Good Riding!

Justin and I managed to get in two great days of riding in amazing weather. So stoked. Saturday we set out from home and did a big road loop down to the coast and back with Luke.











I broke in the Tarmac right with plenty of mini-creek crossings and some mud!




Pace was mellow for the first half of the ride, but we somehow got caught up with a fast-paced paceline down on the bike path to Oceanside. Not so steady!



Justin's buzzing as Luke sets out for some aero bar time





The beach!



We stopped to fill up before heading back inland









One final stop before the last push home!



Spent the evening cleaning house and watching some Olympics coverage before prepping for our big day on Sunday and then bedtime!

Pre-ride brekkie



I remembered as we were about to pack up and head out that it was Valentine's Day! We had celebrated early (Friday) with surf & turf for dinner.

Heading up Maple Springs to chase Steph (and Chris)



Hittin' dirt



I love the sight of the snow-capped mountains in the distance!





In pursuit



Group up at 4 Corners



Heading out to Joplin



Not today, friend...



Justin Buzzing again



Joplin!





Finally made it!





Nick owns the steep slidey stuff



HAB





Steph and I at Old Camp



Luge!






Roading it up to Modjeska Grade and down to Harding



I think if he'd had more energy he would've flipped me off



4 Corners after the Harding climb







The crew finishing up before our descent down Maple Springs





Justin had offered free burritos, but after the parking lot fail in Irvine it was probably best there were only 3 of us, and a TON of food! We ate.



And ate again...

Powering it up on the dirt

A few weeks ago my CycleOps power order came in with my aluminum rollers and my mountain bike disc brake PT hub.



In the meantime we had been waiting for a new Stans Crest rim to come in so Justin could build it up!

The rim arrived in the OC at Rock N' Road on Friday afternoon, but oddly enough, not the shop he was at ;)

Due to the impending storm, and current rainfall, we didn't settle on a weekend riding plan until Friday after dinner. Justin set out to build my PT hub for the mountain bike so I could race on it Saturday morning. It meant for quite a late night for him, but he is the best husband ever, so he got it done.

We got up a little late on Saturday due to the rain, and when we arrived at SRC it was coming down pretty good. We parked, registered, and then hung out with the Denmother and Roger for a bit under Wendy's nice and dry EZ-Up. A few people mentioned the race start was being delayed. D'oh! Resolve was going to be tough to come by after another hour of rain submerging the parking lot.









At about 9 am they decided to start the race on time, which meant it was time for me to get on my bike and make sure the brakes were at least partly broken in. Brand new brake rotor, new brake pads, new hub. I rode around trying to warm up and then alternately slam on my brakes, or ride with them engaged for a few minutes. The course had rivers flowing heavily through some parts early on. Quickly enough it was time to line up.

There were a few other women out there, but no Pro Women except me, and I started in the back of the first wave. The course differed slightly from the first race, and we went through a raging stream, a puddle, and then a 2.5-3ft deep puddle before trying to negotiate a steep section that was rendered fairly unrideable on lap one due to erosion from the torrential rains.

The rain was off and on during lap 1, but as I came around for lap 2 the skies were actually clearing up nicely, the dirt was tacky and worn-in and it was looking like a good day was in order! Just as I got to about 2/3 of the way through the third and final lap I came down this dirt hill, crossed over a concrete section and was hit with torrential downpour and a headwind. Crazy! It rained like this the rest of the last lap, and continued after the race.

I needed some volume, so told Justin if we were riding we needed to head out now before I got cold! So, we grabbed fresh bottles and hit the road for an hour endurance spin post-race with Xterra racer Mike H. Clouds parted a little now and then, and we just made it back in time for awards.





PT data for the mountain bike race was awesome. Will be great to utilize this in the future on training rides and perhaps another race or two now and then.





Sunday we hit the road for a few hours and got it done. Roads were mostly dry by then. Killer Superbowl! Have been a huge Brees fan since he was a Charger. Most accurate QB in the league. Very deserving.