Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I love the Mooch Madness course.  Climbing, rocks and descents.  Last year I didn't get to race but had the opportunity to ride the course multiple times.  This year I made it my first race of the season.  The weeks leading up to Mooch Madness, I'd been exploring other bike-related activities and having fun just doing my own thing.  So when I signed up for my first race, I had to be realistic about how I would feel and my expectations. I had to remind myself that this was a long race - and not a CX race.  I had three laps to race, and estimated it may take me about 2 hours.  There were four women in my category - and eight total lined up between all of the Cat 1 and Pro women.  We lined up in the back of the group and laughed before the horn blew. I remember charging up the gravel road and following the Pro women into the singletrack.  I could hear the other girls behind me, right on my wheel.  I made a pass on the first climb but...

I generally like to climb.  Well, I should say I don't mind it.  In my mind, the faster I climb, the faster it's over.  However, the Marty's 2015 CX climbs seemed to last forever. Since the course is not far from where I teach, I stopped by the previous Thursday to check out the course.  Yep.  It was just as hilly as previous years.  And they were calling for showers Saturday night into Sunday.  This was going to be...fun?? I prepared for a slick course.  I knew there were some off-camber sections as well as steep climbs that would challenge my bike-handling.  To my surprise, the course was fairly dry and the sun was starting to come out before our race. One thing I love about our local races is that you know who you are lining up with.  And someone always cracks a joke.  This time we were given good luck kisses by Jesse the Wonder Dog.  Some of us loved it...some not so much. I LOVE this photo! by B. Foley I had...

Hurricane Joaquin.  We were all waiting to see what the weekend would be.  Rain most of the week had us wondering how sloppy Cooper River CX (CRCX) would be.  I must admit, I was a bit excited for some "epic" conditions. Joaquin was a tease for us here in NJ.  It actually stopped raining the morning of the race and to my surprise, the course was not sloppy at all.  Sure, it was wet and there were areas that were spongy but no "epic" mud.  I arrived at the course early and did a lap on my pit bike just so I wouldn't have to clean my race bike.  Other than wet shoes and toosh, I was pretty clean.  I watched the races before mine, noting how conditions were changing slightly.  I opted to stay dry and not go out again until my race. I lined up in the front row with the other ladies and waited for the whistle.  In the past, the paved start at CRCX has spooked me.  Today, it didn't phase me.  However, I didn't have the best s...

As Lance's birthday was approaching, I asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate.  Did he want to go on a mini-vacation, and if so, did he want to bring bikes? He said " Asheville, NC ".  It was on our list of places to check out as it's known for cycling...and beer (which I will post up in Part II of this).  We talked about what bikes we would bring (our road bikes) and some things to do.  I posted on social media asking for suggestions and ideas - and got an overwhelming response (thank you all!). We only had three days to cram in as much as we could.  I mapped out some routes to ride, including climbing the highest peak on the east coast, Mount Mitchell.   Then two weeks before our trip Lance says to me "I think we should bring our mountain bikes".  While I was VERY excited to hear this, it meant I had to now find what trails to ride.    I checked out  SORBA 's page and  I knew we would want to ride Bent Creek , DuPont , an...

When I was planning out my season, I made Bear Creek XC my last race for the season (I'll save those details for a later post).  I love the course - climbing and rocks.  And I had success there last year.  However, four weeks ago I wasn't sure I would be racing due to my crash at Jungle .  My ribs were still sore and I had to cut back on my riding.  Would I be able to handle the course? I went up the Wednesday before the race to give it a test ride.  While I felt some discomfort, it was nothing that would stop me from racing.  I had in my head this would be my last race and I was sticking with my plan.  I did two laps at my pace and registered for the Pro/Cat 1 race. Ribs Schmibs...not holding me back from racing Race day arrived and I saw who I was racing with.  With a field of mostly Pros, I knew I had to just race my own race and survive.  I got some insight on the course, and that it was similar to Nationals with a few tweeks...

As someone who is active, I have the usual aches and pains.  A few years ago, I was starting to have pain in my hips. I noticed it was more prevalent during my CX season.  I attributed it to the “mashing” and grinding through mud and sloppy conditions.  I talked to our school trainer and he mentioned it could be my IT band and a foam roller might be something to use. I talked to my friend Beth , who is a massage therapist.  I made an appointment and she started doing a series of tests on how my muscles were working.  What she discovered was pretty shocking to me.  A lot of my aches and pains were actually the result of my body using the wrong muscles or imbalances.  Rather than using my core to support me, I was relying on my neck.  And I was using my lower back for the powerhouse to push a pedal. Not the leg muscles I thought I had built strength in. What Beth has been doing each week during my visit is pretty cool.  She finds what m...

When picking what races I wanted to do this year, I put Rumble in the Jungle on my list.  I saw that this year's course would be very similar to last year.  I went up to pre-ride earlier in the week and felt good about the race, knowing lines I wanted to take. The night before the race we had some storms pass through, dumping rain.  The morning of the race things were wet and foggy, making the rocky course slick.  Everything I had in my head leading up to the race just changed.  I knew it was going to be a matter of trying to stay upright and finish. The sun came out before my race, making it a steamy hot start. I tried to stay hydrated and in the shade before lining up.  I heard people talking about how slick the rocks were and to be careful.  The women lined up in the back and I wanted a good start.  I had the whole shot going into the woods and got in front.  I knew someone was behind me but unsure of who.  I realized it was ...

While preparing dinner the night before the French Creek , I made some beet juice for Lance and finished off the little bit that wouldn't fit in his glass.  I started not to feel well and thought it was maybe it was my empty stomach and dinner would make it feel better. Not the case. I immediately vomited all of my dinner and beet juice (TMI?).  The only good thing about puking beet juice is you can see everywhere it went and makes clean up easy. I started to panic.  I had a nasty stomach virus just before SSaP that totally wiped me out. I felt drained and flopped on the couch. I woke up Saturday morning feeling ok but a bit groggy.  I ate my usual race-day breakfast and drank as much electrolytes as I could.  I figured I would go out to the race and see how I felt warming up.  Worse-case scenario, I bail on the race and go watch Lance race at the Smoketown Crit . I arrived early and got to watch some of the Cat 2 and Endurance racing.  Stacey arri...

I generally like riding rocks.  And I love riding at Wawayanda.  So I was excited to race this year's Spring Cleaning race.  The Tuesday prior to the race I met up with some other teammates to pre-ride the course. MTBNJ team pre-ride excitement But after going over-the-bars just past sitting bear and not finding my rhythm, I was a bit concerned about how my race would go.  Would I survive? I shook it off the morning of the race.  I had to.  I told myself to relax and kept repeating the mantra "smooth is fast".  I found some friends before the race to chat and chat with. I was hysterical at the start, some of the ladies discussing what they've used for toilet paper at races.  I had some ideas of how I wanted my race to start - not go off the front and pull the field on the prologue road start.  Relax and hide behind the group.  I had two hours to make passes and make my way up. Cat 1 Women 15-39 We were off and I was probably...

A dirt crit.  That is how some have described the Fair Hill XC course.  Fast and flowy.  A favorite among a lot of racers,  including myself. I was watching the weather leading up to the race as Fair Hill is a "shine only" event.  When I saw that the weather was going to be great for a race, I registered.  Unlike the H2H series, the MASS series only offers a Pro/Cat 1 or Cat 1 40+ for women.  I had to register in the combined Pro/Cat 1 category. Gulp.  I would be lining up with some of the fastest women in the area, including Vicki Barclay  and Kathleen Harding as well as  some heavy hitters from CX like Arley Kemmerer and Nikki Thiemann .  Yes, this was a big deal for me. My race was the first of the day so I arrived early to get myself situated and warm up.  Unlike last year, I wasn't feeling the pressure I put on myself to be on the podium.   But I was nervous about the length of the race and how fast it woul...

The H2H Series was supposed to kick off the 2015 season on April 19th with the Chain Stretcher at Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill, NY.  However, due to the long winter and thaw conditions, the race was cancelled.   MTBNJ stepped up to the challenge to hold our first H2H race, Mooch Madness at the Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation  (BSA). Photo by Soundz Photo by E. Oishi A lot of planning and work went on behind the scenes.  Fortunately, we have a great relationship with the BSA and Keith Dlugosz (reservation director), which allowed us to make it our best and put together a course that included some of the best of Mooch. MattyBFat - mastermind behind our course Photo by E. Oishi When we first signed on to the series, Norm asked what we as team members wanted to do in preparation for the race and what time we could commit.  Since I have different goals for my racing season, I offered to spend the day working and not race.  But afte...