The Scrappy Rambler

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Tag: Real women ride

February 25, 2015 / 0 comments

Chocolate Cake is Currency

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The thing I’ve loved the most about gravel races this season is that it’s not just an event for the pros. There are people all over the place who are out there doing the same thing we are, challenging themselves on a bike. We are all pedaling around for hours in beautiful places, trying to remember to eat, drink and embrace the suffering! Last Sunday, almost 2,000 people lined up at @sbtgrvl to challenge themselves for 140 glorious (and often ouchie) miles. Some of us raced the clock, some of us rode to finish, but as Eric Zabel put it, “We are all out there doing the same thing”...riding bikes. - For my race I was pleased with a 3rd place finish against some very talented road racer ladies! I wasn’t sure how my body would do after racing Leadville the weekend before and Downieville the weekend before that. My legs felt heavy the first 30 miles and I thought I was in for a very long day, luckily things started moving a bit better and I found my rhythm along the dirt roads of Steamboat Springs. Having my sister and dogs with me this weekend was HUGE for the ole 🧠 and 🖤. Support is everything. And nothing like a sister to help you remember the important things...and giving you a tattoo the night before the race (sorry mom and dad 😬). - Thank you to @amymcharity And the amazing folks with @sbtgrvl For making the weekend so much more than just another race. What an experience, hopefully I’ll be recovered for next year! - Photos: @lindaguerrettephotography, @ianhylands @photowil #gravel #seekanddiverge #iamspecialized #adventure #gravelgrinder #yaybikes #whatsworthit #womenonbikes #steamboat #colorado #sbtgravel

We are heading North! My sis and I have the Element packed with two doggies and a lot of snacks en route for @sbtgrvl in Steamboat Springs! Excited for this one as it’s new to us all, 140 miles of dirty sweetness around the hills (meowtains?) of Steamboat. There are lots of fun things planned aside from the race, so if you’re up here this weekend come say hi! And if you’re in the mood to hear some pros yap at cha, 2:30 on Saturday join us for the athlete panel (I’ll be next to some big names on this one)! Now let’s all🤞that my body doesn’t fall apart after Leadville into this weekend! - Photo: @jaystone_m - #gravel #seekanddiverge #diverge #specialized #mtb #whatsworthit #steamboat #colorado #bikes #womenonbikes

Yes, I am a creepy dog person, and yes I am happily celebrating our Adoptiversay (week). Five years of rides, hikes, yelling at you for barking, saving you from drowning, cleaning your fur off of everything, looking cute in bandanas and bringing pure joy to my life. Thanks Norman, too bad you can’t read this. - Photo: @grady_j - #patagonia_mtb #sramdog #dogsofspecialized #bikingwithdogs #mtb #traildog #Norman #adoptiversary #ridingwithdogs #bikesanddogs

Leadville 100, the race where your legs cramp while peeing so you end up kneeling while trying not to pee on your shoes...it was at that moment that I questioned my life decisions 😂. Happy to earn a 2nd place finish 🥈at my first @ltraceseries experience, they told me the last 10 miles would be brutal but I had no idea that meant I would contemplate crawling to the line! I buried myself on the climb up Pipeline to catch 2nd place and keep my gap, and at 11,000+ feet of climbing later (at elevation) that came back to haunt me. I wouldn’t have made it to the start or the finish without the wonderful humans of @iamspecialized and my support (@fiooooonaaaa @bgxvx @ellen.m.campbell @nessie_gb @dillholl @mikeha11 @gavthemechanic @yhauswald). And @brettrothmeyer // @andrewfitts for the 📸s, you boys really captured the roller coaster of emotion of this crazy event. #thatWASepic - #iamspecialized #thisisgoingtobeepic #epicHT #specializedbikes #mtb #lv100 #leadville100 #ridebikes #paincave #womenriders #leadville

Downieville is a small town in the Sierra Mountains where cell service is replaced with epic mountains, beautiful rivers and very few accommodations. It also happens to be the location of an iconic mountain bike race, the @downievilleclassic_. It’s a race that ripples through the biking community for weeks preceding, we all gossip about the gear, the course, the planning and logistics. It’s a race that will prey on your weakness, strong climbers have to hold their own in the burly descent, the downhill/enduro folk must pay the piper on the 12 mile climb in order to let ‘er rip down the winding single track. The gear we choose either plays to a weakness or a strength and the results are more exciting than the anticipation! This is why Downieville is special, not to mention and ending every ride in the Yuba River. It’s magic. It’s stressful. It’s hard. It’s fun. It’s painful. It’s isolated. It’s awesome. - In weeks leading up to the race I went back and forward between racing the #epicEVO or the big girl bike, the #stumpjumper. Ultimately I confidently chose to play to my weakness and a bum shoulder with the Stumpy. Unless you’re a @katkanash and good at everything, you’ve gotta make sacrifices! I decided to haul a little extra weight up the climb to stay smooth on the descent...and it worked! I kept my 2nd place from the top of the climb all the way through the descent and into the finish, something I was really happy about! I’ll be working on letting off the breaks a bit more and keeping that downhill speed much higher for a spot on the ‘All Mountain’ podium next year! - I was lucky to get to see some great people on this trip, just remember, behind every podium finish there are A LOT of humans who make that happen. I am grateful for @dylan_stucki, @candrajordan, @dillholl, #LaurCat and @tealstetsonlee for keeping my pieces all in place this round. You are my family. - Photos: @lindseypasse // @theradavist // @signekoch - #iamspecialized #specialized #mtb #adventure #mountainbike #downieville #whatsworthit #iamspecialized_mtb

This hot little 🌶 just dropped and I hope I can keep up with it this weekend in Leadville! We will have 100 miles starting at 10k feet above sea level to get acquainted...this is going to be #Epic. - Hats of to @bgxvx and the great minds at @iamspecialized for bringing the #epicHT to life! - Photos: @dylan_stucki // @thebakery_co

When trees poke out horizontally from the 9’ tall avalanche path, you know a few things - the previous winter was a real biggie and we are not in a “Global Warming Phase”, we are amidst a time of extreme weather patterns where devastating fires are followed by record winters, the temperature highs are nearing unlivable in some cities and we are breaking records in bad ways. This is our reminder, vote for the policies that aim to change, support the people that recognize the dire state our planet is in, do small things, just try and care...it’s all we’ve got! - #dogood #caremore #protectourplanet #protectourwinters @protectourwinters

Luckily these mountains are the stomping grounds to the one and only @stescher, the best tour guide on two wheels. I convinced her (it wasn’t that hard) to ride all weekend up and down the terrain in the San Juans with me and it was EPIC. We breathed thin air, rode through plowed avalanche paths, filtered water ate PBJ’s and made good decisions in ⚡️⚡️ storms. And of course...all we did was make plans for more. #toadventure #meowntains #stumpjumper4lyfe - #specialized #stumpjumper #whatsworthit #mtb #visitsilverton #adventure #iamspecialized

I call this look, ‘Granola Barbie Shredder’ - Styled by @patagonia_mtb + @specialized_wmn 🕺🏼⚡️💁‍♀️ - A month back home has my brain and body feeling 💅. Who knew hikes with dogs, rides with friends, catching up on work, reading books and a touch of PT could get ya feeling minty fresh!

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