Going for 300

I have yet to ride 300 miles in a month. I feel if I can ride 300 miles, climb over 4000 feet and also get back into running than my fitness may be the best I've ever had. Here are some recent results:

September 2007 11 rides, 262 miles, 3160 ft climbing
December 2007 12 rides, 210 miles, 3350 ft climbing
January 2008 18 rides, 273 miles,
March 2008 13 rides, 201 miles,
April 2008 16 rides, 214 miles,

Track my status here

Bridget and I in Napa

During our Honeymoon Bridget and I rented bikes from Napa Valley Bike Tours and cruised up to V. Satui and Rubican Estate (Francis Ford Coppola's winery). It was really nice and very scenic — a great way to see the country side.

These are a few Holga photographs I made along the way.

Some goals for the year

1. 360 Days Accident Free — I would prefer to not crash all this year
2. Century Ride
3. More Group Rides with Friends
4. Cycling as Vacation — perhaps trips to Yellow Springs, maybe rent bikes in Cozumel
More to come....

Map My Ride Workouts

Younger's Creek / KYMBA Series

I got up pretty darn early (6am) to get ready for my race down in KY. It was a 3 hour drive both ways and with a 11am start time I had to leave by 7am to make it there an hour before so I could warm up, register, etc. (Yes, Amanda and Joe that makes for 3 races now where I have made it there on time!) The further I got down into KY the more I was psyched for a good race. When I got to preride the course it did not disappoint, tons, of hills, rocks, creeks, trees on the course etc...Kentucky just has some great trails. They weren't kidding when they named the race the switchback attack, there was plenty of em going up and coming down. Real fun stuff out there. Anyhow, the KYMBA series seems to be picking up some steam again and the race was well organized, the trail was pretty challenging and the turnout was decent. I raced against 3 other expert women - yeah, no pro's in my class for once! My start went well, I hit the singletrack in 2nd. I stayed behind #1 and probably only 1 min. back for the first 7-8 miles. Then I came across her sitting on the side of the trail fixing a flat. I stayed in the lead for the rest of the race but I was falling apart slowly. My back was iffy going into the race and my legs had a lot of work in em prior to two interval heavy workouts, I went through 2 water bottles during the race but I probably could have used another bottle and some more energy gel. So, she passed me in the last 5 min. of the race. Ah, well hopefully I'll seal the deal next time. That was a better but not great. I still have a lot of work to do. I can't wait for a race on my home turf. I got my registration fee back + $5. Can't beat that!

Younger's Creek / KYMBA Series

I got up pretty darn early (6am) to get ready for my race down in KY. It was a 3 hour drive both ways and with a 11am start time I had to leave by 7am to make it there an hour before so I could warm up, register, etc. (Yes, Amanda and Joe that makes for 3 races now where I have made it there on time!) The further I got down into KY the more I was psyched for a good race. When I got to preride the course it did not disappoint, tons, of hills, rocks, creeks, trees on the course etc...Kentucky just has some great trails. They weren't kidding when they named the race the switchback attack, there was plenty of em going up and coming down. Real fun stuff out there. Anyhow, the KYMBA series seems to be picking up some steam again and the race was well organized, the trail was pretty challenging and the turnout was decent. I raced against 3 other expert women - yeah, no pro's in my class for once! My start went well, I hit the singletrack in 2nd. I stayed behind #1 and probably only 1 min. back for the first 7-8 miles. Then I came across her sitting on the side of the trail fixing a flat. I stayed in the lead for the rest of the race but I was falling apart slowly. My back was iffy going into the race and my legs had a lot of work in em prior to two interval heavy workouts, I went through 2 water bottles during the race but I probably could have used another bottle and some more energy gel. So, she passed me in the last 5 min. of the race. Ah, well hopefully I'll seal the deal next time. That was a better but not great. I still have a lot of work to do. I can't wait for a race on my home turf. I got my registration fee back + $5. Can't beat that!

KY here I come

I have had a 2 day block of hard training. I got in nearly 4.5 hours in the past two days. The next two days will be easier rides and then I'll head down to Kentucky for a KY series race at Youngers Creek. It looks like the KY series is picking up some good momentum this year. I can't wait to check out a new course.

KY here I come

I have had a 2 day block of hard training. I got in nearly 4.5 hours in the past two days. The next two days will be easier rides and then I'll head down to Kentucky for a KY series race at Youngers Creek. It looks like the KY series is picking up some good momentum this year. I can't wait to check out a new course.

East Fork MTB

I went home last night and grabbed my bike and headed out to East Fork for some MTB therapy. This is really the first time this year that the trails around here have been dry and I have grown quite bored with my road riding.

I saw quite a lot of deer last night. I think I easily counted about 20. I was hoping to spot some wild turkey but I had no such luck. I got in a nice ride though, 2:15. It was pretty dark and scary for the last half hour, I probably should have jumped back on the road at 8:30-8:45 but I was having too much fun.

Here are some photos from last night:

The bike I love:


Me trying to take a self portrait:


A cute little deer:


The lake at East Fork:


Cute little deer on the bike trail:

East Fork MTB

I went home last night and grabbed my bike and headed out to East Fork for some MTB therapy. This is really the first time this year that the trails around here have been dry and I have grown quite bored with my road riding.

I saw quite a lot of deer last night. I think I easily counted about 20. I was hoping to spot some wild turkey but I had no such luck. I got in a nice ride though, 2:15. It was pretty dark and scary for the last half hour, I probably should have jumped back on the road at 8:30-8:45 but I was having too much fun.

Here are some photos from last night:

The bike I love:


Me trying to take a self portrait:


A cute little deer:


The lake at East Fork:


Cute little deer on the bike trail:

My not so recovery ride

I admit it. I racer in me can't hit the "easy" button. I was out doing my recovery ride tonight and my 2 of my friends rode up behind me. I probably should have continued on with my super easy ride. I couldn't do it.

What I do keep wondering is when I'm going to start improving. My watts/per kilogram seems so low, so average. I'm not fuzzing out my powerfiles because I think the competition will see them, nope, I have to fuzz them out because I'm embarrased.

My not so recovery ride

I admit it. I racer in me can't hit the "easy" button. I was out doing my recovery ride tonight and my 2 of my friends rode up behind me. I probably should have continued on with my super easy ride. I couldn't do it.

What I do keep wondering is when I'm going to start improving. My watts/per kilogram seems so low, so average. I'm not fuzzing out my powerfiles because I think the competition will see them, nope, I have to fuzz them out because I'm embarrased.

THIEF!

The photos above are of my pooch, Button. Sure she might look cute but underneath the fuzz of orange & white is a counter surfing thief. After I returned from my race on Sunday I placed the some leftover food on the counter. I left a tasty vegan muffin among other things. When my husband, James returned from running errands he noticed an empty plastic bag on the floor. This was not a first for Button. She devoured a whole loaf of pumpkin bread, a half loaf of carrot-ginger bread, and now my blueberry muffin. Rather than snatching some meaty goods she seems to be into baked goods. She is snoozing next to me now with her fat little belly all full dreaming of her next score.

THIEF!

The photos above are of my pooch, Button. Sure she might look cute but underneath the fuzz of orange & white is a counter surfing thief. After I returned from my race on Sunday I placed the some leftover food on the counter. I left a tasty vegan muffin among other things. When my husband, James returned from running errands he noticed an empty plastic bag on the floor. This was not a first for Button. She devoured a whole loaf of pumpkin bread, a half loaf of carrot-ginger bread, and now my blueberry muffin. Rather than snatching some meaty goods she seems to be into baked goods. She is snoozing next to me now with her fat little belly all full dreaming of her next score.

Mt. Wood Wrap-up

Dear Bridget,

It is me your Superfly. I'm a bit disappointed you rode me so slow today. What was wrong with you today? You know you can roll superfast over stuff with my 29" wheels. You know I can climb. Why then did you ride like you had a broken leg today?

If you don't start riding me faster I might just have to find another owner worthy of my ride. 6/10 just isn't going to cut it.

Sincerely,
Whitey your Superfly

Mt. Wood Wrap-up

Dear Bridget,

It is me your Superfly. I'm a bit disappointed you rode me so slow today. What was wrong with you today? You know you can roll superfast over stuff with my 29" wheels. You know I can climb. Why then did you ride like you had a broken leg today?

If you don't start riding me faster I might just have to find another owner worthy of my ride. 6/10 just isn't going to cut it.

Sincerely,
Whitey your Superfly

Gary Fisher, Trek, Gary Fisher, Gary Fisher

I just got finished with the flyer for the OMBC series. If you look at the photos of the series champs you'll notice they are all riding Gary Fisher/Trek MTBs.

Gary Fisher, Trek, Gary Fisher, Gary Fisher

I just got finished with the flyer for the OMBC series. If you look at the photos of the series champs you'll notice they are all riding Gary Fisher/Trek MTBs.

Tsalified

I had the itch to race my MTB this past weekend. So, when my friends Amanda (Fisher 29er team/Trek Store Columbus) and Joe (Trek area 106 regional racing team/Trek Store Columbus) decided to head down to Bryson City for the SERC AMBC race at Tsali trails I decided to join em. I did the 12 hour race down there last year and I knew the trail would be nice this time of year. Amanda was chasing down some points for her pro upgrade and I was just itching to ride my Superfly.

Well, Amanda and Joe drove down from Cincy and we headed off for the long drive to Bryson City. Along the way Joe and Amanda thought it was hilarious to make fun of my pasty white Irish, lack of sun, skin. What can I do? The drive down there is always long and it seems like there isn't a shortcut through those twisty mountain roads. After 7ish hours in the car we finally arrived at our hotel. We had 1 small room, 3 bikes, and tons of food and gear. We barely fit all our gear in the room. After we unpacked we headed over the course to do a pre-ride. It started to rain, rain, and rain. We decided to just return to the hotel rather than face a slow, muddy pre-ride.

We ate dinner at the hotel room and carbo loaded on pasta and whatever snacks we could put away. I didn't get much sleep that night. It was still raining when I went to bed and I was thinking it was going to be a long, muddy race. Well, the next morning it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. Thankfully, we were not racing until 1:30. Just enough time for the trails to dry out. The trail was surprisingly dry, a few large mud puddles here and there but nothing like the midwestern tacky, stick to your wheels mud. My nerves subsided when I realized I hadn't REALLY ridden my MTB since September of last year and it was pretty realistic that I'd be lucky to just finish. My new Superfly was out for her maiden voyage. Between selling off my old bike and our wedding last year my road fitness has greatly improved while my MTB fitness has been lackluster. In addition we had a long snowy winter followed by a super wet spring.

Amanda and I warmed-up and then headed to the start in what is the biggest field I have ever raced in, 17 expert/pro women. I got a crappy starting postition and ended up getting into a early bottle neck and hitting the singletrack 3rd from last. Oh crap. It was kinda game over for me then. I was hurting, my handling skills were just not there, my speed was slow. My Superfly was amazing and I was embarrassed to be riding something so light & fast, so slow. I passed a few women then they would pass me. I ended up finishing 11th expert & 14th overall. If not for my road fitness I don't think I'd have survived the 30 mi. race. Joe had the similar feeling I had after my race that we both just wanted to forget the race and move on. The trip turned out to not be a total bust, Amanda finished 3rd in expert women/6th overall. Now she is really to race with the big dogs. That is a dream realized for Amanda so A - take this moment to be proud of your accomplishments. Way to go A.

Tsalified

I had the itch to race my MTB this past weekend. So, when my friends Amanda (Fisher 29er team/Trek Store Columbus) and Joe (Trek area 106 regional racing team/Trek Store Columbus) decided to head down to Bryson City for the SERC AMBC race at Tsali trails I decided to join em. I did the 12 hour race down there last year and I knew the trail would be nice this time of year. Amanda was chasing down some points for her pro upgrade and I was just itching to ride my Superfly.

Well, Amanda and Joe drove down from Cincy and we headed off for the long drive to Bryson City. Along the way Joe and Amanda thought it was hilarious to make fun of my pasty white Irish, lack of sun, skin. What can I do? The drive down there is always long and it seems like there isn't a shortcut through those twisty mountain roads. After 7ish hours in the car we finally arrived at our hotel. We had 1 small room, 3 bikes, and tons of food and gear. We barely fit all our gear in the room. After we unpacked we headed over the course to do a pre-ride. It started to rain, rain, and rain. We decided to just return to the hotel rather than face a slow, muddy pre-ride.

We ate dinner at the hotel room and carbo loaded on pasta and whatever snacks we could put away. I didn't get much sleep that night. It was still raining when I went to bed and I was thinking it was going to be a long, muddy race. Well, the next morning it had stopped raining and the sun had come out. Thankfully, we were not racing until 1:30. Just enough time for the trails to dry out. The trail was surprisingly dry, a few large mud puddles here and there but nothing like the midwestern tacky, stick to your wheels mud. My nerves subsided when I realized I hadn't REALLY ridden my MTB since September of last year and it was pretty realistic that I'd be lucky to just finish. My new Superfly was out for her maiden voyage. Between selling off my old bike and our wedding last year my road fitness has greatly improved while my MTB fitness has been lackluster. In addition we had a long snowy winter followed by a super wet spring.

Amanda and I warmed-up and then headed to the start in what is the biggest field I have ever raced in, 17 expert/pro women. I got a crappy starting postition and ended up getting into a early bottle neck and hitting the singletrack 3rd from last. Oh crap. It was kinda game over for me then. I was hurting, my handling skills were just not there, my speed was slow. My Superfly was amazing and I was embarrassed to be riding something so light & fast, so slow. I passed a few women then they would pass me. I ended up finishing 11th expert & 14th overall. If not for my road fitness I don't think I'd have survived the 30 mi. race. Joe had the similar feeling I had after my race that we both just wanted to forget the race and move on. The trip turned out to not be a total bust, Amanda finished 3rd in expert women/6th overall. Now she is really to race with the big dogs. That is a dream realized for Amanda so A - take this moment to be proud of your accomplishments. Way to go A.

Back to the world of blogging

Hi all,

I'm back to the world of blogging after about a six month hiatus. A lot has changed. I'm with a new team/sponsor, the Trek Store in Cincinnati. I have two new bikes; a Trek OCLV carbon frame & a Gary Fisher Superfly that I can't wait to chat about.

I'll have some new and more interesting posts up here soon so please check back.

Back to the world of blogging

Hi all,

I'm back to the world of blogging after about a six month hiatus. A lot has changed. I'm with a new team/sponsor, the Trek Store in Cincinnati. I have two new bikes; a Trek OCLV carbon frame & a Gary Fisher Superfly that I can't wait to chat about.

I'll have some new and more interesting posts up here soon so please check back.