Random Motorcycle Pictures

Bryce on Denny's cruiser with his motocross helmet on...

Some random chick on a Harley with some serious heels...

My first XTERRA back!!!

Although a 13hr drive seems pretty far, I really needed to get in a race before Beaver Creek so Bryce and I grabbed a Team Ford Flex and began our drive up to Jamestown, ND from Boulder on Thursday evening.

There really isn't much between Fort Collins and Bismark, North Dakota, actually there's nothing and unfortunately we found that out the hard way. After driving over 8hrs, we found the only city within 4hrs of driving that had a couple motels and every single one of them was full!!! Apparently there are tons of oil workers in the area and nothing is available in that town for the next couple months. There was no way we could go another 2hrs to the next town so we just parked on the side of the road, threw the bikes on the top of the car and attempted to sleep on the benches of the Flex for 5hrs. That was probably the most worthless thing we've ever done!

After getting some coffee and Red Bull and splashing our faces with cold water, we got back on the road to hit the course for a little pre-ride. We met some really nice people and ran into two of my favorite people on the XTERRA circuit...Circ and Cindy Topel! After some good chats, we went to the hotel to wash up then over to the Buffalo City Grille for packet pickup and a little Q&A.

Race morning came much quicker than I had anticipated as all I wanted to do was sleep...in the huge comfy bed in our hotel :) Alas, I got moving, went to the course then ended up sitting in the car while a HUGE thunder/lightening storm went through. The start was delayed an hour but after the clouds cleared, the weather was great...very humid of course, but doable.

The swim started with the men leaving at 10am and the women at 10:05am. I've been swimming really well lately so I was excited to see how many people I could catch during the 1000m swim and 100m run across an island in the middle. To my surprise, my swim was only 15sec behind the fastest male and I had passed everyone except 3 guys!

After running up the steep dirt road from the reservoir, I jumped on my bike and headed out on a mission to kill the next 13 miles! The first loop was really windy with lots of short ups and downs. Because it had rained so hard just an hour prior, the dirt (or mud) on the trails in the middle part of the loop were slicker than all could be. I had the absolute worst tires for the conditions but made due and only slid off the trail once or twice. My legs weren't totally there but then again I'm used to going straight up for a while rather than up and down and up and down, etc. I was having a total blast then realized my gel that was taped to my stem had fallen off. I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade at the aid station and that immediately popped out of my bottle cage. This was the beginning of the bonk.

I normally ALWAYS keep a gel in transition to grab before the run but for some reason I totally spaced it...must be because I haven't raced in forever...At any rate, I headed out a bit fatigued but pulled it together for the first 2.5 miles. I was flying and feeling great then all of a sudden things started to get fuzzy and I got the chills all over. When it's in the 80s with 100% humidity, that's not normal. I stopped at the next aid station to sip on some Gatorade but chose not to take a 'GU' bc they just don't set well in my stomach. I dumped some water on my head then headed back out as best I could. I got caught by a guy and stayed with him until about a quarter mile from the finish. All I could think about was the cold coke with lots of sugar I was going to down when I was done!

I crossed the finish line as the first overall woman and 4th overall. It definitely wasn't the best of races but I'll take it for the first one in a long time. I like to think of it as getting the cob webs out! The race director's wife and father made some delicious food for the post race BBQ that hit the spot. I also provided some great Timex swag and 2 watches for the raffle.

Other than some crazy lightening storms, a speeding ticket, and pumping gas on old school pumps, the drive home was pretty uneventful. We tried as hard as we could to do it in one straight shot but couldn't and luckily found a room in a small random town in Wyoming. That was the best $30 bed EVER!

Above is the picture that was in the local paper (Jamestown Sun) today.

The KTM Boys

After a race in Wyoming, some of the best enduro riders in the country came to visit Bryce and I in Boulder for a little night on the town!

Russell Bobbitt is a three time national enduro champion and quite a character. You can find out more at www.rbobbitt.com

Cole Kirkpatrick is from Lubbock, TX and finished 5th in the National Endro series last year. He, too has a rockin' site at www.kirkpatrickracing.com

Big thanks to both of them for a fun night on Pearl and keeping Bryce and I up WAY past our bedtimes!!! Safe travels back home.

Bye Bye BMW

Hello VW

Bryce traded in the BMW 330xi this weekend for a brand new VW Golf. With 0% interest for 5 years and several other appealing factors, it was a no brainer. I drove it all the way back from the mountains yesterday and it's sweeeeeet!

The coolest baby shower gift EVER!!!

I don't think I need to say too much more! Absolutely AWESOME!

Congrats to Erin and Gregory on making it this far...only a few more weeks to go until little baby Emma is born :)

XTERRA Pipestem Creek is getting closer!!!

Training has been going very good and I'm soooooo excited to finally get back into my favorite style of racing...XTERRA! From the sounds of it, the first race back in Jamestown, North Dakota on June 26th is going to be an absolute blast :)

The race starts with a one loop 1000m swim with a 100m dash across an island in the middle to disorientate you even more than you already are...very similar to the East Champs in Richmond.

The bike course is all on the 8 mile Pipestem Creek loop. We do miles 4-8 first then the whole 8 mile loop again for a total of 13 miles. There are 6 steep climbs, 4 of which are back to back to back to back (miles 4-6), and several smaller climbs. The 8 miles of trail are packed into a half square mile, so there are several twists and turns. Each of the downhills are followed by a sharp right hander. Better stay in check!!!

The 5 mile run course begins with 1.5 miles of rolling gravel maintenance road, then hops on the twisty North Ridge Trail that offers some great views of the reservoir. It's a mostly flat course with each steep uphill preceded by a sharp downhill with a long hill at the last half mile that will have you begging for the finish...how perfect?!?!

After pre-riding the course Friday afternoon, I will be conducting a Q&A session at the athlete social/packet pick up at the Buffalo City Grille where I'll have some goodies to give away! Make sure you swing by to say hi and ask any and every question you may have for me :) See you soon.

A weekend of Moto in Angel Fire, NM

Friday afternoon we ventured to Pueblo to spend the evening at our friend's place so we could get an early start to New Mexico to make the practice session for the big moto race on Sunday!

We made it just in time to ride around and check out the 6mi course. It was so dusty in certain spots that you couldn't even see your front fender. It was also super rocky with a really steep decent and lots of windy tree sections. Fun and technical...just the way we like it! After a short nap, we woke up to a crazy hail storm that eventually turned to rain that never really stopped. Although we all wanted some moisture, we definitely got a little more than we would have liked.

Since my race started at 8am, it was slicker than all can be. I was a bit worried about several of the really technical sections but had a killer first lap without any issues...for once I was actually held up by other riders that couldn't get through some of the rough spots. However, the second lap was a totally different story. I was riding really well but because the loop was so short and I started over 8min behind the first group, I was getting caught. I had several unfortunate issues with a bunch of agro C riders that really sucked so I just bagged it and went for a great trail run. Let's just say that getting clipped and tossed off your bike by someone who had over 1oft to pass x4 just doesn't do it for me. It was a bummer because I really was having an absolute blast on the course. Oh well.

The Pro guys were a little more fortunate with their start time. They took off at 11:30am and according to Bryce, the course was in great shape! He had a bit of a rough start (see below) and had a big crash in the first lap which put him in a crappy position on the trail but all in all rode well.

A Great day on the MTB

My good friend Scott Tietzel and I set out on a killer mountain bike ride Thursday morning.

We rode up Heil Ranch, down Picture Rock then up and around Hall Ranch then back the way we came! It took a little over 4 hrs and we had the best time EVER :)

I was pretty excited to do a longer mountain bike ride because I just received my package of new Nathan products early this week.

I tried out the Proton Hydration Pack and couldn't have been more thrilled. It holds 2 liters of fluid, fits perfectly, breathes great and has just enough room to stuff the needed essentials (rain jacket, multi-tool, food, camera, etc).

I like to think I'm fairly safe when I train on the trails in Colorado, but I almost ran over this crazy thing while climbing back up Picture Rock...yes, that is a Rattle Snake and yes, I did almost crap my pants!!! After waiting a few minutes, it finally slithered back into the grass and we hauled butt for the next mile to get away :)

Timex 80

The watch above hasn't left my wrist in over a week and is by far my new most favorite casual piece from Timex! Check out the site below to see all the cool colors and models. It's only being sold in Europe right now but you can still order it online and have it shipped to the US.

http://www.timex80.com/

A relaxing weekend

Since Bryce was kicking butt and taking names while racing his dirt bike in Idaho this weekend, I decided to take it really easy and just do whatever sounded good :)

In my case, something that sounds good usually involves playing in the dirt...and that's exactly what I did. Checked out the trails in Nederland and boy was that a good idea. Got my mountain bike and trail run on with me, myself and my ipod! It was perfect.

Sunday I went out for a longer run on some of the best running singletrack in Boulder at Marshall Mesa. That too was amazing and a perfect way to enjoy a hot and gorgeous weekend at home!

TIMEX Global Trainer now for sale at REI!

That's right. The product everyone has been asking about is finally available to the public in REI only. The link below will take you there to purchase. It's only $275 for a full one piece GPS unit that works phenomenally!

http://www.rei.com/product/804563

Also, click on the link below to check out all the cool features. Don't hesitate to inquire if you have any other questions either. I absolutely LOVE mine. I use it road riding, mountain biking and running on a daily basis!

http://www.timex.com/b/2324179011?extid=ws_201006_TimexFacebook_GlobalTrainerFans

XTERRA Pipestem Creek, here I come!

It's official! I've committed to racing my first real race of the year in Jamestown, North Dakota on June 26th. I've never been to the Dakotas before so I'm really looking forward to seeing the final few states I have yet to visit!

Although I won't be in peak form for racing, it will be great to be back in the XTERRA community. I've planned a Q&A session for any last minute questions during the athlete social the night before the race and will be bringing some Timex and Powerbar swag to give away as well!

Click on the logo above to check out the official race site and visit the link below for a great Q&A with the race director. Stay tuned for updates and exciting news regarding the 2010 XTERRA Pipestem Creek.

http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2010/02/twenty-questions-with-race-director.html

A clean house

Yes, I did hire a cleaning lady, and yes, it is AWESOME!