New Whip: Ibis Exie

 Rainy day Post: New bike Report

After riding the same bike for close to a decade, I decided  to start shopping for a new bike. I was happy with my old Pivot 429SL, but sometimes yearned for more suspension... Or so I thought. I would occasionally suffer from a sore neck and numb hands on long rides. I had played around with fit and bike position to reduce discomfort, but still had some. The goal of the new bike was to try and find more comfort without losing performance or adding too much weight to the bike. I also wanted to try a more modern geometry ( slightly slacker head angle ).

Bicycle Workshop in Tenafly has a a great demo program that would allow me to take a bike home to my own trails to try out. It was then that I discovered that the Ibis Ripley that I had my hopes on was actually not the best fitting bike for me. I tried the Exie and the fit was much better with a longer top tube and slightly slacker seat tube than the Ripley. It also still had the plush yet efficient suspension design that I liked in the Ripley, just a little less travel. The lighter weight frame was also a plus, as I hate dragging around a lot of extra weight. I know a few grandmas that ride at bike parks, but I am not one of them. A park worthy bike was not on my wish list.

Now that I have had the new Exie out on my home trails for a few weeks, all I can say is  ...WOW! I really love this bike. I was uncertain if a XC bike would be enough for the trails in Ringwood, .... but for me it is. This bike is as worthy descending as it is climbing.  Besides being efficient AND compliant, the bike is nimble. It has noticeably less opportunity for squat causing pedal strikes, compared to my previous bike. This was surprising as the suspension feels very active. The faster I ride, the better the bike feels.

Thanks to Bicycle Workshop, I chose a custom Berd Wheel build which adds another level of compliance. It is hard to say whether it is the bike suspension or the wheels, but much easier on my neck and hands. Thank you Bicycle Workshop for the custom wheel build! ..... and dealing with an old girl with old habits. There has been change and it is a good thing. ..... Loving this bike!

Now all I need is for the rain to stop and the trails to dry so I can go out and dance my way through the woods on my new whip.

2023 Nationals at Bear Creek

 

It seemed like I just just settled in to being a non racer, and nationals was to come back to a local venue in 2023 and 2024. It wasn't just any place local, but Bear Creek, a place where I had won nationals twice and a place that had really fun east coast style trails. This was the one scenario that I thought would be worthy for me to get back out and race. 

When the nationals location was announced in February, I gave it some thought. Just the thought of it, energized me throughout the winter. I really liked how it made me feel, so I went ahead and renewed my racing license for the first time in five years. Over the last decade, I had lost some fitness due to iron deficiencies, so I wanted to try and gain back some of the cardio fitness that I had lost. With regular riding and some higher cadence exercises, I had noticeable improvement.

Once I got back east and reunited with riding friends, I was able to more easily keep up on rides, and ultimately feel more like part of the group. I know my friends don't mind waiting for me, but I think it had more to due with not giving in to getting old and feeling vital enough to keep up. Another unexpected thing that happened was that my name started to appear on leader boards on Strava. I do not take Strava too seriously, but for whatever it is worth, for an aging rider, this boosted my confidence, and motivation followed. I seemed to be on a good trajectory.

 The Race:

I went out to pre-ride the day before my race and was surprised to see so many kids on course. In my short hiatus from racing things had changed. Besides many juniors now out racing, a good portion of rocky single track had been taken out to shorten the race loop at Bear Creek. I was still nervous going into the main technical section as it was very gnarly and strewn with rocks. Not racing much over the past decade, I had lost my motivation to try to ride this type of stuff. Now the stakes were up and I wanted to once again try. This was a good thing! It felt good to get my adrenaline pumping and surprisingly my skills were still there. After a brief lap, I was confident I could handle the course on race day.

It was oppressively hot and humid at my 8:00 am start. Cramping on my third lap was possible. I was to finish on leaders lap and was racing on course with mountain bike legend, Tinker Juarez. With a short lap, getting lapped was probable. Whether it was to be a 2 or 3 lap race was uncertain. I made sure that Art was ready to get me a second bottle on the end of lap 2, just in case I had to do 3 laps. I drank an electrolyte bottle the night before my race and another while warming up in the morning. I felt like I was up to my eyeballs with electrolytes at my start.

I felt good off the uphill start and was positioned behind my one competitor, Beth, with one racer of a younger age group between us. They both slipped on the first root. It was not wide enough for me to ride through, so I was off too. I managed to get in front of the younger woman and take second wheel behind Beth. I hung for most of the climb, but near the top she pulled away. I had to mentally let her go. She had beaten me previously at Nationals five years prior, and I did not want to think about what I could not do. I wanted to stay positive about what was ahead: the fun rocky downhill. I rode in looking forward to it.

I entered the infamous "Heckle Pit": All I heard was cheering and my adrenaline was pumping. I did not look at the rocks, but looked for the path of least resistance. At the bottom of the first section there were racers off walking that forced me off, but they then pulled to the side. I was able to get by.  Art screamed to me " 20 seconds back" as I remounted my bike. My adrenaline must have had me so pumped that none of that registered. I continued down the next few technical spots only thinking about where I was going. I ended up passing a few more racers, including the leader of my class.

 

Now in the lead, I was on a mission to try and hold it as long as I could. I did not think my climbing was quite up to the level of my competitor, Beth, but I would push hard as long as I could. Near the top of the climb on lap 2, Tinker passed me and then Beth passed me. This time I hung on her wheel until right before the "Heckle Pit" where I made my final pass. From there it was clear sailing on the downhill to the finish line. I was not 100% sure my race would be done with this second lap. To be sure, I saved nothing AND picked up my extra bottle. The race was indeed done. 

So glad to have done this race!  It has been a major confidence booster, got me into better shape and  riding some stuff that I may have skipped if I wasn't racing. Just another one of life's reminders to NOT be too quick to give in to getting old.

New Chapter

Winter 2020 marks a landmark in history for me. Not only the year of Covid-19 pandemic, but the year I fully became a non-racer. Although I have not raced my mountain bike for several years, it took until now that it truly feels behind me. I have great appreciation for all the wonderful and exciting places racing has taken me over the past 28 years and I am quite satisfied to now let it go.

Today every ride is about being in the moment regardless of where I am or with whom I ride. It is about the ride experience and not any result or goal. Riding slow feels good and taking the time to look around feels even better. If I feel like a challenge, I go for it, but there is no underlying agenda steering my direction. Even during challenging times this spring, I feel so lucky to get out and ride my bike each time. Riding a mountain bike truly is a gift.

Spring in Tucson

Winter 2020 brought slightly cooler temps and fairly consistent rains. Not too much rain, but just enough rain every few weeks to make the spring pop. Spring is never the same as the previous year, but always filled with amazing surprises.

Desert Snow

Bear Creek Rocks Rule!

I want to think that winter is finally gone, although I still keep a coat in my car just incase. So, it is June 3, and I finally got myself to a race. I got a little bit run down before I left Arizona, and 6 weeks later, I decided that procrastination is no longer an option. It is time to jump in and give it what you got. Actually what I got may not be as important as just making the motivation to get going with what ever I have left.

Bear Creek Race: The winter in Arizona was great! I felt good all winter and did some riding, nothing major, but consistent solid time on the mountain bike. I had a little glitch that set me back 6 weeks, but I finally got out to race. Recovering from a cold and getting run down prior to my travels east, I opted to race 50+ class which was only a 2 lap race with combined Cat 1 & 2. I say only 2 laps, but I was worried that even 2 laps may be too much.

After my pre-ride on Friday, I was confident that I could finish 2 laps, but the course was slick and I was not as confident as when I raced this course at Nationals 4 years earlier. Yet returning to this venue brought me such great memories. I really embraced the vibe I got from being back there again. It did not really matter if the course was wet and slick, or if I was not in great shape, being there just felt right.

Arriving on race day was a bit strange, because I did not know many people that attended the MASS series, yet the place was familiar. I got on my bike and rode around to find the start and finish lines and immediately I noticed the chain saw guy from the heckle area at nationals. He was just walking around, obviously without his chain saw.


Memories of Nationals 2014

I only did a short warm up since I was out of shape, had no high end fitness and the distance of the race was already a challenge. There was a mass start for all women and like I expected, I was 2nd to last as we approached single file trail. I got forced off my bike, but took it in stride and they let me though. Much to my surprise, I was on 3rd wheel by single-track and then had to settle in for a bit.

I tried to ride steady and clean, not my old race pace, and was able to ride to the front of my age group on the opening climb. From that point it was just me trying to be one with the course, and the course was quite engaging: rocks, wet rocks, ferns, more rocks, a hawk crying, dense woods and more rocks. It kept my attention for sure. I almost expected to see Sister Anne when I entered the heckle area. If she was there, I would have had to stop and confess as I did not clean the heckle spot on any of my laps. I guess my skills are a little out of practice too. However, I was able to ride and have a blast on much of the other stuff.

I really love this race. It was a great first race for me as it was more about skills than fitness. It was a nice way to ease me back into racing. I will need to face the music at some point, but for now, this was an unexpected and appreciated early season accomplishment. Rocks rule!

Moab Trip

Winter Wind Down

As flowers start to bloom and the evening chill fades, I enjoy my time in Arizona, but know that it is winding down. Early morning rides are a norm as well as lingering dinners on the patio. I do enjoy this short reminder of summer. Soon we will be on the road back east and will have to face a few cold raining weeks. I will try to enjoy these last few wonderful weeks in Arizona.

Snapshots from the Desert

Nationals at Snowshoe

Last week I attended Nationals at Snowshoe WV. After being sidelined from racing for a year, I prepared as I could in only 6 weeks. I knew there was no way that I could get in race form in 6 weeks, but I feared that if I blew it off, I would never get in shape. I am getting to a point in my life that if I want to do the things I like, I need to be in shape. Riding a techy trail is so much more fun when you are floating effortlessly over rocks compared to sucking wind and thinking about all your aches and pains. Once I stop moving, it gets harder to move again. I just need to keep moving and stay fit. My fitness enables me to experience the beautiful outdoors on my mountain bike. It is my favorite thing to do, and I am not going to let it slip away just because I am getting older.

I had raced at Snowshoe 15-20 years ago, and never liked the course. I heard the course had been improved. Improved in what way, I had no idea. Once I got on course for a pre-ride, I could see that it no longer went completely up and down the mountain like in the old days. It also was not straight down fall line and 6 inches deep in mud. There were some really fun machine made downhill sections that were a hoot! They also had a beautiful enchanted forest section filled with moss and wet roots. I dug the wet roots. They reminded me of Mt Snow racing way back. The climbing was, well, just boring dirt roads and I was out of shape, so that made them seem a lot worse. I know there needs to be passing room, but why is it always on boring roads? The general feel to the course was all roads. Even the tech section was only 50 feet long and man made. I like the idea of a promoter making some tech, but it never seems like real mountain biking to me. The boring courses along with my lack of fitness, has been making it harder for me to enjoy racing these days. I suppose nothing will ever compare to the awesomeness of Bear Creek Nationals. That place had a super fun course that felt like real riding.

There were some really fast ladies in my class this year. My start was crazy fast and way over my current fitness level. By the time I hit the single track, my heart rate was so pegged that my hands went numb. It took me going through the course tape to realize that I was over my limit and had to back it down. Once I did, my hands came back and I was able to continue at just riding pace. I struggled on the climbs, and they seemed to be in my face all too much. It was really nice to have friends out there cheering for me. It helped make the race more fun. I finished 5th, which should be a solid finish, all things considered, but it did not feel like a great race. I am happy to be back out racing, and I suppose there is always another year where both my health and motivation will allow me to prepare earlier.

After getting home from my race, I went out for a ride at my favorite place. It felt wonderful to be floating over the rocks and soaring through the giant ferns again. The gentle wind on my sweaty body felt great, and the familiar smell of ripping ferns made my day. There is way more to mountain biking than can be found in a race. Additionally, what goes into racing can enhance the ride. So a little racing now and then is good, as long as it does not take away from the enjoyment of the ride.