Tag: Racing

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity

Or something like that…

June 2022 was an absolute whirlwind – a cyclone of bike racing, family visits, road tripping, week-long event production with a world record, annnnnd COVID. But it all kicked off with Unbound XL, and I want to share some highlights of that experience before they turn into one green and golden and dirt colored mushy memory. So, let’s start with day one:

So clean at the start line!

Paul met back up with me at the hotel after his volunteer shift. I’d been drinking my Skratch Wellness Mix, trying to keep eating, packing up the … Continue reading

Unbound XL, let’s go!

Well, I had dreams of adding some blog updates before this but things have been busy. But I didn’t want to ride off on my biggest ride without putting down a few thoughts ahead of it.

It’s currently 11AM, 4 hours until we roll out. The bike is packed and prepped, the last few lights are charging, and I have just a couple final things to cross off the to-do list before go time.

The energy in Emporia has been incredible – the whole town seems to be welcoming riders, from the used car dealership to the churches to the … 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
… Continue reading

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