I just finished my first ride in Durango.  Shonny V. showed me some of the finest local singletrack.  Telegraph hill, sidewinder, big canyon, sale barn, south rim and carbon junction.

 I followed her smooth lines and felt the ease of the trail unfolding before me.  It didn’t matter that I did not know what was around the next bend. I trusted my good feelings and let inertia take care of the rest.

 It crossed my mind that this ride was imitating my life exactly.  Right now, I don’t know what is next and yet I am able to trust the process. Instead of battling where the river of life wants to take me, I chose to turn downstream and go with the flow.  All of a sudden doors opened up and joyful opportunities came my way.  It is a wonderful feeling when the universal forces align with who you really are and who you said you really want to be!

 As I focus on seeking my joy, the right path to take becomes clearer and clearer.  Really, life is just about one choice at a time.  It is not as overwhelming as it seems!

 As I left Shonny and continued “home”, boatloads of people were floating down the Animas river.  They were laughing and screaming with joy and excitement.  Not one of them looked like they wanted to turn their boat around and paddle upstream.  We are meant to enjoy this ride.  Life is supposed to feel good!  Turn downstream and watch what happens.  You will fall in love with  your life all over again.

The Ashland crew

One of my favorite pictures

Looking forward

I am in DIA checking out all the gargoyles.  In an hour I will be boarding a plane to Durango Colorado.  My coach Rick has arranged for a place for me to stay and his son is picking me up at the airport.  I hope he has a big truck, because this time I am really traveling with some baggage. . .. . or no baggage depending on how you look at it!

I have not trained much at altitude before, so I am looking forward to some rides with friends at lung busting elevations.  It should work in my favor as my  next two races (Downieville and the National Championships) are way up there. .. .

I also plan on finding a place to do Qigong, swim, get my hair done, find some Kombucha and anything else that feeds my soul.  I’ll take lots of photos and keep you updated!

Well, that was really really really fun.  I don’t remember the last time I was smiling so much during a race.  SRAM had the set-up dialed and all I had to do was hang with the boys and do shuttle runs.  No complaints here!  The course was a super fast 12 mile descent with 600 feet of climbing scattered throughout.  Over 5,000 ft. of descending later, I grabbed the win with a time of 39:57.  My brother Sam took 3rd in 35:18 and then we all dropped into the Organic Nation Vodka mixed with Brain TonIQ (my new kick of the week).

I got the crew hooked on Kombucha and laughing (mania actually. .. )  and now I miss them all like you miss the friends you meet at summer camp.  Luckily I will see them all again in Downeyville.  Now it is time to train, and detox before I retox.

I will add some photos once my web guy gets back from Hawaii.  I seem to be out of room and I am not smart enough to figure out why.  I think I need to get on that Brain TonIQ sponsorship. . ..thanks for checking in!

I am going to have to resume training just to recover from all this fun!  It has been so rewarding to be able to catch up with friends and enjoy summer without focusing on an upcoming race.

Rick and I decided that this is the perfect time for a little break for body and soul.  I have been hitting the Whistler trails running and then tanning and swimming for the rest of the afternoon.  The day usually ends with one social activity or another, all of them entertaining.

summer essentials

Today I am going to get out the nail polish, hit the deck for some rays, and plan a little dinner menu.  On Thursday I fly to Ashland Oregon for a super D event put on by SRAM.  My brother Sam will be there as well.  A double victory would be pretty sweet!

I felt really hyper and really amazing way down south, but all was not meant to be!  I crashed in the first 8 minutes.  Chest first, with a handlebar in the sternum just for good measure.  That equalled a bit fat DNF for me.  Thankfully those don’t happen often!

I spent the night with a girlfriend in Atlanta and she gave me two options:  1) be upset  2) just look cute.  When she put it that way, the choice was easy!  I borrowed a dress that covered my bruises and we dined out patio style.  Thanks Gina!

I am now in the airport waiting to catch my flight to Vancouver.  I am so excited!  Summer in Whistler is pure paradise.

Well Madrid was not a perfect race, that is for sure!  Ten minutes in, while riding in good position, I had a flat tire.  I rode as fast as I could on the muddy course to the tech zone, switched a wheel and tried to make up the 15 or so spots I lost during the whole ordeal.  I did manage to catch quite a few girls and finished in 18th, good enough to keep 11th overall.

Chasing

I am REALLY excited to be racing in North America for the next three months.  I think it is time for the Euro girls to travel! This weekend is the Bump and Grind down in Alabama.  Should be fun as my family will be there racing and cheering.  I am spending alot of time online shopping since I have been getting up at 5 am.  This jet-lag better pass quick before I get myself into trouble!

The team on the town

Dining and drinking with JC from SRAM

The June issue of Outside magazine is on the stands.  Here is a link for a slideshow.  http://outside.away.com/travel_photo_gallery/outside/willow-koerber/index.html

Thanks as always for checking in!

Hmmm.  I am starting to wonder if Houffalize is my nemesis.  I felt so amazing the day before the race.  I am not the type to think that if I feel amazing something bad is going to happen, but. . . 

I was so focused on not bonking that I really over did it on the drink mix and gels.  I was on the start line trying to hold it all down.  This is really not the way to go, believe me.  

The start at Houffalize is straight up and manages to make even fresh legs feel spent.  As all the blood was in my stomach, let’s just say my legs were not responding.  I went into the single track somewhere in the 30’s, and spent tons of time standing around waiting for girls to start riding their bikes.

The race was short and even though I started to feel better on the last lap, it was only good enough for 22nd place.  I am still in 9th overall, so I am now focused on Madrid.  I have three weeks before the next race. After seven weekends of racing in a row,  I am ready for some epic trail rides with the boys in NC.

Asheville is sunny and warm, and the air is full of feel-good energy.  The trees are all in bloom, and out my window are the prettiest purple irises I have ever seen.  I LOVE summer.  It is going to be a good one!

World Cup number 2 is done, and I finished 11th.  My result was good enough to stay in 6th overall.  This weekend in Houffalize looks like it will be a muddy one!

I started strong in Offenburg and was riding in the front group (or just seconds off it) for two laps.  Bit by bit my energy started to fade as I slipped to 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and finally, 11th.  Rick and I have a feed zone strategy for this weekend, so I will finish what I started last week!

Heather and I on the front row in Offenburg

This is called bonking

That was a hot one!  I worked really hard for my 5th place.  The legs were heavy and everything hurt, so I just talked myself into suffering anyway.  It worked out ok!  I am feeling great now, and just about to board a plane for Germany.  This weekend is going to be awesome.

good luck kiss

Here are some photos from South Africa.  Yesterday was the short track race at Sea Otter.  I had to run up the first hill due to a tangle up, so that really did not help my case.  Ended up 7th on the day chasing hard.  Today is the XC.  When I finish I will have completed 27 laps of the 19 mile loop during my career.  There is not much going on out there but gravel roads, so I will be bring light fresh legs with me today.  The weather is nice and sunny which is a lucky break.  Usually it is windy, cold, raining or all three.  

Safari sweetness

SRAM to the rescue. My mechanic is the best.