Updated Race Schedule

January 31st - DH- CCCX - Salinas, Ca
April 3rd - DH - 1st of a DH Series- Auburn, Ca
April 16th -18th- DH & Super D - Sea Otter Classic-Monterey, Ca
(May 13th - 19th - Trip to Moab!!)
June 19th - Super D - The Oak Tree Super D - Auburn, Ca
June - October TBA- Super D Series (5 races)- Northstar-Tahoe, Ca
August 14th - Super D - The Oak Tree Super D - Auburn, Ca
September TBA - Mammoth Bar DH - Auburn, Ca
October 2nd-3rd- Super D - Tara 4 - Northstar - Tahoe, Ca
kd

Excitement is a new bike . . .

Some of us were very nice this year and got a BIG present under the Christmas tree (no, it wasn't me. I'll try and be nicer this coming year - hehe). Yummy, my mouth is watering looking at the picture. Can't wait to meet the new beast in person. TRW - we are all gonna have a blast!!

kd

Our Playground

Out here are some awesome local trails you can't beat for a five minute trip into the canyon! This morning as I took a side-tracked drive through the canyon just taking it all in I saw a truck full of guys we know with their bikes hanging out the back and I knew they were doing shuttle rides into the mist. I wanted to go home and grab my bike and join them so badly, but the flu and office work I had to attend to left me musing about the rides these boys were about to take instead of taking one myself. Hohum. Tomorrow is another day! You bet I'll be there.

kd

Girls on the East Side Hit Northstar on the Back Side

(We found the back side of Northstar had fewer people and more powder than the main trails. Right up our alley).

(Hey, what happened to Livewire?)

What do you do when your home town trails have been washed out and the snow has fallen thick in the mountains? . . . you head up to your usual mtb park and trade in the bike for skis -- for now. (Two of the three Girls pictured here with one daughter on the snowboard. She's a bad-ass in her own rights on the board. That's the way it's done darling).

That was Monday. Today the trails had a chance to dry out a little, and although there were a few slippery areas, some lines washed out and tree branches littering the trails -- it was an awesome ride! In fact on Flood Trail (aptly named) a fallen tree lay across the trail with a bare branch on the ground and the bushy part of the rest of the tree making a perfect arch above it. The obstacle at first caught me off guard and I grabbed a handful of brakes, then my brain quickly processed it as something fun to try and hopping my bike over the branch while at the same time crouching down to fit snuggly through the opening of the other leafy branches, it was an obstacle that rivaled any made at a bike park. Yeeehaa! All that was left to do was light the branches on fire and I could have lept through a burning ring (nod to the Man In Black). Just joking -- even though the canyon was still quite damp, no one is recommending lighting anything on fire, ever, I assure you. Luckily where we live there will be plenty more winter riding ahead -- and we'll hit up more skiing too. It's good to cross train and you can't beat it when it's so much fun!

kd

Enjoy . . .

Katie Hayes Promo from 406 Productions on Vimeo.

kd

Tenetive Race Schedule 2010

January 31st - DH- CCCX - Salinas, Ca
April 16th -18th- DH & Dual Slalom- Sea Otter Classic-Monterey, Ca
May TBA - DH - Spring Thaw Downhill - Ashland, Or
June - October TBA- Super D Series (5 races)- Northstar-Tahoe, Ca
October 2nd-3rd- Super D - Tara 4 - Northstar - Tahoe, Ca

Yeeeehhhhhaaaaaaaa!!
kd

Winter DH Race Series

CCCX Fall/Winter DH Raace Series. . . See you there?
kd

Indoor Bike Park

While we pretty much get to ride all year round in Auburn, with it getting darker earlier and the chill starting to set in, life would be so complete in the winter if we had one of these close by . . . Ray's MTB Indoor Park.
kd

Why We Ride at Night

We ride at night because we didn’t get a ride in during the day and still need our fix.
We ride at night because we long for the feeling of adventure and isolation.
We ride at night to make tired trails new and to make known trails unknown. Our bike lights are lower than the sun and cast a long shadows on the trail, making “baby heads” look much larger and obscuring our depth perception. It’s surreal and spooky.
We ride at night to explore forbidden trails that belong to hikers and horses.
We ride at night to commune with the moon , the dew , the crisp air, and the rising and turning of the night sky.
We ride at night to have the green, yellow and red sets of eyes staring and piercing the darkness from our left, right and center.
We ride at night to encounter the unseen owl with the flap of his wings, the frantic rustling of the deer in the brush, the coyotes laughing from some nearby ridge and to feel the presence of the cat that creeps ever so close. We ride at night to hear the silence, the frogs and the crickets.
We ride at night because we love our bikes and darkness should be no reason to let them sit dormant.
This piece is really written by Chris Wilcox who used to work for a bike light company. I added a few lines that I thought would make the experience complete.

Atherton Project

I love this family!
kd

After driving through the Mojave Desert for a non-bike related trip this weekend, I decided one thing, well, more made a committment to myself -- no matter where I go, I will always bring my bike with me. I can always play hookey the next day if neccessary. I wanted to ride my bike through the desert soooo badly!
kd

A Video For You

kd

Recovery

Things that help one come back from a knee injury:

• RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation - learned that running x-country in H.S.)
• Physical Therapy (including ultrasound and electrical stimulation)
• Yoga (stretching, strengthening and mobility)
• Easy Gym Workouts (get strength back and keep mobility)
• Laughter and Tears
• Suportive Friends and Family
• Easy Road Rides Graduating to Trail Rides
• Accupuncture and Herbs

WaLaa . . . back on the trail!!

kd

Freedom

Sometimes I wonder why I love mountain biking so much -- it can be a lot of work, maintenence and some days, frustrating. Then, a conversation with friends after a great ride one evening reminded me of learning to ride a bike as a child in the foothills of Meadow Vista. There was really not a flat, smooth surface around (apart from a section of road that we had to climb a gravelly hill to get to). I remembered that feeling as a kid, when you had no preconcieved notion of how you were "supposed" to do something, and you would see an area you wanted to ride your bike to and would just take off and go in that direction. There were no trails -- just a lot of rocks, fallen tree branches, and piles of slippery pine needles that you just furrowed through to get to your fort or whatever destination called.

Now we ride trails that have built obstacle as well as natural ones -- but the feeling is the same. Freedom. Freedom because you know that you can just take off in a direction (or master a skill or have as much fun as possible) and just go out and do it. (No quote from Nike intended. Swear!) That is ultimate freedom -- and having that ability is what drives us to work even harder to keep it.

Photo: Livewire, Northstar, Ca
kd

Auburn DH on the Map

Saturday Sept. 12th was the first annual Mammoth Bar DH Race in Auburn, CA and while none of the Girls On the East Side participated (coming back from knee injury for one, special out of town visitors for others, etc.) it was still exciting to be spectating -- and planning our attack for next year's race!

The course, Stonewall to Rocky, is one of this rider's favorite in Auburn -- and I plan on getting more practice on Rocky this coming year, especially after watching a few gnarly crashes that left me sort of nauseated for the poor riders that went down hard -- one being carted away by ambulance with a VISIBLY broken wrist and probably nasty concussion.

We spoke to race officials and found out that one pro female rider, Joanna Petterson, was supposed to be at the World Cup in Schladming, Austria and her and her sponsor chose for her to compete in Auburn's race because the purse was bigger -- she came in with a winning time of 2:52 which is amazing! We don't have all the names or race times yet, but below are photos of some riders that literally went flying past us!

It was great to see pro bike handling skills up close and live in our own back yard. (The crappy camera I used didn't do justice for capturing action shots).

A group of local riders coming down during timed trials (which ended up not being timed due to some kind of mechanical failure to much of the riders' displeasure).

Hanging on, keeping speed, and having keen agility on your bike is key to getting through the aptly named "Rocky" trail.

Most riders chose the clearest line. This rider bounced out of that line and managed to choose another on the fly and impressively stayed with it to a clean finish.

Others were not so lucky.

Some flatted out and got passed. Flats -- the bummer of the mtb race.

Looked like this young rider might not have children one day after he got thrashed around so hard he broke his seat clean off (check out the seat area -- gone!). The male dominated crowd responded as audibly as he did. He limped off the course nearly in tears during trials and came back on his friend's bike to race. Nice job man. (Pretty much confirming that he still will be one).

Remnants of his seat on the side of the trail.

One of the pro women lifting up the front end to fly over the very last section to the finish.

One of the men doing the same.

Although it was an unpredicted overcast day, the sun shone through sporadically highlighting the first annual Mammoth Bar DH race . . . can't wait to race it next year!

kd

Fire, Lefty, Nomad and Duende!

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Good to Be Back(ish)

I have no exciting DH tales to tell -- no new jumps, no big drops, no rock gardens to crush. Just a girl, a bike, and a rolling cross country trail winding along the river. But the excitement inside myself was enormous. Today I rode on the dirt, on a real trail, for the first time in five weeks since I injured my knee (Bla, bla torn meniscus, bone contusions bla, bla, bla, grade II MCL injury).

I slipped out early this morning without telling anyone. I knew my steadfast companions would join me if I asked, just like they had on the two warm up road rides we took in the past weeks, but I didn't want to hold anyone back not knowing how hard I would be able to push myself. Besides, coming back from an injury is an emotional journey as well as a physical one. I knew I could push myself more mentally in the solitude of the trail -- and I did -- and it felt fantastic. It also felt strange trying to resist the auto-pilot urge to launch off a rock or bunny-hop a rut (albeit it's a mild trail) so I set my sites on trying to avoid the obstacles instead of having fun with them.

(Sunshine on my [bike] makes me happy . . . nod to John Denver).

I'm definitely going to need to work on my strength -- cardio and muscular. Climbing some of those hills was tough. I was instructed to not get out of the saddle too much, but you can't sit down when the terrain is steep and the dirt is loose, so after a little standing climbing, a couple times I had to get off and push the bike. I also couldn't pin it too much around some of the corners because the crouched position made me cringe. But all in all, it was a beautiful start!

On my drive out of the canyon I saw Marianne's and Tina's vehicles parked at the trail head of one of our favorite trails we love to rip and a huge smile spread across my face. I'll be joining you ladies soon, is what I thought. I'll be joining you soon!

kd

"Rogue DH MTB Trails"

Thanks to the contribution of one of our readers, an article that mentioned local trails in Auburn was brought to our attention. While I am in NO way aligned with the activities highlighted in this piece, I have to say I do enjoy the spoils of their illegal activities. I also enjoy the use of the word "rogue," "thrill-seeking mountain bikers," and "pirate trail builders" sprinkled in the article. Maybe we should rename ourselves, Girls on the Rogue Side! HaHa!

(My advice [not that you're asking]: Tread lightly, spread cheer, and give back -- at whatever you're doing. Om.)

kd

Kirstie sighting at the Warped Tour!

The bike striking knee did allow Kirsitie to join the Warped tour and get back stage passes for 3OH!3 with Hannah. Nice to see you get your mind off your bike, Kirstie. Who's singing to whom here? Give the mic to Hannah. Looking good in your shades, Kirstie. You don't look like you're missing no canyon!

Tina is Smokin

I met Tina a couple of years ago in the canyon. We rode with a big group that got divided into smaller groups and Tina was the other girl in our small group. We headed down the Confluence Trail and I tried to keep up with Tina. She had an amazing line and a confident style that was admirable. The guys were talking about her. I had never seen a girl ride like that. I couldn't keep up, she so smoked me, but I tried and I had fun during the short distance that I could follow her line. At the end of the ride I asked her if she would ride with me when I got a better bike. She gave me her number. A couple of months went by and I got my new bike and I called her. We met by the Confluence and rode up the hill and had fun getting to know each other until we got to the "no talking down hill" single track overlooking the Middle fork of the American River. Tina joked for me to stay on her ass and it's been a joke between us ever since. (I could return to that in another blog entry). She was nice enough to slow down for me so I could ride her line and we did that every couple of days for at least 50 rides until she felt that she had created her "Mini Me". Often we'd switch so I would ride in front of her and she would stay right on my ass and watch what I was doing and let me know what I could improve. Eventually I would ride her line right on her ass and at times we were flying. But then recently I noticed how hard it is to keep up, she's way ahead of me and all I see is her dust cloud. Tina is really good and she undoubtedly got better. Tina is smokin! I don't know if it's the Gym or the boyfriend or a combination of the two. Whatever it is it's working. I'm sure Tina will be smokin in her next race.

Today my daughter took me to the mall for back to school shopping. She had me come with her to the dressing room of a new store called PINK. On the door of the dressing room I read "Tina is smokin"! I'm not kidding, it was engraved by the store design team. You would think I wrote it but I didn't.

Pretty soon Kirstie will be back riding with us and she'll be smokin in no time because she is so mentally ready to ride with us. When she does I should go to the PINK store to add "Kirstie is Smokin". That Nomad bike is really working for her. (In another blog you'll learn how we met Kirstie).