Racing for Wine and Glory

I think we're pretty fortunate to live in a region that 1. has so many races - I mean, I can find a race pretty much every weekend day through Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter (CYCLOCROSS) within a couple hour drive from my house; and 2. to have such enthusiastic ambassadors for the sport, who spend their weekends putting these races on. I know the registration fees are high, and the prize money isn't the greatest..but the fact is - it takes a lot to put on a race, and there are a ton of volunteers who sacrifice their race days to make our race days happen. So, thanks to you mr. or miss or mrs. race day organizer who wake up in the morning, cup o coffee in hand and brave the 100 mile hour winds (yeah i'm exaggerating, but not by much) of Wente* to make sure there's someone in the reg tent, on all the sketchy corners, in the follow car, and on the sidelines yelling - don't give up Courtney you're doing great (as i'm off the back chillin' enjoying my 35 dollar "ride"). Not sure who that was, but thanks for the encouragement!

There were two of us - despite our efforts to recruit Beth out to race with the us on Friday night...she had to go take "pictures" of the "ocean"...whatever...like she's a professional photographer or something...Oh, wait - she is and here's her pro blog.

Beth set us this picture from her twilight photo shoot - thanks for the pre race inspiration teamie!




Beth is currently taking bookings for weddings, and adventure photo shoots - hit her up if you need someone to document your adventure or corporate outing. She's rad, and very passionate about pictures.

When we got to the race, it was 52 degrees and WINDY. Oh my i've never seen wind like that at a race. I'm pretty sure i saw a few little climbers flying through the air to registration. The course was pretty brutal - around 1500 vertical feet per lap - and it was sneaky..it wasn't like here's the big hill you have to climb - it was rollers, and then descents, and false flats into the wind. We had to do 4 laps for a total of 60 miles. Well, to say the least it wasn't my day in the saddle. We all have them. I fell OTB with two to go, and after trying to drill it in the wind to catch back on, decided - yeah, looking at cows and baby sheep and pretty green hills was way more fun. I called it a day, and figured i'd yell at Devon a little, since she was in really good position and killing it in the race.

I got out of my cham-wow, packed up the car, and thought playing follow car would be fun. I even took a little video of the race finish. I tucked in behind the lead womens group in the Honda Element - The Official, Legitimate, Professional Team Car, and watched the end of the race unfold. Attack by Fremont bank, Counter by Webcor, Devon throwing it down - the pack shattered by the last climb and vicious final efforts. Devon ended up a hard earned 4th place for the day - super proud of her. It was a really hard course, and she had very challenging opponents!

* I think Wente should be a place and a winery. So, i'm going to refer to Wente as a place in this post.

CCCX MTB, 3/28/11

After what seems like weeks of riding in rain and wind every day, I was looking forward to the local CCCX mountain bike race scheduled for Sunday, as Sunday’s forecast was sunny and lovely and oh-so-nice. But as luck would have it, the race got rescheduled for Saturday. Saturday’s forecast = more rain, more wind, more misery. It turns out those meteorologists know what they are talking about once in awhile.

Ft Ord is usually the best place around for getting some mountain biking during the rainy winter months because the sandy soil drains so well. In fact, Ft Ord is at it’s best in the winter as everything is generally remains rideable, as opposed to the summer months when huge sandpits make the trails better suited for cyclocross than riding. Unfortunately we’ve had so much rain over the last week or two that even the Ft Ord trails were a muddy, mucky mess, and the rain was still falling. This was going to be epic.

Check out this picture from Tim Westmore.

Beth's full race report can be found on her blog - check it out!

Beth Welliver gets into the Leadville 100!

"It’s an uphill battle. Even downhill"

This is big news! I know a 100 miles doesn't sound like a lot when you're logging hours and miles on the road bike..but when it comes to a mt bike let me be the first to tell you - IT IS! Let alone, a 100 miles of mountain in Colorado...at altitude!

This will be a great challenge, and one we all believe Beth is certainly capable of achieving, and knocking out of the park! She just may have to borrow my scalpel...hehe.

If you haven't heard about the race, or watched the movie "Race Across the Sky", with none other than Lance Armstrong - here's a little description i took from their website. Thanks Leadville people!


"Determination. Guts. Insanity. If you don’t have them, stop reading now. Leadville events aren’t for everyone. They’re for only the toughest athletes looking to challenge themselves — and impress the world. Set 13,000 feet up in the treacherous Colorado Rocky terrain, the strong may survive, but only a few will leave with their pride.

Race Description

This is it. The race of all races. 100 miles across the high-altitude, extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. Created for only the most determined athletes. Starting at 9,000 feet and climbing to 13,000 feet, you’ll be challenged to catch your breath — while the views try to take it away."

Neat facts about Leadville the town -

Situated at an elevation of 10,152 feet (3094 m), Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States. A former silver mining town that lies near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the city includes the Leadville Historic District, which preserves many historic structures and sites from Leadville's dynamic mining era.

Top finishers in past years -

1. Rebecca Rusch, ID 7:47:35

2. Amanda Carey, ID 8:12:54

3. Anne Gonzales, CO 8:45:46

4. Natasha Hernday, CA 8:47:35

5. Lisa Isom, CO 8:47:51

6. Kelsy Bingham, UT 8:53:57

7. Rachel Farrett, CO 9:27:57

8. Jane Rynbrandt, CO 9:30:47

9. Johanna Mickle, CO 9:32:41

10. Kathy Kallner, AZ 9:32:50