1Speed Mindset

dub

2011-08-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

just lovin' it!

2010-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-09T20:54:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

gila

2010-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

when did bono start bike racing? DZ is awesome

hot chocolate and whiskey

2010-04-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

HELLO SPRING!

i really liked this short film

2010-03-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-03-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2010-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

the road is long and beautiful

no road riding today, the snow is falling!

time to ride

2010-01-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

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

janyouwary

2010-01-18T23:41:00.001-08:00

here is the link for the "Oh Canada" SS championship race. this guy did one of (if not thee) best songs in the talent competition at sswc 09 in a bid to bring the race to the great white north but for some reason, it just was not in the cards so Canada is putting on their own event.

those not wanting to spend big $$$ to go to NZ but still looking for a festive gathering of 1speed wackos, should head to Prince Edward Sound for the CSSC. anyone who would pull their shirt up revealing their hairy belly while gyrating and singing Kiss by Prince in front of a thousand drunk SS'ers, will most likely put on a decent event.

it's january which means dry and warm weather in CO and this latest mild spell has offered plenty of spinning time to get the base miles in. i have been hitting the velodrome once a week as well to mix things up but it is nice to be outside again. these are the lonely miles that make up the foundation.

working on a few new exciting projects as well that will benefit the world of man, more to come.

when i get a rooster

2010-01-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

i want him to be just like this guy

veintediez day 1

2010-01-01T16:56:00.001-08:00

Hit a nice little new years spin this afternoon. the consistently cold temps have kept the snow in great shape. We found an especially fun untracked area that was holding 3-6in of snow with a nice wind blown french bread like crust on it, delicious.

slashing a pow turn

grabbing fresh tracks and having fun

these were all our tracks

this was a great downhill but traction was lacking on the up

setting sun.

As 2010 rolls in like an inevitable tide and another year makes it to the scoreboard of life, I find myself having a genuinely good feeling about 2010, I hope everyone else does as well.

happanewyeeeerrr!!

2009-12-31T19:00:00.000-08:00

the rioja is flowing and the pizza party is raging but i pause from the festivities to propose a toast to all of you beautiful people! to the promise and hope of 2010! have a Safe and Happy New Year!

on the brink

2009-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Whenever I start to feel like I am being annoyingly jovial, I watch this and quickly settle down.

Worldometers - real time world statistics

"for the rest of us!"

2009-12-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Happy F!*#ING Holidays!!! With all seriousness, hopefully everyone has experienced a few relaxing days proceeding the frenzied bustle that is the helliday season. No matter what holiday you celebrate, the important thing is sharing some time with family and or friends.
Turned out a nice long solo snow ride yesterday.

Guess what I saw in the middle of the ride?! I had to try a zoom shot even though I only had my point and shoot. I love birds and I especially enjoy birds of prey. When I was a child, my father used to tell me that he had been an eagle in his past life. I often hoped that maybe I would be one too someday.

It was a privilege to see this bird enjoying it's reward on this cold afternoon.

Despite the encroaching darkness at the end of my ride, I knew that the sun never set on the singlespeed empire. Thoughts of nutty thumb print cookies and warm soup soon danced in my head as I headed home.

The 1x1 is setup in it's usual fixed gear mode with a studded tire up front and nevegal rear. I blew the bead out of my other snow tire last season trying to mount it on an old Rhino Lite rim but the Nev will do just fine until I can get ahold of another Innova. It takes a solid effort to push the 17t through the snow but it is oh so fun!

Winter riding can also be a learning experience. For example, I learned that when it snows, the hordes of people who walk their dogs on the trails do not have to pick up their dog's excrement. I unaware of this change in local law due to snow but I suppose if you are lucky, the old adage that you learn something new everyday, will hold true.

this thought is dated but I still like this frame so figured I would share. I hope to add a CX bike to the collection some day, after my next mtb frame that is...
Me thinks this should be mine! Seriously nice SSCX frameset from Raleigh. I like the Miller Highlife theme better than last years paint job.

enjoy and more soon

slackin in the new year

2009-12-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

Apologies for such long breaks and lack of content as of late. The 1.5 people who actually check in on this blog were most likely able to find higher quality entertainment lingering mere mouse clicks away but I am making it a point to pay more attention to the ol' blog. It's not that I have been inactive per se but rather find my own activities rather routine yet still enjoyable in the moment.

This was the last half pint of dry hopped IPA at the Avery tap room, quite possibly one of the best beers ever. $1 off pints when you bring your helmet in on Saturdays.

Aside from the road rides, mountain rides, trail runs, and normal tomfoolery with friends on my fixed gear, which is more about stopping in breweries rather than giving the Lance look back to weekend warriors, we actually hit the mtns last weekend for a few snow turns and heaps of hiking.

I can't wait for some real pow turns, the scratchy wind blown gets old quick.

Thanksgiving was great, thanks for asking and our locally raised and slaughtered turkey blessed our house with incredible quality right down the very last spoonful of epic soup. Our normal T-day ride or run was replaced with what hopefully will be a new tradition, the turkey loops. Basically loops on the road bike, 45min to 1hr in length with stops home between each one allowing for ample basting of our precious bird.

The day after Thanksgiving was a great day in the 60's on mtn bikes most of the day. We ran into friends along the way and the weather was one of the last warm ones of 09.

We came up on this young lady who had open her leg up on a nasty sharp rock up on the trail. For some reason, I missed the best picture with her making a tough girl face and flexing for the camera while blood ran down her leg. She was riding with the Sports Garage crew and actually pedaled out, so props to her. The cut was deep.

So here we are, early Dec and its 2 º outside (feels like -7 according to the feels like meter). We are up for another nice layer of snow tonight and tomorrow on top of the current blanket of white from the weekend. Time for the studded snow tires on the 1x1!

Here is a link from an old friend back east. What Linus never told you about Christmas.

don't let the evil corporate xmas monster bring you down this season. try not to shop too much and forget about wasteful xmas trees! see you soon

happy day of thanks weekend

2009-11-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

post ride

2009-11-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

The End of the Line :: Home Page

2009-11-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

The End of the Line :: Home Page

We saw this movie last night at a screening here in town. This is a must see for anyone who lives on this planet and a definite must for anyone who has children. Our sad reality.

Back at it

2009-11-11T12:24:00.000-08:00

edit:this is where we woke up on morning one, not too shabby

I have been delaying a post since we returned. New Zealand was incredible and I wish we had more time there. The hikes were epic, the food was incredible, the wine was outstanding, and the country is beyond breathtaking. I am glad that we took this trip and I can say that NZ is the best country that I have visited to date. I would move there in a heartbeat if they would take us.

All that said, I would say that anyone planning to attend SSWC10 on the north island, plan on a long trip or don't even bother going. I can say that the riding there, albeit celebratory and fun, will not be the highlight of your trip. We didn't even go to the north island (the lesser of the two according to everyone on the south island of course) and we still could not see as much as we wanted. It is good to have up to date info from people who have traveled there recently so be sure to put forth the due dil on this trip. It would be very easy to waste a lot of time if you didn't have a plan and backup plans for all your plans as we quickly learned. Weather and from what I hear, crowds during peak season, make it easy to get off track. and all that said, it was f'en amazing, did I say that yet?

I am working on a slide show for friends and family and will post it here. Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the autumn weather. More soon ws

see you in a few weeks

2009-10-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

I have been rather busy lately and still trying to finishing up getting ready for departure. I will try to post a little something from the road. Enjoy!

thirsty thursday

2009-10-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

art to choke hearts

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

new collaborative from blu (the artist who created Muto), and david ellis. another cool piece. it loops twice so you only have to watch half.

Living large on very little

2009-09-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

That will be my new mantra if I can not find my was back into the workforce soon but the riding has been good and I was able to enjoy a solo ride up high yesterday. Interestingly enough, the highlight was not the ride but the elk I encountered.

The leaves have dropped up high and the aspens seemed to be huddled together discussing their preparation for winter, or so it seemed.

I have seen elk on this ride before but never during the rut so it was a bit more eventful. After pausing at a lookout, I started back up through some dense trees and heard two bulls clashing horns up ahead. I startled a group of cows who trotted ahead and the clashing stopped but as I moved to the edge of a meadow, the bulls started bugling from the trees on either side of me. I slowly moved up and was almost right between them. The louder bull not surprisingly had the cows on his side. It was amazing to be in the middle of it in that setting. It beat sitting in a car in Estes Park on the side of the road.

This weather really has been special the past 5 days. I have been lucky enough to get in some great riding to usher in the change of seasons. It looks as though we will be in for some chilly weather tomorrow though so break out the base layers and longsleeves and revel in the season.

In dated cycling news, Cadel actually won! Maybe now he can stop playing the victim but somehow I doubt it. Most know I am not Cadel's biggest fan and some have even questioned my lack of support for the guy over the years so I will say it here, great job to him for winning the rainbow, now go home ;)

If you have not seen EdE's post on the oil debate, you should check it out. Good thought provoking stuff.

It looks as though it is last call for the garden. Heading down for the last tomatoes of the year. It sure is nice to have lbs of OG heirlooms to eat at will but all good things usually come to a pause.

Hopefully everyone can get out and take the trail less traveled one last time before things are closed for the season, enjoy!

Keep an eye out

2009-09-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

These are the flashy wheels that were stolen from the party at Ska brewing, weak move.

SSWC09 Worldliness

2009-09-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

"This event is a little more inviting and more personal, not so serious in the sense of where some mountain biking is these days," said Jon Bailey, another member of the Passion Productions crew. "I think it's based off hope. It's kind of like a hope for humanity. This group just wants to go out and ride bikes and push the limits and celebrate. When you see something with all these people coming together and enjoying it, it's hopeful." Quote from the Denver Post article.

As everyone who donned one of the 400 mohawks especially for SSWC is trying to figure out what to do with their hair now, I reflect on the fun with a quick run through of the events. To the best of my knowledge, this it how it went down.

And so it went on that beautiful September weekend. The 2009 worlds are in the books but not before the indelible grooves that are the memories were burned in our minds as well as a couple indelible tattoos that were burned onto the winners.

We headed out of Boulder on Thursday around noon after many delays including a nail in one of the car tires. Construction back ups dented our time but we finally make it and unpack our things. We then walked down from the rented little guest house we had a few blocks from main st and mingle with the Derailed crowd at the saloon. It was a good way to ground with the madness and I was feeling rather nostalgic being back in Durango. I have always missed it after my short time living there many yrs ago. In some ways, it really has not changed all that much and it felt good.

After registration on Friday, we wandered around a bit, chatted with some friends and then headed out to Dry Creek for a little warm up loop to loosen the legs. We rode a nice 10 mile loop and even hit the CO trail for a while. This was a perfect warmup for the next day. A headless and blurry Jessica makes the pyramid look easy. I posted pics already of Friday's party and hosting competition so jump to Saturday morning.

10:30am-we put on our garb and headed to the start line. We jumped in with Joe and the SSO crew at the start. Here is what it looked like in front of us.

Here is what it looked like behind us. Now, I was not trying to get off the front but I wanted to be in the front 1/3rd of the crowd. All seemed according to plan as we chatted with The Outlaw and the race began. 50 ft into it, we get hung on the inside corner as two people go down and about 600 people go around us to the right. It was hilarious and everyone was hooting with anticipation of the madness that would soon ensue.

As we head out of town and turn left to head up the hill, there were riders as far as the eye could see. I started to move up through some of the crowd on the road but it was more like moving through an endless school of fish and fish we were.

Hiking was soon impossible to avoid and we bush whack up in attempts to find parts of trail to actually spin on. Part way in, I realize my newly mounted rear tire is really low but I did not see any Stans leaking out so figured it was ok. It continued to lose air though and by the end, it was almost flat with about 10lbs of pressure but it held up enough to finish. I would later find the Stans stem had been leaking.

Much happened between photos but it is impossible to put it into words. Think fun technical trail with people crashing in front of you and people behind you yelling at everyone to ride through and not stop with some sections of spectators. Some of which, hand you alcohol.

This was part of that last big hike a bike. Right after this spot, there were guys cooking bacon trail side. They were also offering doughnuts and tequila shots. This hike lasts 5-10 minutes but much happens, read it fast to get the idea... I took the teq shot as the smell of fresh bacon wafted about. I followed it with a long draw off someone's PBR. Half eaten pieces of chocolate covered doughnuts dot the next 10 ft of trail representing the poor decision making of earlier riders. I round the next corner to see the Early Times crew with full fifths of the cheap whiskey trying to get someone to drink some. I turn one of the bottles up and bubbled a huge double shot that was rewarded by huge shouts of approval from the whiskey givers as well as a slap on the ass. It was followed immediately by a bite of an apple chaser that was handed to me before the pain of the whiskey was fully realized and promptly taken back after my bite. With stomach on fire, I round the next corner to Tecate handouts and drew off a couple cans in a row to get the whiskey and tequila burn moving. All this happens while hiking up a very steep hill.

The last downhill was a wild ride and I almost washed out a few times in the tight loose switch backs as the alcohol blurred my dust covered eyes. I followed a rowdy crew out to the finish, one blasting music out of his camelbak. We cheered each other on to the end and crossed the finish line somewhere between top 20th and 1000th place (pretty sure we weren't top 20 but maybe last). I finished the ride 1/2 drunk on a rear tire that is 3/4 flat. The only thing I know about my placing is that I passed the 5th place woman at some point about 2/3 through the race according to spectators telling her she was 5th. Only chicked 4 times was not bad considering my start position and all the fast women out there. My legs were actually feeling great throughout so I had that going for me, which was nice. I was handed a beer as I crossed the finish line and that was that.

-Edit-After seeing a top 20 list today, it was the 6th place woman I passed (somehow without throwing up) but there is really know way of knowing about a personal placing nor do I care to know. Most of us won big when it came to fun factor and that is what matters at this event!

I thanked these guys after the race, two of the organizers that made this all possible, cheers!

Props to this cat who rode it fixed. He ripped the first section of DH. I was behind him, I cheered him on, it was sweet.

The spirit was contagious.

Checking for cracks

Jessica finished strong despite her scraped arm from a crash. The tennis outfit worked as did the striped tights I had on over my bibs, I can't believe they held up.

HB finishes in old school style

then coughs up a lung

We hung out until the beer dried up then I drank a few refills of much needed water and we headed to our place before the party at Ska brewing.

Joe, Julie, and the SSO crew taking it all in. It was great to catch up with them even though it was short lived.

The crowd drinks great beer at Ska Brewing and watches a team representing Italy play a team representing NZ. Nobody on either team was from the respective country but that just added to the ridiculousness of it all. I yelled my ass off for Italy but they lost.

NZ takes the prize and the daunting task of attempting to make 2010 even half as fun as 2009. The D9 crew did an incredible job and attention to detail was top notch.

It was great to see people we knew and meet some new ones. A few Boulder people made it down and it was great to hear that AZ transplant and Niner rider Tim A. who hooked up with Neil for a ride, turned in a top 10 finish 7th or 9th maybe, well done indeed! Neil kicked ass too on a borrowed SS and got out on the front pack at the start for a great initiation to the darkside that is SS, great work and strong ride to Neil! I see a 29er SS in someone's future.

I did hear that some jackass stole the wheelset they were supposed to raffle. White Stans rims and CK hubs, hopefully karma catches up fast with this lame wrongdoer. I was wondering who won them...

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who put forth the huge effort to put this thing on, it was colossal as are the memories! thanks

what just happened?

2009-09-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

the finish line begins to take form

more to come

Update from the madness

2009-09-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

People really need to give it up to the organizers of this event. You can tell that every minute of the past year was used to get things together. The organizers did not overlook the fine details to expedite the process, respect and huge thanks needs to everyone involved!

the party begins

360 dirt jump style under the lights. The roll in was sweet, off the hillside with two bridge drops or a hit to a table top before hitting the transition to the big ramp to ramp. Despite the drizzle off an on, the guys rode all night.

SSWC2010 host competition. This was the American Idol prelim comp last night.

Canada signing Kiss By Prince (actually pretty good)

New Zealand singing a Queen song. He sucked but everyone likes NZ

Italy (Isaac) singing the Misfits.

The judges! Greg Herbold was Simon.

A Misfits song should win automatically but also the fact that they ripped it and Italy would be a great venue, makes it the place to be for 2010. New Zealand would be cool but we are going there for 3 weeks next month so I am pulling for the Itals!

So, this is how it played out, Italy and New Zealand advanced, Hungary dropped out and Canada waits to try again next year. After two yrs in a row in North America, I guess people want it to move back across the pond. The two winners play each other in a real basketball game tomorrow. They must choose a team of 5 out of the racers and the winner gets to stress out for a year trying to put together an event as good as this one, should be cool.

Off to get ready, just hoping to survive this course.

It's on!!!

2009-09-17T09:01:00.001-07:00

SSWC09, be there or be rectangular!

Mohawk Matt will be there

and so will I

and so will Matt's sweet Waltworks frame!

Gonna miss some good friends that may not make it for various reasons but excited to see those who will be there.

We will try to take heaps of photos for all to see, should be fun.

classic friday

2009-09-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass. Since we had the day yesterday to ride, we decided to hit the CO trail starting at Kenosha Pass and avoid the weekend crowds. Little did we know, there was an annual relay race going on that put quite a few runners on a section of the trail but luckily it was mostly on the way back and it was fun to give some encouragement to the runners. The race takes relay teams from Idaho Springs to Basalt so quite the distance. The lucky ones get to run this leg of trail.

The weather was perfect!

Above the treeline pre-snow

Runners head down off Georgia Pass under the low lazy clouds.

Heading back down.

The leaves are turning.

It was nice to hit this one sans crowd. There were maybe a handful of cyclists out there all day and most stayed close to Kenosha. Next time, I would like to round trip this all the way to Breckenridge and back.

summer fades away

2009-09-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

August has come and gone. It was a bit of a scratch month when it came to consistent long rides. I crashed hard in the 1st week of Aug after a week of mellow recovery riding and then crashed again on the trail a couple weeks later putting the hurt on my already sore shoulder and knee which sucked the motivation out of me.

Regardless, I still managed to get out and enjoy what had to be the mildest August I can remember.

New pine cones at the top of an old favorite resting spot.

1/2 hr after my crash. Older abrasions below new ones

the giant sunflowers are full blown. a couple have started to lose the flowers and are revealing their seeds. I doubt the birds will save us any but they are fun to grow

The moon on my way home last Thurs after a little ride that takes one all over hells half acre. Not hellish in terms of scenery but the climbs are the steepest around. I had to cut the end out due to darkness but there was still plenty of climbing on this one. The first section after this photo had me going 50mph. Things got weird 10 mins into the descent when I rounded a corner and almost found myself strewn across the road at high speed due to a rat bastard deer. It would have made a great POV youtube video.

Sunday at Buffalo Creek. We headed down for the 2nd time this season to get a change of scenery. The rocks are incredible down in this area but I don't have a single photo of them.

I did take a photo of the IF replacement I finally built up. I did not have to buy one thing, everything transferred over from the Niner and I had a used seatpost that fit. I only have two rides on it but I can say it handles well, actually quick but not too quick. I am thinking it may be less stable on the long high speed tech descents but you cant have everything and eventually I hope to get James at Blacksheep to build me a frame. He really does a great job and I like the fact that James will work with you to make your frame exactly what you want. If I had the money, I admit I would be very tempted to call the man, Kent Eriksen for what has to be one of the best ti frames currently being built. I really admire his work as well, top notch.

this smelled like caramel

Double rainbow at the end of the ride

somebody wanted to ride a 29er

Living off the land, yesterday's harvest. The rat as they are affectionately known among growers, is a very tasty fingerling and this is just 1/4 of one row so very productive as well.

escape

2009-08-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

We ventured down to Salida last weekend for some camping, riding, and visiting friends. Escaping the everyday and celebrating Jessica's B-day were the main objective and I think we achieved what we set out to do. Saturday's highlight was Tomichi Pass to Canyon Creek TR. Canyon Creek is part of the Vapor Trail 125. We parked at the Snowblind campground and took the front side approach to CC trail. Hats off to everyone who rides the VP125. I really want to try it one year before it fades away into the lost epics of the past category.

We camped on BLM land on fri night due to lack of daylight

morning light spreads

We went right

Jessica gives me a head start

on the way up

Find the marmot. I think my labored breathing brought his guy out to have a look-see

Canyon Creek TR. To live in Colorado and not explore this exceptionally fine state is unimaginable.

The tree line fades like a distant memory as we hit the hike a bike sections

Hike some more. The new Connect Garmin website and my Garmin Edge seem to have some issues. The elevation gain from the ride is correct but the altitude is not. Either way, I think this one tops out around 12,600 but I could be wrong. The connect garmin website says 10,800. I need to figure out what is going on with that thing.

Gazing away above tree line. This gem of a trail eventually begins to head down

and down.

premature shutteration

Jessica approaching the final turn

We jumped off our bikes, rinsed off, and picked a nice camp site to settle on for the night. The Snowblind campground comes highly recommended, you can't beat the setting and the couple who maintain the grounds will make you feel right at home. I give it 5 stars.

Even though I have not been getting many longer rides in, I am thinking about trying to catch up with some people this Saturday for the HalfAss100 ride or is that HA 110...18-20kft of climbing from Nederland over to Empire, to the Winter Park/Fraser trail systems for some singletrack and back over to Ned. If my sore shoulder feels strong enough, I will give it a go.

September in August

2009-08-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

With all the poppycock leading up to, during, and after the Leadville 100 finally in the wind, it is time for everyone to get off twitter reading the post race comments and figure out your weekend plans. If you are in Denver/Boulder area, head down to Art Bike and/or just hit the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show and admire the artistry of the local RM frame builders. It looks like there will be fun times for all including a Scraper Bike parade on Friday night, as 08' as scraper bikes may be... There is also racing at the Boulder Indoor Racing spot on Saturday night after the RMBS closes. Beer and a high banked velodrome, sounds like trouble fo sho. We are heading down to Salida to visit friends and ride some trails so we will miss the happenings in these parts but I think we will more than make up for it down there.

The riding has been picking back up and the legs are feeling strong just not very quick. I have getting in a few nice long tech rides to warm back up to the mtb and look forward to hitting some trails down in Salida with our local trail guides.

The garden has been going off and this sunshine is really helping the tomatoes. By the time we get back, I will have another load of goods for you BK! Thanks for the compliments and that will only get you more in the future.

One of my favorite veg dishes lately, fresh Silver Beet (chard), a fresh Tuscan red onion, fresh garlic, and finish it with a little white wine, I used a New Zealand Sauvignon (cheap but worthy.) When you saute this all in olive oil, the fresh garlic and onion are so buttery, you would swear you were eating a shrimp dish in butter. It is quite an experience cooking produce right after it is picked, sometimes less than an hr after. The photos don't do it justice but the taste is incredible even if you don't like chard. Most of what I grow is from Seedsavers Exchange, an heirloom seed bank in Iowa. I highly recommend them. The do a great job with starters in the spring.

I hope everyone gets outside and enjoys this incredible Sept like weather!

into august

2009-08-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

BK and the boys invited me out for a great hike early last week while I was taking a few days off the bike.

Duc does his trail maintenance for the day.

Toro goes belly deep to cool off

It's great to be riding again. After a handful of days off the bike, the longest break since January, I feel like I have a muffin top. I got back into the swing of things last week with some road riding and ending this past weekend with some great mountain biking. We rode up in Ned today and rolled back to town via Gordon's Gulch to a hunt and peck series of trails and dirt roads. Getting back to town under your own power is the best and the weather could not have been better for the extra time needed to route find.

climbing up

MD state flower and the Niner

filling up for the ride home

crossing over to the trail

By the time I got to the stove, my hammer gel was perfectly done. Seriously though, who was the first person to start throwing old appliances deep in the forest?! lame

heaps of abandoned equip in those hills from the mining days

this guy paced Jessica out of the trail

section of the trail home

a great cloud

No the most epic trails for the entire ride but a great day to be on the bike exploring all afternoon and as I said, it's great to ride it to the front door.

let the dog days begin

2009-08-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Winter squash blossoms

I received some rather sad news this week concerning an incredible human being and someone I consider dear to me. I wish Leslie Ann all the best and will think of her everyday until she is back home. My words could never properly convey what a truly sweet and genuine person she is.

On top of that sad news, I took an epic spill on road commute when everything fell apart at once in a very fast corner. I was a little dazed and confused to say the least and was lucky enough to have Chris in tow to roll up and pick up the pieces, or mop them up rather. Regardless, I have been forced off the bike for a few days and have been struggling to stay occupied. I am going to attempt to spin a little today and hopefully can get back to it soon enough.

My cycling misfortune has been a good thing for the garden though. I have been spending a solid amount of time weeding and getting things ready for the late summer planting that will provide us with even more food this fall. I even fell into a Lama like calmness while weeding yesterday that allowed me to take in the knowledge some of the elder gardeners will impart in drawn out circuitous conversation wound tightly, yet organically (pun intended) with digressions and story telling. I learn more every season about growing my own food and always look forward to applying what I learn.

I am admittedly bummed about being hindered by my wounds but happy it wasn't worse. I suppose for me, the biggest let down, on top of missing my chance to challenge Lance in Aspen, was cancelling my plans for a little solo MTB trip this weekend. We cancelled our plans to drive around ID, WY, and CO for 8 days but the next couple of weeks in fact were/are filled with plans to visit some trails and friends around CO and hopefully neighboring states. Jessica ended up taking a less stressful and free trip to see a friend in VT and ride on what I would call "home style" trails. Not that our trails in CO are not incredible but there is something about the east coast/mid-atlantic area that challenges you differently than most trails in CO. Tight trees under a canopy of green with wet roots and rocks is what I learned to ride a mountain bike on and I unconsciously measure most other trails against this type. Even though is has been a couple yrs over a decade since I have lived there, I still think fondly of the trails in that area and enjoy the photos posted by the crew that still holds down the fort.

Lacinato Kale

there is always someone who takes it to the next level and homebrewing is no different. evidence of fellow gardener Charles' hop growing prowess

Just pics next time

The cow ate my trail marker

2009-08-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

Chilly start.

Hit the LE yesterday. Jessica did a great job and clipped almost 20 minutes off her 2nd place time from last yr to finish in 4th. There were some fast women in the SS category this yr. Jennifer Wilson from Titus crushed the women's SS class and actually took 3rd overall in women's field. Her and her husband have a cool camper set up and spend the entire season traveling and mtn bike racing, sounds better than work!

The course was very different with all the rain this season and the downpour the night before. There were several crashes this year on what is usually considered a somewhat non-technical course most years. It was wet so a little tricky in spots plus there are a few tech sections so you can't let the open double track get you off your guard.

My LE experience was bit different and for the 2nd yr in a row, I had issues other than physical but had those too. My legs were feeling like wood for the first two hrs and I realize my first mistake was riding bigger gear ratios for the last couple weeks on the SS. I should have known better. I was feeling great on the longer less steep climbs and played domestique to several geared riders who could not pull for some reason!? One guy even put his arm around me after a big pull (8 guys behind me in a line) with a head wind and said "incredible work man" before dropping into the singletrack in front of me...sweet, now I know how Kloden must feel. Someone had to do it so I didn't really mind. The bigger gear wasn't so good on the steep stuff that required more top end though but I was getting through it.

Either way, it didn't matter, I got so lost between the 3rd and 4th aid station that it took me an 1hr 15mins to get back to the 3rd aid station for the 2nd time. It was a joke, I must have made every mistake possible trying to get back on track, it was embarrassing. I'm unsure what happened to the other two guys around me but I should have been smarter and had my head up more. Looking back now, I realize what happened for the most part. I was keeping the guy who finished 3rd place SS in sight on the climb. I figured I would just keep him in sight and pass if I felt good enough. I thought we surely had a number of SSers in front of us so I was going to wait until the end to push. He was maybe 100 meters ahead and two geared guys were around me.

I was climbing behind a geared rider not paying enough attention when I looked up and could not see the SSer anymore so I figured the climbing must level out further up and I started standing on it to keep him in sight. The problem was, we had already missed the vaguely marked turn. I passed the geared riders and hit the top of the hill to find an unmarked intersection with 4wheelers and motorcycles everywhere. I continued straight but then stopped and looked around. I was quickly caught by the geared guys and one shot down the hill the other got on my wheel as I started down but I was struggling to see bike tracks. I told him I thought we were off course but he thought we were good. I should have just turned around there but I had no idea the turn off was so far behind us.

We started down the hill but it didn't feel right. I stopped and climbed back out. I found two other roads back at the top and figured maybe the sign got knocked down with all their motorized vehicles. I followed a road with bike tracks but quickly realized it too was wrong and I looped back on what looked like a shortcut to the intersection. I eventually tried to head up to the high point and finally saw someone exploring around on a bicycle and asked if they knew where the course was. He said he had seen the race at the bottom of the next fire road. At this point I realize if I can not get back on track where I was, I am DQ anyway but I head down hoping it would work out. I see a a group of people pedaling at the bottom and recognize pink marker flags and start to hammer back. I soon notice the riders around me are in a different class and when I start seeing 300-400 #s I wonder if I was in a time warp. Maybe I lost 20 minutes and everyone is catching up, no big deal I think, it could have been worse... oh wait, it was.

I start up the meadow and cross the water, "all these water crossing look the same" I think to myself. Then I realize something is wrong. I am suddenly in the twilight zone and get a sinking feeling as I pass a section I recognized. I realized I got on the trail between aid station 2 and 3 after almost being at 4. I was cursing myself knowing I had already been there. I got to aid station 3 over an hr after I was there the first time and had just under 58 miles on my computer at mile 40 in a 68 mile race where the last 20 miles are the toughest. When I thought about this equation, the answer eventually equalled beer. I was mentally defeated and after talking to a race volunteer, I sat down next to Grizzly, a black female Chihuahua half the size of my cat Sam. She offered comfort and friendship in my time of need. I just didn't have it at that point to do the 86+ mile version of the LE so I DNF'ed myself and caught a ride back to the picnic area with an injured rider.

Weak navigation on my part. My group were not the only one who did this and apparently some of the lead pro riders did the same thing. I think most people figured it out sooner and headed back down though. I got back and cleaned up and watched riders come in. I had some food and beer and waited for Jessica. I chatted with some familiar faces and chilled out but I was bummed thinking my idiotic navigational errors made last years tire/mechanical issue look good. Funny, the woman driving us back said, I don't understand how you guys don't end up dead out here after getting lost, it's an endless maze. She then told me that sometimes the cows eat the trail markers. I told her, sometimes the riders are just fools.

Jessica finishes up! (ill timed pic on my part)

The after picnic, beer and food heals all.

The mens SS class was strong and CH crushed it again. I forgot who was second but David Wilson (guy I was behind) ended up working up to 3rd place and Jon from Steamboat who got 2nd last yr came in 4th. I am unsure if I should go back and try this one more time or just let sleeping dogs sleep. Honestly, I don't consider the course that great but there are a few nice sections and the volunteers are incredible. Who knows?

Now we head out next week for some camping, cycling, and fishing! CO, WY, ID, its all on the menu.

LE 2009

2009-07-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Heading out to the Laramie Enduro this afternoon. The course should be great with the recent rain and dry forecast from tomorrow. I am still unsure on a gear and will most likely just go with what I got but I was tempted to take it up 53.4 GI. I test rode this the other day and it wasn't half bad but I am guessing the end of the course may be a bit tough on that gear and I'm going back it down to the original plan of basically 52 GI.

Strange thing is, I am having some type of allergic reaction to something I ate or drank. It could have been a new drink mix I was trying but I'm unsure at this point. Either way, I have some facial swelling and some type of skin irritation from it. I halted everything and I am hoping it mellows out by tomorrow. I don't think it will be a factor, I feel fine otherwise.

Jessica got into the race late and only had a week to get ready after a long stretch out of town for an art show so she is sticking with her gear from last year.

Should be quick and dirty and we'll be back down here for a mtn sun session by evening.

keep it rolling

2009-07-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I think they should bring back this stage to see who is really boss! I wonder what sicko put that one together?

Oh my, another tour is over and it's time to go back to watching Family Guy. I wonder if Lance will really race Leadville again?

Although I have not been riding nearly as much as I would like, I put together a solid route from home last week. Great climbing on some old trails that I have not ridden in yrs.

I saw this as I was heading back down the to the canyon. A product of happy hour or were they swerving to miss wildlife?

Saturday was another fun day on the trails. We hit a few I had not done in a while and despite the rain at the end of the ride, it was a great time.
Natural sculpture.

Fun times

We are heading up for the Laramie Enduro again this weekend. Jessica and another a friend of ours both got in last minute when friends of friends bailed out and gave up their spots. It should be a fun time but admittedly, Leadville or the Breck 100 are more appealing and hopefully I can hit one of them next year. I am sure we will have a great time though and hopefully it will be smooth sailing this year. I am not feeling like I have the best legs right now but I hope to feel a bit more snappy in 5 days. I am going to use last years time as a target and will more importantly focus on the free beer at the finish line!

Hopefully there will be some familiar faces out there. Cheers!

summertime rolls

2009-07-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing these days and the garden is starting to produce at an accelerated clip. Trying to get a few spins in and just soak up the season.

if you want a friend, feed any animal.

enjoy the ride

2009-07-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Brek 100 is this weekend! Best of luck to all and enjoy the 100 miles of pure bliss. I hope to try this one next year for sure.

it's here

2009-07-13T18:46:00.001-07:00

The garden is hitting it's stride, the trails are dusty, Sammy cat is struggling to stay cool, and the tour is on. This can only mean one thing, summer is in full swing! Not much time to post lately but staying busy and riding when I can.

As far as Le Tour goes, it is going to get interesting. Hopefully it is not a shut out but it seems like more and more riders in the peloton are calling the L.A. card. Personally, I am a Contador fan and he is my GC pick on my fantasy team. Like Hemingway's bullfighter in the Sun Also Rises, he has a graceful and smooth style that is a joy to watch. I like Kloden as well but he will be working for the team this year. The press is continuously watering the tension that they claim exists between Lance and Alberto in hopes of seeing a Hinault/Lemond replay sprout up but I think they are both above that. Who knows though, you can never underestimate the ego when it comes to cycling, that is the one thing you can count on. The Alps are a whole different ball game.

I will brag on my fantasy tour team that came in 35th on Saturday out of what 50,000 teams?! Too bad I had 3 of the top 4 finishers on my team for the stage and 4 in the top 10 but not the winner. Forgetting to change my lineup after the TTT leaving the winner of stage 5, Veockler, on my bench did not help my overall standings either. Oh well, I am still having fun with it.

Did a little tour stage of my own on Saturday. I love this view of Sawtooth, one of my favorite peaks.

Jessica and I hit Summit County on Sunday and rode some great trails. No camera that day but the trails are epic on the other side of the tunnel right now. Everything over here is slipping into summer conditions so we are trying to get out of town as much as possible to mix things up.

Stay tuned for more timely posts and possible road trip in the near future!

4th

2009-07-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

We have a winner at the house and it's not me!

Congratulations to Jessica for WINNING the women's Singlespeed class at the Firecracker50! The 4 rider class looked very competitive and despite the prerace doubts, it ended with Jessica 1st, Kara 2nd, Jaime K. 3rd, and Amy H, DNF. What a great job!!!

Tim came up from Santa Fe and ripped a 5:18 in his first Firecracker, and to think he was shooting for 6hrs...nice work! Also, congrats to Isaac who came up with the NM crew and took an impressive 2nd place in men's SS, excellent work! Oh to be young again. Matt came up with the crew as well and rode tough but I do not know his last name and category so I am unsure of his time but I do remember it was a very respectable.

The course was tacky and fun this year and I was happy with my time despite an off/on 2nd lap, which I thought would be the case due to lack of long mtn rides this past month. I also over did it on the food and drink intake/combo and I definitely paid for it at the end of the 1st and much of the 2nd lap. Despite my ill stomach, I gave the Wild Turkey challenge a go on the second lap after jumping the makeshift ramp. Big ups to TWISE for doing the same. When in doubt, just hit a little whiskey. It didn't faze me either way actually but I seemed to entertain the colorful roadside crew with my exaggerated jump off the 6in ramp.

As usual, there were heaps of strong women on the course and I was able to hook onto some wheels during both laps on the initial climb out of town, thanks ladies! I love tempo pace climbing and strong geared riders were perfect for setting the pace out of town.

The good thing about the FC50 is, you can bonk and still have time to recover so anything can happen. Even when you're down, you're not out. I started to feel good again a little over halfway through the 2nd lap but I had already lost some time due to my poor judgement in food intake then the climb up Little French to Flume hit my like the 2nd punch of a good combo. It does feel great when you top that one out and start down though. I am waiting for the split times to see just how bad I cracked. I was feeling good by the end and I made across the line with a time of 4:43.

Maybe a pic or two to come later. In the meantime, check official results to see times.

I will leave you with one result I found impressive, Steve Becker of Prescott, Open men 60+ finished in 4:55, incredible and inspiring!

Indy day

2009-07-03T09:30:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't you know it, the replacement IF showed up 3+ weeks early. I will say it looks much better than these late evening photos could possibly translate. Too bad I don't have the parts right now to get it up and running but all in good time.

Heading up this afternoon to Brek to take a poke at last years Firecracker50 time. I am throwing the dice a little by gearing for the climbs but I think it will all work out in the end. I will say this is the easiest gear I have ever ridden on a singlespeed mtn bike. We shall see how the chips fall.

Meeting the new mexican crew up there as well so it should be quite the social affair. I am feeling a little off my game right now but this will still be a great event and maybe I can find someone nice to pace me up the climbs out of town, hint hint.

Happy Cat Day!

a few from this week

2009-06-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

a good sign

sky light

peace

back in the saddle

2009-06-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

One of only two shots I took last weekend when we rode the bus to Ned from town and rode back down. We got destroyed on the way home on this one. Just a firestorm of hail, lightening, and pouring rain. In other words, a normal ride in these parts.

It has been a rough few weeks if we start talking about riding. Constant rain, work, and bike issues have been keeping a good man down. Hopefully we have turned a corner though and the summer will actually arrive this week as predicted.

A few of us drank semi pro Saturday evening and what an evening it was. Great company, food, and wine made the evening rip by and I soon found myself installing my BB and cranks on the new Niner frame at 2:30am. Amazingly, nothing fell off today on my ride.

Rabbit's eye view of the trail.

Here is the new frame. I will eventually have another setup when I can score a few things to build up the replacement IF but I am happy with the Niner One9 for now and the IF is still being built. I was able to get a nice ride in today despite the late Saturday night but I will save the initial ride impressions until I get one or two more good ones in. I will say, despite all the obvious differences one experiences on a new bike, I enjoyed the ride today.

I will be off the couch for Firecracker 50 which is lame but oh well. I am hoping to get a good week in starting tomorrow though and we will go from there.

OK, try to avoid a case of the Monday's tomorrow. Cheers

riders on the storm

2009-06-11T20:51:00.001-07:00

riding between the clouds lately and sometimes under them. we headed out of town last weekend to get a little 5 digit altitude. we needed to get away even if the weather was a crap shoot. the homogenized front range trails just do not cut it this time of year, i need it raw and unpasteurized.

what's wrong with this picture? oh yeah, blue skies and sunshine, where are we?

a little slice of heaven

making our way up a climb

sunday found us chancing a higher elevation ride that I have only done once before. since we were up in these parts, we decided to try it even though hitting snow patches was inevitable. the weather was what we have come to expect these days and I would say we were lucky given our location. when it was 40 and spitting snow, we may have thought differently though.

the path less traveled

i enjoyed discovering this little rock. seeing things like this confirm that very few make out to these parts to disturb the surroundings

snow patches were abundant and light snow actually fell on us for a bit as we kissed 10k ft elevation

one of the roads down was still holding a nice stash

rides during the week have been less interesting but continue to help me maintain partial sanity. i have been looping crazy dirt roads and trails together when the more conventional trails are too muddy to ride and have come up with a few fun rides to pass the time

heading back down from one such ride this evening. until next time

PNW in CO

2009-05-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

We headed up to higher ground today for a little adventure. Note:higher not drier

This is what we were greeted with when we reached our parking area today.

I gaze longingly at the start of the trail as we wait for the heavy stuff to stop falling. Soon enough, it slowed down and we set sail.

heading down the hallway

hail carpeted part of the landscape but it was tough to say when it actually fell.

Mining pollution is all too prevalent in CO but these signs are new for the 2009 season. I have no clue who went through the trouble to post these whacky signs or build this bridge but I have always thought is was a peculiar patch of earth so we stayed on the wood.

Jessica looking bewildered at how I made it over

wasting time as the rain sprinkled down

sometimes its better not to expose for shadows

A good time in the mountains despite the constant rain fall and it was nice to revisit one or two old friends who have been sleeping under blankets of snow all winter. I love that first track feeling you get as the trails open up for the first rides of the year. Hopefully next time we will catch a little break in the moisture and reach new heights!

peaks and valleys

2009-05-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

up

down

"sweep the leg"

2009-05-25T20:56:00.001-07:00

A 3 day weekend in the books. I was bummed that I did not get into the Growler but there is always next year, hopefully it went well for everyone in attendance. I doubt I would have made much of a showing but the course looks fun and I have never ridden there so it is officially on the list.

Despite the moisture, there was riding to be had this weekend as long as you were ok with getting a little damp and perhaps even down right violated by rain and hail. The last 4 day's rides all saw rain at some point but I would not give one ride back for anything...well maybe the attempt to bridge the gap to Shawn's house while in the sights of the nastiest storm of the week after 3 hrs at the Avery Tap Room wasn't the best idea but in the words of the Butthole Surfers, It's better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done. I played follow the leader and got served by the Cobra Kai of storms. Next time I lead and I care not who follows.

I put my Gore Bike Wear jacket to use this weekend and it's 75% off price tag has already paid me back in full as far as I am concerned.

I didn't pull the camera out much but maybe this week will prove more visual. If you are starving for some good photography, head to the Reed Photo Art gallery in Denver to see Matt Propert's show. I met Matt last winter and really like his work. He's a low key guy for sure and a talented one at that. He does not use photoshop which I find interesting in this day and age.

green trails lie ahead

got some time on your hands?

2009-05-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Do you want to work on your speed or just feel like throwing up? The Boulder Short Track Series begins tonight! Be prepared to suck in heaps of dust (unless you're in the lead the whole time) and ride at your limit! I have not done one of these in a few years but I know it's fast! I may try one or two this year on the 29er but not tonight. I am riding some trails this evening before the rains hit tomorrow.

cheers!

VOTE! then ride

2009-05-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

I am late with this but get out and vote! One of Jessica's students made it to the finals of Doodle 4 Google, no time to explain... He did this on his own but if he wins, the school get's $25k for new computers and Sameek gets a nice scholarship. I don't know much other than it's good for the school, which struggles financially like every other public school. Go to the link, grades K-3 and Region 9 and vote for Sameek Das from High Peaks Elementary. Monday the 18th (today) is the last day to vote!

Finally, a weekend without ominous skies!

We decided to head down the road Sunday and hit some of the Buffalo Creek trail system as well as a piece of the CO trail. I was slacking in the photo dept but managed to snap a few off.

fun sections

A nice section of the CO trail awaits

this sign made me think of timmy in the land of enchantment

find the rider

Good times down there for sure. I would like to get back someday soon for to explore a few more of the trails we did not have time to ride. Happy Monday!

mmm yeah, I need to play catch up

2009-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

You got that, right? Absent from the blog world lately but regaining control of the schedule.

I was saddened to hear of a very well known figure in MTB community passing on from this world recently. I was not lucky enough to know Anthony Sloan personally but there are many in the area who did. I have read several posts and comments on Anthony since his passing including kind words by EdE that have helped me understand and know a little about who Anthony was and how he touched the lives of many. My best to his family and friends during this difficult time.

Also, big Get Well Soon wishes out to Big Wheel Matt T who many know as one of the top endurance riders in the Rocky Mountain region and he does it all on one gear! Matt explains how his freak injury happened during 12hrs of MV on his blog. For someone with such a serious injury and the pain to go with it, he sure is maintaining a positive attitude. We'll keep turning the big wheels for you until you're back in the saddle buddy! Heal quickly.

So the riding has been fair given the wet weekends. The trails up high have not given up their wintry blanket easily this year but at least the air quality has been better. One thing about the front range that I could do without is our red air quality days. It is and was really noticeable this winter during our warm spell as it is during the summer. I had a strange cough for a few weeks during that warm spell that made me feel like I smoked the Camels, nasty indeed! It really makes me want to move off the front range one day.

Getting some trail when I can and road when I can't, nah mean?

Happy animals loving the cool wet spring. The thought of napping with these guys for a bit was inviting but I needed to press on.

Hit the combo of trails the other day. Heil to rocky rock to small ranch and back. Been liking the bigger gear on the SS lately and I will like it even more when I can get up in the real mountains. Can't wait until they are in the wake of spring and the higher trails open. I have been meaning to get down to Buffalo Creek one afternoon for a change of scenery as well.

Hit the climb to Ward yesterday evening under cold gray skies and a light spitting rain, perfect actually as I was offered up lovely Friday solitude broken only by the usual after work freak Wardo drivers going 65 in a 35 back up and buzzing intentionally close. It is no secret most of them hate cyclists but I still love them! I knew it was going to be cold up there but I needed to get something in with my limited time so I kept a quick pace. I tied a personal best to the water hose if not nipped it a bit then descended back through the cold to climb back up and over to town. I saw only one other guy up there, a familiar junior mtn pro heading up to a secret little climb that very few attempt. The kid is dedicated and talented.

Hopefully there will be a few good photos to post from the weekend rides. Cheers and happy trails!

Rain on tap

2009-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

If it rains anymore, I will need one of these.

The weekend came and went as usual and like the last 5, it precipitated quite a bit. One good thing about the weather was that heaps of work has been done at the garden due to less bike time. We even double dug a serious potato area which I am excited about. I am a little behind but this next week will prove quite productive with everything prepped and ready to go. I have a great selection this year and can't wait to see it in motion.

Not all was peachy this weekend though. One thing that really caught us off guard was the Growler registration. We are now on some hail mary waiting list in case registered racers back out...weak sauce indeed but who knows, we may make it yet.

With peanut butter laden trails offering nothing after almost 3 days of rain. We hit the road for a spin today.

This stream usually is nothing more than a slow shallow tributary to the St Vrain.

The trees decided not to wait for the sun and have started to do their thing.

Doesn't everyone walk their lama and their dog at the same time? Had to shoot from the hip on that one so sorry if it is blurred.
Happy Monday to you all!

just because i'm bored

2009-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Warning:language not safe for children...say what?

This weather is great if you're an outdoor plant.

credit to dk for bringing the GI Joe psa remixes to my attention

3 day wknd

2009-04-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Went for the classic.

We rolled into the outskirts of moab mid morning Saturday. Knowing the popular trails would be mobbed, we picked a couple trails off the map, and the beaten path, that we had never ridden. We found a great overlook and we did not see a single person on the trails.

There is just so much.

Wide open.

We saved Porcupine for Sunday knowing many rode it the day before. The town itself was crowded due to a car show but we stayed outside the madness and timed the rides perfect. We saw maybe 20-25 people total on Porcupine Rim which was great since I have not done this ride in 8+yrs. We set off just north of town and rode to the trail. Slick Rock was a junk show of course but once we got up the road, it was quiet and warm.

PR is just so much better when you ride from town.

Not a bad view. The descent was incredible, technical and fun! A couple full sus guys went down at different times around us while foolishly trying to plow through tech sections without actually choosing a line. It was funny and eventually we broke clear of the tomfoolery and it was smooth sailing.
Got back to town, ate a sandwich and headed east to Fruita.

Made it to Rd 18 for an excellent loop and just after the Fat Tire Fest crowd had shoved off, perfect timing.

sunset beer

The next day we hit several of the offerings in the sunshine while the front range was under cold dark skies.

We we were just riding along those hill tops moments before

I love it when a plan comes together.

and it was good

2009-04-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Amstel Gold, another long one day classic road race, was a great distraction Sunday morning while the day warmed. An extremely strong finish and fine show. The classics are coming to an end.

Pancakes, coffee, and chores also happened while the race played. Soon, I was pumping up the skinny tires for a little road ride of my own. The trails were beyond wet after 3 days of constant rain and snow so the blacktop was the only option. I headed out into the beautiful fresh sping air without any real agenda.

Jamestown got a little snow of it's own. I knew this would be tricky with all the melted snow and new sand and indeed it was. On the climb, I eyed the corners of my soon to be descent to see how the sand could potentially play tricks on my 110lbs of pressure. The sand usually lines up from the cars but recent water can move the sand and close you out with devastating consequences.

There was a good bit of water running across the road up near town and sure enough, in the 3rd or 4th real corner of the descent, I came up on a crash. A woman had gone down and was not looking so happy. I was told all was good as they loaded her into someone's car and I proceeded with caution.

I headed north and spun loops by rolling muddy green fields through the moist air. Animals and plants alike seemed to be rejoicing in the spring weather. Melting snow gave way to green grass and you could tell the change was truly here.

This young one had it's head through the fence eating moments earlier proving that humans are not the only ones who think the grass is always greener. I'm not sure what he would have thought of Damian Hirst's cow in formaldehyde I saw a day earlier and in fact, I am still unsure what I think of it. I had a hard time looking away, I know that much.

Got a little dirt in today out east just for the mental. It was a very nice evening to say the least.

So, we are going to try and head west again this weekend, only this time we may go straight to Moab for Sat and Sun and if I can score Mon off, we can have a little Fruit for dessert. We want to avoid the festival of fat tires and hopefully hit the area after the crowds disperse.

Tried this beer tonight. Hercules dbl IPA from Great Divide Brewing out of Denver. I found it interesting that the only awards they boasted on it's label were won in Australia... Anyway, its not bad but a bit malty for me. Malt is great if you're talking Whoppers or those Robin Eggs you get at Easter but it can quickly become a wet blanket on the hops. Until next time.

things to do in denver when it rains

2009-04-18T19:44:00.001-07:00

Our plan to run under the storm Friday afternoon and try make it to Fruita for the weekend conjured up some old memories. Needless to say, we never left the house and some of those who did that afternoon, spent several (5-7) hrs on a closed highway only to be redirected to a shelter for the night.

Anyway, almost racing into the snow storm had me thinking of a day at sea when I was a young boy and I learned that mother nature reined supreme. I grew up near the water on the east coast and the open water was a big part of my life from NY to MD. I remember one fishing trip in particular on the Chesapeake Bay. I was with my father when a storm rolled in hard and fast while we were on the open water. We were cornered into making the only move that many on the open sea are often forced to make in such a check position. That choice is to run directly into the storm. The obvious reason is, you have a much better chance of taking heavy seas head on as opposed to being rolled over while hastily running towards the light. This was the first time my dad had handed me a life vest and told me to put it on with nothing but grave look of concern and a, shit already hit the fan tone of voice. Several waves came over the bow of our 25 footer that afternoon but luckily, none of them held her down. I was scared shitless needless to say but when you make it out the other side of something like that and you realize you got the straight up from an elder, it's a pretty cool feeling. Much respect.
I digress, we stayed on the front range and blew Saturday away in Denver. Is was fun, inspiring, and unusually rainy. Sometimes I miss being near a city but most of the time I just enjoy the trails.

the museum of contemporary art

famous pizza, the best slices around

the used book store

back in time

We then went home and I tried a new beer. A little on this IPA, this was recommended by the "beer expert" at Bottles. Now, Imperial IPA is a favorite of mine so I thought I would give it a try after his rave review during which he compared it closely to Maharaja. I normally would have furrowed my brow at someone who so haphazardly juxtaposed this $4.99 per pt bev next to the mighty Maharaja but I figured what the hell, I will give it a try. First impressions of the Green Flash Brewing Co. Imperial IPA put it in the true imperial category. Some brewers double hopped or imperials leave much to be desired. This is a super hoppy beer though with a fine piney finish. According to the brewer, this is brewed like a "San Diego style IPA" which in turn (I assume) was influenced by the British Empire style. Either way, a great new find and a good fill in for the seasonal Avery greatness I am so fond of. They also have a West Coast IPA that is rumored to be exceptional. Fine beer is much like wine, which I also enjoy. That said, I am pleased that I was able to find this offering from the hop gods and will revisit it again soon. Highly recommended for sure.

Classics

2009-04-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

"...they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That's Paris-Roubaix. It's that bad - it's ridiculous." Chris Horner

The Roubaix tomorrow morning! My favorite classic happens in 6 hrs and I will be up early watching it (a good bit of it anyway) live on the cycling tv website. The classics are the best of the Pro road race season IMO. Flanders was really good last Sunday and for the first time, I was able to watch the "real" highlights from Gent-Wevelgem which took place on Wednesday. The attrition rate rises with every mile on the cobbles and Paris-Roubaix clocks around 165miles with 27 sections of cobblestones to rattle the teeth. Looks like a chance of rain too, all the better for a true classic. Big George needs to get out there and at the very least, let it hang out on the front just to make a statement if not for all the glory. Boonen, Devolder, an Ital like Quinziato or someone with Van in their name are probably top pics but I'm hoping Hincapie can show up. One day Leif Hoste will show back up too. As for Hincapie, none of this tomorrow, 06 crash I couldn't believe that one even while I watched it happen... that commentary reminds me, hopefully you all know Peter Van Petegem, that Belgian was tough as nails.

OK, enough about the Roubaix. Riding here has been good and Belgian like on certain days, which I like. Cool to cold, cloudy, maybe a little wet, I can dig that on the road but you can keep the wind. Mountain has been up and down with the weather. The stall on the new frame plans has me tapping my foot but all will end well I'm sure. I rode with Foghat during feb and march so hopefully that serves me well for the handful of events I hope to complete this year. Which reminds me, the Iron Horse or Growler? I know others are wrestling with this. The Iron Horse is the only "road race" I would do and I first heard about it back in the mid 90's but the Growler is calling!

At the Velopress 75% off sale last month, I grabbed a GORE rain riding jacket for $45 and DVD of the Coors classic and Red Zinger races from the late 70's to mid 80's for $15. Now, I had no idea Alexi Grewal was such an emotional ass but I also had no idea how great Davis Phinney really was until I watched these DVDs. The guy could really win some sprints.

Found this today, can you guess where?

That's right, Stan left that in my front tire from last year. Coral reef or tire sealant?

The beer has caught up to me, time for bed. See you tomorrow for coffee and cobbles, peace

Busy

2009-04-08T09:18:00.001-07:00

Life has been full speed lately. Riding, work, life, etc. I have a post I started last week but it will have to wait as it's dated at this point. I'll give it another go in a day or two. Until then, enjoy life.

where oh where...

2009-03-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Efforts to post have been non-existent as of late. The schedule has been quite full and even though I have been busy, it feels like I'm torching days like the stock market torches 401ks. Weeks just keep blowing by, funny how time does that.

We finally received moisture in the form of snow, much needed indeed.

It was still coming down when I got home from work.

Add another 5 or 6 on that table by morning but then subtract 8-10 by late afternoon as the warmer temps compressed the blanket of white..

Sam in her element (not the Honda)

Oh and wouldn't you know it, the delicate transplants arrived on the worst day for them to be outside. At least the UPS driver took the necessary precautions...

A couple of days before the snow, I was able to link up with BK for a great hike with the boys. Toro gives a Mike Tyson pre-fight stare as Duc hangs in the shadows.

and, a couple of days before that, I volunteered again to help time at the DOJoe up hill down hill memorial race/fundraiser. Lot's of fun and lot's of fast people ripping the course. I even found time to make some turns in the mashed potatoes.

And here is the plot for this year. I still need to construct the fence but you get the idea. It's bigger than it looks and heaps of work but always, always well worth it.

I recently purchased a DVD for 70% off that has a compilation of the Red Zinger and Coors Classic races from back in the day, it was pretty damn cool. It is like watching breaking away, only for real. Davis Phinney wins a sprint finish at North Boulder park on the last stage of one of the races 5 blocks from my old place. Quite the gem of a DVD but more on that later...adios

Happy Friday!

2009-03-13T11:59:00.001-07:00

sure is dry up here

2009-03-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

live ride work

the precious is scarce these days

tracks in dust

the surly and malibu barbie

merica'

last weekend

2009-02-25T21:31:00.000-08:00

look out!

2009-02-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

Good ol' Rick Santelli let it rip on live tv yesterday. Does he make a good point? Well, that is for you to decide.

I think the term loser is a bit harsh but yeah, where is our tax money going again? I need a new frame, maybe they can sweep the printing room floor and send me the scraps. And for the record, Jefferson rolled over in his grave a long time ago.

Turn waste into art! Art opening today at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. JMB sculpture will be on exhibit. And to think you had no use for your used inner tubes...Stans needs one of these sculptures in their building.

Many a blown tubes once destined for the landfill, have found a new home thanks to Jessica's artistic vision.

Some other samples at Dirt Rag.

And if you like the strong IPA, check out theMaharaja release party on Saturday. Not quite one of those wine and cheese parties but I am sure it will be a great time. The Avery guys know how to brew plus, they are right off the bike bike path east of town so pedal on over.

TGIF

so true

2009-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me this last week, funny stuff.

Watch more SpikedHumor videos on AOL Video

Chains not change

2009-02-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking here but the time has come to put pencil to paper and say something, anything...

What I can say, is that we were blessed with some rather pleasant riding weather last week. I chased the coattails of sunshine almost every day after work. I never caught up with it but I sure had fun trying.

For 2009, I hoping to make some change of my own.

I needed a warm weather photo after the chilly last couple days... I do hope to be in the foreground of the CB mountains again next yr at some point but I will not be wearing last year's colors. There was some uncertainty on my part with the upcoming season so I decided to start my own team. I wish the Bach riders all the best in 2009! As for me, I'm currently in sponsorship negotiations with Liquor Mart and Fascinations but like the TARP plan, things are not turning out quite as I had hoped. Perhaps a Cutter kit would suffice? The white undershirt, that's how we rolled it on the Baltimore City watershed trails and it worked just fine.

Speaking of Mary's land, it looks as tough MD will be represented in Durango next September for the SSWC09!! I am sure 2010 will be in a far off land so we must revel in the fact that CO people got the nod for 2009. It has been a long time since I have been to Durango so looking forward to that as well. I spent a chunk time there back in the day and I'm not kidding about back in the day. Barracuda was in business last I lived there if that helps with the timeline...Either way, it is sure to be a great event and probably more than a little crazy. Be there or be rectangular.

Best of luck to everyone heading down to Tucson to ride your hearts out for 24hrs. A fellow by the name of Ed, who I occasionally still see walking the streets in town, used to tell me "don't ever go to Tucson." He said this often and this is all he ever said to me. Needless to say, I am listening to him.

Who wants to be a CEO?

3 day weekend around the corner!

January 09

2009-01-25T09:57:00.001-08:00

Well, what can I say? The fall and early winter have ticked off like the final seconds on the game clock and we are now getting ready to slash off our first month of 2009. It seems like the new year just happened and yet it is almost 1/12th of the way over.

Jessica and I spent the last day of 2008 and first two weeks of 09' in Mexico playing in the water and just enjoying a simplified version of everyday life. No bars, clubs, or stores on this beach, just a few established places to stay, the normal handful of 500,000 to 1 million homes just down the beach, and a few no-name small palapa shaded places to eat. Sleeping to the sounds of waves is quite possibly one the most soothing things in my opinion. Add the pre-dawn rooster crows and their snooze buttons that go until mid morning and you have a pretty nice setting that is easy to become accustomed too and difficult to transition away from.

The view of the break from our room. The blue tent in the middle of the pic was actually the "office" of writer, surfer, adventurer, Allen Weisbecker who had just arrived a month earlier for what he said was "at least a year" living in that spot. A true ex-pat who has been surfing since the early 60's and seems to know half the world. It sounds like he has been living in central america on and off for 30+ yrs. After a chat with him about everything from the construction of his palapa that had just started that day, to the issues with food production in the world, he personalized a copy of In Search of Captain Zero which I was stoked about. It was really interesting to meet Allen. I came away thinking few people live life like this guy and I enjoyed reading his book a 100 yds from his camp.

fresh langosta was cheap if you knew where to find the local fishermen

Mexico is full of stray dogs and these two lived in our little area/parking lot and ate from the restaurant. The one cleaning his beans was named Palomo which in itself is note worthy because he was the only stray that had actually earned a name and his sidekick (a female) I named Tippy. Palomo may not look like much at first glance but he was a silent warrior and owned the beach. I saw many a scars on the heads of other dogs who tried to take a crack at being number one only to succumb to his signature no mercy head bite. He never growled at his opponents during pre-fight posturing which actually proved quite effective at preventing a skirmish altogether. Needless to say, from the looks of things, many still caught the raw end of this dog. He was a good guy and Tippy was sweet. Because they live such short hard lives, I'll honor them here.

the caretakers old taxi that they took us to Los Llanos in. it had a nice tiburon decal on the back window which was a little ominous given the fact that 3 surfers were attacked and 2 killed in separate incidents last May a few miles south of where we were.

sunset from the board

it happened on the 5th even though I thought I was going to have a break down days earlier. After averting an early midlife crisis, I made it to forty... the door behind me in the photo belonged to our temporary neighbors who we overlapped with for about 2/3 of our trip. they were a really cool couple from AK and we were lucky to share many a fresh seafood dinners and evening chats over beers with them on our balcony. John and Rona, thanks and see you down there next time!

the cycle of life

Since I was not quick enough to start Zappos or savvy enough to invest in Google in 2004, we had to return to our lives in CO to get back to life and earning a living. Luckily, we were greeted with a January warm spell that took the sting out of returning to the cold weather and I was able to score a few rides to get the new year rolling right!

Short sleeves on the fixed gear commuter for two days straight proved quite fun and a great way to ease back into things. I found myself riding the entire weekend around town running errands, taking the long way to my destinations, stopping at the Mtn Sun, riding to Shawn's house in Louisville, etc. Riding until my ass hurt basically.
I was able to get a spin or two in during the week as well and yesterday actually took out the phoenix fixed gear 96er that had recently risen from the ashes of my 1x1 late last week.

apparently there was quite a brush fire in the area while we were gone that scorched a sizable stretch along 36

Even though it was inevitable that my course home would collide with this storm, I had to stop and snap a couple pics of the darkness barreling down on my position. I was lucky enough to only catch a little bit of freezing rain right at the end of the ride and I was plenty warm from pedaling to ward off a chill by that point.

I will save detailed ride impressions until I can hit a more worthy trail but I will say that the 29er front tire makes the ride a helluva lot smoother as one would guess. I can see why people like this setup, it retains the nimble handling of a 26in bike but the 29in front wheel irons out the trail and makes riding fixed rigid offroad, that much more enjoyable.

more soon

Forward Ever Backward Never

2009-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

2008-12-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Our version of a tree! Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Being Thankful

2008-11-30T21:43:00.001-08:00

I have been keeping on the DL for the better part of the fall. Still riding a little but I am also dabbling in other activities that I find refreshing after a long season on the bike. Trail running and hiking seem to be the go to activities currently and it feels really good on the legs to work the muscles differently. Going on a long trail run or a solid hike forces you to take notice of how weak your ankles get from only cycling or how much of a workout you can get from an hr run. True that it helps with conditioning and keeps me sane but more importantly, it motivates me to get back on the bike.

Speaking of riding or intentions there of, we had to change Thanksgiving plans last minute due to poor weather so we ended up staying in CO and making our own T-day dinner. Jessica did a great job and made one of the best turkeys I have ever had! In fact, everything was excellent and it took the sting out of not getting to Moab. We had a great time eating and drinking the day away and talking about our upcoming move.

We begin moving into our new place on Wednesday which is exciting albeit an adjustment on many levels. I am just hoping that Sam can handle not having her own little wild kingdom just on the other side of the cat door. I am also hoping that amidst the chaos of the move, I can sneak in a ride or two. Enjoy your week!

breaking

2008-11-15T21:37:00.001-08:00

break your routines once in a while, whatever they may be

riding tomorrow

9/26 is good to start with (if you like reggae that is)

time to move forward

2008-11-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Like an out of control descent, sometimes all you can do is just hold on through the rough spots and hope that you eventually pull out or at the very least, die trying.

I hope that the next president is good because our other wing snapped off a long time ago.

a little something

2008-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

friday afternoon ride

saturday afternoon ride with jessica

i passed this couple as they were approaching a fairly technical downhill, much respect

peruvian purples from the garden

currently listening to my talented cousin, Mike Melito, ripping drums on his new CD In The Tradition. Hard Bop Jazz in the tradition of the greats!
Mike's myspace page
Website

cycling in the news

2008-10-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Great to see legend Davis Phinney riding again!

and i may be out of town for this one but it looks like a swell time

Oct.

2008-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

The mystery ailment that sets in for a few weeks every autumn, is beginning to lift. Mired in the residual effects that come from a summer of riding and the weather change, I ease up on the consistent riding and take up other activities for a short while. It feels good around now to wait for the cycling fire to start back up on it's own. I have learned that this perennial change in motivation is best ridden like a wave rather than wrestled with. For this reason, riding has been a bit spotty and less than adventurous the past few weeks.

Like Ace Ventura pseudo birthing out of the mechanical rhino in pet detective 2, I have inevitably begun to push through this precipitous frame of mind and have started to savor the feeling of spinning into winter. I now find myself excited for the coming of cold snowy evenings that see me pulling on the layers and mounting my light before heading out into the quiet white nights. This will be the two wheeled meditation that helps fuel the soul during the winter.

Ironically, I had plans for a nice MTB ride this afternoon but the rain beat me to the trail so the mtb waits another day. This coming weekend looks nice for getting outside and Fruita is in the plans for this weekend or next. Another motivator for me, is the fact that our surf trip plans have been shored up and we will be ringing in the new year on the beach, Mexico this time around! I am really excited to hit the water for a couple weeks and the timing will be perfect.

A late congratulations out to Josh Tostado from the Bach team for scoring big at 24 hrs of Moab. Josh won the men's solo class and is making a name for himself on the endurance mtb scene. I am guessing we will not wearing the same jersey next year. After 2nd at the 24hr nationals and another crushing win at the brek 100 this year, Josh deserves something more substantial in terms of sponsorship and I am sure some bike company is thinking the same thing. We only met once at Firecracker 50 but he was super easygoing and rode up the trail and cheered us on even though he wasn't racing, nice guy for sure and clearly a devout endurance racer. We just ned to get him on an singlespeed!

Just one, is it not crazy that OPEC wants to cut crude production in order to drive, excuse me, "prop" oil prices back up?! Like we are going to stop burning oil.

in the spirit of others...in my audio player right now, Hint - portakabin fever (note, not THE hint, just hint)

peace

cross training

2008-10-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of pics from an after work hike.

The rainy weekend forced me to break out the running shoes. Not as bad as it sounds actually and the hike that Jessica and I did from the house this evening was rather nice. Looks like a pleasant week in store for us, happy trails!

tgif

2008-10-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

It must be tough to be Sarah Palin. This election may be a layup for the dems if this keeps up. Didn't anyone do their homework before giving her the nod?
Maybe the red team wants to pull a fast one and handoff this train wreck to the blue team for a term. When you think about it, who on capital hill has not used their power for personal gain at some point?
here is a funny vp remix, worth watching

credit to curtis for sending me this one

Rides have been tight this week, mostly road and fixed gear riding. The garden is fading away into fall and the perennial chill is creeping in.
grow your food

just because bball season is upon us
edit:justin, turn the volume off before you watch this or your mother will be upset with me

woe is us(a)

2008-10-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

We are trying to bail out the Titanic with a coffee can. Sorry no interesting bike post this time but our economic problems are going to change our way of life for a long time and it keeps me up at night. Listen to Peter Schiff nail this thing in 2006, a must see.

Art Laffer needs a follow up interview. I guess economic models from the 60's will not always translate.

Peter Schiff last week

When will we learn

And everyone thought I was crazy touting my support for Ron Paul when he first threw his name in. He made short work of many in the republican debates, yet he gets no credit. Dr.Paul tells it like it is but unfortunately, americans need to have everything sugar coated.

Listen to Ron Paul question federal reserve chairman Bernanke, this one is good

One of the last true patriots left in congress

here is what he said on the floor about the bailout plan

I am not saying he would have been perfect as president but he would have been better than McSame or Obama given our current situation. I promise cycling only next time!

fall

2008-10-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this pamphlet is still blowing in the wind down by prl st if anyone is interested.

The riding has been mixed and almost infrequent as of late. My fixed gear commuter has been the bike I try to find an excuse to ride whenever possible, sometimes spinning around town running errands for a couple hrs at a time and always taking the longest way possible.

My designated driver. I got this frame in 87 while I was in high school. This was my first bike that was not a BMX bike.

The JV game is on tonight and what a great debate it will be!... I am wondering which will be more humorous, the debates or the The Office? I anticipate that listening to these two squawk like the Aflac duck, will be about as much fun as chewing glass but I will tune in and get involved. The reason we are here in the first place is because most americans never cared to get involved.

Did you know you can legally bet on the election? The odds on Palin dropping out before the race are now 8:1 compared to 20:1 when they first announced she was the gop vp nom. They actually have odds on her trying to marry her daughter off before the election as well. The real shocker was odds that I move out of the US, 2:1 now. We are living in strange times indeed.

bldr county

2008-09-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Riding front range trails on a beautiful Saturday afternoon is usually a test of patience for obvious reasons. That said, it is not often that a new trail of any significance opens in these parts so, despite the inevitable crowds that would surely be testing their skills out on the new trail from Heil Ranch to Lyons, CPM and I decided to utilize it to do a long ride from my place and combine a few different local trails..

Backing up a bit, I originally was hoping to get out of town this weekend to ride but Jessica has been very busy getting ready for open studios and nobody else seemed up for a journey. GITA was calling me but needless to say, I decided to stay up here and enjoy the incredible weather and leave the car parked.

I had no idea how long it would take and we knew we would be stopping quite a bit due to heavy rider traffic so I was hoping for 5hrs or so. A quick handlebar change and a noontime shot of espresso and we were off to see what the new trail was all about. After a short shot on the Wonderland trail, we climbed over Old Stage Rd to Lefthand Canyon and down to Heil. We rode under the fringe of a storm that was briefly concerning us but the thunder soon rolled off into the distance leaving beautiful Indian summer skies for us to ride beneath.

On the edge of the storm.

We took the long way up to the start of picture rock. This trail is in it's infancy and has only been open for 5 days. It was interesting to see the transformation that is already starting to take place as the trail gets worn in. Eager to make short work of inner tubes, copious amounts of healthy cactus lined the trail making veering off course something to think about.

heading into lyons

The trail flowed "fairly" well for that area and climbs slightly better than it descends. There was quite a bit of rock just as there is on Heil and Hall, making the whole ride a wrist numbing workout. Linking the whole thing to Hall is a solid ride if you are going out and back from town.

52 miles with an elevation gain of 7632ft. Moving time was 5hrs10mins some of which was due to being new to the trail and the abundance of riders we shared the it with. I was actually pretty impressed that the BMA had the resources and fortitude to get through all the red tape involved with building a new trail in boulder county. I know this was in the works for several years and appreciate a 50+mile mtb possibility from my house with minimal road. It may not be epic trail we are talking about but it's right in the backyard and will be a good option for early and late season.

monopoly

2008-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Where are we heading?

and so it goes

"I am a patient boy..."

2008-09-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

While Paulson and Bernanke are chomping at the bit to fire up the presses, I am still waiting on the IF to come home so I can ride some trails. The rest of the parts arrived Saturday from Formula so the brake rebuild will commence Monday and my wheels can once again glide through the hills of CO. I am a bit bored with road riding this time of year but you gotta do what you gotta do. The fixed commuter has been a welcome reprieve to formal road riding and I think I will be spinning to the garden this afternoon then head around town the long way. This is always a fun spin in the early spring or after a few Southern Sun pints.

If you didn't get the post title, sorry. I was lucky to be part of the crowd who saw Fugazi's first live show outside of DC which was played in our very own Charm City, it was killer! I have many fond memories from my teen years of seeing punk shows in b'more! Sure you can find a clip with better sound on youtube but this one captures the moment.

I may get one of these setups for when my 29er is down in the future.

I figure I can use the training wheel with the handle as a walker when I get old and need assistance.

Or, I could further simplify things by keeping one of these in the closet for bikeless times. Hard to believe you could dumb down the unicycle but there you have it.

Trying to solidify plans for next weekend. The snow is coming to the high country so we need to take advantage of everyday we can before the trails are covered for the year. We have been discussing possible NM rides, as well as a few others. See we shall.

ps:a new boulder county trail opens tomorrow. Picture Rock connects Heil and Hall Ranch which are not spectacular rides in themselves but it does give a nice option to create a long ride from town. I am hoping to ride from the house one day next week and complete the whole thing. Should be a great time!

lament for DBT

2008-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Literally and sometimes in reverse order. That pretty much sums up the last two weeks.

Time is not on my side to make the DBT in Taos this Saturday. After last Sunday's crash, my brake was left inoperable when the handle ripped out of the actual handle body during the tumble. Still no parts from Formula and it's Thursday night. This pretty much means that DBT is going to be a no go for Saturday unless parts hit tomorrow morning. I am super bummed thinking about missing it but things happen and I suppose there is always the following weekend. The weather does look nice so hopefully everyone has a great time down there.

Today's harvest from the garden.

I am excited to see the bursting carrots, beets, arugula, and lettuce growing quickly from my late summer plantings. The broccoli has been interesting with the two varieties I planted being extremely different. One was more of a Rapini type variety that actually grew on one huge stalk and took up more room than it was worth. The quality was rather pleasant but the room it took compared to the yield has me thinking I may pass on it next season and stick to more traditional varieties, like the one pictured, and a more traditional rapini. Those Wink's New Mexican hot peppers (yellow ones) were quite a surprise and highly recommended. Pretty hot up front but the burn does not linger on the taste buds making them quite useful in many dishes. What does a half ass bike blog have to do with gardening you ask? Exactly

keep on truckin!

funday

2008-09-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

A few days behind on posting and finally getting finishing this post I started Monday. Big ride plans were trimmed short as we awoke to the sounds of light rain falling Sunday morning. We let things warm up and begin to clear before heading out for a mid day ride and although it was not the ride we were planing to do, is was huge on fun and great trails. I rocked my SSO longsleeve for the first time and it was perfect for a fall ride. It even passed my durability test which included a shoulder skid on the trail for several feet.

We ended up seeing one of Jessica's friends and her partner at the beginning of the ride and they ended up spinning with us for a good part of our journey.

Jessica concentrating on the trail.

Christopher enjoying the trail

Someone is having fun

Not a bad background

Yet another enjoyable ride in the books. The first trail we hit was a seldom ridden gem that would not stay open if discovered by the masses so we wanted to lay down some unspoiled memories of it before it ends up closed like many of the trails we loved. It was hard to follow at times but well worth the time spent navigating. I was having an outstanding ride that unfortunately ended with a crash and broken brake handle. I was unable to get it back together and rode out with one brake. The parts have not arrived yet...NMES DBT ride may be out of the picture.

several beers later

2008-09-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Politics, ride plans, and pics

2008-09-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson believed that “all power is inherent in the people . . . it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.” Personally, I believe this includes being armed with information to make proper choices as well as being literally armed. Politics feeds heavily off the ignorance of our population and it is sad. I will not post about politics often, I promise.

This character always good for a smile or three.

Speaking of politics, we are choosing between two not so great choices in this election but it is extremely clear that I could never get behind McCain and Palin is a joke. People who only vote party from election to election are the reason our country is a mess. We need to weed through the lies and BS and pick who we feel will best represent ourselves and the general American public when voting. I admit it is rarely a Republican for me even though I always give them a chance. That said, it is not always a Democrat either. This year however, it will be a Democrat. Obama's poise and class are making the desperate and trivial attacks of the gop look infantile. Who would you rather have in Iran, Russia, or Venezuela rebuilding foreign relations? It is a no brainer for me at this point. If by some wacky fixed off chance, McSame slips into office, we will move to Nicaragua and trade our bikes for surfboards, actually that may happen either way.

The whole energy issue is just frustrating. Republicans want the sheeple of america to find some pseudo solace in their words that all our fuel worries will soon be a thing of the past as we punch holes in every virgin piece of ground this country has to offer. McSame. Gas is never really going down in price, we need to face that fact. The supply was never endless. Why is McCain in favor of keeping tax breaks for oil companies and avoiding regulation of the entire industry as they rape the citizens of earth and votes against tax breaks for companies who employ solar and wind power? I suppose the fossil himself just likes fossil fuels. The formaldehyde will drain out of McCain soon and if he were to somehow get into office, would anyone really want the most unqualified and inexperienced person in the entire election on the puppet strings if/when he did pass away? Think about it.

Enough of that crap, time to live in the moment. It is going to clear up this weekend and we will be riding. There are suggestions ranging from Kenosha Pass to the mythical yet real Woolly Mammoth ride which is close to impossible with newer forest regulations, but is it impossible? Maybe we should just go to Fruita. Either way, I will have a new toy this afternoon to take with us. I am really excited to get my garmin and I am very grateful to Jay at Geoman Gear for the great customer service. I highly recommend them for all of your GPS gear and will slap a link up on the blog. Thanks for the Geoman referral Timmy!

Sam really wanted to head out on our ride last weekend as we packed Chris's car but she soon changed her mind when she realized she would actually hate it.

She did miss the homemade pizza fest at yankee Doodle lake though. Sorry, we were too tired to walk around the clump of trees to get a clear shot. All photos by Jessica.

For someone who studied fine art photography for several years, I sure seem to post some average pics here. I am trying to get back to shooting on a more serious but more importantly, more personal level, print and digital. I may set up a separate place down the road where they can be viewed and I would love to find a quality darkroom to work in. I have worked in a few in bldr and denver but never for more than a handful of times at each as most were pretty shabby. True printing can only be learned in a darkroom and I miss printing tremendously. I do own a nice digital SLR that I suppose I should be utilizing a bit more. I think I will stop there for now.

Enjoy the weekend!

god is dead and lance is coming back

2008-09-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

While contemplating the selection and mass quantity purchases at value stores like Costco, there are many who most certainly have missed this story. Scientists hope to recreate the big bang in a 17 mile long underground tunnel. Now,at the risk of being perceived Socratic, I will be the first to raise my hand when asked who in the room is not at all a scientist. That said, should we really be trying to create black holes? Switzerland may end up getting a one way ticket back to future. The findings will most likely be interesting if all goes as planned but I can not help but imagine what we could have done by investing $10 billion into energy solutions?

Most have heard Lance is rumored to come back for the 09' season to compete in a handful of races. Is he riding the coat tails of the excitement he experienced prepping for the leadville hundo or is he hungry like the wolf? I guess we will see if cycling is still "in his blood"or not. Wait, is that the name of Tyler's post cycling career autobiography?

We did a couple rides this past weekend. Saturday was a nice little singletrack excursion up in the mtns. We took Jessica's camera but I forgot to upload the shots so I have no pics at this time. We had a good time and we ended it on an old technical favorite. Sunday was a big 6hr day in the saddle up up up and down down down . I banged my knee and pedaled on some dirt road, it was sweet.

I will have a Garmin soon.

slacking

2008-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have been a little slow to post lately but back on track. The foot has been much better and the rides are happening again. I am only experiencing discomfort out of the bike shoes now which is a good sign, depending on how you look at it. As we head into fall, I am excited to get in as many trips to the mountains as possible before the snow starts to fly. We skipped King of the Rockies last weekend due to my foot issues and decided that it is just too nice out to pay $45 each + gas and drive time to Breckenridge to do the last MSC event this Sunday, even though the masochist in me likes the long nasty climb in the first half of the course. There is just too much great riding here right now and this is the perfect time of year. Plus, homie CPM is heading out Oct 1st for 3 months so we need to get some rides in before he heads down to Costa for waves, Imperials, and tan euros.

A big thank you to Bob and Marilyn for an extra something on top of the already generous gift they gave me for watching the boys (pitbulls+1 kitty) while they were away. I have wanted a pair of UV arm protectors for a while and the Assos version is just top notch. I feel the spf 30 does little to protect the skin here in CO after many miles but my arms are now that much safer when the sun is beating down, thanks MK, BK, Duc, Toro, and Francis!

Hopefully we will be out exploring a few new trails I have been eyeing up and just putting down a big day in the mountains this weekend. There are those who will be in Salida to test the limits of their mental fortitude at the VP125. This event is really starting to pique my interest. I would need to break into my saving account to get the lights and extra batteries worthy of the 10pm start time, but maybe by next year I will be ready to attempt to complete this course. Best of luck and much respect to all who are heading out Saturday night at 10pm! I will raise my beer in your honor.

tree photo by jes

As all of you have heard, the SSWC will be in Durango next year. I don't care if I have to pretend I am the Turkish singlespeed champion to get an entry or finally apply for Italian citizenship, I am getting into this one. The 08 event in Napa looked like it was a fun time but I didn't get in due to my citizenship, location, and gender so I never even thought about making the trip after that. I understand it is impossible to make everyone happy but the way they handled the entry process last January was just rot, hopefully next year is better. All I know is I am in 09 like a whirling dervish, true dat.

cheers

breakin in CB

2008-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

We headed to Crested Butte last weekend to celebrate Jessica's birthday. Looking for a loop that would satisfy, we put together a nice ride from town starting on some local singletrack. We dropped down and did a series of climbs up to the 403, over to gothic and up to schofield pass, to 401 and back to town. I liked this ride quite a bit and thought it was pleasant to end with the 401 even though you still have to climb a chunk of Gothic prior to starting the trail. It took a bit longer than I thought but it was a fun day in the saddle.

The climb up had us seeing funny things.

a lookout on 403

401

We were excited to eat at our favorite CB establishment, the Ginger Cafe. The food was good and the chocolate covered pretzels from the RMCF were a perfect desert.

We decided to take another local trail out of town on Sunday and work your way out to Teocalli ridge since Reno/Bear/Flag/Deadman's was destroyed this year by motos and it was recommended we not suffer through it. Well, Teocalli Ridge was fairly destroyed as well unfortunately.

We did find a couple nice sections that day including this section in the beginning of the ride. Tight rocky twisty trail through the aspens, what could be better?

Then it was ruts, ruts, and more ruts. It's a shame because Teocalli is so beautiful. Parts of the trial were gouged pretty deep and you find yourself just trying to hang on in a steep flume of loose rock in places.

The pain started on the way down. I came around a corner on a very steep section after a few motos had gone by us and there was a fresh sapling across the trail. No time to do anything but try to hold on as I knew this thing was going to spring back once I hit it. Needless to say, I ended up in a group of small trees upside down. Seems the trail was so steep here, moto riders jump off and throttle their bikes up along the trail and someone knocked the tree over in the process, thanks fellas! We were most of the way down so I jumped back on before the egg forming on my shin hatched.

10 mins later, I eat shit again through another rutted section but this time the rocks were a bit nastier. I could feel some damage to my foot but the plethora of bruises had spread my mental reception of pain throughout various places on my body so the foot was not so bad in the moment. Once we got back to town and I got my shoe off though, I realized it was worse than I thought.

yeah my feet are ugly and those blue spots don't help. Getting an xray tomorrow. I have some other pics to post as well from Jessica's camera so stay tuned and happy trails. Maybe I will clean and tune bikes for beer until my foot feels better, any takers?

Spilling cat food

2008-08-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Aside from a few rushing streams, the heavy rain and mountain snow from last weekend is already a distant memory. The rain was much needed (almost 3in here in two days) and the mtn snow in August was a rare treat. I was feeling a bit insane by Saturday though as I was on my 3rd day off the bike. I took a couple of rest days prior to the weekend so a 3rd day off after steady riding all summer, made for an anxious state at times. If I never see another olympic swimming event, I think I will be ok with that. It was one of those days.

Things broke Sunday and we walked down to the North Boulder Park Criterium since it is held 4 blocks from my house. We watched the pro women 1+2 and men masters 35+ before heading out on a ride of our own.

Mara Abbott showed up and breezed through the women's field to victory.

The chasers were served a healthy dose of pain.

Tuesday was a perfect day for a road ride so we headed up to Ward and enjoyed the wonderful weather on the way. Ward from Boulder is a classic road ride that offers about 4000ft of climbing before you reach the town at 9400ft. I love hitting peak to peak after this climb but time was tight so we turned around after we hit town.

The last mile or so before town is steep. Jessica on her way up the final pitch before the always welcome cold water source that runs 24/7.

A shot of whacko Ward from the moving bike with my cheap 4 megapixel 5 yr old pentax.

Toro the "never give up" pitbull and his brother Duc in the background. My 3 day dog and cat sitting party is coming to an end and the boys and I have had some fun times. That being said, I think I am content with my cat for now.

What about the BMX track at the Olympics or even BMX at the Olympics for that matter?!

Crested Butte this weekend

two fer tuesday

2008-08-12T13:45:00.001-07:00

The 26in geared IF sold in about two hrs on craigslist yesterday. Good thing because as soon as I had put it up for sale I started thinking again about making it a 96er SS or a 650b or something else. It's going into good hands at least but shall be missed none the less.

At this point, most have no doubt read or checked out the entertaining Bike Snob NYC blog and read his frequently comical, yet highly critical posts. I personally enjoy his blog from time to time and have been amused at the current shadow boxing between him and the Opinionated Cyclist, oh the wasted time.

While commuting around town the past couple evenings, I have been enlightened as to just how quickly it gets dark. It seems we crested the peak of summer a while back but somehow rode right pass the sign. I am looking forward to some fall weather riding actually.

Don't click on this photo unless you want a graphic look at how this poor creature met his demise.

This guy did not make it across the bike path apparently. It had just happened and seemed a callous scene as the killer rode into the evening. We discussed a chalk outline but lacked the means. What, you didn't think we had rats here?

This was painted on the hood of a car I saw in the church parking lot we have to go through to get to the garden. I thought it was interesting.

While the big dogs prepare for such nasty epics as the Vapor125, I am trying to decide if I am up for the 12hrs of Snowmass. I plan on trying to hit a couple short events this month just to see how slow I really am but I would also like to try either the 12hrs of Snowmass or the ST8. I am also planning on the Double Boundary as well. That is a great event and if I can obtain a Garmin prior to the race, (and learn how to use it) I will be most happy. I think it is necessary to have it on this scandalous course but even some riders who had gps last year got lost. I ended up latching onto people who had Garmins after the field and friends quickly splintered into oblivion. Not a strategy I would have showed up with knowing what I know now but somehow it worked and I made it out with Lenny Goodell. I am excited for the 08 edition.

Have you seen the heavy metal monk who has been making the rounds? Pretty tight

Cheers

Dog days

2008-08-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting some rain here after a hot and dry June and July. The rides have been enjoyable even though we got caught up high in a very cold thunderstorm storm yesterday. We thought we could make a trail junction and get down but mother nature apparently had other plans. Our PVC rain jackets were no match for the bone chilling hell the storm dealt so our hands and legs were numb and lifeless a quarter of the way down. We finally made to the car for some heat and hot chocolate. Of course it was about 20 degrees warmer down here...

Even more storms hit the mtns early today so we played it "safe" riding on the front range with the crowds and hikers. It was still a good time and I even spiced things up with a nice little washout heading down the trail. Luckily, I busted some of my Shaolin handwork as I was going down which proved 99% effective at avoiding a rather large group of healthy cactus.

I have also been busy this weekend preparing the old geared bike to be set free. My beautiful 26in IF steed will finally stop collecting dust and soon find herself between the legs of another, hopefully worthy, rider. This bike has sat idle for years and should have been sold a long time ago but memories of rides past have had the better of me. I originally purchased this frame from a neurotic bike shop employee who had ordered one size too big for himself. His loss was my gain and the pro deal price he paid, made it quite affordable.

I quickly moved up from a cracked aluminum hardtail that rode like rigor mortis, to a handbuilt steel singletrack railing extension of myself. I have fond memories of being melded to this wonderful creation while floating through the trees with deer like grace. The party ended quickly though as I had purchased a 1x1 around the same time. The IF became reserved for big rides that I thought required gears or after long SS rides that had me sore the next day. I soon realized that I preferred things gearfree and my two wheeled Cinderella has since sat patiently, suspended in some sad poetic tale of lost love while my SS bikes got all the attention.

If you know anybody who wants a sweet 26in Indyfab, give a shout.