Round 1 of 2.......

Well it's already been 19 days since I have been here in Tucson and today I am heading back to Denver Colorado for the Holidays. I had such a great time here in Tucson and met a lot of great people and got a lot of big miles in on the bike which I was looking for.

Up Mt. Lemmon a ways

Great riding

Heading up Madera Canyon

Like I said before I have never really had the chance to go somewhere warm during the cold months in Colorado and get a really good block of base in the legs. It is something new for me to go somewhere and train where I know very little people and don't know much about the town. Going somewhere unfamiliar can be very beneficial. Here I didn't have the normal distractions I would have at home. I was able to really focus 100% on training, trained really hard and recovered even harder and I feel like I am miles ahead of where I was last year at this time. With that being said, I have decided to come back to Tucson after the new year to get one last good block of training before the season gets underway. It was either stay in Colorado and sit on the trainer in the basement or come back and ride in warmer weather, it was an easy decision. So I will be returning January 5th-24th, then we have our first training camp in Boise January 25th-29th.

A lot of flats

 

Lots of rain caused some washouts

Inside the cookie cabin on top of Mt. Lemmon

Reward of getting to the top of Mt. Lemmon

Great Treat!

I cant thank the people enough who helped me while down in Tucson. It always amazes me how generous people are to complete strangers. I was very fortunate to find host housing while down here and it helps us soooooooooo much. I am able to feel more like I am at home sitting on the couch instead of a bed in a hotel room for 3 weeks and it cuts down on cost tremendously. I am able to cook real food and just relax and have a quit place to relax. I cant thank host housing families enough, you make my job way easier. I have taken over our host Tim's house for 19 days so far and he is welcoming us back when we come back, unbelievable. THANK YOU.
Check out Daily Peloton as they did a Q&A with Conor and I! 
Also updated my race schedule tab!
Hope everyone has a great Holiday.
Thanks for reading
Ginger 1

First week in Tucson

I have been in Tucson AZ for one week now already, time is flying here. The first 6 days felt like I was back home in Colorado with Cold temps. The first 6 days here were the coldest on Record for Tucson, of course it was when I came here for warm weather, but I will take it over snow any day. Right now the temps are warming up where they should be. I have got some great miles in so far this first week and I now remember what tired really feels like. The first Saturday Conor and I tried making it to the Famous shoot out group ride. The start of the ride is about 18 miles from where we are staying at right now so we had to leave pretty early to make it to the 7:30am start. However Tucson roads had different plans for us that day to welcome us. We left the house around 6:20 to give us plenty of time to find the coffee shop everyone meets at. Literally less then 2 miles after leaving in the dark and our small frog lights on Conor hits a rock and double flats! So I haul back to grab a handful of more tubes just in case we get another flat on the ride. So after fixing both flats we haul a** to make it on time and about 10 minutes from the coffee house Conor flats again. So after fixing it we are pretty much already late and we finally find the start 5 minutes after we were suppose to be there and no cyclist was to be seen in any direction. SO we decided to ride back towards where we are staying and get a few more hours in. We will try again this week, but bring extra tubes and give ourselves more time.

Great Views

Conor

We also have met some really nice people and great riders in our short time down here so far. A friend of ours that use to have a bike studio in Colorado has moved to Tucson 3 years ago and his shop is about 1 mile from where we are staying, and the guy we are staying with is good friends with him, small world. Check out Uno Bicycle Studio

Tucson Mountain Park

4th flat of the day

So for now we are just going to keep getting in good base miles before the 2012 season starts very soon. We are heading back to cold Colorado on December 19th but now we are thinking of coming back down here the first week of January and train here before the first Team Exergy camp in Boise at the end of January. Riding down here sure beats riding the trainer in the Basement.

Great riding

SufferX2

Also Check out VeloNation, Conor and I are writing blogs for them and the first one just was published. Stay tuned for more.
Thanks for reading!

Tucson Bound!

Conor and I currently are sitting on DIA getting ready to fly to Tucson Arizona for 3 weeks and I am really looking forward to it! It's a Winter Wonder Land outside right now in Colorado so I couldn't of timed this trip any better. It will be nice to get a solid base in the legs this year. I have never had the opportunity to go somewhere warm in the cold months, and I have heard great things about Tucson and the Cycling community. I will post some photos once we get riding in the warm weather!

New Change

It's the Holiday season and 2012 is fast approaching and I have a lot of changes going on for next season and I am very excited about it. I am currently in Denver Colorado with my family and am in the process of looking for a new house in Louisville Colorado! I am pretty much moved out of Grand Junction but I have one more trip over the Mountain on Tuesday to get the last bit of things.
I recently just purchased a scooter for some motor pacing. In the past I have never got in the routine of motor pacing because I didn't have the resources so i think the high speed training will help out a lot for a stacked crit schedule for 2012. 

I am leaving on Thursday Dec 1st to head to Tucson AZ to get some warm miles in. It is already too cold for me in Colorado so I am very excited to get to warm weather in the coming days! I have never had the opportunity to travel somewhere warm in the off season so I think it will have a huge benefit being able to get long hours in and mentally stronger in the winter being able to train in warm weather. Then I come back for Christmas and move into a new house, get settled in then have Team Exergy first camp in January! It will all be here before we know it.

New Approach

Right now we are in the off season and the weather is changing very quickly, from warm sunny days to cold dark days. Usually during this time it makes for great cyclocross conditions however its rough during base miles. Like I mentioned before I am not racing cyclocross this season so I have time to fully prepare for the 2012 road season. It is a nice change not having to be on good form for most of the year, but I do miss the cyclocross racing scene a bit. With the different time schedule I have plenty of time to train right. I already got most of my base miles done which is awesome because I usually don't get that done until end of January early February if I was racing cyclocross. I also am now starting some gym workouts. I go to yoga in the morning to help stretch out the muscles, it is actually a lot harder then people think so don't bash it until you try it. Then after the morning yoga session I get to work on some weights. This week is the first week so very minimal weights, don't want to go in guns blazzin and be sore for the rest of the week and not be able to recover right. In the past few seasons I have done some weights but with a different approach so we will see how this years approach works. Then after all they gym workouts I am able to go out on the road and ride when the weather warms up a bit.

I am really anxious to get back and training right. This whole past week I thought I caught the sick bug. I thought I had a virus so I rested to let my body heal and really just laid low for the whole week. I was able to get out and spin for a bit and felt great but didn't want to push it and get worse. I didn't understand why I wasn't getting better, I was doing everything right but no progress. Then I was told maybe I have hay fever? You have the same symptoms if you were sick but actually it is just allergies. I usually don't have allergies but I guess I do. I took some allergy medicine last night and I now feel like a new man. Its kind of a bummer that I lost a week of training because I thought I was sick but actually it was just allergies but o well. I am learning to really listen to my body this off season and rest when my body tells me to and that's what I did, but I was fooled this time.

This "off season" is where you put in all the hard work and long days to prepare for the following season. I think many people believe the off season is where you just sit on your butt and watch movies. That is partly right, you definitely need to take a couple of week off the bike and recover physically and mentally. But once that short break is over you need to start busting you butt for the next season. I am really excited to see the benefits from this off season, after doing a whole new approach for next season.
New news, Conor and I will be writing a blog this season for VeloNation! Stay tuned for the first post.

Exergy 2012

Peloton Magazine has announced the official roster for Team Exergy 2012!! I am very excited to be racing for Team Exergy again in 2012. Last season I started racing with the team  2 months remaining in the season to get a taste of the pro racing scene. Next season will be my first full year racing with Exergy. I am really looking forward to the year and have been training hard so far to make a bigger impression next year. Stay tuned for more news!
Check out Peloton Magazine for the write up.

Cali Trip

This past week I was fortunate enough to travel to California and ride for a week. My coach had a week off from work and wanted to go see his family in California and asked if I wanted to travel with him and get some good miles in. OF COURSE! First we went to beautiful Tahoe for a couple of days to get some good climbing in the legs. We were very fortunate enough to be able to crash at a condo right in Tahoe City. Josh the Exergy mechanic knew a guy who owned the place and he was kind enough to let us crash there. Rob is currently a cycling agent and road pro back in the day so it was really cool talking to him for a while. We were able to catch up with my coach’s friend from when he was growing up Marty and he road with us for a few days. It’s always fun too ride new terrain and ride with new people, makes for a nice change. 

 

 

Monday we headed towards Sacramento to do some MTB but it was raining since we woke up and I was not too thrilled to ride in the wet and mud but I gave it a go for a bit. I only lasted about an hour before my coach and I turned around and left Conor and Marty to keep riding. Then Tuesday Rob hooked us up with AthletiCamps, which specializes in VO2 and lactate testing. I have done quite of VO2 testing in the last couple of years but never a lactate test so it was good to get some more data for training purposes. 

Then we were able to stop in Salt Lake City on the way back to Colorado to ride with a good friend Chris. We went MTB and it was actually fun. Smooth rolling terrain and great weather. Altogether it was a good trip and met a lot of good people and made relationships that will last!

I am currently now in the car driving to Denver to see my Family and Friends for a couple of days before we head back to GJ. It has been a lot of time in the car this week. It feels like race season with all the travel but it keeps be busy. But it will be nice when I am able to stay in one place for more than two weeks.

Cyclocross Bike for Sale!

I am selling my cyclocross bike that I used for the last 1.5 years. It is a Great bike and still in great condition but I am unable to race this season so I don't want the temptation sitting in my living room so please help me out!

Check it out on Ebay

   

2nd Week

Right now I am in my second week of base miles and feeling great. The weather has been fantastic so far but next week looks like it changes for the ugly. Leaving for California at the end of the week with Conor and our coach to go ride for a week!  Been trying to take some photos to post on here the last two weeks of riding. Enjoy!

Living

Well it feels great to get back riding everyday and feeling good and having FUN!! Talking about fun, what better then riding with a group of juniors. Yesterday Conor and I got the opportunity to go ride with Two Rivers Junior Cycling team here on the western slope of Colorado. I love junior racing for many reasons. Juniors is where I started racing and learned a lot about the sport. Its where you learn to have fun and the basics of racing and riding. I just love the enthusiasm of Juniors while riding, they will ride their heart out until they blow. This team is what I love, a lot of sponsors and parents who back the team. The western slope is such a great place to ride and they are the only organized team out here, props to them. After the ride we got to hang out and eat some good food and talk to the juniors and parents about racing and what it takes to be a pro. Then we got to hand out some Exergy stem caps so the juniors will be rippin around with Exergy on their stems.

Other great news is I just bought a fully automatic Espresso machine!  I love this thing and think I am using it already too much but why not.

NO Cross

This year Conor and I are not racing cyclocross for a couple of reason. First Exergy didn't want us getting hurt and they told us they wanted us to focus on the road for next year and prepare for it proprley, this way we will be well rested when the road season comes around again. I am very happy with the decision so far, I am able to relax a little more and get some good base miles in and watch videos like this.

# 1 reason why I am not racing cross, so I don't end up like Joey!!!!

VEGAS!!!

A week in Vegas will break anyone who tries to take it on. We took off to Vegas on the 8th to watch Kenny take on the Ironman World Championship 70.3. We arrived in Vegas a few days before his race so he could check out the course and get his legs dialed before the big day. The days leading up to the race was very hot and miserable outside but race day was a nice 90 degrees for the high. In the end he finished 24th in his age group which was a huge improvement from the previous year, lets see what he can do next year, I am expecting BIG things.

Then we headed to the strip on Monday for Interbike but the show didn't start until Wednesday so we had sometime to kill. Nothing too exciting this year but it was still fun to check out. We were planing on coming home Thursday but we were informed from our managers that we had to stay one more night for a HUGE announcement for the team!

We got the email saying EXERGY was hosting a party at the Marquee in Vegas which is the hottest night club in Vegas and there was a dress code. Thursday morning we went out to buy some nice cloths so we could get into the club. When we arrived you had to check in and you had to have your name on the list to be able to get in. Then you took an elevator up to the club and was greeted by six or so waters with all different kinds of potions, you could get any drink you wanted or Voss water. The food was also amazing and the club was insane. The big announcement was Peanut Butter twenty 12 is going to be Exergy twenty 12 for next year and years to come!! Big step forward for women's cycling and Exergy, I am really looking forward to what next year has to offer.

After not riding at all in Vegas I got back on the bike and feel really out of shape. It is time to get back out there and get ready for 2012.

Hoover Dam

Exergy Party

New Nutella & GO!

Getting back at it.....slowly

Back in Grand Junction and riding my bike since the last post, took a couple of weeks off to mentally and physically rest.  Nothing crazy yet just going on group rides, riding the mountain bike and actually surviving which is something new for me. I am actually having fun riding the mountain bike. So I will be in Junction until the weather starts getting cold and I hope we can go somewhere to ride in the warm weather during the winter.
Leaving tomorrow for Sin City Vegas!!! Kenny has 70.3 Triathlon worlds on Sunday, so we are going to cheer him on as he takes on the best triathletes in the world. Once that is done we will be heading straight to In N Out burger a little end of the year gift!! Monday we will head to the strip for Inerbike trade show and check out all the new cycling gear coming out for next year. Dirt demos start Monday so we can go test ride all the new Mountain gear. Wednesday we will go watch Cross Vegas for the first time. Conor and I are not racing cross this year, which is something new for us. We have raced cross for many year and had a blast doing it but we are trying something new and actually have an off season so we will be well rested for a hard schedule of road racing next season. So this time I get to be the guy on the sideline yelling at the racers!!
Until Next time....

Photos from the phone

Reno

Kenny and Conor

Big Screen

Vaill TT Start

Great Season

This past weekend was my last race of the season in Chicago = It was 3 days of hard racing to end off a good season. I am now back in Grand Junction for a while. I will be traveling back to the front range to watch my Teammates take on the best riders in the world for the US Pro Challenge.
My computer broke 2.5 weeks ago so I am waiting on a warranty one hopefully but until then I will have to keep these short.

McCall ID

So this past week Conor Ben and I travled about 100  miles north of Boise to McCall ID to get some altitude training in for our upcomming races. We spent a week out there getting some great riding in and some time on the lake. We were spoiled while we were there and sad to leave but its almost time to race. We arrived back to Boise today and will leave Saturday morning for Reno for the Tour de Nez crit on Sunday. After the race is done we will travel to Salt Lake for a few days to ride with the Colorado Squad then head to Chichago for the Tour of Elk Groove. This will be my last race of the year. I am really looking foward to it and had a great summer so far and hope to go out with a bang. I am also looking to sometime off and being back in Colorado for sometime during the off season. Here are some pics from the week.

View off the back deck

Top of White Bird Climb

A look down the switchbacks(Awesome Climb)

Something you don't see everyday, a goat on a leash

Rough Life

My team backpack