Some Announcements

First, Big Mountain Enduro has released their 2015 schedule. It includes Aspen/Snowmass,
Keystone, EWS Crested Butte, and a NEW stop for the series final! Where could it be...? But most exciting about this announcement? EQUAL PRIZE PAYOUT FOR MEN AND WOMEN! This. Is. Awesome. I definitely understand the payout difference: men make up way more of the field and thus pay in more than women do. BUT I think this is an excellent way to get more women into the series, even if they aren't racing pro. To me, equal payout says, "it may be 85% men, but these women rock and deserve equal prize money." It will bring more attention to all the women in the sport, and hopefully not just attract women from other series, but also bring newcomers to the sport. Just another reason BME is my fave. (:
Check out the press release here or visit the BME website and sign up for email announcements.

Second, back in September I got to do some Q&A with Josie Smith, author of Life on Two Wheels. I was in Crested Butte for the Ultra Enduro at the time, hence the reason some of the answers say that "I am in Crested Butte" or that "I was just in Crested Butte" haha. If you care to read the full write up, here it is: Women on Bikes Series: Alex P. For stories, advice, and more badass women, follow her blog!

Third, THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER. I have one more O-Chem test and a paper due in Russian Politics before Thanksgiving Break then the first week of December is reading week, followed by finals! Hallelujah!

Last, I went to the doctor earlier this week... My elbow is slowly healing and I have a custom Donjoy brace on the way. I will be back on my bike soon, though I'll have to be careful for awhile. In the mean time, I've been dying on the trainer and getting back to off-season conditioning.

Brief Update

Wow. I have not posted anything since Moab--two months ago. Since then, life has been rolling along merrily, mostly. I will try my best to fill in the gaps and keep it concise.

The Monday following BME Moab I started my junior year of college at Northern Arizona University. Crazy how time flies. On the schedule this fall semester I have Anatomy Lab II, Physiology II, Organic Chemistry II, Cellular & Molecular Biology, and Russian Politics. All interesting, all difficult. At this point in the semester I am happy to report mostly A's and a B in Cell & Molec. Thankfully the semester is almost over; only 5 short weeks left and then a month to enjoy riding and hopefully skiing. Then it's back to it with Infectious Diseases, Human Sexuality, Environmental Sustainability, Physics, and Biochemistry. It's probably gonna rock my socks, but I'm excited. Let's be real though, you probably don't care.

Since school is so hard, I decided that it would be a great and brilliant idea to miss the WHOLE second week to go to Crested Butte for the BME Ultra Enduro. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I didn't get too far behind in school because I had plenty of time in Crested Butte to work on school stuff. How did I have all this time? Wasn't I supposed to be riding 9 stages, 100 miles, and climbing 23,000 feet over the course of 5 days? The answer is yes, but I didn't, because a nasty crash on the second day of the race ended up taking me out of the race for the rest of the week.

Photo: Daniel Dunn

Yeah, really really pretty. But that's how it goes. Sometimes you crash--I'm very thankful I got away with a broken nose and some bruises, and not a broken face, neck, or back. Helmets: They are the best. Following Crested Butte I took a couple of weeks off to heal and to catch up with missed school work before hopping back on my bike.

At the end of September I raced the Bearjaw Groove 12-Hour race here in Flagstaff just for fun. I did it last year as a duo with my friend Erin, but this year we both did it solo. The course was about 14.5 miles a lap with a little over 900 feet of climbing. I borrowed a friend's Intense Hard Eddie and shredded for 108 not-so-exciting miles. Regardless, it was a great time.

That brings us to October, a month that quite frankly sucked. My grandmother passed away, I had to get my left arm stitched back together for the second time, and I dislocated my right elbow completely. But as a said before, life goes on. And lucky for me, life goes on and goes well. My fantastic grandpa has moved in to my parents house and I didn't have to have surgery on my arm. I've been off the bike for two weeks and on the trainer but I'll be back on a real bike soon. For now, I have plenty of time to focus on school and the end of the semester and get things going for next season.

I leave you with this video my friend Lexie and I made out at Kelly Canyon before I dislocated my elbow. Enjoy!

A Quick Kelly Canyon Shred