Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

This past ride/race season was such a whirlwind of new experiences and new things to enjoy them with.  I made quite a few purchases to feed my downhill habit and make it more positive (or on occasion, negative).  I wanted to share with other ladies out there some of the awesome products I found that I absolutely loved, and loved enough to purchase multiples so I always have backups!

These are a few of my favorite things:

Shorts:  I am a fan of "baggy" shorts (baggy as opposed to skin tight spandex, but never actually "baggy" because that would be so dangerous and not to mention seriously unflattering).  The most awesome pair of shorts I have come across is made by HarlotWear.  These camo shorts are made of a pretty sturdy cotton blend and they have a nice heavy duty elasticized fabric gusset in the crotch.  They are made to fit a women (wider hips and smaller waist).  They are honestly some of the first ever pants/shorts I have owned in my life that don't gap at the waist and still fit through the hips.  I get lots of compliments and queries on them when I ride.  They don't come with any sort of liner so you can wear your choice of liner underneath, and you can wear them everyday or for hiking or other activities which is awesome--more bang for your buck.  The company is small and all their products are made in the USA!!!  The owner of the company will respond to any emails you send--very helpful, personal, and fast service!!!

As for liners, I have about 8 different pairs of padded cycling shorts and I hate most of them.  Some are too bulky and ride up into those sensitive areas they are supposed to be protecting, some are too tight on my thighs even though I purchased a large and I only wear a size 4/6 pants.  Who are they making these things for?  The most AMAZING padded shorts I have found (which I want to shout out to the whole women's cycling world) come from a small start-up company called My Alibi.  It seems that so far all they make are these "bloomers".  I purchased my first pair from REI back in the spring.  A bit odd at first because they are SHORT and low cut at the waist.  They are made more for commuting, but they have a really nice gel pad that is perfect--not so thin that it offers little protection and not so bulky that it is bothersome.  I wore them for all my Downhill weekends under my not so "baggies" and fell in love with them.  I forgot I was wearing padded shorts--it feels like you are wearing your everyday underwear!  I loved them so much that at the end of the season I bought two more pairs from Amazon, which is the only place I can find them now.  Now, these are not made in the US, but they are also not made in China!  They are made in Morocco with french fabric.  My first pair still looks like new, even after about 10 weekends of full downhill riding!  I've started wearing them for my XC trail rides too and they are awesome!

Shoes/Pedals:  For flat pedals, any pair of 5-10 shoes rock it!  I wear the women's downhill shoes which offer great ankle support and protection.  I wear these for XC riding too.  My awesome purple pedals are made by Deity, another grassroots US company, and I have them on all of my bikes (well, two of them, need to save some money for some for the DJ bike!). 

Gloves:  Got a few pairs of some awesome full-finger gloves made by Race Face at the start of the season.  These held up great through all the crashes and mudfests and are still going strong.  They are women's gloves, but they are not tiny like the usual women's gloves (I often find I can't fit in women's gloves in the bike shop!).  They are also not pink.  And I am seeing that they are having an awesome sale on them right now--gonna order a few more for next season!!!

So far, these are a few of my favorite things.  For jerseys, I look at motocross gear, they have some fun stuff for women--also, I found that full moto pants pretty much rock for riding DH, unless its hot.  And definitely invest in a Leatt Brace!

I will be sure to let you all in on any awesome stuff I come across in the future, in the meantime, keep riding hard and support small US companies when you can!  It makes all the difference.

Back to the Local Trails

Well, the wild weekends of (lift accessed) downhill riding and racing are done for the year (there will definitely be more "downhill" trails ridden through the winter!).It was an awesome and amazing year.  My first year of downhill riding was a completely fun adventure and I am so glad I worked through all the nerves and apprehensions and just pushed myself to go down the mountain over and over.  It was hard at times.  There were days when I just threw my bike into the woods and cried.  There were runs when I just couldn't keep my wheels rubber side down.  I realized that racing is fun when you are in your race run, but the practice is seriously intimidating.  It is hard being a beginner in this sport when you have some seriously fast dudes coming up behind you and you are just trying to stay up. 

I have met soooo many cool women riders over the past year though, and they are all really cool people off the bike too.  It has been so great connecting with all these new found friends and having ladies to ride with and cry with and give you a boost when your hormones go awry.  That has been one very noticeable complication of being a girl in such a burly sport.  When those hormones make you feel unsure of yourself or afraid of the steepness or the rocks it is extremely hard to overcome them and find that boost of testosterone that would make it so much easier to risk life and limb for the pure joy of speed and technical accomplishment.  Having other women to talk to has been a lifesaver.  We all have those days and it is good to have someone boost you up and show you it is not that hard when all you want to do is quit.

I have come so far in the past year, I can't even believe it myself.  Sometimes I walk a bit of trail that I have ridden easily and think, "Lord, that is freaking STEEP!  I can't believe it doesn't look that steep when I am on my bike!"  Which makes me think I am getting over the fear of steepness.  (Now to get over my fear of speed and lay off the brakes!)  I have dropped off rocks and logs that I would've walked around before and had fun doing it.  I think I have impressed (aka scared) my boyfriend numerous times with some of the stuff I have ridden that he expected I would walk.  He has been so instrumental in my progression as a rider and especially as a DH girl.  Without him and his friends I would not have the awesome bikes I have or all the experiences I have had.

It has really been the most awesome year of riding bikes.  I am super stoked to do lots of riding through the beautiful fall weather and progress even further.  I am riding my first Enduro downhill race in November in SC which should be interesting and fun. (Yay for Cranksgiving!) Need to build up some endurance quick!  Gotta ride against my super fast girl friends--yikes!   

Working on plans and training for next year--its going to be awesome to be 39 and shredding it!  Planning to do the race series at Snowshoe, lots of riding at Beech Mountain, the always fun Massanutten Race in April, Women's Weekend at Ray's Indoor Bike Park in February, and maybe if the gods are good, Dixie Trix in Colorado in August!  Would love to try for a GES race or an Eastern States Cup race too if that sort of travel is in the cards.  A week or two in New England would be grand, and I could visit my folks.  Because of them I always had a bike and lots of freedom to ride it, which got me where I am today.  Thanks Mom and Dad.

Up Mountains, Down Mountains, Through Mountains

My 38th birthday weekend has just passed.  I don't feel like I have aged much in the past few years--gotten younger if anything.  I am in better shape, having more fun, and living a "younger" lifestyle.  Spending time in the woods and mountains definitely keeps you young!!

To celebrate my birthday I spent 2 days at the USA Cycling Gravity National Championships practicing and competing in the women's Category 3 (beginner) downhill race.  I only had one rival in my class--where are all the women?  This sport is intimidating, but believe me, once you get started it is hella fun!!!  Practice day offered great conditions, but I think I was PMS-ing.  You know when silly commercials make your cry, ladies?  Well, I was finding going down the trail terrifying and frustrating and nearly had a mental breakdown--and I've raced on this same trail before!!  Well, I got some coaching from a fellow DH Maven and was able to work through the teary-eyed breakdown moments to have a few successful practice runs.  Then overnight it POURED.  And conditions were not so pretty the next morning.  First practice run had me wondering how in the world I was ever going to get to the bottom of the mountain.  But I had to, so I made it happen.  Conditions improved slightly by my race time and I had a pretty good run--finishing first in my class--National Champion--hellz yeah!

After the awards ceremony, my BF/coach and I packed up and headed off to Snowshoe to meet some friends for a few days of serious downhill riding.  On Saturday we woke up to rain, but one must make the most of the time you are given, so we geared up and set off for the lifts.  Mud was the norm, but once I got accustomed to it, I began to love it.  It slowed me down just enough that I didn't have to constantly be on the brakes--I felt so much more comfortable letting my bike roll and carry speed and it was awesome!  When we started out I was a little nervous, but I gradually worked through that residual PMS and started to trust my bike and was killing it! (at least I felt like I was.)
Day 2 was much drier and the sun came out--had to use a lot more brake, but I rode some gnarly trails and felt so confident doing it.

All in all it was a great 38th birthday spent with all my awesome new and old riding friends.  West Virginia was so beautiful and the weather was to die for.  I love being in the mountains--and on the mountains, oh, and as for the through the mountains part of the trip--we took Rt. 77 up from Boone and went through 2 mountain tunnels to get to Snowshoe.  I have a fondness for mountain tunnels, they remind me of childhood summer family vacations to upstate NY. 

Just two more weeks and we will be in WV again, this time I will be riding in a women's DH camp with Tammy Donahugh--so excited!!!

Roots of a Dirt Vixen

I haven't been sure where to start.  I love to write, but I am so type-A that I have trouble just beginning without a plan.  It seems strange to start blogging in the middle of my experiences with mountain biking, but maybe it really isn't the middle, maybe it really is only the beginning...

I've been riding since I was a little girl.  I don't remember when I first got on a bike, but I pretty much always rode it off pavement (mostly on a long gravel driveway with pretty gnarly gravel).  Never wore a helmet or gloves, although some gloves and knee pads definitely would have been a boon on that gravel.  I remember my best friend's brother used to come by and put up a plywood ramp in the driveway and jump off of it--I think he rode BMX.  I always thought it looked a little bit terrifying. 


So I rode horses.


And rode my bike to the barn because I didn't have a car until I was 21.


And then I got a job training horses, but I still loved exploring on my bike.


And then my bike got stolen so I didn't ride for a few years.  And then the day came when I missed riding a bike so I went on a Kmart shopping spree and bought myself a nice 24 speed MENS Huffy mountain bike which was the bomb!  The ladies bikes were too girly--I didn't want girly!  No suspension (this was 1998, before the days of cheap run of the mill suspension bikes).  It was all black (seems to be a trend for me).  I loved that bike.  I rode about 12 miles on the canal path in Easton PA the first day I had it and wrecked my knee for a few weeks.  (The geometry and fit were a bit sub-par, but hey it was $100).  I rode on some trail rides with some guy friends now and then and then a few years later I met my (now ex) husband who was a mountain biker.  I rode a StumpJumper that belonged to a friend of his and had a blast!  I was hooked, but unfortunately I wasn't invited along on many of the rides after the first few dating months because they were always a bit above my level.  My Huffy ended up donated to my ex-husband's school because it "wasn't a very good bike" and I ended up with a comfort bike.  And so ended my mountain bike days for a few years.  

Then miraculously my ex bought me a mountain bike for Christmas-a little Novara hardtail from REI.  And it was a bit too small, but I loved it anyway although it took me some time to get back into biking.  He still never took me riding, so that  summer I started riding on my own--in the park.  I taught myself to bunnyhop and then started connecting with women riders in the area.  I went on a night ride on one of the more difficult trails in town without really ever having ridden many trails and I had a blast despite numerous tumbles.  Those ladies were so cool! (turns out while I was on that night ride my ex was probably with his mistress, but that's a whole other story, I probably was having more fun with my bike anyway!)


The next year was chaos (cue, mistress)  and I found my biking zen that summer in the dirt jumps and the trails around Greensboro on my little Novara (which I dubbed "sweet pickle" because it was green).  I met some really awesome people (including an awesome mountain biking guy who actually takes me riding and helps me find cool bikes in the right size), and so the real journey as a Dirt Vixen began.


Next up: George and the concussion.