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Spring has sprung and the race season is here. This month I’m taking a little racing hiatus and heading to D.C. the long way. Fellow SRAM / Red Bull teammate and cyclocross destroyer, Tim Johnson, invited me out East to participate in his annual Ride On Washington for Bikes Belong. The 5-day, 500-mile journey starts in Boston and ends in D.C. We will pedal through 5 cities along the way with stops at bikes shops and schools. Last year Tim’s ride raised about $25,000 for Bikes Belong. This year he’s hoping to quadruple that number and hit six figures. Some might say he’s an ambitious guy, but his track record has proven if anyone can pull it off, he can. Bikes Belong is dedicated to creating accessible, safe places to ride a bicycle, so it’s a cause near and dear to my heart. After this epic amount of mileage, we arrive in D.C. and then the real work begins. I will be swapping lycra for business attire and attending the National Bike Summit. I’ll be meeting with Congress members... The weather is plotting against us, but the ride tonight will go on! The ride is scheduled to depart from the Elephant’s Perch @ 6 p.m. and head down the Wood River Trail to Hailey, ending at Wise Guy. Come on out and join us for what will certainly be a wet & wild ride. If you don’t feel like going for a wet ride, please join us anyway at Wise Guy Pizza in Hailey. We’ll be there @ 7:30 to talk about ideas for the coming summer season and perhaps even take a peek at the Galena Summer Trails proposal that could transform the riding options at the northern end of our valley. Wise Guy Pizza loves the Wood River Bicycle Coalition and is offering $1 PBR’s & $1.50 slices. So, come on out and eat a slice, have a beer, and get excited about the coming season!
Riding Options, National Bike Summit, and the Ketchum Row Down….
Riding Options…
With some “spring-like” temperatures teasing us for the past couple of days, we wanted to let you know that the BCRD has begun to plow parts of the Wood River Trail. At this point, the WRT is mostly rideable south of Buttercup Rd. North of Buttercup, parts of the WRT have been plowed down to the “ice” layer, and other parts are still fully snow-covered. The Elkhorn loop and Trail Creek portions are clear and mostly dry. With warm weather on tap for this weekend, there should be some additional clearing thanks to mother nature, especially on the parts that have been plowed down to the ice layer. Just know that if you head out, take it easy, ride slowly, and expect to encounter patches of ice anywhere there is shade. Wednesday Evening RideNext Wednesday (3/14) there’s an open ride from Ketchum to Hailey on the Wood River Trail (a.k.a. bike path). The ride will leave from the Elephant’s Perch @ 6 p.m. and will head south on the WRT to Hailey and end at Wise Guy... 
Cycling safety and access go hand in hand. As most of you know I love IMBA, trail building, and participate heavily locally with the Wood River Bike Coalition. Being a good cyclist can take many forms, and for this month’s giveaway we are letting the lucky winner become a better “safe” cyclist. Safety is one of the key issues that cyclist face when riding on the road. By riding with lights during darker hours you not only can see, but be seen. Your own safety and sending a positive, visible message to motorists is key. Light and Motion has developed their Urban series of lights that include both straight ahead vision, but also side vision with the use of amber lights. These are the only bike lights on the market with side lighting. The Urban 500 is the mack daddy of commuter lights, and is this months giveaway prize. I use the Urban 300 around town and it’s extremely bright, so 500 lumens should cover you and then some. Our monthly product give away and focus fits perfectly with what’s on my agenda... 
After much deliberation, going back and forth a few times, I chose the winner. Nolan Amos had the best all around and most informative question, especially considering the prize! Thanks for a great question Nolan, you will be receiving some new Buff soon. Q: Say you’re out in the back country, something happens to someone. What are some various ways you can use a Buff as a tool to help get someone out to safety?
A: Here are just a few ways to make use of your Buff in case things go wrong. 1. Wound dressing 2. Tourniquet 3. Toilet paper, I’ve done this before 4. Eye mask, so they don’t see the compound fracture on their leg 5. Visibility flag and wind sock for the helicopter landing 6. Hat to keep warm, that’s too easy I am already looking forward to next month, where we will be giving away a Light and Motion product to help you see and ride safely at night. And please remember, even though your question may have not been the winner this month, I do answer almost every question... 
I used to water ski a few times a year as a kid. My grandparents lived on Lake Springfield in Illinois. Yes, the same are that the Simpsons are from! I loved hanging out behind the boat and bobbing over the wakes. That’s the extent of my experience with water skiing and what has not progressed into wakeboarding. So when Per Lundstam and Britta Llewellyn from the Red Bull Performance Division asked me to come to Orlando, FL to help with their athlete wakeboard camp, I was a little confused. I found out there would be no wakeboarding during this camp. Instead, the athletes would be doing V02 max testing, strength and mobility work, cardiovascular training and motivational training. My task was to meet them and share my experience relating to what kind of commitment it takes to be and stay a world class Red Bull athlete. I would be lying if said I didn’t have a bit of trepidation about speaking to athletes in a sport I knew nothing about. The athletes ranged... This is the kind of stuff that sets Red Bull apart as a sponsor and shapes some of the best athletes in the world. Today I head to Orlando, FL for a different kind of training camp. I’ve been invited by the Red Bull Performance Division to make an appearance at their annual wakeboard performance camp. No, I’ve never stepped onto a wakeboard and have no intention of changing sports. My reason for being there is to share my experience as an athlete with some of the best in the world. Per Ludstam from Red Bull asked me to come out and talk about how I train, what kind of dedication it takes to be the best and how I’ve managed to stay at the top of my game for so long. Most of these wakeboard athletes started competing in their teens or earlier and just did what came naturally. Red Bull is taking them to the next level with trampoline sessions, nutrition education, lactate threshold testing, strength training and mental training. In addition to sharing some of my motivation and... 
Arriving back to winter in Idaho directly from summer time in Chile and Argentina was a bit of a shock for us. Greg and I got the bike gear cleaned and packed away and pulled out the ski gear. We embraced winter to the fullest last weekend for the Stanley, ID Winterfest with a bunch of friends. Stanley is only about an hour’s drive from Ketchum, but it feels like a real get away into the craggy peaks of the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains. Stanley is known as one of the coldest places in the US and the winter population doesn’t break into the triple digits. The get-a-way was motivated by the Winterfest, which includes a winter “triathlon”, drag races, big air competition and other events that are concocted by the stir crazy locals. The triathlon started on backcountry ski gear and went through check points such as the panty tree, beacon search, and refreshment table. From skis, we went to bikes and did a lap through town in 6 inch deep powder, then finished with a run down... 
As most of you know, support for bicycle related programs dwindles every year even though the sport continues to grow. As a cyclist each and every one of us has felt this pressure while on a road ride hugging the shoulder for dear life, or on a last mountain bike ride before a trail is closed. It’s a harsh reality of growth and expansion, but it doesn’t have to be. Tim Johnson (@timjohnsoncx), a fellow Red Bull teammate of mine, organized the inaugural Ride on Washington in 2011 to raise funds for a program called Bikes Belong (@BikesBelong) and to help promote cycling as a whole before the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. This year Greg and I were invited to participate in the entire ride, and help the fund raising efforts. We will also be representing the Wood River Bike Coalition and participating as members of IMBA. We are planning on listening, learning and speaking to the Idaho represenatives about issues in our state such as the CIEDRA bill that threatens to close much of the Boulder – White Clouds... 
After a brief hiatus, the Ask Reba contest is back! We chose January as Ugly Cycling Kit Month and wanted to give everyone some time to get and ride off the holiday pounds, plus I was in Argentina, so I was a bit busy. This month Buff Multifunctional Headwear has kindly offered up some of it’s un-rivaled headwear for one lucky winner. I use Buff products everyday for both riding and casual use, and have a wonderful relationship with everyone at the company. Not only do they make a useful and stylish product, they’re cool people too. Wool is one of my favorite fabrics in the world. It’s not bulky and stays warm when wet. I use the Wool Buff for nordic skiing, Spring road riding, backcountry skiing, or epic mountain bike rides. It’s what I reach for when I know the weather might be nasty or change quickly. The longer length is perfect for your neck, face and head or any combination you can think of. This simple item is what I reach for first for almost any ride. It’s light, small... 
Check out the video from 2011 Roc d’azur. It’s on the radar for 2012! Morning, 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: 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. 
Buenos Dias, We are racing today! Stage 1 is all set to go. Day 1 Panguipulli to Huilo Huilo (try to say that three times as fast as you can)! Trans Andes starts today and I’m racing with Chris Carmichael from Carmichael Training Systems. Greg and I traveled down here with about 25 athletes and coaches from CTS. It’s the royal treatment with CTS and my friends from Adventure Store in Argentina as our support crew. Being in such a big, organized group is a logistical luxury and it’s also great to have so many instant friends to hang out with. The group ranges from a neurosurgeon to tech wizard to a BLM employee. The one common thread through us all is a love for riding bikes. Everyone here is addicted to cycling and are super stoked to be in the Andes. I am the only on in the group who has raced Trans Andes, so my role has been to share my experience and help get everyone excited and prepared for the event. This race is one of my favorite stage races in one of the best places in the world.
Wood River Bicycle Coalition seeks public comment on grant proposal to be submitted to the State of Idaho Parks and Recreation Department
The Wood River Bicycle Coalition is seeking public comment on a proposed project for which we are seeking grant support from the State of Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR). Each year the State of Idaho provides trail project funding opportunities through a grant application process. These State funds are raised through the sale of a variety of boating, recreation, and off-road vehicle stickers. Agencies applying for IDPR grants are required to provide matching funds or in-kind contributions. The Wood River Bicycle Coalition would appreciate your comments or feedback on the grant proposal listed below. To be most helpful, comments should be submitted by January 23, 2012. The Wood River Bicycle Coalition seeks Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant support for the purchase of specialized single track construction equipment (an ST240 from Single Track LLC http://singletracktools.com) including an enclosed trailer. This equipment will be available for use on both motorized and non-motorized trails... 
The Story behind the secret Moab photo shoot. 
So we are changing things up a bit this month to encourage some interaction and even a little smack talking. For this month we will select the ugliest cycling kit, road or mountain, that is posted on my Facebook page as the winner. The key here is that it has to be your kit, a friends kit, and there can be no nudity, just to keep the kiddies safe. So please post the photos to Facebook and I am going to kick it off with this guy I found on Google Images just to get you in the mood.Prizes to be decided, and will most likely depend on how ugly your kit really is! We closed out 2011 with another stellar month of questions for the Ask Reba contest. This months winner went about things a bit differently than most and that resulted in him taking home the prize. So congratulations to Jeffrey Stern! Q: What is your #1 tip for being a better Rebecca Rusch everyday?? A: Here are two things I do that keep me working to better myself and feel happy. 1. Practice Appreciation: Every night before falling asleep, I ask myself, “what was the best part of my day?” Even if it was a horrible day, I find some little thing to appreciate. Believe me, sometimes I have to dig deep to find something to feel good about, but I do it anyway. 2. Live with Intention: In the morning before getting out of bed, I spend a few moments setting mini goals for the day. I decide what I intend to do and then try to live up to that. I fail on a regular basis for various reasons, but I also succeed some days. The practice of being intentional about... 
Happy Holidays to everyone! My sister, her kids and my mom all arrived on Christmas Day, so we did a little holiday celebration at my house around my tiny tree. It was fun and the kids had 6 days here for me to thoroughly wear them out. We went up to Galena for an overnight stay in the yurt, which was very rewarding for all. Kira and Haley are 9 and 11 and have never really spent much time in snow. Night time sledding and learning how to make a real fire were on the agenda that night. The rest of the holiday week has been skiing, ice skating, indoor rock climbing, visiting the fire station, tubing and playing in the limited fresh snow we received this week. My mission was to be the coolest Aunt ever and expose them to a bit of Idaho adventure, and I think I succeeded! Ketchum Fire Dept has been busy with some fun fire calls and EMS calls. Nothing to major or devastating, but enough action to keep us busy. We have been going through the same lack of snow problem as most of the west, and luckily we received... Courtesy of the kind folks over at vurbmoto.com we stumbled across this video yesterday and thought we would share it with you. My gym partner yesterday, Drew Bezanson Red Bull BMX rider. He’s just coming back from 5 months off after a brain hemorrhage. This crazy video is his first ride back after the injury! we completed brain training at Neurotopia yesterday, I think choosing the green Cobra as my race car was a good thing. I had a great session on the neuro agility test.Enjoy Drew Bezanson from Justen Soule on Vimeo. 
I’m in Santa Monica, CA this week for four days of strength training, brain training and bike testing with the Red Bull Performance Team. It’s a week of skill development and testing to provide tools to keep improving in my sport. The schedule is super packed and my body and mind are going to be worked over by the time Thursday rolls around. Yesterday was strength training sessions with the Red Bull Performance team and strength coach Nate Turner. Nate has a long history helping athletes, like Lance Armstrong. The focus of the workouts is to give us cycling specific workouts we can do on the road, with limited equipment and also identify areas that need improvement. We were able to use the facilities at Malibu Crossfit. Red Bull BMX athlete Mike Day was there too and it was great to meet him and find out about what he does. MIke’s an Olympic Silver medalist and working toward qualifying for 2012. His races are about 40 seconds long. Obviously we have...
It’s time for another giveaway, and this months prize is a bit different from the type of item we normally giveaway. Jessica Cassity‘s book, Better Each Day , is a compilation of 365 easy, sensible health and wellness tips. She polled tons of experts (including me!) on topics ranging from fitness motivation, easing shoulder tension and eating to prevent cancer. The tips are less than a page each and focused on helping you make small changes to achieve big health results. I guarantee there is something in this book for all of us. Send in the winning Ask Reba question and Better Each Day is yours to kick off a healthy 2012! Ask Reba Monthly Giveaway. Submit your question here for this months giveaway. Thanks for playing!
The Ask Reba train keeps on rolling! November has passed and after reading almost 7 pages of questions, I have chosen 2 people to win the Light & Motion Urban 300 lights. That’s correct, we are giving away two! Tis the season they say. There were plenty of questions to chose from, and many were contenders, but the two I chose both made me laugh, and made me reminisce. I have been with Light & Motion for almost 10 years now, and if you are ever in the market for lighting give them a look. Their background is in underwater lighting, and after testing lights, I was sold. The first winner is Conrad Castaneda. His question, and my answer will undoubtedly put some smiles on peoples faces. Q: How important is a good looking kit? What’s the most hideous kit you’ve ever seen (at a race or training/fun ride)? A: A good looking kit is KEY! It’s like a super hero putting on their cloak or a knight stepping into their armor. Your kit needs to make you feel fast and invincible! You need to... 
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...
The kind folks over at Backcountry.com are having a huge sale today, well all week really. Check it out! 
La Ruta: Pre-Race
La Ruta Ready Day 0 and the race wheels are rolling. We start tomorrow at 5:20 AM. Today is the last minute bike prep and registration. My Specialized teammate Todd Wells has arrived, along with team mechanic, Benno Williet. It will be really fun to have Todd and his wife Meg out here. The last time we all spent time together was at Leadville when we took home double wins. Maybe if we’re lucky, we can do that again. Benno is a world class mechanic and has been with Specialized for years. The last time he worked on my bike was the Cape Epic a few years ago and I’ve always been super impressed with his meticulous work and ability to tell jokes at the same time. Both those traits will come in really handy on a race as long and hard as this. The bikes will get beat up from the infamous Costa Rican mud and rain.
I’ve been here a few days doing some heat acclimatization and my last tune up rides. The humidity... We’d like to thank everyone who came out last night to see From the Inside Out at the Liberty Theater! That was a great turn out! We signed up nearly 20 new members & raised over $2K for a couple of local trail initiatives. Huge thanks to Lars, Adrian, Janelle, Mia, Rebecca, Karoline, Cameron, & Eric for pulling it all together. Also, thanks to the following businesses for generating yet another ‘swag-o-rama’ of raffle prizes: Scott Sports 
Hello, The La Ruta is in the history books, and I am fully reminded of how difficult this race truly is. It is such a fun experience though to come race literally from one side of the country to the other, and have the support of a international crowd along the way. Despite the bad luck on day 4, this was still my best La Ruta finish to date and my riding performance was better than expected given that I didn’t really train or focus on peaking for this race. Day 3 at La Ruta was OK. Not great but not terrible. I felt OK, but just wasn’t climbing as fast as I would have liked. I fell off the pace right from the beginning. I did get to ride with Matt Luhn, a friend from Sun Valley for the last part of the climb and the descent. It was really nice not to be alone out there. The 8000 ft descent was super sketchy because the fog and light rain had moved in. It was impossible to wear glasses because they were fogging up so badly, so the descent was sort of a one eyed squint alternating... I’m in the hotel room after day 2 with ice bags on my legs. There’s no bath tub here, so I can’t take a full ice bath. 
Day 1 of La Ruta is in the books. I had a great day and it felt so good to be racing and working hard again. I’ve sort of had a couple months of really unstructured training, so I had no idea if my legs would remember how to race. I was pleasantly surprised with how I felt today on what they call the hardest day of La Ruta. There was over 10,000 ft of climbing in about 110 km. The jungle hike a bike portion is a bit of a slip and slide event, but it went OK. I was running cyclocross toe cleats in my shoes and was glad to have them today to claw my way up some of the muddy ruts. I finished today in 2nd for the women, about 10 minutes of the lead. I’m encouraged by my ride today because I felt good, was climbing well and my time this year was well ahead of where I was last year. I was also really encourage to not have Louise Kobin (aka La Ruta Lou) ride away from me today like she has in the past. It was motivating to be able to chase and I caught and passed quite... 
Day 0 and the race wheels are rolling. We start tomorrow at 5:20 AM. Today is the last minute bike prep and registration. My Specialized teammate Todd Wells has arrived, along with team mechanic, Benno Williet. It will be really fun to have Todd and his wife Meg out here. The last time we all spent time together was at Leadville when we took home double wins. Maybe if we’re lucky, we can do that again. Benno is a world class mechanic and has been with Specialized for years. The last time he worked on my bike was the Cape Epic a few years ago and I’ve always been super impressed with his meticulous work and ability to tell jokes at the same time. Both those traits will come in really handy on a race as long and hard as this. The bikes will get beat up from the infamous Costa Rican mud and rain.
J. Andres Varga
Join us at the Liberty Theater in Hailey on Saturday, November 12, for a showing of From the Inside Out, presented by Scott USA. Doors open at 6 pm, show starts @ 7:30. The Powerhouse crew will be there with delectable beverage options. There will be a raffle (tix $5) with some great prizes. WRBC memberships will be available. Last but not least, this is a fundraiser for the WRBC and for the BCRD’s Galena Summer Trails plan. Any way you slice it, this money is going back into your trail system!
Even though I am racing in Costa Rica, I couldn’t forget about our monthly giveaway. Light & Motion has been a key sponsor of mine for years, and I wouldn’t ride with anything else lighting my way after the sun sets. Whether it is a 24 Hour race, or a trip to the store in the evening, their lights work flawlessly and look great doing so with their aluminum anodized casings.
I recently added a Urban 300 light to my town bike and love it, so that is what we are sending out to the lucky winner for November. Rules are the same, submit a question in the fields below and see if you win.... 
With such a highly sought after prize this past month, we had some high caliber questions. Many were extremely humorous as people went in different directions to win the SRAM XX Disc Brakes, and some were serious as always. This months winner is no longer “regular” as he gets to ride XX “Pro” Disc brakes! Congratulations Dave Pryor, you are now going to have the best stoppers made. Q: One of the best parts of our sport is working-class-heroes (like me) get to ride with pro-class-fast-folks (like you). I’ve learned a lot on those rides that have made me a better rider afterwards. Have you learned anything while riding with regular folks that has helped you get faster? And I don’t mean faster at drinking beer, though feel free to share those stories as well. A: Dave, thanks for the kind words. I often feel like “regular” riders might be disappointed when they race along side me and see that I get frazzled, frustrated, crash and blow snot rockets, just like everyone else. I question my ability, fumble... Ketchum will begin the process of rewriting it’s Comprehensive Plan tonight. The meeting will be an open forum and will be held at the River Run Lodge from 6-8 p.m. Snacks will be provided and there will be a no-host bar. If you care about recreation and would like to see Ketchum develop further recreational facilities in the future, this is your chance to participate! We wanted to repeat what we pointed out earlier this week and relay some information from the Ketchum Ranger District on current trail conditions. Unless you’ve been out of town for a few weeks or just living under a rock, you are aware that our area has received a significant amount of rain from several storms over the last 14 days. During the fall season with our cool daytime temps, freezing nighttime temps, and lower trajectory of the sun through the sky; the resulting wet conditions are not quick to go away, if they do at all. As a result of this weather pattern, we now have some extremely fragile conditions on many of our local trails. Trails that seem especially susceptible to damage right now are in the Greenhorn drainage and many of our “lunch ride” trails including Fox Creek, Chocolate Gulch, and Citizens Trail. We’ve changed these trails to “partially open” on the BCRD Trailink website in an effort to highlight the areas where we’ve received reports of the worst conditions. ... When: Saturday, October 22, 12 – 4 pm Where: Meet at the Adams Gulch Trailhead, ready to go at 12 noon. We’ll work until @ 4 pm. What: Work will be on the Forbidden Fruit Trail. Our main focus will be to establish outslope in numerous areas to facilitate drainage. We’ll also try to do some raking and scree removal as time permits. Be sure to wear “closed toe” shoes, gloves, and bring water. Please leave Fido at home! Tools will be provided and we’ll be shuttling tools and equipment out to the trail with the Rokon. So, if you would like to ride your mountain bike, feel free. We can shuttle your “work” shoes out to the trail for you! If possible, please shoot us an email (wrbikecoalition@gmail.com) to let us know you’re coming so that we can be sure to have enough tools on hand. 
October is here and the weather is starting to turn, which means if you are riding in any inclement weather, you need good brakes. So, to make sure you can stop this winter, we are giving away a set of SRAM XX Disc brakes courtesy of the kind folks at SRAM. These are light and simple. The carbon lever is designed to make one finger braking a cinch and will not tire out your hands, even in a super long event. The calipers are designed so you can change the pads from the top without even having to take off the wheel. Installation and adjustment is also super easy. You can align the pads to the rotor in seconds by loosening the bolts and squeezing the brake lever while re-tightening the bolts. Put them onto the Matchmaker clamp and you have a super sleek, simple, adjustable system with just one clamp for brakes and shifters. Remeber, to maximize your chances of winning, please check the AskReba Archives to make sure your question hasn’t already been asked. Remember, best question wins!... 
24 Hour Nationals! Four times the fun with Team SRAM. October 1-2 was a really fun riding day, and I mean a full riding day. I haven’t raced a 24 Hour event all season. When I heard that USAC National Championships was being held in Colorado Springs, home of SRAM’s Avid and Rockshox office, I decided that SRAM needed to have a women’s team represented! It was a last minute effort, but I rallied some fast Colorado friends who I normally have to race against. 
Another month in the bag! I have been travelling all over the country as most of you know, and it took me some time to read through and choose a winner. This month there were a mixed bag of questions that really made me think about who I picked to win a new pair of Smith Pivlock V90 glasses. In the end it was Brittany Blanco who asked: Q; When you ride with men who are faster, what is your motivation to just kick it into gear and show them up? I ride with guys and I absolutely hate when I can’t keep up with them. A: For me internal motivation is way stronger than external. When I’m riding with someone faster than me (male or female), my motivation is not to show them up, it’s more wanting to raise my own level. Whether I’m in a race or training, I really focus on trying not to worry about the riders around me and instead ride the best that I can. When I ride with that approach, I ride faster. If you have overwhelmingly competitive thoughts when you ride with guys, perhaps... 
Last weekend I had the pleasure of racing WITH a bunch of fast friends that I normally have to race against. When I heard 24 Hour Nationals was being hosted in Colorado Springs, home of Rockshox and Truvativ, I wanted to pull together a SRAMwomen’s team. Sonya Looney, Jenny Smith and Kelly Boniface all stepped up to the plate to race with me. As with any 24 Hour race, it was a bit of a logistical puzzle pulling it all together with bikes, food, camping gear, cooking gear for a whole day of racing. We pre-rode the course at Palmer Park and were all blown away by how amazing and technical the riding was right in the middle of the city. The 13.5 mile loop they pulled together was technical and fun. There would be no zoning out on this course. I rode my Era because I really wanted the full suspension on this course. I also outfitted it with a Reverb dropper seatpost to add some security on the techy stuff. Jenny led us off with the fastest women’s lap of the whole race and set the... 
August flew by faster than ever and here we are at the end of September. Between Leadville, the Vegas Ride, Interbike, Moab, and now recovering at home, I feel as if I could write a novel to catch up, which I will, but this is a start. I raced the Baldy Hill Climb over the weekend. This local event has been around for 25 years and is a fundraiser for SVSEF, the ski foundation here. It’s usually one big, fast hike straight up the ski hill from bottom to top (3300 ft). A few years ago, they added a bike portion of the event as well, so you could ride all the way to the top. Then they added the double where you could do the ride, take a chairlift down, then join the rest of the racers for the hike. There are just a handful of people who do the back to back double hill climbs. Of course, I’m one of them. I’ve missed the race the last couple of years. This year, I did the double again and admittedly, have not been training with the usual focus and intensity. ... We’d like to thank everyone who came out to take part in the IMBA Trail Care Crew visit this past weekend with Steve and Morgan Lomelle. They rolled into town a couple of days early and got to sample some of our local trails before getting down to business on Thursday with the Better Living Through Trails Seminar. This seminar focused on the economic and health benefits to a community that a good trail system can provide. It was interesting to hear that mountain biking tourism generates $4.2 billion in revenue for the intermountain west of the U.S. The discussion illustrated the strengths that we currently have with our trail system, as well as ways that we could improve our efforts in making it better. On Friday morning, Steve and Morgan held a Land Manager Training seminar at the Community Campus in Hailey. Nearly 20 land managers from throughout southern Idaho with the BLM, USFS, SNRA, and SVCO were in attendance to learn more about improving our trail system and share ideas. Trail work clinic tomorrow at Galena Lodge 9-5. Pre-register on the IMBA site or just shoot us an email (wrbikecoalition@gmail.com) and let us know you’re coming. Please wear long pants, closed toes shoes, leave Fido at home, bring plenty of water and sunscreen, and a rain jacket! If you’re not into doing some trail work, but instead need a ‘fix’ of short track racing, head on up to the Feastival and get your fill: If anyone happens to be in Vegas, come say hi. Here is my schedule for booth appearances and signings. WEDNESDAY 1-3 Poster signing at OIWC Women’s Product Lounge (near booth 7079) 3:00-5:00 SRAM poster signing booth 7033. The SRAM booth is a super fun place to be at the end of a day in the convention center. They always have refreshments and gear give-a-ways. THURSDAY 9:30-10:30: Light and Motion booth 19105 Poster signing and media appointments 11-11:30 Buff, free Seamless Headband give-a-way and meet/greet booth 4127 4:30 Hydrapak Happy Hour booth 17109 Speciailzed Right to Play Ride to Vegas 
As I head out for yet another Specialized Interbike ride, I did a quick run though of gear that I will need. We are riding from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, an easier and flatter ride than last year, but still across some very hot desert. The first thing I remembered was sunscreen, but the second thing, was sunglasses. Good eye wear is crucial for cycling. From debris to sun protection, never leave home without your eyeballs being safe and protected. This month, hot off the heels of another packed list of questions, we will be giving away a pair of Smith Pivlock V90 sunglasses. Interchangeable lenses, rimless design, and super lightweight make these perfect both on and off the bike. So think up that question that you have always wanted answered, I will choose the one that will help the most people, and have the greatest impact on those who participated. So ask away! Ask Reba Monthly Giveaway. Submit your question here for this months giveaway. Thanks for playing!
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