For cyclists, living in Colorado is like being a kid in a candy store. There is world class mountain biking, breathtaking road biking (Colorado National Monument in Fruita, for one) and this weekend yet another option appeared on our menu.
The Boulder Indoor Cycling center is having its grand opening today.
I’ve never ridden on a velodrome, but it looks exciting! Phil, Jeffrey and I attended the Collegiate Track Cycling National Championships in Colorado Springs last September. Tactics and strategy are crucial – as well as being able to put out enough power to light up Manhattan.
Here are some thoughts on track cycling and life in general that seemed worth sharing.
Hopefully we’ll get up to Boulder in the next couple of weeks so I can give you the full scoop. If you get there before I do, leave a comment or drop me a note – I’d love to hear what you think.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Dumb Luck
Have you ever had a moment when inspiration and dumb luck intersected? I just experienced serendipity on such a grand scale I'm still shaking my head.
Phil and I had been talking about hiring a coach for the 2009 assault on Leadville since late August. But we hadn't found anyone that we were both excited about working with. I wanted someone local, and he wanted someone with real endurance racing credibility. We were not finding that combination despite a good bit of time and effort beating the bushes (or Googling surreptitiously while on boring conference calls at work).
As January 1 approached, we got a bit more agitated about it, as we both wanted to be on a program by that date.
We went to dinner a couple weeks ago and over glasses of Chianti talked again about our attribute wish list for a coach. Keeping to my goal of finding someone local (the greater Denver area, but Boulder or Golden-based was my real preference), I said, "Let's see if Nat Ross can recommend someone." Phil, being very supportive and a good sport, didn't snort his wine out his nose while laughing at me. He said, "Ummm. Okay; I suppose it's worth a try."
So we went home and Googled a little bit and found an e-mail address for Nat. I sent him a note along the lines of: "It doesn't look like you offer coaching services yourself, but can you recommend someone in the Golden area that you think might be available to coach a couple of recreational riders?" [I also tried to schmooze a little bit and name-dropped our friend Yuki, who won the 12 Hours of Snowmass event Nat promoted in August – thanks, Yuki!]
I fully expected that we would not receive a response to the e-mail. So imagine my surprise . . .
The next day I checked my e-mail and found a response from Nat. Not only could he recommend someone in Golden, the someone he could recommend was NAT ROSS!
Two days later Nat was at our house, having a glass of wine, talking with us about our goals, our limitations and sketching out a plan for the 2009 season. Really.
We are still pinching ourselves.
So, yeah, we are being coached by a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame; the guy who holds the record for the most solo 24-hour race finishes, many ending in podium appearances. Nat had a particularly stellar 2007: He was part of a victorious four-man Race Across America team, and won the National Ultra Endurance Series overall title as well as the Duo Pro class at the prestigious 24 Hours of Moab.
Hot damn.
Now, just because we have a superstar coach, doesn't mean our performances will improve. But it surely won't hurt. We are anxious to learn as much as possible from Nat over this upcoming year.
I love being lucky!
Phil and I had been talking about hiring a coach for the 2009 assault on Leadville since late August. But we hadn't found anyone that we were both excited about working with. I wanted someone local, and he wanted someone with real endurance racing credibility. We were not finding that combination despite a good bit of time and effort beating the bushes (or Googling surreptitiously while on boring conference calls at work).
As January 1 approached, we got a bit more agitated about it, as we both wanted to be on a program by that date.
We went to dinner a couple weeks ago and over glasses of Chianti talked again about our attribute wish list for a coach. Keeping to my goal of finding someone local (the greater Denver area, but Boulder or Golden-based was my real preference), I said, "Let's see if Nat Ross can recommend someone." Phil, being very supportive and a good sport, didn't snort his wine out his nose while laughing at me. He said, "Ummm. Okay; I suppose it's worth a try."
So we went home and Googled a little bit and found an e-mail address for Nat. I sent him a note along the lines of: "It doesn't look like you offer coaching services yourself, but can you recommend someone in the Golden area that you think might be available to coach a couple of recreational riders?" [I also tried to schmooze a little bit and name-dropped our friend Yuki, who won the 12 Hours of Snowmass event Nat promoted in August – thanks, Yuki!]
I fully expected that we would not receive a response to the e-mail. So imagine my surprise . . .
The next day I checked my e-mail and found a response from Nat. Not only could he recommend someone in Golden, the someone he could recommend was NAT ROSS!
Two days later Nat was at our house, having a glass of wine, talking with us about our goals, our limitations and sketching out a plan for the 2009 season. Really.
We are still pinching ourselves.
So, yeah, we are being coached by a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame; the guy who holds the record for the most solo 24-hour race finishes, many ending in podium appearances. Nat had a particularly stellar 2007: He was part of a victorious four-man Race Across America team, and won the National Ultra Endurance Series overall title as well as the Duo Pro class at the prestigious 24 Hours of Moab.
Hot damn.
Now, just because we have a superstar coach, doesn't mean our performances will improve. But it surely won't hurt. We are anxious to learn as much as possible from Nat over this upcoming year.
I love being lucky!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Yesterday Phil and I got out for our last mountain bike ride of 2008. I forgot my camera – aaargh – so didn’t get any photos to share. It was a sunny day, with bright blue skies a crisp temperature of about 55°. Most of the trail was dry (we rode on South Table Mountain) but we did hit a few muddy patches. Phil’s bike doesn’t clear mud very well, so he had some challenges. I ended up having kind of a nasty attack of exercise induced asthma due to the cool air, so we just rode one lap and called it a day.
Today we did our annual New Year’s Day ride up Lookout Mountain. For the last 5 years – if the roads are dry - we’ve gotten together with various friends to kick off the year with a ride. Jeffrey joined us today. 
Riding in the mountains at this time of year presents special challenges when selecting gear. You need to be a little bit cool when you head out, because you heat up dramatically while climbing. If you are warm when you start riding, you'll overheat and sweat too much. Then the descent is bonechilling due to your wet clothes. So, we rode up in shirt sleeves (2 layers)and bundled up for the ride down.
We capped off the day with a visit to Woody’s, our favorite place for a post-ride beer and pizza treat.
Today we did our annual New Year’s Day ride up Lookout Mountain. For the last 5 years – if the roads are dry - we’ve gotten together with various friends to kick off the year with a ride. Jeffrey joined us today.
It was about 50°, but not very sunny, so it felt cooler. We saw at least 40 or 50 other riders – including a couple who greeted everyone they passed with a robust “Happy New Year!”
We are so lucky to live in a place with: world class cycling – both road and mountain bike options; generally good weather; and lots of active people so we don’t stand out as big crazy freaks!
We are so lucky to live in a place with: world class cycling – both road and mountain bike options; generally good weather; and lots of active people so we don’t stand out as big crazy freaks!
One view from the top.
Phil racing the cars.
Jeffrey: "peace dude"
Riding in the mountains at this time of year presents special challenges when selecting gear. You need to be a little bit cool when you head out, because you heat up dramatically while climbing. If you are warm when you start riding, you'll overheat and sweat too much. Then the descent is bonechilling due to your wet clothes. So, we rode up in shirt sleeves (2 layers)and bundled up for the ride down.We capped off the day with a visit to Woody’s, our favorite place for a post-ride beer and pizza treat.
A great way to start the year – biking, buddies and beer. Does it get better than that?
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