Current Song: Say Hey (I Love You), Micheal Franti and Spearhead
What I did Today: 2 laps on Devisadero
Energy: Very Sleepy and very tired
Well it seems that no matter how many times I ride the world cup course at Angel Fire, I can't help myself from thinking I am racing that world cup that happened five years ago. That I was the one chasing down Christoph Sauser. Well yesterday I did three laps, and could not stop pushing myself. It was a blast. I just wanted to race and constantly found my sane self checking my speed. Well it was a really great ride and even better news.. my sister took some pictures as she walked one backwards while I rode three so hopefully I can get those up pretty soon. I unfortunately could not any pictures of North Carolina because with the camp there was no time and the one day I was going to, It poured down rain and I did not want to break my camera!
Today was an awesome ride. I definitely felt yesterday though. I went up to do devisadero twice which is quite a grunt. I felt strong on my skills in climbing clearing some switchbacks I normally have trouble with. Descending however, what a world of difference. I felt much more flowy on the switchbacks. There was even a difference from the first lap to the second lap. I felt great, very confident which is a large change. My descending felt so smooth, I really noticed not using the brakes as much. It was a very good day. After my ride I finally finished unpacking and am now just finding a way to waste time before dinner. I am looking forward to tomorrow's recovery ride and then Friday I will be doing a first, 30/30's. For now, Life is Good
6/30/10
6/29/10
North Carolina and Beyond!
Current Song: Friend of the Devil, The Counting Crows
What I did Today: This is more about what I did Last week
Energy: Pretty tired.
Well there are several things I can say about Brevard, North Carolina. But everything I say points to one sign, it is awesome. I absolutely loved every minute of my trip and can't wait for next year. My Mountain bike camp was amazing. I learned so much and perhaps the funniest thing was how similar skiing is to ripping turns on a mountain bike. Hopefully I can get to the same place I was on skis. Well this is a blog, So I am going to write as much as I can remember about everyday.
Monday- Arrival day. The flights were long and boring. At least I got a window seat. I had a long layover in Atlanta which I spent watching a world cup soccer game. By the time I got to North Carolina, I was pretty much ready to sleep( I had been up since 2). Once I finally found Corry, my airport pick-up, I was on my tour of North Carolina. I couldn't stop looking out the window as we drove from Asheville to Brevard and then to Cedar Mountain. The place we stayed was a huge house, the property had a huge lake and was basically amazing. I un-packed the bike as fast as I could and once that was done, Jeremiah Bishop showed up. How amazing. His help this week was beyond comparison, he is so fast and very friendly. We went off on our first ride in DuPont State Forest. It has hundreds of miles of dry, super-fast, flowy, smooth trails. Not typical east coast riding but it was great. This will definitely be a fun place to go for next year as the technicality allowed one to rest but, the flowy berms and turns allowed one to really have a blast. That night we went swimming in the amazing pond and had a blast with everyone. We talked a lot about exercise science that night (and every night) which was great. It felt more like a full on classroom then a bike camp. I learned a lot.
Tuesday- Time Trial Day. Well to start the day off, we all had to put slick tires on all of the 26 inch mountain bike wheels. After that ordeal and by the time we all got ready we finally left around 11. A little late but oh well. We rode to South Carolina (2 new states in 2 days) and started the time trial. Since there were not enough slicks for everyone and the people riding 29ers could not put the slicks on, we had to do two groups. I was in the second, so after warming up, we sat for an hour in the nice hot sun. Then we switched wheels, yes I rode a 29er with 26 inch wheels. It was interesting the only difference I could notice was a low pedal clearance. The five minute time trial started us off. I went off way too hard and noticed what I had talked to Jeremiah about the night before. That when one comes down from altitude (8600 to 2200) that with the respiratory system no longer being the limitor, the muscles get burned fast because you can go so much faster. Well I felt pretty good and with a few spins I was able to head back down to do the 20 minute time trial. This was entertaining. I did not notice I went through several of the switchbacks, so thinking I was still halfway down I was scared then I noticed our five minute time trial start which was very good to see! I actually timed myself this time and when andy asked me my time, and I said 13:27 he looked at jeremiah and said really? and asked how fast jeremiah ran his, he said 13:43. He was only doing intervals but it did inspire him to go back down to try one more time, he got a 12:30. It was fun to know that I pushed him to do a little better. In short I won both time trials. I was pretty psyched. We did skills in the grass that night. Brake drills and what not. I took a spill there. Then we did a u-turn drill where you had to coast in and not use brakes. Scared me so much and I realized how bad I was at turning. Andy the camp manager took me aside to talk about countersteering, also known as a strong inside half (skiing). It was funny because finally I was applying what I had talked about in my paper. Senior Project is a very cool thing. Well in short, my turning improved drastically that one hour, yet I still suck. After a good dinner and a talk about nutrition, we finally got to bed
Wednesday- Short Track Day. The coaches made a sweet short track in the grass. It was so fun. We each had to do two races. One short race with less people that the other group could watch and talk about. After which we all raced a 5 lap race with everyone. It was great. Because I was in the bottom half of the first race I got a front line start position. I had a good start and was in the lead group. Then I got gapped because of some stupid choices on my part. Then Jeremiah Bishop comes up on me and tells me to hop on his wheel. He pulled me up to the lead group of which I was the only camper. With one to go Jeremiah slowed the group, and I attacked. I held the lead going into the descent and the Corry got me. I got second and first out of the campers. It was a blast. We videoed it but did not watch it yet. That night we went for another nice ride in Dupont. By the end of the day, I was so tired. But was one more jersey heavy. Jeremiah gave me his jersey for winning. He signed it and everything. I was so so so so excited and was almost embarrassed.
Thursday- My first Pisgah Ride. Pisgah national forest is the second National Forest in the area of Brevard and is right on the side of town. Rather than being fast and flowy this is much more east coast. Hard technical climbs with hard technical descents. I had to go to the big tires (Wolverines 2.2) They were so awesome! I had a blast. The riding is so different but its still really flowy just in a very challenging way. It was a blast. It was like a rain forest not even joking. It was amazing. I had so much fun. We did like a 22 mile ride which translated to about 4-5 hours of riding. And this is only like one of the five or six rides like this! I like it very much. It will be great because I can do some days in Pisgah and some days in Dupont and feel like I have been doing two different areas not even going on to the road bike! With that the Blue Ridge Parkway is about thirteen miles away. So awesome. We went on to sliding rock, a waterfall that is so slick you can slide down it. It was really crowded but I did get one in. So much fun. We went to a chinese buffet place afterwards and had a blast. Some funny fortune cookies.
Friday- My last day. Well Andy Applegate the main coach doing the talks talked a lot that morning like about bike fit and what not. By the time we got out it was like 2. Then we had to get to Pisgah which was like 2:30 Then it was raining and thundering so hard we had to wait until 4 to ride. But we finally got out and did like a 2 hour ride (not using any of what we had done the day before) and it was even more awesome. Super technical yet really fun. It was great. Afterwards, Jeremiah had quit early to get more rest and he got us some donuts and chicken. It was really funny. He said the rule stands post ride food, if there is no good food, forget all nutrition facts. It was great. We took a nice ice bath in the river and headed back to get dinner at about 9. Jeremiah went on to talk about how he got to where he is and what challenges he has faced and is facing. I really look up to him. It was so cool to hear about how he got to where he is.
Saturday- Orientation day. Well after packing up in the morning and saying good bye to everyone, we had to go to the orientation at Brevard. The school was awesome not all the talking. By the end of the day I had fallen asleep in one of the talks (athletic one). Well it was fine and afterwards we got to meet up with Thad, my coach for next year that got me to the school. It was awesome finally getting to meet him. He was a really cool guy and it seemed like next year's cycling squad should be good! I can't wait already. Afterwards me and my dad went to sliding rock, this time at like 8. Nobody was there! It was great! We had fun.
Sunday- Last day. Well after finally getting new brake pads installed, I got on a ride in which it poured down rain. I made it to where I was going but was too afraid of lightening and was not absolutely positive. So I turned around. The rain here really gets one wet, like a bucket of water just got dumped on you. Well my phone didn't make it. It drowned out there. It was about time considering the screen was about to fall off but it was a bummer to see it go. My Dad and I had a blast after I packed my bike and what not. We went to an awesome place for dinner and even got some ice cream. Well it was time we said good bye.
Monday- Travel Day. Planes suck. I hate being in them. I had enough flying for the next few months on this trip. Well one positive was that the baggage guy did not charge us for flying the bike home. So instead of 225 we paid 25. It would have been more expensive to ship it home and it would have taken a week longer. Well on the way home we had to stop by Sam's, I checked into a new phone and got a free touch phone which was sweet! It was nice to get it so quickly.
Well that was my very eventful week. Hope it was as entertaining to read as it was to write. Overall I can't wait for next year. It was so fun there and the people were so nice. Well the next plans are the CTS race in Colorado Springs and then Nationals. We will see! Over and out
What I did Today: This is more about what I did Last week
Energy: Pretty tired.
Well there are several things I can say about Brevard, North Carolina. But everything I say points to one sign, it is awesome. I absolutely loved every minute of my trip and can't wait for next year. My Mountain bike camp was amazing. I learned so much and perhaps the funniest thing was how similar skiing is to ripping turns on a mountain bike. Hopefully I can get to the same place I was on skis. Well this is a blog, So I am going to write as much as I can remember about everyday.
Monday- Arrival day. The flights were long and boring. At least I got a window seat. I had a long layover in Atlanta which I spent watching a world cup soccer game. By the time I got to North Carolina, I was pretty much ready to sleep( I had been up since 2). Once I finally found Corry, my airport pick-up, I was on my tour of North Carolina. I couldn't stop looking out the window as we drove from Asheville to Brevard and then to Cedar Mountain. The place we stayed was a huge house, the property had a huge lake and was basically amazing. I un-packed the bike as fast as I could and once that was done, Jeremiah Bishop showed up. How amazing. His help this week was beyond comparison, he is so fast and very friendly. We went off on our first ride in DuPont State Forest. It has hundreds of miles of dry, super-fast, flowy, smooth trails. Not typical east coast riding but it was great. This will definitely be a fun place to go for next year as the technicality allowed one to rest but, the flowy berms and turns allowed one to really have a blast. That night we went swimming in the amazing pond and had a blast with everyone. We talked a lot about exercise science that night (and every night) which was great. It felt more like a full on classroom then a bike camp. I learned a lot.
Tuesday- Time Trial Day. Well to start the day off, we all had to put slick tires on all of the 26 inch mountain bike wheels. After that ordeal and by the time we all got ready we finally left around 11. A little late but oh well. We rode to South Carolina (2 new states in 2 days) and started the time trial. Since there were not enough slicks for everyone and the people riding 29ers could not put the slicks on, we had to do two groups. I was in the second, so after warming up, we sat for an hour in the nice hot sun. Then we switched wheels, yes I rode a 29er with 26 inch wheels. It was interesting the only difference I could notice was a low pedal clearance. The five minute time trial started us off. I went off way too hard and noticed what I had talked to Jeremiah about the night before. That when one comes down from altitude (8600 to 2200) that with the respiratory system no longer being the limitor, the muscles get burned fast because you can go so much faster. Well I felt pretty good and with a few spins I was able to head back down to do the 20 minute time trial. This was entertaining. I did not notice I went through several of the switchbacks, so thinking I was still halfway down I was scared then I noticed our five minute time trial start which was very good to see! I actually timed myself this time and when andy asked me my time, and I said 13:27 he looked at jeremiah and said really? and asked how fast jeremiah ran his, he said 13:43. He was only doing intervals but it did inspire him to go back down to try one more time, he got a 12:30. It was fun to know that I pushed him to do a little better. In short I won both time trials. I was pretty psyched. We did skills in the grass that night. Brake drills and what not. I took a spill there. Then we did a u-turn drill where you had to coast in and not use brakes. Scared me so much and I realized how bad I was at turning. Andy the camp manager took me aside to talk about countersteering, also known as a strong inside half (skiing). It was funny because finally I was applying what I had talked about in my paper. Senior Project is a very cool thing. Well in short, my turning improved drastically that one hour, yet I still suck. After a good dinner and a talk about nutrition, we finally got to bed
Wednesday- Short Track Day. The coaches made a sweet short track in the grass. It was so fun. We each had to do two races. One short race with less people that the other group could watch and talk about. After which we all raced a 5 lap race with everyone. It was great. Because I was in the bottom half of the first race I got a front line start position. I had a good start and was in the lead group. Then I got gapped because of some stupid choices on my part. Then Jeremiah Bishop comes up on me and tells me to hop on his wheel. He pulled me up to the lead group of which I was the only camper. With one to go Jeremiah slowed the group, and I attacked. I held the lead going into the descent and the Corry got me. I got second and first out of the campers. It was a blast. We videoed it but did not watch it yet. That night we went for another nice ride in Dupont. By the end of the day, I was so tired. But was one more jersey heavy. Jeremiah gave me his jersey for winning. He signed it and everything. I was so so so so excited and was almost embarrassed.
Thursday- My first Pisgah Ride. Pisgah national forest is the second National Forest in the area of Brevard and is right on the side of town. Rather than being fast and flowy this is much more east coast. Hard technical climbs with hard technical descents. I had to go to the big tires (Wolverines 2.2) They were so awesome! I had a blast. The riding is so different but its still really flowy just in a very challenging way. It was a blast. It was like a rain forest not even joking. It was amazing. I had so much fun. We did like a 22 mile ride which translated to about 4-5 hours of riding. And this is only like one of the five or six rides like this! I like it very much. It will be great because I can do some days in Pisgah and some days in Dupont and feel like I have been doing two different areas not even going on to the road bike! With that the Blue Ridge Parkway is about thirteen miles away. So awesome. We went on to sliding rock, a waterfall that is so slick you can slide down it. It was really crowded but I did get one in. So much fun. We went to a chinese buffet place afterwards and had a blast. Some funny fortune cookies.
Friday- My last day. Well Andy Applegate the main coach doing the talks talked a lot that morning like about bike fit and what not. By the time we got out it was like 2. Then we had to get to Pisgah which was like 2:30 Then it was raining and thundering so hard we had to wait until 4 to ride. But we finally got out and did like a 2 hour ride (not using any of what we had done the day before) and it was even more awesome. Super technical yet really fun. It was great. Afterwards, Jeremiah had quit early to get more rest and he got us some donuts and chicken. It was really funny. He said the rule stands post ride food, if there is no good food, forget all nutrition facts. It was great. We took a nice ice bath in the river and headed back to get dinner at about 9. Jeremiah went on to talk about how he got to where he is and what challenges he has faced and is facing. I really look up to him. It was so cool to hear about how he got to where he is.
Saturday- Orientation day. Well after packing up in the morning and saying good bye to everyone, we had to go to the orientation at Brevard. The school was awesome not all the talking. By the end of the day I had fallen asleep in one of the talks (athletic one). Well it was fine and afterwards we got to meet up with Thad, my coach for next year that got me to the school. It was awesome finally getting to meet him. He was a really cool guy and it seemed like next year's cycling squad should be good! I can't wait already. Afterwards me and my dad went to sliding rock, this time at like 8. Nobody was there! It was great! We had fun.
Sunday- Last day. Well after finally getting new brake pads installed, I got on a ride in which it poured down rain. I made it to where I was going but was too afraid of lightening and was not absolutely positive. So I turned around. The rain here really gets one wet, like a bucket of water just got dumped on you. Well my phone didn't make it. It drowned out there. It was about time considering the screen was about to fall off but it was a bummer to see it go. My Dad and I had a blast after I packed my bike and what not. We went to an awesome place for dinner and even got some ice cream. Well it was time we said good bye.
Monday- Travel Day. Planes suck. I hate being in them. I had enough flying for the next few months on this trip. Well one positive was that the baggage guy did not charge us for flying the bike home. So instead of 225 we paid 25. It would have been more expensive to ship it home and it would have taken a week longer. Well on the way home we had to stop by Sam's, I checked into a new phone and got a free touch phone which was sweet! It was nice to get it so quickly.
Well that was my very eventful week. Hope it was as entertaining to read as it was to write. Overall I can't wait for next year. It was so fun there and the people were so nice. Well the next plans are the CTS race in Colorado Springs and then Nationals. We will see! Over and out
6/20/10
The Days Are Just Packed
Current Song: One Day, Matisyahu
What I did Today: Packed and Packed oh and I did some more packing
Energy: Nice and rested
I name this blog after a fantastic Calvin and Hobbe's collection. I saw it and figured it would fit the title of this blog perfectly. Well I leave for North Carolina, tomorrow morning at 2, plane leaves at 6. Seems like it should be great! I have both bags packed and barely under 50 pounds, I even had to put all of my tires in my back pack to carry on. Should be an interesting day tomorrow either way. I am super excited. Its weird to think that I will finally know what its going to be like next year, I can't lie, I am a little nervous! Well for this camp I really want to gain a lot of skill. That is really my only goal. I want to use this as a good base for the rest of the season and I would like to gain the skills necessary to have a successful collegiate career. It should be a fun week. Took some pictures of the bike in the bike box, the other thing I am nervous about. The bike box is great! Bike fits great and it seems very secure so I guess we will see how it holds up. This will be my last post until probably Saturday.
What I did Today: Packed and Packed oh and I did some more packing
Energy: Nice and rested
I name this blog after a fantastic Calvin and Hobbe's collection. I saw it and figured it would fit the title of this blog perfectly. Well I leave for North Carolina, tomorrow morning at 2, plane leaves at 6. Seems like it should be great! I have both bags packed and barely under 50 pounds, I even had to put all of my tires in my back pack to carry on. Should be an interesting day tomorrow either way. I am super excited. Its weird to think that I will finally know what its going to be like next year, I can't lie, I am a little nervous! Well for this camp I really want to gain a lot of skill. That is really my only goal. I want to use this as a good base for the rest of the season and I would like to gain the skills necessary to have a successful collegiate career. It should be a fun week. Took some pictures of the bike in the bike box, the other thing I am nervous about. The bike box is great! Bike fits great and it seems very secure so I guess we will see how it holds up. This will be my last post until probably Saturday.
6/19/10
A new thing...
Current Song: There Is, Box Car Racer
What I did Today: Went Down-hilling
Energy: I feel great
So, those of you who have been reading this are probably seeing what I did today and thinking somebody else took over my blog. But no, pigs flew out someone's butt and Lewis Gaffney went downhill bike riding. My whole idea is that I lose time on descents and well practice makes perfect. So for a nice easy day I went downhilling. It was great! I had a blast. It was interesting getting used to the flat pedals as every bump I went off of seemed to throw me off of the bike. But by the end of the day I was hitting jumps and everything. It was a blast. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from today. 2 days until North Carolina.
What I did Today: Went Down-hilling
Energy: I feel great
So, those of you who have been reading this are probably seeing what I did today and thinking somebody else took over my blog. But no, pigs flew out someone's butt and Lewis Gaffney went downhill bike riding. My whole idea is that I lose time on descents and well practice makes perfect. So for a nice easy day I went downhilling. It was great! I had a blast. It was interesting getting used to the flat pedals as every bump I went off of seemed to throw me off of the bike. But by the end of the day I was hitting jumps and everything. It was a blast. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from today. 2 days until North Carolina.
6/18/10
Closing Time
Current Song: Closing Time, Semisonic
What I did Today: Worked, awesome Devisadero Ride and made some luck.
Energy: Felt amazing, the rest week is working.
I shuffled my library and it played this song and it is perfect for the exact way I feel right now. Well I had a nice last morning of work, until after North Carolina that is. It was very calm and then it got rushed. While trying to get on my ride I had to put on a new tire, which was very nerve racking after the explosion yesterday. I finally got that on after lots of cursing. Then I took a nice shower and got everything together. I was hoping to have some more time on my ride before meeting up with Rachel at the park but it was a murphy's law day. Driving up the pass I hit a pothole and started hearing a noise very similar to a mountain bike flat. I looked out my window and sure enough a car flat sounds about the same. After a quick tire change I drove down to meet my dad where we made a quick car change, finally I was off to taos.
I was looking for a half-intensity day that lasted an hour or two. Well I got an hour probably at a little bit higher of an intensity than I hoped for but it worked out. Devisadero was awesome. I couldn't tell if I was feeling good or bad as far as skill wise because I was riding stuff I never have before but not riding some of the stuff I have before, it was weird. Well I felt great. I definitely didn't feel like I had pushed it at all which was great. Yet I felt like I was riding strong. My descending could be better, I think I was a little distracted. I did get a good picture at the top of Devisadero!
After the ride I got to meet up with Rachel! I was hoping to get a gang together to do a slackline (basically a tight rope) but then I realized I had no rope, could not tie the right knots so it ended up being a fun time. We made some luck, and made some grass chains and looked at an amazing sight from the effect of the smoke on the sky. Overall I could not have asked for a better day, I am a little bummed it is Closing time. Well 3 days until North Carolina, more like 2 now.
What I did Today: Worked, awesome Devisadero Ride and made some luck.
Energy: Felt amazing, the rest week is working.
I shuffled my library and it played this song and it is perfect for the exact way I feel right now. Well I had a nice last morning of work, until after North Carolina that is. It was very calm and then it got rushed. While trying to get on my ride I had to put on a new tire, which was very nerve racking after the explosion yesterday. I finally got that on after lots of cursing. Then I took a nice shower and got everything together. I was hoping to have some more time on my ride before meeting up with Rachel at the park but it was a murphy's law day. Driving up the pass I hit a pothole and started hearing a noise very similar to a mountain bike flat. I looked out my window and sure enough a car flat sounds about the same. After a quick tire change I drove down to meet my dad where we made a quick car change, finally I was off to taos.
I was looking for a half-intensity day that lasted an hour or two. Well I got an hour probably at a little bit higher of an intensity than I hoped for but it worked out. Devisadero was awesome. I couldn't tell if I was feeling good or bad as far as skill wise because I was riding stuff I never have before but not riding some of the stuff I have before, it was weird. Well I felt great. I definitely didn't feel like I had pushed it at all which was great. Yet I felt like I was riding strong. My descending could be better, I think I was a little distracted. I did get a good picture at the top of Devisadero!
6/17/10
KABOOOOOOM
Current Song: New Age Girl, Dead Eye Dick
What I did Today: Amazing Hike with Rachel!
Energy: Feeling pretty tired.
Well I figured I would title this as is, because I heard a nice one today. It was the sound of my old wtb nano raptor breaking a bead and literally almost blowing up. I couldn't hear out of my left ear for a bit and when I looked down, one entire side of the tire was blown off.. The bead had snapped and so now the tire won't even hold air. The worst part is that it was the last of my stan's so of course, I have no mountain bike for now. Well at least it can stay sparkly clean for a little bit.
This was not my day however. I had a brilliant day! I gave myself the day off from work so that I could meet up with Rachel to go on an awesome hike in the ski valley. Well we went to William's Lake and more. By more I mean we explored all that there was to explore. First we found this amazingly clear lake that was so cool. It is never there because usually it runs off by the time we actually get up there, but not this year!
After which, we hiked to and around, an awesome waterfall. It was the largest I have ever seen it.
By the end, We ended up hiking around all of William's Lake. It was such a great time. We did some adventuring and when we ended up at the top of the 100 foot cliff overlooking the lake we knew it was worth it and had a great snack. Well good-bye to William's Lake for a while.
I look forward to making some more money tomorrow and probably a nice easy road bike ride to continue the rest week. 5 days until North Carolina
What I did Today: Amazing Hike with Rachel!
Energy: Feeling pretty tired.
Well I figured I would title this as is, because I heard a nice one today. It was the sound of my old wtb nano raptor breaking a bead and literally almost blowing up. I couldn't hear out of my left ear for a bit and when I looked down, one entire side of the tire was blown off.. The bead had snapped and so now the tire won't even hold air. The worst part is that it was the last of my stan's so of course, I have no mountain bike for now. Well at least it can stay sparkly clean for a little bit.
This was not my day however. I had a brilliant day! I gave myself the day off from work so that I could meet up with Rachel to go on an awesome hike in the ski valley. Well we went to William's Lake and more. By more I mean we explored all that there was to explore. First we found this amazingly clear lake that was so cool. It is never there because usually it runs off by the time we actually get up there, but not this year!
By the end, We ended up hiking around all of William's Lake. It was such a great time. We did some adventuring and when we ended up at the top of the 100 foot cliff overlooking the lake we knew it was worth it and had a great snack. Well good-bye to William's Lake for a while.
I look forward to making some more money tomorrow and probably a nice easy road bike ride to continue the rest week. 5 days until North Carolina
6/15/10
Tennis Tuesday!
Current Song: Georgia Girl, Collective Soul
What I did Today: Worked, played some tennis
Energy: Feeling great, rest weeks are nice
Well after working yet again, bleh, I finally had a nice afternoon off. I was planning on a rest day but while watching Madagascar, Erin convinced me that I needed to go out to play with her. So I mustered up the strength to go play tennis. It was cool because it was a low-key activity, which is what I wanted but I still took out some energy which is always nice. I also got to try out my new camera! I wanted to get pictures of me and Erin hitting from the ball machine but unfortunately that did not work. So she took some pictures of me serving. I got to practice my serves which was nice. It was also a bummer that the wall-board was taken. Oh well. It seemed that Erin had some trouble timing the shots right and I think if I was actually playing it would have been easier to nail. Well I am proud to post at least one picture from today's activities!
There is already an awesome hike planned for tomorrow! Maybe a little ride but not much.
6 days until North Carolina
What I did Today: Worked, played some tennis
Energy: Feeling great, rest weeks are nice
Well after working yet again, bleh, I finally had a nice afternoon off. I was planning on a rest day but while watching Madagascar, Erin convinced me that I needed to go out to play with her. So I mustered up the strength to go play tennis. It was cool because it was a low-key activity, which is what I wanted but I still took out some energy which is always nice. I also got to try out my new camera! I wanted to get pictures of me and Erin hitting from the ball machine but unfortunately that did not work. So she took some pictures of me serving. I got to practice my serves which was nice. It was also a bummer that the wall-board was taken. Oh well. It seemed that Erin had some trouble timing the shots right and I think if I was actually playing it would have been easier to nail. Well I am proud to post at least one picture from today's activities!
There is already an awesome hike planned for tomorrow! Maybe a little ride but not much.
6 days until North Carolina
6/14/10
A typical monday
Current Song: 3 AM, Matchbox Twenty
What I did Today: After finishing a lawn mowing job, went to the river and then on a team ride
Energy:I am feeling pretty tired now.
Well Today went by fast as ever. First I got out to finish a lawn-mowing job. After clearing the lot, I was made $100 richer. It is amazing to me that lawn mowing really is very easy and its great because I can work out a schedule that works around me. No complaints. Then a nice trip to the river. My camera didn't get in on time, otherwise there would be some awesome pictures. Well me and victoria almost didn't come back as the swim back would be so cold, but then we decided we liked real food so we came back. It was a blast! I joined the team for a ride afterwards which was really fun! After trying to rescue Doug Kast I was finally able to come home to some food and to a new camera and an unwritten blog! So I figured I would write it. Looking at doing a nice recovery day tomorrow, got one job lined up. So after 3-4 hours of easy work I can come home and relax. Should be nice! One week until I go to North Carolina.
What I did Today: After finishing a lawn mowing job, went to the river and then on a team ride
Energy:I am feeling pretty tired now.
Well Today went by fast as ever. First I got out to finish a lawn-mowing job. After clearing the lot, I was made $100 richer. It is amazing to me that lawn mowing really is very easy and its great because I can work out a schedule that works around me. No complaints. Then a nice trip to the river. My camera didn't get in on time, otherwise there would be some awesome pictures. Well me and victoria almost didn't come back as the swim back would be so cold, but then we decided we liked real food so we came back. It was a blast! I joined the team for a ride afterwards which was really fun! After trying to rescue Doug Kast I was finally able to come home to some food and to a new camera and an unwritten blog! So I figured I would write it. Looking at doing a nice recovery day tomorrow, got one job lined up. So after 3-4 hours of easy work I can come home and relax. Should be nice! One week until I go to North Carolina.
A Few Events
Current Song: Can't Stop, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
What I did Today: Nothing yet, lots planned!
Energy: Feeling Pretty good, seeing as yesterday was a rest day I shouldn't be too tired
Well, its been awhile! I blame it on my astoundingly horrible internet, as it has been out for the past few days. Well lets see, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Quite a weekend.
Friday was busy busy busy. I woke up early and headed over to an old woman's house to begin yardwork for the day. After 3 hours there, I got home, ate and got Erin into the gym as I went to my second job of the day. After getting home about 4-5, I still had to do a pre-race ride. So I took a nice easy spin on Hochiminh. It turned out to be great and really loosened up my legs which was great.
Saturday, started early and ended late. Just one of those days I suppose. Well it started off with a fantastic drive down to los alamos, I say fantastic because I was asleep most of the way. We got there at 8 and of course had to rush through registration and whatnot to warm-up. I had about 1/2 an hour to warm-up, at least its a new mexico race! So after a shortened warm-up, I did my fast pedals last which was really good. It put my legs in an excellent place before the start. Well getting on the line, a sports system guy moved back a row and gave me a front row spot which was awesome! I was able to hang with the pros and mainly John Searles right off the start. I held a position in 4th or 5th for the small beginning loop. I started feeling sick once my heart rate got above 185, possibly something to do with the wierdly thick hammer gel, something I will surely figure out very soon. So then on the second part of the first lap (super technical) I was inreasing gaps and closing down a gap on a guy in front of me. This was great! I was actually going fast on the descents. I entered the second lap second overall in experts, with third very close on my heels. Well then I put a gap on and kept increasing it. Then my chain went between my spokes and my cassette. I hurredly fixed that but lost about 3-4 minutes. After getting on I passed two people quickly to regain my third place, podium position. I fought hard on the climbs. Then the descent came, I was super excited to attack it but suddenly realized I felt like I had no braking power. I figured it out, after packing my bike in my new bike box I twisted my handle bars too far down, so in turn I had to turn my elbows up, it changed my position drastically on my bike and it was a painful descent. Not only because of the change in posture but a lovely gretting with the dirt about half way down. I got out of some singletrack to cross a road and proceeded to dig my entire right side into the road which I now have some great scabs to show off. The third lap was ok, I felt tired but was able to hold position and ended up third, two minutes off of second. After the race all of the Team F.I.Taos gang had some great stories, the best of which was Caleb who had actually ripped off his seat in a crash and raced the entire second lap without a seat or seatpost. WOW. Thats all I could say. An award ceremony left me $75 richer and we headed home. Once home I showered (very painful considering the crash) and went to my friend Cody's Graduation Party! It was a blast. Lots of people commented about the scratches, and I got to play some awesome frisbee and some foot ball and of course got some amazing dance lessons! I proceeded home where I slept like a baby.
Sunday was super hectic. I woke-up and headed off to a job to do more yardwork. After which I spent too long at and had to rush home to get to my second job on time. At my second job my weed eater didn't work right so I had to end that job which I now have to finish now. Oh well
Today has some great potential! My new camera should be here so I can finally start putting up pictures on this blog, and a day at the river is planned. I am hoping to head off to do a nice team ride afterwards! Should be fun!
What I did Today: Nothing yet, lots planned!
Energy: Feeling Pretty good, seeing as yesterday was a rest day I shouldn't be too tired
Well, its been awhile! I blame it on my astoundingly horrible internet, as it has been out for the past few days. Well lets see, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Quite a weekend.
Friday was busy busy busy. I woke up early and headed over to an old woman's house to begin yardwork for the day. After 3 hours there, I got home, ate and got Erin into the gym as I went to my second job of the day. After getting home about 4-5, I still had to do a pre-race ride. So I took a nice easy spin on Hochiminh. It turned out to be great and really loosened up my legs which was great.
Saturday, started early and ended late. Just one of those days I suppose. Well it started off with a fantastic drive down to los alamos, I say fantastic because I was asleep most of the way. We got there at 8 and of course had to rush through registration and whatnot to warm-up. I had about 1/2 an hour to warm-up, at least its a new mexico race! So after a shortened warm-up, I did my fast pedals last which was really good. It put my legs in an excellent place before the start. Well getting on the line, a sports system guy moved back a row and gave me a front row spot which was awesome! I was able to hang with the pros and mainly John Searles right off the start. I held a position in 4th or 5th for the small beginning loop. I started feeling sick once my heart rate got above 185, possibly something to do with the wierdly thick hammer gel, something I will surely figure out very soon. So then on the second part of the first lap (super technical) I was inreasing gaps and closing down a gap on a guy in front of me. This was great! I was actually going fast on the descents. I entered the second lap second overall in experts, with third very close on my heels. Well then I put a gap on and kept increasing it. Then my chain went between my spokes and my cassette. I hurredly fixed that but lost about 3-4 minutes. After getting on I passed two people quickly to regain my third place, podium position. I fought hard on the climbs. Then the descent came, I was super excited to attack it but suddenly realized I felt like I had no braking power. I figured it out, after packing my bike in my new bike box I twisted my handle bars too far down, so in turn I had to turn my elbows up, it changed my position drastically on my bike and it was a painful descent. Not only because of the change in posture but a lovely gretting with the dirt about half way down. I got out of some singletrack to cross a road and proceeded to dig my entire right side into the road which I now have some great scabs to show off. The third lap was ok, I felt tired but was able to hold position and ended up third, two minutes off of second. After the race all of the Team F.I.Taos gang had some great stories, the best of which was Caleb who had actually ripped off his seat in a crash and raced the entire second lap without a seat or seatpost. WOW. Thats all I could say. An award ceremony left me $75 richer and we headed home. Once home I showered (very painful considering the crash) and went to my friend Cody's Graduation Party! It was a blast. Lots of people commented about the scratches, and I got to play some awesome frisbee and some foot ball and of course got some amazing dance lessons! I proceeded home where I slept like a baby.
Sunday was super hectic. I woke-up and headed off to a job to do more yardwork. After which I spent too long at and had to rush home to get to my second job on time. At my second job my weed eater didn't work right so I had to end that job which I now have to finish now. Oh well
Today has some great potential! My new camera should be here so I can finally start putting up pictures on this blog, and a day at the river is planned. I am hoping to head off to do a nice team ride afterwards! Should be fun!
6/10/10
Good thing Cars don't need funerals
Current Song: For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield
What I did Today:Nothing, Yesterday was a nice ride on horsethief
Energy:Pretty good overall, Sleepy
Well, to end the evening, I pull into my road and make it about ten feet when my car decides to literally die. The battery was so dead that it couldn't run. I had barely made it up the other side of Palo Flechado and coasted down the Angel Fire side. When I tried to turn on my lights and my blinkers, they didn't work. Well at least you don't have to give a car a funeral! It is now back and running with a good charge on the battery, maybe soon we will finally get it absolutely fixed so I can actually drive it without these problems.
The near death of my car was definitely worth the trip down to taos however. I got a great ride in and even got to join the group and ride with people! I went out early to do power intervals, underestimated the loop I was going to do and ended up coming in a little late but I did get to meet up with the group which was awesome. We had a fun ride on Horsethief Mesa. The semi-slick on the rear was probably not the best choice for the loose climbs but it was still really fun. My energy felt good, in fact the 20 second power intervals were too short. I guess my fitness is farther than I thought! Well now its a rest day then a race prep day before Pajarito Punishment! Should be a good race, I am very excited. Its usually a really fun race with lots of bridges and sweet singletrack, I want to place in the overall experts and take home some cash so we will see.
Rest days, are the most absolutely boring days ever. Having to stay inactive most of the day is very difficult for me, and the amount of food I eat is probably not good, well at least Nutella is semi-healthy. This is a first one that I got to work right away however. I called some people and got some lawn-mowing jobs set-up for tomorrow. I registered for my race and finally ordered a new camera! I am super excited about the camera, It is an Olympus FE-20 and looks awesome, I can't wait to experiment with the shutter speeds and finally post some pictures to my blog. I can finally start using my jobypod and everything! It should be exciting. As you can tell by the length of this blog, I am super bored today and really just want to do something or sleep. Well sooner or later it will end and I will get to ride again. Until then, Life is good
What I did Today:Nothing, Yesterday was a nice ride on horsethief
Energy:Pretty good overall, Sleepy
Well, to end the evening, I pull into my road and make it about ten feet when my car decides to literally die. The battery was so dead that it couldn't run. I had barely made it up the other side of Palo Flechado and coasted down the Angel Fire side. When I tried to turn on my lights and my blinkers, they didn't work. Well at least you don't have to give a car a funeral! It is now back and running with a good charge on the battery, maybe soon we will finally get it absolutely fixed so I can actually drive it without these problems.
The near death of my car was definitely worth the trip down to taos however. I got a great ride in and even got to join the group and ride with people! I went out early to do power intervals, underestimated the loop I was going to do and ended up coming in a little late but I did get to meet up with the group which was awesome. We had a fun ride on Horsethief Mesa. The semi-slick on the rear was probably not the best choice for the loose climbs but it was still really fun. My energy felt good, in fact the 20 second power intervals were too short. I guess my fitness is farther than I thought! Well now its a rest day then a race prep day before Pajarito Punishment! Should be a good race, I am very excited. Its usually a really fun race with lots of bridges and sweet singletrack, I want to place in the overall experts and take home some cash so we will see.
Rest days, are the most absolutely boring days ever. Having to stay inactive most of the day is very difficult for me, and the amount of food I eat is probably not good, well at least Nutella is semi-healthy. This is a first one that I got to work right away however. I called some people and got some lawn-mowing jobs set-up for tomorrow. I registered for my race and finally ordered a new camera! I am super excited about the camera, It is an Olympus FE-20 and looks awesome, I can't wait to experiment with the shutter speeds and finally post some pictures to my blog. I can finally start using my jobypod and everything! It should be exciting. As you can tell by the length of this blog, I am super bored today and really just want to do something or sleep. Well sooner or later it will end and I will get to ride again. Until then, Life is good
6/8/10
Its amazing to think I Still have first time rides
Current Song:Sympathy, The Goo Goo Dolls
What I did Today: Garcia Park to Jaracita, to South Boundary
Energy: Felt great all day, extremely tired now
Well, after all of these years (5) I am still doing new epic rides, and in fact have not done nearly any of them. Well I got to check one off of the list today! Trail 121 better known as Jaracita. It was so great. The trail disappeared then took us up some steep hills but mainly through some amazing scenery, this was one ride that makes people realize how green it really is in New Mexico! It was a blast. Luckily I had some guides, Doug, Jake and Micheal all showed me the way showed me other interesting trails and shared in on a great ride. It really was a great ride, the scenery and riding was freaking amazing. I felt great, we did some intervals with Jake which was interesting... Then the cruise down South Boundary was fun, obviously! I had a delicious Nutella bagel at Corner Park, which I would recommend as a delicious before, during and after snack. It smashed in my camel back but it made it even better. The bike performed awesome, amazingly the semi-slick Vulpine ran great even down the very technical El Nogal. Overall it was a very tiring day, but it was one of those days that makes one feel satisfied.
What I did Today: Garcia Park to Jaracita, to South Boundary
Energy: Felt great all day, extremely tired now
Well, after all of these years (5) I am still doing new epic rides, and in fact have not done nearly any of them. Well I got to check one off of the list today! Trail 121 better known as Jaracita. It was so great. The trail disappeared then took us up some steep hills but mainly through some amazing scenery, this was one ride that makes people realize how green it really is in New Mexico! It was a blast. Luckily I had some guides, Doug, Jake and Micheal all showed me the way showed me other interesting trails and shared in on a great ride. It really was a great ride, the scenery and riding was freaking amazing. I felt great, we did some intervals with Jake which was interesting... Then the cruise down South Boundary was fun, obviously! I had a delicious Nutella bagel at Corner Park, which I would recommend as a delicious before, during and after snack. It smashed in my camel back but it made it even better. The bike performed awesome, amazingly the semi-slick Vulpine ran great even down the very technical El Nogal. Overall it was a very tiring day, but it was one of those days that makes one feel satisfied.
6/7/10
Fun, Easy Rides make the world go round
Current Song: Rock The Casbah, The Clash
What I did Today: Pretty easy ride up the whoop-dee-doo trail to hochiminh, connected to elliot barker and took that down then for a little bit more went up the log chutes and got all but 3 of the step-ups.
Energy: Pretty good, tired at first but as time went on I loosened up
Well I just created this blog, this morning but this is my first ride report. Had a blast! This is one of the rides that took me two hours last year and now it barely takes me an hour. Its fun to start a ride thinking "ugh I am so tired" and as the ride progresses waking up and having more and more fun. By the end I had to try my luck by going up the log chute. The logs that were laid down to keep water off the trail turned into six inch to 2 foot drops. I made all but three of the step-ups and it will definitely be a trail that I will continue to work on all season.
After a relaxing day at home, its nice to go have fun on the bike. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a good group together to do a nice long ride.
What I did Today: Pretty easy ride up the whoop-dee-doo trail to hochiminh, connected to elliot barker and took that down then for a little bit more went up the log chutes and got all but 3 of the step-ups.
Energy: Pretty good, tired at first but as time went on I loosened up
Well I just created this blog, this morning but this is my first ride report. Had a blast! This is one of the rides that took me two hours last year and now it barely takes me an hour. Its fun to start a ride thinking "ugh I am so tired" and as the ride progresses waking up and having more and more fun. By the end I had to try my luck by going up the log chute. The logs that were laid down to keep water off the trail turned into six inch to 2 foot drops. I made all but three of the step-ups and it will definitely be a trail that I will continue to work on all season.
After a relaxing day at home, its nice to go have fun on the bike. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a good group together to do a nice long ride.
The First Blog!
Current Song: Do You Remember by Jack Johnson
What I did Today: Started a Blog! Still have to ride.
Energy: Sleepy, but overall pretty good
So, a lot has happened recently. Including a few newspaper articles (La Tierra Torture Race Report, Taos News Article), a few more races, a graduation ceremony but most of all, lots and lots of bike riding. It has been a lot of fun. I have been going for a good long base and was hoping to have it done by now, however with the end of school, I wasn't the most focused which was a bummer. So now I begin to plan out the next few months and already nationals is too close! Well anyways, I leave in TWO WEEKS! To North Carolina for a USAC Camp then to a Brevard College Orientation. Should be a blast!
Well, I would like to start this off with a reflection on the Chile Challenge. This was my hometown race which happened this past weekend (June 5). We are seeing record high temperatures for this area. So it was an interesting race. On the start, not only was I extremely nervous I was surprised to see Tyler from my camp. Sepp Kuss was there, we go a long ways back and its always fun racing with him. Well the gun went off, me and Sepp immediately started trading off positions, in fact our pace line dropped the other two riders almost immediately. As we made our way into the single track Sepp had the lead and I knew i couldn't let him close the gap. Then we got to one of the last climbs of the lap, felt sick, gagged a few times and this was enough time to put on a gap I could not shut down. He had me on the descents and I am sure that is where he extended his lead. Overall I felt pretty good. The heat was killing me, and was a factor in not allowing me to hold the same intensity I have been for the past few races. My descending was really great. I used a nano raptor on the front which gripped wonderfully and the vulpine on the rear was awesome, it was very workable in a skid and on climbs I felt no resisitance. I really liked the tire combo and the bike performed as great as ever. I am loving the twenty-niner set-up! Well it was a good day.
What I did Today: Started a Blog! Still have to ride.
Energy: Sleepy, but overall pretty good
So, a lot has happened recently. Including a few newspaper articles (La Tierra Torture Race Report, Taos News Article), a few more races, a graduation ceremony but most of all, lots and lots of bike riding. It has been a lot of fun. I have been going for a good long base and was hoping to have it done by now, however with the end of school, I wasn't the most focused which was a bummer. So now I begin to plan out the next few months and already nationals is too close! Well anyways, I leave in TWO WEEKS! To North Carolina for a USAC Camp then to a Brevard College Orientation. Should be a blast!
Well, I would like to start this off with a reflection on the Chile Challenge. This was my hometown race which happened this past weekend (June 5). We are seeing record high temperatures for this area. So it was an interesting race. On the start, not only was I extremely nervous I was surprised to see Tyler from my camp. Sepp Kuss was there, we go a long ways back and its always fun racing with him. Well the gun went off, me and Sepp immediately started trading off positions, in fact our pace line dropped the other two riders almost immediately. As we made our way into the single track Sepp had the lead and I knew i couldn't let him close the gap. Then we got to one of the last climbs of the lap, felt sick, gagged a few times and this was enough time to put on a gap I could not shut down. He had me on the descents and I am sure that is where he extended his lead. Overall I felt pretty good. The heat was killing me, and was a factor in not allowing me to hold the same intensity I have been for the past few races. My descending was really great. I used a nano raptor on the front which gripped wonderfully and the vulpine on the rear was awesome, it was very workable in a skid and on climbs I felt no resisitance. I really liked the tire combo and the bike performed as great as ever. I am loving the twenty-niner set-up! Well it was a good day.
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