Pics from Angelfire

The pics from Angelfire are now on the Vast website. I didn't ride very well but the pics look ok.

SS long recovery

I took the Rig up to the canyon and did a quick ride on Buckhorn and Jacks this morning. At lunch I did a 45 min SS ride on the Santa Fe Trail geared too low for a flat ride. I didn't ride the SS since the race Sunday to let my legs recover. I love the Rig but recovery time takes a while after a big ride like Angelfire. I'm doing a big ride Sunday with John and Fast Nick and might be bringing the geared bike. It will be interesting chasing these guys on a 40 mile singletrack ride on a SS or the Heckler.

More pictures

Eryan's cowgirl phase.

Eryan and her Mom.

Dirty Sue.

Fun with bikers.

Eryan in the mountains.

Pictures from the weekend

No race pics but here are some highlights from the trip to New Mexico.

Hiking by Angelfire the day before the race.

Oxygen bar in Red River. It didn't help much for the race.

Biker rally in Red River on Saturday.

More Bikers.

Murphy after a long weekend.

Great weekend

The Memorial Day weekend in New Mexico was a great time. We got to Cimarron Friday night and I registered and pre-rode the course Saturday. Angelfire was really muddy on Saturday and doing a full lap of the course on the singlespeed worked the legs pretty good. After pre-riding we hiked up in the mountains for a while and then went to Red River for the motorcycle rally. If you're into people watching this place is great. Sunday the race went well. The legs weren't feeling great but the trails dried up and I had a fun ride. I think I got 15th place in singlespeed. I had a hard time with the climbing but was happy to finish the course with no major issues. Eryan brought the camera to work so pics will come later.

Leaving for Angelfire today

We're packing up the car and driving down to New Mexico tonight. I'm excited to race the new singlespeed at Angelfire. This weekend will be filled with lots of fun riding followed by a whole lot o' beer. I feel pretty good and am ready for a long weekend and some cold beverages. Here's a quote to remember for the weekend.

If I had my life to live over... I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
- Nadine Stair

The legs are back.

After being sore for a couple days after Battle of the Bear the legs felt really good today. I rode up the Chutes from the La Veta lot and did Buckhorn, Jacks, and Twister this morning. The trails are in perfect condition. It rained enough to keep the dust down. I took the geared Heckler which was a nice change of pace. I finished the ride in an hour and a half and didn't feel tired at all. I think the legs are as ready for Angel Fire as they are going to be. I'm registered for Singlespeed class in the Chile Challenge this Sunday. This will be my fourth year doing the race and it's one of my favorite spots to ride. I just need to switch out the gearing on the bike to 32x20 to handle the climbing and all should be ready to roll.

A Blog devoted to Failing

I'm an optimist at heart but this blog devoted to people who fail makes me smile.

http://failblog.org/

17 websites to spark creativity

This is a good list of interesting stuff.
17-obscure-creativity-sparking-websites

I found a quicker way to get my zen going.

Monday ride

High Drive

Buckhorn

Tight switchback

Lots o' climbing

I rode up High Drive from the caretaker house up to Buckhorn and Jacks Monday. Normally this isn't too big of a ride but my legs were still cooked from Saturday's race so it was pretty tough on the singlespeed. I need to switch my gearing back to 32x20 for the Angelfire race. I'm going to spend most of this week on the road bike to help the legs recover.

Metal

Here's a clip of the metal band at Johnny T's crib. I think they were called 3 Fisted.

Singlespeed racing, Metal, and a Pig

Saturday was filled with XC racing, heavy metal, and pork products. The Battle of the Bear was a fun race but not a very technical. There were people doing the race on cyclocross bikes and even one woman on a road bike. I kept the front shock on the Rig locked out for the whole race and spun out on all the flats with my 32x18 gear. I flatted on the 2nd lap and lost a lot of time trying to fix the flat. I need to go tubeless after flatting 3 times now with the Rig. After the race I stopped at my friend from college John Targ's house for a beer and some Metal. He had a band in his garage and a dead pig. I didn't dig on the swine but the beer and metal were nice after 30 miles of singlespeeding fun.

Racing tomorrow

I decided about an hour ago that I am taking Saturday off of work to do the Battle of the Bear race. The weather is looking really nice and my legs feel pretty good. Now I have to decide if I'm racing Sport or Singlespeed class. I'll be riding the singlespeed for sure and the course is pretty flat so either I'll be beat by the guys who have gears or the singlespeed animals here in Colorado. Either way the beer will taste great when it's over.

Feeling good

Didn't have much time to ride this morning so I just rode Buckhorn and Jacks. 35 minutes from the bottom of Jacks up and back down. The trails were in perfect condition after the rain. I think I'm ready for Angelfire.

Beware the power of the dark side of the force.

Jedis attacked by Vader.
http://www.9news.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=91679

Happy Morning

Quick ride

Rode Chutes, Buckhorn, and Jacks today with all the upgrades to the Rig. I completed the loop pretty fast but the 32x20 was geared a little easy for my taste. Last night I drank about 8 beers and ate a bunch of pizza and appetizers so I wasn't out to brake any records. The new wheels and easier gear make the climbs a little better but I need to work on my handling skills to speed up the downhills.  

Cool Person Test

Here's a great test to see if you are a cool person.
cool test

The Rig

Rig Build:
Frame: Gary Fisher Rig
Fork: Fox G2 F29
Wheels: Bontrager Race X Lite
Crank: Shimano XTR 175mm
Ring: Blackspire 32t
Cog: Surly 18t & 20t
Spacers: Surly
Post: Bontrager Race X Lite carbon
Saddle: Bontrager Race Lite
Stem: Thomson X4 90mm
Bar: Bontrager Race Lite Big Sweep
Grips: ESI Racers Edge
Pedals: Crank Bros Egg Beaters SL
Chain: SRAM 8 speed
Tires: Bontrager Jones 2.2
Brakes: BB7
Weight: 23.7lbs

Wheelie Practice

I rode half of Ute Valley Park and decided it was too muddy so practiced wheelies and bunny hops for half an hour. I've been riding singletrack for the last few months so it was fun to ride on pavement for a while. The Heckler is fun to have around for a play bike.

Rained Out

Woke up at 6am to meet Kip at the base of the Chutes to ride this morning. I got about halfway there when it started to lightning, thunder, and rain like crazy. Mother Nature designated today as a rest day.

Tired Legs

I got in a couple good rides the last few days. SundayI did a 2 1/2 hour ride on the singlespeed with John. We had a Cinco de Mayo party at the house Saturday night so I was hurting at the start of the ride but felt great about a half hour in. This morning did about a 2 hour ride with Kip on the singlespeed. The Rig still feels great but all climbing in Cheyenne Canyon is tough. Next ride I think I'm taking out the Heckler for some geared squishy fun. We brought Eryan's sister Megan to the Denver Zoo yesterday and down to the Rock Bottom Brewery. We don't get up to Denver enough. We were all really tired so we watched Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Hilarious movie.

Not racing this weekend

Well I'm not in Nathrop at the Chalk Creek race this weekend. I decided to work at the office today and will ride tomorrow morning and pretend like I'm racing. I just didn't feel motivated to drive 2 1/2 hours to and from the race today just to ride for an hour and a half. Racing is fun but I can have an awesome 2 hour ride next to my house anytime and didn't feel like paying to do it. I have everything planned for Angelfire and really like the race course. The steep climbs at Angelfire are great for my riding abilities. I hope that Nick and everyone out at Nathrop have an awesome ride. I have a love/hate relationship with bike racing. Part of me loves the adrenaline rush and the competition but the other part of me thinks it takes all the fun out of riding a bike.
"Only a warrior chooses pacifism; others are condemned to it."

The Rig is coming along

The Surly has just been hanging around.

The Heckler is getting a little scared.

The Rig project is starting to come together.

Not such a beautiful day in the neighborhood

It's been snowing pretty steady here in Colorado for the last hour. They say we have 2 seasons here winter and not winter. Today is winter for sure. Just Sunday Eryan, Murphy the wonder dog and I were hiking up in Cheyenne Canyon. I hope the race course at Chalk Creek is not getting hit to hard.