Endurance Hour #20, ITU WTS San Diego and Erin Kummer 5/16/2012

This past week, I had the opportunity to be a guest on Timex teammate, Dave Erickson's Endurance Hour! Click on the link below to visit his site and listen to his #20 show about a variety of race reports from last weekend and a little interview with yours truly - my section begins around minute 33!

http://www.swimbikerunvideos.com/endurance-hour-20-itu-wts-san-diego-and-erin-kummer/

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My Favorite Boys of Boulder 5/14/2012

For the first time this Spring, it was a bit cold, damp and rainy in Boulder so Bryce and I took our chances of driving north to check out the Gowdy Grinder MTB course in Laramie, WY. We completely lucked out and enjoyed clear blue skies and rockin' trails. I'm so glad we went up there to pre-ride the course because I totally forgot how technical it is up there. Knowing the right lines on this course will no doubt save LOTS of time during the race :)


Sunday brought the same cooler temps but without the precipitation. However, that meant it was time to go play on Betasso...it's usually bone dry and super slippery so hitting it right after a rain storm makes for prime conditions. We dragged Tom and Tony Torrance out of bed and ended up having a great ride up the Link Trail and around Betasso.


Both Torrances have been on the injured list for the past couple months (Tom had shoulder surgery and Tony tweaked his knee) and they recently both got the clear to get back on the dirt bikes. We hadn't attempted to fit 3 motos in the new van yet and luckily everything went super smoothly.


We were definitely a bit embarrassed to put the old Yamaha on the back so people could see it, but we figured the tinted windows were dark enough where people couldn't tell it was us if they drove by :) Hehe. On a positive note, we were able to get 4 dirt bikes, 4 sets of gear, and 4 people in the van without any problems! Bam.


Tom honestly hadn't been on his dirt bike since last August and we were all impressed at how well it came back. We rode around the grass tracks at the back of Berthoud and even did a few timed laps. Bryce was also giving us great pointers on body position and corner technique which we all benefited from. After we got home, we cleaned up and made burgers on the grill to finish up a great weekend with my favorite boys of Boulder!

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Flora's First World Cup Win 5/9/2012

Our good friend, and soon to be new roommate, won her first World Cup triathlon this past weekend in Mexico. This is not only a huge accomplishment for her, it also secures her spot on the 2012 Olympic Team!!! How about them apples?!?


Since Flora was only home for one day in between races, we thought it would be appropriate to have a little celebratory BBQ for her first big win. Her wonderful boyfriend, Daimo, helped me organize the party. We had a great turnout with LOTS of good laughs. For dessert, I purchased a giant ice cream cake with a blank top and let Daimo do the customization...with supervision of course. It definitely wasn't G Rated, but it got the point across and in a pretty hilarious manner. The best part of the night was the cake presentation with the happy birthday song sung with the following lyrics - Happy Motherfuckin World Cup W to Flora, etc, etc, etc. Yes, there may have been a lot of beer, wine and bourbon involved :)


We are all so incredibly proud of Flora and cannot wait to watch her dominate in London this August!

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Re-group Weekend! 5/7/2012

Ever since the Voodoo Fire 44 mile MTB race, I've been feeling a bit tired and run down. I'm pretty sure it was a bit too much too soon, but I'm glad I did it and happy that I was able to see where my fitness stacked up against some of my main competition. However, I've already had 2 strikes with the Chronic Fatigue crap and I certainly do not need to be in any sort of peak fitness until this fall. So instead of racing or doing some sort of massive 7hr adventure (like our other friends did), we drove up to Vail to relax and get pampered by the Binghams. 


We did do a short moto ride at Wolcott on Saturday which was super fun. Then, instead of going back out for another loop, we ate cookies and soaked up some sun for 45min or so...just long enough to get nice and burnt...oops.


Sunday we decided to do the most chill MTB ride we've ever done and look for a trail that we were unable to find last time we rode in Eagle. 


We found 'Mike's Night Out' and enjoyed a super cruisy ride on squishy bikes. This was my first time out on the new XTR trail wheels and rear thru axle and I couldn't be happier with them. 


We finished off the trip the trip with a massively large pizza from Pazzo's then hit the road to drive through a crazy snow storm on the way home. I'm taking this upcoming week super easy as well and hopefully it will get me refreshed and ready to rumble for the Gowdy Grinder on May 20th. Since that race is only $15 to enter, everyone and their mother from Boulder comes and I need to be able to back up my trash talking with a little fitness :) 

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Retul Bike Fit & Saddle Study 5/5/2012

This past Thursday, I was offered an incredible opportunity to get a road bike fit and take part in a Fizik saddle study at the Retül's headquarters in Boulder, CO. Retül technology is a 3D bike fitting system designed for trained bike fitters to capture extremely comprehensive data as it relates to a rider's position on their bike. The system is so sophisticated that it can produce immediate reports with millimeter-accurate digitizing tools which help to provide riders with the most accurate and dynamic fit possible. In my opinion proper bike fit is one of the single most important factors for optimal performance and efficiency, injury prevention, and comfort on the bike, so there was no way I was passing this up!


The first part of the session began with a full body analysis to see if there were any funky nuances going on with my legs, hips, feet, etc. Leg length discrepancies are highly common and can really affect your efficiencies on the bike. As abnormal as I am, luckily, my legs happen to be the same length!




We then moved on to test my flexibility. Fizik recently launched an advertising campaign for their men's saddles called 'Find your inner animal'. After lots of testing, Fizik found that a male rider's flexibility lends itself to a particular saddle shape.


This 'Spine Concept' device measures your flexibility in 3 different levels. If you are not very flexible, you are considered a 'Bull', if you are extremely flexible, you are labeled a 'Snake' and if you're somewhere in the middle, you're categorized as a 'Chameleon'.



The purpose of the study was test out the three new women's Fizik prototype saddles that were designed based on the same flexibility standards as the men's product line.


Before we got started with the saddle study, we needed to make sure that I was properly fit on my new Litespeed Ci2. We went through the full 'Retul fit process' collecting every possible measurement and angle a bike fitter could ever want!


I had been riding in a pretty aggressive position (which is probably why I couldn't get comfortable), so we flipped my stem, moved my saddle slightly forward and straightened my saddle so that it was pointed one degree down instead of a degree up...I swear my level said it was flat when I set it up...my garage must be sloped :)
 

After getting my bike dialed, we proceeded to do a full spin scan which gives endless data about the workload, torque, etc on each leg during a normal spin cycle. We also added a shim to my right cleat to prevent a little pronation of my right knee.


The final protocol for the saddle test was to determine at which power output I was expending approximately 60% of my max effort. We went through a simulation similar to a lactate threshold test and found the appropriate wattage to use for the study.


The study itself was probably the easiest after all the initial setup. After the prototype saddle was secured in the proper position, I was re-attached to the Retül fitting system to gather the appropriate data then we performed another spin scan. I then did a 6 minute tempo effort at the pre-determined watts and my heart rate was measured and recorded every 30 seconds. We repeated this for each of the three saddles.


I wasn't particularly impressed with the various saddles but then again, I've never been able to use a seat without a cut out. Even if it's constructive criticism, I'm sure Fizik will be happy about it :) I cannot express how extremely thankful for the incredible opportunity and cannot thank Todd Carver enough for the new bike fit. I took the bike out Friday morning for a ride and it was a night and day difference!

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Champion System Cycling Clothing 5/2/2012

 

Not only does the design and color pop aesthetically, their proprietary flatlock stitching design really compliments the overall look of the gear while also giving it a more comfortable feel.


With all clothing companies, there are endless options when customizing cycling apparel. You have choices with fabrics, sleeve types, seam types, zipper lengths, form fits, etc. Whoever did the designing on the Timex's kits couldn't have read my mind more perfectly as to what would be the best options :)


Some of the other nice features are the built in tags and the three large pockets on the back of the jersey. I also have to give a huge applause to Champion System because they truly do offer a great 'women's specific' line of clothing with superb fits. You can instantly tell that the cuts were truly designed for women the second you put the apparel on. The jerseys fit snug in just the right places and the shorts are the perfect length! 

 Not everyone is a fan of bib cycling shorts but I honestly couldn't ride in anything else! It's definitely not the most convenient when you need to go to the bathroom (if you're a girl), but there's nothing worse than having the top of shorts digging into your tummy while you're riding.


One of the biggest concerns with bike shorts for most women is how tight the bottom seam fits around your quad/thigh region. The recent trend has been moving towards seamless legs and CS did a phenomenal job incorporating this in their products. The fit is much more flattering and so comfortable.


The silicon leg grippers help keep the shorts put so there is no cinching or riding up during all types of rides. This might be my most favorite piece of my entire kit!


The final great feature of the CS Razor Edge bib shorts is the mesh straps with the radio/ipod holder. The fit is just snug enough to keep everything in place but not too tight where it feels like your being squeezed into your shorts - trust me, I've had that feeling before! Overall, I'm really excited about our partnership with Champion System and really look forward to trying out all the great pieces they have designed for us. From various triathlon apparel to cyclocross skinsuits, we are going to be one good looking team representing a rockstar brand!

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The Typical Erin & Bryce Weekend 4/30/2012

I generally don't get much enjoyment racing my road bike but there are a few select races in the Spring time that contain significant dirt sections that are pretty fun to jump into. The Koppenberg is one of Boulder's classic races that is 5.5 mile loop with over 300ft of climbing per lap and a gnarly steep dirt hill that breaks up the field. I've raced it in the past and thought it would be a great way to start the weekend. Although I had to race in a category down, I still had a great time and got in a good workout. I got pipped on the line for the win but considering the sprint work I've done over the past 6 months, it wasn't a surprise. It was so great to see some old friends and faces and it got the blood flowing for the upcoming 5 hour ride to Nebraska.


We had to make a mad dash to Crawford, NE in order to get registered on time but we made it. We had some pizza and cookies for dinner then watched a moto movie in the van to get pumped up for the next day's race. It was quite chilly outside and we were worried it would be too cold in the van but it was actually really nice. The 6:45am rider's meeting came quickly and before we knew it, we were out racing. Bryce was having an amazing day until his chain broke after the 6th check. Super big bummer and the first ever mechanical DNF of his career. My day was a complete shit show with a variety of issues from crashes to getting stuck in mud holes to making a wrong turns, etc. I somehow made my way onto the A/B course because some crazy environmentalist lady took down the sign so my day was extended by an extra 2.5hrs of riding. I won't complain as it was a lot of fun trail, but I was a little unprepared and knew Bryce was going to freak out when I wasn't back on time. Regardless of the crappy results, we're both in one piece and still smiling - that's all that counts. There will be many more races to crush ass and take names :)

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Does your 29er need more wheel clearance? 4/26/2012

No matter how you look at it, the geometry of the 29er frame for smaller riders just isn't quite right. We battle with too high of a front end, little to no rear wheel clearance and several other misc issues.


After having major rear wheel clearance issues and going through a few different front derailleurs trying to solve the problem, I was still getting a bit of wheel rub. There was a small plastic tab on the backside of the derailleur that wasn't being used with this bike's cable routing so we just decided to cut it off.


Bryce used the dremel tool to cut the excess plastic away with compromising any integrity for a modified derailleur that added a solid half inch of clearance. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box :)

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Voodoo Fire MTB Race Report 4/24/2012

It's been quite a while since I've raced my bicycle, October 16th of last year to be exact, so I came into this race with absolutely no expectations. I have been riding since February but have only done 3 'real' workouts prior to coming down to Pueblo so finishing was honestly on the top of my list!


The race unfolded a little bit more spastic-ally than I would have hoped. The women's field started behind the 50+/60+/Singlespeed/Clydesdale men's classes so the first lap was absolute chaos. All the women struggled to get around the various packs and because it was extremely difficult to pass, we got very split up right off the bat.



The race was two 22 mile laps on very rocky/desert like terrain. I attempted this race last year but wasn't informed we would be riding on trails resembling broken dinner plates so I ran lightweight tires with minimal tire pressure - I triple flatted and walked my butt in for almost 2 hours! Luckily I learned from my mistake and ran heavy duty tires with sidewall protection and inflated my tires almost 4 psi more than I normally run. It took a while to get used to the rock hard tires (I did have a few stellar front wheel wash outs), but unlike many others, I didn't flat!!!


I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the fitness I had during the race. My average heart rate of 177 for 3hrs45min is definitely a sign that I have a lot more work to be be done before I hit any sort of peak, but compared to my competition, I wasn't too far off. The new Timex Cycle Trainer worked like a charm and gave me all the info I needed to get through the race - this is my all time favorite Timex product EVER! As with all races, I had lots of random hiccups - in a really bumpy section my seat slipped on the rails and went nose up so I had to stop, I didn't eat or drink nearly as much as I should have resulting in a massive bonk 7 miles from the finish and I forgot to take off my base layer before the start...it was in the mid 80s with zero shade the entire race :)

I was battling for 2nd and 3rd with Annie (age 51) almost the entire race, but really lost a lot of time on the last few miles with my big bonk. When I had to stop at the final aid station to rehydrate and stop seeing stars, that is when Rebecca came flying by (she had been struggling with 2 flats). After getting back on the bike, I eventually made my way to the finish in 4th overall for the day. As a whole, the race went 100 times better than I could have ever imagined - I wasn't kidding about just wanting to finish. It's a huge relief to know that I do have some fitness still lingering from year's past, but most importantly, it just feels good to be back out racing with all my close friends. The Colorado MTB crowd is one big family that is so supportive both on and off the race course and it's really hard being away from it with sickness and injury. I think I'm finally past my string of bad luck so I'm really looking forward to ripping it up for a full season this year. 2012, it's game time :)

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Let the mountain bike racing begin! 4/22/2012

After getting the van packed up with bicycles, coolers, gear, etc, we started the trip down to Pueblo Friday evening. Our friends, Ray and Emily, were super kind and let Bryce, Allen, Tony and myself crash at their place before Saturday's MTB race.


As usual, race morning came super early and it was a bit frantic trying to find a good breakfast place, get registered, park in the appropriate lot, etc.


Allen was the first to start so we did what we could to be sure he was ready to rock and roll. This was his first MTB race in many years so he was super excited!



I'm going to write a detailed race report this week but figured I'd show a few fun podium shots now. After a long and hard 44 miles of racing, I managed to slip into 3rd in the pro women and 4th overall for the day. With very little training, I'm really pleased how the day unfolded.


Bryce had a great race as well and finished 2nd in his class. He had a fun battle with the guy who won but had a little bonk at the end of the day which didn't allow him to hang on to that top position. Maybe he should start riding his bicycle 2 times a week instead of just once :)


Tony T finished 8th in his class and Allen rounded out the day with a 9th overall in the pro class in the full 66 mile race! 


Somehow we ended up bringing a bunch of champagne and beer back with us...I think Lynn and Derek had something to do with it! At any rate, it was so great to finally be back on the race scene and see all my favorite mountain bike friends. It's like a big family that never grows apart and it's something I honestly cannot live without :)

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GPS Run Trainer Demo in FoCo! 4/18/2012

My Timex teammate, Wendy Mader, coaches a running group every Wednesday night and thought it would be a great opportunity to have some avid runners try out the new GPS Run Trainer!


She couldn't have picked a better day and a better group of people. The first 10 people there were all incredibly interested in trying it out and unfortunately we ran out before everyone could get a chance to give it a try.


Although the workout was only on the track and elevation wasn't something that you could see on the graphs, everyone liked to seeing their various times from the 800s they were running. I got a lot of really great questions about all of the different Timex GPS watches and everyone loved the ease of use of the Run Trainer.


A selected few athletes stuck around after the session to geek out on watch functions and chat about the pros and cons of racing/training/recovering in compression gear. All in all, it was a great and successful demo with lots of smiles :)

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Good Stuff 4/16/2012

It's scary to think that our summer schedule is pretty much set and like every year, we have very limited weekends in Boulder. Since the weather was supposed to get very ugly on Sunday, we decided to do a little tour of Boulder's local trails with a few good friends on Saturday.


The boys at The Service Course (a client of mine), built up a set of custom 29er wheels for me with Stans rims and XTR hubs. I wanted to get them a good trial so we gathered the troops and did a 4hr adventure on all the singletrack we could find out south. 


We had an absolute blast until I almost ran over a huge king snake in the middle of the trail. You might have to enlarge the photo, but there's definitely a massive snake that was coiled up in the middle of the trail that I almost rolled over. After coming to a complete screaming halt and having Mel and Bryce almost run into me, I'm pretty sure we pissed the thing off bad. He slithered off the trail and began hissing like I've never seen a snake hiss before. It's been a while since I've freaked like that but it was scary...funny afterward but dang, not cool when it happened :) The rest of the weekend was relaxing and chill. We did another fun MTB ride around town on Sunday then caught up on some work, laundry, errands and sleep.

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Boulder Junior Cycling 4/11/2012

This evening I had the opportunity to assist my good friend, Taylor Sheldon, in my first Boulder Junior Cycling road practice session. Not only was it a great time, I am really looking forward to seeing the improvements of each of the young riders throughout the year! I will be joining the road group on Mondays and Wednesdays evenings through mid August :)

Boulder Junior Cycling has multiple components to its program including mountain, track, cyclocross and road. This gives the kids an opportunity to try out all the various types of riding and racing their bikes with superb guidance and coaching. BJC has also been named a USA Cycling Center for Excellence for a 4th year in a row. Check out their website here for more info and pics. What a stellar program!

I've been in Boulder for over 10 years and it's amazing how every day I am beyond 'wow-ed' at the new programs and opportunities the city offers for its people. Gotta love the bubble!

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A fun Easter weekend 4/9/2012

I'm starting to integrate some power hikes into the training mix so Bryce joined me up one of Boulder's finest hikes in Gregory canyon on Friday afternoon. It was a super windy day so it worked out perfectly!


Since Tom is still in rehab from his shoulder surgery, we decided to join him on another dirt road hill climb Saturday morning. I couldn't have been happier because it was my first ride on the new Litespeed Cohutta. I'm pretty sure I'm in love...


Nothing like spending 5hrs in the sunshine with two of my favorite boys :)


We made an impulse decision to head up to the mountains late Saturday afternoon to spend Easter Sunday with the Binghams. As usual, we were pampered beyond belief and fed like kings and queens. Although I'm trying to be a little bit better about my crap food consumption, Easter just isn't the same without Reese's Eggs...I only had 3 of the 6 :)


After our delicious homemade waffle breakfast, we headed out to McCoy with our friend Kevin for a little moto session. It's crazy how dry and warm everything is up high, but I won't complain! After a fun and technical couple of hours, we went back into Edwards to shower and enjoy a delicious Easter dinner and dessert! Another fabulous holiday with amazing friends and family :)

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First 2012 Timex Run Trainer GPS Demo 4/6/2012

On Wednesday afternoon, I drove down to the Denver's Runners Roost to meet up with Timex teammate, Trista Francis, and Colorado Timex rep, Brett Rose.


We set up a station just before their weekly run so that people could demo the new Timex Run Trainer GPS watch. 


We had a great turnout and lots of people took advantage of the opportunity to test out the demo watches. As usual, we set up computers and showed the runners how you can customize the various screens, vitals, intervals, etc directly through Device Agent then got them connected to the satellites and sent them on their way. 


After the runners returned from their workout, we gave them a brief tutorial of Training Peaks and showed them how simple it is to download the information right off the watch. Everyone is always wow-ed by the cool factor of the maps and graphs tab which definitely puts a smile on my face.


This week's run included an Easter Egg hunt and a big raffle at the end. We donated two Timex watches which were a bit hit. We had lots of good questions and overall, the demo was a great success!

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Getting Ready! 4/4/2012

I know it may be over the top, but I did just sore a set of Shimano XTR trail wheels for my squishy fun bike :) The main reason for the change was because the Rallon came with a quick release back wheel versus a thru axle. Luckily, Orbea made adapters that would allow us to change the dropouts to thru axle compatible and now I have a stiffer and more rockin' setup for those long and rough trail rides! Soooo excited.


In other news, I had my first lactate threshold test done at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine yesterday in order to establish my baseline for some structured training. I have not done one interval or hard effort since the last CX race I finished last October so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Fortunately, the long and easy rides I've been doing for the past couple months have really improved my base fitness but as expected, I was pretty weak on the high end side of things. Overall, it was better than I thought and I'm really excited to be back on a training program and ready to start crushing ass and taking names :)

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A dusty weekend 4/2/2012

 I apologize in advance for not getting better photos but with the extremely dusty conditions, I really didn't want sand grit stuck in my phone for whatever duration it has left :)


Although, I've probably done nothing but complain about this past weekend's race, Bryce and I actually had a really great weekend. We drove up to Vail on Friday evening to meet up with the Bingham's where they treated us to a delicious dinner at La Tour downtown. You'll have to check out the website because Brent does all the photography for them :) We woke up refreshed on Saturday morning, enjoyed a fun hike above Singletree and had a great homemade breakfast before we hit the road to Grand Junction.


We went over the race site to get checked in, watch the kids races and mingle with friends but the combination of 85 degrees, windy and dust was not exceptionally pleasant. Instead, we headed back into town. We played around in the Harley/KTM dealership for a bit then had a great dinner with the usual crew. We spent our second night sleeping in the van and it couldn't have been more perfect. A couple cookies and a movie on the laptop later, we were sound asleep!


I couldn't help but take a picture of this sign because it's absolutely hilarious!

Above is a video from one of the tests at the enduro sine I don't have any pics. Instead of whining about how miserable it was, I'll just start by saying that I was still pretty under the weather from my cold and not super excited to race anyway...so my opinion is probably jaded. At any rate, I rode super slowly and carefully and didn't have any issues until the last test where I managed to crash on every technical hill and lose over 10min. I somehow managed to sneak into 3rd for the Ladies. Bryce was fortunate to have gotten row 1 and he had a great day finishing 14th overall considering the amount of pro riders out there competing for a decent prize purse. We jetted out of the venue quickly so we could get yet another homemade dinner from Momma Bingham and a hot shower on our way back home. Definitely not my type of racing but I guess you have to take the bad with the good...we were too spoiled in Texas last month :)

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Murphy's law 3/28/2012

Why is it that the day I get my brand new bikes built up and it's 75 degrees, I have to come down with the nastiest cold I've had in over a year?!? Ugh.


I guess in the meantime I can just look at my new toys and do everything humanly possible to kick this thing asap so I can go ride.


Since there is truly no way I could ride MTB all day Friday and Saturday then race moto on Sunday, we've decided to change up our weekend plans and just go to the enduro on Sunday. I feel bad that Bryce is missing his Trek Store Team training weekend but riding that much before a big race is probably not the smartest thing either.

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Is this weather for real?! 3/26/2012

As much as I'm absolutely LOVING this hot weather in March, I can't help but think about how hard we're going to get snowed on in April and possibly May. I could be totally wrong but I have a really bad feeling about it! In the meantime, I'll continue to ride several hours a day in the 70 degree goodness and just hope spring is here a tad early :) Spring usually brings cleaning and that's exactly what needed to happen with my cyclocross headset. I'm pretty sure that's mud from the USGP in Ft. Collins last October! Thanks to Bryce, I now have a creakless headset!


For the second weekend in a row, we were able to round up a great group of people to ride the dirt roads and double track in the high country. Unlike last weekend, we were joined by some of Boulder's fastest MTB riders so the pace wasn't exactly laid back. Riding my CX bike on Switzerland trail is definitely whipping me into shape so that my hartail 29er will feel like butter when I finally get it built up.


When you ride with the Torrances, snack time at the general food store in Gold Hill is not an option. Tony's need to hit on the cute girl that works there far outweighs anyone's desire to just keep moving :)
  

Jilayne and Zach also enjoyed a ham and cheese croissant before heading out on the rest of the adventure.
 

After a fun night of laughs and homemade pizzas with the crew, we met up with good friend, Eric Moberg, to watch the final motos of the Toronto Supercross back at our place. We hit the hay early so we could get an early start on riding Hall Ranch in the morning.


After getting beat up all day on Saturday on the CX bike, it felt soooo good to ride the 6in trail bike at Hall. This was also my first time riding in my new Pearl Izumi X-Alps and they were absolutely AMAZING! Not only did they honestly feel like tennis shoes, they were stiff enough to get good power off the pedal and the rubber sole was perfect for those unexpected dabs on the rocky climb. We finished off the big weekend with some moto at Berthoud where we did a few laps on the turn tracks then practiced jumping. We made some homemade stirfry and chocolate chip cookies to top off the day then had a great relaxing evening. We have a big week of bicycling and moto racing planned and I've got a bit of a chest cold coming on so it's operation get healthy NOW time!

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2012 Timex Camp Video 3/23/2012

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A different shoe for a different kind of ride 3/21/2012

Not only am I extremely fortunate to have Tony Torrance as a great friend, I'm also pretty lucky that he's the cycling shoe designer at Pearl Izumi :) Over the past few years, he has brought the cycling footwear department to a whole new level and so many of us Boulderites have had the opportunity to use and race in his innovative products. From road to mountain biking to triathlon, I've tested several of Pearl's various shoes and have a lot of very positive things to say.




With the immersion of the ''all-mountain'' category of mountain biking came very specific products designed for the laid back, yet semi-extreme rider. From apparel and packs to bikes and shoes, companies are coming out with products that have the perfect blend of style, comfort and functionality. When I'm out on my 6 inch travel bike exploring and riding unpredictable terrain, there's usually some fair amount of hiking involved. Most mountain bikers are demanding the same lightweight and stiff shoe that road cyclist use and that is without a doubt not conducive to hiking around with a big bike in the woods.


With that being said, Pearl Izumi recently came out with the X-Alp which is a cross between a comfortable running shoe and a stiff, yet 'cool' looking cycling shoe. Bryce has been using a pair of prototype shoes for the past several months and truly loves them. Tony just dropped off some production shoes for both of us last night and I cannot wait to test them out. Pearl Izumi calls it the 'go to' shoe for those epic rides that involve any hiking...ahhhh, is it summer yet??!?!

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A BIG bike weekend 3/19/2012

I've been gradually building up my bicycle fitness over the past 2 months and I finally broke the 3hr mark on Saturday! We planned on riding up to Gold Hill via the dirt roads and had a big group of friends on cyclocross and mountain bikes. It was an absolute blast and a great way to spend a 75 degree mid March day!

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My new favorite Timex 3/16/2012

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A Texas Weekend Race 3/14/2012

We finally got the opportunity to take 'Big Black' (the van's new name), out for her first big road trip this past weekend! After and easy pack up, Bryce and I headed to Quitaque for the second round of the RMEC series. It was an easy drive and the best part was pulling into the race site around midnight, opening up the futon in the back, jumping in the sleeping bags and sleeping like babies! Bryce used the JetBoil to get my coffee ready in the morning and we enjoyed a peaceful early morning in the van while it dumped rain!


The reason we headed down so early was because I like to race the Grand Prix the day before the enduro and the women's race is always in the morning. Although it was 40 degrees and raining, I still wanted to give it a whirl since it wasn't too muddy yet. I had the most absolute horrible start but somehow pinned it and found myself pretty close to the front by the first corner in the trees. I eventually passed what I thought was the only girl in front of me and rode the rest of the race very conservatively as the course was getting super slick. I was riding right around some other kid that I had caught up to but since I figured he was in the race in front of me, I just let him crash, get up and go, and so fourth while I practiced my turns...I didn't have anything to lose because I knew all the other girls were quite a bit further back...WRONG! After we finished, I pulled off the course and the kid I let putz in right in front of me shouted in a cute little voice 'Great race Girl'...my heart sunk. I literally had just handed this girl the win...doh! As with most moto races, I learn a big lesson. This race's lesson was to race every freakin' person on the course, no matter who it is! I couldn't believe it and was sooo pissed. I'll never let that happen again!!!


Although Saturday's cold and rain weren't the most fun to hang out in, it couldn't have been more perfect for Sunday's race course. This race is usually very dusty so having a bit of moisture really makes a big difference. As a matter of fact, it was probably the best dirt and the most epic conditions I have EVER ridden in. The course was an absolute blast and I was smiles the entire time. When I left, I thought I had taken 3rd in the women's class behind 2 smokin' fast Texas girls, but turns out there was another girl just 20 seconds in front of me. Regardless of how I placed, I was super happy with how I rode and was within a few minutes of girls that were 30+ minutes ahead of me last year!


Bryce had a great race as well finishing 16th overall. For whatever reason, they made the A course much shorter this year so most of the guys were pretty bummed that it was over so quickly. However, for how much fun it was, most people were content to have had the opportunity to ride in such killer dirt :) We packed up, said our goodbyes and drove home in record time, even with a massive headwind. It makes such a huge difference driving a vehicle that is comfortable! Great weekend overall with lots of good laughs and all limbs intact!

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New Happenings 3/12/2012

Before I left for TX, Tony Torrance helped me create my 2012 Timex business card! It's very similar to last year's but has a few modifications to the great new sponsors we have.


Right as we were pulling out the drive to leave for our race, the UPS man dropped off a bike box with Litespeed written all over it. It took everything I had not to open it but I didn't and waited until first thing this morning :) I still need to do a switcharoo on the crank, cut the steer tube and all the usual bike build stuff, but man am I stoked to get on this thing! This is my first bicycle with electronic shifting so I'm even more excited. Stay tuned for updates on this weekend's racing...gathering photos now!

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The doldrums of moto preparation 3/8/2012

Not only does the preparation for a moto race take a solid week, it also sneaks up on ya pretty quickly! I usually let Bryce do the dirty work in the garage which includes everything from oil changes, tire changes, air filter changes, fixing the misc broke pieces on my bike and packing up the van.


We have over 20 air filters in the house, but somehow all of them are always dirty. It's a process to get them clean so when Bryce does tackle that project - it looks a little something like the above pic!


I'm always in charge of washing gear and goggles then making sure we have all the food we need for the trip. 

Since we are embarking on our first trip in the new van and do not plan on going into town, I had to make sure we had all the necessities so that I could make myself some coffee in the mornings! We did some research and it turns out the JetBoil Flash (above) was the best bang for our buck. It heats 2 cups of water in less than 90 seconds and it's super compact.


In order to save space and not be reliant on a cooler for my creamer, I tested out the Via coffee from Starbucks with some individually packaged flavored creamer and I think it will do the trick :) I've also got a whole bunch of prepped food from pizza to sandwiches to chips/cookies so we should be all set to go. Really looking forward to our first road trip in ''Big Black''!

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Catching up! 3/5/2012

 After a long day of working on the stereo system in the van, Bryce was finally able to get it working :) We have one minor issue to resolve (it cuts out when we slow down), but other than that, it sounds amazing!


We had a fun weekend of moto and MTB planed in Pueblo so it was our first go at bring both sets of toys down. Our original bike mount wasn't long enough so we'll have to do some modifications, however, we definitely got a great system of organization together.


After the drive down to Pueblo on Saturday morning, we rode moto with the boys at PMI all day then went to Ray's to watch Supercross and get a good night's sleep. Early Sunday morning, we met up with Shelby and Branden to do a fun MTB ride at Lake Pueblo State Park. Although it was crazy windy, it was soooo nice to get back on the mountain bike. 


The wind finally died down and it was almost 70* by noon on Sunday! Not bad for the beginning of March. We packed up the van once again then headed to PPIR to go play on bikes with motors. Bryce and I were both a bit whooped but we still managed to crank out some good laps and feel good about our moto races next weekend in TX.


Since IKEA was on our way home, we decided to stop in to see if we could find some sort of decoration for the wall next to the TV. My philosophy of life is quite simple - no kids, no pets, no plants. I know it sounds terrible to some, but I love my freedom and already have 100 million other things on my mind to take care of. After browsing through the store, we came across this tree that looked perfect for the space. Since it wasn't real, I gave in and it actually turned out looking pretty good!


We also purchased a few new pots and pans along withe some random kitchen decor. That store is seriously a big time danger zone for me...I can't go in there without my mind going nuts! Luckily Bryce was there to put the kibosh on my wandering :)

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Timex Clinic - SA Elite Boulder 2/29/2012

Tuesday morning I met up with Timex teammate, Tim Hola, to do a presentation to the shop employees at the new Sports Authority Elite in Boulder on the various Timex products that are sold in their store.


We talked mostly about the Global Trainer and the Run Trainer but touched on a lot of the other HR products including the new Cycle Trainer. We had a lot of great questions and were told that the info given was very valuable. We hope to get a run and ride from the store scheduled soon so we can have customers and store employees demo the many Timex products available to purchase at the store!

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The First Van Roadtrip! 2/27/2012

Although we're missing the most important piece of the van build out (the killer stereo), we ventured down to Pueblo for it's first roadtrip this weekend. It was only 2.5hrs each way, but it was just enough time to appreciate all the bells and whistles we splurged on (power seat, cruise control, keyless entry, etc). We were surprised and beyond excited about how well it drove and the gas mileage we were getting. It was also nice to see how quiet the driving space was compared to our other van. The toy area was just perfect in size for the dirt bikes which was also a big relief :)


Superstar enduro racer and good friend, Ron Schmezle, has been starting to teach riding lessons over the past couple weeks so I did an impromptu class with him and another guy out at PMI on Saturday. We worked on a lot of the basics as well as some of the more technical aspects of riding like corning and riding long ruts. I learned a lot and had a total blast. The races in AZ were my first time trying out my new Troy Lee Designs gear and protective equipment but I don't think I mentioned how much I loved it. The under the jersey chest protector and my arm sleeve elbow/forearm guards are honestly the most comfortable pieces of protective gear I have ever worn. I didn't feel restricted whatsoever and my neck brace stayed right in place! Super excited to head down to TX in a few weeks for races #3 and #4 of the year :)

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Progress on the van!!! 2/24/2012

While I was at camp in NJ, Bryce went to town on the new van build out! After installing the dividing wall, he made a cutout for a window and holes/boxes for the 6x9 speakers.


After finalizing the far wall, he insulated and paneled the side wall and ceiling.


It's going to be so nice and warm when we sleep in there :)


Finally, he carpeted the entire living area! You would have never guessed that this space was bare sheet metal just a few days ago.



Next it was time to put the bench sleeper in. Unfortunately the legs of the bench were too wide for the floor of the van...so we cut them off!


To make it fit, Bryce did a little customization and made his own base for the bench. I have to admit, I'm really glad I wasn't there for him cutting a very expensive piece of furniture apart :)


To wrap up the project, the futon was installed and secured to the floor and wall. We now have an unbelievable living/sleeping area in the new rig. The final step will be to get all the stereo equipment hooked up but for the most part, the tough stuff is done! I'll have to report on how the first trip goes...stay tuned.

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