BCBIKERACEORBUST.COM

Boggs 8 Hour - Race Report

2012-05-10T23:53:42Z

Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading down to the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area to visit my lovely friends Yvette and Andrew. As per their usual M.O., they had talked me into some bike related tom-foolery and we had signed up for the Boggs 8-Hour race out at Boggs Demonstration State Forest on Cinco de Mayo.

Started out the long weekend in Truckee with margaritas at Casa Baeza. The next morning we headed out for the 4 hour drive out to the race site. Along the way we were detoured through some dirt roads and some beautiful wine country. We arrived to the race site to find that it was already very full - we found a place to throw out stuff down and stake out a spot. We also threw out a tarp to save a spot at the pit zone and then we got everything prepared.

Had a pretty good sleep until about 3:30AM when we were woken by an earthquake! Fortunately it was a small earthquake and we went back to sleep pretty quickly!

Was a beautiful day if not a little chilly when we departed. We started with 680 other participants in a massive group. Was really expecting some very non-technical terrain and a lot of fire-road. Though there was a 2 mile fire road climb in, and one on the backend (except the last .5 miles) the in between was some fun, swoopy single track with some great super-d like course! There were some fun up and downs with a few technical rocks thrown in – but mostly ripping downhills with some switchbacks, one really steep downhill with switchbacks that were reminiscent of Ashland. Each lap was around 8 miles and around 1100’ in elevation. I rode my Diamondback Sortie Black 29r and Yvette decided to give it a go in single speed (crazy girl!).

There were a number of us out on the course – a couple of teams with some of the gals from the Bay Team LUNA Chix team as well as the some significant others and friends. We were sad to not have Andrew with us but he would be joining in a few hours. We did our rounds, ate along the way (CLIF Shots, watermelon, and potato chips for the most part) and worked on keeping up our fluids and trying not to blow up.

As 8 hours approached and our laps wound down, hunger for actual food really started kicking in. I finished lap 6 and decided I probably wouldn’t make it back in time for a 7^th. To be honest – the vegetarian enchiladas were calling my name and so was the beer. Ate some food and waited for Yvette to come in from lap 6 on her single speed. As the cutoff time approached we saw Yvette coming in with minutes to spare. Her 6 lap on the single speed were enough for a 1^st place win in the category of single speed!

She described Andrew’s arrival on the course as the white knight approaching on his single speed steed! He had arrived and gone out onto the course and found her as she was starting to fade. His presence gave her legs new strength and energy and she finished her last lap strong!

Got some food for Yvette and a beer and a margarita and we enjoyed the rest of the evening listening to a tribute to MCA (allllll day long!), watching the festivities, and relaxing. We were particularly amused by the “kids race” which really was just adults on kids bikes being stopped along the course for Tequila and Tecate. Yuck but they seemed to have a good time at it.

Got up in the morning to clean up camp and start the drive home. We had a quick breakfast (yeah hot food!) before we departed the area and bee-lined back to Truckee for the last night of the trip. On the way back over Donner Pass we stopped for a look at the climbers and a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe. We got cleaned up and made our rounds from Cottonwood for a French Margarita, to Casa Baeza where we got to see Inger (former Team LUNA Chix program manager), her family and the Garcia’s before heading over to Dragonfly for some sushi, Sake, and an amazing chili infused vodka bloody mary.

After an amazing nights sleep – I had to return to Seattle – always miss my lovely Truckee friends, the lovely Luna (their wonderful, quirky little dog) and the amazing weather. Truckee and friends – I hope to be back soon w/my Diamondback Sortie 29r in tow. Thanks again for being such wonderful hosts!!

NW Cup # 2 & Budu Race #6 & Series Results

2012-05-02T21:22:48Z

NW Cup #2/ Pro GRT #1 Race Report – By Ady Bee Lane

For the third year in a row Dry Hill in Port Angeles was the host for the first stop of the Pro GRT DH race series, which is one of the qualifiers for Nationals. This means that the big guns come out to play in our back yard! The list of top riders was impressive with names like Steve Smith, Aaron Gwin, Mick Hannah, and Greg Minnaar in the ranks for Pro Men and a whopping 19 Pro Women showing up, including local favorite (and winner) Jill Kintner, Miranda Miller, and Holly Feniak. It was fun being star struck by all the talent wandering around.

For this round of the NW Cup the hosts introduced two new sections of trail- the Chunderdome on the pro line, which was steep, rooty, and nasty, with a monster step down thrown in there. Cats 2 and 3 were sent down the new machine built section Muffin Top, which tested the rider’s cardio endurance with an uphill climb (!) Although the section was a challenge with soft fresh dirt, once it gets run through a bit the track will be sweet, fast, and flowy.

Sturdy Bitches Katie Jackson and I came out to represent in Cat 2, with practice on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and racing on Sunday. Thursday was spent getting a feel for the new track, and Friday was spent picking lines. Pretty quickly Katie and I figured out where each other’s strengths were, with Katie killing it on Muffin Top with her “versatile” and relatively light Diamondback Scapegoat and me plowing down the steep switchbacks of Motoguzzi. If Katie caught me on a section it was her job to scream “pedal pedal pedal” as motivation. Usually my reply was to yell back “I’m not freaking pedaling anymore!”

Unfortunately I was suffering from a lingering sickness which left me pretty weak and unable to sufficiently refuel after each day’s practice. My race run reflected my empty gas tank and I coasted to a 7^th place spot. Katie was on fire and placed 1^st, with a 10 second lead. This makes it the 2^nd NW Cup to have a Sturdy Bitch on the podium! My goal for the next round is to get both of us up there on the podium. We had a great group of women in Cat 2, with 17 ladies racing. It was a stellar turn out for the women.

After the amateurs finished racing it was time to hike up and watch the pros in action. I was able to make it through the Pro Women before I had to crawl into the car and take a nap, missing out on a lot of the action including Katie’s trip up to the podium! D’oh!

Overall it was a fun weekend watching the world’s top riders and rubbing elbows with idols. Looking forward to NW Cup #3 in two weeks!

Budu Series Race #6 / Budu Series Results – by Susan Clementson

Or we’ll call this – Who Says Short Girls Can’t Ride 29rs?!?

This is going to be short and sweet, but not to be outdone by our DH goddesses, Jenn and I finished up the Budu Race season with a race and overall series podiums, woohoo!!

We headed back out to Black Diamond, WA on the Henry’s Ridge side of the property this time and had a great time in the overcast weather – the trails were in good shape and the technical sections let us forge through the roots and the technical downs on our brand spanking new Diamondback Sortie Black 29rs.

Can’t say more than I am so pleased to be riding this bike! It climbs like crazy, isn’t silly light and twitchy like lots of XC bikes but it will climb like crazy, takes the switchbacks, berms, and down (and uphill for that matter) roots like it’s on fire. Really looking forward to more riding and racing on the 29r.

In spite of our somewhat diminutive size – of 5’3” or so – neither Jenn or I had any problems adapting to our new bikes. Jenn pulled in a 1^st place in sport class in her age group and I took a 3^rd in mine just moments behind her (darn those fast 40+ ladies!). Those podium finishes allowed us enough points to also place in the overall series – Jenn with another 1^st and I with a 3^rd.

The Budu is a fun little series that gets you going and racing early in the season. Always have a lot of fun at this one and now looking forward to the rest of the race season on our awesome 29rs! Now…off to the Boggs 8 Hour in Demonstration Forest near Sacramento, CA. We’ll see how that goes!

Budu Racing - Race 5 at Black Diamond

2012-04-15T17:29:32Z

Wow, 2^nd weekend in a row of
beautiful sunshine and the sweet technical riding we have here in the PNW. Yesterday was the 5^th Budu Race and it was out at Black Diamond. There are 2 areas of trails, one on the west side and the other on the east side.

Awhile back, Real Life Church had purchased the property on the east side. There was a lot of concern that the trails might be closed and access cut off. Instead, the church embraced the mountain bike community and helped develop a free ride and jump park on the property. For a little snapshot of that looks like, check it out here!

The race of course wasn’t through the gap jumps and the big drops but we did get a small taste of it during the first downhill section of the race. The best part of the race was the short road climb followed by the bermy descent and the short steeps with all those dang roots! For those without a ton of endurance on those long climbs, but a little bit of skill on the technical side,
it was the best course ever! Not to say that
running through the twists and turns being chased and chasing the pack wasn’t difficult, but it sure was the most fun I have had all season.

Sturdy Bitch Racing had a good showing, with Katie, Susan, Ady, and Jenn riding and Marie taking pics and supporting. We had one 1^st place, two 2^nd places and one 4^th place.

Since racing is thirsty business, we thought the best thing to do would be to head out to the local pub that used to be the Swinging Arm Pub. The good part is they serve our sponsors nectar of the gods, Lucille. Of course we also like that they serve Chopper Red and Manny’s as well! Yummy!!
The bad – they only take cash and checks!
Fortunately my lovely teammate Jenn stepped in and covered me, whew!!

Great job Bitches!! Had a great time sharing the sunshine and rolling through those so sweet trails!!

Three Amazing Locations – One Long Day

2012-04-15T16:17:04Z

A few years back, while we were training for the BC Bike Race we went up to Bellingham and rode three of the best areas around the Pacific Northwest! Galbraith Mountain is renowned for it’s single track, free-ride stunts, and amazing natural features in the 3,000 acre area. Last year Galbraith came under threat when Polygon Homes purchased a large chunk of the property. The local community quickly jumped into action to express public concern about development and access. Currently Polygon is working with the local community with the hopes of coming to a mutually agreeable solution. For more information – click here. To stay up to date and to be involved in efforts to maintain this and other Whatcom County trail access, go to the WHIMPS website. They do a ton of trail work and advocacy. It is super important to stay involved as we recently lost access to the North Fork trails as well. Sadly, the community was unsuccessful on staving off this closure and unless something changes, we’ve had our last ride on the North Fork.

Anyhow, I digress into the politics and will move on… Our group was led by Kathy and we had a band of 16 riders which include Kathy and Lisa, our birthday girls. We headed off through Galbraith Mountain through trails that, while recently logged were really in pretty good shape. Locals said they felt pretty good about how much communication they were getting from the logging companies and how well they were doing trying to save the trails while still doing their jobs. Up the Ridge Trail we went and out through Rock and Roll. We rode some new trails or those that had been fixed back up after the logging. Props to WHIMPS and to the locals doing trail maintenance.

We exited Galbraith Mountain out to Lake Padden. For those that are familiar with the Padden Pedal, we came up from the Lake Sammish entrance and jumped into the trail mid-way up the single track climb. Mount Padden isn’t quite as big or as technical but there are some really great switchbacks, smooth berms and some drops on the descent. We headed town towards the lake and out towards Fairhaven on some very smooth double track being shared with moms with baby joggers, cruiser bikes and dog walkers enjoying the sun.

We departed through a neighborhood and rode Fairhaven Parkway down for a little bit of asphalt down to hook up with the Interurban Trail. We followed the Interurban Trail and crossed Chuckanut Drive to enter the trails at Chuckanut. Rather than heading out to Cleator Road to take the road up, we climbed up the trails we usually descend. We hit Hush Hush and climbed up to a newer trail called Raptor Ridge. Hush Hush is very technical with a lot of roots and rocks. Fortunately it was a beautiful sunny day so it wasn’t wet roots that could be our downfall, but our fitness and technical skills. We climbed up through Hush Hush and got to Raptor Ridge. Raptor turned out to be a little less technical but a really well built trail with great rock features through old grown forest. We climbed up to the top of Raptor to find ourselves on a rock outcropping with views of the forest for as far as the eye can see.

After some snacks, we mounted back up, headed back out the way we came in for some screaming fun down all the torturous single track we had climbed on the way out. As we hit the asphalt on Fairhaven Highway we took a quick stop at the AM PM to refill some water bottles, grab a PayDay (yup – protein and sugar!) and on to Padden. This time, rather than heading back up Padden, we stayed left around the lake and took a 10 minute detour up the road to the Lake Sammish parking lot. Figured we better save our legs to enjoy a descent down SST. Road climb back up to the blue rock at Galbraith, out to SST for a ripping good finish for the day.

We headed down to Whatcom Falls Park to load our bikes back up and head for some food and rest. The birthday girls headed out to the local brewery to get a birthday beer and some grub. We had an amazing day in the sunshine and we are already planning the next trip! Thanks to all who joined, really couldn’t have been a better 30 miles and 5,000'!

Katie, Ady, and the Goat NW Cup Race #1

2012-04-13T15:00:26Z

Race Report by Katie Kackson: Katie’s first DH race

I successfully survived my first DH race last weekend at the NW Cup in Port Angeles. I was so lucky to have the support of teammate Ady Bee Lane all weekend. She showed me the ropes and helped me every step of the way. I knew I was shadowing an awesome rider, and that proved true when Ady finished first in Cat 2 women. I finished 5^th out of 14 in Cat2. It was a fabulous showing of women and there were at least 5 of us racing DH for the first time in Cat 2. It was super fun to chat with the girls as we waited at the top and I look forward to seeing each of them at future races and out on the trails. Way to go ladies!!

I was a bit nervous about the fact that my bike was quite little in comparison to just about every other bike at the race. Although size does seem to matter in a DH race, I found the Diamondback Scapegoat, aka The Goat (for a review click here) to be incredibly fast and versatile. I didn’t crash at all despite a few valiant efforts. It took the “chunder,” steeps and corners with relative ease and, once I started taking the right lines, each run felt quite smooth. My race run felt FANTASTIC and I ended the weekend with a giant grin on my face. J

We really lucked out with some fabulous weather in Port Angeles for the first round of the NWCup. The trails were in perfect condition and I was surrounded by the best possible crew a beginner DH rider could hope for. Huge thanks go out to Ady Bee Lane, Gretchen Nelson, Team Big Tree (holler to our sponsor Big Tree Bikes!), and everyone else that helped me out last weekend. Everyone was so very helpful in getting me out on my Diamondback Scapegoat for my first ever DH race. It was an experience that I will never forget.

Here are a few pictures and my summary of the weekend at a Kindergarten reading level.

“Day 1 - Katie drives to Port Angeles for NWcup Race”

“Day 1 – Katie rides in PA Gondola.”

“Day 1 – Katie rides bikes with Ady. Katie and Ady are happy.”

“Day 2 – Katie has fun with family in Port Angeles.”

“Day 2 – The view from our hotel room.”

“Day 2 – Katie rides bikes with Ady. Katie and Ady are happy.”

“Day 3 – Katie and Ady race bikes. Katie and Ady are happy.”

“Day 3 – Ady wins Cat 2!!!”

And here are the noted and most apparent differences I observed between a DH race and an XC race:

Category:	DH:	XC:
Post race beverage	Beer and champagne	Water and Nuun
Race kit	Carharts and a tshirt	Spandex…all spandex
The climb	Budget Rental Truck	You pedal your own ass to the top
The race	4 minutes straight down	2 hours straight up
Training Food	BBQ truck with tons of fried food	Cliff bars and fruit

Katie & the Goat (Diamondback Scapegoat that is)

2012-04-04T14:13:03Z

(Ride Report by Katie Jackson - Katie is the proud owner of a new Diamondback Scapegoat and will be delving into the DH race world this season)

I ended up heading out off I-90 with Jeff (Ady’s husband-poor Ady didn't get to go as she was recovering from an injury) on Sunday for my first “DH experience”. Unfortunately, the nice weather in Seattle didn’t make it past Issaquah. As soon as we rounded the bend at Issaquah into the foothills it immediately turned gray, wet and cold. When we got to the parking area, I honestly asked Jeff, “If it were just you and Ady right now, would you just turn around and say ‘screw it’?” However, once we got all of our gear on and headed up the hill we immediately warmed up.

The climb was long but not terrible. Some hike-a-bike, some riding. It was CRAZY wet and sloppy though which was an indicator of what was to come. The trails up there were very rugged in comparison to what I am used to. Lots of slop, standing water, rutted out turns and descents with big WET roots. I think the conditions were largely a result of the craptacular NW weather as of late, but the trail would have been challenging for me on any day. I would say that our pace was very slow. Slightly because of trail conditions but likely and mostly because of the fact that I am a beginner in this DH world.

Jeff was awesome to ride with. Very supportive, helpful and knowledgeable about the trails there. He would let me know when something was rollable, nasty, etc. and would recommend when to check something out first. He also showed me the “big boy” trails and we checked (eg – looked at, not sampled!!) out some crazy features. He even taught me a couple things about the suspension on my bike and how to adjust it for certain terrain.

It was definitely a challenge for me. It was, however, a very good test for what the bike is capable of. There were a few times when my butt was hitting my rear tire whilst I braked and maneuvered for dear life. Fortunately, the brakes were fabulous, the tires were sticky, the suspension was forgiving and the bike guided me safely to the bottom without a scratch...or maybe I just wasn’t trying hard enough.

We finished the day with a trip to Snoqualmie Brewery for a pitcher. I am pretty sure that we spent more time drinking beer than actually riding our bikes. I think like this DH thing already.

--------------------
So it seems our teammate is digging the DH trails and her new Diamondback Scapegoat. For more details on the Scapegoat - check out the Diamondback webpage. Looking forward to seeing how Katie rocks her new Sturdy Bitch DH jersey and her new bike!!

Double Hoe Down - Spokane DH Race Report

2012-03-28T02:32:15Z

Submitted by: Adrienne Bee Lane

This past weekend I threw on my Sturdy Bitch downhill jersey and headed over to Beacon Hill in
Spokane, WA for the Double Down Hoe Down which is the first race in the All Gravity Downhill series.
The DDHD gets its name from its unusual race format, where you race twice over the weekend on two
different courses. This means that you need to learn and practice two different race courses over two
days! And Beacon Hill doesn’t have a fancy lift or stinky moving van to shuttle you up to the top- you
have to earn your turns by pushing up to the top.

We lucked out with beautiful race weather, it was partially sunny and all the snow had melted leaving
nice tacky sandy soil and dry rocks and roots.

Saturday’s course was fast and flowy with lots of jumps, berms, and a few technical rock sections to
keep you on your toes. The course ends at the “Hollywood Line”, a crazy fast and windy jump line which
was great for spectators. Unfortunately during practice I took a rock-roll a bit too fast and went over the
handlebars, landing chin and chest first, and perhaps with my bike on top of me. Thank goodness for
chest protectors and full face helmets! Banged up, but with nothing broken, I got back up and rolled it
again, without crashing. Luckily my race run was clean, and I made it down to a second place spot on the
Cat 2 women’s podium.

Sunday’s course was very different from Saturday’s, with a number of very technical challenges to face
including a double drop, a big step up, and two gnarly rock waterfalls to work your way down. After
Saturday’s crash I decided to stay within my comfort zone, and skipped the step up, focusing instead on
the double drops and rock sections. My plan mostly paid off until I realized that I had spent too much
time working on the technical aspects and had forgotten to actually memorize the course, which gets
confusing where it meets up with Saturday’s course. I lost a few seconds on my race run getting lost
and not being able to find my line, but overall felt good, confident, and fast, which resulted in another
second place win.

Diamondback’s newest DH5 team member, Charlie Sponsel, pulled off two first place wins in the Pro
Men’s category on his prototype DB DH bike. I can’t wait until that bike is in production! Next time
I need to be prepared with some Georgetown beer, but unfortunately, I wasn’t on the ball this time
around, and had to settle for Rainier.

Overall it was a great weekend full of challenges, bikes, beer, with new and old friends. I couldn’t ask for a better way to kick off the 2012 race season! Looking forward to the first NW Cup race at Port Angeles in two weeks, especially with teammate Katie Jackson joining in on the gravity fun.

Breast Cancer Fund Auction - Thanks to All!

2012-02-24T21:58:48Z

First I want to apologize for the delay in posting of info for all our awesome sponsors. Lame excuse is too darn much work (that pays the bills) and too much travel for work. In between all of the travel trips we manage to squeeze in the auction.

We are pleased to have been able to raise $4600 with $2600 going to the Breast Cancer Fund. We raised $4k on the auction and raffle and our amazing sponsors at Diamondback Bikes donated some great I Heart Boobies tees that raised $600. Yahoo!!

We still have lots of I Heart Boobies tees left so if you are local in Seattle, they're only $10. If you are outside the area we can mail one to you for a total of $15 sent to US locations only.   Here's a photo so you know what they look like. They are men's sizes. If you would like to order one, please send me a message at seattlebikegurl (at) gmail dot com and I'll get one out to you.

Want to thank all the folks that made the auction possible. We have a long list of companies that were kind enough to donate products and event entries. Please peruse the logos listed below and check out their products. These are the companies that not only have good products that contribute to our enjoyment of mountain biking, but they also are willing to support women in mountain biking and the Breast Cancer Fund as well.

Also want to take this time to thank our sponsors, Sturdy Bitch, Diamondback Bikes, Georgetown Brewery, Big Tree Bikes, MJD Racing. We also look forward to continuing to work with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in the coming year. Special thanks to Jon Kennedy, Marketing Manager at Diamondback Bikes for his skills on the mic as emcee. Always entertaining and fun!

Really appreciate the guys at St. Andrew's Bar & Grill (and their patrons) putting up with the chaos that is the auction. They also donated an auction item in addition to opening their doors to us and letting us take over.

Thanks again to all and very excited to continue to support the Breast Cancer Fund's efforts to identify and advocate for the elimination of the environmental causes of breast cancer. This heinous disease affects members of our mountain bike community, our families, our friends and co-workers. Let's help them figure out why and make a difference. You can also educate yourself on your products and their contents by reading up on them at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website.










BicycleGifts.com

Bike Tours w/Big Mountain Adventures

2011-12-06T05:26:04Z

Doing some research on trips, not only do these guys do awesome trips to some amazing locations, but they are also donating some schwag to this auction and did so last year too!

If you're looking for an adventure in Canada, Costa Rica, Italy or Peru (or other locations) these guys have some great trips. Kathy and her husband also took one of their trips to Peru and Kathy also booked a trip to them before the BC Bike Race and Vegas and on to Utah as well. She only had good things to say about her fellow riders and staff.

Below are some words from Chris Winter, founder of Big Mountain Adventures:
“From the moment you book a trip with Big Mountain Adventures you'll appreciate the high level of customer service and attention to detail. They'll help you choose the trip that best suited to you and ensure that you are well prepared for the adventure ahead. Amazing riding and great service are their top priority and each trip is led by the best guides in each region. Big Mountain knows mountain biking and travel, and it shows.”

Check 'em out if you're in the market for some rides in nicer weather! Rain (and in some places snow) is beginning to fall - they can take you away from it on two wheels in style!

Sturdy Witches & Project 529 Host "Boo Camp" at Duthie

2011-10-30T15:43:07Z

Ah Halloween, end of October, usually the rain is beginning and Daylight Savings Time has yet to kick in. Awesome - rain and darkness, my two favorite things. Fortunately for us fate smiled upon us and we had a beautiful fall day to host our joint ride with the folks at Project 529.

We headed out to Duthie and prepped Boot Camp trail. In honor of Halloween it was renamed "Boo Camp" and we shed our "Sturdy Bitch" monicker to become "Sturdy Witches". We got their early so we had the beginnings of daylight to go out and put out pumpkins, spider webs, huge spiders, ghosts, skeletons, a pop up corpse (decorated with a Diamondback Bikes Sticker) and a few containers of candy along the trail.

We loaded up our Diamondback Sortie Blacks to finish decorating. As we finished prepping the trails, lighting the candles (don't worry - it was wet and they were in containers so no fire danger), and putting out lights on some of the features the project 529 team took the group out on a ride that would end on Boo Camp. Was a shorter ride than we normally like but we ended the ride with a raid of the candy buckets, some cider in the requisite dry ice, and some spooky music in the big beautiful structure at Duthie.

After we'd had enough chit chatting and socializing we ran back out, cleaned up our decorations, we headed over to Issaquah Brewing to get some well-earned food and beverages.

Had a great time sharing the experience with the adults and kids and special thanks to the crew at Project 529 for helping out. Hoping to do this again next year!!

That was our last "official" ride for the 2011 Sturdy Bitch Racing team. It's another year for transition and we're sad to say that Kathy has decided not to race with us next year. Beyond that the rest of the team is sticking around and we're starting to figure out what next year is going to look at.

With 2012 looming on the horizon we're gearing up for the 2012 Breast Cancer Fund Auction. As in years past, there is no event overhead as the kind folks a St. Andrew's Bar & Grill will host us so 50% of the proceeds from the auction go directly to the Breast Cancer Fund with the balance going toward team kits and travel. We've decided that for 2013 we're going to head back up to the BC Bike Race so we're working on filling the coffers towards those fees as well.

More to come on the auction! In the meantime, hope the rain falls on the weekdays and the weekends are beautiful, dry, fall and winter days.

August was a Blur...

2011-09-08T15:51:31Z

Holy Toledo, August was just crazy! There were events galore and hundreds of miles of biking, at least for a few of the Sturdy Bitches...

At the end of July (before I move into August), Angela and Katie headed down to Bend for the High Cascades 100.  This was Katie's 1st year doing the race and at least the 3rd round for Angela. Angelea wrote a race report on her blog so check out this link for details on how they did. Sounds like a good (in a masochistic way) time and a great race if you're into that kinda torture! Nice work gals, that is just brutal but you both finished it up and got those growlers. Well done!!

In early August, Jenn, Virginia and I (Susan) headed off to the Black Diamond XTerra. We were joined by Kathy from Fanatik Bikes in Bellingham and Carolyn (currently unaffiliated but previously with Speedy Beaver Racing).   It was a hot day, there were bees, the swim was less horrible than anticipated (but I was still really slow!) and we ended the day with a growler of Georgetown Mannys and one of Lucille. It was funny how different the atmosphere at the different races is. These triathletes don't stick around. Even though it was a beautiful day and still early in the day, there were no race team tents, no beer (I think ours was the only beer we saw), and people pretty much bailed unless they were going to make it to the podium.

In spite of all of that it was alot of fun. I always love this particular XTerra because it is really mountain bike friendly, with a reasonably technical course that slows those strong as road riders down but not so much on the technical mountain bike parts.  The Diamondback Sortie   was a great bike for this as it's light enough to operate as an XC bike but sturdy and agile enough to navigate the roots and the rocky downhills on the course. The final result was a podium for Carolyn, Kathy and myself. Was hilarious because our prizes were to be XTerra pint glasses but due to a mix-up in shipping, we ended up with a "Save the Date" for someone's wedding (in TX) glasses. Just got an email that we can pick up the actual glasses now but we sure got some laughs about our pint glasses for a strangers wedding.

Next on the agenda was the Capitol Forest Super D and XC race. Wow what an event the Friends of Capitol Forest put on. Not only do they perform hours and hours of labor on the amazing trails out in Olympia but they pulled off a screamin' good time that weekend. As always, they had a huge tent up for post-race relaxing but this time there was beer on tap both days as well as a tequila bar and a roast pig. While I am "pescatarian" I can appreciate the effort that went into barbequing and HUGE pig and serving pulled pork sandwiches to hundreds of racers! They always have a ton of prizes both for the racers but for a raffle as well. Oh and in addition to the beer and tequila? Every award was personalized onsite by a guy punching in what you wanted but also rolling it and adding adhesives so you could put it on your top tube should you so desire. Crazy good times. Hilites of the event? Getting to see Val from the Dirty Harlots (out of Hood River) and Turbo the three legged dog. Watching Jeff (Ady's hubby) run the Turbo taxi (see inset pic), the zillions of shuttle runs, the awesome campsite we got thanks to the FOCF crew, and the MacGuyver job that Josh and Jeff did "faking" a bolt with zip ties. Those zip ties held the bike together for Virginia's winning run during the Super D!

Sturdy Bitch Racing pulled in a bunch of hardware at the XC Race, the Super D, and even the "All Mountain" which was combined times for both events. Think the end results were Ady - Super D 3rd in Sport, Kathy, Super D 2nd in Sport, Susan 1st in Super D & XC and 3rd in All Mountain and Virginia 1st the Super D in Expert Class. Woohoo!!

In between her time in Bend for the HC100 and doing the Leadville 100, Angela, Ady and Katie held a Bikes, Bitches and Beer ride at Paradise Valley. The intent being to bring the girls together for a fun ride and then go out for some food and awesome Georgetown Beer at a local watering hole. The ride was out in the Maltby area and on the way back out to the freeway, the girls hit the Main Street Alehouse in Bothell to partake of some good grub and some cold beer.

Towards the end of the month, Angela headed out to Colorado to attempt to aclimate to the elevation. She was picked up under another team to race the Leadville 100. In spite of her lack of Sturdy Bitch colors, she maintained the title of Sturdy Bitch and finished this grueling race on her Diamondback Axis. She got some hardware in the form of a new belt buckle and she has done a race report so we can understand the pain and suffering she endured to get it. Check out her report here.

The next adventure for August was Virginia's trip out to MacCall, Idaho to do the XTerra Wild Ride.   She was too busy swimming, biking and running to snap any pictures but she wasn't too busy to pull off a 3rd place finish in her age bracket. Fortunately before she departed to Idaho, Jon at Diamondback procured a bolt for her rear triangle and her Diamondback Sortie was back in action. Yet another sturdy result for the Bitches. Nice work Virginia!!

To kick September off, we had another Bikes, Bitches and Beer ride at Tapeworm down in Renton, WA. We had a group of 12 enthusiastic ladies on the ride and we headed out through the Tapeworm, to Parasite and then we did two loops through the new trail out there, the Silk Worm. In spite of how the light is dying out so early these days, we got an hour and a half on the trails before we headed back to the parking lot. Looks like our next rides will be with lights (lame!). Post-ride though we headed out to the Dog and Pony in Renton and were pleased to find they had some Georgetown Lucille on tap. So we emptied that keg out, got some good food in our bellies and headed home.

If all of that wasn't enough the team has also held a number of women's only rides through the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance ride calendar. Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is a mountain bike advocacy organization located in Washington and they hold trail work parties, engage local government and agencies to continue to build and develop trails throughout the northwest. They also manage and provide a large ride calendar and list of local trails, current conditions, directions and sometimes maps as well. We highly encourage you to check them out and if you're interested in riding, get involved with them.

For the ladies we have created a Facebook group for Sturdy Bitch Racing. If you're interested in riding with other gals in the Seattle area, feel free to apply to join. We usually post links to the rides on the ride calendar and there is often discussion on rides and races and "all things bike".

OK, that's it for now. Hope the rest of your summer shake out sunny and beautiful and you get lots of time on the trails!

Bikes, Bitches and Beer - Ride Series for Women

2011-08-01T02:20:51Z

Today we had our first ride in a series of four where we'll do a ride with the ladies on some local trails, and then partake in some of that amazing Georgetown Beer at a local watering hole.

This week we headed out to Black Diamond towards Crystal Mountain. We did a pre-ride of some of the trails we'll be riding next week at the Black Diamond Xterra. A few of us started out with an early morning swim - getting into wet suits in a light mist and heading out towards the island we'll be crossing over next Sunday during the swin. The water was nice and warm and temperatures were pretty reasonable. After the swim we headed over to meet the rest of the ladies at the Swinging Arm Pub in Black Diamond where we would start the mountain bike portion of the day.

The misty rain continued as we headed out onto the trails. We broke into two groups, one wanting a more meandering pace, the others moving a little more quickly through. We rode for 2.5 hours and the other group, due to a broken chain rode for 3 hours or so.

We met up inside the Swinging Arm Pub where they kindly swapped out a keg so we could snag a couple of pitchers of that lovely lady Lucille. If you haven't met Lucille, she's a darn tasty IPA, check her out, we think you'll like what you taste.

We had some good food and some great beer and started for home. As we made our way onto the roads, we noticed the skies had finally cleared and the sun was coming out again. We're crossing our fingers that the weather holds and we'll have blue skies and dry trails come next Sunday.

Huge thanks to the ladies that came out today. Had a great time riding with everyone. If you missed this one, we have 3 more rides in the Bikes, Bitches and Beer Ride Series. To find those rides as well as other Sturdy Bitch Rides, go to the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance website to find one and sign up.

The last 3 of the BBB Series will be at:

Paradise Valley and the Main Street Ale House in Bothell
The Tapeworm and the Dog and Pony in Renton
Tokul West and the Last Frontier Tavern in Fall City

You can also find our group on Facebook under Sturdy Bitch Racing.

Hope to see you on the trails soon!

Season Update from the Bitches

2011-07-01T14:33:11Z

Wow, summer is really just moving along in spite of the fact the summer “sun” just hasn’t decided to consistently show it’s face here in Washington. That part has been pretty lame but we have been lucky that our events have had some decent weather so we’ll count the last few weeks as successful.

Early in June 4 Sturdy Bitches headed east of the mountains to find sun, some climbing, and beer. We found all 3 in abundance at the Bavarian Bike & Brew in Leavenworth. The race in Leavenworth served up 1800’ of climbing in an 9 mile lap so with beginners doing 1, sport doing 2 and expert doing 3 laps (sucka Katie) we definitely got some elevation in and some fun flowy down as well. Susan, Katie, Marie (with Josh in tow) and Kathy had a great time racing Freund Canyon and we were super-stoked that Georgetown Beer was pouring Manny’s at the beer garden. Katie took the lone SB podium spot and Marie’s knee gave her some trouble with all the climbing but post-ride we moved our tent, banners and gear into the beer garden to listen to some music, eat some post-ride food and drink tasty Georgetown beer. Got our servings of Vitamin D and a sunburn as well so we got the trifecta we were looking for that weekend.

June 11^th, Angela headed over to Chelan County to do the Echo Valley 60-Miler. Did I mention she’s crazy??? I’m tired just thinking about 60 miles but Angela excels at long distance endurance race"s and this was no exception. While just missing the podium, even in the heat, Angela blazed a trail through the dust and conquered the entire 60 miles. Hopefully she got to join Hernan for some pool time as I know he whiled away some time at the pool while she suffered in the heat on the bike. For Angela's ride report - see this link to her blog.

The following weekend - a few of us headed east down to the Ashland Super D. For those unfamiliar with The Ashland Super D it takes place down in southern Oregon and it is a 12 mile super-D with only 600’ of climbing and a whopping 3,000’ of descent. It’s a fun mix of single track berms, road, switchbacks, rock gardens, etc. The race organizer was Ashland Mountain Adventures. We were fortunate that when we arrived to find all shuttles booked for Friday to hook up with our friends and teammates to shuttle. The only other real "glitch" was that the timing seemed to be somewhat disorganized and we were rushed to the start prior to our times and told "if you don't go now you don't get to race". Being the Sturdy Bitch that I am I said " I paid my $65 and if you like I could stand her until my alotted start time in an hour. I need a minute to get ready." That was a bit annoying to be pushed and I am sure other women felt the same way. In spite of the race day shenanigans, we had a lovely time. Ashland is such a beautiful little town and we enjoyed some good grub and a lovely farmers market throughout the weekend. Was a little sad not to be able to hook up with Kathy and her group but it was super fun to spend time with Val (and her little tripod dog Turbo) and shuttle with her as well. Met Val at the Hood River Super D where they were the Hermosa Hotties – now under new sponsorship with a newly minted name “Hermosa Harlots”.

Also love that Josh (Marie's hubby) was able to McGuyver up a way to get all of us up one one shuttle. Who knew bunge cords were sufficient to hold a bike on top of the car, make it up the freeway and up the mountain? I was nervous but I trust engineer Josh and I wasn't disappointed! Course that was Ady's bike up there so I wasn't completely freaking out (though she might have been)! Nice work Josh!!

The downside of the weekend was the truck pulling the trailer broke down. Super-fortunately to have found a great little place in Grants Pass that took care of Jose and the rig. With the breakdown late Friday, they diagnosed the problem Saturday morning and found parts (damn, not available until Monday!), set the trailer up on a cement pad, hooked him up to power and directed him to the BBQ. Highly recommend Bridge Street Auto & RV in Grants Pass. They made Jose welcome until we returned post-race and we chilled out in the lot until parts arrived Monday morning and they sent us on our way. Got to see a cute little town (old town is adorable), ride to some local parks, see the Rogue River and enjoy the 80 degree weather and sunny skies. Fortunately Ady, Marie & Josh had their own cars and were able to shuttle around and keep us moving throughout the weekend. Great time at yet another fun Super D.

Next on the agenda was this weekend. Katie was the lone Sturdy Bitch in attendance at the Indie Series race in Winthrop. Here’s an excerpt from her ride report. Looks like that might be a must-do next year!

“The race went great. Finished first and much stronger than the last Indie Series race at Leavenworth. The course was certainly challenging starting at 4200ft with 2000+ft climb/lap. I was loving

the 10spd XTR on the Diamondback Sortie Black for this one for sure. Fortunately the vast majority of climbing was all on singletrack so that made it go by a bit quicker and easier. The climbing and descending was broken up nicely with some fireroad so that I could get hydrated and fed.

The venue was great at Loup Loup Ski Bowl and there was a pretty good turn-out for the race. Beer and brats afterwards in the lodge with outdoor seating was awesome to enable support and racers to hang out and cheer in comfort. We loved being able to camp out at the race site in the truckhouse.”

Sounds like they also had a kids race with her two young ‘uns participated in. And for those “not in the know” the truckhouse is the motor home – the kids affectionately call it the truck house.

Next on the agenda will be a fast trip down to Bend for the Super D. Gonna get crazy and do an overnighter so as not to sit in holiday traffic on Friday and Monday. We’ll see how that all shakes out.

Oh and we just posted a series of women's rides titled "Bitches, Bikes & Beer". Check Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance's website to sign up! We'll do a great local ride and then hit a local watering hole that serves awesome beer from our sponsors at Georgetown Beer!

Hope to see you on the trails soon!!

I Heart Super Ds....

2011-06-01T05:09:23Z

OMG - this is going to be a quicky post but HOLY Toledo, the first race of the Oregon Super D series??? Ridiculous fun. If you haven't been to Hood River, you better git after it. The place is adorable, the food is amazing and the riding is freakin' crazy.

For the first in the series, the most technical of the 4 Super Ds was held at Post Canyon in Hood River, OR. Complete with loose steeps, big berms, 400 feet of climbing, really steep downhills through the trees, a mandatory big drop (optional really big drop off a launcher ramp) and rock gardens, it was a downhillers dream. For those of us more XC oriented it was abit of a shock when it was wet but we quicky embraced it the day after when it dried.

I can't say they were super organized, check in was a nightmare but the shuttles were nice, if also slightly disorganized. But, stick through the pain and enjoy the ride because baby, we will be back for more Post Canyon and more Oregon Super Ds throughout the season. We really had a great time and for those that stayed, rumor has it that Syncline was also simply ridiculous amounts of "flies in your teeth" grins.

We also had the opportunity to meet some of the gals and ride up in the shuttle as well. Was really a fun experience to have a bus load of chicas run up the mountain gabbing about where they ride, who we all have in common as far as friends from near and wide. Was especially nice to meet the Hermosa Tours girls - if you get into Hood River, definitely set up a shuttle with them. Super-knowledgeable about the area riding and great riders themselves as well!

Pics look like all we did is eat but really I was so engaged in the riding and loving the whole experience that I was just a total slacker on any picture taking. Way too focused on what we were riding to care about the pictures. One dinner at a really great restaurant called Solstice across the river in Bingen, WA (see inset "stinging nettles pizza" - yes the bane of your spring riding is edible) and then we had a great BBQ at the trailer with salmon burgers, brats, turkey burgers, salads, chicken tacos, and on and on and on with the food and of course our well-loved Georgetown Lucille and Manny's too. So we ate well all weekend and we biked like maniacs.

The Diamondback Sortie Blacks were amazing in the terrain. In the mud (terrible, terrible clay-based mud) I was thinking maybe the Mission would be a better call but once it dried out the Sortie Blacks ate up everything dished out and the Wolverine Tires stuck to the trail perfectly. Thanks Diamondback - really just gotta love those Sorties and we got tons of compliments and comments on the XTR build.

As always the Lucille and Manny's from our awesome sponsors at Georgetown Beer was a fitting reward for a job well done. No podiums but no injuries either. We each came back with one or two things that we want to work on, among them, cornering, drops and skinnies. Tons of fun with Ady, Virginia and Jenn as well as other friends and family that joined us over the weekend. Great to also get to hang with Chicas Muertas riders Elie & Gretchen. Well done girls!

This weekend we're back at the XC stuff and headed to the Indie Series. Next post will be results from that. Hope to see ya on the trails out there in Leavenworth!

Diamondback Demo & Sturdy Bitch Clinic @ Duthie

2011-05-22T17:54:08Z

Halleljuah, the rain held and we headed out with 6 extra Diamondback Demo bikes for our clinic participants. Participants had bid and won an auction item that included demo bikes and a beginner clinic. A few of the gals had some experience and others hadn't ridden a bike for years.

Diamondback was kind enough to prep and arrange for 6 bikes that included mostly Diamondback Sorties with a couple of Missions thrown in the mix.

We put some flat pedals on the bikes, geared up the girls with gear include a helmet, some knee pads and in a couple of cases some gloves. Was a particularly amusing moment explaining the Shocker gloves by POW. Thanks POW for those gloves, not only do they perform well but they do provide some light but sometimes awkward moments of explanation!

The rain held as Kathy led the group through and introduction, why they were at the clinic and then the basics of evaluating the bike prior to riding and doing a safety check. Then we began covering skills including braking, shifting, neutral position and bike and body separation. We covered ascending and descending and did a little coaching around the clearing before the group set out on a ride. With Sturdy Bitches interspersed between the riders, the coaching moved to on the trails and everyone rode through the boot camp trail.

Some of the group moved on to the boot camp trail while a small contingent broke off to ride the pump track and even attempt some of the lower skinnies in the clearing area. One particularly brave participant decided she wanted to do some of the smaller drops in the clearing. Looks like someone needs a bike, some body armor and maybe a lesson or two with Kat! Check out Kat's website if you're looking for more women's clinics, not only does Kat breakdown the basics, she also teaches jumps and drops through her Sweetlines company. Prior to our clinic Kat was running Jump Jam with guest instructors Tammy Donahugh of Awesomeland fame and Angi Weston as well. Keep an eye on the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance calendar for more of Kat's clinics.

Had a fun and successful clinic yesterday. We want to thank our awesome sponsor Diamondback Bikes for providing the demo bikes and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance for creating and maintaining such an awesome venue for clinics. Duthie Hill is in Issaquah and there is really a great mix of XC, freeride and terrain appropriate for full DH rigs at this location. While it's not a "ride" per se, it is a great destination be able to practice and dial in your skills.

Thanks also to our participants - they all had great attitudes and definitely put in a good solid day of working on skills. Hope to see them on the trails soon!!

In Search of Sun

2011-05-21T17:40:14Z

While we truly love our fair city of Seattle and the state of Washington, this year the rain, mud and dreary days were just too much for us. We set out in search of sun. Sturdy Bitches Ady, Jenn and myself, accompanied by fellow Washingtonians Amy and Doug set out to retrace the paths of Sturdy Bitches Angela and Kathy - both having set out for the same destination a week earlier.

Met our friends from California (escaping from the record amounts of snow in Tahoe/Truckee) in Utah in May. First stop was Moab, Utah, that mountain biking mecca that really must be experienced by those loving fat tire fun, climbing crazy rocks, and being awed by views.

Day 1 we rode the Sovereign Trail - this was to get us warmed up and exposed to the heat (hallelujah!), the sand and the slickrock. We met Sturdy Bitch Angela for one ride in Moab before they started on to their next destination. We quickly got the first endo out of the way (ouch Doug!) and with a few bandages finished up that first ride smiling in the sun. Was a bit windy but we tempered that with some Georgetown Lucille for a post-ride celebratory beer. Was wonderful to have a couple of kegs on tap in the back of the truck - Georgetown Brewing Company makes minis kegs which were perfect for the trip. Highly recommend checking out their website for those in the Seattle area and considering bringing this stuff along. Nothing quite like a damn fine beer on a hot day! After some discussion, Doug decided to head down and have his arm checked out. With some XRays and a brace we saw them in the camp later - ah and reminder for next time, avoid the clinic (they don't - or at least this time - take insurance - go to the Moab hospital!).

Day 2 dawned - well it must have but we didn't see a sunrise due to clouds, rain, hail and thunderstorms. Damn - must have followed us. In Moab (and Fruita) there's no riding in the rain - in Seattle we just git to it otherwise we'd never hit the trails. The soil in Moab and Fruita is different so in deference to the delicate trails we decided to head to Arches. A pile of yard tools reminded us that wherever we go there are groups putting in the time to maintain the trails and reminded us to shed a little cash towards the maintenance as well. As we drove through checking out the amazing rock formations the sun made short appearances periodically and occasionally the rain spit on us a bit. We got a short hike around the area and made our way back to our little cabins at the Moab Valley RV Resort. Clean, reasonably priced, showers and little cabins. Not bad accomodations for those on a budget.

With the weather clearing and the trails quickly drying out we headed out to Amasa Back. Another Moab classic trail that is primarily slickrock. It's an out and back with great views and we got lots of practice on uphill obstacles along the way. With time passing and sun starting to sink down we turned from the views and blasted back down to the bottom for our date with Lucille. As we hit the bottom we met a couple from Seattle one of whom races for another local team, with a trail recommendation to them we hit the cars. We had also met a nice couple from France and shared some Lucille with them before we packed up and headed to town for some well-earned grub.

Day 3 the weather looked pretty good so we decided to book a morning shuttle and chance getting out on Porcupine Rim and having it be a bit sketchy. It was cold when we were picked up and Coyote Shuttle Service (operates out of Chile Pepper Bike Shop) took us on a "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", reminiscent of a bygone shuttle driven by Marla Streb out to China Camp. I could see Amy leaning in away from the cliffs on the side of the road as our driver tore up the mountain to drop us off. We didn't get as far up on the trail as we would have liked but where we did get dropped it was snowing so I think that was good enough for us. As usual, Porcupine Rim served up slickrock goodness, incredible views and drop after drop after drop. This ride is always a good time and should not be missed. The weather turned hot and sunny and we shed clothes before we crossed over the creek and headed down the last technical section that runs above the Colorado River. Here's where we had mishap number 2. Jenn had been riding well and must have just gotten a little distracted and endo'd possibly breaking her nose and getting dinged up. Damn!! Yvette evaluated, we got Jenn cleaned up and sent the rest of the riders down with the plan being that they would finish the ride, bust out the road ride back to the campsite and snag a car and come and get us. Jenn was a trooper, with the bleeding stopped we walked/rode back out to the bottom of the trail for our shuttle back home.

Day 4 we were going to be heading out to our respective next destinations...the Californians towards home and the Washingtonians a little further east to Fruita, Colorado (with a side trip to take Ady to the Grand Junction airport for her return home). Knowing this was our last day we decided to get up early (5am???) and ride the Slickrock Trail in the hope of seeing the sunrise. We didn't quite see the sunrise but there was only one car in the parking lot when we hit this incredibly popular ride. We saw that rider heading out with his dogs, after that, we saw not a soul until we were almost back to the cars. Was absolutely amazing to be out riding this trail that sees thousands or riders without any company at all. So much fun and really a treat to stick to the rock and climb (when your legs and lungs let you) up inclines you wouldn't believe you could. As we departed cars were starting to arrive and a few riders were headed out. We on the other hand were headed to the Love Muffin - this is another must-see in Moab. Really, really good coffee and southwestern inspired breakfast to die for. As we walked into the Love Muffin we found our injured duo of Jenn and Doug enjoying a leisurely breakfast. We finished every bite put in front of us and plotted our next steps of the trip and then said our tearful goodbyes to the California crew. Fortunately I'd be seeing them, if all goes well, in October in Downieville. Next stop, Fruita, Colorado.

On our way from Utah to Colorado we were pleasantly surprised to find a real live cattle drive going on. While the cowboys had their fancy sunglasses on and their cell phones I'm sure, they also were decked out in true cowboy style and their little cattle dogs (dang, missing mine!) were keeping the cows together as they moved the herd across the highway. Very cool little distraction from the miles of farmland we were traveling!

As we arrived into Fruita we had thunder and lightning - yeah! Not when you're planning on camping. We checked out the campsite which normally is more than satisfactory. This time, with rain threatening and thunder booming in the background we decided to go in search of a hotel for the night. After a little negotiating, Doug got us a couple of good rooms at the Comfort Inn and we headed into town in search of coffee and a snack. They grabbed their coffee and I decided on pizza at the Hot Tomato - just a slice prior to dinner of course. We returned to the Hot Tomato Pizzeria for dinner that night and planned to get up at a reasonable hour to try our luck on some Fruita trails.

Thankfully Day 5 dawned beautiful and clear and the storm had passed through. We headed out to the Kokepelli trails, Doug to see how his hand held up without the brace and Jenn with a bandage here and there to keep out the dust. We did the "easy loop" to see how everyone was doing and then headed up towards Molly's Loop and Horsethief Bench. The trails were in great shape with the terrain and the landscape being just a bit different than Moab. The trails in Fruita were a little grittier and sandier with less rock but just as lovely. We made the trek down into Horstheif Bench (well worth a little hike a bike) and then followed Molly's back to the cars - we decided on, yes - again - pizza at the Hot Tomato, to take a nap, and then to get back up and come back out to do the short loop and a trail run.

Day 6 we split the group again and Jenn and Doug headed home and Amy and I set out towards home with a quick stop in Park City on the menu. With late snow only the lower trails were open in Park City but we met up with Greg Balch, president of the Mountain Trails Foundation. Park City has made some great strides for biking and trail access. They have voted in bonds to maintain open space and they have worked with landowners, developers and the city to make sure that all neighborhoods have biking/hiking trails within them so that the entire city is connected and you can travel by bike darn near anywhere. Greg showed us a few trails so we could spin our legs out and he told us about a movie premier that evening. We met up with Greg and his family for the premier of One Revolution. One Revolution is about local, Park City resident Chris Waddell. Chris was a promising young skiier who was injured in a skiing accident. He came back to skiing as a parapalegic skiier on the US Ski Team. Chris decided to climb Kilamanjaro - on a four-wheeled hand crank bike. If you have a chance to see the movie it is very inspiring. After dinner at a local pub we headed back home to pack up so we could head out in the morning.

Overall an incredible trip - we rode diverse trails, our Diamondback Sortie Blacks embraced them all, we drank damn fine beer, we got a little bit of a sunburn and we made a few memories. Below are the places we stayed, some of the restaurants, and the trails we rode. Recommend going to Moab in May or October - those in between months are too damn hot and the months outside those unpredictable for weather. If you love the fat tires - get out there and ride this stuff. It really is not to be missed.

Moab
Stayed - Moab Valley RV Resort
Ate - The Love Muffin, Moab Brewery, Pasta Jay's, Fiesta Mexicana - we really wanted to try Miguel's Baja Grill but the damn thing was never open. Hilite of the food was definitely the Love Muffin.
Shuttle - Coyote Shuttle
Rode - Sovereign Trail, Amasa Back, Porcupine Rim, Slickrock

Fruita
Stayed - The Comfort Inn but the James Robb State Park is also really good
Ate - The Hot Tomato Cafe & Pizzeria
Rode - Kokepelli Trails - Rustler to Horsethief Bench to Molly's Loop....recommend Bookcliffs too but we just didn't make it there

Park City
Stayed - The Pathman's House - sorry they don't take reservations but HUGE thanks for letting us crash your pad!
Ate - Butcher's Chop House, Whole Foods (stockin' the cooler for the return trip home)
Rode - Round Valley *Gotta go back when the snow is a little higher up!

The Next Generation

2011-05-02T03:03:00Z

Sturdy Bitch Racing is about racing, about riding with the girls, and about being on our bikes. But it's a bit bigger than that. Not only do we want to enjoy our time on the bike, hang out, and get more fit, but we want to give back too.

We raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund as out primary charity but we have a couple of other things we like to do too. We love supporting Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and we love all the work they do to keep trails open, maintained, and their work in developing new trails such as Colonnade and Duthie Hill.

But this weekend was about "The Next Generation". In 2010, the Washington High School Cycling League was formed. With the efforts of Lisa Miller and countless others, the league formed, gained some coaches and teams at high schools across Washington, and they put on two races in 2011. The Washington High School Cycling League was formed to provide competitive mountain biking programs for students in grades 9 to 12.

We were pleased to have the opportunity to volunteer as course marshalls for race #2. As course marshalls our job was to make sure the kids crossed the roads safely, to encourage them through the course, and to be there in the event of any injuries. Other volunteer opportunities included sweeping, timing, registration and more. Ady, Marie, Virginia, Jenn and I headed out on a beautiful Sunday morning to put in volunteer time as a team.

The race was out at joint base Fort Lewis / McCord south of Tacoma. We had an opportunity to preride the course before the kids got out on it and it was blast. While mostly double track, it had alot of short steep climbs, descents, some good switchbacks too. Was reminded of Seafair momentarily as a huge jet ramped up it's engines and took off down the runway and then sailed away through the trees above the trails we were riding on.

Shift one was during the girls race. It was awesome to see the effort and enthusiasm the girls put into their 3 laps. There was quite a mix - from the die hard XC, "in it to win it" girls, to the "work horse" working my way steadily up, to the "chatty, friendly girls just having fun". My post was great because I could see them coming, encourage them through the short climb with some positive words, then watch them come around and gather some speed as they started to descend towards the road.

The races are over for the year but there is lots of opportunity to help with next year. There are fundraisers to plan, committees to help determine how scholarships will be allocated, and how donations of bikes and gear will be divvied up. If you're interested in helping out or have something to donate, reach out to the folks running the league. As the league grows and gets up and running they could certainly use the help and it's a great way to give back to the sport that gives you so much joy.

So please consider helping with the league with the Washington High School Cycling League or helping build and maintain some of the trails you ride with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. Both are great organizations keeping mountain biking healthy and growing in the Washington area. Then, when some asks you, what have you done for the sport lately, you'll be able to proudly let them know that you contributed to the growth of our sport and helping us and local youth enjoy the amazing trails in Washington.

Oh and volunteer as a course marshall and you too will get to wear one of those awesome orange vests - one size fits all, I think not.

Looking forward to seeing you on the trails soon Bitches!!

Northwest Cup Race #1

2011-04-23T13:04:00Z

By Marie Engstrom

The Northwest Cup series kicked off its downhill race season in early April with the first event at Dry Hill in Port Angeles. Kathy, Ady and Marie ventured over to shuttle, race and check out the pros. We were excited to see that Diamondback was the new title sponsor of the series! This first race was part of the ProGRT series which draws professional downhill mountain bikers from far and wide so it was extra fun to see how the pros get it done.

I headed over Friday morning for the 3 day event and was excited to be treated to great views of the Olympics and sunny skies. This was my first DH event so the prospect of a sun filled weekend of riding eased the butterflies in my stomach. For events like this the trails and access roads are opened up for shuttling 2 or 3 days before the race for practice runs. Trucks are provided to haul groups of riders and their big squishy bikes up to the top of the hill to then rip down the trails and do it again. The Cat 2 course, which I raced, had a bit of everything – tight turns, straight fast sections, steep rollers, technical roots and a few drops. Days 1 and 2 involved getting familiar with the trails, checking out the more technical sections, picking lines, catching up with friends and riding until our legs gave up. The much welcome sun and great trail conditions had us headed home each day with smiles on our faces.

Sunday was race day, wahoo! The rain held off over night and while the skies were gray, we were all thankful that the course hadn’t been soaking water in all night. The 3 of us ran in the womens Cat 2 class - what a great turnout of ladies! The number of women racing in Cat 2 doubled from the 2010 races, a great way to kick off the series. Our start times weren’t until early afternoon so we were able to watch and cheer for some of the Cat 1 racers as they finished at the bottom. We shuttled up to the top one last time and while we were waiting our luck ran out and the rain started to come down. I was a little nervous that this might change the course conditions but the previous days runs had been such a good time that I tried to focus on that instead. The race run itself was over before we knew it! While it had gotten a little slick and sloppy in spots, the course overall was great and we all had a ton of fun. When I got to the finish Kathy was waiting there with the biggest grin on her face! She pretty much summed it up when she said “That was SO much fun! Can we do it again? Let’s do it again!”

Before heading home we had the opportunity to watch the pros run down the hill. Their course consisted of different trails with some newly cut sections that had everyone guessing what the fast line would be. By that point the rain had settled in but the pros hardly seemed to notice. Diamondback pro rider Kyle Thomas was riding a prototype of their new DH bike; we’re all eager to hear how that bike comes out and hopefully check it out when it’s complete. The pros really knew how to put on a good show. It really was amazing to see them fly through the tech sections and rail the turns at speeds most of us can just imagine. First place for the pro men went to Danny Hart. For the women, local lady Jill Kintner took home the gold medal.

There will be more races at Dry Hill throughout the summer, including XC races. The Olympic Dirt Society along with volunteers do a great job if keeping these fun trails in shape, check them out when you get the opportunity.

Budu Racing - Season Finale

2011-04-21T14:03:00Z

Short report - lots of pics! If you're interested in all of the pictures take a look at the photo strip on the front page. That will take you to the Flickr site where you can browse these and other race/bike pics to your hearts content.

As we had almost our full team (minus Angela) we got a quick team picture with almost everyone in it (finally!) in our awesome new kits.

Well, the Budu Series is over and the longer races will be beginning soon. The Budu Races are always great to get the season rolling and we had a great time on or Diamondback Sortie Blacks. Over the course of the Series we had 22 entries and of those entries we had 13 podium (1st through 3rd) visits. Within the Series, Marie took 4th in Sport in her age Group, Susan took 3rd in Sport in her age group and Katie took 1st in Export in her age group. Overall a great result for Sturdy Bitch Racings 2nd year as a team. Great job ladies!!!

Race 6 was at Henry's Ridge in Black Diamond, WA. I had never entered from that side so we rode some terrain we had never been on. The course was a fun, rooty and in some case muddy experience but the day stayed nice and dry and warm (except for a weird hail storm for 5 minutes midway through the race). There were some fun steep downhill switchbacks that gave some folks some trouble but the course was alot of fun with some great singletrack. The venue was great though with reasonable parking and an area to gather for awards. Was good to see some family support out and overall it was a great day.

As far as race results for the 6th and final race in the series, Virginia took 2nd in Sport, Katie took 2nd in Expert, Susan 2nd in sport, and Kathy 2nd in Beginner. Afterwards of course we headed over as a team to have a few Manny's at the Swinging Arm Pub in Black Diamond and to post-race refuel with some food.

With our series winnings, $11 between Marie and I we were able to buy a couple of our favorite (Georgetown Beer) Manny's and finish off the day on high.

Looking forward to whatever is next - gotta check the calendar and see what's coming up.

See ya on the trails soon Bitches!!