Kicking Off the Mountain Bike Season. Family Style.

We did it! Our first family mountain bike mini vacation  get away. (Note: Add an extra three more hours than you think you'll need for packing when toting a baby along).

It was a great time. We traveled to one of our favorite day-drive mountain bike destinations: Cable, WI and enjoyed the weekend at the Cable Area Off-Road Classic.

One of the goals I set for myself while I was pregnant was to make the Cable Classic my first post pregnancy mountain bike race. Well, I didn't exactly race. I rode it while everyone else race.

A week before the race, I called the Cable Chamber to find out about the courses. There are two courses: a 20-miler and a 25-miler. I felt that the 25-miler might be much of a stretch for me as I'm just starting to get back into shape again. The nice lady (Shannon) at the office put me in touch with Jack - one of the race directors.

Jack gave me an overview of the courses. The 20-miler consisted of mostly fire roads (boring). The 25-miler was comprised of few fire roads, but mostly technical single track, and would run through the Rock Lake (my favorite), Esker and Ojibwe trails. The 25-miler was what I wanted to ride, although my hardtail and I had a strained relationship with the Ojibwe trail (it is marked as "difficult to most difficult" on the trail map and doesn't disappoint with it's baby heads, twists, climbs and descents. I always feel like a martini that's been shaken AND stirred after riding that trail).

However, this year I'm riding a Specialized Epic full suspension 29-er: my Push Present (that's a term used to refer to the gift a husband buys his wife after having a baby). I think it's the most hilarious reference. His name is Perry.....Perry the Push Present.

I shared my concerns with Jack, filling him in on my struggle to get back in shape post pregnancy, and the desire to ride the 25-mile course (technical riding is what I really enjoy). But I knew my fitness wasn't up to par to race that course.

"Would you be interested in being a volunteer sweeper?" He asked.

I was ecstatic about his offer! (A sweeper is the person in a long race that follows behind the group of riders. The sweeper helps unmark the course and help out riders who may have a mechanical or who falls way behind the pack and needs moral support). "You'll still be able to ride the course and get your miles in. It would be a good training ride, and you 'll get to take breaks while unmarking the course." I jumped at the offer.

On race day we were greeted by temps in the upper 30 and sprinkles. It was cold and nasty. A big storm hit the area the night before, so I anticipated lots of mud and slick trails.

I was paired up with another sweeper, Ric Ahern, one of the investors who recently bought Telemark Resort & Convention Center. I quickly learned that he's a man of few words and doesn't seem to have time for no jibber jabber.

Justin helped me get my bike ready after they let the 25-miler races off the start. A few minutes after they cut the 20-mile group loose, Ric and I headed out to sweep. The sky continued to spit on us.

We splashed through a few puddles as we made our way to the single track, jumping on a section of Rock Lake. Although it was misty, I was enjoying myself and was in a happy place. I moved slow through the single track, being cautious about the slick conditions. I really didn't want to slip on a root and go down. My core is still weak, and I didn't want to take any chances.

Ric and I dismounted and walked around the mud sections, avoiding any chance of falling into a muddy puddle. There was one section where we couldn't find any high ground to walk along, and both ended up with a wet foot and soaked wool sock. Awesome.

We continued to ride along in silence, enjoying the serenity. But when we hit a sign that read "18 miles to the finish" all I could think of was how much I missed my baby.

By the time we hit the marker that read "13 miles to the finish", we both had two wet feet and I was soaked and cold.  But I tried to keep my spirits up. "You can do this. You're just the sweeper. No problem." I told myself.

After 2 hours, we finally hit the most technical portion of the course. I was wiped out. I was tired. I had eaten my last Honey Stinger energy chew. And I had run out of water.

"How much farther do we have left?" I asked Ric.

"8 miles. There is 3 miles through here [indicating the start of the Ojibwe section]. We'll hit a food station, and then there's 5-miles after the food station." he replied.

It doesn't sound like very much, but let me just explain something: 8 miles of mountain bike riding is not the same as 8 miles on a flat road. Especially through a super technical portion of single track. In mountain biking, it could take 30 minutes to an hour to ride that many miles on a mountain bike trail depending on terrain, a rider's experience, and a person's fitness level. At my current fitness level, I estimated at least 45 minutes just to ride the 3-miles.

I had a FML moment.

We made our way through the first portion of the Ojibwe. And while my 29-er full suspension made for a great ride, rolling through the rocks and roots, my body was very beat up and I found myself walking up climbs and through rocky sections. A lot.

By the time we got to the fire  road/feed station. Jack was there to greet us.

"It's all down hill from here." he joked.

I asked again "how much further to the finish?"

"Five miles." he said.

I looked at Jack and asked "Would you mind if I got a ride into town with you?" He gave me a smirk and thought I was joking.

"I'm not kidding." I said.

Yeah, I was THAT beat! I knew that 5 more miles of technical trail would take me at least another hour. I was cold, wet, had two soaked wool socks, and I really missed my baby.

Jack loaded my bike onto his car and gave me a lift into town.

I found my husband hanging out at The Ideal Market coffee shop. He and Elizabeth had been hanging out in the coffee shop all afternoon, catching up with friends we hadn't seen all season as they filtered in and out of the shop after finishing the race. The woman behind the counter replied that the baby was so well behaved, and that Dad did a great job with her all afternoon. I had a proud Baby Mama moment: not only did Elizabeth do so well (she made many friends :-) ) hanging out all afternoon, but I was so grateful that Baby Daddy hung out with her so I could ride. Needless to say - after all that time with her Dad, Elizabeth was a total Daddy's girl for the rest of the weekend.

I gave them both a big kiss while Justin said "Everyone has walked in [the coffee shop] looking really beat up. You look refreshed." I smiled and told him that I had a great time. (I didn't tell him that I hitched a ride to the finish until we were back at the hotel).

I was excited to find that the coffee shop had brewed a batch of Pollinator Peace Coffee. My favorite! (Peace Coffee is also our team sponsor). I poured a cup and we headed to the hotel where I enjoyed a long hot shower.

And that is how I kicked off the 2011 mountain bike season.

Recommended restaurants for the Cable, WI area (three of our favorite places!):

The Rivers Eatery (awesome pizza and organic salads). THE place for a post ride meal. We gobbled down salads, pizza and fresh carrot cake (from a bakery in Superior, WI). I enjoyed a few glasses of red wine.

The Rookery inside Cable Nature Lodge (great place to stay and excellent place for dinner). Cassie, the black lab, will greet you at the door. The Rookery puts an emphasis on serving seasonal. entrees made from ingredients of local producers). I enjoyed micro greens, Chicken Marsala with Wild Rice and a glass of Cab Sav on Friday night as my preride meal.

The Brick House Cafe. YUMMY place for breakfast.

We have two more mountain bike trips planned that we're pretty excited about this season. We're having so much fun sharing our love for the sport with Elizabeth.

Make your life healthy,

Janet