Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Cheer. Huh.

As I sit here in my parents kitchen the day after Christmas at 6:00am in the middle of Nowhere, KS, because my head is so freaking congested I can barely hear (much less breathe properly), the first thing on my mind is irony.

How is it the company I work for gives me half of my remaining 'sick' time as 'vacation' time during the holiday season, but I'm actually sick?

Do I get a refund of some sort?  Why are my 'sick' days only worth half as much during the holidays?

Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Back

With the advent of December, I'm back at it again.  The 2011 MTB preseason is officially underway.  Couple of weight workouts under my belt, lots of basketball for cross-training, and the weekly skate ski to top it off.

BTW - watching "Glory Daze" on TBS right now.  Funny as shit.

Anyways, we have a pretty good compliment of snow up here in the high country - been out on the snowboard once already.  Thanksgiving Day.  Cold as balls - below zero at the top of the Beav.  Had the goose down out for the first day on the hill...pretty unreal.  But snow conditions were good.  Just like riding a bike, right back on the program.

Hope you had a good turkey day.  I know Erin and I did - got out on the snowboards for a couple hours, enjoyed some cooking together, and had a nice family dinner with Riley.

Went for my first skate ski on Friday last week.  I've heard it was a workout.  I had no idea.  After watching countless YouTube videos to figure out what the hell I was doing, I more or less memorized the general movement; the idea.  Well, I clipped into the skis - one, two - and started down the trail.  And spent the next 50 yards stumbling, bumbling, and just about on my butt.  Started to get the hang of it 100 yards down the trail, and before I knew it, I was skate skiing. 

Turned into a complete sweatbox.  Even to the point where I flaked-out my waterproof heart rate monitor watch.  But not before I could tell I was averaging about 190 beats a minute for an hour straight.  Nuts.

But I'll be back to ski again.  After all, I'm training...need the workout.

Monday, November 22, 2010

REAL MAN of the Year

Fellow blogger Elgee calls it his "Douchebag of the Year" award (which is currently going to Martin Erzinger on his blog, by a landslide).

I'm going to call it "REAL MAN" of the Year.  And my current front runner might just be Bo Pelini, *dick*-Head Coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

"I said 'NO onions' on my cheeseburger!"
If any of you saw the Texas A&M v. Nebraska football game Saturday night, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It takes a REAL MAN to be downright pugilistic to the officials of a game when they call 16 penalties on your team;

It takes a REAL MAN to show the complete lack of composure and discipline that got your team those 16 penalties in the first place;

It takes a REAL MAN to throw a tantrum on your starting quarterback; who, by the way, is playing on half a wheel because he's the only hope your team has got;

It takes a REAL MAN to take a position of great responsibility and dignity - a Division 1 head football coach - and use it to become a complete ass on national television;

It takes a REAL MAN to run after the officials when the clock hits :00, instead of congratulating the other team for shutting your ass DOWN;

Wow...starting to sound a little like a "Douchebag", huh?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Shopping List

Game's still on.  So another post.

Tomorrow nite is the Bach Builders' MTB Team Night at Sports Garage.  We're getting our 2011 Specialized orders in, and I need some new stuff.

2011 Specialized Epic 29er frameset
2011 Specialized Pro MTB shoe


2011 Specialized S-Works MT helmet
Rad.

Return of Darkness XC

Sitting here listening to the Fightin' Willies' third basketball game of the season - not on TV - so I figured I'd post a little update.

Saturday, November 8, TMP, Tyler Eaton and I loaded up Tyler's Subie and headed toward Gunnison - specifically the Hartman Rocks area - for one last "race".

Sorry, I jumped ahead.  On Friday, November 7, TMP and Tyler were Facebooking about this race.  I threw my hat into the ring.

     "Didn't think you wanted to go, or we woulda asked..."


     "I didn't know I wanted to either.  I figured what the hell.  Make it my last ride of the year."

So we went.

TMP (left) and me (center) enjoying the sage
"Return of Darkness", as the race was named, was a low-key XC race put on by the Gunnison Trails group as a fundraiser for maintenance, and officially send out the summer...aptly named since the next day signaled the time change to very early evenings.  We lined up at "high noon" (-ish), and were racing for a whopping $1.75 in cash prizes.  Yep - a bill and three quarters.  The official start line was Dave Wiens' Suburban...and we were being timed with a digital wristwatch.  Funny enough, the race was amazingly supported at the aid station, and it was the best-marked mountain bike race I've ever done.

     Take note, Mountain States Cup.  Your course markings, marshalling, aid stations, and general racer support are an effing JOKE compared to what these guys did for FUN.  Start giving us something for our 50 bucks.

The venue was pretty sweet.  This was my first trip ever to the Hartman Rocks mountain bike area.  The trails are all very fun...lots of twisty swoopy singletrack through sagebrush and desert-style rocky outcroppings.  Not much vertical gain - maybe 1500 feet for the whole 20 miles.  Warming up, I knew I was in for a real treat.  The way my heart rate was reacting, and subsequently my breathing...I could last the full 20 miles, I could last 2.  Just had no idea.

Tyler, me and TMP heading up Kill Hill
Much more the latter.

Not having seriously ridden since the middle of September, and probably still recovering from a deficit of massive fatigue, I was in no condition to 'race' a 20 mile XC race.  So I made myself a pact - that if I started suffering hard, I'd shut it down and just enjoy the ride.

Anyways, I got a pretty good start.  Up in the front third of the group.  But man, that first hill - cleverly named "Kill Hill" - was UP.  I had to back off of it and just work my way to the top; unfortunately, I also worked my way backward through the pack.  Lots of sandy and rocky singletrack would follow, but not much "racing".  Probably 8 miles in, I hit the "shut it down" point, and just enjoyed the ride for the rest of the afternoon.

And a great ride it was - 60 degrees, sunny, just loving every minute of it.  Great way to send out the 2010 season.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

New Team, New Bike(?)

It snowed today.

All day.

Not too thrilled about it.  Because it means mountain biking, for all intents and purposes, is done for 2010.

Hey, I had a good run.  28 29 races good.

Here's to looking toward next year.  Drink 'em if you got 'em.

If you've been paying attention to my 'sponsor' sidebar to the right, you may have noticed that some changes have taken place.  Via great timing and a good friend, I've decided to make a switch.

I'll be racing for Bach Builders MTB team next year, and am super-psyched about it.  Bach Builders will give me an opportunity to meet new people, become more immersed in the mountain bike community, and be involved with a team that has more of a "team".  I am just looking for support, camaraderie, and the feeling of belonging to something.  A huge bonus - one of my good friends, Tim Mt. Pleasant, will also be joining the Bach Builders MTB team for next year.

Tim's got aspirations. I mean ASS-PER-AY-SHUNS.  I've personally witnessed him coming steadily up through the ranks, and he's not one to back off of a challenge.  As soon as he started putting together some solid results in Cat 2 races this year, he jumped up to Cat 1, and hung in there pretty well.  Looking forward to seeing what he can do next year.  He's just started a blog to chronicle his efforts toward becoming a licensed Pro-level endurance mountain biker.  Go get 'em, tiger...

Anyways, back to me :).

I've recently met with my coach to revisit the past season; what went right, what could be improved on.  Discussed some goals and things for next year.  Looks like the schedule is starting to come together...and it is looking pretty solid.  If it's possible, I'm already looking forward to a great 2011 season.  Only three more weeks before I start hitting the gym again.  Fuckin' stoked.  Let's do this!

Here's the new steed.  Well, it's skeleton, anyway.
Bach Builders is having the team "get-together" at Sports Garage in Boulder next Friday.  Only team members, and we're getting 'dibs' on 2011 Specialized gear at pro-pro pricing.

So I'm buying another bike - Specialized Epic 29er frameset.  And a helmet.  And new shoes.  And probably a saddle, too.

HA!  Take that, stagnant economy!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Beers and Bikes

How'd your Halloween go?

Drinking and cycling does mix...as long as you coordinate a designated pilsner.

Good Cycling Podcast

J-Dubbs, representin'.
Great cycling podcast at Bicycle Radio, weekly covering all things cycling.  Local Pro-Pro Jake Wells of the Hudz-Subaru Cyclocross team (who, by the way, just put down a 10th and 6th place finish on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in UCI C1 cylocross races this past weekend) was interviewed by the crew.

Technical difficulties (damn cell phone coverage up here in the mountains), but will be on again for interview.

Check it out!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

When "Last Call" Doesn't Mean "Last Call"...

It's been awhile.  Let's get caught up.

First of all, it's been a lot of fun getting out on the mountain bike since the race season wrapped up for me.  Still go out and pound on the pedals hard, but the goal isn't to maintain or improve race conditioning - it's been because I want to go fast.  That's OK with me.  Ride frequency has dwindled down to just once a weekend, usually for little more than an hour.  Taking more time to relax; get caught up on Top Gear episodes, check in on various college football games, NBA and it's three-ring circus (The Miami Heat) has officially started.  My boys of Manhattan (and your Coaches' pick for Big 12 #1) begin their basketball season tonight with an exhibition game versus Newman College (huh?).  There's two seasons up here in the mountains:  Summer and Winter.  And it's officially Winter now.

Not much biking left to be had this year, methinks...
Two weeks ago, I went for a quick ride up Boneyard and down Redneck Ridge right behind my house, an intermediate-level 7-mile singletrack loop through the pinions, junipers, and western Colorado scrub.  Literally starts a block from my house, and finishes a half-block on the other side.  Sunny, 55F, no wind...absolutely perfect.  Well, aside from bothering the hunters up on the top of the trail...but whatever.  My trail...not theirs.  I wanted to grab one last ride, because the weather was supposed to turn ugly, and I didn't want to miss "last call".  When I pulled back into the garage at the end of the hour quickie, I was completely content with that being my last ride of 2010...because it reminded me why I ride:  FUN.

We had a gnarly snowstorm come through the area this last week, dumping as much as 20" at some of the ski resorts, and pretty much blanketing the rest of the area with several inches of the white stuff.  But that weather moved through, and by the end of the week, it was sunny and back in the 50s during the day again.

So this last weekend, I had a "oh, what the hell" moment.  After a long and stressful day, I hopped on the bike for no particular reason from a spur-of-the-moment decision and rode the Boneyard/Redneck loop again.  Boneyard is mostly on the northern side of the ridge, so snow was still hanging around in some spots, and the rest of the trail was pretty darn muddy.  Been awhile since I went out and really got sloppy.  When I pulled back into the garage at the end of the hour quickie, I was again completely content with that being my last ride of 2010...because it reminded me why I ride:  FUN.

Me and Spidey went and slogged through the mud for a while.
As a side note, I'm now convinced that God enjoys mountain biking.  Every time one of us throws a leg over our trusty steed (or one of our trusty steeds, in my case) and take off up into the hills, amongst the trees, picking lines through rocks and roots and plowing through piles of moondust - God smiles down on us.  It reintroduces perspective.  I've had a number of difficulties recently with various things - congregation at church, co-workers at the office, etc.  But when I walked back into my house that afternoon after getting all muddy and having a blast, my mind was completely serene.  None of that stuff mattered anymore.  Which led me to the epiphany above.

So here we are, the first couple days of November, and it looks like the sun is supposed to stick around and keep things on the nicer side for the rest of the week.  Planning a trip to Fruita for this coming weekend...hopefully it's not "last call".  But if it is, I'm OK with it.  After all...the bar will open again.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Pain Cave

Came across these pictures from The Fall Classic circuit race in Breckenridge...of me setting up shop in the PAIN CAVE for an hour in that race.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Oh, Come On...

I hope this trophy doesn't have clenbuterol in it...
Really?

Is anyone even that surprised anymore?

In a *not-shocking-in-the-least* breaking news front today, 2010 Tour de France Champ (I mean CHUMP) Alberto Contador has supposedly tested positive for clenbuterol, a bronchodilator drug given to asthma patients to open their airways.  The alleged positive test came from mandatory drug testing from the second race day of this year's Tour.

Clenbuterol is a completely legal medication; however, it is on the UCI's list of banned substances.  But, for the laymen and those not familiar with the rules of cycling and anti-doping measures, so are many of the medical products you and I use every day.

Allergy medicine?  Yup - you're getting a two-year ban if you get caught with that in your blood stream.  Asthma inhalers?  That's what Contador just got busted for.  Hell, even the newly-formed high school mountain bike league here in Colorado has banned caffeine the day of a race.

High schoolers, no caffeine?  Good luck trying to enforce that. 

Of course, in a *not-shocking-in-the-least* move by Contador, he has a team of "experts" ready to testify that it was food contamination, and is proclaiming his innocence.

Wha-wha-what?!?

So let me get this straight...someone put asthma medication in your spaghetti?  You, my man, are an idiot.

If there's ONE THING that can be learned from the Floyd Landis 'scandal', is that, for God sakes, you can't lie about it...you're just making it harder on yourself.

Back to the "surprise" of the issue.  No one should be surprised.  No one should be shocked.  Fact is that you can't honestly trust that anyone is clean in professional cycling.  Yes, teams such as Garmin-Transitions are doing everything they can to prove they are, but unfortunately, the linens have been dirty so long in this sport that a lack of positive tests likely means they're getting around the anti-doping measures, not complying with them.

The difference between this and cycling?  Body weight.
But that doesn't mean I'm not going to watch and keep up to date on pro cycling.  To a certain extent, it's kind of like pro wrestling.  When I was in high school and college, I watched WCW Wrestling religiously.  I even splurged to go to a couple of events when they came nearby.  Loved it.  The Big Show, Goldberg, Sting, the nWo...man, that stuff was fun.  Were those guys athletic?  Absolutely.  Were they clean?  Absolutely not.  'Roided up beyond all belief.  (Man, Goldberg was awesome...)

But I knew that.  So I just sat back, and enjoyed the show.

Just like the Tour de France.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Spiritual Retreats


So, if you don't know by now, one of the best times of the year around these parts be fall.  Consider yourself "in the know".

The Intense likes these days.  Resting on Wolverton Spring.
"Fall" officially starts the third week or so of September, but around here it really starts when the overnight low temps start dipping into the 30s.  Could be as early as September 1, but typically lasts into the first week of October, at which time the aspens have mostly lost their leaves, and we're left with the dull gray of leafless trees, combined with the darkening forest green of the pines.

But during this "fall" period, it's absolutely heavenly.  Golden grasses, full yellow-to-red spectrum of the scrub brush, and hi-liter yellow aspens.  One of my favorite mountain bike experiences is to head out on the Pipeline/Wolverton Spring loop - about 24 miles of singletrack and two hours at an easy pace - during fall and enjoy the colors.  Especially during the back half of the fall period, when there are plenty of leaves still on the trees, but there's also a thick layer of fallen leaves covering the trail.

Crisp, cool air in the late afternoon (especially when the sun ducks behind Hardscrabble Mountain...bring a jacket), runnin' full-squish on the rear of the Intense Spider 29.  Maybe even have a little dampness hiding out under the leaves, creating a tacky trail...

Surreal.  Nay, Spiritual.

These rides invoke an inner feeling, an juxtaposed emotion.  A simultaneous state of bliss and awe.  A feeling of utter happiness overtaking the looming sadness of another season gone by...winter soon.

They're perfect.

Words can't describe, pictures can't show.
You have to be there.
You have to experience for yourself.
By yourself.

Everyone has their own reaction, their own spiritual moment...and the only way you can truly understand what it means to you is to immerse yourself in it.  These rides, these moments, are meant for you, and you alone.

I urge you to travel this path alone; I plead with you to disallow interjections.  Pick your riding companions carefully during this time of year; ensure they are of the same mind, and are also searching for this sanctuary, lest they destroy your moment, never to be found again this particular time.

Where I'm going...
...and where I've been.  Near the top of Wolverton Spring climb.

A smooth leaf-bedded singletrack:  Wolverton Spring.
Into the yellow and white: near the bottom of Wolverton Spring.

The pipe:  Pipeline singletrack.
More pipe, this time heading up:  Pipeline singletrack.
Others may ride the trail, enjoy the surroundings, even find their zen or nirvana or utopia or whatever.  But at the end of the day, you are the steward of your own spiritual moments.  These places are meant for you, under your own lock-and-key, for you to access when the time is right.

KEEP THE GATE CLOSED.


Gotta Love Kansas Weather

The cause of the 'lightning delay' at the KSU v. UCF football game Saturday:

View from the press box.
People taking pictures from the upper deck.  Scary.
Looks like a scene from the movie Independence Day

And with a WAY TOO exciting finish, the Fightin' Willies prevailed 17-13.
Carson Coffman (right) came up with a HUGE rushing TD at the end of the game.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

College Football Saturday - w00t!

K-State v. U of Central Florida game is delayed in Manhattan right now (lightning...nasty looking storm just to the north of the Bill).

But HEY!  It's not too late to get your rivalry gear on today - plenty of games to go!  But if you're going to get so wound up that you punch someone, make sure they have a padded face...
POW...right in the kisser.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Ha!

Came across some funny (and nerdy) things on the interwebs...wanted to share with you.  Enjoy!
 

Saturday, September 18, 2010

2011 Yummyness

Interbike is this week, in Las Vegas - the bicycle industry tradeshow where most manufacturers go showcase their new 2011 product - from bikes to tires, hydration packs to clothing.  My boys from Deathrow Velo will be attending (Booth #6018), so if you're heading there, swing by and check them out.  Say hi to John Landino for me.

The point - 2011 bike lines are coming out.  Here's some of the big-wheeled goodness to expect next year:

Kona Hei Hei 2-9 (Easton Scandium, 100mm F/R)
Specialized S-Works Epic 29er (Monocoque Carbon, 100mm F/R)
Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 29er (Monocoque Carbon frameset, 100mm F)
Marin Team CXR 29er (Monocoque Carbon, 100mm F)
Trek *ahem, Gary Fisher* Sawyer (Chromoly Steel, fully rigid)

Trek *ahem, Gary Fisher* Superfly 100 (Co-molded Carbon, 100mm F/R)  

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Huh. I still have a Blog?

Craziness.  That's about all I can call it at this point.

Not sure why it's taken me three weeks to update the blog.  Lazy at home after work?  Yup.  Busy on weekends?  Yup.

Pretty sweet photo from Full Tilt in Telluride XC race.
So, I'm finally done with the race season.  Three weeks ago was MSC #7 - Full Tilt in Telluride.  Met up with some of Erin's friends from high school that live in Telluride now, and had a brutally steep XC race on Saturday and an equally brutally steep hill climb on Sunday.  The XC race was two laps of 12.5 miles each, and the lap started at 9700ft and topped out at well over 11000ft.  Each lap had over 1700ft of climbing.  Suffered through a wickedly gnarly muddy section twice (the second time sapped most of my energy) as well as a flat on the second lap in the XC race.  But the course was about 90% singletrack, and to be honest, would be great for a fun ride.  Racing on it was pretty damn hard, though.

Just plain suffered in the hill climb...1500 feet vert in 5 miles is going up in a hurry.  But Tee-Ride is a pretty sweet place.  Views of the mountains all around are fantastic, and the town has a lot of character.  And talk about secluded - one of the very few spots that my iPhone gets no data service.  At all.  Erin, Riley and I had a great time on our first trip to Telluride; wouldn't mind going back, either.

Rippin' the singletrack descent.  [Courtesy VastAction.com]

Getting lost in the trees at Winter Park.
Two weeks later (or a week and a half ago, depending on your point of view), MSC #8 - Winter Park Pursuit.  I took about a week and a half off the bike due to overall fatigue, and it seemed to pay off.  That, and the WP course set up very nicely for me, with a 14 mile first lap followed by a 12 mile second lap, both with about 1500ft of climbing each.  So lots of nice long flat or slight incline stretches that I could get a big gear rolling, and not very many sustained climbs.  Good for a guy of my size.  Ended up finishing 9th in XC on Saturday, and 6th in STXC on Sunday.  Followed the XC race up with a win by my beloved K-State Wildcats over UCLA in the opening weekend for college football, so all in all, it shaped up to be one of the better recent weekends.


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tee-Ride Bump

So, I haven't forgotten about the race recap.

Waiting on pictures to be posted at VastAction.

Let's just say, for right now, the weekend consisted of sloppy mud, flat tires, and unrelenting climbing.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Tee-Ride in Pictures

I'll fill y'all in on the happenings at Full Tilt in Telluride tomorrow...for now, here's some pictures:

Lapping through in the XC race
Moon over the gondola
Telluride is pretty rad...the view from our hotel balcony
Top of Hill Climb...pure suffering.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

MHMF

MIle High Music Festival...two-day event in Denver. Nas, Rusted Root, Cypress Hill, The Samples, Steve Miller Band, Jack Johnson. Tim Reynolds, Atomsphere, Ozomatli, My Morning Jacket, Weezer, Dave Matthews Band.





Missing the Hardscrabble Humper, so it better be fun.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Native Eyewear - Freekin' Sweet Sunglasses

Grind on the left, Vigor on the right.
This summer, I was able to score two different sunglasses from the company:  the Grind, a style-type eyewear; and the Vigor, more of a performance-type sunglass.  Typically, the Grind gets the call-up for casual everyday use, and the Vigor is summoned when it's time to head out on the bike.  I've had nearly an entire summer to try these out; here's my thoughts on them.

OK - I've always been a big Oakley fan.  I've had Oakley sunglasses since the original Frogskins and M-Frames, circa early '90s.  Love most of their styling.  But my one complaint about them was the durability; I was scared to death to scratch the lenses, and I had problems with frames breaking all the time.

At first glance and trying them on, the one thing I noticed about these glasses is the frame materials.  The frames just don't feel like they're going to break.  A little more flex in the frame material means they'll stay put and remain rigid when you need them too, but when you forget they're in your pocket?  Probably going to stay in one piece.  Which is a good thing for me.

The amount of stuff you get for the price is, quite simply, amazing.  For your decision to spend your hard-earned dollars on these glasses, here's what you get:  your glasses (of course), a second set of lenses, a microfiber cleaning/carrying bag, neck strap, and ballistic nylon carrying case with integral spare lens holder.  Oakley or Rudy Project?  All this stuff (excepting the bag) is extra.

But is Native just wowing you by giving you a bunch of stuff?  Or do they cut the mustard?

Well, here's what the glasses boast, and it's a lot.  All of Native's lenses are polarized.  Yep - you read that right...all lenses are polarized lenses.  That in and of itself is a bonus, and worth the price of admission.  And all the lenses are interchangeable.  Don't like the setup you have?  Just swap the lenses out...voila.  Every frame style has a built-in venting system across the brow, to increase airflow across the lens, nearly eliminating any fogging or condensation issues on the inside of the lens.  Earsocks and nose pieces use Cushinol material - a very grippy rubber-type material that is soft and flexible (for fit), but just don't let go, even with sweat pouring down your face.  The temples use a cam-type design to snap into place; a flick of the wrist, and your frames are ready to put on (very useful when taking off/putting on while on the bike).

The lens retention system is designed to keep the lenses in front of the frame, so the lenses can only be removed away from your face, not toward your eyes...a big plus for safety.  The eyewear is going to protect your face from that unsuspected branch out on the singletrack.  And all their lenses are made from a high-grade polycarbonate, ensuring shatter-free use and high-quality optics.

The Grind:  The workhorse.  Laid back or aggro - you pick.
Back to the actual models I have:  The Grind glasses (retail $149) came in "Asphalt" (matte black) with grey accents.  Standard grey polarized lenses, with Native's "SportFlex" lenses (a yellowish high-contrast lens, with polarization for glare cutdown) as alternates. These things are great for casual use, but I have worn them on all-day mountain biking adventures very successfully.  Their full-coverage design and interchangeable polarized lenses are awesome for mid-day and evening rides alike.  The styling goes perfect on those days the baggies, Dri-fit tees, CamelBaks and 6" travel trailbikes come out to play.  And they double as the best sunglasses for driving I've ever worn...what's more to want?

The Vigor:  Fast.  No posers here.
The Vigor glasses (retail $139) are the "Iron" (gloss black) colorway, with "Reflex Silver" (mirror silver) lenses and the SportFlex lenses as well.   These glasses are straight-up lycra and sponsors, hardtails and SRAM XX.  No casual style here - they're racing glasses.  Featherweight; I could see how someone would forget they're wearing them.  The minimal design is pure function in my opinion - no "casual styling" here; the Vigor just puts fast-looking lenses in front of your eyes.  The Reflex lenses are the best mid-day lenses I've ever worn, bar none.  Wore the SportFlex lenses at our local Vail Rec District MTB event on Wednesday...perfect for that race, with an evening start time and the sun peeking out from the clouds every once in a while.

So, I'm giving a shout-out to Native Eyewear.  Huge fan of the glasses.  And if you're in the market for some sunglasses that are truly a value for your hard-earned cash, you must give these a try.