The Black Sheep has arrived

Jessica's frame finally surfaced and should be built up by the end of the week. Unfortunately the cranks were installed already so it was tough to get a good pic of just the frame but I needed to get at least one shot.



I like the lines of the frame and the welds look really nice up close. These frames are built right up the road in Ft Collins, CO. They build some interesting bikes and will do anything custom that one could hope for. Its tough to find a standard straight tubed hardtail pictured on his website. I do like his SS Cross models and the team discount makes a 1/2 price custom frame very enticing but I have neither the money nor the space for another bike right now.



I think this will be a really cool looking bike once it is built up.

6th verse same as the first

With the clock ticking down to the Firecracker 50, I need to resort to a more formal training the next two weeks so as not to disgrace my team. Started it off today with some intervals on the road bike, bletch! It has been years since I have done intervals or sprints but all went well and after a couple hrs and 6 efforts, I was feeling content. I have wanted to do the Firecracker for a few years now so as long as I finish and do not come in last, I am sure it will be a great time.

Jessica's show opened on Friday evening. Things went well and some Denver characters were out and about.



PS: the tennis rackets in the photo are not part of her show.

I met a guy named Mark there who according to him, will be the Next Next Big Thing. He was covered head to toe in screen printed flyers with his photo on them and was passing the same flyers out. I have no idea what will actually catapolt him to be the next big thing but more power to him.



I am going to shoot some better photos of the show when its not so hectic in there and I can use a tripod so stayed tuned. Until then, head down there and buy a sculpture!

uno mas

Last day of work for a while. It has been a bit overwhelming this past week with everything happening at once but how else would it happen?

Luckily we were able to sleep in until 9:30a today and caught up on much needed sleep. I hit the road for a very short and quick ride before work. 36 miles, 20.5 mph average speed, headwind in every direction, and loved every minute. A cleansing of sorts.

Jessica's show opened last night at the Pirate Gallery . More on the that and pics to follow. We spent Thursday hanging the show and dealing with double car issues. The verdict is still out on passat clutch but we did find out the Subaru has a torn axle boot. I am hoping the call monday is not a bad one. Dealing with expenses before the last day of work is not the way I wanted to kick things off but such is life.

only 8 hrs of work before summer vacation

5 more days

Weather and work has had me on the pavement the past couple of days and I am ready for some trails. I begin the final push through the last week of work tomorrow and I am looking forward to a huge decompression and shift. I know this sabbatical will cut a new trail in my life but a little unknowing and a touch of uneasiness around not working has been tough to shake. At least I will have a settled schedule for a bit.

I am in the mood to throw out my phone and just disconnect, not that I am very connected in the first place. One thing is for sure, I need to spend some time getting ready for the firecracker 50. Actually, I need to register come to think of it. At least we signed up for the Laramie Enduro before it filled up. I am excited to race Laramie due to it's reputation as a well supported event and fast course. It should be interesting to race a fast 111k mountain bike course. By the time that race happens though, gas will be over $5 a gallon and we will have to ride our bikes to get there.

That makes my current fuel seem like a bargain.


Time to get one of these and park that car.

I have been meaning to link some animation from artist blu. Muto is his newest sensation and well worth watching. I like his simple animation pieces which seem to have a phoenix like theme. Not for the kids so much but uber creative.

enjoy the week. ws

Updates on a rain day

Yes, it has been raining for almost 24 hrs, a rare occurrance on the front range. I really enjoy it though and it makes this place feel so much healthier and the air more breathable. The only unfortunate part is that its fully raining on a day I had a big ride planned. I have been shut out two days in a row now and I took the day before those two off so look out tomorrow!

We got our long sleeve jerseys and vests from the Joe at Singlespeedoutlaw last week and I really like both of the pieces. The long sleeve jersey has the same look as the short sleeve with the SSO infamous striped arm warmers sported here by TT on the beautiful trails of NM.

The vests came out very nice as well. I love the stealth simple look, stout double zipper, and thicker material. Pactimo makes great team clothing and they are based out of Denver so all the better.

Next Friday the 6/13 will be the opening of Jessica's show at the Pirate gallery in Denver. In case you missed it, Dirt Rag has a link and gallery of some of her work on their website. Also, check out the ad they put in the current print issue of Dirt Rag if you have it. It is a lot of work getting ready for a show and I am sure she is happy work is out for the summer. I am really happy that her art is being recognized by a new gallery and I can't wait to be there by her side on opening night!

This got me thinking, I have always liked Friday the 13th for some reason. I don't think that it is particularly unlucky unless you are a knight of Templar who apparently had a rather unpleasant Friday the 13th about 700 yrs ago. I read that this is the main reason that started the 13th myth.

So, some of you may know that I am taking a sabbatical from work for a bit. A much needed break that I feel many of us should be entitled to. More on this as it gets closer. I am a little scared but extremely happy and excited. Hopefully my co-workers do not let it come to this before they take time for themselves. Stay sane folks and remember, just breathe

fixed mountain mondays

The Surly was back in action on Monday afternoon for what turned out to be a mini big in terms of saddle time. I decide to ride from my house to the Heil Ranch trail off Lefthand canyon in full fixed mode and got all I was hoping for.

The fun started with a u-turn about 15mins into the ride to go back home for the 15mm wrench that is necessary to remove the Surly's rear wheel in case of a flat. I took the extra half hr in stride and figured I would just take the rest of the ride as it came. If I could not finish the whole thing, so be it. This was the first time I probed the eastside trails to make this come together so the ride time was only an estimate and I only had about 4 more hrs of sunlight after my 2nd departure.

I ended up linking the single and double track frequented by dog walkers, yoga moms, and west nile virus to a short stretch on the blacktop followed by a climb up lefthand to the heil turn off. Once on heil, I made my way up the trail and to the top of the main loop at a 32x17 exchange rate.


The scene out west was nice and the late afternoon sun was warm. I was able to ride the newer wild turkey trail for the first time and I must say, they did a much better job on building this section of trail than the rest of heil. I have ridden this short jaunt all of two times since inception due it's unappealing short mileage but I must say that the fixed gear ridden from town, added the missing ingredient to make this a worth while mission.



Smooth running singletrack from the top. This section was most welcome after the rock filled climb. Riding a rigid fixed gear for over 4 hrs grinding through rocky trail sections will play tricks on your body.


I stopped about a mile down from the top at this section and noticed a couple walking back down the trail far ahead of me. I grabbed a little food snapped a photo while relaxing for a minute. After putting the camera back in my pocket and getting ready to head down the trail, I hear a Chewbacca type groan coming from a WNW direction. Half knowing and half doubting, I keep my mind on my money and continue to strap back in as if this sound was normal. I catch up to the couple a few hundred meters up the trail and they proceed to inform me that they were told by another cyclist 10-15 mins earlier, that a bear cub was spotted up ahead on the trail we were on. This would explain the deeper voiced wookiee I heard in the woods and I informed them that said cub's mother was most likely behind them according to my auditory GPS system. Admittedly, I did feel a bit better knowing there were slower bipeds in the vicinity and the male half of the couple started making comments about how at least I have the capability to out run a bear on my bike. This may very well be true but as long as I am stopped talking to them, I am just another potential obstacle between mama and baby. I am just over halfway through this hussy of a ride so I begin moving again as his half joking comments fade behind me as quickly as the sun begins to drop behind the divide.

I begin to take on technical sections and curb speed via the fixed skid across the flat rocks. I feel guilty that I have locked it up in the dirt a couple times when things got sketchy, so I have been attempting to strategically lock it on the rocks when I need a little extra braking power. I run a front disc brake so its not like I am ripping up the trail like some skid racer 1st year mtn biker.

I did get a couple curious looks from people when they saw what I was riding but to each their own.

I got out of the trail at sunset and headed back. I rolled up to the house just before 9pm and my legs were feeling worked. It was a sweet ride that was made even better by the fact that I rode from my house to get there.

As the Outlaw says, keep the rubber side down.

trails

Our weather has finally made a more definitive albeit less than dramatic shift towards summer. We were in the 80's for a few days and there has even been humidity in our dry desert air, life has returned to the Serengeti.

Jessica, Chris, and I headed up into mtns to hit some higher elevation trails. There was still lingering snow but the temps were perfect and the riding was really good. It was nice to get above the front range and ride trails at altitude.


The snow was melting fast and we timed it perfectly for most of the ride. A few areas required some alternate routes and side stepping but it made for an even better time.


They took the high road in the above photo but I could not resist the low road.


As you can see, there was just enough dry trail to make it through a couple of the sections. A day earlier and we would have been walking a bit more.

Luckily, we made it up the roots trail without too much difficulty and started up towards the super circle. We were unsure if we were going to get shut down on the way up but we just seemed to luck out through the ride and made it without mud or trail damage.


Super circle fun. It gets crazy with 3 or 4 people in here at once, a tradition for those in the know.

Much of the trail was bone dry. There was almost a summer like looseness to certain sections and heading back down was ripping fast. I have been enjoying the sometimes profound experience of rolling through a known technical section, that I have been through numerous times on a 26in bike, on the 29er. I admit that my 29er to trail relationship is still in it's infancy but the pleasure is all mine and it really has changed the way the trail feels.

CPM ripping down some singletrack on the first ned ride of the season.


The next photo I post of Jessica ripping down the trail may be of her on the new Black Sheep Ti SS, I can't wait to see it!

I was happy we made it up to ride at altitude. It always feels good to get in the first few mtn rides up high. We have been very patient this spring so the pay off was that much better. We ended up working in the garden in the evening and hitting the Mountain Sun for beer and food to end the day. Burgers, fries, and FYIPA. A splendid day indeed, good times with great people.

As Al always says to me in parting, "be cool man" ws