well, there's always next time!

My prettier half, on the other hand, had a spectacular race and finished 2nd in his age group in the Expert class while our good friend Cole took the top podium spot in his class :)

There's nothing better than spending a weekend with your favorite person in the world and great friends.

Big thanks to Cole and Emily for coming up, racing, hanging and having lots of good laughs for the week. We'll definitely have to do it again!

XTERRA Forest Drive

2011-06-26T17:08:00.000-06:00

Calling all Rocky Mountain folks looking for a fun XTERRA and or Trail Run this summer!!! If you are around on Sunday July 31st, you can't miss this great event in Aberdeen, SD. It was voted the number one race in the Rocky Mountain region and tied for overall best race on the American tour. If that's not enough to get you there, they are also offering a $3500 cash prize purse that goes 8 deep :) Click on the picture above to check out all the details.

Playing Boulder Tour Guide

2011-06-24T21:04:00.000-06:00

Since we have been doing a lot of mountain biking lately, I thought it would be a good idea to take the boys hiking to mix things up!

We went up to Mt. Sanitas on an absolutely perfect day and they got a sense of what ''real'' hiking was all about.

It definitely wasn't a walk in the park, but they made it and loved seeing the variety of fun and outdoorsy things to do in Boulder.

I want to do a more detailed blog on the new bike park that just opened in Boulder, but here is a little glimpse of the newest playground we now have. Russell had to show everyone up and ride the XL line on Joe's new bike!

Since we are all racing the Winter Park XC MTB race on Saturday, we needed to get the blood moving in the legs and the bikes dialed. We headed up to Betasso a) because it's close b) because it's fun and c) because I thought Cole would like it!

The hike took a bit out of Cole's legs on Thursday so we hit up the freezing cold creek on our way back from Betasso. Holy crap is that thing flowing!

To wrap up a great couple of days, we made a great feast of grilled ribs, asparagus, homemade sweet potato fries and a quinoa/veggie/cashew stir fry! Mmmm :)

Hanging with the moto boys!

2011-06-23T07:40:00.003-06:00

After the Inyan Kara National Enduro on Sunday, Cole Kirkpatrick and Russell Bobbitt decided to head back down to Boulder with us to spend the week relaxing and riding a lot of mountain bikes. Since everyone was a bit tired on Monday after the racing and traveling, we took it a bit easier and played around at the new bike park, did an afternoon yoga session, then had a killer BBQ! After a great night's sleep, Tuesday came and it was game on. We got an early start, grabbed Josh and headed over to Heil Ranch to ride the Picture Rock trail to and from Lyons. It was an absolute blast and the boys loved every second of it.

Later that night, we rounded up the crew once again and drove down to Denver to do a little Go Kart racing. What dirt bike racer wouldn't get jazzed to go play on 250cc go karts, right?!? We all had a total blast and for once in my life, I actually got to school almost all the guys, except Cole, on something motorized. Last time we went, I was the one getting t-boned every lap so this time I got my revenge...it was AWESOME!

Bryce was able to get the morning off of work so we planned a great day of riding up in Nederland so we could show the boys what true mountain singletrack is all about. We got a bit of rain on Monday so the dirt was absolutely PERFECT and we didn't see one other person on the trail which made the day even more epic. Below is a clip that Cole and Russ put together with the Go Pro helmet cam that shows how freaking awesome the trails were that day. Man those boys can rip downhill :)

Untitled from Cole Kirkpatrick on Vimeo.

I have been feeling really great over the past 10 days or so but unfortunately went the direct opposite direction during this ride. It's so exciting that I am seeing improvements, but also frustrating that these days are quite over yet. Thanks to Bryce for sticking with me on the decent so I didn't crash and burn and big thanks to Cole and Russ for their patience as I was seriously struggling just to make it back to the truck at the end!

Back to Wyoming!

2011-06-20T15:42:00.005-06:00

After a great MTB ride with Bryce, we headed out for another long drive to Upton, WY on Saturday afternoon for the 6th round of the National Enduro Series that is co sanctioned with the RMEC. It's always fun to see the big fancy rigs that show up at the Nationals as well as Cole and Russ who chase the entire circuit. Maybe one day I'll be good enough for KTM to shuttle my bikes around in their factory semi :)

As with most races, I started on one of the very last rows to avoid getting run over so I'm always looking for stuff to do while Bryce and all my other friends have already begun racing. Luckily, I was riding on the same row as Nicole, Mandy and Ben so I had company and good times all day.

The trails were absolutely amazing and so much fun. Every special test consisted of tight singletrack through the trees with various mud holes throughout which made for some interesting line choices. I didn't ride great but finished safely with a 4th overall.

Bryce had a great day as well with no big mistakes and a solid performance. After getting a little mixed up about where the gas/food would be during the day, he came back absolutely famished and devoured the last bit of food we had available as fast as possible! We packed up and quickly headed home so we could get ready for Cole and Russ to spend the next week with us in Boulder.

Runner's Roost Global Trainer Demo

2011-06-17T20:47:00.000-06:00

The Colorado crew recently acquired a demo fleet of 20 Timex Global Trainer GPS watches and our first true demo was last evening at the Runner's Roost in Lone Tree.

We coordinated the demo with their weekly club run so they had the opportunity to really touch, feel, test them out and ask as many questions as they could possibly think of.

After the runners checked out the watchs, Will Kelsay, Brian Schaning, Tim Hola and myself gave one on one instructions on how this sophisticated product works.

We began with showing each person how to turn it on, scan for their heart rate monitor and input their personal settings.

We then gave them a brief rundown of the general functions of the watch and how they could customize the 5 different displays to show anything and everything they could possible ever want to know!

Everyone was really excited about how easy it was to setup and they got even more pumped when we explained that everything they just did could easily be done right on the computer once plugged in!

Once everyone was set up, they headed out for their 30-50min run. As soon as they came back, we had computers set up and each individual was able to download their personal information into the Device Agent then upload it to Training Peaks. Once we walked them through the various screens, graphs and pods that you could personalize in Training Peaks, everyone's eyes just lit up!

This was a huge success and a great first round of many demos to come. We also had a lot of great feedback on how much they liked the watch and all of its features. Big thanks to Brett Rose (Colorado Timex Rep) and Stacey Regula (Runner's Roost Store Manager) for helping out. We all look forward to doing it again :)

CU Cycling Short Track Series

2011-06-16T13:35:00.004-06:00

Every Wednesday evening for the entire summer, the CU Cycling Club holds a STXC race for 7 different categories as a fundraiser for their racing seasons. They use the CU Research park which has the best singletrack with lots of climbs, descents, corners, 180* turns, burms, jumps, etc and is the punchiest and toughest 25min EVER! You better be warmed up because when the gun goes off, it's a mad sprint from start to finish while you ride technical and fun loops with tons of spectators cheering throughout the entire course.

There have already been 2 races that I've missed, but yesterday I did my hard group session in the morning so I could have even the slightest chance at being recovered by the evening. Although I was wasn't super fresh, I was able to put in a solid effort and end up in 4th behind some fast girls. It was a total blast and I was happy to keep my HR at 187 for over 20min :) If I want to be snappy and on top of it for the cyclocross season, this is where I've gotta start! Stay tuned for more CU STXC updates throughout the summer.

New Moto Trails!

2011-06-14T19:49:00.000-06:00

I've always been told about how great the moto trails in Woodland Park are, but for whatever reason, every time we've made plans to go ride out there, something has come up.

Not this time though...after rounding up the Boulder crew (Bryce, Tony, John and Zach), we made the 2 hour drive down I-25 and met up with our tour guides, Ray and Ken.

They did a fantastic job of leading us through a maze of incredible trail for over 5.5hrs! It was Zach and John's first rides on their new dirt bikes and it was smiles all around.

Everyone and their bikes came back in one piece even after Tony launched his bike 15ft off a cliff and watched it somersault 3 or 4 times. How it only got a few scratches, no one will ever know :)

It was a VERY dusty day but that's why we love playing in the dirt...getting dirty is FUN :) Thanks Boys for a great day on the motos!

Winter Park MTB Hill Climb

2011-06-13T07:23:00.004-06:00

Saturday was the kick off race of the 2011 Winter Park Mountain Bike Series which featured a hill climb with the following stats:

Distance 5.2 miles
Start Elevation: 9,080 feet
Highest Point: 11,142 feet
Total Climbing: 2,062 feet

Although I live at an elevation of 5500ft, it doesn't even compare to 11,000+ when you're riding a bike, and boy could I feel it! The Pro and Expert Women began together at 10:14am and with all MTB races, the start was an absolute sprint for position. Since the climb was on fire road, I wasn't sure why it went out so hard but I stuck to my game plan of pegging my HR where I knew I could keep it and just staying steady. After the first 10min or so, I found myself in 8th but quickly began picking off riders within the next 15min. I eventually positioned myself into 3rd and never looked back. I could see 2nd place about 30 seconds in front of me the entire second half of the race but couldn't quite catch her.

As you can see, my HR went from 109 to 180 in the first 45 seconds and toggled between 180 and 190 the entire 44min race! Ouchy...

I have to say that I'm beyond ecstatic with my performance and so excited to finally see that my fitness is turning around. Not very many mountain bikers enjoy riding up dirt hills without single track but at least we had unbelievable views from the 250% average snowfall from this past winter :)

It's been a while since I've been on the podium so I was all smiles! Sara and Cait have been cleaning up in the Pro MTB races this year so being as close as I was to them today should give me a huge confidence boost for my upcoming races!!!

A big congrats to Luisa for wining her age group and Josh for sticking it out since going up hill isn't really his thing. We had a great time cruising around the mountain after the race and lots of good laughs. Below is a short video to show you what the course looked like and how much snow the mountain still has in mid June...it's ridiculous!

Uni-Hill 2K

2011-06-10T21:51:00.004-06:00

Thursday evening was the kick off race for the Boulder Run Series. The Uni-Hill 2K features a 2 lap course around the area of Boulder known as ''University Hill''. Although it was raining all day, the clouds cleared up just in time for a really great event. Click on the link above to check out more info, pics and results.

Before the big hitters took off, the event hosted a Mascot 1K run and a Kid's 1K run. Barry, Tingle and I helped get all the kiddos warmed up, stretched out and pumped up for their race. It was the cutest thing ever and they all ran like the wind! Check out the small clip below to see how they did :)

Summertime House Additions!

2011-06-08T10:20:00.003-06:00

We have added a much needed area rug to the living room to help hide the constant mess that our dark bamboo floors show!

Without central air, our place gets REALLY hot in the summer. Our good friend Ryan did some serious electrical work to add in this ceiling fan in the living room which does absolute wonders! He's not finished yet, but he's also adding a ceiling fan to the master bedroom upstairs :)

Teva Mountain Games MTB Race Weekend

2011-06-06T08:54:00.015-06:00

After going to Bryce's sister's Master's graduation in Denver Friday night, we woke up early Saturday morning, packed up the car, picked up crazy Aussie Josh Carlson and headed to Vail to participate in the 10th Annual Teva Mountain Games. Click on the logo above to check out the website and the numerous fun events they had going on all weekend.

One of the events for the weekend was a cross country mountain bike race that had A LOT of prize money to win. Of course, I had no intention on winning any of it as all the big hitters were there, but it's always fun to be at big races with big crowds and lots of hype!

Let's just say my race went pretty much exactly how I expected it to go. I started out really hard for 10-15min trying to hang with the fast girls then began seeing stars and knew it was time to shut it down. The professional men and women had 4 laps on a 5 mile course that had about 1000ft of climbing per lap that started at an elevation of 8600ft. Not only am I skeptical about racing yet, I'm definitely not ready to be hammering at altitude so I put in a solid effort and had a great training day. I also made for some good laughs in the feed section since I was probably the only person coming by that was able to get several words out!

The expert men and women had 3 laps of the course and since it was Bryce's hometown race, he had to give it a go. He's been extremely busy with work the past couple weeks and has only ridden a handful of times, but he finished quite respectably and even got an interview over the loud speaker when he crossed the line since a long time friend was commentating the race :)

Although he didn't race, Tony came up for the weekend to help out and hang out!

I had to post this video because this was by far the most attended event at the Teva Games. The rubber toy started around 3 feet high and eventually went up to 6.5ft before they crowned the winning pooch.

Not a bad view of the start/finish area...and of Josh, Judy and Tom too!

As with every weekend we head to the mountains, Momma Bingham had a full fajita dinner prepared with homemade poppyseed cake for dessert...mmm! We hit the hay early that night so we could go cheer Bryce's dad on at his first bike race in 15 years. He was participating the road timetrial and finished 8th in his class! We're all so proud of him :)

After watching Brent go by, we decided to head up to Nederland on our way back to Boulder to ride mountain bikes since hardly anything in the Vail area was rideable due to immense amounts of snow. Ironically, almost the entire ride in Ned was dry except a few snow drifts which Josh thought would be funny to leave his bike in for a bit! Good times, good times.

Josh is an absolute NUT on a bike (maybe it's because he used to race Factory Honda Motocross), but nonetheless, these videos are quite entertaining.

And round 2...

Nothing like another amazing weekend with great people. I may not be riding fast or performing well right now, but as Scott Tietzel said earlier, at least I'm out there and not sleeping 23 hours a day again :)

Powerbar at the ACSM Expo

2011-06-02T19:44:00.003-06:00

Today I went to the American College of Sports Medicine Expo at the Denver Convention Center to hand out samples for a little bit! I had no idea that there was such a convention and what a cool sight. I got to chat with individuals from across the country and across the world and get some interesting questions and comments! To this day, I think the all time favorite product from Powerbar is the Gel Blast. It's so fun to watch people's expression after taking a bite then blurt out how absolutely delicious they are :)

A Rockin' Memorial Day Weekend in Vail!

2011-05-31T08:09:00.002-06:00

All fun weekends involve riding dirt bikes, but this trip on Saturday was especially fun for several reasons. 1) Tony got to ride his new KTM 400 XCW that Bryce has been working hard to tune. 2) We both got to ride some epic (and very technical) trail where we made it home in one piece. 3) We met several of the RMEC clan at the trails for numerous good laughs!

After a delicious homemade Mamma Bingham parmesean chicken dinner, we got to bed early so we could do a big mountain bike ride on the newly built trail system in Eagle.

Before we set out, we routed a fun 3-4hr ride and couldn't believe how amazing the trail was for the first 2hrs. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn at the top of one of the big climbs and got incredibly lost after that!

We searched and searched for the trail but only ended up finding small deer trails that led to nothing but wooded mountain sides. After about an hour of looking, Bryce said that our best bet was to just bushwhack the entire way down the mountain until we met up with a dirt road that he knew was there. I'm usually up for any kind of adventure but when I'm lost in the middle of the forest with absolutely nothing but trees and bushes in sight in the peak of bear season, I am NOT a happy camper.

We eventually made it out (after looking like we took a weed whacker to our arms and legs) and asked a fellow rider where we had gone wrong...apparently we took a left turn about 1/2 mile too early!!! There's nothing worse than climbing for 2hrs then not being able to ride the ''epic'' singletrack back down but at least we made it back safely! Next time we'll know where to go :)

It's very unusual that Bryce gets 3 days off in a row so we decided to head back to the Eagle trail system Monday morning to get our revenge :) We chose to ride a different grouping of trails that did not disappoint!

We did make one wrong turn that prevented us from riding a fun singletrack trail downhill but luckily it wasn't nearly as bad as Sunday. We quickly hopped back onto the correct route and enjoyed more incredible riding for the next few hours!

You know you're having a good weekend when your bike has platform pedals, wide handle bars, 6+ inches of travel, you're helmet has a visor, you've got baggy clothing and comfy shoes on, and your hydration pack has lots of tools, a map, a jacket and an mmmm good sandwich in it!!! Here's to another killer weekend :)

R.M. Stoudt Off Road Festival

2011-05-26T12:09:00.005-06:00

Last year I participated in the XTERRA Pipestem Creek in Jamestown, ND before I got sick and cannot say anything but great things about the organization, hospitality and amazing people in that neck of the woods! Since my triathlon training isn't quite up to speed, I unfortunately will not be attending this year but wanted to let everyone know what a great event Steven puts on and why you should go check it out!

Along with the super fun full XTERRA course (1K swim, 13mi MTB, 5mi run), there will also be a short course option (500m swim, 5mi MTB, 3mi run) as well. To add to the festivities on Saturday, there will also be a 4+ mile trail run with river crossings, log barriers, and hill scrambles which is new for 2011. The festival wouldn't be complete without a 35mi MTB race called ''The Epic'' on Sunday! As you can see, there is an event for everyone so you should plan on heading to the R.M. Stoudt Off Road Festival on June 25th and 26th!

Gowdy Course Preview & Pics

2011-05-24T08:17:00.006-06:00

Here is a short clip of James riding behind Josh during our pre-ride. This is some of the less technical trail, but nonetheless, you can see how super fun it was :) Make sure to change the 360p setting to 720HD at the bottom to view the clips in better quality!

The race wouldn't be complete without Tony giving a valid reason for why he got chicked!!!

This was the start with Sara, myself and Mel - all Boulder chicks - leading the way!

Cool pic :)