It’s mid-August, which means it’s STILL summer in Phoenix….which means “monsoon season,” which means hot and humid. July and August are the “monsoon” months and the Phoenix area usually gets most of the rain it gets for the year during these two months. I’m good with watering the desert; after all, the desert needs water too! Also, rain helps keep forest fires at bay, which is a very good thing. However, all this watery monsoony goodness means humidity and when you combine humidity with high heat….yuck. I’m still trying to get out and ride most mornings, but I’m not gonna lie….it’s really difficult to get up early and ride, when you know you’re going to be SOAKED at the end of the ride. And not because of rain. Because of sweat.

However, a couple of distractions have been helping to keep me on my bike. The first distraction is a little race coming up on August 21 called Bear Jaw Groove. This race is a homegrown event and takes place just outside Flagstaff. This is the 2nd year for the race and it’s fun to support a local event and be part of the event’s formative years. Bear Jaw is a 6 hour event during which solo riders, duos, and teams of four ride as many course laps as possible. The course is an 11 mile loop which starts and ends at the Arizona Nordic Village. One of the cool parts of the course is the “Aspen corridor,” which is a section that winds through an Aspen forest. I’m part of a 4 person ladies’ team and we’re all doing this race for fun and to get out of the Phoenix heat!

The other distraction is a monthly challenge issued by the Hawesaholics Babes Ride On (HBRO) Facebook group. I joined this group at the end of 2020 and have met a ton of ladies who ride. HBRO is a local group, so it’s easy to find someone to ride with. Each month, the HBRO founders post a monthly “clean this challenge,” which is basically a technical obstacle or more difficult trail to work on for that month. Those who take on the challenge are supposed to record a video of their attempts at “cleaning” (i.e., clearing, riding successfully) the challenge and the video with the most Facebook “likes” wins a prize. It’s a fun way to work towards a goal. The “clean this challenge” for August is not bike related; instead, it’s a fun little obstacle course at a local park (think of a very watered down American Ninja Warrior type of course with things like monkey bars and a “Spiderman” style net ladder). Participants are supposed to record and time their best attempt and the video with the most “likes” will win the prize (this month’s prize is an insulated mug).

As soon as I saw the August challenge, I thought it would be funny to put a spin on it. What if I got a few other ladies to do the challenge with me….but instead of attempting the obstacle course “normally,” we pretend it’s an obstacle course for a bike? I suggested the idea to a few friends and things took off from there. The result of all that brainstorming and video shooting is right here in this YouTube link: click me for a laugh.

To give you an idea of the sheer ridiculousness of the video, here’s a picture of me in my protective gear (yes, it is a bit much for a playground obstacle course, but it served its purpose)! Let me know what you think!