Flowers

Alisha Says: I love the month of June around our house because all of the flower bushes explode with the most beautiful flowers. I made a couple of flower arrangements so that I could enjoy them in the house as well.

Park Hopping

Dave says: Our original plan following Ironhorse was to head back through Salt Lake and up to Yellowstone. However, with the weather forecast calling for snow in Yellowstone and highs for the week in the mid 40s, we decided to switch up our adventure. Our new itinerary took us through five national parks in five days and it turned out to be a great trip.

Our first stop was Mesa Verde which was only a short drive from Durango. We began with a tour of Balcony House which involved climbing a 35 foot ladder into an alcove and crawling through several tiny passageways to traverse this unique structure built right into the rock nearly 1,000 years ago. Next up was Cliff Palace, the biggest of the cliff dwellings. Finally, we visited Spruce Tree House where we were able to go into one of the kivas and see a lot of very well preserved rooms. It was a pleasant day at the park with few visitors and great weather. We stayed at the park until sunset before heading into Cortez to find a cheap motel.

The next day we headed to Moab to see Arches. We began our visit with a hike out to Delicate Arch and for me this was the most impressive thing that I saw on the entire trip. You come around a corner into a natural amphitheater and it is right there on the edge of the cliff sticking up out of the sandstone. Although the entire week was supposed to be a mid season rest week for Alisha, we took several more hikes to see Double Arch, Landscape Arch, and several of the other famous sights. We rolled back into Moab for some Thai curry before crashing at the Lazy Lizard Hostel. We scored a log cabin that looked like a tuff shed for $30 a night.

Day 3 was a trip out to Canyonlands. This park doesn't have a single big sight like many other national parks do and as a result it was a bit more quiet and off the beaten path. We admired the views from Dead Horse Point and I spotted a dirt road coming off the cliffs in Canyonlands leading down into the canyon below. The map at the visitors center said that it was for 4x4s only but I was feeling a little left out not having an off road vehicle in Moab, the 4x4 capital of the world, so I asked a ranger about the road. He said it was in good condition although a 2 wheel drive car had gotten high centered on it a week ago. Nevertheless, I decided that we were going to give it a shot despite a bit of nervousness from Alisha. After a brief trip out to Grand View Point where we arrived just in time to hear a ranger talk on the geology of the park, I turned the Ford Focus onto the dirt road and we headed down a steep trail onto the White Rim and then down to the river below. Despite seeing only Jeeps on the trail, we barely even scraped bottom and I got my fix of off roading for the trip.

We spent the night in Cedar City and the next day I planned an adventure with my dad and Katie into Zion. On the advice of a friend of my dad's, we took a route that bushwacked along one of the creeks in Kolob which offered some great scenery and rock scrambling. Katie was trooper and went over all sorts of terrain the entire day without a problem. We also had a fun time visiting with Alisha's family and seeing Brody. He showed me his newly acquired skills on the tricycle and is a lot of fun as always.

The final leg of our trip took us over to Great Basin National Park. However, before leaving town I dusted off my parents' 4 wheeler and took Alisha on a spin out through the dirt roads to the land that my parents own just like I used to do when we were dating in high school. The drive to Great Basin took us through all sorts of unique little Utah towns that we had never been through and there would be long stretches of time where we wouldn't see another car on the road. We camped in the park at around 8,000 feet but the road out of the campground took us partway up Wheeler Peak and into the snow in only a few minutes. I cooked us an extremely deluxe dinner of canned pot roast and a loaf of bread from Great Harvest and we went to a ranger program on big horned sheep before calling it a night. In the morning we toured Lehman Caves which is quite an impressive cavern in the park before heading back to SLC. It was a fun little trip that made me realize how many cool things there are to do in a day's drive from our house.

Ironhorse

Dave says: Since graduation I've ironically been spending more time up at the law school than I was during the semester taking the BarBri course to prepare for taking the Utah Bar at the end of July. However, when Memorial Day weekend rolled around, it was time to head back to the charming town of Durango, CO for the Ironhorse Bicycle Classic. We come not only for the racing but also for the ambiance as I love this area of Colorado.

Our plans for an early start were foiled by some squeaky pulley bearings in the Ford Focus and we rolled into Durango about an hour before sunset. Upon arrival we discovered that our hotel had down the wrong credit card information and had given away our reservations. Fortunately, there was a cancellation down the street at the Ramada Inn and the friendly staff felt sorry for us and even gave us a bit of a discount. It was pretty fancy compared to the usual Motel 6 or worse style accommodations that I usually find us. We had waffles for breakfast but still made our own spaghetti in the room at night.

The weather for the road race was outstanding and riding up over the top of Coal Bank and Molas I couldn't help but marvel at how much fun I was having despite the suckiness of my riding. Alisha, on the other hand, threw down a solid third place finish behind her teammate Mara and Marissa Asplund making the same top 3 for two years in a row. Last year we needed every warm bit of clothing we had in Silverton but this year I was the only one sporting a beanie around town.

On Sunday, I took a pleasant morning ride up Wildcat Canyon. Alisha's crit was in the afternoon and the Canadian National Champ took a long solo off the front to win. On Monday, Alisha finished second in the time trial and took third overall in the omnium.

Graduation

Dave says: I graduated from law school on Friday morning. My parents and grandparents were there along with Alisha's parents. We were joined by Richard, Brittany, and Arley, and Devin, Amber, and Quinn at my house where I cooked up some food on the grill while Alisha made some tasty side dishes. It was fun to have a family get together and exciting to realized that summer is finally here. Thanks to everyone that has supported me through the last three years of law school!

On Saturday I raced at Sundance on the mtb and quickly realized that my form right now is not what it once was. My ribs are still a bit sore from my crash at 5 mile and taking 5 days off to go with Alisha to Joe Martin likely contributed to my 9th of 19 result. However, the course was in great condition despite all the recent snow storms and the weather was perfect. Alisha rode from SLC on the road bike and planned to head up over American Fork Canyon to meet me. However, just before the summit the road turned to snow. I picked her up on my way home and we spent a relaxing evening watching Iron Man 2.

Joe Martin Stage Race, Fayetteville, AR

Alisha says: Last Tuesday afternoon Dave and I made a last minute decision to take me to the Joe Martin National Stage Race in Fayetteville, AR. We spent that evening arranging the trip and by noon the next day we were both on a flight. This race is a big one on the national calendar with all the major US squads there, however with many of my teammates racing in Europe and South America, I was the only PB & Co. rider to participate. It was a bit of a gamble to throw together such a quick trip right after the Gila but in the end it turned out to be a great week of racing.

Stage 1: This stage was a two and a half mile uphill time trial in Devils Den State Park. This was the hottest day of racing and I warmed up with ice packs to keep from overheating. I was very excited for this stage given that the course averaged a 7% uphill grade. However, a combination of traveling and racing took a bit of a toll and my legs did not cooperate during the last half mile. I had almost caught my 30 second girl but watched her slip away in the last couple of minutes. I finished the stage in 9th which is a good result but I just know that if I could have held it together a bit longer I could have been faster.

Stage 2: This stage was point to point race that started an hour's drive away. As we were about halfway to the start I realized that I didn't bring any cycling shorts. I quickly called a few people to see if they had any extra shorts and no one did. We did some quick time calculations and decided to go back to the hotel and get my shorts. We thought we might get back to the start of the race with 10-15 min. before the start. I was so nervous because it was going to be so close. Luckily we made it to the start with a few minutes to spare. One the start line I got several funny comments about forgetting your shorts as word had spread about my forgetfulness.

The race was just over 60 miles. It was a fairly inactive race with a stiff headwind. There were a couple breakaway attempts but the big teams were motivated to keep everyone together so nothing made it too far down the road. The run into the finish was a little technical with narrowing roads and a handful of corners so position was key. I finished 10th in an uphill sprint.

Stage 3: This stage was a circuit race covering two loops and an out and back. The pace was either fast or slow but things mostly stuck together and the whole peloton finished together and got the same time. It was a long, straight, fast downhill run into the finish line and I was content to let the sprinters duke this one out.

Stage 4: I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous for this criterium. It was very technical with 12 corners in just over a mile. As most criteriums do this one started fast and furious. The technical course along with several unfortunate crashes split the field into pieces. I made it in the lead pack of about 20 riders and by the end of the race there was literally only half of the original field on course with many riders being time cut and a few crashing out. Fortunately, the crit had a pretty good hill leading up to the start/finish line and was able to get around a few riders at the end to finish 11th. I am not a crit rider and it was a heck of a tough race but in the end I think that this finish was my biggest accomplishment of the week.

The results of the crazy crit reshuffled some of the general classification results and I was able to move up two spots to finish 8th overall which is my highest individual GC result in a national race. After racing Gila with a whole squad of super awesome team mates it was very different and a bit lonely to be at a race by myself. I loved having Dave along though. It was so fun to go on a trip with him and he is such a good supporter. Also local rising star Tayler Wiles was there with a couple of her team mates that were super nice and even invited Dave and I to eat dinner with them one night. After racing 9 out of the last 12 days, I am excited to be heading back home to SLC for some recovery.

Dave says: I had no idea what Arkansas would be like but Fayetteville exceeded my expectations. While the Ozarks hardly look like mountains compared to SLC, the terrain is rolling and lush. The races were mostly held on beautiful country roads lined in trees that often times made a canopy over the top of the asphalt. I love bike racing, even when I am on the sidelines, and it was fun to watch Alisha throw down some good results and to crack the top 10 overall in a national event. I was especially excited about her crit performance as I watched half the field, including talented girls on major teams, get shed from the main group on a course that was straight-up-crazy.

Rather than flying out right after the crit on Sunday, we decided to do some sightseeing before flying home on Monday night. On Monday, Alisha traded in her $7,000 road bike for a $95 Wal-Mart cruiser as we rented bikes and rolled around the University of Arkansas campus and on the paved Skull Creek trail. Next, we returned to Devil's Den State Park where we did a cool little hike that took us past some caves and waterfalls in the lush forest. Finally, we headed to a little park with a lake since we still had some time before our flight left. Somehow, Alisha managed to have energy for all these adventures even after racing.

What a Difference a Year Makes

by Alisha Welsh

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/peanut-butter-and-co-twenty12/what-a-difference-a-year-makes

Gila Recap

Emily Zell, Kristin Armstrong, Mara Abbott, Lauren Tamayo, Kristin McGrath, Kat Carroll, Olivia Dillon, Alisha Welsh

My dad came to the finish of stage 1. It was so cool to have him there. He even got recruited to help direct traffic because of his bright yellow shirt!

Peanut Butter on the front

In the crit

Alisha says: The Gila was a sweet week of racing with an awesome team along with some crazy weather thrown in to spice things up. Dave already blogged about stage 1 and 2. We worked well as a team and Mara used her amazing climbing skills to win stage 1 by a significant margin. In stage 2 the team had to do some hard work in the wild wind to keep a breakaway in check and keep Mara in the red leader's jersey. At this level cycling truly is a team sport and everyone was focused on helping Mara win the overall for Peanut Butter & Co. against all of the best teams in the US.

Stage 3 - Time Trial: With the team focused on keeping Mara in the lead everyone except for her used the time trial as a recovery day. We got to ride our new Fuji time trial bikes that look sweet and fast. Allison Powers (VBF) took the win and moved into second place overall but Mara was still in the lead by just over one minute.

Stage 4 - Crit: Like before, the goal of the team was to control the race and keep Mara in the lead. However, the team got a bonus win with Shelley timing her sprint to perfection. The crit was fast and hard. My confidence in the corners is improving and I was able to even be on the front for a little while. There were lots of attacks throughout the race and Powers went off the front with 1 to go but Kat and Kristin shut it down.

Stage 5 - The Gila Monster Road Race: It was chilly chilly at the start as many of the women started with arm/leg warmers and vests. A break went early and the Peanut Butter crew was on the front controlling things in order to set Mara up for the final climb of the race. Right before the base of the climb things got fast and mixed up. Mara quickly made it to the front and was off with Katherine Cheatly (Colavita). I was in the a small chase group of about 10 that contained the other overall contenders. It was a hard final day after four other intense stages and it even started snowing as the race was finishing. Mara finished 2nd on the stage and was the overall winner!! I finished 11th in the stage and 20th in the general classification.

It was so exciting and fun to be part of the team at this race. It's hard to believe that only a year ago the Gila was my very first pro race.