Home Sweet Home

My lips are dry and chapped from the lack of humidity, my breathes short and strained. Driving behind a long line of subaru's; and there they are on the roadside...... those damd wooden bears.

It feels good to be home in Colorado.
These are pics from Cottonwood pass. It's a shortcut to Crested Butte and one of the better scenic drives around. The 4 1/2 hour dirve was a milk run compared to what we did last week.
Soggy snowballs in June. I laid a big egg this weekend for the "Wild Flower Rush" regional mountain bike race. A victim of the laws of gravity. What goes up must come down. I probably could have used a rest week but raced anyway. Time to swallow my pride and take the lumps that the pro class has been dishing me. Besides finishing dead last (I did finish) a took my worst digger of the year.
Some of our COMotion Crew. We stayed an extra day to ride some trail.

Traveling across middle America.

Things do get boring on 30 hour one way trips. Some things strike me as funny, so the camera comes out.

The classic "bait and switch".... or is that what an asian salad looks like in Ohio?

I don't remember Kris asking for mayo.

We drove thirty minutes off the freeway in search of anything healthy. I thought going to a caffeteria might be a place to find a balanced meal. My Cod, broccoli and beans were cooked to a mush, devoid of any nutritional value. "Do you want cheese sauce on your broccoli?" I wish I would have taken her up on the offer. Goran thumbed his nose at his shot at the food.... so into the dumpster it went.... along with Kris's miracle whip sandwich.
I may be doomed. But I did have a good day.

Heading Home

we will have done over 5000 miles, 14 states, four races. Can't wait to get home.

Number two in the books!!!

Preride and preparation went well, but i wasn't ready enough for the Snow Mountain VT experience. I DNF'ed in the second lap of my four lap race. I had a bad wreck that shook me up. I got up and chased furiously, then boom!!, I'd hit the deck again. After about 5 subsiquent wipeouts I realized I was becoming a danger to myself. At my age I don't know how many "comeback" years I have in me. I really hate quiting.

On the brighter side, last weeks finish seeded me about 1/2 way in the pack so my number went down (61) and my starting was much better.

Kris had strong rides in both the XC and Short Track placing 4th and 6th respectively. I think he could have taken the ST had his gear selection been better on the single speed.

The next leg was DC to West Dover, VT. The drive was pretty. Parts of NY state remind me of where I grew up in Germany. Little towns and rolling green hills.

A typical Vt farm. They sell mollases and jam at about the same rate that Colorado roadsides sell those wooden bears.

Our "lean too". Deluxe accomidations in Woodford St. park. The bugs were no match for my 40% Deete (maximum allowable). In the tradition of "keeping it real", Kris and I have tried to race and tour as we always have in the past. On a budget. Snow mountain and norba made this one really tough on us. Closest allowable camping..... 30 minute drive. So over the course of 3 days of racing, we made the Woodford commute quite a few times. I met a new friend named Officer Mark on the way, who gave me a 126 dollar welcome to Wilmington. First one in over 10years. Kris has been crushing such a big gear, he ripped the sole and cleat clean off the body of his shoe. The first time was trail side so we duct tape wrapped the whole thing and it held pretty well. That night Kris superglued it back together and took off the tape. We heard the "crack" on the trail the next day.... full seperation.... no injuries..... new shoes.
A big thanks to Cashion's buds at Carolina Fatz bike shop in Asheville, NC. Just when I get down on the people I have to deal with in the bike industry, your cycling carma comes back to you. Markus at Fatz hooked Kris up with a great deal on some shoes and ripped trail with us.
Their shops website http://www.carolinafatzcyclingcenter.com/index.html

Spent two days in Asheville NC with an old biking buddy named Cashion. He and girlfriend moved out here last year. We ran across them ramdomly at a campground and they invited us for a stay. Some other Boulder crew that ride for Maverik Bikes (Aireal, Abby, West) stayed as well. They are heading to VT. then to England. Cashion took us on some sic woopdie trails that are litteraly out his back door. So much fun ripping endless single track with old buds.

Paid G. W. a visit on Wednesday. Capitol was impressive.





Cashion took off his flower print scrubs and replaced them with the wall paper colored scubs.

Next stop is the capitol

One national event in the books. I enjoyed the steep resort terrien of Sugar Mt. NC, but had to brush up on my roots and greasy rock riding skills. Forget even touching your front brakes. I packed it in during a training lap on roots and it gave me a needed wake-up call. I had no race on friday, so I got to watch Kris dominate the expert class on a course well suited for his single speed. The next morning was my xc race, and kris got to watch me suffer for 2 1/2 hours. All went well and I moved up the entire race. My rear tire ripped and started to slowleak in the last two laps. Both times at the top of the decent, I jumped off and CO2'ed some more air into the tire and it got me home. I was satisfied with 32nd. place. Can't wait to line up again and work on tightening up my game. Try and get better starting position. There were nearly 80 in the feild and I have to start in very back (rookie riders). All these dudes have motors and don't like to get passed so moving up is tough. http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2295


Kris won the expert single speed class and got second in the short track.
Best bike on the line (i always say). My Yeti has been phenomonal. Equally at home blasting roots and mud, as it is slaying Colorado single track.
The Old Smoky Mountains are truely "smokey"

The next two Mt. Bike nationals are in North Carolina, and then Vermont. Kris and I stayed with his brother Jason in Missouri and got some trail riding in a state park down the road. Leg two put us in Kentucky, in a place called "Land between the Lakes". Great state park camping and sic single track for miles.



Cool and Aggro, and appropriately named "Steve" Jason's chiwawa ran circles around Goran.

Don't believe this crap!!

McDonalds coffee still sucks.

Ooff.... I've made it to June with my body and spirit intact. Racing every weekend takes a toll on both equally.















We found that Hamilton uses Edible Chamouix Creme!!!
Or, at least, it's made from "food product" ????

Last weekend was the Teva Mountain games in Vail, Colorado. http://www.tevamountaingames.com/home.cfm Kris w/ a K, Hamilton and Maka ralleyed to Summit County for this one. It was a killer atmosphere that showcased everything from fly fishing, speed climbing, dirt jumping, adventure racing, and of course, Mtn. Biking. Many of the "big boys" showed up as the money was good. It was my first time lining up against our national champ Jeremy Horgan Kobelski. Travis Brown, Ross Snell, Walker Fergeson, Ned Overand, Jay Henery, all showed up and I must admit I was intimidated as hell.
The Pro starts have been killing me, and right away I was religated to the back and came part of the 2nd. group. I was able to settle in and went on the march with a handful of others. Kelly Magelky (another new Pro) and Cris Eatough and I broke up the second group later in the race and it was cruise into 11th, my best finish so far.
Kris Lathrop also finished 11th in a tough expert feild, and on a single speed. We won no money, but were both happy and took away a lot of confidence for the national events next week.















My favorite Teva Games Event. Kayaking meets American Gladiator.

The 8-Ball Sprint is kayaking's version of NASCAR, where rubbin' is racin'. After a floating start at the Covered Bridge, as many as ten kayakers will push, shove, and jostle their way through a 200 - meter sprint in the narrow confines of Gore Creek . Along the way, boaters must avoid being knocked off by the 8 Ball ers - loathsome kayakers in full body armor waiting patiently to attack the sprinters and slow them down throughout the course.



Two weeks ago, Kris w/ a K and I lined up for a three day road cycling event called the RockyMt. Omnium. I missed my TT start time by 1:30" then uncorked the fastest 19 minutes & 30 seconds of my life. Anger and desperation fueled my effort. I followed up with a second place in the next days event, then crashed out of State Crit Championship final day on the last lap. A lot of work, ..... no result.

Such is Road Racing.

120 Starters for States Crit. Very Sketch.