And it begins...again

The weekend weather forecast did not look promising, but the rain early Saturday morning was the clincher. We wanted to get in a long(er) ride, so we packed up the car and headed south. We rolled into Moab a little before 9 am. Because it has a tendency to get snow in the winter and, therefore, riding it can be limited, we decided on Porcupine Rim. We parked in town, got the bikes together, and headed up Sand Flats Road. We are curious about Lower Porcupine Rim, but opted to continue and ride it the traditional way. It was wet which made the rocks a bit slick, but not too bad. I don't know what my deal is this year. I am a pansy on more stuff than usual. Needles to say, I did not ride as well as I hoped. A little over three hours, we were back at the car. 

We got some lunch and then headed North of town. We parked just past the bridge. (Is that bridge ever going to be completed thus allowing Lion's Park to open up again?) The lot was much more full than we have ever seen it, likely due to the newly paved path. We turned left onto Bar M Loop heading towards Bar B. They are putting in new trails in that system. We did not have much time to explore, but are anxious to try them. After Bar B, we headed to Sovereign out and back. My lack of skills continued and my frustration level rose. But even a not so good day on the bike in Moab is better than a rainy day at home. We got in another 3.5 hours of riding. 

Then we headed home.

Tex digs Moab

24 Hours Duo

Once upon a time, I mentioned to Sarah that I thought it would be cool to do 24 hours duo with her. I then quickly forgot the conversation. In the bathroom at Snowbasin before the ICUP race, she asked if I still thought that would be cool because she was in for 24 Hours of Moab duo. After checking with Chris (my manager, training partner, and usual team mate), I agreed.
My thoughts going into the race were to push hard during daylight and take it down a notch and play it safe at night. (Un)fortunately, we did not have any competition within our division--Women's Duo Championship. Interestingly, there was also only one team last year in this category.
My first lap did not go as planned. I volunteered to do the run as I have never done it and figured I should pay my dues to the 24 Hours of Moab. That bloody bush is much farther away than it looks. I had staged my bike in a prime spot but got confused in the ruckus and spent time looking for it. On the first lap, we avoid the single track at the start to help thin out the group. They had us enter the course much sooner than I expected based on what they did last year. We had to do the first technical climbing sections. It was a HUGE cluster for quite a bit. I then dropped my chain twice towards the end of the lap and had to stop and put it back on the chain ring. My time, everything considered was respectable. Sarah rocked her first lap
On my third lap I formerly met (my boyfriend?) Trevor from the Sports Den in SLC. I saw him a bit on my earlier laps. We chatted it up a bit. He professed his love to me and I rode away.Sarah rocked her second and third lap.
I set up my lights and headed down for my fourth lap. I spoke to Trevor and his soigneur (wife/girlfriend?) exchanging pleasantries. I went out before him and never saw him again, so I guess we broke up. I wonder if it was something I said? This lap was the worst. I did not feel good on the bike. I had light issues. My set up allowed/forced the battery to disconnect. I had but one working light for most the lap. I came in and told Chris I needed my spare Superfly (2008) which has easier gearing because I was too weak to push the 26-36 on my new bike. He essentially told me to "hike up my skirt" and ride my bike like he knows I can. (He did not trust the spare bike because we just threw it back together and he did not trust it.) He instructed me to take some No-Doz and ride. He did mention that Sarah was struggling. She was having neck issues and if we were both miserable maybe we should take a time out for a bit.

Stars, stripes, and plaid?

When Sarah came in I mentioned that for her consideration.  On this lap, I came around. I started to feel good again. I used a set of light that I borrowed from Sarah and they were amazing. When I came in I asked Sarah how her neck was. She said it was better. I told her I felt good and wanted to keep going. She agreed. Later, she told me that she was a bit disappointed that I wanted to continue, but in the end she was really glad we did.
I rode a couple of sections that I never have before like the detour around Nose Dive and that funky rock slab on first technical section . The rest of my laps just sort of blend together. In the end we did eight laps a piece. I don't think I have ever done more than four laps at this race. I knew it was going to be hard, but I think it was harder than I expected. I did a good job fueling and the pre-race steps I took to help my GI track happy worked practically perfect--a combination of Prilosec, probiotics and Gaviscon. We finished early and I am a bit disappointed that I did not go out for a final lap. At the time, I was torn but did not feel it was necessarily worth it.

Chris teamed up with Chuck, Greg, and Noah. Noah crashed and got a concussion which put them down a man through the night. They placed fourth in a stacked field and overall.
I also want to say thanks to the Mad Dog Team and company for their help and support. To mention just a few:
1. Carl and Dave Dean for working on my bike
2. Carson for pedaling around to make sure it was good after the tinkering
3. Brady for making me sit in his warm RV
4. Keith lubed my chain for me after a night lap
5. Abby, Scott and all for feeding me.
6. Stu and Racer prepping my bike after/before a lap
7.The massage and leg rubs from Joan in the start house
8. The countless words of encouragement especially when I felt absolutely cooked.
9. And of course to Sarah for doing this with me. It was a great experience.

Catching Up

The weekend after Sundance Single Speed Challenge was 12 Hours of Sundance. I felt some pressure and anxiety coming into this race. First, Chris was sick, again. He caught another cold, sounded and felt terrible. I thought I was going to have to find another partner, but the day before he started to feel a bit better. Secondly, we have been lucky and won the overall the past two years. This year there were a couple of really quick teams. And lastly, my feeling good on and off had me nervous. This would be a "feeling off" weekend.
The morning of the race was warmer than I anticipated for which I was grateful. Chris took the first lap and said he might do the second also. I was surprised at how quickly the leaders started finishing. Chucky laid down a super quick first lap. Chris was just a bit behind him and I was going to take the second. My first four laps were within a minute of each other. Then I started to slow. Results should be here sometime.
We ended up in third place. We were in fourth most the day behind Josh and Matt, Chuck and Joseph, and a four man team. Chris came in before my final lap and  made it sound as if I would be taking our last one. He said that we were not going to catch anyone and no one could catch us so just ride quick, smart  and safe. I was pushing pretty consistently and on the back side of Archies, I see Joseph. The poor guy had cracked and cracked hard. I wished I had something to give him, but I could hardly even speak when I passed him. At this time, I realized I could likely get in before the cut off time...and we would move up a position. I spotted Phast Dan where the course crossed and asked if he would tell Chris that Joseph was done and I was going to make it in before the cutoff so he would be ready when I got there. Chris went out for another lap and we moved up a place.And in the grand tradition of 12 hour racing with Chris, I came in off of one of my laps and could not find him.
The following weekend, we spent five days in Moab with the in-laws. We biked and hiked until I was cooked. We rode Sovereign twice, Amasa Back twice, Porcupine Rim, and Slick Rock. Most days we would get up early, often before light and head to the trail with our lights. We would come back, have breakfast and then go hiking with Chris' family. We hiked Delicate Arch, Sand Dune Arch (the coolest one in the park), and Devil's Garden--Double O Arch, Landscape Arch, and couple more in the area that I can't recall the names. We also hiked Corona Arch, which was really amazing. The hiking fried my legs though.
We thought about going back down to Moab this weekend, but opted to stay home.