2 girls playing

Cynthia graciously invited me on her solo jaunt out to Indian Creek Saturday, thank you Cynthia :) I had wanted to get back out there just to see if I could remember how to loop the trail like she showed us last year...this time I payed attention!

It was a glorious day on the bikes, cloudy and cool weather with just a few light sprinkles. The trail was tacky and the woods eerie and fun! I love riding with Cynthia because you don't have to worry about her, she doesn't mind if you ride off ahead (cause she'll do it to you too) and she doesn't mind stopping to session the techy stuff until it's nailed. What I love most is that she loves to just ride and there's no need to "prove" yourself with her, there's no competition going on. You're just riding with someone who loves to pedal just as much as you do, whether it be tight and twisty smooth single track or gnarly techy rocks.....she can do it all with ease.

Needless to say, we have a wonderful 26 mile....close to 4 hour ride. She nailed a bunch of things that gave her problems last year and I know the next time she rides out there, she'll nail them again without hesitation.


Even Mr. Hummingbird came out to play with us and drink some fresh and sweet nectar from all the blooming flowers.

My new bike handled amazingly well, except for the tires. The front washes out in any kind of loose terrain and the back tire doesn't hook up as well as I'd like it too. With new tires on and I'll be able the clean the one section that I just kept spinning out on!

Thanks Cynthia for a perfect day playing on the single track!

Bike be Nimble, Bike be Quick!

Yesterday was the first ride on the EX 9.8 and wow, what an amazing bike it is! I've never ridden a carbon frame before and the difference it makes it quite noticeable. It's hard for me to explain, but it's a quieter and less abusive feeling...it feels super stiff but it seems to absorb the rough stuff. And I love the way it sounds!

The rear sticks to the ground while picking lines through rocks and the front end is so easy to pull up, getting up ledges and big round rocks is pretty effortless. The bike is so light that it climbs with way less effort than anything I've ever experienced and it's weird how it feels like a much burlier bike on the descents, it's way more agile than the 6.6 ever felt.

All I need to do is dial in my front fork (and let it break in a little) and I think I've got the perfect bike for me! Now I just need to trust all that she can do and stop being such a wuss with certain things....like step up rock faces at certain places like Hall and out in Fruita :) I'll get there....hopefully sooner than later!

And now the 3 day weekend is almost upon us! Hopefully I'll be able to ride ride ride ride and ride some more!

Thanks again Carey & Emma for another great ride :) One of these days I'll be able to keep up with you both on the descents!

-Kim

Recuperation

This weekend was a lazy slow recuperation weekend for me and as luck would have it Dan had the weekend off and I couldn't really ride :(

Saturday we woke up after having an amazingly peaceful and long sleep, a little lazy. We decided to check out Carey's art show at the 29th street mall and run some errands on the fixie's. We took the long way around town and got in a good slow meandering ride, after that I didn't want to push my knee anymore so we just took the dog for a long lazy walk and enjoyed the rest of the day doing things around the house.

Sunday, Dan's ride plans fell through so we decided to test the knee out with a run and to my surprise after a few feet of feeling a little weird the knee loosened up and felt pretty darn good! We got home and walked down to the Boulder Crit and watched the roadies race in a circle for a few before heading back home to take pictures of stuff that we need to sell. After that, we tried to decide whether to be lazy the rest of the day or test my knee out on some singletrack.

We thought we were going to settle in to another lazy afternoon on the couch when we found out that the Red Wings were playing but we quickly found ourselves getting a little stir crazy after the first period...it was such a nice day out and I felt like we were wasting it. So I got on the bike and tooled around the yard just to see how the knee would feel and decided to get off our butts and do an easy ride @ Heil. All went well with the knee only feeling a little tender when I had to stand up and power move up rocks but nothing I couldn't push through and the pain never lasted long.

We've now gotten back into our normal routine of running in the morning and I've been riding @ lunch again.....now I'm just waiting for the new bikey to arrive and a long weekend to get to know my new two-wheeled partner :)

-Kim

This is the one

The Trek Fuel EX 9.8

This will be my first carbon frame! And I'm beyond excited to get it...she'll be here hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday :)

Although, I got an offer from a friend of mine to ride his wife's bike for the rest of the year since she's on a new bike, I knew after contemplating it for a couple days, my heart was set on the Trek. I've never ever gotten on a bike before and immediately fell in love with it like I did with the EX 8 and I'm sure the EX 9.8 will be even better!

Hopefully my knee feels better by next week so I can show her around the front range trails ;)

-Kim

Happy Belated Bday Post Sweetie!

Dan's birthday was 5/12 and the whole reason we went to Moab was for his birthday. Last year we spent 4 days in Fruita, and next year I think we'll stay in Fruita and drive to Moab for a day of riding, that way we'll get to enjoy Fruita, Grand Junction and Moab...we may even need to tack on another day or two ;)



Hope you had an awesome birthday weekend!



-Kim

Wait...did I forget something?

Oh yeah, we go to Moab for 4 days of sweet riding bliss and I forget the camera.....DOH!!!

**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Oh well, we did however have an amazing 3 days of riding...only 3 days because I busted my knee open on Sunday riding Amasa Back on a section called Rockstacker, I think. No rocks were stacked like the last time I rode it but there was a nice steep roller in the middle that didn't seem too bad. Dan rolled it and nailed it and I followed but apparently where I rolled, it wasn't a good spot and I endowed and smashed my knee into a rock. I've got about a dime size hole in my knee and it's so swollen that I can barely get my left leg into my pants :( Doesn't hurt much but I definitely can't run or ride until the swelling goes down. Oh well, we had an amazing weekend otherwise!

Friday we rolled into town around 1pm, too early to check in so we decided to head out to Sovereign to test out the EX8. Let me just say, angels sang while I was riding this bike! I cleaned ledges and switchbacks and everything I couldn't imagine I could ride....I can now ride! I think Dan got a little sick of me saying "no freakin' way" towards the end :) We ended the evening with a soak in the hot tub and some roasted chicken from City Market.


Saturday was the Porcupine Rim ride and we got news that the Hazard gates were open from our friend Chuck who was on his way out to meet us, but we couldn't really confirm that until the next day. When the shuttle van arrived, the driver confirmed that yes the gates were open and we're going all they way baby! Woot! All I got to say in Porcupine is such a blast and with only a few mechanicals (non being flats....if you can imagine that) the EX8 handled everything amazingly and it's so easy to get the front end up for drops and wheelie drops that my confidence was on fire and I was flying so high at the end of our ride. Finished the ride up with a soak in the hot tub, some mexican food, tequila shots and a huge chocolate malt that put some of us into food coma and rendered it a pretty early night.

Somewhere on Porky
**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Dan contemplating the Notch...his 8" rotors were "too good" and didn't give him any play so he wasn't comfortable riding it. Imagine that, brakes that are too good :) And it you've ever seen The Notch, you know that it's way steeper and sand covered than this picture shows!
**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Taking another break on Porky
**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Dan and Chuck playin'
**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Cheers!
**photo credit Aric Otzelberger**

Sunday...well, Sunday didn't turn out as I had planned. I felt good on the ride up from town but as soon as we got onto the trail, I realized that I was tired, lazy and not really all together there. I pushed through the falls and blood and we eventually got a nice ride in and I eventually got some mojo back on the descent but I was ready to be done by the time we hit Kane Creek Rd. This is after we helped some 4 wheeler out of the ravine when he didn't make it up the ledges at the beginning of Amasa back!

Monday, we just packed up and hit The Black Bear in Grand Junction for some yummy food before heading back to Boulder.....thank god for The Black Bear!

mmmmmmm The Black Bear! Best post full weekend of riding food EVER!!! Huge breakfast served anytime and the home of the Grizz :)
**photo credit Cynthia Ferrer**

Cynthia has some pics here and a good write up of her adventures in Fruita and Moab with us.

Next time, I really need to remember the camera!!!! What's the purpose of a good bloody knee when you can't show it off :)

-Kim

Singletrack after work

Got to get out yesterday with Carey and Emma to ride Hall. Carey & Emma got out a little earlier than I could and rode up Antelope, down Bitterbrush to meet me, then we all rode up Bitterbrush, the upper loop and then back down Bitterbrush. The trail was dry and the temps were in the 70's which makes for a perfect evening riding dirt.

It was sooooo nice getting out and riding with them. Last weeks ride out at Hall left me a little disappointed in my performance so it was good to shake it off and get a good satisfying ride in.



Tomorrow Dan and I are headed to Moab for 4 days of riding bliss!!! We didn't get the dirt bikes worked on so it's strictly a ride until you can't ride anymore type of weekend! I'm sooooo looking forward to it and I'm really looking forward to a little shuttle action and Porcupine Rim on the EX8...hope she rocks my world :)

-Kim

Cinco de Drinko

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, our wonderful college kid neighbors decided to throw a rip roarin' party :( I got home to kids everywhere, loud music and even louder people. Dan got home close to 10 after a work meeting and said there's guys just peeing everywhere.

I thought, well....I've tolerated the noise and annoyance of the whole thing up until now and the noise level wasn't getting any softer, they still had the music blasting, and I needed to go to bed.....so, I called the cops :0

I've never called the cops on anyone before, well once in Chicago when 2 people were fighting right outside my house, the cops arrived SECONDS later....which I thought was pretty impressive.

Anyway, I called the cops and around 10:30 there was suddenly no noise, everyone left and everyone still there went inside!

Ahhhhh....the sweet sound of NOTHING!

I slept like a baby too :)

I think I'll call the cops more often on them.....maybe they'll move to the college side of Boulder and leave all us old people alone.

-Kim

Isn't she purdy

This is what I'll be riding this weekend in Moab and I'm ready for her to rock my world!! And for some reason, I think the gold and chocolate colors are HOT!

Fuel EX 8 WSD

I'm ready for 5" again....6" was a little too much for me :0

-Kim

Pics from Dan's Fruita/GJ/Moab trip