Adventures of the First Lady- Lessons in being Rad!

The week has been pretty typical. Build some bikes that were ordered in. Work on repairs (Well, Travis does!) the generals. Repairs ARE getting done, slowly but surely. There is a daily tag row that I'm calling to inform people that their bikes are ready to be picked up along with the tag row of Call When Close bikes.

Some website updating in, oh boy, some closeout bikes weren't removed after they were sold. Gads. After the Spring Sale, there is still a bit of catching up to do.

Our monthly newsletter is slated to be sent out on Monday the 27th! At some point I'll do a blog one, but figure that would be best to do after the Time Trials. (Which will be talked about!)

Let's talk about some of the fun things we're bringing into the shop to spur forward the women's off-road riding! We have two brands of baggy shorts available now that I've tried out and really like: Race Face Piper shorts along with the Specialized Andorra Pro shorts. Both excellent- the Specialized shorts also come with a removable chamois liner! PLUS? They are on sale.

Piper Shorts:

Piper shorts are available in turquoise and black. Price- $79.99

Specialized Andorra Pro Shorts:

Specialized Andorra Pro Shorts. Price $84.99 (Originally $130)

Now, let's talk about the FWD Rides!

The first week was completely spontaneous and wonderful, it was really great to see some rad women out enjoying themselves. It was a fantastic group! Positive, supportive, and encouraging. It was fine that it wasn't "race pace" and that will open doors for others to join, for sure.

Our second weekend was a bit exhilarating! Kristin, Steph, and I chose to brave the potential weather and try our chances with the trails. It was a good lesson in learning to maneuver and maintain traction when trails were a little more on the slick side. You could definitely say it was something for more intermediate riders- I called it our "Advanced Class" for the day. It was what I considered good practice for Time Trials, getting myself readjusted to riding trails that were not dry.

Note- we made sure that if we rode, we would not be causing trail damage. No ruts were being left behind.

Towards the end of the ride is when the rain really started to come down! I have not been so wet and muddy during a ride since last season. The wind picked up, especially on the road- we quickly had enough and made our way back to the shop vs. extending the ride.

Bikes were rinsed off and chains re-lubed. After being out in that much rain/water my chain sounded TERRIBLE! Good reminder to those who get caught in rain or ride when it's wet- check the chain!

 Then supper and beverages at T-Bocks ended the evening nicely.

 So far there has been positive feedback from having a set evening for weekly rides- and we look forward to seeing more women on two wheels!

Let's talk about the Time Trials-

Decorah has had a Time Trial race for 25 years now, this year is the 25th anniversary, which makes it extra special!

Last year when I started mountain biking I made the decision to attempt the time trials next year (we're to next year already!) Originally the Time Trials were to be my first competitive event, but some friendly peer pressure had me participating in the PWC. However, this will be a different ball of wax...and my impression is that it will feel more "race like."

Of course I'm going into this with not really having "trained"....I'm not disciplined enough for training, but I'm determined enough to practice riding things that challenge me. I discovered prior to the race that I am able to climb the second switchback on Little Big Horn, something that challenged me last season and I accomplished maybe 2 times?

I won't go into super details about the Time Trials as they deserve their own post. However, we so greatly appreciated the support from our friends for being closed on Saturday. Travis hasn't been in a Time Trials event since 2004 or so. It was really great to have him along behind as my I guess you could say, rolling coaching.

I placed 3rd overall out of 9 fantastic women! As a rider starting her second season, AND riding flats, 3rd was completely unexpected. And talk was that it was possibly the most women who attended a TT event, ever!

It was my first Time Trial, so I will say without a doubt it's been my most fun one so far! Our friend Lucas brightened up the day with his The Flash body paint job. (Yeah, there might've been a part to play in that!) and was rewarded nicely for bringing fun to the Time Trials!
Also, seeing friendly faces that I don't often get to see and the huge amount of support in general just humbles me. We really are lucky.

You'll see more of Decorah Bicycles at the Time Trials from here on out!