Trees

I try to avoid the eaten Lodgepole Pines. There are better trails in better spots. Aspens and Ponderosas, it's better in there, quieter, less din. Less sound of the beetles getting meals.

Ribbons

This is my tunnel right now. I get to hide in the trees and roll quietly (usually solo) to the lines of leaves, listening to the seasons change and the leaves fall. Perfect to roll fresh rubber and the clean lines of the ribbons.

Lack

This felt a lot better than the race I tried to do Saturday. Good course, so far from what they normally give us in Colorado. Grass, turny, power course. No skills necessary, just full throttle and ride your bike. Riding on the grass literally required no real skill, I am not fast, I need courses to force handling skills. It didn't quite suit me. I rolled around in lead group on or near the front until the decisive attack came. I had no response. Game over, I was ridden off 2nd and 3rd. Rolled 4th in to the finish. Lackluster to put it nicely. Singletrack was better, Peaceful quiet riding on the trails, looking at the leaves.

Pack

Backwards and forwards, the commute becomes the work some weeks. I wonder what riding 9 hours a week with a 20+ pound pack does to my fitness and my back. Thank you Ergon for the great small pack, the other pack for the heavier loads makes me stronger.

Turn

Closing the door on the summer opens up the better results, not for lack of trying all summer long for the big one. It pushes me back onto the fat tires more in the fall. Getting to the top of the dirt pile is the goal, always trying.

1&2

I don't know if I raced a lot this summer but the more we get into cross season the more I want to ride, mtb, cross whatever it is that's coming. Sleep is easy this week, last week was hard, not a ton of mass, just a lot of intensity. Good stuff for later in the fall. It's on.

Week #2

Sunday was a mess, no warm up, parking cluster-fuk, poor timing, all getting me to the line not quite ready, my mistakes, I made them and paid for it. Using the first few laps to learn the course is not the way to go. Poor start, having to come off the bike and run around stopped riders on a riding stretch, made the first lap hectic, not real panic as much as never really getting the lungs open made the first half of the race hurt. Finally almost settling in with a bit of separation and rolling around with one pilot fish, pulling through when I thought it was my turn, and I spill on a slick little bumpy lefthander, straighten my levers and he's gone, full on attack. Is that what we're supposed to do? I'm torn. Attack a rider after he falls? Either way, I recovered and did all I could to limit losses and roll in 2nd. Better timing next week.

This morning I saw a near head-on crash, maybe the asshole dropped his; coffee, phone, cigarette, bong, whatever, it was close.

Tank

The tank needs to be emptied everyday. Not all the way to empty but at least to the half point. Recovery days are lost unless they involve an easy 90 plus minutes. If not sleep is lost and the snowball fatigues and grows instead of melts. The balance is always just out of reach, every time I think I am getting close it slides just out of reach.

one day

One of the better rides I did this Summer. Topping out @ 14,000 feet. Going uphill is great...