As most of you know the Team MtnBikeRiders has been representin’ strong in our first few races. The team has been training hard these past few months and we’ve been having a great time out there! RL has done a great job with setting us up with some of the best companies out there for sponsorships and we are so proud to have their names on our jerseys!

This past weekend Jeffrey over at Ergon set me up with the girlie Ergon backpacks since the boy pack packs were a little big for Kim and I. I am a huge fan of Ergon grips and I wouldn’t ride without them….so I was excited to try out their backpacks.

I instantly fell in love when I opened the box! As much as I love the trademark green for Ergon, I have to say that the all black backpack is super sleek looking! Perfect fit for my curvy frame and I just love all the bells and whistles on this pack.

Here is the description for the boys BD1 pack:

A cycling backpack featuring a revolutionary carrying system. The central Flink® Link ball joint allows for huge freedom of movement for the upper body. Pressure is evenly distributed on both shoulders, protecting the back. This makes for a completely new and comfortable carrying sensation. Gender specific carrying systems each in two sizes. The BD1 is the perfect lightweight compact daypack. The BD1 features a large top opening design and includes one small external gear pocket, hydration bladder sleeve, helmet holder and integrated rain cover.

As a woman, I love small details - it really shows how much a company values their product when they put the extra time and money into small details. My favorite details in this pack - great padding on the straps, the built in whistle on the front buckle, the built in rain cover on the underside of the pack, the fact that it sits up right when placed on the floor, the design of the bag keeps it off your back…(no more sweaty back) and I love the flexible link system. If you ever get the opportunity you must try on this pack. I was amazed when I picked up the pack filled with items - it feels heavy in my hands, BUT the instant you put it on your back..AMAZING…it feels weightless! NO KIDDING.

I often hesitate when filling my backpack because of how heavy it feels on my back but that really isn’t an issue anymore with this pack. I can’t wait to put it to full use on an epic ride, filling it with all kinds of goodies!

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MtnBikeRiders.com and a few friends rode Bonelli Park. in San Dimas Ca. If you remember, this was the race where Priscilla, Jeremy, and Joe Solancho all placed on the podium. It’s a pretty short, but brutal course with steep climbs and fast descents. This time around we rode the trail backwards. Keep in mind that on Saturday the temperature rose into the 90’s. We had an earlier start to try and beat the heat, but it was out of vain. Half way through the ride, we were all feeling the effects of the hot sun.

Personally I was miserable. I had a mild case of heat exhaustion by the end of the ride. Ya, I had all the known symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness and a killer headache…

Here’s one of our re-grouping spots. We tried to get under the shade every chance we got, but Bonelli doesn’t offer much coverage.

Thanks to Joe Solancho for the great photos.

A shot of me climbing one of many hills…this was the point where I first dry heaved. There were more to follow…

We had two mechanicals that morning, one was Jeremy getting a pinch flat, and another where Priscilla got a thorn in her tire.

Here’s Jeremy aka “Mr.Rigid” (known for his bike and its a nick name his wife has for him) happily climbing. Tim S. isn’t far behind while Randall and I are walking, what we like to take our time. Besides, we were the “sweepers” of the ride.

Priscilla was back in her game that day. She did some sort of cleanse where it left her really messed up at last week’s ride. But this weekend, she was back in her groove and was able to keep up with the boys and out climb most of us…including me up the hills.

As always, I created a short video to document our adventures, enjoy!

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As you’ve already read, Priscilla mentioned that the MtnBikeRiders crew raced yesterday’s Mt. Sac Fat Tire Classic. My daughter Breanna and I raced in the tandem category.

Here we are heading up to the starting line.

Did you notice our streamers…that’s to psych out the competition and if we needed to, we can take them off to whip the riders next to us so they don’t pass, you know a little Ben Hur action.

Here we are right when they said go. You can see Priscilla behind me all serious. She eventually passed us and a bunch of other riders.

Being in the tandem category, we had to ride 12 miles, basically 2 of the 6 mile loops. As much as Priscilla says it wasn’t a tough trail, I’m going to have to say that this was one of the most brutal courses out there…especially on a tandem. This trail had single track, steep climbs and descents, sand, ruts and cow patties…nasty!

We did race against another tandem couple. These two were riding an impressive Ventana with 8″ brake rotor, dual suspension…and basically a tandem made for mountain biking. Breanna and I were on our KHS Alite…it originally came with a rigid fork and we’re using v-brakes to stop us, plus its a hard tail.

This is our competition…

Before the race, Breanna and I talked about our goals for the event. For one thing we wanted to have tons of fun. Another goal was to finish the race. So for the fun factor, had had blast! We kept saying hi to people that we were riding next to, waving to the other tandem riders, and enjoying the scenery. As far as finishing the race…I have to tell you it was hard. At one point we stopped to rest and Breanna says to me, “Why am I doing this! It’s so hard!” But she knew that we agreed to finish the race so she never mentioned giving up.

There were a few times when I would ask her if she needed to rest, you know so she can let her legs feel better from all the climbing…she passed on the opportunity to rest and suggested we keep going.

The thing that trips me out the most is going down hills on our tandem. For one thing, this bike needed some disc brakes and a rear suspension. But as much as I wanted to worry, Breanna, on the other hand was having a blast. While we’re going down, she’s yell out…”weeeeee!”

On our second lap of the course, we thought we were the last ones. But we immediately felt better when we passed two other guys on the trail. The second time around we actually did way better. Just because we knew where to make up for lost time by mashing it, and where to rest on the down hills.

So after riding the course for 1 hour and 36 minutes, Breanna and I finished!

When the results were finally posted, the awards ceremony started. We waited patiently for them to call our names. Yup sure enough the announcer says, “Beginner’s Tandem, 2nd Place…RL and Breanna Policar!”

Here we are with our new trophy!

I’m very proud of Breanna for racing with me. She was such a trooper out there and refused to give up. Not only is she strong, but she’s got heart, so much so that she wouldn’t let her dad rest…Again I’m VERY proud of my girl Breanna!

Here’s our mantle with the two trophies that the Policar family got to take home. Priscilla’s is the one on the left and ours is on the right.

I do want to say thanks to KHS Bicycles for building an awesome tandem bike. For my boys Vince C. and Vince R. for hooking us up with KHS jerseys, I can’t forget about Khoa N. for his photographic skills and ofcourse my family for encouraging us through out the race. Thanks!

By the way, if you’re interested in more pictures from the event, check out our gallery HERE.

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Wooh! I can’t believe the day came and went so fast! If you check into the site regularly then you know the mtnbikerider crew has been planning for this race for a long time now. Actually RL and Moe have been planning for this day since fat tire of 2005! But we won’t get into that right now. Haha.
Today RL, myself, Lance, and Jeremy entered the Mt Sac race. And a BIG thank you to photographer extroardinare, Khoa, who joined us just to encourage us and take some great photos. Thanks Khoa! What a nice guy - and girls he is single!!! ;D

We are smiling in this pic because we haven’t started yet. haha.

What a great race. Some gnarly climbs and a couple of fun falls..not bad. A little sandier out there than i prefer but it was all good. I wouldn’t describe it as a very technical ride but definitely a challenge.

This is my ‘OMG! What am I doing out here?!?!?’ face. hahaha. Love it!

The pic above completely captures the way I felt out there today. This race was as much of a mental race as it was physical. Complete mental and physical exertion! I can’t tell you how many times I told myself “I give up, this is it, I am not going any further.” Really tough. I can’t remember the last time I fought so hard to keep myself going. And with each negative thought I had to discipline myself with a positive thought or cry out in prayer. Every limb in my body burned. My heart felt like it was going to explode, my legs hurt so bad, and my lungs ached!!! And I was only on mile two. Uuuggghhh! Constantly I was asking myself, why am I doing this? What was I thinking? This is awful! And still I pedaled on.

There were many thoughts that kept me going today. Sometimes it was just focusing on that one man or woman ahead of me…trying to pass them up. Many times it was remembering all the different trails we conquered this summer and comparing this trail to it. This trail isn’t so bad I would think - I climbed Chino Hills and the Luge! I had to remind myself that I had goals to achieve. I just needed to pass up a couple of guys and finish this within an hour! And sometimes I would just beg God for strength. Anything and everything to finish.

These kinds of circumstances definitely push you to your physical and mental limits. I think it’s these times that define who we have become and what we are made of. I thought today that maybe I may never do another race again..but then I thought about how much I was able to overcome today and that incredible feeling of accomplishment. I heard the most negative, and ugly thoughts in my head today and I was able to overcome that. Now THAT feels good. My daughter shared a quote with me today that summed it all up “Pain is weakness leaving the body”. Great quote. I think I will do another race.

And by the way, after all that, I did end up placing 2nd place in my division! Brought home my own shiny trophy too! But that was just an added bonus. Best of all I was able to pass up a few guys out there - and in a skirt too! hehehe. I even surpassed my goal of finishing it within an hour - I finished in 38min. Nice.

Many thanks to the boys of mtnbikeriders. Thank you RL for your encouragement and to Moe, Jeremy, Lance, and Khoa for your inspiration and the swift kicks in the rear out on the trails! You guys rock! I wouldn’t ride today like I do if it weren’t for you guys.

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When you take a husky rider like me and do something like this…

With a seat like this…the Sette Strike DH Saddle…

Then I don’t quite land the right way…

You’ll end up with a seat like this…

When I landed, I went one way, the bike went the other. Luckily, I hit my thigh…not my nuts. But the Sette seat acted like a crumple zone and absorbed my weight…Poor saddle, that was my first and last ride with it.

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Saturday morning the group met up at Santiago Oaks for a challenging but short ride. The Oaks makes you climb three considerably steep hills before it pays you back with some entertaining downhills. RL didn’t care for the first ascent so he tried flapping his wings to pass up the next two.

We had a good sized group that included RL, Priscilla, Khoa, John, Joel and myself. I was playing tour guide for the day. I think everyone was hating me by the end of the second climb. Khoa was nice enough to be our photographer for the day and had to lug his equipment up the hill. He said he kept seeing exotic birds that required him to stop several times. That’s an inventive excuse if I ever heard one so I’ll take it!

As we crested the last climb I looked back to see Priscilla passing a guy(not from our group) who looked thoroughly humiliated. Way to go Priscilla!

After everyone made it to the top without puking, we saw a table jump someone had built up, with a perfect, gentle rise. John, RL, and myself got some playtime in. I felt like a kid again. Good, dirty fun!

We also hit up this little 5 foot drop. It’s not too big but you can’t see the landing until your already in the air so you have to keep your nerves in check. RL attacked the drop, but his foot came unclipped, mid-air. He put on his game face and saved it nicely.

Speaking of saving, further down the trail we hit a technical rock descent. During Joel’s attempt he did a perfect nose wheelie and even kicked his feet off the pedals for some style. Showoff!!

I was really impressed with the way everyone tackled the rocky downhills. This trail demands your utmost attention. Mine faltered at one point and I took a little face-plant for it. I think everyone had a great time on the twisty downhill runs and we all made it out alive and with some big smiles.

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I mentioned earlier that Skirtsports sent me home with a skirt and jersey to review. I got the chance to break out the outfit on wednesday night with the girls. I got nothing but compliments from the girls on this outfit. Here are a couple of informal pictures:

Below is the Pink Crush Sleeveless Jersey and the Compression Fit BikeGirl Skirt.

Here’s a closer look:

Check out the reflective material on the zipper!

Initially nobody can deny that this is some cute stuff! Loved the colors, loved the materials and the detail put into these pieces. The fit is very flattering for all body types. I have to say I was really excited to ride in this set. The skirt and top were incredibly comfortable amd soft on the skin. The skirt also includes a mesh short with a pink chamois - nice touch!

You’ll have to check in later for my formal review. I don’t want to give away too much too soon but it will be good. I know my main concern was where does the skirt go when I am riding? Will it fly up? Will it get caught on my seat? And as cute as these clothes are, can they really hold up on the trails? Well, you’ll just have to stay tuned for the formal review in a few weeks as I put these babies to the test! Here I come dirt!!!!!

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Cmon it’s ladies night and the feelings right .. (c’mon sing it with me!! haha)
I love night riding. It’s such an exhilirating feeling. The cool night air, the dark sky, the rush you get while passing quickly through the brush. I love it all. There’s just a different feeling about a night ride.

Wednesday night I was able to head out with a couple of gals from a local womens biking group, the Trail Angels. I love riding with the guys too, but it really is a different vibe when it’s just us ladies. Can’t put my finger on it, but it’s just a lot of fun. We giggle a lot more..and we have more courage when we’re out with each other. We spur each other on, and cheer for each other when we’ve conquered a new feat.

Patricia, Christine and Me.

I definitely encourage you ladies to search for other women who enjoy the sport as much as you do. I have often heard that it’s hard to find other women who ride - tis true. But we are out there, I promise! I was able to find this group of ladies through yahoo groups. Of course we need to be wise about it too. I had heard of this group also through mutual friends so I felt great about meeting up with them. We always have such a good time when we head out.

In fact, if it weren’t for them taking the time to teach me a few things and to give me the courage when I needed it, I may not be able to do half the things I do. We all need riding buddies like that. So check out your local bike shop, ask the guys if their wives will head out with you some time, check your local gym. Just get out there and ride!!!!

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Yep! That’s right! My two favorites are coming together…skirts and mountain biking!! I got a chance to meet up with the girls from SkirtSports at Interbike. Super nice gals over at their booth, and I loved, loved, loved their skirt line for biking! This company was started by super athlete Nicole Deboom in 2005 and has been boomin ever since - pun intended. haha.
Here’s a few that caught my eye:

Capsleeve Jersey:

Sleeveless Jersey:

I know, my photos do this line no justice. I needed Khoa photographer extraordinaire, lol.
So go check out their skirts! This industry needs to know there is a market for womens specific wear! And keep an eye out for my review of their skirt and sleeveless jersey. The gals hooked me up with a set and I can’t wait to hit the trails lookin all cute and stuff!! ;D

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Interbike ended last Friday, today is Monday night and I’m still feeling the effects of walking the miles and miles of biking heaven that is known as the greatest bicycle trade show in North America.

My heels hurt, my knees, surprisingly feels good oh I can’t forget how my shoulders were burning the whole 3 days.

Well enough complaining and let’s get down to the nitty gritty. For those of you that haven’t been to Interbike, let me tell you a few things that may or may not convince you that there are other events out there that are better or worse.

For one thing, Intberbike exhibitors are for retailers. This is the time when companies are pimping out their goods like a butcher does with his choice meats. Also this is the time when dealers can get the best breaks in prices when they preorder for the season. Some of the deals they can get is rather than a 60 day term, they may get a 90 day or some may even offer terms where they don’t pay until July!

Anyhow, for the rest of us, Interbike is actually pretty fun. You get to walk around and see what’s new, get a few free stuff and eat a bunch of nutrition bars and drink up some free beer.

As cool as freebies are, there are a few guys and a gal that experienced some anti-social reps when visiting a booth. Tim G of the Crooked Cog talked about it too on his blog. I couldn’t figure out one booth where Priscilla and Randy were taking photos of some product, then a rep tells them that they can’t take any pics. But then he notices that they both had “Working Media” badges, he quickly appologizes and encourages them to take as many photos as they want. But by that time, damage was already done, Priscilla and Randy said “no thanks” and simply walked away.

I got that too from countless booths. More so from clothing and high end/custom bike companies. One booth I went to catered to the DH rider, and they had really nice stuff. I walk up, start checking out their stuff, making sure that my badge was clearly visible, and the douche bag, looks at me, dismisses the fact that I may have had a question, then he walks a way to get a hot dog at a near by vendor….

Another experience Priscilla had was with a catty group of women that were there exhibiting their clothing line. Priscilla walks up, she starts to take pictures, then she realized that no one was acknowledging her. So she left.

So here’s some advice to all you pompous companies at Interbike….get some people that are friendly! You can get a dime a dozen just by running a simple ad on Craigslist.org!

For Pete’s sake, if they’re that snobby with us, think how snobby they are with other people…your potential customer. Yah so if your company doesn’t get as many orders as you may have expected from Interbike, just look at the people at Interbike that represented you…

Now for the folks that did show nothing but love to us…you are the same companies that are doing REALLY well. One of our favorite companies is Loeka Clothing. Great folks from Canada, eh. Priscilla went to go visit them and they took some time out to show off their 2008 goods…piece by piece…that visit right there must have taken at least 10 minutes. Now that’s what I call good PR. You’ll see more Loeka stuff as soon as Priscilla posts the photos.

Ok so is Interbike better than some events out there. Yes and no. Sea Otter Classic is what I compare it to the most. I know they are two different types of events, one is dealer and one is consumer based. But I think Sea Otter is way more fun for everyone. Sure companies have their new stuff they are pimpin’ out, and they also have product releases during Sea Otter. But its just more fun!

Here’s why, its like combining the Interbike show and dirt demo all in one place. Sea Otter has a demo area where you can test out bikes. Plus its outdoors, fresh air and a great vibe over all. Ah but wait! There is this one problem…if it rains…it pours! So bring some rain gear and some dry clothes.

One more thing why Sea Otter is better….this fella makes it all worth it!

So as cool as Interbike is, I’d recommend going to the Sea Otter Classic.Leave Interbike for us to cover, besides we’re willing to put our bodies through the ringer just to make sure you see all the goods Interbike has to offer. Oh and another thing we have over 500 photos and videos are coming your way.

You may ask why would the MtnBikeRiders Crew do all that for you, our loyal readers. It’s cuz we love you. Yup we do, if you see us in public, give us a high 5…but Jeremy likes hugs, Moe…well, just give him some beer and a slap on the butt, however, Moe likes it if you stay for a bit and grab some @$$ while you’re at it!

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