NEW blog!!

Sorry about the lack of posting but I started writing on a new blog. Check it out. www.chloeforsman.missingsaddle.com

NMBS #3 - Fontana

It's finals week at the U of A. However this does not mean I'm up all night studying hard and downing the coffee. I only have two finals this week, one is already over and the other is on Friday. So far, after only two days it's been a long week. I've already packed my bags and spent an hour peeling tape residue off my dorm walls. I think I'm ready to go home.

NMBS #3 in Fontana was interesting. Three laps of the cross-country course kicked my butt, laps two and three I couldn't remember how to race my bike. Last year at this time, I finished 20th in the cross-country and it was the best race of my life. On Saturday I finished 21st and thought it disappointing. For whatever its worth, Fontana is still my favorite. The venue is unusual because trucking yards, freeways, railways, and warehouses surrounds it--not the usual alpine ski resort. The course meanders around a rocky hill littered with remnants of abandoned developments and concrete water ditches. It's rough out there too--lots of rocks, ruts, culverts, sand, and hills. But the dust is the worst. It gets everywhere--hair, lungs, chamois. Maybe I'm a little uncertain why Fontana is my favorite. It's different, that's for sure.

I also had a good short track race. I finished 7th and felt strong throughout. The lap had a good climb up the 4x course and a technical descent followed by some singletrack--good for bottlenecking and some serious dust clouds. Spectators like that kind of thing and I guess I do too. I better start studying. Adios.

Flyin' Fiasco

I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to airports and airplanes. I perfectly happy to sit in a car for eight hours--it's relaxing and I like to look at things. It's nice to have control of the radio, music, windows, AC, or maybe just the fan if you're in TJ's car because he left his AC behind the Phoenix International Raceway after a bike race this fall. Usually there's a lot to see between point A and B and I enjoy the ride. Airplanes have their perks too--I'd have failed most of my courses this semester without them. And I know It's a luxury to zip from one city to another in a matter of hours. I just need to learn how to relax at airports, and not think about engine explosions when I'm 30,000 feet from the ground. This posting is inspired by a United Airlines flight attendant who decided not to show up for work today. As a result, what could have been a six hour drive according to Melanie who I think likes to drive fast turned into an eleven hour airport mess. Eleven hours by plane from Tucson to LA, six hours by car. Eleven by plane, six by car...

I'm over it. I got to sit around talk with my boyfriend, then talk with my coach, then talk with my boyfriend, and even met Neil, a biker from Canada who informed me my sister is getting snowed on in Squamish BC. Neil doesn't know my sister but he just flew from Squamish and my sister is living in Squamish so I put two and two together. So now I'm in Ontario, California getting psyched for another bike race. Take care.

"Most Athletic"

It's always fun to win a prize, excuse me, earn a prize. Walking up and down three flights of stairs numerous times throughout any given day is tough work. Smuggling bicycles in and out of the building isn't easy, sometimes requiring a sprint up a stairwell. On those easy recovery days, my heartrate spikes on the relentless climb to my room. Seriously. I've even managed to get an occupied 60-lb bike box up the stairway on a couple occasions. These are no small athletic feats and I'm glad somebody gave me an award.

The semester is creeping to an end. I took my first final today, and had my math instructor announce my math final is optional--sweet! With only three finals to go, another bike race in California and a final Shootout; I'm ready to vacate the football stadium, hop in my old Super-u and drive home. On a completely separate and disgruntled note, I met with my academic advisor yesterday who informed me that the school is 'likely' to eliminate my undergraduate major due to budget cuts. I have to complete a number of prerequisites before the college will 'accept' me into their program and chances are there will be no program by the time I finish the prereqs. So that meeting put a damper on the end of my semester. Anyway...back to the fun stuff.

Last weekend was a success for Team Luna. My teammates earned three top podium spots for short track and cross country. They're fast and everybody knows it so what's the point of me bragging? It's pretty exciting to be a part of it. Well my racing went well. In short track, I fumbled at the start and had to work my way up...into 5th! And I got to solo it for about 1/2 lap in 5th and then I got really tired and finished 11th. I'm still stoked, I've never pedaled into 5th position before... and then I finished 8th in cross-country, my best result in a NMBS to date. TJ posted a photo of me on his blog with my 'game' face on--check it out. This way I can also find out if anyone actually reads my blog :) Take care.

Unusual Saturday

It's a Saturday and I am not racing my bike or pseudo-racing in Tucson's own weekly championship event--The Shootout. I haven't successfully completed any schoolwork either; I do that much better under high stress. What have I been doing off the bike? My new hobby: trying to make food. Last Monday I swore not to eat campus food ever again. So I went to target and bought a kitchen, and then proceeded to Safeway where I bought food. Putting the two together has been a little challenging, me and kitchens and stoves don't mix very well. Especially a dorm-room kitchen that's smelly and 50 yards down the hallway. Inspired by my teammate, Katerina Nash, I first made some cous cous, steamed some vegetables, and put the two together. It was really good. Three weeks ago I didn't know what cous cous was and before three days ago I had never willingly cooked vegetables. I'm usually not a big fan of rabbit-food but something has changed--I've been in that kitchen three times in one week. Here's a sampling of what I've been eating. Nothing fancy, I'm taking baby steps here.


I'll have to work on presentation for the next round of photos. If you can't tell, the bottom left photo is oatmeal with apples and almonds--yum.

Finally I have a picture--courtesy of TJ. It's actually me too, as a Luna Chick, fighting to stay ahead of Heather Irmiger and her teammate during Saturday's short track. I finished 11th and Heather ended up 10th. It poured rain for hours leading up to our race but it broke up shortly before the start . I had a second row call-up and decent start--good enough so I didn't have to run up the first slippery hill. Three hours ten minutes is a long time to race a bike. Next year I'll try to be a little faster so I don't have to pedal so hard for so long. Honestly, pedaling a little harder for a litttle shorter seems like a good idea. Anyway, I finished 20th and I'm very pleased I hung in there to finish as well as I did. Lap 2 hurt pretty bad and when it was over every muscle in my lower back and legs wanted to cramp. My teammate Georgia won and Katerina finished 3rd. Another good weekend for Luna. Until later.

Sea Otter TT

So far I've completed one of three races in three days. The format is very similar to Phoenix with a TT followed by short track and then cross-country on Sunday. Once again, the Luna ladies dominated with Katerina on the top of the podium with Georgia in second. Katerina is also an excellent hotel room chef and I'm trying to learn a thing or two from her--on the bike and also about vegetables. Well my TT, while not spectacular I'm happy about it. I placed 18th and fumbled a little here and there. The race lasted less than five minutes so it was pretty much an all out effort. The course had some tricky turns and I crashed a couple times pre-riding yesterday. Well off the bike things are going well. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Fox Racing Shox factory. It's pretty incredible to see how complex it is to make a suspension fork. I also watched a machine bend the magnesium lowers of a Fox fork in all different directions trying to make it break. It didn't break. That's comforting. Well I've got some homework to do now. Until later.