Yesterday evening I decided to make my way down to the CSP track for the mid-week practice crit. Since the race I was going to do this weekend, Koppenberg, was cancelled for the second time this spring. I wanted to get some racing miles in the legs. As the day went along, I thought we would get some rain but things stayed dry.
I drove over to the CSP track, got signed in and started on some warm-up laps. There was no sun but there also wasn't much wind. It was a pretty good turn out. This was classified as a 30+ race, meaning the only qualification to be there was you had to be over 30. Rough translation, there are pro's over 30. I new a couple of the riders, they had been moved up since I last raced them. Since I am only a cat 4 racer, this would be an opportunity to race with people in higher categories. My goal, ride in the group, don't get dropped, contribute when and if possible.
As I rolled to the start line I rubbed my tires to ensure they were ready. I had a giant thorn in my front tire. As soon as I hit it, the tire went flat. I rushed over to the car and swapped out the tube. Not quite fast enough, the race had started. So I strolled back to the start and told the promoter I was going to jump in, he said "enjoy". It was a bell lap/points lap... aka fast lap. Great way to start! Ouch.
The race was fast! The corners were so smooth in that group. Nice compact group, no noodling good lines... safe. As the race went on I was able to move around in the group. Get to the front, do some chasing, close some gaps. I didn't win or get any points, but that wasn't my goal.
What I did learn... I was pretty comfortable in the corners. Able to take them faster than some of the other racers. No one worked together. Same old strong man to the front while the others wait for them to get tired.
In the end, it was a 50 minute, strong workout and ... I had fun.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Long Weekend
This weekend has been about early training rides to avoid the rain, canceled races (again) and bike maintenance.
Friday morning I enjoyed mountain biking Mt Falcon then dropping back down Lair O Bear. Great trails. I've never been on them before.. I'll be back! Fog was rolling in through the trees and over the tops of the hills as I climbed. It was beautiful and peaceful. Time I enjoyed. It was just me, the clouds, trees and hill. Life made simple!
Saturday was about the family. I got in a short run then spent the morning at Kailee's soccer game. She scored 8 goals in a 30 minute game.... she didn't even play the entire game! She was the team ringer... for this game. More importantly she had fun. It brings me great joy to see her enjoyment for physical activity and sports.
Sunday was the Koppenberg race. The rains ensured this race was cancelled...agian. Half the coarse is on a dirt road with a steep climb. When wet and muddy it becomes a slick pan with pancake mud... (put your food down and you have a pancake on it). I feel sorry for the promoter, it's a lot of work to put in on, it's a good race but mother nature has made it very difficult this year. Once cancelled, my teammate for the race and I got together for a great road ride in the hills. My legs felt so good after the ride.
When I got home, Kailee and I went to the pool... untill we were rain/lightninged out.
Friday morning I enjoyed mountain biking Mt Falcon then dropping back down Lair O Bear. Great trails. I've never been on them before.. I'll be back! Fog was rolling in through the trees and over the tops of the hills as I climbed. It was beautiful and peaceful. Time I enjoyed. It was just me, the clouds, trees and hill. Life made simple!
Saturday was about the family. I got in a short run then spent the morning at Kailee's soccer game. She scored 8 goals in a 30 minute game.... she didn't even play the entire game! She was the team ringer... for this game. More importantly she had fun. It brings me great joy to see her enjoyment for physical activity and sports.
Sunday was the Koppenberg race. The rains ensured this race was cancelled...agian. Half the coarse is on a dirt road with a steep climb. When wet and muddy it becomes a slick pan with pancake mud... (put your food down and you have a pancake on it). I feel sorry for the promoter, it's a lot of work to put in on, it's a good race but mother nature has made it very difficult this year. Once cancelled, my teammate for the race and I got together for a great road ride in the hills. My legs felt so good after the ride.
When I got home, Kailee and I went to the pool... untill we were rain/lightninged out.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Fish and Deck
A couple of weekends ago, during one of our last big snows, we got and setup a fish tank for the kids. I am the "responsible parent" for the fish. Not that big of a deal but the kids are in to it! It's actually a challenge to keep them off of it at times. Feeding time is a frenzy for everyone. Everyone wants a peice of the action and the satifaction of feeding our only ... pets.
Nate gets the first try, I put a small pinch of food in his hand but he can't quite reach the opening at the top of the tank. So I give him a little boost and for the most part, he misses the hole almost everytime. But he did go through the motion so he's satisfied. Basically the first pinch ends up down the front of the tank and on the floor. Not to worry, Kailee is much better and generally gets a small amount of food in the tank. My third pinch usually gets the fish fed.
Its a good fun and everyone comes out happy for contributing. Mom even gets to play a role, we leave the spilled fish food for her because we're responsible for the fish.... not the floor. :P Sshh don't tell her.
On a side note, the back deck and sidewalk are being poured today. The kids have been impressed! I hope we can keep them off it until its dry. They were a little too excited about the man standing in the concrete this morning.
The best part was my wife told me she loved that the director on the project was a micromanager of everyone elses work. For those of you that know Melissa... I just laughed, smiled and said "I'm sure you do sweetie!"
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Is It Fall Yet?
I was up late last night putting the finish touches on this Belgian beauty. This morning I road her in to work, hitting every patch of dirt and trail along the way.
All I have to say is - Wuahahahaha Wuahahahahahah 
More photos to come.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Annual Funk or Just Feeling Overwhelmed
Well.. it's that time of year again. May. The weather is finally breaking clear and getting warm. The days are nice and long, plenty of time to play outside, life is good.
So why is it that I have been so grumpy and irritable lately? Is the sun too bright, is it too warm to ride, am I not getting enough family time, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? I can hear my mother say "it's like this every year before your birthday, you just need to get that out of the way." Uuhh... I don't think its because I'm looking forward to birthday presents anymore.... is it? (I'll make a list for you later Mom)
I made a commitment to myself to post on the issue, forcing me to think about it and see if I could come up with some rational reason for the problem. The story may suck but maybe it will help shed some light on the issue.
My first intuition was to look at what has recently changed in my life. Looking back over the past couple of months life has been about playing with the family, going to work and trying to coordinate riding whenever possible. There weren't a lot of extra activities because it was ... after the kids bed time, too cold outside, it was dark... (insert excuse here). Now it seams that all the excuses are mostly gone. The kids bed times are more flexible because it's still light out, we are outside all the time because it's beautiful out, the spring to-do list comes due, more activities with family and friends, more biking, more racing, less sleep. The time required for what I will call fundamental life is the same, time at work is the same, time for chores is the same, time to sleep should be the same. However, time that I want to spend with the kids is up, time I should spend on the bike is up, time I need for jobs around the house are up, time required to coordinate and attend social activities are up, the Giro is on TV! Mathematically. the number of hours available is less than the number of hours required to accomplish what I want.
Hey, this should all be a good thing. This is how life should be.. right; busy, active and exciting. But the sudden change from the normal routine makes me feel overwhelmed, tired, lethargic, sick.... grumpy and irritable. That sucks, spring is passing me by!
My wife has been very patient with me. Picking up my slack, tolerating me and being the superuberrock star I know and love. I see her wondering what my problem is but sometimes that's hard for me to answer.
So, is it the annual funk or just being overwhelmed. Well, it sounds like I'm just feeling overwhelmed as a result of the season, making this my annual funk.
So for now I think my approach going forward will be 1. Enjoy the season, be present and enjoy the moment, 2. Be there for the family and kids, 3. get out and ride 4. live life to the fullest oh and 5. Make sure the things that absolutely must be done by tomorrow are done (if the opportunity to get ahead on the task list presents itself, that means I have time to watch the Giro).
So why is it that I have been so grumpy and irritable lately? Is the sun too bright, is it too warm to ride, am I not getting enough family time, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? I can hear my mother say "it's like this every year before your birthday, you just need to get that out of the way." Uuhh... I don't think its because I'm looking forward to birthday presents anymore.... is it? (I'll make a list for you later Mom)
I made a commitment to myself to post on the issue, forcing me to think about it and see if I could come up with some rational reason for the problem. The story may suck but maybe it will help shed some light on the issue.
My first intuition was to look at what has recently changed in my life. Looking back over the past couple of months life has been about playing with the family, going to work and trying to coordinate riding whenever possible. There weren't a lot of extra activities because it was ... after the kids bed time, too cold outside, it was dark... (insert excuse here). Now it seams that all the excuses are mostly gone. The kids bed times are more flexible because it's still light out, we are outside all the time because it's beautiful out, the spring to-do list comes due, more activities with family and friends, more biking, more racing, less sleep. The time required for what I will call fundamental life is the same, time at work is the same, time for chores is the same, time to sleep should be the same. However, time that I want to spend with the kids is up, time I should spend on the bike is up, time I need for jobs around the house are up, time required to coordinate and attend social activities are up, the Giro is on TV! Mathematically. the number of hours available is less than the number of hours required to accomplish what I want.
Hey, this should all be a good thing. This is how life should be.. right; busy, active and exciting. But the sudden change from the normal routine makes me feel overwhelmed, tired, lethargic, sick.... grumpy and irritable. That sucks, spring is passing me by!
My wife has been very patient with me. Picking up my slack, tolerating me and being the superuberrock star I know and love. I see her wondering what my problem is but sometimes that's hard for me to answer.
So, is it the annual funk or just being overwhelmed. Well, it sounds like I'm just feeling overwhelmed as a result of the season, making this my annual funk.
So for now I think my approach going forward will be 1. Enjoy the season, be present and enjoy the moment, 2. Be there for the family and kids, 3. get out and ride 4. live life to the fullest oh and 5. Make sure the things that absolutely must be done by tomorrow are done (if the opportunity to get ahead on the task list presents itself, that means I have time to watch the Giro).
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Spring is here
This has been a busy week.... seems like they all are.
Monday we had a team board meeting. Fortunately we started out with a ride, then had a meeting. Not much new going on. Getting the last of the clothing out, dealing with sponsors, wrapping up plans for clinics and target races. Also got updates on the two races our team is promoting. It really is a lot of work, I am super proud of our two directors! Please support them by racing or volunteering at the Burn MTB TT and Mt Evens Hill Climb.
It appears spring has finally hit. Especially this week. We are flirting with temperatures in the seventies and everything is greening up. I've been fully and completely evicted from the garage, replaced by children's toys and strollers. I am about to loose my driveway privileges as we are going to remove our old crappy deck and will need a place to put it before its removed. There has also been a lot of road construction happening.... It's not clear if they were due solely to spring or if they were just shovel ready bailout projects.
The road work projects are so busy they are stepping all over each other. Last night I was on a ride, on my standard roads, laughing at how bad they had messed this one up. I will include a map so you can follow the silliness.
Some of you may know they have been working on Co-58 for some time. Recently they closed the highway, forcing everyone to exit at McIntyre then drive up 44th to get to Golden. I am not sure how long the road has been closed but Monday evening it was closed and it was closed again last night, so potentially the past couple of days. Anyway, I was riding up 44th which is not a big road and it was basically a parking lot. Well it is a highway being forced onto a small side road. Well that wasn't the only problem, someone decided it would be a good idea to paint new lane lines on 44th.... at 5 pm .... while it was the detour for a highway! And, it had been the detour for the highway for at least the past couple of days... no surprises. If there had been any kind of sign indicating "idiot ahead" I surely would have detoured but like everyone else I found my self crawling along.
I don't know who the project "planner" was but I would like to thank them. It was a beautiful day out! Unfortunately not everyone shared my pleasure to be out! In the words of a more popular cycling blogger - AYHSMB! Oh and the project "planner" he better bring donuts and volunteer to be the guy with the shovel while everyone else watches today because I hear its a tuff job market out there.
Monday we had a team board meeting. Fortunately we started out with a ride, then had a meeting. Not much new going on. Getting the last of the clothing out, dealing with sponsors, wrapping up plans for clinics and target races. Also got updates on the two races our team is promoting. It really is a lot of work, I am super proud of our two directors! Please support them by racing or volunteering at the Burn MTB TT and Mt Evens Hill Climb.
It appears spring has finally hit. Especially this week. We are flirting with temperatures in the seventies and everything is greening up. I've been fully and completely evicted from the garage, replaced by children's toys and strollers. I am about to loose my driveway privileges as we are going to remove our old crappy deck and will need a place to put it before its removed. There has also been a lot of road construction happening.... It's not clear if they were due solely to spring or if they were just shovel ready bailout projects.
The road work projects are so busy they are stepping all over each other. Last night I was on a ride, on my standard roads, laughing at how bad they had messed this one up. I will include a map so you can follow the silliness.
Some of you may know they have been working on Co-58 for some time. Recently they closed the highway, forcing everyone to exit at McIntyre then drive up 44th to get to Golden. I am not sure how long the road has been closed but Monday evening it was closed and it was closed again last night, so potentially the past couple of days. Anyway, I was riding up 44th which is not a big road and it was basically a parking lot. Well it is a highway being forced onto a small side road. Well that wasn't the only problem, someone decided it would be a good idea to paint new lane lines on 44th.... at 5 pm .... while it was the detour for a highway! And, it had been the detour for the highway for at least the past couple of days... no surprises. If there had been any kind of sign indicating "idiot ahead" I surely would have detoured but like everyone else I found my self crawling along.
I don't know who the project "planner" was but I would like to thank them. It was a beautiful day out! Unfortunately not everyone shared my pleasure to be out! In the words of a more popular cycling blogger - AYHSMB! Oh and the project "planner" he better bring donuts and volunteer to be the guy with the shovel while everyone else watches today because I hear its a tuff job market out there.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Clearing the mind and testing the body
This past Saturday morning I took part in the, at least locally, famous Lookout Mountain hill climb. It's basically a ~4.5 mile hill with 1200 ft elevation gain. It provides great views of Denver and is a very popular ride with local cyclist. At the top of the climb is Buffalo Bill's grave. I can't tell you how many times I've been up there, the view is great, who cares about the grave.
Anyway, the first weekend in May is typically when the race is held. You actually start on the lower portion of the hill, so when they say go it's a simple red line drag race to the top. For the second race of the season, it can be a little painful. In 2007 we had 78 racers and I finished 61st with a finish time of 24:52. In 2008 we had 95 people in my category, I finished 34th with a time of 23:20. This year I wanted to finish a little better, I was hoping for a time under 23 minutes.
The weather was like it has been the past few years. Cold, threatening to rain. This year the rain held off but the fog had rolled in. It was pretty cool climbing this hill in a fog bank, making it different. Making it feel like it was more than the local hill I've been up hundreds of times. A photo of the upper switch backs on a clear day is provided to give you some idea of the ride.
I didn't have that great of a start and was about 5 rows back from the start line. There is always a delay at the start as the people in front of you get started and try to clip in. The task of getting your shoe in the peddle aways seams to be a problem in this race. Luckily I didn't see anyone simply fall over... this year. Once we got around the first turn a group of people in front of me decided it was time to open the first gap. In the first 300 meter, people please! I finally pushed my way through that group and closed the gap. A group of 3 or 4 went off the front, I knew I wasn't going to hang with them so I sat in the chase group. I hung in the group a lot further up the mountain this year before falling of the pace. I was up by the saddle parking lot before I had problems holding wheels. That alone is about a mile further than last year. I kept thinking I would start catching people like in years past but it didn't happen. After making it to the top, I didn't feel too bad. I recovered pretty quickly, last year I felt like I was going to puke out my lung and was totally spent. This year I thought, "that went pretty quick, I could ride some more." Unfortunately it wasn't as quick as I wanted, 37th of 76 in 23:16. So, while I wasn't a lot faster than last year I was faster and I did feel better. I guess that's improvement! At least I can say this year was more fun than last year.
Yesterday I got in a mountain bike ride. Unfortunately I couldn't get a start time until around 6pm. When the rain was rolling in. I got sprinkled on almost the entire ride. But it wasn't all bad. With the headphones on and the trails almost empty it was very enjoyable. Something I needed. Time to reflect, relax and enjoy the simple joys of a little mud on your face.
One more hot item from the weekend. Parts are still coming but I have started the assembly. Well... at least the wheels are ready.
Anyway, the first weekend in May is typically when the race is held. You actually start on the lower portion of the hill, so when they say go it's a simple red line drag race to the top. For the second race of the season, it can be a little painful. In 2007 we had 78 racers and I finished 61st with a finish time of 24:52. In 2008 we had 95 people in my category, I finished 34th with a time of 23:20. This year I wanted to finish a little better, I was hoping for a time under 23 minutes.
The weather was like it has been the past few years. Cold, threatening to rain. This year the rain held off but the fog had rolled in. It was pretty cool climbing this hill in a fog bank, making it different. Making it feel like it was more than the local hill I've been up hundreds of times. A photo of the upper switch backs on a clear day is provided to give you some idea of the ride.
I didn't have that great of a start and was about 5 rows back from the start line. There is always a delay at the start as the people in front of you get started and try to clip in. The task of getting your shoe in the peddle aways seams to be a problem in this race. Luckily I didn't see anyone simply fall over... this year. Once we got around the first turn a group of people in front of me decided it was time to open the first gap. In the first 300 meter, people please! I finally pushed my way through that group and closed the gap. A group of 3 or 4 went off the front, I knew I wasn't going to hang with them so I sat in the chase group. I hung in the group a lot further up the mountain this year before falling of the pace. I was up by the saddle parking lot before I had problems holding wheels. That alone is about a mile further than last year. I kept thinking I would start catching people like in years past but it didn't happen. After making it to the top, I didn't feel too bad. I recovered pretty quickly, last year I felt like I was going to puke out my lung and was totally spent. This year I thought, "that went pretty quick, I could ride some more." Unfortunately it wasn't as quick as I wanted, 37th of 76 in 23:16. So, while I wasn't a lot faster than last year I was faster and I did feel better. I guess that's improvement! At least I can say this year was more fun than last year.
Yesterday I got in a mountain bike ride. Unfortunately I couldn't get a start time until around 6pm. When the rain was rolling in. I got sprinkled on almost the entire ride. But it wasn't all bad. With the headphones on and the trails almost empty it was very enjoyable. Something I needed. Time to reflect, relax and enjoy the simple joys of a little mud on your face.
One more hot item from the weekend. Parts are still coming but I have started the assembly. Well... at least the wheels are ready.
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