Trail Riding

Andrea

Day 9- Tourist Day

Tuesday, I took a day off the bike. Ryan and I decided to indulge in some of the local tourist fare. Amazingly enough, he’d suggested going horseback riding. If you’re just now joining us here at The Blog, you should know that I used to be pretty damn good at riding horses. However, I’d never suggested the vacation trail ride since Ryan (according to his own account) “might have ridden once as a kid.” So, when he said something about going for a ride, I jumped on the opportunity.

On a related note, I’d like to officially thank Mitt Romney for being so obnoxiously, controversially rich, that NBC see it fit to show the Olympic Dressage competition in a stretch for ratings. I was getting sick of swimming, gymnastics, and beach volleyball. I digress.

Amanda suggested Linn Canyon Ranch. I signed us up for the 3 hour lunchtime tail ride. When we arrived, we met Melissa, our guide, and Ashley and Roscoe, the horses. The ride was a gorgeous trip on BLM land through Aspen groves (some of them had to be hundreds of years old), pine trees, and open meadows. Other than Ryan’s horse (Ashley) taking him off-road through some bushes on several occasions, everything went swimmingly. After lunch, we swapped horses for the ride back, though Ashley was wise to my experience within the first few minutes and never went bush-surfing.

Afterward, we ventured over Teton Pass to Jackson and checked the Aerial Tram to the top of Mt. Rendezvous. Tourist trap? Sure. Scenic? Incredibly so…

 

Andrea

Day 8- More Recovery

Monday was another laid back day.

After laying around and watching some Olympics, we went to late breakfast at the Teton Waters Ranch restaurant (they sell some amazing grass-fed beef there, too). Then, we followed that up with more laying around and watching Olympics while killing time before the tour at one of the local breweries.

 

After a little more snacking and laying around, we took off to explore some more of the local trails. I think I’m still dragging ass a little from racing on Saturday, but the scenery was worth it

 

Andrea

Day 5- Pierre’s Hole Pre-Race

The day before a race is always a mix of nerves and recovery.

Friday morning, after a few cups of coffee, I took the Enve wheels off of the singlespeed and readied the Jet for its first endurance race. The decision to ride that bike hinged mostly on the descents in the PH race loop- one 20 minute long downhill from the Targhee Ski Resort to the valley floor and multiple other fast, sweeping ski hill trails. The full suspension provided an extra band-aid for my unfamiliarity with prolonged high-speed descending.

After a quick spin (I found a pump track!!!!) and bike wash, Amanda and I drove down to Moose Creek, an ice-cold stream fueled by snowmelt. It’s colder than any icebath I’ve ever had back home. Then, lots of relaxing with podium legs, dinner, and Maddie the dog…

Andrea

Roadtrip Days 3 and 4

Yesterday and today, my riding included a healthy portion of the Pierre’s Hole loop.

I’d previously been highly undecided as to whether I’d race the 50 or the 100 mile version of the race. Other than Amanda, the NUE-bound contingent at this one is thin. Not that I ever think a podium is inevitable, but the chances are better than usual for me. After a slow start to my NUE season, the points and press from a podium finish would be really helpful. The press, especially. Getting a mention in Cyclingdirt or Cyclingnews is always a nice ego boost.

However, looking ahead (and back, for that matter), my focus is the Breck Epic, which starts on the 12th. With my recent periodic bouts of difficulty in recovering from hard racing/training, the prospect of recovering at altitude from 100 miles of racing at altitude is a risk that could leave me starting a 6 day stage race with some leftover fatigue.

I made my decision while I was riding the singlespeed on Wednesday. Fifty miles, full suspension bike. Focus =self preservation for Breck Epic. I’ve learned in yoga class to not let ego take control and jeopardize well-being. Turns out, this can apply to bike racing as well (instructor Debbie is gonna love reading this one).

The course is a 25 mile loop based from the Grand Targhee resort. It’s beautiful, though I’ve figured out that I have little to no skill at negotiating the steep, groomed 180 degree switchback turns in the downhill direction. Those don’t exist in any place I’ve ever ridden (save the Super D course at Winter Park two years ago), so I just don’t have enough trust in the relationship between my front tire and the berms to maintain mach speed through them. I foresee a local person or two yelling at me on Saturday when I brake like mad and roll around them nice & slow.

Today, I rode the Jet. I’ve always thought it was fun, but I’ve never really pushed its limits. I probably didn’t on today’s ride, but I got a lot closer than my previous rides around Memphis. That bike lives for courses like this one. The PH50 might as well be billed as a Marathon super-D race. I’m excited.

Also today, there was a wildfire somewhere in the area. When I left for my ride, the entire valley was filled with smoke. Kinda reminded me of the summer haze back in Memphis…

Andrea

Oops

As I mentioned in my Ouachita report, I have three injured fingers- a sprained middle one on the right hand, and a sprained/broken middle and sprained index on the left. The most painful, colorful, and most sausage-like one is definitely the index finger.

Following the race, Fullface Kenny texted me for a race update. The conversation went like this (I wanted to take a screenshot, but I just figured out that my phone doesn’t do that without downloading an app):

FFK: Finished Yet?
Me: Yeah. 3rd after a flat and a bad wreck
FFK: You OK after the wreck?
Me: I may have broken my hand
FFK: Minor details :)
FFK: A broken hand X-Ray is worth some free beer

So, the next morning, I went to the Minor Med place to get checked out, and was given the aforementioned diagnosis and fitted with some finger splints:

 

Surprisingly enough, I can still do prettymuch everything I need to do at work, with the exception of adjusting hubs and truing wheels… the little arms of the splints get caught up on the spokes. Also, I occasionally have to use a screwdriver to open up a tight quick release. I did get called Edward Scissorhands when I was trying to re-wrap an old gripshift cable.

Tuesday, I noticed that my middle finger is not healing straight. My days as a hand model are officially over.

 

Wednesday, Kenny kept with his promise, and I found this in the mailbox:

 

The healing process is slow. I can work or ride a little without my fingers splinted, but they start to get sore after a couple of hours. It’s going to be an indefinite amount of time before I can ride my road bike since I can’t operate the front brake right now. Luckily, I can still operate my mountain bike with no issues, so my training doesn’t have to take a break for healing.

Hopefully, the ortho will have a positive prognosis when I visit on Monday. I’ll update then.

 

 

Andrea

Blogger Shenanigans

You may remember my post-SouthernX trip to the Southeastern Bike Expo a few weeks ago.

In my early-Sunday morning attempt to pack my bags without disturbing Dicky’s hangover by using the hotel room lights, I accidentally packed his Bike29 shirt in with my stuff. I let him know that I’d send it back to him, washed and unharmed, but that I’d likely corrupt it otherwise prior to sending it back.

#1: cat bed

 

#2: I can’t post it here. It involved a large, purple rubber object that a former teammate of mine found on the side of the road. Use your imagination.

 

#3: Poolboy Matt loin cloth

 

#4: Turbo shirt

 

#5a: also not postable here. It involved me wearing the shirt in a manner that Dicky thought may stretch it out in a way that doesn’t conform to his body.

 

#5b: the finale… wet T-shirt contest. Miller High Life was involved (photo courtesy of Ryan)

 

With the shirt now thoroughly corrupted, it’s currently in the washing machine. I’ll ship it back this week… unless, of course, someone comments with any more shirt-corrupting ideas.

 

Andrea

1st World Dilemma

Next weekend, I’ll be traveling out to Hot Springs Rockansas for the Spa City 6hr and a hearty Ouachita/Womble trail ride on Sunday . I was planning on showing off my fancy new Air 9 RDO that was going to ship out earlier this week. For reasons probably involving the Chinese New Year, the black paint-matched suspension forks on the black RDO bikes aren’t in stock, and that hasn’t happened.

So, now I’m left with two bikes full of options…

I’ve got my singlespeed. It’s rigid. I rode rigid (on my geared bike) last year and the rough, rocky tread beat the everliving snot out of me. The entire time I was racing/Sunday trail riding, I was wondering WTF I had been thinking when I’d made the decision to NOT use a suspension fork. Of course, bike racing is apparently much like what some women say about pregnancy and childbirth- for some stupid reason, despite the amount of pain I know I experienced, despite the conviction with which I’ve stated, “I never want to do that again,” I’m considering doing it again.
Of course, that route is not without its own hiccups. One of my beloved Formula R1 brakes crapped out on me at Syllamo earlier this month, and I just got around to investigating it on Wednesday. Formula wants the brake back to fix it. To tide me over, I installed the Avid XX brakes I’d pulled off of the geared A9C when it sold. The thing about those brakes is that one of them blew a seal a while back. Avid warrantied the brake with a 2012 model. I noticed Thursday that the replacement has very little power, makes a vague, squishy noise at the lever, and honks like the pads are fatally fouled. I should be able to make it work, but the XX brakes have been reliably unreliable enough that I’m not 100% comfortable with using them for a big weekend.

I also have the Jet9 RDO. Everything on it works. I love the bike, but I don’t feel as though I’m as fast on it as I would be on the singlespeed.

Then, there are the combo options:
-Put the suspension fork and/or brakes from the Jet9 onto the Singlespeed. Diva dilemma: I wouldn’t have a handlebar-mounted lockout, which is something I use constantly when I singlespeed.
-Use some more of my pull-off XX parts to make the singlespeed a 1×10 AND add a suspension fork. Possibly fun, definitely lots of work.
-Call Mike Stanley (Best Niner Rep in the World) frantically on Sunday afternoon and ask him to change my order to a green bike, which, hopefully, aren’t bound in limbo by the lack of black fork availability.

I have a hard time making up my mind on things like this and would probably end up deciding sometime around Thursday and having to rush and scramble. What I’d rather do is follow the wishes of the Almighty Blog Audience that includes you, the person reading this post right now. Comment your wishes either below, on Facebook (see link in the right sidebar), or on  Twitter (link also in the right sidebar).

GO!

Andrea

For Sale: Rotor Singlespeed Q-Ring- $90

If you’ve ever wondered about Rotor rings, here’s their information: http://www.rotorbikeusa.com/science.html
In my educated opinion, the research sounds plausible. To dispel the myths ahead of time, these are NOT re-visited “biopace” chainrings, nor does it require the use of a chain tensioner.

I tried this out last year and decided that I prefer a round chainring- mostly because the larger diameter section of the Q-Ring would not clear my A9C frame unless the EBB was set in the most forward position. I felt that the Q-Ring shape was most beneficial on flats where I was almost spun out- I definitely noticed that my heart rate was lower than when almost spun out on a round ring. I only used it for a couple of months, so it’s in very good condition.

This is the non-ramped singlespeed version- 34t/104bcd. Retail is $135

 

Andrea

101 Bits of Life Advice- Addendum

The stuff we eat while we ride is horrible for our teeth (this includes you, Mr. “I eat real food.”)  Turns out, no matter WHAT you eat, if it includes sugar, and you consume it while your mouth is relatively dry, your teeth will suffer. So, this morning, I went to the dentist for a crown. They asked me if I wanted to pay $30 extra for gas, and, while I’m not particularly bothered by dental work, I agreed to it… just for giggles. The receptionist looked very uncomfortable when she asked if I didn’t mind the charge, and I commented, “not at all- most drugs cost more than that.”

I suppose my wit is not always appreciated.

Fast forward a little- I’m laid back in the Chair, nitrous taking effect, and I begin reading the “101 things to do in life” poster on the ceiling above the Chair. It included things like “leave the toilet seat down,” “send lots of valentines day cards,” “never refuse home-made brownies,” and “call your mother.” Through the expertise I’ve gained from watching the TV show Criminal Minds, I gather that the author of the poster is a slightly overweight, single, middle-aged white woman who either didn’t get along with her mother at one point or has a child that never calls.

I digress.

I think she left some valuable words of advice off of the list.

-Don’t let this (your time in the dentist’s chair) be the only time you’ve experienced mind altering drugs.
-Try yoga. You don’t have to be athletic, flexible, strong, skinny, or anything else of the sort. In fact, the worse shape you’re in, the more you’re likely to benefit. (I’m looking at you, MOM)
-Most people are jerks. Some just do a better job at hiding it.

I’m somewhat certain that I had more of these in my head while I was laying there and being subjected to various drills, impressions, and suctions, but those are the highlights.

On a totally unrelated note, I sold my geared Air9 Carbon frame and fork. If you’ve been around the internet at all lately, you’ll know why. It was ordered on Valentine’s Day- a sure-fire reminder that carbon fiber is far superior to any precious metal/gemstone conglomeration. I’ve been told it should be on its way sometime soon after the Southern Cross/Southeastern Bike Expo weekend. I can’t wait to stare at it.

Lastly, in other “taking care of your significant other” news, I’m going to be coaching Ryan. Yes, I have a coach of my own, but it’s really going to be less like coaching and more like “educated training advice.” Time will tell how well I do and how well he follows instructions.

Andrea

Syllamo Training Camp 2012- Non-Solo Days

When we last spoke, Ryan had arrived at the cabin to break Ozark solitude. We watched Gold Rush and mused over how shows on TLC (a.k.a. the LEARNING channel) used to actually be educational and not just a reality TV wolf in “educational” sheep’s clothing.

Unfortunately, rained moved in Friday morning. We slept in a little, I found a yoga video on Youtube to follow, and we finally made our way out to ride forest roads in the afternoon. Not long into our ride, we started half-wheeling each other on climbs. As tired as I was from the 4 hours of rock fights the day before, our ride soon devolved into full-blown singlespeed hill-climbing fights. 2.5 hours later, we coasted back in to trailhead parking lot- exhausted, cold, and covered in gravel road mud/sand. Short, sweet, and to the point.

Friday night, Kenny showed up. Saturday, he rode singlespeed with us (his first time to ditch gears at Syllamo), and generally kicked ass and looked like he’d been singlespeeding all his life.

(P.S. Yes, Kenny wears a full-face helmet. He broke his face pretty bad once, and he’s trying to avoid a repeat performance.)

The cold weather froze a lot of the springs that normally keep some sections of trail damp. That, combined with the dry air and sunshine, made for perfect riding conditions.

Ryan, who was beaten up from both the previous day’s climbing and his general downtick in recent training volume, went back to the cabin after 3 hours while Kenny and I continued on for two more.

Somewhere in the last two hours, I noticed that I was occasionally bottoming out my front rim on sharp trail spots. I’d been experimenting with lower pressures on an Ardent 2.4, and figured I’d just gone too low when I’d let a little air out earlier. Turns out, I was running 7psi (as measured by the Topeak digital pressure gauge). I hadn’t been bumping the rim immediately after the prior air-letting, so I attribute the somewhat sudden squishiness to a sealed-over puncture.

Also in the last two hours, I started to get what I call “stage race legs.” It’s the phenomenon that occurs when you should be getting more tired, but instead, you start feeling more like a Honey Badger. It makes you feel like a sponge for training.

Dinner from Tommy’s Famous pizza (best restaurant in Mountain View) was even more delicious than usual.

Sunday morning, I found the extra brain-rotting reality TV show about Bam Maragera getting married. As obnoxious as Bam Margera and MTV are, I can’t help but relate to some of the shenanigans.

I digress.

After breakfast, Kenny and I went out for another couple of hours on the Green and Orange trails (Ryan was still feeling some back tightness, so he stayed home). I figured out that 14psi is the perfect tire pressure for an Ardent 2.4. I also realized that I’m not as slow descending on a rigid fork as I’d originally thought I was. My legs felt destroyed, so up every climb, I thought about the Breck Epic, and realized that under the layers of pain left over from 4 days of riding, my legs were stronger than ever.

Five days in Arkansas won’t be nearly as gnarly as 6 days in the Rockies.
(shameless plea/side note- the entry fee/camping fee/food fee of the Breck Epic will be slightly upwards of $1500. If you feel as though you’d be entertained by my Colorado shenanigans, feel free to send a few bucks my way on Paypal)

Riding with friends is equally as entertaining as riding solo.

Training camp 2012 was a smashing success, and I rolled back home to Memphis feeling both tired and awesome. After a little recovery time, training ramps back up for the lead-in to Southern Cross, which seems to have appeared suddenly on the race horizon in the past couple of days. Time to lay off the beer and cookies and start getting serious. Or something.