Hardbucks

from my bro andy in iraq. he's a good man.

the coffee must be safe! imagine what the barrier around the bar must look like...

snowbike

jenn did a photoshoot for the new IFab Grassroots website she's designing... here are a cpl cool bike pics:

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the weather has been perfect for riding outside. a warm spell turned the dirt roads to muck, but this week temps are back down and the dirt is perfect.

for the past cpl yrs, the winter bike set-up is rigid fork, (studded) Nokian Extreme 2.1 in front, Hakkapelitta 1.95 in the rear w/ultra-light tubes to make climbing enjoyable...

I find riding the mtb on frozen dirt roads is good for the handling skills. Even w/studs the bike handles a bit loose on frozen terrain, pockets of soft snow resemble sand in summer. but getting-on in the winter is great. great to be outside. great to see everything in winter-mode, as you see the landscape so much differently from the saddle, i really soak it in... and i feel sharper in singletrack come spring! but, i got a lot of snowbike time before riding ribbons of dirt...

Clothes and layering are key as usual, lots of thin layers with plenty of zippers and a shell w/pit zips. My usual early winter route is 13.5m w/3000ft of climbing, being able to climb and descend in comfort has taken a while to master, but now that i've gotten the layers figured-out, i'm loving the winter riding! Last winter, my first in Vermont, was a tough learning curve...

enough talking about snowbiking, it's time to get on it!

'08

Since 2007 was to be the last year i was to procrastinate. ever. i decided it was ok to procrastinate one last time and do these new years resolutions a little late. i mean, seriously, i'll totally make-up for it. i won't be procrastinating anymore. time itself will be my bitch.

And the resolutions are:

No more procrastinating. Starting tomorrow.
Join local cycling clubs, meet other local riders, go on group rides.
No more beer. in excess. "no more beer" on it's own is just crazy. on second thought, this one's out.
Ride faster.
Eat more donuts.
Wake-up earlier.
Bring my camera more often.
Be more sensitive to other humans and dogs and stuff.
Get less mechanicals!
Put together a sick 100 mile mtb route here in the Mad River Valley, then get some folks up here to do a test run.

'08 is going to be the hardest year yet for me to find time to ride. '07 found me away from home for 4-5days for each 100mile race, then skipping local xc races to spend time at home with our new little one or catch-up on chores. i utilized my free time almost exclusively for riding - even during the late winter powder storms...

this winter, would rather be outside than riding in the basement on the trainer. have to remember that i don't "owe" cycling anything even though it can feel that way once you get into it. and with the addition of 3 classes at UVM, time will be tight, but i have to believe riding/racing is doable - and that it can be done w/o shortchanging my family-time... or work. or school.

Since i mentioned in a previous post that in '08 i'd discuss how i train, etc, here's how the first cpl weeks of the year went:

First wk of Jan:
Mon-Fri: Planned 60mins/day trainer. Averaged closer to 45.
Sat-Sun: Planned 3hr trainer session. Instead, went for a solid snowshoe w/my neighbor john up Scrag Mtn, then sledded-down as much as we could. john's an animal, breaking into jogs, breaking trail. The 6-10 feet of fluffy snow hung from the trees and pushed the trail up into their boughs. It was a winter-wonderland hike - and a sick all-body workout that rejuvenated the spirit and got me fired-up to play outside more this winter.

Second wk of Jan:
Mon-Fri: Planned 60mins/day trainer. Mon-Wed got the 60, the Thurs-Fri got 40min or so.
Sat: Planned 3hr trainer. Instead hiked up Burnt Rock w/Mikey-J. warm temps had melted the snowpack into a crust - a crust you'd occasionally posthole through w/o the showshoes above 1500ft or so. At 2000-2500ft the tops of the trees were encrusted in ice and sparkled brilliantly as the sun's early rays spread across the conifers. soon, big fat drops of water began to fall like a light rain. of course no camera for me as usual...
Sun: 3hrs of tele skiing.

'08 Races:
Start racing mid-to-late May.
Race closer-to-home (which means less 100milers).
Root 66 Series.
An EFTA race or 2.
Wilderness 101
Hampshire 100k
Vermont 50