SoCal MTB High School Clinic

Coach Joy assembled her new high school MTB race team for one of my basic skills clinics. I hope to attend their first race and see what they think of all this madness.

Shimano Fun Weekend

Saturday kicked off the first race in the:

I have been adopted by the San Dimas Incycle Downhill team, I fit in well I think. I will be wearing Incyle until my 2009 kit arrives, I think it looks pretty sharp. Thanks LaLa and the guys! Kid's Race. Super-little kids on bikes are too cute.

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I was very excited to be mechanical free in my XC race. Pua must have gotten bored with her lead, on the third lap she spotted me a flat and I was able to step on the top of the podium today.

2008 Product Reviews

First off, I am very grateful to all of my 2008 sponsors (a few of which are listed below), 2008 teammates, coach, friends, family and of course my awesome husband Todd for making 2008 such a great year. This is a review of some random items I used in 2008 whether it was a sponsorship product or I paid full-price. This is not a complete list, so if you want my opinion on anything else I used please let me know. Titus bikes- Ti Fireline hardtail, Carbon Racer-X Full-suspension, and Ti Estrella road. Yes, these were sponsorship items, but I have raced Titus bikes for the last four years, there is just something about them that makes you smile - and go fast. I have written about the MTBs but I enjoyed the road bike as well. The Ti road frame made a big difference on rough roads (compared to my Al CADD8 Cannondale frame) but seemed just a hair slower to jump on an attack. Hayes Brakes - I used both the Stroker Carbon and the Stroker Trail brakes and loved them. I liked the dial adjust, while I am sure it added weight, it was a nice feature. My pads lasted all year which was cool. Once I got them bled right I could store the bike upside down or flat and there was no performance change (great for me and the amount of travel I do). I did have two issues, one: the hydraulic line had not been crimped tight enough so it pulled out on the way to the starting line, two: in a race I tangled with another racer in the start, the brake lever plunger pulled out and the brake didn't work at all. Other than the initial bleeding and these two issues everything worked perfectly all year and my brakes were not something I had to worry about. I swapped between two different wheelsets so had to do the quick "self-centering" (loosen the two 5mm bolts, pull the brake and re-tighten, same as the Avid Ultimate Carbons I ran in 2007) Manitou R7 MRD Absolute Fork - There was an issue with this fork in 08, but it looks like they have fixed it. I went to the interbike seminar and saw the fix they were testing, a new check-valve, it increased the weight a bit, but will be worth it. Tifosi Glasses - Great buy. These work as well as my Oakleys and cost much less! My favorites were the Dolomite and Vogel, I want to try the 2009 Torrent and Dea. Voler Kit - We looked good! Plus red is my favorite color. I have used Voler kits, arm and leg warmers and undershirts for two years now and really like the fit and quality. I am outfitted with ~5 kits per year. I wear/wash them almost every single day and they really stand up compared to other cycling wear I have tried. The stitching is still 100% intact, they are not stretched out, thinning, pilling or fading. iStick - It works, I use it everyday. So much better than arm bands. gel-bot lids - Get your water and gel the same way. Get a new gel with every bottle feed, no more hassle. Hydrapak- I really like the Reversible Reservoir II, I have a 50oz and a 70oz. I especially appreciate these since my camelbaks required pliers to budge the cap off. The Hydrapak solution is awesome for filling and cleaning (for those who do that kind of thing). I had an issue with one of my bite valves leaking, but they replaced it quickly and I have had no futher issues all year. ALINE Insoles - These insoles replaced my custom insoles and helped with hotfoot, I'm impressed. Ergon - Grips. Seems like everyone has a different favorite pair, mine is the GE1 Enduro, size large, with the barend that comes with the GC2 grips (anyone need a set of grip-shifter specific GC2s without barends?). I wish they were both a little lighter, but the performance is awesome. For long, non-SS, non-technical rides I like the GX1 grips. Pack. BD1 This was a sponsorship item, the first thing I thought was "what am I going to do with a backpack?". I assumed I would just use it to haul my gear from the car to the team trailer as it has a nice helmet strap on the back. Well, the way it is designed puts all the weight on your hips, not your shoulders and can be adjusted so that it moves around less than the smallest hydration pack. It has a pocket for your hydration bladder and routing for the hose (and for headphones if you want to stash the ipod in the pack). I ended up using the pack all the time, on long road rides up into snow when I had to carry an entire wardrobe for the descent and on the mountain bike where I needed a hydration pack. I liked the stability on techy descents. Best of all my shoulders quit hurting on long rides. ZeroGoo - Hydration Bladder/Shoe Dryer. No more disgusting bladders! I have three gross ones in the sink now (pre-zerogoo) if I ever get around to cleaning them, it should be the last time. (if you buy one use discount code: "Krista" for 10% off) lightweights - Very thin reflective tape/material you can add to anything. Iron it on for a permanent solution or just stick it on. (I don't own an iron since I don't ski anymore, so I just stick.) (discount code: "Krista Park" for 10% off) Specialized Stuff - S-Works Helmet (best I've tried), BG Pro women's shoes (best I've tried), gloves (tie with Fox gloves for function, Specialized fits better, Fox looks better). Swiftwick Socks - I have three pairs (two 4s and a 12), I really like the way these socks fit. They seem a little more high-tech than your standard cycling socks, they mold to your feet, no "extra" material and seams in the toe area. Facebook - okay, not a cycling product, but a great way to stay in touch while I travel.

Riding in Joshua Tree NP

The views were great but it was too cold for much picture taking (38 degrees). The park has one main road, ~50 miles from one end to the other, the speed limit max is (supposed to be) 45mph. If you plan to ride here, try a weekday/non-holiday. It seems to be a pretty popular place, the road has no shoulder and visitors are focused on picture taking, not cyclists. Most drivers were very nice and waited to go around, but a few rude ones tried to pass with on-coming traffic, scary.

Winter Training and Fudge

What to do? Answer: Move to Sunny California for the winter. Eat lots of fruit, veggies and lean meat. Stay away from Christmas parties. Right? What if it rains, snows, freezes, the wind blows, and your Mother-in-Law sends a tin of awesome fudge, a box of homemade cookies and two bottles of wine? Well then I don't know. What did Todd do? Went out and bought us each one pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie FroYo and coffee. What about training? Now is the time to get on a training plan and stick to it as much as possible. You will be very happy come springtime. Check out these pre-built training plans, they work.

High School Race Teams

SoCal and NorCal Interscholastic Cycling Leagues are great programs which introduce XC Mountain Bike Racing into schools as a standard sport. Sunday Todd and I attended a SoCal High School Racing Camp. I am not sure how many schools were represented, but there were ~17 kids and quite a few coaches. The league had run the same day camp in a different town (different kids and coaches) the day before.

The day started by dividing the kids into different ability levels, the kids then moved from clinic to clinic, took a break for lunch, then rode the trails with plenty of adult support.

As the kids ate lunch Todd and I were able to ride with two of the leaders as they scoped out a potential race course for one of the High School events. They were searching out a safe and fun route. As we came around one turn there was a long hill that was pretty intimidating (completely rideable but something that would make most racers hang their heads and switch to granny), they immediately said "Nope" and turned around. I love promoters that really think of the racers, in this case a lot of new, young racers.

In the picture Joy (fellow pro racer and high school coach) and I are getting ready to ride with the kids. I look forward to doing a high school clinic with Joy's team Jan 11th.

How to save a quarter pound

Look what I'm getting Todd for Christmas. Scrub Components, 56grams for 160s and 42g for the 140. Half the normal weight. Plus they have a pigtailed girl saying "my brakes are lighter than your brakes", I had to get them.

2009 Race Series

What we have been waiting for: the 2009 Pro Tour schedule. 2009 USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Mountain Bike Tour presented by Sho-Air International: March 29: U.S. Cup – Fontana, CA April 19: Sea Otter Classic – Monterey, CA May 31: Bump N' Grind – Birmingham, AL June 13: Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek International Classic – Colorado Springs, CO August 8: U.S. Cup – Mount Snow, West Dover, VT August 15: Yankee Clipper at Windham Mountain, Windham, NY September 26: USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Mountain Bike Tour Finals, Las Vegas, NV Also released was the US Cup East and West (California) My plans are to race the West US Cup and most of the Pro Tour.

Nov/Dec = Start Training, 1st things 1st.

This is the time of year to get a bike fit, put together a training plan, figure out nutrition, etc. Basically get it all together for a solid winter of training. Bike Fit I started by having Eddie O'Dea (55Nine Performance) check my bikes. While I always suggest a good bike fit for other riders, I may have started to believe I know more about how my bike should fit me than a fit system does. (I had Eddie mark everything so I could move it back to "the way I liked it".) However, the Dartfish video analysis is pretty impressive, I can now see how I pedal (watching the playback in slow motion). The explanation of the Wobble-Naught fit makes even more sense when you can see it working, I don't think I'll be moving anything back. The best part of this fit is being able to talk to Eddie from the road. Asking questions and having him review my pedal stroke via video will assure I am applying the pedal stroke properly. I used the new information during the 6-hour SS race in Gainesville to keep my leg muscles as fresh as possible as long as possible. Of course I could only apply the technique during the sitting sections as I was on a SS. I had a great race, a faster time than I expected and my legs never thought about cramping. I am now back to base training and concentrating on pedal technique. Coaching No shock here, I'll just do whatever Lynda says. It is nice to know I will not have to worry about anything coaching wise. Nutrition Another new resource I am taking advantage of is Namrita's nutritional knowledge. To start with, I filled out a few fitday pages, Namrita analyzed my intake and gave me recommendations. I look forward to working with someone who has a nutritional education (and access to all the latest studies).

OK, I haven't posted in a while.

After Mikah's Homecoming I: - Rode the MTB trails at the Marine Base in NC; - Visited my brother Dana at UT (Knoxville, TN); - Rode with Thad and hung out at the Yazoo Brewery in Nashville, TN. Scored more Swiftwick socks; - Rode in Amarillo, TX; - Saw Todd and family in Santa Fe, NM. Traded Todd the van for the "House", waited out a quick NM blizzard; - 2-day drive to CA (trainer ride somewhere in AZ, 17degrees outside); - Arrived CA in 85degree weather; - Rode in CA the next day in a snowstorm and 30-something degree weather ???; - Watched TV as CA fires destroyed homes, rode with smoke in the air; - Watched the 12 hours of Temecula race; - Felt my first earthquake; - Attended a benefit dinner for a cool program that is introducing MTB XC racing as a school sport. Some random pictures in Facebook.