snow

since it's not (bike) riding season, i haven't felt compelled to write in the blog, but the jonsing has begun - the need for ribbons of dirt, long climbs, and technical descents has set into my thoughts, except when out on the snow - it can temporarily quench the need to pedal. luckily, deep (for us east coasters!) untracked lines are plentiful outside the resort boundry if you know where to look - or are willing to explore. i rarely take my hands out of the gloves to snap a shot in the stuff and when a mature grove of trees opens up a few dozen perfect turns, stopping to take a photo is the last thing i'm thinking about! here's a crazy bear-den "breathing hole" mikey-j pointed-out on last wk's woods-woods run:

our main ski bowl is protected black bear habitat, pretty wild to bump into one hibernating... mike's a great companion for these off-piste adventures, always willing to go deeper, and in the scrub pines at elevation, break trail on his tele's for my snowboard; the board's not the best tool for the job in that stuff, but it sure is fun when things open up. we stumbled into a river bed shortly after the below shot, a magical natural halfpipe - the best 2-3 dozen turns i may lay-down all season - or at least until tomorrow morning when we head-out looking for new lines.

and then there are my snow rippin' neighbors! - a bunch of guys of similar age who love to ski/ride - it is sweet having so many passionate outdoorsfolk right out the door!

snow aside, bike time has been decent (barely acceptable) for this time of yr. i ride to work once or twice a week, temperature rarely matters, -10 is about my limit, and after getting-out for a cpl ass-freezing rides like that, 20 degree temps are downright balmy! it's all about the gear. if you can ski/board, you can ride yer bike. indoor trainer time has been in effect, maybe 4-5hrs/wk, just enough spinning to keep the legs going, the muscle memory there. time is tight and by the time i get onto the indoor at 8 or 9p, i just spin easy, watch a movie, try to unwind from the day... saturdays are my "big" ride days - my usual 10, 12, or 15m massive vertical dirt (ice and snow) ride w/the studded tires. around here riding in the winter is a trip, you yearn for the 45+min warming climbs and dread the freezing 5-10min descents. the other day i got home, pulled-off my shell and the entire inside was coated w/a layer of ice. those thin wicking layers really work!

my winter riding gear:
smartwool socks (medium weight).
winter bike shoes - or shoes with good covers.
toe warmers if below zero.
craft or ibex winter riding pants.
a pair of chamois.
one silkweight long sleeve capilene shirt.
one silkweight long-sleeve zip-neck wool shirt.
one long sleeve winter jersey (good wicking one).
single layer shell w/pit zips.
craft head/face cover.
fleece hat.
helmet.
mittens - not gloves - gloves if it's 20-25 or above.

and you're ready for temps down to -10 or so for at least 90mins... riding in the winter is ... better than not riding at all! it's all about the gear. i don't think i bought a single item mentioned above - over the yrs, at xmas, b-day, etc, this stuff has slowly built-up. thanks dad, thanks jenn, i'm finally able to ride in the winter in total comfort. i'm hanging w/seneca this morning while jenn rips-up the powder, but already day-dreaming of this afternoon's snow-ride, but first, i think seneca and i will head-out for some sledding. "weeee daddy!"

Bushism

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." - George W. Bush, Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

Thanks Bubba. Truly inspirational.

'08, over and done

it's over. 2008. my nearly 3 month break is over. time to get pedaling for '09; back to cramming it all in. work. school. training. family. sleep. and some partying. after the break riding is fun again, sometimes even on the trainer. but not tonight. my legs are hurting, hard to ignore the pain w/typing or youtube, had to grab a beer. it works for me.

'08 was a weird ass yr on the bike.
late start to training,
poor results all season,
but riding more than ever, probably too much for racing.
eased-up in mid august and was flying after that.

got to ride for 7-8 days on the colorado trail w/andy, tim and glen.
wicked!
andy's a good bro, the best, and getting to know tim and glen on the trail was great.
go team.
we found our weaknesses, or at least i did.
the high mtns were, for me, insanely beautiful while wildly overwhelming.
cloud banks had me spooked, thunder uneasy.
but the views.
and the climbs.
and the hour long descents were incredible.
couldn't have asked for better company or weather.
we just didn't know shit.
and it was a blast.
need to write that story-up one of these days.
a cpl of andy and tim's pics:




was out for at least 90mins sunday w shawn p,
perfect weather for it, dirt roads nice and firm.
but 16 degrees takes a lot out of you.
i needed a long nap by the fire to get me going again after that one.

this yr's plan isn't much different that last yrs, but need a new goal. ideas are appreciated! maybe work on my road license a bit, defend the 50, maybe a cpl local xterra's, or back into the NUE 100 mile series? it is the perfect distance... but after colorado, i'm looking for longer days in the saddle. glen mentioned kokapelli, sounds good to me, but early for me... babble, babble, babble. time to get to bed.