"The Adventures of Niner Bikes!"

I traveled to Franklin, and Bryson City NC this past weekend to pick up our Sylvan Go Trailer, one of our sweet sponsors. Traveled to the race and wasn't so successful. Got food poisoning and had a hard race. I am stoked on our new camper and my new bike though. I must say I couldn't be happier with my bike. The handling is still surprising to me as it climbs and corners better than any bike I have ridden before.

Imma pop a cap!

 

Getting gangsta with it! Having so much fun while my parents are out of town. Thinking I should look into getting a hand gun license and buy a 22...We'll see this is too much fun!

Introspective Moon

As I battle off some form of elementary student illness, I decided to stay in for the night. I received many lovely calls from my peers inviting me to "porch it" on this beautiful 65 degree evening. By "porch it" I mean traveling via bike to and from various porches in the Fan district of Richmond City drinking beer. It was very tempting offer. However staying healthy is important to me and I don't think drinking excess amounts of booze will help this "illness" or expedite my ability to ride my bike. Plus my parents are vacationing in Cali, which means I have their lovely home to look after and two beautiful dogs. Just shortly after getting off the phone with a buddy, my mom's dog Sophie looked a bit unsure about my contemplating going out. I couldn't resist her puppy eyes and decided to stay home. I noticed it was a full moon and thus decided to take a walk at 10 pm to the river just a couple of acres from my parent’s back door. On the hillside I rested my head on my mom's Berner Sophie while my dog Icarus stayed attentive to any lingering critters near by. For 30 minutes I lay mezmorized by the full moon, flooding the sky, field and river with light. There were only a handful of stars in sight but I didn’t mind.
I was perfectly content. I contemplated the changes coming up in my life. Leaving the only place I've known as home. Richmond has been the longest I have ever lived somewhere and I feel very rooted here. Racing and being a lone for many weekends, not sure how I will pay for it but knowing I will suffer and learn more than I possibly could imagine. I am very excited despite my anxiety about it. I also learned a little bit more about myself tonight.

I love quiet.

I love the sound of the wind howling through the trees.

I love wide open spaces.

I want to travel.

I miss my companion.

I want to grow and not be stippled by the pressures of my peers doing the same old shit.

These past few months I have been missing something. I felt a bit depressed. However in a way I've never experienced before. I had the highest highs of the excitement of being on Niner’s Factory Team and all the doors they have opened for me. But with that I have also experienced the lowest lows.  Something has been missing. For the longest time I thought it was loneliness. Missing a lover or companion in my life, yes being single is hard but never before was it this hard. Last night I picked up the paint brush for the first time since this summer. Not in the way I pick up paintbrushes at school when I teach, but for myself. It felt so good to get lost for hours in my work. That jittery excitement yet fluidity of my thoughts came together so beautifully. I realized what was missing, my self expression. My ability to do whatever I want, no rules, no clock, no sweat, blood or tears….ok well sometimes tears but no expectations. It liberated me from my sadness and now I feel whole again. I feel silly for thinking all this time that it was a boy who had some sort of grasp on me. I’m ready to redefine myself and maybe I already have. I’m excited to learn who she is and how far she can go.

So now what you ask? 11pm on a Friday night just me, my paint and a white canvas.  Stay tuned for pics soon!

As one chapter closes, another opens.

Snacking up after a climb with an old friend, we joked about going pro. I remember saying how wild would that be if I went pro mountain biking and you went pro rock climbing? Not knowing two months later Mike Stanley of Niner Bikes would call me to let me know that if I wanted a spot on the Niner factory team, that it was all mine.  Talk about heart stopping, when I caught wind of this news I immediately sat down. I have been given the chance of a life time. Prior to this I had been working relentlessly volunteering and studying to become an art educator. Trying to find my place in the world, I learned that healing through art was my calling. I was unsure of my athletic career after the 2010 season. Not knowing how I would afford such an expensive sport, I thought I would just do it recreationally. I took a month off riding. Seriously. Taking rock climbing trips every weekend, I climbed Seneca Rocks, Franklin Gorge, The New River Gorge, various climbs at Summersville WV and so on and so forth. I found a new part of myself, someone who loves to push herself. I forced myself to continue on when I thought I couldn't. I'm terribly afraid of exposure in terms of heights.  I learned that being scared isn't a weakness but a drive and following my heart is what I do best. I'm not the best climber but I like being new to something and working up, however I won't ever make climbing a competitive endeavor. Climbing keeps my focus, it's a therapy that not only pushes my physical abilities but mental. Niner has open doors for me in so many ways. I have always been a 29-er enthusiastist and Niner is on top of the mountain bike industry solely manufacturing 29-ers. I couldn't be happier.

Still being coached by Matt Seagrave, he too opens doors for me on a regular basis. He supplies me with pro level workouts and training tips  as well as introduces me to people that are very important in the industry. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful best friend and mentor.

Training has been hard. The East Coast was hit with one of the harshest winters I've ever seen. I'm not a fan of training in the cold so I have been pushed to do more trainer workouts. I think this will be good in the long run not only for my mental toughness but sustained, precise workouts. I also injured my knees and had to take two weeks off the bike to rest and recover. This base training has taught me the most important lesson that staying healthy is the hardest and most vital part of training. I have always considered myself a healthy eater but healthy at this level of competition not only means eating right, but training smart and staying uninjured. I'm learning more and more as time goes on, and I want to record as much of this time as possible. New year res for '11 is keep track of the upcoming process by writing to this blog once a week.

Thanks to all the people that made this happen. Matt Seagrave, Mike Stanley, Carla Hukee, Chris and Steve of Niner Bikes, Ergon, Stan's NoTubes, Doug Madara, RCWR, my awesome and supportive parents, friends and family of Carytown Bicycle Co. and all my riding buddies. You all ROCK!! Stay tuned to this blog for updates on my new life chapter.
Niner-Ergon-NoTubes Factory Team Here's a link to press release.

Gobble Gobble

So, excuse my laziness for not posting a blog in a long time. The past month has been completely consumed with working two jobs, going to school full time, training on Matt's base plan and packing and moving back in with my parents. It's wild to think how much stuff I have consumed over the years but I have managed to consolidate some of my things. I am currently in a small town outside of Indianapolis spending the holiday with my mom's side of the family. I am having a blast, I was able to ride my cousin's horse, eat amazing food and see some of the people I love and value the most.
Thanksgiving in the past has always been a day of binge eating and relaxing on the couch watching the parade and Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation. This year I am thinking a little bit differently. I have begun a new chapter in my life. I feel it is more productive, more sincere and more driven. I have come back to my faith and found a really special man to think about. So this year I am also reflecting on the things I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for my trip to Guatemala, two successful art shows, making it to church almost every sunday this year, taking a safe trip to colorado and meeting some of Matt's family, my parent's, my brother's, a few wins on the mountain bike before, during and after a collarbone break, finding out I am almost done with school, I am thankful for my health and all the things I am learning about myself and others, I am thankful for the health of my Uncle Bruce, spending quality time with both my grandfathers. and many other things I cannot think of right now. I feel like God has granted me with new eyes, allowing me to see the world in new light. Thank you all who have impacted me this year. I love you all.

Garden of the gods

more Colorado pleaseeeeee

Inspiration in Colorado

I spent the last 5 days with Matt and his beautiful family: Jill, Todd and their three "cute-as-a-button" kids. I got to meet Emily and had a ball mtb'n with her. Overall I fell in love with Colorado and feeling at home with Matt. I can't wait to get out of school so that I may start a new life in Colorado or a place like it at least. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Matt Seagrave

This is just a silly post, to let you all know that I have the best boyfriend ever. I look forward to visiting him during his stay in Colorado in october. I also look forward to meeting some of his family members. Matt if you read this...know I am thinking about you and I hope your day is going better. :-D

Cyclocross in the air.

Today I partook in my first cyclocross race. This style racing for those who don't know is an off road/obstacle style course and on road bikes with a higher bottom bracket and mud tires. Thanks to my loving mother I was escorted to Baltimore and was able to obtain a good range of photos. I had planned to travel by myself but I am very happy my mom and I could spend quality time traveling together. With a few mechanicals I was able to do really well. The obstacles did not challenge me as much as I thought and my confidence is much higher now. So here are some pictures. Hope you all enjoy!

More Pics from Sherando

Sherando MTB trip

Labor day called for good weather, so Matt and I decided to venture out to the Blue Ridge Mountains and see how our rigs stood up to some Gnarly trails. The trip started out with a slow and steady grade up to 2K feet in 5 miles. We then came up to a hard switch-back section that covered 1k feet in one mile, pretty hard stuff. My gear was a bit too big to push on a 15% grade but Matt was able to climb about 2/3 of it before he had to stop and walk. I was quite impressed. Just after this point I became aware of my first and only mechanical (thankfully), I lost a screw to me cleat, which caused unclipping out of my pedal very difficulty as the cleat moved freely when I moved my ankle in the unclipping motion. This caused me to fall over a few times, but I am thankful that was the worst of our injuries. We then came on a trail called Torry Ridge. This section had endless rock gardens and really technical riding. Due to the fact that Matt and I were riding single speed hardtails, we walked most of this stuff. Then we came on to slacks trail which was a lot of fun descents. As we reached the meadow in the valley of the mountain that we had just descended we ended up at Sherando Lake, which was a huge reward for all the work we had done. It was beautiful. I was in awe most of the trip which made all the suffering worth it. Matt and I then road 664 for about 5 miles to our campsite and built a killer fire. Made a delicious dinner and enjoyed the quiet of being in the woods. Looking back makes me want to go there and never leave. The real world of being in back in the city has already kicked in, school/work and rain. I have a race this weekend and I'm looking forward to using my new skills used this weekend in Sherando. Hope you all enjoy the pictures.

RPC Coffee mmm mm good.

If you all are ever at Ellwood Thompson in Richmond, check out the Richmond Pro Cycling display. I painted their logo on the top of the display, I am a huge supporter of these guys. They are professional cyclists who do over 200 hours of community service throughout the year as well as travel all over the east coast racing their bikes at a pro level. They are strongly affiliated with Faison School for Autism and have really made a difference in the kids that they work with. So Blanchard's Coffee Co. and Richmond Pro combine forces to create the best local coffee around. There shirts and coffee are affordably being sold at Ellwood's. So check it out!

Finally a break

Last night Matt and took the mountain bikes out to Poor farm. I had a blast I love those trails, not super technical but yet diverse. Unfortunately we had Matt running too big of a gear for the climbing and had a issue with the gear clicking...However we got him new tires which helped a lot! Ignitor's in the front Crossmax in the back...my favorite combo for around here!
This morning I had time to get out and trail run for 40 minutes with my dog Icarus. It was so nice, the weather is perfect this time of year. I love having him near by to motivate me. He's also good for working on jolty sprints and such because he tends to take my line or cut me off in the corners haha but it will be good for Cyclocross training...Plus seeing him smile the whole time is relieving for me. Knowing he got exercise is important to me especially when I know he's going to be locked up while I am at work.
Saturday Matt and I head up to Sherando to do some mountain biking. I think it's gonna be really fun trip. I not only get to do some camping with him but also some world-class mountain biking. I'm praying we make it through it safely without mechanicals but even still it will be an amazing adventure. I will post more pics after this weekend! Have a safe one everyone!

A time of change...or just new beginings.

Despite my reluctance to regularly blog, I want to create a habit of it. I feel blogging is a really simple way to record what is happening in your life as well as the lives of the people that matter to you. It's also an avenue for me to write more, something I enjoy but don't do unless I am required to do so.

Looking back on the past year I feel like I have accomplished numerous things. For one I regularly attend mass again. I truly enjoy being back in this tradition because I feel at home in church. Being surrounded with people with similar moral beliefs is something I have sought out for the past year and looked in all places except for church, funny I know. However I guess I needed to know what and who else was out there other than in church. Wandering within myself, questioning my beliefs has allowed me to grow in faith more. I am more awakened to who I am and want I truly believe in.

Back in May I broke my collarbone. After an entire winter of training, I was just getting my toes wet in racing my road bike. In only my third mountain bike race EVER I descended Mill mountain in Wintergreen Va, and got air on a couple water bars in which I "tucked and rolled"...maybe the "dead fish" would have worked better but my face is still in tack. For that I am thankful. This accident was not a negative experience to say the least. I not only found out who my true friends were but also got to know my boyfriend Matt Seagrave. He spent countless hours with me, comforting me with homemade dinners and movie nights. Recovering would not have been the same without him. He currently gives me work outs and trains me to come back full force. I since then I came back to the race I broke my collarbone and one it, not just in my category but also in the single speed cat (for those of you who don't know I race a single speed mtb). Matt is the one most amazing man I know (sittin pretty next to my pappa dukes, grandfather and brothers), he inspires me to be a better person and to push myself harder. I hope he stays a part of my life for a lonnnng time.Just prior to me breaking me collarbone I rescued a yellow lab puppy from some gutter, punk train hoppers. Where my little buddy came from I really don't know, but needless to say he full of love and kisses. He makes my day everyday! Oh, and I named him Icarus.

In april I spent a long spring break in Guatemala, which I would hardly call a break. We traveled to many cities Chichicastango and Quetzeltenago (aka Xela), Antigua and Guatemala City. We stayed mostly in Cantel but one night we did stay in a town I am blanking on the name off shore of the lake antila. We worked with a Richmond run program called the Mayan Arts Program. This program allowed us to teach art at a Mayan school as well as work with the local woman's group, teaching them fair trade crafts and the importance of woman in a community (especially their's). This trip was one of the best experiences of my life. Without knowing Spanish I felt so welcomed by the people we encountered. The mountains were gorgeous as well as huge! I hope to go back soon.


I have three semesters left with school, and then hope to be Colorado bound to get my masters in Art therapy. I love Richmond, however it is time for me to venture out.

My little Brother Jack is in his senior year of high school. He looks to play football for a div 3 school. He also dreams of being a doctor one day. David my older brother is current at FullSail in Florida getting his masters in sound engineering. My mom and dad are working on the finishing touches of the completion of their new house on the river. I'm very happy for them.

I'm sure there is other things I want to talk about but....this will do for now.