I doubt that training for one week will salvage my fitness before the race next week, but it certainly won’t hurt. I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard and hoping it’ll pay off. We leave on Tuesday for Arkansas in the NEW ERGON SPRINTER! It is getting wrapped and I’ll have pics for you on Monday. It’s a 2 day drive. Blah, I am dreading that part, but it’s going to be really fun to ride technical singletrack and hang out with teammates!

Earlier this week I took to the steep, dirt canyon roads – my favorite thing to do when I can’t ride singletrack.

I admittedly spend too much time climbing and should be spending more time on the flats. However, a lot of my 75-100 mile races have 9000-17,000′ of elevation gain. That’s a lot, so I try to do what I do in races. That’s ride uphill (and rage the downhill!)  Plus, most of these rides go up to 9,000+ ft elevation which is a very good thing since I do a lot of high altitude races in the CO Rockies.  Turns out that John Denver wasn’t full of shit!

I can’t say enough how much I love the Ergon GX3s. They are my favorite grip, and I’ve tried pretty much all of them. The bar ends are perfect.

My rides have been looking like this lately:

and

The Suunto T6 is serving me well! Steady, subthreshold efforts uphill…

…and then the pendulum swung, and the weather went back to winter yesterday.

and it only got deeper.

I’m sick of freezing my butt off in sub-arctic weather. Conveniently, I received a brand spanking new trainer from Kinetic Trainers a couple weeks ago and actually WANTED to ride it! I’ve been riding a garage sale antique for a long time which is, needless to say, pretty awful.

This thing… is… amazing. It works really really well. It’s the first time I ever enjoyed riding the trainer.

I have been SERIOUSLY considering putting a flat bar on my road bike. I never ride the thing because I hate road bike handlebars. I threw on a mtb handlebar with Ergon grips. I can’t tell you how much happier and more comfortable I was on the bike. I think a flat bar for my road bike is in the very near future so I actually use the poor little Cannondale.

I had a really good time because I was 1)comfortable the flat bar 2)riding a really great piece of equipment and 3) had some really fun new techno beats to keep me motivated…oh yeah, and I was doing intervals which makes the time fly:

The sun is out… I’ll be taking it outdoors tomorrow.

Go to the Source – sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com

Spring days are becoming more frequent, but peppered with snowy days.  Friday and Saturday will be two of those days, but I am starting to see green grass!

I even got to flirt with some singletrack yesterday!

I said this on facebook, and I’ll say it again. The feeling I get riding singletrack is the same feeling I get when I’m in love. Giddy, about to burst, excited, giggling, smiling, pure happiness. What could be better? I’ll tell you what could be better – when the high alpine singletrack melts!

The newest bike porn I have for you is my NEW DT Swiss wheels!!!!! The word on the street from DT Swiss is that the carbon wheels are actually stronger and even more crack resistant. We’ll see… I’m stoked.

Here is my set up for the Ouachita. Continental Mountain King 2.2s – my tire of choice, and of course Stan’s! Riding tubeless is one of the best improvements to mountain biking. I would be very sad if I had to go without.

THANK YOU DT SWISS!!!!! I am really really loving the change in the time. It seems like I suddenly have a lot more free time and am not rushing to get out the door every single day. Speaking of, my stallion awaits me!

Go to the Source – sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com

Fun photos….

Kerkove likes the Easter Bunny. I think it’s kind of scary… hehe

I had some fantastic espresso. You could throw a stone in any direction and hit a coffee shop. I check out Victrola, Cafe Vita, and Vivace.

Went to this really awesome place for lunch one day called Brouwers.

and delicious food.  I wish we had one in Boulder!

Theo chocolate factory was right across the street from one of the bike shops. mmmm

Sampled some local IPAs.

Fun with Ergon GC3s…

I love coffee beans!

It was amazing… at least in the area we were in, there were people drinking EVERY morning with breakfast!! At least half the tables in the restaurants had tables with PBR, whiskey, tequila shots, and margaritas. I asked the server about it, and she said a lot of people do that around there. crazy!

It was a great trip.  The bike shop scene is really cool and very eclectic.  Looking forward to my next visit there sometime in the future!  However, it’s great to be home and riding again!

Go to the Source – sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com

P.S. Just got back from Seattle… update coming today or tomorrow!

Go to the Source – sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com

Snow is melting and the sun is peaking through the clouds more often. My training ground is all the fun gravel roads in the mountains, which are now muddy rivers of fun. It’s a good thing I like getting muddy!

My poor drivetrain.

My helmet has mud freckles.

Mud dork stripe. My shorts were much worse.

You start getting these funky knee warmer tanlines.

Shoes were made to get dirty…and then clean.

I wonder if this has the same effect as a “mud facial?”

Daylight savings on Sunday…. another good sign. Now, I’ll be looking for little teeny buds on tree branches, signs of a warm breeze, and the smell of fresh pine.

Off to Seattle on Wednesday for 5 days. If you’re in Seattle, come to the bike show! I’ll also be paying some dealers a visit. Training… not going very well right now. No time, unfortunately… I’m riding an average of 3x a week. Guess I should look for later season fitness this year. Sigh.

Go to the Source – sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com