i feel that i touch on similar topics here everyday. not that i find them to be trivial or pejorative but they do run together somewhat. this thought runs through my head while riding and writting my next blog entry in my head. but as long as the subject within is a new turn it seems to work for me. isn't everyone's life repetitive? aren't we trying to get into a good rhythm, a place where happiness is achieved by a string of like movements? not unlike the subtle shifts required to make a ski or snowboard turn, some are surely exaggerated but others allow the rider to enjoy life without drastic, wholesale shifts. this is not too high a concept is it? i see this as one of the simplest tenets higher creatures should strive for. by higher i mean all of those that have thought. the book ishmael touches on this ideal, not indelicately either. so as you go out tonight and watch people make fools of themselves try and see the light at the other side, a new year means nothing to nature it's just another day when you look outside tomorrow.

slaves and bulldozers

shopping is very strange, we had to visit the mall yesterday to get some stuff returned for shaubie and some other stuff bought for little b. the people there at the mall made for great people watching. they way thses pseudo-city people get dressed up for the honor shoveling over their cash entertains me to no end. suburban hell is great spectating the people with their fancy shoes and too-tight clothing reassure my own belief in the conspicuous-consumption that is america in the early part of the 21st century. what ever happened to enjoying the beauty of winter, outside? i bet less than 1% of the consumers we gawked at yesterday had enjoyed the winter snow in one way or another, even sliding down the hill would be an improvement b/c then they would see the beauty of nature, not the inside of a department store for their holiday entertainment. i try not to rant but this thought really struck me yesterday as one of those things to write about ot the few people that may read this page occasionally. and then i should say i got to do a bit shopping myself at the apple store, playing on a top-of-line zillion dollar system was almost as much as the people watching we had just done at the mall. nipple boy is pretty funny today. we saw uncle travis for a coffee this morning and he was happy to just sit there quietly and watch the passers-by. not real into participating with our conversation but more of the same from yesterday. he especially likes mirrors when in the chest carrier, we stood in front of quite a few at the mall so he could see me and laugh at the image of the two of us. pretty fun for both father and son. we make quite a sight the two of us, b laughing uncontrollably and me egging him on. this morning we walked around the woods a bit, looking at tree branches (tasting them too for b) the trail was great, we had it all to ourselves, not a snow machine to be heard at all. walking slowly in the woods in winter is so quite and peaceful that you can hear the animals moving about they hear/smell you, b isn't too keen on quiet but he gets the point of walking around out there. over one of the little knolls we ski on there is a lot of construction going on, we saw one of the landmovers the other day that really pissed off shaubie, she couldn't believe a house woruld go where they were digging, too far from a good road and too close to one of our favorite ski hikes...more importantly. at least up here they preserve open space, down in the fort collins/loveland area it seems to less of a priority. the mantra reads "pave the planet." look closely, you'll be surprised

a blog before bed, i wrote this last night but it's not getting published until now. great day on the hill yesterday, the snow was really good where it was good but really icy where it wasn't. i rode well, the board and body felt like one, smooth snow and good motivation made for a great string of turns. unfortunately the clouds were there about all day to obscure the views, but i got one shot that maybe i can publish if the powers at blogger allow me to upgrade my account. the idea of photos to go along with the thoughts that are thrown out on this page would add to the flavor greatly. we did about 5 hours on a day that never got out of the single digits. for some weird reason the there were no lift lines, maybe thoughts expressed in the book downhill slide ( i want to italisize the title of the book like you are supposed to, but blogger doesn't allow those options on the mac, so i need to go and look for the html code somewhere in a previous post., hopefully i got it right!) enough geek stuff. did you know the geek boy in the old carivals was the guy who bit the heads of rats and chickens? wanna get some tacos? we got off the hill and drove home without traffic, i didn't get in a hike with the boys though, went to town for more coffee and got lost in conversation with todd and his new girlfriend, not a bad way to spend an afternoon but i should have gone rollers or hike. great pizza and salad last night, a friends over to enjoy the last night my folks are here, giampietro's really hook it up, one white pie and one red. amazing! do something today

i have been thinking about this guy i knew in college who worked at a book store, when he said book store you wondered what they were selling, was it the latest danielle steele effort or the newest in decorating ideas for adult tastes. really when you went to the store it wasn't novels as much as an extensive collection of fetish mags and other deviant lifestyle handbooks. i could tell you stories of the ex-mob guy who was the mop guy, or of the teenage patrons trying to buy the latest issue of panther or nugget. the periodical collection was extensive, from all over the world. proper victorian decorations in her house just a few blocks from the store, she would walk through the place every so often to make an appearance to staff, sticky fingers were a problem. the real story of this place was the little old lady who ran it, she was straight out of a sylvester and tweedy cartoon. never a bad word when she would invite us over for sandwiches after bryan's shift, and she made the best lemonade, anytime day or night. it always seemed odd to share sandwiches adn lemonade with a 70 year old owner of porn shop at 3 in the morning. you would never really knew she was the owner, she never talked about it, and it was never mentioned in conversation. i enjoyed talking history with her,not about her business but about the landmarks she experienced, pearl harbor, jfk, churchill all of the mid century world war two stuff. we would sit and talk about the newspaper issues she had in her reading room. more later

work kind of sucked today, i don't know why when people go on vacation they are assholes, maybe they are assholes at home too, but why push somebody you don't know b/c they are doing their job, not trying to screw them. i sincerely make an effort to be nice, helpful and actually nice to a good number of assholes, some i give up on but others i try to turn over to the fact that maybe, just maybe, life is worth living, and you don't have to be a prick to the guy you don't know who is trying to help you on your vacation. alright, i know that i always say that my body does one thing well, reasonably well i should say. but skiing on trails after a few inches of fresh snow has fallen is a subtle pleasure. work, no doubt is involved but it isn't any worse than riding up loveland pass. my enjoyment of nordic skiing is greatly related to who i go with and how long i go for. the legs don't really know how to ski for more than 2 hours. it was amazing today, great snow and a ton of fun with shaubie, tim and the dogs. the lungs are coming around slowly and the body is really enjoying the variety. no aches and pains yet. maybe slight cross-training isn't a bad thing entirely. then when you are enjoying the company of wife, good friend and dog all of the sudden a f-ing snow machine comes out of nowhere and ruins a good five minutes of your ski. why can't we have a way around the f-ing motors ruining our quiet, when i think of the pleasure of moving through the woods under my own power i wonder why you would feel the need to f it up with an engine.

i survived the hectic nature of an all inclusive christmas. little b didn't really know why he had a pile of stuff in front of him but he enjoyed the paper and boxes nonetheless. we ate like kings for three days. shaubie and i had thai food tuesday night and it was amazing, a new place for us b/c the usual places were closed. a different take on the same three dishes normally get, with one new thing each time. this time it was a noodle dish that was super-spicy, as thai-hot as we have had! someday we'll go there and see what native food is like, after reading the beach (having not seen the movie, yet) it just sounded like an amazing place, full of new things for a white-bread westerner to see. three days of riding outside in a row was wonderful, little things are what make riding a bicycle so enjoyable. i found a curvy road i had never ridden before outside carter lake, the way the bike flowed through the turns made the whole ride better, then just going fast in a straight line up and down rolling hills, working hard thinking about the first group races and then the first stazio sufferfests a couple months away. i really believe that this year will be better than last year. my motivation is better than ever and i feel good about my off season workload. now that i won't have that luxury of sustained outdoor cycling for a while i need to maybe get out at the nordic cneter on a regular basis. the lungs are in far worse shape than the legs. going hard for a few k yesterday had my lungs seared and my legs a bit fatigued but not near equal the way they would be mid-season. more work is needed, in the lt department, sustained 20-30 minute efforts are in order, wait, isn't that nordic skiing? great, done. enjoy your holiday break

two days in a row on the bike, outside! yesterday i rode from about two hours out. a bit chilly but it felt good to be on the bike outside. great fun, solo, just listening to the wind and enjoying every pedal stroke. starting my season three weeks earlier than last year is a good thing as i ride i feel good and motivated and it's the heart of winter, now soon i'll work in some skating to complete the package. nordic work will only help the fitness. now we have both sets of grandparents doting on b almost every waking minute, he loves the attention, eats it up! he knows when to ham it up, just like his mother. last night he slept in a crib beside shaubie and i, we were on an inflatable mattress that absolutely sucked! it didn't inflate all the way b/c the pump wasn't charged. shaubie lasted until about 3 am and bailed for the only slightly better couch, crappy sleep! today shaubie and i went for a great two hour spin around loveland and toured some of the executive ghettos that are so prevalent around here, houses that could house six families but hold barely one. oh how i love conspicuous consumption. i am especially happy with my pseudo-vegetarian diet right now, mad cow in washington state, oh how those poor creatures are in for a terrible few weeks. i hope it is all just a scare. more later as i look around the web for the rest of the story. happy boxing day

a blog before the onslught that is the holiday season, if i didn't have a family i don't think i would be the guy on the ledge. i would do what i always did on holidays on the years i was alone, as though it wasn't any different from another day, which it isn't. i know i have beat this topic to death but i need this catharsis, venting is healthy. b was great yesterday, we had fun running errands and we were actually productive, got a lot done and even scrubbed both toilets, he was amazing got right in there with the comet and really tried to scrub under the rim where the nasties hangout. we cleaned the steps too and i still manged to pay the insurance bill, get mail and even an hour on the rollers. on sunday we skied up the sally barber with b in the sled, he either laughed or slept the whole way, great kid! good work and the snow was perfect, we even got in a bit of skating on the way down, i was trying to help shaubie learn the movement, she needs to visit the nordic center and get a lesson from someone who really knows how to ski. very cool to ski 5 minutes from home, great views too! now i get three days on the bike, i even get to ride on xmas, i know it will be good, especially with hawaii only two weeks away. a good break followed by maybe a florida trip or an arizona visit in a month or two. my second season full-time at the highest level, with a bit of work helping out the 35+ guys. i know it will be a great season! maybe even get in univest in september. new music monday was yesterday, i got some really good stuff, layo+bushwacka! real good trip-hop or trance whatever you call it. verve-remixed jazz/blues songs re-done with trance beats, great ride/work music. if i could save up the pennies to get an ipod and be able to listen to it on the bike i would be so psyched. but when i break down to the most joy, just having a bike to ride eclipses all else, except shaubie, b and jackson. enjoy the wheel

my lack of sleep is no one's fault but my own. 9 pm last night, 9 pm! stupid! i want food and coffee now! eggs toast, good hearty hash browns. food is not a substitute for sleep but it sure can spike the level of participation in life for an hour or two. i didn't wear glasses on the way in today, odd the way the air felt, more biting than normal. not that it was any colder than the other days this week just...sharper. today i'll get on the rollers for 90 minutes again, it just feels right, good video, good cytomax, maybe a mid ride pee break. i was supposed to go on tv last night to tape a segment on rec center stuff for the holiday season, i showed up on time for the taping and waited around for the other segments to get done and then for about another 15 minutes nothing was happening so i ordered a plate of fries on the tv station's tab and waited again for a few minutes after i finished them and nothing still. so i asked what the story was and they said a battery died and they sent somebody to get a new one, i gave them my phone number and went home, the phone never rang, not worth and hour of my time better spent hanging out my shaubie and b. at least the fries were good.

the snow has melted a bit, making the roads and paths more icy than they have been, the sun came out and turned the whole thing to sluch yesterday afternoon. i knew this leaving this morning so i made sure my packs wasn't filled with fragile stuff, and my mind was sharp to deal with a slip without over-correcting and really going down in a heap. all of this on 4 hours sleep. not that i'm looking for sympathy, we had dinner at the ranch at keystone last night, the best place to eat in the whole region. the food was unreal, we got a limo ride over there from breck, with cristal flowin' and for me daydreams of the meal i was about to have. no dissapointment here! lobster tempura, soup, salad, all the way through top shelf. the wines we had choices of were unreal, the one i chose was a pinot noir, the waiter said that it was from a "boutique vineyard" whatever that means it was the best glass of wine i have ever had! then the desserts and coffee were perfect, i tried to stay awake on the way home, with success but a late night isn't really in my program. i kind of feel foggy right now, like a walk down an unfamiliar street in a place i don't normally visit, ethereal like after a storm. now i try to get it all together, little b now just wears contacts, he is sooo cool, as i was leaving this morning he stopped eating and looked over at me and smiled a full head smile, that kept me warm the whole way to work. last night from the ranch i called the babysitter to make sure she could reach us at the restaurant. i felt like such an adult, it was one of those moments where your place in life fits, you realize that your decisions have paid off well. enjoy your day

yesterday we had another good ride in the denver area, the bike paths were a bit snowy but overall the ride was really good, a bit slower than last week but overall good winter work. we got in a great stop at starbucks for a soy latte, which is now officially my drug of choice. coffee rides are the best part of the winter workout regimen, do gym rats have a version of this? i may get in the gym a bit, after work for some weight stuff, but the gym thing isn't really a good fit for my workout theory. today we skiied the loop above the house. the snow was good the extra few inches we got last night really helped. tim and i traded off with beckham in the sled, b really seemed happy to be in there, he had fun , talked, giggled and was pretty warm, i guess. i poked around inside the sled a few times to make sure he was warm, he took off his hat and wasn't going to keep it on for anything! he did oddly enough keep his mittens on, i thought they would be off in a matter of seconds!

good luck to travis and brett at nats today! they drove out earlier this week and hopefully are going to fly in their races today. portland is a good place for cross, i have never been there but i know it's wet and near the ocean. the boys will go well. i was reading an article in this magazine called fast company http://www.fastcompany.com about how wal-mart has ruined some of their vendors by forcing them to sell products for less than they can afford, the example for article was vlasic pickles in a one gallon jar for $2.97. the point was they made a few cents off of each jsr that was sold but that is not really where the profit was for vlasic, the main margins were in spears and hamburger cut. the problem was wal-mart refuse to buy any other products unless vlasic sold them the gallon jar for less and less, who the hell needs a gallon jar of pickles? another problem with the american gluttony, they would buy the jar and then when the jar got nasty they would throw it out, they weren't losing any money on it, they ate half or two-thirds of the jar and now they can go back to wal-mart and buy another for $2.97. america as they said in the article is shopping themselves out of jobs. vlasic filed for bankruptcy in 1999. no more cool little pelican or stork selling you your pickles! wal-mart is evil! strong-arming companies into lower margins is not the way capitalism should be, the problem with this society is they see the value (perceived or otherwise) and not the beast they are feeding. the number one retailer is also the source of damage to our national economy. without smaller outfits able to survive we will soon lack in the area of new non-mainstream products, the adage being if it won't sell at wal-mart it can't be a viable entity. wal-mart has 21,000 vendors, that means that as succesful as they may be they have constant pressure to produce lower priced products year after year, opposite of inflation. forcing overseas production and taking jobs away from america, it gets to the point that even if they worked for free the price would still be prohibitive and wal-mart would drop them as a vendor. the moral of the story-stay away from wal-mart!

i don't have high speed internet at home, and surfing at work is verboten. the speed (i use that word lightly) we get at home is a joke, you would think that a brand new neighborhood would have better speed for dial up, the one box serving the whole neighborhood makes for pitiful surf. maybe i can share a high-speed connection with a neighbor but the thought of paying $500 for hardware and then another $70/month for service. the geek in me would rather figure out a way around the hardware cost and share a high connection with someone. little b is becoming such a little person. he has been skiing with shaubie two days in a row, he talks the whole time, in his own language pointing out the new things he sees for the first time. number one is his favorite, he sits on the couch talking to him and getting as close to crawling as he can without actually crawling to get closer to jackson. today the ride was a bit chillier than normal, the wind bit through my jacket and forced the neck gaiter farther up my face. it was too cold for the little critters to come out and play. the moon was so bright you didn't even need the headlight. riding into town the whole sky was lit so bright that you could see the rocks up top on the ski area and the chutes that they form. i love the jackass drivers that feel the need to pass you even though you're going the speed limit through a neighborhood. those are the people that need that special first lung cookie of the day on their window.

the simple act of riding into work, 15 minutes on my bike, through the snow is all it takes to feel better about my day, and feel better about me. i made up my thermos of green chai, added the right amount of soy milk and hopped right on my machine. i know it's a short ride but it just feels so good! tomorrow i'll do a bit more on the way in, maybe hit something a bit more interesting. the bike is showing a season of racing, and i didn't race a ton on the mtb. i need a sponsor to give me a new kit every year, i can't afford $600 bucks for new stuff every season. but if i rode for someone i would feel the pressure to produce. a feeling i have dealt with in the past and not been happy with. the tao says that the beginners mind is the key to success. when i was standing on the start line wondering if this race would get me the result to get a ride for next year i wasn't happy with how it made me ride. now that i'm more free to ride/race as i please every race is a good one. no pressure to do well, other than pride. sposorship is a tough thing to swallow, luckily i have had the kind of help that allows flexibility, wtb was the best, they thought more of a marketing type sponsorship, showing the products off at races, letting people ride my bike and see the stuff was better than results on their own. my luck is good, especially when you get to ride the best products. stuff doesn't break that way, if you have just enough money for little bits of maintenance it will work perfectly. a few years ago i wasn't in that knid of situation, and i shot myself in the foot in the process. i hadn't switched out my chain like i do now (1st of the month all season, both bikes) and i had a bad wheel, the rim was worn through on the braking surface. these two factors came to light in two consecutive races, in the first my chain snapped as i was chasing down the leader in a local series mtb race and the wheel failed at a vail world cup race a week later, one dnf and the other a limp home in 17th place. stupid moves certainly on my part, easily fixed with a bit of forethought. luckily i was leaving a few days later for mammoth where the wtb crew would fix me up with new wheels! without a sponsor like that i'd be sunk, poor mtb racers are everywhere, this saved my season, i left mammoth with a 10th place and new wheelset! now i know, new chains and wheels go a long way to avoiding mechanicals, simple things in life make it worth it. enjoy the wheel thanks for reading

hopefully soon we will be on a beach, sand in our toes, waves lapping at our feet. b may not visit hawaii before age 1. i figure my wait was 34 years or so to get there, he can wait a couple years himself. i feel tired, not the kind of tired you get from riding a lot but the tired you get from standing around a desk all day, say at a rec center style setting. i have a headache to go along with my desire to be fast but not strong enough to get on the rollers right now. maybe tomorrow i'll get an hour or so on them but right now sleep is paramount to rollers. oh that and food. maybe food will cure the headache and i can do an hour later. i hate not riding to work, at least that gives me 40 minutes on the bike to play with, usually pretty entertaining too. i'm psyched to watch a video i got at the end of last winter that i still haven't watched. i forget what the race is, one of the northern classics. hopefully by mid-february i can get to arizona or somewhere warm for a few days of warm weather riding. not that i want to do three hundred miles in three days, but a few four hour days in a row would be great. the warmth would do me wonders for motivation as well. with hawaii a month off and the idea of beach for seven days and no bike will be a welcome break from the winter rhythm. i just need to get on the rollers and do my work, maybe even some pseudo-structured work to maximize my time on the bike. outdoor stuff for now can be fun mellow work, later on it will be more important to do the work.

my days are good when i spend them with little b. i don't always ride but that kind of stress can wait till january when there is more of a sense of urgency. two days in a row with him are fun, we do little errands and watch baby bach, baby mozart and soon baby van gogh. we don't really do a whole lot, more visits about town, and a few jobs that shaubie gives us. he is fun all the time, even when he craps himself we have fun. he laughs at me more than anyone and is happy to just play staring games.

enjoyment

first real road ride for winter, but not winter weather. 3 hours of quality, very fun to get out and get a bit of mileage. strange 60+ and sunny. the bike was great and the body was perfect. a few steep little yips were good to keep the legs sharp and ready. no coffee stop, i try to get one of these stops on every ride, the pace was mellow enough that i stayed hungry the whole time. we weren't far from a place that sells krispy kreme doughnuts, evan wanted to make the detour, but it was too late by the time we decided it might be a good idea. sometimes during these rides i actually feel like a real athlete. i got home in time to give shaubie a break from the boy. we rode some of the normal roads in denver/chatfield area just different directions on some. tim was riding super-strong, near the end we came to this hill that was at home in san fran. tim riding his cross bike with heavy aero wheels and stout fat slicks danced right up it, no trouble. the rest of us were struggling to make it and he wasn't even breathing, just going away laughing. i feel the best when i eat right. the last few days, we are on a good diet the food makes me feel energized, good proper portions. the rest of my system is thanking me. food is such a big part of my life if i don't eat right i feel like a overfed veal locked in a crate the size of a shoebox. it seems that i resemble a johnny cash song when i fall away from a good diet. maybe tomorrow i'll try to stay hydrated, rested and well fed.

a blog before bed, last night was bad. after all that beckham went through yesterday he got us back for putting him through it. i lost count at 5 wake-ups, not that i blame him it was hard on all four of us, though jackson was smart and just stayed downstairs. he just wouldn't sleep for more than 30 minutes. oh well life with a baby! motorists are in full-on winter invincibilty mode. the asshole factor is very high in breck right now. i tried to cross a lane of traffic to get home and the cars were pissed that i got in their way and they had to slow. why can't they just realize that they are not the only ones out there. the suv is not the savior. the car is just one more way to get around. it is ok to ride a bike in winter, we'll be just fine if you give us just a bit of room. thanks for the vent more tomorrow with a better point

my life is very good right now, i appreciate every bit of my son's excitement about life. the way he sees a new thing and the joy it brings him warms me. he is just now sitting up on his own, he'll sit and play with a new toy a make the coolest noises to relay his happiness with the toy. i'm ready to train again. the bike is going to start getting some more work, little spins will become more involved efforts, the rollers will find their out of the shed and into living room. the video stack will again be circulated to entertain me for the hours spent staring at the idiot box, sweating and hopefully riding the fixy a bit to off set the hours and hours on the gears. maybe the mtb will play more of a part with after work spins on the roads and maybe not becoming the newest hood ornament for a texas-cadillac (chevy suburban) the car that i hate the most, it epitomizes the glut that is america, the crass-commercialism and conspicuous-consumption that pervades our society, that, and one killed a friend of mine too! it gets to be hard giving the finger to some asshole-motorist through lobster paw mitts. but maybe if i ride the same trails enough i can get them packed down so i'm not hike-a-biking through 2 feet of snow. perhaps travis will ride some of the trails on his new single to make for more travelers on the singletracks. the diversity of bikes will make winter work very good, maybe i can leave my stuff at the nordic center again this winter and ride over there and back for the after work ski club. maybe better lights are in order for dodging idiots and elk to get home from the nordic center. oh well it beats trying to cram a winter of work into the month of march.

i got in a great road ride thanksgiving morning, the bike felt great and it was good to be home on the machine that took me so many places this year, the sun was out and that made the 35 degree air feel a bit warmer. i did a mellow little loop around loveland and made a great pitstop at starbucks for a gingerbread latte, it was amazing, i sat inside enjoying my beverage, radiohead playing on the mp3, the perfect little break on a chilly ride. the legs were good, the lungs a bit gummy, even now as i write this i feel the little cookies lingering in the upper reaches of my chest. whenever i get to ride after a little break (this one was 3 weeks of only commutes, no real training) i remember just how much i enjoy the bike, i appreciate the luck i have to be able to enjoy this beautiful machine in any weather. thanksgiving is a very odd holiday, followed by my least favorite holiday, xmas. i don't know much about holidays in other countries but it seems odd to have a meal be the center of the day (thanksgiving), no real celebration of the history behind this day just a big meal and way too much food. i know that i'm a bit of scrooge when it comes to holidays, i really don't like the crass commercialism that seems to override the real meaning of a holiday. i wonder if it's like this in europe, or africa or south america? do they blow a months pay on gifts for family and friends that would prefer just time spent together, or maybe that's just me, i'd want that instead. as a kid i never liked the way i felt around the holidays, i always wanted this or that, almost to the point where i expected those over priced presents, at some point, about age 10 or so i realized that i didn't really deserve to get all the gifts that were given to me. i started to feel even more sheepish around the holidays, then i got to the point where i resented the whole process all together. now with little b in the picture i have to insulate him from my dislike of commercial holidays. he shouldn't have to see the world through his father eyes. thanks for letting me vent......

i got in a great road ride thanksgiving morning, the bike felt great and it was good to be home on the machine that took me so many places this year, the sun was out and that made the 35 degree air feel a bit warmer. i did a mellow little loop around loveland and made a great pitstop at starbucks for a gingerbread latte, it was amazing, i sat inside enjoying my beverage, radiohead playing on the mp3, the perfect little break on a chilly ride. the legs were good, the lungs a bit gummy, even now as i write this i feel the little cookies lingering in the upper reaches of my chest. whenever i get to ride after a little break (this one was 3 weeks of only commutes, no real training) i remember just how much i enjoy the bike, the process, making sure i have enough layers, venting options, pumping up the tires, i appreciate the luck i have to be able to enjoy this beautiful machine in any weather. thanksgiving is a very odd holiday, followed by my least favorite holiday, xmas. i don't know much about holidays in other countries but it seems odd to have a meal be the center of the day (thanksgiving), no real celebration of the history behind this day just a big meal and way too much food. i know that i'm a bit of scrooge when it comes to holidays, i really don't like the crass commercialism that seems to override the real meaning of a holiday. i wonder if it's like this in europe, or africa or south america? do they blow a months pay on gifts for family and friends that would prefer just time spent together, or maybe that's just me, i'd want that instead. as a kid i never liked the way i felt around the holidays, i always wanted this or that, almost to the point where i expected those over priced presents, at some point, about age 10 or so i realized that i didn't really deserve to get all the gifts that were given to me. i started to feel even more sheepish around the holidays, then i got to the point where i resented the whole process all together. now with little b in the picture i have to insulate him from my dislike of commercial holidays. he shouldn't have to see the world through his father eyes. thanks for letting me vent......

i got in a great road ride thanksgiving morning, the bike felt great and it was good to be home on the machine that took me so many places this year, the sun was out and that made the 35 degree air feel a bit warmer. i did a mellow little loop around loveland and made a great pitstop at starbucks for a gingerbread latte, it was amazing, i sat inside enjoying my beverage, radiohead playing on the mp3, the perfect little break on a chilly ride. the legs were good, the lungs a bit gummy, even now as i write this i feel the little cookies lingering in upper reaches of my chest. whenever i get to ride after a little break (this one was 3 weeks of only commutes, no real training) i remember just how much i enjoy the bike, the process, making sure i have enough layers, venting options, pumping up the tires, i appreciate the luck i have to be able to enjoy this beautiful machine in any weather. thanksgiving is a very odd holiday, followed by my least favorite holiday, xmas. i don't know much about holidays in other countries but it seems odd to have a meal be the center of the day (thanksgiving), no real celebration of the history behind this day just a big meal and way too much food. i know that i'm a bit of scrooge when it comes to holidays, i really don't like the crass commercialism that seems to override the real meaning of a holiday. i wonder if it's like this in europe, or africa or south america? do they blow a months pay on gifts for family and friends that would prefer just time spent together, or maybe that's just me, i'd want that instead. as a kid i never liked the way i felt around the holidays, i always wanted this or that, almost to the point where i expected those over priced presents, at some point, about age 10 or so i realized that i didn't really deserve to get all the gifts that were given to me. i started to feel even more sheepish around the holidays, then i got to the point where i resented the whole process all together. now with little b in the picture i have to insulate him from my dislike of commercial holidays. he shouldn't have to see the world through his father eyes. thanks for letting me vent......

the days with beckham are getting better and better, he was a blast yesterday, we went to the post office, ran some other errands hung out at the coffee shops and generally enjoyed the day. he didn't cry once, we met shaubie for lunch and she gave the boy a boobie, we apent the afternoon listening tp music and then at the coffee shop for more relaxing. he sat in the car while we were driving errands and he was talked to me the whole time if he wasn't dozed off. maybe because i'm not training right now i have been thinking a lot about skateboarding, the way the board feels when you carve high on the bowl, or nail a landing. i still watch skate videos and hopefully in a few years i can skate with beckham at the local parks. i was thinking about skating pools in ocmd early in the summer before they opened up the resorts to the memorial day crowds. i would get down there right as school was out and have two weeks before the invasion. just wandering from early morning surf sessions to the unguarded pools and back for the evening glass-off. what a life! so far from here, now. i regularly skated a loading dock a few blocks from my house, late one night i ollied perfectly into midair, the board floating just below my feet, i eyed the landing and as i came down my front foot wasn't over the board anymore, i landed and slap! the board went right into my knee on the inside of my left leg, never has cycling brought sharper pain than this. i laid on the ground for a while before i got up the energy to try and skate home, it took a while. other times i would get away with minimal damage, those were the good days, carving a ten foot pool with a light 8 feet up the wall, but the light wasn't there so it was just a hole in the wall. carving frontside and backside over that hole and looking down at it is a feeling i'll never forget. enjoy non-motorized wheels today!

last night was tough, i'm dealing with the fact that cross is over for me and that i need to take a break, but i heard that the weather down in denver/boulder was crappy and all i wanted to do was prep the bikes for a muddy day. sit down, breathe, remember that the new season isn't far off. the fact remains on my ride home last night i felt as though my lungs were cooked from the inside out, just fried. i could barely ride at a good pace up through town, just blown. maybe in the sickness that's been going through me and everybody else in colorado there is a bit of bronchitis. nothing else i've had feels like that. another week then it's back to the road machine. long slow miles, no real efforts until after the first of the year. little b was pissed at 4 am when he woke, not really understanding why he couldn't get a booby. the feedings are too frequent says the doctor, so that means less sleep for the rest of us. we all were pretty beat when it came time really wake up and go to work. number one just sat on the couch and watched as b got his lenses and then fell into him, hugging his head, jackson looked very tired. but of course he let b hug him and talk to him. this morning i rode a new bit of singletrack, it makes the ride in a bit more interesting, nothing great just a steep little drop on a trail down to a lower road. it was cool in secret pre-dawn light, my little cateye doing just enough to point out the drops and bigger rocks. i hope i can run into town and get a bagel and some good coffee, i didn't get to eat breakfast, i got back to sleep about 5.15 and chose rest over food.

last night was tough, i'm dealing with the facts that cross is over for me and that i need to take a break, but i heard that the weather down in denver/boulder was crappy and all i wanted to do was prep the bikes for a muddy day. sit down, breathe, remember that the new season isn't far off. the fact remains on my ride home last night i felt as though my lungs were cooked from the inside out, just fried. i could barely ride at a good pace up through town, just blown. maybe in the sickness that's been going through me and everybody else in colorado there is a bit of bronchitis. nothing else i've had feels like that. another week then it's back to the road machine. long slow miles, no real efforts until after the first of the year. little b was pissed at 4 am when he woke, not really understanding why he couldn't get a booby. the feedings are too frequent says the doctor, so that means less sleep for the rest of us. we all were pretty beat when it came time really wake up and go to work. number one just sat on the couch and watched as b got his lenses and then fell into him, hugging his head, jackson was having no fun, he looked very tired. but of course he let b hug him and talk to him. this morning i rode a new bit of singletrack, it makes the ride in a bit more interesting, nothing great just a steep little drop on a trail down to a lower road. it was cool in secret pre-dawn light, my little cateye doing just enough to point out the drops and bigger rocks. i didn't get to eat breakfast, i slept until 6 and had to leave straight away after contacts.

last night was tough, i'm dealing with the facts that cross is over for me and that i need to take a break, but i heard that the weather down in denver/boulder was crappy and all i wanted to do was prep the bikes for a muddy day. sit down, breathe, remember that the new season isn't far off. the fact remains on my ride home last night i felt as though my lungs were cooked from the inside out, just fried. i could barely ride at a good pace up through town, just blown. maybe in the sickness that's been going through me and everybody else in colorado there is a bit of bronchitis. nothing else i've had feels like that. another week then it's back to the road machine. long slow miles, no real efforts until after the first of the year. little b was pissed at 4 am when he woke, not really understanding why he couldn't get a booby. the feedings are too frequent says the doctor, so that means less sleep for the rest of us. we all were pretty beat when it came time really wake up and go to work. number one just sat on the couch and watched as b got his lenses and then fell into him, hugging his head, jackson was having no fun, he looked very tired. but of course he let b hug him and talk to him. this morning i rode a new bit of singletrack, it makes the ride in a bit more interesting, nothing great just a steep little drop on a trail down to a lower road. it was cool in secret pre-dawn light, my little cateye doing just enough to point out the drops and bigger rocks. i didn't get to eat breakfast, i slept until 6 and had to leave straight away after contacts.

after two days of driving (i'm trying to sell the car, the lot at work has high volume) i decided that i'd had enough, i got on the bike at 5.15 and rolled out, i felt great! i hate to drive. the bike felt good, my pack sat well on my shoulders and the roads and path weren't that icy! no wildlife today, just a few weird sounds from the woods. i was reading an article on former belgian national cross coach eric de vlaeminck, who has no kind words for the current national coach rudy de bie in the gazette von antwerpen: ‘he came from the mountain bike scene, the enemy of the cyclocrossers! it upsets me that he still combines the two?' i know belgians have a special heart for cross but why would he say that of a sport that can offer so much to cycling and bring people in from other avenues. does he dislike bmx? i know road is a religion and cross a sort of schism from road but i think a little bit of understanding is due on the part of mr. de vlaeminck. great dinner last night! merlin hooked us up big-time, we had an amazing meal, good food and good company, i hope i didn't offend tim's new girlfriend too much, shaubie and i were being our typical selves. we had room to go plenty lower! without travis there we were able to keep it a bit above the belt, whenever you throw him in the salad can have a lot more bite! hopefully soon we can have another night of true humor, the whole crew with the gloves off! not a whole lot of sleep last night, b woke at about 10, 12 and then 2, pretty rough go. he wasn't in the mood to allow us to get rest, it didn't help that we were out late (9.30) i love being old! then i made shaubie get up at 5 to put in the lenses before i left for work. ride your damn bike

first day

first day excitement on the hill, i rode pretty well, the 9 inches of fresh snow didn't hurt. a few glory turns where the snow wasn't touched, little bit of float and the unweighted board moving through uncut snow. the day was good, cold, windy and soft snow normally don't go together but not in this case. the chair ride was entertaining, todd and travis recounting past conquests (not snow related) always makes for good time passing. the run was enjoyable solitude, short radius turns on the side where the good snow could be found and a song playing in my head, most of the day it was some outkast, no real music just one of the thousand tvs in my head playing sound instead of video. my gear is pretty worked but i was warm and happy in my jacket and pants. maybe i'll acquire some new stuff soon. little b is on a roll, three really good days in a row, just a happy laughing kid all day. we survived our days together far better than previous weeks and i had a bit of sadness going to work thinking i won't see him until 4.30 this afternoon. the boy amazes me, he relaxed his eyes on cue to allow the lenses in today and then he just was quiet while i put them in. if shaubie could get over her strep life in the house would be ideal, until then that is our one hurdle, keeping everyone healthy! ride well

i tried to play football last night with a few brits, it's not that i didn't play, it's that i didn't play well. i was also oddly winded at strange times, i'm an athlete, this stuff shouldn't hurt me, it's indoor soccer for god sakes! i can run around a gym and be fine. the mexican guys we played weren't very good, they were just better than us. for whatever reason the brits wouldn't really pass me the ball, i could pass it to them after a turnover but i couldn't really get it back. i think i maybe had one shot the whole game and that was in the first minute or so of play. i tried to control the ball and allow the play to happen but i couldn't find my rhythm. at least i had a great ride to work today, the trails had two more inches and the tracks were just mine. i did see evidence of a bear dragging a bunch of garbage out of the hood into the trails to snack. it looked like he got a good meal the way rubbish was spread all over. i'm waiting to see first snowshoe hare tracks of the season, they make me happy. i love to watch those guys run, perfect grace and speed over the snow. i wish i could move that well over snow. little b is weathering his first winter pretty well, he doesn't seem to like the room at his daycare center, whenever he's there he cries and if they walk with him towards the door he stops crying, they said that he's a bit young for that kind of association, but look who's raising him. i don't blame him i'd rather be home too. he likes to go for walks as long as he stays warm, the contrasts with the snow and the trees really fascinate him. i love to watch his eyes follow contrasting trees and logs on the ground. he loves to talk, it seems if he's awake he's saying something, the best is when he wakes up in the morning he just sits in his crib and talks to the room. as long as you let him sit there he doesn't cry he just talks.

the ride home last night was everything i wanted it to be, great trails and the snow just made everything a bit quieter than mid-summer. i was able to roll most sections and the hike-a-bike was just a fun walk. the woods were super quiet, no animal tracks just a single mtb spoiling the new snow. i only came off once when i tried to ride a little balance beam see-saw thing and somebody had shifted the boards so they weren't even, a little tumble but not really a ground fall. then rolling through a nice slightly downhill wooded meadow area i see an orange flash off to my right, as i stopped to look over it's a hunter with a big gun! i was a little freaked out and before i really even thought about it i yelled " hey, biker over here!" the guy just kind of looked over and looked away, clearly not caring about who else was in the woods with him that wasn't good eatin'. i watched him walk up the hill away from me i was happy to have my little cateye on flash mode to make sure i didn't come out the way greg lemond did on his fateful hunting trip. after that it was a more hurried pace to get the hell away from elmer fudd. the long climb up and out of the valley on gold run was pretty dark, i kept a good pace and turned on the light full throttle and then up and over and ripped the descent into the hood, not even a dab. today on the way in we had about 3 inches on unplowed roads, it was wonderful! perfect opening day for the ski area, can you beat 3-5 inches on the first day of the season? cruising on the roads and paths was the coolest thing, super quiet, i don't understand my fascination with quiet, i guess in a world that is so loud it's a welcome change to have it not be. i miss having music but in the woods i just want to listen to what's going on around me. as i was rolling over the path i saw a medium sized dog running toward me, and then he turned and his profile suddenly showed me he was a fox not a dog! a big, well fed and ready for bed fox. he looked at me and ran the opposite the way, the way i was headed, over the path bridge and up into the brush, i apologized for pissing him off and went on my way. i love the world at 5.30 am! fresh snow on the unplowed/untrodden roads/trails, and animals everywhere if you get lucky enough to look in the right places.

glare ice on the road this am on the way in, i made it without too much trouble, i didn't come off which was a victory. it's shaubie's birthday so we didn't get her up to the boys lenses at 5, she slept in, life is hard enough, your birthday should be a special day with special treats, like sleeping extra if you want to. i left her card on the counter and gave her the present when i escaped to go home at 7 to do the lenses, beckham was great, he let me put them in without much hassle, having a 6 month old who wears contacts is definitely a different hurdle to jump. shaubie loved the jacket i got her, it's a beautiful isis softshell...... mmmm softshell crab..... really warm and super-high-tech. i also found her a cool little toque, i hope it's a good day. i'm still going back and forth on the slide for the winter, tele or snowboard? i need new snowboard boots, but that's nothing just a few phone calls to see who can give the hook, and i only need boots, not a board and binders. the old boots never quite fit right, kind of a dissapointment, usually northwaves are great but i think i gave myself a bad fit on them. tele skiing even if i got help would be a big outlay, a lot more than a pair of snowboard boots. the idea of learning to tele is pretty appealing, but the money out is not. i almost have my pack all set up for winter rides. i just need to get a few more emergency things and it'll be all set. pump not co2, an extra tire lever in case one snaps on a snowy trail, and a few patches, it sure beats walking home.

the flu is pretty much gone, just the lingering aches that come with a 9 hour ab workout. i didn't ride today, instead it was a great afternoon walk on the trails with the boys, number 1 was thrilled to be out in the snow, and little b was happy for a while then i think he got cold. the trail was perfect, not very slick even for a guy with a baby on his chest. i was looking for animal tracks but it had snowed all day and the little guys were probably sleeping off the mornings work. not that i know exactly what tracks are what but it is pretty cool to try and figure out what creature is running around the woods. the peaks are all covered and the snow is very light because it's been so cold, it's wonderful! i'm debating what kind of slide i want to use this year, the tele skis would be a fun challenge but the snowboard is such an old friend, i can't abandon it. splitting time would be ok if i didn't have to buy gear, the board is here and the skis are not. some good music and a morning of fresh powder or even corduroy and i'm a happy piglet! just a few hours is all it takes then you go into town for lunch and home by 1 with a pm walk with the boys on the trails or even a little ski tour and the day is perfect.

flu

i got the flu at some point on sunday, not really sure when perhaps it was during the race that it hit me, i had a good start and i was going well, keeping the leaders withing striking distance, top 5 or so, and then i just started to fade. odd because i made sure i didn't start too hard, not the full on ballistic cross start that is the norm, i was rolling in fourth or fifth and then the laps started to take so much out of me, sections i would normally flow through were taking so much more energy. it was around this point that i got cross gut pretty badly, not sure what end it going to leave by, i think the race pushed the flu more to the front. i went backwards about 20 minutes in, and then i just had nothing left. on the way home i was dealing with a rolling stomach that wasn't too bad. shaubie started to hurl about 11 or midnight and i wasn't far behind. my dinner was mostly gone from my stomach but the heaves weren't so pleasant. oh well, i'm feeling better now. hopefully i can get out for a snow ride tomorrow with number 1, i know that would make him happy. he loves the snow so much, it's his favorite season, dogs and snow just go together, well longer haired ones at least. i feel bad for dogs with short hair that can't enjoy the winter weather. winter is here.

lost in the supermarket

i made it in early over snow covered roads and dirt that were not as slick as yesterday, the crossbike didn't even slip once. i got a good ride afterwork to open up the legs. the snow was blowing a bit and the peaks looked beautiful snowcovered, the ski area even looked good. the grocery on the way home was a challenge, the bike geek coustume a week after halloween was an attention getter in the aisles. the pack, the suit, everything was a source of entertainment for my fellow shoppers. the whole time i had the clash song playing in my head "i'm all lost in the supermarket, i can no longer shop happily" i saw an old boss who i really didn't have anything to say to, she got me fired for some reason that i won't bore anyone with, but when i saw her a few months ago she acted like we were old friends, i try not to have anger towards anyone but some people get me going. meanwhile i'm thinking clash and enjoying the song in my head (no portable music today) while i shop. finally i filled my list and got the hell out of the store and back into my pleasant little two-wheeled world for the ride home. enjoy the music: i'm all lost in the supermarket i can no longer shop happily i came in here for that special offer i guaranteed personality i wasn't born so much as I fell out nobody seemed to notice me we had a hedge back home in the suburbs over which I never could see i heard the people who lived on the ceiling scream and fight most scarily hearing that noise was my first ever feeling that's how it's been all around me

i woke at 4.40am to see the world a little bit brighter than normal. i thought that the new snow would make for a fun ride in on the crossbike without a lot of ice, you know fresh tracks on the road and little bit of trail, but instead it was ice, not the fun rocky mountain snow and little bit of packed snow with a spot of ice every so often, instead it was black ice the whole way into work. i made it to the donut shop (daylight donuts) and got my pinecone and was almost to work when i made a left, or actually my bike made a left without me, before i knew it i was on the ground bouncing off my shin, again right on the same spot as the last two falls. when i tried to get up my first thought was oh shit, more bloody pants. luckily my leg wasn't bleeding too much. work was good today, not any problems and i was a good boy all day. after work i got on the bike and did a bunch hill repeats, the body and legs weren't thrilled with my choice of workouts but it was better than 90 minutes of soft-pedaling while freezing, it was maybe 30 degrees outside. the hill was good and long and the road was mostly ice-free, i felt good doing one more than i had wanted to do, and the legs were responsive to the work the lungs really hurt, i thought i was going to hurl on the second to last effort, good stuff! a mellow spin home and then a great dinner of salmon, salad, orzo and biscuits. a great day. i feel so much better when i get to actually train.

i got in a great ride today at lunch, the ride into work was pretty cool, the roads were a bit icy and the road bike offered little traction. i went in the longer way and found the clock agreeable when i got there, not late! tomorrow i get to stop for a donut. the am was pretty good, i was in a good mood to get back to work, and the day flew right to noon for my ride. it wasn't too warm out so we went right into to the work, i only had an hour or so to ride as i had to get back to work, we suffered well in the wind and got in a great block of work. i felt like a racer for about an hour or so. i got back to work and showered and felt like i actually did a workout. i think this week will be a good one, i'll get in my rides hopefully at lunch and be flying for sunday, the course is a new one and the venue is said to have grass, grass! i'm trying to stay rested and fed this week, if it goes well maybe i can get top 5 on sunday, the boulder kids will all be there so the pace will be high, i need to avoid the problems of the last few weeks. it'll be snowy this weekend, that always helps me a bit. my break today from beckham was a quiet day. i missed him a lot. i'm learning to feed him when i should so we get sleep, not letting him dictate the pace but setting it for him. it didn't snow that much just a bit of flurries. the skies were gray all day, little bits of winter flowing in and giving us a picture of what's not far off. i'm looking forward to getting on the trails, the skis are ready, last winter we went so much and Shaubie was pregnant, this winter if we have snow it'll be even more frequent. i want to do more of the bigger point to point treks, colorado trail and bigger stuff up and over west ridge, more of a challenge. good long days on the snow.

today didn't offer me the opportunity to appreciate the new weather we are getting in the land of the evil empire. i guess vail resorts' (owners of breck) efforts to seed the clouds paid off the past two days. regardless of the way the weather was caused it is cool to see. maybe in the next two weeks i'll get myself up to the ski area to get my pass to more enjoy the beauty of early winter. in the meantime i'm going to stay on singletracks and watch the way the trails get all glazed and the ebb and flow of fall into winter, only last week we were in the mid-50s. so i don't think it's over yet, fall that is. beckham gave me a challenge all day, only right now am i getting a little break (nap for him) i hope i can get some motivation to get out there tomorrow and train. i'm trying to get over my woe-is-me mindset and get my shit together to have a good week of training, i'm not in the hole too far, i need one good day on the bike with a lot of work, and then a few days of base miles. now i just need to get my high end work done and then a few days of medium pace work. i'm starting to think that nationals may be out. we are going to hawaii the second week of january and i may be at the limit of reason to even suggest going to portland, oregon for nats. we still need tickets to hawaii and for little timmy to get to nationals may a stupid idea. the body is getting ready for a bit more of a break than last year, perhaps three weeks off from the last race. the important thing is that when i start i really make it be work, not half-assed until i get going in mid-january after hawaii but good short weeks of work until i can get in the big days. maybe a regular diet of fixy, goin' old skool. enough training crap. i'm pretty sure i still can place well this season, the guys who beat me sunday don't normally do so, so as long as the confidence comes back from some good training days i'll get back to the place i should be. tim blew that theory to hell, he came sixth in the b race saturday and sunday while not riding since the previous sunday's race. some peole are just gifted!

today started at 12.30 am, i woke up with the leg of my pjs blood-welded onto the recently refinished scab area on my calf. so i went in to the bathroom to remove them and found a way to make myself nauseous by peeling it off. i read for two hours unable to sleep, those nutty mormons crack me up! the way they all talk to god is so nice. one after another with the revelations! so the three hours of sleep i managed to get didn't quite prepare me for the challenge of little b. he was quiet for the trip to get mail but aside from that he was the child-care equivalent of paris-roubaix. i wanted to stay busy so he would be tired and active and all the stuff you do to keep a baby interested. but i faded before he did and we had a mexican stand off, i lost. we went to the grocery and decided on a truce for the 45 minutes it took us to fill the list, oh yeah and the $100 we spent. we only forgot a few things that were on the list and remembered one thing that wasn't. no ride today, it snowed all day outside and the rollers weren't calling today, too tired and blown out from the race yesterday and the day today with b. shaubie cooked this really good dinner from the la travigne cookbook, the restaurant where we ate in st. helena on our honeymoon. chicken and potatoes with a rosemary-italian parsley pesto and really good spinach salad. no junk food from the store today, i did however fall of the wagon and get a donut on the way to get mail. i was reading about tim hortons support of the canadian cycling federation and i just wanted a donut! i got a fritter, different from my usual choice (bearclaw) but i was lacking in the calorie department, or at least i thought i was. i bribed a guy to get me the stone for my shed today, and the lumber showed up. i can't wait to get it done so i can hang all the bikes and be organized. and not have to go under the house to get a bike out.

today didn't go so well, i finished pretty well (7th) but the mistakes were there all over again, this time I leaned over on the wet road and hit pretty hard on the same area i opened last sunday in that crash, my front wheel just all of a sudden was gone. the weather was great- mid 40s and wet/foggy no real mud but plenty of moisture in the air. it felt like a midwinter day in the east. it was a really fun course with good transions from road to dirt about 6 times a lap. after my fall i chased hard but never got back to the group that was racing for third. i think had i made it i had shot at fourth or so. the bikes were great i just need to lower pressure for moist days. then i got a coffee at wildoats with really good half-half and sugar. those hippies sure can pick a good coffee blend. i hope i sleep ok, tomorrow is shaubie's first day at the new job and i have little b all day, i need to be rested to handle the little man.

we got a new time system at work and even though i don't need a half hour to start my workday the powers thought i did. so instead of putting in beckham's contacts and rolling into work at a reasonable 15 minutes prior now i have to be there no later than 23 minutes prior. 23 minutes, doesn't that sound too corporate, when was the last time you thought wow i have to be there in 23 minutes? or, oh shit, we're 23 minutes late! it sucks because i have about 15 minutes of work to do in 23 minutes. it means i look for other stuff to do so i can be productive with my "extra time." i know the workplace isn't supposed to inspire creativity unless your an artist or at best an ad person but punching in seems so vail resorts or prison-like. oh well, i'll just need to get my shit together before bed so i just need to do the boys lenses and get on the bike. maybe a bowl of granola if there's time. the little trek that it is to work isn't bad, 10 minutes is all it takes. I may try to lengthen it, but who wants more time at 5.30 in the morning. i guess when the snow comes it will be the mtb or the maybe fixy if i want to push the season, and the traction. the fact is it doesn't what it is as long as it has two wheels and me pushing some pedals. the beauty of the bike, oddly safe, or seemingly safe at 5.30 in the morning. i can count on both hands the number of cars i saw on the way to work this week. except for yesterday, my bitch neighbor felt the need to pass me just before the stoplight when i was going the speed limit. absolutley no need, i however made her pass on the left side of the road. i was riding right where i should at that speed, about a meter in from the right shoulder, and straight. i hate shitty drivers.

I got a new light a few weeks ago. It's one of those new cayetye opticubes, the light has the bluish glow of the high dollar HID systems but it was only the price of a few lunches. I'm don't really think it would be so good for mtb in the woods but for my commute it's perfect! I have my oldschool vistalight on the back, which I have had a few over the years. It reminds me of when I moved to the great state of pennsyltucky to rehab knee surgery and I got my first road bike in about 8 years, I couldn't get off the thing, all I wanted to do was ride and it was always ready to go, I got that bike in late summer of 1994, it was an ugly cannondale crit bike that offered no suppleness. I think about those rides with my friends who didn't have knee surgery a few months prior and were very fit while I was working through certain toxins from a winter working at the ski area and a fair bit of enjoying life. We would meet up and ride and I was so out of shape I'd hang on to the back of three of them for as long as I could. We would do the "hill ride" which was up and down the hills that form the valley for the delaware river, pretty good little steeps and at a pace not real comfortable for me. All while trying to get in before dark. I remember being dropped on the climbs near dark and still being 20-25 kilometers from home. I rolled through a covered bridge one time after dark and I had no light other than my vista tail light, in the darkness of the bridge the light shook apart on the floorboards of the 150 year old bridge. In the dark I'm scrambling around trying to gather the 5 or 6 parts that make up the light so I can get home without being hit on the sort-of major road I needed to take with out a shoulder. I somehow found all of the parts in the dark and put it back together and started my solo trip home. Once I was on the main road I would speed up whenever I had a car coming up behind me and use his lights to see if there were any potholes or roadkill to avoid. This went on for about 12 kilometers on the one road and then another 5 kilometers on another less busy road. Doing this for the better part of an hour got me home ok, a bit cold, a bit freaked out (I'm afraid of the dark) and very tired. That hot plate of food never tasted so good! Enjoy your day, ride if at all possible...

I didn't ride much today. I was tired, and I wanted to get home to see Beckham, he was sick all day. His fever was making him cranky all day. Nothing really cool happened today, I had a drawn out meeting all afternoon, then home. I hope tomorrow is more exciting. Like I said last week, a day without a ride isn't really a day. Shaubie is getting through a big career deal right now and hopefully it'll all be better soon. When life isn't what you want it to be for people you care about you just want to change it for them. Whatever it takes. Number 1, Shaubie or Beckham, I feel like I can always change their world for the better.

Somedays I just feel lucky, I didn't have reason to be in a good mood other than I was happy to be at work with good people. I got out on a ride did a little bit of work and thought about how great it is to have good bike paths that allow us to ride without the hassle of the missiles buzzing us every three seconds. I know I should probably ride the mtb but I wasn't too keen on it because of my propensity for falling these days, granted it's only been twice and one wasn't even my fault but I'm sick of scabs. I got home and number one and I went for a little ride around the neighborhood, it was pretty cool we played ball (I brought the chuck-it) and he pooed. Again I was looking around the Valley that I live in and was thankful of the string of decisions I have made that got me to this point. I could go back and figure each one and what the opposite would have brought. Mostly the choices involved quality of life, and the choices made were never sure-things. I have never been a gambler but I guess in some ways I took chances that even a Vegas loser wouldn't have. Luck was with me! Beckham was a blast to hang out with last night, he was so happy when he and Shaubie got home, he laughed at me the way he always does and then I fed him the beloved bananas, I got some too! He was thrilled to eat his favorite food. Then we made a home-cooked pizza with chicken and veggies that kicked ass. Great Dinner!

Boreas

We did a really cool ride on cross bikes today. All the way up and over Boreas Pass. It's a dirt road most of the way from town. The view was amazing! Kind of alpine tundra looking stuff. Riding in a mental fog because I still felt crappy from sunday's race. I didn't ride monday and I was pissed off about the crash I took and generally whiny. So the first half hour was pretty miserable and then we kind of settled into a groove, quiet, just Travis and me turning over the dirt road to the summit, a few little efforts to have it be some kind of workout but mostly steady. When we reached the top and went over we had a stiff tail wind that pushed us down the other side quickly. and then my rear tire started slipping...psssss flat. Changing a flat tire in a 40mph wind isn't fun. Finally I got it pumped up to pressure and we started back towards home. The ride home had no more flats but my body never really felt good the whole day kind of achy and cold. Then I picked up Beckham and we did the grocery run and then went home to read and nap. He was so good in the grocery, just the two of us speeding up and down the aisles, talking to each other about cereal and bananas, mmmm cereal. I finally got a nap!!! It was amazing. The rest of the afternoon was good we hung out and got stuff ready for Shaubie to come home. She made us this amazing dinner; great salad with seared ahi and Tim brought good bread, good food. I feel much better now!

Lost in Japan

We went to see "Lost in Translation" tonight. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a longtime. I was remembering how I felt when I arrived in Nagoya, Japan as a kid as a summer exchange student. I was 15 and pretty immature. They show Bill Murray going through Tokyo and with all of the neon lights and Japanese chracters in neon scripts it shows just how overwhelmed he is by all of the visual stimulation. Kind of like the the time Flanders visits Vegas with Homer. I remember being really lost, the culture shock for me was instantaneous. I wanted to welcome the opportunity of a lifetime but instead I spent two or three days missing home before I got it all together and really got into being in Japan. I finally felt really good about the whole experience when I would wake early and get on a great townie bike with a 3 speed hub and ride around the city. See a pattern here? I'd get up at about 5.30 and get on the bike and go around the city of Nagoya exploring. I never really got lost because I knew how to get home from the huge TV tower in the middle of the city. I would ride through the center city shopping area and then go through the business district and see all of the people going to work. The train stations were great, they had bike racks outside that were full with about 300 bikes, all really cool townies like the one I was lucky to ride. I never felt so at ease my whole adolescence except when I was riding a bike. The palaces were really cool too, I'd spend a ton of time riding around the plazas near them and marvel at the architecture. And then when I got home, the family grandmother would make me french toast...odd, but really good, without fail every morning there it was. Looking back now I realize that that was the most time I ever spent in a city, and I actually liked it!

Trying

The cross race wasn't my best. Usually I can avoid problems from other riders and deal with self-created ones. Not yesterday. Near the end of the first lap I was brought down on the road by someone who was either way too pegged to know what they were doing or just plain stupid. My race was one of spending time at the back of the 1st half instead somewhere in the top 5 where I thought I should be on this kind of course. The loop was a ton of fun, two separate road sections and a bunch of cool features that made you always think about the best line. The real training I have been doing hopefully will come out in the next couple of weeks. I felt good overall, the crash was a shitty way to start the race. Lucky for me I was able to get a fresh bike and try to move up and win my group. I never thought "oh shit, I crashed, I 'll quit" I was motivated to move up as much as possible and get around fading riders and push up. The damage wasn't too bad, I re-opened the cuts from a few weeks ago, and got a little spot of new road rash, I was fortunate to not have more! I hope to get up where I belong at the next one. Beckham wasn't a fan of us going out to dinner after the race. He was really pissed off the whole time were at Mongolian BBQ, and I was off, both bowls I made kind of sucked! I tried to go with the stuff I like and have made in the past but it just wasn't very good. We had to leave early b/c of B, he was that pissed!

Yesterday we rode Vail Pass, I did a good block of work and then on the second half up from Copper I was totally flat. Travis had slowed early on and I waited for him at Copper not knowing we were going all the way up, so I stopped put on my knee warmers, peed and then he goes by me and keeps going up through Copper. Oh well, work is good, I reeled him in and had nothing left. I struggled up the last bits not real happy with myself for not eating enough all day. The legs were dead, it felt like that cross race a few weeks ago. Luckily the wind was forgiving coming home, tail wind to Breck! Jackson and Beckham amaze me everyday, they are so cute together. Last night when I got home he was eating his Bananas and drinking some juice from a bottle, when I tried some he thought it was the most perplexing thing ever. He couldn't figure out why I would be eating his bananas and drinking his juice, then it was just funny, he'd laugh each time I took some and look at my reaction to eating his food. I was so tired and run down last night I thought I was getting sick, a great meal of Salmon, Risotto and Salad didn't change it, I went to bed at 8 and read awhile before going to sleep. "Under the Banner of Heaven" is just weird, I guess all religions are wacky but to read about mormons in this way is helping me realize that brainwashing occurs more easily the less educated you are, the more education you have the more savvy the Bishops, Priests, Clerics need to be. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you forbid your congregation from watching television, surfing the net, or reading books and magazines that you don't want them to have an alternate point of view. Keep them in the dark and you have greater control over them. The more outside input the better the pitch needs to be. Similar to how North Korea has no internet access for any citizens, they can only watch state run television channels and listen to state run radio. Enough political crap, I try not to use this forum as a soapbox for my own political views, rather a written view of my life. Maybe someday I could add photos.

I try not to whine, my problems are far less significant than others. Today I am going to ride my bike like it's the last day of the season, because, well it could be. It could snow and be over with in a day. Not that snow is a bad thing but it just puts certain fun things on the back burner for a bit. I'll still get to do my 10 minute commute on a bicycle, I'm just not sure which one is best. I want it to be the fixy but riding down the hill in the dark (5.30am) on an icy road may not be the best idea. I guess the skills will come fast and sure if I ride that one all winter, maybe a cross tire would do the trick? I wish it was a longer ride, just as I'm waking and enjoying the ride it's over. Sleep is good too at this hour I don't really need an hour long ride. The rides last fall with the elk and the rain were great, I never minded riding in when the weather wasn't dry. I also like to get a bit muddy when riding, mud isn't bad on a bike, you get to wash it later and spend time tuning and re-lubing to make sure your stuff works. When you are coming to a job you like the commute is never as bad as one you don't like. Such as the year before, I was miserable riding in because the job sucked, the thought of having to see those people at the end of my ride made the ride way too short! Not that it got better after I was there, I used my head, knowing I got to see Shaubie at lunch and I could ride again after work and get home to see number 1. Seeing Jackson at home we would go for a run on the trails and he would be thrilled, bounding after me and the running through the creeks. He just turned 5 and hasn't lost any of it. Now that the snow is almost here it is his favorite season, he'll swim all day but give him the chance to play in the snow and he won't want to come inside for hours.

Today kind of sucked I thought I was getting out early but I didn't even get to ride an hour, a day without an hour isn't really even a day. Good dinner at Giampietro's, seafood pasta from heaven. more tomorrow, I'll have a point I'm sure...

Flats and Rolls

Real training is good for me. I actually feel like an athlete, not a racer on sunday but a real racing cyclist. Yesterday we tried to do a cross ride but Todd kept flatting, he's much smoother in the club than on a cross bike. He needs to ride more on the rough stuff and a little less on the road to learn skills to smooth out the bumps. 4 of us riding and he has all the flats, none for me, Tim or Evan. Finally we sent him home and rode for about 40 minutes without stopping. Today we motorpaced, not a ton of time but a solid little block of work. 35-45 miles an hour without really slowing except to turn around. good stuff! I had a fun afternoon with Beckham, we played and then B tried to roll over, after trying for about 30 minutes he naped a while then finally got over. Then tonight he rolled over three times in 5 minutes. I don't get it, the more tired he is the easier it is. Or something like that? Joel won another mtb race, he needs to race regular sport, the clydesdales aren't fast enough for him...

Yesterday I did a little spin with Evan and Jeff and then after I was going to the store to get dinner stuff for the family. While waiting for a pedestrian to walk into City Market I was just to the side of the driving area while a guy in a truck was creeping into the crosswalk, I guess I didn't move fast enough out of his hurried way, he honked at me to move and shot me a dirty look, so I shot him the Finger. He started getting out of his truck when the guy behind him yelled to keep going. Why this guy was in such a hurry in a grocery store parking lot I have no idea? Perhaps I was wrong to do what I did but sometimes I get pissed off at asshole motorists. Since moving to Breck I've had fewer of these encounters, in Frisco it was a weekly occurence. The pace in the mountain towns in the shoulder season should be a bit more mellow, why do they get angry at a guy on a bike? I thought for a while that if the motorists were angry at cyclist it was maybe because they weren't happy with themselves and saw us as something they were not, fit, or trying to be fit?! The fact remains they are in a position to hurt us very easily, as Joel's martial arts instructor said "car is the best weapon." I think I'm responding well to the real training, my body is tired on the proper days and it allows me to rest when I need to, I haven't had to drag myself out to do intervals yet, on those days I'm ready for them full-throttle. I like the free-form program method. I do work in a structure I set up as I get on the bike that day, whatever feels right. I need to do a bit of motor-pacing, that is the key to me getting through the season without super high end training. If I can do that once a week, Portland will be good!

The last couple days have been tough, I'm not sure where I am in the world, only one thing is really good and that is Beckham. The doctors visit was great, she thought Beckham's eyes were better than what she was expecting! It was great news when all else is pretty topsy-turvy. This is a good time to write but when not much else is happy it's tough to write about good stuff, and the one or two people who actually read this don't want to be bored with my problems. The thing is Beckham and Jackson are the two best things in mine and Shaubie's lives. Jackson had a birthday on tuesday so we got him a new bag of chips, which he was thrilled about! He is so sweet, and whenever B is pissed off he goes over to him to try and help or just calm him down a bit. he knew it was his birthday, he was extra-happy and animated all day! We got thai food that was even better than last time. We brought it home and had some different stuff we hadn't had before that kicked ass. I had this noodle dish that was the spicy-est thing ever, and good! I even had a beer with dinner, perfect treat! The currys were so good, I wanted to keep eating like a goat until my stomach burst. Pretty inexpensive too. If anyone wants the name address email me wtbtim@rocketmail.com I did some work yesterday, good almost structured stuff, it felt good to get out and do that kind of effort. Alone on the road bike and trying to chase that good result. The bikes are feeling better than ever, I think maybe after a season on all 3 kinds of bikes they all feel good and comfortable, most years it's just one or two kinds by this spot in the season. Throw in the fixy and that makes 4. I want to ride the fixy more, hopefully after the shed is built I can have that as my main commuter, but until then fishing the bikes out of the crawlspace is going to keep me from riding a fun bike to work. I want to get back out on the mtb soon, maybe this weekend we'll hit Westridge again. I miss the singletrack and the mellow cruising down. I wish I knew how to race the descents on my mtb, I guess that's the problem with learning to race on the east coast, the downs are short and they are where you recover. Ride your damn bike Beckham is 5 months today

grass

Great race today in Gunnison, we had a wonderful drive over there on Cottonwood pass and then a great time at the race. I went ok, came third. Had to let 1 and 2 go early on as they were going a lot faster than me early on. Then the gap stayed but I think I'd have blown if I tried to stay with them. Speedwork is the key between now and Xlinx in two weeks. My lead in the series has opened a touch, I know it can be mine if I go well at the next race. The course rocked! We got to ride off-camber grass, in Colorado! Really good for me as it had fitness sections and also skills sections too. My legs were back as much as I could expect after a decent week of training. I'll run some more this week and get my shit dialed for next time. I know that the season is shaping up to be a good one for me, perhaps the best yet. The bike was great today, tires had perfect grip and right pressure. I waited for the guys I was riding with to show me a mistake, one faded and the others had mechanicals, I went away alone from about 35 minutes left, I just tried to ride smart and not screw up, it was a good course to work on jumps out of corners and smart skills/tactics. Shaubie and Beckham got to hang out with the boys and enjoy the day in Gunny, they cheered me on and thought it was a good day too. We stopped in Salida for the really good pizza and it rocked, we could have eaten a ton more. B was a little pissed on the way home and gave us all a headache, then he mellowed for the last 20 minutes of the drive. I love cyclocross!!!

Al Dente

Yesterday moved along a little bit better than the day before. I hope we get busier soon. I wasn't struggling through the way the other day had me pulling instead pushing, it's always easier to push than pull. I rode solo to get my work done, overgeared crap that hurts but you don't feel like you're really doing anything other than loading the legs with my messesnger bag on my back. But it works, I've done this in the past and it helps, especially a couple of uphill miles doing it. My body feels a lot better going into the weekend than it did last week so maybe I got over the funk, the blah that comes with a shitty ride. Travis and Todd went on a double date last night, I can only imagine what went on. Truly frightening I'm sure. We had a great dinner at home, the pasta I made was perfect al dente, it got a bit softer as the meal wore on but even at the end was crunchy-just enough. Broccoli and chicken in there with it made a perfect meal. I'm realizing that getting to bed at 8 pm is impossible, not only un-doable but absolutely impossible. Good pasta is such a treat, when you get it right you relish each bite. I haven't really had any epiphanies lately, lack of real thought, just banal race focus not the good stuff I prefer to ponder while riding, also the mp3 is dying, I think, that always hurts the thought process.

Sushi Parts

I felt a lot better than I thought I would on the ride yesterday, which in some ways dissapointing because I thought I really did a job on my elbow and hip. The worst part was the itchy arm from my arm warmers on my elbow, not comfortable to touch and painful to scratch. Travis and I played a new game, we called it "beat the crap out of your friend" basically cat-and-mouse attack the whole way, it was fun because each time you would recover the other would counter-attack. It felt really good to just be on the road bike, it is always like a homecoming after being off of it for awhile and getting back on it. I can't wait to get it tuned up and set for the winter season. I love the way bike parts wear, seriously I find it very intriguing that even for somebody who washes their bike as much as I do that stuff would still go. I admit to buying the good stuff which I hope will stave off deterioration a touch. Regardless, shit breaks and needs repair/replacement. I like replacing worn out pieces I find it dignified that a piece serves its purpose and then gets handed down. My mtb and cross bikes are at just such places. Beckham has his first day at daycare today, it sucks, I wasn't bummed until Shaubie got bummed out about it. Maybe we should play the lottery and not have to worry about trivial things such as money. I guess I didn't let it sink in that he wasn't going to be around on lunch visits to Shaubie. No problems with the contacts, he was a mellow cat again this morning. He is such a cool kid, we went out for sushi last night and he didn't make a peep the whole time we were eating, not a word! Great dinner with a bit complimentary appitizers from Shun, he rocks! 8 of us had a feast!It was great to sit down and have plate after plate of food roll across the table, alll better than the last.

The ride started out innocently enough, one of us on a real geared mtb with suspension the other on a rigid mtb and the third on a cross bike, nothing too serious just some cool singletracks and some flumes to get to the trail we found on friday. One flat pretty early on and then a bad tube with a blown quikfil and we were sort of stuck. As the flat ran back to town the way we came in tw of us went on our way to meet back up later. As we rode across a little flat section to get down into the Toxic Forest I was already thorugh the turn in my mind when I found myself sliding on my right elbow, nausea and the overwhelming urge to pass out followed. Evan almost ran over me as I was sliding. I wasn't even going fast! I wish I could say I was being stupid, or that I just missed a turn, it was a total freak spill that shredded a new pair of shorts,knee warmers and a hip and an elbow. The pain made me want to get in my bed and not get out until it's safe. The 15 minute ride home from the spill wasn't too bad, it just hurt to descend. The skin did a really good job of getting out of the way of the bone on both the hip and elbow. Good separation of the skin. No stitches though. Then after I showered at home I hung out with B and gave him a bath, he laughed and laughed! I think he likes to hang out with me. We played and then Tim helped us make dinner, well he actually made the pasta and Shaubie made an amazing salad. While watching Queer Eye and Restaurant we ate. B went to bed half way through dinner and was out in a matter of minutes! Enjoyable evening except for the throbbing hip and elbow. Oh yeah and the flu shot I got yesterday afternoon hurt too, god I'm a pussy!

The road bike has been the ticket the last couple of days, after making a joke of saturday's race and maybe hurting my chances at the overall. It's back to regular training, one mtb ride for fun and low cadence work and then road/cross work the rest of the week. Golden Horseshoe today, maybe tha trail that we rode friday, cool jump whether or not I'll hit it we'll see. I hope the legs come around for sunday. Dinner last night was great, it was an old Italian meal of sausage and peppers, with good fresh veggies thrown in and supertasty with well-timed additons of more veggies so nothing was soggy! I'm paying for it today, or should I say my co-workers are paying for it! Beckham doesn't even flinch when we put in the contact lenses now, it's so cool! I believe that he really associates the lenses with seeing clearly. Beckham laughs whenever he sees me for the first time in a while, whether I was out on a ride or coming home from work he just lights up when I walk in and say hi! I hope Joel won another clydesdale race this weekend..

Nickels and Zero

Sometimes things happen that you don't expect, like Tim's van breaking down in the middle of the desert and races being shitty when you think you'll go well. The race was a good course for me, usually bumpy stuff and techy courses suit me. especially with a good road section thrown in. Not saturday. The legs had no juice and no real kick after te first two laps, a steady slide backwards hurt my chances of a good day. Riding my mtb has been so fun that thursday and friday's rides loaded the legs without me realizing it. The little spill I had didn't help either as my left side has been useless for two days. We did ride a new trail on friday that rocked! It was pretty windy and rolled really well it even had a little gap jump for a bit more of a challenge. I went down on a dirt road switchback when the front wheel washed. Now I know that prep work for cross is best done on the road later in the week and finish with mtb rides by wednesday. We met Nickels and Zero last night, very uncomfortable to meet someone you aren't rally into meeting in the first place, Todd was uncharacteristically reserved, the material was good if you weren't the butt of the jokes. While most of the group got shitty I was a spectator. The jokes got pretty bad a few times, I even escaped and got a quick soak in the hot tub for a bit. The soak helped me feel pretty good though more tired and ready for bed. Shaubie had a little more than some, but felt ok this morning. Well enough of the negative shit, I hope Tim recovers from his trip to California.

Blair Witch and the Mormons

The ride was every bit as fun as I thought it would be, and then some. Blair Witch was cool, some more features and it would be unreal. I need to get out on the trails more, perhaps training for cross on an mtb is a good thing. The slightly higher effort is good and the skills get a bit of work and it’s a ton of fun! The way I see it, the bike is the bike, doesn’t matter what kind as long as you are on it and enjoying it! The trails are in good shape the bit of moisture we have been getting makes for a perfect surface. I’m reading “Under the Banner of Heaven” it’s so wacked it makes regular more mainstream religion look tame. It seems there are no true peaceful religions but this one is just as violent as the older ones, which is odd for a faith born in the 1830s. The Christians had the Crusades and the Muslims have the on-going Entifada but these people take the word of a snake oil salesman and run with it. Plural marriage is an odd concept and the way the Fundamentalists take the mainstream LDS church to task for “leading the church astray of God’s word” is out there. The book is good because it doesn’t allow Krakauer to be so self-congratulating. The elders of the church seem to make laws to serve their own perverse needs and call it doctrine. No wonder members are forbidden to watch TV or surf the net they might get a clue of how wacked their “faith” is! Any religion that forbids members to have contact with the outside world is obviously afraid of losing its flock. Blinders go a long way. I hope that I get to do another fun ride today. Snow?

Trails and Bulldozers

I was reading an article in a magazine left here at work, one of many that are sort of laying around the place. It was about potsmoking and high-income professionals who regularly enjoy the reefer. They had an idea that it was their equivalent of an afterwork drink. I think it says they need to get more from somewhere else, everyday life is working against them. Perhaps a new hobby. Not that I'm on the anti-drug bandwagon but I just figure if people can do more with the drugs occurring naturally in the body they'll need fewer from elsewhere. Not that everybody should go ride a century or climb a mountain but a little more for a little less. Enough of my shit, it's like I was an angel as a younger human. The cross ride was great, singletrack and some dirtroad. I wanted to do a little bit of work and Tim was feeling good so it was a great skills day too on that stuff. Then in the middle of one of my favorite trails we came across a clearcut right through a great section of singletrack. Bulldozers everywhere, ripping up the ground and changing what was a great trail. A fucking trophy home through a trail that wasn't bothering anyone except some rich asshole. Well it was a great ride anyway, we did our work and spun home after that.

Lenses and Intervals

My hip felt a ton better today than last night. I think I’m going into the barriers faster this year and it’s jacking my hip in a wierd way. I thought it would have happened already in my cross carreer but I am at an advanced age now. Great roadride to loosen up some more and then do a bit of work, intervals are getting to be a little easier to stomach, good set today. Great day then we had to zip to Denver to get Beckham’s contact lens from the doctor. Good visit with doctor then a Q-Doba burrito, some bitch in line in front of me had the most pronounced lack of manners I think I have ever heard. Not a polite word from her the whole time she ordered three meals. It blows my mind how evil some people are! Not that it takes a great effort to be just a bit nice. I might try to get out on an mtb ride tomorrow, or just a block of cross work would be better then mtb thursday. Races saturday and sunday this weekend, ACA #3 and Boulder #1, very excited for both, maybe we’ll get some weather! I hope Joel wins a cross race this year...

Any Given Sunday

Cross race number two, the ACA series has two of five events in the can. I guess I have the lead, I guess. The race panned out rather oddly. T-Brown went away about half way through the first lap. He was on the pink singlespeed, a perfect course for a single and a good day to not worry about shifting, too much other stuff going on. Dubba and I rode solidly in second and third until he dropped his chain, I went away until a guy started catching up with me and wouldn’t pull through on the dirt road sections, I guess he was riding the mud bog and on the next time through I kind of stepped into his way and his front wheel hit my calf, that sent him flying into the bog, well that’s racing. After that I didn’t have to deal with him, he lingered a minute or so back. Then the mountain bike guy from last week surged up to me and tried to attack through. I let him lead the techy sections so I could see what he had and then made sure not to give him too much room. I was trying to figure out where to attack and drop him when out of nowhere Dubba came up and went through us, I quickly got on his wheel and we both dropped mtb guy. going into the last lap I had a 5 second or so gap to make up on Dubba and I tried to ride the smoothest line and not blow it too soon. After the last tech section I saw him fixing his chain again, sprinting past him I said “sorry buddy!” he came in a few seconds later for third. Overall a good day, second behind a full-pro is ok with me, I would have preferred to give him a race but I wasn’t on a great day anyway. My skills are getting better but I need to be sharper, with fewer mistakes handling wise. The drive home was amazing, we had great views of the peaks and valleys, the trees were perfectly colored and we had a good drive listening to radiohead with Shaubie and Little B in the car. It was just one of those days that sticks in your mind, almost perfect!

Stars, Lenses and Fixes

The stars today were amazing, Jackson and I went for our little walk and I couldn't stop looking at Orion's Belt and the other two or three constellations I know, Sometimes I prefer to not know constellations rather than just appreciating the stars and sky as a unit. The stars seem so close and vivid as you look at them and the sky was a such an indigo blue that it constrasted pefectly with the stars shine. I know this is a little hippy for me but it was a really cool sight, especially because as I went to bed I saw a shooting star out my bedroom window. We lost one of Beckham's contact lenses the other day, I didn't think it was the end of the world but Shaubie felt she was responsible for losing it. I was psyched we got this far with out losing one! Shaubie is so good with him that to have one little snag after all the eye surgeries/hospital visits, doctor's visits and countless trips to Denver that losing a lens was the same as getting one flat all season. The bottom line is we won't get the lens until mid-week and then it'll be about a grand to replace. What can you do? I rode the fixy to work today, I may be falling love with another kind of bike. It's a lot of fun and in the pre-dawn light it was pretty cool to roll through town pre-thinking every turn so as to not lay it down with sew-ups that aren't glued very well. Going down the Col du Wellington I was a bit nervous but then I let it go and had no trouble getting around the turn. Check out www.oldskooltrack.com for some cool info on the fixed gear. I may choose to stick with the fixy for the time being and put the FSSP on hold until spring. I'd love to get couplings for it and some nice proper wheels and set it up the way it should be. But for now it'll be the bike it is, cobbled together and beautiful in it's own way.