Category — Just Riding Along

Snow anyone?

Riding in Colorado during the winter can be tricky, especially because we all know the weather guy is not always spot-on when predicting the forecast. If you’re a fair weather rider (defined as: will not ride outside if the day’s high is below 40 degrees) and you have raynauds in your hand and feet like me, you might be spending the better part of the winter months inside on the trainer and/or rollers, which translates to losing your mind after watching one too many Tour de France and Giro DVDs.

As someone who has now proudly survived two winters in Colorado (thanks to snowboarding), you can imagine my excitement this year when April rolled around and I was able to hit up the trails, which I hadn’t seen since November. Problem is, my favorite trails are often times not-so-quick to dry out, hence the snow patches at high altitudes. Last Saturday (4/17/10) I decided I’d had enough of driving to Boulder and Lyons (where the trails tend to dry out much more quickly), so Francis and I headed out to Deer Creek Canyon Trail outside of Morrison. This trail is tough but fun, with big rocky climbs and fun single-track descents through pine forests. Overall, the trail was in great shape although I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of the snow patches like the one in the photo. However, once I figured out how to ride over snow (no, you will not die!), I hardly even noticed the vast array of mud and wetness covering my bike and entire body until I attempted to get into the’ car (sorry ’bout that, Francis). All and all, it was a great spring ride. Thanks to the Jefferson County Forest and Trail Service for keeping the trails in top-notch condition.

We would like to wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from all of us at Women’s Bike Talk and the Specialized Designs for Women p/b Bicycle Haus Cycling Team! May the new year bring good luck, good health, and good riding! Check out this awesome video from our sponsor Specialized!

Found this at Austin on Two Wheels.

And if you are looking for some great blogs about bicycling written by and for women, in addition to this one, of course, check out this list over at Eco Velo!

I love the Tucson Bike Swap Meet! I got my 2nd road bike there for like $650!

It’s this Saturday, November 14 on 4th Ave. from 8am – 2pm.

Sell your stuff or buy some new-used stuff. Best of all, have fun and mingle with cool bikey-folk.

Also, if you can’t make it but need to get ride of some old gear, consider donating it to the UA Cycling Club. Contact Us for more details.

It’s always fun for me to read the blogs that my teammates put out there when they’re traveling to races…Gila, Mt. Hood, Cascade (coming up). I love to hear about what’s going on and how they’re doing. It’s a huge motivator to keep training and to keep making my (often failed) attempts to race out of town.

Now that the season is essentially over here, traveling is essential if I still want to race – and I do. After a two year break (to have Owen), I can’t seem to bring my season to an end. I’m completely burned out with training,juggling everyone’s schedules to train, etc., but for some reason, I just don’t want to stop. Maybe I’m trying to make up for lost time or maybe it’s that I’m starting to feel like I used to on the bike – I’ve missed that!

I tried to go to L.A. to race this weekend. I managed to make it happen in May. Cody was out of town for a month and Idecided I wouldbring my parents down for a visit and take off for a day to race. Imade it toPalmSprings the night before and stayed there becauseI was too tired to continue, drove the rest of the way to Long Beach in the morning, raced, and drove home. 24 hours away from home with 12 hours of driving and a race in between then back tochasing a toddler the next day. It wasn’tperfect, but I would say it was worth the effort.
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Yesterday, I rode the new Sweetwater Trail system in Tucson, AZ, for the 2nd time. I must say, that despite getting dropped by a pack of MTB-riding dudes, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The Sweetwater Trails are on the west side of Tucson just north of Tucson Mountain Park and Starr Pass. The trails are on Pima County land, and believe me, I was singing the county’s praises during the ride. I am glad that they are open and friendly to mountain bikers, hikers, horseback riders, and full-out shredders like myself.

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Welcome!

Welcome to Women’s Bike Talk, the official website of the Specialized Designs for Women elite cycling team. Women’s Bike Talk is here for you, so if there is any topic related to women’s cycling that you would like to hear about, please contact us, and we will do our best to address it!

2009 Season

The Specialized Designs for Women team is looking forward to a great 2009 season. We are pleased to announce a great line-up of female cyclists from all walks of life to our team this year. The talent of the Specialized D4W team runs deep, with four CAT 1 racers, four CAT 2 racers, four professional mountain bike racers, a professional triathlete, and some extremely talented up and coming racers from CAT’s 3 and 4, as well.

2009 Sponsors

The Specialized D4W team also has a fantastic group of sponsors for 2009. We are very pleased to announce the return of Specialized, Bicycle Haus, and Missing Links Coaching and Training. Joining us this year are Wandertec, Bike Trailer Shop, Bike Bag Shop, Fluid Recovery, and Athlete Octane. We are very excited to be working with all of these great organizations and using these high quality products.

2009 Racing

Racing already started for 2009, with Jen Sica taking the first pro mountain bike win of the year at the first AZ State MTB series race at White Tanks. Look for the Specialized D4W women to have a strong presence at NRC’s and local AZ races this year. You can also look for the Specialized D4W women at local and national mountain bike events, as well. Please visit our calendar for a complete list of races in 2009.