Category: mountain biking
-
Fort Ord 50 race report: fueled by gratitude
Is it over already? Goal races are like that. You train for the better part of a year, slowly building up to the event by training, taking on smaller goals, taking notes, and trying to stay in the moment appreciating the process instead of looking ahead. Some of those smaller goals get met, some of…
-
Wayfarer Bike Short: Pockets & Colors!
This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms and contains affiliate links. Spring term teaching got the better of me and I’m behind on my pocket shorts reviews project, but I’m back to talk about one of my favorites that I’ve been looking forward to writing about: The Wayfarer…
-
On DNSing
I have DNSed (Did Not Start) 5 times in my very short bike racing career. This means that I was registered for the race, paid, there was a number waiting for me, and I did not make it to the start line. For one reason or another, on race day, I knew I could not…
-
Holster Prima: Pocket Paradise
This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms and contains affiliate links. While driving home after my road workout yesterday, I was listening to the recent episode of the Girls Gone Gravel podcast about how female hormones relate to our training, which I found fascinating. Selene Yeager was…
-
The Terry Pocket Shorts Project (TPSP)
Welcome to the Terry Pocket Shorts Project, or TPSP, part of the Bottoms Up! bike shorts review series. We’re back. I ride 3-5 days per week, and of late, after trying Bella Maxes, I have become a pocket chamois shorts devotée. When I reach in my chamois drawer, if I pull out a pair of…
-
Bottoms Up! A Review Series of Terry Chamois Shorts & Bottoms
I care more about my biking bottoms than I do about any other piece of gear (except for my bikes and helmet). The cutest jersey in the world can’t save you if your crotch hurts and you’re two hours from home on a trail or road with no cell service. I want to pull on…
-
My Poison Oak Force Field: Terry’s Gravel Pant
This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms. How do you say you’re a Santa Cruz mountain biker without saying you’re a Santa Cruz mountain biker? Give me your poison oak prevention routine. Here’s mine: With their full coverage, Terry’s Gravel Pant defeats most of my constant poison…
-
Review: Bella Max Shorts
This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms. The Bella Max shorts are “max” because they are the longer sibling of the “regular” Bellas, they have slightly more padding, and they also have a pocket. Those are really the only differences, but they’re functional differences worth diving into.…
-
Review: A Love Letter to Terry Bella Prima Bike Shorts
This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms in the performance bottoms category. Update: as of November 2024, Bella Primas in size small are back in stock! My current favorite jerseys are Velocio and Giordana, my favorite vests and jackets are from Ornot. I have always wanted a…
-
Change the Channel
I first heard this phrase used by Taylor Swift in her Miss Americana documentary on Netflix. She’s in the car being driven somewhere, and she’s describing what she does with her mind when she begins to think negative thoughts about herself. When dark thoughts start to creep in that are unhealthy, she says “we’re just…
-
Confidence vs. Swagger
I wish I could say that as an mtb late-comer, I discovered that I have an inner Jill Kintner that doesn’t think twice before hucking her meat and riding all the sketch gnar at warp speed like it’s a bike path. I wish I discovered I am the girl in the helmet who looks at…
-
It’s Fall. Harry is Here.
[This post has no spider photos, but it does have an optional soundtrack.] My default road rides take me through downtown San Jose toward Alum Rock Park and the hillsides beneath Mount Hamilton. For a girl who loves to climb–on a bike, on rocks, you name it–it’s a much better route than the default loop…
-
10 Years Ago I Had Six-Pack Abs. I Don’t Miss Them.
Content warning: discussion of body image, weight, and disordered eating relating to sport. If you’ve hung out with me on the trails or climbed with me in the past couple years, at some point I’ve probably talked your ear off about eating. My eating habits have changed dramatically for the better in the past 7…
-
Reviews: Leatt Airflex Ultra Lite Knee Guard, Troy Lee Speed Elbow Sleeves
My dear friend Emily, who is an amazing rider, taught me a few years ago that elbow pads and knee pads are like bravery sleeves for mountain biking. Ever since then I’ve put on my pads when I am not having a confident day or when I know I want to try to send rocks,…
-
How I record and repeat trail rides
Note: I originally wrote this post for Girls Rock, with whom I like to guide women’s intermediate-ish rides in Santa Cruz. I get a lot of requests for how riders new to the area can repeat the ride, especially in UCSC, where trail finding is cryptic and trails outside of Wilder are unmarked. One thing…
Mountain Lady Views 