The past two weeks- in pictures

Post Charlotte and Chicago, Josh and I went to Crested Butte for a week of singletrack and vacation. It was amazing.

The first day, we got hailed on. After being in the heat and humidity for two weeks, I actually liked the hail, the cold, and the rain that followed.Snack time on 403.
Everyday, for 6 days, we rode something cool like this (can't remember what trail this was).
Now home from Crested Butte, it has been time to catch up, work on continuing to grow my coaching business (ALP Cycles Coaching), take time off the bike, and spend some time with two of Gilpin County's finest.
The cops saved the day (don't worry, everyone and everything is ok- more precautionary than anything), and I got to ask a question I have always wondered; can Gilpin County cops pull you over for speeding in Boulder County? (yes they can, whether they want to go through the hassle or not is up to them)

Up next is CX time. Cyclocross season is coming up fast, and I'm getting excited!

CX Skills Camp

Interested in racing Cyclocross (CX) but not sure where to begin? Join me (Alison Powers) and ALP Cycles Coaching in Fraser, Colorado for the Introduction to Cyclocross camp. *Come one day or come both days*

CX is a challenging sport as it combines the fitness and tactics to road racing with the bike handling skills of mtn biking. Riders who want to be successful (and have fun) in CX need to be proficient at both and this "green level" camp will teach you the basics to enjoy your progression as a CX rider.

Skills to be covered are-

• mounts and dismounts
• cornering
• barriers
• basic bike handling
• starts
  
• race day strategy

Whats included-

• lunch, snacks, goodie giveaways
• small group, "hands on" coaching
• professional bike fit (add $50-paid upon registration)

Camp Price-

• $80 per day or $150 for both (register by Sept 1)
• $100 per day or $180 for both (register by Sept 8)
• no day of registration
• all riders must have a USAC license. Unlicensed riders can purchase a one day license for an additional $5.

Registration-

• This camp is designed to be a small group learning environment, so call now to reserve your space as it will fill up quickly.

Contact-

• Alison Powers
• 303-501-7890 or ap.alpcyclescoaching@gmail.com

Quick Fix

Post Charlotte, was a quick trip to Chicago for the Glencoe Grand Prix. On tap was a visit to a Vera Bradley store, a press conference, a skills clinic and of course, a race.

Toni and Lauren at the Vera Bradley store

The store visit, press conference, and skills clinic all went well. All that was left on the list was to race. All was good until 35 minutes before the start when I found this crack on the top tube of my bike.
Houston, we have a problem.

Not to worry, the amazing guys from SRAM, Jose and Ed, where there to save the day. A quick switch of seat posts, cranks, pedals and a shorter stem made it so I was good to go-with time to spare.
The trip ended well. The race was fun, bike was awesome, and team rode well. Now, it's time for home.

Charlotte Fun

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the fact that bike racing isn't all about the racing. I said something like the actual racing part is a small section of each day and we don't race every day. The rest of the time can be filled any way you like. Well, for the past 4 days we've been filling our time any way we like.

Mornings, of course, are filled with biking riding. Tony, Toni, Tone is always the first one ready and is always waiting for us.
We make the rides enjoyable by either attacking each other, sprinting for city limit signs or riding to neat places-such as we did today to the National Whitewater Center.
Two of the 4 days, have involved us getting our asses kicked by Robin's trainer, Laura. Ouch, I'm still sore. Day 1 was Arms and Day 2 was Core. We're smiling in this picture, but really we hate her. :) If you're in Charlotte and need a workout look up 1-ON-1 Fitness Training.
We've filled our afternoons with internetting, grocery store going, hanging out, or playing Foosball. Robin beat Toni, I beat Toni, Robin beat me. Quote of the game, "I hate losing to Powers!"
Evenings have been really nice. We have cooked dinner together (mostly Toni cooks for us), and gone to friends' homes for dinner. Yesterday was a trip to the Trip for Kids Re-cyclery.
That place is awesome. Pretty much, they help spread the love of bikes to kids who wouldn't usually get a chance to ride a bike. Not only do they get to ride bikes, they get to learn about bikes too. It's cool. Trips for Kids
This week in Charlotte has made Tony, Toni, Tone and I very happy.

Not in Kansas Anymore

Either I am spoiled, don't get out much or live in a box (or all three). Whatever it is, I am often shocked by things I have never seen before or that take me out of my element.

After a week and a half at home doing awesome home things (like riding bikes with my sister and brother in law), I flew to Charlotte, NC.
When I stepped out of the CLT airport, it felt like I walked into a wall - a hot, moist, wall that had me instantly sweating and wishing to be back inside.

Due to this weather, I decided that if I were to ride my bike, it was going to have to be inside, on the trainer. Teammate Robin joined me.
We raced last night and today went on a pretty fun team ride with other cool people. I had no idea a "group ride" could be so much fun (and sweaty).
One of the bonuses of the ride was seeing these two never-seen-by-my-eyes-before things.
Ew.
Boiled peanuts. Double ew.

Girls Only Ride!

Attention ALL women who like to ride bikes fast- Coach Alison will lead the first ever Women's Only ride tomorrow- 6pm-from FasCat Coaching in North Boulder. The focus is on racing, but everyone is invited.

This is your chance to learn from the best and become a better racer. See you there!