Let me read this blog to you! Listen and follow along with Anchor.
We had a full tour scheduled for documenting trails and filming for the YouTube channel. We had hotels booked, meetings set, trail work scheduled, rides arranged and support riders ready to go. I’ve never been so organized! Then it all came crashing down. One by one, we cancelled every reservation, every meeting…everything…and I went into a little bit of a depression.
On the day we were supposed to leave, my friends Sean and Susie Murphy (Executive Director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association) called me to say they were going to meet us at McDowell Mountain Regional Park, just outside Phoenix. Susie used to race there back in the day and they have an affinity for the place. I had to break the news to them that we weren’t going. I’m not gonna lie,” I said to them, “Things have been tight and we just can’t afford it anyway.” I’ve been devoting my heart and soul to the trails project, which has not been paying the bills. I’ve been in it for the long game, hoping my efforts will generate opportunities down the line, but all of a sudden, we are unable to survive, and plans for the future don’t bring in cash right now to put food on the table and pay the rent.
My bike and car at the campsite
A win is the result of a series of good decisions and right now we are staring down the barrel of a series of bad business decisions, a litany of injuries that kept me out of the game for the majority the two years prior and now a drained savings from a crashed stock market. Explaining all this out loud to Sean and Susie was painful. Of course, they were bummed at the news, but completely understood. I hung up the phone and then curiosity somehow landed me on the campground website. There was one site available and it cost $32/night. Thats a lot cheaper than the $150/night hotel room we had booked in Scottsdale. I called the ranger and booked it spontaneously. I was going!
The hut the previous year with my Arizona boyfriends Brandon and John.
I quickly got to working on my bike and packing, which kept me up til midnight. In the morning, I finished everything I needed to do, made sure the beer was in the cooler and got on the road in time for an afternoon ride at McDowell. I figured I could keep a reasonable distance with Sean and Susie and stay away from everyone else while camping. When I arrived, there were none of the usual hugs exchanged and we got on the trail immediately. I love that place too! All the trails are wide enough for me to crank with two hands. When I’m cranking, my hands are off the handlebar and on the hand crank. The chest pad has two cables attached to it, which run though the frame and attach to tabs that are welded to the bottom of the steering stem. I steer with my chest! Its not precision steering though and when trails are not wide enough, I need to crank with one hand and steer with the other. In this case, I can get my heart rate into the orange, barely. When cranking with two arms consistently, I can get into the red. It’s taken a while to learn how to stay ahead of the power assist, but if i’m focusing, I can keep my wattage meter close to zero sometimes and destroy myself...which I love! At McDowell, its almost entirely crank with two arms trails!
Setup the GoPro on the trail to nab this gem
We climbed up to a little hut at the top of the main ride area. There we messed around on a little jump and cracked a couple beers. The scenery, the desert, the workout, the feeling of being on the road…all made it taste so good, the crisp piney flavor cultivating some serious nostalgia. From there we took the main Pemberton trail downhill back towards the campsite. Now, I just got a new bike (afforded only to me because the manufacturer is allowing me to defer payment until I can sell my old bike) and I just installed a DH wheel set with brand new Maxxis Assegai tires. Thats the work on the bike that kept me up late the previous night. On the first turn, I felt the control these wheels and tires gave me. Holy shit! I pushed harder. Complete control. I pushed harder. Still control and I found myself carrying more speed with more control than I’ve ever experienced on one of these bikes, sometimes the G forces causing me to track on two wheels through the turns. Sean screamed with delight behind me.
Sean and me
Back at the campsite we talked about the ride and how fun it was, how glad we were to be where we were. Sean heated up some of Susie’s homemade chicken noodle soup and then we enjoyed some whiskey around the fire. I plugged in my bike battery for a big day the next day. I planned to do two substantial rides and needed the power. That night I froze my ass off. I slept in the car and made the mistake of cracking the windows before settling in. I thought I would need the air because I get claustrophobic easily. Shutting them meant turning the engine on and I was not about to do that and wake everyone up in the middle of the night. The sunrise and morning could not come soon enough and when they did, I rose excited about coffee in the cold desert. Again, every sip breeding deep nostalgia.
The picture I wanted to get on Day Two. Sean did good.
I racked up almost thirty miles of riding that day, only breaking the bubble twice with Sean who had to help me a couple times. Another session of beers and whiskey by the fire and I snuggled in for an epically cozy night with closed windows, an extra blanket and plenty of layers. In the morning, I wanted to get a couple pictures on a particular feature, so we did that then got on the road, leaving McDowell in the rear view mirror.
We’re on lockdown at home now with everything uncertain and scary, but in making the videos I felt like I got to spend more time at McDowell with Sean Susie. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it. In San Diego, the rains bring a mud fest. Out there, its hero dirt. Rain only makes it better.
Below are the videos. Get ready for a good laugh!
Day One
Day Two
