Hannah Daze

ROOPOD

2008-06-20T12:07:00.001-07:00

My uncle Roo who lives in Massachusetts is working on a project called the ROOPOD.

This is what Roo has to say about it...

"This is what you would call a micro, or cyclecar...It is designed to be minimal in every way...

power comes from a mid-mounted 480cc water cooled two cylinder Kubota Diesel engine driving a CVT automatic transmission and a reverse gearbox...length is 9'4" track is 60" unladen weight will be around 550lb

seating is for two of me (just) top speed should be around 65mph on the flat. Frame is constructed out of 6061-t6 aluminum tubing tig welded and heat treated as a unit after welding...skin will be 6061 sheet and polycarbonate sheet with the glass windshield coming from the center portion of a vw new beetle...access is through the canopy hinging at the dashboard. Front suspension is double wishbone with air adjustable shocks and rack and pinion steering. rear suspension is swingarm (motorcycle style) with monoshock and the engine mounted on the swingarm centered at it's pivot (unified rear triangle) battery, radiator, fuel tank will be front mounted.

He has started building it in his shop...some pics of the process!!!

ROO IN THE ROOPOD!!!!!!!!!!!

The machine that will power the podly beast

Tour of Highbridge-pit crew duty

2008-06-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

DAVE WINS HIS FIRST ROAD RACE!!

My older brother Dave raced in New Jersey in a brutal CAT 4 road bike race on beautiful New Jersey roads. He won his first race with a courageous sprint finish. I was pit crew and took pictures. Our roommate JT also raced...it was his first road race. You can read Dave's race report at www.trimbleracing.com

GO DAVE!!!

Dave after his race

top of the brutal climb

river that ran along the course, it was a beautiful day!

part of the road course

dave's sprint finish!

pro riders

dave and JT after the race cooling down

JT riding his first road race

Dave pushing a hard pace

2008 US Open of Mountain Biking

2008-06-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

2008 US Open of Mountain Biking

I have finally found the energy to sit at my computer and write a race report of my experience this past weekend at the 2008 US Open at Diablo Freeride Park. I went into this summer like a little child with a big, outlandish dream that I whole heartedly believed would happen. If it wasn’t for my recent encounter with the unexpected nature of fate it would’ve happened. My initial plan was to live with some friends in Vernon, New Jersey where we would train at Diablo and then travel together to the races. Living in Houston most of my life I have never had the opportunity nor the resources to train consistently and focus on bike racing. This was my chance and I had the full confidence that I would be racing at pro speed by the end of summer.

At the beginning of the year I broke my wrist riding bikes and was out the entire season. Towards the end of my injury I made some [minor] adjustments to my bike and rode with my cast on. This was the same year that I discovered gravity racing and my focus shifted from cross country to downhill riding which I instantly fell in love with. The US open would be my first downhill and dual slalom race without a broken wrist. After I recovered I began riding the slalom course at my school and rode Diablo the week before and felt great. Perhaps I was too confident and should have taken my first race easy and with more patience.

Someone once told me that until something drastic happens to you, you will never change. This past week has been the most toughest, painful, and drastic event that I have experienced. I have learned a lot in just a few days about myself and my outlook on life. I believe everything happens for a reason and sometimes the best things in life happen to you when they aren’t planned. My perfectly planned and much anticipated summer has completely changed. However, I have a new summer awaiting me that I know will teach me something as unexpected as this accident.

As with every race I compete in I write a race report. This is my report for the 2008 US Open of Mountain biking-my most extreme race report yet.

Sunday Downhill Finals and my Helicopter Ride

I woke up feeling tired and sore but I was excited to race. I knew I had the ability to finish on the podium and I expected nothing less. When I got to Diablo I only warmed up with two runs because I was tired and didn’t want to burn myself out before the race.

I went up to the top of the mountain and sat with the rest of the women talking with each other and trying to stay relaxed. I looked up at the clock and it read 1:00. My race start was 1:08 so I put on my goggles and lined up. I kept repeating in my mind words of encouragement and petty attempts to keep my nerves calm. I love racing and no matter how hard I try to fool myself I get over excited at the start line. My butterflies were fluttering and my adrenaline was pumping. My hands gripped loosely and ready as I listened for the beeps that sounded for seconds. Five seconds to go….2 seconds….I’m off!

I was in a state of extreme focus. I knew there were people everywhere cheering but I couldn’t see anyone. All I could think of was to ride smooth and fast. And I was…I felt faster than I had been on any run but at the same time I also felt tired, a feeling that I tried hard to ignore.

I rode into the rock section with confidence as it was where I gained most of the time on my competitors. I flew off a rock drop and into the next section where I suddenly, unexpectedly flew off my bike. I still don’t know what happened in that moment or what I did to cause myself to crash but I crashed and hit hard. My crash was acrobatic as I flipped over my handle bars and landed on the back of my neck. As I lay in the rocks I suddenly could see all the people around me, their faces with startled expression. I started counting the seconds that I was losing but I wasn’t able to move. I looked up and saw someone holding my bike and everyone began cheering. “I have to get up…I have to finish this race” I stumbled upon my feet and grabbed my bike-everyone cheered again. I jumped on my bike and rode through the rest of the rock garden as I could hear the cheering become even louder until finally I was back in my zone and it faded into silence.

I didn’t feel injured at that moment, perhaps it was my adrenaline mixed with my determination that was running so strongly through my body. I rode all my lines, the rock slab, the little jumps, and the fast burms that flowed me into the field for the finish. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I hit the pro jump. All I can remember is looking at it and thinking “I can do that”. Never have I done a jump even close to that size and I hadn’t practiced it in my practice runs. With foolish courage I pedaled off the jump.

I don’t remember being in the air or even landing the jump. My friends told me I landed the jump and then fell down with the bike. I woke up ten feet in front of the finish line with people all around me, some of them my friends and some I didn’t recognize. Once again I couldn’t move except this time I wasn’t able to get up. My helmet felt as if it was strangling me and I begin shouting for someone to take it off because I couldn’t move my arms. I felt strong pain running through my neck all the way down my body and into my legs. The EMT medics rolled me onto a stretcher and put me in the ambulance where it drove me to the helicopter (my first helicopter ride!) that airlifted me to Morristown hospital.

I somehow convinced the EMT to take off my armor and racing pants off without cutting them. In the hospital I was brought into a room with bright lights and doctors all around me. After the doctors checked every inch of my body I had full body CAT scans where they would find a broken C6 vertebra.

The first few hours in the hospital I was more disappointed at the fact that I knew I wouldn’t be riding for a long time than at the fact that I was injured. It has been a long time where I have really cried hard and in this moment I could not stop crying. I cried so hard I thought I was going to stop breathing. My pain of emotion and frustration was stronger than the pain I could feel in my neck. I remember the doctor asking me if I was crying because I was scared and I answered “No, I’m not scared. I am upset because I will never be able to ride my bike again”

The next four days and three nights at the hospital would be a test of perseverance. I was accidently placed in the children’s hospital and lost close contact with the neuro- surgeon that originally looked at me. It would take two days and a lot of effort with the hospital to get my (first day scheduled) MRI’s taken that would confirm if any damage was done to my spinal cord (thankfully there was no damage). I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything for two days and instead was hooked up to an IV that was pumping fluid into my body to keep me hydrated. To add the already uncomfortable situation I had to have a catheter put in me since I was not allowed to move. The second day it stopped working and when I told the nurse she didn’t believe me. Finally after six hours I had a new nurse on duty and she took it out. These are just a couple of the struggles I encountered while in the hospital and it would have been unbearable if it wasn’t for my company during the whole experience.

My older brother Dave stayed with me the entire time. When I was able to eat he bought me good food so I wouldn’t have to eat hospital food and was the source of my calmness. We lightened up the mood of the whole situation by taking funny pictures of me and my bed ridden state. His girlfriend even came up one day and gave me a private concert singing songs and playing her guitar. If it wasn’t for him I would not have been able to make it.

The EMT who carried me off the race course also came to visit me. He told me that when he was strapping me to the board all I was asking of him was to carry me across the finish line so I could finish the race and when he said it doesn’t count unless I had my bike with me, I demanded that he drag it next to me. I laughed when he told me that story because I don’t remember any of it. He was a very kind man and I am thankful for all his help.

When I left the hospital I was in my gown because I didn’t have any clothes to change into. To add to my already hilarious image I had Einstein hair and was carrying my motocross helmet and goggles. The security guard stopped me because he thought I was escaping the hospital!!

Me and Dave decided we had to lighten up the mood of the hospital experience so we took some funny photos.....

The First Days of the US Open

Friday Day of US open

I’m sitting on top of the slalom course ready to practice and wondering why I am the only rider up there. The course is a short with a fun combination of burms and quick transitions of left-right-left turns. There is a jump at the end that boosts you into the sprint to the finish. Once you fly off the jump you land on loose gravel and a dirt composure making for a dangerous and brave sprint to the finish.

I rode the slalom course until they closed practice. I’m new to slalom racing so I had to be coached by fellow riders that you are supposed to weave in and out of the flags. After slalom practice I geared up for downhill practice, grabbed my DH bike, and jumped on the ski lift. The weather was beautiful-the perfect day for riding down dangerous mountain sides on a bike. It had been raining the entire week so the sunshine and clear blue skies were a welcome and happy relief. The view from the lift is really amazing I never thought of New Jersey as a mountainous state. Smiling under my full face helmet I couldn’t help thinking how happy I was to be there.

Practice went well and I felt fast. The course was still slightly muddy from the week’s rain but for the most part it was well packed and race worthy. The beginning of the course began as a straight drop into a sharp right turn that brought you into a technical rock garden. The rock garden had many different lines one could take, the faster ones being the most dangerous. I tested my skills by taking the faster lines and after a couple runs had them dialed. The technical portion of the course was my favorite part to ride. You walk the course and think you yourself “This stuff isn’t even ridable” then you get on your bike and fly right over it, it’s the best feeling.

After the rocks portion you ride over a big slab of steep rock that brings you into fast burms, with a couple of fun jumps stuck in between. This flows the rider into the end of the course. The end of the course opens up into a big grassy field with two options. The first option is to take the red bull pro jump (a 40 ft gap). The second option is to go around the jump which is much more safe but slower. It is a common occurrence in downhill racing to compromise safety for seconds on the clock. The run is short but nonetheless an exhausting demand of physical strength and stamina. I have done a 65 mile cross country race and raced half marathons, but the fatigue I feel after a downhill run is like nothing I have ever felt. It leaves you breathless with the feeling of the run left in every muscle of your body.

I was tired after practice but I couldn’t think about it. I had to quickly get ready for dual slalom qualifiers. I was racing against six other females which isn’t a big field but considering not a lot of women do this it was a good turn out. I ended up qualifying third.

Saturday: Slalom Finals and Downhill Qualifying

There were fourteen women of all ages in the downhill race. We went off in thirty second increments for the downhill qualifying run. My run started off fast as I rode through the rock garden with my smoothest ride yet, but the second half of the run could’ve been faster. “Don’t worry” I told myself…”It is only qualifying, tomorrow you will connect it and it will be great.” I ended up qualifying with the 5^th fastest time.

I gulped down a drink and multi-tasked my efforts as I pushed my bike and ate an energy bar up to the slalom course for the finals. Slalom racing is determined by means of elimination. There are two courses and a rider gets a chance on each course against one person. Whoever wins the races goes on while the loser is eliminated until it boils down to the final showdown of the last two riders. It’s a fun race to watch and even more fun to compete in, although its nerve racking as well!

I easily beat my first competitor, but as I began to push my bike up the hill I could hear the rubber of my tire rub against the gravel and my stomach dropped—I had a flat!!! I wasn’t going to have enough time to change it!! Luckily my friend noticed my problem and ran to me, grabbed my bike and changed the flat in record time. I ran up the hill and got there within seconds of my start time. Out of breath I jumped on the start gate, had a good run, and advanced to the next round.

It was close but my next competitor beat me by 0.9 seconds on the first run. I was a little nervous because she had a faster time than me in qualifying and was a good rider. One more chance was all I had to advance and I had to do it with more than 0.9 seconds on her. I took a deep breath and pedaled out of the start gate. She was right next to me going off the jump and pulled away. I thought I had lost it but when she landed the jump she went squirrely on the loose, rocky ground. I used this chance to pull away for the win and advanced to the final round.

It was now about 7 pm and I had been riding since 10 am. I was tired but determined and excited to race. I had one competitor left and I knew she wasn’t going to be easy to beat. She was a nice lady from Australia who has been riding gravity for a long time. Although we are competitive, most the women that ride are good sports and I have met a lot of friends through racing. We wished each other good luck and sprinted off out of the start gate. It was a good fight but she took first and I second. It was a fun day and I went home tired and happy.

Recovery update

At first it was difficult for me to walk because my back and hip were so swollen but that has gone down and I am doing better everyday. I even got some summer scarves so I can wear my neck brace with style ;)

Looking back on everything that has happened I have decided that I am more thankful than disappointed at this occurrence. 8 weeks with a neck brace isn’t going to be easy but it is nothing compared to a life of being paralyzed. I am extremely lucky that I wasn’t hurt worse and I’m going to make the best of it. I am going to use this moment of my life to become stronger and focus on other aspects of my life that I have been neglecting (including my posture!!). I will be focusing on my artwork and taking up a new hobby of photography.

I am thankful for my health and I will never take it for granted. I am even more grateful for my family and those around me who have helped me through this.

People ask me all the time if I will continue to ride and race mountain bikes. Despite all of this I still carry the same dream; in twelve weeks I will be back on my bike. I have too much passion and love for the sport, I feel more alive when I ride then when I do anything else. However, I will not forget what happened and will come back with patience and take it slowly. I will remember that I am not indestructible, but neither am I ordinary.

2008-03-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

My brother and my cousin's birthdays both fell over my Easter break so me and my friend Kacey took a road trip to NYC. My cousin Renee flew in from Arkansas, my uncle Roo and crazy little cousin Leilani drove up from MA, and my dad flew in from Houston. It was an amazing weekend!!!

Car Packed for the trip! Im living in New York this summer so I had some extra stuff to bring for storage....me and Kacey are ready!

We had a lot of encounters with animals on the way there....first Kacey almost ran over a little bunny rabbit....than I almost hit a deer that jumped out in front of me!!! It was scary! We also saw this dog on the back of a truck on a highway going 70!

We drive over the longest suspension bridge in America to get into the city

We arrive at my brothers house in the Red Hook district in Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn Bridge

My brother wasn't home when we first got there so we played on his tall bike for a few minutes before he arrived....this bike is hilarious! Its kinda scary to get started and its a little hard to turn....but it was funny.
The bike shop in Dave's house

My brother Dave organized a criterium race on his birthday night. The race started at 11 pm and went on a loop around his house. Only fixed geared bikes with no breaks were allowed to race. Dave is really into the ally cat racing scene and all his bike messenger friends were there in the race. My friend Kacey who has never raced on the streets before brought her track bike to race in the b-day criterium. Although she has never raced on the streets, she won track nationals so she isn't slow. She and Dave both have very competitive spirits so they were talking smack all day to each other before the race!!

me and my dad also raced...it was fun riding with him again!

Confident Dave before the race!

haha i look silly :PDave chiseled out a cobblestone from the road on part of the loop the day of the race for the trophy....the winner will have their name painted on the cobblestone and it will be placed back into the street.

I painted the cobblestone with the world strip colors on it....its waiting for the winning name!! Someone managed to smear it at the bottom during the night....
After all that smack talk Kacey won the race with a sprint finish!!! Dave took second but the birthday boy was shown no mercy.

Champion Kacey!!!

Dave and Kacey split the cash prize

After the race the party begin.
Me and my family <3
Sometime during the night someone found a hullahoop that served as entertainment for a good while :P
Kacey jumpin the hoop
me on the launch
Someone didn't make it!
Dave's jump was the best of the night
Happy Birthday Dave and Renee :)
My cousins Renee and Leilani
Dave's house in Brooklyn is really awesome! It is a three story home built in the late 1800s. It has a lot of personality and style. You can even get on the roof for a nice view of the city. I decided to climb the ladder and check it out.

The morning after the party we went on a five hour road ride!! I havn't been on my road bike in 2 months! I almost died.
Kacey by a pretty waterfall...can you believe we are still in the city?

Besides all the riding, we had a little time to check out a cool art gallery.
My favorite piece was the light sculpture.

Another cool piece was a big metal heart with colorful wax that had melted over time.

It was a great trip!! I was so thankful to be able to spend that time with my family.
Some videos from the trip.....

First one of people jumpin the hullahoop!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M8bCqkmQoc&eurl=http://fixed.gr/nyc/comments.php?DiscussionID=6875&page=3

Second one is of the amazing sprint finish!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dTx8osHAx-U

Sites with more pictures of the race and party....http://www.flickr.com/photos/38654427@N00/sets/72157604111171280/

http://www.stratecomm.net/~fritz/gallery/rhcrit

Spring Break Snowboarding Trip Vail, CO

2008-03-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

Me and my friend Nick met Lindsay and Andrew in Denver Colorado airport for a snowboarding trip. From Denver we took a bus to Vail, CO where we stayed for the weekend. One of the best trips of my life. The mountains were beautiful and the powder fresh!! Some pics...

View from the deck of our hotel room

Riding through the woods in deep powder was my favorite part of the trip

poor dog...haha

We <3 Einstein!

Our messy hotel room...!

Me and Lindsay!!!

2008 DH racing schedule (mainly East Coast)

2008-03-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

2008 Downhill Race Schedule
East Coast series with a few others mixed in there....

May 3-4 Plattekill DH #1, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

May 9-10 Gravity East #1, Massanutten Resort, McGaheysville, VA

May 17-18, 2008 Diablo Domination DH Series #1, Vernon, NJ

May 17-18 Canada Cup, Bromont, QC

May 23-25, 2008 2008 U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, Vernon, NJ

May 31-June 1 Gravity East #2, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT

June 21-22 Gravity East #3 Wisp Resort, McHenry, MD

June 21-22 Iron Horse DH series #2, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT

June 27-29 SnowShoe DH #1, Snowshoe, WV

June 28-29, 2008 Diablo Domination DH Series #2, Vernon, NJ

July 4-6 Plattekill DS #1,DH #2, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

July 5-6 Gravity East #4 Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

July 12-13, 2008 East Coast National, Windham Resort, Windham, NY

July 17-20 USA Cycling National Championships, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT

July 25-27 Snowshoe DH #2, Snowshoe, WV

JULY 26-27 World Cup, Mont Sainte Anne, QC

August 2-3 Iron Horse DH series #3, Attitash, NH

August 2-3 World Cup, Bromont, QC

August 9-10 Iron Horse DH series #4, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT

Aug 16-17 Gravity East #5 Bolton Valley, VT

Aug 16-17 Plattekill DS #2, DH #3, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

August 24, 2008 Diablo Domination DH Series #3, Vernon, NJ

Aug 30-31 Gravity East #6 Whiteface, Wilmington, NY

Sept 6-7 Gravity East #7 Attitash, Bartlett, NH

September 13-14, 2008 Diablo Domination DH Series #4, Vernon, NJ

Sept 20-21 Plattekill DS #3, DH #4, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

Sept 27-28 Iron Horse DH series Finals, Mount Snow, West Dover, VT

October 4-5, 2008 Diablo Domination DH Series Finals, Vernon, NJ

Oct 11-12 Gravity East Finals, TBD www.gravityeastseries.com

Oct 18-19 Plattekill DS #4, DH #5, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

October 26, 2008 Diabloween Festival, Vernon, NJ

Nov 8, Plattekill DH #6, Plattekill, Roxbury, NY

First night of snowboarding

2008-01-17T11:09:00.001-08:00

Tuesday night, the night before classes start once again.
Snow is falling from the night sky, filled with stars.
It is beautiful, and a satisfying relief from the city.

My friends and I decide it is the perfect night to have some fun and play in the snow before classes start. We went night boarding on Beech mountain, a slope ten minutes from campus.

I loved it!! I fell so many times, but every time I fell I laughed.

Until the snow is gone and I can ride my bike, my board will keep me busy.

New Years Day alley cat race

2008-01-08T05:37:00.001-08:00

Nate, Bo, and planning our routes

Hanging out before the race

prize for DFL (deadfuckinglast) haha a giant sausage

pre-race instructions

The President Heads, sculpted by a Houston artist, one of the checkpoints you had to find

Ready to race

Race face

My route

Nate and Bo getting ready

Bo Man planning his route

Dave beating Bo with the sausage

Dave's fixed gear machine

`I spent New Years Day racing my first alley cat race with my brothers Dave, Nate, Bo, and my dad.
`The race was put on by Dave's friend, who is an experienced bike messenger and alley cat racer from NYC, Austin Horse.
`The field consisted of a group of local Houston messengers and the 'Trimble clan'
Like most alley cat racing, the riders were given several checkpoints where they were required to self navigate, locate, and reach as quickly as possible through city traffic and pedestrians.
`Upon reaching the checkpoint each rider had to perform a task or do whatever the checkpoint operator asked. Usually these tasks involve funny and out of the ordinary requests.
`Alley cat racing is fun, and offers a rush of excitement while you try to survive through city traffic while not missing your next turn.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

My oldest brother Matt

My brother Dave came down from Brooklyn

Christmas with the family!!!
We had a blast cutting down the Christmas tree and hanging out.
This Christmas was probably one of the best I have had in a long time, all 8 of us kids were together, a reunion that was long overdue.
My Uncle Moose also came down for Christmas on a last minute decision from NYC.
Moose got a fancy hotel suite for everyone to stay in for a few days, located right next to the Museum of Fine Arts.
My uncle is an architect and his old professor from Harvard designed the building so he wanted a good view of the roof to the museum.

Midnight mass was the epiphany of hilarious. We went to St. Basil's Chapel, a famous chapel designed by the renowned architect Phillip Johnson. The mass consisted of my eccentric, under dressed family taking up an entire pew while my dad slept, my sister and oldest brother played sudoku, my other two brothers laughing and talking nonsense, my baby nephew adding his own singing to the songs, and my brother Nate and I dying of boredom. By the time mass was over I started having an asthmatic reaction to the over use of incense that the priest continued to spread all over the room.

After mass the family headed to the House of Pies, a fantastic breakfast house with the most delicious waffles and pies. We ate breakfast, talked, and took funny pictures with the mirror separating the tables.

After mass and breakfast we returned to the hotel for presents. Piled on the over sized couch, we went to sleep and visited the museums the next day.

Plattekill Downhill Race Roxbury, NY

2007-11-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

I should have guessed by the name of the place that it was going to be one of the most extreme bike races I have ever participated in. Plattekill Mountain hosts its own series (in collaboration with East Gravity Series) of downhill racing. My friend Kris and I decided it would be fun to catch the last race of the series and to get in one more ride before winter hit hard. It did prove to be fun…insane, but fun.

The morning of practice (Saturday morning) would mark the first day that I have seen snow in eight years. The mountain was covered in a sparkling, white blanket of powder. Kris and her mom (Vikki), Taylor (a local and amazing 11yr old girl who races), and I jump on the ski lift to pre-walk the course and scope out line possibilities. A downhill course is full of different possibilities recognized into existence through the observer’s mind. The objective of the race is to start from the very top and finish at the very bottom- -the end point. The goal of the race is to get down as fast as possible. It is therefore necessary to pre-walk the course in order to effectively reach the rider’s goal. One’s goals are limited by one’s own ability. A rider may discover a great line possibility but realize that it is beyond their level of skill so they choose the second best possibility. ‘The fastest time possible’ than becomes a relative term, which is based on each individual rider’s skill, both physically and mentally. That is one of the beauties of the sport. Individual racers work and strive towards improving themselves while unified by a common objective—to reach the very bottom. I found this concept to relate to life. A person will be much more likely to reach their goal if they take things at their own pace. It is human nature to advance, improve, grow, discover, create, ect… at different rates. It is an element of the individual and it is the common objective (idea) of life (whatever that may be) that unifies individuals. As I scoped out the trails I thought of this.

I came upon two lines--one which I didn’t have confidence in my skill to execute, and the other one which I had full confidence that I could ride. Before this pre-train of thought entered my mind I would have forced myself into riding the line because I felt cowardly compared to pro rider Vikki, who could execute the line with skill and experience. However, with my new realization I contentedly choose the ‘easier line’ with patience in that someday, with care and practice, I will ‘rightfully’ ride that more difficult line.

The more advanced, faster line was a 7 foot rock drop into a sharp, sudden right hand turn. The harsh transition brought you down a steep, rooty section of trail.

I can’t remember the last time I have been this cold. My fingers felt like they were being stabbed by little Gulliver Travels men who were very angry. I also discovered that my lips become numb unusually easy. The sound and site of me talking must have been hilarious. I looked like a child who had just returned from the dentist.

Next to the bike course ran the ski slope with soft, smooth snow. I forget about the cold and am reminded about how fun the snow is. We walk away to the side of the trail and sled down the slope on a trash bag. What a funny site it was—Laying on our stomachs in a dog pile fashion. Vikki on the bottom, Kris on Vikki, me on Kris, and than Taylor on top to push start the ride.

We sled down the mountain and headed back to the lodge to warm up our hands and toes. My brother Dave came from his home in Brooklyn to meet me. I am so happy to see him; it is good to see family and a familiar face when you are living away from home. Dave is a cross country and road rider, who shares my passion for bikes and racing. I talk him into renting a downhill bike and gear, and then we go up the mountain. We have fun riding and just taking it easy down the trail. Dave crashes a few times but still has fun. When we get to the bottom he reminds me that I’m crazy and he is a cross country rider.

Our empty stomachs growl and demand us to find food. After the decision making grumble we head out to the nearest, good looking eat. However, after taking a look at each other and the muddy, sticky clay all over us we go against human necessity and make the better judgment of going to the motel first and cleaning up. The motel, at ninety dollars a night, isn’t exactly the comforting, warm abode we were hoping for. The motel was a little white building with a house adjacent to the right. Upon the door of the house was lit up with the familiar words ‘office’. Dave checked in and we walked to our room, our horrible, freezing, and tacky room.

The room had to be colder than the outside; I think the only difference was that there was no snow. The walls were adorned with sunflower décor, complimenting the sunflower lamp, which matched the green sunflower bedding. After several phone call attempts, followed by empty promises to repair our heater, we decided to physically go to the office and talk to the manager. Knock…knock…knock… no answer. Tired and defeated, we head out to find some grub and leave the problem for the future.

After dinner, we try once again for heat. Surprisingly a light turns on in the office window. A young girl walks out and hands us a small space heater for the night, while proceeding to tell us that there is nothing she can do and all the other rooms are full.

I wash my gear in the tub for tomorrow’s race and take turns drying them on the space heater. Dave and I share a bed for body warmth and sleep with sweaters and socks, the little space heater at the edge of the bed. I go to bed early to ensure plenty of rest for the race. I ride the course in my mind over and over until I fall into a complacent slumber.

The first few riders from morning practice come back beat up and with frightened looks on their faces. After about twenty minutes it is announced that the course is too dangerous to ride because the trail had completely iced over. I decide to use this time to do a morning check over on my bike because I had to leave it with my friend Kris with the bike rack.

“Bad news…” said Kris as she handed me my clean, red bike. “The fork is completely shot, my mom tried working on it but I’m afraid it’s gone.” I had to test it out myself to believe it. Not even an inch of suspension left in that 8 inch travel. I had my heart set on racing, and as I sat on my bike I could feel my heart sink. Luckily, a local and good friend of Kris’ let me borrow his Kona DH bike. It was a nice bike and to big for me, but I didn’t care.

After it warmed up a little and some of the ice had melted away, they reopened practice. After I took my one practice run I sat in the lodge to warm up until it was my time to race down the mountain.

It wasn’t long before I was sitting atop the platform. The race official was on my right side with the timer and start whistle. I took a deep breath and pedaled as fast as I could off the ramp and onto the icy, rocky trail.

My bike is flying everywhere, and the rocks are slippery and unpredictable. The ice makes it nearly impossible to follow a designated line, so ultimately it comes down to pure bike handling. The bike I’m riding is heavier than I am used too, but the extra suspension forgives me of my mistakes and makes the crazy ride a little more orderly. This race is an ‘anybodies’ race. I want to go faster, but I calm myself down and remember that staying on the bike is the most important factor of this race.

I ride into the last section of rocky trail…I can hear a man shouting from the right side of the trees…”Just let go of the brakes!!” The trail is so slippery and scary, and not to mention vertical. I gather up the courage and take in the advice of the enthusiastic stranger. Although my mind wants to hold down the brakes, I know that it is only a deceiving thought of safety. I let go of my brakes and ride down the rocks into the finishing stretch where I peddle my hardest. The announcer is shouting my name as I ride through along with my time. My time wasn’t as fast as I had practiced the day before, but with the icy conditions, new bike, and the cast on my arm, it was enough to take home the first place (sport woman category) medal by a minute and two seconds.

Mountain bike Downhill Collegiate Championships

2007-11-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Friday October 27, 2007

Its 10 am and I find myself sitting on the tip top of the mountain in the cold rain. I am waiting in line on top of Sugar Mountain preparing for my practice run down the infamous downhill NORBA course. My bike feels comfortable under me. I look around at the fog covered mountains and at the other riders. Everyone is shivering in their race gear waiting for their turn to get in a practice run. The person in front of me drops off the start gate. I put on my full face, grip the bars, and drop down shortly after.

I recently added a new bike to my expanding collection of wheels. However, this bike is different from all my other bikes. It is an off-road machine with 8 inches of travel in front and back. My first ever full suspension bike and I love it more and more everyday that I ride.

What kind of racing requires a bike like this? The answer is downhill racing-a challenging, physical two-to-five minute race. Each rider goes off separately so you can’t see your competitors; you don’t know how fast they are going. It is just you and the bike flying down the mountain trying to get down as fast as possible.

This is my first season riding downhill. At the beginning of the season I welcomed one of the risks of mountain biking into my life-the risk of getting injured. It was only the second week into riding that I broke three bones in my wrist and suffered from a concussion. Unable to do any physical exercise I lost skill and fitness. A few weeks later, as symptoms of my concussion ceased and rusty from my time off, I jumped back on my bike to make the last three races of the season-a small home race, a collegiate race in Clemson, SC and the mountain bike national championship.

Today I am practicing runs for my second ever downhill bike race and my first ever race on a legitimate downhill course. My cast is still on my wrist making it difficult to grip and adding a new element of challenge on the already long list.

As I drop into the first section of the technical course, I can feel the blood moving through my body as it pumps adrenaline from my nose to my toes. It is for this reason that I am falling fast in love with the sport. I plow into a bed of rocks and fly down through the woods. My heart is pumping and mud is flying everywhere but I am no longer cold. My tires are great mud tires, but it doesn’t matter. Rocks are slippery and the mud is soup. Traction turns into only a thought on my wish list as my tires slide out on any hint of the brakes. I ride up to a pile of wet roots that roll into a thirty foot vertical rock face. Even during practice I can hear spectators yelling. I plow over the roots and drop down the face into the next section of the course.

After the rock face I make a sharp turn into the woods down a rocky mess of a trail. I force myself off the brakes in order to maintain enough speed to ride through the next line of boulders. I drop off a rock into lizard’s lane-a twisty trail running down an open section of the ski slope. Lizard’s lane will prove to be the hardest part of the course. The reason is that the rain makes it nearly impossible to stay on the bike. My tires are sliding everywhere as I struggle to keep on my bike. I wash out into the mud as my bike and body fly in different directions. I get up covered in mud and continue to finish my run. After lizards lane you drop back into the woods on more rocky, technical trail. I am now half way down the mountain. The trail opens up once again into the ski slope with a sprint down to the finish line. Out of breath and filled with excitement I quickly wash the mud off my bike, throw it into the back of my team’s shuttle truck and jump in along with my teammates where we head back up the mountain for more practice. My second run will prove to be just as crazy and muddy, but I will stay on my bike. Feeling good despite my handicap, I mentally prepare for my next run-qualifying.

. It is still cold and raining. I wait for my turn. Once again I find myself sitting on the start ramp. The official tells me I have ten seconds, five seconds. Beep and I’m off. I take a clean and steady run in order to ensure a good starting position for tomorrow. I qualify tenth out of thirty girls. Overall it was a good day of practice. I go home soaked, cold, hungry, muddy, and happy.

When I get back to school I get my bike ready for the race tomorrow in Tate dorm (Tate consists mostly of bikers so it is the unofficial bike mechanic/storage building). There are bikes and tools everywhere as people do last minute mechanics to make sure their bikes are in racing condition. Me and my friend Dane (aka Danger) pull out the tools, snacks, and music and get working. I change my tires to put on an even more mud compatible tire, clean the rotors, and do an overall check up. Once my bike is ready I make my way back to my room for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow I will wake up at 6 am and be on the mountain at 7 for an 8:33 race start.

Saturday October 28

I feel like I am in a dream. I look down below me and see a blur of green and gray. Ahead of me is white. Only white, I can see nothing else. My body is moving closer to the white, slowly but surely. I am wearing gloves but my hands are still freezing. I am sitting next to my friend Kris who is equally as cold because I can feel her body shivering next to mine. I look behind me and see my bike hanging on the ski lift, hanging much more patiently than I. The early morning lift ride begins to feel very surreal. My a priori knowledge tells me that there is a mountain and that the ski lift is carrying me (at a very slow pace) up the mountain where I will eventually reach the top. However, if all knowledge was received solely through the senses, my mind would conceive that I was floating into a white oblivion.

We finally reach the top. Forms of bikes and riders contour the dim morning fog. I put on my full face helmet for extra warmth and join the gathering in cold tolerance. The butterflies start to fly around in my stomach making it difficult to sit still. My vivid, picturesque memory allows me to race through the course in my mind. Unlike most conventional downhill races where the rider is allowed practice runs the day of the race and two race runs, the morning of mountain bike nationals, you get one shot. There is no practice; no second run.

Fog thickens and the race times are pushed back an hour. We are left on top of the mountain to sit and wait in the cold mist. It would’ve been miserable, if we had not the mazel tov of unlocked, unoccupied condos a short ways down the mountain.

Finally the wait was over…the fog was just as present, but they decided to start the race anyways because of the cold. My list of challenges is made even longer--broken wrist, new bike, foggy course, and lack of experience. I desire challenge in my life and I love to ride so at the moment I was extremely happy and excited. As I waited in line behind other girls, all with their own challenges, I did the best to keep myself relaxed by singing songs in my head.

The beep of the start clock commanded me to position myself on the start ramp, the blastoff of a six minute thrill ride. I drop into the first, technical section. Already I can hear people shouting my name. All rational thought pertaining to safety or my current situation was quickly discarded from my brain and replaced with adrenaline and the need for speed. So far so smooth as I come up to the infamous rock face. The slippery roots before the rock face make it a difficult introduction. Keeping my eyes ahead I release the brakes and fly down the face carrying the momentum for the next section into the woods.

I finish shaking and out of breath. My was run clean, staying on the bike despite the ultra muddy conditions. I ended up finishing twelfth out of thirty in the expert woman A class. My friend Kris rocked it placing eighth. I was aiming for top ten but I am content because I gave it my all. I had so much fun and that is the most important result of the day.