My lack of updates these days is despicable.  Therefore, I am going to talk a lot about my training, post lots of power files, and describe all of the races I have done lately in painful detail…or not.

Let’s do a little round up:

1. I took two weeks off after Collegiate Nationals.  God, I love drinking beer and not riding.

2. Well, I didn’t really take a full two weeks off.  I went up to Flagstaff the weekend of May 17 for the AZ State Champ MTB race.  I couldn’t pass it up.  It was one huge course on all of my favorite trails.  I won by 17 minutes.  I tried to steal photos from the photo website, but failed, so here’s a link - plus you can purchase these photos from the nice folks who shot them, which is the point, I think…I’m just poor, otherwise, I would: nice camelbak

P.S. to 2. The folks at Specialized were kind enough to replace the frame I destroyed with a Specialized Era.  It’s a women’s specific frame, and the low center of gravity makes it a great through technical sections of trail.  It’s aluminum, but still weighs in at under 21 lbs. with the parts from my S-Works.  I am very glad to not be sans mountain bike anymore!  Thanks Specialized!

3. More beer, more time off.  Oh yeah, and SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!  But not forever, unfortunately.  One more year, or maybe one and a half.  We’ll see how it goes.

4. Suddenly, an altitude tent came into my life.  I am very disappointed in this development, and for some reason, I am disgusted by idea of sleeping in the stupid tend.  Well, I am anyways.  I complain a lot to make up for it, but it’s my new humble abode for a month.  It’s massive, and our queen size bed fits in it with a side table.  Anyways, it’s summer in the desert, and it gets hot in the stupid tent.  Please note, if you are sharing a tent - as Kyle and I are - it is unkind to fart.  The dog doesn’t know what to make of it either, but fortunately, there are little holes in the side so you can stick your hand out and pet your confused canine.  Also, Kyle figured out how to make one himself for like a thousand dollars…silly engineers…I’m still not willing to spend a grand on a tent.

5. The altitude tent means that suddenly my training has gotten really hard.  I’m prepping for Cascade and then a talent camp at the OTC in Colorado Springs.  But right now, I suffering up Mount Lemmon a couple times a week and waking up at 5am to train.  Gotta love Tucson in the summer.

6. Won a local time trial.  Wait what?  TT bikes sure do make a difference.  I guess I’m a true believer in the TT bike now.

7. I bolloxed up the sprint at the State Championship road race last weekend after my fabulous teammates set up the race beautifully.  It was a three woman sprint, we had been in a break, and I came in third.  Grrr.  I’ll figure out how to finish smart one of these days.  It went better than Kyle’s race though, since one of his teammates made the number one mistake in bike racing and chased him down to the line after he attacked and had a huge gap from the field with less than 1k to go.  Uh oh…

8. Got dropped in the Shootout this morning.  Wouldn’t be training in Tucson if I didn’t, right?

9. Working on publishing the journal of which I am the editor.  It’s call you are here - the journal of creative geography.  Yeah, I know, who cares about creative geography on a cycling website…well, I do.  Check out the website…it’s a great journal.  Who knows, maybe someone will buy one.  you are here 

10. We just dogsat for Kyle’s parents.  Big dog, little dog.  Before and after.  You should have seen the comments we got with these two…pretty freakin’ cute, though.  Molly was pretty fond of Hayduke’s bed.