Last weekend TJ and I loaded the Taurus with bikes, camping gear–but no camp chairs–food, maps, and winter attire and headed South on I-25 to Raton, NM and then on US 64 to Angel Fire, NM. For those Europeans racers converging on Angel Fire a year ago for the World Cup, I hope a couple had the chance to drive Highway 64 through Eagle Nest. More antelope hang out along the side of the road then cars on the pavement. Except for a lonely NRA facility and shooting grounds the road moves through emptiness–big mountains and bigger plains. The race weekend was laid back and slow. We cooked fried eggs, pancakes, made oatmeal, pasta, and burritos with the help of a little stove, one steak knife, and an incredible appetite. Come race day, a 2:40pm start time did little to speed things up. The Angel Fire race course is anything but fast. The climb gets steeper and rockier as you ascend and the air gets less and less. It hurts beyond belief. Forty minutes up and fifteen minutes back down for a loop. We completed two loops, the same course and lap count as Collegiate Nationals last Fall. Katie Compton and Gretchen Reeves started hard and I did my best to keep them in sight for awhile. Then they were gone and I got dropped. I was in seventh position at the top of the first climb. Lap two went a litttle better as I managed to climb into third by the summit and held on in the descent for a third place finish. Angel Fire kicks my butt every single time and that’s likely while I’ll be back next year–I love this race.

I also got to hang out with my Boulder bike racing family. The newly named and so I hear soon-to-be-changed Boulder Devo crew who bring everything and more to the sport. The junior racers had an awesome weekend and it’s great to see so many people out there supporting them. Thanks for the showers! By the way, Ellie Atkins ripped it up on my Ziggurat from last year and won the Junior Sport race in one of her first races–I hear she beat up on some boys too. Lydia Tanner won the Junior X race by minutes and Jill came in 3rd. The weekend was fantastic and TJ and I finished it up with the scenic drive home through Red River, Questa, and the San Luis Valley. We rolled into Red River as the memorial day biker rendevous was just coming to an end. I’ll try and post some pics from the weekend. Take care.

I guess I had to wait until May and move back to Boulder to remember what it feels like to get cold. Over the last couple weeks I’ve been pedaling over familiar roads and dirt and absolutely loving the relative quiet of Boulder. Even US 36 feels tame compared to some of Tucson’s worst corridors of exhaust, dust, and overhead airforce jetways. But I miss the Saguaros and sun. Today I rode up Flagstaff a number of times in the rain in fifty degree weather. My hands haven’t gone numb once this winter and frankly I forgot how much that sucks. Each descent of Flagstaff was miserable, with my hands and toes numb in just minutes. I’m a whimp. Take me back to the desert, please.

I haven’t raced a bike since Fontana and I’m anxious to twisty-tie a number plate on the front of my bike again. The last couple weeks I’m been doing some hard climbing LT workouts and even had the pleasure of spending five hours one Saturday riding around Nederland and climbing through snowfields. Aside from the Nederland epic, I’ve been challenging myself in other ways. Just yesterday I assisted as a “coach” at the Luna Ambassador Women’s Mountain Bike Clinic in Boulder. Public speaking tends to turn my brain off and tie my stomach into knots but the event was a blast and a couple women mentioned I had some helpful tips on cornering. The event continues next week and the week after–May 29th and June 5th–it costs nothing, supports the Breast Cancer Fund, and many other more experienced pro women who are better suited to the public demonstration of skills and such will be there. It’s starts at 6:00pm at the Boulder Reasearch Park (famous for the Wednesday night short track). Bottom line, it’s a great event with lots of women who love to ride thier bikes. Take care.

Welcome to my new site. This first update is coming from the kitchen table of my parents house–it feels good to be home. Leaving Tucson was somewhat an ordeal. Only with a small window of time to vacate my dorm room, three floors up, and no elevator, I had a lot of stairs to climb. My car, with no bike rack, two bikes inside, lots of wheels, and every other material item I own was at capacity.

I moved out on a Friday, drove to Jean and Gerry’s house, ‘raced’ the Shootout Saturday at 6:00am (subsequently got dropped), picked my mom up from the airport at 2:00pm, toured Saguaro National Park, went out to dinner and then slept twelve hours. Mom’s Day I spent with my mom and the following days we very slowly drove back to Boulder via the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and Moab, UT. Life has slowed down somewhat since leaving Tucson. It just feels good to be home. Here’re some photos from the trip.

The Grand Canyon Zoo and Monument Valley.

Just testing my photos.