Gâteau à la rhubarbe et au café Barista

C'est la saison de la rhubarbe!!!! Puis, soyons honnêtes, c'est pas mal toujours la saison du café...alors quoi de mieux pour profiter de la saison qu'un gâteau qui combine ces deux ingrédients?! 

J'adore la rhubarbe, et chez nous, quand elle est en saison, on se fait un devoir d'en profiter! 

Hier soir, on avait le goût d'un p'tit quelque chose de sucré, alors on a décidé de faire ce gâteau à la rhubarbe et au café. Nous avons regardé plusieurs recettes en ligne et finalement, nous avons apporté quelques modifications pour arriver à cette recette délicieuse. 

Un parfait mélange de "un peu sucré mais pas trop", une belle touche de fruits sûres et un petit goût de café subtile mais délicieux. Bon appétit! 

P.S
Le goût de café du gâteau ressort encore mieux lorsqu'accompagné d'un bon petit Espresso Macchiato (espresso avec un nuage de mousse de lait), comme collation de milieu d'après-midi. Ces derniers jours, mon café de choix pour l'espresso est le Venezia 1645 de Barista! 

Ingrédients :

•  1 tasse de sucre
•  2 œufs
•  1 tasse de Café liquide (Nous avons utilisé une tasse de Café Barista préparé avec la machine espresso. Et ça a donné un vraiment bon goût de café distingué, subtile et délicieux!)
•  3 tasses de farine
•  2c à thé de bicarbonate de soude
•  2c à thé de cannelle moulue
•  ½ c à thé de sel
•  3 tasses de rhubarbe hachées
•  1.5 tasses de fraises (on a utilisé des fraises congelées)
• ½ tasse de pacanes hachés
• un peu de cassonade pour saupoudrer sur le gâteau

Étapes :

1.  Préchauffer le four à 350F. Graisser le fond d’un pot de 13x9po.
2.  Battre le sucre et les œufs dans un grand bol jusqu’à obtention d’une texture onctueuse.  Ajouter le café et battre encore un peu.
3.  Dans un autre bol, mélanger les ingrédients secs (farine, bicarbonate, cannelle et sel). Incorporer au mélange d’oeufs/sucre/café et battre juste assez pour que le tout soit combiné.
4. Ajouter la rhubarbe et les fraises. Transférer le tout dans le pot à cuisson 13x9 po. Saupoudrer de cassonade et de pacanes.
5. Cuire au four jusqu’à ce que le centre soit cuit. Environ 45-60 min.

Lessons from Grand Junction

There are two ways I could look back at this past weekend.

One would be to focus on my sub-par performance of yesterday, dwell on the fact that I didn’t do as well as I had hoped and have a sour memory of the event.

Or, I could think of all the positive things that happened during the weekend and remember the Grand Junction Off Road as a super fun event.

In the past, I totally would have chosen option one. I would have felt sorry for myself, dwelled on all the things I didn’t do well, and allow that one mediocre day to affect my self-confidence. This is no fun. And in the long run, having this bad attitude after all the bad races takes a toll on your overall motivation and makes you question why you are even doing this if it makes you so miserable.

Nowadays, though, I prefer to choose option number 2. I’m having so much fun doing what I do (racing my bike) and wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. Of course, I took some time to reflect on the race and tried to figure out what mistakes I made to make sure I can learn for the future. But once that is done, you have to move on. I know I’m not going to change that race by marinating in my sorrows for days. Instead, as I’m sitting in the plane and smiling by myself, I can’t help but to think of all the positive and fun things that happened this weekend...

•  Experiencing Grand Junction's famous "clay" and getting a good dose of laughs: Our Thursday pre-ride turned into an adventure as we got stuck in a snowstorm, which turned the soil into “bentonite” (very thick clay). Katerina and I had to hike while lifting our bikes from the ground because the clay was so thick that it prevented our wheels to turn. We had to stop every 10 meters to clean our bikes with wooden sticks because they became too heavy. It was miserable and hilarious at the same time! 

• The trails in Grand Junction are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G : Katka and I were riding pretty well together and had fun following each other’s lines. Also, the sceneries of the mesa and red canyon were beautiful!
   
• Going for it in the crit: In the Fat Tire crit, I attacked with 4 laps to go and went on a solo breakaway. I ended up being caught by the group with half a lap (about 40 sec) to go, but that set up Katerina perfectly for the win! It was awesome! I was pretty happy about that attack because I normally hesitate way too much before attacking, but this time, I really went for it and it almost stuck. That was a personal win for me...and a real win for the team!

Photo by Bill Freeman. It was fun using our team "numbers" during the crit. 

• Watch and learn - "Ha, that's how you do it": After the race, I watched Geoff Kabush win the men’s crit with a solo breakaway and by watching how he made it stick until the end, I learned how I needed to adjust my technique for next time. 
   
• The Mountain biking community is amazing:  The crowds at the crit in downtown Grand Junction were huge and the atmosphere was vibrant. It’s always enriching to speak and hang out with all these people. Everyone is there to help each other and the camaraderie is great. 
   
•  Grand Junction is a very cool place: We were staying downtown and it was nice to be able to just walk everywhere. The Main Street is very cute and has many cool shops, restaurants and street art. Nice place for a bike race!

Picture from Epic Rides. During the whole weekend, the whole downtown was closed for the bike race and a music festival. 

• Learning from the best and finding our groove: Saturday morning, we had another great pre-ride. Katka and I exchanged the roles of leader/follower and I felt like we kept getting better and faster at riding those fun and challenging trails together. During that pre-ride, we ran into Geoff (Kabush) who also gave me some very good technical pointers and advices for the race. We got to follow him for a few sections and it was eye opening to see his line choices and learn about his approach to the race. The guy has so much experience and he was generous enough to share that knowledge with me - I felt lucky to be able to learn from such accomplished racers. 

I don't have a picture of us pre-riding, because we were too busy pre-riding. So instead, here is a picture of Chris working on my bike :) 

• Sunday morning was the 43 miles backcountry race. Nothing went wrong, I guess I just had an off day…I simply wasn’t able to pedal as hard as I wanted and the other girls were faster. But, there were still many positives aspects to that race:
  •  Stayed relax, breathed well and didn't panic. 
  •  Felt like I was riding the descents pretty well and I was having so much fun doing it!
  •  Kept my head in the game and fought until the end (which paid off because I caught some people towards the end).
  •  Made some good decisions: I really went for it on the last descent and honestly, I don’t think I have ever descended so fast. That was cool. But I guess I over did it since I flatted my rear wheel as I had the 5th girl in sight. (Not the best decision). I kept riding for a few minutes with a soft tire and the traction was actually amazing ahah! But it was becoming softer and softer so I eventually stopped to put some air– that was a good decision, because if I had waited a bit longer, I would’ve had to put a tube and lose even more time.
  • Drinking and nutrition intake was on point! (Thanks to Chris and Myron for the feed!)
  • Katerina won, which is always cool! As usual, she taught me valuable tactical and technical lessons throughout the weekend. 
  •  Ended up 6th, which isn’t too bad considering that in the same conditions, one year ago, I would have "half-given up" and finished way further.

Cool photo by Bill Freeman

Photo by Kenny Wehn. Salty and tired after the race.

In the end, it's always a question of perspective and there are often many ways to looks at things. This more positive mindset allows me to be a lot happier and enjoy the process and the small progress a lot more. The Grand Junction Off Road 2017 will stay in my memory as a great weekend and as I’m going back home, instead of crushing me, these not-so-great results make me extremely motivated to rest, work, and come back better for the next race.

If you have never ridden in Grand Junction, I would suggest adding it to your bucket list of places to visit! Great food, cute town and gorgeous playground for biking, hiking and taking pictures. 

For now, I'm back to the shorter kind of races with a Canada Cup in Baie St-Paul next weekend. Excited for it!

That's not me, it's my friend Serena. But isn't it beautiful?! Photo by Dave McElwaine

At some point during that race, we rode in that canyon. So pretty! Photo by Dave McElwaine

CX Fever Project Part I - What is the Fever?

They say that passion is a strong and uncontrollable emotion.

From the moment I first jumped on a cyclocross bike and entered a race, I fell in love with the sport. With every additional ride and every event I entered, my love for the sport kept growing…At some point, after a few years of riding and racing, I started feeling a weird, uncontrollable excitement every time I was thinking about cyclocross.  And I could never stop thinking about it.

It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what makes me feel this way about cyclocross. It could be the sense of community that surrounds the sport, where everyone wants to help each other and everyone works together to make the sport better. Even if we turn ourselves inside out to beat one another during the race, once we cross the finish line, we know we couldn't do this if it wasn't for the others, so everyone embraces the competitive spirit and the fact that we all make each other better.

It could also be the festive and positive atmosphere that we find at a cyclocross venue; where no one judges and everyone is free to be completely themselves. Actually, being different is something sought after in cyclocross. Everyone is there to have a good time, cheer on the others, push themselves to find new limits, and once it's all set and done, laugh about it over a beer while watching the afternoon's races. 

The actual racing is also very addictive to me. The races are short and super intense, so if you want to do well, you absolutely need to be 100% focused on the present moment during the race. All your senses need to be sharp. I love the feeling of shredding corners, the challenge to conquer a particularly difficult section, I love the tactical aspect of racing and I love that feeling of digging deeper than what you ever thought possible, just so you can hang on to one more position or make it up a very steep climb. Sometimes, when I'm nervous before a race, I just take a second to imagine myself riding on the course and all of a sudden, I naturally start smiling and the butterflies in my belly start flying in formation, rather than chaotically disturbing my stomach.

I just love everything about this sport. It's actually quite difficult to explain how it makes me feel. That uncontrollable excitement has never left me and it's so powerful that I can only compare it to some type of fever…a very warm and positive type of fever. I call it CX Fever.  

After a while of feeling this way about cyclocross, I started realizing that I had found my element – that thing I am madly passionate about and in which I want to fully invest myself. 

After all, we're just a bunch of weirdos who love to bring ourselves to exhaustion by riding circles in the mud....Maybe that childish simplicity and pure joy is the beauty of it al! 

It may sound silly, but every time I go to a cyclocross event, I'm so happy and excited by the fact that some people took the time to create and map a course for us to ride on. I know that's the whole point of signing up for a race, but man does it make me feel lucky and giddy to get on it and practice! 

CX Fever Fund

One of my biggest goals with the CX Fever is to make it viral. I want to share that joy with as many people as possible and make them as excited as I am to ride their cyclocross bikes.

Ever since I started racing, I’ve been very lucky to have good people supporting me, mentoring me, and allowing me to develop through the sport of cyclocross. Recently, I felt like I wanted to do the same thing and share this opportunity with a young girl to learn more about the sport she loves; CX Fever seemed like the perfect platform to do so. The CLIF Pro Team and I partnered up and were very happy to welcome Hannah Bauer to our team for a full weekend of racing at the Continental Championships, in Louisville. 

We received over 30 applications from young, motivated girls from Canada and the US. It was extremely motivating for me to read all of them and get to know these young cyclocross racers a little more. It has also been quite overwhelming to see the support of the cyclocross community about the project; so many people got into it and wanted to help with the project. I guess I am not the only one feeling the Fever! I won't lie though, it was extremely hard to make a decision and select only one girl to be a part of the project.  However, when I read her application, it was very clear to me that Hannah Bauer had a strong CX Fever. 

Hannah is a 17 year old girl from North Carolina. She started racing cyclocross 2 years ago and is now part of the J.A King cycling team in her home state. Hannah is a very serious student, being part of the Model United Nations program. She was quick to tell me how the sport has helped her grow into the woman she is today. When asked why she had the fever, she simply responded “Because it’s impossible not to! If you know me, you know I like a challenge; I will do whatever it takes to tear down any obstacle standing in my way. Luckily I found cyclocross, because this crazy sport has faced me with the most difficult barriers, from facing my fears and taking time off the bike to get over a bad injury.”

Hannah's drive is contagious and the whole team is anxious to be spending the weekend with her. Our hope is that she leaves the weekend more in love with the sport than she was when she arrived and that she is even more motivated to pursue her goals. 

See you all at the next cyclocross race. Watch out though, because the Fever... it's contagious.  

"I want to learn everything there is to know about the sport of cyclocross! Like I do in school, I really love to ask my coach, mentors, etc. questions about cycling. I think it's extremely important to utilize every resource available to you in order to excel in any given talent." - Hannah Bauer

Whiskey Off Road

The Epic Rides series is called "epic" for a reason...Actually I don't necessarily like that word too much because I think it's been way overused for stuff that isn't particularly remarkable or heroic. But in the case of the Epic Rides, it ain't no false advertising! In fact, these events really are  "epic" on many different levels. 

First of all, all three events that compose the series are in beautiful locations; Prescott, AZ ; Grand Junction, CO;  and Carson City, NV. So the views on the course are always great and the towns always welcoming.

Secondly, the atmosphere around the events is really fun. Over 2000 people participate in the race during the weekend and everyone is psyched to be there. You can feel the great energy as you walk through the streets where the event takes much of the downtown, covering main streets with expo tents and bike vendors. Also, there usually is great live music throughout the weekend. 

Finally, the courses are so damn challenging (and awesome, too, as they go on the coolest trails of the area) that they require every ounce of mental and physical energy that you have. Just completing these courses is an achievement and make you feel quite heroic (that said, only if having two cramped legs, being completely crossed eye and being totally spent is your kind of heroism). But when you actually race on these courses, it really makes for an "epic" day on the bike.

For all events, the schedule is the same; Pro fat tire crit on Friday evening, amateur backcountry race on Saturday and Pro backcountry race (50 miles) on Sunday.

The first event of the series was the Whiskey Off road, happening this past weekend in Prescott, AZ.

Dave and I drove to Prescott on Wednesday with a plan of doing a little BBQ in a remote campground and sleep in the van for the night. It sounded like great plan, until our van decided it needed a little break. Instead, we got stuck on the side of I-17 for an hour and a half until we got towed to Prescott by a guy who took great pleasure in telling us all about his personal life and ex-girlfriends. Our evening ended at the Olive Garden and in a hotel room…how do you like #vanlife now? ;) 

We ended up doing the BBQ in the parking lot of the Holiday In Express the next day! 

The next day was spent pre-riding parts of the course, relaxing and learning all about ancient guns fabrication from Chris’ uncle.  Who knew guns could be so interesting!

We had dinner at Chris' aunt and uncle. His uncle is an artist. He crafts ancient-style guns with his hands. He makes everything from scratch, even the gun mechanism. 

At 88 years old, he is still very passionate about building guns (and shooting them) and about history. We had such a good time learning about how he builds them and what role different types of guns have played throughout history. Thanks Wulf and Leanna! 

Fat tire crit

Friday was the fat tire crit. For the crit, there are no standings, time or points going into the series overall. The rule is you have to start in order to participate in the backcountry and the goal is mostly to put on a show, so some people decide to take it easy or drop out after a coupe of laps. That's totally okay, but personally, I think it’s cool to give it your all and be a part of the race. That’s how I’ve been “raised” my my teammates and team manager on CLIF – if you are going to enter a race, might as well do it for real! It's also a great occasion to test yourself, have fun and gain good tactical experience. 

On Friday afternoon before the crit, Katerina and I got to hang out at the Soul Ride tent to sign autograph and meet cool people who were going to race the Whiskey on Saturday. 

The crit course was about 2minutes long and had 1 very steep climb, one very fast descent, and one straightaway with strong headwind. We raced 20min + 3 laps on it. 

Many people were out cheering, which made the atmosphere awesome! Was in the first 5-6 people the whole race. Ended up 4th after Chloe and Rose crashed on the last corner. Luckily, they were okay! Erin Huck won and Katerina got 3rd. Photo by Dave McElwaine

Whiskey 50 miler backcountry race - 80km, 2050m D+ 

The first year I raced Whiskey, I knew I was in for a long race. Although, since it was going to be so long, I was convinced it would be slower than a cross-country race and only the fact that it was such a long distance would make it hard in the end. Boy was I wrong.  That year (2015), I got dropped instantly and realized that even if it's long, it is still a race and those ladies go as fast as possible almost from the gun! It was a shock. 

This year though, I wasn’t so naive. I knew it would be hard from the beginning and I was mentally ready to suffer for the whole duration...which I did haha! Here’s a photo recap of how it went: 

Ready to go! 

Here is my friend Myron (Todd Wells mechanic) - Even going to the feedzone is epic in those races. We are lucky to have motivated people helping us out (Chris and Dave for us this weekend) Photo by Les Stukenberg

From the start, I knew I wanted to positioned myself at the front. It was a beautiful day out there- the nicest it's been in the last 3 years of that race. About 42 women started. Photo by Dave McElwaine. 

Kate and I sprinted for the first single track and we exchanged the lead for the first 30-40 min of the race. Less chances to crash and get dropped if you are at the front! Photo by Dave McElwaine

About 45 min in, Kate and Erin accelerated. I tried to follow, but I couldn't do it. They rode away from everyone and it created a separation in the group. Chloe, Rose, Katerina and I formed a group and rode together for the majority of the race. Photo by Dave McElwaine. 

All 4 of us worked together to try and bridge to the leaders. Mentally, it is much easier (and more fun and engaging) to be riding with a group during those long races...even if you still are on the limit the whole time. Photo by Les Stukenberg. 

There was a lot of suffering involved that day. You always think you can't hold this pace any longer. But then, your teammate gives you a little "Nice work little one" or "Keep it up" between two breaths and suddenly, you realize everyone else is in the same situation and you force yourself to hang on just a little longer and a little "Good job!" back at her. Photo by Les Stukenberg

Eventually, Rose Grant started accelerating up the 12 mile climb (about 2.5h into the race) and I got dropped. I tried my best to hang on and found myself yo-yoing 30s-1min behind them for a long time. Quite honestly, I kind of wanted to do like our van and take a little break once engine blew up!
Photo by Les Stukenberg

Salty, tired and happy at the finish line. In the last descent, I gave all I had trying not to touch the brakes as much as possible... Until I decided to wiggle my toe and my right leg completely cramped, before I even got to the infamous Cramp Hill (not a good sign). Then, it was my left leg's turn to cramp. I kept pedalling as smoothly as I could, and eventually, I crossed the line in 6th.  I lost a lot of time on that last stretch as I struggled keeping momentum and speed through the fast traverses with my cramped legs. On the bright side, I felt really good and had lots of fun on the singletrack downhill!
Photo by Kenny Wehn. 

Congratulating each other at the finish line! There is immense respect between all of us, especially when we spend so much time suffering together and getting the most out of each other! Photo by Kenny Wehn. 

In the end, I was happy about how I raced because I positioned myself better than in previous years and was more aggressive during the race. Although, I won't lie that I was hoping for a little more result-wise. But that won't come without a bit more hard work! It was a great weekend and it made me super motivated to work hard and come back stronger for the next race in Grand Junction in 3 weeks. 

We finished our yearly Arizona trip with a good diner with Todd, Meg and Coop at a new Tucson restaurant and a little race with Coop in the parking lot! Now I'm back home in Canada and excited to ride the home trails. 

Cheers!
Maghalie

Sea Otter - Not just a race!

Sea Otter is much more than just a bike race. It's a gigantic bike festival and everyone in the industry is there. Even if the competition is tough and it is considered as one of the biggest races on the North American MTB calendar, for most people except the racers, the race is not the main event of the weekend. 

It is a whirlwind, it is busy, tiring and awesome at the same time. Luckily for us racers, our team mechanics and manager are working very hard to make it easier for us to race among the craziness. Nonetheless, it is always a good time and I'm always excited to head out there! 

Heading into the weekend, we had an ambitious plan of racing three events; Short Track on Friday, Cross-Country and Cyclocross on Saturday. Katerina was on the same program as me and I was pumped to be racing all these events and wear my new Garneau cyclocross National Champ skinsuit. 

Instead of the usual race report, I thought I'd give you an idea of how the whole weekend panned out for the CLIF Pro Team. 

Wednesday

• Fly in. Marla picks Hannah, Haley and I at airport.
• Drive to hotel.
• We are so into our conversation that we miss the exit and go 23 miles too far. Wow... We laugh. 
• Haley uses that extra car time and give me a really nice bday gift! "How nice of her!"
• Eat at Whole Foods and meet Michel and Chris.
• Rooming with Lea. Bed time confession: I tell her I feel kind of old because I'm going to turn 24 that night. 24 feels like a big number...the ind of number where you become an official adult.
• She reassures me that this happens only at 26.
• Lea says Bunny! (Her way of saying "Bonne nuit", which is french for good night).  We fall asleep. 

Thursday (Aging)

Then when we woke up on Thursday, I had aged. But I felt so happy and excited to be at Sea Otter with most of my best friends to celebrate my birthday.

• Breakfast with the team. 
• Catharine gives me a really cool cooking book (and a super sweet card) for my bday! "My teammates are so sweet!" 
• Pre-ride the XC course with the team. 
• Have fun lunch and interesting conversations about Olympic experiences and such at Whole Foods with the crew.
• Go hang out at Katka's room. She also gives me a super nice bday gift and very cute card. "Can't believe how nice they all are".
• We go for a team dinner at nice restaurant overlooking the ocean. Gary (owner of Clif Bar) joins us and he is awesome as always. 
• We see whales. Haley doesn't tell us that she has been watching them jumping and flipping for the last 10 min. 
• They bring a delicious cake and a tiny bottle of champagne. 
• I love these guys. It was a great day! 

Aren't they the best?! They got a cake! I thought it said 42, which made 24 seem pretty young after all.

Friday (Short track, Lemonade, meetings and party)

• Drive to the venue for the Short Track race. We are pumped.
• Warm up. Go time!
• I feel horrible but I'm in the front group.
• Group splits. I close the gaps twice. "Maybe if I go really hard a few times my legs will eventually wake up and get going!"
• Legs never get going. I get dropped. Not a good day for me. "Oh well. I guess it happens sometimes". Catharine says I probably need a longer warm up not that I'm older lol.  
• After Short Track it's time for the annual Little Bellas lemonade social.
  ***Little Bellas is a program started by Lea and her sister Sabra to bring more girls on bikes. They now have  over 800 girls in the program across the country. Every year at Sea Otter, we get to sit with 20-30 girls and answer their questions. It is awesome! 
• Little Bellas ask what is our favorite fruit and how we motivate ourselves to get up a big climb.
• As the tradition asks for, we start rapping for them. Good fun is had. For the first time ver, there actually is lemonade, which is pretty awesome. So we sing this: 
  • "I’m on a 24h Lemonade diet
    Spilling while I’m sipping, I encourage you to try it
    I’m probably just saying that cause I don’t have to buy it
    Little Bellas supply it, and Camelbak is cooling it"
• 1.5h break: Eat lunch with Katka and hang in the shade under a tree.
• Meeting with our new sponsor Rotor. We learn about the technology of our power meters and their oval chainring. Then, Catharine arrives and the rep of Rotor asks me to explain everything to her. Luckily, I had been listening! People who work there are awesome!
• Visit at Maxxis. They have exciting stuff coming next fall!
• Back to our team ten for the annual Clif Pro Team party. Eat delicious quesedillas and catchu up with many friends and sponsors.
• Waldek's hat is off: That's our sing to leave the venue. It's 6 O'clock and we've been there since 8AM. Even if we're having fun, it's time to go. 2 races tomorrow. 
• Massage. "Thank you Waldek".  Bed time.
• Lea says "Bunny!"

Early on in Short track. Bridging a gap thinking "maybe if I go really hard my legs will feel better" I did not happen. 

Stoked on that new partnership with Rotor!!! 

Saturday (Cross-Country, Cyclocross, Meetings, dancing and rapping) 

• Drive to the venue for cross-country race
• Warm up. Race start. Here's how it went: In the first group for 2 laps feeling okay, smash my wheel, start sliding around and get dropped a tiny bit, pretty certain I had a flat, stop in the pit, lose the group for good, turns out I don't have a flat, leave feed zone, start riding by myself, mad/grumpy at myself for 2 laps, finally get mentally back into it with 2 to go, not a great performance, not so proud of myself. Oh well. 
• Little cool down, go back to the tent. Eat 1 LUNA bar, 1 Clif Bar oatmeal pouch, change, relax stretch a bit. Little Bellas visit the tent; answer cute questions and sign tiny jerseys. Next race is in less than 2h. 
• Hang in the van with Katka - getting ourselves pumped for race number 2. Get change. "So happy to have a buddy for this one, makes it so much better!"
• Race starts, men and women together. Here's how it went: First 20 min hurts a lot "I think I'm a bit tired", finally settles down as Cody Kaiser sets a good pace and let's Katka and I sit on his wheel "thanks Cody", I face plant in the sand, lots of people are cheering, push hard to catch up to Katka and Cody, face plant again in the sand, catch up again, our teammates are cheering hard, last corner; Cody lets us go, we exchange a few words, sprint to the finish, Katerina beats me. 
• We eat an apple and share a bag of chips and head to Garneau booth. We chat and sign posters. 
• Go to podium. 
• Finally go to van and get out of our shammy. "Yes!"  
• Go to CLIF Bar party. DJ J-Pows and DJ Peanut Butter are jamming great music. 
• Everyone is dancing. "THIS IS FUN!" I finally eat lunch, it is now 5:30 PM. "So great!" 
• They introduce the team. Baby Got Back from Sir Mix-a-lot is on...Can't control myself, I "turn around, stick it out" sign and dance. The whole team is also into it, Katerina even does the worm. "AMAZING!" Click here for a video: https://www.facebook.com/ClifProTeam/ 
• Then, as if we hadn't make fools of ourselves enough, they give us mics, the beat drops and we decide to do our team rap. Everyone is kind of weirded out. We have a blast! This is great. 
• CLIF Bar party is amazing. Favorite company ever! 
• Gary brings us back to hotel. Super fun team dinner. 
• Lea says Bunny! We sleep. 

Cross-Country-ing.. 

Cyclocross-ing... 

Saw a chip in the sand, had to taste it. Missed it first time though, so I went for it again a lap later. Get the whole video on Instagram @maghroch

First ever Sea Otter podium. Obviously I had to borrow that woman's fancy fur jacket. 

Finally decided to take the jacket off... 

From left to right: Quick C, H-Spin, Missy K Tang a.ka Magic Mystique, Mag Dogg, L-Diggity, Lil Spice 

Always fun hanging and racing with that one - Still smiling even when I make her crash!  

Sunday

On Sunday, we ended the weekend with our annual team ride on the beautiful 17 mile drive along the ocean. 

We are now headed in separate ways for the next few months as some of the team will go to Europe and others (like myself) will stay in North America for most of the summer. 

As usual, Sea Otter was super busy, but super fun at the same time. My races weren't great, but I still had a big smile on my face the whole time! Now I'm back in Tucson and looking forward for the Whiskey Off road this coming weekend. 

I don't think I'll need much external help to get pumped for Whiskey, but in case it's needed..."Turn around, stick it out. even white boys got to shout, BABY GOT BACK"!