There’s a technical term for a sunny, warm day which follows two rainy days. It’s called Monday. – Unknown

<insert “wah wah waaaaaahhh” here>

Despite the rainy weather, folks have been able to get to Illinois’ largest state park, Wisconsin, to race the Subaru Cup which is the Midwest’s largest and only Pro XCT race in the area. This gave many racers and fans alike to view the national big dogs come out and duke it out on the various courses provided by Mt. Morris. Short Track, Super-D, and Cross Country challenges gave a little something to everyone to participate in. On the line was the title for the Midwest Champion of the Cup Series. The Bonebell tolls for “Holly Klug” who wrangled in a top 5 finish in the Womens Cat 1 field! Peruse some pretty awesome photos of the event by Chicago dirtbag photographer extraordinaire, Amy Dykema, here.

CAMBr Needs You!
With all the rain that has besieged our poor trails – the need for volunteers is greatly appreciated for Trail Work Days. Downed trees, mudded trails, lost paths, and debris are all things the trail crews have to contend with to make the trails smooth for riding when they become dry. Consider a weekend or two or three to contribute some time to and of course make new friends in the dirtbag community. Trail Work Days can be found on our calendar here and directly from CAMBr here. While you’re at it – consider becoming a member as your dollars go a long way to help buy tools and resources to keep the maintenance going strong!

Pump It Up!
Ever try a pump track? Curious about what it is? Well – for all the old school BMXers out there, here is a great opportunity to test your skills against other riders in an actual race format within the city limits! Join CAMBr West for a full day of activities to highlight ‘The Garden‘. Spectating is FREE of charge – so come on by and check out the city’s only dirt bike park on July 31st. Registered entries will receive a T-Shirt commemorating the event – snazzy too!

CX Clinic for Women
Half Acre Cycling has Cyclocross Clinic being led by Kristin Wentworth, pro CX racer! This event is limited to 50 participants, so consider registering early to ensure your spot despite it being way out in September – we’ll gladly remind you fine dirtbags about it.

Millee-Wok-Kay
So who’s up for going to Ray’s in Milwaukee this fall? Oh expect some winter madness to bound in again, Illinois largest state park capital. {Sorry Cheddar heads, can’t resist – but thanks for Ray’s man!}

Hendrix – get us through this rainy weather…

El Maya hooked us up with a cabin in the woods. A friend of a friend thing, the cabin was twenty minutes from the course and had a private two track to get to it that seemed like it took a half hour to navigate. Great lodging, a pre-race culinary demonstration by chef Tell, (a masterful creation of sardines, avocado, broccoli, pasta, and half a bottle of olive oil) and “the ole 96′er” had El Maya turning in early. We mixed bottles and deliberated on the finer points of endurance nutrition, while our hosts’ eyes glazed over. It was a terrible nights sleep, the loft style arrangement only amplified the snoring that went on all night. We invited Steve, my best riding buddy from Michigan, he brought Thomas, and Josh, a racer from The Motion Initiative. The Motion Initiative is a similar organization to Chicago’s West Town Bikes. They are based in Grand Rapids, Mi and they focus on getting kids who otherwise might not, to ride some trails and learn something new along the way.

In the first lap I decided to go with the lead group for as long as I could. That lasted about 1/4 lap. There’s 95 miles to go what am I doing trying to kill myself like this, so I dialed it back and settled into a rhythm.  Somewhere deep into the rhythm, on the first lap, Brandon Leach caught up to me. We then rode together for the next 30 miles, give or take a few. My first lap was feeling really good, until the first twinges of the cramps began to manifest in my legs. It was an ominous sign of things to come. For the next 70 miles I was to battle cramps that were not supposed to exist until mile 70. Halfway into the second lap, I bid Leach adieu and stopped at the aid station for a brief rest. The aide stations were magnificent, they had everything there short of a tv with the ball game on and an deep dish pizza washed down with a Goose Island IPA, truly and oasis in the sand. During my little break I realized the culprit for the cramps was the caffeine in my energy drink. So I dumped it and switched to the premixed HEED that the aide station supplied. The cramps would not end after that, but not to long after the switch they did begin to subside. Arrgghh…but the damage was done. I had lost a lot of time working out the cramps. My second lap was an exercise in pain. On the flat portions of the course I was able to generate a respectable amount of power. Especially on the long twisty singletrack mind benders. There were a couple of sections on the course of extended flat trail, no real rises, just twisting, flowing singletrack. On these sections, even with my legs falling apart, I was able to distance riders behind me. These flat sections of trail just seemed to last forever, they were a joyful monotony. Sometimes for miles on end, no real elevation gain or loss, then smash, right in the nuts. Here’s a 10 minute climb to bring you back to earth. Jedi mind tricks with must have been thousands of trees. Any of which could have grabbed my bar ends and flipped me into the weeds. The only tree I hit was on a downhill, I washed out on a corner and plowed my front wheel into a downed log. As I went through the pit area after the second lap, the feeling began to rise inside. I knew I was going to finish the race. And that was the most important thing for me. Not a specific time or pace, really, I just wanted to finish. A smile began to well up and I was feeling really good. Then I hit the first maj0r climb of the loop. Close to ten minutes of steady climbing, and then the crescendo, a steep pitch that was ridable on the first lap. Each subsequent lap it laughed at me. It bites you in the face, while your being kicked in the nuts. My smile didn’t fade it was dragged out into the woods kicked in the ribs and left there to find it’s own way home. The halfway aide station seemed to lurk in the distance for hours. I could not get there soon enough, to replenish my bottles and get a snack.

If the second lap was an exercise in pain, the third lap was a smiling haze of full on bonk, with a side order of leg seizures. Time off the bike per lap was climbing faster than I did on some of the climbs. As the lap wore on there were less riders on the course than before. At times it was genuinely lonely. But a little loneliness if far better than riders hunting you down and passing you seemingly effortlessly. The last pass of the day was on the last climb of the day. There was really nothing I could do about it, I saw him coming, tried and had no answer left in my weary body. His pass came at the very crest of the climb immediately following was an extended almost two track descent. He had only one gear, he knew he could only coast down the hill. AHHH!!! I had at least five more gears I could tear into, and I was stuck behind due to some rider traffic on the course. So I held on for the remaining two miles of the course, keeping him in sight. In the previous lap I had scouted out an unused line I could use to get to the finish line if it came down to a sprint. Yeah right, 100 mile mtb race sprint finish. Well, Mr. Onegear up front was pulling away and my chances were falling away. With no remaining options, I summoned all that was left. The line I scouted didn’t work, but jsut thinking in advance what I needed to do to prevail in this situation propelled me forward and I pulled ahead through in the last second for a large, minor victory.

I wanted one thing from the Lumberjack 100…

A patch.

The winners get an axe. The finishers get a patch. Admittedly, it’s not much, but I worked my ass off for that patch. And now I have this cool patch and no where to put it. I might just go out and buy a jean jacket so I have something to pin it on.

We received so much help from our supporters, Alicia, Nevada’s family, Thomas, and the volunteers, I felt like a child. They did everything for us at the pit stops. Unscrew the bottle, fill it with whatever you want. “What would you like to eat? Slim Jim, banana, gel?” They were so awesome, I could not have done it without them. The Bonebell tolls for those who helped us along the way. Your support allowed success in our endeavor, muchos gracias.

It seems even on vacation the storms still brew. Only this time, I don’t care less. The western Michigan coast received some brutal storms, but with the protection of the dunes nearby, and the beauty of the nearby forest preserves, the lightning, and the howl of the wind have brought about a beautiful calm and fiery night show that has been cathartic to watch. There, in the storm, hides a struggle of peace and the brute force of nature’s personalities. The weather’s struggle to reach this summer day perfection that becomes evident if for glimpses at a time, and with great luck a few days of gentle warmth with breezy air. It’s what we wait for – like impatient children that we are with knobbies at the ready, and helmets in hand, waiting for that perfect day to perform our little feats for no one but ourselves and with each other. Ahh- yes, the beers have been good to me this week.

So good in fact, that my father-in-law and I visited a local bike shop, and there she was hanging from the rafters, in my size, this. The sickness moves on, getting back up and dusting myself up ready for another trail attack feels evident. I look to my father-in-law, and I smile, and he responds simply with – “it looks badass!”. Yes, it does, and so are the dreams to keep on keeping on the dirt, working towards the goal of being the best I wanna be. Thank you Sara and Mia for cheering me up and a special shout out to my father-in-law who has been very cool hanging out with sharing good times with me, I have no idea what day it is and my socks say “Beer:30″ because its always time for a beer.

After returning to Chicago, the disappointment continued when I found the following video online.  This little teaser is a preview of a DVD coming out this fall that chronicles the making of the CYCLEPASSION calendar, featuring two prominent and successful professional US racers, Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber.  I hesitate to post the video lest more people view it, but here it is:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now, let’s clarify that Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber are adults and have the right to make their own choices.  But why was this the decision?? “Select group of elite women cyclists,” “Slip into something a little more comfortable”??  Please.  As a woman, I am always disappointed when I see other women choosing to objectify themselves in this way.  But the fact that these women are professional mountain bikers is even more disappointing.  What type of message does this send to amateur women mountain bikers (and other cyclists for that matter), particularly young ones?  I’ve heard the argument before that dressing like a stripper is “empowering” for women.  I must be missing something, because last time I checked this objectification of women is exactly the type of thing feminists have been fighting against since well before the women in this video (and myself) were born.  Do we see male cyclists posing in provocative calendars?  No, of course not.  Because for men, being athletic is sexy.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  How would we know that the women in these photos were professional cyclists, were it not for the token bicycle in some of the photos?  We wouldn’t.  And that is precisely why this calendar and DVD are so insulting to female cyclists.

If you aren’t convinced, please check out Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, by Ariel Levy.  You might also consider your mothers, sisters, friends, partners and daughters who ride (or don’t) and whether or not you would support them representing themselves in this way.

Day two and we slept in like a couple of dorks waiting for some cartoons. The smell of trails in the air finally roused us and we hoped in the car this time for a new treat “Nebo Ridge”. The Nebo Ridge trail is about 8 miles away from the state park, and holy @ #$# is it worth the drive, or ride as we should have done in the first place. The plan was to take Nebo, to the Hickory Ridge Trail system (45+miles of multiuse trails), and then back to the car on Nebo. Initially the first couple of minutes on Nebo were a little suspect. Hoof marks and some wet ground made for slow riding. As fast as it started the trail began to get better and better. And we climbed and climbed, for close to 10 minutes. Once we got to the top it was big ring ridge runnin for about six miles. At the southern end of the Nebo Trail, we headed towards the Hickory Ridge Trail section. A little turned around, we asked Larry the cable guy for directions (he really was a cable guy, the name is a guess) turns out the trail was just up ahead and as soon as it started we began to rethink the decision. With no way of knowing what trails are good or better for bikes we hoped on the first one we came across, and it was bombed out and bad. Hoofs everywhere in the mud and crud. The first dirt road we came to we decided to take it to another section of trail so we could get back and break camp. Shortly into the #9 trail, I felt the sudden panic of a stick in a wheel and I put the white knuckle deathlock grip on the brakes. Not before the derailleur was snaped off and thrown into the wheel. None of the tools in my back pack were of any use. The only thing in there worth it’s weight was a can of Bud Light. We promptly drained it’s contents, squashed it, and reinserted the container into the pack. No help for the bike, but man I felt a little bit better with my rig in pieces. Seegs, however, did have the necessary tools all in one handy Park tool that he got on clearance for $15 bucks. It was a great investment, as it respoked a wheel and converted me to singlespeed within a 24hour span. This single speed stuff is no fun when the chain won’t stay put. I’m not convinced it is when the chain does stay put, but the jury is still out on that one. So we limped back to the car took a shower and passed out in the sun with a Heineken in my hand waiting for Seegs to return from one last run on the Brown County System. I

t’s only 4 hours to paradise, I can’t wait to go back. A shout out to DaDoubleG who put a rabid wheelbiting badger hex on our trip. They came out in full force, breaking two spokes, one derailleur hanger, and snacking on an X.O derailleur. He was sad he couldn’t go so he got all unDerka with the badgers, and we suffered for it. Speaking of badgers, why cross the cheddar curtain? There are well over 100miles of singletrack options in the area, and a little beyond the area are even more trails to rail. If you go make sure you get into town before they put the place on lockdown, or you’ll be stuck somewhere between a golden arch and a gas station for dinner. Not sure about the rest of town, but the bar we watched the Hawks game at had last call before midnight. Fine with me, we were not there for the sauce, we were there for the dirt.

Re-Scheduling
The folks at CAMBR West were bringing us the Kona Demo Day along with Rapid Transit Cycle’s assistance. This was re-scheduled due to the foul weather, we’ll give you a heads up of when the next date is being scheduled.

It should be a blast considering how awesome the Red Bull Stomping Ground event was. We unfortunately were unable to attend this event due weekends of family travels but we have heard that the event was pretty sweet and it could’ve standed to see a lot more folks come out and enjoy some rad professional stunting. Get a load of some of the action here (and dig the Chicago skyline in the back!):

Settin’ Down Roots
Speaking of kickass events – it’s happening again with the ‘Setting Down Root’s event coming up July 31st from 12:00PM-6:00PM at ‘The Garden’. Race dirt track style, test your skills against other riders, and raise money and awareness for Chicago’s one and only dirt bike park. More details on what is being given away, suredly something from us for you!

Palos Meltdown
Registration Opened up on June 1st for CAMBr members. Non-members registration will open at the end of the month. It’s Race #6 of the Illinois Homegrown Race Series and is absolutely lauded as the World Championships of Trail Racing for Chicago.

Do It In the Dirt as a couple!
The closest thing to dirty hanky panky since Porky’s was released in 1982 – Cyclocross action comes to you super EARLY this year thanks to xXx Racing-AthletiCo at Jackson Park. Only this time – you get to tag a team member in to take on your competitors WWF style. There will be a co-ed event. Who cares what colors you fly – its time to start recruiting up your teammate to put the smackdown on the other duo teams. Speaking of which – who wants to be a Bonebell pardner? We do-si-do as good as the rest of them ya’hear!

Chicago Cyclocross Cup
Of course – with races already being schedule for the CX lovers out there – you should know by now what weekends you are telling your loved ones when they have to hold the slab of bacon and mini-kegs of Pabst for you in the fall. Point them here and ask kindly and ask for forgiveness now before you bring wet smelly sandy ass back home.

Damn – we got a lot going on. We’ll be posting some lengthy articles coming up during a well deserved break to highlight some stuff we’ve been meaning to tell ya about and keep you motivated to keep them knobbies dirty and delighted. Remember we love you when you ride knobbies.

After regrouping with everyone 2 hours later, our crew enjoyed a nice picnic lunch and some conversation to get to know each other better.  On the whole a great day.    A few snapshots of our event below.  If you couldn’t make it out for this ride, we hope to see you on the next one!