Night Rider

I rode for an hour on the Santa Fe at lunch yesterday and decided to go for a night ride when I got home. Eryan was out with the girls from her work so I had time and a partially charged light. I left the house at 8:20 and didn't even need to turn on the light until 9:15. I rode 3 laps around Ute and took my time. It's amazing how different everything feels at night. I've ridden UVP countless times and could probably ride it with my eyes closed but I still had a couple near misses because my cheap (John gave it to me for free) Nightrider Rover just lit up my front tire and a few feet in front of it. I can see why 24 hour racers insist on using very powerful and expensive lights. Tomorrow we fly to Florida and the week of R&R begins.

Short Rides

Wednesday I rode for an hour on the Santa Fe Trail.
Thursday I rode Ute for an hour and a half and rode an hour on the Santa Fe Trail.
Today I did yard work in the morning and am charging the light for a night ride. I will probably do a short ride on the Santa Fe for my break.

I'm ready for my trip to Florida next week. We are leaving Sunday morning for a condo in Destin, FL and returning Friday July 4th. I'm going to work on losing my weird biker tan and focus on relaxing on the beach.

Flatted!

I took the Rig up to do a quick loop around Buckhorn and Jacks this morning. The weather was perfect and I started out feeling good and moving pretty fast. About 15 minutes into the ride my front tire exploded with a loud bang. I must have had the tube piched against the rim. I have now had more flats with the Rig than ever before with all bikes combined and 27 years of riding (more if you count my big wheel in the driveway). I am getting a little frustrated but am getting very proficient at changing a flat. I discovered that I need to go tubeless ASAP and that a regular size CO2 inflates a 29er tube to about 8psi. I have now purchased 6 29er tubes and a bunch of CO2 cartridges this year and am down to 0. I have also used a few 26er tubes so this season is a little crazy. Oh well, it's all part of the fun.

Short ride day

I did an hour and a half ride today around Ute Valley Park and took it easy today. My legs feel suprisingly fresh after riding for 6 hours yesterday. I did some work on the bikes and have all 3 tuned up and ready for action. It's nice to have options as far as which bike to take. Tomorrow I think I'm going to take the Rig up to the canyon. I haven't been doing any race specific training this year but I've put more miles in than ever before. Eryan and I are going to Florida from this upcoming Sunday through Friday to get some R&R with my family. I'm looking forward to laying on the beach with a cold beverage and getting some down time.

First century ride!

Today I did my first 100 mile road ride. Kip and I rode to Cripple Creek and back. I biked straight from my door up to Cripple Creek and back for a total of 102.57 miles and more than 8000 feet of elevation gain. This is the 4th Sunday in a row that I've done a 5 hour or more ride and I can tell my endurance is getting much better. It's a pretty cool sensation to cover 100 miles of mountainous terrain using only human power. The peace of the road ride gave me time to think about how great the invention of the bicycle is and how it is one of the most energy efficient modes of transportation that exists. I am going to try to get out on the road bike more this summer and leave straight from my house. After today I really like my Surly cromo bike more than ever before.

Raced last night

I did the final race of the Sand Creek Series last night in singlespeed class. It was a fun little race and pretty well run. I am hoping there will be more local races in the future. A 20 minute drive to a race is way better than 4-6 hour drive with a hotel room. I got my racing fix so I'm going to skip Crested Butte this weekend. I don't think I placed really good but had fun. All the 50+ mile rides have really helped my endurance but I don't feel very fast now. The short track format is not my favorite but the course is perfect for singlespeeding. The Rig is now set up with the Magura Marta SL brakes and carbon spacers. The blinglespeed is now in fully blinged out mode. I am really liking how the bike came together. It's the nicest part spec I've ever ridden.

Back to work

I'm back in the office now after my Sunday/Monday weekend. I ended up having a big weekend as far as bike saddle time goes. I rode with Kip Sunday and Monday and worked the legs pretty good. Sunday I did another 50ish mile ride but this time I rode Lovell Gulch into Rampart Reservoir with some backcountry exploring thrown in for fun. Monday I rode up Rampart Range road and down a technical trail that goes by a waterfall. This was a really fun trail but it was raining and made this boulder strewn tight trail into an adventure. Battling the elements always humbles me a little and made for a good ride. Today I did yoga in the morning and am going to do a light recovery workout. I've put a lot of miles on the bike this year and feel pretty good about where I am now. I had a busy day at work today but it was nice to be warm and dry and using my brain after spending 10 hours on the bike in the last few days.

My blog is boring

I mainly write this blog as a personal journal and way to keep track of my biking and other personal stuff. Taking a good look at my blog today I realize that it's about as interesting as watching Ryan Seacrest floss his teeth. Being out in nature on the bike is really therapeutic for me but doesn't translate to riveting web content. I've decided to continue on with the blog but to focus more on creative writing, music, beer, and other more interesting topics. Eryan was reading some of my books on writing this morning and got me to thinking about why I don't write anymore. I really got into writing when I was living in Dallas and helped co write a screenplay for a film. The writing process is fascinating to me and very fulfilling. I will hopefully be writing some more interesting stuff in the future and will try to use this blog to get the creative juices flowing. It's really easy to lose touch with your creative side when trying to work at an office for 40 hours a week, ride the bike for 15 hours, and watch too much TV for the remaining non-sleeping hours. Time to make time for writing, reading, music, and art.

Feeling tired

I rode Buckhorn and Jacks this morning for about an hour. I kept the bike in a small gear and spun my way around. It was fun but decided to skip the afternoon ride I planned and just ate lots of cookies at work instead. I'm waiting to install my new brakes on the Rig and really miss the lightning fast acceleration. The Heckler is a fun play bike but isn't nearly as much fun on the climbs in the canyon. I'm hoping to get the Rig back up and running to do a singlespeed ride on Sunday.

Time for reflection

I am right in the middle of a month of no racing and taking time to reflect on what is working and what needs improvement. I started doing a yoga/pilates workout a couple times a week and am noticing a stronger core and better balance.
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-1-20-16856-1,00.html
The 6 hour long rides the last few Sundays have really helped with my endurance and switching between the geared bike and singlespeed is a nice way to switch it up. The next race up is Crested Butte on June 21st and I'm looking forward to some high country riding. As far as training this week I jogged with Murphy Wednesday morning and then rode for 45 min. on the Santa Fe trail at lunch. Today I rode for an hour in and around Ute Valley and will do the hardcore workout on my break. This Sunday I will most likely do the 50 mile ride on the singlespeed again to keep the legs churning.

One must train from a state of movement towards a state of stillness.

I try to keep my life as simple and stress-free as possible. The easiest way for me to calm my mind is to stay in motion. The yoga and biking really helps keep things in focus for me. In keeping with the Fengsshui blog I thought I would explain why I picked the name. Feng Shui is based on the Taoist vision and understanding of nature, particularly on the idea that the land is alive and filled with Chi, or energy. By riding through the mountains on a singlespeed bike with speed and skill the energy of the universe is all around. I hope to live my life in balance and utilize the energy of the world to enhance my life and the lives of those around me.

Rest Day

Today is my rest day. I jogged a little with my dog Murphy this morning and I'm going to do a yoga workout at the gym. Yesterday I rode a couple laps around the Bear Creek race course until I could figure out how it's ridden for the race. It's not a really fun course but it should be interesting in a race. There doesn't seem to be a lot of room to pass. I got bored after playing at Bear Creek for an hour so I drove home and refilled the water bottle to go into Ute Valley. Between Sunday and Monday I got about 8 1/2 hours of time on the bike.

Long singlespeed ride

John on the ride up.


I met up with John at 6:30am Sunday for a big ride in the canyon. Kip met us at the top of the Chutes and we climbed up to do the Forrester trail. Finished the ride at around 1:00 for about a 6 hour ride. Lots of climbing and lots of miles. John and I both felt better about the ride this week. 

A day at the office

I've been in the office all day this Saturday. I did get out for a 45 min. ride on the Santa Fe trail again today. It's not a long workout but it's nice to spin the pedals and get fresh air. Tomorrow I'm meeting John at 6:30am for a big ride. I'm bringing the Rig which will be easier climbing than the Heckler. I've got 2 weeks until Crested Butte so I might try to structure some sort of training plan so I can race well.

6/6 6:00 - Time of the beast

I rode during my lunch break on the Santa Fe trail for a quick 10ish mile ride and got back to my car at exactly 6:00. It was a short ride but I pushed the big ring and kept the heart rate up. I need to do this more often on my break from work. It's amazing how much harder the workout is in the "real world" rather than on the exercise bike watching the Daily Show. Although John Stewart is a lot funnier than the joggers on the trail. I guess I still know how to ride a bike.

I hope I dont' forget how to ride a bike

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2007/01/03/ecnmem03.xml

According to this article I should be OK after 3 days of no riding. I worked on the yard this morning instead of riding and it seems like a long time since I've been on the bike. It's looking like good weather for the weekend so I will be back out on the trails soon. I'm thinking my legs are going to be very fresh on Sunday for a big ride. I am thinking of using my blog as my training diary also since I never keep up with one on paper.

Looking ripped!

I'm going to look ripped and buff at my next race.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,362304,00.html

I rode the Heckler for about 1 1/2 hours yesterday around Ute and rode the Rig for an hour around Ute this morning. The Wednesday night series starts tomorrow so I have to decide if I'm racing or not. We're planning on doing the 50 mile ride again Sunday so I'm building up the endurance.

Long day in the saddle

I got on the bike at 6:45am and didn't get off until after 1:00pm. The legs are a little cooked now. I met John and Nick at the Southgate Starbucks and started our ride after a double expresso. We rode up the Chutes to Forrester's trail and back down Buckhorn and Jacks for close to a 50 mile ride. The Heckler is comfy but not the best climbing bike I've ridden. Time to work on my endurance.