what's going on today

I've been getting nice emails from dozens of people I have never met..thanks, it helps to ease the sting of getting "dumped".

Also, getting "dumped" must pretty good for the blog hits...we're at an all-time-high here! Hmmm...I don't have any real exciting news to report just yet, though, because my second week of work has been keeping me quite busy... In the meantime, I'm thinking about new bikes & sponsorship..Interbike is coming up quickly so I need to have a plan. A HUGE THANKS to all my other sponsors (visit them on the <----left), they have been so cool as always, and very supportive!
There is a big fall riding/camping weekend being planned in the North GA mountains over the Halloween weekend...there will be colorful leaves, sweet trails, choice of camping or cabins, a lot of beer (of course), good food, halloween candy, and probably some smores. We're doing it at our new favorite place (Mulberry Gap) so for those interested, I will update the details here when I know them. We'll probably do one big ride similar to last weekend's sagged Drama Queen ride (50ish miles...maybe include some "new" stuff??) and then another day of riding that will be more hangover-friendly. Maybe we can make this an annual gathering.

coming together

things are.

i'm racing this weekend
flights are booked for interbike
i got a personal trainer....i'm gonna be ripped!

edit: I have some racing to fund so I'm selling my pink rigid singlespeed. size 16 frame w/ matching fork and 29" rims. if you are interested, please email me.

bottom brackets, interbike, and who knows what else

I can't stand it anymore. This past week, my BB on one of my singlespeeds literally fell out while I was riding..all of a sudden I'm cruising down the road with my legs flailing..crankarms attached. nice.

Then, today we were riding up in the Ellijay mountains and my other BB was creaking like mad. This was the new BB I bought 3 WEEKS AGO and the bearings are already completely shot.

Stupid POS!!! I'm going shopping this week for a new crankset.

I am trying to get out to Interbike this year, hopefully will get to go out with Eddie, Carey & Zeke, and Danielle & Scott. I've never been, so I'm pretty excited. Mallie is working to help me refine my 2009 sponsorship proposal..thanks Mallie! :)

The rest of my 2008 race schedule is currently up in the air. The original plan, as promised to all my sponsors, was to chase the Granny Gear 24 hour Series but since my main sponsor pulled sponsorship I am not sure how I will afford to get to Moab for the final race (grad student budget, and all). So...that may not be happening and I apologize to my other sponsors if it turns out that I can't make it.

There is also an 8 hour race this coming weekend in FL, the Faster Mustache 24 hour race and the Georgia SS Champ race the following weekend, and a few more mtb races in the Southeast throughout the fall. I'm not sure what all I want to do at this point. I had a great, long but easy ride today in Ellijay that allowed me to sort through all my options a bit so hopefully I can come up with a plan soon. Needless to say, this is not what I had in mind for the end of my 2008 season!!

FM.24.08

new website!

Mallie Dein has been working very hard to create my new website. It's almost done, there are still a few things to add, but you get the idea:

www.namritaodea.com

Mallie is obviously very good at what she does, so if you're ever looking for such services...you know who to contact :)

I think my blog as you know it may be going away and I will probably be posting race reports, important happenings, etc. from the News link of my new site.

Thanks, Mallie!

goodbye

As of today, I am no longer sponsored by Vassago Cycles. I am really not sure what I could have done any differently but that doesn't matter now. I thank them for their support over the last year and a half and I wish them and the company the best of luck in the future.

Women's MTB Weekend September 12-14 at Mulberry Gap, Ellijay, GA

Join Namrita O’Dea for an all-women’s mountain bike weekend at the beautiful and cozy Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway in the North Georgia Mountains. Mulberry Gap is located in the middle of the mountain bike capital of Georgia. Ellijay, GA has some of the best mountain biking in the state and trails for all levels of riders. The theme of the weekend will be fun, healthy food, and good riding. It will be a great way to make new riding friends while spending a weekend in the mountains!

Amenities:
Supported rides (snacks, drinks, packed lunch, ride guide, mechanical support, vehicle support provided in case of emergency)Hot tub, massage ($1/minute), movies, relaxing cabins, bike wash

All meals are included and all organic foods will be used. Alcoholic beverages are not provided at Mulberry Gap, so feel free to bring your beverage of choice to share!

Cost: $165/pp for the weekend

Weekend Schedule

Friday September 12
5:00 - 7:30 pm: Happy Hour, meet and greet
7:30 pm: Dinner

Saturday September 13
8:30 am: Breakfast
10:30 am: Morning Ride
12:00 pm: Lunch delivered trailside
2:00 - 6:00 pm: Massage appointments and hot tub relaxation
Afternoon snacks provided
6:00 pm: Happy hour and Q&A (tips and techniques, tech talk, nutrition, etc.)
7:30 pm: Dinner at Mulberry Gap
9:00 pm: Movie

Sunday September 14
8:30 am: Breakfast
10:00 am: Morning Ride
1:00 pm: Lunch at Mulberry Gap
2:00 pm: Pack up and good-byes

The weekend is open to all levels of mountain bike riders and depending on the size and level(s) of the group, rides may split into different groups. No one will be left behind on any ride. If you need to rent a bike, please let us know well in advance. Helmets will be required for all rides. Email diane@mulberrygap.com to reserve your space. There is a limit of 18 women for the weekend. Proof of health insurance is required upon arrival. For more information on Mulberry Gap and to see photos, visit http://www.mulberrygap.com/

Fool's Gold pics and writeup

On Cyclingnews.com

bummed

I am bummed about not going to SSWC08. It was THE event I had been looking forward to all year...being that I am a singlespeeder, and all....I just cancelled my camping reservation so if anyone needs a spot at Skyline Park you better jump on it now. I'm assuming the camping spots are completely booked, otherwise.

Not sure what I'm going to do this weekend now but there is a Cartecay Bikes epic I'll probably end up doing.

Hmmmph.

fool's gold- post 1

yeah, i like how i'm called out on cyclingnews for being a "challenger" to cheryl...

so i rested my legs all last week to race on saturday. i wasn't even drinking the beer on friday, i was being good. at 8pm i asked eddie to get my bike ready while i was still working...he did, and then at 10 pm i started stuffing my drop bags to send to sags 2/3/4.

30 minutes later eddie asks me not to race. WTF? eddie actually going so far as to ask me not to race in order to help him must mean he really needs my help..so...doing the "right" thing, i did not race and instead worked all day to avoid disaster. 300+ people, 12 volunteers? definitely not enough! all our volunteers worked so hard and the bike shops (addictive, outspokin, and northstar) worked their asses off, too.

next year we will have twice as many volunteers. and twice as much beer. damn those volunteers can drink some beer!

highlights of the weekend:
- seeing dicky in a sexy shirt (pic somewhere?!) for winning the bike29.com sexiest 29er award
- riding with the bike29.com guys after drinking 4 beers and eating only a small bag of doritos in 12 hours...in a skirt and t-shirt. made an 8 mile ride seem like a death march. good times.
- marcel winning the ti frame raffle
- seeing jeremiah bishop ride a ridiculously fast race
- seeing local thomas turner so close to the best riders in the country
- mike stanley of wake & bake racing and all his terrapin beer...mmm
- good coffee on saturday morning (53x11 and wake & bake)
- the volunteers...they make this race happen: Anne & Trev, Natalie, Tera, Mark & Sheri, Ken, Hillary, Jesse, Rachel & Jim, Matt, Fish, Rich Garcia&friends, David, Jim, Janice, Kyle, Jimmy, DanO!! Thanks to all of you!
- seeing all the people buying kat's soap
- test riding a geared 29er (settle down you SS elitists! ;)
- i'm sure there are many more...i need a few days for all the memories to pop back into place. i'm kind of tired now!

andrew kornylak took photos and i assure you they will be great. i've seen many others from mark D and natalie..and more. i'll post some up on the race website eventually..

pre-race prep for FG 50/100

almost there!! all the fields in both the 50 and 100 are S-T-A-C-K-E-D. There is a full 100 mile womens class so I don't even need to race anymore. I still might, though. I think I will. Jon Dalman from Dahlonega Wheelworks put on new tires for me today, cleaned up my ride, and gave it a good tune up so I should probably race the bike. I did actually ride a GEARED bike today for a bit, woweeeeee it was fun, I could go so fast on the flats and downs. So different than singlespeeding in so many ways. I can't help but wonder how much fitter I would be if I actually rode with gears. I want to find out. But, it will take some time to make the transfer. I can't wait for this party to get started!

not going to SSWC

This is all of a sudden and rather unexpected. So if anyone wants my campsite, email me...however I may not be able to respond right away. I've got to head out to the mountains to help Eddie with marking the course and setting up for this weekend's shindig. Later.

the countdown

We are almost up to 300 people for the Fool's Gold this weekend. Crazy!! I have been working like mad this week trying to answer questions, special requests, and organize as much as possible before the line starts to form on Friday afternoon. I swear this is harder and more stressful than racing itself. There are even more details to pay attention to now that the race is part of the NUE.

I went to pick up the handmade trophies from Mallie today and she gave me a tour of the E Macon trail where the GASSSC race is going to be. Jason from Pivot Cycles is in town for the bike demos this weekend so I think we will try to drink beer with him tomorrow or Thursday. "The" George from Bike29.com is also coming in on Friday for the 29er gathering so I'm looking forward to drinking a beer with him, too. Other than that, the prizes are still rolling in, and we have a truckload of swag bags to put together between now and Friday.

I had orientation for my new job yesterday..I will be the nutritionist at Georgia State University for the semester. This means I get to work with the student athletes, as well as any student, faculty or staff. It will be a ton of work, but a great "resume builder" as they say. I'm actually looking forward to it...I don't even feel like a student anymore but I start class again on Monday so that will change quickly. The triathletes are also in full swing now so I am also very busy at the moment with them. Oh, and I have to be at another internship rotation at 8:30 am on Monday after the race/festival weekend!

phhheeew. Am I really racing this weekend??

i'm starting to feel like a fool

...you've got to be a fool to race 100 miles of fool'SS gold and then go clear across the country to race the SSWC, right? who in his or her right mind would do such a thing? oh, i know who.

to neal, who asks if i am racing singlespeed:

neal,
since that would be the ultimate foolish thing to do, yes, i am (IF i end up racing). though, an even better reason for doing so would be i don't have another bike at the moment, nor the time to convert my current bike into a geared machine....as tempting as that is.

i'm thinking that only for the singlespeed class...for each beer you drink on the course, your overall time should be subtracted by 10 minutes. that would be cool.

Mulberry Gap

Awesome awesome relaxing weekend in the mountain bike capital of Georgia! We had a great time at Mulberry Gap and I cannot wait to go back. I'll write more on it later, but for now...here are the pictures! (Click the sign below to see the whole album)

another great quote..

this time from my hubby

I wish more racers would get this: The world owes you nothing. You have to earn it just like everyone else. Be creative, but you better have something to offer before you go asking for hand outs. This goes for sponsorship, race entries and most anything.

well, things are insanely busy around here trying to get last minute details tied up for the Fool's Gold...prizes and swag are piling up at our door..there is going to be some sweet stuff given out this year. all the pre-registered folks get dibs, so you chance missing out on it if you wait to register onsite. wait until you see what you'll get from TWIN SIX!!!

so far, we have one woman racing, Cheryl Sorenson from Trek. Not sure if Trish Stevenson will show. I got the nod to go ahead and race this time so I think I will do just that. I will still be wo-manning the registration table on Friday so hopefully I am not up too late as it's going to be an early start on Saturday. This will be my first hundie of the year since I opted for the Cohutta 35 mile version this past April.

We are heading to Mulberry Gap this weekend, I can't wait! There's also a Cartecay Bikes group ride on Sunday. I sense a great weekend ahead.

edit: Check out this cool new website: BikeRumor.com

I had to borrow this quote...

from Sarah K

I hate myself for making such a stupid mistake as bonking. But that’s what 24hr racing is all about I guess…shoulda, woulda, coulda. Maybe that’s why it’s so addictive

I had a great "getting back into it" ride with Neal today, nice and easy 30 miles. It started AND ended with Starbucks..how could it not be great? I don't start training with my new coach until next week so right now I'm just winding down from the racing and the long drive that came after it..oh, and working like crazy to finish planning this little event called the FOOL'S GOLD.

Thanks

..for the encouraging words in comments and emails. Life goes on, there is always another race around the corner.

Fool's Gold is coming up in less than 2 weeks!

Then..SSWC '08!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The real focus is now on 24 hours of Moab. 24 hours of Landahl has been unexpectedly cancelled by Granny Gear, which really screws me up for the National Points Series. Had I known in advance, I would have gone to 24/Killington instead of 24/Nationals. Even though I have two NPS wins I still have to kill it at Moab unless they find a more fair way to give out the points.

24/9 pictures (by misty)

Eddie's number plate didn't quite make it

See..I'm hydrating. Maybe a little too much. Notice my "thong" number plate Eddie cut for me, nice. The USAC officials didn't like it and I was forced to change it.

Notice Danielle's pit

...and then ours....see the difference?

Another pit picture

aaaah....the post race

We're packing up to leave Wisconsin. I can't help but having thoughts of regret, disappointment. It's fine to win a race when there's little competition, but this race was different. It has the biggest competition, everyone is there...people are watching. No, I wasn't out there to win...just to be out there and race with the best. I wanted to be on that podium so bad and I know I had it in me. Unfortunately, something so easily preventable ruined it. My goal was 16 laps and with my pacing strategy I could have had it. I would have settled for 15 and still been happy. Even 14 could have gotten me on the podium. I have some thinking to do about the rest of the season. Some things are changing.

24 hours of 9 mile..a race report

This was my 3rd year in a row racing the 24 hour Solo National Championship Race at 24-9 in Wausau, WI. The first year was no good...I was unprepared and DNF'd after riding 6 laps. Last year was better, but still no good as I had technical difficulties with my lights. 3rd time's a charm, though, right?

I checked into the hotel on Thursday, room 133.

I got my race number on Friday, number 3.

I was still looking for my lucky number...could 3 be it? After all, it was my 3rd time racing here and I was looking for a good race for once.

The gun went off and I took it easy..no reason to blow on Lap 1. I felt great...my goal was 16 laps and a podium spot. For the first 6 hours everything was pretty perfect, other than losing some tubes and CO2s on the trail and some exchanges with the USAC officials about my number plate being illegally trimmed. However, I was running the Stan's No Tubes setup leaving me 1000% more confident in my setup than I was last year with tubes. There are tons of rocks on this trail. My race rig was the Optimus Ti singlespeed with FOX fork..I relegated the rigid Jabberwocky to spare parts bike as I wasn't about to run the course rigid.

I'm embarrassed to say this, but in hours 6-12 my nutritional "strategy" went horribly wrong. It was a combination of poor communication between me and my pit crew (my fault) and poor planning (my fault). It is so hard to think about these things rationally and do calorie, fluid, and sodium calculations in your head while you are racing but looking back on it after the fact, I was in a huge calorie deficit and a huge salt deficit, and took in way too much fluid. I was still on track for at least 15, if not 16 laps by 12 hours in (I had 8 laps down in 12 hours) but sometime in the night I began vomiting. I tried treating it with more salt and fluid..then just more salt and tons of calories, but nothing helped. I took a 2 hour break in the pit while all my competitors passed by one at a time. I felt helpless and really upset because of all things that should NOT go wrong for me, it's the nutrition. :(

I tried going out again sometime around 4:45 am and put in 2 more laps. I was in 8th place (same as last year) but with 2 fewer laps than last year and feeling a whole lot worse. Overall, the things that felt better than last year was my bike, my fitness, and my legs and technical skills (when I wasn't bonking), so I guess I can find something positive in my situation. I learned another lesson about preparation and communication in advance of the race. I also learned to pay as much attention to my nutritional strategy as I do for others that I help out.

Thanks to my sponsors including Vassago Cycles, Hayes Disc Brake, Stans No Tubes, Paceline Products, Ergon, WTB, and Crank Brothers. Your equipment worked perfectly.

Thanks to my pit crew of Steve and Zach Stillwell, Misty, and additional help from Ben Shockey.

So that's it. 24 hour Solo Nationals is finally moving venues..I love the trails at 9 mile forest, but I hate the race and it hates me back. I'm ready to leave the 9 mile demons behind me and start fresh next year. I am getting a new coach and I think it will be a good thing for me to have an objective opinion on my training and mental game. Eddie is a great coach and he's helped me out so much, but being that I am also married to him, it sort of all gets "too close".

OK, I'm feeling absolutely wrecked from spending so many hours calorie deprived and dehydrated. Eddie and I are going to chow some more.