Just over a week ago, Hollywood and I saddled up for the 4th Annual Lake Mtka Ice Race. The weather was calling for an afternoon of 30+ mph winds and the temps were to drop some 20-30 degrees... but luckily, it wasn't set to roll into town until after our race.
Jay designed the course again this year and was ecstatic when we got a dusting of snow the day before they shoveled off the course, exposing clear, glare ice to test even the best studded tires out there. How do you keep the advantage? More studs!
We raced the Advanced race, running the women 10 sec. behind the men. There were only 4 of us ladies in it, but we put it to the men just as well, catching the first handful by the time we entered the massive pinwheel. The course was wicked fast and we were tearing it up. Me, Danielle, and Patti kept passing the lead around for the first couple laps and it was awesome!
Though I didn't have much of a season in 2012, I pulled out all the stops and rode out of my mind! It felt so great catching dudes and passing them with ease and not letting them pass me back. Unfortunately, my endurance was 2nd best and Patti rode away from us. Danielle and I worked together, but couldn't close the gap as the laps counted down and the winds began to build.
I began to bonk and Danielle went on solo pursuit of the win as I dug deep to retain my position. Exhausted, sweating, and out of breath, I crossed the finish line in third behind two of the best competitors out there - it was awesome!
Fatigued hugs and high-5's awaited me at the finish as I got there just in time to watch Hollywood lose his breakfast on the shoreline. H-WooD had suffered a poor start, slipping a pedal instantly and fell into place in the top five or so at the go. Super-charged and sporting a new kit, he threw it into high gear fast and started picking off riders at an aggressive pace.
He rode up to 5th, but didn't relent. Lap after lap he caught his rabbits, moving into 2nd place behind Brendon Moore. Although he got faster and faster each lap, he wasn't able to close the gap all the way and finished proudly in 2nd place. Way to go, hun!
Two races down for 2013, two podium finishes... 2013 is gonna be a good year for Girl Fiend Cycling!
Yeah, I won't deny that I spent the last two nights watching Oprah's interview with Lance Armstrong.
Last night, there were no surprises. No $h!t he was doping!
Tonight, I won't deny getting teary-eyed. Not because I felt bad for Lance and sympathized with him now that he was 'sorry' for all he did...
I felt broken hearted for the people out there he bullied and pressured that still suffer to this day for what he did. What about those teammates that refused to dope but now struggle to find work thanks to your tarnished persona, with coaches assuming they doped by association? That is something I find unacceptable.. people choosing to take the High Road still shunned thanks to you..
F - U.
No worries though... this lil cyclist is going to move forward in a drug-free cycling mission to ride hard, move fast, and have fun!
H-wood and I got up early today to get to the Frozen Frolic for another weekend of Fat bikin'. After the last couple days' rain, we were hesitant to participate, knowing the course could be icy and treacherous for non-studded rigs. Still, we'd paid for the whole series, so why not give it a good ole college try, right?
Yeah....
I mean, heck, last week was AWESOME! Even pulled off a second place finish after bonking super hard in the bird sanctuary. Not a bad start to the year. But, then again, conditions had been PERFECT!
Hwood had to remind me, though, to drop my hands next time so the team logo can be seen. So, today was my chance to get back on the podium.
Yeah.....
Since the course was so icy, most riders showed up with studded tires. My little Mad Max rig was left at home, so all I had was my 9Zero7 with regular tires. But hey, how bad could it be? We lined up for the start ala Time Trial style and I was having a blast at the beginning loop, catching two rabbits before we hit the 'Point of No Return' even aside from a couple crashes.
Then, it just started getting worse from there. It was like we brought pillows to a knife fight....
Slipping out for no reason at all and landing on the frozen tundra started getting old FAST. I already missed one year of racing due to injury, I'm not about to repeat it again so soon. So, I laid off the gas a bit and tried to ride smarter, but it did no good. Repeated crashes on the slippery trail found me standing next to my bike with the chain artfully wedged between my cassette and spokes... seriously?
It was just then that Hwood found me from the trail up above and came down to help. He got the chain back on, but we'd both had enough. We headed back down the trail towards the exit, knowing full well we'd rather save the ice racing for the lakes, not the trail.
Sadly, I don't know what was safer - walking the trail or riding it. I was falling all over the place, or 'skating' down slippery slopes like a boot hockey player lost in the woods. Jay took my bike for me so I could have both hands for grabbing trees and we finally made it back to the lot.
We didn't dilly dally much - just loaded up the gear and took off. Why way for everyone to finish for an after party of a race we didn't complete? Nah, lets nap before the Broncos game! Hopefully we can get some snow in the next two weeks cuz I'm loving these fat bikes! Can't wait to do it again.
Celebrating Christmas with our family took 4 days and included 3 Christmas dinners in 2 different states, at 3 separate houses, and included some-18 hours worth of driving. By bedtime on Christmas night, I was exhausted. Happy to have spent such great time with our family, but completely worn our by the marathon. Then it was back to work as usual... by Friday I was worthless and had to spend the night home in my jammies just trying to get back to normal.
Fully rested, we awoke on Saturday morning just rarin' to go. So, we loaded up our fat bikes and headed to Lebanon hills to meet up with some friends for a sweet sun-lit snowy ride. The trail was perfect and the sunlight through the trees made the view stunning.
After a good two hours, we called it a day to save energy for the next day's ride. After some warm food and cozy slippers, we napped lazily on the couch as the evening approached and planned for another day of riding.
Although the weather was going to be colder on Sunday, we still found some friends up for a ride and planned for an afternoon adventure down at the MN River Bottoms. The chill in the air was crisp for our initial trek down the main road west on the River Bottoms, but the single track gave us relief from the wind chill. We checked out the "Get Fat with Pat" fat bike race course with Dennis, KK, and Pete and enjoyed the well groomed trail. The course has awesome flow and we could really get moving fast, breaking into a sweat before we had to slow ourselves down to keep from getting our gear wet and winding up frigid.
The funniest part was as we came up to Nine Mile Creek and Jay attempted to ride across the frozen bridge one-handed while filming.... key word "attempted".
Thank heavens for sticking to proven, reliable winter gear... thanks to his Louis Garneau Zero-Degree boot, his foot stayed dry and warm all day. :)
Loving the course, we decided to come back again on Monday to see how fast a lap would take us. Pete met us again and we got near 2 hours in on an even COLDER DAY yet! (good ole Vasoline definitely kept some of the bite off my nose and cheeks!)
We got a ton of video on my GoPro but I have to trim it down before I can upload it to YouTube... otherwise it would have taken "638 hours to upload". Sheesh... Unfortunately, I had to work a double on New Year's Day, so Jay went riding without me. But there will definitely be more to come!
Yep, we made resolutions. I even wrote them down and taped them to the pantry door cuz this year we're gonna make them our bitch and the fat bikes will help make it happen. Moving the shop, working way too much, and various injuries and obligations really kept us from riding last year and it shows... between the two of us, we are 30 lbs. heavier than we were this time last year. Not good.
So, fat bikes, be ready! We're gonna ride ourselves back into shape this winter and be ready to take the year by storm! Not to mention enjoying the benefit of a healthy lifestyle... yep, cutting back on the fried foods, take out, and treats. Add some veggies and fruits and exercise.. Tada! And the experts say that to help stick to your resolutions, make them known. We've set our goals and timelines and have successfully completed 36 hours. Whew.
