just lovin' it!

A pretty quiet week on the bike after a few action packed ones. Plenty of trails and rides but not much camera action. We did get to Laramie to ride the Enduro again and third time was certainly not a charm for me. A 3rd Enduro with mechanicals and other issues makes me pretty certain I will not be back to ride the impromptu course that is cow field, fire roads, and some trail to keep it sort of real. Despite waning interest in the race, I still love the support of people of Laramie, good people for certain!

So, I shredded my rear tire sidewall in one of the, seemingly increasing, sections you ride within a ft of barbed wire fence. I quickly lost contact with most of the people I was riding with while I made the repair with empty gel packs and a tube. I had already passed the 3rd aid station which is where you can drop spare co2 and tubes so I had to go with high pressure from my big air can to ensure no pinch flats. About a 1/2hr later, I had some seatpost issues that saw my seat drop causing me to make adjustments a cpl times until my allen key blew apart that is! I just went with a low saddle height after finally using a piece of wood under the broken key to tighten my post. At that point I had obviously lost a lot of time and motivation and was just trying to finish before the heat turned up anymore than it already had. The lower seat height played tricks on me but after slamming a mini coke before headquarters climb to reverse a leg cramp, I knew all would be OK once I finished.

It was a bummer since we were told we were only 4-5 mins behind all but the lead SSers at mile 30 but things have a way of quickly turning south out there and this day would be a classic Laramie Enduro for me.

Jessica had a great race though and her 29er wheels cut some serious time off last years time.

2nd by only 2 mins or so. She even made money!

this was what was left of my muti tool after the race.

Sammycat skipped the race despite her impressive resting heart rate.

A little more my speed these days. One of several pickings out of the garden last week. We have been eating well I must say and saving food for winter.

I helped the great people of Infinit Nutrition last weekend at the Ironman qualifier by helping work their booth at the event. I learned quite a bit about nutrition and met several extremely happy customers of Infinit (some of which hide it in their sponsors name brand bottle;) and I was impressed with the level of competitors who are using the product successfully. I met a nutritionist at the event who specializes in athletes and she explained some interesting facts to me. I figured out why most gels like hammer and carboom, etc. don't work for me during events after a couple of gels. It really made sense.

Either way, I am super excited to get my first Infinit order. They sponsor the Bach Builders Team but I have never really explored their options as I used to think it was a bit out of my league. Well, customizing your nutrition to your specific needs is cheaper than you may think. If you have never checked them out, go to the Infinit website and read a little. You even get to name your own custom mixes. So far I have IPA and Beer as my custom mixes!

more soon

50 on the 4th

By far my roughest FC50 to date but certainly still a great weekend in Breck. Fork issues, leaking tires, cramps, a big crash, and overall sluggish feel had me less than hammering but I finished to fight another day.

Jessica took 4th on the 4th on big wheels and I am sure she would have been able to easily take 3rd had she only been able to train a little more these past few weeks that saw her preparing for an art opening in Denver on the 8th.


My body took several shots when I crashed but the worst was the one my frame took.

Can't wait for my Ti frame.

here and there

Lot's of riding and melting happening these days. The trails are opening and life is good.

I was lucky enough to score a sample camelbak podium bottle and while I will not say it's gauranteed to get you on the podium, I love the hands free nozzle design.

Enjoying the Specialized saddle I put on the road bike this year as well.

The warm weather has been freeing the trails weekly and our sights are set on yonder mountains.

Old school

that's all

just warming up

The riding has been the same old same old lately hence, lack of post motivation. The good news is, the mercury is rising and the trails are drying! It has been a longer than usual spring and a delayed start for the trails up high, not to mention the garden but the sun and wind have joined forces and the trails are shaping up. Hopefully there will be some exploration up high this weekend to see what is currently on the seasonal trail menu.

Glaringly obvious?

I linked up with Shy Ronnie last Saturday for a little soup du jour. We took a long climb out of town and poked around the mtns linking together a pretty good ride that offered a bit of everything.

Timing can literally be everything, as was the case here. Bad timing deer, good timing us.

After some different routes and a cut through trail, we dropped into the welcoming arms of the Little Church. All are welcome as should be the case with any place of worship.
We then shot up to Switzerland Trail and confirmed it was indeed clear. We only saw one patch of trail side snow that seemed to be on it's last legs. It was nice to reunite the tires with some dry trails and jeep road and get some SS climbing under the belt.
This week looks promising so stay tuned for future spice.

Not your mother's pizza bread.

don't mess with a hophead's IPA

gila

when did bono start bike racing? DZ is awesome

hot chocolate and whiskey

After the best winter riding season ever, I find myself struggling to find the legs I had back in mid march. I have the base from Jan-March to help ease the process but l feel weak... Between turbulent weather and several other life factors distracting me from two wheels, I have been riding much less than I would like. But, as the dark Colonel Kurtz like scenes I have played a part in this past month are now fading with the grey cold, I find myself clawing my way out of the mire and back into the saddle.

Riding became intermittent about 4 wks ago but not before a nice long day in the saddle with Dan and Kurt. We rode a tour de foothills and put in some quality miles. Dan had even raced the day before and Kurt had run 30 miles or some crazy milage, and I believe I had made easter eggs.

then i ate a spinach salad...

fast forward a couple weeks and dos lobos, Tim and Mark, crossed the CO border for a weekend of sampling local brew, checking some great music, and riding one of the many ranches.

we took the long way up

and up

and

Mark fading into the cloud that was cold

tt takes it to the streets

as does maka

It was good to have some New Mexicans up in b-town and hopefully we share many more miles this season. White Ranch was prime that week and I was happy we hit it. I may try to get in another one down there before the heat and looseness sets in.

Since then, I have been what I can including a mad afternoon dash I made last weekend into the hills between storms. It started normal enough with plenty of climbing and I even stopped to clear the road of a recently tossed bottle.

why had someone smashed a non-alcoholic beer bottle into the middle of the road? who knows, but I figured I would do my part. Much to my chagrin, I quickly learned that good deeds sometimes go punished up high.

I picked a questionable route and went hard. as the storms started coming over the ridge like choppers over a jungle canopy, I began looking for a direction on the dirt roads that would help me miss the frigid rain storms at 7k+ ft elevation. Of course my evasive action was in vain and I soon found myself taking what cover I could as the rain got heavy. It grew dark and my thoughts strayed as I shivered uncontrollably in the icy rain, sometimes chuckling.

staring at a puddle on the edge of hypothermia, mother nature made it clear that I was nothing but an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect the bill and she obviously had no intention of ever paying it. 6pm, cold rain falling steady on the verge of turning to snow, temps plummeting, close to an hr of mostly downhill home=pure suffering. Needless to say, it was a hot cocoa and maker's mark type evening after that...

goodbye march

HELLO SPRING!

i really liked this short film

edit: I would watch it outside the blog screen. double click to get the youtube wide view. even though it's a 19min film about the lumbering journey of a plastic bag, I found it to be very well done.

Itching for some dirt

It seems mother nature has decided to use the last day of winter to give us a nice snow storm and our mtns can certainly use the snow pack. The last few days sure were enjoyable though and at least I was able to sneak in one last SS ride up high today before the storm hit but alas, no ride photos.

I did take a couple shots at the garden this evening though.

the garlic is showing some green

wintered over spinach, arugula, and cilantro

I'm a bit behind down there but I am getting geared up for a full on rally in the dirt next week so get ready for some future garden shots. I have a few cool varieties on deck that will be new to me and many of them are heirloom seeds sourced from Abbondanza Farm so they will be prepared for the Colorado growing season.

fingers are crossed for some out of town trail next week...


even though this 1938 faux hawk should be considered very cutting edge, the real subject is the rider on the left, Gino Bartali.

sunshine on our shoulders...

not much time to post today but quickly, if anyone is looking for a sweet extremely well maintained Serotta Legend Ti road bike with recently upgraded components (Dura Ace) and newly built wheelset as of last summer, give a holla. 55.5 center to center TT. BK is selling this baby to support his coffee habit :) It will be posted on ebay as of this evening. It is a beautiful machine!

what was that noise?

those were my thoughts as I started down the steep hill on my fixed gear commuter near our house as I was heading to the track on friday for my final session. good thing I run a brake unlike the uber hipsters because this could have been messy. it went like this, starting down the hill that will see your legs running like eggbeaters, I hear and feel a knock 1/4 of the way down. seconds later cog and lock ring are off my hub as the chain is bouncing dangerously looking for something to tangle in. the lockring threads had blown completely off the hub. I was thinking maybe the lockring had been working itself loose causing it to blow off but as someone pointed out, since the threads closest to the cog are completely blown out, it's unlikely that a loose lock ring caused this. it was quick and scary but I managed to get the cog rethreaded on the freewheel side to make it to the track for the best and last session of the course.

trust me when I say, you do not want to be a mouse looking down the barrel of Francis

good people=good times

The 9th annual DOJOE went down under snowy skies. Good stuff. My favorite part is cheering on the finishers in the last uphill to the finish line while timing as well as watching participants win in the raffle. All the event and donation coordination come to a glorious finish every year at the Eldora Mtn Resort lodge but not before racers hammer up and down the mountain for glory and fun.

finish line crowd

swiss miss twins and crowd

the yellow contraption is actually a new flotation device for avalanche safety, this was new to me. Someone from BCA skied the event with it inflated, cool device.

This father and son duo will be fighting over who gets to use the new skis!

Smurfette and Tim, take 1st in the snowboard class! Great job!

What it's all about, good times and good people! Lot's of smiles and raffle winners and the band played on...

our town has priorities

Be there or be rectangular!!!

Come to the DOJOE memorial race at Eldora tomorrow 2/28. It would be great to see some new faces up there this year and we have quite a bit to give away. It's always a great time for a great cause! Best costume wins a sweet pair of Black Diamond skis and the after party is always positive vibes with heaps of other prizes! Check out the facebook fan page for details. You may need a facebook account to view that so I apologize in advance if you can not open the page. You could always open a vainglorious account there and post multiple photos of yourself doing some activity... Yawn, yes it's mostly a narcissistic theme on the FB social network but it helps me stay in touch with some old friends and family.

Besides communication and recipe swapping, there are gems to be discovered among the sea of self admiration. One thing I did find recently on facebook, is this gentleman's website. Interesting site/blog if you like historical and contemporary speeches. I am still going through past posts but I really like it so far.

Quick suggestion for the pro tour, I feel it would be appropriate to give the winner of the 2012 Giro prologue a commemorative 32 caliber that fits snugly in your jersey pocket.

East coasters who made it to NAHBS, post photos of the art!

GET INVOLVED!

I was up at the Black Sheep workshop last month chatting with James about the ummm... weather, when he began mentioning some of the projects they have been working on for NAHBS. Here is the latest creation he built for Jake K. Super cool features some of which I may have beneath me for 2010 if all goes well. James is a super cool intelligent builder who builds CUSTOM bikes for the trails and style of each individual rider. Check the bar, seatpost, and tensioning design. I started looking at and chatting about this tensioning system with James a couple yrs ago, now I'm giving it a go.

BS even takes it to the track, err street, with vuelovelo. I'm unsure what the deal is but looks like they are in OZ. Not sure what I think about the winter hat and hot pants but sweet lines on the frame(s:) none the less. The track in their video looks incredible. Oh, and don't get all worked up fellas, most of the people at the track here are old slow guys like me, not 20 something fitness queens modeling on a bike.

Aside from dreaming of a biathlon where skis are replaced with bikes, the snowy weather always motivates me to cook some warm comforting food. I figured I would share a couple favorite recipes that we make around here regularly.

Although we have only prepared this twice since stumbling upon the recipe last fall, I find the finished meal to be very satisfying. We prepare it with rigatoni, a bit more kale, and a couple minor modifications but essentially the same.

Here is a great broccoli soup recipe that I have been enjoying for years. We use closer to 2lbs of broccoli including peeled stalks, an extra cup of water, and use portabellos or crimini mushrooms for a richer flavor. I like to serve it with finely grated parmigiano-reggiano on top. This soup will surprise you in a good way!

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, come up to Eldora for the DOJOE uphill downhill annual charity ski race. This is always a blast and best costume wins a set of skis. We have a pile of great prizes here waiting for a home. The raffle and after party with music and beer are always a blast. All proceeds go to the CAIC!!!

absent yet rolling

It has been tough to find my current riding exciting enough to post about. As the weekly hrs on the bike increase despite the winter weather, I am finding thoughts of warm weather, trails, and trees at altitude, creeping into the mind.

Admittedly, I have not been checking in on anyone out there so hopefully all has been well. I will be checking out how the early season is shaping up for everyone though so post those rides! I'm enjoying all facets of cycling lately but nothing spectacular so posting photos of the same old shiz seems silly. I am super happy that there has been almost no indoor riding this season. I have owned a Lemond spinner for 7 yrs and I think it's finally going up for sale. I have ridden it maybe 5 times the past two winters and with other projects in mind, the cash will be more useful allocated elsewhere. I plan on looking for a trainer or rollers this spring or summer.

On top of some mtb and track riding, I'm hitting the road as well to help maintain my questionable sanity. I have been seeing all the familiar MTB faces doing the same thing. Don't let them fool you, the hardcore SSers are out there as well, hiding under their winter riding gear atop road bikes. It's the do what you got to do time of year and what better way to get a controlled 60-100 miler in a couple times a week. I have even passed Charlie Hayes out there a couple times, good to know he's human and needs to train like everyone else.

Prior to one such recent cold day road outing, I snapped a shot of BK's new road machine. Sometimes we must tap into those friends in high places to make the plan come together but it's oh so nice when it happens!

Looking fast as well as in vogue.

Speaking of in vogue, I was recently perusing some of the bike builds over on the Hampsten blog. They have an interesting concept going and kick out nice bike builds even though they seem to outsource the nice frames. Personally, I like my grocery getters a bit more stripped down and less enticing to thieves but I am fond of the last bike on the 1/20 post. I wish I had that one while we were cycling through wine country in NZ.

Any east coasters hitting NABS? It looks like a great lineup this year and I have read rumors about a fixed gear urban competition going on Saturday which should prove entertaining.

K, I promise to be more visually stimulating in the near future so stay tuned but now I am off to finish ordering the seeds for the this years growing season.

We pay to play the human way

on your left said fred

the road is long and beautiful


no road riding today, the snow is falling!

time to ride

after a november of nachos

and a december of homemade pizza

it's time for some of this

and bit of that

followed by some of this