Snowmass

This weekend was Norba Nationals in Snowmass.

Janis, Lynn and I drove to Aspen on Saturday morning to pre-ride the cross country course for Sunday's race. It was a great course - about 20 miles with about 5000 ft of climbing. Lots of killer single track and some screaming descents. Below, Janis navigates some single track through the Aspens.

The Tough Girls had a successful weekend with 3 of us on the podium for the X-C. Lynn and Janis took 4th and 5th, respectively in the Super D. Check out http://www.toughgirlcycling.com/ for pictures (should be updated shortly). My boss, Brian and his family were in Snowmass for the weekend, and came out to cheer. Below is a picture of me with his cutie little daughters, Katie and Emily. Not so little, as they're quickly surpassing my towering height.

The pro short track was later in the day, after the X-C. The Luna Chicks decimated the field. Here's Georgia and Katerina opening up a gap. Katerina ended up with the win after Georgia led the whole race.

Lea D, homegirl from Jericho, VT was riding strong. Awesome to see her. She'll be heading to Worlds in Scotland on the second of September! Good luck!

Then there was the end of season 80's party, put on by Trek and Gary Fisher. There were some hilarious costumes and big hair. Below is Janis and Lynn's mohawk creation on Nat. It ending up being more of a burrito on his head, but still a good look.

Fun in the Ghetto

Friday marked the second annual trip to Lakeside Amusement Park in Denver. I'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe, so it took me a little while to settle into a comfort zone.The Tilt-a-Whirl consists of several cups that spin and tilt - and whirl you around. Kate, Patria, Renee, Missy and I crammed into one cup, and unfortunately didn't whirl around too much because of so much weight. We had hope that momentum would be on our side, but were quickly disappointed.We then ventured over to the death tower. The ride's name is "Zoom". It's a really really wicked high tower that pulls you slowly up to the top, and as soon as you reach the top, you plummet back down to the ground until something stops you, about 4 feet from the ground.

Here we are about to embark on the death-slide to the top. As soon as we strapped in, I'm fairly sure we all began to regret our decision. Seriously, it's the most scared I have been in a long time. It kept going higher and higher - so high! And then you just drop, and I wasn't sure I would ever stop. I was numb all over and my legs were shaking. It was an experience. I'm alive, so I suppose it was a good experience.

Oh Bicycle,

Yesterday I rode with Alison Powers up to Brainard. She is one of the nicest pros out there. It's nice riding with her because while I was getting in three hours of race-pace intensity, struggling to stay on her wheel, she was hardly breathing and telling me all sorts of stories. She's got a great blog with some pretty cool details from the Giro and other big races - click on "AP's" under "other blogs" to the left.

Today I rode the fruit loops with Coach Missy and Cannon Lannan. But of course, before departing town, I needed my caffeine buzz from Spruce Confections. Today the beverage of choice was a cappuccino.

On our way back into town we stopped by Anne's house to check it out. Wow, it is beautiful - and for sale! On our way there we passed a ginormous house with a slate roof and five garages!! A little over the top if you ask me. That person must have A LOT of bikes to need five garages.

Walker Ranch

We rode Walker Ranch today. Perfect weather, no rain, and cool.

Restrooms are under construction at the start of the trail.If there is any more hike-a-bike up stairs, Beth threatens to throw herself off the bridge...

...and into the babbling brook. Hippies.

Spit Bags

Good news for anyone attending the Olympics in Beijing: Spitting has dropped from 8.4% in 2005 to 4.9% this year! While the venues for the 2008 Olympic Games are nearly completed, Chinese officials are still weary of "uncivilized society" in China. Although there have been efforts to eradicate this behavior since 1934, look out for line cutting, bad language, littering, and spitting. If you are especially frightened of flying phlegm, remain optimistic - spit bags are being distributed.Check this article out at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6927361.stm

Za at the Shippey-Towle-Arliss residence

Mocha Truffle

Yerba mate and a green tea late was not enough of a kick for me this morning. So Beth and I went to Spruce Confections for a mocha truffle and a cane cola. Jeff Wardell was hard at work there, and hooked us up with a muffin. The tube? There's nothing like good karma...Fisky gave a spare tube to some guy a few weeks ago while on a ride. Today he was at Spruce and paid her back.

I enjoyed the mocha truffle a little bit.

Then I was able to enjoy Bow Mountain with my Tour Guide.

I almost hit a deer while descending Linden.And then a man with a fanny pack passed me and I drafted off of him.

Yeah Short Track

Beta Fish Photography was clicking away for the final Wednesday Evening Short Track of the series. "Local Legend Dave Towle" was ripping it up with his announcing. My boss, Brian had his cheering squad out. Kerry Barnholdt once again tore all our legs off.

I'm at a coffee shop right now and some nice man from Switzerland asked if there were any public computers to access the internets. I let him use my computer and he said I saved his day, and he bought me an iced tea.

Monarch Crest

Apparently next year the South Central Crew want to make the Salida 3-day omnium into a 5-day. We turned our's into a 4-day, after riding Monarch Crest on Monday. All they need to do is add a hill-climb, and it'd be an epic 5-day stage race. Missy, SyRae, Anne, Beth, Jon, Timmy D & Lauren and I enjoyed blue skies - void of rain throughout our six hour trek.

The Rae of Sunshine in the shade.
Beta Fish tackles some sickie single track.

Cannon Lannan descends.

Salida Omnium

Rough crit today for me. After the road race I was sitting 3rd in the omnium, tied with Terrie, so she and Frisky Fisky were on my radar. Evidently I cannot race the Salida Omnium Criterium without crashing myself out. Last year it was my first race with a teammate and I got a little excited, took a corner very hot, and somersaulted over a curb into a bush. This year, I'm not entirely sure what happened, but thankfully, again, I didn't take anyone out with me. According to Sparky, I turned, locked eyes with her and then was sliding on the asphalt, complete with another broken wheel. After getting back in the race we had about 5 laps to go. On the final lap my seatpost broke and my seat fell off. Frisky Fisky took a triumphant win of the crit and of the overall omnium. Good work.

After, we got some pizza.

And recovery drinks.

And then we played chess.And then Sparky and Missy snuggled.

A Sticky Situation

We're in Salida this weekend for the Salida Omnium. On Friday, it started out with an 8 mile out-and-back Time Trial, a different course from last year, and actually really fun. There was a steep hill in it, and also some good turns. The women's field narrowly avoided the rain and thunder storm.

The next day was the State Championship Road Race. The women's race was 5 laps of a 12-mile circuit, complete with climbing, technical descending, and windy flats. It was beautiful weather until the second-to-last lap, when a cold rain rolled in. All was good though, and I pulled off my first win of the season.

Today is the criterium. I have about 3 hours until my start, so in the meantime, I'm taking advantage of the internets in town.

By far, the most anticipated event of the weekend was this morning's breakfast. John and I went grocery shopping for the trip on Thursday evening and stocked up on bacon, pancake mix, maple syrup, eggs, breakfast burrito makings and of course, coffee. The only thing we forgot was grits. However, tradgedy struck when the glass maple syrup jar was bumped off the top of the fridge. Below, John directs us on how to clean it up. Check out his shirt. There's actually a brewing company in Nova Scotia called John Shippey's Brewing Company.

Tomorrow we're switching over to fat tires and riding Monarch Crest. More on that later.

Name me

The newest member of the Dombroski family. Any ideas for a name?? I had my second debut ride on it last night at the Boulder Short Track. The first debut didn't count because it wasn't fun. I attempted the Breckenridge 63 miler x-c on Sunday, after Mt. Evans. I flatted and crashed a few times and the course almost had me in tears. I ride my bike to ride my bike, not hike it!

Apparently this is good stuff.

Nats Recap

Not only is Dave Towle the best announcer in the world, he is also a ridiculously awesome person with an enormous heart. It was very exciting for me to have Dave announcing a race as important to me as Nationals - one I have been looking forward to all season. It is always nice to see familiar faces at races, especially when the races are outside of the local scene. Having people at the race who mean a lot to me really raises my ability and desire to perform at a higher level. So, I was thrilled to have Dave and Missy out there, and also our kick-ass host family. Rosi and her daughter, Shannon followed in the commissaire car behind our group and it was great to have their presence throughout the road race.The road race was awesome; finally some real racing after the frustrating crit the day before. Pretty thrilling to ride beside Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neben. Webcor had a big team, taking three of five spots on the podium. And youngin' Mara Abbott walked away with three stars and bars jerseys from the TT, U23 RR and Elite RR. It was a great course with great riders, making for a great race.Another picture of the Seven Springs house and the GTS mobile.

U23 National Pedaling Backwards Criterium

You know it is a negative race when:

1) You are countering your own attacks
2) Your coach can run beside you and cheer you on
3) You have to lay on the brakes to get to the back of the pack
4) Dave Towle announces that your pedal stroke is the slowest he has ever seen from you
5) You hear Dave announce the above

Today's Espoir National Criterium was negative racing at its finest.

Fallingwater

Yesterday was the 24k TT. It starting raining halfway through, and by the time the women were finishing and the elite men were beginning, it was down pouring. The course was 6k of a closed highway with out-and-backs, making for tricky cornering, especially when wet. On one corner I locked up my rear wheel and almost went down. Kristin Armstrong, the World TT Champion won by over a minute. Pretty cool being on the same course as her.

Tomorrow is the U23 criterium, starting at a hellish 7am!!! I just set my alarm for 4am; 2am Colorado time. This means I will be chamois-ing up around 5:45. I'm guessing it'll still be dark. Cruel. It's really an insult - all the juniors start after us?! I will be drinking bountiful amounts of coffee tomorrow morning.

Today, our host, Rosi took Missy and I to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. I cannot imagine how much thought was put into the building. It seemed that everything sort of fit together like a puzzle, the way he made use of the natural surroundings - the boulders and running water. Notice the waterfalls in the picture. The main floor - the living room was extremely open, very unlike that of its time. There are windows everywhere inviting the outside in and the inside out. The bedrooms, however were quite small - which sort of pulled you outside onto the terrace. It was mind-blowing to see this piece of art, and to observe how ahead of its time the design was.

Seven Springs

We started our drive to Seven Springs, PA on Sunday morning - Ainslie, Christi, Missy, and I in the Gemini Training Systems ride. Kristi made some delicious steak breakfast burritos for the ride. We made great time, cruising into Davenport, IA around 9pm and spotting the Exel Inn to crash for the night. I walked in with my Excel jersey and they wouldn't give us a discount. The next morning we embarked on the second leg of our journey to our final destination of Seven Springs. Another uneventful day in the car until we were within an hour of Seven Springs, and the A/C stopped working. It was a silent rest of the ride with Ainslie taking his anger out in shifting, Missy stroking the vent (as if that would help) and Kristi and I minding the silence and sitting toasty.

I went to high school at Burke Mountain Academy - a private ski school in the Northeast Kingdom of VT. It is a small school of 60 students (my graduating class had 14 kids), resulting in a very close-knit community. I found out that one family of alumni used to own Seven Springs Resort, selling it last year. I got in contact with them, and they were more than happy to provide housing to us for our week-long visit. Their house is gorgeous. A beautiful log cabin with a very open floor plan. The couple built the house about 15 years ago, and now have three kids and a golden retreiver. There is also a big pond, which Missy insists on referring to as a lake - we'll call it an ocean. It is set back from the road and very quiet with nothing but trees and mountains surrounding the house. This family is awesome; the three kids are 17, 16 and 14 and best friends. The mom, Rosi is the alumni from Burke. She's into triathlons and I think we may have talked her into entering some masters road races. Apparently there is some awesome mountain bike trails around here, so the dad, Tim holds a Wednesday night single-track ride from the house with a BBQ after.

It's pretty pretty here.

Why I Ride

Riding my bike is everything that skiing was for me, while remaining therapeutic to my body, without the shenanigans of putting hours of training together for a one minute performance.

Descending is an art of harnessing an enormous amount of trust in the self – for quick reflex, balance and confidence in the overall control of the bicycle. It is a fine touch to always descend faster, while having a firm grasp of the body and bike.

Ascending is a tolerance for pain – to always push a harder gear as the legs are screaming. It is a mentality of staying within the self while also enjoying an out-of-body experience, no matter how agonizing. Something is on the other side of the hill, pulling up, pulling forward.

Cruising on flats, legs become pistons and there is always another gear to push to go a little faster. It is a rhythm, a beat to fall into, when the whole body is in harmony, in sync – the breathing, the legs, the shifting, and the heart all pound to the same beat.

Firecracker

For the Fourth of July, Dan, Nicole, and I went up to Breckenridge to race the Firecracker 50. John Shippey's family all got together to spend the week in Breck as well. He had a bunch of us over for a wicked dinner the night before the race: spaghetti, meatballs, Ben & Jerry's, etc. It was great to meet the family.

It was an awesome race as usual. Jeff Wescott is the man behind the race and always does a stellar job. This year I did the team relay with Jilayne. The weather was perfect, the trails muddy and dusty, resulting in a dirty day. Nicole completed her first mountain bike race, doing the Sparkler, quickly learning that her abilities and mad-skills are way beyond that of a beginner. Sandbagger! Dan caught the burn-out bug that is going around, and ended up riding the rest of it with Nicoleee. It was Brandon's first race back after fighting some blood-clotting problems. Good to hang with him at races again. Kerry and I rode a good part of the course together before handing the baton off to our teammates to complete the second leg of the 50. Erin and her beloved bicycle, Beyonce had a blast; even after wrapping herself around a tree! She is now converting to a mountain bike and 'cross chickie.

Shippensdorf was the only one in our little crew who completed the whole 50 miles. Here he is finishing, before taking a beer feed.
For the second year in a row, we shut the race down, finishing off the food and kegs with the race promoters. Man this race is awesome. Pretty much the best race ever.

Sunday

More progress on the car.

Dan, Steve, and I pre-rode the Firecracker 50 course.

The course is in good shape. The bottom section is pretty dry, loose and dusty. But there is still some snow as you climb higher in elevation.