orangutan foot!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
333 skis
This is one of the cooler things I've seen involving skiing in a long time:
www.333skis.com
Custom skis for $333 and handmade in a solar-powered trailer....?
Hoping to inspire more locally built and relatively low-impact skis he offers builders shop specs and tips. To quote Backcountry mag's interview, "Let's not be stupid consumers, all we're trying to do is claw back market share from Chinese manufacturing. Let's bring it back - one ski at a time."
www.333skis.com
Custom skis for $333 and handmade in a solar-powered trailer....?
Hoping to inspire more locally built and relatively low-impact skis he offers builders shop specs and tips. To quote Backcountry mag's interview, "Let's not be stupid consumers, all we're trying to do is claw back market share from Chinese manufacturing. Let's bring it back - one ski at a time."
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Woodle-day!
Count Basie turns 12 today! Happy B-day Woodle! We're very lucky to have you in our life. Celebrated Basie's life with a couple of sniffy hikes and lots of pizza crust for his desert. Today also has a melancholy feel though because it's Monkey's Birth-celebration-day too (we don't know their actual birthdays). These two were such good buddies that it's hard to see one without the other.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
the ground. (ok, almost 3 feet). It just fits somehow.
A big October snowstorm changed the face of this fall. Trails are
officially shut down and I'm pretty sure they ain't gonna be clear
till April or May.
Heading out to try out the rock skis this weekend behind the house...I
can't even believe it?!
The pic below was taken yesterday morning and it hasn't stopped
snowing since then.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Cold and Colic
Snapdragon - almost 6 months old nowA bit of a stressful weekend overall. Little baby Snapdragon had a bout of colic and had to be driven down to get watched, and eventually get surgery, to remove the obstruction that was making her colic. Friday afternoon and all of Saturday she was up and down, writhing in pain on the barn floor most of the time. For those of you who don't know about colic in horses, it has a good chance of killing them if not acted on and this one wasn't going away so surgery was the last option. She has to stay at the vet until next weekend when she will hopefully be coming home to DVR. Horses are certainly MUCH more delicate than they look...I never would've guessed. Cross your fingers for little Snapdragon, she's not out of the woods yet.
This weekend hit a bit of a cold front, especially Sunday. Because of poor Snapdragon's situation, I chose to abandon the cross race at the Res and instead stayed local for a short little singlespeed ride in the hood in the afternoon. Possibly my inaugural 'last singletrack' ride of the year here. Last year, this occurred on Thanksgiving Day - a full month later!
Snow-lined singletrack at 5pm
Snow-covered singletrack a bit later on
The mandatory Hunter pictureSaturday, October 24, 2009
Valmont Park Groundbreaking Cyclocross Race
Valmont Bike Park. I'm sure you've heard all about it by now if you're living in the Colorado Front Range. A full-service "bike park" in the fullest sense. There will be a pump track, dual slalom course, dirt jumps, full UCI cyclocross course, and more than I even know. It's taken around 10 years and a lot of work from a ton of people but The Pilot has been primary in designing the park, a full time job when you include the public process that's involved. I'm usually not one for "development" but when it's a City Park within City Limits, it's a great use of land and will be an amazing resource for such a cycling-centric community.
Ten years ago, the Pilot and I created a cross course for a Supercup Cyclocross series race - he designed it, i helped put it on the ground. I was a Waiter on Wheels at the time trying to figure out what to do with my life after a not-so-successful (in terms of making a living) racing career on the MTB circuit. I was hired by local race promoter CG to cut the course and make a bridge over the ditch to connect the two sides of the park. (The bridge still stands today! But needed some help some years ago.) So coming back here to do a race after the community has helped contribute over $400,000 to the cause is pretty inspiring. Just like with the Ned skatepark, a few people can change a community for a lifetime.
The race was October 17th and it was a typical fall day in Boulder - sunny and warm. T-shirt weather so I donned my cotton Boulder Cyclesport 'jersey' and headed down the hill for the race. Last year I had decided i was going to upgrade and race the Open category for this year of racing. After 2 wins and rumblings of some in the 35+ crew wondering why I was in their category...well I just thought it best to go back to the Opens even if it meant I was going to get my ass kicked. And, I WAS GOING TO GET MY ASS KICKED!...no doubt about it. My training involved bike tours and singlespeed rides, and no high intensity intervals or workouts to speak of, except for one or two Wednesday morning cross rides with the group. I was truly on the Pilot training program - race yourself into shape. So it was, I lined up with all the other mopes in the Open and was happy to see many familiar faces that are still there 10 years later. I wouldn't be in the top 5 with them this race this time around but I did feel at home here - Dubba, the Pilot, JHK, Paco, and the Flemish Wonder to name a few. I did miss seeing and mixing it up with BHlud, the WB, DrCross of M&C, and JC though!
The 20 top riders got called up and then i squeaked in just after them as I had been a donor for the park. I took the wheel of the Pilot. But not for long.
BANG!
We were off.
The start was a loose dirt "path" that hit a right turn 300ft or so later up a hill and back down to a huge bermed turn to a left and run-up next to the beer garden then down and left to an offcamber loose dirt doubletrack of sorts. So to say the start was a bit crazy because of the loose dusty conditions would be an understatement. I bobbled, almost went down after I almost hit a Mafia racer who would soon pass me like i was going still, and all the while inhaled more dust than I'd ever like to inhale in a year again. Not a good start but I was in the top half still. I passed a few and a few dropped off and eventually settled in near some guys I've never met before but took the wheel of the Flemish Wonder. We were sitting in around 15th place as a group. My power isn't all that, but on the wavy curvy sections I'd gain time or rest a bit more than some of the rest i felt. Eventually, the Flemish Wonder dropped me (with no thanks to Bobby on the mic! hah!) and the other 3 in our chase group. We dueled back and forth and eventually they got the best of me. I passed one dude on the last tech section and then he passed me in the last 20 feet of the race as I'm certainly no sprinter. I ended up 17th and reached my goal of top 20 for my first race of the year in the Open cat. There was some attrition on this very very rough 'mountain-bikey' course as about 49 started and only 36 or so finished. I almost wished I had the Hunter 29er for this course with 1.8" tires as I could've hopped some barriers and just RAILED the corners better. But hey, it's cross after all and that's part of the challenge of the sport, and why I love it - you're riding what is basically a road bike OFF-road.
I have no pictures from the day, and everybody is charging to buy their pictures of the day, so we'll have to go picture-less for this post. I apologize but check out Mud and Cowbells for more.
Ten years ago, the Pilot and I created a cross course for a Supercup Cyclocross series race - he designed it, i helped put it on the ground. I was a Waiter on Wheels at the time trying to figure out what to do with my life after a not-so-successful (in terms of making a living) racing career on the MTB circuit. I was hired by local race promoter CG to cut the course and make a bridge over the ditch to connect the two sides of the park. (The bridge still stands today! But needed some help some years ago.) So coming back here to do a race after the community has helped contribute over $400,000 to the cause is pretty inspiring. Just like with the Ned skatepark, a few people can change a community for a lifetime.
The race was October 17th and it was a typical fall day in Boulder - sunny and warm. T-shirt weather so I donned my cotton Boulder Cyclesport 'jersey' and headed down the hill for the race. Last year I had decided i was going to upgrade and race the Open category for this year of racing. After 2 wins and rumblings of some in the 35+ crew wondering why I was in their category...well I just thought it best to go back to the Opens even if it meant I was going to get my ass kicked. And, I WAS GOING TO GET MY ASS KICKED!...no doubt about it. My training involved bike tours and singlespeed rides, and no high intensity intervals or workouts to speak of, except for one or two Wednesday morning cross rides with the group. I was truly on the Pilot training program - race yourself into shape. So it was, I lined up with all the other mopes in the Open and was happy to see many familiar faces that are still there 10 years later. I wouldn't be in the top 5 with them this race this time around but I did feel at home here - Dubba, the Pilot, JHK, Paco, and the Flemish Wonder to name a few. I did miss seeing and mixing it up with BHlud, the WB, DrCross of M&C, and JC though!
The 20 top riders got called up and then i squeaked in just after them as I had been a donor for the park. I took the wheel of the Pilot. But not for long.
BANG!
We were off.
The start was a loose dirt "path" that hit a right turn 300ft or so later up a hill and back down to a huge bermed turn to a left and run-up next to the beer garden then down and left to an offcamber loose dirt doubletrack of sorts. So to say the start was a bit crazy because of the loose dusty conditions would be an understatement. I bobbled, almost went down after I almost hit a Mafia racer who would soon pass me like i was going still, and all the while inhaled more dust than I'd ever like to inhale in a year again. Not a good start but I was in the top half still. I passed a few and a few dropped off and eventually settled in near some guys I've never met before but took the wheel of the Flemish Wonder. We were sitting in around 15th place as a group. My power isn't all that, but on the wavy curvy sections I'd gain time or rest a bit more than some of the rest i felt. Eventually, the Flemish Wonder dropped me (with no thanks to Bobby on the mic! hah!) and the other 3 in our chase group. We dueled back and forth and eventually they got the best of me. I passed one dude on the last tech section and then he passed me in the last 20 feet of the race as I'm certainly no sprinter. I ended up 17th and reached my goal of top 20 for my first race of the year in the Open cat. There was some attrition on this very very rough 'mountain-bikey' course as about 49 started and only 36 or so finished. I almost wished I had the Hunter 29er for this course with 1.8" tires as I could've hopped some barriers and just RAILED the corners better. But hey, it's cross after all and that's part of the challenge of the sport, and why I love it - you're riding what is basically a road bike OFF-road.
I have no pictures from the day, and everybody is charging to buy their pictures of the day, so we'll have to go picture-less for this post. I apologize but check out Mud and Cowbells for more.
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