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.

Nite before the race. Hotel Sienna.














First pro race went ok. It was cool lining up against Travis Brown and Ned Overend, two of the sports ledgends. The start was fast as hell. Chopping away at mt bike cranks made me remember the meaning of the word "suffer" all over again. It was a good, familiar pain.

Speaking of Pain. The four cross race.... lot's of carnage.

A bunch of us set up shop on the hillside after our cross-country race to veiw the spectacle; that is downhill racing.

Well, the Mt. Bike season is upon us. First race this week on the fat tires. It will be a regional Norba race in Anglefire NewMexico. It's a small ski resort in northern NM that is pretty empty in the summer. I've alway's liked this venue (there was a world cup race here last year) because it turns into bikeville for the weekend.

Took a big rest after Gila and started getting back to the trails of Boulder County on my Mt. bike. It's been a good reunion.
No more cars, or windy flat roads. Also gets me back in touch with a lot of old friends that I used to "high roll" with. This is Mike Hoaster and I leaving from Nederland park-n-ride in search of singletrack. The trails were good yesterday..... all clear and tacky, snow covered peaks and a cool breeze..... Heaven.

MISSION ACOMPLISHED!!!!! The 11 hour drive home will be much sweeter after the events on Sunday. Sunday was the "Gila Monster", the final day of our 5 day stage race. A long tough stage with a whopper of a finishing climb. The last 15 miles are brutal. Ryan Hamilton was our highest placed rider on GC (2nd) when the leader pulled out on Saturday. This made him the virtual leader, and changed our strategy completely. We planned and planned different senarios of attack, but we all had the sinking feeling we'd have to take control of the race on the final day and protect Hamilton.
Our second best placed rider Justin got the green light to attack and try and put pressure on the other teams. He was well marked and smartly sat in and saved his legs for the climb and protecting our leader.
Many stories will come yesterdays events, the one I like to tell is how our two lowest GC riders Kris Lathrop and Alex Lieber turned into "super domestiques" on the final day. With a 50 mile run into the start of the climb, it was key to keep the pace so high that no one would attack. Both of them absolutly flogged themselves for 50 miles while I sat barking orders and covering the hard attacks. It was a symphony of domination as we rumbled down the vally with no fewer than 3 teammates at all times on the front of the peleton. Alex and Kris burnt everylast match and looked like shit at the start of the climb. It was a perfect launching pad for Justin and Ryan who lit up the climb, finished 3rd & 2nd respectively, and of course, got the overall victory for the 3's field at the tour of the Gila. Pretty good company to be in. Jason Donald (pro stage 5 winner) and Tom Zirbel were the 05' & 04' TOG champs.

Thursdays climbing stage was tough, and most of us held our position on GC. Friday was the longest stage at 78 miles with 6000ft. of climbing. We worked well together as a team, broke away with a teammate (ryan hamilton) and he brought home the victory. Photo's on the way.
Ryan is in second place on GC 49 seconds behind the leader and we're gunning for the victory on the last stage on sunday. Also, Justin is in sixth just over 2 minutes out.

Brake pad melt-down from fridays decent through the Gila national forest. I was sprinting out of every corner to keep up with my teammate Cole, who decends like a rock. We hit the bottom of the climb with a gap and started to push it and further punish the field for decending like wimps. We had it widdled down to about a 30 riders before we let up.

Warming up for the TT. The only action shots I got!!

Results:
Jones: 4th
Maka: 6th
Cole:9th
Hamilton:15th
Iles: 17th
Lieber:46th
Lathrop:52th *today the climbing starts* There are 80 something riders in our feild this year. I lot will change after todays mt. top finish.

Road trippin' on the lonely NM. It was like a road trip graveyard. We must have counted 25 crosses on the side of the road over 50 miles. Where are these people getting it wrong? Must be in the corners.




Southern NewMexico. The long switchback roads are the only way into the Gila national forest.
We got a view of some of the climbs we will be racing on.
The time trial starts today. I'll post some results tonight.

View from the Pinos Altos Cabins. http://pinosaltoscabins.com/ Just what we need for the weeklong stay. Very nice owner and resonable.

Success again!!! The Colavita road team really forces the issue in last Sundays race. We didn't win, but got second, fourth, and fifth. We dominated the first 1/2 of the race, but let just one guy get a little to far up the road. Turns out he was a stud and we couldn't reel him back in. It's great to see all of my Gila teammates going strong and confident. This picture is Ryan Hamilton, Ryan Cole, and myself drilling it into the cross winds. The rest of the riders are trying to get into the draft. We try and leave them no room where they'd literaly have to be off the road to get any help from the draft. It's called "putting them in the gutter"

Training in the mountains with Kris w/a K and Lieber. We marched up to 9,000 ft making a big loop from Boulder.
The weather here was made for cycling.

One of our stops is the funky ole' mining town of Ward. It's at 9000', best glacier water I've ever tasted. Hot coffee and a candy bar to bring me back to life.

Been knocking out a race every weekend. A bunch of us are really ramping up for the "Tour of Gila" starting in May in New Mexico. www.tourofthegila.com
Larimer Road Race was last weekend. A tough local race with many teams viaing for the victory. We had a team dinner the night before and talked strategy. It payed off. By 1/2 way through the race the lead group had dwindled to about 20. We had more guys in the break than any other team. We all helped each other out a lot. (i got a wheel exchange from a teammate after mine broke in an accident) There were wicked cross winds all day and without some help I would have been off the back. Ryan Hamilton, Ryan Cole, and I were the final Colavita riders left in a group of 15. Cole seemed fresh and is a good sprinter, so Hamilton and I worked for him in the closing miles and lined up a leadout for the sprint. Cole delivered,... winning the 3 up sprint, giving the whole team the victory.
It was a great moral boost, our first victory of the season. Everyone is really stoked about working together. Should really help us in the 5 day stage race in New Mexico.

Pictures from last weeks race.

Holy Crap! Been a full month since I "blogged." Spring has started in ernest. The occasional winter storms of march have not kept me off my bike. I race for the Colavita Colorado on the road and have been hitting up all the local Criteriums and Road Races. There is no substitute for racing, and I plan on doing just that up until my first Mt. Bike race May 20th. Yesterday was the "Boulder Roubaix." race. A 60 mile race on 75% dirt roads. Was pretty bumpy on skinny tires and felt longer than 60. My teammate Ryan Hamilton took 4th.

Back from Utah and a long week of training in the desert. 3-5 hours a day on the bike. I have a lot of miles under my belt now, and know it's nearly go time. Coffee is at a premium in campMost of the eggs were seasoned with sand.

A solid week of skate skiing. I am lucky to have a lot of friends to skate with on these cold days. Went four times last week and got some time on the trainer. The weather is shaping up for the bike. Our Mt. bike team goes to Moab Utah next week for a training camp.

Just finished assembling this years rig. Yeti bikes, made right in Golden Colorado.

It warmed up to 7.5 degrees by 9am this morning. Skiing can even suck at this temp.

So we went snowshoeing instead. A three hour power snowshoe.

My buddy R-Steve struggled. Had a melt-down

I consoled him.

So did Tim.

Nordic Sking on the cold days. Carver & Kris w/ a K.

Coming out of off season hibernation. Not that I've been sleeping all this time. An unseasonalbly warm winter in Boulder has keep me on the bike all winter. These off season "base miles" are supposed to be easy and long. Excruciating. Boring. I know some of the first races start soon. The first week of March.
Today, driving to Ft. Collins, CO to train with a new teammate. It was 22 degrees this morning when I got up. It will warm up.... probably to the 40's.

Last weekend on the island. Went on the "Battle for Okinawa" tour.
Checked out some of the web of caves that the Japanese army fought from

In this room, many Japanese soldiers committed suicide by grenade.

Underground Naval headquarters of Imperial Japan
These dudes were very well dug in. Okinawa, not Normandy was the largest land invasion force ever assembled. Neither the Americans, Japanese, or Okinawans memorialize the battle. These tunnels are the only reminents of the carnage that took place here.
Hacksaw ridge, with SugarLoaf hill over my left shoulder. The invation force landed in the bay past sugarloaf.

Tora, Tora, Tora,

Translation?

Waves and rain the last couple days.