We are getting snow by the footload and it's still coming. My 2nd blizzard in 8 winters of living in Colorado. Holy crap did I just say 8 winters? More pictures tomorrow here and Marni's blog. Hopefully no work again (insert crossed fingers here).
Wednesday, December 20
Shhh! I hear snow wanting something...Pugsleyyyyyyyyyyy!
We are getting snow by the footload and it's still coming. My 2nd blizzard in 8 winters of living in Colorado. Holy crap did I just say 8 winters? More pictures tomorrow here and Marni's blog. Hopefully no work again (insert crossed fingers here).
Tuesday, December 19
Tagged
Well Doug tagged me so I guess I'll play along. I'm always up for a little diversion from productivity. 5 things you all probably don't know about me...1) I own a car that has run 12.7 @ 109mph in the quarter mile here in Denver. It's also a 4 cylinder with street tires and no nitrous. It also hasn't run at all in a while now along with our SCCA Street Mod autocross car.
2) Growing up my parents were divorced and I had two houses 5 miles apart. I switched houses pretty much every day to see both my mom and dad. It may be unconventional but it worked out well for our family and probably molded a lot of who I am today.
3) I graduated high school a year early and came to college as a 17 year old studying and graduating in mechanical engineering. Aside from missing out on my senior year of athletics I would do it again in a heartbeat.
4)I joined my high school swim team as a sophomore who didn't know how to swim at all but aspired to start racing triathlons. Two seasons later I swam the 100 yard butterfly in under 60 seconds, swam solid 5:30 500's and we won the Missouri State Boys swim title.
5)My first 100 mile bicycle ride was sub 5 hours. I was training with 2 older Ironman triathletes from St.Louis and they pulled me through the final 20 miles when I was shot. Then we ran 4 miles. I suppose this is how I became a ranked junior with USA Triathlon at one point.
In other news this showed up yesterday night on the porch. Anyone know what they are? Extra bonus points if you can figure out the material and/or manufacturer :)
The weatherpeople are predicting anywhere from 3" to 20" of snow for the Denver area by tomorrow night. Marni said Pugsley was giggling in the basement already. If we get 20" of snow I'm building a snowcave and sleeping outside again. Either way I'll ride the Pugs to work and watch my coworkers play around on it in the snow. Should be hillarious. I got a couple nice rides in today on the SS before the snow started too. My rear Racing Ralph is almost dead but somehow I am keeping it alive with Stan's. With 2 sidewall cuts and who-knows-how-many punctures I should let it die. I really do love it here in Colorado though and I'd rather ride than swap tires.
Since most of the bike community has already been tagged, I'll spread out the love a little. All you tag-ies, tell us 5 things we don't know about you.Marni
Becky
Dave
Dad
Bill
Monday, December 18
Sunday, December 17
Sleepy
If I was participating in the Winter Ride Challenge Series, which I am not, today's ride would have been something like 520 points. 8.5 hours, cold as hell, singlespeed. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the majority of the 86 miles and 5400+ vertical feet but it capped off a 287 mile week with over 200 miles on the singleshizzle. As such I am tired. And sleepy. And now full of delicous chicken dijonaise (which contains no mayo thank you very much). Soon I will also be full of cake thanks to wifey.
It was quite an interesting day as well. My ride to Hall Ranch was solitary but Bill arrived just as I turned into the parking lot. We had an awesome time riding a deserted trail which is amazing as it's usually a highway. Of course it was pretty rutted as a bunch of arsehole riders couldn't wait until it was dry or wake up early enough to ride it frozen. Nevertheless we had an awesome time and I'll post some pictures when I unpark my ass off the couch and find the camera. After the ride Bill tried to entice me with a ride home but I somehow resisted the warm truck and headed by bike back home. Along the way I ran into another TransIowa rider! Pedala (aka Brian Hannon) caught me on highway 36 on his fixie. When he learned I'd been out since 7:30am he jokingly asked if I was training for TransIowa. I think we were both very surprised when I said "Yes!" He very kindly invited me to his home to warm up a bit, fill my frozen bottle with hot water and eat a loaf of bread and some caramels. Hey food is food when your ride started at dawn and it's now the afternoon and the bread was awesome! After I left his house I headed off to Marshall Mesa and back home. Near the top I caught Debaser from MTBR. We'd read each other's posts before but never met. It was great to put a face to a name but I had to jet pretty quick as the sun was nearing the end of it's day. From there I cruised the new trail at Marshall Mesa and down the Coalton trail into Superior. Up the Wall and down Simms brought me back home and out of the bike duds. Other than a trip to the grocery store and helping cook dinner I've been pretty much sitting on the couch since I got home. Since Marni brought me the camera and cable here are the pictures. Bill has some more on his camera too I think...
It was quite an interesting day as well. My ride to Hall Ranch was solitary but Bill arrived just as I turned into the parking lot. We had an awesome time riding a deserted trail which is amazing as it's usually a highway. Of course it was pretty rutted as a bunch of arsehole riders couldn't wait until it was dry or wake up early enough to ride it frozen. Nevertheless we had an awesome time and I'll post some pictures when I unpark my ass off the couch and find the camera. After the ride Bill tried to entice me with a ride home but I somehow resisted the warm truck and headed by bike back home. Along the way I ran into another TransIowa rider! Pedala (aka Brian Hannon) caught me on highway 36 on his fixie. When he learned I'd been out since 7:30am he jokingly asked if I was training for TransIowa. I think we were both very surprised when I said "Yes!" He very kindly invited me to his home to warm up a bit, fill my frozen bottle with hot water and eat a loaf of bread and some caramels. Hey food is food when your ride started at dawn and it's now the afternoon and the bread was awesome! After I left his house I headed off to Marshall Mesa and back home. Near the top I caught Debaser from MTBR. We'd read each other's posts before but never met. It was great to put a face to a name but I had to jet pretty quick as the sun was nearing the end of it's day. From there I cruised the new trail at Marshall Mesa and down the Coalton trail into Superior. Up the Wall and down Simms brought me back home and out of the bike duds. Other than a trip to the grocery store and helping cook dinner I've been pretty much sitting on the couch since I got home. Since Marni brought me the camera and cable here are the pictures. Bill has some more on his camera too I think...
Saturday, December 16
Speechless
We're in.
77 in open
38 in SS/fixed
4 women
119 people signed up to do 320 miles of this if we're lucky:
This if we're not.
77 in open
38 in SS/fixed
4 women
119 people signed up to do 320 miles of this if we're lucky:
This if we're not.
Friday, December 15
Gorgeous
I hurriedly re-Stan's-ed my rear wheel on the SS this morning in another sucessful attempt to arrive at work late. I briefly thought about taking the road bike instead but I've had so much fun offroad the past 5 weeks that I quickly dismissed it and got to work on the wheel. Luckily the removeable core valve stem, syringe and compressor make quick work of the job. Perhaps if I would ride less I wouldn't have to do so much maintainence on all the bikes...naaaaaaaaaaaaah! At lunch I was incredibly happy with my decision as the weather was warm and the wind subdued. I had my Smartwool zip-t unzipped as I cruised out 14 miles in an hour, even getting to chase down and draft a 'crosser for a lap of the lake. The trail was mostly packed back up and all the snow gone. Even the ruts were minimal as conciencous riders stayed away while the mud retreated.
After work I headed out again for a little sunset riding. The weather was still beautiful and I rode past dark. Lots of hikers out at first but then everyone disappeared and I had all the trails to myself. I really enjoy my lights and I should have bought a nice set sooner.
In other news there is a group ride of the White Rim brewing on January 13th. 2007 is going to be a huge year of travel so I might as well start off soon right? It's only 5:30 hours to "the Rim" and I'm dying to get out there again. It would be fun to ride with a few other enduro nuts too. This time I really would like to start before dawn though so I can watch the sunrise while riding and not standing around getting cold. So much has changed in 11 months since my last visit. I leave you today with a fitting quote to this and much of my riding life lately.
"We go into the Alaskan backcountry to find cracks in ourselves. We go back a year later to see if we've done anything about them" - Bill Merchant
Thursday, December 14
Snow time like the present
I'm currently parked on the couch following my oh so exciting trip to the dentist to fix a cavity and a chipped filling. Luckily today is an easy bike day since the last three days have whupped my ass. Last night I rode down to "Green Mountain" for a night ride with Erik, Bill and Dave. When I say "rode" that means suffered for an hour and a half riding into a lovely dust storm in the dark to get there. Nevertheless we had a kick ass time and trail conditions were snowy but perfect. Onto the pictures!
Dave's new On-one. 26" wheels and coasty, the horror! :D
Bill getting ready to ride.
Erik's rigid singleshizzle. Bill was the only one on gears, again. Muahahahaha.
Real 2.4" tires on wide rims. I think the front wheel weighs more than my whole bike.
Coquettish?
Dave and Bill with headlamps blazing.
My bike liked to stand up on it's own in the snow. The trail was great all the way to the bridge with only one icy spot that almost put me on my ass. Studs weren't required but would have been handy in select few spots.
Dave peeing. What else?
Bill headed up the trail.
Erik following.
Then Dave and the Inbred.
View of the city from the last road crossing.
HID blazing away. Erik was nice enough to take a picture of me.
Monocog stands alone again.
Erik, Bill and I at a rest stop.
The Chronus heads upwards.
Bill and the Yeti follow.
Hmm this looks like a nice untracked spot of snow...
Snow Angel!
Erik and Dave down "Green Mountain". Luckily I brought the EOS as Erik's battery died.
Bill rocking the EOS too.
The self portrait. My camera refuses to take pictures into the HID so I had to cover it up.
Can't wait for the next ride. 35 miles and 5k+ vertical feet wrapped up my Wednesday total.
Dave's new On-one. 26" wheels and coasty, the horror! :D
Bill getting ready to ride.
Erik's rigid singleshizzle. Bill was the only one on gears, again. Muahahahaha.
Real 2.4" tires on wide rims. I think the front wheel weighs more than my whole bike. 
Coquettish?
Dave and Bill with headlamps blazing.
My bike liked to stand up on it's own in the snow. The trail was great all the way to the bridge with only one icy spot that almost put me on my ass. Studs weren't required but would have been handy in select few spots.
Dave peeing. What else?
Bill headed up the trail.
Erik following.
Then Dave and the Inbred.
View of the city from the last road crossing.
HID blazing away. Erik was nice enough to take a picture of me.
Monocog stands alone again.
Erik, Bill and I at a rest stop.
The Chronus heads upwards.
Bill and the Yeti follow.
Hmm this looks like a nice untracked spot of snow...
Snow Angel!
Erik and Dave down "Green Mountain". Luckily I brought the EOS as Erik's battery died.
Bill rocking the EOS too.
The self portrait. My camera refuses to take pictures into the HID so I had to cover it up.
Can't wait for the next ride. 35 miles and 5k+ vertical feet wrapped up my Wednesday total.
Tuesday, December 12
Wicked wind of the (north)west?
It was a grey day here but patches of sunshine, temperatures above 50 degrees and 45mph wind gusts did have their benefits; notably good resistance training and a nice drying effect on the trails. Much of the snow is gone and the Front Range is slowly drying out.
Who is that guy in Boris's jersey? I was very "matchy matchy" today as sister would say. Too bad her blogs have disappeared.
Today I GPS'd all my riding but the two screens pictured are the most important. 
That 15 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain represent what amounts to pretty much my own personal mountain bike route. I ride it 3-4 times a week on average. It's not super technical, it's not all singletrack but it's less than 2.5 miles from my front door and 3 from my office. It is real offroading, it's perfect for singlespeeding and it's all mine.
This arrived in the mail today too. I'm not so sure how I feel about it. I suppose if my legs survive until Moab in October 2007 or Landhal at the end of September I will appreciate the discount on my $337 solo entry fee. On the other hand it doesn't really seem to make up for the fact that solo spots at Old Pueblo are $120 and GG events are $337. Hmmm as Marni would say...
Well my legs are a bit fried with 3+ hours a day in them yesterday and today. I'm going to blow them up once more tomorrow including a night ride with Bill and Erik before giving them a brief respite on Thursday. Then it's time for my last weekend of Colorado riding for the year and I'm out to make it count one way or another.
Who is that guy in Boris's jersey? I was very "matchy matchy" today as sister would say. Too bad her blogs have disappeared.
Today I GPS'd all my riding but the two screens pictured are the most important. 
That 15 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain represent what amounts to pretty much my own personal mountain bike route. I ride it 3-4 times a week on average. It's not super technical, it's not all singletrack but it's less than 2.5 miles from my front door and 3 from my office. It is real offroading, it's perfect for singlespeeding and it's all mine.
This arrived in the mail today too. I'm not so sure how I feel about it. I suppose if my legs survive until Moab in October 2007 or Landhal at the end of September I will appreciate the discount on my $337 solo entry fee. On the other hand it doesn't really seem to make up for the fact that solo spots at Old Pueblo are $120 and GG events are $337. Hmmm as Marni would say...
Well my legs are a bit fried with 3+ hours a day in them yesterday and today. I'm going to blow them up once more tomorrow including a night ride with Bill and Erik before giving them a brief respite on Thursday. Then it's time for my last weekend of Colorado riding for the year and I'm out to make it count one way or another.
Monday, December 11
Underground
Nick Martin had a little post about an underground enduro race in Moab. Pretty decent timing for my training in March so I added it to the schedule. I'm hoping it's White Rim but if it's not I'm sure I'll enjoy anyway. I'm planning a White Rim assault on the SS as soon as I can get away from D-town for a weekend. The legs feel really fresh and strong lately and I'm itching to return to the desert.I also added Leadville to the calendar tonight. It's not guarenteed that I'll (we'll?) get in but here's to positive thinking. I did really enjoy last year's race and now that my demons are exorcised there I can enjoy a different and more relaxing experience in 2007 (hopefully!)
Well I think I've almost shaken this cold and I hope Marni can too. I rode about 41 miles today and got to play with the GPS a little more. Didn't get out Colorado Hills yet which I'm dying to map but hopefully tomorrow. Time is just flying by. This weekend is the last time for a big ride in Colorado for 2006. Holy Crap! I will ring in the new year riding around St. Louis with my dad on the singlespeed. Pretty excited to stomp out a lot of my old trails with these new legs.
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