SINGLETRACK 6 2015 - Okanagan, BC

STAGE 5 - Penticiton, BC: 35.3km/21.9miles and 1200m/3937ft. of elevation gain.

We have arrived in wine country.  Penticton BC is just as charming as we were warned it would be! The temps have officially risen and the trails have buffed out.  The race course was totally different terrain than the typical Canadian wet and root filled trails.  It was dry, dusty, and a bit of a break from the technical sections we have seen on this trip.  The course was roller coaster like with three short climbs and three fairly fun downhills.  I personally enjoyed the lightheartedness of today and the short length - it was such a fast race that the boys finished in just under two hours!

Punkin and I featured different outfits today, we have never done this but she was testing a new skirt from Cogma Bikewear that I do not have so I went for a second round on the Bridgette dress that I love!

Due to the lack of a need to be hyper focused on the terrain because of smooth and flowy trails I spent much of my morning contemplating how to stage the unicorn picture for the day and what caption I wanted to post.  I had gone to Staples the night before to color a rainbow and packed that in my pocket for the race.  Here is the final result: 

 #whathappenstoaunicornwhenitridesasantacruz? #itfartsrainbows! 

And the RESULTS for today….boys in second and girls in first.  Nate and Dax had a great race but the results are not that exciting and there is no podium shot because the race was neutralized.  Many people got confused on course due to a misunderstanding in the order of the checkpoints so they did not count today as a race.  No hurt and no harm to any of the teams,  just a fun quick day on the bike which allowed for some much needed catch up and relax time after the race.  AND at the finish Drew announced that I had won Smith sunglasses!! Thank you Andrew and Matt with SMITH for my sick Serpico sunglasses.  Nate has won a backpack, Karen and Dax are crossing their fingers.  

The lake provides us with leg soak recovery time and some great entertainment.  While the four of us were soaking up some rays Dax and I decided to head back to the water for a cool down and a pic, we were intrigued by the British flag speedo and ended up with some good ole fashion comedy from our conversation with this guy…It started off with his bandage on his leg, which was covering his wound that he personally stitched yesterday (he's a surgeon).  He proceeded to introduce me to his friend that he is riding with, (he is an anesthesiologist) who conveniently medicated him and the third amigo who introduced himself as the dentist followed by a Colgate smile.  They were from England and Australia and provided us with some quality comedy.  

At first he was not so sure about me….

but I think they warmed up to us!  We even shared a dinner table with them that night.  

Penticton has been a stage racers heaven with food trucks conveniently placed where we parked, lake access a stones throw from the finish line and our hotel within a short boardwalk/lakeside ride of the staging area.  The four of us met all our needs with some gluten free Indian food truck, a sub truck and of course Tim Hortons truck!

After lunch Dax noticed this.  A nail in my tire.  A large nail in my tire.  Thankfully it held for the finish of the race.  

Which led us to this…the BIKE BARN.  The Bike Barn is a local shop that sponsored the race and happen to have a free keg of beer for the racers.  We met Paul and decided we should probably just buy a new tire here to replace my tire which was on its way out anyway.  They had shade tents, bike stands, rim tape and an endless supply of beer - this situation seemed much more positive than trying to deal with my tire in the Days Inn parking lot.  This option also included an additional buzz and great conversation with the locals.  

What do we do to prepare for the next day of racing?….canonballs!! Not only is Coach Miller a handy mechanic but he also happens to be an excellent photographer and caught this photo on our first shot at simultaneous cannonballs!   

Our friend Nick Gould was so impressed by the shot he wanted a go at it himself and convinced his girlfriend Natalie to give it a shot…I don't think this is his first rodeo.

The boardwalk we rode to dinner was a romantic ride for four - truly a quaint town. 

Seek, Slip, Slap, Slop.  Sun safety is not taken lightly as we are expecting the temps to reach the 90's tomorrow.  It is so sad that tomorrow is the final stage.  I want to do it all over again.  But not only is tomorrow the final race stage - it brings the 7th stage which is the party stage, one of my favorites.  We can't wait to have some drinks and dance together to celebrate an experience of a lifetime! And yes, the worm might come out tomorrow night.

SINGLETRACK 6 2015 - Okanagan, BC

STAGE 4 - Myra Bellevue, BC - The "Queen Stage" - 42.6km/26.5miles, 1600m/5,250ft. 

Not going to lie, this stage hurt.  But it was a huge success for the boys - they won the QUEEN stage!  This stage was full of flats, stitches, heat, and punchy climbs.  Punkin and I fall into the flats category and fumbled a bit trying to fix the flat, but maintained our first place position by riding hard on the climbs.  Dax and Nate put the heat on during the climbs and rode smooth and smart avoiding flats and crashes which is hard to do at the speeds they are running on such a rocky and demanding descents.  Terrain today was incredibly different than it has been since we drove south this morning and moved into a high desert like climate with some burn areas.  

Punkin and I featured the Bridgette today for Cogma Bikewear - a perfect choice for the near 90 degree temps...

So happy to finish with our longest time of the week in about 3 hours and 35 minutes…a cooler of ice cold beer was a pleasant surprise! Thanks Houda!!

The adidas tiger kit has been put on the list of "must finds" for Dax and Nate.. possibly a combo kit for a podium shot next year?

The Canadians, Belgians, and Americans - a worldly podium and U.S.A. was happy today, a well deserved and well earned win. 

The Cogma girls in first with only the third place team showing for the podium this time, the second place team had 2 flats today so they were quite a ways behind on this stage.  

Another victory shot because we were all so happy they took the win today!

A throw back from yesterday - Dax was featured on the Singletrack 6 website recap of Stage 2 - great pic from John Gibson!

And our Cogma Bikewear designer Karen Tremaine Ball taking in some serious relax time after a needed soak in the lake! Tomorrow brings us to Penticton, BC for the last two stages - watch out wine country! This could be trouble and a lot of fun!

SINGLETRACK 6 2015 - Okanagan, BC

STAGE 3 - 41.5km/25.78miles and 1500m/4,921ft. elevation gain - Kalamalka Lake, BC

Stage 3 was a blast! Elevation gain was the theme of the morning as we began the race climbing on single track for quite some time.  The downhill was super technical with some must walk areas for most of us but overall an excellent challenge to keep us on our toes. Nate and Dax had some super impressive results from the "timed descent" section coming in 7th and 8th respectively overall out of the field of over 250 men.  I think they were fired up from the adrenaline provoking downhill prior to the timed descent.  Punkin and I got smart and started towards the front of the corral which led to much better positioning when we quickly hit single track.  

  

We featured the Suzy Q today from our sponsor, Cogma Bikewear….and a highlight of the ride towards the end was popping out at the beach for checkpoint 3 at which you were almost done with the ride…temps were warming up and bikini weather was in the air and on our minds!

So there is a "drawing" for a Santa Cruz bike and whoever finds the unicorn, (which can be at any of the aid stations), takes a photo and posts it to the single track 6 Facebook page will be put into a "drawing" for a bike…I am hoping with extra creativity to "win" the "drawing!" This was my first idea…more to come.

And the RESULTS: the boys came in 3rd today…they had a great downhill day but just weren't quite feeling what they needed on the uphill…the race is still incredibly close and could truly go to any of the top 3 teams.  They are currently still holding their 2nd place standing overall.  

Clay Gillies with Planet Foods sponsored Nate and Dax for Singletrack 6 and we couldn't be more appreciative and love Clay and the family.  Clay did the 3 day option so we sadly had to say goodbye to him, Brooke, Payton, Skyler, and Kona today.  

Punkin and I came in first today but the local girls were not far behind, maybe 9 minutes.  The team that keeps coming in second is out of the running because one team member was sick the first day so they can not compete for the placement.  The other team is far far behind and rarely makes it for the podium shot. 

HIP HIP HOORAY!! Weather finally allowed for the swimsuits to come out…nothing beats recovery like a dip in the refreshing turquoise lakes of Canada…

Oh and a cold beer….

And one more Elevated Legs shot…the next step in recovery of every evening..we couldn't help posting another pic of the legs as we maxed out the King bed with 3 sets of legs.  We have decided this is how we will sleep tonight since Nate and Karen slept so poorly on the floor of the closet last night.  Punkin has a friend here with a pull out so she is at a sleepover. We are all so sad that tomorrow is already stage 4…it just goes by too quick. 

SINGLETRACK 6 2015 - Okanagan, BC

STAGE 2 -  Silver Star, BC: 39.8km/24.7 miles and 1200m/3,936ft.

This photo truly embraces the question we got from the Germans today, "Are you moving here?" This morning was a 5 a.m. sharp wake up call to tear down camp and get ahead of the buses to make our way to Silver Star Resort for our 2nd stage.  We are temporarily loving the cooler temps, but it was a challenge to put on the shorts this morning.  

Thankfully the Bulldog cafe/hotel (yes, the same one that started in the 70's in Amsterdam) waiting area was open for entertainment purposes.  No coffee/workers around but at least we were warm and shared some good laughs over the DOGS book and stupid jokes.  

Punkin and I at the start or rather at nearly the very back of the pack…tomorrow's goal is to get to the corral at least 15 minutes early so we don't have to fight our way to the front. Stage 2 featuring the cupcake dress!

Somewhere way up there, essentially right at the front are Dax and Nate.  I liked this shot because you get a good feel for the tiny and colorful town of Silver Star which is a ski area in the winter. 

Here is our first, definitely not our last, group photo of the four of us.  It has been so fun to have 4 close friends doing Singletrack 6 together to travel, camp, and ride sick trails with! I think our smiles capture the joy of our ride today.  Maybe one of my favorite days of any single track 6 days.  Super flowy and fast uphill and downhill trails today with some slightly technical sections and an incredible timed downhill descent.  My favorite trail was corkscrew - windy and weaving through the woods, sometimes you even did a corkscrew loop just for fun. 

Results for today: Dax and Nate were on the attack and were in the lead when Dax had a flat.  They had a Nascar change in 2 minutes flat but the delay put them back into second place only by 1 minute 40 seconds…the numbers say they would have beat them had they not had the mechanical but that's part of racing and I think the first place team is feeling the heat at this point.  Punkin and I won again today finishing just under 3 hours…we had so much fun chatting away, meeting some great people, and talking up Cogma Bikewear to all the men who comment on how much it hurts to get "chicked" by a girl in a skirt! No podium photos from today because they had a large number of people go the wrong way on the course and had to do some time adjustments - official results and podium shots will be posted tomorrow.  Thankfully none of us missed the turn and the people who did are having time added to their finishing time so our spots are secure.  

(Above) I lost it when I pulled up to Punkin's car with Coach Miller's dirty chamois, banana peels and this pillow hanging over the front seat..the funny side of traveling with boys.

(Below) Our daily recovery includes elevated legs, beer, whiskey, crackers & cheese, no lakes yet but as temps are predicted to rise rapidly we are looking forward to some social leg soaks. 

Oh and if the race wasn't enough Dax ran up and down the hotel hallway this afternoon chasing this mouse which he finally caught - I was dying with laughter and intermittent screams when the mouse got too close to me - he was freed to the outside. 

Singletrack 6 2015...another year in the books

SINGLETRACK 6 2015 - Okanagan, BC

THE TRIP UP TO CANADA....

HOLY CRAP we all made it over the border.  This years teams are compromised of the "Not so singles/Cogma bike wear" which is Punkin (Karen) and I (Cupcake).  Our traveling partners are the team Planet foods (thank you Clay) made up of Dax (Thraser) and Nate Miller (Coach).  Karen and Nate drove up separately and met Dax and I in Salmon Arm, BC at the RV camp where we are posting up for 3 nights.  We enjoyed quite a few moments of Canadian comedy along the way.

At camp we had a handy mechanic in a stylish aloha apron (Coach Miller) and a chef extraordinaire/great right hand man to the mechanic (Dax Thrasher Massey). 

After a great night of sleep Friday night we took advantage of our travel free day to pre-ride the beginning section of Stage 1.  We were thoroughly impressed by the quality and technical level of the trails and the view didn't hurt either.

STAGE 1: SALMON ARM; 39.5km/24.4miles and 1400m/4,592ft of elevation.  Rubberhead trail system.  

Punkin and I do not have our personal photographer/ambassador here (Clint) so we decided we better get a team photo the night before...team dressed for success is hoping to hold their victory position from last year.  

And of course Dax and I had to get a team photo as this trip signifies our year anniversary of meeting!!

So jealous of Nate and Dax's number....lucky #13.

The results are in - Dax and Coach Miller came in hot with a second place finish at 2hr30min.33.7sec, only 4 minutes behind the Garneau team from Montreal...watch out, they are out for revenge.  I think if they could have avoided the bee's nest they might have made up some time.  Both Nate and Dax got stung multiple times each...Coach Miller might have taken the brunt of it with a few in his ass...ouch.

And Punkin and I came in strong with a first place finish time of 3h20min27sec..feeling great but slightly bummed to not have more competition.  As you can see the next place team hadn't finished yet and the third place team was missing a team member.  But we were psyched to have a injury/mechanical free and fun filled day.  

Punkin's quote of the day..."so your the mother daughter team?"...I made sure she got his number plate so she could scratch his eyeballs out after the race...we passed him anyway. Punkin and I sported my favorite "cupcake" dress from the one and only Cogma Bikewear.

One of Dax's highlights of this year is his laid back partner Nate, they are quite the combo and can be goofballs together while they ride.  Much more fun when you don't take yourself too seriously. 

Night approaches quickly when you are getting up at 5a.m. for multiple days in a row. Tomorrow, destination Silver Star - should be a good one.