A rocky road through the Sisters Stampede

I realize that we have been going hard for quite some time now.  Six weeks straight to be exact.  All in all things have gone very smoothly, with only minor glitches in our system.  Both Trevor and I have been racing strong, we have all been healthy, our travel has gone smoothly and I recall saying after last weeks race that we were feeling more energized than ever with this schedule.   Well, this week was just a bit different, and here is why............

1.   Unexpected happenings throughout the week delayed my trip prep which led to some forgotten items............. rain jackets.  It rained, and HARD :)  and each boy had just 1 pair of socks each for the entire weekend!

2.  Two years ago at this race in Sisters, I crashed and broke my collar bone.  My body remembers, and was dealing with some anxiety, maybe some pent up emotional trauma stuff all week. Who knows, but I was feeling OFF.

3.  Both Trevor and I woke on Saturday with what seemed to be a bit of a cold.  Headache and a heavy chest.

4.  I could not find, and thus did not have my pair of lucky socks.  The socks that I have worn for every race this season.  And so, my pre-race "ju-ju" was compromised. 

5.  I forgot to take my pre-race Hammer Gel.  Tropical with 25mg of caffeine has worked very well for me all year, but today I just forgot!

ok.  so the race goes like this..............

It started off bad.  Then I caught up.  Then it got bad.  Then I caught up.  Then it got bad again.  Then I caught back up.  Then I pushed it so hard that I came in first in my category, but also made myself sick.  I really got a cold, and that felt pretty bad. Good sleep, lots of echinachea, fresh vegetables and fruit and today I am now feeling pretty good.

That's me in Orange.   WAY in the back.  I had to play catch up from the very beginning.

Although this race was a bit "rocky", I come away from it having learned something and really, that is what this is all about. 

I pushed my body, even though it was weak.  And my body responded well.  I told it to go harder, and it could.  But what I could not do, was shut off my mind.  And this is what took me off of that trail.

The Sisters trails are different than what we ride here in the Valley.  They are dry and fast, and have plenty of rocks to challenge your handling skills.  The rocks are what got me two years ago when I broke my collar bone.  They snuck up on me and before I knew it, I was thrown to the ground and my season was over.  I do not train on rocks and really, am not comfortable on them.  I had myself a silent celebration during the race when I passed the place that took me down two years ago. Ha!  I got past you this time :) 

Unfortunately, the lesson I thought I learned two years ago crept back into my race this year.  The thing about Mountain biking, and especially on a technical trail during a race is that you CANNOT take your mind off of the trail for a second.  You MUST be present with what you are doing at that very moment, and until you cross that finish line.

I let my insecurity get in the way of my ability to ride my bike, and it almost cost me the race. 

I got myself in front of a women in my category who is much stronger than I on the technical trails  and worried that I was holding her up.  Also with us was Greg Creswick from Team Dirt who also is a very competent technical rider.  I was stressing.  I was also riding fast, and distracted about having them behind me.  Although they both said that things were ok, and they did not want to pass me, I did not relax and ride my bike.  Before I knew it, I came around a corner and into a rock garden and obviously took the wrong line.  I swear I saw my back wheel come up near my head, and I was was sure I'd hit a tree.  All of the sudden my wheel dropped and I rolled to the side of the trail.  After a very loud shriek of relief and a quick apology to Greg and Alice, I got myself together.  Man I love my bike.  It must be those big wheels that got me out of that one!

At that point it was a sprint to the finish and I was able to muster the strength to pass her again and maintain the lead.  I find out after the race, this girl is on a single speed!  She has reason to "peace out" the crowd from the podium.  This girl is in a different league.

I came across the finish line exhausted, but fortunate to be in one piece.  I gave it all I had out there.

Looking back.  I should have shut my thoughts off, and ridden my bike.  I was there for a reason, and all I had to do was hold my place.  And if I find myself in that position again, where I worry about who is behind me?  Pull over, and let them by.  I chase just fine.

At the finish,  Trevor was beaming after finishing 2nd place!  This guy is such a stud.  I mean  seriously, he works 40 plus hour weeks digging holes, loading/ dumping wheelbarrows, and stacking heavy rocks, but can still come out on his weekend and throw down a race against some of the fastest men in the state.  It is truly impressive.

My friend Gaby generously drove to Sisters race morning to hang with the kids during the race.  She had fun watching them navigate the obstacle course, and treating them to fruit smoothies with whipped cream!  Gaby has been a constant source of support for our family, always quick to lend a hand and  I am forever grateful for all she does for us. 

The kids race again trumped the day.  It brings so much joy to see my kids challenging themselves, and getting that sense of accomplishment.  Written all over their faces was this sense of bliss and excitement and our hearts on fire just to witness it.  We ran around that dusty field cheering loudly and they peddled their little legs just as fast as they could.  It was awesome!

Big huge THANK YOU to the organizers and Sponsors of the Sister's Stampede.  The entire event was so well put together, and after just 3 years running more than 500 racers registered!

Alleck will read to anyone who will listen.  Luckily, Marcus was there for him!

We spent the afternoon resting with friends in the Sister's campground and enjoyed a group dinner at the Blue Agave Mexican Restaurant in Sisters.

The next day both Trevor and I were feeling pretty sick.  We mustered the strength to get back on our bikes with the kids at the Phil's Trail head Pump Track.  WOW!  This place was amazing!  Keller loved catching air on the big jumps and Alleck rode the entire slalom course!  I was blown away with the number of people there that day.  So many kids riding their bikes and so many parents doing it with them.   Our day ended with skinned knees, and a few tears but again, some incredible moments on our bikes.

The focus of this week has been to rest and get healthy for this weekends race near Grants Pass.  Many loads of laundry later, and I have already packed our bags!  Out of the dryer, and right into the duffel's.  This time with plenty of socks!

 

A weekend in Ashland for the Spring Thaw XC

We left Corvallis a bit later than we had intended because the boys did not want to miss any school!  We picked them up, van loaded and hit the road.

With a couple of bathroom stops along the way, we pulled into Ashland about 6pm, just in time to catch registration.  Ashland is a happening place.  Music, art and good food everywhere with plenty of people walking around to enjoy it.

Such a fun play structure.  Emigrant Lake campground.  I worked on my fear of heights!

We arrived at Emigrant Lake Campground at about 7:00, and immediately fixed dinner.  Happy bellies, full of Ravioli with Pesto and Spinach, we sat around camp and enjoyed some good conversation with friends and Team Dirters.

A nest of Woodpeckers in our campsite kept us entertained as we witnessed chick feedings!

6am, and after a fabulous nights sleep, we woke up to eat breakfast.  I was shocked that the kids stayed asleep until the moment we pulled out of the campground.  Thank goodness for this.  Well rested kids make for a happy day!

We arrived at the race site at about 7:30, fed the kids and got dressed.  Trevor got the bikes ready and I filled bottles and flasks with our fuel for the race.  We have this system down and make quite an efficient duo I must say!  The babysitter met us at the van at 8, and whisked the kids away for a morning of fun at the Lithia Park playground. We rode up the road to the race site and were able to get a bit of a warm up in before the riders meeting.  I was excited to see if Fernanda Mejia, the Mexican woman who sprinted me to the finish last year would be there.  Indeed she was, and it was fun to chat with her a bit before the start.  This girl knows these trails and is a sick fast descender.  It was on the final descent into town last year that she caught me and beat me to the line by a wheel.  This year the course would be different though. Instead of 2 smaller laps, it would be one big loop, the original course.

Taylor Bushnell and Ninkasi Spring Reign.  Yum!

They started all the Pro/ Cat 1/ single speed men and women together, so there was quite a crowd at the start line.  I did not see too many women though, so I just positioned myself in the top 1/3 of the men.  It was here that I ran into Taylor Bushnell from team Tensegrity and we were able to laugh and talk a bit about last weekends race at the Chainbreaker.  Taylor and I rode pretty much the whole 2nd lap of the Chainbreaker together and so it was fun to see each other again.

The race began up a semi steep gravel road, and started pretty fast.  I tried to pick my way through the pack to get a good place, but quickly fatigued at traversing back and forth over the thick gravel.  I decided that rather than wasting my energy this way, I should just stay steady and close to the riders in front of me and hope that as they tired they would fall off.  This road felt like it went on forever,  but the course map tells me 7-8 miles and 4000ft of climbing.  As we made the turn onto the single track climb, I knew that I had to keep the riders in front of me close.  My legs were tired today.

The one tip that I got from those that had done this course before was that you want to be with a group heading onto the contour road.  As I turned onto the road, I picked up the pace to try and catch the guys ahead of me.  A rider that I had tried to stick with on the road climb pulled up along side of me.  Surprised to see him there, since I thought he was ahead of me, I quickly encouraged him to work with me to catch that group up ahead.

This guy had great form, and offered me a really good draft.   A compliment or two later got this guy really flying, and before I knew it, we  caught up to the group of 3, who were quick to hop on a wheel.  We all rode in a line for a while until we got organized and put together some resemblance of a peleton. My organization skills worked well here, or one might say manipulation, while I barked orders at the guys to take turns pulling.  When it became obvious that I should pull some of the weight, I sprinted ahead to take my pull.  We picked up one other rider, and now our group was 6.  This was so much fun to be in such a fast moving train passing single riders like they were standing still. I have been that solo person out there,  many times before and have wondered what was going on. I think I just figured it out!  Drafting is amazing!

A big mistake came next though.  As we approached a corner, I saw flagging on the right.  Not knowing the course, I mistakenly thought that this was a course marking alerting us of a turn.  I slowed into the corner and the entire group whizzed by me.  UGH!!!  My legs felt good so I tried to pick it up and catch them.  They disappeared so fast, it was crazy.  Again, the same guy in red, white and yellow comes along side me and I was so happy to see him there. He fell off the back with me and I apologized for my mistake.  He was silent, probably irritated with me for my error but responded by riding fast away from me. " Lets go get them" I said, and made sure to stay right on his wheel.  I was not going anywhere, and this guy was just going to have to deal with me.

We hammered this double track road.  I would love to know how fast we were going because it felt smoking fast.... and so much fun!  Unfortunately, we were unable to reconnect with that group, but I think we gave it a pretty good effort.

We arrived at the four corners and I recognized this as the beginning of the descent into town.  I say to this guy, " This is where the fun begins, have a great time!"  I expect to not see him again until the finish, but was surprised to see him stopped at the aid station half way down the trail.  I encouraged him to come along as I continued on.  I knew that I was in first place, but I had expected Fernanda to be catching up to me on this descent. 

The trail was really dry, and loose with some tight switchbacks.  Unable to pre-ride the course ahead of time, I really felt uneasy and insecure.  A couple guys came upon me really quickly and without warning tried to pass me.  I nearly crashed into a tree, but managed to pull out of it.  This rattled me for sure and I told myself to just ride safe and steady.  There were a lot of people on the trail right there cheering me on as I felt myself just crawling down.  Ashland is a hot spot for downhill biking, so there were lots of jumps and rocks to navigate.  I absolutely loved my bike for the climb and the contour road, but now I was dreaming of full suspension.  My fanny took some big hits as I rolled down the rock garden, and over the rutted out parts of the trail, however this section was short and before I knew it  was upon the finish line.  Honestly, I was shocked to be finished so soon and even questioned the marshals if this was truly the finish.  It seemed like the trails had just begun and I wanted more!  I quickly got over it though, and rode down to the park to relieve the babysitter. 

Corvallis Girls!  Vonda Dirkson, Molly McGraw and Lizzy Gruber

We all headed back up the road to the finish area where they would have the kids race.  They changed the venue this year which was kind of a bummer.  The kids race was cut short and the awards were on the dusty ground instead of the lush green grass of the amphitheatre.  Nothing comes in between the fun of a great group of mountain bikers and an incredible race promoter.  We all hung around, chatted in the sun and filled our bellies with food.  A highlight of my day happened here when Jonathan Pierce from Team Sappo Hill approached me and asked if I was the one who writes the TriFitFamily blog!  Blown away, that someone other than my family and friends are reading my blog, and he says that he really enjoys it!  I just checked out his blog and it is pretty darn cool too.  Very similar in the sense that our lives are sweetened by the joy of family, friends and BIKES!!!  Check out his blog@ www. residualsugar.blogspot.com

The day ended so well.  Trevor placed 1st in his Cat 1 45+, and I managed to come in 1st overall woman!  Pretty exciting, although there were only 6 Cat 1 women that showed up for this race. 
Even more exciting than coming in first was the fact that I was only 8 minutes behind Trevor!  He was the first to point this out, and gave me big props. I must be getting faster if I am only 8 minutes behind my stud of a husband!

Really though, I owe this win to that guy in red, white and yellow who allowed me to force myself upon him and not let go.  Seriously, thank you.

We went back to Emigrant lake and enjoyed an amazing sunset upon our hilltop campsite.  We ate a yummy beef taco dinner, then strolled down to the lake.  The boys enjoyed flying their foam model airplanes for what seemed like hours.  Other than Lego's, these simple model airplanes have been the best toys for my boys.  Hours and hours of entertainment.  When mom and dad need a break from kicking the soccer ball, throwing the football or running around playing chase, the airplane steps in and we get to SIT!

Sunday, Trevor met up with some friends to ride the trails near Talent and the boys and I spent the day on the trails watching the downhill race.  I cringed as we witnessed riders flinging themselves off of jumps, and into trees.  Keller on the other hand, is totally inspired and is now wanting to be a downhill racer.  Yikes!

We met Trevor back in town in the afternoon and had lunch by the river in Lithia Park.  Homemade Sushi and hummus with fruit, and we were set to make the drive back to the Valley.

We can justify eating out once a week, and usually treat ourselves at the end of our weekend.  We stopped in Eugene at our favorite Thai restaurant The Ring of Fire and had an amazing meal.  We all had fun sharing stories from our weekend, and talked about the many fun adventures that still await us this summer.  My belly was full, and the food tasted amazing, but as I looked around at my dirty sun kissed family, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and contentment. 

Better than an after dinner candy was the toothpick!

We are so fortunate to have found this love of riding our bikes, of travel and of adventure and we all  enjoy doing these things together.  This coming week will be 5 weekends in a row of travel, and I don't think any of us are tired of it yet.  Rather than being an energy drain, this is actually filling us up.  I look at my two sons and at my husband and I can see on their faces that they feel exactly the way I do.  This is our connection.

Keller intently listens to the end of The Wizard of Oz

This weekend we head to Sisters, Oregon for the Sister's Stampede XC.


residual sugar

Mother's Day and the Cascade Chainbreaker

Our packing is becoming more efficient each week.  I actually had the boys and my own clothes packed by Wednesday as I washed the ones from last weekend and then just re-packed them into our duffel's.   Having the clothing and bedding taken care of, I had more time to prepare our food for the weekend.

 I marinated and cooked chicken drumsticks the day before so we could stop half-way to Bend and picnic on cold teriyaki chicken and homemade potato salad.  I washed and chopped veggies for Saturdays breakfast scramble, and made a large spelt-berry salad for lunch.  We eat good.  And I don't think I forgot anything this time!!!  We even had maple syrup and fresh strawberries for our Sunday oatmeal breakfast!

Our pit stop.  Picnic dinner in the snow park.

Two boys and a balloon.  What more do you need?

We arrived at Tumalo State Park at about 8pm on Friday night and were surprised at how full the campground was already.  We found a great site with plenty of large boulders for the kids to play hide-and seek, but boy was it dusty.  Alleck had fun playing Star Wars in the boulders and Keller kept himself busy chopping firewood.

Our campsite at Tumalo State Park

We woke after a good nights sleep, and enjoyed lounging around the camp.  We walked around the campground and scoped out the "best" sites for when we return later in the summer.

We made our way to the race site at about 1, and I pre-rode the course with a couple guys from Team Dirt while Trevor pre-rode the kids course with the boys.  My high school friend Shawn Blount and her two girls came to meet us at the course and rode a bit with us too.  Super fun to see the kids excited to get dirty!

Trevor has been dealing with a pinched nerve in his back/ shoulder area and realized in riding with the kids that racing would not be a good idea.  He struggled with  this decision though, as he loves to race his bike and the Chainbreaker course is one of his favorites.  After a restless night of sleep, and with the sharp electric pain running down his arm, he concluded that he should rest on Sunday and enjoy the race as a spectator.  This worked out well for me, because he and the kids were cheering loudly "go mama!!!"  every time I came into the spectator zone and he was even able to take some good photos and video. 

Kisses from the kids before the race.  I love how we are all in Orange and Black!

This race was awesome.  I come away from it with a huge smile on my face and a boost of confidence.  From the start, I felt strong. At the gun, I jumped out of my seat, and once I found the proper gear, I worked to grab the wheel of Meagan Chinburg who was on the wheel of Alice Pennington, who was on the wheel of Beth Ann Orton, who was on the wheel of Sue Butler.  I was in the LEAD train, heading up a gravel road and I was drafting!!!  This is what I have been trying to figure out since my first Cat 1 race two years ago when I was left in the dust as all the fast girls disappeared.  I must admit that this was a VERY exciting place to be and I did my best to hang on.

A few yards from the trail head Alice attacked to get behind Sue heading onto the double track.  As we made the left turn, Meagan looked over her shoulder at me, and pulled off to the side to let me by.  This took me by surprise, as Meagan is pretty damn fast so I was not quite expecting that.  Now the pack was down to four with Sue leading Alice, then Beth Anne, and then Me. Yes I was there!  I think I will forever remember that feeling of utter joy and excitement at being able to ride with and watch Sue Butler and Alice Pennington as we all bombed the first descent of the day.  Two of Oregon's most accomplished mountain bikers that I have until now only seen before and after a race, NEVER during!

 We all came into the spectator zone together following the 3.5 mile start loop and began the section of the course that I think of as a "carnival." Its so fun, with lots of winding up and down and all around and is flagged off with colorful ribbons.  Riders everywhere and spectators too, ringing cowbells and cheering loudly.  I was excited to come into this zone, knowing Trevor and the boys were there waiting for me.  I felt so proud, like a kid really, as I was tempted to yell to Trevor "Look at me honey!  I'm riding with the fast girls!!"  He tells me later that he felt just as excited as I was, to see me ride like that.  That feels good :)

Well, that moment of glory was short lived, but I tell you it still feels good.  I love mountain biking and triathlon for this.  There are SO MANY things to work on all the time.  So many areas to improve upon.  For me, the confident "endurance" athlete, speed and sprint work has been a new venture.  My body is very comfortable finding a pace and sticking with it for a very long time, never reaching the lactic state.  XC mountain bike racing is about being able to stay lactic for a while, then recover a bit, get lactic again, recover a bit..... and on and on.  When I first began racing this was completely untouched territory for me, and quite honestly pretty scary.    Thanks to Karen DeWolfe and the HOTV runners track workouts, I am now learning how to feel the pain!  Interval and speed workouts have really helped me to get comfortable with pain.  Sometimes pain= pleasure and in this sense I would have to agree. 

As I fell off the back of that lead group, I just settled into my own pace.  I spent the bulk of the race just trying to maintain my place, knowing there were plenty of fast girls out there trying to chase me down.

I came across the finish line, and was so happy.  I was the 4th overall woman, and 1st Cat 1.  I was quick to share the excitement with Alice and Beth Ann at the finish and had Trevor snap a photo.  I love the XC race scene.  We are all, of course laying it all down out there on the course, but as soon as we cross that line, its all about laughter and conversation.  I love sharing these race experiences with my teammates and fellow competitors.  Its such a great community.

Three KONA girls.  Alice Pennington, Me and Beth Ann Orton

Alleck and Keller on the start line

The best way to spend Mother's Day was watching my boys navigate the "carnival" during their race.  This is really the only kids race of the series that actually takes place on the adult course.  My kids have been looking forward to this all year!  It is a joyful time, watching these kids with huge smiles on their faces challenging themselves by riding up hills and down rocks and over logs.  What a treat!  Again, the boys were beaming, and Alleck just could not stop recounting his race experience to anyone who would listen.  It felt so good to see so many of our teammates out there offering cheers and words of encouragement to my kids.  Really, I had tears in my eyes from the beginning.  Just incredibly happy.

So that about sums it up.  Another fabulous weekend full of fun, family and friends.

We head out Friday for the Spring Thaw race in Ashland!

Coast Hills Classic XC Race

We arrived Newport on Saturday afternoon in time to get a look at the course and to spend some time on the beach.  The weather was perfect with clear and calm skies.  We set up our camp at South beach Campground and I pre-rode the course with Mike Ripley.  With tired legs, I rode slowly and enjoyed the views of the Bay and the Ocean and took in the fresh ocean air.

The Coast Hill's classic was revived this weekend after taking a 10 year or so break from the Oregon Mtn Bike series.  Trevor raced this course back in the 90's,  and was excited to see it come back.  He hung on the beach with the boys while I rode the course.  We met back at camp for dinner and a nice game of soccer in the field by our camp.  We ran down to the beach just in time to catch the sunset and enjoyed hanging out watching the rise of the super moon!

We hung out in this very well made bunker and enjoyed the sunset

There is something about the ocean that makes little boys incredibly happy

We welcomed the morning at 7, and packed up and drove to the race site which was only a half mile away. We prepared our breakfast and coffee on the sidewalk alongside other car loads of eager racers.  I love this kind of scene!   The sun was bright, but there was a definite chill in the air.  The energy was awesome, as the Newport locals were so welcoming and excited to host this event.

The race started at 10, which seemed a bit early.  It was a rush to eat breakfast and clean up in time to prepare to race.  Of course, we were late again and probably got maybe a 10 minute warm up, on a full belly.  Not good.

Mat Signoretty lined up in the middle of the pro's who all took note of the new blood in town!
It was fun to have him come all the way down from Samamish, Washington to participate in this race!

The start of the race went up a gravel climb to the first trail, and was very short.  We all knew that we needed to start fast to get a good position on the trail.  I settled in behind Karen and Jill who I know are great technical riders and followed them down the first trail.  I was hurting from the beginning.  My legs were tired and my breathing erratic.  I learned here that I MUST eat at least 3 hours before a race.  I felt my breakfast climb out of my stomach and into my throat, and wanted badly to let go of it.  Not until I began the 2nd lap did I start to feel somewhat normal.  My breakfast seemed to have digested a bit and I no longer had that throw-uppy feeling.  BUT, I was tired.  This course was only 20 miles, so it was fast and there really was not time to relax.  I ran scared the entire time feeling like the other girls were right behind me. 

It was a fast and furious race.  I finished 3rd overall, and could not have been happier to be done.  My legs were toast, but I was happy that I was able to push through.

Such a fancy trophy!

Thanks to some incredible donors, I left with a little bit of money, some new riding glasses and a very cool trophy.

Trevor finished a strong 10th overall, although he is dealing with shoulder pain that gave him grief the whole race.  He's one tough cookie though, slinging rocks all week at work, then still has the energy to ride his bike.

Trevor flashing his toothy grin

The best part of the day of course was the kids race.  Both the boys were all smiles, as they looped around the course to the ring of cowbells and the encouragement of family and friends.

Alleck is on a mission, bearing his race face

Keller was so cute in his Team Dirt kit.  All smiles the whole race.  He's joyful

We left Newport feeling good. We were able to spend time with old friends, made some new ones and acquired quite a bit of swag.  Thanks to the organizers who put on a great event.  We'll be quick to come back next year!

Bellies full of pizza, we soaked in the sun and won some pretty cool raffle prizes!

The end of a very good day!

Next week, we are off to Bend for the Cascade Chainbreaker!

Bear Springs Trap CX mtn bike race

This past weekend the family and I ventured up to Mt. Hood for the 3rd Obra mtn bike series race, The Bear Springs trap.  The kids had been looking forward to this first family camping trip for weeks and were eager to help pack.  We absolutely love our Volkswagon Eurovan for these adventures.  The kids snuggled in to the back with their pile of Garfield books and we were off.

Berry Milkshakes from Dairy Queen was a fun treat!

We arrived just as friends Jesse Coombs and Jeremy Andreson were returning from a pre-ride of the course.  Jesse filled us in on what to expect on race day and the kids worked at collecting kindling for our fire.

Spaghetti Dinner in the Van

We sat by the fire, laughing and telling stories until after 10, then we all turned in.  I slept so well, even though temperatures got down to the low 30's that night.  The van is a BIG step up from our days spent tent camping.  It is so nice to wake up rested after a night of camping.

Of course the morning is filled with all sorts of preparations before the race start. Trevor and I often don't get much of a warm up before races as we are tending to the kids, and making sure they have everything they need while we are gone.  Alleck was so cute, as we walked back from the bathroom he grabbed my hand and said, "I just can't wait to see you race"  " I love watching you race".  That just made me feel so good inside, and I made sure to let him know how much I love having him there with us.

 I was able to ride up the road, and down one section of trail for a total of about a 15 minute warm up tops.  By the time I made it down to the start, the race director was well into his pre-race briefing.  There was a lot of chatter going on, as this event has a long history of not being very well marked.  Last year a group that I was with took a wrong turn and ended up at least 2 miles off course.   We all hoped that this year would be different.

I was so happy to see that so many women showed up for this event.  The start line had quite a nice group of Pro/ Cat 1 women, 19 of us!

The start was fun.  Up a paved road which turned right up the first trail and climb.  This was right where the boys were set up, so I made sure to give them a thumbs up and a loud holler.

I made it up the first climb, mostly because I went to the far right avoiding a pile up along the main line. I was happy to keep my momentum and let my big wheels do their job.

I was quickly reminded of how technical this course was.  Lots of roots and rocks and a fair amount of climbing.  I was so happy that I was racing with the Shower's Pass Veleau system, as this made fueling so much easier.  I was able to get down 42ounces of Hammer Heed and an entire flask of Hammer Gel. 

I found myself riding stuff that I remember only a year ago that I would not have.  I think this is due to the 29 inch wheels, but also I am becoming a better bike handler!  It feels so good to be confident while riding a trail like this.  My ease and comfort allowed me the opportunity to really take in my surroundings.  This place is beautiful, and the smells were amazing. I just love being in the forest!

Happy to finish!  Keller plays photographer

I made sure to keep my wits about me in case I got off course.  This did happen 3 times, but luckily I was pretty quick to realize my mistake and get back on track.  Although I did not lose my place, I'm sure I lost a few minutes with these little detours.  Each time I got off course, it was a bit harder to get back into a rhythm.  Its a bit frustrating to be riding so well, and then get confused about where to go.  I enjoyed the company I picked up along the way though, and ended up riding the last 10 miles or so with Jim Thorton, the guy responsible for these amazing trails. It was fun to hear the history of the trails in that area, and to have Jim to navigate us back to the finish line. At the last aid station, he made sure I was aware that we had a bit of a climb to get back to the finish, so to grab some water if I needed.  I had already drained my Veleau, so I stopped and downed 2 cups of whatever they had available. 

I was welcomed to the finish line by my family and with Trevor congratulating me on my 3rd place finish.  I think he is always so happy to see me cross that finish line in one piece.  This course was so technical, that its hard not to worry a little bit about each other.  But we both made it with huge smiles on our faces.  Trevor had a great race. Not exactly the nice and relaxing last 10 miles that I had.  He ended his race with a full on sprint with two other guys in his category to end up 5th.

Keller, likes to play team manager and prepared a recovery water bottle for both Trevor and I to drink as we crossed the line.  Our favorite concoction of 2 scoops of Hammer Recoverite, Nancy's Yogurt and water.  Yum!

The day was not complete without taking the boys out on the trails.  They had been riding the same trail over and over while we raced and were excited to see what else was out there. By the time we returned from our ride, the camp had cleared and we were the last ones to leave.  Dirty and happy were were off to find some burgers!

I just love my smart phone!  We found the neatest place to stop for burgers.  The Stone Cliff Inn Restaurant and bar.  We enjoyed yummy burgers on the deck overlooking the Clackamas River then explored the climbing park behind the restaurant.  Huge rock faces and boulders that is a hot spot for Portland rock climbers.  This place was so cool!  Oh, and another tidbit.  Apparently the movie Twilight was filmed here!

The Stone Cliff Inn

Walking off our dinner at the bouldering walls

stonecliffinn.com