29ers and The Hot Girlfriend Theory

So I'm in a market for a 29er.  Of course, since I do a lot of MTB racing, it needs to be what I consider a race-compatible bike.  In other words:  quick, fast, and (relatively) lightweight.  Oh, and durable, because I can't afford buying new bikes all the time.

To put this debate into context, my current mountain bike is a 2006 Epic Comp, size XL.  Relatively lightweight, pretty much stock except:

• Handlebar - upgraded to Easton MonkeyLite XC riser
• Brakes - upgraded to Formula Oro K24
• Wheels - upgraded to 2005 Shimano XTR (the double-spoked grey wheels)

These things brought the bike in at a manageable, but not flyweight, 27.2lbs.  Could go lighter, but didn't feel it necessary to spend the dough.  This bike is fast and quick.  Seems to fit the bill already, right?  So why am I looking for a new bike?  Because something about it just...isn't...right.  I feel like I could do better.  My biggest beefs with the bike are (a) the rear shock requires a LOT of maintenance due to constantly being subjected to the elements and (b) my center-of-gravity is just off.  Being 6'-6", the bike "fits"; the seatpost is at its maximum length, I have a 130mm stem on it, and I feel like I'm just sitting on top of the bike, instead of in it.  Tight switchbacks are a near impossibility because of how high my COG is.  So is quickly navigating rough, technical trails.

Here's why I'm looking at 29ers - I am willing to sacrifice a little in the weight department, because a 29er will fit me like a regular 26er will fit someone 6'-0" - there is an inherent increased stability as well as better rotational momentum coupled with shallower attack angles to "float" through bumpy sections of trail.  If I didn't feel the larger wheels would help me, I would just stick with my Epic.  I challenge you to find a better full-suspension race bike in a 26er, especially for sub-$3000.

Now I've been spending a lot of time evaluating my options lately.  Especially looking at the 2010 lineups appearing at Interbike, an obvious choice that has to be made is HARDTAIL v. FULL-SUSPENSION.  Because I've been racing on a full-suspension bike for three years, I think I'm going to have a very hard time with going to a hardtail, regardless of how much the shallower attack angles smooth the trail out.  At the end of the day, the hits your bike takes are absorbed by you, not the shock...it doesn't matter how big the wheels are.  However, full-suspension 29er frames appear to be very burly or aluminum straws duct-taped together (see Niner JET 9).

The next choice that needs to be made is frame material.  Since singlespeeds (God gave man the intelligence to invent the bicycle transmission) and steel or titanium frames are out (don't have the money or desire for a 'boutique' bike), it's down to ALUMINUM v. CARBON FIBER.  Since everyone I know that has a carbon fiber 29er has broken it, along with the fact that carbon frames run a pound lighter for $2k more, I'm thinking aluminum makes the most practical sense.

So that does it.  Full-suspension, aluminum 29er it is.  We're going to see if we can't find one to test out...

...which one of my friends just so happens to have sitting around for me to demo.  I borrowed a 2008 Intense Spider 29 from a buddy that just picked up a Turner Sultan.  Sweet looking bike, and well taken care of.  Came with a RockShox Reba Race fork, Fox RP23 shock, XT front der, and Thomson Elite setback post.  Sweet.  He also let me borrow a set of wheels.  Now I just had to move the rest of the components from my bike to the Intense to go test ride the sucka this fall yet.

Which brings me to the "Hot Girlfriend Theory"...

As I'm building the Intense up, I'm looking at my Epic frame, in Ferrari-like red, stripped bare, hanging on the wall.  I was struck with a feeling of genuine sadness or remorse.

See, it's like the hot girlfriend.  Looks awesome, fun to be on (innuendo...), and can have some great memories with her.  However, you come to the realization that your life may be more stable and fulfilling if you were in a relationship with a girl that was a better person, and more like you.  So you decide to break up with the hot girlfriend (because let's face it - she has some personality traits that are effing annoying) and move on to the better person.  But, during the transition phase, you look back at the hot girlfriend, and think to yourself how hot your girlfriend was, and wonder if you're making the right move.

But then you move on, and you live your life happily ever after, right?  So that means that this Spider is going to replace the Epic, and once I've got 'er dialed in, I won't ever consider getting back on the Epic, right?  Let's hope so.

I've got a poll set up on the sidebar - give me some feedback on which 29er I should go after...and if you've ridden any of them, let me know what you think; likes, dislikes, etc.

Do They Make Tire Chains for Cross Bikes?

Drove to Denver for a meeting this morning.  Not a big deal, which was surprising.  Hearing all these accounts (and seeing pictures) of locations in the foothills picking up 20, 30, even 40 inches of snow over the past couple days had me a little sketched.

Either CDOT has done an excellent job, or the I-70 corridor did not bear the brunt of the snowstorm, because it took me 15 minutes longer than usual to get to Denver, and only 10 minutes longer than the norm to get back.  Seriously - roads were snowpacked for almost a third of the drive, but it really wasn't that bad.  In fact, it was absolutely beautiful this morning driving over Vail Pass; dangerously snapped photo while driving here.

'Cross races this weekend, however, are a different story.  Blue Sky Velo race at Xilinx in Longmont on Saturday, and Boulder Cup / UCI race at Boulder Reservoir on Sunday.  Both courses are abso-frickin-lutely BURIED.  And it's cold - see pic to the right.  And still snowing.  My inclination is to bail on CX this weekend.  I don't really revel in the thought of travel and spending money on entry fees to go run through snow.  Because...

We haven't seen a FLAKE up here on the ground.  Somehow, Eagle has managed to dodge the bullet.  Local rumblings say the trails are in absolutely perfect condition.  Elgee (addictedtobicycles.blogspot.com) has been out in the past couple days, and I'm getting jealous.  I'm heading out on the mountain bike this weekend, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!

This may be one of the last weekends to do so - GO RIDE!

Blog Changes

Hey y'all - I got rid of the original incarnation of "My iPhone Top 10", which used to be a media player at the bottom of the page.  It never loaded unless you went clear to the bottom, I couldn't get the volume to start lower (so it didn't tip off your coworkers that you're not working), and frankly, I don't know if you really liked listening to it, anyway.

But, I figured you may still want to see what I'm listening to on the ol' iPhone (when it's not crashed), so I created a list on the sidebar.  I'll see if I can't keep it updated regularly.

Countdown Sequence Terminated

Was a total no-go on the 'cross race in Boulder today.  Got about 3 hours of sleep last night, felt sick this morning, and the weather forecast (mid-30s and rain, possible snow) wasn't exactly getting me psyched to go race.  So I didn't.  And I'll probably feel better tomorrow for it.

From the initial reports I'm seeing back from the race, the weather was absolutely miserable.  Sounds like by racing Saturday in Castle Rock, I may have got the better of the two days.

Erin just got back from Manhappiness and the victory of KSU over the hated Fluffs of CU.  She also brought me a souvenir from the new bike shop in town - Big Poppi Bicycle Company, located across the street from The Purple Pig in Aggieville.  Effin sweet.  Giant/Fuji/Kestrel/Electra dealer.  Here's to hoping the shop can keep grinding it out.

Crossin' In The Mud and Drivin' In The Snow

So, Day 1 of the weekend is in the books, with Castle Cross all wrapped up with a nice shiny bow on it.

Ciro Zarate and I carpooled down to Castle Rock to participate in the race.  Lots of construction on I-70 as well as C-470 around Denver, so to miss the work, we ended up detouring through Morrison as well as driving back and forth across Highalnds Ranch trying to find our way out of suburbia hell.  But eventually, we made it.

The weather was awesome - low 60s with some clouds rollin' in toward the start time of our race, which dropped the temp to around low 50s.

The course was a super watt-sucker.  Lots of off-camber turns and several sloggy mud pits.  The grass would break off when you rode through the mud, so it formed a stiff adobe-like glop on the bike.  Not conducive to braking or to shifting.  What wasn't really wet was softened up quite a bit from the snow the Castle Rock area got the night before.  Even spots that looked like you should be able to rip you just couldn't, because of how soft the ground was.

There were some fun spots, as the uphill turns were pretty easy for a mountain biker (hint...me), a run-up was also included that you could crank up if you so wished.  I managed to do it every lap, but there were a number of people that were running it...hmmm.

Then there was the barrier.  Only one barrier on the entire course, but it consisted of a little technique section where you dismounted, hopped across a ditch on stride #1, hopped over a 15" barrier on stride #2, then up a short little run-up of about 15 feet, then remounted on a really bumpy singletrack.  The barrier was made larger than the true 15" because the barrier wasn't on flat ground, it was at the start of the run-up.  It was closer to 24".  Watching Ciro (who's about 5'7") get across the barrier was comical in itself.

The conditions, combined with a layout that NEVER let up (you should see my HRM graph - between 188 and 195 bpm the entire race) meant it was an absolute suffer-fest.  This is the first course I've ever raced that there was truly no place to hide and recover.

Got a call-up to line up on the front row, and had a great start, getting out of the chute in 4th place.  Made it through the first section of the course, but proceeded to cough up a couple of spots.  I had the start I was looking for, but just couldn't maintain the pace.  As soon as I tried to settle in from the 115% effort to something more manageable, racers started passing me.

The middle third of the course sucked for me, as it dealt with a lot of quick elevation changes and some pretty technical maneuvers in the mud, combined with a run-up up a muddy hill.  Seemed to hurt quite a bit going through that section.

Anyways, I was at the back end of the front group for most of the race.  On the first lap, the entire race split into two groups right down the middle - thirteen up front and twelve behind, with about a 20 to 30 second gap between the groups.  Ciro had a great day on the bike, as he came from behind to grab a 7th place finish.  I had a great race, all things considered.  I haven't been to a 'cross race in three weeks, and really haven't been on my bike at all much since then, either.  I saw a guy coming up hard behind me with half a lap to go...just buried myself on the part of the course that suited me the best, and finished in 12th.

Drive back up the hill sucked...started snowing in Georgetown, and once we got to Summit County, started snowing really hard.  Complete whiteout/'Star Wars' conditions.  It took two hours to get from Frisco to Eagle - a trip that usually only takes 55 minutes or so.  It was compounded by the typical "Waaah!  It's snowing in Colorado!  I don't know what to do!" bullshit that we deal with every fall.  That's setting me up for an entire tangent rant, but let's leave it at this:  Truckers that don't use chains in the snow should lose their license.  Not fined, not warned; put out of business.  This is not doing 80 in a 70 - this scenario is truly endangering lives.  Man, I love my Audi.

Hup Hup Double-up

This weekend is shaping up to be a big 'un, with two Front Range 'cross races, and K-State v. CU on the gridiron in Manhattan.

Day 1 presents us with Castle Cross, an event down in Castle Rock, CO.  I've heard that it is the inaugural race, so let's see how they do.  I'm suspecting the Cat 4 race pack will be 50 strong or so.

Day 2 is the Boulder CX Series #3, at Boulder Reservoir.  This race has had a slog-fest through sand in recent years, not exactly my strong suit.  But this is typically a well attended race, so I'd expect it's going to be a huge field - 70+ maybe?

If you're not racing in Castle Rock on Saturday, you might go hit up VeloSwap at the National Western center in Denver.  Big swap meet dealing with pretty much nothing but bicycles.  Doesn't matter - roadie, XC, downhillers; all are covered.  Just like a garage sale - usually a bunch of junk, but every now and then, you can score HUGE.

Saturday is also the K-State v. CU (who?) football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, KS.  Let's see - lose to Texas Tech 66-14, then hammer Texas A&M 62-14 in successive weeks.  Which team will show up to this game?  K-State is 2-1 in the Big XII North, a win would cement our North Division lead for one more week.

Let's hope its the latter.  Buck the Fuffs.

Conversion...Software Version 7.0...

...looking at life through the eyes of a tired heart...

Sorry.  I digress.  Started typing this post, and the lyrics to System of a Down's "Toxicity" popped in my head.

Anyways, eff me.  As I was installing the new 3.1.2 software version on my iPhone this evening, while typing the last post, my phone crashed mid-install.  Had to wipe it clean, restore, and install the backup.  Coulda been worse, but when's the last time you heard of an Apple product crashing?  I thought that's why they were all bad-ass and the bees knees and whatnot?

Whatever.

Batchin' It

Erin decided to leave me and Riley (the doggy dog) to fend for ourselves this weekend, while she travels back to Kansas to attend the K-State vs. CU football game in Manhattan.

Don't know about Riley, but I think we'll make it.  It's going to be a full weekend of 'cross racing, beginning with Castle Cross in Castle Rock on Saturday, followed by Boulder CX Series #3 in Boulder (duh).  Got the Jake all decked out with new meat - I'll be running Hutchison Python (700x34), tubeless, on a set of Mavic Ksyriums.  Excited, should have a lot better stability and cornering versus the 31mm tires I have ran in the past.

Don't worry, dude.  We'll be good.

Flying By The Seat Of My Pants

First off - my trip to the Lake Tahoe region...

I flew out to Truckee, CA last week for a two-day site visit at the almost complete Ritz-Carlton Highlands hotel at the Northstar-at-Tahoe resort.  I was the engineer responsible for the design of all the voice/data, television, audiovisual, and security infrastructure for that project, as well as the adjacent Ritz-Carlton Club building.  As such, this was my last chance to get my eyes on the construction of the project prior to turnover to the owner.

Typically, a pretty mundane experience.

Now I'm usually a pretty easy-going traveler when it comes to airline flights.  I understand that getting through security takes time, flights can be delayed, and there is a high chance of someone along the way invading the four-square-feet I occupy.

I made some, ahem, 'observations' on the flight to Reno that turned this into a not-so-friendly flight.  First off, there were A LOT of people getting on this plane.  And a fair number of them were, ummm, senior citizens.  As in "all senior citizens should wear Life Alert" senior citizens.  After boarding the plane, I realize that in my row (window seat), the middle and aisle seats are already full.  So I excuse myself and ask if I can get in...no problem.  Well, shuffling by them, the guy in the aisle seat smells like he's already drunk off his ass.  No worries - pop a piece of gum, and try to ignore.  The attendants start coming up and down the aisle to help with overhead bins - one of them is a total Stay-Puft.  Not a girl that is a little on the chunky side - I mean land monster.  Bad skin and all.  Doesn't really make me want to buy a snack box, if you know what I mean.

So we're all about wrapped up getting 130 people onto a plane with seats for 125, when a younger lady and her 2 year old come onto the plane.  All of a sudden, HOLY FEMULLET, what was THAT!?!  Yes, a woman with her business in front/party in back hairdo, acid washed jeans, Looney Tunes t-shirt and LA Gear hightops come running to the front of the plane, screaming, "WHY DID YOU LET THEM ON THE PLANE!  YOU DIDN'T LET HIM ON THE PLANE!  WHY IS SHE ON THE PLANE!"  Apparently, one of her family members got an after-the-fact "standby" because the plane was too full, but she, in her infinite wisdom, thinks they let this woman on the plane after they told her that "he" (whoever "he" is) couldn't board.  Seriously...she'll end up on the Denver version of 'Police Women of Broward County' or whatever that show is.  No doubt about it.

All this, and we ain't even shut the door to the plane yet!

The flight to Reno was bumpy.  Really bumpy.  As in the plane would shoot up or fall down what had to have been 100 feet at a time.  Meanwhile, I'm in my seat, minding my own business, playing a little Gran Turismo for my PSP.  Gotta kill the time somehow - and there's not much of a better way than that.  Thirty minutes into a 2-hour flight, the guy next to me, who is totally hogging the armrests and working diligently on his novel (yes - insert Family Guy clip between Stewie and Brian about Brian's ongoing novel), had to have crapped his pants.  RULE #1 - DON'T SIT NEXT TO THE GUY WITH A DIRTY DIAPER; MAKE SOMETHING UP TO MOVE.  Smelled like a toddler for the next 90 minutes.  At this point, I just wanted off the plane.  Over it.

Remember the unusual number of elderly I spoke of before?  18 FREEKIN' WHEELCHAIRS LINED UP ON THE JETWAY.  Praise the Lord I made it off the plane before that three-ring circus.

So I stroll up to the rental car counter, no problems.  However, it was raining pretty hard in Reno, and it was only 42 degrees, so I was a little concerned about the possibility for snow up in the Truckee area.  I upgraded from the reserved compact Hyundai hamster wheel with four tires to a "four-wheel drive" vehicle...what the hell, it was only $16/day extra.  I was naively expecting a Ford Escape or some other "little" SUV.

Nope.

Avis thought it would be better to give me a GMC Yukon XL SLT eight-passenger battleship with missiles that pop out from behind the headlights and a 40 speaker surround sound system with XM.  Just for me.
Now understand that I drive an Audi A4.  My car fits inside this damn thing.

The site visit went off without much of a hitch.  All in all, the project looks pretty darn good, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.  This picture is taken from within the Ritz-Carlton Suite.  Pretty mack-daddy, if you ask me.  It's not finished yet (no TV above the fireplace, for example), but pretty close to being done.  Yes, this is a hotel room.  It also has an office, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchenette (nicer than my kitchen), and a media room.

Here's a look at the back of the Hotel, from the skier's side.  This is just Wings C and B.  Wing D is off the picture to the left, Wing A is off the picture to the right, and Wing E is behind the junction of Wings C and D.

Finally, here is a picture of the kind of stuff I design.  This is the data horizontal cross-connect serving all the data ports in the administrative and back-of-house office areas.

Flight back was almost as fun.   I just want to take the opportunity to explain that security checkpoints in airports are not new, people.  All you have to do is pay attention, and you'll be just fine.  It's not the SAT, it's not your driver's license test, and unless you really want to get removed from the airport in handcuffs, you can't fail.

Unfortunately, someone in the Reno airport was determined to try to fail.  I got stuck behind the one person on this planet that has a human-interaction skill level of zero.  The security guard is explicitly telling her what to do, and she's not listening.  She just keeps asking questions, which he's already answered, and this 2-3 minute procedure is taking 15 MINUTES.  Eff me runnin'.  Deep breath - I'm in no hurry.  OK - on the plane.  Much better this trip - no one in the middle seat.  I've got my window seat and my PSP all to myself.  And no land monsters to be lookin' out for.

We get to Denver in record time - about 20 minutes early.  Unfortunately, there ain't no parking spots for the plane.  RULE #2 - IT DOES NO GOOD TO BE EARLY IF THERE'S NO PLACE TO PUT THE EFFIN' PLANE.  Cripes.  We sat on the tarmac twiddling our thumbs for 20 minutes.  Three words:  Facebook for iPhone.  Yep, I'm a junkie.  And it lets me vent my frustrations without screaming at the top of my lungs.

Sounds like a successful business trip, eh?

Going Through Withdrawals Yet?

I've had a lot going on this past week, and have some stories to tell.

But I'm tired, and am gearing up for a helluva week coming up, with a number of projects I'm working on having deadlines this week.  So I'm going to bed.

Just letting you know there's some good bloggin' coming down the pipe, but you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Don't remember who wrote that song...

Anyways, that's been the story lately.  Erin and I flew back to Kansas City for my cousin's wedding this past weekend.  Congrats, Crystal and Jacory!  I'm sure their enjoying the hell out of Kauai right now, while I'm sitting here half asleep...

Weird weather lately in the Rockies.  Thursday, we leave Eagle in the AM to head to the airport in Denver.  50 degrees and sunny at 8:00 in Eagle, 28 degrees and snowing in Denver at 11:00.  We get back Saturday evening- 24 degrees and mist/snow in Denver at 8:30pm, 42 degrees and clear in Eagle at 11:30pm.  Hmmm...  Continued today, with sunny skies and nearly 60 on the way home from work this evening.

So I went out and took advantage on Sunday.  Hopped on the mountain bike for a little Hardscrabble Road / Pipeline loop.  Was pressed for time, so I was pretty much hammering the entire ride.  But I took enough time to stop and grab some photos.  The picture to the left is looking down the Pipeline Trail...you can see the old water pipe flanking the trail.




I love this particular trail at this time of year.  This is one of the few trails that gets into the aspen trees around Eagle (most stay lower in the scrub and pinion junipers).  During the later stages of Spautumn, the leaves fall and cover the trail up.

Typically, this time of year decreases the stream running down Second Gulch to a line of mere puddles.  A bridge crosses the stream higher; this spot has to be ridden across.  In late spring, this section can be two feet deep of ice-cold snow runoff, and is flowing pretty good.  Today, it's just a leaf-covered lagoon.






So, got a good ride in.  Tuesday I'm back on the plane, flying to Reno/Tahoe to do a final walkthrough on the Ritz-Carlton Highlands at Tahoe, a brand new hotel at Northstar-at-Tahoe, which I personally designed all the voice/data/TV, audiovisual, and security infrastructure for.  Kinda cool to see your large projects come to fruition...I'll have some pictures from that one later.

'Cross in the Front Range this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday is a definite; I'll try to make Sunday's race, but schedules don't look good right now.

Supposed to be 68 and sunny on Saturday in Eagle - get out on the bike and ride!

It's THAT Time Of Year...

National Donut Month!

Get sum!

The Ups and Downs of Monday

Monday sucks.  Back to the workweek.  This particular Monday I feel dog-ass tired from the weekend, and having trouble finding motivation for work.  So I figured I would dump some thoughts here for a few minutes, try and work up the impetus to put forth some effort today.  Bear with me - I might be all over the place in this one...

...then it happened.  It's snowing again in the Vail Valley.  Big ol' flakes pouring out of the sky in Avon, while I sit here and stare out the window, wondering why it's winter already.

Mmmm...Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" on the iPhone...good stuff.  Listen to that song - I mean really listen to it, then try and tell me that song isn't a precursor to mellower branches of modern techno music.

Keep focused.

So, here it is - snow.  Photo from a webcam at the top of Two Elk at Vail, this afternoon.  It's coming, and I'm not ready.  It's not as simple as turning the furnace on, moving the wardrobe around, and pulling out the gloves and outerwear.  Oh, no - much more complicated.

It's getting ready.

Mental preparation.

This year, it feels like getting psyched to go to the dentist.

When I first moved to the mountains the summer of 2003, I was kinda lost during the summer, just biding my time until we were blessed with that white gold.  Where has that feeling gone?  It's only the first Monday in October, and I'm already yearning for June, July and August.  Winter simply feels like an ultimatum right now - mother nature stating THOU SHALT DO WHAT I DICTATE.

Eff you, mother nature.

I just want to go home after work, throw some sweats on, and hop on the PS3 tonight.  Need to hang the bike up for a day...but I don't feel like I should, because soon enough, I'll be hanging the bike up for several months.  I feel a longing to squeeze every last second out of the two-wheelers.  Oh, I know - 'cross will be there for me for the next two months.  And I will gladly oblige and join in.  But there will eventually be a point - a crux of human desire versus human nature - where there will be a foot of snow on the ground, and I still need to, and still want to, get on the bike.

Frisco Cross Recap

Well, Frisco Cross is wrapped up and in the books.

The event organizers and sponsors put on a great event this year, with a pretty massive turnout, considering the fact that the races are up in the mountains instead of in the Front Range.

Both courses were the typical fare at Frisco Cross - relatively technical, with lots of landmine rocks, gravelly/woodchippy sections (typically involving tight turns), a moderate length hammer climb up pavement, and the famous log barriers.  Saturday's course was a little too technical for me - not so great at tight turns on loose ground.  But it did have the longer climb of the two days, which helped me considerably.

Day 1 was shaping up to be a great race.  Got the call-up in the Cat 4 race (tied for 20th overall), so got to line up second row or so.  Major field - 58 racers in all.  Here's some vij of the start:


Things went off pretty hot off the front.  I made the mistake of sitting in too early, not wanting to blow, and ended up dropping back to somewhere between 20th and 25th.  So I spent a lot of the early part of the race working my way back through the field.  The long climb was super helpful; I was just hammering past people on the uphill.  Too bad I was giving it right back on the technical spots.

Shouts to a couple of my friends - Ciro Zarate (Colorado Bike Service) just got back from vacation and, in the words of Elgee (our guest announcer for the weekend), 'fell apart like a cheap suit' on lap 2.  Barry Davis (First Descents) worked his way into the top 5, then promptly flatted...he got back on the circuit with me on lap 6 or so, and I tried to hold his wheel as long as I could.

At the start of the bell lap (#7), I figured I was in or around 15th, and had a couple of people between myself and Barry.  Knowing I wouldn't catch him, I wanted to sit the wheel of the guys in front of me, and try and win it at the end in the grassy sections.  Then I flatted on a gnarly little loose technical section, with about a 1/4 lap to go to the finish.  Rode it as far as I could, but when I came out onto the grass, the tire just wanted to peel off the rim.  I hopped off, shouldered the good steed, and ran it in the last 200 yards.  Meanwhile, I got passed by 7 or 8 guys, eventually falling back into 22nd.

Day 2 wasn't looking so hot on the outset.  Temperature was in the upper 40s at race time, and got progressively cooler as the afternoon went on.  Looked like snow coming in over Peak 1 just outside of Frisco during the Cat 3 race.  Honestly, I felt like shit leading up to the race, like I was coming down with something.  Legs were sore from Saturday, and just wasn't feeling the vibe.  Even worse standing in the starting queue, waiting for the race to start.    Not quite as big of a pack; heard someone say 48 total in our race.  The course Sunday split the climb into two different sections, took some of the tight, twisty turns out of the race, but put a bunch more mountain bike-type technical parts in as well as an absolutely heinous run-up.  Like 25 feet of elevation gain heinous.

Start took off hot like yesterday, but I put in a better effort on the front to try and stay up with the leaders.  Worked for the first three laps - stayed within view of the front of the race, but I felt like I had to dial it back a little, because I was afraid of how my body would react to racing yesterday.  Long story short, this track suited me more than yesterdays, and it gave my body a chance to settle in and just get a steady race going.  Felt pretty strong throughout, save the run-up.  EVERYBODY was suffering on the run-up.

Ciro held my wheel for the first two laps, then started fading.  About that time, Peter Fralick (Mountain Pedaler) and Barry Davis came roaring by me...those guys came up from dead effin' last at the start to take 4th and 3rd, respectively.

Seven-lapper again...on lap 6, I found myself in a three-man race with a guy wearing all black and a Rocky Mounts/Izze guy.  They both passed me on a woodchip section and tried to bolt - but I caught on and rode the back wheel for a couple hundred yards.  All of a sudden the Rocky Mounts guy puts a move on, and I took off after him to reel him back in.  Between the attack and my chase, we popped the guy in black off the back.  So I raced against this Rocky Mounts guy for the remainder of the race, and almost was able to pass him on the climb on the bell lap, but wasn't able to get in front.  He was clearly quicker than me through the second section of the course, so he opened up about 30 yards.  I closed it back down to about 10 feet, and just didn't have the gas to get around him.  Ended up finishing in 12th - considering the field, pretty good finish for me.  There were a lot of the big hitters in the 4's out this weekend that I hadn't raced against at Breck or BV.

So that's it, kids.  No wheels flying off cars, just good ol' fashioned 'crossing at 9000 feet above sea level.  I'll leave you with some more footage from Saturday - barrier running, and more barrier running.

Frisco Cross

It's going down this weekend at the Nordic Center in Frisco, CO.

Frisco Cross is in the air.

Two days of 'crossing on some of the best (and most technical) courses in Colorado.  Woodchips, rocks, and the Log Run.  At 9000 feet above sea level.  Weather looks to be low 50's, with sun on Saturday and a rain/snow mix on Sunday...so it's shaping up to be a great weekend for cyclocross.

Got a replacement for the wheel that got all blowed up last weekend - an older Mavic Ksyrium wheelset for $250 (cha-ching!), so I'm ready to go.  I also got the Jake all purty-ed up, and tatted up with a Squirt Lube logo on the seat post.  Everyone I know that races 'cross is planning to be there, so it looks like it's going to be a big event.  And Elgee got the call-up to do the announcing for the event the whole weekend, so it should be a very entertaining time.  He flat-out brings it, so if you're not on your 'A' game, he'll be on you.

That means you, o great White Knight.

Come on out, drink some beers and bang some cowbells.  Hup hup!

Catching Up

As I'm textualizing (is that a word?) my thoughts to you, my wife is listening to some alt-rock cover of The Beatles' "I Am The Walrus"...what a travesty.  Please change the song.

OK - let's get caught up.  Spent all day getting my car "maintained" - 55k mile service (that's right...Audi can't wait until 60k, they make you come in at 55k), new tires, and an alignment.  I can think of a number of things I'd rather spend $1500 on (down payment on a Kona Hei Hei 29, maybe?), but whatever.  Gotta keep the ride in good shape.  It's the best car I've ever had, so I'll treat it as such.

So I park at Mountain Sports Outlet in Glenwood Springs to pick up a thermal skullcap for cold-weather cycling, and apparently got the front of my driver's side door hammered by the truck next to me.  While I'm eating lunch later that morning, Erin sees a mark on the door and asks "Is that a dent?".  Fugh me.  It's a small dent, but it's deep, and lots of white paint (my car is navy blue).  It wasn't there this morning when I left the Audi dealer, so that's the only place it could have happened.  Oh well, the entire thing is due for a refinish/paint/3M clear bra next spring.

Oh, yeah - went to Denver for the Graybar Showcase - a telecom infrastructure trade show and seminar program.  4 inches of snow at the top of Vail Pass on my way down that morning, and it was still snowing.  The 'seal' was 'broken' last week, though, so it didn't have the shock value of the first snowstorm we saw a little while ago.  Took some pictures on the way back home that afternoon...snowy peaks with the aspens still in their fall plumage - very scenic.  Too bad the iPhone has a crappy camera.  Cool picture of the Ten Mile Range from Copper Mountain:

Went on the Mountain Pedaler shop ride on Wednesday...nothing too eventful.  Went up Rose Garden to Hardscrabble Road, and climbed to Firebox Park.  About 1h15m of steady but not stressful climbing.  We could tell that the aforementioned snowstorm was brewing, as the cloud silhouettes were very ominous over Hardscrabble Mountain and out over the Flat Tops to the north.  And it was starting to get damn cold.  35 degrees, nighttime, and Lycra doesn't exactly mix.  I already put on all the clothes I had with me, and was starting to get cold again.  Even put on the winter gloves, which didn't help much; my hands were already past the point of no return.  Everybody was pretty much in the same boat, so we bailed on the Wolverton Spring loop and went down Pipeline.

Now Pipeline, for those of you that haven't been on it, is absolutely my favorite ride during the fall.  It's a relatively moderate pitch, so it can be ridden as a 1h45m out-n-back, or like we did this night for less technical climbing, more mileage (about 15 miles roundtrip), and ride it just as a downhill.  Regardless, it's one of those trails that is lined with aspens on both sides, has a couple of rocks to watch out for, two creek crossings (one bridge, one ford), and lots of fun.  This time of year, the trail is covered with the yellow aspen leaves...just beautiful.  But we did it at night in the cold, so it just kinda sucked, to be honest with you.  Between my fingers getting so cold I couldn't tell if I was braking or not, to Hank's crankarm falling off at 25mph at night, to the 40mph winds we encountered when we got back to Eagle Ranch, I was over it.  But it was a mountain bike ride with friends, so it wasn't all bad.


Finally got my ACA license in the mail today.  Whoo hoo, I guess.  Sure would be nice if I could have my BCR points from Brecktobercross - I'd be in 7th instead of tied for 20th in the standings if they would count them.

I also found out that, amidst the supposed "economic recovery" over the past month or so, my 401(k) has actually righted the ship, and I've had a 1.97% GROWTH over the past 12 months.  Which is pretty sweet.  My retirement fund is ahead of where I was 12 months ago?  Whodathunkit?

Frisco Cross this weekend - two-day event.  More cowbell.