Another weekend in Heaven... er..... I mean Maplelag

Jay and I spent the last three days in one of my favorite places in the world... Maplelag Resort in Detroit Lakes, MN. Three days straight of mountain bikes, friends, amazing homemade meals served all mess-hall style, campfires, and Scamping! It was perfect and I actually fought back tears as we settled our tab and hugged our goodbyes. The Richards' combine all the greatest trails and accommodations with awesome food and wonderful people, creating a lil piece of heaven in 'the middle of nowhere' MN.

The last two years, Jay and I were spoiled rotten, staying in one of the cabins or lodge rooms, but this year we decided to rough it a bit. Yeah baby, this was our first adventure in our new 1981 Scamp trailer.

Jay found this sweet beauty on Craigslist and there was no turning back. We've been hunting all summer for a sweet lil fiberglass camper to travel around in, and were ecstatic when the kind woman reached her hand out to seal the deal. So, we hit the open road and headed north to break it in with style. The interior is all original, so I'll be sure to keep updating my blog as the remodel begins. :O)

Aside from the killer camping fun, the mountain biking was awesome! With temps in the 60's and the trails were in stellar condition. The time trail kicked off the fun and it was super fast and flowing course. Next up, though, was the fastest race I've ever done. The short-track races went out so freakin' fast, the Elite men set a new lap record! It was like no criterium or cyclocross race I'd ever done.... pulling off sprint-finish speeds for 14 min. straight was a mind-blowing event.

When we weren't racing, we were either hittin' the hot tub with mini lake dips in between or chillin' fireside with a beer and a ton of laughs. Having a camper was like stepping into a whole new lifestyle... rather than being the pair that biked down to the campground each night to hang with friends and bonfire... we were there in the mix of it all, free to sneak off for a nap or to grab some snacks only to come straight back to our outdoor home away from home.

Already countin down til next year,

Lady & the Scamp

Somebody Pinch Me

To follow up on a killer race, Jay and I headed north on Saturday for the State Road Race Championships in Richmond, MN. The temps were high and the winds were out of control at 15-20mph... and I was very unexcited to race.

We got completely lost on the way to the race, driving around on fumes on a 30 mile detour, only to show up as they began staging for Jay's and Joe's races. Lucky for them, we had a whole five minutes to change clothes and get bikes ready before they rolled out of the parking lot.

Smokey and I hung out of the hill as Jay raced, cheering and trying to keep his spirits high in the race. Although he was off the front w/ Jim Bell for most of the race, when the chips were down, he didn't have a team to pull him out of it and he didn't finish the race. I'm proud of you for going out there, babe, and tacklin' that bitchin hill! Love!

As for our race, I was nervous as hell, trying desparately to keep my breakfast down as I spun out my legs on the trainer. At start time, I was utterly surprised that there were only 5 of us to make up the Women's 1/2/3 category. With 2 gals I hadn't raced with before and 2 others I've put a lot of miles on with, I was excited to see what the day had in store.

We headed into the wind and began our 54 mile trek to the title. Since there were two teams of 2 and me, I made sure I took care of myself where I had no one else to help. Lucky for me, my she-ro Tessy was in the race and made sure I was riding smart. Mile after mile, we battled the wind and rolling hills, working as a group to get closer to the finish.

Each time up the the hill, I felt great. So, with 10 miles left in the race and my legs only just beginning to cramp, I looked around and realized I had a chance to be the State Champion. Tessy is a Cat 2, so she wasn't racing against us. The 2 Heather's were my competition, and they were on the same team. I'd already figured out who the mark was just a mile or two before, so I knew who I had to beat.

At the beginning of the climb, four of us were still together and I knew it was going to come down to patience. This was a hill that you couldn't go too early on. You could throw in an attack with 1K to go, then hit the wall when you look up to see how little the official's tent at the finish looked. So, I waited.

One of the Heather's took point to climb up the hill, with me and Tessy all mighty-duck style on her hips. Heather G rested in our pocket and I knew it was her I had to beat to the finish. We hit the feed zone sign with 500m to go and Tessy jumped left. Heather 1 drifted her way and I took the open line on the edge of the road to make my break. Although I never passed Tessy, I came in as Cat 3 State Champ and put 6 seconds on 2nd place in only a short distance. It was so friggin awesome!!!! State Friggin Champ, bitch please! I still don't know what to do with myself.

And, not only was my hubby there the whole time, wishin me luck, but Tessy was there at the finish to hug me and celebrate an insanely joyous moment with me. I never would have guessed that could have ever happened, but it did and I will be forever proud of that day.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point - Jay, for teaching me how to climb and loving me unconditionally.... Tessy for believing in me..... and to Dads, for making us see that we can do anything! I love you all!

State Friggin' Champ!

Kristy Kreme

Avon Kermesse

A couple weeks back Hwood and I headed out to Avon for the Kermesse / Road Race. As is with most women's races at this point in the year have a low turn out. There were 5 of us gals at start time, but it quickly dwindled down to four just over a mile into the race when Abby ripped the rerailuer and hangers completely from her bike.

Tessy, Alix, Terra, and I continued on once we realized her bike was f'ed and worked as a group through much of the race. As we approached the hill to begin our final lap, I attacked the group approx. 500 m into the 1.5km climb. I was able to get away from the group until Tessy caught up to me on the downhill. She had attacked 500m later than I did and was able to get away, so the two of us pulled of an awesome team time trial for the final 8 miles of the race.

As we rolled onto the hill for the final time, the other two riders were still out of site, so we drag-raced it to the finish. As we crested the hill and crossed the line, Tessy and I were neck and neck, with her winning the overall by 0.033 seconds! Bitch Please! (if you ask me, she went easy on me). :O)

It was awesome! Not only did I have the ride of my life, but I got to ride my ass off with one of my favorite female racers. Then, to squirt a lil whip cream on top, I got my first Cat 3 Road Win! For riding a bike all of 6 times in August, I am flabbergasted! What can I say, it was friggin awesome!

Blown Away,

Kristy Kreme