Proper weather

I visited Belgium yesterday for my one day of cross work this week. It rained on and off all afternoon, when we went up to the course it had soaked the dry spots from race into railable berms of our own making. After 45 minutes of work my front tire went flat. The bike felt great, the lungs are starting to match the legs and the skills feel good. I was rolling through sections that in the race were slippery because of the dryness and loose rocks, in the mud they were tacky and carvable. Good fun good day!

Octopus

Really cool moon this morning. It made the sky as I was riding almost an inky indigo, like a giant octopus had stained and the full moon was the sun looking up through the milky blue ocean. I couldn't stop staring at the sky, I barely remember what was playing over the Pod. I swam to work through the sky breathing like a natural-born reef fish. My light did nothing other than break me out of the sky/ocean gazing fog the moon/sun put me in. The octopus had painted a picture with his eight arms for a few of us, if you got to see it you won't forget what you saw. A short lived masterpiece, fleeting like the special sunset somewhere you probably won't return to visit. Look around today.

Recovery

The bears are getting more and more bold. They walk down inot the hood and look for food. I feel guilty sometimes living where we do, taking over their habitat. All wse can do after the houses come in is keep the garbage away and avoid the opportunity for a tragedy. A bear was hit last night around dinnertime on Hwy 9 between Breck and Farmer Corner. Sad. Such beautiful creatures, no different from a raccoon just bigger. Road ride to day easy except for one or two efforts to see what the weekend left in my legs. Not a whole lot of lactic, skating isn't making me as sore as it did the first few times back. I was pulling smith grinds on the mini, it feels really good. I wonder how long I can skate up here before the ramps are all iced over.

Boreas

I rode Boreas Pass today on the road bike. If you know the Firecracker 50 course it's the opening climb. I made it up and down without flatting, good pace, good work. Little bit of snow, soft road, great views of the peaks all covered with snow. The road was oddly crowded with people in cars too lazy to go up the hill on foot or on a bike. Weird because the aspens are all gone, laying on the ground, last week's snow took care of the aspen colors. They didn't want to stay on their side of the road either, like I was supposed to get out of the so some jackass in a Geo can get past me to get back from his little dirt road journey. Coming down I was passing cars about every 2k, that's always fun!

Better sleep and more time on the road bike is really getting the head cold out and the good training in. I'm eating a lot too, I actually feel like the training is going somewhere. Being an athlete again appeals to me. I overslept today, the extra sleep was worth the quick trip to work a few minutes late.

Soup

Getting to sleep early isn't that easy. 8.15 I was in bed, but really not asleep for an hour. Good dinner, grilled cheese sandwich and Tuscan White Bean soup, wow, it was good. A good dinner like that when I'm fighting a head cold is the stuff of dreams. Walking through the grocery looking for the stuff for dinner was like my visit a year ago, odd looks from my fellow shoppers, all to the soundtrack of the Pod. Loaded with my groceries I made my way up the hill, the single carrying me home into a warm shower and a great dinner.

Monochrome Morning #2

Another one today, more snow and more ice. It reminds of the winters on the eastern seaboard, damp and sketchy. Sometimes you get a gem and you see all that it offers. The snow and the heavy tree limbs bowing, the peaks getting their first blanket of real white for the season. And I get to enjoy it before most other people do. My own private screening without a musical soundtrack today, just the sound of my tires on the snow and crackling over the ice. The bridge today was all snow. it froze solid overnight and let the snow fall over it and not melt, I made sure I didn't come in at too much of an angle, no crashes today! The single feels better and smoother everytime I ride her, it just locks in, different from every other bike I have. A few little tweaks and it'll be spot on. Another thing that made Saturday's race cool aside from doing the Open event and having a good ride was it gave me the opportunity to catch up with a friend. He doesn't race a whole lot anymore, but when the rare chance to chat comes up we always have cool stories to share. Sitting on Main Street sipping a beer and eating a brat was the highlight of the day, we sat and talked with Shaubie and Beckham and caught up. Since I started this site I have reconnected with old friends and also made new ones. The cycling world is a great place, so many characters and stories.

New Season

After the all day snowstorm yesterday I was expecting (hoping) to roll through a few inches on the roads to get to work, no such luck. It was just wet and a bit slushy. The cross bike handled it just fine. The newness of it makes me feel energized, I'm not tired today, the snow and brisk air made me feel really good on the bike. THe season has changed and the weather will vascillate between Indian Summer and Autumn for a while but we all know what's coming. I know what I have to do for a good cross season, I know what it will take, I'm not worried about burnout, I just need to stay healthy. The bridge was a sheet of ice, those signs are right, the ones that say "Bridge Freezes Before Road Surface." Well, I remembered my first fall from last year, one of only three all winter long, and got over it without sliding. I'm no longer sore from Monday's ramp session, the wrist isn't tweaked too bad, and I'm still re-living my landed tricks, my new tools to skate a ramp well. I never could get the 5-0 when I skated before and it just came to me, odd. I may be hooked for a while, winter visits to the parks in Denver may be in order. Check out the link to the article from Saturday's race:summitdaily.com

Fitting

I couldn't sleep from about 3 am until about 6 am. The last day of summer or whenever the equinox is it should be today. The weather is what most people would associate with mid-winter, those in more temperate climes can look at the weather on a day like this and say "well, this is as bad as it gets." We see it a bit differently, well, it can only get better than this. More snow. More moisture, better trails, better skiing later on, and better fall mtb riding. My day got worse from the bout with insomnia until now, home safe. A drive to the hospital for a scheduled doctor visit for Little B, only it was under anesthesia, pretty sucky situation as every time we go through it (this was number 15) I stop getting good rest about 4 days out. B weathers it pretty well, just a few hours of hunger for him, not much more. I wouldn't want him to go through it, all he feels is the hunger, he doesn't always know the whole deal, just pieces to associate with a central shitty day. The drive to Denver sucked! Cars sliding off the road and people not slowing down to compensate for the crappy roads, odd how stupid people can be. We made it in plenty of time, no problems just slow going. The day was an allegory for how I was feeling, the weather on a day like this can mimic what your insides are like. An allegory for the crap we are forced to deal with, when if we had nothing to do we could enojy the weather for what it is, a change in the seasons and a change in the systems of the world. Another summer season gone and another long winter on the way, not that it's bad, just a change. If you hate winter you can't really survive the season with a smile. At 9600 feet in the sky the snow comes thick and fast (hopefully) and winter lasts until May, if you like snowsports you can have them for a long time. I like it, it's a quiet time until Thanksgiving, the weather allows for more of a challenge to do most things; commute on your bicycle (my conveyance of choice), go to the grocery, get coffee, get a session in on the outdoor ramp or go hit your favorite singletrack for a little ride. The snow gives it all a better face, better because you are getting it when fewer are, not that they don't want to, they just don't see the desire the way we do. Perhaps a winter getaway to Fruita, dry singletrack, desert landscape and a cool scene. A chance to recharge. Mmmmm maybe celebrate the end of cross this year with a mtb road trip, or mix it with a bit of climbing, vertical desert sandstone as well, cool! Change. Good.

5-0

This morning I rode the road bike for about an hour. Good spot of work, good legs, nothing lingering from Saturday, pretty good considering I finished the race really empty, and rode the cross bike again yesterday to work on skills. Tempo blocks to build form, good fun! This afternoon I went skating, and I learned a trick that escaped since I started skating, the 5-0. I can get it most tries as long I focus. It felt so cool, pop the board up onto the coping and lock it in, when I got it right it just felt perfect. The feeling brought back so many memories of trying these tricks before, it's great to work on the basics before trying tricks that are beyond me. I was linking a few tricks on my runs that actually made me feel like a skater again. Little things are making skating again a lot of fun, it feels great to learn tricks and escape with just a tweaked wrist.