From one extreme to another
On snow one weekend and in the desert the next 2013 is shaping up to be a year of “firsts”. At the end of January, Linda and I went to Louisville, KY to watch the cyclocross World Championships. This was the first time I have been to the CX Worlds and it was the first time in 64 years that the US has hosted the event. The US pulled it off in grand fashion. What an amazing event to be a part of and we had a great time catching up with friends and exploring Louisville. The following weekend the Winter Mountain Games were held here in Vail....
read moreA three week racing block.
Building up for Nationals. A couple of top 10‘s and on the podium in NC. As the US race calendar quickly comes to an end it has been a mad scramble to better my starting position for Nationals by grabbing as many UCI points as possible. I’ve been able to get in some quality training here in the Colorado high country as November was full of dry roads and mild temps. The last three weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind to say the least. A lot of airport time and time on the road with not much time at home. But as the saying goes “this is...
read moreTraining thru the Boulder Cup
Lackluster results in front of a hometown crowd. In staying with a new approach to the CX season I am trying to get in multiple 10 day blocks of training, strategically throughout the season. What I have experienced in previous years is that coming into the season with a good solid base from Mtn/Road season is not enough to get you through the entire cross season. Once the racing begins it is super important to try and recover from weekend to weekend in order to be fresh for the next race. Throw in travel days on Friday and Monday and that...
read moreUSGP comes to Fort Collins
…and this time I’m ready Three years ago the US Grand Prix of cyclocross moved venue locations from New Jersey to Fort Collins, Colorado. Hosting the Grand Prix not only brought the best talent in the country to Colorado, but it also doubled the amount of UCI races in the state. Once the, cyclocross crazed, front range of Colorado sunk in their claws, an event of this magnitude had no chance of escape. The three other stops on the GP circuit are not much higher than sea level, and the fact that Ft.Collins’ elevation is an even...
read morePreparing for the FtCo Grand Prix
A week at home to get everything ready. After a restless night in an airport hotel I caught an early fight back to Colorado. We landed in Denver around 10:30 AM. As usual I checked in with Linda, to let her know I had landed and about what time I would be home. She mentioned that she had an opening in her massage schedule, and if I wanted to come straight to her office I could get the racing and travel worked out of my legs (and yes, I do know how lucky I am). I proceeded to pass out on the table, exhausted from the travel and lack of sleep....
read moreNew England: Cyclocross and Seafood
Providence Cyclocross Festival The recently announced American Cyclingdirt Classics p/b Stan’s NoTubes allowed me the opportunity to head back east and do a little cross racing. I’ve previously raced in North Carolina at the NCGP but that is pretty much the extent of my east coast experience. I was definitely excited to check out the New England scene that I have heard so much about…and if were lucky we would even get some mud. Richie Rich was going to pick me up from the airport, so I checked out flights. Looking at the map it...
read more3 races, 3 days, 3 bikes
TT, Crit racing and CX in the high country With the Tour of Vail this weekend I decided to stick around here, sleep in my own bed, and get in some good quality racing in the high country. The Tour of Vail is part of The Great American Cycling Series, p/b Stan’t NoTubes. It consisted of a short 5.5 miles Time Trial on Friday, a Grand Fondo on Saturday from Copper back to Copper via the Leadville Loop, and a day of crit racing on Sunday, which was the USA Crits finals for the season. Initially I hadn’t planned on racing the TT on Friday,...
read moreAdventures in Dairyland
Disc Brakes Shine in Wisconsin After stopping by the show in Vegas, early Thursday morning, we said good by to Jimmy D and the NoTubes Crew and caught a flight to Madison, Wisconsin for the first USGrandPrix of Cyclocross. One of the big changes this year is making the jump to disc brakes with the Ridley XFire Disc and the Stan’s NoTubes Iron Cross. I have to admit that even though we raced on the new bikes in vegas I didn’t really notice the disc brakes at all. A lot of that had to do with the course, which is predominately flat with...
read moreKickin’ off the season in Vegas
It’s a new season with some new equipment…and even a new team member The NoTubes Elite Cyclocross Team kicked off the season in true fashion by meeting in the Nevada Desert at interbike for CrossVegas where we received our new Ridley XFire frames. This is a new disc specific frame from Ridley only available here in the US. Other than the obvious disc tabs and cable routing, the geometry and the super responsive ride are unchanged from last season’s XFire. Additionally, we will be showcasing a new wheel from Stan’s No Tubes this...
read moreI Bet This Stuff is Gnarly when its Wet!
Stage two at the TransSylvania Epic consisted of just over 5000 ft of climbing in about 43 mies incorporating some of the most amazing single track I have ever ridden. About two hours after stage one, like clockwork, the skies opened and saturated the forest. This completely negated any of the moisture that had absorbed into the ground from the previous day. Stage two was slated for a 9:30 am start. After getting up early and getting some breakfast Dax and I dropped off our bags to go to the feedzone. After a Star Spangled Banner Memorial Day...
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