Last night was the monthly meeting for the Executive Committee for the Bend Bella Cyclists. I try to maintain the website for the group...with little to no knowledge of websites. hahahhaa We're in the process of figuring out this year's sponsors. It's hard asking people for money and getting sponsors...just like it was in racing. I think people should just give us money.

As I'm writing this there is an insane bird pecking at the window in our guest bathroom trying to get in and it's driving me crazy! He's trying to get in the vent. Apparently the cover came off and now there is a nest in there.



Pretty bird, pretty bird



Back to bikes though. I realize I never really finished my history so tomorrow I'll jump back in time and try to get that up to speed. It really helps define who I am, or at least helps people understand where I've been. For now, I'll leave you with a random parting shot.




Have a good day!

I've overextended myself again and have a weird sick feeling. I really need to come up with a better schedule now that I'm not racing and training. My normal week involves commuting by bike to and from work, riding to and from the gym, swimming, or going for a ride at lunch, and then riding or swimming after work as well. High up in my chest, almost where my voicebox is, I feel pressure and it hurts to breathe. Great. Anyhow, I'm taking it easy with no workout today.

My whole life isn't riding, we re-mulched our entire yard this past weekend. Derek claims he measured our yard and ordered accordingly...10 yards. Well, here is what we have left after laying it about 5-6" thick everywhere we needed it.



hahahaha - what the hell are we going to do with all that?

Memorial Day Weekend 2006

I'm tired of the history, here is a little bit of present.

Friends we met from racing, Jason and Laura, were in town for the weekend and when in Bend...ride. So, after a night of drinking and telling stories, we led them on a big cross country loop. They might be downhillers, but they can ride cross country bikes like champs! I think we were out for something like 4 hours and the weather went from iffy to great. We encountered a handful of blow downs along the end of the trail, but other than that, great conditions!

Jason on COD



Laura wasn't happy with all our climbing, but she did great!


This part made her happier.


Smiles are contagious


Derek and I practically sprinted the remaining 4 miles home just to beat this nasty cloud that moved in. I busted ass all the way up the hill and figured we had JUST made it, but it never rained!!!!!!!

Cycling History

There used to be an annual gathering in SoCal and I went to my first one...SD72. We camped up in the mts outside San Diego and rode for three days. Day 2 as we were SCREAMING down Noble Canyon on a flat smooth section of singletrack, out of nowhere, I crashed. I yelled as I went down and all I know is I was lying on my right side with my camelback hooked around the valve stem of my front tire, and the bike on top of me. I hurt bad, really bad, but was only 1/3 way down the mountain so I got up and rode it off. I was pretty sure it was just a bruised hip. Monday I went to the Dr and had xrays on my hip...it was fractured. I was devastated as the Dr told me that it would take 6-8 weeks to heal. The Brian Head Epic 100 was 2 weeks away. I thought long and hard the next few days about what to do. What could I do? I'd put hundreds of hours into my, "Death Marches". My friends Bonnie, Randy, Jen, Andi, Mark, and my husband Derek had all been helping me ride the long miles. Derek and I had done a trial the week before...a 50 mile loop in 90 degree weather with who knows how many thousand feet of climbing.

So I raced. I doubted my choice as I got there because I couldn't even walk up the steps to registration comfortably. The race went as could be expected...I took more advil than I should have (somewhere in the teens), got a bloody nose for miles 82-85, spent at least half an hour at the third aid station...they actually told me to leave because I was there too long. The only good thing, is it hurt worse to walk than it did to ride, so I rode almost everything.

Here I am approaching the last aid station.


And here is my medal for winning. I look thrilled, don't I?



This race was cursed for me. First this hip problem, then the next year I would come down with a death like illness that left me screaming, puking, snotty, and crying. I never raced it again.

My Cycling History

My first year in Sport was a blast. Most of my races were at Snow Summit in Big Bear, CA. I continued to win and have fun. I got my first sponsor that year and was racing for Mission Cyclery, a local bike shop back in San Diego.


The best part of racing was the social aspect. I met a ton of great people that I still visit, vacation with, and talk to today. I got the chance to ride in places I ordinarily might not.

Me riding the loop after Cocktail Rock on San Juan.




50 YR Trail in Tucson









Orange County Mts.



At this point I was still just riding for fun without any real idea how to properly train for racing. I saw a flyer for the Brian Head Epic 100 race and decided I'd try that. So, living out in east county San Diego, and working downtown, I started commuting by bike to work. It took me 1:15 each way for the 24 mile ride. I would lock my bike downstairs in the parking garage, take a shower and be at my desk each morning by 8. I have some great stories and memories of those commutes. San Diego is a very beautiful place to ride a bike. Something about the smells and sights of early morning just fascinate me. It's the old lady out watering her flowers in Allied Gardens that would wave to me as I spun by, the oniony smell of the bagel shop in Hillcrest, the game of timing myself up Bachman Hill and just knowing that I could maybe take a second off, crusing through Balboa Park and seeing the beautiful flowers and buidings...it was everything. The ride home was always more aggressive. hehehehe Getting 48 miles a day AT LEAST, was helping me do what they call "base miles". On top of this, I would do two high intensity rides each week, and pack on long miles on the weekends. I was on my way to the Brian Head Epic 100!

Here I go, here I go, here I go...everyone else has one, why not me? I post a lot of my adventures on http://ridemonkey.com but those eventually get purged and I'm left with nothing. So, I'm going to attempt to record some stuff here.

I'm going to do this in steps. Unfortunately, I don't have too many early pictures of me riding so it's going to be mostly words. Half my riding life is gone. I started just after college. I would run in the early morning when no one was around but animals, I'd run late at night after studying, when I could just be alone, I'd run in the heat of the day..100 degree sun beating down on me as I ascended Cowles Mtn. I was heavy into running, ran almost every day. I ran until my knee wouldn't cooperate, swelled up, and was too painful to walk on. Doctors told me I should quit running and take up cycling because, "it's good for your knees". I don't dispute that, but after all those years of running, my knees would never be the same.

After about a year of riding as a weekend warrior, I took up racing. I'd always had the sense I was fast because I could easily keep up with others. And, I've always been pretty competitive. I played basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball, and ran track as a kid. So, I entered my first race as a beginner. Boy was that a mistake...I won by 17 minutes and promplty moved up to Sport. My second race was a team 24 Hour race and we got second!
Two tastes of the podium left me wanting for more. It was great to get out there and struggle, put yourself up against your own expectations and see what happened. It was a test of legs, a test of skills, a test of endurance, but most of all...a test of heart. Racing led me to great places...more later.