We are off to on Stage 3 today, and are loving every bit of this race so far. Chris Carmichael and I are having a great time racing together, and have definitely been suffering! Day 1 ended up great with Chris and I placing 1st in the 80+ mixed category, and 5th overall in the mixed teams. Stage 2 was a bit rainy and sloppy, and thankfully was a bit shorter than all the other days, at only 50K. You can check out my Garmin Connect page for a view of the ride.

There is good race coverage on the following site for everyone to enjoy:

Trans Andes Website

A great blog by Jason Sager on Cyclingnews.com

I have also added quite few photos to my Facebook page and to my Flickr account so check them out! We are off on Stage 3 today, and I’ll check back in as soon as I get some quality internet time.

Stage 3: Distance 72 kilometers. Total Climb 2496 meters. Feed Zone 1 Km 26. Feed Zone 2 Km 49.

I did the semi annual gear change over, hauling the ski gear from the storage unit and tucking most of the bikes away for the winter.  I waxed all the nordic and backcountry skis and lined up the ski boots and gear.  I even checked the grooming and backcountry reports.  But still, I couldn’t actually get out the door for a ski.  I’ve been wandering around town hunkered into a down jacket, hat and scarf, wondering if I’d ever warm up.  I love living in Idaho and do love skiing, but the transition is always a little harder for me than the true ski bums who dream of the fluffy white stuff all summer long and wish for overcast skies and freezing temps.  I’m definitely more of a summer lover and think about the characteristics of the dirt under my tires the way the skiers think of all the different types of snow under their skis.  But, what makes the riding here so special might be that we can’t have it 365 days a year.  Absence makes the heart grow stronger, right?  So, a little late season riding to keep me stoked and now I’m back in Idaho officially ready for winter.  Don’t get me wrong, I still have a few bikes at the ready for some other winter escapes, but I’m also ready to embrace skiing.

Thanksgiving in Moab was a great escape.  Weather was in the 50s and low 60s which feels pretty nice compared to 20s and 30s.  The drive down to Moab is always a little longer than I want it to be and I guess driving the evening before Thanksgiving is not the best time to push the speedometer a little.  The section between Price and Green River is so boring and desolate and you just want to be in Moab at that point.  We did get pulled over going less than 10mph over the speed limit.  Luckily the cooler was closed and the officer was feeling generous.  Our Thanksgiving started early and we pulled out with a sigh of relief and started giving thanks.

I knew the trip was meant to be when we walked into the rental condo.  The walls were plastered with classic vintage Leadville 100 posters and race numbers.  I have no idea who the owner is, but I’m for sure going to find out and send a poster of my own to add to the collection.

Moab is always full of climbing and now riding memories for me.  I spent a fair bit of time there in another life, when I was living as a dirtbag climber.  The sandstone still calls to me and I find myself looking up longingly at the cliffs when I’m there.  Most of my trips there now are riding trips, which are just as fun, but different.  I still have the urge to go up and stand on top of the towers.  We rode some new classics that Greg and I had not seen before.  The Moab cycling community has been really active lately developing purpose built trails for mountain bikes.  The classics that are 4wd jeep routes are still fun, but the new brand of single track riding there opens even more doors and is a whole different experience.

Greg and I rode Magnificent 7 and Pipe Dream.  Yes, they are as good as everyone says.  The trip was a blast.  I ran into a ton of local Moab friends and  Colorado friends, but as always, the trip was a little to short and left me wanting more.  Like I said, absence makes the heart grow stronger.  Time to slide around on the snow until the next bike trip.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I hope you found more things than you can list to be thankful for.  I know I did.

I’ve been polishing off all the bikes that have been neglected while the Fate was racing.  The Safire, the Enduro, the P Bike are all getting some ride time!  It’s been a super chill week of getting the house back together after 3 weeks away.  Unpacking, doing laundry, tending the garden, baking bread and just doing some casual fun rides with friends.  I’ve also been sitting down evaluating what races I’ll do for the remainder of the year.  I told myself I wouldn’t make any decisions on Fall races until after Leadville.  It feels so amazing to have my #1 goal for the whole year in the bag, but now I’m already starting to get antsy and wonder what’s next?  I love relaxing and taking it easy after a long stint of hard work, but I guess I’m just not built to sit still for too long.

This week at home has been sort of like one big celebration. My first night home from Leadville, I went to a Michael Franti concert on the lawn at River Run and it felt like my very own party.  I saw all my friends and it seemed like everyone was following the race on Twitter and were so stoked!  It felt so good to share the win with all the locals.

My first weekend home, Greg and I headed up to Stanley for a couple of amazing backcountry rides and camping.  No heart rate monitor, no training agenda and no schedule.  It was the first weekend in months that I’ve done that and it was glorious.  Saturday we did a great ride with friends that felt like there was way more downhill than uphill.  That does not happen much in Idaho.  Greg and I camped by Stanley Lake and took a swim in the icy water with views of the Sawtooth Mountains all around.  Riding on Sunday was a huge adventure ride where we only went 25 miles in 5 hours.  Hike a bike above treeline and lightening threatening all around us made me think of my adventure racing days.  It was amazing, but way different than the previous day’s ride. I took the Safire for the weekend and it was so much fun to have that much suspension and a Reverb dropper seatpost.  That bike really makes me smile.  It’s a blast.  Next up, I’m not sure yet.  I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

Todd Meier Photography

As soon as I won the Leadville 100 race last year, I was already getting questions about racing in 2011 and coming back to defend my title and attempt the first ever women’s “threepeat” at this race. I remember saying last year, “can’t I just enjoy this win for a little while before having to focus on 2011?”  Well, the break didn’t last long and my coach and I targeted the Leadville 100 race as my “A” race for 2011 and the training and focus for that began almost a year before the actual event.

Heading into Leadville this year, I had some highs and lows in the season.  I knew my training had been better than ever, but my results weren’t necessarily showing the fitness I’d been building.  A few weeks out from Leadville, I had one of my worst races of the season and suffered some serious doubts.  I trust in my coach and the work I’ve done, but could not figure out why I was so flat so close to my key race.

I stuck to my plan to head to Colorado a couple of weeks early for one last race and then some much needed quite time without distraction. I have had a season full of amazing women’s events, sponsor appearances, movie screenings all piled on top of trying to maintain laser focus with my training.  I had some doubts that perhaps I had spread myself too thin and it was now catching up to me.

Todd Meier Photography

The two weeks of isolation prior to the race proved to be just the focused recovery and rejuvenation that I needed.  I slept a ton, trained at altitude, ate really well, tinkered with my bike and just decompressed.  I was strangely calm before the race, despite the fact that the women’s field was incredibly strong and hungry to take me down.  I wasn’t really nervous and my mental energy was focused not on my competitors, but more on bettering my own time from last year.  I knew that if I went faster than I had before, I would have to feel good about that regardless of my placing.  Winning is addictive, but it’s also not the only definition of success.

People kept asking me how I felt about the stout competition.  Without hesitation, my response is a positive one.  The fact that both men’s and women’s fields were much deeper with pro riders is always a good thing for endurance racing, for the event, for everyone.  It means the sport is growing and more top athletes are lining up.  It adds credibility to the event and keeps it exciting.  If you knew who was going to win a race every time, it wouldn’t be that stimulating to watch.

Todd Meier Photography

Race day was clear and warm.  I lined up with Specialized teammate, Todd Wells on the front line.  My boyfriend, Greg, was once again there to be my one man crew.  I looked around at my friends Gretchen Reeves, Jenny Smith, Kelli Emmett and gave them all a smile.  I had a race strategy in my head and knew these girls were gunning for me, but they are all friends and I honestly wished them all a safe and good race.   As we rolled into the very first climb at St. Kevin’s I was feeling OK, but could not really respond as four women slowly rode away from me.  I wasn’t panicked and just put my head down and tried to remind myself that I had lots of time and to stick to my strategy.  I was sitting in 5th place and a few minutes off the lead as I rolled into the first aid station at mile 30.  Greg was there and asked me how I was doing.  He could see in my eyes that I wasn’t as spunky as usual.  I told him I was fine, but just a little flat.  By the time I reached the 2nd aid station, I got reports that I was just 2 minutes off the leaders and sitting in 3rd going into the Columbine Mine climb.  Apparently both Kelli and Pua had mechanicals and had dropped back, but I never saw them.  The news that I was that close to the lead got me amped and some of my confidence started to come back.

I went to work to chip away the deficit on the climb.  I was catching other guys, so I knew I was moving the bike better by now.  The male racers were telling me that Jenny and Gretchen were just ahead.  I finally caught both of them right where the climb really kicks up and gets super hard.  I passed Gretchen, but Jenny stuck to me like a terrier for the remainder of the climb.  She was right on my tail at the turn around.  I was able to shake her on the descent and then got really focused on not crashing, not flatting and taking care of my fueling.  I had the lead, but not by much.  It was mine to keep if I didn’t make any mistakes at all.

Coming down Columbine and hearing all the uphill riders scream my name gave me a huge boost of energy.  Rolling into Twin Lakes aid station with thousands of crew members all screaming gave me another second wind.  I was past the 1/2 way mark and time to finish the job.  I made it to Powerline climb and still could not see any female riders behind me.  I had gotten a split of around 3 minutes at the Pipeline aid station, but that was dangerously close.  I was cramping and at my limit.  I ended up walking the lower section of the Powerline climb for fear of pushing my cramps into full blown spasm.  I slammed a Red Bull energy shot and walked/ran hoping that it wasn’t a mistake to be conservative in this spot.  Back on the bike, I finished the huge climb and focused on the last 15 miles ahead of me.  These are mentally the most challenging miles.  Town feels so near, but is still so far.

Todd Meier Photography

I was focusing on nutrition and being very light on the descents.  A flat tire at this point would have really been a game changer.  Once off the last descent and onto the flats before town, I relaxed about flat tires and stole a look at my watch.  It read 7:10 and I knew I was only about 20 minutes out from the finish.  I couldn’t believe the time I was seeing on my Suunto.  I was blown away that I was this far ahead of my own course record.  I knew the other girls must still be nipping at my heels, but this was the first point I actually thought that I might have it in the bag.  Always a realist, I still kept my head down and snuck looks behind me when I had a stretch of visibility.  I did not relax until I turned onto 6th street and could physically see the red carpet and the famous finish line.  That view rolling into town is like looking down the Champs Elysee for mountain bikers.  Instead of seeing the Arc de Triomphe, you see the historical old brick buildings on Harrison Blvd that mark your ultimate destination.

I have visualized that finish in my head for more than a year.  I admit, I was not certain that I would be the first woman to roll across it and never dreamed I’d break my own record by over 15 minutes.  Even during the race, I felt a little flat and off the back for a while.  Perseverance, race experience and staying calm paid off.  This third win was all the more sweet because I really had to work for it.  Not only did I break my own course record, but so did the top four women in the race!  Now that is the true definition of success for women’s cycling!

A big shout out to Todd Wells for his win as well.  Specialized and SRAM had an awesome day on the top of the podium.  Thanks to both for the incredible support and tech work for the race.  My brand new Fate remains undefeated and was the perfect bike for this course.

Most of all, thanks to Greg Martin for being my training partner, my motivator, my crew, my voice of reason and the best musette bag handler ever!

For more photos of the whole Leadville race experience, click here and dont forget to “Like”

For a great video of the women’s race finish, click here.

Hotel Kasbah? Seriously!

The racers were greeted with traditional Moroccan music and little cups of mint tea. I’m the only American racer here and 99.9% of the athletes are from Spain, including Roberto Heras and a bunch of other Spanish ex-road pros. I guess I’ll get more practice attempting to communicate in Spanish this week. I’ll also get more practice at super fast, peloton starts and breathing sand while trying to hang on.

Local Traffic

I got out for a 2 hr spin today by myself and it felt really good after two days of no exercise and a ton of travel. I just wanted to keep napping and do nothing. It’s always hard for me to get going again once I’ve had time off the bike, but I was really glad I did. My legs will thank me when the race starts tomorrow.

Street Scene

It was a great exploration and I was sad to turn around and come home. There is so much sand here. Everything, even the buildings, are tan. The sun is incredibly intense and I’m finding out that at about 6 pm, the wind storms kick up and a thick cloud of sand fills the air. There are more bikes on the road than cars and a bike is not meant for just one person here. Whole families, flowing robes and all, can fit on one bike.

Moroccan Mint Tea

The culture and beauty of this place is overwhelming and just as I remembered when I came here in 1998 for the Eco Challenge. I am stunned by the earthen colors in the hotel and the intricate adornment on absolutely everything. If I had room in my luggage, the hotel gift shop would have made a mint off of me.

Bike Staging

Our first race meeting is tonight, in Spanish, of course. So far I’m already meeting people who speak English and are willing to translate for me and help me out. I have also been reunited with a good friend from adventure racing, David Rovira. He is making sure that I know at least when and where the start is!

Hotel Entrance

It’s doubtful I’ll have internet once we dive into the sandy abyss, so you’ll have to follow the race here if you want daily information. Otherwise, I’ll do a full race report with pics when I’m back in civilization.

It was an awesome training week and felt great to be spinning the pedals in the sun. We are both fresh off skiing and a little bit of indoor riding, but that’s about it. Early season is always so demoralizing because you are building fitness again and trying not to be impatient with results or performances. The only way for me to get hard race intensity is to race. I cannot generate the same kind of psyche on my own. I need a start line and a bunch of other people to motivate me to push extra hard.

Looks Like Idaho

The Tour de la Patagonia is a race full of mostly Argentine and Chilean riders, but there were also a few teams from Ecuador, Brazil and Uruguay. I think we were the only Gringos in the race. I did this race last year, so I knew what to expect and have some friends in San Martin de los Andes who take me under their wing. It’s so much easier to travel to a foreign country where you have a local contact for good places to eat, the best shops, the best rides and other logistics. I am hoping one day my Argentine family here will come to Idaho and I can return the favor and show them my home.

"Hugito" Our mechaninc

The terrain here is really similar to Idaho, so Greg and I felt right at home. The big differences are eating dinner at 10 PM, having tons of beef every day and drinking mate (pronounced: mahtay) like a drug. The race officials also seemed to struggle with Greg’s name since his first name “Greg” is not common, but his last name “Martin” is like Bob in the US. So when they announced our names for the podium, it was RRRRRRRRRebecca and Marteeeeeen, complete with a thick Latin American accent!

Full Service Race Massage

The race unfolded nicely. I was sick going into the event and was nervous about my performance. I definitely wasn’t 100%, but started feeling better each day. The flats and descents were OK for me, but as soon as we hit the climbs, I felt super weak and powerless. Greg was an awesome teammate letting me sit in behind him in the wind and helping me up some of the hills when possible. Team racing is so rewarding when you work well together and can give each other strength and motivation.

The top 4 teams from day 2. Greg and I were stoked to finish 4th overall this day right behind the 3rd place men's team.

Since we knew I was going to be weaker than usual on the climbs, we worked hard on the single tracks and any technical riding in an attempt to get a gap on the other teams. It’s awesome to follow Greg descending because he’s so good that I can just follow his lead and not have to think. The course on day 1 had a 20 minute super high speed single track descent. We got some great video on the GoPro that day and the trees are blurred because we were going so fast. Our top speed that day was 60 km / hr! The video footage will be coming soon.

Finishing Day 2 in Puerto Fuy, Chile

We finished first in the mixed team category on all three stages and won the category, but not by a huge gap. A very young, impressive Argentine Team Pedal Life kept the pressure on us the whole way. They are both just 21 and it was Jacquelina’s first mountain bike race! They finished a total of 15 minutes behind us over three days of racing. We got about 5 minutes on them each day, but that small of a gap did not leave any room for mistakes such as crashes or flats. The best part was that they finished each day with huge smiles. I think they both have a long future in bike racing and I’m trying to convince them to compete in the 24 Hours of Argentina this year.

1 1/2 hour ferry ride to camp

Greg and I had a clean race with no mechanicals or crashes. Thanks to Hugo and Flavio at Adventure Store for keeping my new Specialized Era and Greg’s Specialized 29er HT running smoothly. Greg and I were really happy with result. In addition to winning the mixed category, we were also 5th in the overall rankings. Not bad for a chica and a Gringo

Finish Day 3 in San Martin de los Andes

After three great days of intense racing, we are spending the rest of our time here going to the beach, shopping, working on the 24 Hour race course and just taking in the relaxing vibe of this area. It feels like the first time we have taken a true vacation in a very long time! We leave tomorrow and just heard that we are returning to two feet of new snow at home.

A very rare moment of vacationing on Lago Lacar!

I guess the bikes will go back into storage and the skis will stay waxed and in use for a bit longer. For full results click here.

"Mixtos" Podium

Yesterday’s stage was 75km with about 13,000 feet (3,900 meters) of climbing. The roads were the steepest I have ever seen in my life. Even defending La Ruta champion, Manny Prado, who is from Costa Rica, told me he has never seen anything steeper.

This place does not have one flat spot and the roads they build do not switchback. They head straight down or up from point A to point B. Riding up (and down) the hills today was nearly impossible on a bike. I cannot imagine trying to drive a car or motorcycle on them, but it does not seem to phase the Costa Ricans. It’s quite normal here to have over 30% grade.

Ben Sontag and Alex Grant (Cannondale Factory Racing), had another awesome day out in the front of the men’s race. They are sitting in first and second, respectively, in the overall standings. They have been battling with the lead pack both days in a very tight race. It has been exciting to hear their firsthand race stories each evening.

After two days of racing, the women’s race has established a bit of a pecking order. Angela, Louise and I again finished first, second and third in yesterday’s stage and the overall rankings remain the same as well. However, yesterday Louise and I were much closer to Angela. She was on fire on day 1 and was more within reach today. I’m hoping that momentum will continue. Just like the day before, they both climbed away from me on the very first 8km steep climb. I was unable to go with them and had to settle into my own rhythm again.

My body felt good, and I am really pleased with how I am riding, but I got a bit discouraged about halfway through the stage. I rode almost the whole day alone and was not getting any time splits or reliable mileages. I had the course profile zip-tied to my handle bars, but the route had changed slightly since the heavy rains a few weeks ago. I did not really have accurate information about distances or aid station mileages. I also had no idea if Angela and Louise were an hour up the road or just minutes.

The cumulative result of these things was that I lost focus for a while in the middle of the stage. I was afraid to push too hard for fear that the course was longer than I expected or an aid station too far away. It is also extremely hard to self motivate for five and a half hours when there is no one within sight to push you.

There were a few times today where I honestly felt like I was out on a casual ride. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very challenging day, and I was not taking it easy, but really attacking over the tops of climbs and hanging it out on the descents makes a big difference in a multi-hour race. It’s hard to put in that extra 1% when you are alone and unsure of the course.

I feel that if I’d had someone in sight as a rabbit, I would have been able to shave some time off today. If I’m in the same situation tomorrow, I will just have to visualize another competitor and be sure to keep racing 100%.

I still had a solid day and rolled into the stage as the 27th rider overall. I felt thankful that my brakes worked all day on the terrifyingly steep and slippery descents. I will be putting in fresh brake pads for tomorrow’s 30km downhill finish.

Ben Sonntag, Blake Harlan and Rebecca Rusch

I also have to give a shout out to the group from Carmichael Training Systems, including Chris Carmichael himself. They have a group of about 15 athletes racing here along with full mechanic and aid station support. They have graciously taken me under their wing and really made things easier for me in this race. One of my favorite parts of this race has been how all the American athletes have banded together to help each other out like this. Sam (Schultz of Trek), Blake (Harlan of Jamis), Alex (Grant), Ben (Sonntag) and Matt (Ohran of Cannondale) have also been keeping an eye out for each other and for me. It’s a pleasant surprise to travel this far from home and still have friends who are watching your back.

Today’s stage is the Irazu Volcano day. One big massive climb and one big massive descent in 75km. Big thanks to Cyclingnews.com for the blog postings, and the same to CyclingDirt.com for their awesome photo galleries!