We went for a short ride last night along some familiar trails and I was surprised to see so few people on the trails.  As we rode up South Ridge in Bent Creek a huge Great Horned Owl flew across the trail in front of us and landed in a tree.  We stopped to get a better look at him and he flew from tree to tree not wanting the attention.  A squirrel on the side of the road made this weird chatter sound as the owl was flying around, I am sure he was thanking us for allowing his get away.  I guess owl’s eat squirrels?  Anyway, it was an interesting evening ride.

Another great area to ride is Dupont State Forest in Brevard, NC.  Dupont boasts over 80 miles of trails.  The waterfalls out there are just wonderful, they can be crowded, but when you see them you will know why.  When you get back on the trails of Dupont you will hardly see anyone, so don’t let all the cars at the trails heads deter you from riding.  Dupont is also open and is a favorite to horseback riders.  Keep in mind your trail ettiquite and stop for all horses and dismount your bike.  Most horses haven’t seen a bike before and it makes them nervous.

Fall in WNC is a special time of year and unfortunately it isn’t very long, so get out there and enjoy the great temperatures and great color.

Click the image above to visit their new website and get all the details about the southeast's new mountain bike park.

What is Team Dirty Tutu you might ask?  Well, we are a group of girls that have an interest in racing but want the races we enter to be fun.  What better fun than to race in a tutu.  I mean can you really take yourself too seriously racing in a tutu?  It all boils down to the real reason we are out there, to   have fun.  Many people enter races and the seriousness of timing and transitions just takes the fun out of the whole event.  The tutu was introduced to water all that down and keep the race what it is, fun. 

The Dirty Tutus raced both days.  Jenn Beck raced in the solo portion on Saturday and had an awesome day.  I mean, I don't think I could have completed all 3 stages and be alive.  She did it all in grand tutu fashion.  On Sunday, Team Dirty Tutu raced in the relay portion of the Challenge.  The following is her race report for the Challenge.

Tsali Challenge Solo Race Report (3 mile paddle, 4.5 mile trail run, 12 mile mountain bike)

I'm not sure which was stronger for this race-my determination to finish feeling strong with no regard to time OR my concern that little to no training was going to prevent that goal. The month prior to the Tsali Challenge had been filled with plenty of challenges in itself. I had a  bike accident that kept me from any physical activity for awhile, a week of rain during the worst drought in NC history, and work conference that took me to coastal plains where my biggest climb was an Intercoastal bridge. I decided that my one abbreviated run through on the course with Tanya a few weeks prior would have to suffice for training. Besides, I have never trained for any of the races that I've participated in so why start now?!?! (Please note this lack of competitive edge made me an ideal team member for Dirty Tutus)

I did decide to take a different approach from other events and actually think about hydration/nutrition. I ate carb heavy meals two days prior to the event and consumed lots of water. On Saturday morning, I woke up (or really just got up considering my nerves had me awake for most of night) and ate a bagel with avocado and cheese with a small cup of coffee. I began to get a little frantic with finding race stuff and getting to check-in on time. I wish I had taken Becca's lead from Night Train and really had everything packed ready for race day. The registration was huge frustration-especially with officials attempting to handicap boats. About thirty minutes before the event, I ate a banana and drank a small bottle of HEED. I loaded into my kayak and patiently waited for race official to call for tier 3 boats. As soon as he blew the horn, I took off and was determined not to be the last one in my heat and tried to stay with another guy. Eventually, he passed me, and some folks from other heats (faster boats) passed me too. I got a little frantic thinking I was going to finish dead last. I have been multiple times before in other races, but I wanted to avoid it now. I decided to calm down and pace myself. I repeated the mantra "Breathe. Have fun" silently with each paddle stroke. Left stroke Breathe. Right stroke Have fun. A rhythm was found as I was rounding the first tip of the island. I saw a woman in front of me and decided to try to pass her. After a few minutes, I passed her and set my sights on another woman. I continued to do this for a few folks until I came upon Tanya. We joked for a few seconds and then I took off. I knew she would catch me quick like on the run. I rounded the island and couldn't help but think the paddle leg felt a lot shorter than what I did two years ago, but I wasn't about to complain. I realized that Tanya and I had only paddled thirty minutes on our training run knowing it would be more like an hour paddle on race day, but I was coming in closer to training time. I got on to shore where Mariah greeted me with another small bottle of HEED and my iPod. I started the slow jog up the road expecting the dead legs that everyone complains about but felt nothing. Perhaps I didn't paddle hard enough?

I got onto the trail, selected my music, and decided to find my running pace. Tanya passed me within a few minutes. That girl can fly! I quickly fell in behind a girl from Florida, and she was laughing about the race description of "flat to rolling hills" from lowlanders perspective. I knew I could keep up with her or even pass her but wanted to conserve energy. My fear of bonking was big. At one point, I was running, feeling good, and realized "Im going to be able to finish this race. You are doing this!" For personal reasons, this was a huge success and best part of the race. I grinned big, slowed down to run with girl from Florida, and enjoy this day. We hit the road, and I started to transition into mental bike mode even though I still had a mile of running left. I went through the course in my head, where I wanted to walk third creek crossing, be careful on sketchy drop off area, etc. We finished the run course together and shook hands.

Monica was there to help me transition on to my bike. Im not sure how long it took but it seemed effortless. Shoes and iPod off. Riding shoes, helmet, and Camelbak on. Passed off bottle of HEED knowing I had Perpetuem in my Camelbak. Grabbed Mojo bar and slipped into shirt pocket for calories. Not long into the ride there was a pack of us riding together. Girl from Florida and two other guys. Passed a couple folks with flats. We eventually passed one guy that wasnt comfortable being clipped in going over roots and rocks. I maintained feeling strong but wasn't ready to break away yet. That was until we got to the hill. This hill has been milestone in my short biking career. My first year of riding had me walking the entire thing-teared up out of frustration and exhaustion. On our training run, I was able to bike to top, granted winded as hell, but I was there. I started to grind it out being mindful of  my lines. If I lost momentum and fell, the sharp rocks could end my race day. I got to the top, saw a girl stopped catching her breath, looked behind me and saw my pack struggling, and decided it was time to have fun. I took off and pedaled hard and was amazed that I was leaving people. I wasn't going to be last! Most importantly, I still felt good. I caught up with one man and took his lead when he dismounted for another steep climb. We could hike a bike the half mile as quick-if not quicker-than pedaling. I got back on after awhile and recognized where I was on the course. Again, the amazement that I was going to finish happy, strong, and proud washed over me. I flew past him down the gravel road scared to look at my watch. While I told everyone my goal was to merely finish strong, what I really wanted was sub 4 hr finish based on 2006 Women's results. I saw the beacon of the upcoming finish line in the form of Forest Service sign announcing gate. Then I heard them, the best cheerleaders in the world, hollering for me. I crossed the finish line completely ecstatic. I completed the race STRONG and in 2 hr 47 minutes. The most beautiful friends a girl could have were there at finish to help me celebrate.

After the race, I chugged some milk (I know it sounds gross, but its my favorite post recovery drink. Julie remembered and brought cold milk to me at finish line) with chocolate Luna recovery shake mix. Julie helped me stretch my back and Mariah assisted with leg drain. I felt great the remainder of the day-never bonked post race which is a first!!! Man, did that first beer taste good. My post race meal was chips with humus, salsa, pimento cheese, and fresh veggies. I have a hard time eating after a race, and it gave me enough energy to play with Maeve and cook dinner over fire.

So things I learned and want to do again at future races:

• Repeat calming mantra when anxieties edge into mind.
• Remember to have fun. Interact and talk to fellow participants.
• Repeat my hydration/nutrition.
• Hug and thank friends a thousand times for their support.

Things I want to change:

• I need to have a bag that is packed for race day with everything in it-labeled in ziplocs-to prevent race day panic.
• Wear gloves on paddle leg.
• Train harder with running.

Tsali Challenge Relay Race Report (Jenn 3 mile paddle, Monica 4.5 mile trail run, Julie 12 mile mountain bike)

Well, the morning started off in typical Team Dirty Tutu fashion. I swear we are a pretty modern day version of Three Stoogies. Julie's bike was giving her issues after having it tuned up prior to the race. The Kona wasn't shifting and kept dropping chain which didn't bode well for Julie. Folks looked at it the night before the race, but it just wasn't shifting smoothly. Monica unpacked her bag only to realize she had two left running shoes (I have to say they were similar in color and easy to mix up, hell, I did it training a few weeks back). But this was a Monica-ed moment for sure. Fortunately, Mariah had some shoes that were only half size too small to lend to Monica.  I was pretty sore from paddling the day before. We had some handicaps to face for sure.

We received some chuckles and good comments on the tutus. A little more attention than expected, but who cares!?!  I found out the paddle leg was lengthened by a mile for the relay event. I did pretty much the same as solo event except I started with mantra, talked to more folks along the way, and passed lots more people. As I approached the shore, I could see Monica's tutu running down the hill. We passed off the #10 armband, and she was off.  A tutu-ed Angela and Stephen were kind enough to carry my boat up to the car. We then all made our way to transition. Rebecca and Nanta showed up sporting a tutu. Monica came in looking strong, and I was so very proud of her. This past spring she ran her first 10K ever and keeps getting faster/stronger every day. She passed off the armband to Julie, and she was off. I was nervous about her bike. My last Tsali relay event resulted in broken a chain. Fortunately, she didn't have that bad of mechanical issues but did have to contend with was some dropped chains and one nasty fall. She too came in strong, and it was great to see my regular biking buddy finish her leg of race with a big smile on her face. Of course, powerhouse Julie got the best quote of the day from some dude on trail, "It sucks to get passed by a tutu". Other Tutus were there-Rebecca, Angela, and Tanya-to cheer us on and of course we posed for team photo. In true Dirty Tutu fashion, we went back to camp, drank beer with lunch, packed up, headed back to Asheville to attend a festival. There's always lots to do when you wear a tutu.

Oh, and Team Dirty Tutu took 4th place for Women's Relay! Aye-aye.

Mentally I need to get myself ready for the excitement, the electricity of the start, and the adreneline rush of it all.  I need to prepare for these things by riding, more riding, and plenty of rest time in between.  I believe that rest days are just as important as active training days.  Your body has to have time to recover and replenish itself, so I will keep you guys posted as I make my trek to prepare for my first race.  It has all the makings of a fun journey.

The one thing that I have noticed is that some people that get into racing are all serious and will take it out on anyone if they don't finish exactly where they thought they would.  Personally, I am out there to have fun.  I mean what fun is racing if you can't enjoy yourself during and after the event?  That is what a friend of mine decided to do when she entered the Night Train race at Fontana Village.  She just wanted to have fun!  What better fun than to race in a tu-tu!  One of the cool things at races is that some people dress up in wacky outfits to race.  For instance, at Night Train, one guy was racing in a make shift diaper and another guy was in a hoola skirt.  It is all what you make of it.
 
This idea of the Dirty Tutus has blossomed, and now there are several of us that are proud owners of tu-tus and have pledged that anytime we race we will be sporting our tu-tu's.  A group of tu-tu's just finished the Tsali Challenge last weekend, and yep, you guessed it, everyone was in a tu-tu.  We all had a blast and we even provided comic relief for some that loved the tu-tu idea.  But the best quote that we heard all day was…. "It sucks to get passed by a tu-tu".
 
So if you are into racing or just come out to cheer and spectate, you might see us out there, and trust me, we aren't hard to spot!

The web site is www.purelycustom.com.  On this site you can get just about anything for your bike in just about any color.  Want custom engraving?  They can do that too.  So if you have a set of those colorful I-9 wheels, and want to finish out the look with some bar ends, or bottle cage, go give Purely Custom a visit.

***Update***
I have received my order from purely custom and everything looks great.  They were easy to order from and the shipping was fast.  So give them a try if you want to add some more color to your bike.

The article written by Graham Averill is an excellent account of a 3 day adventure riding the trails of Pisgah and Dupont State Forest.  I have ridden many of the trails that he describes in the article and his account of hike-a-bike climbs or grown over forest roads is spot on.

I saw the first image of the article and immediately said, "that's the end of 5015 where it runs into Bradley Creek Trail!"  That road is a very overgrown forest road that isn't marked at the bottom, so we climbed it with this question in the back of our heads "are we on the right road?". 

That day was a weird one, Bradley Creek Trail begins across the creek and you get to it by going through a campsite.  How we actually found that trail is a miricle.  Bradley Creek has no less than 12 creek crossings and some of which can be deep, and that was before we got rain.  On the way up 5015, back to the car, Stephen ran over a bright shiney new thumb tack that gave him a flat about a mile from the car.  If you knew how overgrown that road is you would understand that no one would need thumb tacks out there, and it was probably placed by a bike hater. 

The article takes a different trail at the bottom of 5015, but Bradley Creek was a short part of their ride anyway.  If you have a subscription to the magazine I hope you enjoy this new issue, and if you don't, pick up a copy because it is full of east coast nods. 

What: Grand opening of the 26 West Mountain Bike Park.

When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Ribbon cutting is 11 a.m. Park is open 2-8 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 1.

Where: Breakaway Village, at Wolf Ridge Ski Resort in Madison County.

Cost: Day pass is $24, not including bike or gear rental. Season passes are $179.

Highlights: Billed as the only mountain bike park at a ski resort in the Southeast, 26 West Mountain Bike Park officially unveils its 30 acres of downhill biking terrain, after a couple of months testing a “soft” opening, said owner/general manager Ryan Taylor.

Part of the bike park is on the ski slopes, while part is in the woods.

“The big difference between a bike park and a ski slope is skiers are limited to where they can clear the trees,” said Taylor, a professional downhill racer. “Mountain bikers happily welcome the trees.”

But the park is all about safety, Taylor said, and offers a safe environment for families as well as pro riders to practice their downhill skills. Emergency medical technicians are part of the bike park staff. Bikes, helmets and other gear are available for rental, and Taylor said once the park is up and running, he will offer clinics, camps and a venue for races.

One of the best features of the new park, he said, is the lift-assisted trail system.

“People can enjoy the chairlift up and their bikes get transported up by truck and trailer,” Taylor said. “You don’t have to worry about climbing up hills all day. It’s all about having fun.”

What to bring: Helmets are mandatory in the park. Also bring gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirt, arm and leg armor and running or bike specific shoes.

Directions: The park is 25 miles north of Asheville. Take Interstate 26 west to Exit 3. Turn right onto Bear Branch Road, then turn right at the stop sign onto U.S. 23. Take the first left onto Laurel Valley Road. Take first left onto Puncheon Fork Road. Go 3.5 miles and turn right onto Wolf Ridge Road at the Breakaway sign.

Information: Call Taylor at 553-5856 or visit www.26westmountainbikepark.com.