Lol! Hopefully two pairs of shorts. I got a nook today for Christmas. Now I have no excuse to blog. Got it with me all the time.
Christmas vacation has allowed for some saddle time. Starting in January I will be upping the miles to an average of 700 miles a month all on the mountain bike. The last two weeks all of my rides have been on the mountain bike. My road bike misses me and I miss her but the clock is ticking and I have to get used to it. My next race is next weekend. The excruciation exam. Half on single track and half on road. Close to 86 miles. https://www.bikereg.com/Net/the-ss-trails-excruciation-exam
Take a look! My next report is going to feature the gear I have for the ride and what I still need.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Slacker at Blogging but not at Training and Preparing!
Ok, I admit. I started strong on the blog and then my training just took over! Preparing for this ride financially, emotionally, and physically is a huge under taking!
Last time I posted I was getting ready to take on the 24 hours of Rocky Hill! Which was a lot of fun!
Here is a photo of me having some fun!
http://www.bobcat13photo.com/TerraFirmaRacingEvents/24-Hours-of-Rocky-Hill-October/Solo-Open-Female-24-RHR-2013/32860602_S7VN9Z#!i=2855407330&k=bt2ZXp7&lb=1&s=A
and some more fun!
http://www.bobcat13photo.com/TerraFirmaRacingEvents/24-Hours-of-Rocky-Hill-October/Solo-Open-Female-24-RHR-2013/32860602_S7VN9Z#!i=2855439199&k=9q5SHpS&lb=1&s=A
The race was tough! The week before the area got lots of rain which caused us to cross about 8 streams each lap. A lap was about 9.5 miles long with a mile of climbing right at the start of each lap. I completed 8 laps which was about 86 miles. On lap 8 I had a major mechanical that I didn't even know about until I was coming back through the lap station. My front fork was no longer holding air. I had one of the Bike Barn Mechanics at the even fix my fork for me. Sadly while I was waiting I got really cold. Night temperature was about 43 degrees. Cold and Wet. I tried to eat some food and prepare to head out when I decided to change and lay down a bit. When I laid down my asthma kicked in and I had a serious event. Medic pulled me out of the race. I was in a strong second place.
I came in 6th overall and 4th in the multi speed class. I rode 10:35 mins strait. I know if I hadn't had the issue with my asthma I would have done a lot better but I am proud of my achievement.
Since the race I have purchased a new SID RockShox 29er fork and I am having new wheels being built. My wheels should be completed and back here next week. I will post a photo! The wheels are being made by http://www.lacemine29.com/index.html. I sent him my parts. Stans Arch hoops and a set of Chris King hubs. Fast and lighter than what I have. Better built too. Mike Curiak has an amazing reputation as one of the best endurance racers in the world! I feel proud to have him building my wheels. You can learn more about this great athlete at:http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/The_Journey_of_Mike_Curiak_3311.html
In addition to pimping my ride with gear I have been purchasing the gear I will need to complete the journey. I have got my huge seat bag, frame bag, and gastank (food bag) from a company called Revelant Designs. http://revelatedesigns.com/, a compression bag for my sleeping bag, my spot tracker is on order, a steripen and emergency water straw, and a solar panel to charge my lights and GPS. Among new shoes and stack of tires to train and finally do the event on. This event may be free to start and cost nothing to participate in but the overall cost of all the things I am putting together to do the ride is astounding!
Training has been going great! I got my 1st overnight ride in last weekend. I rode from my house is Cypress, TX to Millican, TX. I had a 23 mph head wind, rained on me four times, and my break on the front seized up twice and I had to fix it in the rain and cold. My loving and supporting husband Nathanael picked me up in Millican. It took me 4h 44 mins to ride 60 miles on a mtn bike. We stayed at a nice B & B and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant that Caters to the Gluten Free Cursed. The food was wonderful. http://www.pmaddens.com/ I want to go back! In the morning Nathanael took me to Gibbons Creek Reservoir and I rode home. 65 miles with a tail wind, cold, and rain on my hills. It took me about 4 hours and I rolled up at my house as soon as the rain started to fall. It was a long hard trip but I learned so much about being on a mountain bike alone an in some nasty weather. So proud of my self! Next ride will be loaded with more gear and a few more miles!
I will post again sooner than last :) Happy riding!
Last time I posted I was getting ready to take on the 24 hours of Rocky Hill! Which was a lot of fun!
Here is a photo of me having some fun!
http://www.bobcat13photo.com/TerraFirmaRacingEvents/24-Hours-of-Rocky-Hill-October/Solo-Open-Female-24-RHR-2013/32860602_S7VN9Z#!i=2855407330&k=bt2ZXp7&lb=1&s=A
and some more fun!
http://www.bobcat13photo.com/TerraFirmaRacingEvents/24-Hours-of-Rocky-Hill-October/Solo-Open-Female-24-RHR-2013/32860602_S7VN9Z#!i=2855439199&k=9q5SHpS&lb=1&s=A
The race was tough! The week before the area got lots of rain which caused us to cross about 8 streams each lap. A lap was about 9.5 miles long with a mile of climbing right at the start of each lap. I completed 8 laps which was about 86 miles. On lap 8 I had a major mechanical that I didn't even know about until I was coming back through the lap station. My front fork was no longer holding air. I had one of the Bike Barn Mechanics at the even fix my fork for me. Sadly while I was waiting I got really cold. Night temperature was about 43 degrees. Cold and Wet. I tried to eat some food and prepare to head out when I decided to change and lay down a bit. When I laid down my asthma kicked in and I had a serious event. Medic pulled me out of the race. I was in a strong second place.
I came in 6th overall and 4th in the multi speed class. I rode 10:35 mins strait. I know if I hadn't had the issue with my asthma I would have done a lot better but I am proud of my achievement.
Since the race I have purchased a new SID RockShox 29er fork and I am having new wheels being built. My wheels should be completed and back here next week. I will post a photo! The wheels are being made by http://www.lacemine29.com/index.html. I sent him my parts. Stans Arch hoops and a set of Chris King hubs. Fast and lighter than what I have. Better built too. Mike Curiak has an amazing reputation as one of the best endurance racers in the world! I feel proud to have him building my wheels. You can learn more about this great athlete at:http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/The_Journey_of_Mike_Curiak_3311.html
In addition to pimping my ride with gear I have been purchasing the gear I will need to complete the journey. I have got my huge seat bag, frame bag, and gastank (food bag) from a company called Revelant Designs. http://revelatedesigns.com/, a compression bag for my sleeping bag, my spot tracker is on order, a steripen and emergency water straw, and a solar panel to charge my lights and GPS. Among new shoes and stack of tires to train and finally do the event on. This event may be free to start and cost nothing to participate in but the overall cost of all the things I am putting together to do the ride is astounding!
Training has been going great! I got my 1st overnight ride in last weekend. I rode from my house is Cypress, TX to Millican, TX. I had a 23 mph head wind, rained on me four times, and my break on the front seized up twice and I had to fix it in the rain and cold. My loving and supporting husband Nathanael picked me up in Millican. It took me 4h 44 mins to ride 60 miles on a mtn bike. We stayed at a nice B & B and had an amazing dinner at a restaurant that Caters to the Gluten Free Cursed. The food was wonderful. http://www.pmaddens.com/ I want to go back! In the morning Nathanael took me to Gibbons Creek Reservoir and I rode home. 65 miles with a tail wind, cold, and rain on my hills. It took me about 4 hours and I rolled up at my house as soon as the rain started to fall. It was a long hard trip but I learned so much about being on a mountain bike alone an in some nasty weather. So proud of my self! Next ride will be loaded with more gear and a few more miles!
I will post again sooner than last :) Happy riding!
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