life is good

here are pics from today's ride

hangin' with the fam

It was VERY cold yesterday. But we had a great time together.

Happy Holidays

Life is just one big adventure lately. I have been busy with the holidays and took the week off to just veg, eat and be merry, and enjoy the holiday cheer with my kiddos and hubby. The pics are of the kiddos and the sheep outside our window and our hottub time, we even have a sauna, its nice in the cold weather.

Today is a trip to the city to go shopping, we will see what we find. It is bitter cold out, snow has melted, but it is windy and frigid, so riding is not so fun right now. I am going to invest in a good trainer, still looking for one, any suggestions? Justin got me a cute polar heart rate monitor, i am liking his Suunto more, it is so cute, but I really like mine too. He bought the kids a wii, so we, um, i mean, THEY are sure enjoying it!!

In reflecting over the past year, I have been through a lot. I feel like I am finally coming back into my own and figuring out where I fit in in the scheme of things. I did some stupid things and I did some really stupid things and, but I have learnt from my mistakes and I think I am a better person for it. Maybe that is the lesson learned. I hope you kiss the ones you love and that you have a great new year...Here's to new beginnings.....

IM BAAAAAACCCKKKK!!!!!!!

Gosh, not that I have a huge fan base here or anything, but pedal girl is BACK BITCHES!!!!! haha! Okay so...so much has happened. I now live in Germany. I have been here a month. It is crazy! So different, but it is really cool too. I am in training mode now and getting some base in, it is going to be a long haul getting back, but I am determined and with hard work, you can always acheive your goals.

Getting to race in Europe is definately a dream of a lifetime. The racing begins in April and I will post everything here about this experience.

I do miss the States, makes me appreicate it that much more, Especially the Valley. Winter park, I miss you so, your trees, that are hurtin', the sunken bridges that are probably buried under snow, the moose, the bear, the SINGLETRACK, the mountain, the winter park PUB, the good times, but now here's to the future and a great 09, im so excited!!

im still alive

Hello! Srry for the lack of updates, but I have been just a little bit busy. Well, we are leaving the area around the 15th of this month, and then Justin will leave to Germany around the 25th. I dont know when I will see him again, it hopefully wont be too long, but he has to find us a house and all that, so I wont expect it will be long. I hope. homelss.....

We have sold a lot of our belongings and Justin is sellng his truck. I cant believe all the stuff that is going on right now in the world. It blows my mind!!!

The riding has been very minimal lately, only due to the move. I will soon have to put up my bikes for a few months, as they will be in a box on a ship and then on storage until we have an official german address.

You would not believe how beautiful it is right now where i live!!! We are having a true indian summer right now. The aspens are turning, and yet, it is in the high 60's, low 70's for a while now. I am in heaven.... I will try to get pics soon.
hope all is well in your world...
ang

What have I been up to...

Life is crazy, and all I can tell you is I have been busy, sorry for the lack of posts. In the past few weeks Ive been, fishing, riding, hiking, having lunch on ski lifts, playing with friends, playing with hubby, eating good grub, working (not much), being silly, bein' a mom and back on a school schedule (early morning chauffeuring around and making sack lunches), planning a move, playing with my dog, trail running sol vista, takin' pics, randomly picking my nose, enjoying good coffee, getting massage, oh, it is endless....Pictures of proof comin' your way...

Exciting update*we're moving...*

Hi! Ive been soooo busy, sorry for not posting. Pedal girl will have a new adventure in the coming months! I am happy to announce that we are moving! But the best part is that we are moving to GERMANY!!! Yes the one in Europe, the one across the "pond"!!! Yay!!!

Now I will be able to blog about the adventures I will have riding in Bavaria, because that is where we will be. Apparantly there is some good skiing a few hours away. I am kinda sad to leave this awesome place and I will miss my ski bum way of life, the winters where I spent just about every single day on the mountain, skiing to my hearts content, riding sweet singletrack all summer long and finishing it off on my deck overlooking the rockies with a pint of blue moon with an orange in it! Awww, good timez, good timez... Justin got an amazing job over there working for an American company. It is one of those opportunities you just cant not take! Justin will be leaving at the end of October to find us a house and all that good stuff. I will probably take the kids on a cross country trip to see relatives and friends before we leave. Wow, what an opportunity for us and the kids!

Well, I will post some pics here soon and oh yeah, it snowed here yesterday. I just might be able to get one run in on Berthoud pass before I leave this beautiful, majical place. My ski's are sitting right here looking at me, calling my name...

xoxo angie

Paradise..

Rocky Mountain summer's are unforgettable. This is my second summer up here and just as I was last year, I am still in awe. It (summer) doesn't last long. June was the last time it snowed! Then next month, in September, we will most likely have our first snows. Although it wont stick, it will start to get cool. The nights here are already getting pretty brisk and this morning I could see my breath. Summer's endless beauty is soon coming to an end in the valley.

Summer here is like living in the shire...for those who know what the shire is...

It is soooo green, magical really, you can see the life that just blossoms here after being piled under feet of snow all winter long. You see the summer breezes here because there is some sort of life floating in it, and it can be serenely still. Wild flowers of different variety color the meadows and the summer sun can be intense at our elevation. The river veins it's way through the landscape, as you let the sound of the water distract you from life's problems. Everyone seems happy, happy to be outside playing and smelling the mountain air that has the lingering notes of pine and wildflowers. Baby moose, little bear cubs, fawns and baby foxes all come and play and we sometimes get a tiny glimpse of them. That is why I cannot stand to be inside on a beautiful day, to live here is in some sort of way a privilege and to honor the land, you must play here and enjoy what she has to offer. It is truly magic to live here, and at night, I lay in bed, watching the curtains play in the evening wind and listen to the majestic trees sing a night song with the crickets, as I drift off to sleep, only to dream of a place that is still untouched by the harmful hand of man. But I live it. I live here and I hope to keep this dream going for a while...

this is why the post's are slow of late...to busy enjoying my home, here in the valley...
some pics for your viewing pleasure...all from yesterday. xoxo ang

Race Cancelled! Its Snowing Up here!!!!

The race today (in Winter Park-where I live) has been cancelled! Home sweet home has been dusted by the snow fairy. Yes- I know it is only August-but I live in the rocky mountains above 9000 ft so that is the kindof stuff that happens. Of course it will warm up again and we will have those days when i just leave the windows open all night and the summer breeze blows the curtains in a little night dance. So for your viewing pleasure I have hijacked some pics of what we have on the ground this morning at the resort. You can barely see the singletrack. The race for us pro/experts is 17 miles of little ridden singletrack way high on the mountain. You have to take a lift to get to the start. They say on the website it rides longer than you think. So we will partake of this madness next weekend when it is nice and warm again.

This weekend is a huge event in town. The bikers (the motorcyle type) have taken over and there is a huge group of veterans for a veterans rally and some heavy metal bands in town to rock it. I should be busy at work since it is so rainy and cold and sleety that I have a feeling I will be givin some big burly dudes and chicks some relaxing massage...Bring it!!! Im ready....

Hope your weekend is sunny and warm. I will be taking advantage of this weather to brush up on my cross skills as we will be consuming as much cross racing as possible this fall. Theres a bunch of races comin up starting Sept.

have fun!!!!! xoxo angie

I need some EPO....Just Kidding....

I have been one freakishly tired and irritated person as of late and so it goes that I have some blood issues and anemia is most likely the culprit.

I really dont need EPO but turns out some iron supps might be in order.

So this means that I may not be kickin' it hardcore in the races comin' up. I may just save it for the king of the rockies-the last race in our series. Anemia is like having a can of whoop ass in your hands but no can opener and it is freakin frustrating as you try and open that can to no avail...But I probably will skip out on this up comin' weekend race. I just dont have it baby and it dont feel right. Its like I wake up and I just want to go back to sleep or take naps-for Angie Koppa- I just dont do that. I dont nap. I wake up super early ready and charged-ready for life and what it throws at me. Then come 8-9'oclock I get sleepy and do it all over again. So when all I wanna do is sleep I know somethings wrong. If I can get my blood charged back up with life *blood* then I will hopefully have a few more races in me before the snow falls. Which by the way will be sooner rather than later up here. Oh and big props to Dave Wiens who put the smak on Armstrong in the leadville 100 this weekend what an amazing finish/race for both of them..I bow down...

I was hoping to go to nuevo mexico in Sept for this awesome little race -the hustle- but maybe not now. I dont wanna show up and blow up if you know what I mean. But maybe I will just show up to stir up the pot a little...hehh..heh...

Today we are going fishing because the kids want to go and then we'll ride our bikes up to the resort and have a picnic. I think and hope I can keep up with my six year old he's pretty fast. I guess he must have his daddy's genes.

It rained up here all weekend and it has been cold. I put the down blanket on the bed last night and woke up this morning to some eerie fog. Luckily I had Justin to keep me warm...

Well this upcoming weekend is Hawg Fest up here. It is basically a bunch of bikers and metal bands and hopefully the bikers (harley davidson type) are sore and tired from riding and need the attention of one amazing massage therapist (moi)...I can definitely deliver some relief from those aches and pains! Alrighty then...I know this sucks and Im bored with myself..sooo.....hasta...
Angie

New clothes rock!

I got my new kit in the mail the other day, and the new jerseys are so cute and super sweet looking. Mine fits just perfect for my five foot petite little body. I am super happy.

Here is a pic of the new look, on me and my other favorite bella (thanks to whoever did this, I stole from the bella boards--too cute!)

xox
ang

Crankworx weekend ovah and done wit' dat

Here are some pics of the mountain states race at Sol Vista for your viewing pleasure. Justin only got pics of the pro men and he did not get any pics of me at crankworxs, so sorry for that. Anyway, Then here are a few pics of my two favorite guys in the world. My six year old son, Gavin is so much fun to be around. He has the contagious happy kid energy that makes me feel sooo good. I just wanna be his tag-a-long and jump over logs and rocks and sing happy songs and forget for a moments time that there are no worries in the world, well, maybe some little ones, like I might not get home to watch my favorite cartoon, Ben 10 in time, or that we might be out of chocolate milk. Man, kids have it down! Sometimes I forget that it's not all that bad, just be, and be happy at that!!















So you want my race recap??? You sure??? Its a bitch and whine post, but not too bad. Well, it took me 3hrs and 25 minutes to complete this mainly climbing, 24 mile course. I wanted to finish it within 3 hours, which I very well could have, but mechanicals man, mechanicals can screw it all up for you. I was the last Expert women across the line and thankfully (but freakin' close) last racer across the line.
The course started out in Fraser and climbed the jeep road to sunken bridges, then up upper elk creek road, a good six mile climbing loop, then down U. P. C rd, down some gnarly stuff that could hurt you if you didnt handle your bike very well on it. Then up the road to Zoom, down zoom, down chainsaw, up elk crk. meadow, up d2, up WTB, down d4, then you cross the ford, well, I tried, and everyone else carried their bikes, then I proceeded to slip and get nice and wet and look like an ass, but honestly, that water never felt better!! Then it all gets blurry from there, its like another ten miles or more back to the resort, somewhere before the downhill, my chain gets caught in my rear dérailleur, it is so tightly wrung up, there is no slack, Im using all the little strenght I have left to push and pull what I can to no avail. It just sucked. Sooooo.....I coast in when I can, run my bike when I cant coast, it sucked, and it took me a while to make it to the finish.

At the finish, I was getting the looks from people, the looks, of curiosity, of "what the hell is up with that chicks bike", of "that sucks", blah, blah. I sat there for a second and it started, I could feel the emotion of it, the tears starting to well up in my eyes. But I decided in a split second of that emotion that I wasnt gonna have it, I did the best I could, I finished for goodness sake! I rode a kick ass sweet course! I need to just chill and enjoy the fact that I am racing again!!! Anyone that races and feels that competitive edge and then you have a major mechanical or something that ruins the race, well, you know how I feel. BUT, its okay and I will get back on that bike and try again at the next race.

One of the best things that happened that day, well, a little girl was in awe of me in my Velo Bella jersey. She is like, " I love your shirt", it just melted me for a second, and I remember the vision of this team and that the bella vibes spread and maybe that little girl will be the next Alison Dunlap of her time, its corny, but it is just so cool to see that curiosity in a childs eyes.

Okay, until next time, hope all is well in your world! Peace,
Ang

On the road again...

Today started out foggy and cool, we had a good rain yesterday. So I decided to take off for the road this afternoon, and once again, it was scenic, and super fun. I fought a nice headwind to Kremmling, but it started to calm down once I was about 2 miles from Kremmtucky. Oh and it was funny, this backpacker old dude was hitchhiking through Byers Canyon and no cars were in sight, but when I came by, he stuck his thumb out and asked for a ride, I felt bad, I guess he coulda rode the handlebars like we did when were kids...

I cant wait to ride the xc race on Saturday. Im now going to take most of the week to recover and have a little fun on the side. Tomorrow we are going down to Denver to play at Elitch Gardens, its like a six flags and it has a water park and rollercoaster stuff. It should be lotsa fun!

The pictures show my doggy in the foggy this morning in our yard, then the others are of my perty, perty cx bike KONA ROCKS!!!!! And of course a boob shot for you voyeurs, just kidding, what boobs!!! After breastfeeding two kids, they kinda disappear, sorry to disappoint.

Once again, I am delirious from lack of sleep and lactic acid build up, its time to cash in on some massages...

have fun, xoxo
ang