Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534827
A er the race, we were invited to tour the Rieju factory and allowed to drop off my storage unit's worth of things in a spare corner of the warehouse. The tour was super interes ng, and given by my rival from last year, Badia – it was good to see her again and catch up, this me off the bike. Finally, Miquel arrived, I signed my contract, and we began un- packing. My shelf on the warehouse floor has been referred to by the team as "Rachel's shelf" "Sherco shelf" and "Shit Sherco shelf", and there were sever- al jokes made about loca ng a tarp to hide the ugli- ness of my shelf. Miquel even tried my van-hammock (there have only been two other grown adults willing to) before yelling for the mechanics and telling them jokingly that there would be "No more expensive Airbnb, hammock for everyone in team truck!", I have felt a bit like an unwanted stray in recent years, cared for reluctantly or begrudgingly, never really feeling quite like I belonged anywhere that I was. But I feel like this stray has finally found a home – enthusias c people with a good sense of humor, what more could I want for in a team! But the bike and I s ll weren't gelling just yet. A er some conversa ons with Miquel and the two lead mechanics, I made the last-minute impulse decision to stay in Europe an addi onal week for tes ng. Unfortunately, this meant missing the Moab Hard Enduro that I was super excited to try this year and having to wear my two le knee braces for another full week. A strange thing had started to happen though. Just like a new pair of shoes will eventually break in to match the feet that wear them, I had finally worn deep enough gouges in my right knee that it had started to conform to the shape of the le knee brace! Likewise, with the addi on and removal of modified heads, and map se ngs, sprockets, Mousse Balls, and suspension, the bike and I were star ng to conform to each other too. Spain was beau ful. The place Rieju set me up to ride and test, the Puigdemont Brothers track, was beau ful. The brothers have a mellow, GP-style moto track that, like most European moto tracks I've ridden, hasn't seen a disk or water since the day it was cut in, which was actually perfect for tes ng the bike on hard, slippery terrain. 30 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com