Brrrrr

So after an endless stream of high 80's to 90's temperatures, yesterday was chilly! This morning for my commute it was only 45 degrees and get this, I actually had to dig out some arm warmers and a thin little wind vest. What the hell?

Derek and I are mountain biking after work, can't wait. I didn't get to ride Saturday or Sunday and I feel the need.

Derek's parents are in town this weekend so we have been busy entertaining. We checked out some of the Tour of Homes properties today. The Shire neighborhood was really trippy...neat concept but not in my favorite part of the city.

The smoke from the Black Crater fire is still blowing around and every once in awhile the winds change and it gets pretty smoky in town.

We're off to the Sunday Concert and then dinner somewhere downtown.

Last night we rode a nice big loop of dirt. For those that aren't located here, we are having fire problems and a big one is burning outside of Sisters. There was an inversion that was keeping the smoke close to the ground yesterday afternoon when I rode at lunch, but it cleared out a bit in the evening and I almost couldn't detect it out in the forest. It was a great ride..we only passed about 4 other people in all the time being out there!

Every once in awhile I get brave. It actually looked way scarier then it was even though it's only 1.5-2' off the ground.

Do you think there is poison oak down there?





I know there is!

Deschutes River jump anyone?

Today is randmoness:

I love peanut butter. I came to that conclusion as I sat licking the peanut butter granola bar wrapper I had for my afternoon snack before my swim workout tonight. I love the smell of it and the taste of it in small quanitites. I can't just eat a spoonful of peanut butter though.

It was odd, I had to drive my car today so that it wouldn't die. It sits without use for so long that it regularly dies and we have to recharge the battery with our other car. HAHAH - weird problem to have I guess. I drove to the gym and did a monster noon workout and then hopped back in the ac to cool down. That part was nice.

To accompany our dinner I made some homemade-from scratch jalapeno cheese focacia bread. It completely rocks. I love it, I want to marry it.

Say hello to my little nephew.




Randomness off.

It's been awhile since I ate a donut and now I remember why. They give me heart burn. But dammit, when the donut fairy delivered at work Friday morning, I followed the masses to the kitchen and snagged a chocolate bar.



Friday night we had happy hours at The Downtowner and made plans to ride Moon Point in Oakridge today. I knew it was going to be hot, they were forecasting 100+. I was excited to ride something new. Moon Point ranks right up there with other Epic trails. From where we parked it's about a 12 mile climb of around 3600', followed by 8 or so miles of twisty tight singletrack with areas of extreme exposure and lots of switchbacks and roots and rocks that kept my 575 busy. A couple times I almost peed my shorts! As promised, it was hotter than hell for the entire climb. It's gravel road the whole way up. We don't see much of that in Bend, it was kind of nice for a change I thought.




Awesome views.



We were happy to get our feet wet in this little crossing.



Thank god it ended at the ice cold river. We all took a dip to cool down and wash the sweat off.

Bring it!

For lunch I rode over to Wild Oats and picked up some Arnica. Scientifically, Arnica works by stimulating the activity of white blood cells that perform much of the digestion of congested blood, and by dispersing trapped, disorganized fluids from bumped and bruised tissue, joints and muscles. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities that can reduce pain and swelling, improving healing. We'll see. I'm going to try that on my arm and knee. I figure it can't hurt.

After work I felt like sweating so I rode out to the end of Skyliners and around some other roads. I only passed 3 other riders which was odd because it was actually a really nice ride with lots of shade. I wasn't out to set a blistering pace, just a nice steady tempo - my average speed was only 18.2 in fact.

The river sure looks inviting.



Happy Friday!

Yesterday I rode to the pool and did a quick mile swim. I have been alternating, riding my Titus Racer X with the back bike rack and bag more and more. I've been wearing my backpack with my work clothes and lunch, and then my bike rack bag carries all my workout gear for the day. Pedaling that thing back and forth to work, the gym, and the pool is great buildup for our coming vacation. Now I just need to get some sort of bungie webbing so that I can shove some more stuff on top of the bike rack.



After my workout we went over to some friends' house for a salmon bbq. Oh how I love bbq fish. I could eat it every day.

Today's stage of the Tour made me really proud to be a cyclist. Floyd's fight of defiance was absolutely amazing. That guy has more heart then I have seen in a sporting figure in a long time. When asked about his constant calls for extra water during Thursday's stage, run in searing conditions, he said, "It was very hot. Maybe that was the explanation or maybe it was the beer I had last night."

....beer, is there anything it CAN'T do?

It's almost Friday!

Can you blog about a blog? This is my favorite quote about Floyd Landis that came out of all of today's Tour de France drama. It's from Martin Dugard.

All his top rivals -- Cadel Evans, Andreas Kloden, Carlos Sastre, and even Levi Leipheimer, who now ranks above Landis in the standings -- rode away from him on today's final climb. They looked like schoolyard bullies kicking the crap out of a teacher's pet (I mean, who doesn't love Floyd? Even the European press compliments him). The attack group's energy was palpable and ruthless, especially when word came over the race radio that Landis had cracked and was slipping further and further behind, like a man who has fallen into the ocean watching his rescue boat disappear over the horizon.

I went for a nice road ride last night - did a couple loops of the course they use for the Cascade Cycling Classic circuit race at a nice low pace. I am really enjoying the summer weather - hot, hot, hot. It's nice having real seasons. I finally got a new mp3 player after my last one kicked the bucket. This one is ridiculously small and light. I'm struggling to find enough music to put on it!

Today is nature day.






Anyone want to buy a SID Team fork with remote lockout? I'm selling mine.

Too bad I don't have any pics of Sunday's white water kayak trip. We started just outside of Warm Springs and did about an 11 mile section of the lower Deschutes River. The weather was hot and the water was cold...ask Derek, he rolled it in one of the rapids and had to swim to shore. I really like this sport. Seems to me like it's mountain biking on water. You have to pick lines, read the river, stay loose, and smile. I might have to sell one of my bikes and buy a kayak. Anyone have one to sell?

Last night we went to the brewery and spent some quality time drinking, eating, and chatting with friends. Plans are already in the works for what to ride this weekend. Should we road trip? Ahhh, the possibilities are endless.

Saturday night was a blast watching the different criteriums downtown. The year I did this race I remember it was the hardest thing I'd ever done. It's an awesome event because EVERYONE in Bend shows up downtown to cheer on the racers. First place, last place and everyone in between gets cheered for. The townie race new this year and was hysterical - Wonderwoman and Superman won!



I love these old pennyfarthing bikes, this dude had to pedal like crazy!



This little girl was one of my favorites in the 5-7 year old category. She looks to be fairly young and isn't using training wheels like a lot of the other little girls were. Ladies and gentlemen, the future of racing:



Here's Neil Shirley racing for Jittery Joes. He used to race mountain bikes for Trek back when I first started racing. Mountain bikers rule!



This picture is actually from Friday's long road race, but I forgot to post it.

Saturday I set out on a nice long adventure. I'm an equal opportunity victim so I decided to give the mosquitos on North Fork a chance. Even slathered with bug spray I picked up 6 new bites. My original plan deviated after riding along Tumalo Trail and up North Fork. I decided to turn left and head up FS 370 into the area by Sisters Wilderness. I didn't encounter anyone else all day except two guys on motos. It was a wonderful ride, and I stopped here for lunch.



In the evening we headed downtown for the Cascade Cycling Classic criteriums. I'll have pictures of that up later after they get sorted through. Today I'm off for white water kayaking!

Robbie McEwen cracks me up.

So I'm pretty heavily into the Tour de France. Today the peloton did not chase downt the breakaway and the points leader had this to say when asked if he was angry about it, "It gave me the shits, to be honest."

OOOOF Last night's mountain bike ride wore me out. As I slogged back up the hill to my house, Shane and Mike pulled up beside me in the VW van and started heckling me. "Do you want some tri tip?" hahahah

Cycling has introduced me to so many people. The other day I saw a lady post on the OBRA mail list looking for a composite team to ride the Cascade Cycling Classic on. I recognized the name and emailed her. She and I rode together at the Sea Otter classic back when I raced expert. That brought back memories. It was my first expert race I think. Just about 2 miles into the race we are all strung out going into the first singletrack section and for some reason, a reckless, panicked rider tried to go high and pull off a pass. Instead, she wiped about 4 of us out. My elbow was torn open and the back of my shorts were all ripped. As I remember it, I'm riding along, heard frantic motions behind me and to the right and then WHAM a bike comes flying through the air and hits me in the back, then the rider does. Anywho, I ended up riding the rest of the race pretty horribly, chatting and taking turns pulling through with another lady most of the way. She now lives in Bend! I shot her an email and dang, it's fun to reconnect after these years. I'll go out and cheer for her tomorrow night at the crit. GO SAMI!

Whoosh.

"Those boys can climb"

I took a late lunch today and rode up to the top of Pilot Butte for the finish of the first stage of the Cascade Cylcing Classic for the men. It was a 92 mile day for them, out to Prineville and then finishing atop the butte. Chris Wherry won. SURPRIZE.

The crowds cheered me on as being the first woman to the top. LOL! My biggest win.

On my way to the butte I happened upon the little family of deers that is living outside my work building. They have been there for 2 weeks now, a momma and two babies.



I actually missed the lead guys finishing, but the midpackers were happy to have their picture taken.



Here is Justin England of Toyota United Pro - his team leader ended up winning!



Right to left: Jeff Louder, Chris Wherry, Sergey Lagutin



What good would a race be without winning some Deschutes Beer?

Yesterday after work I met Pat for a ride, he's here with his family on summer vacation and OF COURSE brought his mountain bike. I met Pat through a group of friends I used to ride with back in San Diego. He lives over in the hot state (Arizona), so I imagine our weather was a nice break. We went out COD, across ELV, up Grand Slam and over and down Storm King, continuing across the highway. I can see the flagging for some of the trails that are part of the Wanoga expansion. Wow, won't that be nice! Woohoo. About one mile into our ride I realized I left the camera behind. Boooooo, no pictures again today.

The first stage of the CCC is today and ends atop Pilot Butte. I think I'll try to take a late lunch and head up there to watch the finish and cheer them on.

Cheers!

This week I'm taking a white water kayak class in preparation for a trip this Sunday where we run the Lower Deschutes. Last night we practiced wet exits and bracing. I've been seeing some guy around town that rides a little scooter that carries his little rodeo kayak AND his bike! That's the setup I need, I have to get a picture of the guy.

The Cascade Cycling Classic starts tomorrow so there are a lot of cyclists in town. I passed some of the Webcor Team at lunch the yesterday on my way to the gym. I'm not sure how much I'll get to watch of the stages. I'm going to try to get out for the downtown crit Saturday night. This year they are adding a townie race for everyone. Your townie has to weigh at least 30 pounds and have less than 5 gears. DAMMIT, mine has 7 gears. I'll be sure to get some pictures of that "race", costumes are encouraged!

Sorry, no pictures today. Have a good one.

Willamette

The beauty and allure of Central Oregon is there are so many things to go see and do. That's why people move here, myself included. Sorry if I upset anyone with my comments yesterday, I just don't want Bend to continue at too rapid a growth. That said, I've wanted to go ride Willamette Pass for over a month now, but my arm injury has stopped me. Today was the day! The last time I took a lift up to ride my bike was 2004 I think...for the first stage of the Big Bear NORBA race. This isn't just any lift, it's a gondola. I had an awesome time. The trails are all pretty steep off the top, lots of tree riding, drops, logs, fast sections....good fun. I think I did about 6 runs, and one long extended xcish ride around onto the West side of the mountain. I didn't take too many pictures, here are a select few.

Here is the view just a little ways down from the Gondola at the top. That's Odell Lake in the distance.


This was off the back side of the second peak, looking towards Diamond...right before the drop in to a trail called "Dirty Sanchez".




My friend Stu doing rolling a rock.




Me on a fast open section back by disc golf hole #10.



Even if you don't mountain bike, definitely take a trip down there to hike and sightsee. You can even take the lift up to the top and catch the Pacific Crest Trail for a nice day hike. I've also heard the fishing is excellent in Odell Lake - 7-9" trout are snapping like crazy right from the shore. Get out and explore.

Great, Outside Magazine included Bend as one of 20 dream places to live. I really don't want Bend to grow anymore. I'm happy with it the way it is. I like being able to go for dinner wherever I want and not have to wait for an hour, I like being able to get a table at The Taco Stand for lunch every Friday, I like that there isn't too much traffic. Dammit, I like Bend the way it is. Rant off.

Today Derek and I went for a good long mountain bike ride and then we walked around downtown to check out Summer Fest. Boy, it sure is summer out - I saw 91 degrees as we walked by the thermometer board outside the bank today. This view should cool you off though.



Tomorrow I'm taking my big bike to Willamette Pass to do some lift assisted riding!

Yesterday I did a nice tempo ride after work. My mp3 player finally died, so I borrowed Derek's. Whoa, that's a waaaay different set of music than I am used to. Speed metal! It seems to me that when I'm road riding I do a whole lot more thinking then when I'm on my mountain bike. Maybe George Bush should take up road riding.

This isn't quite as good as "git-r-dun", but it made me laugh nevertheless.



TGIF - black bean, rice, and chesse buritto day!

ARRRG

I'm having one of "those days". Too much work, not enough time. It isn't going to take much more to make me send this out to all my coworkers.

Hahah - those crazy Tour de France fans!



I did a great big 4th of July ride yesterday..I'll get the little recap with pics up this evening. On a good note, my arm is doing well. It still hurts to rub and feels like a bruise or sore muscle when I ride though. On a sad note, Derek hurt his shoulder badly. He didn't actually DO anything to hurt it, it just feels like a pinched nerve he said. He can't do anything really, it hurts to do nothing though, and his whole right hand and arm go numb. Poor guy.

What could be more old fashioned then a 4th of July epic ride? I watched the Tour and then set off on my own ride. Originally I planned to do the Webcyclery Firecracker Century, but decided to hit dirt instead. I don't know the official mileage - something between 30 and 40, with some good hefty climbing. Most people in Bend don't think of Farewell as an uphill trail...most ride down it instead. I wandered through Phils trail network, up lower Whoops, across Skyliner Trail and Tumalo Trail and BAM up Farewell. It's a small little singletrack along the side of the mountain. It's a tough climb, I passed two guys heading down. They told me I was going the wrong way. Hahhaha - silly riders, don't they know there is NO wrong way in life, just different ways?

I didn't take too many pictures, just rode.



I tried out the new little section of downhill singletrack that is on Mrazek. It's a steeper go around with some good sweeping berms. Fun stuff.

This little diddy comes at the end of the long ride. It heads up and then is followed by a steep switchback. I gave it one try and then easily quit. Live to fight another day I told myself.

Lookout

That's my favorite trail in Central Oregon. It's about an hour drive east from Bend, up in the Ochocos mountains and it ROCKS! Derek and I knew it would be a great day for it, despite the warm temps. It starts with 11 miles of climbing..basically 2 hours for us at a slower steady pace. We took our "big" bikes (5 inches of suspension up front, 6 in the back), to prepare for what Switzerland is going to be like in a month. I think it's around 4000 of climbing in those first 11 miles, maybe more. It's a toughy. The scenery is top notch, always giving you something to look at and enjoy.

Don't even start this ride if you're a little low on funds in the energy account. You'll overdraw your account and NSF fees will rack up like there is no tomorrow. I'm in love with this ride. Allow the photoblog to back me up.

We climb.






The last person that didn't make it up this climb.



The wildflowers are magically sprayed across the side of every meadow and hillside. It's really amazing. Once you are at the top, you realize why the trail is called Lookout Mtn. You can see forever, and it's a mini geography lesson picking out all the snow capped peaks on the horizon.






The descent is some 8 miles long, with some tortuous climbing mixed in the middle somewhere. The trail is different from Bend in that there are FAR more rocks. Sharp jagged rocks, steep rocky switchbacks, exposed rocky sidetrail, tight rock lined singletrack...Rock, it's whats for dinner. I only stopped a couple times to take pics though.





waaay out here in the middle of nowhere.





Success is stopping at Artic Circle on the way back to Bend after riding and sweating for so long.

I woke up early and couldn't sleep, so I got up at 5:30 and watched the Prologue of the Tour de France. After Floyd's last minute flat tire, I wanted George to win. SO CLOSE! I really really enjoy watching bike racing. I like that everyone trains hard and tapers, strategizes and plans and then they all come together and are chasing the same thing. Sure, there are sprinters and climber, domestiques and leaders, but everyone really just wants to do their best. Ok, enough gushing.

Today I led the spirited Bend Bella Cyclists group mountain bike ride. There were 7 of us and we had a great ride. I captured a few pictures, and got about 5 new mosquito bites. I think I'm the only one getting bit. It sucks....literally.







I attempted to get artsy, but the shadows ruined this picture. That, or my photo taking ability did.