E for effort

pic courtesy of AMY D

Pic courtesy of Ty

A busy week before the race so I really had no expectations. I pre-road the "newly designed" course only once and found backwards O'Mally's woods and Kevin's Heaven to be the toughest to slither through. Before the start, I did a few practice drills on a small hill and decided to lock out the rear shock for the climbs. When will I ever learn? Sure it's great for climbing but oh how I forget after a few laps of jarring what it does to my back, GRRRRR. So I finally nail it at the start and get on the train out on the cap. The train seemed slow but then broke up as speeds increase. I sat on Sarah's wheel for a bit and then got restless knowing the single track was two corners away. I was feeling great, passed a girl or two and entered the woods in good position just behind a few others. My heart rate dropped and I thought real hard about the next four laps and my strategy.

pic courtesy of the GOAT

Nothing spectacular just efficient climbing I think. It was so fricken hot in the sun but who's complaining it's better then mud. Did anyone feel that cool breeze out there? I have no idea how you peeps ride a single speed. Those climbs dehydrated me so much I did not pee for a day.

pic courtesy of NACHOBAR

Feeling great going into the third lap.

pic courtesy of Rusty

Having fun on the descents which are my favorite.

Still in shock that I was even that close to Martha in this race and even a head of her for a few laps. The two of us went back and forth on the second half of the third lap going into the fourth. I was only within seconds of her at the finish and that is a mile stone for me since she used to kick ass in Sport and smoke me and most of the other girls for many years.

Thank You Deanna for the water hand-ups and Amy D for the sweet cooler, Colleen For the nice cold water splashes and all the other peeps who helped cooled all of us racers off. That squirt gun idea was brilliant:)

Cooling off

Wow, that went by fast! Feels good to sit back now and cool off a bit. A big thanks to the Alterra Crew for putting on a successful event this weekend! I stayed out of my husbands hair this past few weeks and it will be good to have him back. Ty did a fantastic job as race director and we look forward to hearing about every one's race stories.

Alterra pics here

Alterra Course Updates

Remember this day?

Ty wanted me to let everyone know that Sport will be doing the switchback climb and Citizen is the only group doing craters of the moon.

Looks like some fantastic weather this weekend and we look forward to everyone enjoying the race!

See you there!

Tweaking the Alterra course

Ty is happy to be finished with trail work for the evening and looking forward to some final clean up today. He appreciates everyone's input and will be working hard all day today on the Crystal Ridge Trails. If you have nothing to do today, stop by and lend him a hand or try to persuade him on the lay out of the Sport Course.

Ty will not have the switch back descent in any of the races. The reason is that come pre-ride we can't have two groups going both ways on the switch backs. As far as the Sport race, he is still undecided about having them go up the switch back climb due to passing issues. He will be out on the course all day today working on improving some sections of the course.

Everyone who was out riding the course had nothing but great comments last night. So get ready to race and have fun and make sure your brakes are in good working condition! Pretty soon before you know it we will be knee deep in snow.

Alterra course updates

I have received numerous e-mails in regards to this weekends race so I will try to answer some of your questions regarding how this weekends race will be routed. This is preliminary and may be subject to change for the Sport course. Team Alterra will be out riding the course tonight to check out flow of the course and tweak a few things out. Last minute changes were made, and late yesterday evening, Ty was told that he can not run any racers down the golf course. So, Ty was up very late last night cutting a new trail to get down the hill, UGH!

CITIZEN
They will do the same as last years course with the exception of the switchback descent and take the new path downhill.

SPORT
Probably same as last years course but no switchback descent. Not sure if Sport will ride switch back climb or do craters. Some input from Sport riders would be appreciated. Some think that riding up the switch back corners are tough and could cause a bottleneck.

COMP/ELITE
Sufferoramma, from the bottom of the switchback all the way to the top of Crystal Ridge Ski Hill where the shed is in place:)

Again, subject to change. Alpha Trails will not be used.

Ty plans on having the course pretty much marked by the end of Friday. You are welcome to ride the course which is partially marked at this time. Please respect those working on the trails and stay out of areas or sections that are muddy. Remember to wash your bike at home after riding Crystal Ridge to remove non-native invasive plant species garlic mustard and buckthorn and to prevent further spreading.

Thanks for your cooperation!

Getting the job done Alterra Style

Working late every day to get the job done for all you WORS peeps so you can all have fun this Sunday July 27th at Crystal Ridge for the fantastic Alterra Coffee Bean Classic Race!

Only Crystal Ridge can put out such fantastic sunsets that are on top of this world

Hard Hats required to pave the way to an exciting adventure of racing to come...

just a glimpse...

for those who dare to challenge their skills

Top notch design and architecture went into every detail

Dry, fast, tight single track guaranteed to wet your whistle

All just for you!

stay tuned for more!

A sneak peak here

Birthday SHOUT OUT

Always entertaining everyone!

Happy Birthday Brittany!

IN THE NEWS

The most exciting thing going on this weekend besides the Tour De France...


Mount Snow National Mountain Biking Championship


Good luck to all the Wisconsin peeps racing this weekend!

sweat it out!

sample image

Sometimes a little bit of fire is all I need to get going and put that pent up energy about the frickin mattress to the pedals. I put out some serious sweat last night and thought I was going to suffocate.

Sealy Mattresses SUCK!

RANT

Sealy Mattresses SUCK!

We purchased a King sized Sealy Mattress from American in Waukesha December of 2003. Slowly over time the mattress has been developing a sag in the middle and it is getting very uncomfortable to sleep. I continue to edge over to the far corner of the bed every night just to fight from sinking in the middle. We originally had the “Sealy bed Frame” that came with the mattress, that they recommend and it still sags. So I went out and bought a brand new, solid oak bed frame thinking this may help the mattress from sagging. I could put the mattress on a cement floor and it still sags. So I called American to see if they still warranty this and it is covered under Sealy for 10 years. The girl tells me they have to have a service guy come out and examine the bed before they can put in a claim for a warranty and it will cost $50.00 for the service call. So I agree to have them come take an assessment of the mattress. The service guy calls me before he makes his visit what he will be looking for sagging greater than 1 ½ inches, bulging sides etc… he did not mention any thing else. He arrives minutes after his call and as soon as he looks at the mattress he tells me it is not covered under warranty because the manufactures hazard tags were removed, before he even assessed the mattress. So it was like, there goes $50.00 down the drain for him to tell me that. Then he measures with a piece of thread and paper clip from one ends of the bed to the other and takes a ruler in the center to find it sags 1 3/8 inches. He continues to state that Sealy will not cover the warranty unless that hazard tag is on. I told him the original Sealy emblem is on and perfectly intact stating the manufacture, so why do you need the hazard tag? Hmmm…. Then he sees a small purple stain on the side of the mattress from when I accidentally splashed a glass of wine and I could not get out the stain. He told me they will not return the mattress with the stain. Then he tells me to maybe put some sheets of particle board under the mattress for support, WTF! So now I am really mad because I have the receipt, warranty in hand, paid over a 1000.00 for this latex crap pillow top bed that retains body heat. Top it off that they won’t accept a bed with a stain, what do they do with the mattress, re sell them?! Hmmmm. So what do we do? Call them next year when the bed has sagged past 1 ½? I think the company re issues those beds to other people like myself and are turning huge profits on consumers. My advice to you, DON’T BUY ANY SEALY CRAP NOR ANYTHING FORM AMERICAN TV, NEITHER STANDS BY THEIR WARRANTY!

I tried calling Sealy several times and no answer. Just a bunch of automated run around and then they want my claim number which I don't have! What really pisses me off is that the service guy kept giving me advice on how to make the mattress more firm in the middle by rigging it. I just bought a new BED, HELLO! There are no warped boards underneath for support, the shit is all brand new. He told me I should try putting another leg under the bed in the center for more support. Give me a F***** break!

I had a VERLO mattress when I was single and it was the best! I am checking into buying another but I just hate the fact that we will spend another $1000.00 for a mattress. And I am NEVER, EVER, buying a mattress with LATEX in it. I don't care what the F*** they say, the shit retains heat and it SUCKS!

Birthday Party was a hit!

Ty's cousin Troy made the beautiful chocolate cake.

Saturday's July Birthday celebration was a hit! Forty plus friends and family gathered for the festivities. I think the kids had a great time and I love to see their eyes light up when you mention we are going to sing Happy Birthday. We catered Mexican food from El Ray's and it was delicious. We ordered steak and chicken fajitas, rice , frijoles, guacamole, pico de gallo and plenty of tortillas. No one walked away hungry and we had plenty left over for seconds and thirds.

Sunday morning I texted a bunch of peeps to see if anyone wanted to ride the Kettles the weather was perfect and the trails were open after the rain we had earlier in the week. Holly was the only one to respond, I guess everyone was busy or could not make it last minute. We got out on the trails by noon and pretty much had the trails to our self until we hit the connector where we chased and played tag with a few boys.

Monday back to work after a nice long week of vacation. It feels good to be back to the swing of things and on a schedule. Somehow I am more productive when I am busy compared to having too much free time.

Next in the plans, maybe WEMS this weekend. Also looking at where we are going to stay in River Falls for the August 24th WORS race.

Dear John Letter

Yup, that's about it. NO Chequamegon Fat Tire Race for me this year. I just got the letter posted for July 15th stating:

Greetings

Thank you for your submission to the "50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon" essay contest.

The nearly 200 contest submissions were scored on a diverse list of items weighted to give everyone for what ever reason an equal chance at being chosen as a winner. based on the results of the scoring, your submission was not selected as one of the contest winners.

As always the contest submissions were plentiful and the competition keen for the fifty reserved spots that were awarded. All of the submissions were very good reading or listening or watching depending on the format of your submission. Thanks for your participation. It was rewarding to read the many creative, humorous and passionate reasons why people want to ride in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival.

We invite you to consider participating in this year's Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival as a spectator (ha ha), volunteer (double ha ha), or support crew ( to dig the nail harder) for others who entered. Thank you for understanding the reasons for our limited registration and for not riding the event as an unregistered participant.


I guess I did not suck it up enough. Well I just saved myself a few hundred bucks anyway to stimulate the economy up Nordt there.



PLAN B: Maybe 24/9 looks good after all.

Vacation

I have had off this past week form work for a little vacation at home. I've been meaning to get projects done around the house this past year and the only time I can find to get them done is by taking a vacation. So far I have painted the bathroom window and door. Cleaned up the spare bedroom of crap left over from the bathroom remodel. Now I am working on organizing the July Birthday Party for our family that we are having here this weekend with about 40+ adults and children. I have mapped out how I want to set up the backyard and where to set tables, food etc... I am not sure about mosquito's, so I am going to check around for some kind of fogger to spray around the yard ahead of time. Hopefully they have a non-toxic spray I can use around the perennial garden. I also made a very large dish of Thai Peanut noodles with chicken that I have been slowly clipping off all week between a few rides.

whole wheat noodles, organic peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, peanuts, carrots, orange & yellow bell pepper, pea pods, green onions, cilantro,grilled chicken basted in soy and lemon marinade,pepper flakes, brown sugar, honey. Very high in carbs and protein.




Speaking of riding, I hear there was quite a big turn out for the Wednesday night race at CR last night. The Alterra race is just around the corner and the course details are in the works. Most likely, a lot more climbing will be added, UGH!

draft of ideas for the Alterra race...



off to get my chores done...

I got Tagged

Rachael tagged me a while ago, sorry I put this off so long.


1. My friend Tina talked me into buying my first mountain bike in 1996. Tina told me it had to be a "quality" bike and not some K-mart blue light special. So I headed off to Wheel & Sprocket and bought myself a TREK 7000 purple machine with a real Rock Shock for about $800.00. Tina and I rode the Oak Leaf Trails non-stop, every chance we got, until we were blue in the face. Then she talked me into the Fall Color Festival Race at Kettle Moraine in September of 1997. Needless to say, she never told me the bad stories of her good friend who ripped open his knee cap on the blue loop before I signed up for the race. Top that off with the fact that I never road a mountain bike trail before in my life and now I was going to race twenty miles?! Boy was I in for a surprise. I think we both screwed up the start and headed out with a huge group of men, at least a few hundred and it was scary. This was my very first experience riding in the pack, what a way to learn cold turkey. The race was grueling and I felt short of breath the entire race. We stopped for every hand up and feed zone that was offered and gobbled it down frantically. We left right after the race, exhausted and exhilarated. Driving home we chuckled about the race events, how many times I told Tina I felt like I was having an asthma attack and how many times she agreed and said, "oh I know!" but we both could not get over how painfully fun it was. We get home and Tina gets a call from the race directors about the (skewed) results that Tina placed first and I placed second and we missed the awards ceremony. Of course Tina questioned them and told them we were in-experienced racers, but they persisted that those were are times. Now we were both hysterically laughing and perplexed with this news. They sent us all this swag and poor Tina got this huge ass trophy, a great Trek Racing Jersey and a huge Trek duffel bag. I got a TREK tee shirt ( which is my favorite T) and some other stuff. We still are baffled by these results to this day. Back then winning was the furthest thought from my mind and we did not care about anything other then having fun! I thank her to this day for introducing me to mountain biking and I have been having fun ever since.



2. When I was in grade school I dreamed of being a photographer for National Geographic. The photos in that magazine always captured the beautiful essence of the story. Taking pictures has always been a passion of mine just for fun and I often pretend I am famous by posting my pictures on my blog to share with everyone.



3. I was the biggest baby born on July 10th 1964 at St Lukes Hospital in Milwaukee. Weighing in at 10 lbs 2 oz and I even made the local news paper.



4. my favorite phrase, (according to my husband) "it will only take two seconds"



5. I am very good at delegating




6. I took a job out of college, with a travel company as a nurse before I went to grad school and it was the best experience of my life at that time. Places I lived, Baltimore Maryland, Boca Raton Florida, Chicago and Rockford Illinois for three to six months at a time. I stashed away some money while working for this company and had a chance travel to Germany, France, England, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and also visit my friends who were working abroad in Prague and the Virgin Islands. If your unattached and commitment free, go and explore the world is my best advise to you.









here are the rules:



link to the person who tagged you.
post the rules on your blog.
write six random things about yourself.
tag six people at the end of your post.
let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog let the tagger know when your entry is up.

The peeps I want to tag, are too busy getting ready for Nationals and think this is monkey business anyway. Mike, Chris, TJ, Jessie, Marko and Bender. I am always a a sucker for this stuff, what can I say:)

Firecracker 2008

Friday morning July 4th headed North a couple hundred miles to Chippewa Falls Wisconsin for the WORS Firecracker Race.

Sometimes, MOTEL is better than Hotel or busting ass to camp. Drove right up to the door, unload and relax.

Saturday met up with Greg, Tim, Michelle for the pre-ride. We were all basically on our own as far as riding, which is sometimes better that way.

On Friday afternoon, I took a few pics of the single track with my phone and sent them to a few friends. I was having so much fun I wanted to share it with everyone!

They really did a nice job banking or what ever you call it to the trails which made for smooth transitions in and out of corners.

Fast and flowy down hill sections which make you feel like a kid again.

The smells of summer only come around once a year.

Flat and fast naughty pines, tested your ability to avoid the tree stumps!

Friday night dinner at Texas Road House with Michelle and Tim Scanley.

Ty and I picked up a few vagabonds on our way.
Regina Livingston looking fast while sporting her new team kit at the race.

A few moments of contemplation just before the Elite race. Making you wonder if you need to change those tires.

Top 5 fast women!

Top 16 elite men. Did I count that right?

Kudo's to Rachael Gatto for perseverance and the love of MTB racing. With an attitude like that, you GATTO watch out for Rachael!

some Sport Start Pics here

misc & elite awards here

Independence Day

A jammed packed weekend

Starting off with our five year wedding anniversary, celebrating at Lake Park Bistro.

Off to Blu at the top of the Pfister Hotel downtown Milwaukee where we celebrated five years ago. I remember they have huge bowls of cashews for bar snacks and our wedding party devoured them.

A beautiful view of Milwaukee facing east towards lake Michigan

View facing South East

of course drinks and water for the designated driver

We happened to run into my good friends who were in our wedding and it was a very pleasant surprise and added a lot of fun to our evening.

The neighbors next door had there first child get married on Saturday and it was a BIG EVENT!


A perfect sunset on Saturday evening


Sunday ride at the Kettles with the girls, Regina, Holly and Lindsay and then off to the Klugs. Celebrating Kevin's Birthday and filling our bellies with yummy grilled brats, beers and tons of laughter.

Oh and one more thing...

Alterra welcomes new team member

REGINA