Longest ride, possibly ever

Sunday was spent on the bike, first with the MOB ride, then solo up Golden Gate Canyon. 7 hours pedaling, 8500 feet of climbing. It was a beautiful day.

VeloSwap

VeloSwap filled the National Western convention center (not sure what it's called), they expected something like 15,000 people.

Here is the Twin Peaks setup. Not too much stuff sold, but it was a ripe opportunity to recruit new team members.
Top pic: Paul, Christian, Seth (thanks for smiling at the camera), David. Bottom pic: Orlando, Nikki and Jules.

My "big" purchase: Yeah, this solves my sock-matching issues, and they have flames. 8 pairs for $20. I also picked up the documentaries: "The Hard Road" and "Pro." More motivational material to get through the long trainer sessions this off-season.

Where, oh where, did all the big buildings go?

This morning I awoke to what sounded like a garbage truck. No such luck, the road crews were out! Still, there's no accumulation. The snow is blowing and coming down right now, though. Considering it's supposed to be 70 degrees Saturday, it's hard to take it seriously.

In summary...

Weekend pictures

In a previous post, I promised weekend pictures. This pic is temporarily unavailable. It was taken of Justin and Arrick at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, next to Twist and Shout's new location. (Good CD store, btw.) I bought some CDs (first CDs purchased in a year or two). I got: Eurythmics, Greatest Hits, The Fine Young Cannibals and a few used, seriously cheap techno/dance CDs. They will be good to listen to at work. I am much more productive with fast music sometimes.

The picture was of Arrick not wanting her picture taken, Justin razzing her for it.

A picture I wanted to get today, but didn't--when I was on the MOB ride, one of the guys crashed (harmless, luckily) & taco'd his back wheel. In order for him to get home, it had to be un-taco'd. So, it required banging the wheel on a concrete pillar...it seemed so wrong (poor wheel), but it worked and he was able to ride back to the shop.

It was a perfect day to be on the bike--6 hours pedaling, 3000 calories burned (is that possible?), 30 degrees when I left home this morning, between 45 and 50 at the end of the ride. Here are pics of the after-ride fuel (because it's questionable as to whether or not it's food):

This is a protein shake with lots of anti-oxidant stuff mixed in. Appetizing, huh?

This is my version of a Cliff Bar--soaked oats, raw honey, carob chips, coconut flakes, sea salt, almond butter. The only issue with it is that at room temperature, it's mush! It only keeps its shape frozen. Gotta refine the recipe.

And, lastly, but certainly not least: Congratulations to Amy for surviving Kona!!! Two Ironman competitions in less than two months, enjoy the beach and your so deserved time off from training. :)

Advice

A panel of pro and former pro bike racers were asked the question:

What one thing do you feel played the biggest part to your getting to the next level in cycling? Their answers can almost all be applied to many other facets of life, not just cycling:

• Find one or two people who you really trust. (Coach or mentor.)
  
• Make goals, short-term and two-years out. Make sure to accomplish each of them.
• Track your progress to reaching your goals.
• Eliminate/minimize any distractions.
• Surround yourself with people stronger than yourself.

Tomorrow

Brrrrrr...

The gym opens at 5:30...I was there shortly after. Lifted and got done just as a yoga class was starting. I needed yoga this morning. Good thing she mentioned when to breathe. Might have forgotten to do so otherwise.

TGIF. It's time for the weekend to be here, even if it is raining and snowing.

Test Drive!

It may be a wagon, but it drives like a sports car. I like it. Subaru's are super cool, my next car will be a Subaru. That being said, however, it's nice knowing I'm $20,000 richer this evening...for leaving it on the lot. The reason for the test drive: free tickets to VeloSwap, coming soon! Besides, it was a different activity for a day off from training.

Time Lapse

Here it is, the first snow of the year in Denver. Guess what? It was a trainer night this evening.

Weekend Update

I've been slacking on the blog. I didn't have my camera when I needed to have it this weekend. It will be necessary to re-do the weekend's activities, then get pictures!

Saturday was spent trail running and mountain biking at Green Mountain. Saturday evening Theta Tau alumni (Eta Gamma chapter), members and pledges gathered around a campfire to celebrate the fraternity's anniversary.

Sunday started by supplying gatorade to participants in the Denver Marathon, then going on a great group ride from MOB Cyclery . Mom, Dad and I enjoyed eating apple crisp (thanks, Mom!) and watching old home videos. Promise, next weekend will have more pictures associated with it!

Sunrise, Sunset

This picture was taken months ago, I dug it up while reviewing old pictures. Sunrises are not easy to capture on my summer-sleeping schedule. Now I'm on the fall sleeping schedule (up at 5 am this morning to get in trainer time before work). Only problem with that is that I eat constantly all day long.

Food for Thought

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they make the best of everything that comes their way.

Monday Night Football

As I moseyed the streets of Denver Monday night, the glow from Invesco Field can be seen in the background. It was a wonderfully rainy evening and a Broncos victory.

Race for the Cure

Running isn't as bad as it used to be (when I wasn't fit). It was a chilly morning in Denver, but a perfect temperature for a running race (any kind of race). Forget zone 2. A race is a race. Almost 24 minutes, that's half the length of a crit. Not knowing where the finish was made it seem much longer (my imagination was quite active). Worth getting up early to do. It was heart-warming to see how many people were there in support of breast-cancer research (~64,000).

A hike in Evergreen, hot chocolate and Beau Jo's pizza with friends completed the cloudy, rainy day. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow.

The next activity to incorporate into off-season training will be trail running. Gotta be careful in Boulder, though, the mountain lions are taking over!

Superglue

The lenses are superglued in. I'm glad Danielle could have so much fun with my cycling sunny-g's. She was mildly impressed by the road bike. She's one kid I could babysit (very few children pass that test).

October 1, 2006

What a day to begin training for the 2007 racing season!

I got to talk to Tina Pic (see pic to the left), ask her all about sprinting, training, racing...OH WoW. How absolutely cool.

And then I talked to Kimberly Baldwin of T-Mobile, world-class racer, recently retired (as of a few days ago). Might get to ride with her this winter, would that be cool or what? Check out her latest diary entry. All of them are interesting to read, but this one might be her last and it hits a few key points about racing.

She and Tina are both heros of mine...so nothing could have been more motivational or timed more perfectly. They were part of a panel with other world-class athletes speaking to a group of ~40 people on junior development and women's racing.

Last Season Recap

With next season in my sights, I wanted to post a quick low-down on last season.

Races: 45
Wins: 3
Crashes: 2
Training & racing time: ~575 hours on the bike, numerous other hours spent lifting weights

Goals as I had set them in October, 2004 (I looked at them many times every day from the moment they were set until last month, when I checked off the last one):
1. Hang with the 1/2/3 field, some prime wins
2. Win a crit
3. Finish in Top 5 (in a stage) in a stage race
4. Upgrade to Cat 2

All of my goals were successfully met. Last season's successes would not have been possible without Julie (my very awesome coach), my mentors, supportive friends, teammates (which are mostly one and the same) and family. I feel so fortunate to be able to dedicate the necessary time and energy to something I'm so passionate about.