I signed my husband and I up for a 50 mile mountain bike race called True Grit. When is it you ask? This Saturday.

I was really excited to race it since it's in my favorite place in the world...St George.

After riding it last weekend let's just say I've changed my perspective a little.

It's now not a race but a really really long training day.

I'm not the most technical rider out there. My strengths include going uphill, suffering, and I'm getting pretty good at descending. This race is so technical that I'm having to get off the bike as much as I'm riding it. In my mind I have a hard time staying in bike race-mode when I'm not riding my bike but running/hiking/walking it around every corner. That's why I've changed my outlook on the race. Not to mention the fact that I work all the time now, which I'm sooooo grateful for and I love my job so much. I've just been putting training on the back burner, like waaaaaaaaay back burner (as in I don't bike, run or swim). It's really weird. It makes me feel fat.

At least we got to go to Vegas to have a weekend of riding. It rocked.

The first day we rode 22 miles

The second day we rode 27 miles

Third day was 12 miles

 

 The guy at the bike shop told us to take a trail that leads you out to a UFO.
 That is my alien impression =:)

 Rad bike shop where the guy does a theatrical performance describing each trail. I couldn't help but giggle.

We spent a long time on these next photos trying to get us looking as extreme as possible.

And the fourth day we rode 35 miles! All in all we rode 100 miles. Woot Woot!

Holy cow! I feel so rude! I forgot to introduce you to my new boyfriend: Moe Mancini
He's my new mtn bike. His best quality? He's a 29er!!!!!
I almost feel like I've wasted the lasted 3 years of my life riding on a 26" bike. I am soo happy to be back on a 29er. (refer back to previous pics to see the little stud)

I also wanted to set your weary mind at rest. Yes. I did wear the same jersey 4 days in a row. And, it only got one washing. So now you know what kind of person I am.

New Bike!

I sold my Fezzari CR3 and bought this gorgeous Look 566. I love her. Her name's Carolina.

Me and Bobby went for a ride and I'm happy to say that Carolina's first ride was a worthy one...West Mountain :D  I told ya, it's my favorite ride in the winter. I felt so great on my new bike. I have been riding bikes that are too big for me my whole riding/racing career. People have been fitting me the classic yet completely mistaken way of sizing a person to a bike and that is; according to how tall a person is.  Here's how it's pretty much gone for me when getting a new bike "Wow! You're a tall girl! You're almost 6 feet? Ok you need to be on a 58cm bike." Or if it was a mountain bike they put me on a large and a couple times an extra large. Now I know this is a very...how do I say this nicely? It's a very inaccurate way of sizing a person and their bike. That's nice enough for me.

After working at a bike shop for the last month I now know that the top tube length is the most important measurement on a bike when finding a bike for someone. Yes I'm freakin tall, but guess what size I'm riding on my Look? A 55cm!! Crazy huh?! I've been riding a 58cm for the last 7 years and I should have (most likely) been on a 55-56cm bike frame because of my tiny torso. By tiny I'm talking about in relation to my extremely long legs. So I am very comfortable on my new bike and I feel fast! :D