Meet the Butt'r Babes

An opportunity to guest ride for Chamois Butt'r at the Dirty Kanza was brought to my attention back in early January. The chance to represent Chamois Butt'r doesn't come along everyday since they are an exclusive BOYS club. I often hear them referred to as the Butt'r Boys. Of course I had to throw my hat in, you never know if you don't try.  I am very pleased to announce that myself and three other girls were accepted and will don the noteworthy purple/yellow kit.  In case you haven't heard... CB has come out with a Her Butt'r for the ladies.  I saw it and used it for the first time at last years  DK.  I must admit I was impressed that after 205 miles of ass sanding gravel I did not have a single chafing mark or any discomfort.  My legs hurt like hell but I could sit down with no issues.  Good stuff, get some.

An email came out in February addressed to us ladies and the phrase Butt'r Babes was thrown out, he said he couldn't help himself.  My immediate thought was " great another guy who won't remember my name" LOL.  My husband never calls me Wendy...unless I am in trouble.   It's 'Baby this, baby that", " baby come here or can I ride my bike Baby?"   He is the only person I let call me Baby.  Sorry I digress. I think we all approve of the name so here goes.......

Without any further digressing I would like to introduce you to the Butt'r Babes!

Carrie Sona

 Carrie is from MO, 49 year old wife and mother of  TWO amazing 16 yr old girls.  She is a full time clinical nurse specialist who decided to attempt the Dirty Kanza this past winter.  Carrie had to have reconstructive surgery on her knee in Feb 2013 due to a mountain biking accident.  Her recovery took many months, it's hard to stay still when you are used to being active. Since that time she has not been able to compete at the level necessary to race with her awesome adventure racing team, Team Alpine Shop.  That fact hurt her a lot.  After some serious soul searching and feeling sorry for herself Carrie was able to accept where she was right now and go from there.  When I approached her with the idea to represent Chamois Butt'r  I wasn't sure how she would react.  Carrie had not ridden a single gravel grinder.  Despite that  fact, she accepted.  Over these last few months she has been able to get some gravel riding experience and gain some confidence. However,  as we are about a month out Carrie is honest to share that she is freaking out with self doubt.  I tell her to knock it off, just keep pedaling and I throw in the old  "If I can do it you can do it" phrase. She said " I seriously don't know if I have what it takes to finish before the cut-off.  The time limit has me scared.".  Clearly her and I need to grab a beer and get her head right.  Her plan is simple "keep making little circles and keep pushing to the finish".  That sounds like a solid plan to me.  Carrie will be riding a Salsa Con Crosso that her husband, Jeff, converted for her. He is also doing the 200 for the first time.  Honestly I am not worried about either of them finishing in style with smiles.  Good luck Carrie!




Angela Spellman

Angela is a 49 yr old Mother of two girls: Hayley 16, and Sydney 12, and is a substitute teacher living in Emporia Kansas. She got her first taste of the DK by volunteering in 2011.  She thought it "looked fun" and she signed up the following year.  She made it 160 miles in 2012! She was even more determined to finish last year but  her rear derallieur had other ideas and was ripped off in a hole only 85 miles in.  I saw her disappointment first hand when I finished at 1:30am that morning.  I felt so bad for her.  Two years, solid training and still no finish.  Angela will be the first to tell you she will not be on the front line and if you are looking for her she will be at the back of the pack. She uses riding as a stress reliever and loves to go on adventures. She believes every ride has a story to tell whether it's survival or the amount of cows and snakes she had as obstacles. Angela has the support of her Dad who comes to her rescue and picks her up when necessary and is very vocal she would not be where she is now without the patience and help she found at High Gear Cyclery. She goes on to say she "wouldn't be riding if it wasn't for the kind folks at High Gear."  Angela will be riding her Trek Boone 7 to accomplish this feat.  You know that saying... "Third time's the charm"  I believe in you girl, you totally got this. Good luck Angela!

Karen Borgstedt

Karen is 46 yrs old and an elementary teacher.  She was born and raised in Pueblo Colorado. She has also lived in Hayes, Garden City, Emporia, and Witchita  Kansas.  She said she really enjoyed each place, the people were awesome and each area she lived  had something special to offer. She told me "It's been three years since I moved back to Pueblo to take care of my  father."  Unfortunately he passed away in August of 2013.  Her focus now is "work and FUN"  Most of her fun consists of pedaling one of her bikes, even though she loves them all equally. Karen did her first gravel grinder last fall and realized that she enjoyed the challenge of the gravel centuries so why not step it up by doing the Dirty Kanza.  She will be riding her Trek XO2 with the goal of finishing.  As she put it, "my goal for the DK200 is to finish, be able to drive back to CO, and be productive at work on Monday June 2nd."  There are no guarantees at the DK and furthermore no guarantees of your productiveness afterward. When the going gets tough think of the stories you can tell your students, think of the school bulletin headline  " Teacher Turns Into Badass Gravel Grinder" Good Luck Karen!


Wendy Davis/Sasha  

I am 45 yrs old and a  Mom to Sydney 8 and Trevor 25.  I am a writer, always  looking for a job.  Know anyone? Wife to Jim Davis, if you know him you realize he is a 24/7 job and keeps me busy.  I live in MO and ride my bike as much as possible.  I run errands, ride it LONG, and surprise my daughter for lunch at school. I will be rockin' my magnificent Kona JTS '11.  This will be our fourth DK and quite possibly our best year, I hope.
It's no secret I love riding my bikes and love the DK200.  This ride has gotten under my skin in more ways than one and  I just can't seem get it out of my system.  I was there in 2011 complete with wind, rain, hail and twisters.  Made it 115 miles before having to pull the plug on a muddy B road, yes there were tears.  Coming back in 2012 I had a much better year and  was able to finish the course in just over 19 hours.  I returned again  in 2013 hoping for a better time but Mother Nature thwarted that providing sustained 25mph winds for the last 150 miles and I got stuck in my 26 ring.  I fought like hell and managed a finish after 19 hours and 30 minutes. I had to be happy with that since almost half the field DNF'd.  This year I hope for some tailwinds and a quicker finish.  Before midnight would be awesome but I will take what I can get.  If you see me on course and need some Butt'r just ask, fellas included,  I always have some extras to share. Thanks Chamois Butt'r for this awesome opportunity to represent.   Wish me luck.