Dylan and Jena's Two Wheeled Adventures

What an experience. The ninth annual Nimby Fifty mountain bike race in beautiful Pemberton BC is just that: A mountain bike race.  A true race that  tests a rider in every way a good race should.  To do well on this 37km course, a rider must be able to: a) climb fast and smooth for long periods of time b) navigate switchbacks like a boss c) keep some gas in the tank for when it's needed d) descend rough, loose, steep terrain Sometimes athletes train for a certain type of sport/event all year and then quickly realize, at some point or another, that they weren't quite as prepared as they would've liked to be. This was the case for Jena and I at Nimby Fifty.  It's an escorted start on the road for a few kilometers, but then once that truck pulls off, it's time to lay down some horsepower! It's a steep, wide open road climb for a bit until you hit a nice singletrack loop that takes about 10 minutes.  So you get to rest for a bit before you start the m...

I was told by a few people that if I ever get the chance to do the Salty Dog, then I should. So that's exactly what I did. I taught an 'advanced cycling and race preparation' course at the College of the Rockies in Invermere BC this spring and a student of mine, Tony Helmer, had the goal of doing this 6 hour event with his son.  When he told me that his son was unable to make it, I jumped on the opportunity to take his place.  I worked with Tony leading up to the race to get him as prepared as possible.  We hashed out a training plan for him and worked on some technical skill building as well.  I had a blast getting to know Tony and we became good friends throughout the process. We pre-rode the course the night before the race, and then saddled up and put the power down on race day.  It was a special day because it was both Mother's day and my birthday.  Tony's lovely wife Seona joined us on the trip to Salmon Arm so I felt like their adopted son ...

The expression "Well, that's racing" is a common expression in cycling. On any given day, a racer, no matter how well prepared they may be, can have a bad day.  It can be caused by a number of things: A poor night's sleep, a crash, an upset stomach, a wrong turn on course... the list goes on and on. For Jena, her goal of standing on the podium at the US XC marathon championships came to a halt when she heard the sound of air rushing out of her tire.  Flat tires happen during bike races.  It's always been part of the sport and it always will be.   After attempting to fix it multiple times with no avail, Jena, unfortunately had to call it a day.  She was physically and mentally ready to kick butt that day, but the sharp, jagged rocks on this Arkansas course got the best of her. So what does an athlete, one who trains year round and fully dedicates themselves physically and financially to their sport do when such a thing happens?  Well, they ...

The 2018 Pisgah Stage Race is in the books!  Jena and I did this race for the first time in 2017 and we loved it so much, we just HAD to come back.   There are a number of reasons we had to return: The trails in the Pisgah Forest, located just west of Brevard North Carolina are simply amazing.  They're fun, rough, challenging and have exceptional variety. Jena won this event in 2017 and wanted to defend her title. Todd Branham and his company, Blue Ridge Adventures, put on an extraordinary event.  Always organized, on time, well sponsored and the food is delicious! The PEOPLE and the ENVIRONMENT! Everyone at the event, from the racers to the volunteers and everyone in between, was so kind and awesome The weather?!?! It's supposedly in a temperate rainforest, but we got nothing but sunshine and beauty days for a second straight year! Timed enduro segments each day!  What more can you ask for?! This year, we are fortunate to have GearHub Spor...