It's Almost Christmas!

It's been WAY too long since I've written.. oi! I kept thinkin' "I have to write about State Championships and Jingle Cross" but then thought of how much time it would take to recap it all and just kept putting it off. All in all, both were AWESOME! Maybe someday I'll go back to it. But, for now, we're just touchin' base.

Christmas is almost here and I've got the fever bad. I even finished shopping YESTERDAY! (new record for me.. I'm notorious for shopping on the 24th each year)... combine gifts with our lil Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and it looks like Christmas puked all over the bar!

Rosco hung his stocking outside his cave. Wonder if it says "Naughty" cuz he feels bad for pooping in Timmer's closet?? Or maybe it's the bottles of Darkness and Jack Daniels that are inspiring his devilish ways... silly puppy...

Either way, there's no denying that this girl is proudly buying Christmas music and beaming with excitement over all the gift-giving to come! Heck, I finished getting Jay's gifts in early November, and they've been sitting there wrapped ever since. It's taking everything in me not to BEG him to open them right now! I could care less about what I get... I just like watching my family light up, especially my hubby!

Other than that, not much new, just keeping busy trying to stay in shape in the off-season, and catch up with dirty laundry! If I don't see ya before the holidays, I wish you a wonderful holiday season full of loved ones, smiles, and full bellies!

Loving the season,

Kristy Kreme

'Cross for Tots is here!!!

It’s that time again! Time to help kids in need this holiday season by donating to Toys for Tots. And what better way than to combine bikes and toys in one day?Come out to Vanderbie Park at 1001 W 92nd St, Bloomington, MN on Saturday, December 17th to donate, ride, and have a great time.

Here’s the flyer:

C Race - 12:15 (30 min)

B Race - 1:00 (45 min)

A Race - 2:00 (1 hr)

Helmets are required. This is a non-USAC event, so you are liable for your own safety.. This event is about having fun raising money and toys for children in our community.

Entry is a new, unwrapped toy or $10. All donations will go to the Twin Cities Toys for Tots.

If you have any questions or want to help in any way, please let me know!

Ho, ho, ho!

Kristy Kreme

Bottle CX - Double Wood Victory, Double the Fun!

We by-passed the standard MCF racing today to stay close to home and 'cross it up with the 612 Mafia. Bottle CX started by meeting at a pre-determined spot and following Hurl to the "not a race" course. Complete with a wicked stair climb, sketchy descent, and log barriers, it was sure to be a good time. Add to it that the entry price was just a bottled beverage, and you're sure to bring out the best!

Yum, Harriet Brewery plus the lovely Kelly Mac!

Five killer laps on the urban course were perfect, challenging me to keep my feet moving up the stair climb lap after lap... heck, it was probably one of the best stair climbs we could have done to prepare for State Championships!

Hollywood was riding out of his mind from the get-go, and I was doing everything I could to chase down Chelsea early in the event. Half way through the race, I caught up to her and settled into her pace up the stairs, passing her at the top and trying to speed the pace up as best I could. It worked great and I held it to the finish, taking the women's win! There waiting for me at the finish, my sweet hubby who took the men's win.... bitch, please! Double Wood Victory!

Yeah, I scored a sweet Hula Pig trophy - best one ever!!!!

Not only did we score sweet trophies, Jay won some awesome Zig Zag arm warmers! He STILL won't take 'em off - ha!

What's the first thing you want to see as you cross the finish line at a 'cross race? A bag full of random bottles of liquor, of course! (plus one bottle of hot sauce) People brought everything from a bottle of beer, Harriet Brewery growler, some sweet and smooth Kentucky whisky, and even a bottle of home brew. Jay opted for the Delirium Tremens, whereas I popped the top off the growler and shared in the glory with CrossMax and his well-planned pint glasses!

Hey, Gen-o Mario, where's Louigi??

We chilled for hours with our friends, sharing beers and stories, until the hunger set in. Hollywood and I packed up our cool trophies and headed to grab some Punch Pizza and get home to the puppy! What an amazing way to finish out the weekend!

Thank you Hurl for putting on an awesome event!

Tired, lazy, and enjoying the couch,

Kristy Kreme

Oh the silly things we see....

Saturday was a beautiful day to be outdoors and we made sure to take advantage of every moment of it!

We kicked the day off by, what else, cyclocross racing! On the way to the race, we got a great laugh when we looked up into the bright sky and saw a wicked crooked jet stream.... I would think it would be wise NOT to drink and fly, but this pilot was obviously having a good time....

We sent our pic to Timmer who could see it from his cabin in Wisco!

After some fun racing in the warm afternoon, celebrating the last few days of sun and warmth, we came home and took the puppy for a nice long walk. While strolling quietly through the neighborhood, we found not one, but TWO MG's...

This was 2 MG's welded to make one hellofa sweet ride, rumble seat and all! :o) It was a pleasant lil treat for the eyes before cozying up on the couch as a family and welcome the sunset.

Enjoying the fall,

Kristy Kreme

Where did October go?

I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden it's November! It's 11/11/11 at that! Crazy to think it's been almost a month since I last wrote and there's been tons to write about. Hell, so much so that there's been no time to just sit and relive it all online.

First of all, racing has been AWESOME! Jay and I have been having a blast at the Cyclocross races, carrying our Mtn. bike strength and endurance into the intense, condensed format. I've somehow managed to pull off a top 4 finish in each race, including a personal-best 2nd place in the Midwest Single Speed Championships!!! Bitch, please!

Hollywood has happily surprised himself with great form without week-day training, taking a top 5 spot each race as well, and also taking 3rd in the men's Midwest SS Championships! Rock on! We've kept the racing to a mellow once a week, trying not to overdo it too much before the season hit full swing, and it seems to be paying off.

Hole-Shot Henderson!

Add to it a bitchin' good time celebrating Halloween! From the decorations, costume creation, all the way to the partyin' all night, it was the best year yet! The crowd was bigger than ever before, the music louder, costumes more insane and out of this world, and the fun was endless! Thank you to all of my friends who make this happen each year - Kaity, Teri, Randy, Leah, Kim, Surly Jones and all the rest for letting me help out! I love it!

Next up, holiday season... and how do we get through past Christmas without too much food? If we're gonna hold our fitness levels through winter to maximize our skills through the CX and Ice racing season, it's gonna take some discipline. Yikes!

Ready to race, but not shovel,

Kristy Kreme

Rosco makes Wookie sounds...

When Rosco yawns or REALLY wants your attention, he lets out an awesome sound just like a baby Wookie! Too bad he gets camera shy though.... I had to set the camera on the floor and it luckily caught this lil glimpse before the disk filled up..

In love with my lil puppy,

Kristy Kreme

Three wonderful years and a great start to a new season

Jay and I just had the wonderful pleasure of celebrating three awesome years as husband and wife. As we've done for the last three years, we attended the Theodore Wirth Cyclocross race on an unseasonably warm day. Temps in the 80's and a cloudless sky pulled the sweat to the skin's surface as we anxiously awaited our first cross races of the year.

All of my rhythm, I failed to warm up for my race and lined up at the back of the pack come start time. The race went straight up a hill to begin with and I rode a mellow pace to avoid blowing all to hell in the first 30 seconds of the race. For the first two laps, my legs and lungs screamed at me as I suffered in last place out of some 15-20 riders.

Three laps in and the ole legs finally woke up and it was Game On. I started eating up riders as I sailed through the trails and over the barriers. Lap after lap, I moved up and Jay cheered wildly from the edge of the course. Being my first 'cross race of the year, I made him swear never to mention what place I was in or to say I needed to move up.

I kept on the gas and attacked every rider I could find all the way to the finish. As I collapsed from heat and exhaustion just 10 feet after the finish, I was astonished when Jay said I'd moved myself up to 6th overall! Bitch, please!!!!! I wound up taking 3rd in the 3's and had NO IDEA! It was the most insane finish to a hot and dusty race.

Jay didn't fail to live up to our marital glory and killed it in his race too! The mountain-biker-friendly course was perfect for him to flex his cyclocross muscles early in the season. He was bombing the technical downhills and railing across the flats and trails. After all these years, he's a natural and no lack of training in the last couple of weeks was noticed. Flawless..

It was pretty awesome to watch my hubby pull off a third place finish... 3 happy years together, both of us taking 3rd place! Ah, that's love! There was lots of celebrating, rest, and recovery after such hard efforts, but the utter joy made it all worthwhile.

Starting to catch the Cyclocross fever,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 22: LaCrosse Cool Down

Last weekend Jay and I decided to keep the racin' numbers tucked away and head south to Scamp in Devin's driveway and lay low for the weekend. Still tired from Chequamegon and still black n' blue from St. Cloud, we left the mtn. bikes at home and packed up our beloved BMC road bikes for some leisurely road rides in the hills and ridges north of LaCrosse, WI.

The weather was cool and accented the beautiful fall colors as we headed out for a sweet road ride. After a very long mountain bike season, it was great to spend a couple hours on the bike just enjoying the scenery and gorgeous weather.

Jay, Me and Pip

Devin and Jay

Me and Jay

After our ride, we basked in the sun as we threw back a couple beers in the driveway and played with the puppy. Come Sunday morning, me, Jay and Devin got in another ride as the poor Pip had to work. It was a little shorter, but the perfect wind-down to another great weekend with our friends.

Thanks to D&A for letting us Scamp in your driveway and hang with you all weekend. And thanks to my hubby for always being down for a good time.

Love!

Kristy Kreme

Black n' White goes out with a bang

Saturday was the grand finale of the mountain bike season in MN, closing it out with the Great Escape Mtn Bike Race at the St. Cloud jail trail. I love this trail and I was super stoked to wrap up the season there with all my pals. To top it off, Hollywood Cycles's mountain bike team sealed the Team Omnium to take home the State Championship in the MN Mtb Series! Go Black 'n' White! Hwood even made shirts to celebrate it!

Anyways, the race was fast approaching and Pip and I made our way to the line. Considering the amazing weather, I was surprised when only 3 other gals joined us... bummer. But the conditions were great and the trail was FAST! I got the hole shot and held it til the first main climb. I was still tired from Chequamegon, so I slowed up and let Pip into the single track in front of me. Sure, I wasn't railing as fast as Pip, but it was the fastest I've ever ridden the course before. Me and the White Fox were killin' it, riding a blazingly fast 4th place!

All was going great into my final lap until I hit the rock garden on the 1st half of the lap. As I tried to make my way through the rock garden without losing too much time, my lack of sugar in the brain and focus on what's next caused me to miss a large boulder on the right side of the trail. My front wheel nailed it, bouncing straight upwards, and collided with my nose with such force, a large "crack" filled the air and the next few seconds disappeared in the blur of adrenaline and shock. I stood there looking at my bike laying in the rocks, trying to get my wits about me and finish the race. Then I looked down.....

Large red drops fell from my face and I instantly knew my race was over. "Someone grab my bike"..."How am I going to get through these rocks and off the trail?".... Lucky for me, the rock garden happened to be a great spectator section, so I wasn't alone. I collapsed onto the grass as the kindest people in bike racing grabbed by bike and hooked me up with tissues to try to stop the bleeding. As small as this world is, Jay just happened to be riding by just seconds after it happened and saw me hunched over in a pool of blood and skidded to a stop instantly. He came back to check on me, but I figured it was just a broken nose and urged him to get back out there and finish the race.

As for me, I had help off the trail and into the arms of two EMT's and a Dr. to make sure I knew who I was, where I was, what day it was, and to check my eyes and nose for damage. Lucky for me, nothing was broken. But my Garmin mount on my stem slit my nose open, and the impact busted open the inside, so I sat quietly with a fist full of gauze and an ice pack, trying to stop the pain and blood.

Day one...

Add in a massive crash for Jay later in his final lap, catching his leg between the bars and frame, wrenching his thigh hard so hard he temporarily thought he broke his femur. Luckily, he hadn't broken anything either and just wound up with a gnarly hematoma. Add that to Pip's f'd up wrist and Scotter almost breaking his collar bone, and the Black n' White was having a very Black n' Blue day. :o) All in all, we still won the State Team Championship!!! Bitch, please!

Follow that up with some great food and fun at Leslie's wedding reception, it was a very diverse day! Yep, that was me sportin' a lil black dress and face bandaide... $0.25 cent!

Come Sunday morning, that nice gouge invited some friends to play and Captn Black Eye moved in....

Day 3....

Day 4....

Yeah, I'm not embarrassed by a black eye. I was impressed by my coworkers who greeted me at work with "What did you do on your bike now?".... but was kinda disappointed in the "you look like you got beat" comments. Seriously? Have you met me or Jay? Whatevs. I'm just happy nothing was broken and I left the trail on my own two feet. Sure, I can't wear glasses for a couple more days and sneezing feels like the end of the world, but I'll live to ride another day.

Shinin' on,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 21: Cheq 40 & Camping Fun

For the 5th weekend in a row, and for the 20th time in just over a year, Jay and I loaded up the Scamp and headed out of town for a lil getaway. Back to Hayward we went, for my maiden voyage on the grand Chequamegon 40. This was Jay's 20th appearance so little anxiety plagued him, while the fear of the unknown quietly perched outside our kampsite, wait to catch me off guard.

I always feel like.... somebody's watching me....

We headed back to our new fave place, the KOA, and got a site in our favorite row of trees, deep in the middle of all the excitement with all our favorite 612 Crue. Lucky for us, we headed up Thursday night, so the extra relaxing was super welcome!

Friday morning, I drove Jay out to double O to meet up with none other than Jason McCartney of Team Radioshack and Christian Vande Velde of Garmin-Cervelo! I knew I wouldn't be able to hang at that tempo all the way to the finish, so I only dropped off Jay and met them at the finish, planning to warm up my legs later in the day. Jay had an awesome time riding with the pros!

Rosco at OO

Christian, Dirk, Jason, Hwood, and the buds

Our ride later was nice - a easy 1 hr. out n' back just to spin out the legs, and not overdo it for Saturday's race. After our ride, it was nothing but easy living at the campsite, chilling fireside, enjoying some wine and pasta with my honey...

Come Saturday morning, it was game-on and we didn't hesitate to get out of bed and on the road. The excitement was thick in the cool morning air and I was itching to get started. The 4-wheelers began revving their engines and the riders saddled up, ready to take on the rollout. I kept to the sides and tried to take it all in without getting too overwhelmed.

The course was intense! I rode with everything I had in a sea of 1,800 riders. About 5 miles in, I found my hubby on the side of the trail.. waiting for lil ole me. The front of the pack went out at 38+mph hour and Jay held tight, only to blow a gasket after Rosie's Field. Sweet hubby he is, he pulled over and waited for me to make sure my first Cheq 40 was great. We rode together and held strong to a couple different groups all the way to OO... 1:07 on the clock as we rode through... awesome pace!

We hit the log-jam at Fire Tower Hill and combined riding and cyclocross skills to get through each climb. With 10 miles yet to go, I was feeling great! I wish I would have had a lil more sugar in the brain, though, considering I went off Roadie mentality and chose not to eat.. big mistake.

At 5 miles to the finish, my left leg began to cramp ferociously. I fought it as best I could but blew completely with 3 miles to go. I let 5 women get past me in that short distance, which didn't help the emotional state. Even though the 1 mile sign slurred in front of me, my legs rejected my request for them to pedal hard just one last time. Exhausted, bonked, and emotionally wasted, we rode across the finish line together. Our time was 2:55:59 - 4 minutes faster than my goal (even with a full-on bonking!), and I ended up 30th in the Women's overall (goal was top 50 - Bitch, please!). It was awesome!

Unfortunately, it took more than an hour to find PD and the van, full of warm clothes, beer, and $$ for food. It's kinda hard to roam the grounds searching for our pal when it hurt to pedal and we were too worn out to walk. Once we did find him, though, we bolted fast, wanted to get back to lil Rosco and a warm fire. Although I bested my goals, I still haven't figured out the plan for next year. I think I still need some time to sort it all out and recover from the worst Bonk I've ever had. I get that it happens, but it's still a big deal to accept for some reason..

Anyways, sick as a dog from the full effort of it all, I laid in the camper as Jay made us some grub to recover. Slowly, I came around, and was able to join the Crue at the fire some 4 hours after the race. Rosco was loving the outdoors, digging in the sand and chewing on sticks. Although a nap was much needed, we entertained friends instead, staying up for good laughs and antics until the wee hours of the morning.

The Swan-Fish Newlyweds

Kart wheel or handstand on the fire ring?

Me & Hwood

Hwood & Tyson soakin up the laughs

It rained all night and we found this cool image in the dry sand when we awoke!

Sunday morning, we loaded up early, headed for Sunday Fun Day. The weather was gloomy with rain in the forecast and I was too sore to ride. As we approached the registration table, the sky opened up and washed the hillside with cold, wet misery. We took one look at each other and jumped back into the car, headed home for sweatpants and football. Sure enough, we were home by noon, time enough for a 3-hour nap on the couch as we listened passively to football games on the TV.

It was the perfect relaxation to follow our weekend away. Why oh why can't we get away for a week? I love my family and camping and I truly wish I could spend more time sharing them togther. That, and Hwood wanting a putt-putt rematch, why not get away again?

Happy Camper,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 20 - Kings of the Kampground

Last weekend Jay brought me up to Hayward, WI to introduce me to the Chequamegon 40 course for the first time. I’ve raced the Short & Fat 16-mile race 4 times ... taking a fast THIRD PLACE FINISH in the Women’s overall last year! Bitch, please!..... but I’ve never taken on the 40-mile beast.

In our true form, we brought the puppy and the Scamp, set up camp under a peaceful canopy of tall pines, and kicked it into relax mode for a couple days. The weather was perfect for camping, and we slept until 10:30 on Saturday morning. We rose lazily to make coffee and sit quietly outside with Rosco as we welcomed the day.

Sunrise

By early afternoon, we were awake enough to gather ourselves and our bikes to get our ride on. We chose to break the ride into two sections to avoid any headaches: Saturday we rode the start to Cty OO, and Cty OO to the finish on Sunday. It was awesome to actually see Rosie’s Field for the first time - all the horror stories make it sound like a war zone - but having an real image in my head for the first time made this lil rider much less anxious. As for the Birkie trail, it was pretty standard. I love riding the Birkie and fire roads and could do it all day!

I’m confident in my ability to climb, but Jay pushed me to challenge my comfort level descending. I wrapped my fingers around my bars on the descents, avoiding my brakes with everything in me, and let the little white fox rattle and bounce frantically beneath me. It was exhilarating! This summer has improved my mtn. bike skills by leaps and bounds, and I am so excited to take on this challenge.

When we returned to our campsite, Rosco was ecstatic to see us and sniff around the great outdoors. The warm afternoon air kept us comfortable as Jay worked on his bike and we made ourselves a tasty spaghetti and meatball dinner. Afterwards, we decided to have a date night and went to play some mini golf together. I don’t know what it is about mini golf, but it felt like we were dating all over again. Jay was talking a little more smack than the club could back up, but we had an awesome time! We each shot a hole-in-one... Jay’s was the best - the hole had a loop-de-loop in it and Jay nailed it on the first try. Too bad he hadn’t given me the camera to film it as I’d asked.. oh well, we know it happened. By the end, I had him by 7 strokes!! Bitch, please! (I guess I forgot to tell him that I used to golf with my dad in high school)...hehehe

Gilly...

Rosco & Hollywood, Kings of the Kampground

We returned to our campsite to snuggle with our puppy as the sun tucked itself away, and drifted off to sleep as a cool breeze passed through our windows. We set the alarm early for Sunday to gather up our things and get to OO in time to catch our bud Tyson as he rode. He was riding it start to finish, so I met him at OO as Jay drove the car to the finish then rode the course backwards to us, then we would drive him back to his car on our way out of town. It was the perfect set up.

Tyson picked me up and let his heart rate come down a bit as I used the first couple miles together to warm up my legs after a quiet hour long wait at the parking lot. Jay surprised us early, having found a short-cut back to double OO just after we’d departed and chased on from behind. By then, my body was ready to go and we amped up the pace a bit. The day was much warmer than it typically is on race day and we quickly worked up a sweat. We ran into a few people, but spent most of the time enjoying the course and spending time with each other.

On one of the fire roads, we got behind a couple pick-up trucks and paced them down the road as we bounced over the rocks and railed through the turns. I think the hunters even got into it, upping the speed and having to shut it down in the turns to maintain to control. We turned when the trail turned and said goodbye to our pace cars. We got to the dreaded Fire Tower climb, but I was so happy once we completed all four tiers of the slow, will-testing gravel trail, discovering that the legend was much more frightening than the real thing. I won’t lie - I walked one section, but remounted and took on the next - it’s gonna hurt, but not as much as I thought.

With 10+ miles to go to the finish and the worst behind us, it was time to enjoy the trail and the stunning woods that spread out around us. I don’t remember what mile we were on, but I remember the quiet peacefulness of the trail as we rode in silence. I took some time from my exhaustion and wondered at the trees that towered over us. The midday sunlight cut through the trees in long sheets of light so bold I was sure I’d feel it brush gently across my skin as I passed through it. It was stunning!

Muddy and tired, we were full of joy as we loaded up the bikes and headed home for the weekend. The early start was awesome, getting us home in no time, ready to take on the work week yet again. It’s weekends like these, though, that make me salivate for a long vacation away... relaxing night after night beneath the stars, enjoying my family, the great outdoors, and the peace in life we work so hard to have.

Madly in love with my life,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 19 - Another Day in Maplelag Heaven

Labor Day weekend brought another round of good times at Maplelag Resort in Callaway, MN. This time, we took off work early to get up in time for a short ride before the Friday night dinner. As always, the food was wonderful and the late summer temps made for a perfect end of summer getaway.

We hung out around the campsite during the evening, chilling out at Hollywood North with a large chunk of our Silver crew camping in the same loop, and many more to come. The overnight temps were great and we happily slept with the windows open and enjoyed the fresh air. Come morning, we hurried down to the lodge for some tasty crepes, sausage, and hot coffee before the first race of the day.

First up was the TT, 3 miles of single track and ski trails as fast as you legs and lungs will let you go. I through down with everything I had to take third place, just 1.5 seconds in front of the Pip. I never thought I could beat her in my life, but I took enough time out of her on the ski trails to start the stage race off in third.

We had some 4 or 5 hours before the short track, so we went out to check out the Sunday course a bit after lunch. My legs were TOAST and wanted nothing to do with going up any sort of climb, so I called it a day early and Jay joined me for a little relaxation time before the next race.

They combined the Expert Women and Comp Men for the Short Track race - 15 min. on ski trail, Crit style. It was blazing fast and my quads were screaming from the first time we hit the climb. Half way through the race I go taken out from behind by one of the comp men as we crested the hill. I never saw it coming - one minute I was dancing up the hill, the next I was being slammed full-force into the ground. I hit so hard my helmet came off and the wind got knocked out of me. With adrenaline pulsing through my veins, I didn’t hesitate and remounted my bike, adjusting my helmet as I tried to get back in the race.

Pain instantly set into my left wrist and leg and made continuing difficult. I got lapped by Sarah KJ with two laps to go and pulled without any disagreement from me. I was given a 4th place finish, and was perfectly happy with it. I found an ice pack and wrapped my swelling wrist immediately. The racer came up and apologized after some coaxing by Jay, but I think some part of him thought I was in his way and was partly to blame. Whatev.

After a tasty beer to take the edge off a bit, we were ecstatic for the spaghetti feed dinner ahead, polishing off bowls of salads, noodles and sauce as if we couldn’t remember the last time we’d eaten. The whole resort was booked, with people sleeping in the massage rooms after the lodge rooms all filled up. They even had to turn away a chuck of the campers from the dinner service because they’d reached capacity. It was impressive how many people had come out to enjoy the fun.

Pip, Hwood, Me, and crabby pants.. I mean, Jake. :o)

After our bellies settled, we grabbed our buds for some quality time resting our tired muscles in the hot tub extraordinaire... a 25-person hot tub, the largest in MN. The stars overhead as we returned to our camper were stunning, and we lounged lazily beneath the tiki torches with the Black n’ White Crue and the Bauer boys who’d come to join us for the night and Sunday’s big event.

Nice sweatshirt! Where'dya gettem?

Sunday came fast and I was excited to find out they’d altered our course to just one full lap of the new course. It was perfect - I was exhausted from the 3 rides on Saturday and just wanted to get in the zone and ride as fast as I could muster up. To top it off, they started us BEHIND the Comp and Expert Men - Bitch, Please! No having to worry about some crazed men trying to pass you during some crazy-technical section, no pushing, swearing or yelling... I wish they’d do that every time.

I knew it wasn’t going to be my best race, so I happily entered the single track in 5th behind the other gals and just focused on riding technically sound. The course was awesome and I was having a blast flexing my newest skills on the descents and Degobah System roots. Yoda’s out there, I’m sure of it. Sittin’ on his haunches, taunting the riders with his “Ride it you must. The force is strong in you.”

I rounded out in 4th for the Stage race, and laughed with the rest of the podium as Sarah soaked the fans in champagne from the top rung, and passed it along for the rest of us to enjoy. Being the good teammate I am, I took the Pip’s pulls since she’s still not legal. Then Aly and I polished off the bottle to kick off yet another night of goofin’ off with our friends, good food, and hot tubbin'.

Come Monday morning, we filled our bellies with Smorgasbord goodness and readied ourselves for the long trip home. Before we left, though, we made sure to get some last excitement riding the new section of trail and get some lake jumpin' in! Let's just say Jay should've done a few things different...

Six hours later, the blood was still shootin' out two feet when we took the compress off. Being a "man", he wouldn't let me take him to hospital or stitches.. but it seems to be healing up nicely. Although I was a lil worried about him for a while, it still turned out to be a rockin', great weekend! Huge thanks to Jay, Jonelle, and the whole fam that Maplelag a lil piece of heaven! Can't wait to see you again!

Rosco checkin' out the bear skin rug

Ridin' high,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 18: A Mountain Bike Love Affair

Jay and I loaded up the car and Scamp and headed to see Mother Henderson and introduce her to Rosco P. Coltrane for the first time. The weather was beautiful and it was great to see Dot!

To add to the fun, we got out and rode Mtn bikes with Thomas on Saturday as Serena played with Rosco. We hit the Sugar Bottoms, prepping for the next morning’s race, the Sugar Bottom Scramble & Iowa State Mtn Bike Championships. The trail is AWESOME! Super fast and flowing and perfectly laid out! The best part was the Lil White Fox doing everything I wanted at the same time coaxing me into things I’d hadn’t been able to do before.. railing down drops I’d typically hesitate on, hittin’ the bridges without question (I have a slight fear of heights still to overcome), and learning to weave among the trees with less turning and more leaning. Sweet!

Come race time the next morning, I was ready! I didn’t push for the hole shot, but I quickly moved into first on the climb, diving into the single track in the lead with my heart and lungs ramping up nicely. I wove through the single track faster than I’d ever done before, getting the rear end loose around the turns and exhilarated by the trees whipping past my fast. It was awesome!

I was setting the pace and was surprised to find me and 3 locals off the front with the rest of the field nowhere to be seen. Within a few miles, we started catching the men’s field that started just a few minutes in front of us - we were catching the dudes!!! As we popped out of the single track of the first loop 5 mi later and onto the road to the last section of the course, I pulled aside and invited the three IA gals to pull through - it was their championship on the line, and I wanted nothing to do with interfering with it. I was having so much fun just riding my brains out, I was happy to finish 4th!

Jay rode an amazing race, taking the Single Speed without breaking a sweat! Nice work, love!!! All in all, it was a bad-ass day of racing. Plus, we got done early enough to spend some time with Dot before heading home.

So in love with riding dirt,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 17: Run for the Border

Jay and I grabbed the pup and loaded up the Scamp last Friday to cross the border into WI for a chill weekend of camping and mountain biking. This weekend was the 2011 Border Battle between MN and WI at the White Tail Ridge Mtn Bike trail and we wanted to be there for every minute of the action.

We left town Friday afternoon to get there early for some rough camping in the field where all the excitement would take place Sunday afternoon. We had intended on riding the trails before sundown, but the quiet summer air around us kept us in our lawn chairs as the week's worries melted away.

Saturday came around slowly and Jay took advantage of no schedule, sleeping til 11:00 as I quietly read my book and sipped my coffee in the sun. One of my teammates who lives nearby came by to chill for a bit and toss back a couple beers. CB, you rock! So, after a lite lunch and some tinkering on the camper, we saddled up in the afternoon sun and rocked out a couple practice laps. The trail was AWESOME! So flowing and fast! I couldn't believe I've never ridden there before - I'll definitely be back!

The ride was fabulous, and a great prelude to another wonderful weekend with my boys. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset to tuck us away for the evening, followed by a delicious candle-lit dinner.

Once dinner was over, we all crawled into bed for a movie and some beauty sleep to prep for the next day's race.

Once Sunday arrived, there was no question what the weekend was all about. Our once quiet field filled with families and bikes galore. The races preceding ours were full to the brim with eager racers and the energy was high. Although I love to sleep in, sometimes the anticipation leading up to the afternoon race can be agonizing. None the less, I was excited as hell when I got my call-up to the line, shoulder to shoulder with some AMAZING women, including two other Hellians, Sophia and Ridge. Jay's been riding phenomenally this year, earning himself a call-up at the start, too, and had an amazing race.

Me, I spent some time off the bike in the first lap thanks to some not-so-polite Comp riders and got put into a tree twice thanks to a couple non-MN d-bags... losing some 5 min. on my competitors. I didn't give up, though, fighting my way back and taking minutes off my lap-times each lap. I was railing trails I'd only seen the day before and I was loving it. The sound of my rear wheel sliding through the corners was exhilarating, and I wished I was being filmed just so I could show Jay. :o)

At the end of the day, I was happy as hell to have done the race and for spending that sunny afternoon enjoying the great outdoors at speed. When I got back to the Scamp, I found my hubby a little banged up, having crashed in his final lap taking a turn a little too hot. Other than mud, blood, and scrapes, he had a WICKED contusion on his leg, making it look like his calf muscles had spun around to the side of his leg! The swelling's coming down already, but that nice purple bruise is working it's way to the top. Nice!

We took our sweet time packing up our campsite as we hung out with the rest of our team and their families, and enjoyed some barley sodas in the warm sunshine. As the last of the volunteers packed up their stuff, we finally pulled out of the field and headed home. But NOT before we raided a Pizza Hut on the border for some killa TACO PIZZA! I don't know why MN doesn't offer it, but it's the best take out pizza out there! YUM!

After 17 Scamp-ventures in less than a year, I still can't get enough! So, until next time... eat, drink, and be merry!

Kristy Kreme