The road season is wrapping up and it’s time to hit the trails.  Man, am I ever jonesing to ride my mountain bike.  I have had an outstandingly mediocre season on the road.  What between mono, reconstructive knee surgery, a rotator cuff injury, and most recently breathing problems (possibly adult onset asthma…though I don’t know for sure since I just really don’t want to go to another doctor) all in the last year, I’m just not really producing good form…or good results.

So to say the least, I’m pretty bummed with the year, and I need some reminder of why I love this sport.  So I’m off to the races once again, but this time it’s on the dirt.  I’m sad to say that I haven’t done one single mountain bike race in 2009!  Not a single one!  This is total travesty and amends must be made!  I love road racing, but I really, really love mountain bike racing.

So, if you are in AZ, there are two great MTB events coming up this month.

This weekend (Saturday, Aug. 15) is a charity ride and race in Phoenix to help raise awareness of rare childhood diseases.  More info at Women’s Bike Talk.

Next weekend (Saturday, Aug. 22) is the Absolute Bikes (my old employer) & St. Mary’s Food Bank Charity MTB Race and Ride.  Absolute Bikes puts on a great race up in Flagstaff, and there are always great handmade prizes and gift certificates for the racers.  And I’m gonna be racing!  My first MTB race in 2009!  And I don’t care how I place, because I’m going purely for the fun, no pressure, no nada.

Beyond that, I am hoping to finally get some use of out the cyclocross bike I built up last fall but never got to ride.  I’ll be at Interbike and am pondering Cross Vegas, though it is probably more fun to spectate.  I’ll also represent the team at the AZ State Team Time Trial Championships and possibly the AZ State Hillclimb.  But for the most part, it’s time to recover and rebuild…oh, and finish my pesky MA thesis (too bad the thing won’t just go do itself…if ya know what I mean). 

Until next time, enjoy the ride!

It’s high time I update the old blog.  I’m really into lists lately, since I have been making lists in order to procrastinate on actually finishing my MA degree.  So for my next magic trick of procrastination, I will make another list.

Since the Collegiate Nationals road race, I have…

• Kept the rubber side down during the Collegiate Nats crit and pulled off 5th in the individual omnium for Division I schools.
• Slogged through a brutal team time trial in the pouring rain at Collegiate Nationals to pull off a 4th place finish with Chloe, Erica, and Judy!!
• Jumped on the podium AGAIN with the whole University of Arizona team, since we finished 4th in the team omnium competition against some big, well-know cycling schools!  GO CATS!!!
• Finished the course-work for my Master’s degree in Geography.
• Did not finish the pesky research and defense part…
• Had a the worst crash of my life on the freakin’ group ride in Tucson, during which I flew into the air like a whale breaching for air, slammed into the ground, cracked my helmet, watched my sunglasses and bike get run over, moaned, waiting some 20-30 seconds before getting run over by a rider not paying attention to what was going on up the road, and then got picked up off the ground and moved to safety before I got hit by a semi-truck by the someone who owns this company (thanks Jake!).  Then I got transported to the hospital by George V. (thanks George) with Kyle in tow, where I got my road rash scrubbed, my arms x-rayed, and my eyes assaulted by a fellow with a tattoo on his calves that read “F**K” on the left one and “You” on the right one.
• I didn’t break anything except bike parts, so that was good, but I did pinch a nerve in my shoudler.  Ow.
• So then I proceed to not ride for a few weeks, since my right hand opted to go numb.
• Went to Kyle’s cousin’s wedding and caught the bouquet.  Eeck!
• Went to Hawaii with Kyle, which was amazing and soooo fun.  We even went to a formal military ball with Kyle’s best bud and his fantastic girlfriend/ tour-guide.  I ruined the beautiful silk dress I wore to the ball because my stupid road rash oozed all over it.  We looked ridiculous at the beach with our white torsos and upper legs and our tanned arms and lower legs, but we also looked ridiculously hot.
• Came back from Hawaii and enjoyed the mild June in Tucson for a bit.
• Went to Flagstaff with a new used road bike for my Dad.
• Started working for this company.
• Went to the awesome Tour de Nez where I sucked terribly on the bike, but had a lot of fun anyhow.  I guess not riding due to the crash and then going to Hawaii are not a good training plan.
• Wrote this blog post…

Now, for some pics!

4th place, that is.  Back at Collegiate Road Bike Nationals for my second attempt at the stars and bars.  Well, today was not the day, as I placed 4th again in the road race.  Same place as last year!    All things considered, I am quite thrilled with the result.  Although my legs are still significantly different in size, I am pleased to report that they seem to be functioning as a team.  I hope there are better things to come this season.

The road race today played out much like the race did last year.  A selection was made on a climb early in the race, and a break of 9 riders stuck it out through the rest of the climbs and the Masonville circuits.  We are in Ft. Collins, CO, by the way.  On the way back in, with approximately 3 climbs and a wild descent to the finish, to go, I decided it was time to make a move.  I didn’t attack as such, I just started riding harder, and the eventual winner, Carla Swart, was quick to respond with a real attack.  A small group of 4 of us broke away from the break, and stuck it out to the last climb, where things totally shattered again.  Carla and Anna from Harvard got away, with me in 3rd, and a Florida rider in 4th.  I got caught on the short, flat, windy section to the finish, and Jacqueline, the Florida rider, jumped me, as I was suffering in the wind.  I’d prefer a climbing finish. 

The University of AZ cycling team is doing AWESOME so far.  Chloe was right behind me and came in for 5th.  Erica Z finished in 19th, and Judy J was 45th.  All in the top 50!  The UA men pulled their weight this year, with Kyle taking an awesome 10th place finish.  Jon and David were also in the top 50, so we are certainly a big threat for the overall team omnium.  Kevin, Matt, and Jason also finished strong!

Watch out for some Wildcat results tomorrow at the crit and on Sunday at the team time trial!