Thru Endurance We Conquer!

It's not a secret that I came to mountain biking from a marathon and endurance background. After I left triathlons, I kept the two pretty separate. I'd plan on a half marathon for fun after the cycling season was over, but that was it. Low mileage on the running with some big hours on the bike. In fact, I ran less last year then I used to run in two months! The running was t important though, it was something to do to keep active while taking some time off the bike. So come the middle of December every year, it was time to refocus on the bike and start preparing for 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. The mild winters helped keep me on the bike, playing in the dirt and off the trainer. I didn't need to run much with the intensity I was doing on the bike. Well, this has not been a mild winter and so my training was a little different leading into the first bike race of the season. For some reason, I decided to sign up for a half marathon two weeks before Old Pueblo. Then I decid...

Our annual winter vacation to Tuscon found a 100 degree temperature swing from one ride to another. Nick rode home from work on the 7th in -17 below zero temperatures, while I bundled up and hit the trainer in the garage. Add in ice and snow and the riding outside was less the stellar. So we were looking forward to some sun and dry trails! 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo more then delivered on the sun and dry trails this year, with the nicest and warmest weather we've seen in seven years. It was a bit of a shock to the system - a 100 degree temperature swing from -17 to 80+ degrees! The nice weather meant for some very fast racing and crowded trails all day and into the night. It was another tight race in the Coed Duo top three again, with only 20 minutes separating the teams at midnight. El Rootsriachi would eventually prevail thanks to the consistency of Tour Divide winner Kurt Refsnider and his partner Kaitlin Boyle. They set a class record of 21 laps, finishing at 1:42:31. Nick and ...

My new race machine - the Specialized Camber Carbon EVO, with 120mm of rock loving suspension, a buttery pike fork, dropper post and the efficient 1x11 gearing. Sexy green and gloss black colors make the bike just look fast. I didn't get to test ride the bike, so we knew there would be some tweaks to make before the maiden pedal. We've had the bike since the end of January, but the weather precluded getting out and riding prior to our trip to Tucson. Snow, mud and ice do not make for a good quality or safe maiden ride on any bike except for a snow bike. So we got the bike all fitted and hoped for the best. We would be bringing a bike I hadn't even ridden to 24 Hours in the Old  Pueblo - breaking one of our most fundamental rules. We couldn't bring my Era since we already stripped it down and brought it to be sold. Our mistake. We usually wait until the new bike has been ridden and is all dialed before selling the old bike. I'd wanted some of the components off the E...

This is all about sunrises, sunsets, moon rises and moon sets. Full moon on the same weekend as 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo? That added to the fun of playing with my camera. I didn't get as many creative shots as some other people, but I was able to capture the colors of the desert well. Full moon rising Thursday evening as town begins to set up Sunrise Monday morning - a treat for those who stayed till the end Another moon rise, capturing the colors of the setting sun as well Sunrise on a quiet morning - all the racers have left the desert The full moon sliding below the horizon Sunset Wednesday was just a hint of the show we would see later

For the last four years, Nick and I have made an effort to get as close as possible to the transition tent, not wanting to waste any energy or time during the race. We had to make some pretty big sacrifices in order to be close though - camping in the middle of generatorville, surrounded by towering RVs and getting coated with dust as the Friday move in became crazy. Last year was the worst - we hadn't noticed how loud most of the generators were because we had our little home on wheels before. But last year, after the Turtle died, it was clear just how nuts the center of town really was. Loud, windy, dusty and cramped. Not a comfortable or relaxing place to be before the race. We've also spent a lot of the pre-race hours hanging out with the Back of the Pack gang, enjoying company, hilarious stories and just being with people who want to ride bikes. Judd, Nick, Jeff and Brian getting comfortable in the BPR living room on Thursday before the race So this year, we hooked ...

Five years. That's how along we've been doing 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. And in those five years, it's always been the same. I hold Nick's bike and watch the chaos running by for the start lap. And chaos it is - a herd of riders sprinting down a narrow road. Grabbing bikes and then vanishing into an ever growing cloud of dust. Beyond that - the next glimpse I have is of the riders flying into the transition tent. Then it's my turn to face the cacti. Nick has told me stories about the start lap, about the crazy passes, about the speed and pure power needed to hold position. Yikes. It scares me, the stories I've heard. It's something I've only wanted to experience if I was racing Solo. To try and do the start lap against the men of other coed duos? Seems like we'd be giving up time for no reason. I know I can't match Nick on the start lap - I don't have the power, the speed or the aggressiveness needed for some of the passes. And I'm gener...

There will be no rematch with the King and Queen of Pain this year. Rebecca is racing on a four woman team with three lucky high school racers and I don't know if Nat is racing. Both Nick and I are kinda bummed - we were honestly hoping for another chance to test ourselves against them. Last year was close, with racing until the very end among the top three CoEd Duo teams. We wanted to see if we could bring it even closer and push the pace even more. Alas, not to be. But that doesn't mean there won't be other fast duos lining up. There always are - 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is always the most competitive event for the CoEd Duos. I'm eager to find out who will be toeing to line. We won't know who we will be racing until after the race starts since Epic Ride doesn't publicize a team list. I've always liked that - it keeps everyone in the dark. People who are going to race will sign up regardless since there's no way of knowing the competition. Training ha...

After two years of nice weather, it was bound to happen. Watching the weather and seeing the cold front moving in, the snow falling and the temperature plummeting, I knew it was going to be an odd race on Sunday for the Super Half Marathon. We got snow Tuesday, then a Chinook wind on Thursday. I was hopeful that we wouldn't have to deal with snow for the race. The weather man proved to be right this time as we woke up to fresh snow Friday with more coming down. Tim B, race organizer assured us that the course would be plowed, but the snow kept falling Friday and most of Saturday. The other issue was the falling mercury - from a week before the race to the day before the race the high dropped from 45 to 20 degrees! Yikes! So when I laid out my clothes (had to go with blue and orange)  I was prepared for the cold. And it was super cold. So to all the volunteers who were there, directing traffic, handing out water or doing results - a huge thank you! I can't imagine being stationa...