My latest Project...

My latest project had me building a set of WTB wheels. I've been building on Mavic rims for the most part and I wanted the experience of different rims. WTB laserdisc rims have gotten pretty good reviews so I decided it was time to build a set. I opted to build the lightest front wheel I could make using a
WTB Laserdisc Lite hub in front. I also decided to make it a versatile wheel set which can get some use during the winter by building to a WTB Laserdisc Single Duty rear hub.

Here's the catch, These is a disc specific set of wheels for a single speed. I however, do not have the set up to ride them. As I said, I was looking only for the experience of building a set of WTB wheels.

The lowdown on this wheel set is that the price is right, the weight is pretty good, and the reputations seems to be good. From a builders perspective, this wasn't the easiest set of wheels to build.

I'm guessing it was more difficult to dial in because of the ibeam the WTB rim has down the center of the rim. This makes it a super stiff rim, but doesn't make it easy to make super sensitive adjustments when dialing in the wheels. It took me significantly longer and several more passes through the truing process to dial it in the way I wanted to. I won't hold that against the wheels though. As I said, the price is right on these wheels and now that they are dialed in I'm wishing I was set up to give 'em a test ride. These wheels will be able to take some punishment as every good single speed wheel set should!

Bottom line: These wheels are inexpensive enough to use as training wheels while being durable and light enough to race on.

If you are interested in a set, these are for sale. I'm asking $310 for the set.

Night Tour of Green Mountain

I met up with my teammates on Feedback Sports tonight to do a night ride at Green Mountain. The ride was fast as should be expected given that some of the fastest guys in the state are riding for the team. For me, this was the first real tempo ride I've had in months. My riding style is long and slow, baby. That's how I roll...

Post ride I'm glad to be able to say - with 24 Hours of Moab only a couple weeks away - my form is coming around real good. I was able to keep a good pace on the climbs and was even able to push the pace a bit on the flats and descents.

The best part of tonight's ride is that I pushed the limit a couple times and I felt pretty used up when I got to the finish of the ride, but after only a couple minutes my mind quickly started to say, "Please Sir, may I have some more." Oh yeah, that is a good sign!!!

Executive Summary of tonight's ride follows:

Aerial View:

Track Distance: 15.47 miles
Ascent: 5.84 miles
Descent: 5.82 miles
Flat: 3.80 miles

Elevation Graph

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: +2,380' / -2,405'
Max Elevation: 6,843'
Min Elevation: 5,039'

Epic Ride in Larimer County

Only a week after the epic ride called the Tour de Front Range I again set my sights on another epic day in the saddle. I'd heard of the Blue Sky Trail and how it connects the Devil's Backbone to Lory State Park, but in all the time it has been open I've never made the effort to ride it.

Well, yesterday I decided to make the car trip north and ride it and boy am I glad I did. Not only did I manage to get over 30 miles of dirt riding in, but also nearly five thousand vertical feet of climbing. What a day it was!

I was so excited about yesterday's ride and so tired from it today I took the day off the bike and spent time on the computer documenting it as the October 2008 Trail of the Month on TrailCentral.com. If you want to learn more about the trails I rode I encourage you to read my write-up.

No worries if you don't want to read the details. If you are an executive summary kind of reader then here is the short of what I rode yesterday.

Aerial View:

Trails: Devil's Backbone - Blue Sky Trail - Inlet Bay Trail - Lory State Park - Saw Mill Trail - Mill Creek Trail - Spring Creek Trail - Soderberg Trail - Inlet Bay Trail - Blue Sky Trail - Devil's Backbone.

Track Distance: 30.14 miles
Ascent: 13.28 miles
Descent: 14.00 miles
Flat: 2.86 miles

Elevation Graph

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: +4,766' / -4,691'
Max Elevation: 6,887'
Min Elevation: 5,039'

Matthews/Winters and Green Mountain Combo

Met my buddy Dwight at the C470 parking area at Green Mountain for a little night riding. It was a hell of a night: 1 rattle snake, 1 bat that dive bombed us, 2 spiders the size of my head, 3 birds scaring us by sleeping on the trail and flying away the moment we got close, and countless deer.

Total ride time was 2 hours 10 min.
Trails: Zorro, Red Rocks, Hog Back, Green Mountain (counter-clockwise) x 2 Loops
Track Distance: 18.37 miles
Ascent: 8.72 miles
Descent: 8.34 miles
Flat: 1.31 miles

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: +3,067' / -3,217'
Max Elevation: 6,827'
Min Elevation: 5,963'

Lance Armstrong, You're invited to 24 Hours of Moab!

I know this is a shot in the dark, but do to Lance Armstrong's recent mountain bike racing in Colorado, I felt compelled to ask him to race with me and hundreds of other mountain bikers at the 24 Hours of Moab in October, 2008.

I'm no detective, but what better training than the Leadville 100 and 12 hours of Snowmass to prime the legs for 24 hours of Moab?

Please, if you have connections to Lance, send him my invitation. I'm guessing he isn't one of the handful of people who subscribe to my blog so it is imperative that the few readers who do subscribe use their Facebook network to get this invitation to him.

Invitation follows:

Dear Lance,

It is great you are back on the bike and even greater that it is a mountain bike! I'm loving the attention you are giving to Colorado and would love to extend an offer to race with me and hundreds of other mountain bikers at 24 Hours of Moab.

24 hours of racing should be an item on every riders "to do" list. Even a 7 time Tour de France Champion's.

I know money probably isn't a factor for you, but if the entry fee is holding you back, I'll pay your entry fee. Or better yet, I'll give a check for the equivalent to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. All I ask is that I'm able to give you the check in person at the event. I need at least a photo to share with my mom, who is a cancer survivor and one of your biggest fans...

Hope to see you there, Lance!

*Photo: Lance Armstrong at 12 Hours of Snowmass
Photo Credit: pilfered from my feedback sports teammate

2008 TdFR - Leg Two

Recently I wrote about the first leg of the epic Tour de Front Rage (TdFR), which covers three major trail networks, 21 miles of trail, and 4,375 vertical feet of elevation gain. As I look back at the write up for leg one I can't help but loose my breath just thinking of the challenge.

I wish I could tell you the second leg is easier than the second leg, but that is not the case. In fact, you can expect more of the same and I do emphesize "more of."

After lunch at Matthews/Winters riders once again take to the trail. From here riders will ride through four more major trail networks on their way to the finish, including: Matthews/Winters, Green Mountain, Bear Creek, and Mount Falcon/Lair o' the Bear.

During this leg riders will pedal 34.73 miles. From this total, 14.75 miles are uphill, 17.67 downhill, and only 2.29 miles of flat riding. The good news is there is more downhill than uphill. The bad news is that the uphill will take riders another 4,958 vertical feet into the thin Colorado air. Maybe now you can see why I emphasized "more of" when talking about leg two? Without a doubt there will be more miles and more elevation gain than leg one. Ouch!

For those up to the challenge, the group will swing their leg around their bikes and make their way on Village Walk Trail at Matthews Winters. This section of trail offers a nice warm up after lunch with rolling, smooth single track. Riders then connect to Red Rocks Trail, where they dip into the valley before starting the 3rd major ascent of the TdFR. While ascending, riders take a right onto Morrison Slide Trail. The trail continues upward to the top of the mesa before descending the most technical dowhill of TdFR. Once past the technical descent of Morrison Slide, riders are once again connected to Red Rocks Trail where smooth downhill riding guides them to Highway 26. The highway is crossed and a tough single track ascent up the hogback is required.

From the top of the hogback riders connect with paved road and descend towards Green Mountain. From the western trail head at Green Mountain riders cross over C-470 via the overpass and ride towards a three way intersection. Either the center or right branch can be taken (Don't take the left branch) and the southwest corner of Green Mountain is ridden to the newly constructed water tower. Here is where it gets a bit tricky.

From here we have to weave our way through neighborhood roads on our way to Bear Creek. I leave it to your own descretion on how to get there. Follow any route you like in Bear Creek Lake Park towards the west entrance. From the entrance you are able to pick up the Bear Creek bike path towards Morrison. Follow the bike path to Highway 8 in Morrison and turn left. Follow the paved road up Highway 8, turn right on Forest Avenue, and another right on Vine to the Mount Falcon Trail head.

Once at the Mount Falcon trail head, climb the final major ascent of the TdFR by riding up Castle Trail to the upper parking lot. Having ridden this in the past, I can warn you that this is by far the hardest climb in the TdFR. By this point you will be tired, hungry, and you will likely be climbing it during the hottest part of the day. Be prepared. Castle Trail is a wide ascent that can normally be ridden with an average effort. However, given the circumstances, you will need to dig deep to get over the waterbars, and keep traction on the rocky dirt trail.

Once at the upper parking lot at Mount Falcon, riders will Once at the upper parking lot at Mount Falcon, riders will once again ride paved road down and ride Parmalee Gulch Road to Pence Park/Lair o' the Bear. From here riders will start the final descent of the TdFR.

Known as one of the best parts of the TdFR, Lair o' the Bear (LOB) will treat riders to a much deserved descent, but remember, it isn't all downhill. This twisty-turny single track does have a couple small ascents so save some gas for them. Other than a few slightly technical spots, sit back and let the tires roll, while still being respectful of the other trail users. Chances are you will be pretty whipped by this point so treat the descent with respect and ride within your impaired limit all the way to the creek. Once at the creak, ride the final flat section of trail to the LOB trail head where you connect with Highway 74. Ride Highway 74 to your shuttle in Morrison.

For those who make it this far, Congratulations! You will have accomplished the most difficult route ever ridden as the TdFR and you should be proud!

2008 TdFR - Leg One

Welcome to the first of three reports regarding the 2008 TdFR course. The 2008 TdFR course was announced earlier in the month and I took it upon myself to head out to the course with my GPS so riders could have as much knowledge as possible before the big day arrives on September 20th, 2008.

While looking at the course list there isn't a doubt in my head that this will be the hardest course in the six year history of the event. That being said, I think the trails being used will make you work on the uphill, but will reward each of the riders handsomely on the descents.


Leg one is what I will be focusing on today. It includes White Ranch trails, Chimney Gulch, Lookout, and Apex trails. In all, leg one is 21.27 miles in length with 9.5 miles of ascending, 1.1 miles of flat riding, and 10.67 miles of descent. At the end of this leg riders can expect to have climbed 4,375 ft and descended 4,229 ft.

In years past White Ranch has been a bit of a disappointment for me. It has always been a long arduous climb up Belcher Trail before hitting some nice single track and then descending again on Belcher Trail. That will not be the case this year. After riding this years trails at White Ranch, I can actually say I'm excited for the White Ranch portion of this ride.

From the parking lot riders will slowly make their way through the sandpit and up Belcher, but instead of climbing the wide dirt road, riders will take the first trail split onto Whipple Tree Trail. Whipple Tree Trail treats riders to a nice single track ride as it winds its way into the valley before intersecting with Longhorn Trail. Riders will take a left onto Longhorn, which is where the real climbing starts. Climb your way up Longhorn, take a right onto Shorthorn, then take a left again on Longhorn. Longhorn will provide one more difficult ascent before intersecting with Maverick Trail. Maverick will let the riders regroup a bit as it has a couple small ascents, but for the most part winds it's way parallel to the hillside slope before connecting with Belcher Trail. As you may have gathered earlier, I'm not a fan of Belcher Trail, but the best way in my opinion to ride this trail is to ride it downhill, which is exactly what will be done all the way back to the White Ranch parking lot.

From the White Ranch parking lot, riders will get on paved roads and head towards Chimney Gulch.

At the base of Chimney Gulch you have to get back into climbing mode because this trail takes you all the way to the top of Lookout Mountain. The most difficult portion of the climb is the initial climb out of the valley, which is only about a mile in length. Once past the switchbacks the slope of the trail decreases and you are able to spin with realative ease towards the top. Midway up the climb riders need to cross the road and pass through a parking lot before reconnecting with the trail. If the climb has started to wear on you a bit, feel free to take a breather on benches near the parking lot before tackling the second half of the climb. Although the trail is not overly technical, the long climb can make the last effort needed to summit Lookout Mountain a bit difficult.

Once at the top of Lookout there is a visitors center. Bathrooms and water is available for those who need it. Once rested and watered, riders will hop onto Lookout Trail, which will terminate at the top of the Apex Trail.


In years past, Apex Trail has been a straight shot down the mountain to the Heritage Square parking lot. That is not the case this year. In fact, Apex Trail proper will only be ridden a short distance with additional spurs from the trail adding distance and difficulty to this once easy section of the route.

From the top of Apex Trail, riders will ride to the intersection of Apex and Enchanted Forest. Riders will take a right onto Enchanted forest where they can enjoy this challenging section of trail before reconnecting with Apex. A right onto Apex trail again will lead riders downhill until they reach Sluicebox Trail. Riders will need to take a left onto Sluicebox and prepare themselves for the final climb before the lunch break at Matthews/Winters. Sluicebox Trail winds its way up the mountain before connecting with Grubstake Loop Trail. Once on Grubstake Loop, riders will be treated to a non-technical, but extremely gratifying descent towards Apex Trail. Riders will follow Grubstake Loop until reaching the Pick 'n Sledge intersection where they will take a left. Pick 'n Sledge then reconnects with Apex Trail and riders will continue to the Herritage Square Parking lot.

From Herritage Square it back onto the road as riders head towards Matthews/Winters. There riders will have a chance to refuel, before hitting the trail once again to finish the ride.

So... What do you have to look forward to once you are at Matthews/Winters? That is easy, Two more beyond category climbs, and one incredible descent. I'll post more about that in the weeks to come.

Longs Rides In My Future...

I have two (possibly three) big endurance rides coming up in the next couple months, which I badly need to prepare for. First on the list is the 2008 Tour de Front Range, which if you squint slightly while looking at the elevation graph above, you should be able to see the first two major climbs of the TdFR in there. I've been riding the single speed exclusively this summer and I'm pretty excited to say I'll be riding it for the TdFR. If I finish, I'll be the second person in TdFR history to finish it on a single speed. The first and only single speed finisher to date is Chris.

The second is 24 Hours of Moab. I'll be part of a two man team this year with my good friend, Dwight. I couldn't ask for a better person on a bike to ride a duo with. Since grade school we have always been able to push each other to the limits on our bikes. I think we'll make each other ride to and beyond our limits at Moab.

The third possibility is the 12 Hours of Snowmass. My 24 Hour of Moab teammate from last year sent me an email about the race yesterday. I was stoked to see it and thought it could be a good prep ride for both the TdFR and 24 Hours of Moab. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it since it is such short notice. However, the Solo Clydesdale Category is coined as the 12 Hour Solo Clydesdale World Championships!!! I mean, how can I resist that?

2008 TdFR: Date and Route

RIDE DATE:
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008

THE ROUTE:
ESTIMATED DISTANCE -- 59.35 miles

WHITE RANCH -- meet at 8:30 a.m., wheels rolling at 8:45 -- Belcher, R
on Whipple Tree, L on Longhorn (new, challenging climb), R on
Shorthorn, L on Longhorn, L on Maverick, L on Belcher and back down
(8.65 miles).

ROAD -- Ride Highway 93 to Chimney Gulch (4.1 miles)

CHIMNEY GULCH -- usual route up Chimney to Apex (4.6 miles)

APEX -- Enchanted Forest, RIGHT Apex Trail, (NEW ADDITION STARTS HERE)
L Sluicebox, Grubstake Loop, LPick 'n' Sledge, L Apex Trail (5.8)

ROAD -- Colfax Avenue to Matthews Winters Parking Lot (2 miles)

LUNCH @ Matthews Winters Picnic Area

MW -- Village Walk, L Red Rocks Trail, R Morrison Slide Trail, R Red
Rocks Trail, X Highway 26, continue on Red Rocks Trail over hogback to
Alameda Pkwy (4.3)

ROAD -- R Alameda Pkwy, L Rooney Road to Green Mtn Parking Lot (1.5
miles)

GREEN MOUNTAIN -- Take trail over C-470, STRAIGHT at the 3-way
junction and follow usual route until you hit the 4-way trail
intersection near the water tower (do you know which one I mean?), L
on gravel road to Alameda. (NOT SURE ON MILEAGE -- 2.5 - 3 miles?)

ROAD -- I'm not sure if you dump out on Alameda or Bear Creek, but we
want to take Bear Creek Road south to Morrison Road, cross Morrison
Road and enter Bear Creek Lake Park. (1.7 miles)

BEAR CREEK LAKE PARK -- Follow any trail you like west toward
Morrison, eventually picking up the bike path near Bear Creek Lake
entrance station. (2 miles???)

ROAD/BIKE PATH -- Follow the Bear Creek bike path to Highway 8 in
Morrsion, turn Left. Turn Right on Forest Ave, Right on Vine to Mount
Falcon Trail Head. (2.5 miles)

MOUNT FALCON -- Climb Castle Trail to upper parking lot (3.8 miles)

ROAD -- Ride Mt. Falcon Road to Parmalee Gulch Road, turn RIGHT and
ride to Pence Park/beginning of LOB trail (3 miles)

Pence Park/LOB -- Standard route (8 miles)

ROAD -- Descend Hwy 74 to Morrison (4.4 miles)

END -- Dirt Parking lot at Morrison Road and Rooney Road

BIG ASS DISCLAIMER:
This is not an official event, and you can choose to do all of it or
parts of it. The course is not marked, there are no course marshals,
and there is zero, nada, zip support. You are on your own and will be
riding AT YOUR OWN RISK. The only thing we do is decide the route and
pick a start time. The rest is up to you and requires your own
planning.

AND FOR THE RECORD:
1) The Tour de Front Range is scheduled for September 20th at 8:45 AM
and will be starting from the lower White Ranch parking lot.

2) This will be a point-to-point ride so arrange a shuttle with a
friend or expect an additional 5+ miles to be added to your ride since
you will need to ride from Morrison back to your car at White Ranch.

3) All trail rules and etiquette are to be strictly followed during
this ride. If you are looking to ride it as a race and not as a
social ride, then stay home! Please be embassadors for our riding
community during this ride and prove that mountain bikers respect and
belong on the trail.

Crocs-Hating Closet: I'm Coming Out!

If you have spent any time with me talking about fashion, and lets face it, non of my guy friends have, you would know my deep hatred for the eyesore of a shoe called Crocs. Up to this point the only person who knew of my hatred for the shoe is my wife. Today she sent me a link to an article titled "Make. It. Stop." written by Steve Tuttle at Newsweek.

Reading Steve's rant about Crocs was pure joy. It rang so true to my soul that I was willing to come out of my Crocs-hating closet and tell the world,"Although I have little to no fashion sense, I still have enough sense to never wear Crocs!"

In the article Steve Tuttle sums it up wonderfully with the following quote:
"If you think about it, the Crocs company should really be admired. P. T. Barnum would be proud. They've managed to separate money from the wallets of millions and millions of seemingly sane people who wake up, look in the closet, and actually decide: 'Today I'll leave the house wearing these neon-green Dutch bubble shoes with Swiss-cheese holes in them. Maybe I'll even buy some little plastic strawberries or bananas and jam them in the sweat holes, just to jazz things up and make the bacteria incubate faster.' That's fine. I say do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home. Let your Crocs freak flag fly. But don't make the rest of us watch."

So having read the article my advice to you is:

1) If you hate Crocs as much as I do, read the article. It is like Steve read your mind and wrote it down for you.

2) If you love Crocs, but owned stock and now have a reason to hate Crocs since their stock value tanked, you should read the article. It won't help, but it will make you laugh at yourself.

3) If you love Crocs, didn't own stock, and have been lucky enough to not yet get your Croc shoe stuck in an escalator, you should read this article. You'll come around eventually...

You can read the article at Newsweek.com
http://www.newsweek.com/id/150240/&GT1=43002

How many local pros can you name?

Can you name 5 racers who have raced in the semi-pro/pro pack in 2008? You can!? Well, then can you name 102? I can... Of course, I don't know all these people, but using the mashup I created for the VCC I've been able to learn all sorts of neat information.

For instance:

Bob Kiva is currently the oldest known competitor in the pack at 45 years of age?

-and-

Bruce Patten is the youngest known competitor at 17 years of age?

-and-

The median age of all semi-pro/pro competitors who have raced in the WP series is 32 years of age.

Are you interested in learning more about our local pros? I've created a web page listing all the pros who have raced in Colorado during the 2008 series.

VCC Start List (click here)

The Power of Nice

"The Power of Nice" by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval was the first in my recent spree of business topic books. I originally picked it up because I had been reading some pretty heavy books and I needed a light (quick) book to read - to cleans the pallet - before diving into other heavier books on my "I want to read" list. This book was sitting on my wife's nightstand and the cover alone - a bright yellow cover with a big smile on it resembling a happy face - made me think this would be the the quick, light read I needed.

While reading this book I found it to be in tune with the current culture of business. Coined as a book about "How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness.", it goes against the grain of thinking that business is a heartless cut-throat environment where decisions are based purely on the bottom line. Merit and integrity are now, more than ever, getting their fair shake in the business world. This book outlines the values of kindness and dives into case studies that supported the idea that kindness will get you further in the business world.

That being said, I feel many of the values of kindness shouldn't need to be written in a book. Personally, a book that tells you how to be nice is much like a book that tells you, "The sky is blue" and "fire is hot" it goes without saying. The reason it goes without saying is because it is a fundamental of life (a.k.a common sense).

When I finished reading I told her exactly that, I felt the book was about common sense. She looked at me as if I should know better and sarcastically said, "Yes, but how often do common sense and business work together?" She was being sarcastic, but it is a legitimate argument.

The principles outlined in the "Power of Nice" are not new, nor ground breaking; they are fundamentals. As a child, how often did your parents tell you to be nice, play fair, be gentle with the family pet? I don't know about you, but it was at least a hundred times... per day. Thanks to my parents I've been learning how to be nice since I was learning how to walk. Being nice is a cornerstone of my foundation because my parents realized that it is a fundamental of life.

As an adult how much experience do you have at your career? 5, 10, 20 years? Now, how long have you been being nice to people? I'm guessing at least 18 years longer than your career experience. That is a lot of experience at being nice! Wouldn't that be an incredible skill set to bring into your current job?

For those who are willing to embrace this way of thinking about business it is empowering. Empowering not only in the business world, but in all areas of life because if you practice being nice at work, you are in essence practicing a fundamental of life for at least eight hours a day. This does have it's rewards.

As Randy Pausch wrote in The Last Lecture, "You've got to get the fundamentals down, because otherwise the fancy stuff is not going to work."

In the case of work, the "fancy stuff" could be the innovation, engineering, or promotions waiting to happen. In the case of personal life, the "fancy stuff" could be a thriving relationship, quality time with your kids, or whatever you want to accomplish. In any case, this book helped remind me of my own definitions of the "Power of Nice" and by relying on my fundamental value of kindness, I'm able to succeed at both work and life.

What I've Been Reading... (Catch Up Post)

I've been on a bit of a reading spree lately and I haven't taken the time to catalog what I've been reading in my blog. The latest topic of interest has been business. Like it or not I've reached a point in my career where I need these books to open my mind to new ways of thinking. What I'm trying to say is that I'm reading books that will teach me new tricks before this dog is too old (or stubborn) to learn new tricks.

Rather than trying to create a big blog post that encompasses all the books I've read; I'll have a post for each of them. That way, if I get bored or tired, I can stop and pick it up later and not have any unfinished projects left on my plate.

In my following posts I'll be writing about:
The Power of Nice
The One Minute Manager
The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey
The Leadership Pipeline

Executive Decision by Sportif Dictator Regarding VCC

In Europe we refer to them as directeur sportif. In English that translates to sporting director. For the sake of the VCC I'm giving myself the title "sportif dictator." Properly defined the word dictator means, "a ruler who is unconstrained by law," which for the purpose of the VCC I am.

My first executive decision as the sportif dictator of the VCC was made today. Because I'm starting this tour mid season I had to think of a reasonable way to level the playing field between the MSC and WP. To accomplish this I decided that the same number of races from each event had to be accounted for in the overall series. This means I needed to modify the original tour schedule outlined in yesterdays post.

All six races from the WP series will be counted and only six of the MSC races will be counted in the VCC.

These races have been eliminated from the series:
April 12 -- Rabbit Valley Time Trial
May 3 -- Chalk Creek Short Track
May 26 -- Chile Challenge Cross Country
August 3 -- Sol Survivor

Leaving these races as the official races of the VCC:
April 13 -- Rabbit Valley Cross Country (MSC)
May 4 -- Chalk Creek Cross Country (MSC)
June 14 -- Hill Climb Kick-Off (WP)
June 22 -- Wildflower Rush Cross Country (MSC)
June 29 -- Cross-Country (WP)
July 13 -- Blast The Mass Cross Country (MSC)
July 19 -- Valley Point-to-Point (WP)
August 2 -- Crankworx Colorado Cross-country (WP)
August 16 -- Mountain Circuit (WP)
August 24 -- Eldora Escape (MSC)
August 30 -- King of the Mountain (WP)
September 7 -- Fall Classic (MSC)

I was a little disappointed I had to eliminate the TT from the schedule because what good tour doesn't start with a prologue? Well, maybe I'll find a way to add it in 2009, but for now it will have to be left out by order of the sportif dictator.

MSC & WP Results Mashup (a.k.a. VCC)

The two largest racing series in Colorado are going to be virtually mashed together to create a virtual Tour of Colorado. Real results from each of the races are going to be used to crown the VCC (Virtual Colorado Cup) champion.

Both series host some of the best riders from Colorado and both reward champions based on overall performance. But which champion is better? Which rider attended more races? Where am I going with this? That is why I created the VCC.

What is the VCC?

This series isn't to be taken seriously, but I thought it would be fun to mash the results from each of the races in the series to provide an overall leader in the state or a VCC champion.

I'm still working on the details of how I'm going to do this, but I'll have some preliminary results up in the next couple days. If you see ways to improve on what I'm doing, feel free to let me know. Otherwise, this is what is planned.

The VCC is based on 16 races from both Mountain States Cup and Winter Park. I plan to mash the results into a single Tour and see which pro is getting it done in Colorado.

Races in the 2008 VCC Tour:

April 12 -- Rabbit Valley Time Trial
April 13 -- Rabbit Valley Cross Country
May 3 -- Chalk Creek Short Track
May 4 -- Chalk Creek Cross Country
May 26 -- Chile Challenge Cross Country
June 14 -- Hill Climb Kick-Off
June 22 -- Wildflower Rush Cross Country
June 29 -- Cross-Country
July 13 -- Blast The Mass Cross Country
July 19 -- Valley Point-to-Point
August 2 -- Crankworx Colorado Cross-country
August 3 -- SolVista Basin Ski Resort
August 16 -- Mountain Circuit
August 24 -- Eldora Escape
August 30 -- King of the Mountain
September 7 -- Fall Classic

Show Some Respect...

As I progress in years I learn more and more about myself. During a ride yesterday I realized that as a social being I tend to reflect my surroundings. Meaning, if I meet a person who is social and outgoing, I too, try to be social and outgoing. If I meet someone who treats people with a lack of respect, I too, treat that dis-respecting person with a lack of respect. It isn't something I do consciously. It just kinda happens.

The reason I bring this up is because I experienced the latter of the two scenarios as I rode my bike yesterday. I was riding my single speed on a paved road towards a trail when a fellow mountain biker passed me. We looked at each other and I smiled and said, "hello." He in turn stared at me as if I was a few cards short of a deck, proceeded to ignore me, and then passed without a word. My first thought was, "What a tool."

As he rode away I did not feel compelled to challenge the rider as I was on a single speed and couldn't if I wanted to. However, about 5 minutes later I turned onto the trail I planned to ride and I noticed that the rider was slowly pedaling ahead of me.

In no time at all I caught up with him. I wasn't interested in trying to challenge him so I just took a back seat on his wheel and paced behind him. As we started to ascend a hill I couldn't help but start passing the guy due to my gearing. He was in a low gear and I needed to keep up my momentum with my single gear. As I started to pass he realized I was there and quickly stepped it up a notch. Again, content to follow behind him I hopped on his back wheel and zoned out as I stared at his rear wheel.

As I zoned out I didn't realize I was following his rear wheel really close. As he stood up his bike slowed just a bit. Unprepared for the change in momentum I couldn't help but bump tread with the stranger. As I snapped out of my zone I heard a "brrrrraaaap" as his rear tread and my front tread rubbed.

Now, this is where I realized that I'm a mirror of my surroundings. Earlier, I had tried to be nice and was given a reflection of pure disrespect. When this happened I returned the same reflection back.

The guy looked back at me as if I had committed a sin. If he had treated me with a bit of respect earlier I know I would have been nothing but apologies when he looked back. But due to his previous nature I didn't say a word. Instead I looked at him and my expression said, "hurry up you slow sack of shit. I'm fat and slow and I can still kick your ass up a mountain."

Yesterday's interaction was a bit eye opening for me. As I said, I'm not usually conscious of my reflection towards others from others, but yesterday in that moment I was fully aware. I'm not saying I'm proud of it, but I do it none the less.

TdFR Commercial on Versus

I absolutely love this commercial! From the moment I saw it I had to watch it again.

The music, the images, it nails it on the head! It was wonderful to see all these athletes who have been busted for drugs going backwards; as if their highlights never existed. My favorite part is when Floyd Landis appears to step out of his yellow jersey.

I don't know who made this commercial, but well done!

Investing In My Commuter...

These past couple weeks I've made a push to revive my commuter. As many of you know I've been riding my bike to work this past month. I justified the expense of the project because of the money I was able to save from not purchasing gas for my car.

I'm glad to say this past weekend I finished the rejuvenation of my Surly 1x1. The most exciting part of the project was building the new wheels. This will be the first set of wheels I've hand built for my bike.

During this rejuvenation project I made a lot of little changes and I did it on a budget, which I'll try to post about later, but today I just wanted to highlight what I'll be riding to work on in the morning.

Work I did on my Surly 1x1:
1. New Brake Levers
2. Converted my brakes from cantilever to side-pull
3. New egg beater pedals so I can wear the same shoes on both my commuter and XC bike
4. New chain and single speed freewheel
5. Hand built front wheel. XTR hub on Mavic XC 717 rim
6. Hand built rear wheel. Surly hub on Mavic XC 717 rim

A fine looking rear wheel. Not that I'm bias because
I built it, or anything...

Surly (New Hub) on a Mavic XC 717 rim. You don't buy
a Surly hub to save weight. It is heavy, but it is durable.
Plus, it looks great on a Surly 1x1 frame...

An equally fine looking front wheel.


Shimano XTR hub, Mavic XC 717 rim.

Dangerous Roads For Commuters

For the last month I've been commuting to work by bicycle. I am like many others who have drawn the line in the dirt and now refuse to spend my hard earned money on fuel. In general I really enjoy my morning commute. It is a chance to wake up and energize myself for the day ahead. However, there is a section of road I need to ride on every day that makes me wish I was in a car; simply because the road is dangerous for cyclists.

For anyone who has gotten on their bike to commute; I'm sure one of the first lessons you learned was that not all roads are equal. In fact, some roads are darn right dangerous for cyclists.

In an attempt to better the situation I've created a Google map. A map which anyone can contribute. The purpose of the map is to highlight those sections of road that are dangerous for cyclists. My hope is that other commuters who will one day be looking for a route will be able to use this map to safely navigate to their destination.

I've started the map by placing my mark. Please, take the time to mark a section of road which you feel is dangerous and then pass this link around to all your commuter friends who can in turn mark sections they feel are dangerous. Together we aren't able to make the roads safe, but we are able to choose the safest roads to ride on.

Link to the map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=114290139151454608817.0004510d06af27f328ad5&ll=39.928431,-105.139503&spn=0.088987,0.149689&z=13

View of the map:

View Larger Map

The Benefits of Short Track Racing...

Short track racing is nothing like cross-country racing, but I feel it can add value to your cross-country training. I will be so bold as to say that you will rarely (if ever) have a XC situtation in a short track race, but you will have a short track situtation in a cross-country race. In fact, you may have a dozen short track situations in a single cross-country race.

So, if you are willing to take your mind off the fact that a typical short track race is only 25 - 45 minutes in length, I feel you can really fine tune some technical aspects of cross-country racing that may help you get on the podium after your next cross-country race.

Starting Line: It is a good place to learn to jump off the line. There are times in cross-country racing when you want to be the first rider off the line in order to avoid a potential bottle-neck as the trail goes from dirt road to single-track. In short track your starting position is essential and it will force you to learn to click in and get the bike moving, fast!

Cornering: Short track races should have loads of corners. Some will be banked, others off-camber; some will have tacky dirt, while others may be sandy and loose. Some corners will be located at the base of a hill and others will be at the apex. Nowhere are you better able to hone your cornering skills than on a short track course. Not only are you forced to take a lot of corners, but you are required to do them at high speed.

Riding in a Pack: Most cross-country races start in a pack and then once you leave the line you don't have to worry about bumping elbows or tires with a fellow racer. Short track packs will string out a bit, but you will likely bump elbows in a corner with another racer, which brings me to the next thing you can learn from short track.

Passing: Learning when the best opportunity to pass a fellow rider will help big time on the cross-country course. I've been in dozens of situations where I had to figure out the best time to pass someone in front of me while doing cross-country. In short track you have short sprint areas that force you to find the quickest way to pass. Otherwise, you learn to take the proper lines into a corner to try to get around a rider in front of you.

Physical Limits: You can put your heart rate monitor on and force yourself to get in the anaerobic zone during your weekday workout or you can jump into a short track race and effortlessly push your heart to the limit. One of the biggest complaints I hear about short track is from people who say they are just starting to warm-up as the race completes. Plan your race with this knowledge. If it takes you 25 minutes to warm-up; plan on being at the race course 25 minutes before the race. Warm-up for the full 25 minutes and show up to the start line with a good sweat.

I truly feel that any serious mountain biker will find time to focus on these aspects of their training with the same zest as they do their cardio training. And what better place to hone these skills than at your local short track race series; Where you can race both friends and strangers as you train for the technical challenges you'll see on the cross-country race course.

Fathers Day...

Yesterday was Fathers Day and when I went downstairs to make coffee I was suprised to find three new books next to the coffee maker and a full pot of coffee already made. As I stood there and read the cover of one of the books my son quietly walked up next to me and stood there silently. When I broke my attention away from the book and looked down at him he captured my attention with his big blue eyes and in his most endearing tone said, "Happy Fathers Day and I love you, Daddy."

I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity to have every heart string pulled at the same time by unconditional love, but that tug on your heart is what will make a grown man cry for apparently no reason and will create a bond stronger than anything which can be imagined.

I scooped him into my arms and gave him a great big hug. While I hugged him I cataloged the moment and hoped when the time comes that I need to leave this life this moment will flash before my eyes once again.

Boulder Short Track Photo Journal - June 11th...

Another Study About Teenagers...

Extra! Extra! This just in! Teen drivers ignore cell phone restrictions!

During the past five years many states have been passing laws restricting teenagers from using cell phones while driving. A recent study shows that although a majority of adults and teenagers agree with the new driving laws, the recent restrictions have little effect, while in some areas the cell phone use rate among teenagers while driving has actually increased since passing the new driving laws...

I mean, come on! Was this study really necessary? Put together a combination of a typical teenager's inexperience and a need to challenge the rules with an inability to enforce a law and what do you think is going to happen?

And you know someone needs to be blamed for the increase in that particular area. Do we blame the teenagers? Of course not. They can do no wrong. How about the law enforcement? No, they have more important things to think about. I know! Let's blame the parents.

My big question in all of this is why are we focusing on teenagers? Yes, according to a different study they are found to be the most likely to have major accidents while cell phones are being used, but does it not increase the chance of major accidents if adults use cell phones while driving too?

Maybe we adults should be the role model (No, not just parents. All adults). Teenagers are seeing adults using the phone while they drive. What message is that sending to them?

In any case, it doesn't seem that creating laws restricting cell phone use among teenagers while driving has made a bit of difference. Maybe we can create a law that requires teenagers to follow the laws. Then we can do a study to see if that has a higher success rate among teenagers.

You can read the article about the study here:
Teen drivers ignore cell phone restrictions

Jeffco Air Show...

Yesterday the family and I were treated to the sights, sounds, and feeling of an F-16 fighter jet flying as low as 300 feet over our head.

If you didn't know about the Jeffco Air Show and you live in the Denver metro area, you probably figured it out; 28,000 lbs or thrust creates a lot of noise. We watched as the F-16 fighter jet did laps from Denver to Boulder in under a minute. It was amazing!

As I watched this machine and the power it harnessed I couldn't help but think, "I'm glad it's on my side."

A stunt plane doing the

best corkscrew I've ever seen.

F-16 takes to the air

Climate Confusion

I'll be honest with you, I not sure what I think about global warming. When I first saw An Inconvenient Truth about a year ago I was ready to go plant a tree the moment the movie ended. Honestly, since then I've been nervous to run my lawn mower out of fear that it will cause the temperature to raise a quarter of a degree, which will in turn cause an ice shelf to break off, causing the ocean to rise, and then bye-bye coastal city.

That is a lot of guilt to live with.

What I needed to alleviate the guilt was a new perspective. It isn't fair to any subject to base an opinion on only one point of view. For this reason, I've started reading a book called Climate Confusion by Roy W. Spencer. A book about, "How global warming hysteria leads to bad science, pandering politicians and misguided policies that hurt the poor."

Unlike Al Gore's fear tactics, Roy Spencer uses humor in his writing to connect the reader with the subject. He connected with me the moment he made the following quote, "Warmer winters? Evidence of global warming. Colder winters? Also evidence of global warming. The theory of man made global warming has been elevated to physical law, proven beyond any doubt, and it supposedly now gives us a unified way to explain any change we see in nature."

In all honestly I believe that having watched Al Gore, and reading Roy Spencer I'm seeing both the head and the tail of the global warming coin. I don't think it will make my stand on the global warming issue any more concrete, but it doesn't hurt to try to understand both sides of the argument.

Experimental Photographs...

Today was the first race of the ten race CU short track series in Boulder. My son and I used it as a bonding experience. We packed a picnic lunch and two cameras and headed to the race venue after work.

My Photos:
Today I experimented with shutter speed and apeture. I can't say I was successfull in the least. One day I hope to learn how to use my camera.





My Son's Photos:
It is safe to say that my three year old son is a better photographer than I am. He is getting a lot better at following the action in the view finder, but the big lesson we worked on today is trying to keep his figers away from the lens.