WP Courses Will Be Represented on TrailCentral

My current project involves a colaberative effort, which is always fun to work on.

I recently posted about a simple tool that converts KML to GPX because I had a problem reading a file that a friend sent me of the King of the Rockies race course, which I raced last weekend.

I was overjoyed when a community member piped up and wrote that he had uploaded all his GPS data to MotionBased. He also included that I was welcome to use them to create maps on TrailCentral.

I was of course thrilled and started thinking. After thinking about cake for 15 minutes; I never said I started thinking about something relavent; I wrote an email to the WP Competition Center.

I asked if I could republish their course descriptions on TrailCentral along with the new maps I was creating. My email got forwarded to Jon, the race director, and we ended up exchanging several emails. Long story short, Jon is a great guy and allowed me to repuplish his trail descriptions on TrailCentral.

Last night I started the project and I got two of the six courses posted to TrailCentral. Between the GPS data supplied by Curt and the trail descriptions from EpicSingletrack; I have no doubt that the Winter Park MTB Series courses will be well represented on TrailCentral.

I'm still thankfull for the generosity of Curt and Jon. What may seem like small contributions to them are not to me. Their generosity is well received and it made my day.

Thanks guys!

What I have currently posted:
Hill Climb Kick-off
Mountain Circuit

Convert KML to GPX

Convert KML to GPX

Yesterday I had an urge to do some coding. I've taken a couple weeks off and I find that idle hands lead to an idle mind. So, I spent a couple hours creating a VERY simple tool that will parse a KML file, saved from Google Earth, and format it as a GPX file.

So what good is that?

Lots of mapping tools will read GPX, but only Google Earth with read KML. The original problem and why I created the tool can be read here.

Some Details:

This is not a robust tool. What this tool does is looks at the polyline from a KML file. Anyone who enjoys viewing trail data on the web, knows that the polyline is where the bulk of the trail beta lies. On that line you have latitude, longitude, and elevation data.

What I did is parse the KML file and pull the data from the polyline. I then reformat the data and download a GPX file to the users computer. This allows me to use the KML data in a lot of other mapping software that doesn't import KML, but does import GPX. More importantly, it allows me to upload the GPX file that was created from a KML file to TrailCentral, which was my original reason for creating the tool.

I left the tool active, because I figured there may be others that would find a simple tool that converts a KML file to a GPX file useful.

Wheels of life...

I received this cartoon in an email today.

However, I felt a few modifications needed to be made to the cartoon so it would hit a little closer to home.

Fade to Black

"Twilight: A time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not."

~Howard Thurman

Bicycle Downgrading. The Gateway Drug.

This morning I spent some time posting a message about muni (a.k.a mountain unicycling). While posting it, I remembered a post I had written written at the beginning of the 2004 season called "Bicycle Downgrading. The Gateway Drug." Little did I know back then that muni would start to become a popular sport on Colorado mountain trails. I felt the post was worth of a re-post on my blog. Enjoy!

Bicycle downgrading. The gateway drug.
Originally Posted: April 22, 2004

4 years ago I met a man, no, make that, a mysterious man. He was chillin' on a particularly technical section of trail doing some yoga. Lets face it, that isn't all that uncommon in Boulder. What struck me when I met this guy wasn't his muffled breathing and his look of unconsciousness, but his bike. It was one of those single speed bikes. A bike so pure stripped of its gears, fancy paint, and suspension that in a silent way demanded respect.

When I bent down to move his bike from the trail, he appeared not to care that he left his bike on the track, I heard a muffled "help me" from the rider that appeared to be doing yoga. I then realized that he wasn't doing yoga, but had just taken a nasty digger! As I untangled his limbs I kept taking glances at his simple bike and started to wonder, why in the world was he riding that here?

2 years ago I became so bored with my mountain bike that I needed something new. I looked through all the popular mail order magazines. I looked to see what the most popular racers of the time were riding, but you know what? I'd been there and I'd done that. I had reached the limit. I had tried everything there is to try and as physics can prove; "What goes up. Must come down." I had nowhere to go but down and I realized this. I then remembered the tangled mountain biker on the technical trail with a simple bike. I thought, "Maybe I'll give that a try."

The next 2 weeks I built a bike that looked exactly like the mountain bike the, now crippled, mystery man was riding. Ok, I don't have an extreme personality, I ended up just building a hard tail and it only took 2 days to build. I then took a week and a half off.

When I took it on its maiden voyage I was incredibly disappointed. It was uncomfortable, it was primitive, and it was making me walk sections that I could normally ride. I hated it! I hated it so much that I was determined to ride it for a straight month.

Soon I was clearing obstacles that only a month ago made me put my foot down. In a way, I started to enjoy it.

It wasn't long after the 2-month anniversary that disaster struck. I broke a chain and didn't have a replacement. I saw the once noble, full suspension, steed collecting dust in the corner. I dusted it off and took it to the trail.

Have you ever experienced a time when you were conditioned to riding in a new car, lets say a Honda, and then you got into an old LTD or Scout. The LTD was big and awkward, it's old school, pure metal, but you felt safe and you didn't feel any bumps.

I got that same feeling when I jumped back on my full suspension rig after a couple months of riding my hard tail. I loved that feeling, but like anything else, the feeling started to fade the longer I rode it.

Determined to get that feeling back I once again rode the hard tail for a straight month, all the while anticipating that wonderful feeling I would have when I jumped back on that comfy full suspension rig.

The day came, the full suspension rig was taken to the trail and moot, nothing, zero. That feeling was gone! On the ride home I analyzed what could have gone wrong. Why didn't I get that "lazy-man sitting in his lazy-boy" feeling when I rode it? Then I figured it out.

I needed to go even more basic. This pattern of a little more basic to appreciate the excess has helped up until now, but it is getting more and more difficult to get more basic. All the while, my need hasn't wavered to once again be able to jump on the full suspension rig and feel like I'm driving that 2 ton LTD, 50 mph on a dirt road covered with washboard, while the coffee in the cup holder doesn't even ripple from the constant beating on the suspension that each wave in the road delivers.

Well, it's present day and I've taken it a step further and gotten rid of the front suspension and all the gears too. I'm beginning to understand why that crippled mountain biker had such a simple bike on such a technical trail. He needed the fix! He was caught in this horrible downward spiral that I am caught in, the crew has bailed long ago, but like any good captain, "I must go down with the ship."

This realization is almost more than I can handle.

What next? There is only so much deprecation a bike can withstand before it is no longer a bike. Scared of my future and hoping to get that feeling each time I ride on full suspension I know there is a finite limit and an end in site. Needing that feeling, I contemplate more ways to simplify my bike. I need it to be more difficult so I can truly enjoy the full suspension.

Maybe unicycling.

Yeah, I can start with a simple trail. Full suspension will feel great after that. But after a while that too will fail to satisfy the Cadillac feeling the body so desperately wants when choosing to ride the full suspension rig. I entertain thoughts of unicycle free riding. 10, 20, 30-foot drops. Rounding corners at full speed on loose ball bearing sand, the very tread on my single tire barely holding on, all the while thinking about how good it will feel when I do this same trail on that polished beauty sitting in the garage with all the right curves that bend in all the right places.

But I know my fate and I will continue to spin, downward, until someone on a slick, high tech rig, mistakes me as a mysterious man doing yoga on the trail.

And now a couple videos for your viewing enjoyment:

Widgets (Part II)

A couple days ago I posted about the business model of a widget. I was confused by the business surrounding the bits of functionality and I asked for help with understanding it.

Brad Feld left a comment to my query and directed me to a couple of his earlier posts on the subject.

Another View on Widgets - March 4, 2007
YAWP - Yet Another Widget Post - March 15, 2007

The cool part is that Brad has since posted a couple newer posts on the subject of widgets and those posts have lead to even more posts archived in the blogsphere.

The Unbearable Slowness of Javascript Widgets - August 15th, 2007
Resources for Widget Performance - August 17, 2007

Thanks, Brad, for leaving a comment and starting me down a path of better understanding.

Side note: I'm still pretty new to the blogsphere, but when you can learn, teach, and communicate ideas and information so easily, I can't help but be happy to be part of it.

How Pennies Turn Into Air

If you haven't visited my website, TrailCentral, you should. But when you do, don't just look at the content. Go ahead and look at the ads too.

Why you ask?

Because the great people of the world who have visited my site, opened their eyes to the advertisements, and clicked them have dropped a few pennies in the virtual tip jar.

The cool thing about those pennies is that after a while they start to add up to dollars. Those dollars in turn add up to an amount that meets the minimum amount of money that Google feels is necessary before cutting a check to an ad publisher (a.k.a. TrailCentral).

So where am I going with this?

Well, the virtual tip jar was recently cashed in and delivered to me as a real check from Google. Thank you, everyone that has tipped me.

How do pennies turn into air?

Well, I could go spend the money on bike parts. Believe me, I could use them. Let's just say I'm glad the end of the season is coming because my bike needs some serious work and it will take a winter of savings and shop work to get it back into shape for the 2008 season. But I'm not going to spend it on that.

Instead, I'm cashing the check and buying new trees. Trees that will produce wonderful oxygen and a shady spot. So you see? Your pennies are literally turning into air. Yeah, I know... That sounds so Boulder, CO of me.

However, I wanted to still be frugal since this wasn't a huge check. So I found out that the Tree Farm is running a promotion of buy one get one free this weekend. I'm very excited about this! As a matter of fact, I'm heading there in just a few minutes to go pick out my trees.

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you that have looked beyond the content on TrailCentral and clicked on the ads.

A month ago today.

It is always a great idea to live in the moment, but have you ever taken a break and thought to yourself, "What was I doing a month ago?"


Well, I had that thought this afternoon and it dawned on me that I was riding my bike up the highest paved road in America, Mount Evans. How cool is that!


July 14th was my brothers birthday. He had set the goal early in the year to ride his bike in the Triple Bypass promoted by Team Evergreen, which happened to fall on his birthday. Although his intentions throughout the year were good, the responsibilities of work and family kept him from reaching his optimum fitness. He didn't feel as though he was ready to tackle such a major ride.


Still wanting to challenge himself on the bike he gave me a call. I didn't have anything planned and a couple minutes of chatting and we had made plans to ride Mount Evans on our mountain bikes. This way he would still be able to challenging himself, but without having to ride 120 miles to do it.

The morning of the 14th was spent climbing the 14er on our mountain bikes and I had an absolutely great time. Not just because I was riding such a challenging mountain, but also because I saw my brother revisit his roots in cycling.


My brother was a hard core rider back in the 80s and 90s when mountain biking first made the scene. I remember he would let me borrow his Specialized Rock Hopper in the early 90s after he upgraded and bought a StumpJumper. Man those bikes were cool. There was no suspension back then and my brother had clipless pedals, which I was always jealous of when I strapped myself into toe clips. We would ride up and down Horsetooth Mountain several times a week since it was just across the street from where we lived at the time.


The years have passed and neither one of us ride as much as we used to, but a month ago today, we both enjoyed the company of the other as we did years ago while riding Horestooth. What a great day.


*Picture: My brother cruising towards the summit of Mount Evans.

Would somebody please explain the business model behind widgets?

Would somebody please explain the business model behind widgets?

We appear to be entering a phase of the Internet where the major players have surfaced. Don't get me wrong, I believe others will emerge, but I think the days of needing to create a website to have a presence on the web are gone.

Players such as YouTube, MySpace, FaceBook, and many other mega-sites have millions of users. These same sites are starting to attract developers by offering APIs. These APIs allow developers to create small pieces of functionality (a.k.a widgets) which users of mega-sites can download and plugin with only a few click, thus enhancing their online experience.

The appeal for a developer to create a widget is great. In a matter of weeks you can take a general idea, develop a small piece of functionality, and put it to market where it can be exposed to millions of potential users. Beats the hell out of the old web model of building a website, crossing your fingers, and hoping the search engines brings you some traffic. Plus, it keeps developers from reinventing the wheel. Instead, they are finding ways to make the wheel roll smoother, look better, turn faster, etc.

I'm a fan of widgets. I think they are fun and I've actually plugged several of them into my blog. However, I didn't pay for any of them, and I don't see any blantant advertising being done by them.

So it leaves me a bit confused on how they make money???

Recently I was reading Brad Feld's blog where he was pimping developer job openings for one of his portfolio companies call J-Squared. I'm not a devote follower of the company, but the claim to fame for the young company is that they have created a very popular widget for Facebook.

Apparently these widgets are able to make money. I'm still confused as to how???

Do people have to pay for these widgets (ie. $0.10/download)? A dime a download is nothing for a single person to spend, but multiply that times a million downloads and things get a bit more interesting.

Is it advertising? I see that as a viable means, but the more ads that start popping up on a users browser when they install widgets could be a downfall (ie. I install 5 widgets on my blog and each of them have their own advertisements. That is a quick way for me click the delete button associated to that bit of functionality.)

Is it created to be sold? Maybe the idea isn't to make money from advertising or downloads, but to be sold to a mega-site. (ie. Yahoo thinks your widget is the bomb. They are willing to part with an insignificant amount of money (to them) and in return you get a healthy purchase price for a rapid to release product.)

I'm not trying to judge. In fact, I'm trying to learn. I'm hoping someone will enlighten me on how "stable" companies can be formed and make ends meet when their product is a widget?

Suprised To See Winter Park So Clearly In Google Earth...

Today I spent some time working on new code for the GPS mapping section of TrailCentral.com.

To test the code, I opted to upload some of the race courses that I've raced this year in Winter Park.

When I uploaded a GPX file of the hill climb, I noticed that the satellite images displayed on my web page map were much clearer than I remember.

I've visited Winter Park in Google Earth many times to try to get a feel for some of the courses, but the images of the ski mountain were extremely blurry. It was difficult to get any detail or even make out trails.

I quickly downloaded the KML file from TrailCentral to verify what it looked like in Google Earth. To my surprise, the images in Winter Park are now crystal clear. Clear enough, to get me excited about posting some more of my GPS routes in Winter Park to TrailCentral. And clear enough to be able to do some recon of the area trails.

Have fun checking out Winter Park in Google Earth!

*The image displays the course used for the Hill Climb, which is part of the Winter Park Mountain Bike Race Series.

Hill Climb Links:
GPS Map
Trail Information
2007 Race Report

The Power of a Team

Have you ever been a part of a team? Have you ever been a leader of a team?

When I ask these question, my intention is to find out if you have ever been on a team outside of your workplace? Being compensated to be a member or a leader of a team is completely different than being a part of a group of people that work with you because you all believe in a common goal.

I've always been a guy that hasn't asked for a lot of handouts and in the past I believed that if it is worth doing, it is worth doing alone. Now, don't get me wrong. I've always excepted help from those that offer, but I rarely asked for help. I don't know why. I think it was mostly because I didn't want to disturb those around me with my ambitions, goals, or problems.

I was recently sent an eVite from a friend that was getting married in his backyard. He had purchased a new house and the backyard was in no uncertain terms appropriate for such a special occasion at the time of purchase. However, my friend has a strong social network and he invited 17 of his friends for a day of work in his backyard. He simply offered lunch and beer as an incentive. In return he asked that trees be torn down, dirt be moved from one place to another, a large amount of ground be prepped for sod, the list went on and on.

Of those 17 people that were invited 15 showed up to work.

Over the course of a day the amount of work that was completed was almost unbelievable. There was no doubt in my mind, when I left that evening, that the yard was going to be ready for a wedding.

I try to imagine the amount of work and how long it would have taken him if he hadn't asked for help. 15 people x 8 hours = 120 hrs, which is 3 full "work" weeks of back breaking labor for a single person, done in a single day by a team of friends.

That day was a turning point in my way of thinking. Gone are the days of being a lone crusader. The idea is noble, but lets face it, it isn't the most efficient way to get things done.

I've since done a home improvement project for which I invited the friend that I had previously helped. Again, I was amazed at how quickly we were able to get the project done. The team members not only help by sharing the labor, but they also help keep the focus on the goal, while taking your mind off the work by keeping you company. The combination is amazingly simple, efficient, and effective.

I still get nervous when I step out of my comfort zone and ask for help, but that will get easier as I continue to strive towards the lead and member balance. Yes, there is a balance. You can't always be the lead and ask others to follow. At times, you need to be the follower and help others as they take the lead.

The lead role will give you a sense of satisfaction when you see your project finished. However, never underestimate the feeling of pride and accomplishment that you leave with when working on a project for someone else.

What I'm Reading Now... "Powder Burn" by Daniel Glick

This last week, I have been plagued with a stomach bug that has left me without energy and housebound. I figured there would be no better time than the present to crack open a book and start reading, to my wife's surprise.

My wife, who was an English major, reads books as quickly as I watch sitcoms. I on the other hand only get the urge to read about once a year, which coincidentally happens to be around the same time I get really sick and have to stay immobile. So...

This year's book is called Powder Burn by Daniel Glick. I burned through the first quarter of the book yesterday (pardon the pun) and so far it has done a fantastic job of keeping my interest. Daniel Glick, who is a journalist that writes for Newsweek, does a fantastic job of packing a lot of information into a small amount of writing.

I'm lousy at summaries, but here is what I've read so far...

Vail Associates, a company that is loaded and well hated by locals is about to make an expansion to its already large ski area during the fall of 1998. This expansion will encroach on wildlife, including the elks breeding grounds and the much needed space of the endangered lynx.

On October 19th, 1998 a series of fires destroy 12 million dollars of chair lifts and ridge top buildings. The number of structures on fire at the same time could only be the result of one thing, arson.

The question currently isn't what caused the fires, but who had the motive to start the fires. Vail Associate VPs have a long list of enemies, from disgruntled workers, pissed of locals, and extreme environmentalists.

Which leaves the question of whodunit???

Personally, I'm interested in finding out, so I'm heading to my reading spot now for a nice lazy day on the couch with my book.

The Chase

"Living in a constant chase after gain compels people to expend their spirit to the point of exhaustion."

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Give Me A Head Start, Please...

Why, oh Why, couldn't my start time be one row lower!!! Ok, so tomorrow will be the longest race of the season to date and I'm a bit scared.

The beginners will be doing 17.25 miles while everyone else will ride 24 miles, including the clydesdale Men.

To be completely honest, this will be the longest distance I will have ridden on dirt the entire year. Plus, I hear there is a ton of climbing. Not what I wanted to hear from my teammates.

At the end of the last race, one of the riders in my category said that he believes that riders who have pre-ridden the course can easily knock two minutes off their time. I believe that. The only course I've pre-ridden this season was #2, which happens to be my best result of the series.

So, that being said; I would like to ask those who have pre-ridden the course to please sit back and allow those of us that haven't a two minute head start.

Please, I'll really, really, need it...

Speed

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
~Mario Andretti

Stupid Weeds!

Tonight was the last short track race of the season in Boulder. I snapped a couple pictures, but wouldn't you know this damn weed hogged the spotlight. Of course, you could look at these pictures and say to me: "You must be very talented with a camera to be able to take the picture at the very moment a riders face is completely obstructed by a thin weed." Well, you could say that...

Mike West hiding behind a weed as he leads the Men's A race

My teammate, hiding behind the same weed during the Men's C race