Monday, April 18, 2011
Life on the road.
Sea Otter classic wrapped up yesterday and with the perfect temps it ended up being a great weekend of everything that was biking. A big highlight was definitely Emily winning the XC and out sprinting Catherine Pendral. Here is a couple photo's of her crushing.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
When shit is going down, you better know how to move.
I had a great week with some solid training rides and I managed to get out and play in the mud twice, getting covered head to toe in not only mud, but a large amount of dog poop. Actually I couldn't believe how much poo was out there! Maybe people will start to realize that it takes almost no effort to flick you canine's crap off the trail so riders don't have the pleasure of tasting what your pooch had for dinner last night.
On Wednesday I had a solid 3hrs off road and with all the mud, ice and snow I managed to crash zero times. I was amazed at how well I felt and how much fun it was to get completely wrecked in the springtime trail conditions. En-route home while crossing a road at a 2 way stop intersection I decided I could crack the throttle and dart across the busy highway with tons of time to spare.
Little did I know that the township was in the mist of cleaning off the roads and with all the gunk left over after a long winter season it sure ended up being slippery. I laid my mountain bike down right in front of that oncoming car that I had thought I would be able to beat.
Before I hit the deck I was already scrambling to get out of the way of the 2 tons of steel bearing down on me. I didn't look to see where exactly that car was, all I knew was that I needed to move as fast as possible! It happened in split seconds and felt like two minutes. It is kinda crazy how sometimes when you are thrown into a situation that could end up tragic how you instinct and reactions move before you even know what is happening. I was literally already scrambling out of the way before I hit the asphalt. Ironic that I can ride 3hrs in the crappiest conditions and within a few minutes of home on a flat paved road I crashed.
On another note I have been reading, well actually listening to "Born to run". It had been recommended to me by a handful of people. It is a great book and a excellent read, that I recommend to any athlete. Whether you are a runner or a cyclist it is sure to motivate you and maybe even make you look at your sport from a slightly different angle. I crushed the 12hr audio book in 2 days and I will probably listen to it again sometime soon.
Sea Otter is this coming weekend, should be a good one as the weather looks like it is going to be sunny!
On Wednesday I had a solid 3hrs off road and with all the mud, ice and snow I managed to crash zero times. I was amazed at how well I felt and how much fun it was to get completely wrecked in the springtime trail conditions. En-route home while crossing a road at a 2 way stop intersection I decided I could crack the throttle and dart across the busy highway with tons of time to spare.
Little did I know that the township was in the mist of cleaning off the roads and with all the gunk left over after a long winter season it sure ended up being slippery. I laid my mountain bike down right in front of that oncoming car that I had thought I would be able to beat.
Before I hit the deck I was already scrambling to get out of the way of the 2 tons of steel bearing down on me. I didn't look to see where exactly that car was, all I knew was that I needed to move as fast as possible! It happened in split seconds and felt like two minutes. It is kinda crazy how sometimes when you are thrown into a situation that could end up tragic how you instinct and reactions move before you even know what is happening. I was literally already scrambling out of the way before I hit the asphalt. Ironic that I can ride 3hrs in the crappiest conditions and within a few minutes of home on a flat paved road I crashed.
On another note I have been reading, well actually listening to "Born to run". It had been recommended to me by a handful of people. It is a great book and a excellent read, that I recommend to any athlete. Whether you are a runner or a cyclist it is sure to motivate you and maybe even make you look at your sport from a slightly different angle. I crushed the 12hr audio book in 2 days and I will probably listen to it again sometime soon.
Sea Otter is this coming weekend, should be a good one as the weather looks like it is going to be sunny!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Home!
I made it home safe and sound! 2480km's from Golden CO to home in just under 24hrs!! I drove straight, stops were minimal and for fuel only. No I didn't speed, the car was set on cruise at a max of 1 mph or 2 over the limit. It was actually a pretty relaxing drive. I managed to write the below few paragraphs whilst waiting for my matrix to be re assembled.
Sitting in a transmission shop in Denver Colorado, chewing on some “Mike and Ike’s” from the candy machine as my beautiful Toyota Matrix is being reassembled. I have had a full 48hrs in Denver that was very far from being a planned stop. I had left the concrete jungle of LA Sunday at 5pm and after 1550km’s I arrived in a random parking lot somewhere in Denver. That parking lot ended up actually being the town called Golden. I called CAA or AAA down here to get a tow. I mentioned that my front end was locked up and that I needed a truck that can lift the front drives off the ground. Of course they sent me a float truck. Well that's not going to work...
I had been sitting across 2.5 handicap parking spots in front of a walmart and I had already waited 45 mins for the first truck and now I had to wait another 45 mins for the 2nd truck. I didn’t have a clue where to get the matrix towed to, so I opted for the Toyota dealership. They were incredibly helpful and given my situation were as good as they could have been. They were unfortunately way out of my price range.
I ended up getting a hotel for the evening needing very much badly to sleep on the current creek that I had found myself up. The next morning after a very good nights sleep, I decided that I was going to get the car towed to a reputable transmission shop right around the corner from where my hotel was. So far these guys have been amazing! Seriously, the guys here at AC transmission have been exceptionally helpful and will hopefully have me on the road by 1pm this afternoon.
The broke down car has given me a chance to have a full 48hrs to explore the area and I must say WOW! I am super stoked with the riding around here. I have ridden some of the coolest trails that I have ever ridden. 20mins from my hotel doorstep I could hop on fast, flowing, steep trails. There were so many cyclists out there on the trails and even on the massive network of paved bike paths I was so impressed with what the area was offering up.
Every person that I have dealt with has been exceptionally friendly and helpful. They have made a really shitty situation not so shitty. Cool looks like the car is gtg!!!! home here I come.
Sitting in a transmission shop in Denver Colorado, chewing on some “Mike and Ike’s” from the candy machine as my beautiful Toyota Matrix is being reassembled. I have had a full 48hrs in Denver that was very far from being a planned stop. I had left the concrete jungle of LA Sunday at 5pm and after 1550km’s I arrived in a random parking lot somewhere in Denver. That parking lot ended up actually being the town called Golden. I called CAA or AAA down here to get a tow. I mentioned that my front end was locked up and that I needed a truck that can lift the front drives off the ground. Of course they sent me a float truck. Well that's not going to work...
I had been sitting across 2.5 handicap parking spots in front of a walmart and I had already waited 45 mins for the first truck and now I had to wait another 45 mins for the 2nd truck. I didn’t have a clue where to get the matrix towed to, so I opted for the Toyota dealership. They were incredibly helpful and given my situation were as good as they could have been. They were unfortunately way out of my price range.
I ended up getting a hotel for the evening needing very much badly to sleep on the current creek that I had found myself up. The next morning after a very good nights sleep, I decided that I was going to get the car towed to a reputable transmission shop right around the corner from where my hotel was. So far these guys have been amazing! Seriously, the guys here at AC transmission have been exceptionally helpful and will hopefully have me on the road by 1pm this afternoon.
The broke down car has given me a chance to have a full 48hrs to explore the area and I must say WOW! I am super stoked with the riding around here. I have ridden some of the coolest trails that I have ever ridden. 20mins from my hotel doorstep I could hop on fast, flowing, steep trails. There were so many cyclists out there on the trails and even on the massive network of paved bike paths I was so impressed with what the area was offering up.
Every person that I have dealt with has been exceptionally friendly and helpful. They have made a really shitty situation not so shitty. Cool looks like the car is gtg!!!! home here I come.
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