Thru Endurance We Conquer!

Our experience watching the USA Pro Cycling Challenge was interesting. The timing was perfect - leave Gunnison after 24 Hours in the Sage, camp overnight on the Pass, then watch the race roll through. We arrived at Monarch about mid afternoon on Monday and found a nice pull out to park the turtle in. There was only one other camper in the lot when we arrived, but we had hopes it would get busier. Soon after we got set up and were enjoying some munchies, Larry G - a fellow 24 HitS racer (4th, solo townie class) showed up. We invited him over for food and stories and to watch other fans trickling in to the lot. Our group became four after Jack with Wedgees.Com (a really simple and oddly smart device to keep glasses from slipping down your nose). It was a great night of making new friends and swapping tales while listening to the rain and watching stars - sometimes at the same time! Tuesday dawned beautiful and sunny. There were more groups of people and a few more campers in the lot ...

With all the issues we've been working out in the Turtle, we were hoping that this would be an easy jaunt down to Gunnison for the 24 Hours in the Sage. Nick had spent two days working on the engine - cleaning, tuning and generally doing things I don't understand with the hopes of getting all the fuel issues fixed. Things worked great on our little test drive - we even had decent acceleration up the hills! And of course, Nick has to say "Now that I've got this better, we're gonna have be careful on the hills - could be easy to overwork the poor thing." Little did we know what was coming. Unlike last year, we decided to go through Canon City and take the "less hilly" route to Gunnison. We were clipping right along, keeping up with traffic, making good time. Stopped to get something to eat in Salida, then started the long slog up Monarch Pass. Nick was watching the temp gauge, but we were cruising - doing about 30 instead of the normal 25 up the hi...

Thanks to Jayson and Colorado Endurance Sports, July 27, August 3 and August 10 have been filled with exiting time trial action here in Colorado Spring. July 27 and August 10th raced up 26th Street and August 3rd took us up Cheyenne Canyon. About 30 racers showed up each day, competing in varying classes and age groups. Some riders even tackled the hills on their mountain bikes! After the last race, the awards were handed out at Bristol Brewery, with athletes enjoying a free pint of the local brew. Congratulations to the winners of all the classes and to all the racers. The series also served as preparation for the big show - the Cheyenne Canyon Time Trial held in conjunction with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. If you are looking for a hard race on Sunday August 21- check out http://www.coloradoendurancesports.com/ for more info on the Time Trial.

Over the first weekend in August, Nick and I made the trip over Independence Pass for another fun weekend of racing on the steep slopes of Snowmass. With the cross country on Saturday and the short track on Sunday, it was a full weekend of racing. The women's pro field had some fast riders show up for both days, with Judy Freeman winning the XC and Erin Huck and Kelli Emmitt rounding out the podium. I held on for a solid 6th place in the cross country. In the short track, Kelli held off Sage W and Teal for the win. I again took 6th, with Kelli lapping me on final climb on her final lap. For Nick, he was the only rider to challenge the unrelenting grind up Snowmass Mountain in the Single Speed division and held his own among the Cat 1 Men. I will get some photos from the short track up soon.

I love the afternoon thunderstorms we get in Colorado. The clouds cool everything down and the rain is relaxing to listen to. At least when I'm inside! But trying to work and getting in my training has meant that the relaxing rain has been soaking me rather frequently. On every after work ride this week I've gotten drenched. Tuesday, I even watched the news before Nick and I headed out, just to make sure we'd be safe. Nothing on the rader, so off we went! As we rode up Cheyenne Blvd toward the canyon, there were just a few clouds hanging over the mountains. Those clouds gradually dropped lower and lower as we rode up Columbine (I needed a punchy ride and Columbine on the SS fit the bill.) It started raining about halfway up, getting darker and threatening as we made our way through the switchbacks. Then, at the drop in from Gold Camp Road it really started coming down. Accompanying the heavy rain was lightening - lots of lightening and very, very close. And it kept getting ...

Or adventures in the water at the local pool! I usually try to get up and go my swim workouts with the CSST Maters group. It's a fun group and the workouts are good. But this week I have to yet make it down to CC. Monday I was doing a specific workout and Wednesday I needed the sleep due to unforeseen guests in the yard. So I went to 24 Hour fitness both days to swim, hoping the noodle people would not be too bad. We all know who they are and curse the days we have to deal with them. But that got me thinking. Maybe we serious swimmers, just trying to get the yards - do our intervals and swim as fast as we can,  in are really the ones who are in the way of the Noodle People! After all I don't swim at 24 Hour Fitness all the time and when I take half a lane it is a big dent in the amount of space available for the other pool users. But since I flit in and out of the pool - coming in when I want, a different time every day, it makes it hard for the normal pool users to anticipate ...

 Pro Women XC Podium - Rebecca, Sarah and Me  Another fun weekend of mountain bike racing is in the books. Nick and I headed up to Keystone for the MSC Keystone Classic last weekend. I raced both the XC on Saturday and the STXC on Sunday and had a really good time. For whatever reason, there weren't that many pro women toeing the line for either race. Rebeca G from Velo Bella took the win in the XC, with Sarah R of Yeti Beti in second and me rounding out the podium. For the STXC, Rebecca again claimed the win, with Sarah and I swapping spots. Nick also had a good weekend, taking 2nd in the XC and and 1st in the STXC. It was a great weekend with some fun trails, an awesome XC course and fun times all around.  Men's Single Speed XC podium - Mark, Nick and Doug