Rain and Cobblestones

Introducing Team 3M

2012-10-17T13:48:00.000-05:00


Bernard at the signing, 3M Headquarters, Brussels.

A week ago, despite the storm of scandal hitting cycling, a good thing happened in the sport. The Cycling Center, under Bernard Moreman, came together with 3M to create the newest Professional Team in cycling, Team 3M. The team I formerly rode with in Belgium will continue to focus racing within the Benelux region. Those familiar with the Cycling Center know that this development was a long time coming, and couldn't have happened to a more deserving group of people in the sport. The formal team presentation with take place in January, and with a strong collection of new signings the team should make an excellent debut next season.

Lovely autumn mtb ride through the gentle valley of Hunter Creek.

Currently I am living it up, enjoying the trails and roads around Aspen. The Fall season has treated this part of the Rockies very well as we've had beautifully clear skies, and a dusting of snow to coat the mountain tops. Makes for great photos. The clear weather has afforded me a decent time of year to begin my base training. I'll enjoy the miles until the snow piles up and then the cross country skis will begin another winter of use.

These days I try not to get too carried away thinking about the future, planning the racing season's and life ahead of me. I am learning for the first time in my life how much joy there is to life in the moments all around me. I try now to let go of concentrating on where I go down the road, and instead try not to miss the glorious things going on in my life right now. My love of cycling is certainly still a big part of what I enjoy doing day to day, but after so many hard lessons teaching me that life has funny way of working things out in great ways I could never have planned for or conjured, I have faith that life will take me down the best path without my over involvement. It has been in this understanding that I met my wife, found a wonderful place to live, and am being welcomed back to the sport I love and left. Its also with this viewpoint that I enjoy parts of my life I used to ignore, family and friends, or happenstance opportunities such as to perhaps spend a day hiking. Speaking of hiking, I can tell from the smile on Annie's face, above, that it was a good idea that day.

Annie wanted me to take the hat off for this picture. We compromised and I tipped the bill back out of my face.

What a great time we had climbing up to the top of Electric Pass, all the way up to 13,400 feet. It was interesting looking up at the peaks while we were climbing and seeing commercial jets pass over the tops. It is also interesting to simply climb and explore here in the Rockies, as the ridges are so close together you can't see most of the true peaks or ridge tops from the valley floor, so as you rise vertically new mountain ranges unfold before you.

Here we were on top of the pass realizing we were in the middle of a lose boulder field stacked perilously steep a thousand feet above the valley floor below. We decided to turn around here.

USA Crits and time with family

2012-10-02T15:44:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately some things in crit racing have not changed; riders still dive bomb corners to move up three places, female riders still don't make the prize money that male riders make, riders still swear at other riders for blocking them out of 54th place, riders still brake in the corner rather than before the corner, road cyclists still don't smile as much as mtb riders, and course barriers still don't give way easily as my right shoulder discovered (didn't go down and only bruised, but that sure smarted).

On the plus side; John Lefler is still a great race announcer, Marco Vasquez is now serving well as a race official (watch for him at UCI races soon), and I now have a beautiful wife who cheers louder than any other spectator and for me me alone.

I am the green blur, third rider from the back. Never quite cracked the top 15.

Nonetheless the race was exciting and fun, to fight in the pack again was uplifting. Also I found that Vail is the most beautiful wide spot in the freeway I have ever seen. The course was half paved, half city brick, quite narrow, 1km long, technical, and a joy to race.

I had a good warm up, though as I rolled up to the line I noticed all the other racers had lined up ahead of me and a Belgian start was not optional. The back is not a great place to start in a packed, high power crit. Luckily Annie found me easily, took my jacket and refilled my water bottle. After a few hugs and kisses she went back behind the barriers. Minutes later the gun went off and the high speed mayhem ensued. I spent the first half of the race slowly moving up from last, cursing my start line positioning every time I heard John on the mic announce a $500 prime lap. By the second half I had moved to inside the top 25. My legs were feeling good, though I continually was out kicked for top 20 positioning. I realized I just didn't have the sprint around the corners quite yet to battle with the front riders, disappointing, but it will come back by next year. No matter. I knew I didn't have the sprint then for the top 5, where the real money was for this race, so I spent the second half of the race inevitably just staying out of crashes bunched into the top 30. If the course had been longer, or the race been longer this story may have been better for me. What I learned was I was lacking a little of my pop, but my base fitness was making good improvements. My bike handling skills also fortunately had not dissipated any. The race showed me the speed with which I'm improving and where I can still improve. The top speed pop will come with next year, and after a winter of more base it will be fun so see where I'm at next year! And success or no success I thank God for blessing me to ride.

Now some pictures of my excursion Jeeping with my Dad, Carol, and their golden retriever. The world is so much fun from the open roof of a Jeep.

A wild river valley.

The view of a valley from the Flat Top Mountains.

Picking up the trail of a Moose.

A natural lake above 9800 feet.

Training in the fall in the mountains...

2012-09-28T11:57:00.000-05:00

The road up Castle Creek. Snow is just visible below the clouds.

This fall training is teaching me some new lessons here in the mountains. The deceptive warmth you get from climbing leading to the cold chill to the bone on the descent is the prime example. I've found that if I am at all cold, even in the extremities, on the way up then after I add additional layers at the top I will still freeze on the way down. The goal has been to wear enough layers to be warm the whole way up the climb without sweating too much, and then to add additional layers for the descent, preferably wind proof. This involves adding layers up the climb as the air cools considerably as you climb in high altitude. The air can be twenty degrees cooler at 12,000 feet then it is at 8,000 feet, and at that top altitude in the autumn the temperatures are right at or below freezing.

Training ride back through town. The sunlight dancing across Hunter Creek Valley and Red Mountain to the right.

Another lesson was dressing right at this time of year when there is precipitation. In the summer here in the mountains, clouds don't always mean rain as the warmer temperatures help to absorb the moisture as the air is already so dry. In the Autumn, which here at this altitude is September/October and very quick, when there are clouds it seems there has been precipitation as well. More often now there has been rain, and with the cooler temps to boot. I have found that cold air in the mountains makes dressing right for training fairly tricky. Adding moisture to the mix makes this much more difficult. Being cold and wet makes descending about a miserable as possible, far worse then just being cold on a descent. This can be dangerous because of the risk hypothermia, but also because when your fingers are numb and stiff you can't feel your brake levers when you need to slow down for the switch back above the thousand foot cliff, all on slick roads. even if you dress correctly the water spray off the road will still spray on your face and give you a perpetual ice-cream headache. As I don't have a full body rain suit to train in I've found that keeping my core warm and dry in the rain has been the best I can do. I will probably need to start riding with a small backpack to store extra clothing along with a full rain jacket. This way I will have all the clothing I need as weather changes hour to hour, and the spare clothing will stay dry from my sweat as I'm training. In sum, for cool weather alone I find I need to double my clothing over my core as I prepare to descend, and if it's raining I will need to double this spare clothing with rain proof layers.

With just a few weeks of autumn left it will be interesting to see how snow affects my training. After it piles up I'll get to switch over to the cross country skis, which is much slower then riding and will warm training up again.

USA Crits Championship Series and the New End to My Season

2012-09-23T21:25:00.001-05:00

Soon to be on the road to Vail. Look Ma no hands!

After racing in Belgium for so long it will be interesting to try my hand at an official high end criterium. That's right, I'm prolonging my season just a bit longer to do a local crit. Local crit though sounds too understated, this is the Grand Finale of the USA Crit Championship Series. Another fitting title for the race might be Super World Bowl Grand Series Prix Cycling Cup! Though the trophy for that might prove to difficult to produce. It is what it is.

Vail, Colorado is hosting the race, an hour and a half drive from where I live. The race packs a lot of promise, but mostly I'm excited to race the course they describe, a one kilometer rectangle circuit of "cobble stones". Sounds right up my alley. I'm guessing the cobble stones are probably just decorative brick streets, as I've never been to Vail, but anything remotely close to the fabled road surface should be great fun, especially for a race in the US, especially for a criterium.

The fall foliage in the Rockies, aspen leaves turning yellow.

Looking at the registered athletes list it is exciting to see old friends listed. This will be the new final race of the season for me. God is blessing me with a longer season, and beautiful weather for this time of year in the mountains. Time to make the most of it.

Mountains in the sunset.

Alpine Odyssey Race Report

2012-09-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

A win. Plus a 6th place overall. Great end to the season. Couldn't have been more blessed this year.

At the start line, ready for the fight.

There were almost 300 riders in the race. Off the gun we had a neutral start descending on pavement a few miles to the flat jeep road that would eventually climb 2500 feet up a steep mountain grade to a spectacular pass. A lead group of 40 to 50 formed and charged along the flat jeep road leading to the climb. I tucked in mid pack. The road undulated a bit and a group of 3 took off on a steep rise, Cameron Chambers, Greg from Juwi, and another rider. I jumped and bridged to them, feeling good, seemed like a road race at this point. The group came back together shortly after and we hit the base of the climb. The climb was extremely steep the whole way. Early on the climb Cameron decided we were all going to go his pace, only no one else could. We watched him take off. Greg closed in behind him, along with the other rider from the earlier break, and a rider from Strava. I attempted to follow but somehow was loosing ground. Lance and two other riders rode up next to me. Lance took off from us a little further up the climb and tried to close to the now group of four ahead of us. I not long after I took off from the two with me and pursued Lance. He was in no man's land and I was able to just get to his wheel. A rider from Carmicheal Training Systems caught up to us further up the climb. He and Lance then distanced me slightly. Another rider, who I later met, Jenz, caught me and I hung to his wheel. The front group of four where out of sight up the climb. Lance and the CTS rider were 30 seconds up from us. At the top I quickly dropped Jenz. Then on the descent I quickly caught and dropped the CTS rider. Lance was in sight just up the road. The descent was not steep, but it was fast. Lance was 30 seconds ahead and later I learned Jenz was a minute behind me. I pursued Lance but could only hold ground. It seemed like a time trial, where Lance was the split rider just ahead of me, surreal.

My wife Annie, she is my greatest fan and supporter. She even tells the race announcer that it's me coming down the mountain.

When we reached Crested butte again we hit single track climbing up the mountain then descending to the start finish at the base village. It was beautiful single track. All the features, great rhythm, speed, tackiness, just enough technical features, good proportion of climbing and descending. I now know why it's the home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. At this point Lance was still 30 seconds ahead of me. I flew through the start finish area which had one or two surprise turns through the base village and somehow found Annie to pick up my feed. She was screaming encouragement as I continued pursuit. After the base village it was a short descent to the same climb by different route back up the pass we ascended on the first lap. This is where Lance began to distance me. I could still see him until the climb got steep. At the top the timing chips read that I lost about four minutes to him. Jenz was still behind me by two minutes now. I hit the descent, same as the first lap, and hoped to see Lance. No dice. I finished the descent and hit the single track. Made the twisty climb and fast burmed descent to the finish to hear the announcer saying a young woman, Annie, saw me coming down the mountain, and that I was indeed me. He told everyone over the mic that he wouldn't second guess her. I laughed at this as I continued descending. At the line the clock read 4:22 and change, 22 minutes behind first place, Cameron. Lance I learned put 5 minutes on me on the single track climb up the mountain, a 1500 foot climb, and finished 10 minutes ahead of me for 5th place. Greg was 2nd, and the rider from Strava, a local Aspenite, was 3rd. I was 6th overall, 1st in my age group. Jenz was 4 minutes back from me when he finished, 7th overall, and was 2nd in his age group to Lance. I was happy.

Lance showing off his perfected Belgian start. He nailed it, last one to line up. Even his drink mix was yellow. Just wish I knew the specs of his bike. Also he was riding Sram's new 1x11.

To me this was the perfect way to end the season. I have plenty of energy from this to tackle the off-season to get a good base in this winter and spring. With this finish I automatically qualified, and am now registered for Leadville, so at least I have that on my mind as I put in the miles in the cold months. In the mean time I'll be looking for a team to get to more races with next year. This year, however, I need to in a big way thank the Aspen Hub bike shop, and Trek bikes. Thank you God for the blessings you've bestowed.

Annie was able to snap a photo of me finishing. This took skill as I was going so fast.

Podium hi-jinks, glad I was on the top step at least once this season, 20-29 age category.

The natural wild beauty of Crested Butte, and I thought Aspen was beautiful. This place is a must ride.

Alpine Odyssey... Ready to Roll!!!

2012-09-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

Me pointing ceremoniously at the mountain pass I train on frequently.

This is my last race of the season. It was a big season for me. A come back to the bike, and a transition to endurance mountain biking. Maybe a renaissance year. On the eve of my pre-race day for the Crested Butte 100 km on dirt, I feel great. Legs feel the power again, brain has a bit more smarts from finishing Leadville earlier in the year, and the bike is ready to go. It has been interesting this summer learning to bleed hydraulic brakes, service mtb suspension, and set up tubeless tires. Not as much wrapping handlebars or changing caliper brake pads as previous seasons.

The sun setting over the valley.

It turns out Lance will be doing this race too. Its just too bad I used to be excited to race against him.

Switchbacks and sunset.

The race itself is epic enough though not the distance of Leadville. It's the same basic altitude. Two similar laps of 30 miles that climb up a pass on a jeep road then descend back to the start/finish with a short bit of single track at the end of both laps. This should suit my background and the bike is in better working order than it was in Leadville. If I have half the luck I had there on top of the experience I gained from it I should have a good day. I'm totally primed.

View from the cliff.

The legs and the bike are as set up as they can be. May God look over everyone headed to a race this weekend. Good luck in your race if you are racing, and wish me luck!

View of Aspen Mountain from the road I live on which is just at the base of the shadowy mountain in the right foreground.

Training for the Alpine Odyssey 100km Crested Butte

2012-09-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

Mountain biking above the Snowmass wilderness. Snowmass resort in the distance.

In one more week I'll compete in my final race of the season, the Alpine Odyssey 100 km in Crested Butte, a qualifier for next year's Leadville 100. Thus my final race of this year is my second biggest race of the year, and an important race for next season. I'm pumped for it. I hear Crested Butte is some of the best mountain biking in the world. I'm eager to find out for myself. In preparation I'm logging big miles this week, and I'll take it easy next week. Tuesday I was lucky to put in 7 and 1/2 hours on the mtb. Wednesday I did 2 hours of training on the mtb plus an hour of racing in the local Wed. night mtb race, and yesterday I got in 3 passes of climbing on the cross bike. Should get to fair condition by next week. With Leadville under my belt I've at least some experience of how to approach a distance mtb race. After this Crested Butte race I'll continue to train through mid October then take a couple weeks off, and then I'll start the base for next season. We'll see how cross country skiing carries over into cycling fitness ; )

View from mountain biking to the top of Highlands ski mountain.

In other news I need to throw out some support to Steve's blog, http://stevetilford.com/, relating to the doping issues of our time. He just tells it how it is. At least the issue is finally getting lip service, and has taught me a new word, omerta. Learning so much about cycling these days. Zero tolerance.

View of Castle Creek Valley.

View of Aspen ski mountain.

View of Aspen, far side of valley.

View of the backside of Buttermilk ski mountain.

View of the sunset on Aspen ski mountain.

Emma Roubaix Report etc

2012-09-03T14:40:00.000-05:00


The top of Castle Creek.

This past Wednesday I did a local road race here in Aspen called the Emma Roubaix. It was nice to have a Classics styled race late in the season. The course was a collection of three undulating mountain passes, back to back. The first pass was gravel/dirt with the descent and following two climbs all paved. A fair size group lined up at the start which sat on a windy plateau. After the frustrations over the weekend at the Power of Four I decided to let it all burn in this time. I would attack at the line and stay away hopefully to the end.

Lance was riding a 29ner hard tail.

The officials lined us up, and I saddled up to the front row. We were sheltered at the start, but I knew that just after the start the road was exposed and the strong cross wind would hit us almost immediately. This would help me establish a gap I thought. The whistle blew and we started off. As I clipped it two other riders at the front hit full gas and I jumped on their wheel. I suspected others might have the same tactic as me. I looked back to see the peloton slowly getting the gears turning a good ways behind us. I had succeed forming the gap together with two others, and we began a rotation. After a couple miles and several rotations one of the other riders looked back at me and said "Hey are you Aaron Pool?" I affirmed that I was, puzzled. He replied "Oh man you're going to smoke us!" I chuckled at this and was flattered. Shortly after that the first steep pitches of the first climb began and I took off.

Snowmass Base Village.

Near the top of the first climb, on the gravel now, I noticed I had a couple riders now in sight behind me bridging up. I knew I had a near straight, paved descent to the second climb and that these riders would most likely catch me there. At the top Jauques, the local old French rolleur, hollered from the side of the road that I won the prime. I am still not sure what I won. I took my time to catch a few sips from the bottle and the bridging riders caught me quickly on the descent. It was a group of five riders. I jumped on the back and spun my legs a bit knowing I would take off again on the second climb. We reached the bottom, making the sharp right directly onto the next pass. We rotated well up the climb. I waited until we got to some steep pitches to take off again. Near the top of this climb the road turned up more then usual and I accelerated. I made a quick gap, feeling good. Unfortunately we were near the top where we would make a U-turn back down the road we climbed. Midway down the descent the group of five caught me. This was again not a technical descent by any means and they easily carried more speed here. At the bottom we took another right onto the final climb. I picked out one of the five who I knew was stronger then the others and watched him. Midway up the climb he attacked and I was immediately with him. The other four were working well together though and they caught us soon after. Everyone was now watching each other. After a few more steep pitches there came a pitch that was especially steep. I attacked. A gap opened. I found a rhythm, and now if I only knew how far up the finish was. I figured I had a mile or so. A few more steep sections and I was still alone. Finally I saw a sign saying 200 meters to go right as the road turned up sharply again. Suddenly the rider whom I had singled out as the strong rider in our group was passing me. I struggled to take his wheel, held for a few meters and was dropped. I hit the steep pitch and three others from the group where now with me. We crested the summit and the road turned downward for the final hundred meters. We sprinted and they had a gap on me by the line. I was fifth. I was upset but not too discouraged. My legs had felt good all day, and I was away on my own for half of the race. It was during the peak intensity at the finish where my fitness was not quite there. The breakaways showed me just where my fitness was. It was a great training race.

The US Pro Tour of Colorado leaders pass by my workplace, the Aspen Square. Here they were a few turns and a mile from the finish. Tommy D had just passed by and would just stay away.

Ready to race; New Mexico socks, my old sidi mtb shoes, Fuji Test-Team bib shorts, Aspen Hub jersey, Mercy Cycling Team gloves, and borrowed Trek Top Fuel bike with its own hogg-pogg spec.

Power of Four Recap

2012-09-02T12:42:00.002-05:00

The Power of Four was a powerful bitter sweet ride for me. The start of the race went right up Snowmass Mountain from the base village, almost 3,000 feet of climbing straight out of the gate. On the steep one mile of gravel road before the single track remainder of the climb I found myself in front setting the pace of the race. This beginning section was very steep so I was surprised no one was passing me as the effort wasn't killing me. At the entrance to the single track finally Lance passed me with tow other strong local riders I was watching. Lance didn't fly by me like I was expecting though, memories of watching him climb in the Tour of Gila. Instead he sort of rolled up next to me and I moved to the wheel behind him. We hit the single track as a group of four riders all together, myself in fourth position. A mile or so into the single track climbing the rider in front of me, third place, started to fall off pace. I was still feeling good, totally surprised by myself at this point, and I began looking for a time to pass. A half mile later I was able to pass, moving from fourth to third, and now sat 10 seconds behind Lance who was leading and second place who was on his wheel. I was feeling good and held them in check. I figured this was a good spot to start the race, still able to watch the trail in front of me and still able to watch Lance and the other leader. I thought I would keep them in check at this distance and see how they negotiated the first descent. Then I would use this insight of my opponents to race the following two mountains to the finish. At this point I was finding I still had one more gear, but knew that there was a good distance yet to race. The pace was still tough enough, and I was realizing I could climb with these two leaders. This was bringing a smile to my face and I was looking forward to seeing how Lance descended. We were neared the top of this first mountain to climb and began the traverse to the descent. I shifted up to the big ring and unlocked my suspension... Then my rear tire goes flat. I jumped off the bike, grabbed the spare inner-tube from my bike, pulled the rear wheel off the bike, made the change, and my CO2 quick fill dosen't seat well on the valve stem releasing all that race saving frozen air to the atmosphere. I begin asking the riders passing me if they can spare a pump. Eventually I am given a pump to use. I fill the tire, and begin passing riders in earnest. I pass six or seven riders... and my rear tire pinch flats. I pulled off the trail look back down at the rear tire, and count to ten. I then laugh briefly and begin walking my bike down the trail, down the mountain, wishing I had taken two spare tubes and three CO2's along with a frame pump. As I walked my bike I calculated how much this extra gear would have weighed. Eventually I made it back down to the base of the mountain, wondering where in the race Lance and the other leader was. I shook that thought from my head, found Annie with the car, hugged her, and looked around me to enjoy the beautiful day, thanked God for the gift of life, my able body, and the gift of bike riding. Sometimes that's racing.

"I think Lance is racing today!"

"Hmmm wonder if he's lined up yet"

"Hey guys do you think Lance is here yet?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion Lance is somewhere to the left of me..."

"Just keep spinning...."

Power of Four

2012-08-21T23:05:00.001-05:00

Today was one of my final prep days for the Power of Four mountain bike race this Saturday. The race climbs each of Aspen's four ski mountains consecutively, 36 miles total and 9,000 feet of vertical. To prepare for the race I decided to climb today. Woody Creek road was the route of choice which took me from 7200 feet up to 11,000 feet in 14.5 miles. The majority of the climb, 10 miles was well graded dirt road perfect for my cross bike. The 27 pound bike was maybe not in its element climbing though. Oh well, it makes me feel faster when I get on race bikes.

Views of Woody Creek Valley.

The legs felt very good on the ride after the weekend of wedding fun, and after all those ski shots this surprised me. For all of you flat-landers "ski shots" are shots of alcohol taken from a row of shot glasses fixed to the top side of a ski taken in all together with a group of friends. Despite the partying, the legs ticked up the mountain road smoothly and evenly.

Tomorrow I will loosen up the legs in the evening, and Thursday I'll ride part of the course in the early afternoon, up Midnight Mine Road then descend the new single track down Aspen Mountain to the finish of the race. Friday I'll loosen up my legs again in the evening, put finishing touches to the bike and get a good night's sleep. Saturday the race starts at a reasonable 8 am. Annie will drop me off, take care of me at feed zones, and kiss me at the finish! I'll make it up to her by taking her on a long hike on Sunday, Lost Man Loop perhaps.

In other news Steve Tilford is running an interesting topic line on Jonathan Vaughters, and the fight to end doping in cycling http://stevetilford.com/. The thread follows JV, his public admission to doping, and recent professional policies. This is also interesting to me because it rhymes with what I heard in Belgium about JV. The values of the sport seem so upside down when I ponder the current heads of the sport and the uphill slog the cleanliness of the sport faces. What needs to happen? What can happen? The hypocrisy of it all is incredible. It's strange to think that the racing I grew up watching on TV in the late 90's and early 2000's was awash in drugs. After all they didn't start testing for EPO until 2000. I feel like I'm still too young to become overly cyclical to the sport though. I feel like I need to hold on to a possible positive outcome. The racing recently does indeed seem to be cleaner then it once was. The race has a long way to go though, but at least I may see a modern federation of cycling with a drug free peloton somewhere in my lifetime. This is what I will hope and ride for. Will you join me?

After the Power of Four I will have three weeks until my final big race of the season, the Alpine Odyssey 100km mountain bike race in Crested Butte. I hear the race has plenty of single track which I hear is world class in Crested Butte. This is very exciting to me along with the race possibly qualifying me for Leadville next year.

Most of all I am excited to be able to ride. I remember sitting with Annie at the finish of Leadville across from a young military veteran with prosthetic legs, and thinking "Wow this young man can't ride". Upon thinking this I remembered how much fun the race was, how I grinned the whole way, and I thought how glad I am to be fully enjoying each moment on the bike. This is how the sport is for me again, as it was when I first started racing. Somewhere in Belgium I had lost that. I'm not sure why, but now I've got the joy back and I won't loose it a second time.

These pictures remind me after the ride how lucky I am. As a boy I dreamed of living in the mountains. As a teenager I dreamed of riding in the mountains, and now this is my playground. People pay big bucks to live where I do. Its astonishing to me to see all the people here who have spent their entire lives building their careers and saving money to retire or vacation somewhere as beautiful as this.

After the Crested Butte race I will find some sort of off season. Then later in the fall I'll get the pedals turning again, and take out the cross country skis in the winter to get in top shape for next season. I'm not sure what next season will bring, but I'm eager to find out.


The dirt road up Woody Creek.

My first winter in the mountains should be interesting as well. It will hit me sooner then I expect as even now the fall is showing itself here. The locals tell me the winter will be here soon and that big snow storms begin in October. As August is blazing by the leaves will begin to change. September will be the month of transition, one month when I am used to the autumn stretching into late November.

So long for now friends. The next post will likely recap the Power of Four race. 'Till then.

Wild flowers along the side of the road growing out of rock.

Post Leadville, Wedding, Power of Four

2012-08-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I married the best, most beautiful woman in the world! It was the best day of my life.

There isn't much else to say about the wedding. It was hard to see my friends and family go afterwards. I've selected a few key photos from the week around the wedding that I'll remember forever. Hopefully these pictures will say it all....

Annie looking so beautiful on our hike up Red Mountain.

The Rio Grande Trail bends with the Roaring Fork River.

My first moments as Annie's Husband!

Looking for the front break lever again as I descend from Powerline to the finish.

Where's Waldo? I smile at Annie as she finds me just in time for the start of Leadville. Not a bad start position.

Leadville Race Report

2012-08-13T23:14:00.001-05:00

Absolutely funnest and toughest race I have ever done. My first partake of the Leadville 100 did not disappoint, save for the course marshals turning the front 60 riders the wrong way and a group of riders cutting the course. Speaking of the course, it was the perfect combination of terrain for an epic off road race. I now understand why the race has the world renown. Such a race that I immediately registered for the very next race on the Leadville Qualifier Calender, the Alpine Odyssey in Crested Butte for September 15th of this year. Said Annie after the finish, "I think you have a beginning of something here."

Late in the race, descending from Powerline.

Waking up at 4:00 am for a race was new to me, but I was so excited I was staring at my phone as its alarm app rang. I didn't waste any time kitting up, shoving some coffee and pasta down, and clarifying my feed zone needs with the crew helping the team. On the bike pedaling to the starting corrals at 5:30 am, I decided my legs felt good to go and no warm up was needed. My heart was already doing its job. The corrals looked like a complex of herded cyclists nervously shuffling their bike shoe clod feet across the pavement in anticipation of a stampede. Corral number two, the Silver Corral, was my starting assignment. After asking some directions I found my corral, and crept to the front most spot I could find. Joel, the Team CKF videographer found me quickly and conducted an interview with me. I believe I said something along the lines of "Bike race good! Me want bike race!" He smiled, thanked me, and wondered off to find the other Team riders. Time passed. Annie found me just before the start to take my warm up clothing, a shot gun went off, and we commenced the neutral start. At 30 miles an hour, the neutral start was more like a road race. Instincts set in and I slid up in position through the nervous mountain bikers noticing the star studded field around me. We hit gravel and begun truly racing even though we were going slower than the neutral start. The course was wet with puddles gobbling up my front wheel as I watched the riders in front of me. I was sitting in the top 20 as we began the first climb ten miles or so into the race. Suddenly I noticed my climbing pace was not quite that of Christophe Sauser's and I began to lose ground to a select group of 30 forming just in front of me. Knowing that I had many hours left to race I decided to race my own pace and I settled into a rhythm. I dropped my chain near the top which reminded me I couldn't use my easiest sprocket on my cassette as it was too worn and wouldn't hold the chain. It took maybe 20 seconds to get my drive terrain rolling again. On the descent it became evident to me that my rear brake was not functioning. Luckily I didn't crash, but I spent the remainder of the race holding back on the downhills enough to slow down as needed with my front break only. Halfway down the first descent we hit pavement and I speed tucked to get to the closest group in front of me. Together with six others, we climbed up pavement to gravel to rocky double track to the top of Powerline. This group split as we neared the top. I was up the trail now from this group chasing just one other rider. My legs were feeling good, but my stomach really wanted to get rid of something and would feel this way all day. We began the tricky descent of Powerline which is a heavily eroded, rocky service road underneath a set of power lines. It follows the over head lines directly down the side of a mountain for several miles. I held on to my front brake as the group of riders I dropped on the climb now flew past me down the other side. There was a large creek crossing at the bottom that gave me a quick shower as I pedaled through then there was tarmac again.

Annie greets me at the finish.

The paved road now was flat, slightly false flat down into the cleared valley. I chased the few riders I could see in front of me as a group of four riders paced by me. I jumped on the back of this group. We made a right turn on another paved road and after a few miles noticed a sizable group of racers heading the opposite way, toward us. Two of the riders seemed to know what was going on and turned around to join this group that turned out to be the leaders of the race. I turned around as well to join this furious group of 30-40 riders hauling back the direction we came. We turned back onto the road we came from the on the heading we were previously going and I realized what the others who had done this race before already knew, that the course marshals had turned us down the wrong road. There was much swearing and cursing as the race continued the next miles until we exited the pavement onto rocky double track. The first feed zone came into view. Instinctively I moved to the right of the now apple sized rock strewn road and noticed that there were feeders on the left side as well as the right. I was now upset, and began guessing at which side of the road my feeders were amongst the masses of spectators and feeding crews blurring by either side of me. The pace of the group, now around 50 of the best riders in the race was angry fast both because the small front groups were now one large group from the wrong turn, as well as from having been turned the wrong way in the first place. I was watching the feeders on both sides at once and just missed my feeders on the right. I grabbed my bottle, felt it was still half full, and decided to continue without the new bottle. If I stopped I would never catch this group. I rolled with this group ten miles over dirt road, single track, pavement, gravel road, up and down twisting and turning to the next feed zone. Entering the second feed zone I moved to the back of the group to cautiously look for Annie who was to feed me here. She waved at me from the left side. I tossed my now empty bottle and successfully grabbed the bottle she held, she's quite good at hand ups. As I rejoined this front group I thought though she had been on the left, after the turn around on top the climb in front of us she would be on the right side, which is the correct and legal side to feed from. The timing chip said I went through this feed zone in 54th place, so the front group of riders was roughly 60 here.

Annie asking how it went.

The group quickly strung out as we began climbing the 3,000 feet to the summit of Columbine. The road surface was eroded gravel most of the ten miles to the top. I held my own towards the back of the group. A few riders were climbing with me, and a few riders were catching and passing me. My stomach was now really not happy though my face had been in a wide grin since the start line. I decided this would be a good time to take a leak, and stopped next to a tree to relieve matters. Back on the bike I caught back up to the riders I was with. Exiting the tree line, at 12,000 feet and still climbing, the road forked and we headed up a near impossibly steep lose rock double track. Everyone around me was still on their bikes and I felt good. Nobody was passing anyone anymore, and I was happy I hadn't seen any of the leaders heading back from the turn around yet. Nearly two miles from the top, the first of the leaders came flying down the mountain past me. I thought this would be an opportunity to check my standing in the race at this point and began counting the riders passing me, coming down the mountain. The riders around me including myself, were now walking our bikes up the even steeper pitch. I hit the top plateau, 12,600 feet, and continued the 2 remaining miles of flat tundra double track to the turn around, counting riders all the way. I counted 74 just before I rounded the u turn, so 20 riders must have passed me during the climb. Descending the incredibly steep and loose double track with just my front break proved tricky, but I made it down to the gravel road at treeline without any spills. I was fine for the most part descending the the gravel road though a couple riders caught and passed me as I held onto my front brake lever. I made it to the bottom and took my second feed from Annie who was now on the right side. A mile later I noticed my Dad was on the side of the road amongst the spectators who were everywhere, all very positive and enthusiastic. I pulled over his direction, arms up and gave him a hi-five. His spontaneous appearance made my day. I chased the now lone riders I could see as we retraced our pedal strokes to the first feed zone. This was probably the part of the race were I felt the worst though I was still grinning. My chain I noticed was beginning to sound dry. The grease I had packed it with had done its job well though all the puddles and dust. I picked the little bottle of chain lube from my pocket and sprayed it on my chain as I pedaled. This was a tip I read about for this race and was easier said then done, but most of it got on the chain I decided, at least it sounded better.

I struggled back to the first feed zone, but held my position in the race. I new were to look as I entered the feeding area and snagged my musette. Beginning to dread the portion of the course in front of me, 25 mph headwind and crosswind over exposed paved road for five miles, a group of six suddenly appeared next to me. These riders save my moral and my legs as we pace lined and echeloned through this windy no-man's-land. We caught and passed lone riders who couldn't even accelerate to gain our draft. I followed these wheels and did my bit of work until we reached the base of Powerline. At first these six riders surged ahead of me, but as we hit the steepest part of the climb they all dismounted while I decided I could ride this son of a gun and I ground my way up making sure to stay in my second to easiest gear, passing these six riders. Still grinning I crested the summit and held my front break down the rocky wide single track descent. Still descending I hit the gravel road, now letting go of the brake lever. As I neared the corner onto the paved portion of the descent Annie cheered to me from the side of the road. She had driven from way out on the course to see me again back towards Leadville. This was a great surprise and made my day again.

Annie and I pose with the CKF Team after the race.

The paved road bottomed out, and I began climbing again. Riders were in and out of view ahead of me. A rider caught me midway up and I held his wheel for a while. This proved to quick for me eventually and the rider left me near the summit. At the top I turned off the pavement onto a rocky forest road. This descended gradually enough for me to let go of my front brake somewhat. Nearer the bottom it became steeper, and I found my front brake again to safely negotiate the switchbacks. At the bottom it was still forest road for five miles into town. A rider passed me along this stretch and he was flying. I held his wheel for a few brief moments before my legs remembered the previous 90 miles. Nevertheless I entered town in my hardest gear, and churned the next closest few rings up the hill to the finish. I glanced at the clock as I rolled over the red carpet at the finish line to see 8 hours 1 minute, and I wondered where that one minute was spent. This thought didn't last long though because I next remember Annie picking me up and embracing me in a warm hug. We laughed and she kissed me until I remembered where I was again, that I had just finished the toughest race of my life thus far.


The Buckle for finishers under 9 hours, and the finisher's medal.

The most fun I've ever had on a bike.

Leadville Prep Week

2012-08-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

This week I have been concentrating on easy miles, staying off my feet, and reading everything online I can find about racing Leadville. This has pointed out a few tips so far, such as greasing your chain instead of using lube (Mr. Dave Wiens), and racing your own limits (Mr. Kent McNiell). From more of what I've read, I probably won't sleep much the night before, I should shift two gears easier from the gear I think I can pedal, and I won't know how I am doing until the second half of the race.

View of the Hunter Creek Valley dropping into the Roaring Fork Creek Valley.

According to blogs on the subject, the last 25 miles or so will be very painful, and I should also carry a small bottle of chain lube in my back pocket. I should let my crew know the approximate split times I will arrive at each specific feed station, as well as what food/drink I will want. It will be cold in the morning though I probably won't notice it from all the excitement. It will either be hot and dry or cold and wet.

View of the bike path crossing Maroon Creek. Aspen sits two miles up the road.

I feel ready. Today I spent several hours overhauling the bike I will be using. I'm glad I did as the rear hub freewheel was beginning to split. If I had ridden it in the race it may have ruined the day for me. The wheels are true again. The suspension now has lockout functions. Tomorrow I will thoroughly degrease the chain and chain-rings, finish cleaning the bike, and pack. Thursday I will ride in the morning, haul all of Annie's and my gear to Leadville, pick up my race packet, and drive back to Aspen for my evening shift. Friday I will again ride in the morning, go back over the pass to Leadville again to attend the race meeting, and catch up with old friends then drive back to Aspen. Friday night I will work the evening shift, pasta load for dinner, and drive Annie over to our room in Leadville after my shift. Saturday I will wake up and freak out, just kidding... I'll have breakfast early, kit up, and race!

View of the street on which I live, 5th and Main.

Final Leadville Prep Ride

2012-08-06T22:58:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday was my last big training ride for Leadville. I ventured up a steep little jeep road name Midnight Mine and cruised the top of Richmond Ridge from the top of Aspen mountain all the way to Taylor Pass. The total ride distance via mountain bikes was over 50 miles, with 20 of that around 12,000 feet.

View of Taylor Lake from Taylor Pass. Cottonwood Pass and the town of Almont lay in the distance.

I joined three others for the ride; Chris Klug, the local Olymipic hero and seriously strong rider, John a local doctor and masters stalwart, and Tommy another local masters strong man. Together we made our way, dodging rocks, boulders, four-wheelers, dirt bikers, and ATV's.

View from the top of Midnight Mine road, a 5.5 mile road climbing 3,000 feet.

I felt super strong up Midnight Mine. From there we made our way up to Richmond Ridge Road which meandered along the top of a long line of mountains. On one of the small rocky descents on this road Chris got a rear flat tire. We spent roughly 20 minutes trying to change the flat, and the rest of the ride hoping the rim would hold the tire together the rocks bent it up a bit. It was an expensive ride for Chris.

View from the ridge top overlooking the front side of Taylor Pass. Notice Chris standing with is bike in the lower left. The mountains in the background are all over 14,000 feet. Picture is taken at 12,600 feet.

Fittingly there was a final series of steep climbs to the end and top of the ridge, each one steeper a more difficult than the last. The end of the ultimate climb provided an amazing view of Cathedral Peak. See if you can spot it above. We descended from here to Taylor Pass, then on down to Emerald Pass, then down to the top of Castle Creek Pass, and then down to Aspen. It took 4 hours to climb to our summit and 1 hour to descend from there to Aspen.

The lonely old hwy road to Difficult Campground, paralleling the new Independence Pass road. Picture taken on my easy spin today after my rest day Sunday.

I must say I felt like the mountain bike version of Rocky when I snapped this photo. If Rocky were to ride mountain bikes that is, I am sure he would have ridden up to the top of Richmond Ridge, punched his fists through the air and hoisted his bike high above his head!

I am ready for Leadville, ready and super excited. Terribly lucky to have a shot at this race, and riding with a bunch of very good people. The Hub of Aspen and the Chris Klug Foundation have been instrumental and invaluable to me and my race preparation thus far. I would be nowhere without them and especially my darling Annie who lovingly lets me go out on these long training rides. I love you Honey!

Leadville training

2012-08-02T18:33:00.001-05:00

With just over a week to go before Leadville I am putting the finishing touches on whatever form I was able to develop this season, all two months of it. I won't spend too much time recapping my winter and spring since I have previously, but I felt like I had some form going into the month of March before the hernia surgery. Having to spend two months off the bike with no exercise of any kind felt like a set back. Even so, I can't complain as I get to live and ride in one of the nicest places in the world to bicycle. That and I feel unusually lucky to get invited to race Leadville. To say I am very excited for this race would be an understatement. I am pumped for this race, and as it is the biggest race this year for me I am focusing on peaking for it. Today was one of the final days of training for the race. Next week I will take it easy.

Bike paths web up and down the valley. Here Mount Sopris, a 14'ner, dominates the horizon.

As I did my base miles today I felt my legs were reacting well after the state championship road race last weekend. I began to feel my old sensations as I stood and powered up some of the climbs. On the false flats at the top I found I was able to hold a fair tempo while still recovering from the efforts. I'm not sure how I will end up when I rest next week, but so far the condition feels promising. Tomorrow I will rest, and Saturday I will do my last distance ride before the race. I'm not sure If I will pre-ride the course Saturday, or do some other distance on the mtb, the ride to Crested Butte perhaps.

The road up Crystal Creek Pass.

Government Trail Pre-Ride, and State Road Race Report

2012-07-30T19:28:00.002-05:00

I'll begin chronologically reverse with the report the Sunday's Colorado State Road Race Championship. I ended up 15th out of 40 or so riders which I am more okay with than happy about. I much rather would have liked to have won but that's simply a day dream. In reality I am satisfied with the race as the year before was a wash for my cycling and this past spring was hampered from a hernia surgery taking me off the bike for two months. My training then has only been both substantial and serious for the past two months, beginning in June. That and I've been adjusting to life at 8,000 plus feet. In sum I'm satisfied with the performance, and now more detail...

View from my ride today. Aspen is just behind this first ridge.

Preparations for the race began Saturday, naturally. I did a longer and tougher than normal pre-race ride mainly because I am using this summer to make a comeback so that I'll be fast again next year perhaps. This is the goal. Subsequently the first few laps of the 12 lap race were torturous to my legs. Midway through though my legs finally opened up and felt good.

View of McClain Flats, just down valley from Aspen.

The race was more dictated from the course rather than tactics. It was 5.7 miles with a gradual uphill section ending with three steep pitches halfway through the lap followed with a highly technical descent which included a gravel switchback among other unusual features. The group would stay together, spinning and setting tempo up to the steep pitches on top of the climb. A half dozen riders would attempt to break free on the top pitches only to get caught almost immediately on the descent due to the tight turns. The peloton rolled through the bottom of the lap together to start the same process all over again. A few riders attempted to breakaway early on the climb with one rider succeeding at this maneuver. The overall effect of the course though was to gradually drop riders off the back with each lap over the climb. A group of eleven riders were left together at the front over the final lap.

A view off the top of Buttermilk Mountain.

My race was following wheels and muscling over the climb. I was strong enough to race with the group and to get over the climb with the leaders. Eventually though my legs built up too much lactic. My condition then I think is that I've good shape but not enough base. This I expected. The race was just two laps too long for me, and at 68 miles total this is clearly not acceptable. I will work on this, and the base will come. By next summer all should be well again. If the race was a more typical elite distance of 100 to 120 miles I would have been up the proverbial creek.

View of Maroon Creek valley from the top of Buttermilk Mountain, Pyramid Peak in the distance.

On the second to last lap then I popped on the top of the climb. I paced tempo with two compatriots down into the last lap and was alone over the top of the final climb. At the finish I was two minutes down on the lead group after roughly 13 kilometers of chasing. Overall I'm happy with this, but not contented. It appears the condition is on schedule at least.

As for my ride today, I spun out my legs on the road for two hours then jumped on the mountain bike, pictured below, to pre-ride the race course for this Wednesday. I ended up finding the right trail after climbing to the mountain top it begins at though not with enough time to ride it before work. This last could be a fitting analogy to my cycling career, but then I have every blessing I could have cared for... he who laughs last right?...

The mountain bike the Aspen Hub bike shop has endowed me with for my racing this year, erg mooi!

Training ride to Twin Lakes, etc

2012-07-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

Today I decided to go big. Thankfully I had the time. There was only one route to choose on such a day, Independence Pass to Twin Lakes. The pass climbs from 7,900 feet to 12,100 feet in 15 miles. Those figures should say something. Even so, this is a particularly beautiful climb with no guardrails and perilous thousand foot cliffs dropping from tight 10 mph switchbacks.

The descent down the backside.

Normally on a descent morning you can get to the top and back without any trouble from the weather if you leave early enough. Otherwise you need to wait for a sunny day on the forecast to make the plunge down to bottom of the other side, refill, and make it up the backside without getting caught in an impromptu thunderstorm hail blizzard because life is tough above the treeline.

You cant see the 1000 foot cliff on the other side of this switchback.

All in all, my ride totaled 74 miles and change over the span of 4 h and 45 min. This was a fair clip for me on my 27 pound cross bike, ticking away some moderate base miles.

The tourist traffic was light when I headed out in the morning, but on my way back there were practically whole pelotons on the road climbing up the Aspen side. RV and motorcycle traffic was mild.

Pictured above is nearing the top of the Aspen side. I am looking down from a 500 foot cliff on the final switchback. It was a great day on the bike. Tremendously lucky to have these roads as my backyard.

Ciao.

12 Hours of Snow mass, small victory, new friends

2012-07-23T12:44:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I participated in the final round of the USA Cycling Pro Ultra Endurance Tour, the 12 Hours of Snowmass. Alpine Bank here in Aspen financed the event, and lucky for me the bank also sponsors the local shop team I'm riding for currently. This gave the four man squad I was with a front row spot to set up our tent and gear in the venue/staging area. This also gave us a pit area ahead of the attending cycling celebrities; Cameron Chambers, Tinker Juarez, Chris Charmichael... to name a few.

The three teammates of mine, Tyler, Mike, and of course Mike, were hardy mountain bikers. Mike and Mike were both local masters racers, and one of them was narrowly out sprinted to the line for the win at the Masters MTB Cross Country Nationals just a few weeks ago. On top of that this was evidently the third time this has happened to him! I told him better luck next year. Tyler is a new rider to the sport, about my age, and full of potential. The other Mike has been riding for roughly 5 years and held his own. Great group of new friends for me, and not too shabby around the course.

With four riders we were placed in the Open category which consisted of teams of 4 or more riders. This left us out of the competition of the pro's and celebrities who were classed in the trio, duo, and solo categories. Chip timing made it easy and fun to compare lap times with everyone nevertheless. The four of us would ride to win our open category by a margin of two of the 9 mile laps. The four of us were able to complete 12 laps total, one lap off the leading duo and trio teams who completed 13 laps each. Tinker alone did an amazing 11 laps and Cameron Chambers posted the fastest lap time of 45 minutes.

These were highly technical laps. The course switch-backed up single track, over very rocky and steep terrain, for roughly 30 minutes. You then traversed the mountain and descended over even more difficult terrain for around 20 minutes back down to the start/finish. Although the course was as difficult as any of the other mountain bike trails I have ridden around here, I thought it was very well designed to be both challenging and still have great speed, flow and rhythm. It turns out Snowmass has a vast mountain bike trail network with all varieties of difficulty.

Other notable mentions of the day include my sighting of a mother bear and her cub playing in a tree next to the course, and a dear laying down next to a roadway who simply stared at me and didn't even flinch as I rode past. I realized this isn't the Midwest.

Going forward I'm competing in the Colorado State Road Race this Sunday. Its a flat, rolling course atypical to Colorado and more like the roads of Nebraska from whence I came. It will be a circuit of 5 miles and change for 12 laps totaling 68 miles which smacks heavily of doing those laps around Branched Oak Lake for which I am sentimental though not overly fond. Tune in next week when I have the race report.

Back at it

2012-07-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

This past year has been interesting to say the least. I went from working as a financial advisor to working as a plumber and a bicycle delivery person. I went from training and planning to race in Belgium to planning to move to Aspen, Co and spending two months off the bike in the spring due to a hernia surgery. The surgery recovery followed smoothly though, as did the move to Aspen. Gradually I was able to return to the bike.

A view of Castle Creek valley during a mtb trainning ride.

Restarting my training for the season fresh at 8000 feet was also interesting. That and the flattest portion of pavement for base training around town changes 2000 feet in elevation over 40 miles. The area has given me plenty of challenging world class terrain to enjoy as well breathtaking views. This much I cannot complain about.

The form is coming back slowly but surely. There are plenty of local races the Aspen Cycling Club (http://www.aspencyclingclub.org/) puts on every Wednesday evening. These are great improvements to the standard Wed. night worlds held in most other parts of the country. All they require is a half dozen volunteers each week along with the friendly compliance of the local public offices for the proper permits. This last is likely difficult to come by for most municipalities. Aspen luckily is a haven for cycling enthusiasts.

The ACC puts on both road and mtb events, taking good advantage of the wonderful terrain surrounding town. Prizes are awarded at the end of a long season for points earned from placings and volunteering together. This means that you get as many points for helping at a race as you do for winning. I think this is great for building support for putting on the events. To race all you need to bring in addition to cycling gear is $10 if you're not a member. A membership will run you $65 though this knocks $5 off your entry for each event. I count twenty two races this season so it adds up.

There are plenty of racers for each race it seems, typically around a hundred show up for each event with the top category, senior men A, seeing twenty or so riders show usually. This has been a fair category with local mtb pro's and former road pro's competing regularly. Building my way up through these small town ranks has boosted my morale as I work towards next season.

Having a respectable season next year is my current goal, though that doesn't mean I won't enjoy some good racing this year. Tomorrow I'll compete in a 12 hour mtb race along with 3 teammates from the local shop that's adopted me, the Aspen Hub (http://www.hubofaspen.com/). Good bunch of guys who keep in shape in the winter competing in skinning events which are ultra endurance events that take skis up and down mountains. I may give it a shot, though the cross country skiing in town consists of over 60 km of free groomed terrain of all abilities. No complaints here either, but I diverge.

A few other higher level races I plan on this season; the Leadville 100 (http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/), the Colorado State Road Championships, and The Power of Four (http://www01.aspensnowmass.com/travelinfo/events/detail.cfm?eventid=226). The Power of Four is a marathon mountain bike race that climbs, from the base to the top, over each of the four Aspen Ski Mountains. The total climbing is 11000 feet over 33 miles. As an aside, I find that the local cycling lingo revolves around elevation figures.

I am excited about these races, and certainly about getting to ride here in the Roaring Fork Valley. It feels like I am having a renaissance in my cycling. Things are looking up after a lost season last year, and I am motivated to continue a return to the sport. I'll continue to keep training big miles in preparation for next year. This winter will pose new challenges to get a good base in but there are brand new options for me as well such as cross country skiing. Whatever happens I'll keep enjoying to the fullest my opportunities to ride and train. We'll see where this goes.

Coach's Tip 2 - Forming better habits

2011-10-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

This Coach's Tip is a continuation from the previous one posted below.

Carefully observe your base training quality. Ride in your base efficiency zone for the entire ride as best you can. This is the first step to finding your new level which is the fastest way to improve. Concentrate and ride diligently. Mark each successful day off of your calender and watch your improved method become a habit. A month will pass and you will be ready for the next step of improvement. There are many more steps. They are simple changes but you must take one at a time. If you tried several at once you would not successfully develop proficiency in each necessary habit. Take care and train smart. The smarter you train, the faster you improve.

Remember that your racing will greatly mimic your training. We all race and train and live through our habits. Habits are cemented in what we do every day and what we have done for years and decades. To improve, you will need to change your habits so that you focus on the quality of your base training. Your old habits will take time to change since you have been relying on them for a long time. It will take approximately 4-6 weeks of concentrating on your training style to make it a habit. It will take a great deal of concentration, but once you have gone a month or so you will not need to concentrate on it as much anymore. At that point it becomes a habit. When this new habit is solidified, it is time to develop your habits even more through further improvements.

As you begin your base training regimen you need to upgrade your training quality. After you have developed the habit of training in your base zone properly, as explained in the previous Coach's Tip, it is time to upgrade your training. You will keep training in your base zone but you will add additional elements to improve your training. The next step is improving what you do during your base training ride. We will examine this step in the next month or in the beginning of December.

I will add additional Coach's Tips as we build toward the end of this first month to your successful 2012 season. Your improvement will come slowly, and so will the new steps to your improved training. Each step will be kept simple so that you may develop with the least amount of additional stress. It will help you to keep track of your training and write down the summary of your training everyday in an organized training diary. If you have any questions feel free to ask.You may come to me for further support. Get out there and ride.

Coach's Tip

2011-10-27T16:53:00.001-05:00

October and the off-season have flown by. November is just around the corner. Your planning and preparation for the next season need to begin now. The key to your success next summer will depend on what you do over the winter. Base training is what your peak fitness will rest upon.

The important thing to remember when getting your first base training rides done is that you need to be fast in the summer, and not right now. Do not worry about feeling slow or being slightly out of shape. It is from your training that you will slowly improve. You need to hold yourself back to the proper base training speed that is right for you.

Base training is done at slower speeds. Ideally you should know at what level of exertion, in heart rate or watts, you begin to produce lactic acid in your blood stream. Lactic acid is the substance that builds slowly in your blood and burns in your muscles eventually causing your muscles to fail and you to get dropped. Most people have the physical strength to ride fast for a short period. Few people can ride at that top end for a long period.

What the "fast" riders have is this ability. You can stay with them at the start, but soon they drop you because you have built up lactic acid and they have not. The principle of base training is to train your body to produce less lactic acid or hopefully none at all; unless your are in dead sprint, of course. Only the top pros reach this level. You can greatly improve yourself too through careful base training.

You train yourself to produce less lactic acid or none at all by training your body to ride more efficiently. To train yourself to ride more efficiently you need to start training at the level where you are already efficient. This is also the level of exertion just below where you begin to produce lactic acid. Often this is around the standard "base conditioning" zone described in many gyms and exercise books which is roughly calculated as 75% of your maximum heart rate.

Find this level for yourself and begin your training just underneath this heart rate. Stay at this level for the entire training ride as best you can, and keep your training hours per week low at first. Your body will slowly adapt and become more efficient. Your body will begin to expand your efficient range of exertion. You may start your base training season with the ability to ride at 200 watts without producing lactic acid, or still inside your efficient heart rates. Later on in the summer after training this way properly through the winter and spring you may find you can now ride at 250 watts within your efficient zone. Think what that sort of improvement is like.

Concentrate on your base training now. You will build a basic ability that will make good results more consistent in the summer. Remember quality over quantity. You will know if you are training correctly because you will still feel good at the end of your ride, versus sore and worn out. Get out there and ride.

A February Digression

2011-02-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday I enjoyed a group ride in Omaha. The turn out and as well as the weather were unusually good. We did one of my old favorite loops to Glenwood, Iowa.

A quick pre-ride "still life".

My philosophy, the first time I've ever seen it written.

C'mon Springtime!

2011-02-16T13:51:00.000-06:00

My thoughts exactly.

back on gravel

2011-02-13T15:05:00.000-06:00

Last week I was finally able to get outside on the bike for the first time since last year. The rumors about the gravel conditions currently are true, the roads right now are awesome. I hoped to get out this weekend but there appears to be too much else on my to do list. Maybe I'll do a short run instead. It would be wrong to not take advantage of this phenomenal warm break in the cold weather pattern, and I could always use more vitamin D.

The rural wonderland of gravel Nebraska may to much for me this weekend, but someone wise once told me; "When the going gets tough... the tough kiss a giant grizzly bear made of nails." Well wise one... touché.

Happy Holiday's 2011

2011-01-15T15:16:00.000-06:00

Simply too lucky, Annie and I took a few photos while snowboarding Aspen Highlands over winter break. She was right, Maroon Bells, the mountains directly behind my head, were breathtaking.

Later that day, we caught a glimpse of of this guy on a unicycle riding down the mountain! And I thought I was crazy! This is the most ridicules thing I've ever seen.

The riding has been a little slim this winter, but I think this picture says it all, Happy new year everyone!