Love Peace Ride

Little Red Riding Hood...four years biking this ride and it never disappoints.  This year, though altogether there were a good 13 ladies from our neighborhood riding, 5 of us decided to go up to Logan early and spend the night.  We had decided months earlier that this year was going to be all about fun, girly companionship and enjoying the journey.  No pressure, no competitiveness, no goals regarding serious mileage or speed...just playing the day by ear and riding what felt good.  So the thought of some shopping and dinner the night before topped off by a sleepover filled with gabbing and giggling sounded pretty darn wonderful to all 5 of us. 

We had a few raindrops and a bit of wind that couldn't seem to make up its mind which way it wanted to blow.  We had some serious energy draining HEAT.  We had an exhilarating downhill that I clocked myself going 40 mph on. We ate oreos with peanut butter on top at the rest stops.  We gained a love/hate relationship with the Honey Bucket facilities.  We smelled some Cache Valley farm animal stink that curled our nose hairs.  We flashed peace signs at our fellow riders.  We hollered out "car back!" and "on your left!" time and time again.  And we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery for a good 50 miles of pedaling.   

Sarah, Kim, Me, Jenn, Elise and Mylissa at the starting line.  

 Kim, Elise and I posing with the Big Bad Wolf and some other hippy race volunteers.  Notice our cute little skirts?  Specifically made to cover the unattractive padded behind of the biking shorts, we bought them at the LRRH expo the night before.  I can't count how many times I heard "Cute skirt!" from other riders as I biked by. 

My Reason 2 Ride

I woke up Saturday in the early morning and cold for a bike race.  But this time, rather than ride it, I volunteered at it.  The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta was a century (100 miles) race hosted by Biker's Edge (my favorite local bike store) and Reason 2 Ride, a charitable organization started by some people in my neighborhood.  

MyReason2Ride (R2R) is a charitable organization that unites cyclists and charities, raising money for their specific cause. Our goal is achieved by putting on cycling events where bikers choose a reason to ride from one of three categories; Health & Wellness, Education and Humanitarian Aide. Each year we ask R2R participants, "What Moves You?" allowing them to determine which charitable partners... we support under each category. Money for these charities is raised through direct donations, ride entry fees, sponsor participation and club partnerships. 100% of the profits from each event are donated directly back to our charitable partners. In addition to organizing our own events, R2R has various strategic partners in the cycling community including other established charitable cycling rides, races and events. 

I spent my morning checking in riders, taking donations and answering questions.  Surprisingly, it was a lot of fun...and rather interesting being on the opposite side of the table for once.  Registration was free.  The fully supported race and lunch at the end...free.  Donations were hoped for but not required.  And if you donated, you got to choose which, from a list of charities, you wanted your money to go towards.  The goal was to raise $1,500.00.  We raised $3,800.00!  100% of which goes to charity.  Such generosity!  We even had a few bikers that were not part of the race that just happened to be riding by, stop to see what was going on and then donate!  It was pretty awesome to be a part of all that.  I've already volunteered to help again later this summer at another event....

Spinning my wheels

The weather warmed up enough today for me to take my road bike off the hook in the garage where it had been spending a lonely winter, dust it off, pump up the tires and go for the first ride of the season.

Helmet, biking gloves and sunglasses...check.  Blue sky and bright sun...check, check.  Two good friends to ride with....check, check and check.  I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed myself, how exhilarating it felt to be back in the saddle again.  And then my mind spent the rest of the day busily planning out routes I want to ride, hills I want to conquer, miles I want to spin.  It's amazing what a balmy 60 degrees and 15 miles can do for my mental state.

Day 11: Something Fun

Slowly but surely my collection of race numbers is growing.  This wall represents a lot of hard work and time....but also an enormous amount of FUN!!

LOTOJA 2011

How to describe LOTOJA?

I could give you the official stats:  206 miles, 3 states, 1 day from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

I could show you the course and elevation maps:

I could give you the rundown of our neighborhood group...who biked the whole thing, who biked it in a relay, which person had which leg, etc.

(Dinner at Hamiltons in Logan on Friday night.  Carb loading...it's important!)

But other than giving you context, none of that really describes the heart of LOTOJA.  On my team, "NOW Girls 1" (there was also a NOW Girls 2) I biked leg 4.  34 miles from Afton to Alpine, Wyoming.  34 miles...yeah, I can do that any day of the week here at home, and have.  Why would I spend a whole weekend and a great deal of coin to do it in LOTOJA?  Because it's not just about the biking.  It's so much more than that.  The feeling of the day, the emotion, the passion, the shared camaraderie, the bonding, the atmosphere of something like this is hard to describe.

*I saw men bouncing back and forth between slightly panicked desperation and giddy exhilaration as they achieved a HUGE goal.
*I saw two bikers, one with his hand on the other's back literally pushing him over the finish line.
*I saw a biker stopped on the side of the road, all alone, his feet out of his clips and flat on the ground, his whole body hunched over his handlebars with his head in hands less than 10 miles away from the finish line trying desperately to find it in himself, mentally and physically to finish the race.
*I got to be support "pit crew" for my teammate Ann as she stopped for 10 seconds between legs 1 and 2 so I could supply her with a new water bottle and stuff some snacks/"fuel" in her back jersey pockets and then watch her zip off again so she could catch back up with the pack she had been drafting with.
*Driving past the bikers on the "King of the Mountain" hill at Salt River Pass on our way to the next exchange we found ourselves passing a few guys from our neighborhood.  Cheering them on, one hollered out, "I need water!!!"  We were not his support.  But we found a place to pull over a little bit ahead, frantically filled a water bottle and then I ran across the street just in time to hand it off to him...without him even slowing down...so he could make it to the top of the toughest hill in the entire course. 
*I got to be a part a team, each of us with an equally important leg to ride in getting us to that finish line.  Supporting each other, cheering each other on, sympathizing with head winds, gasping at close calls and laughing at funny experiences.

 (I rode into a head wind most of the way.  Despite that, somehow I averaged a higher mph speed which resulted in a faster finish time than I expected.  I jumped into drafting lines occasionally but spent the majority of the leg on my own.  And though I was being passed regularly by strong, fast, competitive bikers I was still so incredibly pleased with how well I did.)

 (A combination of both NOW Girls relay teams.  Emilie, Casey, Jenny, Me, Monica.  We're missing Ann and Brooke who had gone back to check on their husbands who were still out riding, and Sue who had already left with her husband for the restaurant.)

Through it all we tried to keep tabs on the other people riding from our group.  Concern, worry, happiness and pride all combined as the reports would trickle in.  And as we all shared a big meal at the end of the day, I got to be a part of that collective group of rag tag bikers.  Each of us with our own stories and experiences to share.  Things that had gone well, things that had not.  All of us looking a little worse for the wear but with looks of fierce pride on our faces that we had done a big thing and done it together.

 That's LOTOJA, my friends.  And it was an incredible weekend.

 (In Logan at the packet pick-up/starting line Friday night.)

 (A big peloton coming into feed zone 3 in Montpelier.)

(Brooke, Jenny, Monica and me.) 

 (Leg 4 between Montpelier and Afton.  See Brooke and Jenny, our tough, strong, happy NOW Girls climbing that canyon??)

(At Feed Zone 6....passing the baton, or the timing chip as the case may be, to Emilie and Casey)

(Brandi, Macie, Me, Brooke

Blessedly, we had booked hotel rooms in Jackson Hole.  Last year we drove as far as Bear Lake to stay in a family cabin there, continuing our drive home the next morning.  It was exhausting!  This year, we were able to drop our weary bodies to bed in a hotel just up the street.  A leisurely breakfast the next morning and then a little exploring around Teton Village were both remarkably relaxing after the rush and hurry of the day before.  It was the perfect way to end our fun weekend before heading back home.)

My LOTOJA "tattoo"

I just got back from biking LOTOJA this weekend.
LOTOJA being LOgan TO JAckson.
206 miles, 3 states, 1 day.  Or so their motto goes.
And no, I did not insanely attempt to do the whole thing myself.  Although we had a good 11-12 guys from our neighborhood do exactly that, I joined a relay team and rode leg 4 which consisted of 34 miles from Afton to Alpine, Wyoming.  More details and pictures to come later but I'll just leave you with this before heading off to bed....

At packet pick up last year, along with receiving LOTOJA swag, signing numerous waviers and picking up my timing chip they also stamped my leg.  Another way to keep track of official riders vs. those who may try to jump in and ride without having registered and paid.  (This is a very popular race...people come from all over the country to ride.  They even have to hold a lottery for official spots in the race, so many people want in.)  I thought my LOTOJA tattoo-looking stamp was very cool and was looking forward to getting another one this year. 

Except this year instead of a leg stamp they slapped on a wrist band and then stamped it.  I have to admit, I was rather disappointed.  Ah well....

Excuses, excuses...

This is my view as I pedal my bike up and across the freeway overpass. I have to admit...I give an involuntary shiver every time I look over the edge while my mind plays the "what if" game. Yes, I'm morbid that way.

21.5 miles on Saturday. I'm finding myself feeling a little apathetic about biking this summer. Maybe...
because I've been running more?
because I'm missing my friend Mylissa?
because the traditional neighborhood group time to bike is six-stinking-early-o'clock in the morning and I can't seem to get myself into bed before midnight?

But LOTOJA is coming up in about 7 weeks. Time to get my apathetic derrier back in the saddle consistently.

Little Red Riding Hood 2011

This past Saturday marked my third year biking Little Red Riding Hood {LRRH} up in beautiful Cache Valley. It's starting to look like a yearly summer tradition...

This year I rode with six other ladies from my neighborhood. LRRH was the unveiling of our new biking attire. Remember how I mentioned here that our neighborhood was getting custom biking jersey's imprinted with our motto "NOW Girls"...which stands for No Opportunity Wasted? Let me tell you, we looked sharp! See for yourself:

{Didi, Jenny, Brandi, Brooke, Emily, (Me), Ann}

So not only were we seriously styling...but you should've seen us ride! All 7 of us in a tight line, drafting and zipping past everyone. We got many, many compliments...from the neat jerseys to the impressive/intimidating riding style.

{Funny side note: No Opportunity Wasted is written on backs of our shorts at the waist line...one word per line going down. Which means that while riding hunched over our bikes, our jerseys riding up every so slightly...all you can see is the word "Wasted." Which made us all crack up into gales of hilarity when we realized it. We thought it was rather appropriate. :)}

I had signed up for 100 miles. Skip this next part if you don't want to hear all of the whining and excuses for why I was nowhere near ready to accomplish that goal this year...

1. Weather. Wettest spring on record. Hard to get out and train when you've got freezing rain {and sometimes even snow} clear into May.
2. Loss of my normal biking partner, Mylissa. Due to pregnancy, she is out this season for any kind of riding. She and I are really well matched in regards to riding skill, style and philosophy. Plus, she was really good at pushing to find little pockets of time and weather to ride when I would've been more than happy to just be lazy all day. I've missed her horribly.
3. The gym I joined last fall with intentions to take spinning classes all winter cancelled all their classes and daycare a month after I joined. Sigh.
4. A week and a half before LRRH I caught a cold which had me struggling with a sore throat, coughing and exhaustion.

Due to these things I seriously considered dropping out of the ride all together. As you can see, I did not and I'm glad. It was a challenging day, certainly...riding with a cold and not as well prepared as the other ladies who, being very competitive, driven and focused, HAD been spinning all winter. But it was a great ride all the same.
In order to save my strength, I modified my route a bit. So 24 miles into our ride, I veered off onto the 50 mile route which cut out a 25 mile loop at the southern end of the course. I made it to the lunch stop early and then rested and waited for the rest of my crew to arrive. After lunch I continued on with them back onto the 100 mile route for almost the entire rest of the ride... but then turned around at the last rest stop up in Idaho to get a head start back, cutting off a few more miles...and got to the finish about 15 minutes before they did. All in all, I biked 70 miles. Which, actually, is a personal record for me! Considering I was riding on limited training and a cold...I'll take it!
Didi and me. Apparently my new lime green jersey now clashes with my teal green handlebars. Ah, well.


I've discovered it's pretty hard to tell who individuals are when everyone has on not only matching clothing, but helmets and glasses. Here we are at the mile 24 rest stop in Benson.
Top to bottom: Jenny, Brooke, Emily, Brandi, Ann, me, Didi.


Ann took this picture when she was riding at the back of the pack. We were a little more spread out here rather than in a tight little line...but still drafting. This was near the end of the ride up in Idaho. {I think that's me with my brown pony tail trailing down my back...}


Along with the swag t-shirt, the LRRH socks and the finish line bike chain bracelet I came home with one other unexpected souvenir....a sunburn {ouch!} which has now turned into a lovely {sarcasm} bikers tan. Maybe I can work to get rid of those unsightly lines when I run the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay next weekend....

Bikers Tan

This, my friends, is what you call a "bikers tan." Very similar to a farmers tan, obviously, but this tan is slightly different in that when you are on a bike (if you neglect the sunblock like I did...) the tops of the thighs ABOVE the knee (not below) to the line of the biker shorts gets burned. And then the backs of the shins below the knees also get burned. This makes for some really odd lines. The bikers tan that I received this past Saturday biking Little Red Riding Hood (more on that tomorrow) was on full display when I went running today. I'm hoping that our upcoming trips to Cherry Hill will help even out those lines eventually....

Cute view...

This was my view for a good hour this evening.
We pulled the bike out from under the back deck where it had been resting all winter and pumped up the tires. Much to Lilian's delight, she had grown some since the last time she'd ridden and all of the sudden, biking was much easier and therefore much more fun.
Up the street and back down the street. Up, down, back and forth. She biked, I followed. At least it was a cute view...

(And yeah...I know. She should've been wearing a helmet and shoes....)

Goldilocks 2011

(Heather, Monica, Erin, ME, Ann, Kim, Sarah and Brooke. Click on the pic to see it better...)

See these beautiful, strong and awesome ladies? They were my biking buddies for this year's Goldilocks bike ride. Starting in Herriman and winding all over the southwest end of Salt Lake valley and down into Utah county, we ended up leaving our neighborhood at 5:30 AM to make it in time for a 7:30ish start. The weather was perfect, temperature wise but less than accommodating in regards to wind. Which meant that, coupled with the fact none of us had done much training up to this point because of the unusually wet and cold spring weather, we chose to only ride 40 miles...despite most of us having originally signed up for the 80-100 mile route.

All the same, we had a great time riding together, riding strong... the epitome of a NOW Girl. (Our neighborhood riding motto: No Opportunity Wasted. We're getting jersey's printed. No, seriously. We are!) Kim (my LOTOJA buddy) and I rode closely together. Soaring down the hill from Camp Williams at speeds close to 40 mph we joked somewhat morbidly about how awful it would be if one of us popped a tire going that fast. Less than five minutes later, but thankfully on a somewhat flatter and slower stretch, Kim did exactly that...popped her tire. We felt strongly that we were being protected...that we had just experience a little tender mercy. If the tire had popped even 3 minutes earlier, Kim likely would've crashed. And crashing at 40 mph would've been tragic. As it was, she was able to coast to a smooth stop. Another mercy? The fellow rider, policeman and support vehicle who ALL stopped to check on us, help us fix the tire, and send us on our way. Our 40 mile route.

Biking Equations

15 miles + Wind x Lousy night sleep = Tired!!

First ride of the season + 15 miles = Sore "sit bones."

Bike ride - Biking buddy who is pregnant and not riding this season = Lonely ride.

Despite all of that.....
61 degrees + Back in the saddle after 5 months off = A happy smile on my face.

(Little Red Riding Hood last June. How I miss Mylissa!)

LOTOJA 2010

LOTOJA is a European-style road classic that is unparalleled in distance and beauty. At 206 miles, LOTOJA is the longest one-day USCF-sanctioned bicycle race in the country. LOTOJA participants come from all over the United States to test their physical and mental stamina on a course that climbs and descends three mountain passes in the first 110 miles. The race starts in Logan, Utah and finishes in the shadows of the Teton Mountain Range at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

I did it! I rode LOTOJA! And yes, I rode it in a 5 person relay but this is big, my friends. LOTOJA is a serious bike race for serious bikers. And I was one of very few women that participated. Which makes me feel like a serious biker chick! It was quite the weekend experience which, for me, got started Friday evening. After packing bags and bikes we all made our way up to Logan for a 6:30 dinner reservation at Hamilton's Restaurant. The place was packed with LOTOJA goers. They even had a special LOTOJA menu for the evening...one that was specifically arranged with meals that lent themselves well to "carb loading."Afterwards we split up and made our way to where we were sleeping that night...the homes of Brian's and Jason's parents who graciously allowed us to take over beds, couches and air mattresses for the night. We were all nervous. Anxious to get to bed knowing that alarms were going off at 4:30 am. But that anxiety led to giddy silliness as we all prepared our gear for the next morning. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. At the same time, it was fascinating to watch Alan, who was riding the full 206 miles as he prepared his gear and talked Adam (his support) through what he would need at which stops, etc. Besides just physical training, what planning has to go into a feat like this!4:30 am came all too fast. My nerves didn't make for very good sleeping companions. Regardless, I jumped right up and since I was the first rider for my team, decided to forgo the oatmeal and settled for a banana and some caffeine filled "shot blocks" for breakfast. 45 minutes later...my tires pumped, my race number attached to my bike...my biking partner Kim, and I were standing in the pitch dark, freezing (34 degrees) cold at the starting line. And I started to panic a little bit. I've never seen so many bikers in one place before. Gutter to gutter wide and as far back as I could see. They were letting them go in waves every couple of minutes. How in the world were we going to get moving packed in like sardines?? How was I not going to crash into someone???? 5:51 am Kim and I started off. Slowly, carefully. And then faster and faster....we were on our way!It was the most unique ride I have ever been on. So dark it was hard to see the road, despite the headlights we had on our bikes. Eventually the sky started getting lighter, but then the fog rolled in. One patch of fog so heavy that I was frantically trying to make my light go brighter, point it more firmly towards the road. Then the cold really settled in. My toes went numb. My fingers went numb. Then, after awhile, my fingers started REALLY hurting and I started really worrying about frostbite. But through it all we tried hard to enjoy the journey. To fully take in and appreciate the fact that here we were riding LOTOJA!!! Those 35 miles went pretty fast...the sun was just peaking over the mountain when we pulled into Preston, Idaho. My body was stiff with cold and I got really light-headed the second I got off my bike (probably related to all that caffeine..) but Kim and I were so proud of ourselves...so happy with our ride.
We sent the next two riders on their way and then racked our bikes and headed off to the next meeting spot. My body spent the next few hours going from shivering cold to boiling hot and then back again as my internal temperature tried to re-set itself.
And then, the great majority of the day was wrapped around picking up riders, sending more out and cheering for them along the way. About 6 miles out we parked the car, pulled our bikes off the rack, watched for our two riders to come by and then joined them, ALL of us, to finish LOTOJA together. I'm sure we made quite the sight... 2 relay teams worth of red jersey clad girls, riding in a line under the big FINISH banner. Our team name was announced. Our time of 11 hours and 57 minutes was flashed across the screen.
The LOTOJA finish line was quite different from the Ragnar finish line. Ragnar had a huge party at the end. Music, group pictures, free food. LOTOJA was much more understated. You finish. You congratulate yourself. You go home. It surprised me at first. But I think it's because Ragnar promotes their race purposely as a running party. And although the race is HARD, they encourage silly team names, costumes, and decorated vans. LOTOJA takes itself much more seriously. Funny enough, although Ragnar was physically harder for me, I'm more proud of accomplishing LOTOJA. But though I'm more of a biker than a runner, if I had to choose next year one over the other...I'd choose to do Ragnar.After rolling over the finish line, we congratulated each other, high-fived, took some pictures...and then took our celebration to The Q, a restaurant a few miles up the road. We all looked haggard after our long day but oh, what fun to share war stories and revel in our accomplishment. It was especially fun to hear the experiences of the guys that had done the whole 206 miles on their own. I can't even fathom how hard that must've been! We ate and we laughed and I looked around at all these friends and felt so grateful for the opportunity to do this with them all. This right here...this was just as good, if not better, than the actual biking.

My collections

Last summer I noticed the collection of race numbers that my friend was keeping in her garage. Anytime she, her husband or one of their kids did a race, they kept the number and hung it with pride. I thought that was a fun idea and decided to start my own collection. Mine hangs in my closet. I'm sure the collection will grow over the next few years but I have a pretty good start to it, don't you think?

I'm still debating whether or not to call my new vinyl stickers a collection. All I know is that I'm awfully proud of them. They both represent some serious training, time and accomplishment.

My new tattoo?

This stamp makes me an official LOTOJA participant. I stood in line for a good hour today to pick up my packet.... ie: race number, timing chip, free t-shirt, the ever important vinyl logo for my car window, and other such swag. While there I had to sign my life away on some official looking wavier. And also get my leg stamped.
We leave tomorrow afternoon. A big group of us from the neighborhood. 3 relay teams of 5 people each, 6-7 single riders, and a few spouses. Plans are for a big dinner before splitting up to a few different family cabins for the night. I ride the first 35 miles of what will end up being 205 miles for my team. I start at 5:45 AM in the cold and dark. Wish me luck!

Accesorizing my bike

My white handlebar grip tape was getting awfully dirty. How fun that my bike store had tape in the exact same teal green color as the accent stripes in my bike? And yeah, okay....maybe it's really girly of me, but I love it. I think it makes the bike that much more uniquely "Sarah's bike." While I was at it I also got a bike computer. Tells me the time, how many mph I'm going, what my average mph is, how many miles I've gone, and how long I've been riding. Very helpful and very fun. Have I mentioned recently how much I love riding my bike??