Form CX

I need to sell it.
Stainless steel, Enve carbon fork, 303 rims laced to White Industry disc hubs with PDX tubulars and/or Stan's road disc wheels, with Force, X0 or Force RD.

If you're interested send me a message.

Wildlife Prairie Park race

I'm not exactly sure when I decided that we should hit up the Wildlife Prairie Park IHRS race, but next thing I knew it was on the calendar. We weren't really prepared as far as "OMG, what about the kids!?" However, it all worked out.
We headed down to Kickapoo Township at about 8am. It was a pretty uneventful drive until Google maps had us on all these back roads, under I74 back under I74, where we finally took matters into our own hands and just got on I74.  Sometimes I really hate GPS directions.
Anyway, we arrived with not much time to get ready. Enough, but we definitely couldn't do anything but get dressed and warm up.
At the line I was surprised to see so many women! It's very rare to see more than three in the IL races lately.
Since there was no time to pre-ride I went into this course blind. I had no idea what to expect. The lead out seemed long (it really wasn't) and I wasn't sure when we dumped into the singletrack. I just remember thinking it was bumpy.
It wasn't long before we made the turn into some fun singletrack. I was a little more brake happy than I would have liked, but that's usually the way it is when you're unsure of trails on your first lap. I was really looking forward to my second lap knowing more of what to expect.  I was barely leading at the start of the race, but I felt comfortable. I wasn't pushing too hard, well, I was, just wasn't gasping like I was at the start of Palos or other races I've done. My stomach felt a little crampy but nothing that was too terrible... until it was terrible. It was like all of a sudden I felt like I was being stabbed. I tried to ride it out but couldn't so I slowed down. I let 2nd place go by in hopes that slowing down might let me feel better. It didn't. So I thought, okay, I'll just relax here for a bit and catch them. But no matter what I did my stomach just kept cramping. It was like sharp pains. The harder I pushed the more painful it was. Then I started getting pissed off. I really wanted to ride the trails. They were my kind of trails.
The second part of the course I didn't enjoy as much as the first. Especially never having ridden there before, and I guess because every rock made my stomach feel worse. I also, as much as I love technical trails like Blue Mounds and WPP, I don't enjoy racing them, but rather prefer riding. Anyway, I pushed through the first lap hoping I'd feel better on the 2nd lap.
I didn't.
I then asked myself what I was doing. I wasn't having any fun and my stomach hurt. I could barely ride and when I stood up I almost had to hunch over. So I sat on the side of the trail for a bit. I thought sitting would at least make me feel better to ride back to the parking lot for a DNF.  It didn't, but I went back anyway.
As I got to the car, I farted the longest windiest fart ever. Miraculously I felt better. I seriously can't believe that I was in that much pain because of fucking GAS!  In saying that, I've had a bunch of stomach issues this year, more times than I can count. Pre-riding Palos the day before the race I had a similar issue; luckily I didn't have any problems during that race.  I think I might start keeping a food diary and see if it's something that's triggering it.  But back to race day, I grabbed my phone and rode out to where I had ended my race to snag a picture of John. I could feel the gas pain coming back a little bit, but never to the extent of what I had earlier in the day.  The gas pain even made my back hurt, to the point I wasn't sure what was going on- stomachache? backache? both? or one causing the other?
Anyway, I hate a DNF. For a second when I think about it I get all mad, but when I then really think about it, there was no way I could ride let alone race. And when I did feel better, I wasn't up for 16 more miles well after last place went by me. I'm just not that motivated, especially almost 3 hours from home. Also, after a race I always enjoy looking at results and hoping people snapped some cool photos, but the DNF kind of takes the fun out of that.
I loved the trails there. They were fun. I'd like to ride them over racing though. I just hate not having the rhythm I want on that type of stuff. Besides it's just more fun when you can look around and enjoy what you are actually riding.  Especially there, it's very pretty, and cool.
Thanks to PAMBA for putting on these races. Everybody there is always kind and attentive.
Their hard work is very much appreciated.

2012 Palos Meltdown

©jeremey rodriguez

I think if you read my past few blogs it would seem the last Palos Meltdown was only days ago. I thought I'd keep this more up to date throughout the year, but seriously... if I could buy time, perhaps.
This year I haven't raced much. Sylvan Island and Black Partridge are the only races on my 2012 resume. Lots of things have kept me away- kids, family, money, bike, injuries, etc. It hasn't helped that the mileage of the IHRS women's cat 1 races haven't had me motivated to sacrifice anything. They are just way too long but that's a whole other blog post.
I felt obligated to race Palos. It's my home course, I guess, and I won it last year. It's just kind of expected I suppose. I wasn't looking forward to it so much because I haven't ridden near as much as I would have wanted to this year. The same things that had me not racing also had me not riding so much. I have no complaints though, accept for that bike and injury thing, but that's also another blog post that probably won't happen.
Anyway, I got my frame back from FORM the middle of the 3rd week of July. John and Ryan helped me build it up so I could get back on it asap. It took me a few rides to adjust, actually I'm still adjusting because I'm picky and anal. Then we went on vacation with my family. I thought I'd get a lot of riding in, which didn't happen. BUT I was able to get a couple rides in during that week that were pretty solid so I felt better about how I'd feel for the Meltdown. I actually wasn't dreading it and was sort of excited to see everybody and ride my bike.
Pre-riding the course the Saturday before I got some major stomach cramps which meant some other things. I was nervous I was going to be sick all day and not be in the best shape for the race. I've had issues with dehydration this summer and didn't want to deal with that on Sunday. Turns out a short nap and a good lunch was all I needed. Phew. There was a brief moment on Saturday where I thought about just hanging out with everybody and heckle people while drinking beer. I also had this same feeling Sunday morning. But I know how much I'd regret not racing. I'll save that for cross.
I don't think you could ask for a more gorgeous summer day. Mother Nature really took care of us.
We arrived well before our start and set up in our usual spot by this one tree.  I really like it there, but walking/riding up that hill throughout the day really sucks.  But it's just so crowded up top. But I also miss seeing people.
Before I knew it, I was getting dressed in my kit. I always hate this part. I forget everything- food, drinks, check tire pressure, blah blah blah. And I always have to pee multiple times. Warming up was super crowded. The FP car at the bottom of the one pavement hill kind of clustered things up, but it was mostly because there were people EVERYWHERE! I couldn't believe how many people were there.
I ran into Bos and headed to the start/finish area. Good thing I did as they started the race at least 5 minutes early! I wondered how many people were going to miss the start!? I knew of two people; I'm sure there were more.
Anyway, the horn went off and the grass uphill was not near as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually uneventful as my heartrate barely went up (well not near as much as I thought). Climbing up after bad ass hill is an entirely different story.  Leia, who eventually won first, shot around me near the clay hill.  Okay, I'm in 4th now, Liz in first, Holly in second and Leia in third. As I hit the grass hill to climb back up the comp men were already passing. HOLY SHIT. I wasn't expecting them until Turf which is where they caught me last year. It was a bit crazy for awhile. Patti passed me coming out of 4 corners. So I was in 5th. I dropped into Turf where I saw Patti off to the side, she was cheering me on. I hoped she was okay, but it was way too fast and unexpected to ask. At first I was right on the Comp guys, but soon there was a gap in front of me. I knew there was a guy behind me, I asked if he wanted to pass, but he said he was fine and he'd let me know. Okay. So I rode for a bit. I really wanted him to go by. Then I heard chatter behind me, arguing sort of. The guy behind him wanted to pass, the guy behind me was like then go.  I don't know if he expected him to stop or pull over or what. Anyway, it got to a point where I looked behind me and there were like 8 guys. Ugh. I don't want to be that person so I asked them to go by. I consider myself fast on Turf but not top comp fast. When they passed I felt a lot more comfortable.
Turf is probably one of my favorite trails, Psychopath is not- the first part anyway; once I crest that 3rd climb I actually do like it. Turn down Dynamite up into Three Ravines. I held my own with the comp guys for a bit then as it climbs after the second ravine (where I saw Liz and realized I was in 3rd at that point), I knew they'd be stronger than me so yielded a bit so they could get by. Luckily it wasn't crazy in there. Down into that gravel multi track which is so fun, up then left into One Day. I was feeling okay and dreading the middle of Gravity Cavity where lately I can't seem to power up. Liz So was behind me on her cross bike (you go girl) but unfortunately crashed in the berms and, I think, broke her derailleur. I made sure she was okay and headed up towards GC. As I was rounding up into there I heard the generator and I knew Anne was in there. YES! I fucking love that part.  I got an adrenaline rush from Anne, Mike, Ben and everybody else cheering plus the high fives, that the first part of the climb went by sooo fast; I slowed a bit on the second after the root up, but recovered again for the 3rd up. I was surprised I wasn't suffering too bad.
My race was pretty uneventful to be honest.  Except for 3 ravines on my second lap.  Coming into the ravines I felt like something was loose in the front end. I assumed it was my skewer but then had thoughts of my fork lower not being on. I locked it out and I didn't feel it anymore. I wondered about headset, fork issues, etc. After the first ravine I felt the looseness locked out and unlocked. I got off the bike and checked my skewer, it was fine. I got back on and started again and it felt loose. So I stopped and it was loose so I put it back on. Started heading down the drops into the second ravine and I thought my wheel was going to fall off. I stopped again on the jump and sure as shit my skewer was off... WTF! Very scary. So I used both hands to push that fucker on all the while hoping another woman didn't come screaming by. After that I never had another issue.  I've had issues with that skewer before. I'm guessing something is up with the spring getting caught and then uncaught or something. Time to replace.
Moving onto GC I grabbed some gummie bears from Ben this time as well as some high fives. First lap I didn't realize he had them and I just high fived him dropping the poor gummies to the dirt.
By the third lap I felt like I was by myself most of the time. I ran into a few dudes on Turf. I stayed behind some guys probably longer than I should and I did the same on the climb up Pscychopath. It's a sort of given that during the race I'm going to lose focus and think about ice cream and laundry. I'm content to ride somebody else's pace when I shouldn't be. So when I let Liz Shull pass me thinking she was one of the Elite men I was just like "WTF RACHAEL, not again!" And I was doubly pissed because my legs weren't even tired. So I got by her on 3 ravines and tried to punch it all the way home. I still grabbed some gummies and high fives on GC though. I did let off a bit coming around the corner not seeing her because then my legs were like wait, stop!  So in the end it was good, but I still am having trouble letting go of that mistake I make as I never seem to learn from it. Oh well, I guess that's just me. I should probably wear a HR monitor and set the alarm or something.
I was pretty happy with 3rd. I had no idea what to expect coming into the race only having raced twice and the last race being well over a month ago. I was also glad to not have suffered like I thought I was going to. Though maybe that meant I should've gone harder ;).
CAMBr did a most excellent job with the race again. A huge thank you to all those that volunteered their time to make a super fun successful event. 

Black Partridge

I love the Black Partridge course. Lots of tight twisty singletrack with a bunch of log crossings and bridges. Enough climbing (for me) to keep it real. I do hate the grass start/finish though. Unfortunately there wasn't a very big field of women. Kind of a bummer. It's hard for me to stay motivated or remember what I'm doing when there really aren't that many people to chase or stay ahead of. Bev hasn't raced at all this year, and apparently isn't planning on it and Betsy is recovering from an injury from a crash in March (I hope she's back soon).
My stomach had been acting up for the previous 24 hours and I hoped it would settle once I started racing like it did on my ride yesterday. We started with the men. We were right on the back of the field for a bit. I'd prefer to have an open course however them in front of me probably helped me not blow myself up in a few minutes time, not to mention gave us a 5 minute gap on the sport class. It was hot. I had to wear a hydration pack as I didn't know anybody to hand up bottles. I hate hydration packs. For some reason today my bike felt "off"; I don't know if it was the hydration pack, my new cleats (I think they are a bit too far back) or what. But I was leaning a bit on my arms, which has never happened before. It didn't affect my climbing or riding, but towards the end of the race my forearms were really tired.
Anyway, I was trying to stay away from Gina. I could hear her on occasion right behind me. Which is surprising because my bike was making so many noises I thought it was going to explode. My headset was loose (which I only was guessing at the time as it was just swapped) which had me off the bike a couple times to make sure my wheel was on. I don't know what sounds like it's going to break off in the rear; I think it might be my derailleur. I stopped to make sure my rear wheel wasn't going to fall off. I grabbed the derailleur a couple times to make sure that wasn't falling off either. My crank was creaking something fierce as well. But then I was like "fuck it. If it's going to break, it's going to break; there's nothing you can do about it so just go." So I did. Do you know how hard it is to ignore all those horrible bike noises? Ugh.
The front of the sport guys caught me, actually I don't remember when they caught me. Then it was a slow trickle after that. I finished the first lap wondering how I was going to finish two more. As I headed into my second lap, just before I dipped into the singletrack I saw Gina headed for the finish shoot. I figured I had a couple minutes on her. So I continued to ride a steady pace and killed it anytime it went a bit downhill. There is one section there that is super rad after you climb out of the first switchback- it's like a slight downhill twisty singletrack with lots of little dips and log crossings.
By this time my stomach was starting to feel off. I thought I just drank too much water (another reason I hate hydration packs). I ended up puking on my top tube; I cooled it on the water after that. I knew I was hot, but at the same time there was a nice steady breeze that made its way through the course most of the race. I ended up puking more liquids out again. I didn't want to let up but at the same time I didn't want to be a wreck for the next few days. A couple of the sport guys said I had a sizeable lead so I backed it off a bit. Or at least I thought.
Going in for the third lap Gina was right on my wheel. D'oh! She actually passed me for a second as we crossed the start/finish area. I remember thinking, GOD DAMMIT- I don't want to work! And right after that I stepped it up and kept stepping it up for the last 7 or so miles. As I approached the last downhill switchbacks I noticed I was a mess. My legs were aching and my arms were pumping; my tris were hurting. I dreaded that last switchback climb out. There was just misery left- switchback climb out, multi-track and then a bumpy grass finish. When I was on the switchbacks I thought I was going to cry. My legs just didn't want to go anymore and my stomach was cramping. The grass finish felt forever, but when I looked back and didn't see anybody in site I just soft pedaled it in relieved to be done. Gina rolled in 4 minutes or so later.
I feel like I did this at my last race- in the middle just completely forgot what I was doing and then ended up having to really pick up the pace. Today wasn't fun. 1:50 minutes of misery (actually more considering I still feel like shit) and about 25 minutes of fun. Racing has never been a total goal of mine but I've done it as it's nice to push yourself harder than you normally would, there are great people, and it's fun to talk about later with John and others. Lately though, I'm just not that into it. I'm sure part of it is I'm sitting here on the couch with a messed up stomach dreading the bathroom, not to mention John had a terrible race. However next race is Jubilee the day after the girls' recital and I've already tried coming up with excuses as to why it's not a good reason to go- one so far is I won't be recovered from the recital the day before, like I'm dancing or something. I don't know if I'm ready to give it up completely just yet, but I definitely feel like my excitement for it is fading. Getting ready today I just wasn't into it all, and it's one of my favorite courses. My kids sort of push me towards this too. A part of me would have loved to have gone for a long singletrack ride today, played soccer with Zoe, talked what-ifs with Casey and had a beer. It would help immensely if everything was closer.

First race of 2012: Sylvan Island

I always start the first race of the year sick. I wonder if it's really not an illness but a severe allergy that hits me right at that time. Anyway, I was up in the air regarding racing Sylvan Island. My wrist is still fucked up and I was sick. I also remember hating the drive last year and with a 2:20 start time I knew we'd get home late.
The forecast wasn't looking too good for race time. I didn't want to deal with those types of conditions but at the same time sometimes those races are the most memorable and fun to write about. All my drivetrain parts need to be changed anyway, so what the hell right? I also knew, though he'd never admit it, John REALLY wanted to go.
With all the rain we got overnight on Sunday I knew we wouldn't be riding trails anyway, though a nice road ride to multi also sounded nice. But who am I kidding? I rarely miss out on an opportunity to ride trails- especially tight techie trails with minimal open and climbing.
Sylvan Island received about an inch of rain overnight. I expected the trails to have a lot of standing water, but to our surprise the trails were only a bit slick, but mostly tacky. A little too tacky, but that's way better than a soupy mess.
There were six of us starting in the women's expert/open race. I think three were local and threes of us weren't. It was time to go. I tried to get on Robin's wheel even though I know it was futile, but at least it gave me the motivation to get to the singletrack fast. I knew my first lap was going to be the sloppiest and most painful but at the same time I knew it was going to be my fastest which sometimes makes the difference for me in a long race when it comes down to the end as I tend to lollygag mid-race. I really need to work on focusing. Though I will say that is one of the hard parts of racing with the lack of women. It's rare that I'm ever with competitors so you tend to almost forget that you are competing.
Anyway, back to my first lap. It hurt. I went from second to third right away. I ate it hard going into one of the singletrack sections on my first lap. It took me a few to get my bearings right, and luckily I talked my way through not losing any confidence over it. Unfortunately 4th place caught me shortly after. She was never that far away and I hoped that once I settled, which was coming soon, my next lap would feel so much better and consistent.
I was right. My HR settled and I was more confident in the singletrack. 3rd place was less than 30 seconds away. I went into my 3rd lap feeling super confident... maybe too confident as I went OTB for the second time IN THE SAME FUCKING SPOT. Only this time I hit my head and was actually airborne a lot longer. After I hit, I assessed that I didn't seem to be hurt. My wrist took a huge portion of it (my poor left wrist probably wants a divorce). My helmet was full of mud and over my eyes. My glasses were dangling off of my face. I could feel my right thigh by my hip throbbing. I had mud down my shirt, my whole left side was covered and it was all down the tape on my wrist. I got back on and actually didn't feel bad. It took me a bit longer this time to gain my confidence back. But now I was irritated with myself. I was sure 3rd place was more than 30 seconds up at this point and who the hell knows where 5th place was. So I headed into the 4th lap with the wrong attitude.
Here's where I made my biggest mistake. Last year we only did 4 laps because the lead expert men passed us and they pulled us. So I figured this year would be the same as well, the lead expert men passed me on my 4th lap. Not to mention I did hear thunder. So I was barely riding. Feeling sorry for myself. I was out of water, my head was throbbing, my left hand wasn't working and I was muddy and itchy. I wasn't racing. I saw John, yelled hi and then shortly after he asked if he could get by. So I got off my bike and let him by. Got back on and shortly after that saw Gina in the woods behind me. Seeing a competitor got me back into race mode and I picked up the pace. But I still thought I was done. And then they waved me on for the 5th lap.
Fuck. I have no water. I hadn't eaten... I got over poor me really fast as I headed into the singletrack and rode faster and pretty flawless. It made me realize just how stupid my 4th lap was. Newb. It started to rain but I actually thought my tires were hooking up better with it being slightly slick instead of tacky where my treads seemed to fill up a bit. I was also having issue with the black rock and the black dirt- I have no depth perception so it was really hard seeing those in the turns. Jury is still out on whether those are the tires I'm going to run this season.
I'm really glad I went. I really liked the course; in my opinion much better than last year.
No results or pics are posted up yet. I didn't load the race into Strava yet either. I just wanted to get this up while I still remembered.

so out of shape

I'm a fair weather cyclist. If I have to wear more than 2 layers I just say no. I have no desire to ride when it's cold. NONE. I don't even miss it really. I usually preoccupy myself with cross training indoors and the internet.
I don't know how to explain it but if I can't ride the way I want to ride, riding just doesn't interest me. Bundled up in a lot of clothes- mostly the big gloves- I can't handle the bike the way I want. Trails are usually snow or ice covered in spots so I can't ride as aggressive as I'd like.
Yesterday I was bored. It was technically a rest day so I had nothing planned for working out. The sun and 50 degree temps motivated me to get outside. So I went downstairs to pump up my mountain bike tires. I grabbed my helmet,shoes and their covers. Threw on my wool knickers, jersey, windproof jacket and my mint green dakine gloves and headed outside with music cranking through my headphones.
My plan was just to hit up the paved loop. Not a mile into my ride I knew this was going to be a mistake so I decided that after crossing Harlem I'd head over to the Swallow Cliff area. A destination if anything. I didn't feel bad really but I knew I had a tail wind for much of the ride. I ignored that there wouldn't be a tail wind on the way home on the straightest hilliest portion of my ride. I planned to just head out to Rte 83 and back, but of course when I saw the entrance to the multi-track how could I resist? So I dumped in. It was wet. It's been worse however. I rode to Rambo Hill and then headed home on Kean to 119th.


Man, was I out of shape. It wasn't so much that I was struggling as how slow going it felt. I know the wind didn't help. And I suppose I wasn't expecting much different as I haven't ridden my bike in a long time. But for some reason when you've been off the bike for so long, when you get back on it's like your body remembers how fast you were when you rode last and it just doesn't respond.
Still, it was such a nice day to be out. I was thankful for my wool as times I was super sweaty, and then pretty chilled.
My legs felt like jello for a little bit once I got home (mind you I rode a mere 16 miles) but later on I felt normal as I do today. I think mostly because I didn't eat before or during. I'm glad to get that first ride out of the way and looking forward to it just getting easier from here on out.
I was reminded how much I miss riding even though it wasn't singletrack. Though I was happiest in the trees. Just something about it that makes me feel so alive and happy.

If anybody is interested...

John is selling his white Spot CX bike (need to get measurements) as well as his orange Gary Fisher Ferrous (med- 17.5").
I'll also be selling my Blue carbon cx bike.

As soon as I collect all the details I'll post 'em up.

It's 2012.

I can't believe it's a new year already.
As I get older it seems like time just flies.
We ended the year at a cross race and started one with the same.
I don't do resolutions but with that said I really need to get back into a routine of putting some sort of work out into my schedule. I'm still having wrist issues from my crash at Sheboygan back in October. I don't think I wrote about it. Or did I? Huh.
Anyway, I can't do yoga or push ups. I can ride. But jumping at Ray's eventually becomes an issue.
Ray's. It's what's on my mind for the winter. Hopefully I'll get out there this week.
I plan on being there the 15th for sure.
Mountain biking is not on the brain yet. I just put all the IL races in my calender. I haven't done that for WORS yet, which I guess says a lot for what I plan to do this year.
I miss WORS how it used to be but I won't miss what it eventually became for us.
It's just after 11pm. I'm pretty tired but just not ready to say goodbye to Sunday yet.

The Last IL Homegrown Race

I was sick. So sick leading up to the last race. I had such mixed feelings on racing.
I just had to show up and finish to keep my 2nd overall in the series. At first I thought we had to do 3 laps for 24 miles. That's a bit rough being sick, but then I found out us ladies were doing 2 laps. I could totally do 2 laps for 16 miles. All I had to do was finish.

So we drove down to the Farmdale Reservoir to finish out the series. For the first time racing in near Peoria all year there were a couple unfamiliar faces at the start line. Which is great, but figures it would be the race where I wasn't going to be that competitive. It was a struggle with myself to hold myself back.

I love the atmosphere at these races. It's just so laid back. It's perfect for me actually. People just wanting to go ride their mountain bikes fast on single track.

We were off. It was a fairly slow start which surprised me. I thought they'd be giving it a little go. I was third on my way into the singletrack when second place ended up dumping it on the sharp left hand turn. I actually rode over both her wheels, though I did choose the wheels over her. She was fine and I hoped her bike was too. I was in second for a bit watching 1st place walk away. I hoped Betsy would come around me and give her a run for her money. I wanted to so bad, but knew it wasn't a good idea knowing how I felt. In hindsight I may have been too cautious, but if you've ever had an asthma attack, it's not worth the risk.

Betsy ended up going around me as we rode over the reservoir/dam thing. I stayed on her wheel for a bit. She opened it up as we got further into the trail and I never saw them again. I passed a few guys, nobody caught me, so it was good.

I forgot just how fun Farmdale is. The trails down there are definitely worth the drive. Not to mention there are multiple trails systems within a short drive of each otehr. I ended up coming in 3rd place. I actually wasn't more than a minute behind Betsy and first place was only a couple minutes ahead. The girl who won, Cat? or Kat? was actually from Utah, very cool to have her racing there.



So, I was 3rd overall in the race, 2nd overall for USA Cycling IL Cat 1 for the year and 2nd overall in the IHGRS. Good times.

Next up is Sheboygan, last official race of the season which happens to be pretty much be my all-time favorite race even though I usually have my worst results there.

The Yeti

I was riding the trails last night thinking about riding 26" vs 29" wheeled bikes. I don't think I have a preference right now to be honest. A 29er does things well that a 26" can't, like keeping momentum. I noticed right away that I was pedaling to keep my speed quicker than I would hit the gas on my 29er. Roots, especially those that aren't straight across the trail, were easier on my 29er. Climbing steep, especially more technical climbs, are easier. Riding my 26er I had to work a bit harder to make it up the steep climbs that my 29er rolls right up. To add though, the Yeti is way taller and I'm not used to the higher front end to get up and over the bike. My second day on it I made the climbs, however there was a bit more grunting and more body english to go up.
A 26" has its very own things that a 29er couldn't compete with, however. For starters, I have never been able to accelerate out of a corner like I can on a 26" bike. I can't whip around a corner on a 29er like I can on a 26" bike. Floating in the air on a 29er does not feel the same as it does on a 26". The landings feel quite different too.
I have no complaints about either bike. A 29er rolls over things nicely, however I found that I work a lot harder to get over taller log overs than I realized. Popping a wheelie takes a lot more effort on my part on my 29er than it does on my 26".
I'm not disappointed by either ride.
I remember having a conversation with Kent Eriksen when he was building my hardtail a few years back. We spoke about how we go back n forth between short top tubed bikes vs longer top tubes with shorter stems and 29er vs 26ers, full suspension vs hardtail, etc. It's not that we feel one is better than the other, but we sort of like change. The difference. We get used to riding one for so long, and we adapt forgetting that we've adapted. So then you get on a different bike, for me 29er hardtail to 26" full suspension, and all of a sudden the traits that the new bike excels at are just that much more excellent. It's new and exciting and fun!



As far as the Yeti is concerned I was nervous that I would hate it at first. I hate the flat tire feeling and the hang up on log overs I remember experiencing on my Blur. I struck my pedal a lot on my Blur too. Anyway, after getting over the initial weirdness, which only took me about 15 minutes actually I had a blast! I'm a fairly aggressive singletrack rider. I like to attack the trail. I like to drop in, I like to lean, essentially I really like handling my bike. With the 68 degree headtube I found the small ravines, the downhills way more fun. I don't know if fun is the word, but I felt like I didn't have to get back off the rear of the bike. I just dropped in. I felt like I had more control. I realize we don't have huge drops here or very long downhills, but still, everything is short and fast here and I noticed the difference right away. I sort of touched on it above, but I was a bit nervous coming off of the 29er back to a 26" when it came to the logovers. My worries were put to rest right away. I thought I'd have that endo feeling as I hit the other side, but with the longer fork, this wasn't an issue at all. Not that it would have been an issue, just something I would have had to get to know again. It was so much easier to get up and over them, way less effort. I had troubles climbing steep ups on my first ride out. I didn't know how to get over the front end so it ended up wandering on me causing me to have to put a foot down. The second day it was fine. I'm sure I'll have issues in the snake put, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's funny how quick we adapt; I sat on my Form last night and it already felt low and long.
Hopefully I'll get to ride again later on today.

IHRS # I don't even know anymore

I just realized I hadn't wrote about my last race. Probably because there really wasn't much to write about race wise.
Saturday night we had a party for my cousin. I was out until 1 am. I didn't eat dinner either. I knew that wouldn't bode well for my race the next day, but whatever.
It was just Betsy and me at the women's expert start. Betsy and I are pretty equal racers actually, it could go either way when we toe the line.
I was off the front in hopes to get some time on Betsy in the beginning. I was doing well and feeling fine, though I could tell that I was going to be hungry. You just know.
I took my first gel shortly after the first lap and felt fine. I actually felt pretty good. I killed my second lap once I knew the trails. As I was riding my third I could feel myself fading a little bit so I took a gel. I didn't feel so good right after. I felt like I really needed to burp and/or puke so trying to go hard was difficult. I shouldn't have needed a gel so quickly I think was part of it, but I think this had to do with not having ate right those prior 24 hours. Anyway, I could hear Betsy coming. But it was hard to keep moving feeling that crappy. Betsy caught me and then passed me. I was still feeling a bit green. I went to grab a drink out of my hydration pack hoping that watering it down would help me a bit. I did end up burping which relieved some of the pressure, but then my bite valve fell off my pack. W.T.F. I was shocked to feel all that water hit my chamois and start running down my leg. I tried to stop the water flow but all that happened was me getting a mouth, throat and stomach full of water. I gagged and choked while trying to reverse the flow back into the pack. Finally I had done so. Feeling a bit waterlogged I moved on. At this point I felt I had lost so much time, not to mention what the heck was I going to do about water? No water equals no food. Oh well, I thought, just ride your bike.
Dehydration caught up with me quick; it was way hotter out than I expected. I started to feel a bit out of it. In the singletrack I just felt a bit off. I just ended up slowing down to enjoy the ride. I didn't think I'd catch Betsy so it wasn't worth asking my body to go above and beyond just to finish a closer 2nd place.
I finally finished. I had dried salt all over my body and wasn't feeling the greatest. My body wasn't hurting like it should after a race, just more like out of it I guess.

Sitting here on Thursday typing this, I still feel like I'm a bit dehydrated. I really suck at drinking water lately it would seem.

Last race of the series is Farmdale, apparently if I race it I will be counted for series points.

Kickapoo Photos

Kickapoo Bash

I made a last minute decision to race stop 9 of the Illinois Homegrown Race Series. I wanted to race, I just didn't want to be in a car for 5 hours that day. I knew I'd regret not going so I made the decision to just do it. John headed the other way on I57 for the xXx cross relay with the girls in tow.
I love Kickapoo. It's a 10 mile loop of mostly all singletrack that I love. It's tight, technical and twisty with short punchy (at times super) steep climbs, ravines, off camber sections, not to mention two (or is it three?) pretty awesome downhills. There's like one spot on the loop to recover- the double track to start your next lap.
In past years us women have done two laps of the course. Twenty miles on that course is a lot. As I'm in the staging area I found out we weren't doing two, but three. I was not prepared to do three. Luckily I had brought enough water, but mentally it sort of deflated me not to mention that if I knew I had an extra 10 miles to do, I probably would've ate more. There was nothing I could do about it, so I shrugged it off and prepared myself for a long day.
We started two minutes after the men. There was a longish double track lead out that lead us to surprise hill, which is very aptly named by the way. My plan was to get out front to get into the singletrack first to hopefully put some time on the ladies.
As I struggled up surprise hill (should've been a gear easier) in the lead, I felt Bev right on my wheel, literally. I felt her tap it as I grunted pushing my pedal down to crest the hill. By this point I was pretty redlined. Arms tingly, breathing hard and legs burning, I almost felt like I was coming to a stop as the trail continued to climb.
I knew it would start going down in a couple feet, but Bev passed me before the trail turned to my favor. I sat closely behind her as she descended down the fast flowy singletrack. I wanted to get by her, but it was so tight. She'd brake going into the turns, I'd have to brake too, slightly annoyed that I knew if I was up front I'd be railing the sweet, sweet singletrack. But Bev can accelerate out of a turn like nobody's business, so it was impossible for me to get by.
We headed down the switchback down into the ravine. I was still right behind her as we climbed up the switchback out of the ravine, both of us dabbing as we made the super steep left turn. Still behind her we recovered as we finished climbing out of the ravine and onto more twisty, rooty goodness. I waited for an opportunity to get by. I was rewarded for being patient as Bev lost traction going into a turn and was off her bike.
Sweet. But, not so sweet. Her misfortune happened right at the only section of multi-track on the whole course! Her strength, definitely not mine. I laughed at the irony.
All I could do was slide forward in the saddle, click my gears and push as hard as I could. I raced this course last year so I knew the next section was the wall rides and technical creek climb. I hoped to stay in the lead once we got to that point. I know Bev is strong, and though I'm a better singletrack rider than Bev, she still is no slacker; so I knew staying ahead of her was near impossible, but anything could happen so I just kept pushing.
As I entered the trees I almost felt relieved as I thought I'd start descending to the wall ride. NOPE. More doubletrack. It felt like forever. Bev caught me here and I pulled her into the singletrack. I led for a bit but she was right on my wheel. I'd put some space between us in turns, but she was right back on me in no time. I probably still had 25 miles to go at this point in the race, so I told Bev if she needed to get by to go. She was gone. I didn't even try to stay on her wheel. She was way stronger than I was. I still pushed hard though because I knew Betsy wasn't far behind, and well, anything can happen.
As I entered the second lap I still felt good. I grabbed a gel, chugged some water and pedaled on. I had the singletrack all to myself! I was having a blast until I saw Betsy as the trails weaved next to each other. A sort of panic set in; I didn't want 3rd. I pushed harder to keep the distance between us.
As I came to the end of the 2nd lap there are two super steep hike-a-bike climbs (for me anyway), as I stood at the top of the second one trying to clip in my pedal I heard shifting behind me. It was like I saw a bear on my tail. I flew down the steep technical downhill, skidding around the 90 degree turn out to the multi-track to the next singletrack section. I saw Betsy again as I messed up the switchback climb to head to the finish. As I was running up the climb Betsy came shooting down out of the woods. CRAP! After climbing up that climb it took my legs what seemed like forever to want to turn over the pedals, but finally I got them going.
After that, surprisingly I still felt okay going into the 3rd lap. As I pushed down the double track to drop into my 3rd lap I almost missed the turn to surprise hill. I slammed on the brakes and barely made the turn. I felt like I lost so much momentum. As I climbed up the hill I heard the crowd cheering for Betsy. She was so close. I pushed myself so hard in the singletrack in hopes of gaining a bit of time where I knew I could make it count. I almost ate it twice. I flew down the switchback downhill perfectly and cleaned the steep switchback that I missed the first two times as well. I wish somebody was there to high five.
I pushed through the rest of the lap harder than I thought I could. On one of the downhills I thought I was going to have a significant crash. I was going very fast, way faster than I should have been. I brushed a tree which moved me to the left side of the trail where there was a hidden log in the grass. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I did. So I dialed it back a notch on the dowhills. Fatigue and pain were starting to take over. My stomach was crampy from the gels, both of my feet had blisters and my back was twinging on every root and ravine, not to mention my feet kept flying out of my pedals for some reason. Every sound I heard I thought was Betsy right behind me. I dreaded the hike a bike section. My legs were hurting, I knew I was close to cramping and I had blisters that burned and stung worse when off the bike. As I came flying down to the descent to head out to the finishing section of singletrack (which isn't short), I looked back and didn't see Betsy. I knew at this point that if I could keep moving I'd have second place.
A part of me wanted to cry. Whether it was PMS, pain, joy, I don't know, but the urge was there. I didn't though, instead I laughed. I was almost done. That last section of singletrack is super fun, however after almost 30 miles I just wanted it to end. I was close but still so far away.
Finally the little steep exit onto the double track. I put my head down and then looked for the timer's table. I hit the brakes and high-fived Bev who was standing at the finish line. As I stood there I wondered how I would get back to my car. The thought of pedaling back with legs that were probably planning a mutiny and a back that was revolting, not to mention I was feeling quite sick from my effort, was not one of joy.
It was the first race I'd ever done where I couldn't eat anything (well, okay, I had an ice cream cone) nor did I want anything substantial until the next day.
My legs feel okay today. My left quad is sore, but I think my cleat on my new shoe is a bit off. My back however, I feel like I've been punched in the kidneys.

No results posted yet. No pics yet either. I saw one guy out there in the ravines. I hope he posts them up.

2011 Palos Meltdown

It wasn't looking good for a race on the singletrack for this past Sunday's Palos Meltdown. I didn't even want to think about it. I had been looking forward to the race for quite some time. The thought of a multi-track race was just, um, no.
I was stoked to read Ben's text early that Sunday morning: "Full course!" I didn't realize how down I was about it until I read that. I just felt my face light up.
It's really nice to have a pretty big race 20 minutes from the house.
As we got closer to the racecourse the weather was nothing what I expected it to be. It was barely in the 70s and misting. At about 11:30-12 it pretty much rained. As long as we ran the full course it sort of excited me. I'm a decent technical rider so I knew it would be to my advantage.
I'm usually not that competitive, but I really wanted to do well there; so this past week I thought about what I would do knowing who my competition was. I knew I just had to stay with the girls who were super strong power riders and hopefully get around them as we headed down into Turf.
Start time, as usual, came before I knew it. The rain had stopped. The expert men were off and now it was our turn.
When John Vande Velde sent us off I missed my pedal. D'oh! I'd like to blame the fact that I had different egg beaters on than I'm used to (wider spindle), but I think I just missed my pedal. I watched Julia smoothly pull away.
We all came together again quickly as we descended down the grass hill. I passed Julia on one of the slick short ups as some co-workers were cheering me on. I then took the lead and wondered what the hell I was doing. I'm so not good in the open.
However I figured what the hell, I'm going to suffer in front or trying to hang on. I mostly just thought about busting my ass to get into the singletrack first. I knew if I got into Turf first I could hopefully put some time on them.
As I was just cresting the hill to head down to clay hill I shifted my chain up into my spokes. Really? I seriously don't even remember the last time I did this. I don't even think I've done it in my 30s. I hopped off and calmly pulled it off, but I think I still swore. (reminder: check hanger- remember I sheared my other one off just last week?)
Now Julia was right on my wheel, which I expected. She passed me on the grass as we started to go around the lake and up the hill. I knew I had to just keep her in my sight. At this point I had no idea what was going on behind me.
I pushed hard on the gravel to keep Julia close. I felt like I was getting closer to her and debated on whether or not to put the power down (haha) and try to pass or just be patient.
I seriously didn't know what to do.
After exiting onto pipeline I was glad I waited. I forget how long that section is of lots of pedaling. I also apparently pre-rode the wrong fork in the trail, as we went left instead of right.
There were two small drops. I was right on Julia's wheel. She got a bit squirrelly on the second one which caused me to go off trail. For a split second I almost hit the brakes to let her go by like I would on a ride. *shakes head. But shortly after I just thought "go". So I did. I, and whether or not it was true, thought Julia might not want to pass on the cupped singletrack. I know I would've been freaked. I'll ride down rocky root infested downhills, but those types of singletrack trails with lips scare the crap out of me.
As soon as we hit the road and I was still in front I was confident I'd get into Turf first. I remember coming flying down the pavement and flying into Turf the smoothest I've ever floated in there before and just felt awesome. The bike floated underneath me as I negotiated the slick corners and off camber sections. Once I crossed the creek I felt like I had a gap and could just grow it as long as I stayed upright. And then I lost my water bottle. It was so weird. I actually thought about going to get it for a split second. I climbed up Psycho as best as I could. That section of trail is always longer than I think it is. Finally the turn to head down to the ravines. Man I love that trail. I almost ate it on One Day as I misjudged that long root over the trail and slid down it until my foot hit the tree. Luckily that's all that happened. As I was entering Gravity Cavity Bos passed me, but not without acting like an ass. Obnoxiously calling out on your left, racer coming, etc. It was pretty funny. I had him ask some friends to have a bottle for me. He then said, I saw your Metal bottle on Turf and totally knew it was yours. Of course.
Second lap I rode well but, and I think I was in the minority, thought Turf got a bit slicker on my subsequent laps. Not the actual trail, but the turns for sure were more slick. It was pretty uneventful actually. I was just enjoying the ride. I really loved the course. It was really fun and hard, but not a death march.
Going into my third lap I still felt pretty good. I rode the flats and singletrack great. I just felt really bad on Psychopath just as you pass the fence and the second up part of Gravity Cavity. My legs yelled at me a bit. I wanted to move them faster but they just wouldn't respond on the steeper stuff. I pretty much kept on the gas the whole race; I had no idea how far ahead I was so didn't want to chance it. I just wanted to be done pedaling. Obviously I was excited to come in first.
Crossing the finish line and having a bunch of people cheer and come up to me was really weird. I've never experienced that before, I almost felt a bit awkward.
It was really nice to get the win on my home course! I didn't realize I knew so many great people! It was cool to see them all in one place.
When the guy from the Southtown Star came up to interview me after, the first thing I thought of was CAMBr. Great job to all. I'm still smiling about it today.

"nice face" photo © velogrrl
podium shot © Luke R

Anybody interested?

I'm going to put this stuff up on ebay soon.

Kent Eriksen ti 26” mtb frame w Rock Shox SID WC XX, Orange KING headset.
$1500

DT Swiss 190 (ceramic) hubs laced to Stan’s 355 rims with black DT Swiss Super Comp spokes
Bontrager XR 2 tires – set up tubeless (includes centerlock adaptors)
$1000 (the hubs alone retail for $800)

Edge handlebar- cut to about 22"
$65

Edge 90mm stem w white faceplate
$140

Eriksen ti sweetpost 27.2 w setback (I believe 360mm, but will measure).
$100

Or I'll sell the bike complete with full XX for $2800.

Race Blogging

For some reason I had been really looking forward to the Illinois race this past Sunday. The race was held at Black Partridge Park in Metamora, IL. Being able to ride trails has been pretty intermittent this Spring, so I think a race held rain or shine gave me an excuse to get out there and ride my bike in the dirt regardless of weather.

On the way to the race I was almost a bit ho-hum compared to how I felt earlier in the week. Maybe it was nerves, I don’t know. The forecast wasn’t calling for rain, so I was stoked about that. However there was some rainfall at the course that morning. I was a bit nervous about my tire choice. I really think I dislike the Bontrager 29.2. The side knobs fill with mud and don’t clear, which then have absolutely NO traction in turns dry or wet. They are advertised as a loose over hard pack tire, so I guess the wet isn’t what they were made for, so I shouldn’t hate.

Anyway…

The Cat 1 women were initially supposed to do 3 laps of the 8 mile mostly singletrack course (same as the cat 1 men)… which meant I’d probably be out there for well over 2 hours. I was looking forward to the fun miles, but at the same time not really looking forward to it considering how hot and muggy it was. Not to mention it wasn’t dry, so lap times would be slower than last year. Which, yeah, get over it… but coming from 50s to 80s and humid is a bit rough on the body. Anyway, a couple of the girls petitioned the race director and we were cut down to 2 laps. I had mixed feelings, but it was going to be fun regardless. I unzipped my Metal jersey, so I wouldn’t be fumbling with the zipper in the singletrack, and lined up behind the men.

Us Cat 1 gals actually started in the pack with the Cat 1 men. I was a bit apprehensive about this at first, but it worked out pretty well actually. I was first woman behind all the guys. It was a fairly short lead out on the grass which then dropped us right into some downhill benchcut singletrack. Way awesome trail. The Cat 1 dude right in front of me was going a bit slow for my liking but it was difficult to get around him with all the creek crossings and bridges. Eventually I was able to sneak by him on a rooty climb. One creek crossing was very steep. It was like a wall to get out. The guy in front of me didn’t make it and I had to slide back down. I panicked trying to get up. It was so muddy and slick I couldn’t get a foot hold. I was just waiting for the women to come barreling down on me while I tried to get out of there. Finally I made it up the first of three switchback climb sections completely redlined and breathing hard feeling like my head was going to explode.

It took me a long time to settle, almost the whole first lap. With having asthma, the humidity and the fact I wanted to ride fast was causing me some breathing problems. I had to keep talking myself down; I felt like I was hyper-ventilating. Breathe Rachael, breathe. Finally I was able to settle down and enjoy the rad singletrack. And rad it was. Super tight, tons of log crossings. I felt like a Jedi floating between trees and dipping into little g-outs. I did end up at one point sliding out on a bridge (plank really) and hugging a tree, but I don’t think I’ve ever come away from a race completely unscathed.

Before I knew it the first lap was over. That ride on the grass was the hardest part of the race… I was pushing my gears so hard, but felt like I was going nowhere.

Second lap had me looking over my shoulder a lot. Betsy usually beats me when I race with her, usually after catching me after I’ve led most of the first lap. I could hear the sport guys coming on some occasions and feared Betsy, or another Cat 1 gal, was with them. I just kept pushing. Lungs settled, legs were good, I felt great all around. I was dreading that steep creek crossing, but not having anybody in front of me I floated right up it. What a relief! I was a bit more confident knowing the trails, not to mention they had dried out some, so weren’t as slick in the corners. It started to get pretty dark in the singletrack as it appeared a storm was rolling in; I almost had to take off my glasses. All I could think about at that point was how slick it was going to get if the clouds let loose. It started to rain just as I was exiting out of the singletrack on my last lap for the finish.

My first win in a very long time, and maybe my first one as a Cat 1. I was pretty stoked.

Iola 04.01.11

Driving up to Iola I was sort of bumming... I knew it was going to be close to 70 degrees at home and Iola was calling for rain and cold. And having read that they had snow up there just a bit ago had me nervous for conditions. I knew I couldn't ride at home regardless and the thought of missing Iola for another venue just didn't appeal to me, so it was the best of all my options.

Getting out of the car to pre-ride the wind was coming hard but it wasn't raining. About 15 minutes after we arrived the wind totally died down. It was weird. I ended up starting the pre-ride in arm warmers and undershirt but promptly ditched them soon after entering the course. The trails were perfect and the climbs didn't seem to be as bad as I remembered (though they never really do on pre-ride).

My first lap I didn't feel like me. Just wasn't confident tossing the bike around, the second lap was much better I felt the "rail" come back.

We packed up and headed to our hotel. Pretty boring really.

Morning wake up had us not rushing as Ryan races the Cat 1 Junior category now. Though the thought of sitting at the hotel for hours before the start didn't sound appealing so we headed to the venue.

BRRR!!!!

Wow, was it cold! I ended up in 3 layers and a beanie with gloves just to walk around. I was sort of stressing about what to wear to race, always remembering that no matter how it felt outside of the woods, inside the woods always seemed 10 degrees warmer with only a few sections of dealing with the wind.

I ended up in arm warmers, jersey and shorts with wool socks. I lined up next to people wearing thermal jersey, tights with shorts, knickers, headbands and double layers. YIKES... I would have died of heat exhaustion! My head would have exploded on the first lap!

Don said Gooo... and we're off. I've never been a good starter. However I was surprised that the field wasn't completely gone as we got to the top. I hate the first lap as I'm sure most other people do as well. I went back and forth with a couple girls and then sort of settled into a spot until the first singletrack I passed a couple girls in there. I was actually surprised that I was able to power past up on what was definitely not the better line. It felt sort of good.

For the most part my race was uneventful. I passed a girl or two, a girl or two passed me. Tons of comps came by. I didn't have a problem with any of them. They all called their passes and weren't stupid about it. Iola is almost a perfect race course actually.

I still suck at eating. I totally forgot how quick one of the sections of singletrack came up so I ended up riding it with an unopened gel in my mouth. Finally ripped it open, sucked it down and stuffed it into my back pocket with all my unopened gels. So of course on my next lap that's the gel I grabbed thinking I'd be ahead of the game, I put it in my spandex on my thigh. EW. Gross. It wasn't so bad that it was all over my thigh, but when I grabbed it from my shorts, the gel was all over my glove... which then was all over my grip, lever and shifter. Ugh. There were times I actually had to pull my hand off the grip hard to grab the lever. I ended up sucking on my gloves where the gel was to help out with this a bit. So I had to get that mostly eaten gel into another pocket and grab an uneaten one out. *shakes head

Before I forget, I was so thankful for Jeff doing bottle hand ups. I go through a lot of water and not having to carry it on myself or bike is such a relief!

I actually felt pretty damn good on my 2nd and 3rd lap. I completely surprised myself. Going into the 4th lap right at the top of the start climb my legs started to fuss. It was the first time it was actually painful and hard to push them to go. I felt like they were pretty heavy. I actually didn't hate the start climb or the big climb in the back as much as past years. I really HATED the 3rd climb after coming out of the bowl. After you make that swooping left, ugh. I just felt my legs hate me. But I so love when you shoot back down into the bowl and right back up! So frickin' cool! I was hurtin' on that last lap but I was nowhere near being completely done and in survival mode like I am on my last lap at most WORS races. My legs still climbed and I was still pretty fresh in the singletrack handling wise, just wasn't poppy or fast.

Much better than last year's DNF, that's for sure. It's also the first year, I think ever, that I've raced Iola either not sick or coming off of being sick.

I ended up 11th overall/9th Cat 1. 4th age but 2nd age podium (I think) with the overalls taken out. I'm bummed I missed my podium opportunity. Those don't happen very often for me in Elite WORS (only once).



And how about the Twin Six Metal kits... so awesome!

whoa

I have no idea what possessed me to actually update this blog.
Probably weather depression. My blog is filled with pissy posts about the weather so what's one more? I know that it won't be cold and rainy forever, but still...
Reading my last few posts the Superfly is gone; it'll be replaced by a Form shortly. I suppose I should be sure all of the parts we need are in. I need to make a list. I'm going to sell the Eriksen. I stopped racing cross. Once the weather turned to shit I hung it up. No regrets. I found that I enjoyed hanging out with the crowds and watching John. He raced right after me so I'd miss everything. I'm just not a competition person I guess. I think I like mountain bike racing because for the most part it just seems like a hard mountain bike ride with other people. With cross it seemed like the prep was longer than the race. Just wasn't for me.
The girls are good. Casey started tumbling, Zoe will be starting dance. Everything is so expensive. I can't believe Casey is 9. She is so unbelievably smart and creative. Zoe is 4 going on 15. She loves to sing, dance and be a drama princess. We finally got a trail-a-bike so hopefully we'll have some family rides (when the weather finally warms up).

I can't believe Iola is less than two weeks away. It's going to hurt.

Superfly for super sale

John's getting rid of the Superfly.
It's in Gatto condition- however there is a scratch on the toptube from his handlebar (rookie).

Gary Fisher carbon 29er hardtail frame- med, 17.5"
RockShox Reba XX 29er fork- white
240 DT Swiss wheels- hubs are very lightly used, rims are still in the plastic- they were just rebuilt to Stan's rims.
pics are of the 190 wheelset that are being kept.
SRAM XX triggers
SRAM XX rear derailleur
SRAM XX front derailleur
SRAM XX disc brakes
SRAM XX 175mm 42/29 carbon crank.
Truvativ World Cup stem 100mm
Truvativ World Cup handlebar, carbon, flat
Cane Creek headset
Bontrager carbon ACC seatpost
Bontrager ti saddle
991 chain
1099 11-36 cassette
ESI chunky lava grips
No pedals.





$2700 complete or $1500 frame and fork.
If you want more pics or are interested email me if you'd like spicyride at gmail dot com.

blogging

Someone asked me to update my blog or why don't I?
I don't know why. Time?
I always think to myself I should update it more. Even if a pic or two here and there. It always seems like at this point it overlaps with facebook.
I know I love to go look months and even years back to look at the photos and see what I had to say. I think I'll miss that.



No resolution or anything, but maybe I'll try and update more. Not for anybody else though, for me. Which is who this blog has always been for anyway.