I Heart Montana

One of the best parts of racing bikes, besides the agony and suffering of course, is going to fun places, like Missoula MT! This is my third year in a row doing the Missoula XCT, and I love this town just as much as the first time I came here. There are bakeries on every corner, big trees and pretty mountains everywhere, and the course is one of my favorite places to race bikes.

This year I am flying solo (no hubs to hang out with during the weekend), but I do have a rad team and support for race day, so that's a huge plus!

The only hard part about this race is that it doesn't happen until 4:30pm, so until then I am supposed to stay off my feet (which is harder than it sounds, especially when the number one thing I want to do is explore new single track near the house I'm staying at, and eat pastries).

So far this weekend has included:

TWO stops for Sando's at Great Harvest Bread Company where they give you free samples of bread as big as my hand :)

Apple crunch bread with honey, still warm from the oven :)

Bernice's Bakery for an epic reading/muffin eating sech yesterday morning.

A pre-ride of the dry but still fun course yesterday afternoon. I did not hit the A-line drop because there was a boy on a stretcher just after it being assisted by paramedics... No thanks! Also, the Kappius wheels Brendan guilt up for me just before leaving CA are a lifesaver in the loose steep stuff. I'm so excited to shred on them tonight!

The course winds up the ski slope through the big trees, and then back down, it's AMAZING!

An hour of struggling to figure out my new iphone that ended in the use of ALL my data for the month (I think it was searching for internets all day and night maybe)

A homeless dude asking me if I am a guy or a girl... weird!

An evening picnic with them team, which consisted of mostly listening to stories of debauchery... I don't think I'm cool enough to be part of this organization!

And a glorious morning spin with a little singletrack exploring. It was hard to 'respect the wisdom of the Inuit' and not overdo, but I thoroughly enjoyed the big trees, Montana air, and green mountains all around me.

Big trees... swoon.

Now I'm off to read and eat a croissant... good pre race strategy... yes?