Whew! I'm already exhausted and it's only Day 2... Today's stage was pretty long ~70k, and a lot of it was singletrack. Tough singletrack too, the kind where you are constantly going over logs, up short steep pitches, between trees that look like they are going to clip yous bars, through tight twisty turns and over bridges. About 2.5 hours in, I was starting to get really tired, tired of paying attention, and I had this thought that I felt really guilty about. I thought "I wish there was a smooth, downhill fire road." There I was, riding amazing singletrack, and that was what I thought.
And then, magically, there was! Miles of downhill fire road, and I was finally able to take a little breather while Ryan pulled into the headwind. He was such a good sport- pulling the whole time- because it seemed like every direction we turned there was a headwind. I am still trying to figure out the pacing and where I can rest, because the pace is really up to me. I want to push myself hard, but I don't want to overdo it and have some spectacular implosion on the days to come. We'll see how it goes.
I did remember to unlock my rear shock today- there were some bumpy trails and I was thoroughly appreciating my full-suspension bike! I also got a taste of how important it is to be constantly eating and drinking- something that's not exactly easy with so much singletrack. I think I started eating and drinking a little late, but I was able to save it and bring myself back from the edge of the bonk...
I am really enjoying this race, and we are certainly getting spoiled: we have an RV, Waldek here doing massage and making up coffee in the morning (and heckling us too), Zeph here to work on bikes, and Zeph's girlfriend Sarah is also here. She has been super helpful- going grocery shopping, making us delicious food right after the race (pan-fried garlic potatoes, whole wheat pasta with pesto and broccoli and arugala salad with tomatoes was waiting for us in the RV when we finished today- it was perfect) and just helping things run smoothly in general. And we are getting to ride some of the best trails in the world! So we are truly spoiled here, and I'm taking full advantage!
I'm pooped, my legs are tired, my arms are tired, my back is tired, heck, my BRAIN is tired. I'm looking forward to relaxing with my book (I'm reading "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why" by Laurence Gonzales, and it is really, really good) and getting some good sleep tonight. I'm going to need it- for Stage 3, when I once again try to affix myself to Ryan's rear wheel for as long as possible.
Day 1 of BC Bike Race is in the books. It was pretty cool racing with a teammate (especially a really fast one...). I started things off right by not warming up enough and feeling like a pile of poop for the first 20 minutes. My legs loaded up immediately. After the race Ryan even noted "you blew up after, like 2 minutes!" The first couple of kilometers were rolling pavement and then we dove into singletrack, so the pace was pretty tough from the start. Once I warmed up though, I started feeling pretty good and we were able to make up a few spots on the first climb.
The first downhill (a trail called Severed Dick that all the locals just call "Severed." I would always call it Severed Dick if I was a local) went pretty smoothly. I led since Ryan hadn't gotten a chance to pre-ride, and then when it flattened out Ryan got in front and pulled us along to the next climb. It was like what I imagine motor-pacing is like.
The next downhill had some more steep technical stuff- a lot like what you find in a World Cup race, only a lot longer and more! Luckily I only had one crash, and it was an awesome slow motion over-the-bars crash. We did a good mix of running and riding (it was at this point that Katerina and Catharine caught up to us and then dropped us). It was so much fun though, and the trails were in great shape. We ended up finishing as the first mixed team in less than 2 hours. It was like a cross-country, except Ryan was there to sing to me the whole time (I also got to hear some nice spoken-word poetry...). Tomorrow's stage will be longer, and I am looking forward to a slower start (hopefully). The trails in BC have been pretty spectacular so far, so I am excited for what's to come.
So here I am in Vancouver, and BC Bike Race starts tomorrow. Today we rode part of the Day 1 course, and there was some pretty gnarly stuff. There was a long climb and a long, technical downhill with lots of roots, rocks, drops and tight corners. Definitely one of the more technical courses I've ever ridden. There will be some carnage there for sure... Overall, the stage will be short- I think it's only 29k, and everyone will probably be all antsy in their pantsy. I'm a little nervous, I don't really have any idea how to pace myself for a race this long, but I am excited too. We are going to be staying in an RV, so I don't know how much internet access I'll have, but I'll try to update when I can.
The last few weeks have been pretty busy. I got back last night from a week in Ketchum, ID, and I leave for Vancouver this morning. But I thought since I've been so bad about posting, I should make up for it by sharing this recipe. I found it in Cooks Illustrated which is an awesome magazine- if you like cooking, I suggest getting a subscription- it's nothing like the other cooking magazines. They have a test kitchen where they come up with the best recipes by making something a bunch of different ways and using taste testers. Then they report the best way and explain the whole process (what worked, what didn't and why). If you are dorky like me, you will find it very interesting...
Anyway, I know saying something is "the best" means it has to be the best. I don't think this one will let you down.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (when only the real deal will do...):
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I've been using Ghirardelli 60% cacao. Yes ma'am.)
preheat oven to 375
line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
melt 10 tbsp butter in a nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, and continue to cook until the butter is golden brown and smells delicious and nutty (this step is what makes these cookies so good, so let the butter get good and brown)
pour melted butter into a bowl and add the other 4 tbsp butter
when butter is melted, add both sugars, salt and vanilla and mix well
add egg and yolk and whisk well for a couple of minutes, making sure there are no lumps and mixture is smooth
stir in flour just until combined, then stir in chocolate chips (don't overmix at this point)
place dough in rounded, 3 tbsp portions on cookie sheets (8 scoops per sheet)
bake sheets one at a time (they will cook more evenly that way) for 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking
cookies should be golden and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft
transfer cookies to cooling rack
Try not to eat them all at once.
Ben, Lea and I rode at Bobcat yesterday and it was in the best shape I've ever seen it! The climb up the power line road wasn't sandy at all, traction was great and the wildflowers were AMAZING. Head up and check it out.
Dusty and I headed up to check out the new Soapstone Prairie Natural Area the other day. It's about 20 miles north of town and has around 50 miles of trails for hiking and riding bikes. We were impressed with the quality of new trails which were a nice mix of singletrack and double track over gently rolling terrain. The views were pretty amazing, and we saw lots of pronghorn antelope, birds and wildflowers. The landscape and riding is pretty unique- it's different than anything I've ridden on the front range. Those trails aren't going to ride themselves...
Be sure to bring plenty of water, as I didn't see any at the trailhead and you are WAY out there.
Raced at Teva Mtn Games in Vail two weekends ago. Finished second to Katie in the cross country and third in the hill climb. I got a little cough after Teva that I thought was just a race cough, but it's lingered all week. I haven't really felt sick, but it's kept me up at night, and I haven't had a ton of energy. Poor Dusty has had to sleep a few nights on the couch.
I wasn't feeling very prepared or motivated for the race in Colorado Springs, but that's part of racing- you don't always feel awesome and you just have to deal with it. The short track was tough- after a few laps Waldek told me "20 more minutes of racing!" 20 minutes never seemed so long. I was off the back from the start and I felt lucky enough to finish 5th.
The cross-country course was fun: there was a pretty long, gentle climb and then a long, technical downhill. There were plenty of places to make mistakes and you had to be on your toes the whole time. I however, was not on my toes. I was on another planet. I felt out of it all weekend.
I lost sight of the front group pretty quickly- I wasn't feeling all that great on the first lap. The second and third laps I felt much better, but I was riding by myself the whole time, so it wasn't very exciting. I did manage to bend my dereilleur hanger after smashing into a rock, but a quick stop in the tech zone allowed Chris to bend it back into workable condition, so I didn't lose any places.
It was a tough weekend of racing, but I'm putting it behind me, and I'm getting ready for BC Bike race. I'll be racing with Ryan Trebon from Kona, and I'm hoping that trying to keep up with him for a week will magically give me the fast legs I'll need to win Nationals this year. I've never done a stage race longer than 4 days before, so I am looking forward to an adventure!
Just got these from Waldek. They are mostly pictures from the little bakery we stopped at every morning on our way to the course. Most delicious turnovers I've ever had in my life. Ever. Seriously. And they let us check out the kitchen and their really cool oven. You turn the wheel on the outside and there's a wheel on the inside where the baked goods bake.
Also most delicious bread with lardons in it. Lardon is French for BACON. Yes, delicious bacon bread. If I ever have a bakery, I will have bacon bread.
Sad face when you have a sad race.
The down-and dirty:
It was hot in Alabama. Hot and humid. Luckily the whole course was in the trees, so that helped. We were slated for 4 laps of the 5 mile course. After pre-riding I was pretty sure that 4 laps was going to be short, but I guess that is the direction things are moving- Houffalize and Madrid were both under 1.5 hours. Maybe they will shorten the courses to 45 minutes and add some barriers...
Anyway, back to the race. The course was very fast and sandy (I guess I was expecting more of a Mt. Snow or Snowshoe-type course) with not much passing (except one 2-3 minute paved climb and a 2k paved flat-to-downhill run into the finish). Even though the trail wasn't very technical at slow speeds when you were going fast it was easy to blow a corner or clip your bars on a tree (I managed to do both).
I had a good start and was 3rd wheel going into the singletrack (behind Katerina and Catharine and right in front of Katie). The four of us rode together at a pretty manageable pace, until we hit the paved climb when Catharine attacked. Katerina went with her, but I wasn't feeling so hot. A little gap opened, and Katie went around me. I caught up by the next paved section and was surprised at how easy it was when you were sitting in. On the second lap on one of the rock step-ups, Catharine bobbled and Katerina crashed right behind her. I had just enough time to take a different line and not lose Katie's wheel. Katie went to the front and picked up the pace a bit, but Catharine and I were right there. Katerina was stuck in no-man's land just a few seconds back, but it was hard to close down a gap on all the pavement.
On the third lap, I went into the singletrack first and tried to set a good steady hard pace. By the paved climb I had a few seconds gap, but Catharine caught up to me on the climb. The two of us rode together for the rest of the lap, and she went first into the singletrack on the last lap. (In retrospect, I should have made more of an effort to be first into the singletrack then.) I rode behind her pretty comfortably, but she punched it on the pavement and got a little gap. I caught back up in the last singletrack, and we came out onto the last stretch of pavement together.
I didn't want to play cat-and-mouse for the last few minutes of the race, so I figured I would go to the front and set a good tempo and lead it out into the finish. There were two 90 degree left hand turns before the finishing straight, and I knew that if I got through them first, I wouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately, I went a little wide in the first corner, and Catharine didn't miss the opportunity to sneak in on the inside. I sprinted hard, but didn't really have enough time to come around. Bummer. I was pleased with my race overall, if not with my sloppy riding at the end.
Now I'm home for the next few races (Teva Games in Vail and the next US Cup race in Colorado Springs), and I don't have to travel out of the state until BC Bike race at the end of the month.
