It is like no other place; It is completely unique.

Visually, it is beyond stunning and the riding ... indescribable.  

Moab.            

There could not have been a better way to complete two weeks of epic racing than with a week of epic training in one of my most favoritest places ever.  

It had been over two years since I have been back to Moab and when I was talking with my coach Adam and a couple of his other athletes about a place to have a little training camp post Whiskey, I immediately knew that it would have to be Moab.

The irony of the whole thing is taking a step back into time and thinking about my very first experience of Moab that lasted no longer than 24 hours because it had brought me to tears and right to the edge of wanting to throw my bike over the edge of Porcupine Rim and never riding it again.

At that time of my life, the dirt was relatively new to me and as far as having any skills, let's just say that it was pretty much null and after about what felt like the bazillionth crash and the bazillionth time that I had to get off of my bike and walk - I was so over Moab and I left that place without looking back.

Needless to say, I went back a couple years later, but this time, I was flying down the Porcupine Rim and laughing at myself as I wanted nothing more than the trail to keep going.  And it was from that moment that Moab went from a place that I could not wait to say goodbye to, to a place that I never want to say goodbye to.

It is absolutely amazing how we transform over the years and the mountain that we flew down on our roller blades as kids - the mountain that we could have sworn was as big as Mt. Everest - could at best be considered a hill.

So, the day after the Whiskey, I was like a little kid sitting in the backseat on the way to Disneyland.


We decided to take the scenic route from Prescott to Moab and break the little drive up with a quick stop in the quaint little town of Jerome, Arizona.  If you blinked for a second while driving through, you would completely miss it, but back in the 1800's it was a booming mining town.  This little town that sits a mile up on the side of a hill (literally) is now a National Historic Landmark and a tourist destination.  

We stopped in at one of the local restaurants for lunch and followed that with a quick stop at one of the local wineries - Caduceus - and had a little taste of some fabulous local wines before we continued on our way.  


It was back in the van for another 5 or 6 more hours, but the motivation was our destination.

When we finally rolled in to Moab, it was both really dark and really late, but no matter what, I could feel the spirit of Moab all around me and I was completely content.  After a quick hello to my friends Mel and John, it was straight to bed for some shut eye and rest for the week that lay ahead.

That first day started a little late because sleep was trying to be caught up on and the morning involved some organizing, but by the time noon rolled around, we were in the saddle and heading over to our meeting spot - Moab Cyclery - where I would get to catch up with all my old friends, get the local insight on new trails and start rolling.  

One of my favorite things about bikes is the people and how our two wheeled vessels creates this immediate bond and makes wherever we may be, no matter how far, feel like home.  I have not seen the Cyclery crew in so many years, but when I got back, it is like I never left.  Jacque now has a little munchkin who is already walking and Blom is busy with his trail advocacy, while the girls are busy getting new bikes, working on their skills and thrilled about getting faster ... I love it!

After all the chit-chat, the three of us (me, Adam and Macky) started rolling and it was off to one of my favorites (although I have so many out there), Amasa Back.

The route, Day 1: Town, Amasa Back to Pot Hole Arch, down Jackson trail, the road back to town and completed with Pipe Dream (a new trail just a minute from town that is right against the hillside and more of a flowy single track type trail that is a must to see!).  

This day was to be a little opener for us, wake up the legs, get reintroduced to Moab and just have fun our bikes.  We did all of the above and although it was the first day that I really hung out with Macky and the first ride I ever did with Macky, I knew it was going to be a week that was anything but uneventful.  And Macky's new name is now Mr. Okee Dokee.  

Now before I forget, Adam managed to entertain us with a little endo over the bars just as we were dropping into the Amasa Back trail head.  It was a hard hit, but thankfully Adam is a toughie and he missed the rock as he was launching.  After I knew that he really was ok and saw that he was throwing his leg back over his bike, I looked at the guys and said, "Welcome to Moab!"  

Crashing and Moab almost come hand in hand and I was so thankful that I was good friends and the house guests of two of the Search and Rescue crew of Moab that knew where we were riding each day.

That first day as we were descending Jackson Trail we got to witness the typical naive tourist and I think they were very thankful that they ran into us.  Just as we were reaching the end of the technical grind of the trail, I looked up ahead and saw 3 guys walking there bikes up the path that lead to what we just came off of.  They were clearly inexperienced and the fact that they were already walking on the only part of the trail that you could just ride screamed that they had no business being out there.  There are times that I want to say something, but feel that it is not my place, but I could not help myself this time and knew that it would be for their own good.  We looked at them and gave them a heads up by letting them know that if they thought this section was hard, it only got worse and they probably would be better off turning around.  I asked them what they were wanting to ride and they responded with "something easy" and two things ran through my head - #1: Moab is not easy.  #2: You somehow managed to pick one of the hardest trails.  Then I really had to bite my tongue when my ears heard: "It looked easy on the map."  Oh boy ...

After the ride, it was back to the house for the post-ride routine:

Recovery
Rest
Dinner
TV in the Mel & Johns amazing movie room
Sleep

Then before I knew it, the sun was welcoming us to a new day and it was time for some breakfast and more epic riding.

The route, Day 2:  Town, Bike Path, Gemini Bridges, Mag 7, Little Canyon singletrack, Gold Bar singletrack, Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike Trail, some singletrack marked with blue, Portal Trail, then finally to the road and back to town.  

This was a LONG and very demanding day.  It was a route that I have never really done and some of those jeep trails on the rim seemed endless and their steep grunts were relentless.  The sight of the Portal trailhead was going to be heaven and I could not wait to get there.  While on the rim, we did get a quick intermission with a little ATV entertainment.  Some of the jeep routes are mind blogging and when we came across one of these section just ahead of a posse of ATVs, we had to wait and watch them do their thing.

The first attempt was made by one of those Razor's and with no hesitation, he picked his line and cleared it as if it were a fire road with just a few little bumps. The second attempt was by another Razor who followed and cleared it just as easily and quickly as his buddy.  But, the rest of the crew took a walk up to the obstacle on their two feet and decided that the only route they were taking was back the way they came.  I can't blame them for that decision.


It had felt like eons later, but we finally hit the Portal trail and I could not have been more thankful, but ironically enough, I felt completely revived at the same time. This trail was anything but a walk in the park, but it put me that much closer to town and it was all descending from there.

This is one of the only trails that I have ever ridden that demand dismounting with a sign that warns you how dangerous it is by giving you the statistics of how many riders have been lost to this trail.  Before we got to the Portal Trail I had to remind Mr. Okee Dokee who was a billy goat out there, that I didn't care what he thought, but when we come to that sign, even he was going to dismount.  Okee dokee Macky?!


For those who have not experienced this trail, it is a narrow singletrack that edges ever-closer to the vertical cliffs above the Colorado river that lies 200 feet below.  


Finally the ride was over and we made it safely back to town with this time with nothing super major.  On this day, Adam felt like being intimate with the tree and once again the dirt as we were flying through the Mag 7 trail and out of nowhere a branch connected on his bars and sent him flying.  The initial hit was one of those brutal brunt forces, but once again, the toughie was putting his leg over the bike and continuing on his way.  

Not very far down the trail did we encounter one of those short steep rocks that puts you into those few seconds of anaerobic pain.  Right on Macky's wheel, I attacked the climb, but right at the top before I could get that last pedal stroke, I began going backwards and knew it was going to bad.  

Before I knew it, the bike was stuck on top of me, my hip hurt and my shin had some blood.  Thankfully that was all I suffered because it could have been a million times worse, but after a few minutes of shaking it off, I was back on the saddle and we were on our way.  

So after day 2, everything except Adam's helmet was still in one piece.  But a coach is always prepared and never comes to Moab with no less than 2 helmets and when day 3 rolled around, it was helmet #2's turn to come out and play.  

The route, Day 3:  Town, Sand Flats Road, Kokopelli Trail, Up Hazard Trail, Down Hazard Trail, Kokopelli Trail, UPS, LPS, Porcupine Rim, Sand Flats Road, Town.

This day was another long one, but not as demanding.  

Day 3 was pretty uneventful (in a good way), but we did have one of my friends, Blom, meet up with us at the top of Hazard.  The climb up was ridiculous to him, so he left all that climbing to our enjoyment, but it was awesome having him out there with us.  

The route, Day 4:  Bar M Trailhead, Sovereign Jeep Route, Sovereign Trail (mass confusion of a bunch of singletrack until we were ready to head back), back to the car.

This was just a shorter fun day on some cross-country type trails that had more flow and not all the Porcupine type rock, but still gave you the opportunity to work on your skill and technique.  

This trail was crowded and we ran into a bunch of riders out there and had the opportunity to stop and chat with a few of them who shared some trail knowledge with us and shared some lack of trail knowledge with us.  

One group that we ran into was the Colorado Rocky Mountain High School League team.  There was a huge group of maybe 10 riders who were mostly young boys and come to find out, they were on a school field trip riding in Moab.  Ummm ... can I go back to High School please?!  I hope these kids realize how lucky they are!  But, it was awesome seeing them out there and bumping into them a few times.  

Another group we kept running into was a trio of motos.  By the end of the ride, we became old friends and it was hilarious when we followed them down the trail after taking a quick look at their map and came upon a trail junction.  The first guy went left, the second guy went right and the third guys stopped, took of his helmet and just sat there watching his friends disappear in opposite directions.  He knew it would not be too long before they realized they were solo and as he pulled over, we took the trail on the left and laughed.  And yup, before we knew it, all three of them were back together.  

It was our shortest ride of the week and a very well deserved "easy" day, but it was still time to get back to the house and focus on recovery for our last and final day that would be not only our final day, but it would be another EPIC day.  

But before going into complete rest mode, I got a text from a friend Cullen Barker who was a bike mechanic over at Poison Spider and he offered to look over my bike and give it some love before our last big day.  It was perfect timing to receive that text because after days of putting my bike through the ringer, it really needed some love.  

Within a couple of hours, I had my bike back and she was ready to go.  Thank you Cullen!

The route, Day 5 (the final day):  Slick Rock trailhead, the practice loop, the main loop (of course the hardest direction), back to the car for a refueling pit stop, Sand Flats to Porcupine Rim trailhead towards the lookout with a sharp right turn up the first trail reached and back towards Sand Flats Road, Sand Flats road to Kokopelli trail, UPS, LPS, Porcupine Rim all the way down, River Road, town and back up to Slick Rock trailhead.

I have to admit that I was dreading this day because I was scared out of my mind that I would wake up and have absolutely no legs and this would make an epic day a really miserable day.  But to my surprise, they were tired, but the ride was perfect and i enjoyed every moment of it.  

It had been years since pedaling on Slick Rock trailhead and I forgot how much fun it actually was.  Talk about demanding - it was a constant power up the climb followed by a quick descend, then repeat.  

When we rolled into the parking lot, you would never guess who we rolled in next to ... our moto friends from the Sovereign trail.  We chatted a little and then when we were attempting to take a photo, one of them came over and offered to be our photographer and took his job very seriously.  He was having us move around until he felt the angle was perfect and I asked if he would just follow us around all day to document our ride.

We continued on our way and when we were about half way through the loop, Mr. Okee Dokee suggested that we stop and take advantage of a photo op.  As crowded as the trail was that day, it was a moment when there was not a bicycle in sight and we were joking about needing our photographer, when lo and behold, we looked up and just like superman to the rescue, our moto photographer friend was coming up the trail.

We joked around a bit, he took the picture and they kept going.

There was a theme on this last ride that was determined pretty early on when the first of three incidents occurred.  It happened when we were flying through Slick Rock and began approaching a super steep section and I went for it, but quickly realized that I was not going to make it.  I tried leaning forward, but realized that there was nothing I could do and instead of going up, I was quickly going backwards and down.  

Everything was happening so quickly, but just as I was laughing and yelling "I am not going to make it!" Adam, who was riding behind me, was off of his bike, getting behind me and became my safety net.  There was a group behind us that we had just flew past and all I could hear was laughing and an applause.  I was laughing and gave them a wave, but was so thankful because that rock would have REALLY hurt.  Thanks Adam!

Well, I already mentioned that this incident happened in three's and yes, the same exact incident happened one more time before we got off of Slick Rock and yes, once again, it was Adam to the rescue.  

I think my legs were just completely trashed and no matter how determined I was, my legs were completely determined not to make it and both times ... they won.

The end of the trail quickly approached and we were back at the van quickly grabbing our packs, grabbing some food, then we were off for the remainder of our ride.  

Eventually after climbing, climbing and more climbing, we hit LPS and it was pretty much all descending from there.  Woohoo!!

So, if you are waiting for the third of my three little incidents - here it is.  The three of us came up on this little section of rocks that you could climb up, but the right line had to be chosen and you had to really power through each pedal stroke.  

Just as we approached the three of them, Macky went by them and flew up the section, then Adam followed but got blocked by the two guys in front of him as they immediately stepped off, but I was still determined to try and went for the attempt.  The guys quickly moved out of my way, but just as I got to the last little rock that needed to be cleared, I felt myself going backwards ... again.  There was a moment that I knew that this time, it was really going to hurt, but just as I unclipped and started going down, I felt a safety net.  But this time, it was the two guys who were on the side of the trail.  

After thanking them over and over, I was laughing at the whole situation and realized that I was such a lucky girl that day and I needed to  stop going backwards!

We continued flying down the trail and got through it faster than I ever had and we did it flawlessly.  Before I knew it, we were back down on the road and pedaling back into town reminiscing about our "little" ride.  But just as I thought that the riding was smooth sailing, I remembered that I still had one last grunt back up to the van.  It was not a super long climb, but it was definitely a climb and it was definitely steep, but it would be the last climb of the week and I would be so happy when I was sitting in the van.

When we stopped pedaling, it was an awesome feeling to know what we completed and to make the day even better, I saw a text from Mel asking if I wanted to go on their sunset tour and without any hesitation, we jumped on the opportunity.

Not only are John and Mel EMTs and Search and Rescue, but they own Coyote Land Tours which is a unique tour offered in Moab.  They use Unimogs which are german four wheel drive vehicles that are beasts and could crush a Hummer and make them look like a Tonka toy.  The Unimog always took the harder route and when it offered a "sunset" tour, John actually took his guests to the best spot to watch the sunset only to head back and do it while watching the moon rise.  


The tour takes Hell's Revenge which is a trail that weaves and surrounds the Slick Rock trail.  Along the tour, John continued to entertain us with not only some history, but with a number of jokes that had us rolling.  

Not only is John the best tour guide EVER, but he also has the best side kick EVER ... Hasbro who is a brilliant dog that adds to the entertainment with all of his tricks.


As if watching the sun set was not enough, it was the night of the super moon and John was determined to have us out there and not head back until we saw that moon rise.  It was supposed to rise within 10 minutes of the sun setting, but 10 minutes passed, then 15 minutes passed and then 20 minutes passed and there was still no sign of anything super.  But as we were all listening to John's rope joke, there was a bright light appearing out of the corner of our eyes and there it was.  

It was as if someone had turned on the brightest flashlight ever behind the La Sal Mountains and within seconds, the moon came into view ... and it was massive.  When John said it was the rise of the super moon, he definitely was not joking.  It was breathtaking and the whole sky was lit up, bringing all of the rocks to life.  It was so bright that John had the headlights off as we made our way off of the trail and back into town.  


It was a perfect way to end a perfect day in Moab.

The next morning before I headed out, I said goodbye to the boys and went for a little spin with both Mel and Cullen.  It was a super easy soft pedal on the road and it was filled with conversation, catching up and laughs.  It was just the recovery ride I needed and was hoping for.

When the ride was done, it was time for me to get back behind the wheel and begin my journey home and before I knew it, I was getting off of my exit in Yucaipa and I was back home.

My time in Moab was amazing and I hope that I am able to get back there sooner than later.  Thank you Adam and Mr. Okee Dokee for some insane riding and awesome memories, we will have to do it again ... okee dokee!

Pua

I figured that this week I would do a little rewind of my past few weeks and share it with you because I could not come up with one thing to write about and my past few weeks have included, well....bikes, riding bikes and watching people ride bikes.

First, a couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to make it home to see my family and most importantly, make it to my nieces first birthday and be a part of the celebration. (Thank you Scott!) Although some of you may not understand it, a first birthday is a huge celebration for us. The little one may never have any recollection of the day or the festivities, but I think it is more about the celebration of life, bringing family and friends together and creating memories. And just so that we are clear, when I say home, I mean Hawaii.

But to go back a few days before taking off to Hawaii, I got a text message from my bike shop (Rock n Road in Anaheim) that read "your bikes are in and ready." This was not an unusual text because I was waiting for the message of when my bike was done, but the unusual part was the plural of bike with an "s" at the end. I was told that I would be getting a new road bike soon, but had no idea when that would be and surprise, surprise....it was in!

A day later I went to the shop and was so excited when I saw my new Specialized Tarmac SL4 sitting there....she was gorgeous. And not only is she gorgeous, but she is also pretty fast.

Now, fast forward a few days and I was on an airplane on my way back home.

It had been almost a whole year since I had been back and I was anxious to see my family and friends, but the other thing I was looking forward to was the heat. I feel like I have been permanently frozen and I was dreaming of feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on me, but of course, that first morning that I woke up.....I walked out side and it was freezing! I understand "freezing" might be an exaggeration, but let me tell you, it was cold. My mom was laughing at me, but reassured me that the heat was coming.

Yes, it did warm-up, but I would not say to the point of super hot.

Of course, my trips back home always include bikes, but the bike was extra special on this trip because I shared it with my little niece and for her 1st birthday, I gave her....a bike. It was a little pink Haro balance bike that she may never remember, but I will never forget the look on her face when I put her on the saddle and I will never forget that little death grip on the handlebars that refused to let go. She is still not walking, but hey, maybe she will be "riding" a bike before she walks!

But speaking of riding, there is one ride that is a must whenever I go back and that is going up and over Tantulus. So, on Saturday morning, I met my friend Ray at the base of Tantalus and convinced him into joining me in my torture of intervals. Granted, I did not really enjoy the ride until my the completion of my last interval, but this ride is a must if you ever make it over there with a bike.

Tantalus is a 9-mile loop with about 1500' of climbing up and down a twisty road that is tunneled with rain forests and bamboo forests until you fly around the corner that opens up into a panoramic view of Diamond Head all the way to Downtown. It is pretty amazing.

In the 4.5 days I got to see all my family, catch up with some friends, ride my bike, celebrate my little nieces 1st year, go to the North Shore and have a picnic on the beach and see a lot of Hello Kitty. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but so needed and so special and before I knew it, it was time to fly back home to California.

After getting back home, it was back to the life of sleep, eat, train and repeat.

Literally.

But, during that time I did get to make it to a few practices with the Yucaipa High School Team and managed to put them through some torture as I stood on the sidelines (for a change!) , share some laughs and just have fun on the trails.

And just yesterday, I finally had the opportunity to make it to one of their races. Their first 3 races always had a conflict in schedule, but as soon as I realized that I was going to be able to make it to this one...I was ecstatic.

The race was held at Vail Lake in Temecula and the kids were challenged with a 6-mile course that included some super fun singletrack along the ridges and in the valleys of Vail Lake and some short little steep grinds that gave the spectators a spot to gather around and cheer each rider until they crested the top. Depending on what division they were in they had to complete either 2, 3 or 4 laps.

I have been to these races before, but it has been a while and I was once again amazed.

There were so many people and many more girls toeing the line this year. Because of this growth in numbers, the girls actually had staggered starts that were determined by their division. In the past, it was a mass start because there was not enough girls to cause any traffic. There were also exhibitors, team pits, campers, friends, families, volunteers and coaches everywhere. The racers even had a drumline to pull them through the finish.

Just before the Varsity boys were to start, Race Director Matt was looking for someone to take the drumline out to Marine Hill. This is a short, but super steep hill that needs to be attacked with enough momentum, determination and strength in order to make it to the top without stepping off and Matt wanted to provide the racers with some motivation and support. So, me and another Coach and his family marched the boys and their drums to Marine Hill. All I can say is that I wish I had a drumline along the course when I was racing!

But, I have to say that the kids were amazing and I am so happy that I was able to make it out there. It is so refreshing to see these kids out there, pushing their limits, challenging themselves, overcoming fears and discovering new things about themselves that they didn't know. Also, to see all the support that they have from not only their dedicated parents, but from their zealous coaches who dedicate so much time and effort.

There were also many future racers out there who were being inspired and from the moment their family parked their cars, these little ones could not get off of their bikes the whole entire day. This little one below, Haley who is the daughter of one of our coaches, had her helmet on from the moment she got up and never took it off.

I am not sure if I will be able to make the next one, but I believe that it is in 4 weeks in Lake Arrowhead and if you haven't been able to witness to one of these races and are available, I highly recommend going. These kids are inspiring and many of them are scary fast.

Congratulations to not only Yucaipa, but to all the schools and racers out there who represented yesterday and keep on pedaling!

Speaking of racing....on Wednesday we drive up to Sea Otter for a fun weekend of bikes and then I head to the Whiskey 50 the following week for some pedaling action in Prescott. So stay tuned!

Oh and by the way....Scott loves to start rumors and no, I did not win a Viper!! But I did get to drive it and let me just say...that thing is crazy fast.

Pua

As promised, here is the Arkana part of our trip.

As the sun began to rise and greet us with a beautiful Monday morning in Dripping Springs, Texas, it was time for me and Eboz to jump in the van and make our way to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Spa City 6 Hour which was the first stop of the PRO UET.

Thankfully, this trip was only hundreds of miles instead of thousands of miles and this time I would get to be the co-pilot.

The drive was as smooth as a babies bottom and after a quick stop at Wholefoods to fill the pantry, before we knew it, we were rolling into Hot Springs and checking into a condo that we would be calling home for the next week, and I have to say that it was an awesome pad to have as a home away from home.

We decided that our first training ride would be on dirt that was not a part of our race course and we headed over to the Souths infamous Womble Trail in the Oauchita National Forest that I have heard so much about. The Womble Trail 37 miles long that I believe is mostly all singletrack and after a 45 minute drive, we were hitting the pedals to find out what this trail was all about.

But first, the camp we ended up parking and basing from was our first impression of this ride and although I have yet to see the movie, I was told that it was almost straight out of the movie "Deliverance." To give you a quick insight…we drove into the camp, I jumped out of the van to go into the little "store" to ask for directions to the trailhead and I walked in to a dark, cluttered, disorganized room with a table in the center where a women and two men were occupying in conversation. I apologized for my intruding because although from the outside this building was marked to give you the impression that it was a place to go to for information or the purchase of snack, drink or maybe some information, the moment I stepped inside, it seemed to be everything but that.

But, the three individuals paused and told me to come in and not to mind the 2 dogs that were begging to be pet as soon as I entered through the door. I immediately asked about the trail to hopefully get a quick response so it could be followed by a quick exit, but apparently with a glance at a girl asking for directions to this trailhead that is "quite challenging" this was not going to be a "quick" encounter.

The older gentlemen who immediately took the liberty of being responsible for my directions and forewarning was trying to describe the trail in a very hesitant manner and after continuously glancing outside and finally catching sight of our van and a male in the drivers seat, he darted for the door to talk to the guy, not the girl.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little miffed, but I followed him outside and was just hoping to get the directions so we could start pedaling.

After getting outside and seeing the vaan, you could see a small light click on, but he was still determined to give us warning and let it be known how certain he was that "someone is going to break their leg on that trail someday, but hopefully it won't be you guys." I was not sure what to say to this statement, but we respectfully listened to his concerns while parking and giving him the hint that we needed to start rolling and we were finally on our bikes heading to the trailhead and away from the awkward encounter.

The Womble Trail was everything that I had been told. It was a perfect singletrack that had some fun fast flowy sections, short rocky sections, a little exposure to keep you on your toes and your heart pounding, a gorgeous view of the river and it was a perfect ride. As I mentioned, the trail continued for 37 miles, but we were short on time and only had a couple of hours to kill, so a quick out and back was our little intro to the Womble, but I would definitely recommend it and head back for the whole experience.

That evening after a raw sweet potato meal, I managed to pull Eboz out for a little centering at a local yoga class. It was a first for him and he thoroughly enjoyed it even after a little failed attempt at a headstand that ended with a boom and a short interruption to everyones chi. After we realized that he would be okay, it was back to the silence…. Namaste.

The next few days were spent training on the course, visiting the bikeshop a few times to get everything dialed while recruiting the mechanic to spend his Saturday crewing out of our pit for the 2 of us.

The weather forecast for race day was a nightmare. There was a 100% chance of water….and a ton of it. Being that this course is mostly single track, twisty, rooty and rocky, rain was not something that I was looking forward to for 6 hours. But the reality was that everyone else out there was going to have to deal with it and I had to just suck it up. So we continued our preparations for rain while keeping our fingers crossed.

Come Thursday afternoon, the sky opened up and held nothing back. It was absolutely insane, but it was not race day and I was just praying that it was getting it completely out of it's system. The plan was to head out to the course and get a lap in, but I looked at E and saw no reason to trash the bikes, freeze and trash the course. Thankfully he agreed and our ride that day concluded with a spin at the YMCA.

With our eyes glued to weather.com for the next 24 hours, believe it or not, the odds began working in our favor and when Friday night rolled around, it was clear that we were going to be blessed with an absolutely perfect day.

That Saturday morning, we headed over to the venue, set up the pit and got on our bikes. Before we knew it, we were standing at the line and getting ready to make a run for our bikes that seemed to be miles away.

The first lap was pretty smooth and just as I was feeling that the legs were finally warming up, I headed out on my second lap and at about a mile into it, I came to a quick, abrupt and unplanned stop as a tree jumped out into the middle of the trail and completely took me out. It had been a while since I had an encounter with a tree, but I quickly remembered how much they hurt.

I knew that there were people behind me, so I quickly grabbed my bike out of the trail and as soon as I was off to the side, I started taking inventory. There was blood…a lot of blood. There was pain….a lot of pain. The blood was running from my knee and the excruciating pain had me believing that I managed to rip my shin open, but with a glance I was able to breath when I realized that I was still intact and my knee was the only thing that suffered from gashes. Outside of that, my shin and my bicep and of course my back from the whiplash, took the brunt force of the crash, but I was able to get up, pedal and continue moving forward. Every pedal stroke and every bump hurt. It would resonate throughout, but after a lap and a switching of bikes, I was numb and ready to knock out the remaining 4 hours.

This race was anything but phenomenal for me, but I managed to pull off the win and watch Eboz roll through with an excellent performance of taking 4th place to some tough competition. It was his longest race to date and although he had a couple of issues, he learned a ton, was super stoked and was amped for the next one.

With only a few moments to catch our breath, get my wounds cleaned and get to the podium, we ripped down our pit and packed up the van to head back to the condo to clean up and ready to rollout at the crack of dawn. Mr. Driving Machine was determined to get us back in 24 hours and knowing how many miles were ahead of us, I told him I was down to try. Originally I thought we would drive, check into a hotel on Sunday night and then finish up by Monday afternoon, but if he wanted to go for it, I was not going to stop him.

The one thing that I did not mention earlier is the theme of this trip: "google it." No matter where we were or what we were doing, we were constantly stumping ourselves with questions and one of us would immediately be reaching for our phones to get the answer. Everything from the difference (if any) between white quinoa and red quinoa to why is there iodine in salt to the top 50 facts of Arkansas vs. California vs. Hawaii. And oh yeah, there is no significant difference between the white and dark quinoa, the iodine in the salt goes back in history where iodine was inadequate in the diet and out of the 3 states, Arkansas had the most interesting facts.

Arkansas filled us with lots of riding, useless knowledge, lots of blender usage and hours of driving.

As we rolled into Needles, California with 4 hours to go, I could feel the van stop and Mr. Determined finally decided to give in, call it a night, roll into a motel and get some good sleep instead of literally driving ourselves into the ground. I was thrilled when I got this news and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

With no alarm set, we were up by 7:30 and rolling out of there by 8:30 and the timing was perfect. We dodged all the traffic and made it back to Sho-Air semi rested with time to get home at a descent hour.

The whirlwind of the last two weeks had come to an end and it was time to get back to the training and focus on the next race ... Sea Otter. It was nice to finally get back home and be back in my own bed, but the trip was awesome and quite successful.

And the last thing that I wanted to mention before closing this was a very unfortunate situation that Sho-Air had to experience. The weekend following our return, someone or some people decided that it would be fun and their right to break into our team trailer and take ownership to the bikes and wheelsets that were residing there. The intruders and products were not yet found, but I am hoping that they will be caught and experience some very bad karma. I could never understand how anyone could live with themselves after stealing and taking from others what is not theirs. There is no room for that. If you know who did this or are the one who did this…give us our stuff back please!

But on a happy note…the heat is back and it is time to go ride!

Until next time, keep pedaling!

Pua

Texarkana is a city that crosses over the state lines of both Texas and Arkansas, hence the name Texarkana. Brilliant right? Well, these are the two states that marked the first two races of the and the first races of both the PRO XC and PRO UET series. Which meant that it was once again time to pack up the van and….start driving.

Texas.

Our first stop was Dripping Springs, Texas for Mellow Johnny's at Flatcreek Crossing Ranch. The journey there was around 1100 miles and just to put it in perspective, not that it really needs to be, but while we were driving, I got a message that said "Oh don't worry Pua, when you finally cross into Texas, it will still be faster to turn around and drive back to Orange County!" When I read this I was only in Tuscon and I was not sure if I wanted to laugh, cry or slug this person. So for perspective, let me just say that it is REALLY far.

My co-pilot for this leg of the trip was Brendan the South African Baby Badger and when I heard this, I knew it would be a fun drive, but my first question was, "Can Baby Badger drive in the states?" Fortunately the answer was yes, but the reality is that even if a person can drive, it does not always mean that they can drive. But obviously I am still alive and yes, Baby Badger can drive.

The adventure began the Monday before the XC race and after all the farewells and hugs, we drove out of the Shoair parking lot with our trailer in tow and what felt like a bazillion miles in front of us.

What is the saying?

I think it's - When it rains, it pours.

Well…it poured alright.

Both literally and figuratively.

I kid you not. We were not even 1 hour into our drive, chatting away, going up the beginning of what would be a hill when we both looked at each other and knew we were in trouble. It was as if our ever so powerful, awesomest sprinter van became a little go cart from Walmart. We were driving on the 10 and every single vehicle, including every grandma and every semi-truck, were flying past us as if we were standing still. The little engine that could, couldn't and was not very happy.

The next exit finally came into view and we made it safely off of the freeway. The first plan of action was to call Shoair and have them contact the nearest dealer to get us back on the road. Of course the nearest service dealer that we could go to was about 10 miles away and on the other side of a pretty good size hill (for an engine that literally had no power). But, we continued moving forward very slowly and about 30 minutes later, we were rolling into the parking lot and even though we had no idea how long we would have to wait, we felt relieved that we made it there and the problem would eventually be solved…or so we thought.

I walked over to the service window to quickly be informed that they would not be servicing our Sprinter because although they were a Mercedes dealer, they did not sell Sprinters and therefore did not service them either.

"Seriously?"

Not only was I completely baffled, but the mechanic, who was so busy counting the oil spots on the ground, was frustrated. He stood there, looked at me and said that he wanted to fix it, but had his hands tied because the boss said no.

So, we were back on the phone calling the next dealer who was another 10 miles more out of our way as we began making our way there.

The moment we rolled into the driveway, we were welcomed with open arms and immediately taken care of. Of course, we were given no guarantees of when we would be back on the road, but he was very confident and promised to have us back on the road….as soon as possible. At that point, it was music to my ears and I was happy.

We grabbed our computers and backpacks and began hoofing it a few blocks down the street to Target in hopes of finding a coffee shop, some food and some wifi.

Mission = Failed.

We were in San Bernardino and simply put, we were in the ghetto. It was not that apparent from just walking down the street, but I had a brilliant idea of using our lovely Public Transportation system to get us a few miles down the road to the nearest Starbucks. Baby Badger had never been on a bus and I thought I would give him that first time experience.

I am not going to go into any detail here, but it took all of two-seconds of stepping in that bus to confirm that yes, we were in the ghetto. A ride that should have probably taken a few minutes, took about 20. When the bus made stop number three, the bus driver had to ask a few passengers to quiet down, stop with the profanity and their ill-mannered choice of conversation. These three young women made it very clear that they were not breaking any rules and practicing their freedom of speech and had no intention of doing as she asked. After a short period of bickering back and forth, the driver took action and called into the supervisor and was told to not move until the three passengers were removed from the bus either by choice or by the security who was on their way. While this was unfolding, I looked at Brendan and apologized, but at least he got the real experience on his first try and can check it off of his bucket list.

Eventually, the three young women voluntarily walked off of the bus. I am not sure if they had an epiphany, felt a little guilt or maybe embarrassment, but whatever it was, they were off of the bus and we were back on our way. Within a couple of minutes, we rolled to our stop and we were off of the rolling ghetto and it was nice to take in a deep breath.

Brendan was not sure how to take the whole experience, but we concluded that it was probably our last bus ride and it probably would have been faster to walk. But, a few steps to the corner and a quick right turn, there was Starbucks and no matter how we got there, we got there in one piece.

We were able to find some food, some wifi and of course some tea for me and some java for him and we were content.

After about twenty minutes of us being in Starbucks, it began dumping outside and I was shocked that we didn't get caught in it. Just because of how the day was going, that really would have not surprised me.

A few hours after pulling into the service center, we were being picked up by the courtesy shuttle and taxied back to the van….she was fixed and we were going to be back on the road.

The sunlight was nearly fading and we were maybe 60 miles away from our starting point and 5 hours into our trip. Originally I had Las Cruces or El Paso in sights, but that quickly faded and rolling into Phoenix that night would have me satisfied.

The saying is - when it rains, it pours - and it was definitely pouring from the moment we rolled back on the road. We continued heading east and as we were rolling past my hometown of Yucaipa we watched the rainfall slowly turn into slush and then snow.

Yes, I said snow.

Yes, we were still in California.

Yes, it was crazy.

Driving in the dark while it is snowing in a van pulling a little trailer is not the most relaxing way to road trip, but I knew it was going to be very temporary because we were heading towards Palm Springs and I was just enjoying the moment with Baby Badger who was like a little kid in a candy store.

And sure enough, as we headed further East, the snow turned back to rain and as Palm Springs approached the rain disappeared into the air with just enough time to let me take a deep breath until we set sail into the wind. Our little trailer may be only 12' long, but it felt like a 12' sail and that along with the Sprinter which is not the most compact aerodynamic thing out there in a wind storm can get you very uneasy….quickly. I caught myself white knuckling the steering wheel and holding my breath every time another vehicle would pass, especially when that vehicle was a million foot long semi-truck. When those things passed it felt like we were getting thrown around like a rag doll.

Thinking back on this and writing this, I feel that if I were able to end this little escapade right here, I could call it a crazy journey, but we were thrown one more element….the sand.

I have traveled many miles on the road for many years and I think this is the first time that I experienced anything like this.

At this point, I really don't remember where we were exactly, but it was somewhere in the middle of nowhere and the sand decided that it was time to play with the wind. Have you ever driven in a sand storm? If you haven't, don't worry, you are not missing anything. It was one of the craziest things. There were walls of sand being blown at us from every direction and at times, the visibility was almost null and my white knuckle grip quickly turned into a death grip. After what felt like eternity passed, the sand was gone and the wind had stopped and everything was back to normal. We were waiting for frogs to begin falling from the sky, but thankfully that didn't happen and I could finally sit back, relax and just drive.

With less than 2 hours to Phoenix, I handed the driving duties to the kid and as soon as we got moving, I could not stay awake and before I knew it, we were rolling into our hotel and it was time to sleep in a bed and say goodbye to day one.

The next day and a half of getting to Dripping Springs weren't filled with much excitement, so I will spare any details to waste precious time. The only thing I would mention is the irony of pulling into a little town somewhere east of El Paso and in nowhereville to learn that all the hotels were sold out. We continued to the next little town and when morning greeted us, we checked out and asked the concierge where the coffee shop in town was and she looked at me and said, "There are none." She informed me that the 2 options were: 1. The coffee they served or 2. The gas station. We opted for the third option which was: To continue driving until we find a decent cafe with food and coffee. I thought I was going to lose Baby Badger a few times, but after about an hour, I found him his coffee and we got some good food and we were happy campers once again. Dripping Springs….here we come.

Before we knew it, we were in Dripping Springs and after a couple of google snafus, we rolled into the driveway of our home for the week and it was pretty amazing. It was super quiet, quaint, comfortable, big yard, river down the way from the property, a hammock hanging from the tree an outside shower…perfect.

The crazy thing was how close we actually were to the course, but yet how far we really were. As the crow flies, we could have been there in 2 seconds, but that would be to easy, we had to drive up, then down, then up, then down, the left and right, then right again, then right a few more times, and eventually we got there.

After the first lap on the course, I was super excited. It was a little techy with loose rocky sections, a couple of short punchy climbs, a short little fire road section, mostly single track and extremely difficult to pass. The lap was super short, but it kept you on your toes and doing this course over and over was not going to be an issue.

The rest of the team rolled in on Thursday evening and all the preparation began and before we knew it, it was race day. I was up first on Saturday morning and I would be lying if I said the nerves weren't fluttering. When you let the mind go, it can really drive you crazy. The thoughts start, the questions begin and you can become a cluster.

This is what was running through my mind: I know I did all the work, but this is the first race, how do I compare? I have not even toed the line of a cross-country race in a year. The girls have been racing cross. I am not starting on the front line, how am I going to pass anyone?

Those are just a few, but I quickly shut it down and focused on my first thought: I know I did all the work. The reality was that it did not matter what anyone did last year, last month or last week, we were here today and I did my homework and it was now time to take the test. I was going to toe that line and do what I did best…pedal. I was going to pedal just like I did everyday, only today it was going to be along side a bunch of girls. Clarification: Alongside a bunch of really fast girls.

One of my worries that ended up costing me a bunch of time did come true when I got caught in the single track and even though the outcome may have been different, I know what I need to work on and I am working on it. When you are racing girls this fast, you really have no room for error or weakness.

When all was said and done, I crossed the line in a solid 3rd place and could have not been more thrilled and the boys knew it was their turn to throw down….and that is exactly what they did.

It was Baby Badger's first time toeing the line in a Pro race and he was amazing. He definitely rode like the Honey Badger that day and we watched him move up and before we knew it, he was sitting in a group that would determine who would be rounding out the top 10 and with no hesitation, he grabbed it and a top 10 it was. Watch out boys, Baby Badger is definitely one to watch…

The following day, it was Ty the Honey Badger, EB (Eric Bostrom) and BB's (Ben Bostrom) turn.

As we all expected, Honey Badger snatched the win without ever looking back. EB had a little misfortune midway through the first lap when he snapped his lever as he was wheel to wheel with Ty and immediately ended his race. It would have been exciting to watch those two battle it out, but I guess we will have to wait for Sea Otter!

And BB rounded out the top 3 after rounding out the top 30 the previous day. Saturday served as his little warm up and we watched him come to life on Sunday and he crossed the line with nothing but smiles.

All in all, I think it is more than safe to say that ShoAir had an awesome weekend and had fun while doing it.

Oh and guess who I ran into on Sunday! My little freshman of my Temecula 12 Hour team, Ksenia! She was out there racing and threw down and finished in 2nd! She is so awesome!

That night everyone except me and EB took off to catch their flights back home. It was now EB who would jump back in the van with the trailer in tow as we made our way 7 more hours east to the little town of Hot Springs, Arkansas where we would be facing the 6 Hours of Spa City. The first stop of the Pro UET Series.

Luckily EB is a driving machine and on this leg of the trip, I became the co-pilot.

More to come….

It was the night before the big day of meeting my girls and only 7 hours before Adam and I were to jump in the Sho-Air van and make our way to Vail Lake for the 12 hours of Temecula. Excited does not even describe what I was feeling about finally meeting the four individuals that I knew on paper and having the whole experience unfold, but I would be lying if I said that the feeling of dread was not wrestling with my excitement as I stared at the weather forecast.

Last November, at the 12 hours of Temecula, the racers were greeted with a blessing of rain that was determined to have its way and after only 8 or 9 hours of racing the rain won as Jason Ranoa was forced to make the decision of calling the race. Fortunately, I was not there to experience this, but when my phone read - 100% chance of rain - I had the feeling that my time was coming and we were going to experience a repeat of the past.

As we rolled into the race venue early Saturday morning, we were welcomed with a light rain and freezing temperatures (freezing in my book anyway). The other half of our official pit crew, my teammate Cody Phillips, was waiting, full of energy and already roaring to go as he was running around in his shorts.

We immediately began the set-up and the girls slowly began appearing and it was like meeting your favorite characters of a book as they walked right off of the pages. I could have closed my eyes, heard their voices and before they had a chance to introduce themselves, I would have been calling them by name.

The unloading of the van began and while we carrying our first load over to the pit, there was Elizabeth walking right towards us. She was my quiet and reserved one, a ton on her mind, but not feeling the comfort of yet revealing it. But, with no hesitation she began working and helping to set up our pit. She was not going to get away easy though on being silent because I was going to keep bugging her until she finally cracked...and eventually it worked.

As I walked back to the van and was ready to open the door, I looked up and saw a young girl with her dad walking towards me and I immediately knew it was my crew from Maine, and sure enough, it was. Just as I had expected, this little firecracker was overflowing with excitement and her happiness was contagious. And if you ever heard of stories of things that were just meant to be, wait until you hear this one.

Ellen's family has a business and her dad just so happened to have a meeting in Michigan on that Thursday before the race, followed by a convention the week after the race in Las Vegas. On top of that coincidence, her grandparents from Maine, just so happened to have a vacation planned with their two friends from Maine in yup, you guessed it, Southern California, during that very same week of the race. So, all day, our tent was full of people from Maine. Oh, I almost forgot, not only was Ellen the racer for the day, her mom decided to jump in on the 6 hour solo while she was there....a family of racers, I love it!

The set-up continued and now with so many hands and help from Jason Ranoa (Race Director), we were just about set when little Ksenia and her mom Marina walked up. All the way from Boulder and landing on California soil only 10 hours prior, you could see they were a little run down, but nothing was going to stop this little speed racer. She was the silent one that looks so innocent and sweet, but when you put two wheels and pedals beneath her...you better watch out. This was one had a permanent smile and although she was jumping up and down with excitement, the exhilaration was beaming in her eyes.

And then there was Camila. If anyone took me a little by surprise, it was this one. This little girl was probably the newest to our sport, but if you sat back and watched her, she was so focused and thought out every detail. She could not have been more thankful, appreciative and excited about the whole experience and both her family and two coaches that made the drive all the way from Chula Vista made that very clear.

The time was ticking away and with an hour before race start, we had our first little team meeting, introduction, handing out of all their goodies and finally the deciding of our team rotation. Just as I anticipated, there was no worry about lack of volunteering, but just as anticipated, it was Camila who was jumping out of her seat to go first, second was going to be Ksenia, followed by Ellen, who would be handing of to Elizabeth and then me. (I claimed going last before anyone else had a chance too!)

With about 5 minutes to the gun going off, we all headed to watch Camila start the day. With only 30 seconds left and no sight of her, my heart began racing and I was not sure what to do, but when the 10 second count down began, the Team ShoAir jersey came and yellow Oakley's came into view and we were on our way.

Back at the pit, everything was falling into place and everyone was taking on their roles. We had Crazy Cody at the bike stand, making sure each bike was in working order and ready to roll, while Coach Adam was well,...being coach. He could be found next to the trainer making sure each of the girls were taken care of and well warmed up before heading out. These girls could not have had it any better.

There was never a dull moment in the pit, believe it or not. Between Tom Noble, grandpa and firecracker Ellen, they always had me rolling. There was one moment that was hilarious and maybe it was one of those had to be their moments, but I will share it with you anyway. Ellen was on the trainer warming up as Adam was barking orders at her and out of nowhere she stops pedaling and screams out, "oh my god, I am sweating like an animal!" as she begins ripping her layers off. It was hilarious and exactly how the rest of our day played out.

With the weather beginning to cooperate and the sun playing peek-a-boo with the clouds, a perfect day for racing was beginning to develop. It was warming up (even though I was still cold!), the dirt was super tacky and fast, and the course could not have been any more fun. While I was out there, I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride and I could not get the smile off of my face.

As I had mentioned from day one of putting this contest on, my intention was not to put together the fastest team that I could find, but if didn't know that, you would have thought that being speedy was my goal. Athletes and competitors are what each of these girls are, even if they try to tell you otherwise, and nothing but the win was on their minds. The average lap times that these girls were pulling off was between 45-46 minutes and I was feeling the heat. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Noble (Ellen's dad) made every point to not put any pressure on me as he reminded me that we were only 5 minutes behind first as I was rolling out on my first lap!

I realize that 45-46 minutes does not give you any perspective, so to give you a little understanding of what these times mean, Tinker pulled the fastest lap for the boys at 35 minutes and I managed to pull the fastest lap for the girls with 38 minutes. These girls were moving.

Before we knew it, the night was getting ready to engulf us and it was time for lights. Most of the girls have never raced, let alone ridden at night, but we had them well taken care of. Before each of them were about to head out on their lap of the night, we rolled them over to Tommy from Night Rider and he set them up with the bestest and brightest of lights so that they would never be able to see the blackness of the sky that looked down upon them. As they each rolled through on completion of their night laps, there was a permanent grin on their face and they had fallen in love with their bike...again.

The first night lapper was Camila and when she came through, she could barely breathe, but I knew she had a blast out there, it was written all over her face. She told me that she went down on one of the descents, but of course, she got right back up without even thinking twice.

Next off was Ellen and she was contemplating how much clothes was enough or too much to wear as she was fumbling through her suitcase of stuff. Things were flying everywhere, pairs of gloves, socks and warmers were missing and I her mom let us know that this is exactly how it is in her room at home. She finally made a decision, borrowed some leg warmers and she was off.

As I mentioned that there was never a dull moment with this one, Ellen rolled through as she finished her last lap and had jackets tied around her waste and things hanging everywhere. She began explaining to us how she got so hot out there and couldn't take it anymore, so she stopped and began ripping things off. If I had to guess, she was probably sweating like an animal again.

Then there was little Ksenia. Even with coming into this race with a little cold that she had been fighting all week, there was never a complaint from her. She always knew exactly what she had to do and did it with her mom right alongside taking care of her as she was snapping photos of every moment. When she rolled through her final lap, she was beyond enthused and told me how much she thoroughly loved the opportunity and appreciated it so much. At one point, when Ksenia was out riding, her mom looked at me and said that Ksenia told her that her goal was to be on Team ShoAir.

It was 15 minutes before Elizabeth was getting ready to roll out on her first night ride of her life and the team's final lap of the day. I took one look at her, told her to not go anywhere and ran over to my van to grab clothes, a lot of clothes. The poor girl had a base layer, a jersey and light gloves on as she was heading out into darkness and I was not going to let that happen. I was not riding and I had on 4 jackets, boots, gloves, pants and a beanie on and I was still freezing! I began throwing my clothes on her and she had this huge smile on her face as she looked at her dad and told him, "take a picture of me dad, I look like a pro!"

When she finally rolled through the finish, being that she is not one to show emotion, I was not exactly sure what to think, but through her exhaustion she looked up and said that is was so much fun, "but I have to admit that I was pretty scared." The concern immediately left, especially when she continued and said that if she did it 4 more times, she would be fine.

After 12 hours of racing, team ShoAir walked away with a 2nd place in the Open 5-person Category, only seconds behind a team of older men. Who by the way, had no regret on beating a bunch of young girls!

It is hard to put my experience into words and this little blog does not do it much justice. All I know is that what this adventure turned out to be was more than I could have ever expected. To see the look on these girls faces, to get to know them, to share a little bit of our sport with them and create friendships that will last forever, this was exactly what it was all about. I only hope that these girls walked away with as much as I did and had just as much fun as I did.

Thank you to everyone that helped me to make this happen. Of course, Team ShoAir for showing your support, hooking us up with the van and all of the goodies to help make our girls look so professional! Thank you so much to Jason Ranoa for supporting my little dream, helping it to come alive and helping us out at the race while cheering us on. He truly puts on a great event, thinks about each of his racers and sets up a phenomenal course, you truly need to check it out if you already haven't. Blick! Thank you so much to you and Oakley for your support. The girls were rocking their eyewear and I wish you could have seen them squeal with excitement as they pulled their glasses out of their cases! Nat Ross! Heyo! Thank you so much to you and Fizik for their comfy saddles, now they have no excuse and can just focus on their pedaling! John Gamble, thank you so much for the EP-NO, the girls were so excited and could not wait to begin trying it out. Matt from the SoCal League, thank you so much for all of your support and helping to spread the word and reach out to the girls out there. You do such an amazing thing and it is so fun to see it grow. Of course I can't forget Tommy from NiteRider for lighting up the girls path! Thank you so much for helping them out, making them feel comfortable and showing them what awesome lights were like! And of course, thank you to everyone else out there who cheered my girls on and supported us, you guys rock!

And lastly, I could never forget these two. Crazy Cody, thank you so much for taking the day to give back and help these girls out and making sure their bikes were functioning properly (and my bike!). And of course, Coach Adam. It was so awesome that this worked out coincidentally and you were in town to experience this, be a part of the team, help watch out for the girls and their bikes, and share your knowledge. I really appreciate you taking the time out to do that and the girls really appreciated it too.

Oh and one more...two more actually! Thank you so much to my friend Hans and Marina (Ksenia's mom) for taking photos and sharing them with me! I appreciate it!

aloha!

pua

After hours and hours and hours (literally) of reading, contemplating, fidgeting, indecision and not wanting to be in my position, the decision was finally made and I am going to introduce you to our Team ShoAir 5-person girl team for next weekends 12 Hours of Temecula race.

For those of you who are not in the loop, to quickly bring you up to speed, I put together a contest for all high school girls out there who ride a mountain bike.  By simply answering the questions of:

. Why you should be chosen to be on the 12 Hours of Temecula Team ShoAir 5-person girls team?
. What got you into mountain biking?
. What does mountain biking mean to you?
. What is your racing goal for 2012?
. What is one word that best describes you?

They had the chance of joining me and 4 other high school girls to race.

To my surprise I began receiving entries from across the country and as each day passed, not only did I realize that I was doing the right thing, I realized the predicament that I was putting myself into.  Every entry and every girl was amazing in their own unique way.  They each had a story and they each wanted it more or just as much as the other and I had no idea how I was going to decide.  

But, someone had to do it and although I wished that I could just close my eyes and draw the names from my hat (I promise that I didn't do that!), the team was chosen.  

And before I introduce them, if you have nothing to do next weekend and want to witness this amazingness, come out and join us next weekend at Vail Lake Resort from 9am-9pm.  Swing by the pit, cheer us on and maybe even hand us a water bottle!

First, I will introduce to you our youngest, Ksenia Lepikhina.

Ksenia will be flying in and joining us from Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado.  Don't let that sweet innocent look fool you because although I have not yet ridden with her, her results say it all and I know is that this is one to definitely be watching out for!  

You would think that the reason I chose Ksenia was because of her talent and the fact that she would be a very strong addition to the team with her speed and talent, but let me enlighten you.  Yes, her very first sentence of why I should choose her to be a part of our team immediately grabbed my attention and it would have grabbed yours because it read:  "Because I have been a racing bikes for 4 years. I have been the national champion twice, and got 2nd this year. This season I will be racing Cat. 1. I have also been doing cyclocross for 2 years. In cyclocross I race in the Open Women category. This year was the first year that I raced in High School mountain bike races. I placed 1st in JV in the first race, and then began racing Varsity. I received 1st in the 2 races I participated in."

Impressive was my first thought after reading that, but it was her last word that grabbed me and knew that Ksenia would be our little freshman.  

My final question was "What is one word that best describes you?" There were a few words that I was expecting to read as her answer, but I was completely caught off guard and there was a big smile on my face when I read her word: Happy :)

A few fun facts about Ksenia:

Her favorite trail is Amasa Back in Moab, UT (definitely one of my favorites).
Her favorite smell is the smell of rain.
Her favorite song is Promises (Skrillex & Nero remix).
And her favorite color is Purple.

Can't wait to meet this little speed racer! Watch out for her on the course as she rips through on her Trek Elite 9.7!





Next, we have our Sophomore Ellen Noble who will also be flying in to join us and she will be making quite the trek as she joins us from Kennebunk High School in Kennebunkport, Maine.

When you take a look at this girls picture, the last thing you would be expecting is for her to be ripping down the trails on the dirt, but again, don't be fooled because she is another shredder.

Along with Ellen's entry there was a very professional race resume attached and to be honest, I may have skimmed over it once, but my intention of this contest wasn't to create a killer team that would be rippin' up the course and taking everyone down.  The intention was and is  to bring awareness to all girls out there from every walk of life and level and show them how awesome we are and what we can do if we just try.  I felt that by calling on all high school girls and giving them an opportunity to join another force of girls who love to get out, have fun, get dirty and ride bikes it would encourage them to get out and try or at the least...begin to think about it.  

But now, back to Ellen.  One thing outside of all of her accomplishments in cycling that caught my attention was not only her enthusiasm and passion that exploded through her words but her answer to the question of what mountain biking means to her.  

Her answer was: "For me, mountain biking not only makes me happy, but something that has opened so many doors for me. It’s taught me to be independent, and given me a ton of motivation. It’s taught me to take care of my health and not care what others think about me. In my school I am literally the only person that has ever raced a bike before, and it’s been hard sometimes for people to accept me because of it. I used to care that people thought what I did was so weird, but what it taught me in the end is that I need to embrace that what I do is different and grow from it. Cycling has made me someone special."

I think this is something that girls struggle with and Ellen has learned to use it as her special power and embrace it.  We are all special, we just need to be confident in our passions, embrace it and be confident with that.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with Ellen and her dad Tim.  I instantly knew that I had made the right decision with her and when I spoke with her dad it was again confirmed when he told me, 'Yes, Ellen is just a little bit excited.  You have no idea what you are in for!'  Hearing this made me smile and I was so glad that I decided to do this.

A few fun facts about Ellen:

Her favorite word is sikk wahtt (I can't wait to hear this one...what does that exactly mean Ellen?!)
Her favorite smell is the smell of fresh laundry.
Her favorite place that she has been to is Disney Land.
And her favorite color...no surprise here, it's yellow.

Look out for this little firecracker as she flies by on her Trek Superfly Elite!



Now we are onto our Junior.

Let me introduce to you Camilla Fernandez Arredondo who is a local California girl joining us from Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.

There were a few things that really got my attention when reading this young ladies entry.  First of all, the excitement was just jumping out of her words and I couldn't help but feel a little anxious and excited when reading her words even from the very first sentence.  

To give you a taste of what I mean, her answer of why I should choose her to be on the team was:  "I’m a passionate cyclist. When I stood up on the starting line last year (my first time racing ever!) I felt a feeling I’ve never felt before with any other sport. The emotion was pure, and I for the first time I felt that I was racing for MYSELF. Once I hear the “GO!” from Matt Gunnell (the League director) all my anxiety went away, I was racing for me. The race started and I never looked back, there was no need to, I just had a smile on my face; I was going as hard as I could, I was extremely happy of being out there, riding my bike in such a beautiful place like Vail Lake. I was going for it, attacking, without thinking, just letting my instinct guide me for the first time; the terrifying fear from the prior day during the pre-ride was gone! I was in peace, God was with me. I finished the race, I gave it all I had, nothing left. Surprisingly I finished in first place, my first race I finished in first place! I was thrilled! By the time the season finished I conserved my leader jersey. After the season, my real training started and my quality as a racer is growing fast."

Camilla is one that may not be providing this team with her experience and knowledge of racing, but she is going to bring something we can all benefit from and that is her pure passion and heart for our sport and what she does.  Right now Camilla is this sponge that is ready and wanting to absorb anything that she possibly can.  Not only is she going to absorb it, but she is going to use it and practice it.  

I am a big believer in dreaming big and setting goals and it is very apparent that Camilla feels the same.  After one of racing under her belt, her first goal that she listed for this year is to win the Varsity title for SoCal.  

A few fun facts about Camilla:

Her favorite time of the day to ride is 7am (looks like we may have found who is going to be doing our first lap!)
Her favorite word is sustainable.
Her favorite song is King without a Crown by Matisyahu.
And her favorite trail is Cuyamaca.

Looks like I am going to have my hands full with little fire cracker #2!  Watch out for this little girl as she flies by on her new Cannondale Scalpel!



And last but not least, I want to introduce to you our Senior Elizabeth Duchetta who is another local California girl who will be joining us from Glendora High School.  

I have not yet met any of these girls, but I knew this one was definitely my senior and full of brains when I opened up her entry.  The grammar, punctuation and the lay out was nothing but perfect and precise.  

Immediately I was informed from this young lady that she is not the fastest, but her determination and toughness was beyond evident.  One of her reasons of why I should choose her read: "I'm dedicated to riding and refuse to ever quit, be it a race or the local hell ride.  Last October, I competed in the Mt. Sac Fat tire race. It had been pouring days before the race and as a result the trail was unrideable. In order to complete the race I had to sling my bike (it weighed 47 pounds, 7 from the mud and 40 from the bike itself) over my back and walk in ankle deep mud for twelve miles. Half the boys I was racing with , all faster than me, quit after their first lap."

If you ask me, this is the definition of determined.

Another interesting experience that made me stop and think for a moment, was her mentioning a conversation she had with her coach while on a ride.  Elizabeth said that the other day while she was riding with her coach, he looked at her and asked if she had ever had a bad day on the bike.  After some thought, she realized that all the times that she has been on her mountain bike, she has never had one.  

A few fun facts about Elizabeth are:

Her favorite movie is Fiddler on the Roof.
Her favorite smell is the smell of Lavender.
Her favorite trail is Brokeback Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.
And her favorite place she has been to is Three Rivers, CA

When you see Elizabeth out there passing you on the trail, don't worry she will no longer be on her 40lb hardtail, but she will be on her 2000 Klein Altitude Comp!





As you can see, this team is going to be awesome and most importantly we are going to have a blast out there rippin' up the trails!

A few things that these girls will be going home with along with their experience is:

Team ShoAir Jersey
Team ShoAir Hat
Team ShoAir Podium Jersey
Team ShoAir swag
Oakley Radar Edge eyewear (my custom color)
Fizik Saddle
3-month supply of EP-NO from ProLine Sports Nutrition

And lastly.  As any racer knows, our support crew is key to have success and this team is not falling short in that category.  

Giving back to the sport is always important and this young man has learned this from a young age.  These girls will be getting the undivided attention of Senior Cody Phillips who is currently the 2011 SoCal High School MTB Champion.  Thank you Cody, you are awesome!

In addition these lucky girls will be getting the support of my coach Adam Pulford who is a Senior Level Coach at Carmichael Training Systems.  He was part of my amazing support crew that helped me earn my 2011 24 Hour Solo National Championship Title and he definitely knows what is needed, but just don't ask him for pasta!  

Thank you to ShoAir, Jason Ranoa of SoCal Endurance and 12 Hours of Temecula, Oakley, Fizik and ProLine Sports Nutrition for your support and making this possible.  This is going to be fun!

Stay tuned!

aloha,

pua