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The 'book ends' of the 2012 season

2012-01-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

If you stop by here often or follow on Facebook or Twitter then you know that all focus and prep right now is towards the Yak-Attack race in Nepal. Mountain Bike UK claimed it as one of the 5 toughest races in the World. I can agree with that....but I/you can also disagree. There are a lot of tough events out there and everyone has their own idea of what is tough. For example: CTR, Great Divide, Breck 100, etc, etc. This week the race roster was posted for Yak-Attack. Going to be a good melting pot of culture...new friends and bonds to make over the weeks we are in Nepal!

So, the training continues! Here is snap shot of how the week went down. Monday-Wednesday I laid low fighting off a head cold. Things started back up on Thursday with a ride with local pro mtber, Georgia Gould.

Funny thing is we have both lived in Ft Collins for about 5 yrs now, and this is the first time we have ridden/trained together. She is driven this year. Eye on the prize, the Olympics in London. Little video posted here from the ride that day as well.

Friday was a solo day pounding out a 1.5 hour tempo at sub-threshold. Legs felt good! Had me excited for the Oval Ride on Saturday!

The Oval Ride was stacked! CSU kids back from Tucson and Winter Break.....flexing their early season form! This is why I love it here! 70+ riders strong for this near 90 mile group ride hammerfest!

Before the fireworks, the simple things in life, like that of a well oiled paceline at nearly 30 mph :)

Of course, the Oval soon went into full-on race mode as expected! My legs, not snappy at all. I was deep into the 'pain cave' just to sit in! Quite the difference from 2 weeks ago when the legs were spot-on while pedaling the mtb on this training ride.

The fitness tow-rope eventually gave way. Snap! I solo tempo'd the rest of the way home.

Sunday was to be a climbing day in Boulder. I did get to Boulder and I did get to climb, but legs were super tired to ride within the group ride planned. I peeled back and spent the day riding with Sonya and focusing on big gear low RPM climbing. West of the Boulder the temps were well below freezing and the wind was blowing at 40-100 mph! I usually don't get cold on rides, but this ride had me second guessing my glove choice for the day.

Layering up at 8700 ft....wind howling!

Steep climbs = warmth! Sonya and I hit up as much of these punchy climbs as we could in the 4-5 hour training block scheduled.

I finished my ride up with a climb up Flagstaff west of Boulder, and Sonya did Sunshine Canyon for the second time that day. The training a success...and tough. Now, a few days of rest, then back on the horse!

Oh, and in reference to the blog title and 'book ends'....the season is starting with the very tough Yak-Attack. Sonya and I just found out we will end the season with another super tough event: La Ruta in Costa Rica in early November! The catch/funny thing is we have to use our American Airline voucher for the flight down....this voucher is from the lost bikes ball-up in Brazil last October. Crossing my fingers...and toes :)

Weekday canyon shred session

2012-01-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Time to 'man up'

2012-01-17T11:56:00.001-07:00

This is from the latest issue of Mountain Bike UK Magazine. Click the image to read.

Weekend update from 10,200 ft

2012-01-16T10:47:00.001-07:00

Another weekly recap! Visa application is in the mail for Nepal and the Yak-Attack. Had to send off my passport and some $$ to New York to get approved. Now, only thing to do is get in the training. This past weekend, Sonya and I headed up to the mountains to get in some hike-a-bike training and breathe in the thin air. With snow still very low in the high country it's pretty easy to get to the high terrain without any skis or snowshoes.

Road trip Leadville!

It may look cold, but it wasn't. Temps were about 40F, plus take in the intense Colorado sun. Made it feel like 50F at 11,000ft. The plan was to ride and hike as far up Mosquito Pass east of Leadville as far as we could within the 3 hour training window we had.

Hiking soon set in. Snow wasn't too deep, but deep enough to where our tires would break through and break traction. So, Yak-Attack oriented hike-a-bike training went into full force!

Going up! This was a fantastic time to test carrying techniques as well as footwear.

This is as far as we would go. Sonya pushed a little bit further to break the 12,000 ft mark for the day. The pass proper is still 1,100 ft above us!

Here is a quick video of our time on Mosquito Pass, filmed with the Epic Cam HD 1080

2 thumbs up for a post-training ride espresso in Leadville!

The reason we only had a 3 hour training window in Leadville is because we were both signed up for the snow mountain bike race at Copper Mountain Ski Resort. The race was a 2 lap format on groomed snow trails around the resort...at night. Cold you ask? Yep. Race temp of about 20F.

Guess you could call this the first race of the year :)

162 people would race! Some on regular mountain bikes, like myself. Others on proper snow bikes with big old fat tires! The fat tires would reign supreme at this race.

Sonya and Leslie ready to do battle! Rawrrrr!

I got everything out of the Copper Race I wanted. The training and the social aspect of it. The snow was so soft for a lot of the further reaches of the course that myself and others on normal mtbs were forced to run. Hey, it's all training, right? Yep. Even managed to go off course. Yeah, don't ask. There was a course marking mishap. Few of us got in some good extra climbing :) Overall, the snow bike race was a riot! So fun....so hard! GPS file here on Strava.

Worst part of the Copper Race? Changing out of sweaty wet cycling clothes in a tin van where the air temp sits at about 15 F. Brrrrrr!

Great Saturday!

As I type this, I am 2 days into a nice little cold. Head cold....tired. Always happens at least once over the winter. Now is the time for out with the bad...in with the good.

All the weekend photos are posted here.

Doing what it takes

2012-01-08T09:12:00.002-07:00

T-minus 2 months until Sonya and I leave for Nepal. Plane tickets are in hand, so this is as real as it gets now! It feels weird trying to 'peak' for a 10-day race in March....especially when those you train with are just getting on the bike to start preparing for 2012. The past week or so, I have been without a road bike. Why you ask? Well I had the brilliant idea to go train in a High Wind Warning. Why not. I race in the wind, so why not train in it. Well, that day while rolling north, a huge tumbleweed flew out of the ditch and straight into my rear wheel. This sheered off the rear derailleur hanger and shattered the SRAM Force derailleur. So, now I wait for a new hanger to arrive from Germany. While not a huge deal, I am relegated to the mtb for training.....on and off road.

Earlier in the week did a lot of Zone 3 tempos up the canyons with the warm weather. Can't beat riding to 8,000 ft in shorts in January with temps pushing 65F!

A majority of the snow is gone, but trails are still wet for the most part. What is dry I got out on later in the week. Trails behind the house are rolling good now. A few days of dry weather and everything should be good!

Saturday was the Oval Ride. With no road bike, I was unsure how productive the ride would be. I just wanted to merely survive 2 hours if possible. To my surprise I was feeling good. Legs snappy. Was able to get the whole ride in and not loose contact with the group until after Carter Lake. The downhills and tailwinds were the worse. Being under-geared requires some stupid leg speed. I took the new Epic Cam HD 1080 out for the ride. Check it....

Today's ride (Sunday) was a flop. It's amazing how a hard 4 hr effort the day prior can leave one virtually functionless at their favorite hobby/sport. A 4 hour ride was basically a 2 hour slog through the foothills. Still can't complain! A bad day on the bike is still better than not being able to ride at all. All you need to do is open your eyes and look around!

New Year on red rock

2012-01-03T17:38:00.001-07:00

Can't complain one bit about ringing in the New Year this year! With lower than average snowfall across most of the mountain states....as well as a warming weather trend....the decision to head west to Moab was made! A majority of the trails in Moab are riding very well right now. Only exception is Porcupine Rim, which sits higher in elevation and is mostly north facing. Snow covers the trail.

On Friday riding friend KJ and I packed up the van and headed west. Plan was to spend 2 days spinning Moab trails....4-5 hours each day....pretty chill pace. Was a good little vacation on the bike to ride some dirt with no focus on super structured training.

Day 1 was spent on Amasa Back and Pipe Dream. We, virtually had both trails to ourselves only bumping into a few other riders. For KJ, this would be her first trip to ride in Moab! Can't complain when the trails are perfect and there is not a cloud in the sky. Temps also ran in the low 50Fs.

KJ, on a borrowed HT Niner, riding the upper parts of Amasa Back.

One of the best views in Moab, the Amasa Back overlook! Wow!

I think we both could have sat here all day!

After Amasa Back it was a quick spin around a big chunk of Moab rock to Pipe Dream. Here is a quick raw clip from the cliff side trail.

Day 2 was spent on the MOAB Brand Trails and Sovereign Trail. A lot of chunk. A lot. Rough for sure on a HT.

Quick video to show what Sovereign Trail is like...

Overall, it was a good 2 days on the bike. Moab, was a ghost town for sure. Most places closed down for the season. Did find a gem of a sushi place in Moab. Yes, a sushi place. In the Utah desert. If you're ever in town, check out Sabaku Sushi

Holiday Hibernation

2011-12-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

Finished up a big block of training prior to the 4-day Christmas break. Break equals no training. Basically 4 days of chilling out with Family. It was a good 2 weeks with some longer rides focusing on climbing as well as occasionally running the engine hot on the local group rides. Needless to say, by the end of the block I was ready for some rest. It will be an on-going process until leaving for Nepal: training then rest, training then rest. It's all about building and layering on fitness. Here are a few highlights....

The regularly scheduled Saturday Oval Ride. The week before was the 'lite' version. This week, it was taken up a notch. Started with a good healthy group of about 50. By mid-ride it was down to like 10. Still early in the year for most. Beauty of the ride/route is everyone can go as fast or slow as they like.

8k climbing day outside Boulder, CO. Good weather window with temps near 50F around 7,000-10,000 ft. These kind of days are few and far between in Dec-Jan. You take them when you can get them. Could have spent all day out there, but sunlight dictates temp. range.

Searching for dry trails behind the house. Few and far between this time of year. 2 days after this picture was taken, we got 7 inches. Think it is time to head to Moab! :)

The day before the Winter Storm Warning went into effect. Climbing to the top of Towers Rd. west of Fort Collins. Climbing = Yak-Attack focus.

Scope out the Strava gps files here.

11 days later.

2011-12-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been 11 days since last blog post. Just a lot of the same 'ole stuff going on here in Fort Collins: work, ride, repeat. Plus, Facebook and Twitter are slowly taking the place of blogging.....especially when people want to-the-second updates on life, riding, training, gear, etc. Blogging is becoming the diary.....archive of life.

Work is busy. Yes, I work. For those blog followers that may need a refresher and for those new readers, I basically run the show for marketing and customer service for Ergon in North America. The bike riding is a highly addictive passion of mine. So, yes, I constantly mix work and pleasure. I am lucky. Very lucky!

Anywho, enough with the boring stuff. Yak-Attack. It's one of a few things currently on my mind all day....every day. The challenge consumes me.....the terrain....the culture.....the environment.....the training.....and relationship building. Is this healthy? Feels like it. This week it became 100% real. The biggest hurdle was the funding for the $1500 airline tickets. That was finalized, and tickets will be booked in early January. So now, training keep moving forward. Discussing with team partners as well trying to get the new Canyon 29er hardtails here in time. The course favors them. Not going to lie, it would also be a great marketing opp for Canyon.

Winter is not here officially, but seems this winter is going to be 'hard' as the locals refer to it. Temps in the low 40Fs and snow on the ground for more than a few days is not the norm. But it is Colorado, so we deal with it. The last few weeks have been a mix of indoor and outdoor training. Pictures tell the story the best.

Pedaling the road that sits right behind the house on a 35F degree day. The sun....so warm. Makes it super easy to get out the door earlier in the day.

The 'indoor cycling studio'.....also known as the laundry room. It is a neccesary evil. Trainer doesn't bother me.....when there is a plan. So, I plug into the iPod and put the MacBook in front of me with World Cup XC replys and put in the work.

Non-cycling activities. Most notably stomping around the snow at 9,000-11,000 ft. with a like minded other with similar goals.

Oval Ride is starting up. This past weekend was the 'lite' version. Basically meaning the full 90 mile loop minus the speeds that make a grown man or woman bleed out their eye sockets onto their stem. It will all change soon. Surviving to the end will be the goal for each and every rider.

High mountain roads. Perfect for Yak-Attack! Temps in the 40Fs, low wind, groups of 5-10 riders makes these rides a freak'n blast!

Gas station lattes. Calories and warmth wrapped into one package. 'Nuff said.

Bike then hike then bike

2011-12-01T16:07:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know. This photo is wrong. Very wrong. But, when you are training for an event that will require each rider to hike for 4 hours up to nearly 18,000 ft often carrying the bike....this photo now becomes correct. We finally got some cold temps and snow here in Fort Collins...both of which will be seen at the Yak-Attack in March. Hopefully at the event there is less snow than more. It was good to get out and test some gear and ways to carry the bike. One thing for sure, I learned a lot in this 2.5 hour ride and hike. For example....

- Salomon Gore-Tex trail running shoes were good, even in the 25F temps
- REI Gore-Tex gaiters were money! Kept everything warm and dry.
- Dressing for riding in the cold is not ideal for hiking in the cold. read: overheating
- How to best carry the bike? To be determined.
- Deep snow (6+ inches) requires carrying the bike full time. See above.
- SRAM XX pulleys decide to stop spinning at about 25F ;)

Overall, it might look miserable, but it fact it was a blast!

The days go by...the miles begin to build.

2011-11-28T16:01:00.001-07:00

2 weeks down. Many more to go. Bagging miles for the system to build the aerobic engine. With fantastic weather still sitting over Colorado (temps in 50F-60F) it is easy to get the 2-4 hr days in. The 'stoke' is high....as always. Counting the days until the Yak-Attack adventure begins. As before, it is best to show the past week via photos, as I have a lot of time to get some shots out there while pedaling away. A lot of group mtb rides while the trails still rock!

All the gps files and data can be seen on Strava.

The past few days in photos

2011-11-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

After a 2 week break, the 2012 training season has begun!

Trying to ride in a High Wind Warning. Highest gust recorded in this spot on the same day was 97 mph!

2011 season has come to an end. Looking to 2012.

2011-11-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Another season in the books. Not the best season in recent years in terms of results, but still got to ride some amazing courses and locations. Things could have been worse. With the travel chaos that was this years Brasil Ride bringing the season to an end, it is time to start picking the battles for 2012.

Right now, I have a few events in mind.....some I have done before.....others will be new. What very well could be the biggest challenge (other than CTR) I have took part in being the first event of the year, the winter training will be interesting to say the least. Right now, Sonya and I are both confirmed to make the trip to Nepal in March to take part in the "Highest mountain bike race in the World". The race is the Yak-Attack. A non-profit and only allowing 15 international racers, it's an 11 day stage race with 250 miles and 40,000 ft of elevation gain through some of the highest terrain in the World! As much as it is a race, it will be more of an adventure ride and life changing experience. The local riders automatically have the edge here with the course topping out near 18,000 ft. The highest I have ever been is just over 14,000 here in Colorado. Should make things very interesting to race in a different culture and environment. I'm pretty excited to train for a new/different event! Check out this video from the 2010 Yak-Attack, it give a good idea of what the 11 days 'should' be like. Starting at minute 4:49 are some pretty powerful clips/scenes.

Right now, I am in the middle of a 2 week break from 'training'. Basically only riding when I feel like it. It is a good time for a break, as the Ergon workload is pretty big right now, and I am in the middle of organizing all the frames, clothing, and components of the Topeak-Ergon USA riders for the 2012 season. Major SKU overload!

Race Report: Brasil Ride Stage Race

2011-11-02T15:33:00.000-06:00

This will be anything but a race report. Instead, it will be about nightmare travel and some fun times in Brazil with great people. It was no secret that Sonya and I put in the time and training to compete at the 2011 Brasil Ride Stage Race. After our 3rd place finish in 2010, we decided to work hard and head back to try to better our 3rd place in the Mixed category. We were both 100% mental and physically fit to ride hard for 7 days in Brazil.

Both Sonya and I left for Brazil on October 21 on an American Airlines flight that would have us going from Denver to Chicago to Miami to Salvador, Brazil. Once in Salvador, Brazil it would be a 6-8 hr bus ride to the start city of Mucuge, Brazil.

The air travel was a bit sketchy at times. Flights were delayed for one reason or another. I barely made my flight to Brazil from Miami. Sonya missed it completely and would arrive later that evening while I arrived in the AM.

When I didn't think things could get worse, they did. When I arrived in Salvador, my bike did not. The AA Baggage Agent said that the bike was coming later on the same flight as Sonya and would be delivered to me later that evening in Mucuge. OK, no problem there. So, I rode in the bus to Mucuge with the plans of Sonya, her equipment, and my equipment arriving late that evening.

Around 10 PM, Sonya arrived. Problem was, only Sonya arrived. All of Sonya's riding clothing, her bike, and my bike still missing by AA. If we didn't get our bikes by Noon the next day, we would not be able to compete in the race. Sonya and I went to bed with the hopes of bikes being delivered early tomorrow morning.

That next morning we woke up to no bikes. We instantly went into back-up mode to find bikes for the week. None were available. So we had to wait. And waiting we would do.

The race started on Sunday at Noon. Sonya and I would watch from the sidelines. Our race over before it ever began. So, for the remainder of the week we would be allowed to ride the stages.....but not be counted in any results. Later that evening, Sonya's bike and gear was delivered, but mine was not. I began to think I would never see the bike again. Sunday night was hell for me....and about 10 others! The icing on the cake, food or water poisoning. Last year I drank the same water and ate the same foods. This year, that back fired. I spent the night barfing outside my tent...chills....fever. Absolutely miserable!

The next AM still no bike, but I wouldn't be riding anyway. No sleep and lose of food/water over the night had me just blown. I just got in the van to ride to Rio De Contas.....the next host city. On the way to Rio De Contas we stopped at one of the aid stations. We would pick up fellow Colorado racers Brian and Jenny Smith. Brian had my same symptoms and could not race or ride any further. They would drop out on Stage 2....all while wearing the Mixed category leader jerseys.

That next day in Rio De Contas, Sonya would ride the stage. Brian Smith and I would be sick in bed. My bike, still did not arrive, even though it was verbally promised to arrive that night before 10 pm.

The next stage, I was still watching from sidelines. Sonya would get out and ride. Brian would stay off his bike in favor of rest. My bike, still did not arrive.....now 4 days after originally being lost by American Airlines.

That next morning my bike arrived at 6:30 AM! The stage began at 8 AM. I quickly built the bike and ate breakfast.....happy to be able to ride the stage. The early miles I ride with Sonya. She wanted to go a more relaxed pace. I was full of energy, so I rode a faster tempo on this 60 mile day. It would all come crashing to an end though. Lack of food/water intake over the last few days had me bonked out of my mind. Sonya caught up to me and was worried for me. 8 miles from the end of the stage she waved down a race vehicle and made me get in for the ride to the finish line.

Next day, I felt OK, but took the day off the bike to eat and drink. I finally had an appetite, so I fed my face with lots of quality food and drink. With 2 stages remaining I wanted to not make this trip a complete waste.

Stage 6 was a 80 mile day from Rio De Contas to Mucuge. The day for the most part was uneventful. Some good miles....some bad. Big climbs and big heat. Dodging dogs and cows. Mountain biking in Brazil done proper! Was good to get a solid day in! All Stage 6 photos here.

Stage 7 was shortened from 100k to about 30k. Why? Fire danger in the area we would be racing. The shortened stage was fast....very fast. My body went into shock....especially after being sick. Aside from that, it was a good ride! Oh, and my fork blew out. Yeah, it was one of those trips.

While there was no Stage 8, we made one. It was called beach day in Salvador prior to flying back to the USA! All pics here.

Thinking about racing the Brasil Ride? Read this!

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to Mario and the crew at the Brasil Ride for doing everything in their power to get our bikes to the race as soon as possible! Thanks for the hospitality and another great time in an amazing country!

Let the off-season begin! 2 weeks of no bike.

Brasil Ride Stage Race - Ready for round 2

2011-10-17T14:04:00.001-06:00

Flights are book. Travel health insurance is acquired. Currency is exchanged. Heading out on Friday for a 10 day trip to Bahia, Brazil for the second running of the Brasil Ride Stage Race. Can't complain one bit about last year, it was a fantastic trip with some race drama and bike issues. Hoping to repeat that, minus the drama and broken bike parts. We finished 3rd last year. Can we take the overall this year? Hoping so. We are capable, but we also have to race against some very skilled and talented riders from all over the World.

This year we are just as....if not better prepared. Last year the event was 6 days. This year it gains another day, to make it a full 7 days. The weather last year? Biblical. Rain....heavy rain every single day. Bikes were destroyed. Rain is not the norm. This year, hoping for dry weather. But with dry weather comes tropical heat. Hot. Humid. Personally, I would take hot over pouring rain. Weather is looking 'iffy'

Mucuge weather.

Rio De Contas weather

Stage break-down looks like this......
Stage 1 (Prologue): 8 mi.
Stage 2: 90 mi.
Stage 3 (XC format): 21 mi.
Stage 4: 50 mi.
Stage 5: 60 mi.
Stage 6: 80 mi.
Stage 7: 66 mi.
Full stage details located here.

Bike for this year will be similar to last. 26er full-suspension. There are a lot of dirt roads....but there is also a lot of chunky trail, ie: Moab style. Said dirt roads we'll race on in Brazil in most cases don't even classify as 'roads' here in the USA. Doesn't take long to get beat-up on the Brasil Ride terrain. So, with the bikes we get to choose from here in the USA, the Canyon Lux MR is the best choice. It is a good mix of speed, comfort, and efficiency. Close-up bike pictures here.

Update over the week will come via Twitter and Facebook as access allows. Keep in mind, the event is very remote, so updates will likely be few and far between. Plus, I refuse to pay the stupid amounts of $$$ to get my phone to work in Brazil. Cyclingnews.com, Brasil Ride, and similar sites should have results.

Training for the Brasil Ride Stage Race

2011-10-08T11:01:00.000-06:00

Was supposed to be in Moab this weekend for a 3-day training binge with Sonya. Rain and the long term weather forecast killed that idea......the desert and water do not mix. Instead, I stayed local in Fort Collins to train. We had a awesome weather pattern going......highs in the 70Fs with sunny skies......but Saturday (today) the weather did a 180 and is giving us a taste of what October should be like. Temps sitting at about 40F with rain and flurries. Sunday looks better, and the training will continue. Below is a break-down of the Brasil Ride specific training camp.

Brasil Ride Training Camp: Day 1
5-6 hours at HR zones 3 and 4, lots of climbing.
Strava data file

Brasil Ride Training Camp: Day 2
2.5 hours with a 90 minute XC effort on singletrack.
Strava data file

Brasil Ride Training Camp: Day 2.5
1.5 hours of spinning. Bad weather: rain and cold
Strava data file

Brasil Ride Training Camp: Day 3
5 hours at HR zones 2 and 3
Strava data file

Motorpacing on the mountainbike

2011-09-28T19:42:00.001-06:00

Say what? More of a drool control and survival session more than anything for me on my mtb. Sonya is working with FasCat Coaching out of Boulder, CO this year. In prep for the Brasil Ride Stage Race in a few weeks she is doing some motorpacing on her road bike. Thought it would be cool to tag along and get some cam footage, so I thought. I knew showing up on my mtb would be a good test. It was basically a 50/50 shot as to whether or not I could hang onto the pace and speeds that would be seen over the course of this 1 hour workout. The short of it was I was good up to about 30 mph. Anything sustained above that had me spinning out on my SRAM XX. So, smack in the middle of the ride we were going down the road at 35 mph. Yes, 35 mph. I know that for a fact, as the number is burned into my head as I sat on the tip of my saddle trying to spin at like 120 rpm staring down at my Garmin 500. Needless to say, I popped. It was expected, but wasn't sure when. Sonya continued on her session with her session, and I followed the route back on my mtb. Below is a video from the day.

Weekend Challenge: The 120 miler

2011-09-24T18:27:00.001-06:00

Finally got the new road bike built up with....for the most part....proper partner componentry. New bikes do strange things to people. They beg to be ridden....broken in....ridden right the first time out. With a fantastic weather pattern flowing over Colorado right now (no clouds, temps in mid 80Fs), I decided to do a ride I have been eyeing for some time now. Basically, ride from the house in Ft Collins up to 12,000 ft on Trail Ridge Rd in Rocky Mountain National Park.....then ride home. It's a big road ride, with 120 miles and around 9500 feet of vertical. All the climbing comes mostly in the first half of the ride as the second you leave Fort Collins a 5300 ft.....you begin the steady climb up to 12,000 ft.

The ride as a whole was good! The ride up was uneventful, except for a front flat tire. The higher elevations were slow going, but it was expected with the duration of the ride and climbing forecasted. RMNP was having a 'free' day today, so no gate fee to get in. Bonus!

The turn-around point at about 12,000 feet in RMNP.

The ride back is easy on paper, but a 60 mile ride home into a small headwind made for some suffering.

Stopped in Estes Park for the coveted Coke and to refill bottles. I don't drink soda often. A personal rule: I only drink soda.....or 'pop' as the Midwest folk know it....when I either ride 100+ miles or hit the 8+ hour mark on the bike. Got 1 of 2 of those today. Drink up! Over the course of the 120 miles and 7 hours on the bike, I went through 9 bottles of water and/or PowerBar Endurance. It was dry out there today!

Got to say, I am worked after the ride. Not sure I have ever ridden that far on the road bike prior to today. It's a waaaaay different experience than the same distance on the mtb bike. If you live in Fort Collins and have a good weather window, this is a great challenging route to add to your 'bucket list'.

GPS data can be seen on Strava here: http://app.strava.com/rides/1739570

Post-Interbike detox ride

2011-09-20T12:33:00.000-06:00

What better way to detox from everything that is wrong with Las Vegas than to break-in a new road bike doing a tempo up the canyon. Yes, that would be riding the Canyon up the canyon. Got to say I am impressed with the first spin on the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX. While not available in the USA right now, the time is coming when they will be. I can sit here and spew all kinds of tech info, but from my road riding experience (Cannondale and Rotwild), this is one of the better rides I have had. Sporty if you will. For me, the most noticeable riding features are: stiffness of front end and BB area, weight of the bike. Going to go long on the bike this weekend. Should be a true test of the latest bike technology to come out of Germany.

Off topic, the coolest things to come out of Interbike was some pretty set-in-stone funding to get to Nepal in March 2012 for the Yak-Attack. I have the entry covered, which isn't by any means cheap. The flight was the issue. With this appearing to be set, the plans to race for 11 days at 10,000 ft up to near 18,000 ft are moving forward. Seriously the trip and experience of a lifetime! Here is a picture from last year on Stage 9 at the course high-point of 17,500 ft!

Race Report: Park City Point 2 Point

2011-09-05T18:33:00.001-06:00

This was 'Take 2' for the Park City Point 2 Point. Raced this event 2 years ago....the first year for the event. It's a beast. In my opinion, the hardest single day mtb endurance race out there. Why? Well, it's 80 miles of singletrack. Rocky, rooty, loose, and sometimes buff singletrack. The course is always up....and always down. A true mountain bike course. Little to no recovery. Burly. Lets you know where your weak spots are in your training and equipment. Plus, this year, throw in a super staked field into the Open Pro category. Out of all my races this year, this field was the deepest and the most talented.

The race started at 7 AM. It was freezing. I lined up next to 2 time race winner, Alex Grant, and he said his SRM was reading 33F degrees. I was standing there in a jersey and shorts.....dressed for the near 80F temps we were to get later. Having learned my lesson the first year I raced here, my plan was to take it easy until about mile 35 (water aid station 1) then start picking up the pace. My goal....slay this course in 7.5 hours.

The gun went off and I took to the front to get around the closed gate before the burst of road to the were the race was in 'game on' mode. In the lead, I was followed by Josh Tostado and Jason Sager. Once to the dirt double track I started with my race plan. Through the opening singletrack through Round Valley I would drop back to roughly 20th place. I was comfortable and riding 'my' race. The sun was brutal. Sitting low in the sky if was virtually impossible to see the trail while riding east. Spent a lot of time with my left hind covering my eyes....while trying to ride the various ups and downs of the Round Valley singletrack.

With the first hour of racing down, I started the singletrack to Deer Valley. My legs felt good and I was riding a conservative pace. Guys around me were yo-yoing.

At Aid Station 1 I grabbed 3 fresh bottles and 2 fresh flasks of gel....and a PowerBar. Next up was some big climbs. I caught and passed 3 riders out of Aid Station 1. I kept riding my pace and soon ended up at another aid station...which was water only. I topped of my bottles and was told I was sitting in about 15th place. Perfect!

I would spend a lot of time riding alone over the next 20 miles. It was during this time that I make a costly mistake and miss a turn. The course was marked well with orange paint, but for some reason I was not see anymore orange paint. Where did I miss this corner? Unsure. While I was riding, unsure if I was on course, I asked hikers if they had seen racers....and they said 'Yes'. Good enough for me, I kept going.

It wasn't until I came to a fork in the road trail that I knew I was off course. This 'fork' in the road had like 4 options for trail. There was no orange paint. I knew I was now off course. So, my 10 minutes of fast descending was then followed by roughly 20 minutes of climbing. I some how got back on course, but never saw were I missed my turn. Only way I knew I was on course was I caught a few other riders.

Going off course totally killed my mojo. For the remaining 40 miles, I kept riding my pace....oddly enough catching some of the guys that I passed at mile 10. It was basically like starting from scratch in the race....hunting down racers. On the early portions of Mid-Mountain Trail, things took another turn towards bad luck. This trail is super rocky, and while descending a rock flew up and hit my rotor and spokes. Thought nothing off it until I dismounted a section and saw/heard my wheel/rotor stop dead in their tracks. I stopped for a second....spun the wheel.....only to see the broken spoke and bent rotor. Spoke wasn't a huge deal, but the rotor was bent enough to stop the wheel dead in its tracks. While ridable....it was a drag, literally. Downhills were fine. Uphills, the bike felt sticky with every rotor/wheel rotation. Things could be worse, I guess.

I was well past my 7.5 hour goal....and I knew I had some trail left to go...not easy trail. Nothing I could do but ride at my ability. Riders passed me....we exchanged words. But the time it was said and done, I crossed the line in 8 hrs 10 minutes....for 25th place. Ugh. Not what I was looking for, but it's racing. I keep thinking "What if I never got lost?"....likely would have finished in bottom half of the Top 15. I have to count my blessings. A lot of folks didn't finish for various reasons: broken wheels, bee stings, shredded tires, etc.

See HR and GPS data on Strava

Next up is a rest block, including Interbike, and then prep with Sonya for the Brasil Ride Stage Race in late October.

Week night XC racing at 6,000 ft

2011-08-24T00:10:00.000-06:00

Yep, confirmed. XC racing is still hard! Got to love Fort Collins, when in August they have a 3 week 3 race series out at Lory State Park. Good training for sure! The race this week fits nicely into the work and riding schedule for the week. So, I threw down my $10 and bled out my eyes for 1 hour. My race plan? Ride hard. Attach the opening climb...by my standards....and see what happens. Well I got the hole shot....and led the group up the climb. But, of course, I pooped out and was left chasing for the next 45 minutes. I had the Epic Cam HD on the handlebars for the duration. Here is the 1 hour race cut down to a quick 5 minutes.

Talking Bikepacking at REI Boulder - Thursday

2011-08-23T10:28:00.000-06:00

Heads up for anyone interested in learning about bikepacking, Sonya and I will be at REI Boulder on Thursday, Aug 25 to share our experiences while bikepacking....as well as our attempts at trying to race the Colorado Trail over the past 2 years. The clinic will focus heavily on bikepacking basics and the basics to getting out there and enjoying bikepacking in Colorado. You can RSVP on the REI website, but it is not required.

Running around at the Leadville 100 with a camera

2011-08-22T07:56:00.004-06:00

Spent a better part of the week leading up to the Leadville 100 in Leadville with riders Alban Lakata and Yuki Saito. Other than running support and logistics, I had camera in hand to try to document the week and race. Well, after shooting about 4-5 hours of video, I tried to edit it down to less than 10 minutes. Here's their experience in 8 minutes.

Breck-Epic: Stage 6 (Gold Dust)

2011-08-19T18:06:00.000-06:00

Singletrack and PBR. That is all I need to tell you. Enjoy!

Breck-Epic: Stage 5 (Wheeler)

2011-08-18T20:51:00.001-06:00

While the 3-day race is finished, it didn't keep me from getting out there and enjoying the 5th stage while shooting a little video for work. Here is a good taste of Stage 5! You really should be here in 2012! Enjoy!

Breck-Epic 3-Day Stage Race: Stage 3 (Keystone Loop)

2011-08-17T19:44:00.002-06:00

Ahhh, yes. The Keystone stage. While on paper, this doesn't look that bad....in my opinion, it is the hardest stage in the race. This is my 3 time on this loop racing it. Every time, it has been a struggle. The course is a constant up and down....very little recovery. The climbs are the steepest of the week. The flats are not flat. The downhills are littered with rocks the size of softballs and basketballs. You basically have to get into 'your' pace and stick to it....all day.

My race today did not go anything like the first 2 days. Struggled the second we hit the dirt. The fatigue from the first 2 days caught up with me. I was struggling to get my butt up the hills. Was also fighting the bike on the downhills.....over shooting corners....breaking when not needed.....etc, etc, etc.

I spent almost all day riding solo. Few moments were shared with friend and training partner, Jonathan Davis. Other than that, alone. All day. Struggling to turn the cranks over. My field was in front of me. I rode in 4th place all day to try to minimize time loss to the 4th place GC. Going into today, I had an 8 minute buffer. Today, I lost 10 minutes to Christian who rode strong the last 2 days. This bumped me off the podium for the overall. Bummed? Sure, who wouldn't be. But it was a fantastic 3 days of healthy competitive racing! Some of the most intense racing I have been apart of since moving to Colorado.

Here is today's HR and GPS data via Strava.

Breck-Epic 3-Day Stage Race: Stage 2 (Mt. Guyot)

2011-08-16T20:24:00.001-06:00

Big stage today with many big, long, and sometimes very steep climbs. Most noted on the day is the climb up to French Pass which begins at about mile 11. The trail is there, but barely. Today's start was a bit more mellow for me. I rode on the top 10 of the entire field for the opening miles. The race did spread out quickly. Our race leader, Yuki was on my wheel briefly, before coming around and beginning his job of the day....keeping his lead. Jorge was also up the trail. Not in sight to often for me early.

Having done this route both in racing and in training, I knew to save some matches for the big climb at mile 29 to 31. I settled into my pace and found myself sharing the trail pretty much all day with Travis Brown. Not a bad guys to be racing along side of. He was getting me on the downhills....I would get him on some of the climbs. Key word there is "some".

While climbing up French Pass I was caught by 4th place finisher from yesterday, Christian. He was riding well....climbing strong. I had him in sight all day....but never could get close. On the descent of French Pass, chasing Travis, I came across Tostado fixing his 2nd flat of the day. Both Travis and Tostado beat me to the descent. Now on the dirt road climb to Georgia Pass, I bridged up to Travis and Tostado. Tostado was on front and charging hard. Travis was the first to 'pop'. A few minutes later it is was me. Tostado rode away....to then win the stage in the 6-day race. Near the summit of Georgia Pass, Travis caught me then put time on me on the descent of the Colorado Trail. I would not see him until later in the stage....fixing a flat.

At the bottom of the Colorado Trail / Georgia Pass descent, I came upon Christian, who was riding in 3rd. We rolled into the final aid station together and he complained of cramping. Now with a big climb in front of us, I settled into my pace. Christian dangled off my wheel....but not far. While climbing we came upon Jorge, who was in 2nd in the GC and the stage. We both caught him....then Christian pulled away. I would not catch him. For the rest of the stage, Jorge and I would battle.....attacking each other. Soon we came upon Yuki, who had a flat tire and just finished changing it. We passed Yuki, but he caught back up.

With only about 3 miles left, Christian was off the front. Yuki, Jorge and I were playing cat and mouse. Yuki got away....and stayed away. This left Jorge and I left to duke it out over the next few miles. I got away from Jorge. I thought I had him beat. But he came up on me with only 1.5 miles left. He got a gap on me that I could not close. All 4 of us would finish within 1 minute of each other. It was an insane race in the last 10 miles!

The numbers don't lie.

3-Day GC after 2 days of racing.

Here is today's data on Strava.

Tomorrow is the last stage. Yuki is in the lead from 2nd place by 4 minutes. I am 8 minutes behind Jorge in 2nd. I have a 19 minute lead in 3rd place. Anything can happen and any of the 4 riders from today could take the stage and/or overall GC!

Breck-Epic 3-Day Stage Race: Stage 1 (Colorado Trail)

2011-08-15T15:04:00.001-06:00

Today's stage was a good one! About 40 miles and 5,600 ft of climbing on some of Summit County best trails. The last 2 years I raced the 6 day race here at the BE. This year, Mike added a 3-day offering, and this fit in nicely with work and travel associated with supporting Topeak-Ergon team riders at the Leadville 100 all last week.

This year has the biggest field ever for the BE. A lot of strong riders locally, from the USA, Costa Rica, and Europe. Looking at the 3-Day Open Men field there are some strong riders. Jorge from Boulder (top local road racer), Yuki (teammate), and some others. My goal is to get podium spots here over the 3 days. Ride hard....test my personal limits.....let the race play out...build some speed fitness.

Today at the start I hit the front soon after we hit the first dirt road climb. Behind me, Travis Brown, Josh Tostado, Kevin Kane, and others....if I recall correctly. I stayed on the front until a few other rider felt the need to 'up' the pace. I maintained, but not enough to keep with the lead group. Soon Yuki bridged up to me.....rode on my wheel for a bit.....then went on his quest to catch Jorge and the possible win. I would not see Jorge or Yuki the rest of the day as I chased these 2 strong riders.

The remainder of the stage, I would ride in the top 10 or 15 of the 6-Day field.....mostly alone A lot of strong riders, as I said before. First rider I came upon on the Westridge CT climb, was a guy I rode with at the DDC before he dropped me on his SS going up Bolam Pass. Today he was geared. I bridged up to him....but wasn't able to get past until he bobbled on rooty section. Thought for sure he would be back on my ass shortly...but didn't see this strong rider the rest of the day. Kip Biese was in my sights all the second half of the ride. Wasn't able to get away from him until the end. He was killing the DH sections of the trail! In the final miles, I was caught by two 6-Day riders, Sam from Epic Endurance and I believe Nick Truitt from Yeti. Both rider rode a consistent race to get me at the end.

Overall, I felt good all race. I finished 3rd overall in the 3-Day race. Yuki took the win! Only 2 more days to go....and both stages are burly. Going to be some good racing in all categories!

HR and GPS data posted on Strava.

Alban Lakata's Leadville 100 race bike featured on Singletrack.com

2011-08-11T16:20:00.000-06:00

Clicky, clicky, to see details and more pictures!

What is next?

2011-08-05T16:18:00.000-06:00

Well, CTR, as you know, was a flop. Not meant to be for some reason this year. After thinking about it, I am not going to do a individual time trial of the route. One of the reasons CTR appeals to me is the shared start with like-minded riders and the act of being chased and chasing. Being out there alone will not fulfill my needs for what I am looking for in my CTR experience. I am willing to wait until 2012 to conquer, for me, what is the hardest cycling event I have toed the line at.

So, on with the rest of 2011. The Breck-Epic is in a few weeks. The 3-Day version fits nicely around some work I need to do at the Leadville 100 (team support and media) and September through October racing schedule.

So, the bikepacking bags are put away.....for now. Time to get some speed work in the legs for the Breck-Epic, the Park City Point 2 Point, and the Brasil Ride Stage Race. Few other events on the list, which will happen if I play my cards right.

Colorado Trail Race: Pulled the plug

2011-08-02T13:43:00.001-06:00

My 2011 CTR is done.....for now. After Bailey, things went downhill fast. Not sure if bad food from the sketchy store in Grants, CO or a bad water filter source. Achy joints and body. Chills. No appetite. Super thirsty. No energy. Route is too hard to go at it half-ass. Bummed to stop early in the group race. This year, for some reason, is not the year for me. Time to continue with the reason of the riding season.

2011 Colorado Trail Race: Tracking and watching

2011-07-28T09:28:00.001-06:00

The time has come! After months of training and gear testing, the time to tackle this nearly 500 mile 60,000 ft of climbing route from Denver to Durango has come....again! This past week leading up to the event has me pacing a worn out line in the living room carpet. Personally, I feel I am 100% ready to handle this beast. I have confidence in my equipment and my race plan. This is a race where it is almost better to be the tortoise rather than the hare. Seriously. You won't win the race on the first day....but you can loose it.

Unsure what this Colorado Trail Race is all about? It very well might be the hardest mountain bike event you have never heard of. Some details for ya: Well, each rider is self-supported. Each rider must carry all needed equipment to get from Denver to Durango. Riders can only resupply (food, etc) at pass-thru towns....ie: pick up more food at grocery stores or gas stations in towns like Leadville or Buena Vista. There is NO outside pre-arranged support! Riders are also self-navigating. Sorry, there are no course markings here...no arrows....no course tape. Most riders get from start to finish either on memory or GPS. Me, I am going on a little of both.

While us racers are out suffering, you folks at home can follow along in great detail! Almost all riders will wear a SPOT tracking device, so you can follow in real-time. Also, there will be non-required call-ins to MTBCast. Riders will call a specific phone line and provide audio updates....which are then uploaded to the web. Finally, there is the web forum. Bikepacking.net will have a forum thread rolling during the event for anything and everything to be discussed. Below are the links!

CTR LIVE Tracker Leaderboard
Jeff Kerkove LIVE Tracker page
MTBCAST Call-ins and Coverage
Bikepacking.net Forum with real-time discussion of the race
CTR event webpage

Race starts on Monday, August 1 at 6:30 AM! Tune in!

2011 Colorado Trail Race bike

2011-07-24T12:44:00.000-06:00

Received the last piece of my 2011 CTR race kit from Eric up at Revelate Designs in AK. The new frame bag fits like a glove! Went out for an easy 2 hour spin in Ft. Collins wearing and carrying everything I plan to leave Denver heading to Durango with. Bike is dialed and ready to see action!

Friday at altitude

2011-07-23T09:46:00.000-06:00

The taper for CTR has begun. Ride are short and easy. Most of the rides are 1 hour....with a few 3-4 hour easy efforts also put in to keep the body reminded it will be riding non-stop for a few days starting Aug 1. To beat the weekend crowds and to beat the closure of Mt Evans Rd due to the hill climb race on Saturday, Sonya and I headed up to Mt. Evans to do an easy 3-4 hour ride at altitude. The plan was to park about 20 miles from the summit then pedal in HR zones 1 and 2 all the way to the top. On the mtb with the pretty easy gearing ration on the SRAM XX, this is not that hard to do.

Done paying the $3 fee, now it is just over 14 miles to the top of Mt. Evans.

Not after too much pedaling, treeline is well below us.

Riding at about 13,000 ft.

Sonya riding her own pace for the day.

One of the many switchbacks. Took 2 different photos and merged them together in Photoshop to get this perspective.

Less than 1/2 mile to the summit.

Sonya poses at the summit of Mt. Evans. Elevation is roughly 14,130 ft.

Fresh water bottles thanks to the folks over at FRS.

A slight uphill on the way back down to the Ergon van. Descending at nearly 30 mph at this elevation equals a windchill in the 40Fs.

Elevation and HR data posted on STRAVA.

All photos for the day that were taken with the EPIC cam are posted here.

The day after the B68 Marathon, CTR training

2011-07-18T15:44:00.000-06:00

The last bigger effort for the 2011 Colorado Trail Race was the day after the B68 Marathon. Saturday was a 6 hour race day. Sunday was a 5 hour CTR-mode day. For once, actually had a good group of riders for the day which included the Crack Heads, JD, and SL. Rarely do you get a group for these types of rides. The route was a mix of everything: dirt roads, hike-a-bikes, and primo CO singletrack. As always, the pictures tell the story.

The group rolls out of Breckenridge.

Let the riding/pushing up to Georgia Pass begin!

Sometimes the bicycle is better. Here, some motos are stuck in the mud. We just walk on by.

The final push up to nearly 12,000 ft.

Good 'ole Georgia Pass.

Heading from Georgia Pass over to the Colorado Trail.

The Colorado Trail.

More Colorado trail.

Even more Colorado Trail.

Seriously, more Colorado Trail.

The good stuff!

Now, the 2 week taper down to Aug. 1 begins. All the BIG training rides are done. Now to keep the system sharp and prep the gear.

Race Report: B68 Marathon

2011-07-18T08:23:00.003-06:00

It was a great day in Breckenridge for the B68 Marathon. Using loops 2 and 3 of the three loop Breckenridge 100, the B68 is a good solid race effort without digging a huge fatigue hole. I have done this event the last 3 years. This year is year number 4. In previous years I have won the overall and hit the podium. I have this race and the pacing pretty much dialed. This year proved to be the true test with a stacked 'Pro' field.

The field rolled out of Breckenridge at 10 AM. The pace was slow and chatty. My legs felt good, so after about 10 minutes of soft pedaling with the group I went to the front and had the group running single file up Boreas Pass Rd. I wanted the hole shot to the singletrack....and I got it. Once on the trail, I rode my pace. This race is long and hard, and I was going to start chill and pick up the pace. After a few minutes in the single track I was over taken by 2 Honey Stinger - Trek riders. They would ride off the front and I would not see them again. They would also go 1 and 2 for the day.

I soon found myself with a Crested Butte rider and Len Zani of Honey Stinger - Trek. We would all basically ride within sight of each other to the Little French climb along with a few other riders in our race. Here I would get past Len and start chasing in 4th place. On the flume trail after Little French is when disastater struck. I was flying through this slightly downhill tight singletrack when I hit my pedal on something. By the time I realized what happened I was flying through the air on my back with my bike doing circles over my head. I landed about 20 feet down the mountain......my bike about another 40 feet up the mountain. I lost my sunglasses...never found them. My seat on my bike was pointed up and down instead of level. Lucky me, nothing broke on the bike. As for me, I got a bruise on my arm and my ego. Len came by and stopped. He asked if I knew where I was and what his name was. I was perfectly alert. Once he saw I was OK he pushed on.

Later on the Colorado Trail I would catch Len and pass him. I would ride the rest of Loop 2 by myself catching 100 mile racers and searching for the other 6 riders in front of me.

I came in from Loop 2 in 7th place in the Pro Men's 68 mile race. Heading out on Loop 3 and the final 30+ miles of the marathon, I knew this is where i needed to start picking off riders. I grabbed fresh bottles and nutrition.....and began my quest. Loop 3 starts with a big climb up to Boreas Pass via a rutted jeep road. It was here that I caught Derek, a RMR Team rider, on the jeep road climb. We rode together for a bit....then he dropped me once on Boreas Pass Rd proper. He got to the summit and the aid station before I. He stopped for aide.....I kept going. I would not see him the rest of the day as I started the Gold Dust Trail.

Climbing up Boreas Pass Rd on the way to Como, CO. Burning matches.

I knew I had other riders in front of me. Just had no idea how close they were. I pushed through the Gold Dust Trail. Just prior to the end of the trail I caught the 5th place rider, Rob Sousa of the Pro Cycling MTB Team. He was riding well. We hooked up to ride Boreas Pass Rd back to Breckenridge. I pulled....then he pulled. He actually dropped me at one point, but I kept my pace. Soon enough, I caught him back.....then gapped him. I soon found myself riding up Boreas Pass Rd solo.

Over the top, I started the last 8 miles downhill to Breckenridge and the finish. Pushing hard to keep Rob behind me and hoping to catch any other Pro B68 riders. I would not catch any other Pro B68 riders going back to the finish line.

In the end, I was 5th overall in the Pro Men's field. My time was just over 6 hours for the nearly 70 miles. GPS and data can be seen here on Strava.

Colorado Trail Race training: Beastly!

2011-07-11T09:22:00.005-06:00

The training for the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) is some of the best riding I have ever been able to do. It really isn't even training....or doesn't feel like it. No intervals....no HR data. These rides tend to be more 'adventure rides' than anything. This weekend was a 2 day 1 night ride to test out all the gear....including the sleeping gear.

On Wednesday of last week I grabbed all the area maps and pulled up TOPO! on the computer. The plan was to map out 2 days worth of 6-8 hour rides that included some hike-a-bike and traversing terrain from 9,000-14,000 ft. I drew up a hefty route....about 120 miles round trip. In CTR terms, this is a good 2 day training ride. About 70 miles a day....nothing crazy and nothing that will blow your system. Well, the funny thing about maps is they don't show you what the trail surface is like. You can get an idea of elevation gain and steepness....but you get no idea about how smooth or rough a trail is. Well, the route turn out to be what Sonya and I later termed, "Beastly."

Below is the route in pictures. We ended up riding a total of 14 hours over 2 days. We only covered about 70-75 miles, and climbed nearly 12,000 ft. There was a ton of hike-a-bike....most of it tougher than anything we will see in the week long CTR starting on Aug 1. Photos below are from my camera during the weekend.

Starting the weekend on the Colorado Trail near Hwy 50.

The balancing act of trying to carry 50lbs of gear across a bowing beam of wood.

The beginning of what would be a nearly 5 hour hike-a-bike section up to almost 14,000 ft.

Still pushing, but with rain gear. Warm summer day and monsoonal flow equals rain showers. Rain gear would only be needed for a few hours.

Above treeline....rain finally stopped. It was good to be pedaling again!

While it looked good on paper, this climb was a beast! This one photo sums up the entire route. If you look closely, you'll see Sonya pushing her bike up the road in the lower left-hand corner of the photo.

It took nearly 5 hours to get up to 13,000 ft......near the base of the 14er known as Mt. Antero....because of the lengthy hike-a-bikes. It was windy and cold. Sonya scrambles through her Ergon pack from some arm warmers.

This is the descent off the back side. Insane! Also one of America's most dangerous roads. Check it!

Back below treeline and getting some fresh cold water in the Ergon pack before getting to the high point for the night.

So much for dry feet!

Heading up to the Alpine Tunnel at 11,600 ft for the evening. Staying this high was the plan as to test the sleeping gear and get away from the thick mosquitoes. I have ridden this road about 4 other times. All 4 times at about 1 AM in the Vapor Trail 125. Odd to see it in the day light.

The campsite for the evening looking east along the rail-road grade to the Alpine Tunnel. This is part of the Vapor Trail 125 course.

Waking up Sunday AM. Mosquitoes were not an issue at all. Although we had to deal with off and on rain showers all night. I did not have a tarp and Sonya did. While we set up camp about 20 ft from each other, the rain quickly put us next to each other to share the tarp. Sleeping would be good for the evening....stayed 100% dry. Temps dropped to the low 40Fs and the rain wasn't that big of a deal once set up for it.

The morning started with a big push to the Continental Divide. Didn't take long to get the blood and legs going.

Once on top, the trail was awesome! We spent a few hours riding and pushing at 12,000 ft towards Tin Cup Pass.

What a way to spend the morning!

Lots of water still flowing from the massive winter snow fall.

Below treeline....the first time in nearly 12+ hours.

The ghost town of St. Elmo, CO

Riding back to where we parked on the Colorado Trail.

One of the few times were you can say "It's all downhill from here" and it's actually true!

Here is what we actually rode. My original route was nearly 120 miles round trip. Due to the slow going of the route I had drawn out, we altered it to only get in about 70+ miles over 2 days. We would climb nearly 13,000 ft. There was as much, if not more, hike-a-bike than riding!

Nearly 100 photos from the weekend are located HERE.

Race Report: Firecracker 50

2011-07-06T09:06:00.005-06:00

In continuation of a big training/racing weekend over the July 4th holiday, I finished up the weekend with the Colorado classic known as the Firecracker 50. I love this race from all ends....the vibe....the crowds.....and the course! Due to heavy snow over the winter, the course this year was altered and lengthened. We also had to deal with mud....which is virtually never an issue racing in Colorado.

This year, I raced in the Maverick class. This is one big category (no age groups) for top level riders that do not hold a USA Cycling license. Since 99% of the races I do are not USA Cycling sanctioned, there is no reason to drop $150 on license fees for the year. This year, the Maverick class had some strong riders. The field was about 110 riders deep. It would prove to be a good group.

The question in the back of my head was how would my legs feel after riding 100 mile and climbing 13,000 feet only 2 days prior. The day before the race, I didn't even get to ride, as the travel day from Durango to Breckenridge was longer than anticipated. So, I lined up on race morning and simply rode the course listening to my body. The start gun went off and I began the climb up Boreas Pass Rd with the group. My legs were feeling pretty good, so I went to the front and pulled the field up the road to the 1st section of singletrack. Here, 1 rider would go off the front. I wasn't eager to chase this early in the race........so I let him go. I never saw him again.

The small lead group of riders (about 5 or 6 total) would ride together to the Little French climb. I settled into a conservative pace. 2 riders would attack up the climb. I let them go, as I have seen it before and riders tend to come back. These strong riders would not come back.

For the rest of Lap 1 and the beginning of Lap 2 I would ride with another rider. It wasn't until after the 2nd time up Boreas Pass Rd would I be able to gap this strong rider on the singletrack. For the rest of the final lap, I would ride alone catching other class riders and some of the back end riders of the Pro men and women's fields.

In the end, I would finish 4th overall in the Maverick Men's race. It took me roughly 4hrs and 40 minutes to complete the slightly longer Firecracker 50 course for 2011. Overall, I felt great on the bike. The energy was clean and consistent. By far one of my better days on the bike while competing on this course.....even after having completed the DDC only a few days prior.

GPS and HR data is located HERE on Strava.

Post-race photo taken by Eddie Clark of www.eddieclarkmedia.com

Race Report: Durango Dirty Century

2011-07-05T16:04:00.004-06:00

Not even sure where to start with this one. It's a beast! This event is part of the ever-growing underground races starting to pop up around the USA. There are no entry fees, no course markings, and in most cases...no support. The Durango Dirty Century (DDC) fit well into the CTR prep for many reasons. First is was long and self-supported. Second, it was high altitude. Finally, it previewed the last 50 miles of the Colorado Trail Race (CTR). This race did have 3 aid stations, but the offerings were minimal. I made the choice from the start to ride self-supported all day....and I did, stopping to filter water twice.

Roughly 50 people showed up to ride various lengths of this 100 mile loop that started and finished in Durango. Starting at 6 AM, the group did a 10 mile roll out on pavement to Hermosa Creek Trail and began the roughly 40 mile push to the Colorado Trail and the higher elevations. I felt good...spinning light on the pedals....riding my 'ride all day' pace. A group of about 5 guys got in front of me on the opening climb, but I wasn't in any hurry, as we (racers) were anticipating a long day with lots of snow crossings and down trees.

It was good to follow the locals. Obviously, they knew these trail like the back of their hand. It showed on the Hermosa Creek Trail.

After riding on roughly 30 miles of singletrack, it was time to climb up to the Colorado Trail via Bolam Pass Rd. Steep in spots, I could not find a rhythm on this road. I was stuck in 1st gear....and this would be the case all day. On a scale of 1-10 on how my legs felt all day, I would give them a 5! It seemed to take forever to get to the pass. Eventually, I did hit the summit and make close contact with the 2 leaders of the 100 mile race.

Riding right at treeline with the 2 leaders pushing across a field of wildflowers. This is the closest I would get to them for the rest of the day.

For the next 6+ hours it was be slow going. It was a combo between sluggish legs and the slow terrain. There was still a lot of snow as well as down trees. Plus, throw in the steep terrain which is best walked rather then pedaled. Over the rest of the day, I spent a lot of time with some riders doing the optional shorter routes.

More pushing.

Sketchy snow banks. I slide down this on my ass....as did about 4 other guys when the snow gave out under the warm sun. I slid about 50 yards before my feet stopped me where the snow met the grass/rocks. I took this picture of a rider hoping to catch them possibly beginning to slide down the face.

About 60 miles in. Only 40 miles left.

A hard 40 miles it would be!

Rideable? Sure. Room for error? None. Better safe than sorry!

Can you spot the rider? This was a short welcomed area to actually pedal the bike prior to one last big push over the ridge.

About 25 miles out from the finish in Durango. Picture taken near Kennebec Pass. Pretty much all downhill, but not an easy descent by any means.

The last 30 miles or so were ridden with Ken Boyer, who was having a great day on the bike. I shadowed him for the final miles. We rode into the finish together to share 2nd place overall for those racing the 100 mile loop. It took us 13 hours!

GPS and HR data is located HERE on Strava.

All photos taken located HERE.

The day following the DDC would be a long drive to Breckenridge, CO for the Firecracker 50 which would happen on July 4th. How would the legs respond? Report coming!

Weekend Update - Thin Air

2011-06-27T09:24:00.002-06:00

I took 5 days off the bike due to the road rash. It wasn't until Saturday that I felt the wounds were good enough to get out in the elements. I hooked up with Jonathan Davis and crashed at his place for the weekend of training. He lives west of Golden, CO at the lovely elevation of 9,200 ft. It was the perfect home base for 2 days of high altitude training.

Day 1 was focused on CTR training. I had the fully loaded CTR race bike out for the day. John and I basically rolled west of Peak-To-Peak Hwy in search of the highest terrain we could find. We got up to nearly 13,000 ft....but also had a lot of snow to deal with. Here are a few snap shots from the day.

Must get to the top of those mountains!

A good long push through the snow. Thank god is was firm and we were not sinking in up to our thighs.

Pushing along above 12,000 ft. Pretty much the 'says all' photo for CTR.

The details from the ride are posted here on STRAVA.

Sunday was more of the same. It was all about getting in BIG miles at BIG altitude. A group of us headed out from John's house planning on an out and back of Mt. Evans. On paper this would be a 100 mile day with over 10,000 of climbing. Lets just say this ride broke us. At some point during the day, each rider had their moment. The moment of suffering. For me, it was the long nearly 30 mile climb from 7,500 ft up to the Mt Evans summit at 14,200 ft. I had no gas. Pedal strokes were simply a motion....no power Eventually, I came back around. Last 2 hour of the 102 mile ride felt like hours 1 and 2 of the day. Strong and smooth.

Group rolls out at 7:30 AM

Starting the climb up from Idaho Springs.

Nearing treeline.

Still riding up. Most of us were riding solo on the climb. Different speeds and different leg freshness.

Road debris.

Less than 1 mile to summit.

The Mt. Evans summit photo.

The group heads down. Temps 7,000 ft lower were near 85F. Where this pic is taken is just shy of 14,000 ft and temps around 40F

Resupply in Idaho Springs. Still have 3 hours and about 3500 ft to climb to get home.

Power food!

The stats from the ride, just in case you like to try.

It was a big weekend. Time to rest a bit....and then do it again next weekend. Heading to Durango for an underground 100 miler on July 2. Then driving to Breckenridge to do the Firecracker 50 on July 4th.

The healing process.

2011-06-24T10:03:00.000-06:00

3 days after the crash, 3 days ago...

Today, 6 days after the crash....

Heal baby!

Race Report: Bailey 100

2011-06-19T17:25:00.004-06:00

The short of it. Take a well planned taper and good legs...combine it with a strong start. Then have it all come crashing to "Move to plan B" after only 4 of 100 miles of racing.

I was on the front of the lead group. We were rolling downhill a gravel road to the first section of single track. Speeds were around 35 mph. I was executing my race plan perfectly. The rider behind me came to the front and pulled in front of me quicker than either of us wanted to. His rear tire wiped out my front tire send me spinning across a 2 lane gravel road on my right side. All this happening while about 10 other riders are now making evac moves in all directions not to run me over.

I get up a bloody mess. I check the bike while, what seemed like ton of riders go riding by. Only thing that happened was the XX chain fell off, my right buckle was ripped off my shoe, and my shorts were shredded. I got back on the bike and now had to chase fueled by rage and adrenaline. I managed to get back up to 8th place after 70 miles of riding. The last 30 miles were too much. The pain in the leg and arm were a constant sting, like salt in a wound....made worse with harder pushing, water crossings, and washboard gravel roads. Slowing to a crawl, 10 riders would pass me on the dirt road climbs to the finish line.

I would finish 17th overall in the Pro/Open race.

Colorado Trail Race training in full swing

2011-06-13T07:42:00.000-06:00

Starting to gear up for the CTR. The next 2 months are focused on nothing but prep for the CTR, which begins on Aug 1 at 6:30 AM. Long rides with a lot of weight are the ticket. Being the first weekend of CTR training, the rides were loaded, but short in duration: 3-4 hours.

Saturday, I met up with fellow Iowan and Ft Collins resident, Andrew Carney, for a 4 hour push west of town. Lots of steep up and down and some good 30-40 minute hike-a-bike got the body back into the CTR mood.

Sunday was more of the same. This time Sonya and I went down to Bailey, CO to preview next weekend 100 mile race course for the Bailey Hundo, and pre-ride the opening sections of the Colorado Trail. This was also Sonya's first real loaded up CTR training ride. Needless to say, she learned a lot only being on the bike for 3 hours. One of those? The importance of good shoes. The other? Filtering water. Here are the pictures.

High altitude training has begun!

2011-06-04T15:49:00.001-06:00

It was a cold and snowy winter. Snow pack is still 180% higher than it should be for June 1. Not until the last 2 weeks have a lot of the mountain passes been opened up, ie: plowed. Today, I got all of Trail Ridge Rd basically all to myself. A few tourists hiking and a few other cyclists, and that was it! The road is just about to open to vehicles for the season, but the Park Rangers are doing some final snow removal. So, I took advantage of temps in the 50Fs at the higher elevations and a mostly clear road to start the CTR altitude training. Here is the video from the ride today at 12,000 ft!

GPS and training data: http://app.strava.com/rides/674895

Race Report: Gunnison Growler

2011-05-30T17:10:00.006-06:00

The Growler continues to elude me....for whatever reason. Third time was not a charm...either was this time around, number 4. The course on paper, is a simple 2 lap format which totals 64 miles. For some reason every time I race here I can't put 2 good laps together. It's either the 1 lap that is good and 2nd bad...or vice versa.

Well this time around, the 1st lap was fantastic...best lap I have ever had at Hartman Rocks under a racing situation. I was sandwiched in between last years 3rd place rider, Pete Weber and all-around bad ass, Doug Johnson. I was well within the top 15.....right where I wanted to be for Lap 1. Knowing how hard and difficult Lap 2 would be, I rode conservative....not digging too deep. The plan was to negative split the laps...pick up the pace on Lap 2.

Lap 2 began with a steep climb up the 'Notch', which is seen in the photo above. The first 1 hour of the 2nd lap was great.....the 1.5 hours after that, no so much. I had the motivation and the desire to push, but had no power...which is a sure sign of training through the week and not tapering for this race. So, over the process of not putting out some good power, I began to go backwards. It wasn't until about 1 hour from the finish that the legs came back around.

With the mojo flowing like on the 1st lap, I picked up the pace and began to chase down those who passed me. In the process, about 5 miles from the finish, I hit one of the many sharp rocks and shredded the rear tire. With riders breathing down my neck, I opted not to change it and ride the rim and flat tire to the finish. So, for the next 5 miles or so, I would ride the flats and downhills, and run all the uphills. I managed only to loose 1 place riding the flat....which should would have been worse should I stopped to fix it.

In the end, I finished in 6 hours and 23rd place overall out of 200+ riders. Next up is CTR training and the Bailey 100.

Growler pre-ride #2

2011-05-28T14:33:00.003-06:00

Growler pre-ride #1

2011-05-27T19:37:00.006-06:00

Moab mini-training binge

2011-05-23T17:34:00.000-06:00

It's no secret, the weather last week was crappy. Cold, cloudy, and crappy. I got grumpy. Very unseasonable for Colorado for sure. The weather was making training and riding very unstructured and hit-n-miss. So, on Friday, I got fed up with only being able to get in 1 hr rides here and there. I packed up the Ergon van with bikes and camping gear and made the 6 hour drive to Moab to do a 2 day training binge. Basically the plan was to get out for 5-7 hours each day....ride as much trail as possible....and ride and a good endurance pace.

Friend, sponsored Ergon rider, and my contact at ELETE, Sarah Kaufmann was also in town and with the same plan. Since it is not wise to ride solo in Moab, we hooked up for the rides on both days! Moab got some rain in the days prior to my arrival. The conditions were perfect! Hardly any deep sand to be found all weekend!

Day 1: Porcupine Rim and Amasa Back

A must do trail in Moab. A classic! Pedal your butt up.....shred the descent down!

Top of Porcupine Rim looking towards Colorado.

Bottom part of Porcupine Rim

Amasa Back.....going up!

Local Moab fauna

Day 2: Bar M - Circle O - Sovereign Tr - Gemini Bridges - Lazy EZ - Deadman's - Pipe Dream

Circle O Trail. Just follow the stain. Simple enough.

Sovereign Trail

Gemini Bridges

Name speaks for itself! This new trail out by the M-O-A-B trail set is awesome!

Another new trail, Pipe Dream on the SW side of town.

Riding the edge for 4.5 miles!

7 hours and a lot of salt expelled.

It was a good weekend! Next weekend will be another big training block with the 64 mile Growler race right in the middle of it.

Boing! Boing!

2011-05-12T13:55:00.000-06:00

Finally! Been waiting a long time for the Canyon Lux MR fully to show up. Mostly because I have been without a FS bike since Brazil and because I need to get my custome CTR bags made for this years race! Here are the pics fresh off the Topeak workstand!

Teaser Pictures: Team Camp in Sedona, AZ

2011-05-04T08:46:00.000-06:00

A few snap shots from our time here in Sedona, AZ with the USA team. Going to be cool to check out the photos that the great Tino got of us as well!

Race Report: Whiskey 50

2011-05-02T07:42:00.001-06:00

Quick report for now, as I am waiting on some photos...as well as enough time to type up the full report.

The Whiskey 50 was not a high priority event for me this year. Having to stand around on my feet for 2 days prior to the race working the Ergon booth and a larger event coming up in 3 weeks moved the priority level down. Due to the massive prize payout this year, a lot of big hitter came to throw down some power on this 50 mile loop. It was good to have these riders to increase the competition!

I went into the Whiskey 50 with a few personal race goals:

1. Race and beat a few select riders....ie: the race withing the race.
2. Ride faster than my 2 previous race attempts. 2009: 3 hrs 44 min 2010: 3 hrs 38 min
3. Go sub 3.5 hours for my final race time.

I met all my goals and personally executed a perfect race. I finished in 27th overall out of 52 finishers. My final race time on my GPS was 3 hrs 28 min. So, I went sub 3.5 hours and beat my time from last year by 10 minutes!

Full report and images to come!

Whiskey 50: Pro MTB Street Crit

2011-04-30T07:24:00.001-06:00

The street crit is new this year....and required by all Pro riders. It was a short 3 minute loop on the city streets of Prescott, AZ. The rules were simple: race for 30 minutes + 3 laps and don't get lapped. You get lapped....you get pulled. Roughly 75 riders toed the line....only 7 didn't get pulled/lapped. Here is the first 6 minutes of the race!

Whiskey 50 pre-ride

2011-04-28T20:27:00.002-06:00

Race day is Sunday in Prescott, AZ!

Race Report: Julian Death March

2011-04-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

First race of the year is in the books! Hit up the Julian Death March in Julian, CA as it fits nicely with my season goals. This is a smaller event with a big course. It is a 86 mile event with close to 13,000 ft of climbing. Consisting of mostly dirt roads, the race is fast from the gun.

We rolled out of town at 8 AM from 4,000 ft. Once the field got to the end of the neutral roll out, I went to the front to set tempo. I soon found myself pulling Sonya and about 7 other guys down the road to the desert floor. The race starts with 13 miles of downhill before making you grunt up a 3,000 ft climb over about 20 miles. It is here that myself and last years winner, Brent Prenzlow, found ourselves rolling away from the group. It wasn't long and Brent just rode away. I was here to ride hard...but going this hard too early into this 7 hr race would spell doom. So, I maintained my pace and kept Brent within sight.

Soon, I was joined by Bryan Taylor. We rode together for about 10 miles before he gaped me. I still kept my tempo pace and soon bridged back up to him. At the 1st aid station we were told Brent was about 4 minutes up the road.

We kept riding until the next big climb. It was here that I rode Bryan off my wheel while climbing....and with Brent within sight from time to time on the road zig-zag'n up the hill side.

Now riding solo, I pushed on following a single set of tire tracks. I would ride solo through some soft snow covered singletrack......double track....and the rocky Oriflame climb. The Oriflame climb for me was cleaned...but I was running low on power.

Heading into aid station 3 I was told I was 9 minuted behind Brent....and there was no sign of Bryan. I then began the climb up the Banner Toll Road. This was a singletrack climb...which then turned to a dirt road climb. It was here at about mile 60 that I realized I hadn't eaten enough food...as I was having too much fun riding earlier. I soon began to slow and was caught....passed.....and dropped by Byran. I was now in 3rd place.

I rolled into the Start/Finish to resupply and head out for the last 20 miles. I met Bryan on his way out. He wasn't that far ahead of me. I stopped at my drop bag and grabbed some PowerBar and Elete products.....then I began chase, while shoving food in my face. I went some 15 miles of riding solo before I caught Bryan at aid station 3. He was getting more food/water....I just blew by and began the long climb back to the starting line. Still not feeling super strong from my lack of calorie intake, Bryan soon caught and passed me. I would watch him ride away and finish 2 minutes in front of me.

Top 3 Men Overall - 86 Mile Race
1. Brent Prenzlow
2. Bryan Taylor
3. Jeff Kerkove

GPS file for the day.

Overall, I was happy with my race.....except for the minor nutrition hiccup which was 100% my fault. Next up is the Whiskey 50...which is a lower priority race.

Fires, Bikes, Snow

2011-04-03T12:15:00.001-06:00

Wow, what a weekend! As I type this the weekend isn't even over yet! Lets start with Saturday. Item to note first is it was warm....very warm....record heat warm. We topped out near 80F here in Fort Collins. With the warm temps, it was perfect timing to get in one last endurance ride on the mtb here in Fort Collins. Both Jason and Sonya drove up from Boulder to join in on the singletrack escapade. It was a good ride with some big climbs, fast singletrack, and chunky trail. Speaking for me, the pace was mellow....a nice zone 2 and 3 ride. Got in some good photos as well. Some of my favs....

All the photos are posted here.

Here is the GPS file for the day via Strava.

Now onto Saturday night. I went to bed at like 11 PM after I got done doing some work and unwinding from the days ride. During the day when it was warm and windy a few small fires had popped up in the mountains to the west...as well as the plains to the East. Really never thought anything of it as the evening news stated that the fires were 'contained.' Well, at about 3:30 AM I woke up to a house filled with smoke! It wasn't anything crazy, but the house smelled like a KOA on 4th of July weekend. My eyes were burning as was my throat. I got up to make sure the townhouse wasn't on fire....or was any of the nearby townhouse. Nope, all was clear, but outside, it was super windy and smoke was blowing into Fort Collins from a fire that blew up over night about 15 miles west of town.

I live too close to the base of the mountains to see over them, but this is what was filling the homes of Fort Collins with smoke. I managed to get back to sleep....and to awake to sunny skies and a cleared out house. Only a slight smoke smell lingers in the lower levels.

The plus side of this is today (Sunday) we are to get rain...then snow. Yes, it was 80F yesterday...and now snow today. Good for the fire...bad for training. So, I got up early and got in some sub-threshold climbing repeats while watching the dark clouds roll in from the northwest.

I started my ride in 60F temps, sun, and no wind. By the time I was forced to bag the ride about 90 minutes later the clouds moved in, the wind picked up, and the temp dropped to below 40F. Ride over.

Now, it is time to taper and get ready to head to California on Wednesday for the Julian Death March and Sea Otter.

2011-03-27T19:31:00.000-06:00

Back on the mtb again for Sunday. Plan was for 5 hours at moderate pace....not too easy....not too hard. Ended up with 3.5 after a quick Spring storm dropped a ton of grapple (ice pellets) on Horsetooth Mountain Park and Lory State Park. Didn't take much, and the trails got sticky and soft. Prior to the storm that passed over I got in some good techy climbs...as well as descents. As much as the moisture falling from the sky sucks...we need it. Very dry here in Colorado. The descents today were like ice!

A lot of folks out today. Ran into local Fort Collins cyclist, Jim Fu. We chatted...and snapped some photos. "Heck yes, this bike is sweet!"

4 Hours Hard

2011-03-27T09:20:00.000-06:00

This is good workout. A favorite of Mr. Wiens. Pretty simple to do...get on your mountain bike and hit it hard for 4 hours. No resting....no easy efforts. Basically a mock 4 hour race. It was also a super good way to get a feel for the new Canyon. Which, by the way serious rocks! Slightly longer wheel base make this bike shred the techy trails here in Fort Collins. I had the new Garmin Edge 500 mounted up....here is the route/course I hit for 4 hours:

T-minus 13 days until the 2011 racing season kicks off!!

Built. Fitted. Test Ridden.

2011-03-25T16:08:00.002-06:00

Say hello to the Topeak-Ergon team issue Canyon Grand Canyon CF. Frames arrives on Thursday from Germany....then I got work building the beast up. Today, I got Wobble-Naught fitted to the bike, then got out on the backyard trails for a quick shakedown. So far so good! Big 5-6 hour ride coming tomorrow for the full break in done proper.

Almost 'Go Time'

2011-03-23T18:34:00.001-06:00

First race is around the corner. 17 days to be exact. Instead of racing at Sea Otter this year, I have opted to race the Julian Death March down in Julian, CA. Looks like a good one with 86 miles and 12,000 ft of climbing.

So, the training continues.

Tuesday was a nice little tempo with some hard 1.5 minute intervals thrown in. Had to battle the wind more than anything.

Wind is blowing at roughly 25 mph sustained...with higher gusts. Wind is blowing right to left in the video.

Today, the intensity was kicked up a notch with 3 x 20 minute sub-threshold climbing intervals up Rist Canyon. Climbing training = more prep for the Julian Death March.

What the workout looks like on paper.

In person, it is a slog up the canyon.

Tomorrow, the first batch of bikes arrives for the USA team members! Can't wait! There will be a massive building and shipping session which will follow. Stay tuned for photos!

Grewal dropped my ass

2011-03-19T19:31:00.001-06:00

It was good to get back out an do another Oval Ride after a break due to travel to Seattle. This is pretty much a 'free' weekly road race. The efforts are hard and the talent level between riders is high. This week was a good training block for me. Good structure and a good amount of suffer. Going into the ride today I felt about 80%-85%. Legs were a tad sluggish from the week of work. On the flats I had the power. On the climb, it was a different story. Only about 1/2 of the 'regular' crew was at the ride today due to a crit down in Boulder. Didn't matter as there were some fast guys that stayed in Fort Collins to train. Notably was Alexi Grewal (1984 Olympic Road Champion) who is logging the miles and planning his 2011 comeback. Needless to say, a lot of pain and suffering today. It felt good.....really good!

Back on the plan

2011-03-17T16:00:00.001-06:00

The SRM is in for service, new chainrings being installed. So, the training this week has been by HR and on the mountain bike. Trails are dry....very dry. Could spell trouble in the summer months if we don't gets some rain/snow. But, for now, with temps in the high 60F's it is time to shred dirt!

Wednesday I had no camera. I was on a mission doing 3x20 minute race pace tempos. It was a good ride hitting up the singletrack in Lory, Blue Sky, and Indian Summer.

Today (Thursday) was 4x15 minute sub-threshold climbing intervals. I hit the best dirt road climb in Fort Collins....known as Towers Rd. A road? Yes. Does it see any cars/trucks? Maybe 1 or 2 a year and they are with the park service. This climb is steep....it sits at 15-18% grade for all 3-4 miles of it. For me, doing 15 minute tempos up the climb gets me about 1,000 ft of elevation per climb.

Here is part of the climb....looking down.

By the time I hit the 15 minute mark of each interval, here is my view looking east over Fort Collins....

Legs felt good for the most part today. Last 2 days have been pretty hard on the bike. Here is the elevation and HR from the climbing intervals. LOVE the profile!

Friday is an easy day....then ramping it up this weekend with the Oval Ride and another 10,000 climbing day.

Updates coming

2011-03-16T12:19:00.000-06:00

Was in Seattle for the past 5 days for Ergon related work with dealer visits and the Seattle Bike Expo. Got back on Monday, and have been scrambling to get in some bike time and sort team equipment. Lots to get done in the next few weeks including building the first round of team bikes prior to the trip west for Sea Otter and the Julian Death March.

Speaking of team equipment, here is a sample from the RockShox order. Yummy!

More coming!

Want to race in my backyard?

2011-03-10T08:12:00.001-07:00

I was wondering when this day might come. It is no secret that the mtbing in Fort Collins is 'Grade A'....some of the best in the Front Range. Well, the local mountain bike club is going all out and putting on a 40 mile event on some of the more demanding trails on the western edge of Fort Collins. This race will be tough! Being held in July, expect warm temps and dry, dusty, and loose trails. Add in the steep climbs and white knuckle descents and you have the making for what could become a Colorado classic!

As of now, there is no name for the event. If you can come up with a good name, you could win a free entry! Check out the details here!

Pushing pedals to the sky

2011-03-07T07:42:00.001-07:00

Had a good group for the ride in Boulder. For me, I needed a climbing workout. My plan was a 5-6 hour day with 10,000 ft of climbing. Other riders were cool with that plan and joined in on the fun.

It didn't take long...and our group split up. We started with about 12 riders....and 20 minutes into the ride we were down to 7. Different levels of fitness and recovery had speeds all over the place. Have to admit, I had to stay on the gas...wasn't a 'given' ride.

My view all day....bringing up the rear. My heart rate was saying zone 3....legs were saying different. Definitely carrying some fatigue from the Oval Ride the day prior.

Up!

Kurt R. showed us all some new roads. Good and steep roads. This is one of the dead end spots we topped out at. We are looking west....but you wouldn't know it with the snow falling off in the distance.

To reach our goal of 10,000 ft of climbing today we needed to ride up to Gold Hill via Sunshine Canyon one more time. Guys on the road bikes had to dig hard all day!

Here are the ride stats for the day.

Week of solid training

2011-03-05T17:38:00.001-07:00

Training has been spot on this week. Opened up the system with Sonya on Tuesday on the mtb.....then the rest of the week has been structured efforts on the road bike with the SRM. I love structure...no second guessing. Get out....do the work....spin home....and repeat. Legs have felt good all week...which is a good thing! Today (Saturday) was another Oval Ride. The plan....go hard....treat it as a race....leave it all out there.

Mission accomplished!

While I didn't finish with the lead group...mostly because of need to push the front and pace, I did finish in the chase group and set the PR for average watts during the 3.5 hr and 80 mile training ride. Here is a video recap of the ride:

Tomorrow (Sunday) I am heading south to Boulder to get in a lot of climbing. The ride tomorrow is specific training for the 1st race of the year, the Julian Death March in Julian, CA. Looks like I'll have some company as well!

Training to train

2011-03-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Monday was a day off....as it is every week. No riding on Mondays...only light core and strength work. Today, I got out to open up the legs a bit to get them ready for the rest of the week of structured and hard training. Sonya was in town for work and she joined me for the 1.5 hour training on the mountain bike. The backyard trails are almost 100% dry....but the good stuff is still a little soft. Need another day of 60F temps.

Ovaling on a Sunday

2011-02-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Due to snowy roads in the AM, the Saturday Oval Ride got moved to Sunday. So on Sunday I did a nice 4 hour tempo on the mtb on the road. Yeah, it might have been a bit much, but it is February and I am building my engine for the 2011 season. So today at the Oval I was running at about 85%. Definitely not a high enough percentage of spunk to have a good day at the Oval....especially when everyone rolls at such a high level. The first 60 miles were a given....but once we hit Carter Lake I was cooked when the road started moving up. I lost contact and was forced to chase any riders that might fall off the pace all the way back to Fort Collins. I had some help from Forrest (SPIKE)....but it wasn't enough. Both of us were toast. Eventually Forrest fell off my pace up the climb to Horsetooth Mountain Park. I caught Ian Holt at the top....and rode back to town solo....digging....never giving up.

Sneak Peek: Canyon's Grand Canyon CF - Team Issue

2011-02-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Frames are starting to arrive in Germany. My teammates and co-workers are teasing me with these photos they keep sending over from the team headquarters in Koblenz. Seriously, cannot wait for these bikes to arrive here in the USA. I really can't wait to see what the FS bikes will look like!

Weather can't make up its mind

2011-02-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

After a marathon trip to Minneapolis for work which kept me in town a few day longer due to a huge snow storm.....I am back home in Colorado with warm air and dry trails. Was excited to get back to CO to test out the new Ergon HX2 gloves and GX2 gloves. The past few days were great with temps from the mid 40F's to the high 50F's. With now sign of moisture lingering here in Fort Collins, I took advantage of the trails and got out on the mtb to 'test' some new 2011 product.

Looks nice doesn't it? Well, as I type this, it is snowing again. Everything is white. We were supposed to get a light dusting...but we have more like 4 inches on the ground. The wrench has just been thrown into the weekend riding engine.

Might have to break out the singlespeed for today's training.

When the North Pole moves south

2011-02-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

Minnesota is sort of nice this time of year.....in that North Pole kind'a way. Even got to spend 2 extra days in the great white north because flights were canceled. It was all good! Was surrounded by good people.

Now, back to your regular scheduled programming.

Training complete.

2011-02-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Big 3 week block of training complete. Now time for some rest/recovery and a trip east to Minnesota for QBP Frostbike. Then it's time to start the next phase of the 2011 season training plan.

Windy....but warm: a photo blog

2011-02-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

On Friday I'll be in Minnesota for work.....so I am taking in all this sunny warm weather while I can!

Equipment needs for the team

2011-02-15T09:31:00.001-07:00

Good look at the equipment needed to run a 12 person mountain bike team! This is only part of the wheels and the drivetrain components located at team headquarters in Germany.

Team Topeak-Ergon Basecamp Video Contest 2011

2011-02-14T16:09:00.001-07:00

Team Topeak-Ergon Basecamp Video Contest 2011

On May 2-4, 2011, Team Topeak-Ergon USA will descend on Sedona, AZ for 3 days of training and preparation for the 2011 season. During these 3 days, the 6 members Team Topeak Ergon USA will test their bodies and sponsor equipment over this unforgiving and technical terrain. Not only will the six-team members be tested, but also 1 male rider and 1 female rider will join the team for the 3-day training camp. These two selected riders will go through the same daily routine as Team Topeak-Ergon in this all-inclusive prize package brought to you by Team Topeak-Ergon and its partners.

So, how do you get selected to join the team in Sedona? You will need to produce a 90 second video and post it on the team Facebook page telling us why you deserve to join the team in Arizona. Have fun! Be creative! Can you work in Ergon or Topeak product into your video? That will earn you bonus points! Tell your friends and family! Having them ‘LIKE’ your video will also better your chances at being selected by the team members and management.

Prize package for each rider is valued at nearly $1300 and includes the following:

- Flights to and from the training camp.

- Food and drink during training camp.

- Lodging during training camp.

- A prize package from team partners Topeak, Ergon, Magura, Continental, DT Swiss, SRAM, FRS, etc.

- The opportunity to train and ride with Dave Wiens, multiple Leadville 100 champion and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member.

- Mechanical and nutritional support prior to and during all training rides.

On April 1, 2011 members of Team Topeak-Ergon USA and team management will select these two riders and make their announcement.

How to Enter:

1. ‘LIKE’ Team Topeak-Ergon on Facebook

2. Post to the team Facebook page your 90-second video telling us why you should attend team camp. Be creative and original! Video can be a direct upload to the team Facebook page using your web cam or you can host your video at YouTube or Vimeo and post the link on the Topeak-Ergon Facebook page.

3. Get your friends and family to ‘LIKE’ and comment on your video.

4. Sit back and wait for the team’s announcement on April 1, 2011

2011 Team Topeak-Ergon USA team members

Dave Wiens

Jeff Kerkove

Sonya Looney

Yuki Ikeda

Namrita O’Dea

Eddie O’Dea

Contest Rules and Regulations

- No purchase necessary.

- Contest open until March 31, 2011.

- Open to residents of the USA and Canada only.

- Selected riders must be able to attend during the dates of May 1-4, 2011.

- Riders should be in good physical shape and have advanced bike-handling skills.

- Team Topeak-Ergon will select the 2 winners at their discretion.

- Team Topeak-Ergon owns the rights to all event video and event photographs.

- Team Topeak-Ergon will cover all contest winners flights, hotels, and food.

- Team Topeak-Ergon will provide gifts from team sponsors.

Up to 8,000 ft

2011-02-13T18:32:00.001-07:00

Dang near 70F here in Colorado today! With the warm weather the only option is up. Get as high as you can on snow free roads to suck in some thin air. Sonya Looney drove up from Boulder and joined me for a nice mellow base mile tempo ride up to Estes Park and back to Fort Collins. The route was exactly 5 hours and just over 80 miles.

It felt great to be out there with hardly any layers for once! Best part, is the rest of the week is looking warm and sunny!

Starting off on a road that doesn't see much sun this time of year.

Sonya leads the charge up the canyon. Only 23 miles to Estes Park from this point.

Passing through Glen Haven, Colorado. Population 20...if that.

Last batch of switchbacks before topping out above Estes Park.

Rock and roll! We made it!

It was a windy push...those last 6 miles into town. The view distracted the howling headwinds.

Prior to heading back down to Fort Collins, it was a stop for a snack. Sonya opts for the 'meat stick' and a root beer. Ha!

All easy sailing downhill to town.

Here are the ride stats: HR and Elevation

All the photos I took today are here.

Another Oval Ride

2011-02-12T17:23:00.001-07:00

Beat'n with a stick! That is what I feel like typing this. Hard effort today with some very fit cyclist right now....especially Nick Frey who just got back from the Tour of Chile. Honestly, legs did feel that great today...about lost the group after the first big climb outside Windsor, CO. Wasn't until about the 2.5 hour mark that the engine kicked in. It was good timing, as this was the hardest part of the 80 mile loop......Carter Lake. Crazy part of the ride was the 2nd to last curve riding into town....where a huge gust of wind blew the 3 of us lead riders across 2 lanes of traffic. Thankfully no cars were coming from either direction. The video below does a good job a summing up the ride.

When in Seattle.....

2011-02-11T09:27:00.004-07:00

I am heading to Seattle in early March for the Seattle Bike Expo. Yes, I am running the Ergon booth with Sonya Looney. I am also having a hand in promoting and running this fun little bowling event called VeloBowl. Check it out!

VeloBowl 2011

Benefiting Bike Works of Seattle

What are you doing following the first day of the Seattle Bike Expo? Do you have mad bowling skills? Do your friends call you King Pin? Now is your chance to put those skills to the test! Come join us for an evening of bowling, beverages, mingling, and massive amounts of sponsor swag! Your bowling score equates to swag. The better you bowl, the bigger and better the swag will be you take home! Expect to see swag from the VeloBowl 2011 sponsors: Ergon, Nuun, Topeak, NORCO, Dirt Rag, Bicycle Times, Magura, UVEX, and Vaude.

We will have 6 lanes reserved at Garage Billiards in Seattle, WA for 4 hours. With the purchase of your bowling shoes rental, you will be able to take a crack at the lanes....bowling for prizes...for FREE! VeloBowl partners encourage you to donate your lane fee to Bike Works of Seattle who builds sustainable communities by educating youth and promoting bicycling.

Arrive early! We will have a LIMITED amount of free drink tickets, which can be redeemed on-site towards beer, wine, and well drinks. Also those arriving first get first crack at the lanes!

My version of winter sports

2011-02-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Fact: I don't ski...and every time I get the bug to go try we get a 70F degree day. That pretty much kills my lust for strapping long sticks to the bottom of my paws. We'll it is not 70F today in Colorado....but it is above freezing and we did get about 1/4 inch of snow last night. Perfect conditions to get the mtb out on the road. Plus, with the Super Bowl going down today.....vehicle traffic was pretty low. So, I suited up with a bunch of layer....including 3 layers of booties...and hopped on the mtb and headed west to get some climbing it.

First up was Poudre Canyon. Roads....for the most part were just wet. A few spots in the shade that had the rear tire jumping to the side.

Next up was the high point in the ride....a north facing road...which means no warm sun to melt the snow. The northern end of Buckhorn Canyon was a real treat! No standing here....the rear tire would spin out.

Topping out right around 7,200 ft, it was a tad chilly as expected.

Remainder of this 4 hour base mile ride was mostly down hill to Fort Collins....a few brief climbs. Of course, the roads we a little sloppy....left me with a 2x10 system that was forced by ice into a 1x10 system. Good thing there was no steep climbs today.

Full details of the ride, including HR and elevation data.

An abbreviated Oval Ride

2011-02-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sketchy weather in the forecast for the Oval Ride. High of 45F with rain and snow. I woke up to cloudy skies and warm temps (36F). While fueling, drinking coffee, then doing Core Performance....the skies turned dark and the snow began to fall. Meh. Though for sure that would kill the ride. Nope.

At 9 AM it stopped. I suited up and spun over to the CSU campus on my mtb decked out in fenders thinking nobody would show up and that I would be heading out on a solo mission on sloppy roads. Well, about 20+ riders showed up and it was 'game on'.

With ominous clouds rolling off the mountains, the route was changed up today. We headed north into a nasty headwind. The mtb was OK....as long as I kept my butt out of the wind. Riding in the wind pegged my redline.....no bueno. By the time we got to our furthest point north of town out group was cut in half. The wind was brutal....and was hand picking riders mile by mile to send home.

Heading west past the Rawhide Powerplant....the group still battled the wind...now coming from our right side. This section didn't last long...then it was time to head south back to Fort Collins.

This is where I got into trouble. Rolling south we had a 20 mph tail wind. To keep up with the group....who was rolling down the road at 32 mph....I had to turn over my SRAM XX 39-11 at like 120 rpm. Needless to say, it didn't last long. POP!

I was simply under geared. I rode hard the rest of the way home and over the dams. Mission accomplished for the day. I wanted a good hard effort today....as the weather is going to throw a wrench into the training over the next week. Sunday looks so-so.

Winter Blast

2011-02-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

We finally saw it! Winter that is. The riding in St. George was fantastic with temps in the 60Fs for the 3 days. Monday, the weather was to fall out with cold temps and ice/snow. So, immediately after finishing the last ride in St. George, myself and a few other CO based riders high-tailed it back to our respective homes. For me, that was 10 hours of driving after 5 hours of riding. I walked in the door at midnight...was in bed by 12:30 AM.

Me driving back to CO at mach 80.....which is top speed for das sprinter van, jah!

Good thing a few of us drove back, as Monday was a mess on the roads in Colorado. Temps at 0F and ice/snow covering the roads made for dangerous travel. The rest of the week....at least up until Thursday and today....was cold....VERY COLD! By cold I mean temps during the day around 1F.....and windchills near -30F. Schools closed. Pipes freezing. My neighbor driving his car into my other neighbor's parked car. Yeah, that happened. Winter chaos by Colorado standards.

Anywho, as for the training? On the down low. Carrying some fatigue from the hard 3 days in the desert. Cold temps meant easy spins on the Kinetic Trainer. If being coached by LW Coaching the last 3 years taught me anything....it is how to identify when to ride easy...and when to ride hard to get faster. This week was easy. Huge block....then rest. A great recipe for fitness come Spring and Summer.

Today was the first day of good feeling legs, so a 90 min tempo at 270 watts was in order.

Tomorrow is the weekly Oval Ride.....Epic Cam in tow. Riding along until I have to dig too deep.

Camp Lynda: Day 3

2011-01-31T10:55:00.001-07:00

Camp Lynda: Day 3
St. George, UT and Arizona
70 mile route
Full ride details here.

Camp Lynda: Day 2

2011-01-29T20:57:00.001-07:00

Camp Lynda: Day 2
St. George, UT
50 mile route
Full ride details here.

Chunky!

Camp Lynda: Day 1

2011-01-28T16:55:00.001-07:00

Camp Lynda: Day 1
St. George, UT
40+ riders for the training ride.
40 mile route (out and back)
Full ride details here.

Training Camp

2011-01-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

Off to St. George, UT for 3 days of riding with like-minded folks. Looks like about 150 miles of dirt in 3 days....as the gps files sit right now. Weather is looking great....unlike in past years when the rain/snow seemed to have followed me from Colorado! Stay tuned for photos and video!

‎"Dude, I can't feel my face. Are my lips moving?"

2011-01-23T23:26:00.002-07:00

Winter training above Boulder, CO at it's finest!

Oval Ride - Jan 22

2011-01-22T18:07:00.002-07:00

Beat the weather, kind of

2011-01-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

50F and warm yesterday was a tease! Woke up this AM to mostly sunny skies and temps right at freezing. Forecast called for snow, wind, and colder temps to roll into the area late in the afternoon. So, I pounded out all my work early this AM and hopped on the bike for the 3x20 sub-threshold intervals.

Rolling west above Fort Collins to sun and warmth. 36F and sun is warm for Colorado at 9 AM.

The workout went very well. 20 minutes at 300 watts....do it 3 times on rolling terrain and then spin home.

Rolling back to Fort Collins and dark clouds moving in. Looked more like a thunderstorm was moving in rather than snow.

About 2 miles from home the snow began to fall....and my front tire went flat. Instead of stopping to fix the flat, I just rode it home.

Boulder Session

2011-01-16T17:56:00.002-07:00

Training moved south today. Needed to get some 'stuff' from Sonya, so I figured I would get the planned training ride in the mountains west of Boulder. The plan was simple....roughly 5 hours at zone 2 and 3. It has been a while since I did any climbing work, so I got a hold of Jason Hilimire to see if he wanted to join in the fun. He did, and rode up to Gold Hill with me.

Rolling up the dirt roads to Gold Hill, CO. Roads are good...all things considered. Could be an ice rink this time of year!

Jason and I split ways after this pic in the booming metropolis that is Gold Hill, CO.

The plan was to keep riding west to Peak-to-Peak Hwy....then over to Ward, CO. But, the further west I went the more windy it got! I was being blasted in the mug by sand and snow....mostly sand.

About 1/2 mile from the pavement of Peak-to-Peak Hwy, the wind was in full-on jet blasting mode. How windy? Unsure? 40 mph!? 50 mph!? More? You be the judge, as I about got blew off the bike....so I stopped to shoot this clip of the wind.

I decided to brave the wind and push over to Ward. I last about 10 minutes on the highway before I about got blew off the road....knocked off my bike.....and was asked by 2 passing cars if I needed a ride back down to lower elevations. One car pulled off the road and this little lady got out of her car....she about got blew to the ground. Classic!

I turned around and rode back to Sawmill Rd, where I would ride down and up twice. You can see the very angry winter storm going on in the background. On a clear day you would see some big mountains in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Then it was back to Boulder to finish up the ride by doing a nice tempo up Flagstaff. This would be my second time up Flagstaff in my life. The last time I was bleeding out my eyes chasing this guy on one of his training rides.

By the end of the day it was 4 hrs and 45 minutes in the saddle and just shy of 9,000 ft of climbing put into the legs.

All pictures from the day posted here.

Ride data posted on Movescount.

Oval Ride - Jan 15

2011-01-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Good stuff today! To be the hammer....or the nail? Always good to be the hammer....but riding/racing in Colorado there is ALWAYS someone that is faster on any given day. So, in this case you are the nail...and you get hammered into a bloody pulp. I always tell folks the Oval Ride is one of the hardest things I do on a bike....and it is. It is a given......on each Saturday during the winter months you can guarantee to see max effort more than a few times, bleed out your eyes, cry internally, and have your legs go numb when they load with lactic acid. It also reminds me why I mountain bike race and not road race, ha!

I had some good efforts today....and had to dig deep more than once to bridge back up to the lead group on Carter Lake and beyond.

On the hill prior to the Horsetooth Mountain Park climb I pushed the pace.....which then left us with only 5 riders. It would be this way until the last climb of the day....when Ian Holt would simply ride away. No surprise, as Ian is a strong rider. The rest of us would roll into the town line finish a few seconds later.

Here is the power file for those of you that know what you are looking at. 80 miles and a average wattage of 230. For January, I'll take it!

Here are all the pictures from the day. Note, 99% of these pics are taken when I am not drooling on myself because I am incoherent in pain.

Sunday is another big block before a day off on Monday.

A break in the cold

2011-01-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Pretty typical Colorado winter so far.....50F one day.....7 inch snow dump...3-4 days of highs in the teens.....then highs in the 50Fs again. Glad the sun and heat came back....riding indoors, while manageable, was getting a little old. Hooray for vitamin D!

Cross Training

2011-01-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

It is winter on the Colorado Front Range. It means one thing....A.D.D. weather. One day it is warm, sunny and in the mid-40F's...and the next day it is 20F and dumping snow. Today and next few days are to be cold and snowy. Not in the mood to hop on the trainer on the weekend, I met up with friend, Jill Hueckman, and made a mad dash to the base of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. The plan: start early and get as high as possible before the snow and wind hit. We got the snow.....and the wind.....then a small break in the weather...then much more snow and wind. My bike legs are going to feeling this snowshoe session....that is for sure!

Oval Ride

2011-01-08T16:48:00.002-07:00

Oval Group Ride - Jan. 8, 2011
Fort Collins, CO
Temp: 40F
Distance: 80 miles
Time: 3 hrs 40 min

2011 Team bike & specs

2011-01-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

Frame: Grand Canyon CF (Hardtail)
Drivetrain: SRAM XX
Fork: RockShox SID Worldcup Team
Wheels: DT Swiss XRC 1250 Carbon / DT Swiss XM 1550 Tricon
Tires: Continental Race King 2.2
Brakes: Magura Marta SL Team, MT 8 Team
Headset: Ritchey Superlogic
Stem: Ritchey WCS carbonmatrix 4-Axis
Handlebar: Ritchey Superlogic Carbon
Seat post: Ritchey WCS Carbon
Grips: Ergon GX2 Leichtbau Carbon Team, GS2 Leichtbau Carbon Team
Bottle cage: Topeak Shuttle Cage Carbon
Saddle: Terry Fly RSR Team Edition

2011 USA team jersey.

Further detail located here.

Wide angle training

2011-01-05T14:32:00.002-07:00

Easy training ride was on tap today. Good weather on tap as well! So, I took out the Epic Cam HD and messed around with the 'photo' mode on the camera. The result is below.

Canyon: Topeak-Ergon bike partner for 2011

2011-01-03T09:39:00.002-07:00

Via the Canyon.com website:

One of the most successful mountain bike teams of the last few years – the Topeak-Ergon Racing Team – will be competing on Canyon bikes in 2011. The team made up of reigning Marathon World Champion Alban Lakata, women’s World Champion of 2007 and 2009 Irina Kalentieva, and three times German Champion Wolfram Kurschat will all be riding exclusive Canyon team mountain bikes.

Following the signing of contracts Team Manager Dirk Juckwer explained, “We were looking for an innovative partner who will cooperate as closely as possible with us. In addition, the geographical proximity of the team to Canyon makes many things a great deal easier.” Canyon’s Marketing Manager Daniel Bley said, “Following the wind up of the FBI-Team we’re looking forward to working with a strong and internationally oriented team in cross-country sport. We can provide the Topeak-Ergon Racing Team with top material and are looking forward to working closely with the riders. We also expect to gain valuable support from the pros in the area of product development.”

The Topeak-Ergon Racing Team was founded in 2005 and is now one of the most successful teams in cross-country and marathon sport. In 2011 the team will have the same premium squad as last year and continue to underscore its winning ambitions. The team also has big ambitions in America going into the new season. The riders around MTB legend Dave Wiens consistently show in endurance races what they are made of. Dave Wiens, who made his way into the Hall of Fame in 2000, has beaten among others veteran Lance Armstrong in “his” event the Leadville 100.

I am super excited! I have been biting my tongue on this announcement since before Interbike. Always good to get to try new bikes and technology! Here are the frames we will get to choose from on any given race/training day.

The Lux MR full carbon FS frameset will be one race weapon available to the team riders. Weighing in at 3.8 lbs, the Lux MR will be the choice for stage racing, marathons, and multi-day events.

Option number 2 to the riders is the 2.4 lb Grand Canyon CF. Sure to be the right choice for the World Cups as well as those climbing heavy courses in Colorado.

Stay tuned, as the images of the frames in team colors are to be released to the public in the coming days!

Indoor Structure

2010-12-31T13:30:00.006-07:00

'Tis the season for the occasional indoor workout. While it is not the most fun aspect of the sport of cycling, a well planned workout can help to pass the time as well add some gains to the fitness level. I figure I ride indoors about 10 to 15 times a year due to either snowy roads, or temps well below freezing. Here is one of my favorite, but painful workouts.

Total Workout Time: 1.5 hours
- Best done on a road bike.
- Choose either a trainer or rollers. I used a stationary trainer by Kinetic
- Grab a towel....because you are going to get sweaty!
- A fan is good idea.
- Que up your favorite tunes on your ipod.
- Que up some World Cup XC replays on Freecaster for ride entertainment. (see far right side)

Warm Up: 10-15 minutes

1 min at 80-90% of max HR or Power
2 min recovery
1 min at 80-90% of max HR or Power
2 min recovery
1 min at 80-90% of max HR or Power
2 min recovery
1 min at 80-90% of max HR or Power
2 min recovery
1 min at 80-90% of max HR or Power
5 min recovery

Repeat 3 more times.

Cool Down: 10-15 minutes

When you are done, it looks a little something like this:

Descending into the new year

2010-12-29T18:28:00.001-07:00

Fact: This will be the last dry ride outside for 2010 here in Fort Collins. I spent the last 10 days in Iowa for x-mas and was stuck on the trainer during that time. I got home yesterday, and was able to get out today for the 2.5 hour mtb ride. The plus: it was 53F outside! The bad news? Tomorrow we get 6-8 inches of snow...and temps drop to the teens for a few days. Looks like more trainer rides for a few days are on tap. Shouldn't complain, it is almost January and we are yet to get any major snow.

Here is today's ride video. Was messing with some different EPIC cam camera locations. All the video I shot today had the camera mounted under the nose of the saddle. I like the view....just wish my legs would never pop into the shot.

Best of 2010

2010-12-20T11:14:00.004-07:00

'Tis the season. Been doing this for the past few years.....so, here it is. The random 'best of' for the 2010 riding and racing year.

Best New Race/Ride I Took Part In: Colorado Trail Race
CTR is mtbing in its purest form: No support, No entry fee, No sanctioning body, No course tape, etc. Whether you tour it or time trial it, the suffering, views, and experience are unlike anything I have experienced on a bicycle. I have become obsessed. I'll be back in 2011.

Best Race Day on the Bike: Vapor Trail 125
The training for CTR, the fitness gained at the Breck-Epic Stage Race, and race course knowledge set me up perfectly to ride well at this 125 mile race. Healthy competition, great weather, and good equipment helped me to take the race victory and set a new course record.

Best Colorado Race I Didn't Race: Breck 100
The toughest 100 mile event in the USA? Maybe. I'd put my money on it.

Best Road Trip: Claro Brasil Ride
Spending over 10 days traveling and racing in Brasil with Sonya Looney in mid-November was awesome. Unlike anything here in the USA. Great people, course, and culture give this the nod for the best road trip of the year.

Best New Product: SRAM XX
It is the future not only for XC but also for general all-mountain riding. 10 speed is here to stay. Embrace it. I did a full review here.

Best Adventure Riding Weekend: 2 Day CTR Training Ride

It was an adventure ride as much as it was a training ride. Load up the bike and set out for 2 days on the bike with everything I need to survive.

Best Picture I Took:

This one is always hard. My criteria is location, composition, and the story that goes along with it. So, I picked this pic of Sonya up on Jones Pass. Image sums up the day!

Best Picture Someone took of Me:

Totally random pic that Fred Grinnan snapped on the last lap of this years Marathon National Championships up in Breckenridge, CO.

Best Time Suck of 2010: Facebook and Twitter

Best 1/2 Day Ride: Jones Pass

Jones Pass sits just SW of Winter Park, CO. Check the photos and video!

Best Day Dreaming Subject: Colorado Trail Race 2011
Can't stop thinking about it. That is why I am going all in again for 2011. 500 miles and self supported. What is not to like?

Best non-bike moment: Hiking Mt. Elbert (14,433 ft) the day after the Breck 68

And there you have it!

What is the team listening to?

2010-12-16T16:01:00.001-07:00

There is a fun little post over on the Ergon blog which asks the 6 riders of Team Topeak-Ergon USA what their must-have top 10 songs to train to are. Here is a direct cut-n-paste of that post.....

‘Tis the season! With the 2010 season over, riders of Team Topeak-Ergon USA are beginning to work on the 2011 fitness. Long hours on the bike, skis, and gym are accompanied by a non-stop playlist spinning on the iPod. Ever wonder what motivates the riders during those long training sessions? Well, here it is! The Top 10 songs/artists required by each rider on their training playlist. Almost all these songs can be downloaded here on iTunes.

Jeff Kerkove
1. “Memories” by David Guetta
2. “Debonaire” by Dope
3. “Know Your Enemy” by Green Day
4. “Hello” by Martin Solveig
5. “Come On” by Tiesto Vs. Diplo
6. “Bring The Noise” by Benny Benassi
7. “Lets Get Bleeped Tonight (Tiesto Remix)” by Dada Life
8. “Arguru” by Deadmau5
9. “Dynasty” (Dada Life Remix) by Kaskade
10. “Dance Commander” by Benny Benassi

Namrita O’Dea
1. “Kids” by MGMT
2. “I Run This Town” by Jay Z
3. “Like a G6” by Far East Movement
4. “Tell Em” by Sleigh Bells
5. “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi/MGMT
6. “Ride” (Tiesto Remix) by Cary Brothers
7. “Extreme Ways” by Moby
8. “Ghosts n Stuff” by Deadmau5
9. “Your Rocky Spine” by Great Lake Swimmers
10. “Lose Yourself” by Eminem

Eddie O’Dea
1. “Little Lion Man” by Mumford & Sons
2. “Tell’em” by Sleigh Bells
3. “Lasso” by Phoenix
4. “Hurt” by Johnny Cash
5. “Same Boy You’ve Always Known” by White Stripes
6. “Intro” by The XX
7. “Feet & Bones” by Trampled by Turtles
8. “Kids” by MGMT
9. “Dirty Old Town” by Pogues
10. “Where’d You Go” by Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Yuki Saito
1. “Fireflies” by Owl Cities
2. “Datebayo” by Kanchi
3. “Bullet And A Target” by Citizen Cope
4. “Cellule” by Silence
5. “High Roller” by Crystal Method
6. “Vapor Trail” by Crystal Method
7. “Shinya-Kohsoku (深夜高速)” by Flower Company (フラワーカンパニー)
8. “Sky” by Benny K
9. “Kiseki (キセキ)” by GReeeeN (グリーン)
10. “White Beach” by HY

Sonya Looney
1. “Feel it in my Bones” by Tiesto
2. “Ghosts N Stuff” by Deadmau5
3. “Hey Baby” by Pitbull feat T-Pain
4. “Drunken Lullabies” by Flogging Molly
5. “Illusion” by Benny Benassi
6. “The Grudge” by Tool
7. “Nitro” by The Offspring
8. “Louder than Boom” by Tiesto
9. “In and Out of Love” by Armin Van Buuren
10. “It’s Not My Time” by Three Doors Down

Dave Wiens
1. Tom Petty
2. Metallica
3. 16 Horsepower
4. Vivaldi
5. Carlos Nakai and Peter Kater
6. Iron Maiden
7. Black Sabbath
8. Dr. Dre
9. Eminem
10. Nine Inch Nails

Ominous

2010-12-15T12:51:00.002-07:00

Winter is finally moving in. This photo was taken today from the seat of my bicycle on a training ride about 10 miles north of Fort Collins.

Snow is finally coming.

2010-12-14T18:03:00.002-07:00

The snow is finally set to hit the lower elevations of Colorado later this week. In the meantime, I got in what might be the last warm (near 60F) and dry singletrack session of 2010.