I Have a New Love in My Life and It’s Called SUP
Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by Nicole in Nicole, The Gear Movers
Author Nicole Duke riding at Boulder Creek Kayak Park
I have a new love in my life and it’s called SUP. Yes, i’m a SUPer, no not the evening meal but a Stand Up Paddleboarder. The sport of Stand Up originated in the ocean but now has transformed and is showing up in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.
My fascination started when my friends Kat and Ryan Guay with Mountain Paddle Surf started repping C4 Paddlebaords. Being frustrated with no surf in Colorado I bought one immediately. This was my way to “get my fix”, being born and raised in the Florida waters I was in dire need.
The Boulder Reservoir was a great place to start but soon was not enough for my adventurous spirit. It had to be harder, faster and more dangerous to keep my attention. This is where the river comes into play. My first time down a river was the 2010 SUP Whitewater Nationals, put on by the Godfather of river SUPing himself, Charlie Macaurther. I got a tutorial from long time river rat Ryan Guay, shimmied my way into a borrowed wetsuit , my husbands retro PFD, helmet, and a pair of 12 dollar dive shoes I had just found the day before at a local thrift store. There were three events, a 7 mile downriver, a sprint, and a standing wave surf contest. I fared well enough to earn 2nd in the Womens Division and was hooked on the river.
Next, was the Teva Games. The C4 Waterman crew was coming out from Hawaii for Tevas’ introduction to the sport. The hype and excitement surrounding our new sport at The Games was encouraging. The race would be a 4 mile downriver run on the beyond freezing Gore Creek. I took 3 practice runs with the Hawaiians, exchanged line choices and laughed about the craziness of it all. It required exceptional balance, focus, guts, and anaerobic threshold. It was exhilarating!! The morning of the race the Teva Games issued a high water warning and offered to give anyone their money back if they wanted to back out. Not one SUPer bailed! People lined the banks and bridges to witness this new and crazy sport. Lungs burning, shoulders aching i paddled my way to a second place in 21 minutes. Next i found myself on the podium with my new found girlfriends and a check for 500 dollars in hand. I will be back for first next year!
Nicole Duke and the C4 Waterman from Hawaii at the Teva Games
As long as I am on a roll I might as well join the river rats for the oldest whitewater festival in the nation. Fibark, for First In Boat down the ARKansas river, or in my case first on board down the river. The race is a 26 mile downriver through class 3+ rapids. The first recorded time was posted in 1949 and took 7 hours and 18 minutes. No one really seemed to want to run the 26 miles on a board, it was a little daunting. Three SUPers signed up, me being the first and only woman on a paddleboard. We were told to “just start wherever AFTER all the kayakers”. Being the new sport on the block isn’t always easy and is often misunderstood.
This time I would wear a camelback, pack my PFD with food and wear extra sunblock. I was in for a long haul and had no idea what a class 3+ rapid looked like. For me this wasn’t a race it was an adventure. I started with a slow and consistent paddle stroke, the kayakers seemed to be traveling at about 3 times the speed. Not bad, the rapids were manageable, the scenery was gorgeous, and I had some of the racers in my sights. Well, 30 min in , I was all alone and wondering how long this would really take. One and half hours in and I floated by the 10 mile take out, wishing that was my exit. The crowd cheered me on, told me I only had 16 more miles and that I was doing great. What did they know, my hands already had blisters, I was freezing, and the wind kept blowing me sideways and backwards. Ok, I can do this, it’s still beautiful! The biggest rapids were to come of course when I was the most tired. There were three that I vividly remember. One, where a HUGE rock sat right in the middle of the river and threatened to flatten both me and my board, I dug the paddle in last minute and narrowly missed being squashed. The second rapid was up on the horizon line with nothing to see beyond it. I picked a side, left I guess, tipped over the edge and saw 5 or 6 waves taller than my head. I let out a battle cry and charged the first three waves standing and then buckled to my knees out of respect for the dominating middle wave. I was spit off my board but had made it through unscathed and able to ask the safety boat ” How much longer, exactly!” They responded, “Just a little bit”. I said, “No, EXACTLY how much longer, I’m dying over here!” “Four more miles,” they said! At this point four miles felt like forever, my muscles were seizing, my legs were tired of balancing, and my hands and wrists wanted to quit. The third and last rapid I remember was at the finish line. I had done it, 3 hrs 15 minutes and I was the first woman SUPer to race and finish the Fibark Downriver. Only 2 of 3 SUPers finished that day. I was and am still proud.
Teva Games Podium. From Left Jenny Macauther (1st), Nicole Duke (2nd), and Jen Koki (3rd)
If you are interested in this wonderful new sport I am instructing on Monday, and Tuesday evenings 6-8 at the Boulder Res. Lessons are $50 and includes PFD and board. Coming soon, SUP Core Fitness classes and Race series classes. Check out my contact info below:
Spread the SUPlove!
Nicole Duke, nicole @ thegearmovement.com — Mountain Paddle Surf.com Instructor
Ben and Nicole go to Moab!
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Ben in Ben, Nicole, The Gear Movers
So, it was Nicole’s Birthday this past Sunday. She and I got to escape for the weekend thanks to my parents. We drove up I-70 late Thursday afternoon; dropped the kid’s off in Wolcott where my mom and dad were ready to endure a full weekend of chaos. They even took the puppy! We were alone, finally!
The set for the Movie: "127 Hours" About Aron Ralston who had to cut his own arm off after getting stuck in the rocks in Moab
We rolled into Moab and on up to Sandy Flats campground around 7:30. We noticed signs for “127 Hours” – What’s that? Then we saw camera crews, a full Hollywood set-up… later found out it was the filming of the movie about the Aaron Ralston story – the guy who had to cut his own arm off after getting trapped in a canyon on a solo mission. Bonus.
We woke up the next morning – weather was iffy – but it held out long enough for us to ride Slickrock….
Nicole Duke riding the Moab Slickrock
Nicole Duke, posing in Moab, I would say the only time she wasnt hammering me into the ground!
…what a wonderland!
Then the rain came – we hid in our pimped out van for a few hours the reaped the benefits a gnarly storm cloud can have on a sunset!
The Beautiful Moab Sunset
Ya, that’s not a fire.
The next day was a beautiful one – and we cranked out the Porcupine loop – I love this trail and all its wonderful views !!!
On your birthday, can it get any better than this?
Happy Birthday Nicole!!!
My First Blog Ever…
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben in Ben, Nicole
Now Presenting, the one, the only, Mr. Duke!
So, I’ve never blogged nor do I Facebook often, but my business partner Jordan insisted I join the 21st century…
What does one blog about? I’ll just keep it short and sweet.
2009 has been a fast paced, crazy year. My wife Nicole and I received a new addition to the Duke family, Canin. She is the cutest girl in Boulder. She just turned 1 in October. Our son, Ryder, just turned 4. So you can only imagine how busy that part of my life has been.
Our newest addition to the Duke Family, Canin, just look at those cheeks!
My other part of life? New business… The Gear Movement. An exciting and stressful time it has been. Jordan and I started our eBay business selling new and used sporting goods back in March.. We have grown beyond our greatest expectations, which is simply awesome! Needless to say, we’ve been busy – and we want to thank all of you who support us – you all rock!
What does Spiderman, aka Ryder Duke do during his downtime?
So what now? 2010! Should be another fun packed, work filled, kid screaming year – and I hope to find some time to ride my bike along the way.
Happy Holidays!
Colorado State CX Championships
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Nicole in Nicole
Nicole Duke flying though a corner at CO CX State Champs. Photo by M. Woolcott
Down and dirty, just the way I like it!! Cyclocross State Champ race that is. The day was cold and windy, the course technical, sloppy and sometimes frozen. Thank God because my legs haven’t been feeling so fast lately so I needed to fall back on my skills, you know those ones that used to pay the bills. I’m a cheeseball…
Nicole Duke rode smooth and finished in third for the day
This is how it went down. Lisa Strong, Karen Hogan and I jumped the start and hung together for a while. Strong being the great rider she is slowly started to inch away from Karen and me, bye bye. Karen and I battled for a good lap, me passing in the technical, her powering past on the flats. Finally she pulled away and I let her go. The rest of the race i just tried to hold my podium spot. A few battles ensued with some of the 45+ men, shoulder to shoulder around the corners and various other frustrating encounters. Us Pro/Open Women don’t have our own race, so we also race the 45+ men. Some of them are very gracious but some will do anything not to get “chicked”. Now the last lap and for the life of me I can not get in my frozen, muddy pedals!! Ahhhhhhh!!!! Kristal Boni is gaining on me. Then she passes, I hang on and shoot past her at the entrance of a technical ditch section. Over the barrier, back on the bike and silence. What happened to her I do not know but I am thankful. Still I cannot get in the pedals and it’s slow going. Last gnarly downhill(which I love) and the finish!! Glad to be done and happy with 3rd. Felt like a great prep for Nationals in Bend, OR which I am hoping will be muddy.
Loving husband Ben Duke cleans Nicole's bike in 5 deg weather. Photo by J. Schware
What a great season I’ve had with all the girls! Made some great new friends and fell in love with Cross even more!! Nationals for me this year will be about the experience and time away from Boulder with my good friend Becca Blay. My body is done, time to rest and drink some yummy Belgian beer! Cheers and wish me good luck in Bend!
Back in The Game!
Posted on 17. Nov, 2009 by Jordan in Nicole
Nicole Duke of The Gear Movement Pro Team - hitting the barriers
Here I am, and I find myself back in the game. The racing game that is. After taking some time off to have my second child Canin , I am energized, recovered and ready to hang with my girls on the cross course.
My career started back in 1995 as a Professional Downhill and Dual Slalom racer. I raced for teams such as Giant, Mongoose, Intense, and others. In 2000 I decided to retire as I was broken and tired from all the expected downhill racer crashes. For years I didn’t ride—burnt out!! I started a new career as a hairstylist and eventually met my husband Ben. Then came Ryder our first child—the wild thing. I found myself missing the chase, the race, and time with the girls. In 2007 I decided to give cyclocross a try.
My first race was on the only bike I had, a hard tail mountain bike. I really had no idea what to expect and to my surprise I finished 3rd in the Womens’ Open field. All right, game on. I headed to Boulder Cycle Sport to talk with my friend Brandon Dwight. I knew he had been doing this for years and could show me the way. He hooked me up with a bike, jersey and I found myself now racing for their local team.
A sand pit - Nicole Duke on her way to a sweet 5th place finish in the Woman' Pro Race
The season went well and I was making friends fast and racing well. My only problem was I never watched the lap counter. Yes, I was passed several times at the line and left wondering. My lesson for the season, yes I know its obvious, but I wasn’t used to racing on a lap count. Racing DH, it was always the fastest one to the bottom.
Excited now and ready to get serious for the next season I started talking to a few local teams about sponsorship. I had decided to go with Mafia racing, ready to represent. I mean they were sponsored by PBR, they had to be fun. Two weeks later, we learned baby Canin was on her way. Racing had to wait.
Canin was born on October 30th 2008 and I wasn’t sure I would be able to race again. Two kids, a part time job, and not a lot of free time wasn’t conducive to training or racing. I approached the next summer with no expectations of racing and wanted to ride just enough to keep up with my friends. My friends are mostly professional athletes, I had to try pretty hard!
Now, I find myself racing the 2009 Cross season for our new company The Gear Movement and I’m giving it another go. No expectations, I entered the first race and much to my surprise finished 5th. Every race I have gotten stronger and cross-race wiser. I’m now consistently finishing 3rd and sometimes find myself hanging with the likes of World Champion Allison Dunlap and National Champion Allison Powers. Every weekend the family (thanks to the hubbie) looks forward to cowbells, bouncy castles, kids races and sticky mud. A retired racers’ family dream. I’ve found a way to integrate family with racing. My son now “cyclocrosses” his bike over every curb, I am so proud!
Nationals are in my sights. Sounds like fun and I could use a little girlfriend time away from laundry, diapers and screaming kids. Cyclocross, I’ve discovered is actually 45mins of painful freedom!
Mud Time!
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