63 miles with almost 8,000 feet of climbing. What a great day. I was very impressed with the route, event organization, and Boise area riding. I’d for sure do this again. Thanks to Christie for the invite and company.
https://www.boisegravelgala.com
Bike
-
Teanaway Ridge Rally
Adventure riding weekend in Roslyn, WA. Rock slab, river beers, mining town, steep sandy climbs, hike-a-bike, singletrack, and a bunch of cool people.
look at this watch tan line 
-
NYC: Three Borough Ride
Last week, I was in NY for work. I rented a super fancy bike from Rapha in for a few days and rode early mornings before going to the office.
On Friday, my co-worker and friend Filipe and I did a longer ride together, through Manhattan, Harlem, and Brooklyn. We mostly rode on bike lanes and paths, but sometimes rode with the cars. Riding in the city is so exhilarating.
The last time Filipe and I rode together was Lake Como in Italy on another work trip. Both were epic, but there’s something special about riding in New York. We rode along the West Side, through Central Park and Times Square, over three bridges including the Brooklyn Bridge, and a nice chill route through Brooklyn. It was a beautiful day and I’d love to do a longer ride next time. And perhaps stop and take some photos with the camera.
-
Sedona
Another great trip in Sedona, AZ. Mostly photos of my bike leaning against red rocks and Bethany taking pictures.
-
Festive 500
A huge focus of 2024 for me was biking. I prioritized it, planned trips around it, set weekly mileage goals, and as a result put in 1,000+ more miles that previous years. A few days before Christmas, I saw there were a few group rides created called Chill500 for the annual Festive 500 challenge Rapha puts on. I immediately responded with “I’m in!”
The idea is to bike 310 miles (500km) in the 8 days from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. You have to average 39 miles a day to make it work. Its a stretch even in the nicest weather. In the winter, its a huge challenge. Machiko planned a “chill” version meaning that rides started at 11am and were at a more chill pace. (Most group rides by Rapha are crazy fast.)
I had taken the full two weeks off and had loose plans to rest and reset after a tough few months at work. I had zero concrete plans the first half of the break and figured what a better time to focus on a really tough, physical goal with a group of supportive people.
It turned out to be an amazing end of the year. I met some new friends, rode in new places, challenged myself physically, and mentally felt better than I have in months. I even finished a day early. Don’t get me wrong – it was mostly type 2 fun. The weather was pretty awful and there were days I didn’t want to go out at all. I rode in the dark, in the pouring rain, and until I couldn’t feel my hands or feet. I’m so sore. But I’d do it all again.
I am taking a week off biking to snowboard and relax in a cabin. Happy New Year! Time to set new goals for even more time on bikes with friends in 2025.
Here’s all the rides:
-
Lost Weekend
Photos from my first time in Windthrop, WA biking around the Methow Valley. What a special place. Thanks to Rapha Seattle and OMTM for organizing another great trip.
-
Mt. Baker Hill Climb
I love a good climb and impulsively signed up for a 22-mile ride a few months ago. It started down the road from our favorite cabin rental in Glacier and ended a few miles past Mt. Baker Ski Area at Artist Point. I’ve driven this beautiful mountain pass so many times and thought it would be a fun challenge to bike it, especially with a large group and zero cars on the road. It was tough but really fun and I stopped to grab a snack at the two aid stations and to snap a few pictures. When I got to the top, I was excited for the ride back down. Was surprised that many took the shuttle down or had stashed their cars at the top.
-
Sturdy Dirty 2024
For last four years, I’ve signed up for the annual Sturdy Dirty Enduro. Its an all-women mountain bike race and its the only one I do. It feels more like a fun group ride and I look forward to it every year.
This year it sold out in 3 minutes, which is wild. Its also the 10th anniversary. It fell on the weekend after my first week back to work; I was still not feeling 100% and didn’t get a chance to pre-ride. 3 of the 4 segments were newly built trails so I race them blind. Can’t wait to ride them again. I still had so much fun even in the heat. Placed 8th in my category.
-
Whistler
I took my nephew to Whistler last week to spend four days at the bike park. Its known to be the best in the world and I’m lucky enough to live close enough to drive to it. He’s not yet 13 but I felt like I was riding with a friend – we rode everything – from green flow to double black tech. It was an awesome trip and a great way to end my sabbatical. (One more week until I return to work.)
- 4 days of riding
- 128 miles
- 39,537 feet of descending
A few photos off the bike and a video of all the GoPro footage we took on the bike:
