ABANDON YOUR CAR

your attention please

2012-01-16T22:38:00.001-07:00

here's a link to a great resource or cycling events- mostly in the Pacific northwest, but also in Colorado, Idaho, etc.

best coverage of Colorado events is to be found at BIKEPAPER.COM

tell 'em ABANDON YOUR CAR sent you over.

happy cycling.

Oakland Composite Group Ride - 1/15/12

2012-01-15T14:18:00.003-07:00

So, for those of our dedicated readers that don't know, I did a high school mountain bike race last season with a team called Oakland Composite under the Team Oakland halo. It was created several years ago by an O'Dowd student named Ryan Potter and is coached by former California state TT champion, Dave Gane.

Anyway, long story short, the team almost didn't happen this year, but boy am I glad it did. Our riders show an intense amount of promise, and we've all come a long way in the past two months.

So, our ride today was in the confines of an hour, which is usually half the time we ride, but our coach's daughter had a soccer game. To make the most of the time we had, I was told that we'd be upping the pace and challenging people on some gruesome local climbs out in the Redwood area.

I was surprised this weekend with my abilities compared to last weekend. In crits, I feel helpless when it comes to surges and when I try to jump my legs fail. But on the trails today, I was off the front and keeping our pace right around 15mph, even on the climbs. When on the road, I feel sluggish and a wee bit hesitant on descents, but today the conditions were just right at the top of our new favorite climb to let loose on the downhill - a dense fog of mist at the the top created some really tacky trails below, and I felt alive on the bike for the first time in ages.

Within the time constraint of an hour, the new recruit on the team (but no novice by any means) and I had taken our "A" group through our normally-planned 16miles. And we wanted more, but the sky finally opened up a bit here in California and gave us a nice cold rain.

Unfortunately, no pictures from the ride today. But, it felt really good, and the Mexican Coke as a treat at the end wasn't too shabby either.

It also feels nice to be back in the ol' SRV kit. Keepin' it alive on the West Coast, yo!

To anyone that reads this blog and is in the area, all riders are welcome on our group ride. We're trying to spread the word about our team so we can gain more legitimacy in the league. We depart from the Grass Valley/Skyline trailhead at 11am on Sundays. Heavy rain cancels.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more!

NorCal Early Birds

2012-01-08T20:11:00.005-07:00

Well, I'm a bit tired and with the added puzzle that is my homework for the evening, I'll keep this one short.

The NorCal race season started off today with the classic Early Bird training criteriums. I competed in the Cat4 Men and the junior races, and to put it lightly - I wasn't in my best form today.

Started with the 4's earlier in the morning - the official split the field in half and started us on a 1.5minute interval after the first group. The field ended up completing something like 12laps and around the 7th lap a break went off the front, which left me - formerly sitting comfy in about 8th position - suddenly at the front, with gents in front and behind me wanting to chase them down. So, I went, took my pull, helped bridge the gap and then completely gassed. Needless to say, with three to go, I was done for the remainder of the race and watched the finish from the side lines.

An hour later, the junior race rolled around. The only picture my fantastic photographer, my brother Taylor, acquired of the junior race was right after the start - where I was positioned behind the youngins' from the Davis Cycling Club. You can see me on the outside moving up...junior starts are the scariest of them all, and the goal is to get up and out as soon as possible.

With a nice "warm up" (aka the suffer fest) already under my belt, I was able to hold down the junior squad rather well and rolled in after the sprinters for a solid 10th place. Of course, none of it matters because places aren't recorded and they're just training crits, but it was still a fun day.

So, a couple things I learned today:

1. I'm absolutely horrible at coping with surges around corners. Constantly lost position and even exploded in my first race because of this fact. Need to work on some sprint intervals.

2. Little kids don't know how clipless pedals work, so don't line up behind them (really the junior field should be split up because it's just not safe for the little tykes out there with us).

3. Not crashing is really cool.

4. Racing is fun...homework, not so much.

winding down 2011

2012-01-04T22:54:00.002-07:00

In saying goodbye to the adventures and challenges of 2011 a collection of images from late fall and early winter...

As the weather starts to turn cold and the days grow shorter, every trail rides just a little differently. Bundled up for a dusk assault on the Lunch Loops, Melinda, gets after this nutty mind over matter maneuver made all the more of a psych out by the added gear...

Down to Moab to stretch the season- the La Sals are fully plastered, but the desert stays rideable. Dave braces for the sunset temp drop as we ride in the long shadows of the witching hour.

Up to Steamboat before the snow flies for a meeting of minds with the master mind himself, Kent Eriksen. We compiled ideas from 3 already built 650bs- 2 of Katie's hard tail race rigs and my trusty all 'rounder dually- to design my new hard tail race bike. I see only a fraction of what Kent sees when he is imagining a new bike- but I expect it will be an amazing and beautiful machine. Check back for build up details!!

Even Bok Choy spends more time indoors these days...oooh DT Swiss stainless steel spokes and red alloy nipples. My road bike is going to be quite the retro hotty.

The wheels are built and Dave gets busy in the shop building up my first ever road bike. 2 new bikes in one year- it is almost too much to fathom!

Well planned, sustainable, appropriate trail building by the BLM and COPMOBA just keeps adding Sa-weeetness to life as a cycling enthusiast in the Grand Valley.

The Brilliant new Palisade Rim Trail opened up in our backyard just as fall rolled in. The final trail work days were cold and frenzied- all of us hoping to gettur dun in time to be ridden before the mud and snow. And so we did-at least as far as the Petroglyph meadow. This trail is awesome going up and awesome going down- awesome hard...and awesome beautiful.

Dave spent 2 months literally laid out on the couch this year- lost 14 pounds of lean muscle, missed all but his earliest pre-season races, had his back operated on and was still able to get back after it in time to hog it up hardtail singlespeed stylee on our new trail in its inaugural season...what a year it has been! It is good to be healthy.

The extended fall weather allowed some serious progress to be made on the long fantasized Mack Ridge - Troy's connector.

By this time in the season, these guys are well oiled trail engineering, rock moving machine just hoping to get one more day in before the weather changes.

This will not be an easy trail to climb or descent when it is finished- but it is bound to be a 5 star addition to the Loma Loops...the views won't suck either.

I cannot thank the folks who make contributions to sustainable trail building enough- but I sure try to do my part by getting out and swinging the old pick-maddox or pulaski a few times a year, sending my annual check to the rockstars at COPMOBA, paying my taxes without snivelling and spreading the word about trail stewardship.

We are glad to be healthy, surrounded by excellent bike people (and dogs) in such a beautiful corner of the world! Here's to the madcap adventures yet to be had in 2012! We'll see you out there.

trail ride for december 25

2011-12-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

with temperatures hovering right around freezing and not one cloud in the sky, Jen and i ventured forth to the far west end of the valley for a rare treat of holiday trail riding. here's a few images from the Kokopelli's trail at Rabbit Valley and the Western rim as well.

Jen breaking trail on the way out

winter conditions make for some additional effort on the climbs- but the scenery is well worth the sufferin'.

single track on the Western Rim; the arid conditions of the high desert causes snow to evaporate directly to the atmosphere, rather than melting and forming puddles of standing water on the trail.

the overlook above the Western rim appears much different in the winter as compared to what we usually see in the summer


the rigors of winter training often call for special hot embrocations or sometimes a "little buddy" filled with a cold-resistant beverage for the back pocket of the jersey. happy holidays from ABANDON YOUR CAR

two images for today

2011-12-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

seasonal images from recent rides

Palisade single track on a cold afternoon

sandstone formations of Gooseberry Mesa

A Little Late...

2011-12-03T09:05:00.005-07:00

...as per usual on this end of the country - finals are fast approaching and the annual Thanksgiving feast left me in a bit of a daze.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is pretty much my favorite holiday in existence. My brothers come home from college, my extended family comes from all over, and of course, there is always an abundance of delicious food including several apple desserts.

But there was a notable difference this year - and that was the arrival of some sweet pieces to finish up my 29er. And even the notable difference had a notable difference...I had been expecting the arrival of a Soma Juice frame, when the bikemaster pulled a limited edition IMBA Niner MCR out of the hatch...and here it is built up in its bling-tastic glory:

A custom paint scheme was drawn up by Chris Weber in an initiative for Niner to support IMBA. The map on the top tube denotes a trail worked on by IMBA in the rockies, the down tube a trail in Vermont, and the seat tube a trail in my very own state. Apparently, only 26 of these frames exist including the one belonging to Niner's owner, Chris Sugai.

The bike is built with a 3x10 Shimano Deore XT drivetrain, and once I started going on this project, I ended up acquiring some really stellar stuff to make this the best build I could ask for. Been riding it since I built it, and did my first night ride with just this Wednesday.

Many thanks to Velocity, my coworkers Matt Laprade and Chris Marcoux, and, of course, my Aunt Jen and Uncle Dave. Now it's time to ride!

gooseberry mesa, utah

2011-11-26T01:25:00.003-07:00

(re-edited)

on the annual pilgrimage out to NorCal for thanksgiving with the family, Jen and i had the opportunity to take in one of the all-time great mountain biking trails... Gooseberry Mesa ; deep inside the land of Zion

here's a few of the better images from the day:

big rocks and lots of slickrock

the air was fresh and full of the scents of juniper, pinon and sage.

rainfall the day before made for some surreal riding conditions. the trail follows the mesa's rim out to the very tip of the eroded sandstone saddle (center of this image)

there are plenty of technical moves and cliff-side exposure opportunities to be had on the South Rim trail and the extension out to the viewpoint.

SSCXWC 2011 - Men's World Champs

2011-11-20T18:56:00.004-07:00

Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships were held today in my bay's very own Golden Gate Park. From what I could walk, the course looked to be one of the longest and most challenging circuits I've ever seen - but don't worry, that didn't stop the craziness of cyclocross from ensuing.

Took BART and the metro over to GGP with the girly-friend today with the idea of watching both the women's and the men's world championship races. We got there probably 5minutes before the women's race ended. From what I saw, any single one of them could've kicked my arse up and down the park. Julie Krasniak of Team Rapha-Focus took the gold.

Soon, the guys laid down their bikes... The field was probably 50-70 gents and their start incorporated a large run up.

This isn't the head of the group, it's just my favorite picture of the group - panda man had a great race as far as I could tell, completing 4laps.

We found him:

This is a Missing Link cyclocross rider. Unsure of his name, but a few people from Team Oakland race for them. This particular rider came in second place.

The first place rider, who thoroughly destroyed the field, was Chris Jones of Team Rapha-Focus. Didn't get any pictures of the guy for a few reasons. First, he was pretty frickin' fast, and second - the only other time I saw him, I had a cow bell in one hand and his $5 hand up in the other. All I heard as he rode away was "Oooooh! A fiver!"

Good day all in all, even with BART's delays on the way home. Now for some bio homework!

two images for today

2011-11-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

here's a couple from recent rides in western Colorado and eastern Utah. lots of nice autumn weather and low traffic counts make for great riding conditions. we thank you for your support.

autumn vineyards- Palisade, Colorado

Arches National Park- Moab, Utah

Trail and ride report: Moab in November

2011-11-11T22:51:00.001-07:00

In M-town for work this week...so, getting after it in the witching hour between the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon.

It has been a year since we last made a trip to Moab and we are uber impressed by all the bicycle specific trail building madness that has been going down just a stone's throw to our west.

Moab's surreal scenery can now be had without tolerating miles of moto groomed widetrack thanks to some serious kickass efforts in trail design and construction. The folks who care about these things clearly saw what was going right in the Fruita and Grand Junction Mountain bike scene and stepped it up.

The result is SWEEEEET new networks of trail that can be accessed from town- that's right folks, Abandon Your Car at the hotel and RIDE out to the Bar M and Klondike Bluffs trail heads

to bask in miles of beautifully laid out, courteously marked and bicycle specific (read non-motorized) singletrack with whoopdies and views that keep you riding long after you should be home.
We were especially enamored of the brand spanking new Deadman's Ridge and Longbranch sections at Bar M and the nutty slickrock endurance fest, EKG to Mega Steps out at Klondike Bluffs.

Y(our) turn Grand Valley! (be sure to see Bikemaster's post from last week for a preview of some of the goodstuff in store for us)

trail work day: Palisade

2011-11-08T23:05:00.001-07:00

this saturday the 12th of november will be the last work session for the season on the much-anticipated Petroglyph trail (which will be completed in the spring of 2012).
meet at Rapid Creek Cycles at 8:00 a.m. for coffee-up, digging and scraping starts at 9. we'll see you there!

do you love riding challenging, cliff-side singletrack like this? it doesn't grow there all on its own. come out and do your part to make it happen.

the trails currently being developed in the Palisade area will be some of the crown jewels of the Grand Valley. their beauty lies not only in the abundance of natural vistas, but in their proximity to town as well- we do not have to drive to access the remote, challenging... and skinny, singletrack.

yes, i know- truly spoiled, indeed.

an evening view of the Little Bookcliffs wild horse range. it is hard to believe that there is an interstate highway between where this image was taken and the mesas in the background.

mark the day on your calendar now: saturday the 12th of november. you want to ride on more trails like this, right? if you show up, i will tell you where they are. promise.

Fall Ride Report

2011-10-25T23:16:00.002-06:00

Against the odds I got out ahead of the first real storm of the season and took in a solo Marys-Lions-Mack Ridge-Marys loop. There were folks out and about to be sure, but nothing like the throngs of desperate mountain folk I encountered out here last weekend. I am glad they came and got their fill of desert singletrack for the season- but not nearly so glad as I am that they are gone. Honestly, these trails just ride better when they are quiet and a little lonely. More importantly, as nice as the trails were today, they need some moisture and a break.

From Lion's, looking over the tiers of single track above the Colorado River at Loma

Every Fall our trails get hammered with bootleg booters, cheater lines and ruts that only time and the forces of frost and water can repair. I am always amazed to see how resilient well constructed and maintained trails can be (only slightly more amazed than I am at how careless and destructive hordes of riders can be when it comes to the very thing they came here for...groan).

Dave and I missed almost all of the summer riding up in Steamboat this year- but we made it up in time to catch the full blown mountain colorfest a couple of weeks ago.

The top of Lupine at the base of mini-moab. The beetle kill logging has allowed the Aspen groves up there to go hog-wild!

I had the excellent opportunity to noodle about on not one, but two of Katie Lindquist's Eriksen 650b hardtail racing steeds- these beauties were built in the shadow of Emerald Mountain and designed to conquer its out-of-the-gate-with-no-mercy climbing that 1000+ feet up yields a brilliant, swoopy, narrow singletrack descent. Not a day has passed that I haven't thought of adding one of these beauties to my lonely quiver... soon, very soon.

Just as the weather on the Grand Mesa was threatening us with the coming of Fall to the Grand Valley, I got Trish and Ed up to conquer the Flowing Park Loop. This sweet lollipop loop to Indian Point saw a lot more use this year and every rider who made the trip earned an atta' boy for helping groom away the bovine groom.

This trail has no climbing and no step offs or step ups- but it does have miles of volcanic washboard to keep you on your toes (and hopefully in your pedals). Thanks to Copmoba, REI and the Forest Service, this loop will soon have an extra 7+ miles of single track to connect up to the pavement of S.H. 65. Riding on the Mesa just keeps getting better!

Looking out over Indian Point and the Grand Valley to the North and the West

two images for today

2011-10-21T23:34:00.001-06:00

both images are from the same ride (on different days) somewhere in western Colorado.

i love the smell of singletrack in the morning.

art

Eriksen test ride

2011-10-16T17:57:00.006-06:00

there is nothing else like riding a fine Eriksen 650b on Emerald Mountain single track on a beautiful autumn afternoon that will put such a smile on a rider's face.

on a recent trip to Routt county, Jen took the opportunity to demo a couple of 650b Eriksen hardtails- one with 100mm of travel and a 3x10 drivetrain, and one with 120mm of travel and a 2x10 setup.
the Eriksen factory is located in close proximity to the prime single track trails of Emerald Mountain and Katie was super kind and helpful in loaning Jen her personal race machines for the test (as they are both nearly identical in stature, it was relatively easy to fit Jen to Katie's bikes).

long and short of the report is that Jen preferred the setup and position of the 120mm 2x10 bike, even though the buff single track of Emerald wasn't nearly brutal enough to fully activate all of that plush suspension travel. she definitely climbed at a much higher speed than what she usually attains on the same hills while riding her F/S bike and really enjoyed the responsive handling and maneuverability of a full-on XC race machine.

the burning question is: will there be a new 650b in Jen's fleet next spring? if so, the upcoming racing season could prove to be quite interesting. stay tuned.

the trails were in exceptionally good condition, almost forgot to mention.

butterknife

2011-10-11T20:17:00.003-06:00

at Tabeguache AKA: the Lunch Loops. i rode the ol' singlespeed and Jen was on her plush Eriksen f/s. we have had some excellent riding conditions here in western Colorado lately; temperatures have moderated during the day and the nights are pleasantly cool.

here are a few images from the ride:

lots of nice singletrack and sunny western skies to be savoured.

dropping down towards the Gunnison river with the Grand Mesa in the background.

enjoy the descents because there is some climbing to be done at the end of the loop.

still snaking the sweet singletrack with sublety and souplesse on the singlespeed.

we are actually standing on the trail. the sagebrush and native grasses are quite robust in this area, giving the ssensation that we are in the middle of a vast sea of vegetation.

Land of Many Abuses

the big, giant WTF?? award goes out to the hillbilly that trucked this junk miles out to the middle of nowhere to dump it right at the trailhead. probably the same idiot that bitches about getting rid government and paying taxes. chain 'em up together and have 'em pick up trash along the freeway for the next 10 years or so, i say.

here's the Garmin data of the actual loop. this does not include the portion from the trailhead at Tabeguache, so be sure to calculate riding times accordingly:

two images for today

2011-10-04T23:40:00.000-06:00

derny madness

the timeless art of Daniel Rebour

Fruita, usa trail and ride report for October 1, 2011

2011-10-01T20:24:00.007-06:00

I've said it before- fall is the most magical time to ride the Grand Valley.

Rode alone today out in Rabbit Valley. When we still lived down valley in Fruita this was my go-to "alone" ride. It is easy to make long quiet loops out there that break up the intensity (and monotony) of the rapid fire habitrail loops at Kokopelli, 18Road or Lunch Loops.

The sand was in excellent condition today. How some days it can be so rideable, yet the day before (or after) it can be so miserable remains one of life's persistent mysteries. The efforts of the BLM to limit rogue ATV and less than competent dirt bike traffic on the actual Western Rim seems to be helping rehab the trail and there were fewer new sucker tracks tearing through the crust.

The decision to allow ATVs on all of Trail 2 has had exactly the opposite effect.

I fail to understand how such a decision is reached given the huge miles of ATV wasteland out in Rabbit Valley and the less than 10 miles of single track. In only a few months the super fun super fast single track of upper Trail 2 has been eroded into unsustainable, babyhead littered 2 track mayhem. I can say with certainty it was not decided based on which advocacy groups mobilize volunteers to build, clean and maintain trails. Bummer.

COPMOBA volunteers get down to it alongside the BLM to create great, sustainable singletrack- yep, folks, this is how it happens (not by magic). Whenever I do trailwork I ask the BLM folks if any moto or equestrain advocacy groups bring out volunteers to build trail...they never know what I'm talking about. 'nuf said.

This aside, my ride out Kokopelli Trail to the Western Rim and back up Kokopelli to Trail 2 was blissful and autumnal. After months of being humbled, inspired and challenged riding with the Badass Singletrack and Skinny Tire Sisters-

it was nice to go back to the peaceful solace of riding the desert alone. I see more, tune into my breathing and body more and often find the lessons I've been struggling with on group rides finally come together.

getting after Holy Cross with the sisters- not a ride I ever do alone. captured by Sarah Mah Rarick- founding sister and proprietor of Desert Rat Tours

The flipside of late season solo riding, of course, is pedalling in vain for miles trying to escape a stink that can only be attributed to one's own late season funk. The time for a full overhaul and vinegar bath for all my gear (backpak, helmet liner, insoles and every single chamois and base layer) is NOW if I ever want anyone to ride with me again.

more derny action

2011-09-30T22:33:00.002-06:00

the Belgian dude pacing the cyclist looks a bit on the lean side to be super effective in providing a good draft... nowadays they are substantially more "well-marbled" it seems.
at any rate, this was found on a cool French blog called Moto Legendes that is primarily focused on vintage motos- but i happen to think that Dernys are the bomb and would someday like to round out my fleet with a nice, early model that is totally over-restored.
you can be sure that when i really get old and the time comes for me to hang up my self-powered velocipedes, i would be buzzin' that thing pretty much everywhere.

autumn

2011-09-29T00:26:00.000-06:00

a good time to bust out those vintage wool jerseys and go for a ride.

mayhem in the bike shop

2011-09-16T12:04:00.004-06:00

here's another crazy story (and video) from Orange County, SoCal, via SFGate:

Cadillac plows through Rock N' Road Cyclery

and because it's friday, no one died in the accident, and i happen to like the name of the shop... let's get some rock bumpin' and get a witness on the vid.

this one gets the ABANDON YOUR CAR "holy carpe" near-miss special award for the year. check out the woman standing at the counter; her hair is blown in the wind as the Caddy roars past and slams into the wall at the back of the store.

the ol' "misapplication of the brake" was the culprit again, it seems.

the carnage once again highlights the dangers of the automobile when piloted by individuals who are not qualified to drive. i have always maintained that it is far too easy in this country to get a driver's license (and keep it) and far too difficult to have driving priveleges revoked, even after multiple DUI's and/or other infractions are accumulated.

feel free to discuss, and be sure to watch your back whenever you are out there riding on the roads, trails, or even while shopping your friendly LBS, for that matter.

have a great (and safe) weekend of riding.

two images for today

2011-09-10T23:14:00.001-06:00

i went for a nice evening ride into the barren desert south of Palisade tonight with Jen and my friend Dice. there is some nice singletrack out here, and we will post some Garmin files and Google Earth beta when we are sure of legal access. we would certainly not advocate nor engage in any sort of "trail poaching" activity.

you know are on public land in the west when some of the vistas contain a string of power lines. they are also often the location of power climbs, as Jen demonstrates here.

no shuttles out here in the forbidden zone.

no country for small wheels

2011-09-09T22:51:00.001-06:00

one of the problems with living in Colorado's cycling Mecca (actually, there are several) is that it is all too easy to be homebodies and seldom venture much beyond the confines of the Grand Valley.
Jen has never been to Gunnison county and we decided that it was well past time to travel around to the other side of the Mesa to see what sort of riding was on offer. we went to Hartman Rocks BLM recreation area just outside Gunny for some high altitude, singletrack, and sage brush. we found all of that in great abundance and encountered a grand total of 3 other riders out on the trails. it really doesn't get much better than that.

back in the day, the bike trails were just following the cow trails (such as the one at the center of this image). nowadays the trails have been laid out with a great deal of consideration for topography, sustainability, and rideability. they are well marked now, too.

look out for a fast rolling 650B-rrraaaap!

a really nice climb is topped off with a few technical moves over this rock outcropping.

a small part of the vast sagebrush desert of Gunnison county, Colorado

both the approach and exit between these rocks are much steeper than what this image would indicate. Jen abides.

there is a lot of singletrack dedicated to non-motorized use in this BLM management area, and the trails are quite buff as a result of this policy. even the shared-use trails were amazing.

these are some of the trails used back in the day when the Rage in the Sage MTB stage race was held out here as part of the legendary Colorado Offroad Points Series. this was one of my favorite events of that series, and i participated in 7 or 8 editions. it was a lot of fun to be out here riding again and it brought back a lot of great memories of those races.

the big 29'r rolled nicely over the obstacles. the thing has way more tire, fork, and dropper post than what i traditionally would ride, but after a few miles i was able to get some nice two-wheel drifts going through the s-bend singletrack.

take only pictures, try not to leave any tracks. and a big thanks to all of the folks wh have worked so hard over the years to make gunnison county the great riding destination that it is.

ride for wednesday 7th september 2011

2011-09-07T23:21:00.003-06:00

it has been a long time since i have been able to enjoy a ride on the MTB, what with being all injured up and having surgery on the ol' L5-S1 at the end of june. temperatures have mellowed somewhat from the mid-summer sizzlers that were endured this year, so we took the opportunity to ride out from Palisade for some nice Horse mountain singletrack at the base of the Grand Mesa.

one of my favorite things about mountain biking is that we are fortunate enough to see a lot of wildlife right near where we live in western Colorado. tonight a large pronghorn antelope ran across the trail in front of us.

he scrambled up the hill way before i could get the camera out for an up-close image, but this ridgeline silhouette turned out o.k., given the amount of light and zoom. i should mention that it is fairly unusual to see a pronghorn out in the desert like this guy.

that's the Grand Mesa in the background. this was my first mountain bike ride since early april, and it was really great to be back out on the trail with Jen. the bike was a lot of fun, too.

farm fresh goodness

2011-08-31T13:31:00.004-06:00

Jen and i rolled out this morning to see what some of the local Palisade farms were offering at their roadside stands. Jen brought home a Bob-full of #2 organics for the first round of peach cobbler, pop-overs, tarts, ice cream, cereal topping, dried fruit mix, etc. the peaches are perfectly ripe and ready to eat as they are now- these never make it to your local supermarket for that very reason. also a great reason to visit the 'sade during the harvest.

Palisade Cycle Chic

go ahead and LiveWrong, but be sure to eat well.

check out the color on these fine Palisade organics!

jen places the sliced peaches out on screens for drying.

it goes without saying that i was a really big help with the project.

two racks down, a lot more to go...

Jen makes the finest gourmet pesto in the world with her own Palisade homegrown organic basil and purple garlic from the garden in Oak Creek.

if this little ~~peckerhead~~ poultry keeps eating the flowers, we will be dining on some delicious free-range ginger chicken in the not-so-distant future.

about those helmets

2011-08-29T20:04:00.003-06:00

lots of folks have been asking about the special "safety headgear" that Jen and i were sporting at the recent U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge. while i generally don't care to divulge my sources for my highly-treasured, hoarded, and curated items, this image was recently posted over at Ride the Machine and a link to the discussion board where it can be found.

here's the link, it makes for some good reading in itself and there are a lot more cool images from the same era.

tell 'em ABANDON YOUR CAR sent you over, and we'll see you all next year when the race returns to Colorado again!

U.S. Pro cycling Challenge stage 5

2011-08-27T23:15:00.001-06:00

U.S. Pro cycling Challenge stage 4-- Lederhelmets und Lederhosen

2011-08-26T23:57:00.008-06:00

it's really cool to go out to California to hang out with Jen's family and see a few stages of the Amgen Tour and all of the big-time Euro Pros that attend... but it's a whole new level of cool when the ProTour riders race on the very same local roads that i have trained on for years.
this part of Colorado is just about as remote as you can get in the lower 48; the probability of a top-level Pro race roaring up S.H. 131 seemed even slimmer than Andy Schleck himself. at least until then Governor Ritter and Big Tex teamed up for a stage race collabo of near-epic proportion.
today the ridiers left Avon and rode past the very spot where Dr. Steven Milo was so wrongfully SUV'ed (Squashed Under Violently) by Mr. Martin Erzinger in his black Mercedes sedan. fortunately, Dr. Milo survived the incident and Erzinger was not out driving on Hwy. 6 or any other roadways in the area, and the pelican passed safely to more cycling-friendly regions of our state.
we were waiting at the top of a 2.5 km climb that crested about 2 km from the intermediate sprint in Oak Creek. here's a few images from our roadside vantage point-and with an apology; we haven't received press credentials from the race organizers yet, so Jen and i won't be doing live feed tweets from the moto and real-time race coverage for the blog... at least until next year.
besides, with all of the anxiety-inducing feed break-up and technical problems (iced wings on the aircraft, etc.). i'm pretty sure that we are seeing more actual racing without all of the commercials than the poor sods trying to watch it on teevee.

here ya go:

a little space-alien wearing a leather derny helmet and vintage Vuarnets suddenly beamed down in the middle of rural South Routt County, Colorado. wait a minute, that's Jen...

these nice folks traveled from the remote locations of South Routt to cheer on the racers. they also had water and snacks for all of the many cyclo-sportifs who were out riding the parcours in front of the racers. and yes, that guy on the left is wearing our local variant of "Lederhosen".

you know things are about to happen when the gendarmes start flying past on their motos.

those are some of the 3800 meter peaks of the Flattops wilderness in the far distance and in front of them a few of the volcanic Puys that are found in this region. that's Rossi's hay meadow over on the right.

BREAKAWAY!!! gotta love those Colombian dudes, they are super aggro.

less than 2 minutes in front of the chase with mostly downhill roads for the next 30 km spell doom for the brave adventurers.

i prefer the "open" racing from the time before the radios; breakaways seemed more likely to succeed and the racing was more animated. i'm oldschool, though.

here comes the peloton, Jen readies herself to do some running.

i'm trying to get a lot of good quality images and lay on some hearty blasts from the horn all at the same time. it's not easy being a cycling super-fan, ya know.

probably the single-most beautiful image of South Routt i have ever taken in my life. this scene represents a dream come true for me. as you can see, Jen is looking pretty happy here as well

these guys were moving very quickly indeed.

arrrg. cut off the lead rider, but i'm going to post it anyway as it shows just how hard these guys were starting to drive the pace.

U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge stage 3... heavy on the cowbell & horn

2011-08-25T21:37:00.002-06:00

just to put it out there right off the bat- Andy Hampsten's Vail pass TT record was set on a parcours that was almost 400 meters longer than what the riders tackled today. take that any way you like, but don't forget for a second that he did it on a steel bike, wearing wool shorts and jersey. well, the bike was steel, at least, and they didn't bother with safety lids back in the day, either.

Jen and i joined the many tens of thousands of the most die-hard cycling fanatics in the u.s. on the slopes of Vail pass today. it was a thourougly enjoyable and unforgettable experience to spend the day out there in the mountains, cheering on many of the top riders in the world, and fully immersing ourselves in a true, european-style grand tour event.
i can't wait for us to be there again next year, and probably taking a few more of the stages at that.. until then, here's some images from about 500 meters down from the finish. enjoy!

proper attiere is de rigeur at any ProTour event. vintage leather derny helmets, Vuarnet sunglasses from France, and wool Campagnolo jerseys. did i ever mention that i don't do monkey suits?

IVAN BASSO!!! ALLEZ!!!

a stout blast from the ol' gas station funnel helps motivate riders who are being overtaken.

CAPTAIN AMERICA, a.k.a. Dave Z.

Jen goes heavy on the cowbell for the Colombian TT champ.

i am not sure who this fat clown is.

even the Colombian climbers suffered mightily on the Vail TT parcours.

Jens Voight throwing down some wicked (almost) old man power. he is by far my favorite rider in all of the Pro peloton.

Christian VanDeVelde almost toppled the Leipheimer express... almost.

the Dutch national TT champion as a work of art.

i was expecting a lot more out of Robert Gesink here in Colorado. still a couple more chances to shine, though.

Sergio Luis Henao Montoya faded badly today, managing a distant 41st place. i'm still rooting for the Colombians to lay down some attacks.

Tom Danielson, suffering and sick today.

Tejay didn't quite have the "balls" going uphill today and subsequently lost his leader's jersey. don't worry, kid- there's plenty more bike races in your future

right now i am hoping that the rain stops long enough for me to sneak out and do some "artwork" on the road to celebrate tomorrow's stage passing right through Oak Creek on it's way to bikeTown USA. keep the fingers crossed and hope that all of the state troopers have turned in for the night.

heh heh

two images for today

2011-08-24T13:13:00.000-06:00

my buddy Dice descending westbound from the top of Reeder Mesa during our early morning ride this past sunday.

top Pro Tour riders, experiencing the special "sensations" of sprinting to the finish line at 2900 meters of altitude in Crested Butte are reduced to zig-zagging like paperboys.

image credit: Jonathan Devich/cyclingnews.com

the Tour of Colorado 2011 (a.k.a. the U.S. PRO Cycling Challenge)

2011-08-23T09:27:00.005-06:00

the pelican will be blasting up this climb on S.H. 131 during stage 5. we'll be a few miles up the road waiting for 'em

finally. after 23 years in the waiting for this to happen again. and sure, we have had a few decent, high quality events in the interim, but this is the real deal with a carp-tonne of talented, top-level riders.
we will be covering the time trial in Vail and the next two stages with exclusive images and commentary. otherwise, there is always the 'shacktracker on the interwebs, or better yet, come on out to Colorado to see the Pros race and do a little bit of roadside camping and Euro-style cyclotouring.

don't forget to close the gates behind you and please, please don't bring the dog to the races!

.

Vuelta a Espana 2011

2011-08-21T10:08:00.000-06:00

i'm not sure what happed to the u.s. coverage that was supposedly going to appear on the Verses network- maybe they realized that with the Vuelta and the USPCC (a.k.a. Tour de Colorado) both happening this month, there would not be much time left for the regularly scheduled bull riding and swamp-buggy racing programs.

at any rate, we can still view it... commercial free, at that.here ya go, if you didn't know about it already:

Vuelta a Espana live coverage

i'm cheering for Igor Anton of the Euskatel squad. he has some unfinished business after spectacularly crashing out last year while wearing the leaders jersey (as so often seemed to be the case for the Euskatel, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory- right before the finish line).
their Tour de France this year made up for a lot of lost ground, however.
follow the men in orange with this convenient link, also located in the blogstack favorites sidebar on the right of this page. > >

AUPAAA!

Riding in august...ugh

2011-08-13T20:30:00.013-06:00

We have had a relatively mild summer out here in the mighty, mighty Grand Valley with copious precipitation...but as we all knew deep down, the stinking hot days of August had to arrive sooner or later.

They are upon us.

There is still plenty of spectacular riding to be done though, just requires a little different approach (and a boatload of water)

Doug and Mel are guided back to the barn in the witching hour by Mount Garfield and Mount Lincoln- it is easy to be talked out of the climb over Horse Mountain (commonly referred to as the "Demoralizer") in the depths of August, and when temps cool we'll add that back onto the Palisade Classic loop.

The next afternoon Trish and I rolled out with long late afternoon shadows to put the LTR Sports Orbea demo 29er through its paces. We played with it on the forest service climbs, the loose rocky descents and the swoopy desert single track out back of Horse Mountain as the heat and light faded for the day- then rolled home along the irrigation canal in the cool, quiet pitch dark of night.
Aaaah, a most excellent adventure indeed.
(Stay tuned to see just what rig Ms Trish chooses to reward herself with when she finishes her Tour de Iraq and reinvents herself as a X-Country hardcore)

Later in the week as late afternoon temps on the Valley floor hovered around 100f, Melinda and I took it up onto the Grand Mesa and into a whole different world-

...temps in the 70s, shoulder high grasses and wildflowers going off nearly camouflaging the singletrack (a bizarre juxtaposition to the wildfire going off all week to the north).

The singletrack of the Flowing Park Loop is deceptive- especially when it is so overgrown. This was my first spin out there and I was super impressed by the challenges presented by the variability of the alpine terrain- a very cool hiatus from the steamy red rocks and ledges of Grand Junction and Fruita- complete with the flickering light of tight aspen groves and the sweet underwheel cush and crunch of evergreen stands.

Bobbing and weaving our way through the lava rock boneyard at "Land's End" we had a surreal view of the smoke plume billowing over Grand Junction- and, yet, could still make out layer after layer of colorado and Utah mountain ranges.
and it's back to the truck just as the light begins to fade beyond Flowing Park Reservoir, the squeeters burst forth for their evening meal and the temps nudge toward sweatshirt...perfecto!
Like I said, lot's to ride in august...

image for today

2011-08-13T20:24:00.003-06:00

Dave has finally received clearance from his surgeon to get on the bike! He was told to start with the trainer and so he did (for about a 15 minute warm-up before busting out onto the pave)- trying hard to follow doctor's orders, but one must maintain some sanity. Needless to say- he is back and getting stronger everyday!

image for today

2011-08-11T22:45:00.000-06:00

image for today

2011-08-04T14:20:00.000-06:00

and a shout out ot our friend Andy over at Bike Furniture Design. he recently celebrated a birthday, so it seems like a good time to give some props to this highly-acclaimed artist and photographer. he's a Leo, too.

the Laramie Enduro 2011- report, images, and some western music

2011-07-30T22:13:00.006-06:00

queue up the jams:

the 2011 Laramie Enduro was held on a hilly, 111 kilometer parcours on the high plains of the Wyoming Territory. approximately 400 competitors took to the trail, including many friends and other "usual suspects" from BikeTown USA and western Colorado.
sunny conditions and a bluebird sky made for high temperatures and plenty of hot racing action as racers climbed more than 2600 meters on the day.
the following is a sampling of images and some brief results of our favorite local scorchers.

some images have been edited (cropped) because i haven't quite figured out how to get the new camera to do quite what i want it to... or maybe i don't have the skills just yet. i like to run images raw, unedited and full-size. if they don't capture what i want as such, they usually go into the "B" file or get scrapped altogether. soo, anyway...

Barkley Robinson representing Orange Peel Bicycle Service, LLC rode himself to a highly respectable 4th place overall in the pros. it's a long ways back to the next rider, tell ya what.

Kelly Boniface claimed 2nd step of the podium in the pro women's category. she rides for Moots Cycles out of Steamboat Springs.

my personal favorite, Jen, (riding for LiveTrainRace.com out of Grand Junction) blazed to 3rd place in her age group and 6th overall in the sport women's category in her first-ever marathon/enduro event. not too shabby for someone who has never ridden more than 100 k at one time before. way to go!

Jen (back) rolls into aid station 2 at 50 k into the race. some minor suffering was becoming evident at this point.

Kate Rench did support for the Honey Stinger team. Pete Kalmes gets a bidon as he rides to a high overall placing. Pete is from Steamboat, too, btw.

Kate's husband Craig gets a bidon at aid station 4, finishing not too far behind Pete.
Kate and Craig hail from... Steamboat Springs.

Pat West of Steamboat Velo comes in for some beverages and a spot of chain lube. Pat had a great ride today as the parcours is much to his liking and style. that's soigneur Pete Boniface in the Moots colors.

Pete was doing support mostly for his wife, Kelly

there was no time for messing about in the feed zone.

that streaking red, black and titanium freight train would be none other than the Kent Eriksen/Katie Lindquist duo of the Eriksen Cycles factory team.

hailing from Steamboat Springs.

riders appearing out of the "hoodoo rocks" like a mirage. Jen rolls into feed #4 at 80 kilometers, still riding strong on her 650b Eriksen full suspension custom.

not much later in the afternoon, a familiar looking tandem is headed for the awards ceremony with a couple of riders attempting to go incognito. not only does this bike win races, it also won best tandem at this year's edition of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. it ain't no trailer-queen show-bike, that's for sure.

Jen rolls into the finish after 7'20" in the saddle. that's seven hours and twenty minutes.
the cold beverages were well deserved today. Jen and i live in the 'sade now.

here's 2/3 (or 4/6) of the tandem-class podium.

sport women 40-49 podium. (Jen, left, took 3rd)

old lady power will kick your ass, don't fool yourself.

facts.

pro women's podium recognized 5, as is the new MTB style. Gretchen Reeves- 1st, Kelly Boniface- 2nd. others will be named after results are posted on the official race website.

well done and chapeau to all of the competitors and podiums. i will be back for next years race... but as a rider rather than the soigneur (although it was a fantastic and rewarding experience supporting Jen in her first-ever marathon distance event).

enjoy the ride and we'll see you next year in Laramie.

springtime in the desert

2011-07-12T13:16:00.001-06:00

images by Jen. trails on and near Horse Mtn., Palisade, Colorado.

enjoy.

lots of unmarked single track, best to bring your GPS. that's the Grand Mesa in the background.

a cool, wet winter has made for some lovely desert blooms this spring.

don't forget a spare tube and repair kit while riding out here.

yucca gone wild

looking north towards Palisade- the lush, green oasis. Mt. Garfield is on the left, Mt. Lincoln on the right

expect to suffer a long, exposed grinder in order to enjoy the views from up here.
lotsa loose baby-heads, too.

the view to the south from near the summit of Horse Mtn.

these rocks are course markers from previous editions of the Palisae Classic MTB race. the lizards just keep watch and wait for the racers to pass by again.

off the back... OTB

2011-06-16T12:06:00.001-06:00

after consultations with my good Dr. Richard Price and other highly trained professionals on staff at Rocky Mountain Orthopaedics over in GJ, the course of action was to receive a corticoid injection to relieve nerve root compression (and associated non-stop, debilitating pain). this is the area that hurts (most specifically, the L5 disc which has had its jelly-filling pooched out one side)

this is what it looks like when the disc is squished (right side):

the plan was soon confirmed by a late-night trip to the emergency room this past friday night when the spasms and pain flared up far beyond the point of being able to treat it with something from the home medicine chest.
after almost 3 hours of waiting (standing), i finally got in to see a Doctor. he quickly tired of all my moaning and writhing about, and ordered a visit from sweet sister morphine and her cousin demerol as well. once i was calmed down enough and could lay still on the exam room table, i was gurneyed to the MRI room for a scan which has confirmed the extent of my injury.

on monday i received the L5 spinal corticoid injection. good stuff, tell ya what.

that will conclude the graphic image and descriptions for a while; no need to see injections or surgery, scars or skinny legs, for that matter.
my last hope for relief is to now have a discectomy performed, probably by a neurosurgeon.
the L5 seems to be a vitally important component in lower-body mobility, muscle function, and the ability to do just about anything else-- i'm not sure that i could ride a bike right now if i wanted to. here's a short list of things that are affected by L5 problems:

L4, L5, S1 Thigh abduction

L5, S1, S2 Extension of leg at the hip (gluteus maximus)

L4, L5, S1, S2 Flexion of leg at the knee (hamstrings)

L4, L5, S1 Dorsiflexion of foot (tibialis anterior)

L4, L5, S1 Extension of toes

L5, S1, S2 Plantar flexion of foot

L5, S1, S2 Flexion of toes

there is a lot of work in front of me to rehab from this predicament. i am going to serve notice at this time of the probability of highly irregular blogularity from me, as (what looks like from here on the sofa) the rest of the summer will likely be more about clawing my way back to the front of the bunch from about as far down as i have ever been... rather than (participating in and reporting on) all of the epic rides and races taking place during the high season of our favorite sport. besides, the intense haze of pain and narcotics i am currently experiencing has rendered me a near-babbling idiot. right now, it's more like looking at pictures and doing some coloring books for me, anyway... best to stay away from the keyboard.

most importantly, i also would like to take a few moments to thank my partner, Jen, who has stood by me at all hours of day and night, through what has been one of the most protracted experiences of intense physical pain that i have ever endured. i don't know how or where i would be right now without her, and the kindness and caring she has shown me on so many occasions, especially in the past few weeks.
she works 12 hour days practising internal medicine at the Veteran's Administration hospital in GJ, taking care of our Nation's sick vets, and then still manages to take care of me as well, after she gets home.
thank you, Jen. i have a profound appreciation for all of the hard work that you do every day, and the way you kick ass at the races is a huge inspiration for me, too. i love you so much.

rock strap v2.0

2011-06-04T13:33:00.015-06:00

way back in the day a device was developed in order to keep aging, road-weary musicians on their feet and not falling off the stage while performing at yet another stadium concert. strumming the guitars and mumbling into the mikes is easy enough for all but the most overly-impaired, but standing all the way through an extended-set 3 hour jam is where things begin to get a bit tricky.

Steve could have saved himself from this season-ending fall, had he only known.

fortunately, modern science again came up with the answer; ladies and gentlemen... the Rock Strap:

after an initial visit to Dr. Richard Price (also one of my LTR team mates) at Rocky Mountan Orthopaedics Associates over in Grand Junction, it was determined that i have been suffering from an herniated disc w/nerve root compression for the past 6 or 7 weeks. that would seem to explain why i spent four hours writhing on the floor in agony after a mountain bike ride of the same duration a couple of weeks ago.
things are not a whole lot better when riding the road bike, either. there is a position of comfort where some pain-free moments are to be found, but the pain is there when i start riding hard and then waiting for me when i get home.

i have embarked upon an aggressive plan of attack to get me back on the bike- or just being able to do anything, really, without experiencing spams of agonizing pain. sure, riding the road bike provides brief moments of relief; times that i actually forget that something is hurting bad... but that's not the way to enjoy the best part of the year, to do some epic rides and expeditions, great races, and generally enjoy some quality of life with my partner.
i have been ordered off the bike for two weeks by my physical therapist, in order to give the disc any chance to recover. then there's the corticoid injection to the spine that Dr. Price will administer next week... the last-ditch hail mary all-out effort before surgery. and that's no joke...

Greavy: "That fella' Vic said you run his truck down in the swamp...said you locked him and his missus in the root cellar."

Earl: "That was kind of a joke..."

Greavy: "A joke? What the hell kinda' joke's that?" It's about as funny as a gut full a pinworms."

from Neighbors

the physical therapy sessions are providing some relief, getting my spine straightened out a bit and reducing the frequency of muscle spasms. they hook me up to one of those electro-stimulators and put a 25 kilo sheepskin heating pad on my back before some therapeutic massage. after all that nicey-nice relaxing stuff, i get hauled out to the real physical therapy area for some fun.

it seems that medical science has also discovered an application for the original Rock Strap- and added a treadmill to keep the feet of the old road warrior moving in a forward direction. this new device also cinches tight on the thoracic region, making it really hard to breathe. lucky for me that the thing was programmed to roll at a blistering 1km/hr.

Rock Strap v2.0

looks like i get to be the soigneur this year and do support for Jen at her upcoming races including the season opener of the Steamboat Springs Town Challenge series and the epic of the West- the 111 kilometer MTB marathon- the Laramie Enduro (she got in by winning a spot in the lottery, my stars didn't line up for an entry this year). probably just as well, that i didn't... my pre-entry fee for the Dead Dog Stage Race is a contribution at this point.

time to get on the program- 110%

.

race report: Rabbit Valley Rally & the Palisade Classic- 2011

2011-05-27T00:20:00.004-06:00

two early season MTB races here in western Colorado (Rabbit Valley Rally and the Palisade Classic) have developed well-earned reputations as being in the style of competitions held way back in the day... long, difficult tests of strength, endurance, and ~~keepin' your shit together~~ maintaining forward momentum and not getting lost/hurt in the wilderness.
Jen has been making some real gains in her cycling ability in the last couple of years, and this season has already been no exception to the progress. the months of training and work in the gym over the winter are starting to pay off with regular (three for three) podium appearances. with two top step podium appearances, that is.

i am really happy to be able to watch the learning curve that Jen is on, to share the excitement, take my turn being the soigneur, mechanic, bike-washer, or whatever it takes to support a winning effort. so, chapeau and some smooches for my champion. and without further adieu...

here's a couple of images from Rabbit Valley. if you are looking for results, you can find them by clicking the link above. first image is courtesy of Kristy Driver/LiveTrainRace.com, and she has additional images on the LTR site as well.

the last climb always hurts, especially into a headwind

Jen stayed well clear of the crashes and crossed the line in front of her competitors.

as the breakthrough winning season continued at the Palisade Classic, Jen recruited some muscle to maintain order during (what could be) the chaos of an all categories mass-start rollout. the joke amongst the racers that have participated in the past is the so-called "neutral start" behind the local, small-town cop car. the guy just pegs the ol' patrol vehicle at about 50k/hr for the first 3k of pavement, right from the line. hoo-kaay.

ask me sometime about the neutral start that they used to have down there in Crested Butte during the original Fat Tire Bike Week... i swear cops just love that stuff. ha.

anyway, the pressure was on because there has been so much rain here lately that it was difficult for the promoters (Rapid Creek Cycles, Palisade) to get all of the parcours marked until two days before the event, Jen was defending her title from last year, and this is now our home race- the start line is a couple of blocks from the crib.

the next three images are courtesy of Kristy Driver/LiveTrainRace.com.

soigneur looking after a well-prepared racer & team

everyone is happy, confident, and chill before the start- let the suffering begin...

the LTR powerhouse gets ready to lead the rollout with Andrey "the Badger" on the right, Andrew Nolan center, and Jen about to move into 3rd spot for the "armchair ride" to the dirt. textbook.

Jen caught this local junior, towed him for the last 2k of pavement and then graciously "gifted" him the finish. kids these days have no respect whatsoever.

be sure to have some fun at the awards ceremony after your next race. Jen basks in some well-deserved recognition after winning the Palisade Classic and a couple of cold beverages.

Palisade bike week: vintage motorcycle show

2011-05-22T22:46:00.000-06:00

went downtown on saturday to check out the vintage motorcycle show. i was hoping to see a real nice restored derny with a fat Belgian dude pacing a skinny cyclist... or at least a vintage board track racer on display. but it didn't materialize quite as imagined- although i am fairly certain that i did see some folks from Belgium.

without further adieu, here's the images with a minimum of comments and captions.

the best way to insure civility at any event is to first clear the streets of automotive clutter.

Pre-war beasts representing:

i'm generally not much of a Harley fan, but this two-tone Electra Glide was double-plus ignorant. i'd ditch the wide whiewalls, though.

CHOPPERS!!

bikemaster's special award for "deepest purple metallica flake" paintjob

lovin the old-school revival going on here. yeh

a few Yamahas:

Kenny Roberts signature model Yamaha from 1982- sweeeeet

a couple of two- stroke eco-terrorists:

the British invasion...

BSA dirtbike from 1957

beautiful BSA Thunderbolt 650

some Hondas:

super-clean Honda cafe racer style. love the 4-into-1 pipe.

Mod Squad w/saddlebags

Ducati was represented only by these two entries. i would like to see a lot more of 'em next year.

trail report: Palisade area recon

2011-05-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

Palisade women's baseball team- 1910

things have settled a bit on the home-front since Jen and i have put down some roots over at the east end of the Grand Valley in a quaint community of 2500 residents, AKA "the 'Sade"

at an elevation of 1441 meters (4728 feet), the 'Sade is nestled at the foot of Colorado's majestic Grand Mesa, which towers above the town to an altitude of 3454 meters (11,333 feet) at the summit of Crater Peak. there are an abundance of BLM and National Forest lands in close proximity, thus making for easy access to fantastic trails and terrain... riding from our front door. the tarmac is equally splendid, with a paved route bisecting the Mesa over its summit and a lot of options for California-style vineyard and orchard routes that feature far less climbing and mileage.
suffice to say, a good number of the rides from the 'Sade do go up rather abruptly.

here's some images* from a couple of recent recon missions that Jen and i took on the Mesa.

*it gives me much pleasure to report that we have recently acquired a new camera to document the adventures. readers will no doubt notice much improved image clarity and quality. thanks for hanging in there with all of the old cell phone images. we do our best to try to keep it fresh.

Jen pushes onwards and upwards as rain threatens.

cool Martian-style rock formations

we heard this plump, free-range Colorado gobbler calling as we rode up Rapid Creek. later that afternoon, he ran like a crazed tifiosi for about 100 meters in front of us as we descended.

looking north, down the Rapid Creek drainage with the Roan Plateau in the far, far distance.

Crater peak on the Grand Mesa tops out at 3454 meters above sea level- that's 11,333 feet.

this area is closed to motos. the local deer and elk herds had done a real top job of postholing the ol' two track.

pretty good size bear track and the 2.35 Schwalbe gives something of a reference- headed up the same trail we were riding. fortunately, a couple of days prior.

that would be the front paw, by the way.

Jen drops down the west flank of the Mesa- the Grand Valley and the 'Sade are at the bottom.

2011 Giro d' Italia

2011-05-06T23:42:00.000-06:00

i have to admit that i really love the Giro. the promoters go to such great lengths each year to outdo the previous edition with more climbs that have never been used before; steeper climbs; steep climbs in snow storms; and really, really steep dirt climbs that would be better suited for the VTT's. then they throw in a day on the strade bianche and it rains torrentially for the whole 6-plus hours that it takes the winner to navigate the parcours.
like what happened last year on stage 7 when Cadel finally stomped the stuffing out of everybody on what was probably one of the most brutal days of racing i have seen. here's the first of 5 vid segments. i'm sure that you will figure out how to watch the next 4 if there's still some plasma pumping through your veins.

also look forward to increased and more regular blogularity around here as the season develops. now that all the excitement of the past couple of weeks has subsided a bit, term papers written, got ourselves moved into our new digs over in the 'sade, and the madding, huckin', he-man hordes of the Fruita Fat ~~Sausage~~ Tire Festival have vacated the trails, making it safe for the sisters of singletrack to venture out once again, there might actually be a few minutes to drop a post or two and some worthwhile things to rant about (as well as the usual trail/road/race reports from western Colorado and the southwest).
to wit; we still have a race report form Rabbit Valley to post, heralding Jen's ascent to the top step of the podium. stay tuned for more.

oh, and in case you didn't know already, here's where you can watch all of that fantastic Giro action from the comfort of your armchair:

steephill tv Giro coverage

cheers

Trail Report Fruita USA, April 25, 2011

2011-04-25T19:42:00.004-06:00

Quite the wild ride here in Fruita this spring. Maybe April will go out like a lamb- but watch the weather lest you get nailed by a lion.

The week Doug and Dave came out from Cali was perfect (April 18-22) All areas rode brilliantly with coolish days, tacky singletrack and 0 precip.

It is always a ton of fun to show off our amazing collection of trails when the weather cooperates- these guys got after it at Loma, The 18, Rabbit Valley- toppped it off with a tour de lunch loops and left town smiling.

photos courtesy Dave King (we like the arty filter, even if he doesn't)

Then we got clobbered over the weekend with cold, wet and more cold and more wet (and I mean wet). Even the road riding pretty much sucked.
Desperate to get out and turn the legs, I got snowed on up at the 18 the day before yesterday. Frankly I'm a little surprised just how muddy things want to stay.

But- the good news is, the skies have cleared, there is a cool, drying breeze in the air and if folks choose carefully and show a little respect for the trails they ride, it should be a good weekend to ride.

Personally and selfishly I'm looking for a little more moisture and cool temps to help ease the suffering in the sand at the Rabbit Valley Rally!

Liege-Bastogne-Liege

2011-04-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

here's a couple of videos of one of the (arguably) most talented winners of Liege-Bastogne-Liege doing his thing- way before he had a "posse". no matter that his fridge was full of medical products for his sick dog and that he vacillated from the highest step of the podium to the darkest depths of depression and personal tragedy- finally dying alone at age 34 in a hotel room in Senegal... the guy could ride a bike like no other:

and then there was this bit of climbing at the Vuelta in 1999:

the style, power and panache... not to mention the hair gels, Frank Vandenbroucke was one of the greatest winners of L-B-L ever.

have a great ride today, gas it like Frank on those climbs.

Fruita, usa trail report for April 11, 2010.

2011-04-12T20:31:00.008-06:00

It's official- the spring bloom is upon us. For the past week or so we have all been spotting the first red blooms of the paintbrush and today out in Rabbit Valley I got my first real all encompassing whiff of soapwort. These crazy purple guys are going off everywhere out there among the greening grasses and plumping yucca. In a nutshell: The sand in Rabbit Valley was atrocious today and the trails have a lot of rock rubble from moto traffic. Still better than a sharp stick in the eye though. Rode up at the 18 mile after the rain this weekend. The trails are totally rideable, but needing more rider groom to smooth out the bovine groom. Was out at Loma/ Kokopelli yesterday and it is all riding like a highspeed dream- in fact, would be good to slow some of the yee-hays down to keep Rustler's from getting so freaking blown out. Out at the lunch loops (Pet-e-Kes, high noon, Raven's Ridge, Kurt's) for the Single Track Sisters group ride a few days ago- very good stuff, but I have to say I had no idea how darn dippin' crowded the lot has become since the dirt jump track went in!

Watch the weather is the mantra (see the links to the right- these are what we use for the real dope- ie. don't believe any bikeshop hype, look for yourself). The trails are all good to go (except maybe the Edge), but a good squall will put the kabash on things for at least a few hours afterward and the wind has been BRUTAL at times making trail choice important.

After the intense weather and heated competition of Mad Cow weekend, it felt great to get with out in the still quiet of a Monday evening and build some trail.

This is how sustainable singletrack happens people- lot's of hardworking hardcores coming together with a genuine plan to lay in and fine tune our singletrack. Nothing will make you appreciate your local singletrack more than working to preserve it (which is hardwork, by the way). Have you put your time in this season?!

Everytime I come out to a COPMOBA work session I learn something new about the effects of water and rider movement on our trails and how even small, well thought out changes minimize the damage. Derrick and Sarah are putting the finishing touches on one of several brand new water bars on Troy-Built (first layed in 8 years ago and showing its age).

Next time you are out there look for this beautiful rock, so meticulously placed to direct water off the tread and to direct the rider's mind toward the tread and think of the men and women who took the time to save this spectacular trail from the ravages of rain and riders- so that we all may ride it again and again and again.

***We'll be putting in another Monday evening next week (4/18/11). Meet @ 5:30 sharp- Mack exit parking area. Bring Gloves and water- there will undoubtedly be good people to meet and good food to eat!

race report: 2011 Mad Cow Classic

2011-04-10T20:07:00.005-06:00

The 2011 running of the Mad Cow Classic p/b Mesa State College is in the books. It was a wild and woolley weekend of howling wind, freezing temps, sucker patches of blue sky giving way to rain and snow. An absolute classic Colorado spring start to the road racing season! Dave overcame weeks of debilitating back spasm to make his season debut- and after getting his juices flowing by rocking the time trial on his old school set up (TT bars? aero helmets? Disc Wheels? .... just not the retro way), he decided to get down to business, leave the age group posse behind and roll with the CAT 1/2 men. And, so, he spent the rest of the weekend hashing it out with Mike Allen and Paul Friehauf first in the Criterium and then the Reeder Mesa Road Race.

The view from the feedzone- fresh snow pasting the Grand Mesa

All three gentlemen are outstanding riders in every sense- physically powerful, courageous and sportsmanlike. They each endeavor to make all the best strategy decisions and tactical moves and, ultimately, come out at the top of the podium- but regardless of how the palmares shake out, they will shower one another with dignity and respect once the race is run. Pretty cool dynamic to watch.

Dave started the 72 mile mostly uphill road race this morning hoping to protect and support Paul the Free Horse Friehauf in taking his revenge for yesterday's second place finish to Mike Allen in the Criterium. Dave did his best to share with Paul the patience and wisdom of a well seasoned elite rider. Ultimately, Dave could not keep the pace of the the two younger leaders, but after crossing the line Paul rode back to cheer Dave in to a strong finish. Good stuff.

All in all, LiveTrainRace had a great showing this weekend both presenting a tour de force on the race course and in supporting the event. Go Team Go! Dave stoked to get a little podium pay out after a grueling criterium. All in a day's work...

Steve Slaughter, Don K and Ed Chamberlain mack the LTR pride after tearing it up with the Masters 35+ on the Reeder Mesa Road Ride

Kevin (or it could be Conor) Mullervy presents Paul Friehauf with his Men's 1/2 Silver medal and Tim Sewell with his Men's 35+ Bronze . These 2 are off to Silver City to crush 'em at the Gila in a couple of weeks. Allez! Allez! Allez!

race report: 2011 Cholla Challenge, Hurricane, UT

2011-04-03T20:15:00.004-06:00

WooHoo- finally made it out to Hurricane and had a great launch to the 2011 racing season! LTR founders Mike and Kristy Driver have told us repeatedly that the InterMountain Cup is a brilliantly put together race series well worth the drive. The series not only showcases the spectacular trail system and off road cycling culture that has evolved in Utah, but teams earn series points for trail maintenance hours- which we find hugely impressive. I have never been to a race with better course marking (in place well before race morning) and more volunteers fully visible and vocal on the course (except, perhaps, the Steamboat Town Challenge which really is the gold standard). Participation is high in this series, as is the competition- all in the context of a super lowkey, downhome vibe. I'd do them all if I didn't hate to drive so much!

The Cholla Challenge was sponsored by Red Rock Bicycles in St George. The course was a ton of fun for an early season race- no brutal grades, no really sustained climbing, a bit of slick rock here and there, some gravel washes, a few sand traps, plenty of cactus and red rock to please the eye and ease the mind.

The temps were ideal (70s and breezy), given that it was 80 plus during my preride the evening before and immediately after the race the winds picked up to an excoriating 25MPH.

Since I had an unfortunate endo during my preride, I looked and felt a little battered during the line-up. But, just as Mike the Hammer Driver said it would, all the pain ceased about 1 mile into my first lap. I was surprised- as I often am- at how hard the women were pinning the first couple of miles, but I hung with the lead pack until it all blew apart toward the top of the initial climb. Then, as per usual, I lost sight of the leaders ahead of me and the rest of the pack behind me and I fell into my own ride.

I got my second bottle handed up by Kristy as I finished lap one and felt ready to go pick someone off...but, alas, all the pain that had evaporated in the first mile of lap one caught me right between the shoulder blades and lap 2 consisted of a lot more soft pedalling than it should have. I dug deep, rode smart, safe and consistent and actually managed to pick off two of the now defunct lead group- at least one of whom had clearly gotten tangled up in one of the many loose sketchy stretches and crashed (this was not a hard course, but it was not forgiving of lapses in concentration).

I nearly blew up on the crappy climb to the finish line and was spinning the Granny Gear as I passed Kristy again- she gave me the what for I needed to crank it up and turn the pedals for a strong, powerful and dignified finish. Third place- on the podium- for my first race of the year!

Got to cheer Mike on to a great mid pack finish in his second ever Pro Race and headed back to the ranch for a Super 8 poolside recovery picnic. In bed by 8:00, I slept in listening to the wind blow the white plastic pool furniture into the water. Coffee in bed while I scanned the radar loops, stalling until it seemed the moisture bands had moved east toward Colorado.

The wind was still whipping 20-25 icey MPH when I loaded the car and as I pulled into the staging area for my planned recovery ride. Last night's snow clung to the redrock peaks. I pulled on the leg warmers, the long sleeve jersey, the windbreaker and considered bagging it all together in light of the 5 hour drive ahead. But, this I know to be true, it is always better to ride than to not ride even if it is for half an hour. Turns out, my recovery loop on the JEM trail could not have been more perfect - a crushing tail wind for the 7 mile rambling climb, during which I saw not a soul, followed by a 7 mile swoopy, mellow desert descent back to the cliffs along the creek with a crushing headwind to keep me spinning the pedals. It is hard to motivate and leave Fruita to ride - unless, of course, we are headed up to Routt County to ride- but my wheels are turning and we will be hatching a plan to get back down here and get after more of this Utah singletrack goodness be it to race or to just recover...

fruita usa trail and ride report March 28-29, 2011

2011-03-28T22:05:00.013-06:00

soon, very soon we will be packing up kitty BokChoy and relocating up valley to Palisade (or "the sade" as we prefer) and leaving behind the glorious white plastic fence land...

We have loved our vacant lot Monument view, but a vinyl sided dream home has sprouted there this spring and blocked it- as if to say, move on little buckaroos to a place where agricultural land left undeveloped has genuine value and good eats and drinks abound!

...looking oh so forward to riding the winding vineyard roads and sprawling BLM they gots up there and telling you all the tales (you can be sure we'll be regularly making the 20 minute trek west to ride our favorite Fruita Singletrack too)!

Trying to get the most out of our last months in the 81521 I have been pedalling out to Loma and the 18 Road Trailhead instead of driving. This way I get to the trailhead well warmed up with a bunch of extra basemiles built into my ride.

Monday's ride started out beautifully with farmgrid rollers and maybe 6 cars in the 7 miles to the Loma Trailhead. The weekend crowds were gone and Rustler's, Mary's and Wrangler's were all in great shape with an eerie mist hanging low over the river. Then the clouds dropped low, the wind whipped up and the raindrops started- foiled by the Western Colorado spring again!

Needless to say, a long wet and windy traverse of the farmgrid to get back to the barn. Heading east, glancing north to the base of the Bookcliffs, I was very glad I had not chosen to ride out to the 18 Road today... I was equally glad to have my LTR windshell crammed in my jersey pocket. I acquired the piece under duress after Mike the-hammer Driver had to lend me his to descend from our TT preride at the Breckenridge Classic. I soon realized this was the exact piece of gear I needed- superlight, super wind breaking fabric with full side vents to keep me from feeling like I'm trapped in a garbage bag. Sadly, the loose cut turns it in to a bit of a parachute in race conditions- but it sure comes in handy on the podium...

Fruita, usa trail and ride report for March 19-20, 2011

2011-03-20T18:55:00.008-06:00

A year ago this time we were just barely able to ride out here in Fruita. This weekend the trails were perfecto- albeit pretty darn crowded. Lot's of flashy team kits on display all over the Loma loops and out in Rabbit Valley as well.
Saturday was blustery and overcast- Sunday the wind died down, but the temps stayed far cooler than the forecast 60s....and, today, Monday the wind has been howling all day and now its raining. Ode to Spring!

Dave and Andrey the Badger took a little mercy on me Sunday and stopped for a good 2 minutes to take in the vista off the top of Zion Curtain...anyone who has done this ride knows this is a painfully false summit with plenty of altitude gain yet to come. Let's just say, you'll be stoked you packed an extra snack.

We linked our Zion loop with a Western Rim/ Trail 2 lap today and hands down encountered more bikes, motos and ATVs than we have ever seen out there before. Good to see folks out and about, but we all agree it is time for the BLM to work on a trail management plan for Rabbit Valley.
Photo/map poached from http://www.gjmountainbiking.com/site.html

They have done a good bit of work labeling trails- but far too little keeping 4 wheelers off the trails that are closed to them and instilling the "Stay the Trail" credo. This afternoon we ended up in an absolute cluster f*ck with an entire family of ATVs "stuck" in the rocks on the Trail 2 singletrack. Dad insisted they, "never saw any markers" - and was pretty darn well busted when Dave pointed out the tracks showing the entire family had motored right past the No ATVs sign to enter the trail.

Why is this a problem? Well, for one thing the desert is fragile and random tracks damage the eco system profoundly. For another thing- single track is a premium commodity and not one we need to be trashing- least of all teaching our children to feel free to trash. The Bernstein Bear Family and their fleet of ATVs received our Raspberry Award today. Of course, I'm sure they'll all be out with shovels and gloves helping restore habitat or build trail the next chance they get...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

While the above issue is totally obvious to us all, our next idea is certainly more controversial. We would strongly urge the BLM to designate the Western Rim Trail as a moto-free zone. The surge in popularity of this trail has created overuse and, in turn, abuse. It used to be that the motos you encountered out there represented the creme de la creme- uber talented riders who embraced the physical and mental challenges inherent in riding technical single track.

This spring the random tracks of moto gaper wannabes are everywhere- willy nilly ripping up the red dirt desert. Clearly these folks lack the skill to ride this trail, but have been attracted by the allure. Fact of the matter is there is an insane amount of mileage out at Rabbit Valley to challenge the Motos and relatively little suited to mountain bikes.

Given the fragility of the Western Rim and the damage it is enduring we would strongly urge all of our readers to contact the goodfolks at the Grand junction office of the BLM and ask them to consider closing this piece of trail to motos (and, when they do, we will be there with our gloves on to lay down some serious trail maintenance).

Watch the forecast and get out here for some good gettin'!

Remember:

Troy Built reroute April 2-3. Is your COPMOBA membership up to date?!

Grand Junction Criterium Series kicks off March 30th.

Mad Cow Classic April 9-10.

Fruita, usa trail and ride report for March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T18:48:00.008-06:00

The riding is mighty in the Grand Valley and spring training is in full swing!

Dave got a healthy fix of 70milers on the roadbike this weekend including multiple laps up the Monument and a great Sunday afternoon group ride with the cats from the BikeShop. Thanks to the manmade miracle of daylight saving time I got out for a quarter century on the grid Sunday evening after work and, although, I always favor the trail, the road conditions are spectacular and the longer days a welcome training gift!

Today we finally got to ride together and what a great ride it was. Parking at the east parking area we avoided the connestoga scrum in fullswing at the main Loma/ Kokopelli trailhead and the dreaded salmoning certainly going down on Mary's Expressway. The plan was to get both base miles and interval anaerobic bursts by riding Lion's to Troy's, Troy's to the Frontage and back up Lion's to Mack Ridge for a little YEE-HA. This route is about single (as in genuinely single) track, exposure, technical shenanigans and plenty o' climbing (which of course means plenty o' sweet descending as well)

Climbing Lion's Loop from the west we get to see the tiers of Loma single track below- note Steve's on the edge of the lowest rim and the Steve's run-out (Or run-in, I suppose) halfway up the ridge. The singletrack in the background is the end of Mary's.

Troy's is a beautiful piece of well designed, well constructed singletrack making good use of the natural contours and features of the desert and, thankfully, with enough altitude gain (from either direction) and grunt portages to discourage 40# trail crushing rigs.

***I know, I know bikes don't jack up trails, people jack up trails****

A little kooky and off camber, Troy's is a heads up kinda ride forcing one to meditate intently on the feel of the bike beneath you and the trail beneath the bike- perfect for clearing the mind of the haunting pressures of the workplace.

No La-La-La'ing around out here, that is for sure.

and then comes the super grin of the golden rock halfpipe overlooking the I-70 and the eery subdivision we affectionately refer to as, "the not quite as promised land".
The ride back up Lion's from the frontage road totally sucks- there is no sugar coating it. This is a 15-20% grade 4-wheel track that will make you question just how much you really want the YEE-HA downhill from Mack Ridge.
We always want the YEE-HA, especially in the spring and the fall when the temps are cool and one does not have to fear death in the desert quite so much while tackling lung and leg burning ascents.
Today was perfect- we saw only 2 ranchers on 4 wheelers who pulled off the road, smiled, shook their heads and waved as we passed- Dave standing and powering through each single speed pedal stroke and me, red faced, spitting, sputtering and spinning the Granny Gear.

We stood on the ridge top, exposed to the wind off the Colorado far below until we could breathe again, then, pointed it downhill and laughed our way through the rock gardens descending Mack Ridge.
Yessirree- these are glory days in the Grand Valley!

south Routt road report for thursday march 9, 2011

2011-03-10T23:55:00.004-07:00

most local roads are clear, temps in the high 40's- it's time to ride. look out for ice & gravel on north-facing aspects. that's about all there is to tell in this report. see you out there.

cresting the summit today on le Col de Veste Jaune, C.R. 14, south Routt, Colorado

today was probably one of my last rides (for this season, at least) wearing the colors of South Routt Velosport. Jen and i have both signed on to ride for the western slope powerhouse of LTR Sports for the 2011 season (she's on the mountain bike team, and i will be doing double duty on road and mtb). word went out from HQ today that the new team kits are in house... and temperatures in the Grand Valley have soared into the 60's. talk about perfect timing.
the great tradition of new team apparel arriving in the spring has always heralded the start of another racing season, the excitement of rolling out on the training rides with a sharp, professional looking squad, and always being able to identify who you are riding with/for at the races. it was well time for me to invest in some fresh chamois, too.

look for the (road) team to make their 2011 debut at the 2nd annual LTR Grand Junction spring criterium series on the 30th of this month (wednesday evenings, for 4 consecutive weeks, USA Cycling sanctioned). yours truly will be there, on the line.
most of the mtb racers have already "stretched their legs" a bit this season, bravely heading out to the first InterMountain Cup race in St. George, Utah last weekend for some early-season suffering in the sun. they all did amazingly well, considering how much square footage of pasty white skin that was on display.

Jen has been training hard in preparation for her title defense at the Palisade Classic on May 22nd. she is planning her season debut for the second stop of the InterMountain Cup in Hurricane, Utah on the 2nd of April. i can see some painful and humiliating smack-downs in the works this year for a whole new crop of ambitious youngsters in her category (and, perhaps, a certain young apprentice... when applicable). looking forward to that, indeed.

we hope to see all of you racer-types out at the races this year! i'm headed down to Fruita tomorrow for some quality time with Jen and a couple of long group rides (in warm weather) with the team. we'll have another Fruita trail report for you in a couple of days, but for the most part, it's all GOOD TO GO right now.

two images for today

2011-03-09T21:54:00.001-07:00

and

re-posted from the blog bikes, bikes & bikes (caution: all cycling-related, some NSFW)

Fruita USA trail report for monday march 7, 2011

2011-03-06T19:04:00.006-07:00

dispatch: Rabbit Valley, Colorado

Jen (on her Eriksen 650b) says Trail 2 is ready for some bicycle-grooming.

migratory birds and cyclists alike are arriving daily here in western Colorado. most trails are getting quite dry by now, and those in Rabbit Valley are no exception. some mud still persists (especially at higher elevations or north-facing, shaded areas) and the motos have churned it up all winter long, from the looks of things. the trails need riders to smooth those ruts and all of the post holes left behind by the free-range heifers. asthma sufferers (such as myself) are well advised to remember their inhalers- it seems that every farmer in the valley is burning their ditches and fields in preparation for spring planting and irrigation. lots of smoke, dust and pm-10's hovering in the atmosphere is what i'm telling ya.

local weather is still a bit unsettled as well. be sure to consult the convenient links on the right-hand side of this page when making plans for local desert riding this spring, and this blog for first-hand, on-the-ground observations. we'll see you out on the trails.

NorCal Ride Report March 6, 2011

2011-03-06T17:34:00.006-07:00

Despite the rain and cold, and against better judgment, I decided to go out for a commemorative 16miler. Yeah, it only took an hour, and yeah it was wet and cold, but it was fun and I'm glad that I got out on the bike before the essay writing commenced.

Don't mind if I do, mysterious note writer.

Not nearly as icy as it was wet...

...not really even that wet.

All in all, it was a really great ride. A lot of people I know never ride in the rain, but I've come to like it, actually. There are so few people out on the road that it's just relaxing - a really great way to celebrate a birthday as well.

So with that, AYC, I have an essay to write, some bearings to service, and a pie to indulge with.

Keep it classy.

Fruita, usa trail report for March 2, 2011

2011-03-02T18:14:00.006-07:00

The stuff up at the 18 Mile is mostly dry, but if you or your rig are too precious to ride THROUGH the muddy patches, do everyone a big favor and give it another week or so before you hit these trails. There are some really bad trail aneurysms developing on Prime Cut which is too bad- the trail is just getting enough rider groom to undo the cow damage and is now falling victim to careless/lazy rider damage. Honestly, for now the road is a much better option up to the Joe's Ridge, Frontside, Zippity Trailhead.

*** I will say it again for those who can't seem to grasp this concept: When you encounter snow/ mud/ standing water on a bicycle trail ride through it, not around it. If that doesn't feel right- get off, shoulder the bike and walk around. Consider the extra 45 seconds part of your annual trail maintenance time and feel pleased with yourself.

Took a looksee out at Rabbit Valley today and it looked spectacular! Rolled out of the trailhead a ways and then thought better of a Western Rim lap as I spied a band of wet badness making its dark way north. Even if the trail is dry when you start, Western Rim is not a place you want to slog back from in the rain.
I played it safe, went back to Loma and did the old Rustler's, Mary's, Steve's hotlap...beauticious!
The little picture on our Fruita home weather station is an angry cloud dumping black drops with the barometer arrow flashing down, down, down. Goes without saying, I suppose, we are in the midst of unsettled, early spring conditions and every day is a crapshoot on the trails. Lot's of folks sure are starting to roll into town though.
And the race season is off and running with the first Intermountain cup X-Country down in Hurricane this weekend. Look for LTR to have a strong presence- these guys have been training like stink and are itching for a race!

Bike Master and I are on a later season program this year, but we'll be putting on the spiffy new kit (which we understand includes tighty whities) and representing soon enough!

Fruita, usa trail report for February 28, 2011

2011-03-01T10:28:00.009-07:00

YEE-HA! It is beautiful out.
The inversion has blown away. The temps are in the 50s and the trails out at Loma are dry (mostly).

Mary's is in awesome condition- even this last exposed section before Steve's Cut-off (remember this slid last winter). Horsethief is rideable all the way around- but wet in spots on the backside.

***Thought for today- How cool would it be if we allowed all of Mary's to devolve into singletrack?! Try to keep it skinny...it is so much more fun that way.

Looking down on to Rustler's- I could hear a lot of cheerful chatter from riders below. The river is starting to run, the grasses are turning green and the Grand Mesa is plastered with fresh POW in the background. These are good days in the Grand Valley!

2011 NAHBS award winners announced

2011-02-27T23:18:00.008-07:00

officially, of course, via the North American Handmade Bicycle Show website. and our local favorites fared well again, bringing home additional palmares for the sagging trophy shelf at Eriksen Cycles world headquarters. we at ABANDON YOUR CAR would like to extend a hearty congratulations to Kent (and the hardworking crew behind the scenes: Katie, Chris, Chad & Bo) for their fantastic 29'er tandem that took top honors for, you guessed it, Best Tandem.

Kent Eriksen- Eriksen Cycles, best tandem
image: NAHBS

here's all of the show winners for their group photo. check out the guy in the back:

image: NAHBS

he must have been channeling all of that happy Eriksen mojo from one of his fans somewhere way out in the desert of western Colorado:

i can't wait for the trails to dry out a bit so that Jen and i can take that thing for an "inspired" test ride. now that the dust has settled somewhat, maybe Kent and Katie have a little time for a visit out Fruita way for some nice springtime riding... hmmm.

we'll keep you posted.

Wait, What? NorCal February 26, 2011

2011-02-27T10:35:00.009-07:00

Yes, you're reading this right. Snow on Redwood Road yesterday morning, one of my favorite local rides:

(Image Credit to Jason Milliron)

While Jason was out there yesterday morning freezing his toes off (I wish I was doing the same), I was at a debate tournament. 2-2. I felt we went 4-0, but returned home with some disappointment. Oh well, better luck next time, eh?

And additionally, the Spring Classics are upon us. Here's a picture from yesterday's Omloop het Nieuwsblad, with Langeveld and Flecha throwing it out on the line. Langeveld won it:

(Image Credit to Flanders Classics. Tune into 7:00 of this video for the last kilometer action.)

And today, the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was won by Chris Sutton of Team Sky:

(Image Credit to CyclingNews)

So, that's that AYC. Have a great week.

Wishing the Kent Eriksen Cycles team a great showing at the 2011 North American Handbuilt Bike Show (and a little update on conditions in Fruita)

2011-02-22T18:34:00.009-07:00

The first 3 riders back to homebase after the 2010 Kent Eriksen Tour de Steamboat- you may recognize these cats as 3 of Routt County's cycling fixures, displaying their Routt County pride

Ian Pritchard- vintage MOOTS, Dave Fisher- South Routt Velosport, Jamie Morgan- Kent Eriksen Cycles

This weekend the 2011 North American Handbuilt Bikeshow takes place in Austin, Texas. Hundreds of beautiful rigs will be on display- and vying for prestigious honors. (you will find links about getting to and from Austin and links about eating and drinking in Austin on the above site- but, strangely, no links about riding in Austin...go figure. they do ride bikes in Austin, don't they?)

We have no doubt that our good friends at Kent Eriksen Cycles will have a brilliant showing. They have brought home top titanium honors the past two years - in 2009 for that jawdropping tandem and last year for an elegant 29'r singlespeed.

Be sure to check in on the cyclingnews and NAHBS sites frequently during the show- the photo galleries are always spectacular. If you are lucky enough to be at the show, be sure to drop by the Eriksen booth and visit awhile. We are certain you will find these folks among the friendliest, funniest and straight up smartest bike geeks you will ever meet.

This is what they really looked like after they rolled in...not such a pretty picture, but nothing a cold can of Coke and a banana can't fix!

*******************TRAIL REPORT********* 21 February, 2011

Me and my beloved Eriksen 650B out at the 18Road this week- the days are beautiful, and the trails are actually on the brink of being rideable thanks to the dry, windy days we've had. Early spring is a tricky time to ride off road- each dry day gets us closer to "good to go", but watch the forecast closely because it only takes about 2 drops of rain to turn things right back into slime this time of year.

We have very reliable sources saying that Lunch Loops are rideable up to about the Lemon Squeezer and "iffy" at best above that. Goes without saying that the dirt jumps are buzzing with activity.

The Eriksen longsleeve jersey has become my go-to early spring layer of choice. I have worn this pup on every ride I've taken since getting it for Christmas. I love the thermal fabric and perfect pockets- but not nearly as much as I love, love, love the imposing Eriksen "Crow-Magpie" graphic. Everyone should have one.

Fruita USA road & trail report for february 20, 2011

2011-02-20T20:55:00.002-07:00

no doubt that spring fever is in the air, the migratory birds are returning to their desert habitat for the season, and most everyone else is itching real bad to get out on the trails.
Jen has been doing regular recon missions on her MTB out to the 18 road. today's observations are not much different than what she reported in her previous dispatch- still soggy and getting pummeled daily by the free-range bovines that have been set loose upon the prairie. homesteader-guy is also posted up again for another van-camping session.

long -n- short of it is: the trails still need some time to dry out. same story for the Lunch Loops, still too much moisture and snow to get up much past the dirt-jumping area (which IS dry and seeing plenty of early-season action). one could probably get about 1 hour of ride time right now on the limited trails that are dry, and no doubt there are plenty of those willing to venture a trashed bike and a lasting legacy of ruts left behind on all the rest. it's your call, do what is right for you.

the conditions for early-spring road riding are superb, however.

Mike approaches the visitor's center on his skinny-tire VTT training machine. he's taking a serious approach to the upcoming racing season with this dedicated set-up, definitely not doing it the "easy way".

today i rolled out on the LTR sunday training ride with Mike D. and Rich (the only other guys that showed up, btw) for some nice tempo on the "Llama Loops" before turning south and climbing up over the Monument on the return back to LTR world HQ in Grand Junction.
and yes, the Monument is now open again for cycling, from one end to the other. be advised that there are still some frozen sections to be encountered, most of them south of the summit in shaded corners. plenty of gravel in places as well, so please exercise caution while descending.

wind-blown snow makes for some sketchy descending off the backside of Rim Rock Drive

Fruita, usa trail report for February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T18:57:00.005-07:00

Quick update on the conditions out at the 18 road...

the road itself is in sweet condition tricking me into believing the trails must be pretty dry. Let's just say I lugged a very heavy rig across the meadow to get out of there.

Another beautiful day today will help the situation, but more precip forecast by the end of the week certainly complicates the picture.

As for the Loma loops...

This is the initial climb up Mary's yesterday. Aargh. The snow is wet, sloppy and slick. The dirt sections of the trail are surprisingly muddy. The snow dump last week has really slowed the drying (and here I was convinced spring had arrived and everyone was out gobbling up tacky singletrack while I was confined to the concrete bunker I call "work").

In the interest of recon, I slogged out to the map kiosk and back, keeping to the slickrock lines as much as possible. It is a good technical challenge requiring lots of focus on body position and bike handling since any last ditch desperation maneuvers in slushy snow covered slickrock are more likely to lay you out than save the day. That aside, I'll be avoiding all these trails for awhile and keep it to base miles on the dirt road and alpine antics with my Valentine up in the high country.

There is really nothing to be gained from trashing the bike and the singletrack (if it is possible to trash anything more than the bovine do). But- to each their own, eh?

two images (and a map) for today

2011-02-11T22:41:00.003-07:00

from the ride. didn't see a car the whole time- not one. and that is not a complaint.

sunny, but not warm

just turn around to see this:

Pinnacle peak, south Routt, Colorado.

which is right about in the middle of this map:

View Larger Map

.

how to avoid cabin fever

2011-02-08T23:46:00.014-07:00

winter can be nasty and brutish up here in the mountains of northwest Colorado. seldom is it short.
some days, the snow is piled so high outside the ol' shack that it's impossible to go anywhere until conditions moderate significantly, and the sun finally, and almost magically, appears from behind the clouds.
today wasn't exactly one of those days, high temp was about 10 degrees farenheit and the snow insisted on continuing to precipitate earthward.

no, this isn't actually our cozy cabin in the mountains. it does, however, represent an excellent example of the shacks that Oak Creek coal miners lived in back in the day.

here's some local "mountain men" playing some music and singing about how they assess the current weather conditions outside. enjoy:

this is what it really looked like outside my back door when i was making a decision about what sort of ride i was going to do today:

hmmm... too much shovelling required to make an escape- go to "training plan B" was the only realistic option. hit the rollers.

after it's all over, we pull on the boots, the packs, the lead-filled snowshoes, avalanche probes & shovels, and slog it up over the pass and into town to stock up on plenty of bacon, flour, salt and hardtack before we get slammed by the next big storm coming our way.

ya have to get outside... one way or another. that's how it's done.

south routt trail and road report for february 8, 2011

2011-02-08T08:16:00.004-07:00

deep fluff makes for great ~~powder~~ power workouts. the stuff that has fallen since this past saturday is being measured in meters. trails should be opening up sometime in may. a warming trend will clear the roads for riding, but it doesn't look as if it's going to happen anytime soon.

go to "training plan B"...

here's my winter training set-up for all weather and all hours. the snowbank it is leaning against is the actual depth of the snow, accumulated on flat ground thus far this winter. i'm sure there's plenty more to come. *sigh*

sometimes ya just have to ride... no matter what. i think i might have to go down to Fruita for a couple of days worth of relief.

the voice of Le Tour de France

2011-02-07T23:57:00.004-07:00

i spotted this exciting blorb over at bikerumour.com a while back and thought it was worth another mention here as it is now well time to be planning out the upcoming season... if one hasn't done so already.

at any rate, it is now official that none other than cycling's finest commentator, Phil Liggett, will be making the call for the "multi-year" HD broadcast of the Amgen Tour of California in May.
and such a beautiful, thoughtful idea to bring another great Gran Fondo event to the U.S. by offering cyclosportifs the opportunity to ride a brutal stage as the pros do in the L'etape du California.
we here in Colorado still have a bit of catching up to do with California (as our local ProTour race does not offer a corresponding Gran Fondo event), but what's new? anyway, we're still in our inaugural year of the race.

that is, without a doubt, some of the best cycling-related news i have heard in quite some time. hopefully, Phil will be on board for the ~~Tour of Colorado~~ Quizno's Pro Challenge August 22 - 28 as well.

Phil and Dave (sporting a slightly deranged, too-much-bike-schwag-viewing-look) chillaxin' large at the great annual Gathering of the Tribes a couple of years back.

readers can get further infos over at bikerumour by following this link. we'll be out for at least a couple of days worth of roadside picnics when the riders roll on through south Routt this summer.

see you there!

two images for today

2011-02-07T19:44:00.021-07:00

i miss my best buddy... a lot

riding some fresh and casual NorCal single track just before thanksgiving with bro Tim and his son, Wyatt. later, we got some sandwich fixins for lunch and then hit the skate shop.

old school image for today

2011-02-07T01:07:00.005-07:00

that's me on the right of the gate, #157, about to take the biggest upset of my young career. from left are: JJ Longton, SE Racing, unknown rider, Randy Chamberlain, Dan Rahrer, Willy Marlowe.
probably the first moto at a double-points race at Countryside BMX in Escanaba, Michigan. went on to win the main against the factory guy and the #1 ranked rider. i got a sponsorship right after this. good times.

manual gate, no lights, track owner Ron Sundstrom doing the call. that's how we rolled in 1980, yo.

wintersport

2011-01-30T10:26:00.013-07:00

we all know that "it's what you do in the dark months of winter that will make all the difference come july" and that sometimes the weather goes bad for 6 months at a time (especially here in the mountains of NW colorado).

that is when "plan b" comes into effect, as deep snow and cold temperatures often conspire to make cycling all but impossible. you have to do something else in order to stave off the effects of "cabin fever" and develop some good base fitness in order to make a smooth transition to the cycling season and the efforts required.

here's a few of the fun things that we do as part of the winter training program:

snowshoes are an essential part of our winter arsenal. my grandfather gave me these (now) vintage L.L. Bean lead-filled "powder stompers" way back when i was about 13 or 14 years old. they have busted many miles of backcountry trail and have never failed to perform, even in the most brutal winter conditions. over the years, they have given me access to great snowboarding in the Flattops wilderness and other mountain ranges acrosss Colorado. the new-style shoes are great, mostly on groomed trail. but if you are going big in the backcountry, leave the trail-hiking pizza cartons at home and get yourself some of the oldy-but-goody ash & gut specials.

hot laps at area 19 make for some great aerobic workouts with some nice freshie-turns as a reward. notice the 'shoes strapped to my backpack.

Jen believes that if your free your heels, your mind will follow. and when you are following Jen on her tele skiis, you better move quickly. she is without a doubt one of the best tele skiiers i have ever seen, very smooth, confident and powerful on any terrain. this is one of my all time favorite images of Jen, taken in the backcountry of area 19.

she rips it on the skate skiis, too.

we have been doing some skate skiing on the Grand Mesa this season. the weather has been superb and there are many kilometers of groomed trails on which to enjoy the abundant fresh, deep snow.

skate skiing is brutal hard work, especially if your form is less than stellar, (like mine) and you're chasing all day at 3500 meters altitude. i had to stop for rest and refreshments more than i would have liked, but it's still january so i'm not too worried... yet.

and then there are the days when we just have to ride, no matter the conditions. Jen in the pow at Rustler's a couple of weeks ago.

Early Bird Criterium #3, NORCAL January 23, 2011

2011-01-23T14:58:00.004-07:00

Today was the third Early Bird Training Criterium (second for me) put on by Velo Promo. I missed last week's crit in favor of the second Oakland Composite TT, but was glad that I forwent yesterday's road race and joined in the fun of the junior criterium.

This week, after some sage advice, I decided to tear it up in just the junior crit and save Cat5 for a later date when there aren't so many crashes and wobbles. Dad and I left at 8am and arrived around 8:20 with a few minutes for me to register and get dressed for the clinic below. The guys and gals from VP have been doing a great job to keep the race organized and safe for all who enter.

(Briefing.)

Since I didn't make last week's race and clinic focusing on cornering, I opted to do my clinic with those who missed week two as well. We practiced two-by-two and three-by-three cornering at speed. No crashes, which was good.

(Clinic Briefing.)

Once the adults' clinic was over, the juniors had their own little skill clinic in one of the parking lots off the side of the course. We practiced practical real-life assertiveness, balance, shoulder looking, etc. Easy stuff, but it was fun and we all had some laughs. The junior race started right after the women who were proceeded by the U30 Cat5 men. The Cat5 guys had one crash coming into the sweeper after the start/finish line. The pavement there is incredibly rough, and the sliding sound after cross-wheel impact was really nerve-racking. Both guys made it out all right. So, the junior race began and the groups quickly separated. They start the really little kids with us as well, but we're quickly away from them so they can have their own race without worry.

(Big sweeper after the start/finish. The rough stuff is out of sight to the right.)

The group did a pretty good job of staying together and I stayed near the front of the main group for the whole race. Somehow I drifted back in this turn and that wasn't a good choice. On the next lap some kid was on the outside of me in the same turn, wiggled his bars a bit and leaned hard onto my shoulder. As per the advice of our in-race mentors prior to the start, I flicked him off with my elbow.

(SRV kit, red and black. That's me.)

And finally, the glory shot here. This is the bell lap, and things got strung out for sure up in the front. Right here, I'm probably sitting around seventh and we were going hard all the way to the finish. I don't really think anybody sprinted, but we just ended up finishing in the order of who had the most oomf left. I probably finished in the top 10-ish riders of the first power group.

(Killin' it.)

All-in-all, the race was great fun and I did far better than my first race on this circuit where I opted to ride with Cat5 and got dropped out the back. These are just training races, but there's definitely some competition and I think it's really good that some of the juniors are attending these races - we all learned something. For example, the team that will remain nameless that was leading the pack made some huge mistakes up in the front such as slowing and dangerously mushrooming the rest of the pelican. The mentors certainly had a word with them. Plus, I learned that while the drops do offer a defensive position, I don't need a death grip. Numb, stiff fingers suck after a race.

So that's that AYC. Sorry if it's incoherent or babbling, but I'm getting ready for a nap and then some serious studying. Stay tuned for next week's report! UPDATE: there might not be a next week. Stanford Parliamentary Debate Invitational here we come...

Fruita, usa trail report for January 20, 2011

2011-01-20T18:01:00.013-07:00

I took my Martin Luther King Jr Day ride out in Loma. I got on the trails early, expecting things to soften up- but the warm overnight temps (Mid- 30s) meant they softened up much earlier than expected. I made a couple Rustler's laps and then rode Mary's out and back just beyond the cattle gate. The ride was awesome- geese overhead and no one to be seen- but the temps crept up and I got mighty muddy on the way back to base. I'd say that unless (until) things get really cold again, these trails should be avoided. Having said that, be assured folks are out there riding- there are plenty of 3 inch deep tire tracks to prove it.

Warmer temps and gradually longer days mean the road riding is great this week- feels a little spring like even.

...but the really fun and full-on workout of the week so far has been heading up to Powderhorn to skin up and tele down...repeat. My goal was 3 laps since I heard a guy bragging about it last year- and I would have made 3, but there was that blister on my right heel and my iced up goggles and that one patroller who got snarky with me and, and, and, getting to the car in complete foodfreak, I knew I was lucky to survive 2 laps! Be assured, I will be back- spectacular workout at altitude with amazing views and a chance to make some turns back down as a rest and reward. (And then go home to the valley and recover)

As much as we here at AYC disdain gimmicks and loosely veiled efforts to separate athletes from their cash there are a few accessories we have become enamored of in 2011:

Chamois butter is for real. Dave has been using this since chamois were actually chamois, but it never occurred to me to try it until I had the pleasure of treating the rather gnarly saddle sore of a patient last summer. I only had to use it once to get the message loud and clear-
this is not a gimmick or marketing scam as some forum screamers would have you believe. Well, I guess it is a gimmick and a scam if you get suckered into buying some fancy pants expensive lube when there are plenty of high quality inexpensive options available. For instance, I really liked D’z Nuts, but refuse to pay $20 for a 4oz tube of lube when there are plenty of excellent options at half the price (We are all about the Beljum Budder these days but I think the chamois butt'r may be even less expensive).

Serious riders of bikes, horses, tractors and what have you have been taking care to protect against chafing and saddle sores forever and, I’ll tell you from personal experience, Mountain bike rides more than 15-20 miles are much more comfortable with a little gooch and saddle sores suck.

Compression socks rock. The hardcore runners in our posse have been telling us about them for ages, but it is a well known fact that we are slow to accept changes to our system. When the good guys at Boulder Running Company dialed us in with the CEP footless knee highs, our system instantly changed.

I’ll let Dave tell the story of the pain associated with his award winning varicose veins- but I’ll tell you he has barely taken his compression socks off since they first let him try them on in the shop 6 months ago.
Although the scientific research on the use of compression stockings for recovery is less than overwhelming, you have it first hand that the difference in "perceived recovery" has been immense. And the role of graduated compression to improve compromised circulation (ie. 'very-gross' veins') is well understood in medical science (and here is a picture to prove it).
We ended up buying knee high footless stockings because we like to be barefoot to sleep and to wear our own socks to work and workout. None of the other brands we tried seemed to be as spot on with compression in all the right spots- but since CEP doesn't make full length tights, we'll give SKINS a try when we are ready to branch out a little further.
Note: buy 2 pair. If you find they cure all that ails you- as did Dave- and wear them around the clock- as does Dave- you will need a clean pair to rotate in while you wash the others once in awhile.

Energy and electrolyte supplements are not all gack. I have always viewed energy bars and drinks as an absolute last option if I cannot carry real food on an outing. Mostly, they taste lousy, make me feel pukey and are generally a marketing rip off. On the other hand, carrying and consuming real food on training rides and during races can be a little unrealistic and, so, I am stoked to have found the Hammer product line (we use HEED, Endurolytes and Sustained Energy mostly). Since I have become much more conscientious about replacing the glycogen stores I am burning I know I am building more muscle and recovering faster and since the HAMMER products are so well made, I’m not having to feel sick just to stay fueled up. We at AYC appreciate their science based, less is more approach and feel very confident we won’t come to find out our supplements are laced with poisonous UCI banned crap.

**please note we don't get nothin' from nobody to pitch their goods or services- we just tell it like we see it. As always at AYC, just the opinions of a few vociferous cycling enthusiasts.

wishing a full and speedy recovery

2011-01-17T12:23:00.001-07:00

i will forego my usual commentary and observations for this post and just wish a full and speedy recovery to congresswoman Giffords from the folks here at ABANDON YOUR CAR. our deepest condolences go out to the friends and families of the other victims of the Arizona shooting as well.

congresswoman Giffords is obviously a "real cyclist", not just an election-seeking politician riding around the neighborhood in search of a photo-op and a few more votes. in fact, she's a member of the Congressional Bike Caucus. here's a couple of links to articles from TusconVelo; one is an interview with Rep. Giffords, the other is a short article describing a ride she took with a friend on the night before the shooting.

check out her custom whip, put together by Dave Bohm over at Bohemian Cycles: urban tires, SPD's, disc brakes, internally-geared hub, comfortable and sensible geometry, custom paint job, and, equipped with LIGHTS front and rear.
that's what i'm talking about: a real bike for a real cyclist.

happy Martin Luther King jr. day, everyone. get out and go for a nice ride today... to honor all of those who are unable to do the same, but would certainly be out there if they could.

Fruita, usa trail report for January 5, 2011 (and reflections on the year gone by)

2011-01-06T20:37:00.003-07:00

Winter is upon us here in Fruita- and, believe me, there is plenty of beautiful riding to be had. This is out on Rustler's where the gentle flow of bikes and peds keep the trail nicely packed (let a little air out of the tires- studs and chains are straight up overkill). It was just starting to get a little mushy today as the temp crept above freezing- before noon is the way to go. The roads are super rideable too, now that last weeks ice has melted. So far, we have been spared the hateful Grand Valley inversion layer that nearly broke us last winter. The gettin is good this week!

Of course, the unpredictability of winter means there will certainly be weeks we spend more time, thinking about riding, than actually riding our bikes. For those who cannot cope with not pedalling for endorphins there are indoor options (Ugh)-

Spin class is NOT riding a bike in my opinion, but it sure makes you think about riding a bike! Getting on the rollers in the garage is ever so slightly less obnoxious, but still not a bike ride by any stretch. And, of course, there is the group indoor trainer series hosted by the folks at LTR Sports which sounds like it may actually be fun (I would go if I had not already been to Pilates and out for a 2 hour hike under bluebird skies today).

Unlike many of the cycling enthusiasts with whom I rub elbows, I rather enjoy this time of year (perhaps because I have been a ski bum far longer than I have been a bicycle bum) and take a lot of pleasure in leaving the bike to the side for a long back country ski or snowshoe trek, a snowy trail run, a skate ski suffer fest or a quiet hike surrounded by snow covered juniper and animal prints crisscrossing among the grasses and sage.

As I hike, ski, run and skate I, of course, find my thoughts drifting to the bike and taking stock of the victories achieved and lost, goals attained and epiphanies realized over the past year. It seems a bit zen to get off the bike in order to best reflect upon it…

2010 was a good year on the bike for me after all was said and done.

I have been writing my lists of achievements, epiphanies, struggles and hopes for the coming year and am finding the exercise really cool. I loved going over Danny's list and will share some of my own over the next couple of months.

A Few random THINGS I FIGURED OUT IN 2010:

Training:
By piling on the hours and miles in early spring I was able to make a huge leap in my base fitness(duh) and then prove that reaching this higher base fitness level would allow me to conquer a crap-ton of my technical climbing demons. And, as a result, – my #1 goal in 2011 is to be stronger (as in muscle power) and, thus, better able to pull off the aggressive anaerobic bursts that separate the winners and losers in mountain bike racing. If I had not pushed past my base fitness plateau in 2010 I would not even be able to imagine making this happen in 2011.

Skills:
Picturing and feeling my weight shifts as if I’m telemarking (that’s skiing, not selling crap over the phone) has me making far faster, tighter turns both climbing and descending. This analogy was hard for me to accept when Dave first pointed it out in the tight, steep, swoopy singletrack on Valley View- but as I pushed harder and harder to keep up with his descent, it came to me. I ski far faster than he does and when I make a hard ass highspeed tele turn, I roll out onto the little toe of the foot inside the turn for all I’m worth – that is the driving motion that allows for a tight edgy turn- (and the knee then goes a bit bowlegged). The other (outside) foot is pushing down and around, preventing the skid out. I’m not talking about the foot forward/ foot backward shuffle we use in the pow, but the driving of the uphill edge we use to rip hardpack. Transferring this concept to the bike has been a major breakthrough for me. I’m just sayin’…if the shoe fits.

Racing:
Longer x-country courses that go somewhere beautiful and surprising suit me far more than out of the gate full-on sprint up the ski mountain and down the ski mountain courses. I race for the joy in it- I work because I have to. Therefore, any race I enter better leave me smiling for days afterward regardless of how I finish. I loved the races I was able to make in 2010 and I will choose all of my races for 2011 with this in mind- (this includes the races I ride in and the ones I get to play soigneur). Rabbit Valley Rally, Palisade Classic, come on lottery spot in Laramie, and the Breckenridge Fall Classic are the anchors in my race schedule so far.

Enough for now- but be assured there is plenty more where this came from. For now my goal is to get out in the sunshine tomorrow and strive toward a little less spasticity on the skate skis! We are technically still in the unstructured phase, right?

Out With the Old, In With the New

2010-12-31T23:44:00.005-07:00

Well, AYC patrons, it may not be 2011 in California yet, but it sure as heck is 2011 elsewhere. So, on behalf of the Abandon Your Car crew, I would like to wish all of our readers a safe, healthy, and fun New Year.

Looking back, 2010 was a world of change for me personally. Especially in the realm of cycling and related activities. I went from being an out of shape neophyte to a pretty committed cyclist in the course of only twelve months. To be honest, I really don't ride nearly as much as I'd like to, but when I do, I make the most of every second and make sure that I'm getting what I need.

And that thought, along with a very helpful suggestion from Aunt Jen, made me start thinking of other things that occurred with my cycling career over the course of 2010. My amazing aunt suggested that I compile a list of goals that I had during the year, ones that I accomplished and ones that I didn't. Along with that, I was also urged to start a training journal months ago and I've kept with it in a composition book. So, I wrote down my end-of-the-year lists and also some tips I've picked up along the way. Here's just a bit of what I came up with:

Goals Met:
-Try to ride at least twice a week. School may get in the way, and there may be times where you're hunkered down studying for a week, but don't let the noodle-y legs discourage you. Keep on trying - keep on riding.
-Give it what you've got. On a ride with some highly competitive friends, do your best, do your part and try as hard as you can to stay with it. Even if you start dying and explode out the back, finish the ride and satisfy yourself with the fact you gave it your all.
-Conquer at least a 50mile ride in a reasonable time frame. Although my 50mile sufferfest may have been a mistake, I was still pleased to have gone the distance.
-Never quit. By the time you've crested the first brutal climb or fixed your third flat of the day, know that the ride is still there and you're still breathing. Don't let a ridiculous situation psych you out - finish what you started.
-Do a race knowing you're going to get smacked. Admittedly, my "race" is my race-paced fitness gauge from a few weeks ago, but I started it knowing fully that I wasn't going to win. What I'm saying here is that you should do it for the learning experience and the fun in competition, not purely for winning. Although, as my debate coach so often reminds us, winning is good too.

Goals Not Met:
-Don't end up in the emergency room. Yeah, well... things happen sometimes. Of course you don't want them to happen, and of course it might be your fault (ask me about it), but take care of yourself and move on.
-Ride all out, every day - no mercy. My hat comes off to people that can accomplish this. I may use school as an excuse not to ride as much as I could, but motivation is also a huge factor. It's amazing what riding with a friend can help you accomplish - do it more.
-Keep a clean, orderly work space. Trust me, if you take on any cycling project in a garage you don't technically own, you better have some room and some uncluttered storage. It helps avoid conflict
-Climb Mt. Diablo from both directions (Northgate, Southgate). This was a goal of mine all year and I'm really bummed I haven't climbed the flippin' thing yet. Honestly, it's like the mountain is beckoning me. It'll happen quite soon, I believe.
-As Dave states, don't count your chickens before they cackle. The way I interpret this is to not lose sight of what you're trying for because you think that you've got the situation nailed down. More specifically, don't not ride because you think you're in adequate shape - that fast group ride will tell you otherwise.

Helpful Tips:
-Don't forget the basics. That is - carry your repair kit, do your bike maintenance, make some checklists, etc. Once you start getting really into your training, you may start forgetting things. Don't. Do. That. Nothing's worse than flatting ten miles into some new trail you're exploring only to notice that the ranger station is out of sight and you have no tools.
-Get your butt behind the saddle, don't bomb it if you haven't ridden it before, and heed your partner's warnings. See my goal about the ER. This pretty much applies.
-Never, by any means, attempt to remove a pedal with your knuckles directly in line for a collision with your beautiful 53t Campagnolo chainring.
-Don't let getting dropped traumatize you or make you not want to ride. View it as a learning experience and keep on trucking.
-Look at some maps. Know where you are and what you're about to ride before you plop yourself onto the saddle. This is information you should know in case of an emergency, and also in case of a pop quiz.
-If you didn't catch the memo about that last tip, don't be afraid to ask for directions. Suck up the pride and pull off to that gas station or fellow cyclist and ask where the heck you went wrong. There's no shame in doing this and it's better than getting further up that metaphorical creek.
-No, those wheels won't make you any faster. AKA: it's not about the gear.
-Lastly, have fun. Ride your bike because you want to and because it's awesome. Don't lose sight of the fact that truly, deep down, we're all in this because it's what we enjoy doing and remind yourself of that if need be at times.

So, there you go. There are some of my favorite things from my riding journal this year. I encourage our readers to make their own journals including some goals you accomplished, some you didn't, and some you have for the future. Also, keep a few pages of tips and tricks you pick up along the way and read over them a couple times during the course of a year to remind yourself of some things you may be forgetting.

Happy New Year once again to all of our readers. I'm going to bed and hopefully riding tomorrow if the party-ers are still recovering from tonight and if the weather isn't that bad.

Stay classy, AYC.

local rider delivers the goods

2010-12-18T23:06:00.001-07:00

image: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net

one of our favorite all-around good-guys here in Routt county recently traveled to the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships held this year in Bend, Oregon to do battle with a stacked field of masters in the 40-44 division.
hailing from BikeTown USA and riding for "the big guys", Jon Cariveau brought home the bronze medal after an hour-long grovelling slog in what could only be described as "epic cyclocross conditions" in the best of European traditions.
he also boasted a fine result in the "open" one-lap TT on thursday, rolling in with a highly respectable 17th place- a good indication as to his excellent form and the pain he was about to inflict on (most of) the rest of the masters in their title race. he followed that up on friday with a blazing 4th place in the master's seeding TT as well.

crushing a field of well over 100 riders, he was bested only by Boulder locals Peter Webber and Brandon Dwight of the Boulder Cyclesport team, with Brandon only pipping Jon at the line for the silver.

here's a short vid from cxmagazine.com that gives a darn good indication of the chaos at the start of the master's race. if you weren't at the front with a good holeshot, it is pretty clear that you were going to be "pack filler" within less than a minute... good thing Jon nailed that 4th place in the TT.

having ridden, trained and raced with all 3 of these guys since "way back in the day" i can attest to the fact that these racers truly represent some of the very best that Colorado has to offer in terms of good, clean racing and sportsmanship. and i couldn't be happier for the bunch of 'em (except, of course, if Jon had been on the top step of the podium, that is). but then again, there's always next year.

it's also well worth mentioning here that Jon is not one of those high-salaried rock star professional racer-guys. indeed, he works a solid 40 per week as lead salesperson at the factory and is a full-time parent on top of it all. he still finds time to train and race every week at the Steamboat Springs Town Challenge series, as well as numerous other local and regional road and mountain bike events such as the Steamboat Stage Race.
he and his wife, Sally epitomize the working folks of Routt county that put in their 8 hours per day and then still find the quality time to spend with the kids, giving them a first-hand introduction to the joys (and suffering) of cycling. look for an in-depth report on the Cariveaus and several other local families in a future post.

for now, i would like to extend a personal, heartfelt chapeau to Jon (and Peter and Brandon as well) for a job well done in bringing home the honors to our little corner of Colorado.
i can hardly wait for next year's event... but you probably won't find me out there in the mud and slop at Nationals. i couldn't run fast if the cops were chasing me, much less through the mud and over tall barriers. i'll just leave it to the guys who really live for it and save my legs for the races in the high mountains on the hot days during the month of July. see ya there.

NorCal Race Report, December 12, 2010

2010-12-14T14:59:00.004-07:00

Well, Sunday was my first ever race-paced road ride. In reality, the ride was done as a base fitness gauge for the upcoming Oakland Composite mountain bike race season with the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League. All of the riders met at the parking lot of the Cull Canyon swim Lagoon, and those who didn't ride to the start went on a nice warm up. I went along just to get a few fast-paced sprints in before the start.

Once everybody got back to the impromptu start line (a telephone pole), Coach Dave Gane -- Cyclocross Masters A, Expert MTB, and Cat 2 Road rider -- gave us the start order and started out to the end of the road. The first of eight riders started at 11:30 with one minute intervals between consecutive starts. I was placed second-to-last and once a parent counted me down from ten, I was off. The race of truth had officially begun.

I started really strong, knowing to go hard on the way out to the end of the road as the way back was optimal for recovery. Within a few minutes, I passed a rider. Then, as I was approaching the next rider, Anthony Fryer passed us both. He'd started last, and I knew it was going to happen, so I was happy with my pace. Essentially, I passed all riders except for two on the way out to the end of the road.

After jamming back down the road to the finish, I saw Anthony and Tim sitting down and accepted my third place finish with huge amounts of pride. This was my first ever race-paced ride, and I'm quite happy with my performance.

Race stats:
-Distance: 12mi, 20k
-Field Size: 8riders
-Place: 3rd
-Time: 0:37:21
-1st Place Time: 0:32:07
-Avg Speed: 19.5mph

And just for yucks, here's a picture of how the SOMA was supposed to look for the race:

(Yes that's tupperware. Yes, that's a DT Swiss sticker.
No, the manhole cover is not riding a TT.)

I had these NOS Specialized Turbos, size 700x18. I got them originally to race on, but completely forgot I even had them. So, since I had no pictures of the actual race, I slapped 'em on there and took a picture. I think she looks classy with skin-wall tires. Black bar tape is on the way because the white is tearing and becoming unwashable.

So, that's that AYC patrons. Thanks for reading.

Fruita, USA Trail report for December 7-8, 2010

2010-12-08T17:00:00.007-07:00

That's right folks- DECEMBER 7th and 8th and the riding is mighty in Mucha Fruita!

The singletrack is pristine- frozen up in spots, perfectly tacky and quiet. As Dave pointed out in his last post, the road over the Monument is closed to cars, but open to bicycles until the snow flies. What a bonus for the roadies! Longstory short, we are loving life on 2 wheels in the Grand Valley right now.

Tuesday afternoon at one of my favorite view spots- why I so often peel off Mary's onto Wrangler's. Wouldn't it be awesome if Wrangler's actually went somewhere?

What I love the most about riding the singletrack in late season is the how new it feels. The light is entirely different, the ground feels different, the air feels different. Every trail is new again- as they will be yet again come spring. But, unlike early season when the masses from the mountains migrate west, hopped up on cabin fever, desperate for spring and a chance to bust out their helmet cams, high fives and parking lot beer, late season riders have a quiet exuberance. In late season the trailheads and trails are eerily calm, riders greeting one another with sincere and knowing expressions of joy at getting another day on the bike and at encountering someone else all layered up and nutty enough to get out and do the same.

Get your woolies and shoe covers on and get out there- after all, any day now we could be relegated to rollers in the garage or, worse yet, the gym.

Fruita, USA road report for 04 december 2010

2010-12-04T13:34:00.006-07:00

here's an image taken on a ride last february that gives a pretty good indication of what sort of road conditions to expect on Rim Rock Drive in the winter time.

many readers of this blog may already know that the Colorado National Monument will be closing a substantial portion of scenic Rim Rock Drive this winter due to budgetary constraints. that's the bad news.

the good news is that the road will remain open to cyclists for the immediate near future, as indicated by this recent letter from park director Joan Anzelmo:

December 2, 2010

To Grand Valley Cycling Community:
I am writing to personally welcome you to ride the closed section of Rim Rock Drive until we get the next snowfall. Please be aware that there are a few icy sections. Please also be aware that there is no road patrol going on in the closed section for the cost saving reasons you are aware of. Therefore you ride at your own risk. Please ride in daylight hours between 8am – 4pm only. Please be out of the closed section by 4pm and off other sections of Rim Rock Drive before dark.
When the snow comes, the road will be closed to cycling and I will write you again to remind you. Towards the end of the winter season there will be a few weeks where the road remains closed to motorists but will be available to cyclists. I will keep you informed.
For the long distance travelers I cannot change the road status day to day or week to week. Therefore the top portion of Rim Rock Drive remains closed and is signed accordingly. You are welcome to share this information with other cyclists. I am not doing a full public announcement as I don’t want to confuse the community or the long distance travelers.
Thank you.
Joan Anzelmo

so there you have it; get out and enjoy the car-free section while you can (at least on the bikes). then after we get some significant snowfall and the road is full closed, please respect the closure and hike, ski or snowshoe in for a truly exceptional wither time experience of one of our great national treasures.

please exercise caution in the shaded (and possibly icy) areas, we'll see you out on the road!

Giving Thanks and Buying Nothing

2010-11-29T19:22:00.004-07:00

We had beautiful cycling weather in the San Francisco Bay Area over Thanksgiving and Buy Nothing Day.

This is Lake Chabot- Danny's hometurf in the East Bay. He organized our pre-feast no-drop group ride on the bike path along the lake. It is perfectly rolly and densely wooded with Eucalyptus and Oak trees for an almost singletrack feel.

Cousin (and niece) Aine arrived by train from Portland and did not hesitate to get after it. Not a particularly experienced cyclist, she demonstrated exceptional fitness having just come off a State Championship Soccer Tournament.

She also demonstrated that perhaps most important skill- RALLY- as in, borrow a bike that may or may not fit, get your gear on, roll with the mechanicals, sweat, breath hard and go get yourself some free endorphins. Here's hoping we get to see a lot more of Aine on the bike in the coming months and years!

To Celebrate Buy Nothing Day Danny took Dave out on a 3 hour East Bay Mini-epic road ride. They hit Skyline Blvd, Redwood Road, Inner City Oaktown...and NO department stores. A few minor navigational errors aside, what an awesome way to give thanks for the beauty around us and for our tremendous health- Two things you cannot buy at DoorBuster prices.

Strongwork Danny! It is amazing how far you have come in just one year of riding the roadbike.