Fall Blaze

Durango at dusk!
The start of the Fall Blaze
The Danielson's, after Tom crushed me up Shalona. I wasn't really trying to hang though, yeah right!
3rd Ave., D-TOWN!!!!!

Today was the Fall Blaze fundraiser for the FLC Cycling team. It is in it's first year and after the turnout today it is definitely going to be an annual thing. I decided to go and show my support for the club that has helped develop so many of us riders in Durango. Thinking it was going to be a light turnout in it's first year. Only 300 people!! That is awesome. It was a huge success and I had a ton of fun riding with all the people who worship Danielson. It was good to catch up with Tom after his long season. His wife Kristin had an awesome season on the mtb NORBA series for her first year as a pro and was top 10 in the series. Watch out next season ladies!

As the gun went off I rolled out slowly and hung at the back thinking it would be a slow ride. Before I knew it I was getting spit out the back with Deez. I looked up ahead and saw that it was single file. Some of the new freshman were up front drilling it on the fundraiser ride. Nice job guys. Way to blow apart all the fun riders. There was a nasty headwind as we rolled out the valley. Soon I was on the front suffering trying to catch people. Tom was up there to as well as Velo News Jason Sumner. We were all complaining (yes, Imagine me complaining) about the headwind. By the time we got to Shalona it was time to bring back the kids who attacked the fun ride. Danielson shelled me easily up Shalona. It was a refresher of what it is like to watch him ride away from me. Bye Bye!

I finally got my cross stuff last night. I will throw up a picture of the bike when I get it al built up and completed. The new Sram Force stuff is light and trick. I can't wait to giver at Glouster. I haven't been feeling top notch lately, but that is kind of the plan, not to be peaking in the beginning. So when I get crushed next weekend don't be surprised. But if I am in the Top then be very surprised because it just means that I am going to get faster. I want to be fast at Nationals this year.

Anyway, got to go build up the bicycle. Thanks for stopping in, leave me a comment sometime, even if it is hate mail I am sure someone will get a kick out of it. Waiting to hear back from Colovita today! Should be good, Stay tuned!

I'm just livin the dream!

Fall in Durango
My Bro (Zach) Ripping the Colorado Trail
Jay Rush, starting to crack at the top
At the top of Dryfork/Colorado Trail, Silver Peak in snow!
Roosting it!

I have been roosting the mountain bike for the last few days. Thanks to dicky dub for loaning me his Kona Leroi. It is a pretty sweet bike and not bad for a full suspension. I hadn't been up on the Colorado Trail since last year. It was still covered in snow the last time I had a bike and it had been a while. It was ripping up there and the colors are perfect right now. Get up there while you still can if you are from the Durango area.

I rode out in the gulch today on the mtb bike. The gulch is about 2 minutes from my house and has some of the best riding around. Sick! I just cruised today, because I am feeling a little under the weather. School is starting to crack me and it is hard to recover from any hard training. Could be worse though, so I am just taking it in stride.

My cross bike showed up today. Just waiting for the parts that should be here by the end of the week and I will have a cross bike to throw down on this weekend hopefully. Glouster is next weekend. Gotta get some practice in on the bike.

Still not sure about next year. I am starting to get some offers though which is good. Talking to some more big teams that have lots of opportunity. It is looking like I will be racing on the road again next season. I am looking foreword to it already. It was hard at times, but a blast all around. That's all for now folks!

FLC Squawker Home Race

Shagman, Reigning STXC National Champ, needed Beer HeRE!
The Real Joey Thompson came out to throw down on the Cross bike, Scary Fast!
Caleb rode away from the B's, time to upgrade sandbagger!
Euro chick in the stxc sporting some cotton candy booties
Another FLC Woman, roosting the corner!

It was great to be a spectator of the Fort Lewis College short track instead of a participant. Lots of riders showed up to log some suffering junk miles. It was a gorgous day and the races were action packed. The Fort Lewis XC teams are unreal strong. They won everything today!

The men's A start was so fast and it reminded me of the suffering that I used to be good at. Alex Hagman got stuffed at the start and had to work his way back up. Too many beers on the town last night though and he was never in the lead group. Come on Shaggy! It was up to Eric Ransom and Joey THompson to do battle at the front of the race. They crossed the line holding hands I think. Joey looks strong on the cross bike and Ransom looked very comfortable as well.

Since I have no mountain bike of my own yet still, I borrowed one from Rick Wetherald. I haven't ridden the MTB since April. My god the trails were insanely good. I was out there for a couple hours killing all of my old trails in Horse Gulch. As I came back down Anasazi I saw a huge group of riders gathering in the meadow. Turns out I was just in time for the Men's A Super D. I haven't done one of these before so I decided I would line up and race with the collegiate boys. I had no number but whatever? It is a lemanz style start which was freaking crazy. After running to my bike I got out onto the trail in 5th place. Quickly I found myself in familiar territory right behind another veteran Chris Jung from CU who I have battled with many times. I was able to move past him on the last big climb and into the lead. I was sketch going through the downhills on a bike I had just gotten 2 hours before and since my mtb skills are a little rusty. None the less, I hung on for the win in the Super D. It was a 6 minute suffer fest but a hell of a good time!

Tomorrow is the X-C and I had not planned on racing. Although, I do have a bike now to borrow. It is a full suspension, but hey, it worked good today. What to do? To race or not to race? I have to go out and pre-ride at 7:45 in the morning for Hagen anyway, might be a good warm up. Hhmmmm?

Still no mountain bike of my own and no cross bikes. My first race is in two weeks so I am getting a little worried about lining up with the guns, no time on the old CX bikes and no time on the dirt. SKETCH! Whatever, it is all for fun anyway. Gotta go eat some more food.

Guess Who??

Who can it be??

Do you remember the 80's? I threw up a pick for all of you fans out there. Can you tell me who the guy is leaning in the doorway putting out the 80's vibe and talking to the drug dealer in the 80's addidas suit? Check out the stonewash jeans that are pegged at the bottom and the fanny pack. It is kind of hard to see the cut off collar on the sweat-shirt. He even has a beer in hand. I am not going to give you any hints because it is almost to easy to guess. Post your guesses in the comments section. I busted this picture out of the archives.

Still no mountain bike and I am losing my mind trying to stay excited about riding the road bike. How many valley loops are possible in one year? I think I have exeeded the maximum allowed quota in one year. Surely I am not even close to the record of some other cyclists who put in insane hours. Doing multiple valley loops is inevitable with the weather and it is one of the only flat rides around here.

Got word that the cross bikes are on the way and will be here next week. Sweet! I can't wait to rage on some trails in the gulch on the cross bike and throw down in Folsom park on the Wednesday cross rides. Speaking of cross rides, we are thinking of doing two rides this year. Maybe one on Thursday Afternoon?

I am still not sure what is going on for next season? Who will I be racinig for? Will I be retiring? Who knows? Maybe I can be as good as the guy in the stonewash jeans someday!

Freeze! Police!!!

Sean checks out some drunkie's license!
That would be a large shotgun
Busted!

Last week I did nothing after US Pro. I don't have any important races to do and my mountain bike isn't here yet. I ate, recovered, caught up on school work that I missed in the first week and drank some beers, allot of beers!

I went out on a ride along with my roommate who is a Durango Police Officer. It was a ton of fun. You don't even realize how stupid people are until you are actually listening to them mouth off, drive drunk, and just be dumb. I went on the night shift for a few hours and was out until 1 in the morning . Basically you jump in the car and cruise around all night. When you are driving around you run the radar allot looking for speeders and drunkies. We busted a bunch of college tools for open containers. They didn't stop lipping off, so they got tickets. Idiots! It was fun and if you thing being a cop is easy, do a ride along and watch all the shit they take. It is crazy.

I am tuning up for cross and tackling a ton of school. The cross schedule is not to demanding but looks like I will be traveling a little. Glouster will be my first stop. That's all I am cracked! Lame update, sorry!

US Pro results

You heard it here first. George Hincapie is the new National Champ, Levi Leipheimer in second and Danny Pate in 3rd. Navigators Burke Swindlehurst in 4th. Durango's new transplant Chris Wherry in 5th and I think Andrew Bajadali in 6th. That is it.

Road season is over! 18th at US Pro Road

I just finished the road season about and hour ago. I am so cracked and just waiting to go to dinner. The race was incredibly hard and the course was so selective. We had a steep 4K climb on each of the 5 laps with a total race length of 121 miles. Add about 85 degrees and 100% humidty and it is to hot for satan himself. The race came apart on the 2nd lap up the climb and I was feeling pretty good. The move went and I decided it was to early to follow the leaders over the top. Bad idea! Hincapie, Levi, Wherry, and the rest of them just rolled away. Only one of our guys Frank Pipp managed to make it into the lead group. Pipp is always the most solid rider. At the end I did manage a pretty good sprint and I think I ended up finishing the race in 18th and I heard that there were only 30 or so finishers. Whew! I made it.

Now I jump on a plane tomorrow morning and head back to Durango for the 2nd week of school. I will be taking a little break for a while and then hitting the cross bikes hard. I can't wait for cross. But first it is beer drinking season and bbq time. After doing all of my homework of course.

It has been an extremely hard season and I have learned so much in my first year as a pro on the road. It is very different from mountain bike racing. I would like to continue living the dream and race more on the road next year. It all depends on getting another good contract and opportunity with a team like Targetraining. Anyway, I am getting all teary eyed talking about it. (sniffle, sniffle). I am out of here! More later