Chamois Butt'r Three Reviews For The Blog Of One

It was a good day to be a girl! The nice folks at Chamois Buttr gave out FULL size tubes ( a $15.99 value) of Her Butt'r at the Dirty Kanza 200.  This venue was the perfect place to unveil their new product and and even better place for me to try it out.  I had not seen it or used it prior to this race.

 Just so you know... I have not been compensated, in any way, shape or form to give my opinion. The following are my opinions on three products made by Chamois Butt'r. I have used all three products for approximately six months to form my opinion.


Chamois Butt'r HER Butt'r

When I first started cycling there was a lot of grin and bear it and some screams from the shower. I thought it was just one of those things I would have to get used to.  I enjoyed riding my bike for longer periods of time however my vagina was hating it. The friction of saddle and shorts was at times unbearable, especially if my skin was already irritated.  Was I going to have to suck it up?  Not for long.....

I finally educated myself about creams and gels that would cure my problem.  I ended up trying all kinds of stuff. You know what I've found out?  Some body lubes were great, some not so great, some burned, others smelled funny, some were sticky/greasy, and many would not wash out of my chamois.  I wasn't trying to be picky but I am not just going to put anything down there. Neither should you.

Her Butt'r was designed by a female sports doctor and been tested on many female cyclists before coming to market.  The formula is Ph balanced and contains premium ingredients such as tea tree oil, shea butter, and lavendar oil to name a few.  I did not find it greasy or sticky and it washed out of my shorts completely.  It did not burn or smell funny, the scent is light and smells of lavendar.

The morning of the Dirty Kanza I slathered it on and passed it off to my pit crew.  At mile 100 I reapplied as a just in case measure since I had 100 plus to go.  I was on my bike for 19 hours and 30 minutes.  I did not feel any chafing during the ride but you never know the extent of the damage until you hit the shower.  There was no screaming.  There were no chafe marks. My experience with  Her Butt'r was a success. I will use this product again and recommend it to all female cyclists.  Fellas....  You could be a hero and buy her a tube.  Plus, you can use it too, even though it was made with the ladies in mind.

CB stock photo

Chamois Butt'r Sports Kit Wash

Cycling kits are expensive.  My goal is to keep my spandex around as long as I can.  You have to take proper care of it.  I would NEVER throw it in the dryer or use ordinary, fragrant filled detergents.  I tried Chamois Butt'rs kit wash for the first time after a mountain bike ride this summer.  First, I smelled it and was happy to notice it had a light, clean scent, almost citrusy. I poured two capfuls into about a gallon of water in the sink.  I let them soak for about ten minutes, overkill but you don't know my husband, he finds dirt. I squeezed the wash through the fabric, do not twist or rub.  After that all you do is rinse thoroughly, don't worry...the washing solution comes out quickly.  Hang dry or lay it flat. Easy peasy.

Since this wash does not require a lot of water you could easily pack it along for bike packing.  I took it camping and found it works well with swim suits and other technical clothing.  It's really priceless to wake up to a fresh smelling kit instead of praying it doesn't stink too bad or give you a nasty skin rash.



Chamois Butt'r Sports Wash

How many times have you had to get into your car and drive home covered with sweat, blood, and dirt? Or maybe you were covered in embro and what it might do to the seats?  Or maybe you just like to be clean while getting your podium shots?  Either way, you need this stuff.

I started using this sports wash in June of 2013.  I liked the bottle, complete with convenient sprayer for easy coverage.  I carry baby wipes and added this wash to my after ride clean-up.  The product smelled nice and applied easily.  My skin felt fresh and tingly.  I was really surprised at how it cut through the grit and grime I was covered in. I was also surprised my skin felt soft, not dry at all.   This wash has afforded me comfortable rides home, kept my car cleaner, and was great to take on camping/hiking trips.



All of the items above retail for $15.99.  I imagine each would last me about a year, give or take, which is a small price to pay to be comfortable, look good , and smell nice.  Wouldn't you agree?

Happy Winter Riding,
Sasha

BT EPIC 2013

       

Two Magnificent Konas headed to The BT Epic

The morning AFTER the BT Epic I woke up holding my stomach and trying to figure out where I was.  I was in the back of my car, swaddled in blankets and laying in a pool of sweat.  Within seconds of waking my husband peeks in the window and quickly hands me some coffee.  Hold on, wait a second.....It takes several seconds for me to piece it all together.  It was just a dream. Whew!  I told Jim of the dream I just woke up from.... I was in (our) Dr Williams office and he was telling me it was okay for me to ride pregnant. Wow! The BT Epic never disappoints.

Arriving early Friday evening never works for us.... We get there when we get there. Registration, as always, is a breeze.  I was checked in as number 193, handed some sweet socks and a lotto/schwag ticket for Saturday sfter the awards.  Browsing the tables there was a LOT of awesome gear to choose from.  Everything from Garmin 800's to bike pumps.  They were also giving away 10 bikes.  Crazy cool huh?

Weekend captured beautifully (photo J. Davis)

Jim had made our bed in the back of the Subie before we left home so we would have time to visit with friends.  It didn't take long for us to find a friendly roaring campfire.  After a couple beers and some great conversation, we searched and found the perfect place to park and sleep.

Morning always comes too quickly on race day.  I do not sleep well the night before big rides/races, however this morning I felt well rested.  Good thing 'cuz I was going to need it.  As I forced down a couple pancakes I though about my goal for the day.  I decided on "surviving with no blood loss".  I was confident I could pull that off.

Wearing my Harden the F*ck Up bracelet

As I positioned myself toward the middle/ back of the pack for this race/ride I was asked, "Did you do this last year", to which I replied "no, it's been two years for me".  That is when IT happened!  I started researching my mind.... when was the last time I rode at least 57 miles on my mountain bike? Hmmmm. This isn't what I had planned, not what I had envisioned when I was signed up.  Either way, my riding was consistent.  I was missing the LONG piece of it. Oh shit, what am I doing here?  Within minutes I was pedaling and there was no turning back.  The gravel climb, several miles, strings the 300 cyclists out a bit before we hit the singletrack.  My legs are awake now, I hope I picked the right gear.

The weather was a bit chilly, almost made me miss my extra fat layers.  Pedal faster to stay warm I kept repeating.  By the time I reached the singletrack I was more than warmed up, yet only to get cold again on the downhills.  (This was a constant battle all freaking day)   Despite the weather ups and downs, I felt comfortable with my pace and positive vibes of finishing were firmly placed in my head.  The Ozark and Berryman Trail's can be quite challenging if you lack skillz or have a shitty attitude.  Lucky for me I brought some newly acquired skillz and of course a superior attitude.  

My magnificent Kona Big Unit, geared at 32x20, was in perfect shape to handle the miles. I was sporting Specialized Ground Controls, tubeless, LOVE THEM. (blog review coming) Since my frame is equipped with only one bottle cage, I wore a small Camelbak with about 45oz in it on my back.  It's a lot easier for me to drink from a tube than worry about losing or dropping my fuel bottle,  this worked well. A mountain feed bag on my bars carried my bike tools and emergency bonking supplies.

Sweet singletrack (photo J.Davis)

I have to tell ya.... I felt amazing on the singletrack.  I haven't ridden here in two years and I remember walking a shitload of it.  This year not so much.  In fact, I rode damn near everything!  I rode a lot of technical stuff through folks who had hopped off to walk.  I rode that steep rooty shit and wasn't scared and even liked it.  Truth is.... I have been working on riding technical, rocky, rooty stuff this year.  What's awesome is seeing it pay off!!  And not being frightened makes it taste even sweeter.  My hubby rode behind me for a bit and gave me props, then he dropped my ass and beat me by 15 minutes, whatever.

I was happy to have landed among the "cool kids" in the race. We were all fighting for survival at the back of the pack.  I ran into this guy wearing a Maplewood jersey who says " don't you remember me Wendy"  It took me a minute but I remembered him from Syllamos revenge, that was a mutha. We spent the better part of that race hopping each other.  By the time we hit that grueling 6 mile climb and those slippery stairs we had gotten to know each other rather well.  Anyways, Buck it was nice riding with you, again.  There were about 20 women and 275 men registered, I did not see any women after mile 20.  The fellas I rode with were very nice and extremely supportive.  They did not have a problem if I wanted by and even let me take the downhills first.  That right there made my day.  Seriously, I bombed those downhills, hell, I even pedaled down, something I have only recently gained confidence in.  It has taken me five years to get here and I can tell ya I am hella proud to be here.  I took corners with speed and without brakes!  Can I get a HELLYEA!?!

Around mile 30 my body gave me the finger. It was revolting in the worst way. I felt I was going to burst, stuff coming out of both ends. Not good.  I kept pushing, it pushed back.  The one thing I hate to do more than anything is throw up, and here it was coming up my throat.  I could taste the bile rising as I continued to pedal. Oh Geez, what is worse, throwing up or shittting yourself?  STOP! my mind screamed.  My head started to spin... so I stopped.  My breathing was whacked, totally whacked out, I had sweat running down my face and I was cold.  WTF was going on?  Is this what it feels like to fall apart?  Am I bonking? Anxiety started to rise.  Can I get myself out of this?  I kept walking until those feelings passed and drank and nibbled on my Payday bar.  I was able to get back on only to have this feeling lay me out two more times before the finish.  I can only describe it as going to the "darkside".  To have everything hurt, your world is spinning, you are not be able to breathe, you feel either too hot or too cold, to be so uncomfortable all you want to do is vomit or shit yourself.... and all I have in my mind is to keep pedaling, forget the rest.  I was able to get myself together, only to come across this feeling two more times.  I hopped off the bike, drank and ate until I calmed down. Luckily, I did not toss my cookies.

Around mile 50 I went to a dark place, a very dark place. My nind was filled with black clouds, my thoughts were not very nice. To rub salt in the wound....  I could see the gravel road from the singletrack, it was like it was teasing me.  Soon I would be on gravel, that meant about 5 miles to go.  I like gravel, don't mind riding it one bit. HOWEVER, I prefer to be on my cross bike. Pedaling those last miles was excruciating.  Spin, spin, spin.  I was alone the entire ride back.  I took out my Ipod at this point, hoping it would cheer me up and get me to the finish quicker.  I heard there was beer there and I totally deserve one or two or several.


As I crossed the finish line Jim handed me a beer and gave me a hug.  I had survived, stayed upright, did not have any mechanicals, and lost no blood.  I call that a successful day!

Each participant was given a lotto ticket, very simply if your number is called you get to pick a prize.  I felt super lucky.  The first winner picked the Garmin 500.  The second winner picked the Kuat Rack.  The third winner was my husband.  He hooted and hollered his way up and chose the Garmin 800 with all the bells and whistles.  What a super prize!!! and I can't think of anyone elses who deserves it more than the Trail MOnster.

We went for a hike the next morning to stretch our legs and take in some amazing Fall views.  Thanks for knowing where all the cool places are babe.

Burnin' is Cancelled????

In case you haven't heard... the government is behaving like a BAG AF DICKS! I do NOT watch the news, too much negativity there.  In short, those assholes are shutting down outdoor fun and have furloughed campgrounds across the states.  As of Thursday, the campground at Council Bluff, where the beloved Burnin' At the Bluff race is held, has been shutdown!  When I was informed of this I felt sick to my stomach and immediately got pissed. Out of my mouth spewed " Fuck that!! I have worked too hard, I am going anyway".

I realize there is still a possibility this race could happen if this mess gets figured out by Thursday.  It will take 24 hours to re-open the campground.  Please throw all of your Positive Attitude and Superior State of Mind at this.  Anything IS possible. I believe it is smart to have a Plan B, so I have one.

AND do not let anyone stop you

In the event that does not happen.... I assure you that I will be riding at Council Bluff on Sat Oct 12th as planned.  The trail is NOT closed.  I have worked my ass off this year and am not going to let some uptight suit wearing bastards ruin my fun.  My goal this year is SEVEN laps on my Big Unit single speed, gear choice 32x20.  Buckle or no buckle I am going to accomplish this.

I just need to find some place to lay my broken body for that evening.  Who's with me???

Sasha

Dirty Girls Love Dirty Jane

I found out in mid-June that I made the Dirty Jane crew.  I was very excited to be a part of the beginnings of something awesome.  Dirty Jane, launched in 2011, is an online shop specifically for action sport minded ladies.  You see, the owner got tired of sorting through racks of guys gear to find something for herself.  "Where is all the girls gear", she wondered.  Hell with it! she thought. I will start my own company and thats what she did.   DirtyJane.com does carry a few things for the fellas too, such as jerseys and gloves (check out the cool gloves), but it's mostly gear and clothing for the girls. Keep an eye on the site, new items are popping up, like these.

There are currently 10 Jane's and you can get to know them here. I am proud to be part of the group and enoy seeing what these rad women can do.    We all live to push the pedals and love to take other women along for the ride.  Some of the Janes enjoy the mud, others crazy fast down hills and some dig the very technical single track.  At the end of the day all that matters is that you ride, right?

When my special team pakage came at the end of June I shrieked when I opened it.  Along with some Dirty Jane.com stickers there was a sweet ass jersey and t-shirt.  The t-shirt caught my eye immediately, heather gray with bright pink letters jumping off it.  Made with 100% cotton, it's soft and snuggly against your skin.  When I put it on I noticed the tapered waist, yea for the "girls cut".  Aren't you tired of wearing shirts that make your  figure resemble a box?  This shirt hugs your curves and shows them off at the same time.  Honestly, I wear it everywhere, even to bed.  Did I say it's soft?  My husband would prefer I wear it indoors only and not in public.  Ha, that means I look good in it. I will let you know that since it's 100% cotton it may shrink a little.  Get the large if you would typically rock a medium or have a good amount of boobage.

I couldn't afford a model

The jersey screamed "GET ME DIRTY".  Mostly white, with black 3/4 sleeves and a touch of sweet bluey-green detailing down the side, just enough to make it girlie.  The neato DirtyJane.com logo adornes the front.  The first time I wore it was a beautiful, muggy, somewhat hot n humid day. It was 90 degrees in the Midwest, felt like more.  I was worried that the sleeves would make me too hot and my ride would suck because of it.  Not so.  The sleeves protected my arms from the sun, no sunburn.   They also protected me from the overgrowth and nasty thorn bushes I encountered, no more scratches on my arms.  The material soaked up my sweatyness too, kept it off my body so I could ride cooler.  The white did not last long though.  Hell, its' not a wedding dress... it's for mountain biking.  Most of the dirt washed out, I used Dawn dish detergent and let it soak then washed it normally. Either way, who shows up with a perfectly clean white jersey to a ride?  If you do ... you aren't riding hard enough.

My serious face, first time on this trail

Fellas... want to encourage your girl to ride with you or ride more?  Deck her out in some sweet gear designed for her. DirtyJane.com has exactly what you need from helmets to shoes and everything in between.  They even carry gear for her ride, handle bars, brakes, cranks and pedals.  If she still doesn't want to ride with you... have her give me a call, I'll shred with her.


Get your dirty on,
Sasha

H.T.F.Ewwww

Nearly two weeks ago I lost a fight with a kettlebell.  Somehow, someway, I managed to smash my ring finger on my left hand. I consider myself lucky that it was only the tip of my finger. Otherwise, I may have broken it.  The initial impact was incredibly painful. I stumbled to get up quickly to run to the chainlink fence.  I was so close to "tossing my cookies".  I also managed to bloody a knee when I fell.  Great!  Fortunately I did not vomit and was able to compose myself before leaving the gym. You should have seen the faces of the other gym members as I emerged from the "back room" still smiling...covered in sweat, clutching a hand and blood running down my right leg.  Priceless!

Day one

Day eight

As the days have passed I have kept a watchful eye on my finger/nail.  The throbbing is probably the worst part and it looks gross.  I have been wrapping it was waterproof tape and keeping it clean. I have heard the horror stories about losing a nail and I am not interested, however, I may not have a choice. I am very thankful that my finger didn't swell and I never had to take my wedding ring off.  



 One thing... I didn't realize how important this finger is. Don't worry, I can't/won't let this stop me. You know me better than that. I do not quit that easily.  It's just a finger!  I didn't let it stop me from doing a 30 mile night ride the very next evening on the MiddleFork.  I will tell ya that it was difficult to hold on to the handlebars but not impossible.  I taught myself to brake with only my pointer fingers a couple years ago so that was not an issue.  I haven't missed a workout at the gym either.  There are a few things I am unable to do but my awesome trainer has worked around it.  Gripping bars and swinging kettlebells is harder but it can be done.

Day twelve

As of today, Wed. Aug.7th, it is much better.  The constant throbbing has ceased and it only hurts when I bang it on something or someone grabs it. You know how that is....it happens ALL the time.   My nail seems to be intact and I am trying not to stress about possibly losing it.  Ewwwww, gross.  But, if it's meant to be, it will be.

Okay, okay.  Pass the glass of concrete!

Happy Trails,
Sasha