Just finished an awesome week of riding, I'm finally starting to get over the nagging knee injury that's plagued me for the past 5 month. It's still not 100% but its getting there. If everything continues to improve I should be hitting it hard next race season, keep your fingers crossed. The weather here has been amazing, 50's in the morning with 65-70 around noon, Tucson's got to be one of the best weather places anywhere in the world for this time of year. We hit AZ trail, Starr Pass and Rancho Vistoso this week. This morning we headed out with a few guys from work, several people have bought bikes recently so if we can get the scheduling right we should have a group of 6 or so. School's about to wrap up for the semester and we're planning the big family holiday vacation. Mom, Dad and Dustin are all coming out at the beginning of January for an RV trip to Mexico and lounging at the Starr Pass Marriot, should be sweet, we can't wait!

Perfect day a Starr Pass.

Heading north towards Pima Canyon.

Looking north at the top of Campbell.

Happy Thanksgiving from Arizona!

We finally got out on our mountain bikes, it has been a couple months for me and longer for Kevin, it was so fun. I took lots of catus pictures for those that miss the desert. We did the Arizona Trail and it was humbling after doing road cycling, you are like a total beginner at first, well maybe just me. I have to work on Thanksgiving but Kevin, Jesse Stephen and I are going to do a ride before I have to go in. Eat lots!

Wow, 3rd at my first El Tour de Tucson!

I surprised myself this weekend, with a stacked womens field, and so many different variables to the tour itself. First waking up at 4:00 am to get a spot in the Platinum line so you don't have to play catch up the whole race. There was a VIP section in front of us with most of the XOOD girls in it, so I was already feeling like the rooky with over 300 people in front of me. The first wash was smoothed out so much that we could ride right through and not even get off our bikes, that was nice. Then I got back on the main pack with only 100-200, then we got stopped by a train so another pack joined back on. We stayed together for a while with every corner crossing your fingers that it would not be you to go down. People were crashing left and right, I hate that sound. Water bottles flying, tires flatting, people yellling "hold your line" what a crazy race with that many people. Going down Freeman was amazing with all the little rollers the group would go up and down like a caterpillar. Then we hit the second wash, and it was pure chaos. Riding, running, recking, how ever you could get through, I was totally exhausted. Then someone said that I was the first girl out of the wash, sweet. So I pushed hard to get on a group, not the main group but we formed a pretty good group. Two other girls were with me Erica Allar and Mari Holden I didn't know at the time, but these girls are awesome. Mari Holden went to the Olympics for time trialing. As we went down Sunrise and turned on Oracle another group caught us with my team mate Kathryn, she said that she alsmost went down on the loose road into the wash it was really fast and sketchy. Two other girls joined in also Robin a Cheer wine girl and Jennifer. So it was us six until the finish so it was really exciting to know I was going for the top six. I was excited with that alone, and then it was down to the final sprint, I got behind the Tandem team Tyler and Mimi that also raced for XOOD and they helped pull me for a while and then we hit this right turn for the finish, I did not even know we were turning, it could of been disasterous, but I made it, I almost got in second position by a foot, but I just did not have enough time, I really have to work on my sprinting. It was so exciting just to finish in one piece and then to finish in third behind an olympic time trialist, I'll take it, am so excited. Me and Kevin went on a ride today and talked about the Tour de France were they do day after day of 100+ miles and to survive all the stages alone, but then for Lance to win 7 of them in a row. How the perspective of getting 3rd in the Tour de Tucson really isn't that big of deal, but for now, wow!


Being on a team with the coolest people really motivated me, I felt like a Pro so I tried to ride like one. Everyone did really well, with no one getting hurt, that was a huge success.

Finally a day off the bike!

Logging 30 hours in this week since I landed from Florida with my longest day yesterday of 120 miles I am more prepared to take on the Tour this weekend. Now the hard part, rest, rest, rest. I go crazy just sitting around so this is my weakness. Me and Kevin ate a great dinner and made cinnamon rolls last night it was so deserved after a 6 hour day. I rode with some great people from the XOOD team, some possible winners of the tour, they were strong. Also me and Kevin went out to the Bars on bikes the night before this big ride so I wasn't exactly feeling my best, Kevin got me a new commuter bike at the SWAP meet it was alot of fun.

Back to the good ole days!

I made it back to Tucson Friday night and decided to hit the ground running because I have two weeks before the Tour de Tucson 109 mile road race. I am so excited I got put on an awesome team www.xoodhealth.com/racing so I have to at least look like I know what I am doing. I did the shoot-out Saturday morning and it felt so good after being off my bike for 5 weeks. Kevin and I did Rancho Vistoso loop today and then came home and ate these incredible carne asada beef tacos. I missed Trader Joes so much that I loaded up on all the great food I have missed. I also missed my yoga classes so I am going to try and go every night until I can not walk. Nice to be home.