First moto race of the year!

After a smooth drive to the airport, I met up with some friends at the airport for an 'on the house' lunch and an easy flight down to Phoenix. After getting my $5/day rental car, Tim and I were headed to race site to register and meet up with Bryce and Pete who drove down in the van...or so we thought. Tim assured me we were going in the right direction but after driving 55 miles, we discovered that we had been going south instead of north the entire time. After a few curse words, I turned around, pinned it, and we made it to the site just in time to get registered and get the bikes into tech. Oh, the joys of traveling :)

 Saturday morning came quickly and we were all super psyched to get our race on.

We met up with the normal crew, talked some trash, made fun of Ray's pumpkin gear, then hit the trails. The format was a little different than normal but still really fun. My only goal for this race was to stay clear of the cactus and luckily I was able to do just so. I started off the first test  pretty slow while I got my rhythm but unfortunately followed a bunch of tracks that led me off course for several minutes. After finding the turn I missed because the sign had been knocked down, I knew I was already screwed for the day in terms of time so I decided to practice standing and looking ahead all day instead of trying racing as fast as I could. By the end of the day, my legs were smashed (something that never happens to me on my dirt bike) and I was cactus free. I was second by 1:20min so that was a bummer but I was in one piece. Bryce finished the day in 19th without any issues so we had smiles all around.

After enjoying some warm AZ sunshine and prepping the bikes for Sunday's race, we grabbed some Hungry Howie's pizza (my favorite) and hit up the hotel pool and hot tub! We had a fun group dinner at the Outback then hit the pillows and slept like babies.

Since this was the first race of the season for all the Colorado folk, almost everyone we knew was super sore and tired on Sunday morning. Bryce normally thrives on the 2nd day of multiple day events so he was really jazzed and ready to go. I actually felt the same way too and was really looking forward to ripping it up and getting the W in the women's class :) My two goals for the day were to stay clear of the cactus and not miss any turns. After the first test, I was feeling good, riding strong and excited about the day. Unfortunately, the second test is where it all fell apart. There were a few younger riders on the rows in front of me and several really steep and technical hill climbs on that test. As I was going up one of the hills, one of the kids crashed right in front of me and I had two choices - run him over or bail and hope for the best. Those that know me well would have thought I would have chosen the first option but I didn't. I bailed and fell right into a cactus. I tried pulling as many of the needles as I could out on the trail but most of them had broken under the skin beneath my glove leaving my arm and hand stinging like crazy. I also had a few needles in my butt which another rider had to pull out with a pair of pliers on the trail...imagine that site! As painful as it was to continue, I did. I figured the faster I rode, the faster I could finish and ended up getting the win I was looking for. There were a lot of incorrect scores for the other classes so we still don't know Bryce's actual placing but he finished strong and in one piece. My hand/arm are an absolute disaster and my flight home was beyond miserable as there are several cactus needles in my arm hitting multiple nerves. Stay tuned for updates on another post.

A little furniture switcharoo

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!

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!

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!

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

6 years ago...

...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!

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!

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

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

Bryce's 2012 Ride

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

My 2012 Goals Are Set!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!

 

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!

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!