24 Hours in the Old Pueblo 2014

It is always a treat to get away from the snow and cold for a riding adventure. The temperatures had been particularly cold two weeks leading up to the race. This meant a lot of grinding it out on the trainer, which is always awesome ;-). Prior to that I did get some good riding in Fernie and had a fun trip out to Rossland.

Dave & I flew out of Calgary and met up with Shaun in Phoenix. A stop at Whole Foods and we were good to go for our drive to Oracle. A few other racers were meeting us at 3C Ranch. Antonio & Holly were also driving from Texas to help with pit support, which was greatly appreciated.

View from place

It was nice to catch up with everyone the next morning and enjoy some coffee on the warm deck before heading out to register and do a pre-lap on the course. The sun was shining and temps were mid 80s. It felt amazing to be on the dirt again. I felt great on my bike and was ready to go!

Race day woke up to more sunshine and it was already warm. We headed to the course to finish setting up the pit and get organized for what was about to unfold. 24 Hour racing is always interesting  :-).

On the way to the race

The Fate was good to roll.

Dave, Shaun, Ryan & I stashed our bikes and headed up to the Le Mans start. We decided to position ourselves a little further back, as last year was a real gong show. The gun went off and we were on our way. Shaun & I arrived at the bikes at the same time and settled into the pack. I lost sight of him once he started hammering up the B**tches. I ran into Ryan and Dave on that lap, which was fun. Things were congested as always but moving along and I hit the pits in good time. Grabbed a bottle of Infinit and back out. I was racing back and forth with another solo racer the first lap and the beginning of the 2nd. I decided to pick up the pace a little so I could find my own rhythm and settle into my pace.

Le Mans start. Can you find the Specialized kit?

My lap times were consistent and I was starting to get some good flow on the course. It was hot and dusty but I was loving it after a long winter. My first stop was after lap #4 to mount lights. I was in and out fairly quick. I knew there was at least one girl ahead of me so there was no time to waste. That was a fun lap as things started to cool down and the sun set. Back to the pit and added another layer just to be safe before the temps dropped.

Here is where things started to get interesting. On lap #7 I noticed my eyes were watering a lot and getting sore. It was dusty and there was smoke from the open fires that were on the course and in the transition area. It was getting a little challenging to see. I didn't want to stop but thought the smart thing to do was to get some eye drops when I hit the pits. So the crew flushed my eyes and I wiped my face off hoping things would improve.

Unfortunately the drops just seemed to make things worse. It was like a film had been placed over my eyes. I had to keep switching my lights to high just to make out where I was going. A few sections I went off course and could tell I was really starting to slow down. By the time I got back to the pit I had decided I should go to the medical tent to get things looked at. Amber was nice enough to come with me. I guess my eyes were fire red with little white. They started flushing the eyes out, and then squirted more saline in as I was supposed to keep them open and stare at something. Good times! Wow that burned and I felt a bit nauseous.  After having a look at me I was advised not to go back on course and get some sleep and rest my eyes. What? Stop? Just over 12 hours of racing and approximately 200km and I was done. Well that sucked!!

I tried to get some sleep in the van but using my race bag as a pillow didn't really work out. I spent the rest of the night by the heater in the pit with a blanket over my head.  The sun came up and it was time to cheer on the rest of our team. I was not the only one with their challenges but we still had Dave & Tony out on course. Tony was doing great chipping away at his laps and Dave was getting his groove back after suffering dehydration, gut cramps, etc. He managed to pull off an 8th place finish, which was impressive.

As the race came to a finish it seemed strange not to be crossing the line. However, that's racing you never know what you are going to get. All you can do is get yourself ready and the rest is beyond control. It only makes me want to race again really soon!

Spent the next few days having some fun and enjoying the warm weather before heading back to winter.

24 Hours of Rocky Hill Ranch 2013

The excitement factor went up a notch when Austin received heavy rainfall and flooding less than a week out from the race. It became a bit of a scramble wondering if the race was still a go and whether I should do any tire changes due to the conditions. The race course was about 1 hour from Austin so it was hard to know what the conditions would be like. I played it safe and changed out my front tire from a Specialized Fast Trak Control to a Ground Control. Thanks to Barry for setting me up. Kham at Bow Cycle helped me pack up my bike and I was off to Texas hoping for the best. The race was a go rain or shine!

I arrived in Austin to sunny skies and warm temperatures so that was a good sign. We all headed out to Rocky Hill Ranch (RHR) Friday afternoon to check out the course. I was surprised how dry it was considering  all the rain over the last week. The original course had to be re-routed due to wet conditions but was still pretty good. There was some mud and puddles but nothing like some of the conditions I have seen in Canada.

Race day came and we loaded up our bikes and gear and headed out. The weather looked good and I was feeling ready to go! When we arrived at RHR finished setting up our pit area and getting things sorted. Thad the "pit master" was getting everything dialled. I knew we would be in good hands with his help along with Antonio and Sarah.

Loading things up.

Dave, Shaun & I. Nice moustaches!

The pits

We headed to the start line to stash our bikes and get ready for the Le Mans start. The next thing I knew people starting running. I guess it was on! I didn't even hear the gun go off. After the short run I grabbed my bike from Thad and his daughter and headed off. I got into a fairly good position before the  single track so things were moving at a pretty good pace. Back to the pits and grabbed another bottle of Infinit from Sarah who was doing the hand ups. I wanted to keep rolling and get some faster laps in before it was time to mount lights. I was setting a fairly steady pace and feeling good.

My first stop was to mount lights and put a few layers on. I only mounted the Exposure Diablo on my helmet and grabbed some knee and arm warmers. The pit crew cleaned my drive train and lubed my chain. The sand and mud was starting to pile up but the Fate was still riding great! Headed back out for another lap. Shortly into the lap Shaun caught up to me. He said I had a fairly good lead at that point and it was all about riding smart from here on out. That was a great lap as the sun was setting, the sky looked amazing. Back to the pits to mount the Six Pack light on my handlebars and add some more layers and shoe covers, which were key to keep the feet dryer with all the puddles.

Things were not feeling too bad into the night. It was cooling off but I was smart with my layers as did not want to get cold. Into the early morning hours my back really started to get sore and stiff. I tried to ride out of the saddle a little more to dull the pain. When I came into the timing tent around 4:00am I asked how much of a lead I had to see if I could stop and stretch my back. At that point I was told I had a 4 lap lead. So I figured I was good  to stop for awhile and stretch with the hope my back would improve. That seemed to help for the next lap but the one after that my back was really sore again. So I stopped one more time to stretch and take a layer off. I knew the sun would be coming up soon so I just had to keep pushing on.

The caffeine was starting to kick in and I was feeling pretty good again and my lap times were getting faster. To play it safe I switched out my lights for the final lap of darkness. About half way into it the sun started to come up which is an awesome feeling knowing the end is near. The lights came off the bike for the next lap and so did the layers. Feeling really good again for the last 2 laps. Another stop to peel the layers off for my last lap. I had plenty of time for another one with a noon cut off.

Final Lap!

It was a great last lap. I ran into Sean and Brian who were both lighting it up! It was awesome to see them riding so strong at this point in the race. When I rolled into the timing tent they asked if I was going out again. There was still time but it would be tight and really there was no point. So I finished with 17 laps and the win for Solo Women!

Dave & I post race.

Packing up the pits

Everyone did amazing with Dave taking 3rd for Solo Open Men and Johnny 2nd. Sean won for Single Speed, Brian 2nd Solo Sport and Laura 3rd for Solo Women.

Podium with race event organizers Kathy & Scott

Laura & I

The boys on the podium

The rest of my time in Austin was spent having a lot of laughs and enjoying some good food and beverages with some amazing people.

Johnny & I

The gang at Ruby's

 Antonio enjoying some well deserved Texas BBQ

This was my second year racing RHR and both times have been a good experience. The event is well organized and the people are very friendly. The event itself is one thing but the people you surround yourself with is another. I could not have done it without the pit crew support and Coach Shaun. The cheering, hand ups, and bike maintenance were top notch! Thank you Sarah, Antonio & Thad. Racing Solo is truly a combined effort. Also, thank you to Johnny & Laura for the accommodations and great times! It was an amazing end to the season.

Six in the Stix

This is a race I had considered doing for a couple of years but the timing or weather never really lined up. This year Steve, Shaun & I decided to check it out. The format is a 6 hour race with a 12km loop of approximately 1200 ft of elevation gain.

We checked out the course on Saturday. There were a few punchy climbs near the beginning followed by one longer section with a short hike a bike to the top. The descent was a little rocky off the top and was really fun, fast and flowed well after that. It would be a challenging course for 6 hours.

When we arrived for race day the sky was overcast and it started to rain lightly. I was hoping it would clear up or things would get interesting. It was a relatively fast start but I tried not to get carried away and just settle into my pace. My lap times seemed to be fairly consistent for laps 1-4. I caught up to Steve on lap 4 and when I asked him how he was doing he said it may be "Four in the Stix"! Unfortunately he was having some cramping issues.

The weather was really random with showers, sun and wind. On lap 5 the rain started to come down hard. The rocks were pretty slick when I started the descent. I decided to dial the pace back. I didn't think it was worth having a crash and hurting myself. I actually thought about pulling the pin if the rain continued. Luckily the rain stopped as I headed out for lap 6 and it actually warmed up a little. I was looking at the time and knew I would only get one more lap after this one. I wanted to ride strong but smart. I passed one girl who was stopped in the bushes and thought there was still one ahead of me. I just kept grinding away.

Hit the timing tent one last time and grabbed a bottle of Infinit. The last lap was tough but I knew this was it. When I came into the timing tent the announcer said you still have time for another lap. I asked how much time I had and he said 40 minutes. I knew I would not make it as I had not turned a 40 minute lap all day. So I finished with 7 laps, 83km, 8300 ft gain, winning my category.

The solo champions!

It was a good race and well organized. A lot of strong competitors showed up, especially in the single speed category!

Shaun & I. Nice work on 3rd place for SS. 

Breck Epic 2013

The Breck Epic is a 6-day stage race starting and finishing in various locations in Breckenridge, CO. Over the 6 days we would travel roughly 240 miles and gain 40,000 feet of vertical all above 9,500 feet ! We would reach as high as 12,500 feet on the Wheeler Stage #5. Sound hard?! It was! Grab a beverage and read on.

This would be my second year racing the Breck. Last year I did it solo and this year I was teaming up with my husband Steve . Another change was racing my Specialized Fate 29er hard tail vs the 26er full suspension last year. I was looking forward to seeing how the race would unfold.

Stage 1, Pennsylvania Creek went well. We rode strong and just did our thing getting used to the elevation and terrain. We ended up taking the stage win in our category.  Stage 2, Colorado Trail was approximately 38 miles and 5,300 feet. It was game on from the start with the 2nd place team, Sean & Natalie. Towards the beginning of the race Sean & I were riding together in a tight single track section when all the sudden I clipped my bars on a tree and went down. Sean was nice enough to stop and make sure I was ok and grab my bike in time for it to stop rolling down the hill. So not only was this team fast they were also nice! We were together up until Aid #1 and lost sight of them after passing on a climb. We kept riding strong, as we knew they would be close behind. Also, it looked like some weather was coming in. Flash backs of last year's Stage 2 (rain start to finish) started to enter my mind. I started to descend the Colorado Trail pretty quickly to avoid any additional suffering. After the stage Steve told me he was setting a pretty fast pace. Nice! We ended up with another stage win!

Stage 2 start line

Stage 3, Guyot Loop was a big one! Lots of climbing as per usual here. We were off to a good start still back and forth with Natalie & Sean. There was a hike a bike section today that lasted about 20 minutes. Sean & Natalie got ahead on the descent but were still in sight until I dropped my chain. The chain ended up going on the outside of the big ring. We got that fixed and were back on the chase. It was a hard day getting hailed on twice and grinding out some tough climbs. Steve & I did not see our competition until towards the top of the last climb. We were not able to close the gap and they took the stage win beating us by 1:26. We still had the overall lead by roughly 5 minutes going in to Stage 4.

Duo Mixed Podium

Rob & Rick 2nd place 100+ Duo Men

Stage 4, was another big climbing day with 43 miles and 6,500 ft. Steve & I are were off to a good start leading the first climb and descent. Towards the end of the descent Steve said he thought my back tire was leaking. With Sean & Natalie right on our wheels I asked what we should do? We rode for a bit and then Steve said we should stop. My back tire had definitely lost some air. We looked to see if there were any noticeable punctures and could not see any. Steve hit it with some CO2 and we saw where the tire was punctured. He spun the tire and tried to get the Stans to seal it. Luckily that seemed to do the trick. Sean & Natalie had passed us as we were fixing the tire so now we had to burn some matches to catch up. I started to hammer away and we ended up eventually catching them. Sean was pulled over on the trail and he had flatted as well. Towards the top of Vomit Hill (yes that is the real name :) ) Natalie was on us again. They got ahead of us again. Steve & I rode as strong as we could but I think the fast pace we set after fixing my tire caught up with us. We took 2nd in the stage but still had the overall lead but it was only 27 secs! Yes, that is right 27 secs! It was getting interesting!

Great shot of Steve!

Stage 5, Wheeler Pass which would top out at 12,500 feet. It was another fast start with Steve & I taking the lead up the first climb. We zipped through Aid #1 with Natalie & Sean in hot pursuit. I was feeling pretty good on the first climb and the beginning of the hike a bike. The hike was approximately 40 minutes and tough! I was up front going as fast as I could. Some people started to pass me and Steve was saying words of encouragement behind me like "nice big steps". On the other hand Sean was making everyone feel better when he said "We only have 30 minutes left". Nice one! I really started to suffer with the elevation. Just before we were about to get on our bikes Sean & Natalie passed us. I told Steve I was pretty close to getting sick. Then I was offered the Bacon hand up! Really not helping the Vegan who was already queasy! I managed to keep it together and we were off the bikes again for the 2nd hike a bike section. We lost sight of "Team Long Legs" after that. We did our best on the descent but it was punishing on a hard tail. One stop on the way down as a guy had a crash. We wanted to make sure he was ok and he was after a few choice words. Hit the bike path then Aid #2. From there we got to the last punishing, never ending climb on Miners Creek Rd. It was completely unnecessary! I heard a lot of swearing and grunts around me. I guess it was comforting to know I was not the only one in the hurt locker. Shortly after we entered Peaks Trail Steve said "Yeah I think this is pretty much my least favourite stage". Another guy crashed hitting his knee right on a rock. Ouch! We stopped to make sure he was ok. We finally finished the stage which was a relief. As we came across the finish line I heard the announcer say the other team had put some more time into us. As Natalie would say "It was on until it wasn't". At the awards ceremony Steve asked Sean and Natalie if they wanted to ride "neutral" for the last stage. With an 11 minute lead and 3rd place about 3 hours back we knew positions would not change unless there was a mechanical or injury - not the way to win. They agreed which was cool.

Heading out of Aid #1

Steve's B-day. 

Stage 6, Gold Dust was a cake walk compared to the other stages. I woke up with a cold which kind of sucked but the "Twins" came to the rescue with some medicine for me at the start line. Glad we were taking things easy today.

Thanks "Twins" for all your help!!

Steve, Tim & Mike looking good for Stage 6!

We had a blast riding with Sean & Natalie enjoying the trails, getting to know each other, taking photos & videos and taking in the views. It was a beautiful day and a great way to end the race.

First climb of the day

At the top of Boreas Pass enjoying a beer!

Stage 7 was fun hanging out with friends and the other racers.  We enjoyed breakfast the next day with our team mates, Sean & Natalie and other friends.

Stage 7! Need I say more :)

Highlights include racing with my husband. He was so amazing to race with.  He was patient, supportive and made me work hard! Also, meeting Sean & Natalie, having the Twins cheer us on all week long and seeing our other team mates and friends do so well. Mike finished 4th overall in the 40+ Men and grabbed 2nd on Stage 4. Tim was 5th overall for Single Speed and 3rd on Stage 5. Rob and Rick were 2nd in the 100+ Men Duo. Kate Aardal was 2nd overall for Open Women and won the Enduro for women. 

Taking home 4 leader's jerseys was pretty awesome! Overall the Fate handled well and my times had really improved from last year (routes were not exactly the same but comparable). Thanks Specialized Canada for helping me out with the awesome wheels and my coach Shaun Taylor for kicking my butt! Overall a great race and good experience. Will I do it again? I may need a few more days to think about it :)

Meeting Todd Wells was pretty cool!

Thank you to everyone who supported us and made our success possible. My bike ran great thanks to Kham at Bow Cycle and Spencer at Speed Matrix who did my bike fit. My nutrition was great thanks to Infinit Nutrition Canada. Finally, thanks to Mike McCormack for organizing a great event!

The Lungbuster

The Lungbuster hill climb is a race in Fernie, BC. You start at the base of the Fernie Alpine Resort and finish at the top of the Timber Express Chairlift. You gain 2200 vertical feet in 6.9 kilometres. This was my fourth year doing the race and it is always a sufferfest! I was 2nd in 2011 and 3rd in 2010. I was hoping to get the win for women this year and beat my previous time!

This year the gravel on the road was looser than I had seen in the past, which made it even more of a challenge. The start was not as fast as the prior years, which was a nice change. I started near the front of the group and kept a pretty good pace.

The first section is tolerable until you start heading under the chairlift then it starts to get steeper and the suffering begins. About 10 minutes into it I looked back on one of the switchbacks and could see a few riders relatively close. I picked up the pace a little as I was leading for women and wanted to hold it. I just put my head down and kept the wheels turning reminding myself that the pain would be over soon. I passed a few guys then held my position, which I thought was around 5th overall. I could see the next two riders ahead of me the rest of the way. There is a short downhill section before the climb to the finish. I tried to ride that as fast as I could and headed up to the finish line. I was happy to beat my previous time, win for women and place 5th overall.