Solid Ground Underneath My Feet

“Find yourself a place you belong in the universe, a place where the dirt feels like goodness under your feet.”

Pam Houston, Waltzing the Cat

This spring I had so many plans, races to be raced, training to be tackled, spin classes to be taught. I pushed myself harder than ever before, taking on hill repeats that had friends calling me crazy, long days in the saddle on a trainer suffering without end. And then the first race arrive, the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, a 47 mile race from Silverton to Durango, over two mountain passes (they don’t mention the 10 mile “hill” you take on your way to the base of the first one), and topping out at almost 11,000 feet of elevation. I finished a little over 3 1/2 hours, well under my 4 hour goal and just in the middle of the my group. I walked away happy to have completed it but knowing I had made mistakes and could have raced better.

Two weeks later, I took on the RAT race, a 2 lap, almost 30 mile mountain bike race on my local trails. With a brutal 3,800 feet of climbing in the June sunshine, it kicked my ass. I went it to it exhausted, having spent the last week helping with the race itself, as well as work and yet another rocky spot in my long distance relationship. As I dismounted from my Specialized Enduro, which had been purchased only weeks before to replace my Trek Lush, I knew I needed a break. I needed to stop spinning my wheels, both literally and figuratively. I needed to be feel solid ground beneath my feet for a while.

I spent the following weekend hiking with Hailey at Cutler Creek, on Father’s Day. It was her dad’s favorite trail and I wanted to share it with her since he doesn’t live close enough by us to do so himself. The next weekend we hiked Dallas Trail and reveled in wildflowers up to our chests. Then Hailey departed for the summer, and I continued on hiking, walking, spending time learning to be a part of the earth again instead of hovering above it. I felt my true self begin to settle back into my bones. For the first time in over a decade, I felt the place I grew up becoming part of me once again. Then I went to Park City, which became a wreck in every sense and left me with nothing but confusion and heartache and unanswered questions and so much pain. And I struggled to get back on my bike. There was so much tied between it and the loss I was feeling and it tore at my in a deep way. After allowing myself a couple weeks of self pity, I knew from it was sink or swim. If I couldn’t ride, I needed to hike. I had been re-reading my favorite author, Pam Houston, and the line about finding a place you belong in the universe struck a chord, so I went outside, seeking out new places. Finding Moonshine Park and Spirit Gulch along the way. I found that both in biking and hiking, it is all about keeping your feet moving, one in front of the other. It is about remembering to breathe, and keeping your balance. Today, I took Hailey on a 7.5 mile hike to Blue Lake and shared with her my favorite place from my childhood and felt complete and whole and well in a way that is new. This slower moving action has given me time to process my pain and allow it to be a part of me without defining me. And hiking has been great because it has been something solely mine, something I share with my daughter and my friends. Something tangible that was left untainted for me this last month.

Lately, I have been pushing myself back on my bike. It is hard. Not having the same person to encourage you and to share your accomplishments with is hard. There is a part of biking for me right now that is relearning what I trained myself to associate with it for the last year. And possibly even further back than that ( see Getting Lost..and Finding Yourself Along The Way). I am trying to be one, solid, riding for myself and no one else. I will race again, I will train and push and suffer again. I will work to be better than ever before, but this time I will do it for myself. It will be harder without the push and encouragement and praise, but it will be my own victory. In the meantime, I will make sure to take time to find places that feel like goodness under my feet..keeping myself on solid ground.

Cutler Creek

Dallas Trail

Spirit Gulch on a sunny day

Finally back on the bike…

Spirit Gulch in the rain and fog

Jump into the fog!!

Dallas Trail

Me and my puppy

Getting back to the bike, gets better each time

Blue Lake

Rome at the lake

Such beauty in earth

Me and my best girl

Happiest mother ever

 

More Than Miles

Today marks the finish of the first mountain bike trip of the season, a 2 day adventure in Fruita, a mere 2 hours from my door. I set out Friday night for Grand Junction, my trust Trek Lush 29’er as my passenger, and spent an evening catching up with some good friends. I have ben friends with Elisa and Matt since I first raced cross (for more on that read Zen and the Art of Cycling in the Snow (and mud). They are one of my favorite couples and in general favorite people, full of love and enthusiasm and adventure (Elisa’s blog, Trails 365, is one I highly recommend if you like reading about hiking, biking and general badassery).

Escaping to the Desert

Saturday morning, I woke up to a great breakfast snd some amazing coffee brewed for me in an antique coffeemaker, and a huge delicious breakfast; perfect fuel for the day. I join up with my  friends Nadia and Evie and we headed west to the high desert trails of 18 Road.

I am lucky to have a great friend like Elisa….#dontforgettobeawesome

Nadia is a newly found riding buddy, who also happens to date my best guy friend,and I was super psyched to get time to ride with her again! And Evie is my birthday twin, the sister f my best friend growing up, who was born 4 years to the day after me, but outside of spin class, we had never had an opportunity to ride together.

We started the day with a fast loop on PBR (Pumps, Bumps and Rollers), a fast flowy fun trail, with Nadia’s dog Stella leading the way (man can that dog run!). We returned to the parking lot, dropped off Stella for a little rest, and headed over to Joe’s Ridge, which takes you up onto a narrow ridge, and drops you ups and down and all around before dumping you back at the lower parking lot. We then grabbed Stella for one more lap and hit another round of PBR, this time taking Prime Cut single track up instead of the road.

Cheers!!

My beloved

Trying to get the dog in the pic take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Nadia leading the way

Evie topping Joe’s Ridge

Stella checking out the Westfalia

As the temps started to drop, we made it back to the car for a celebratory cheers, and spent quite a while conversing with the van owner parked next to us, while Stella explored the totally awesome Westfalia and we talked Ridgway Area Trails (RAT) and the upcoming Ridgway Fat Tire Festival and RAT Race (make your calendars!!) happening June 10.

Then it was time for the real treat, an early dinner at Hot Tomato, the place to eat when in Fruita. And yes, as you can see in the picture below, we all got our own pizza….

Pizza at Hot Tomato! (Check the unicorn leggings, Nadia makes them herself!)

We retreated to our hotel for the night only to discover that I had brought neither a bathing nor underwear that could pass for such in a public pool….so we dipped back out to Walgreen’s where we ended up with a 3 pack of what I dubbed “granny panties”, as well as 3 bags of Haribo Gummy Bears (more on that soon).

In a show of solidarity, my friends actually rocked the GPs with me to the pool, where we swam and soaked until we could barely move, and then we headed upstairs to chill. We then carried off blind taste test of Gummy Bears to determine who had picked the best flavor, and watched Cruel Intentions (total 90s high school throwback for all of us)….

The Gummis…..

The blind taste test…

Stella couldn’t hang

 

This morning brought a search for coffee, me sharing McDonald’s hash browns with Stella, and 2 laps on the Kokopelli trails located west of Fruita towards Utah. We stopped for picture at some of the awesome view points overlooking the Colorado River, and finished out day with a hard cider and of course, more Gummy Bears…

Tri flavor gummy bear, Evie’s creation that blew our minds!

Cheers to a successful weekend!

Stella!!!!!

Dog tired…

Seeing up pics is hard work!

These ladies are rad!

The best part of the weekend for me was beyond the miles or climbs or skills or even the bike (although DAMN do I love my bike!)…it was about something I felt this past year or so I had lost from my life to some extent. It was about friendship, fun, camaraderie and just some pure silliness. Remembering the person in you that wants to laugh and smile and not be such an adult. These moments become more and more rare as we grow, as our children grow, as we struggle through bigger thoughts and ideas and issues and concerns. This year in particular has had a literal and figurative pall cast over it, I spent January in the depths of a funk when the sun refused to shine for a month, and cold air and wind ripped though me and eroded my cheer and good nature. Even when the sun emerged, I couldn’t shake the chill of the winter. This weekend, in the warm spring desert, my son soaking up some much needed Vitamin D, I found my smile again. At he end of the day, this weekend wasn’t about the miles or trails or technique, but the friendships I have begun to build with friends who love the same things as I do: bikes, pizza, wine and fun!

As always, much love to Primal Wear whose awesome apparel keeps me happy and comfy on all my rides, Skratch for being the best hydration mix in the world, and COPMOBA for all the work they do to make these trails available and rideable. If you are in need of a new super cool pair of leggings or a riding tank, or a fun headband like this cat one I am rocking below, check out my friend Nadia’s Etsy shop: Lycra Unincorporated!

CATS!!!!

 

 

 

Wild Women on Wheels-Thanks!

Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood. ~ Susan B. Anthony,

Today is Thursday, meant to be my day of thanks. Practicing gratitude is a conscious evolution of self, without which we cannot grow as people. The practice of thanks and gratitude allows us to open our hearts to others, and through this create greater bonds in our life with family and friends and those dearest to us.

There are so many people I am grateful for in my life. But today, in honor of the presentation I am attending tonight, “Wild Women on Wheels“, I’d like to show gratitude for the women in my life who inspire and motivate me as a cyclist.

Today’s thanks go to Sundra, who saw a cyclist in me before even I truly did, and pushed me and encouraged me to grow. Jen Charrette, whose own cycling adventures and how she spreads the joy of cycling to others with her family’s foundation ,the Axel Project, as well as her amazing blog, Pedal Adventures, never cease to amaze me. Erin, who is one of my favorite people to ride with ever, a girl I could spend all day with on the trails and have a blast. Kathy, whose encouragement is always amazing and who I love seeing teach my daughter and her friends a love for riding in RAMS. Allison, who lent and then sold me my first bike, Zelda. Elisa, who I met first as an announcer at my cross races as she encouraged me along the course and now someone I count as a friend.  And Jasmine, my spin instructor and friend, who I get to hear speak tonight at the Sherbino Theater, since I met her she has supported and encouraged me, and is such a great teacher and inspiration.

To all you ladies, and so many more (Lisa, Ali, Ryan, Amy, Heather, Sue, Johanna, just to name a few) thank you for being such badass Wild Women on Wheels who have all helped bring me to be the cyclist I am today.

Riding with some very talented ladies outside Telluride, CO

My first metric century! Great new friends on Tour De Cure

Ladies ride on Ridgway Area Trails!

Some of my favorite ladies to ride with ever

Margaritas after a great trail ride with my local riding group

Alta Lakes

How It Began (An Homage to Ride The Rockies)

As I mentioned before, I only began road biking back in August. This is the story of how I came to this sport.

I work for a company called Alpine Cycle Connection. We work support and logistics in many different facets for many different rides and races nationwide. I came to this job by pure luck, and never would have seen it bringing me to this point in my life.

The first tour I worked with ACC was Ride The Rockies, an iconic multi day tour through my home state of Colorado. It was my first introduction to the cycling community, and the first chance I had to see firsthand people true love for the sport.

In my job, the easiest way to describe what I do is to say we take care of all the details so all you have to do is enjoy riding your bike. And one of the best parts of my jobs is seeing clients do just that. I have met so many amazing people on these tours, and I love seeing familiar faces as people return year after year to be a part of an event like this. It was my experience with many of these riders that prompted me to begin riding. There is something truly infectious about their love for the sport.

As I approach my third year of being part of Ride The Rockies, its amazing to me how I see things differently as not just a worker but as a cyclist. I can appreciate the thought and work that goes into planning a route that can challenge many but still accommodate varying abilities. All the tours we work on are well thought out and amazingly well executed. Ride the Rockies is always a special wonder to me, as they take on the challenge of 2500 riders for a week long tour. The amount of work and planning and just sheer dedication on the behalf of the tour coordinators is always astounding to me. The sponsors of this ride are great as well, all working together to help promote cycling and our great state.

I owe a huge amount of gratitude to both the riders and coordinators of this tour, because without my experience on this tour, I don’t know that I would have pulled towards cycling in my personal life. And now that I have begun, I can’t imagine my life without it.