Triple Crown of Beacon!

Sea Otter 2013 was the last time I had raced a bike. Coming back to racing has been on my mind ever since my surgery. The normal thoughts have rolled through my mind for the last 11 months, "Will I still be competitive?" "Will I be afraid of crashing?" "Can I still perform under pressure?" I put all of those demons to rest this past weekend with my return to racing!

  Beacon is always a difficult race. There are downhill races both Saturday and Sunday. You have to learn two courses that have numerous blind features, and the race times are always tight. The locals have mind blowing speed, and have this place on lock-down. This is also the only race of the year without a shuttle or a lift of any kind. So if you want to practice, you have to hike. To make the schedule even more rigorous this year, they added an enduro to the mix! Once I saw the race flyer I determined I was going to try to race everything.

I was able to get to the race Friday evening with enough time for an enduro lap, and then a few minutes of DH practice before dark. That was the real key to my weekend. I felt great, and couldn't wait to get up and race in the morning. Jeff and Jaime were amazing hosts as always and let me crash with them again.

Parking lot was packed! 

Saturday morning started with a trip to the grocery store at 7am. Standing in line to pay, a song came on the store's speakers. Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo by Rick Derringer started playing. It was a great sign. That song was in my head all last year during the filming of my Beacon video. I was officially pumped!

Beacon video from March last year right before my shoulder surgery. 

I pedaled up for the enduro start on my Diamondback Mason FS. Beacon is very sandy and drains really well, so I was blown away at the sight of mud! I was running a semi-slick Kenda Happy Medium in the back, which is about as far from a mud tire as you can get. The pedal up was nice and slow, knowing I had plenty of time to race. I dropped into the first stage a little over zealous. A few blown corners due to the slick conditions, but I hammered the one uphill in the stage and carried great speed into the last flat section. It seemed like almost everyone had issues with the mud, so I pedaled off to stage two feeling pretty good.

So enduro!

Trying to keep it upright in the slick spots.

Stage two was the long stage. It had a lot of flat parts and was going to be a leg burner. I pushed the technical parts a little harder than I should have and made a bunch of little mistakes, but managed to keep it together. My main focus on this stage was one downhill sweeping corner that had a long uphill out of it. I figured this would be the most crucial place to carry speed. I came into the corner as fast as I could, but right at the apex started sliding towards one of the course poles! Shoot! There wasn't much I could do other than slam the brakes and try not to go down. I lost all of my speed, but kept it upright. I took my anger out on the next hill and smashed the pedals as hard as I could to get to the top. My legs were burning, but I kept pushing towards the finish. I was really bummed on the stage.

Girthmore. The biggest drop in any race course I've ever ridden. - Photo by Damon Sedivy

The final section of Stage three. - photo by Willy Bartlett

Stage three was actually the Sunday downhill course, without Girthmore or the Jetson line. However, you had to ride the same bike. I dropped into the stage on my Mason and was really excited with how fast I felt. I came through the finish line happy to be done with my first enduro! However, my legs were on fire and I had to hike up the hill one more time and still race the downhill.

Coming over the cheese wedge - photo by Kim Floyd

I swapped bikes and helmets and headed to the top. One last run for the day. I kept everything nice and smooth, hit all of my lines, and only had one small mistake towards the end. I came through the finish line with a big smile on my face. Getting the first DH race out of the way successfully was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Coming through the final few corners of Saturdays course - Photo by Jason Gibb

Saturday DH results. The kids are getting fast! 

After waiting for the results to be completed, I found out I had won every stage of the enduro and the downhill with the fastest times of the day on all! I couldn't have been happier! Jaime also won every stage of the enduro for her class and the pro womens DH! Jaime, Jeff and I went out for dinner, grabbed some food, and headed back to Beacon to camp for the night. We were all so tired, that we fell asleep at 8:30pm!

Home sweet home for the weekend

Sunday morning had two possibilities, either I was going to feel great, or not be able to walk. Luckily my legs felt alright and I was able to get some good practice in before the race. I love watching how others approach a race. I told numerous people that Sundays race would be won on the long pedal between Girthmore and the camel humps about mid way down, but everyone kept trying to squeeze hundredths of seconds out of the most technical parts of the course. I chose to hit the "easy" side of the Jetson line, albeit jumping into it. I figured it was the safest and it felt about the same speed as the other, more difficult and consequential lines.

The "easy" side of the Jetson line.

In my race run I tried to be smooth. I drifted the rear of the bike a few times and hit the brakes in a few places I shouldn't have, but pedaled as hard as I could in the middle. I cruised through the Jetson line without issue and crossed the finish line. When the dust settled, I ended up on top again. It was great to win and still play it smart and (relativity) safe. Big props to Kent Billingsley for crushing it and pushing me both days, along with Alex Watts for his first Pro podium in his first pro race! Also big ups to Lucas Chalcraft for the high jump contest. Lucas had to be 10-12 feet above a 6 foot lip. Mind blown!

Four beers are being poured on me right here. Winning in the NW is fun! - photo by Jim McCracken 

After the race I stopped by my favorite restaurant and headed home. I am looking forward to Sea Otter and cannot wait to get the new DH bike out to Port Angeles.

My treat for winning! 

Ill see everyone at the races, it feels great to be back! Big thanks to all of the people who support me and have helped me along the way, first and foremost, Ruth for putting up with me, My parents for fostering this dream, and of course Diamondback Bikes, Gravity Components, Kenda Tires, Chris King hubs, Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Enve, Bell Helmets, and the people at Boeing who don't seem to mind when I'm a little scrapped up on Monday morning!

Spokane and St. Paddys Day!

Spring is happening here!

Spring is in the air! It's that time of year again when the sun stays out longer, the rains seem to let up, and the area starts to bloom. It also means it's time to race bikes again. I finally had all of the missing pieces to build my DH bike for season and was able to get it together in time to head to Spokane for a preview of the first race of the season at Beacon Hill.

A little spy shot of the new rig. 

I loaded up the new bikes and headed over the mountains to meet up with Jeff and Jaime Rees for a tour of the area. I've ridden Beacon for years, but this was the first time I've ever brought something other than a downhill bike. I've always seen the XC trails, but I've never ridden them.

Loaded up and heading out!

We woke up early and went up towards the towers for a few laps. I couldn't believe how fun the trails were! This was the best warm up for downhilling later and was a great time on the bikes!

So pro. 

It was a little slick in places.

Enough shoveling, lets ride!

We ended the day with a few laps on the DH bikes. It was fun to ride my new one and I can't believe how good it feels. It's really overkill for Beacon, but it is nice to get some time on it before the big races roll around. We even helped throw some dirt and buff out a few jumps. The track is in great shape and I can't wait for next weekend to get back there and tear it up!

Waiting for the race to start. The hat wasn't bad to run in, the necklace was terrible!

I had to leave Spokane early to get back to the westside. A few months ago Ruth decided we needed to run the St. Paddys Day Dash, a 5k run in Seattle. Ruth and I met up with Mike and Shannon and set out for the adventure. There were so many people in the event that you couldn't even run. We managed to walk/jog our way through the course and proceeded to enjoy the Irish holiday!

A little rain won't stop us. 

Ruthie tried to jump in front of my picture! 

And this was the start of the celebration after the race. It got a little foggy from here...

First race starts next weekend. See everyone there!

New Toy, Kitchen update, sore legs

Not much to write about this one. But I added a new toy to the garage.

So excited! 

I also started working on the kitchen again. I figured it's time to finish this thing. I built and installed the first few cabinet doors this weekend. I just need to stain them and add handles and we'll be done with this project!

I'm really happy with how this kitchen has turned out. 

I don't have any riding photos from the weekend. I was enjoying my ride too much! It was really wet and muddy everywhere, but the wagon wheels were great. I rode Grand Ridge, Duthie, and E27 yesterday. Here is a pretty accurate representation of how my legs feel today.

Until next time..

Winter Camping, XC skiing, Big Wheels, Snowboarding!

Home sweet home! RV's and Sleds make for a fun weekend!

After the last snowmobile trip with Metzger, we sat down and decided we needed to ride sleds again very soon. We decided it would be fun to take the RV's up to the mountains for some winter camping. Ruth and I loaded up the trailer and headed into the hills to meet Mike and Shannon. The roads up the pass were nice and clear, but no sooner than when the jacks were down, did it start snowing! It snowed all weekend and the snow conditions were amazing.

Ruth and I went XC skiing too. 

Mike and I rode sleds a few times, Ruth and I went XC skiing, the dogs played in the snow, and everyone hung out and a had a great time!

Fast forward a few days and drop down a few thousand feet. I was able to get out on the bike with the dogs for a quick ride. The ride wasn't anything special, just a normal evening at Grand Ridge. The awesome part was that I managed to go after work and had enough daylight to ride without bringing lights! I ran into Tyler Salvage from Evergreen and we rode until dark and even squeezed in a drink at the bar before the night was over.

Tyler Salvage and Rylie checking out some drainage. 

Daylight!

Pure elation.

This is one of the most fun times of year as a racer. This is when all of the new product starts to appear. My 2014 product is slowly arriving. I managed to get out to Tokul for a few laps on a new steed this weekend. The new Diamondback bikes are looking amazing and I can't wait to reveal the whole 2014 lineup.

Wagon wheels.

It has been snowing consistently for the last 12 days. Stevens Pass has received 12 FEET of snow in the last 12 days. Knowing there was endless powder, Ruth and I decided we needed to dust off the snowboards and make some tracks. I'm sitting here typing this because I am still so excited about how good the conditions were today that I can't sleep. I've never ridden through powder that was this deep. We rode until neither of us were able to stand up anymore. Today was the most fun I've had on a snowboard in years.

So Seattle. 

Fresh deep powder everywhere. This is under Hogsback (The main chairlift!) 

Couldn't wipe the smile off my face!

The snow has been amazing, but bike season is right around the corner. I am working to dial in the new bikes and can't wait to hit the trails again! Until next time...

-KT

Snowday!

The weather all winter has been very mild, but all good things must come to an end. It finally snowed. Our city shuts down when it snows, but this was on Saturday night, so by Monday morning, it had all melted and the city was able to function again.

Reminded me of back home! 

The picture is blurry because these two wouldn't stop running around!

 In order to celebrate the snow, I decided to join Metzger and go sledding for the day.

Mike has a spare sled that I was able to use. The downside was that it was a lot of fun, so now I have to save my pennies and buy a sled. (Sorry Ruth!) 

On our way to the pass we saw this brodozer for sale. Don't be this guy. 

Bluebird day and beautiful snow. 

No one around either!

This was such a fun day!

We are going to take the trailer out this weekend and do some winter camping and XC skiing. The bikes will come back out soon! I just looked at the calendar, it's only 6 weeks until the first race! 

-KT

Face update, Los Angeles, Seahawk Parade

So my face was a little messed up the next day. I had some interesting looks at work on Monday, but everything has healed up and almost back to normal now.

Monday morning. Not my best look. 

The downside with having my face smashed up, beyond trouble eating, breathing, talking, sleeping, etc, was that we were going to visit my niece and nephew 5 days later! Ruth and I hopped on a plane Thursday night and flew down to LA.

My half sister and her family treated us to an amazing weekend. Universal Studios, hanging out on the beach, an amazing super bowl party, and good times with the family.  We had a great time and can't wait until this fall to see them again!

The Seahawks cheering section!

Universal Studios

In case you've lived under a rock, you have heard that the Seahawks won the Super Bowl! As is tradition, the home city hosts a parade for the returning champions. The parade was mid day on Wednesday, and this is the first time the Seahawks have won, so I wanted to attend the parade. It was absolutely INSANE!!! IT took 4 hours to get downtown. I couldn't believe how many people were crammed downtown. It was wall to wall people all cheering for the 'hawks!

The waiting line for the train was very "Seattle" 

Everyone was heading downtown. I'd hate to have been a visitor today. 

The most people I've ever seen in one place. 

Russel Wilson rolling through town.

Living in Seattle for the last few weeks has been so much fun. The city has had so much energy, it was amazing to see everyone come together. Hopefully this town stays this way. It's been amazing!

Until next time!

-KT

Crashing and hockey

I never really work on my Mission. It's a do-it-all bike that gets ridden hard and put away wet. All it usually takes is a little chain lube every now and then and she's good to go. I finally got to the point this weekend where I had to do some maintenance. I'd broken enough spokes that the wheel was hitting the frame, so it was time to build a new wheel.

New rim, fresh logos! 

After the wheel build, I changed up the suspension, lubed everything, checked tire pressures, etc. The bike was feeling ready to roll! As with all the rides lately, I headed back to Tokul. I met up with some of the guys from Evil-bikes and we went up the trail. Dropping in for the first run, I told myself I was going to hit this awkward gap in the trail. I came around the corner, hit the lip, and just cased the landing enough to get bucked off the trail right into a big hole. Luckily, my face stopped my helmet from getting scratched.

Right after the crash. I wasn't quite sure what I had done at this point.

Getting cleaned up about 30 minutes later.

So now I feel concussed, sore, etc, but we had plans tonight. We were going to watch a hockey game with some of Ruth's coworkers. One of her coworkers parents own the Kelowna Rockets, so we went along to cheer then on. I didn't realize they were playing the local team, the Seattle Thunderbirds. I felt like a traitor for cheering for a Canadian team! But in the true spirit of this country, the Americans won!

Having a black eye and a fat lip made me fit right in at the hockey game.

I'm probably off the bike for a day or two to let my face heal up. It's cleaned up pretty well. I have a big gash in my lip and a black eye, but that's about it. I'll post an updated photo if the black eye looks nasty in the morning. Hopefully the next ride goes a little better!