I almost smashed my face into the wall trying to kill a spider. … yep, I am on the east coast.  The World Cup Series is a wrap.  I finished 2nd overall and I am super happy with my consistency.  However, I do think it is my turn for some luck!  I am wishing for some rain, the perfect legs, high-vibe energy and lots and lots of love to get me to the very top step of the podium this weekend!  Visualize the rainbow, and send it my way!  I hope you all are fabulous.

The World Cup overall podium

I am so excited to be in Durango!  These days being home feels like a vacation.  I am totally toxic from airplanes and airport food and just ready to sit STILL.  Well, sort of.  Today I am getting a detox footbath, pedicure and Chinese medicine treatments.  Repairing the damage is at least 1/3rd of my job.

Italy did not go as I had hoped, but for a bad day I will take 10th and move my focus forward.  I am excited to have 3 weeks to rest, train and enjoy, and then only a short trip to New York and Quebec.  Finally, the competition has to travel!

the hurt locker

Of course, the travel home included a night in Newark at a “luxury” hotel and a gourmet meal. Yeah right.  Anyway, I finally got to the Durango airport to find my windshield had been smashed in.  Hmmmm.  Rented a car for 12 hours because the very next day I was off to Hollywood for a Power/Balance charity event/poker tournament/Flo Rida concert/all around good time.  Two of my favorite girls Heather Elizabeth and Meg came with me.  We always seem to attract attention, and this night was no exception!

working it

Ok, so now I need more sleep, more negative ions (it is raining, so that helps) more Myles, more health food, more river, more bio-mat and more deep breaths.  Then I can get back to the training and the mission at hand!  The September issue of Mountain Bike hit the stands yesterday.  Pick up a copy to catch me on the cover!  Thanks for reading, enjoy August!

My legs are black and blue, my knees are scraped up, my neck is out of whack and I still feel great.  My 3rd place in Champery puts me in second overall, but only 14 points behind Eva Lechner.  Did I mention she is Italian and our next World Cup is Saturday in Val di Sole Italy?  I think it is going to be a noisy race. …

Here is what I looked liked all day on the muddy, rooty, steep and demanding course:

The river in Val di Sole  is amazing.  Heather and I went for a soak at 10pm last night as soon as we arrived.  This profession requires all kinds of torture!  Torture I enjoy !  Team dinner tonight, which usually results in lots of wine so that will be nice!  Thanks for all the cheers!

Busy.  That’s the one word I would use to describe my life in the last  month.  Since Wisconsin, I have packed in lots of training, living, racing, photo shoots and interviews.  The race in Colorado Springs stole my soul and my legs, so my National Championships consisted of dead legs and a lack of inspiration.  That is all behind me now as I am in Champery Switzerland, excited for the dirt, trees and steeps the course will bring.

I get into another zone at the World Cups.  It takes tons of mental and emotional energy as well as physical well-being to ride at the front, and I have found I need to “save” those moments for when it counts.  It is wet and nasty out right now, and I am skipping the course in favor of a spin on the trainer. I have learned that fresh off the plane and into the technical single track is not the best strategy for me.  Sometimes experience does come with age!

This afternoon I will shop around for the perfect red wine and do a little more filming with Markus for the Cyclepassion video.  This time with all my bike clothes on. ha!

I will also be shopping for a party dress, because Power/Balance is flying me out to Hollywood for a big bash a couple days after I get home from Europe.  No sense in slowing down now!

Enjoy. ….

The second half of the season is underway.  I am happy with my 2nd place finish and ready to start ramping up the training.  I wasn’t sure how I would feel after taking more than two weeks off the bike, but I guess rest was exactly what I needed.  My teammate Sam Schultz took his first XC win.  I am so proud!

sweet singletrack

Monday the team headed to the mother-ship for meetings, photo shoots and a few nights out in Madison.  The new Subaru-TREK team is off to a great start.  I even love our new costumes!

tight trees

I am now back in Durango for a week of training and catching up with friends.  My brother and cousin are in town, so I will be making them dinner soon. Friday to be exact.  Tomorrow Rick Crawford has me doing some kind of torture testing in the lab.

When I am home I get pretty domestic.  Right now I am typing this with 3 kids downstairs in some kind of wrestling match, and I am trying to figure out what else TC will eat besides chocolate chip cookies and macaroni.  I found out he likes asparagus so I bought some today.  $10.00 a bunch?!  What?!  Well, I like him so much I bought two.  I will buy him anything outside of the white food group. . . .

Going to get my nails done tomorrow and then meet some girls for happy hour sushi.  This weekend Myles and I are escaping for a 4th of July destination and then it is off for a month of racing.  Oh yeah, now it’s time for a glass of wine. And the laundry.

Well, that 2 weeks off sure flew by.  I am back on the bike again feeling fresh and motivated.  I had a busy break, moving into a new place with Myles and a quick trip to NC for Sam and Trish’s wedding.  I have been busy organizing my AWESOME closet and cleaning out my mind while I am at it.  I like to spring clean everything at once if I can. . .

My newest obsession is Bach Flower Remedies.  It seems they have a little tincture for every emotional issue.  A couple drops and I feel calmer and able to process whatever I have going on.  The quicker I can move through things the better.  It’s all about peeling off those onion layers!

The second half of the season is coming right up.  Next weekend I race in Wisconsin, then a couple weeks of training before the July races begin.  Colorado Springs, National Championships, then to Europe for World Cup #4 in Switzerland and World Cup #5 in Italy.  2010.5 will be over before I know it.  I am going to make the most of it!

How boring would life be without a bit of ‘over-the-top(less)ness’ from time to time See the revealing story behind the Calendar. The Cyclepassion crew has given us exclusive access to their photo shoots to produce a fun little DVD about the elite women cyclists of Cyclepassion 2011.

I guess I have been a bit spoiled lately. … I forgot how bad racing can hurt when you just are not “on”.  I really hope that is the last bad day for a while!  Still second overall, with plenty of time for a recharged second half of the season.

Monday after the race I spent the day at the Roomers hotel in Frankfurt shooting the 2011 Cyclepassion calendar.  12 hours of work later it was a wrap at 1:30 am.  Modeling IS hard!  I feel like I had a 12 hour pilates session from all the flexing, twisting and posing.  It is going to be great though, and so worth it!

I just woke up and overdosed on caffeine, so that should give me enough energy to do the laundry, shop for food, pay the bills, finish some real estate business and maybe get a ride in.  Then Friday I am off to Texas for the last race before I take two weeks off the bike.  The sun is out in Durango, and an afternoon on the patio might be in order!  Thanks for the support through the not so great weekends, that actually matters the most!

My Dad would always say, “what do you get when you take the “ill” out of Willow?  Wow!”  Guess what, he’s right.  I have never felt happier, calmer, more focused and full of love. That’s not to say I don’t battle my mind every day, I still do.  It’s just now I KNOW that those negative thoughts aren’t “mine” and my power runs deeper than I ever thought it did.

I may not have won the race, but a second place was enough to put me in the World Cup Leaders jersey.  Woohoo!!  Someone is going to have to rip that one off of me if they want it. .. .

I was so in the zone in Houffalize I don’t really even know what happened.  I do know that on the 2nd to last climb I hit Eva’s wheel and had to get off and run. .. . there goes 5 seconds!

there goes 5 seconds. ...

I also know that I was hunting out there, and it was fun.  I was paying attention to how everyone was riding.  Pushing at times, following at times, looking back at times, being smart.

checking out the prey

I am so excited to have the leader’s jersey and so motivated to really seal the deal.  Thanks for watching, thanks for cheering, thanks for believing!

beer for my awesome mechanics