This was a fitting close to the 2015 Ascent Cycling series. A return to Palmer Park and one of the more challenging courses we have faced. Changing things up in a good way! I decided to ride over to Palmer Park this time - it would only take a little longer then driving and I wouldn't need the extra time for a warm up. I climbed up to the race course and got on, heading the direction we normally race. Only we weren't going that direction! Awesome! Something different, which meant I needed to…

At least for the 2015 season, the Ascent Cycling Series is wrapping up. One more race at Palmer Park. One more chance to ride with one way traffic as hard as we can on local trails. It's been a long series, with all kinds of conditions thrown at us - sunshine and heat to mud and creek crossings. What will the race bring? It's impossible to guess until we are on the line, sizing up the competition and ourselves. Are we ready for this finale? Will both the bike and the legs hold on until the…

I'll be honest - I didn't know what to expect with the long race at CMSP on Sunday. The last time Nick and I tried riding Blackmere and Cougar's Shadow, they were a mess. It was more of a swamp then a trail, with several stream and creek crossing and mud bogs that were 100s of feet long and ankle deep. Not ridable at all. We've had some dry and hot days since then, but not enough to even dry up some of the new rivers running through CMSP. Given that I wasn't sure what was coming, I'd…

Every morning we wake up with the choice - make the best of the day we are given or simply go through the motions of living. And that is just the first choice of the day - there are a million more and sometimes we don't even realize what choice we are making and how they will affect the rest of the day, week, month...  It's not easy to see how much a little choice will reflect when we act in the moment. I've been trying to wake up and choose positivity. After all, I'm waking up to a new day…

I have to wonder, what the large flock of turkeys was thinking Wednesday night. After all, it was wet out and still spitting rain at times. What on earth were these mountain bikers doing? Usually the trails would have been deserted at that time of day under those conditions. It would have been safe for them to take the easy route - aka the trail - to their destination.

But this was no ordinary Wednesday night.…

On grey days like yesterday it's hard to want to get out and ride. It's cold. It's raining... The list of excuses goes on and on and eventfully the ride doesn't happen. Or we wait for the dry and sunny window, only to have that window never open. Again, the ride doesn't happen because of the lack of motivation to take a chance with the conditions. But what are we missing when we choose to let the weather win and allow the grey, heavy clouds to affect the motivation needed to hit the trails?…

Aw, shucks. There I was (and so was everyone else in the 6:15 start) all dressed up with nowhere to race. The bluebird skies had vanished behind some very angry clouds and just was we (Nick and I) were heading out the door to ride over to Bear Creek for the race, the rain started. So we waited for a few minutes. I texted Amber, who I knew would be on site and have all the info, asking if the race was still…

We all have them - that point where we are happiest, relaxed and just comfortable. It doesn't matter if it's in life or on the bike, we settle into those comfort zones and stay there - either not realizing that we are there or unwilling to make a change. And sometimes, that's okay. There's not always a reason to push the limits or make drastic changes. Until there is. Until there is something that makes us realize that there is a…

The competition was at its finest this Wednesday for the Palmer Park race, with the largest race ever in Andy's 101 events. Huge fields at the Ascent Cycling Series mean one thing - speed. And with the speed comes the pain that only an hour of suffering can dish out. With Kelli E in the mix this time, I knew our race would be fast. Add in a new racers like Liz and anything could happen. But regardless of the outcome, it would hurt.…

How many times have we heard Andy call that out? Like many riders, I have grown with the series. From that first race in 2008 as a Cat 2, hoping to gain some experience but terrified of the expert riders I was racing against to today. I think I crashed every time I took my mountain bike out in those first few years and those first races. It was the perfect introduction to mountain bike racing though - hard and fast but with little…

Are we saying goodbye to the Ascent Cycling Series for the year or forever tomorrow night? Who knows at this point - but regardless, it's the finale of the 2014 racing. Race Number 5 for the 2014 Ascent Cycling Series and lucky 101 for Andy. We are returning to the familiar trails at Bear Creek for the second time this year - how many miles have I raced there over the years? Too many to count, yet each race is different. Back to the traditional Ascent race style after the length of the CMPS…

Tomorrow is a big day - for many reasons. First, it's Andy's 100th race. Think about that - 100 races that Sand Creek Sports has either hosted or helped with organization. That's a lot of time, effort and dedication to our sport - with not a lot of return…

After taunting the thunderstorms last week (and winning...) I think the storms are coming back to get me. Only this time, they were targeting the entire Pro/Cat 1 field at Ascent Cycling Race #3.... With the Cat 2 racers still finishing up, Andy started the roll call of the entire field - everyone. He started in the normal order - pro men, SS men and so on down the line. Odd. Normally there is a well defined gap between all the fields. And then, after the last cat 2 racer finished, he rolled…

Welcome to July. Yikes. It feels like I've been going, going, going since the start of the year without much of a break. And in a way, I have been - from the Super Half Marathon (yes, I play runner sometimes too...) to 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest, there's been a lot of stuff going on. Not as much racing as in prior years, but the few races have all been very big events - in length, size and stress. The training has been hard and I've had fewer social and fun rides then I'd like. I was…

I wanted to race yesterday. Coach Adam even had the race on my schedule for racing with the big girls. But on my ride on Wednesday, I realized I wasn't ready to race - not at that level. Mentally, I wanted to be lining up and trying my hardest to at least finish on the same lap as the winners. I would have sunk myself deep into the pain cave to do that... And that was the problem. I wanted to race, but the legs still weren't there after 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest. Trying to race would…

There comes a moment in any race when it comes down to the mental battle. It doesn't matter if the race is an hour slug fest at Bear Creek Terrace or a 24 hour endurance test. The demons are always there, lurking - whispering in your ears that its okay to stop - everyone else is hurting just as bad. The sign of a great athlete is knowing when the demons need to be silenced, ignored and when they rightfully demand attention. It's a hard task to stay mentally on top throughout an entire race.…

Well. Isn't that the story of racing? Sometimes you are the cat and sometimes the mouse - and sometimes, both! With just me and Caroline Mani on the line for the woman's pro race at last nights kick off for the Ascent Cycling Series, it would quickly turn into a game of cat and mouse with both of use playing each role at varying times. A shorter course with less road and more technical singletrack played to my strengths, but I wanted to try racing smart this time. Instead of bolting from the…