Riding on the Track

The fall and winter seasons are often a time of change, and restructuring, a time to try some new things, refresh, and pan for the next race season. This fall I once again hit the local ‘cross scene, for some very fun racing with some of my favorite people, but also changed things up by trying out a little riding on the track. The track is what has been the biggest change and newest challenge. After participating in a National Team development camp at the Burnaby Velodrome, and gaining a few basic skills, I was invited to head down to LA to participate in another camp with the National Team, from the 22nd to the 27th. It is a huge honor, to have the opportunity to ride with some world class athletes, especially when being so new to the track. I am really looking forward to facing some new challenges and learning some new skills over the next week.

A little about what I have been doing on the track:

Over the last two weeks at the track, I have spent most of the time training for team pursuits. We have been practicing exchanges, starts, and doing a bit of motor pacing. I also had the chance to do my first night of racing on Friday last week, at the Bare Bones weekend of track racing. I tried my luck in a couple of the Women’s and B Omnium races, which included a scratch race, miss and out, points race, and tempo race. These are all new events to me, and I found they are very fun games.

Here is a little information about what I learned these races are:

Scratch race: this is basically a condensed road race. What really matters is who crosses the line first at the end of the designated lap count. What makes it more exciting than the typical road race, is that on a 200m track, it is faster, tighter and attacks have the potential of lapping the pack.

Miss and out: in this race, every other lap the last rider to cross the line is eliminated from the group. As the group gets smaller, the sprints get more intense at the end of those laps. When it is down to 2 riders, there is a 3 lap to go count, with the winner of that sprint taking the race.

Points Race: This is a race with a set number of laps, and sprints on designated laps, every 10th lap. Points go to 1st (3 points), 2nd (2) and 3rd (1) in each sprint, with the final sprint being worth the most points. Additionally, if a rider, or group of riders laps the pack, they gain 20 points, so lapping the group is a great, if you can do it. I attempted it in the B race, and gained about 2/3rds of a lap, before I began to fade and the pace in the group was ramped back up. It cost me big time, and I was not even able to get back in the group when they came by me. Taking a lap is hard! Especially if you are alone!

Tempo race: This is similar to a points race, except every lap is worth one point, but only to the first rider through (so if you are going to ride at the front or sprint for a lap, make sure you make your effort worthwhile and win it). The last lap is worth more points, and points go to 1st (3 points), 2nd (2) and 3rd(1). I raced this with the women’s group, and actually won! I went into the final lap tied for points, but luckily won the final sprint to gain enough points for the win.

Over the next five days I will be challenged to learn some new skills. I am excited about riding on the track in LA, which I hear is smooth, fast, and 50m longer than Burnaby’s. The warm weather will also be a bonus, as the season of wind and rain has hit the Wet Coast. Last week’s Wednesday night ride at Buntzen Lake felt like a monsoon!

Other notes:
On Friday night this week, I had the privilege of receiving the award for Female Mountain Bike Athlete of the year, which was a good surprise.

Mike joined me for the awards dinner, and won a British Cycling Team vest in the draw prizes.

Jeanine, Pete, Mike and I all raced the Escape Velocity Grand Prix of Cross, in Burnaby last Saturday. Pete won the U17 boy’s race, Jeanine took 2nd in the C Women’s category, and I unfortunately was the only A woman racing, but had a fun time mixing it up with the B men. Good, muddy, wet, cold times. Thanks to the Whalens for the post race coffee! It was much needed and much appreciated.

Pete shows off his prize sunglasses.

My bike, all ready to warm up on the rollers. This is one thing I need practice doing.

Mike "riding the rollers". Gumboots are necessary.

Fall Training in Monsoon Season

It's not officially called "monsoon" season, but November on BC's South Coast is typically marked by a series of rain and wind storms all running into one another. It rains constantly for days on end, it never really gets light out, fields flood, roads develop lakes... ah home, sweet home! Despite the miserable weather, I will go insane if I don't get outside, so I layer up and brave the storm, just like last night.


Perfect forecast for a night MTB ride. Bring it on!

You think I'm crazy for going out last night with that weather forecast? Nah, I wasn't the only one. If everyone's doing it, it's gotta be somewhat normal, no? That's right, Paul, Jean Ann, Mike, Steve, Ryan N., Ryan J., and I all said "To hell with the weather, we're going biking!" and went for a fast-paced MTB ride at Buntzen Lake. It had to be fast-paced in order for us not to freeze. I rode from home and was soaked to the bone within 10 minutes, despite rain jacket, booties, XC ski gloves, etc.

But lets backpedal to the days where I was not so willing to embrace the rain... yes, it felt like only last week... because it was only last week! I split town, hellbent on staying dry, because I saw the long-range forecast for home and it looked ugly. And I timed it well, I got out just before the insanity started, shooting the gap between weather systems and arriving at my family's cottage in Naramata relatively unscathed. The following morning, I went for the most beautiful, sunny, dry road ride along Okanagan and Skaha Lakes, sans jacket, booties or headband. Ah, such a luxury!

That night, good friend Catherine "Viper", Matt, Jeanine, and Ryan joined me for a weekend of great mountain biking and great company, which included yummy home-cooked meals, fresh bread, apples roasted over an open fire, Naramata wine, heated games of Snakes n' Ladders and Cheat. And did I mention we stayed dry?! We tore it up on the super fun trails in the Three Blind Mice area in Penticton - these paths are twisty, dry, fast, rocky, and often afford great views of Okanagan Lake. Evan made the trip from Peachland one day to join us on the two-wheeled giggle-fest. That day, Evan and Matt both double-flatted and a curious figure was seen running through the woods (see Evan Guthrie's facebook) - was it a Sasquatch???

It was only too-soon before everyone had to go home, but I was still trying to escape the rain, so I headed to Kamloops, where precipitation is low and friends are fast (as in good friends and quick bikers as well). I decided to take a shortcut from the cottage via the "Back Way," a long ascent on gravel road, which meets up with the old Kettle Valley Railway (decomissioned, no more tracks). I followed the KVR for several pot-holed, snowy km's in the Outback to the Kelowna turnoff, and then headed into that city, continued north through Vernon, and then west to Kamloops, where I almost had fresh venison on my hood. Whew, that was close!

Baking Swiss bread with Kika in Kamloops

In Kamloops, I was taken in by Catharine, Coach Keith, Matt, Viper, Olly, Isaah, and Marmalade and they gave me a tour of their local gym and the town. On one mountain bike ride, we were spotted by a photographer, and our photo made it into the Kamloops newspaper!

Riding with the Kamloops yocals...

The trails in Kamloops were dry, tacky, and very strenuous, especially considering Catharine and Viper are riding super fast these days... ouch! It was good for me though, and I had tons of fun railing their trails, many of which they built themselves. On Remembrance Day, a bunch of us went for a very enjoyable ride and I got to sample some amazing pieces of singletrack.

It's always sunny in Kamloops! (l-r): Pete, Catherine, Keith, Catharine.

Catharine prepares post-ride shakes - yum!

Doing some hardcore post-ride recovery in the moon boots...

I headed home on Thursday, as there was already snow on the Coquihalla - the main highway connecting the Interior with the Coast. Thursday was sunny and probably the best day to drive, but not before I squeezed in another sunny ride - this time on the road - with Viper. Catharine joined us for about 35mins, but she pulled the plug early. Guess we were just too fast, eh Viper (we wish)?!

I flatted on some train tracks, but changing a flat isn't so bad when it's sunny out...

... and when you have a buddy to help you pump!

At home, it's back to the grind, and as you can see by the forecast displayed above, back to the rain. It's not all doom and gloom, however. Once in a while it stops raining long enough to fit in a mostly precipitation-free ride. On Saturday, Ryan and I hit SFU and only got drizzled and hailed on a little.... Sunday Leah and I weren't so lucky. How about 4 degrees and pouring? Oh, and how about a little bit of wind (50kph gusts) and snow at higher elevations. We were going to ride Triple Crown on Burke, but we hit snow and weren't able to get traction on the climb... so we turned around and rode Frank's instead before packing it in and opting for hot soup at home. Thanks Mom! :-)

Here are some photos from pre-monsoon rides this fall, when forecasts read more like: "cloudy with a 60% chance of showers" (believe me, this is much more favourable than "rain at times heavy").

Catherine "Viper" and Matt stop by on their way home from Victoria for a sunny MTB ride in Port Moody.

The Local Ride gang of dirt lovers hit up Red Mountain in Mission (l-r): Ryan, Paul, Jean Ann, Jeanine, Mike, Sandra.

Pumpkin Cross and More Fall Fun

(l-r) Chelsea Bilsbarrow (Local Ride Racing) 4th, Joele Guynup (Island Racing) 2nd, Jean Ann McKirdy (Local Ride Racing) 1st, Sandra Walter (Local Ride Racing) 3rd.

Last Sunday, Local Ride Bike Shop hosted the annual Pumpkin Cross cyclocross race - a Halloween-themed event with scary racing, a free kids' race and great prizes, including Best Costume. It's a total blast and this year's edition was no exception. The Local Ride Racing gang got up super early to mark out a very tricky and entertaining course - thanks to the Maple Ridge Equi-Sport Centre for the use of their cross country field by the North Alouette River. With obstacles like the "Coffin," the "Spooky Forest," and some integrated horse jumps, it was a howling good time!

Local Ride Elite Women's MTB Team's Jean Ann took her second victory in as many days (she also won convincingly at BC Cup #4 in Port Coquitlam on Saturday), chalking up another BC Cup win and adding to her BC Cup Series lead. Dressed as the "Jean-Animal," she played it cool on the first lap, testing her two hangers-on, Joele Guynup of Island Racing and her Local Ride team mate, Sandra. Jean Ann and Joele upped the pace on lap two to shed Sandra (who was dressed up as Super Clean Girl - her own superhero creation), and later the Jean-Animal would attack Joele to take the lead, and eventually, victory.

Sandra makes a special appearance as Super Clean Girl!

Disappointingly, Sandra did not win the people's choice Costume Award. "I guess people are just afraid of what they don't understand," she said. "They chose the Incredible Hulk instead of my original creation. That's okay, I'll try again next year."

For more photos and results, click here.

The Local Ride Racing crew gets ready for Pumpkin Cross 2009!

The Friday before Pumpkin Cross, it's tradition at Local Ride to have a special evening of pumpkin carving and pizza eating.

Jean Ann carves the Local Ride pumpkin!

Sandra's Kicking Horse Coffee pumpkin - thanks for the caffeinated support KHC!

Nothing tops pizza and pumpkin carving!

Also on the menu this fall: fun mountain bike rides! Fall is the best time of year to tear up the trails and spend some quality time on the mountain bike - without a heart rate monitor, but with good friends. Last Sunday - after Saturday's discovery of a new whoop-worthy trail on Burke with Paul and Jeanine - Sandra and Ryan sped up to Whistler in the Subaru for a bout with Comfortably Numb - a 20-something kilometre demanding singletrack epic replete with rocks, roots and twisty trail. Sandra has also been exploring the trails in her backyard and has made some exciting discoveries in the form of new paths and chanterelle mushrooms... mmm....

Sandra nearly tossed her Xprezo off a cliff on the Comfortably Numb Trail: "This trail is not comfortable at all!" Luckily she realized how much she really loves her bike before she let go....

Ryan and Sandra at the end of Comfortably Numb.

Wild Burke Mountain chanterelles... exquisite!

More Wonderful Adventures with Sandra and her Xprezo (and Jeanine)

I am the opposite of a homebody. As much as I love my digs (I still live in the house where I grew up right on the edge of wilderness - my backyard is a temperate rain forest filled with trails!), I tend to get restless easily. Case in point: less than a week after I got back from the European World Cups followed immediately by a week in Vegas, I was off to discover the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon with my best friend and LRR sista, Jeanine.

The drive down to Oregon went smoothly, courtesy of Jeanine's trusty Yaris named Ronnie and our bikes were safely installed on her brand new Yakima StickUp hitch-mount rack (nice rack, Jeanine)! We were bid farewell the previous evening by our Local Ride Bike Shop and race team colleagues at B.O.C., so it was bound to be a great trip.

On arrival in the town of Hood River, OR, we made ourselves a home in the virtually deserted Tucker County Park campground in the "Pine" campsite, right beside the rushing Hood River. Then we ventured into town for some coffee and exploration. Paul had given us the inside scoop, and we found "Ground" open and welcoming, offering a very acceptable Americano and free wifi.


We happened to be in town for some exciting festivities: The Hood River Hops Festival was well underway, and after being ID'd twice each, we were allowed to imbibe in the sweet, local nectar. Then it was off to a yummy pasta dinner cooked on the camp stove, followed by bedtime, during which we braved a very intense rain storm that left a puddle in the tent and wet sleeping bag on Jeanine's side. Hmm, very suspect.... The day dawned sunny, however, and those were to be the only raindrops of the entire trip.

That day, after the requisite coffee (Kicking Horse Three Sisters roast brought from home - yum!) and stick-to-your-ribs porridge for breakfast, we decided to check out the Mt. Hood National Forest area, where Paul had promised lay some amazing, epic pieces of singletrack. The trailhead was about a 35-mile drive away, and as Ronnie ascended, we were stunned to find traces of snow on the roadside. As we neared 1000m in elevation, the snow got deeper and had collected quite nicely on the unplowed road. We finally decided to turn around after realizing there was still a ways to ascend to the trailhead and the snow was only getting deeper. Not only could Ronnie get into trouble, how were we going to ride in 1/2 a foot of snow?!

When we returned to home base, we made the decision to ride in the Post Canyon area near town - at a much lower elevation. After lots of paved and gravel road climbing, which took us through apple orchards, and a wrong turn or 10, we finally hit the motherlode: a great network of trails near town built for mountain biking fun! There were quite a few moto and quad riders around as the user groups share the area, but we did get on a bunch of mountain bike only trails that were groomed, fast, and swoopy, with some built up berms, bridges, logs, teeter totters, and skinnies. Wheeee! Later in the day, when moto traffic was low, we tried out some of "their" trails, and found ourselves grinning, railing, and whooping as we careened downhill. Wow, my Xprezo felt better than ever - I love that bike!


The next day dawned clear, crisp, and sunny again. Instead of chancing it high up, since the snow really wouldn't have had much time to melt, we took up another of Paul's suggestions: we rode the 4.5-mile section of scenic historic highway (open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic) that runs along the Columbia River. It was a beautiful golden autumn morning as we cruised to Mosier. From there, we headed up a very long gravel road, which we thought was Paul's off-road route back to Hood River, but after about half an hour of steady climbing, we met with a dead end. Oops! We then descended back into Mosier and asked the friendly barista at 10 Speed Cafe East if he knew the route. As he brewed us a couple of delicious Americanos (oh, the crema was beautiful!), he asked: "Do you have 'cross bikes?" Now when is the last time you were in a cafe and had the barista as you whether you had a 'cross bike - or even known what a 'cross bike was? That's the kind of place we were in. Anyway, he gave us directions, and after enjoying our drinks outside in the sunshine, we continued on our way up Husky Rd.

It was a long climb, and Paul had warned as much, so we were ready. Husky Rd. became gravel quite early on and had a very manageable grade for steady climbing. At one point, after close to an hour of ascending, we hit an intersection - Elders Rd. went to the right and Husky continued climbing to the left. Jeanine wanted to take Elders, but I swore the barista hadn't said anything about that road. He'd said to "follow Husky to the top." Did I mention I'd forgotten Paul's map with the route clearly marked? So we climbed for about another 30 minutes or more, and once I'd eaten half of my last fruit bar, I decided to pull the plug. Jeanine was trailing and looked on the way to being wrecked. We were both running out of water. Frustrated, (I HATE BACKTRACKING - pet peeve), we descended back to Mosier and took the historic highway back to our car. Later, when we checked the map, it was indeed Elders Rd. that would have looped us back to Hood River. Yes, Jeanine, you were right. There, you have it in writing, and published too!

The rest of the week brought more crystal clear days, delicious campsite meals (local mushroom risotto, elk burgers, local cheeses, grapes, wines and beer...), scenic and epic snowy rides in the Mt. Hood National Forest, post-ride milkshakes, and memorable dinners at the local Mexican joint - Hood River Taquira (try the tacos al pastor), and Nora's Fish House - the must-try place where you can savour local specialties like homemade gnocchi with brown butter and chantrelles and cappuccino creme brulee.























All of a sudden, it was Friday, and we were packing up, but not quite heading home. We headed northeast through central Washington and crossed back into Canada via Oroville, WA, and pulled up to my family's cottage in Naramata that night after an all-day drive. Jeanine and I spent the next few days hanging out with my parents and riding our bikes on some super duper trails in the Three Blind Mice network. The weather was beautiful, albeit a little chillier than where we'd been down south. But at least we didn't have to sleep in a tent! After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, we hitched up our steeds once again and finally turned towards home.


It was a fabulous adventure and I'm looking forward to revisiting the Hood River area sans snow, so I can fully appreciate the plethora of sweet singletrack. The trip was truly a vacation - no races (except with Jeanine) and no set schedule. Now I'm back home and dreaming of my next adventure....

Sandra :)

Jean Ann's Cross Report

It has been a busy few weeks, with the double header BC Cup on the 3rd and 4th of October, followed by Cross Nationals and the Jim Horner GP of Cross in Edmonton last weekend.

The BC Cup double header was a beautiful weekend. Blue skies, sunshine, and the full Local Ride Racing team out to play on the grassy courses of New Brighton and Vanier Park. The team had great success, with Mike breaking the top 10 in the A's, Junior riders Maggie and Pete finishing 1st and 2nd respectively on both days, and me 2nd on both days.

Last weekend Mike and I made the trip up to Edmonton, to race in the National Championships and the Jim Horner Grand Prix, hosted by Juventus Cycling Club. It was a bit of a shock to the system arriving in Edmonton to sub zero temperatures and snow. I had to re-learn how to dress for the cold. I placed 6th on both days, while Mike was 25th at Nationals, also his first time racing cross outside of BC.

Thanks to Les, Laurie, Hannah, Duncan and Mcayla for standing in the cold to cheer us on, and the Kruschke family for the amazing hospitality and Thanksgiving feast. One highlight of the weekend was seeing Les and Duncan wearing shorts and down jackets during the races on Saturday. They seemed comfortable, but everyone else was freezing! Unfortunately the cold proved a bit much for us, and we brought an unwelcome traveller home with us: the flu. Thankfully, that visitor has been sent on his way, and we are both beginning to feel normal again.

It is now time to start getting the costume ready for Pumpkin Cross, Local Ride's own BC Cup Halloween themed event. The only thing better than winning the race, is winning it in costume.

Here are a couple of photos of the recent activities with Local Ride Racing.

There were a couple of steep icy sections at Nationals. Photo by Patrick Graham.

Paul and Sue show off their new custom Xprezo cross bikes. Paul is loving the disc brakes, and will love them even more come rain and mud!

Training in Golden Ears Park with Andrew and Mike.

Cross Vegas Report and Photos

Jean Ann took on Vegas less than 24 hours after landing in Sin City after the final UCI MTB World Cup in Austria. Despite jet lag from 2 days straight of travel and a 9-hour time change, the Animal looked fast as she duked it out amongst a very competitive women's field. Barry and Sandra were there for support, running around the convoluted course, cheering her on as she worked her way up the field to 17th after a back-of-the-pack starting position. Nice work Jean Ann! Read her race report on pedalmag.com. Other fellow Canadians were on hand, including Craig Richey (Blue Competition Bicycles) and Tom Skinner (Oak Bay Bikes).

Local Ride Ladies in Vegas!

Jean Ann and I made it safely to beeeeeeautiful LAS VEGAS last night, after some crazy travel days. Monday consisted of 8 hours in a train (for Jean Ann) or driving (for Sandra) - 800km from Schladming, Austria to Zurich, Switzerland.

After driving in circles for a while looking for our hotel, I finally spotted the Ibis, where I parked and the van spewed its entire contents (luggage, folded cardboard bike boxes, wheels, bike frames) onto the asphalt. Sam (Privateer Project Participant) and I then hopped into the van and embarked on another epic adventure called: "Navigate a minivan through dead end streets, alleys, one-ways, rush hour traffic and rude Swiss drivers in search of a bike box located in a bicycle store that may or may not still be open in an alley somewhere in downtown Zurich without a GPS or a clue of which direction you're headed." The only things you get to take with you are a free map and convoluted Google Maps directions and a co-pilot who is under the weather, has forgotten her reading glasses, and whose strengths do not include map-reading (sorry Sam).

Oh boy. This task seriously was my biggest challenge of the trip (up there with fitting 4 large duffel bags, 4 bike frames, 3 bike boxes, various backpacks and personal items, four grown cyclists, and 10 - yes 10! - wheels into a tiny minivan, albeit the boyz took care of that one with a pro packing job). I honestly thought we would never find the bike shop and I was ready to call it a day, but Sam was insistent. After hitting several dead ends, we finally ditched the vehicle and headed on foot. Success! Transa Bike was still open and they had kindly set aside the largest bike box I have ever seen in my life just for us. Thanks guys! Sam and I then walked back to the car, carrying said box (window man style, except luckily it wasn't made of glass), where we had to fold it to fit it in the Mistubuishi van. Finding the way back to the hotel was surprisingly and thankfully easy, but then it was time to pack bikes, which along with cleaning bikes and toilets, is among my least favourite activities.

The reward waiting for us after that was a dinner on the town courtesy of Pedal Magazine - thank you! However, getting to that point was another adventure all its own. After receiving some very simple directions from the hotel receptionist ("On leaving the hotel, walk straight ahead for 10 minutes and you'll hit the tram line, which leads downtown"), we apparently walked 13 minutes in the wrong direction. I then asked a polite Zurich youth - who even had the courtesy to take out his iPod headphones to help me - for directions. Note, this is the first time I had to ask for directions all adventure! Not bad, I think. Not quite as good as a man, but not bad for a lady.

The Zurich youth instructed us to walk about 15 minutes in another direction, which proved the correct one. I proudly figured out the tramway map and identified which tram line to take. We were in the process of buying tickets for the ride downtown when we realized we did not have enough change between the four of us for four tickets. By this time, it was already nearing 9:00 pm and we were in a bit of a deserted suburb of Zurich, where nothing was open. 24-hour gas stations and convenience stores are not a dime a dozen like in good ol' North Am, so it wasn't a simple matter. By this time, we were bonking and getting hangry. To top it off, Sam was sickly with a nasty cold and looked about ready to keel over. Add in a close shave with a bus and some rapid spiders and it was all I could do to keep the chaos from taking over.

I was insistent that we keep on truckin'. I started begging for change. It wasn't exactly begging, though, because I actually had money to give them in return for the change, but you know what I mean. No one had change, but one lady suggested we head another 5 minutes up the road to an area of town where things might still be open. Note the amount of time we had been walking and the fact that we all had icky post-race, post-travel sensations in our legs. Ugh. We did it, though, and at the top of the hill, a pizza and donair joint beckoned like a warm fire on a cold, cold night. We busted in there, ordered up a pizza margherita (just plain ol' cheese - Sam's fav) and Pete requested a cuppa "heisse Schokolade" to keep him going. I don't think I've ever seen a man drink so much hot chocolate. Quite impressive (not that hot chocolate isn't a manly drink).

After the much-needed sustenance and a transaction that resulted in change, we walked back to the tram line, successfully purchased tickets, and climbed onto the next tram. Whew. Eric then asked "What do we do with our tickets?" He was a little annoyed when I informed him, that Swiss transit works on the honour system, and ticket checks are random. But at least my conscience was clear and I was able to sleep that night because of it.

Once off the train downtown, it didn't take us long to find the action. A small, diagonal cobblestone alley open only to pedestrian traffic was hopping with music and people drinking on outside patios. It was a fascinating melange of establishments: English pubs, strip clubs, calculator shops, fast food sushi joints, trendy clothing stores, and busy restaurants. We walked the strip, taking in some culture and selected a restaurant with dark wooden tables and a high concentration of younger people, as opposed to the place next door with a clientele made up almost entirely of grey-haired men. Finally seated, we ordered a bottle of Valpolicello and an antipasti platter, while I translated the menu. Ahhh, that meal was incredibly satisfying. Sam decided on - surprise, surprise - pizza margherita! Pete had a paleo meal of "woodcutter" steak and salad, and Eric splurged on a loaded burger with fries and salad, while I opted for the club sandwich, celebrating the end of my season with bacon! We hung out there for quite a while, chatting, decompressing, and reminiscing about the good times had by all on the Canadian Privateer Project presented by Pedal Magazine.

Afterwards, we walked back towards the tram station, imbibed in M&M McFlurries for dessert, and rode the rails back to our hotel, where we dove into bed.

Tuesday morning, we loaded up the free hotel shuttle and the Mitsubuishi with all of our gear and headed to the airport. Sam and I did some airport shopping, where she bought a SIGG aluminum bottle (very Swiss) and we ate Birchermuesli for breaksfast (also Swiss) and loaded up our carry-ons with chocolate (Swiss). I also bought my requisite almond croissant from Steiner Beck (mmmm) and purchased 6 fresh truffes du jour from Spruengli (as in Lindt & Spruengli). The flavour of the day was rose petal. I shared these amazing orbs of delight with my good, chocolate-loving friends Jean Ann and Amanda on the flight and we shared minutes of quiet bliss as the treats melted on our tongues. Like eating roses dipped in chocolate, but without the fiber.... Ohhhhh yeahhhhh....

8 hours later, we disembarked and I had to say goodbye to the three people I'd shared the past two weeks with. People who I'd hardly known at the outset, but turned into very good friends and enjoyable company when all was said and done. Thanks Pete, Sam, and Eric for the fun times. It was a very cool to share the experience with all of you! Another 8 hours parked in TO airport and then a 4-hour flight and finally Jean Ann and I arrived at our hometown of the week - Vegas baby!

As I write, I'm sitting in our hotel room (the Animal, is still slumbering in anticipation of Crossvegas this evening)! I have yet to venture out, but it's a little scary. Already boarding the plane, I felt out of place with my mussed travel hair, yoga pants, and lack of make-up, dangly hoop earrings, and high heels. I'm excited about the upcoming experiences, however, and will look for an outlet store where I can maybe buy a Vegas-worthy outfit. Perhaps I will even attempt to apply some lip gloss and eye makeup? Don't colour outside the lines!

Keep checking up on us for more after Jean Ann rocks Crossvegas and we take on Interbike and the City that Never Sleeps! Over and Out. - Sandra :)