The 2022 race season

As the 2021 race season was wrapping up I kept hearing about all the great races coming in 2022. It seemed like there was an endless number of gravel races I could sign up for, many of them within a day’s drive of Boulder. And even though the season was just ending, registration (or a lottery!) for many of these races would open before the year closed. In fact, so overwhelmed by my options, I ended up making a spreadsheet just to keep track.

A sample of the races (and just some of the info) I was keeping track of
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Bits and bobs from the winter

After Rexy wrapped up I was more than happy to take some chill time off the bike. I caught up on some doctor appointments, rested, and barely looked at my bike for a couple weeks.

Right before Thanksgiving I got my COVID booster which left me feeling particularly terrible for a bit. On Thanksgiving, 24hrs after the shot, I went for my daily ~1mile walk. I was so tired I had to stop part way home to rest. It also caused all my left side lymph nodes to swell up massively for a couple weeks which was… disturbing and slightly … Continue reading

After Rexy (or playing in Moab!)

After a great race Paul, myself, and our crew was tired! But then the four of us had two wonderful days in Moab to play together which I’m summed up in a little photo retelling below:

The next morning we considered going to a national park, but we all decided a rest day was in order. First up was a stroll into town for breakfast! My mouth and throat were a bit irritated which made eating a little challenging but the food was delicious!
Later in the day we wanted to take a little stroll, and found ourselves at a
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Rexy: Queen of the Desert (Let’s Race 🦖)

RACE DAY!!! On October 30th we work up around 4:30AM for the 6AM start. It was cold out – around freezing – and not expected to warm up for a while. I opted to dress fairly warm knowing that the first aid station would come about 40miles in at ~8:45AM and I could ditch layers there.

After some oatmeal, cold brew, and some Skratch hydration mix we were off to the start with Julia and Eric there to see us off (because they are the best of friends)!

A couple minutes before the start, trying to stay warm!

We milled … Continue reading

Rexy: Queen of the Desert (getting ready to roll)

A continuation from this post!

Thurs., Oct. 28th was our big day of prep, and also my birthday 🥳 It was a day full of tasty treats and lots of last minute touches. Both Paul and I went for a short ride to keep the legs loose while Julia went for a walk downtown. Paul realized that his bike was not shifting well, and thus started an almost 2hr back and forth trying to sort out the issue at two bike shops. (Very) long story short, no one could quite figure out the issue leaving Paul stuck with sluggish, … Continue reading

Rexy: Queen of the Desert (how we got here)

Up until recently I’d never completed a 200 mile bike ride. It’s been on my list for years. Once I finished my first century, ticking off 200 miles seemed like the next logical thing to do (that progression is debatable, but that’s beside the point).

But, for this reason and that reason, it never happened. And in 2020, the year I would have been most likely to give it a go, I got too enamored by Everesting to plan a 200 mile ride. In fact that first Everest, at 155 miles and ~19 hours total, was by far my longest … Continue reading