Skiing with Dad

Spent the weekend skiing with my Father, it was nice to ski high on the mountain to avoid the masses.

Looking toward the base.

Dad at the top of the t-bar

Sharing

It has been one of those weeks that seems to good to be true. My wife and I got to ski the all day Sunday together while the kids were off skiing with there respective classes. All four of us on the mountain at once - something to look forward to. Rene has been quasi-working from home which has given us sometime to workout together, today we ventured to the GMRC for a spin class then a quick weight session and even squeezed in a game of horse. Tomorrow we planned a 10 mile run but I may opt for a ride as the weather is going to be great. It is wonderful having her around this much and sharing the things that brought us together in the first place. Only a few weeks of this before she starts the new job - I am going to take advantage of it though.

TIv3 Information:
Decorah is a city located in Winneshiek County, Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,172. It is the county seat of Winneshiek County. Decorah is located at 43°18'06"N, 91°47'25"W (43.301795, -91.790218). Check out the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.

Pic from morning ride

This is how I spent the morning as the kids attended school.

Southward bound

The Mas-o-Menos planning session at the Irish Rover went well, after a few pints of Guinness the critical decisions were made and we left to the Pogues ringing in our ears. There is a vacancy if you are brave enough to make the trip.

I was able to venture out to tackle the roads for short ride this morning. Some ice and a bit of snow but for the most part clear roads.

Mayor!

Clay Henry

New Team for 2007

I am racing for JDS Sportcoaching Factory Team for the upcoming season. The focus of the team will be in the 35+ races (open and 4s) and in raising money for the MS Society.

Got out for a short ride today with some warmer weather and dry roads.

Warmth Cometh

Bookended the weekend with two nice long runs, felt good to get out this morning with the brisk air clearing the mind. The cold air has headed off to Texas, it is going to be in the 30s in Houston (Rene's trip for the week) while both Denver and Calgary will be about the same.

I've been sizing up my winter bike project - converting the IRD to a singlespeed. Should be a cool project and may even have it ready of TIv3. Maybe an Eno hub laced with Velocity deepdish rims.

The folks at TwinSix are teaming up with Waltworks to put out some shirts and 29er frames.

Frigid Frontrange Weekend

Spent most of the weekend indoors.

Went over to the GMRC to do back to back indoor cycling classes. Absolutely kicked my butt!

Sunday was off - watched Da Bears!!!!!

A warming trend for the week and more riding outside.

Mas-0-Menos approaching.

Moving Forward

The plan as it stands now is to remain firmly planted in the urban sprawl that is Denver.

It is good to have that behind us - 2006 was one of highs and lows but we made it and are much stronger for it!

More snow/cold tomorrow and an odd weekend home during ski season, so the weekend might include a couple long runs.

Wickedly Windy

A weekend of winter sports. I skiied with Fallon on Saturday morning on the old alpine fixed heel setup, then snowshoed with the family in the afternoon when the wind started whipping. Sunday was Fallon's first day of Bombers, so that means I have the whole day to ski by myself. The wind was brutal, two instructors told me that the wind chill at the top of the Colorado chair was -54 degrees! If you could stay warm on the chair up some of the slopes you had all to yourself (or at least you couldn't see anybody else). I should have gone XC skiing with Rene and Keagan, but I thought if my daughter was out skiing in the cold so should I.

The kids are headed back to school this week which means I can get some miles in before the next blizzard. Decisions been made but not finalized. My ACA appication is ready to be sent in, I better start training.

More Snow

More snow today, roughly 8+ inches at the house. I got my upper body workout today shoveling snow twice - once this morning and then again this afternoon. The mountains are getting some good snow so the weekend of skiing should be good. Might even take the snow shoes out, we'll see.

Brave enough?

Here are the primitive facilities from a fine eating establishment in the Big Bend region, are you in? Mas-o-Menos on Februry 16th.

Valley of the Sun

We made it back from our visit to the retirement mecca of the southwest, Mesa. The trip home made the whole trip worth it - one night on the rim of the Grand Canyon (supporting nationalize capitalism), drove by the Black Mesa and the Peabody coal mine (I thought some monkeys blew it up), spent the night in Moab (sans bike), drove Arches National park (those paved roads are sure nice), and followed the Colorado River into the heart of the Rockies. Missed all the snow in northern NM and someone even cleaned out our drive so I didn't have to shovel more snow.

As the plan currently stands, I will be purchasing a new coat from the fine folks at Melanzana so I don't make it on his list of gapers for wearing my father's 70s vintage ski parka while skiing at Breck. My wife did get asked if she wanted to move to Atlanta and Anchorage, passed on both. With all the snow on the ground and the lack of being able to get outside to ride, a warmer climate does seem appealing.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

All is well in Denver, we dug out and the plan for the future is being set in motion.

2007 is going to be a great year.

Peace to all!

Snow Day

Schools cancelled and lots of snow means no riding outside today.

Leg Burn

Riding the Poma lift - Fallon solo/Me with Keagan

Riding with Keagan

Spent some time skiing with the kids early at the base of Peak 9 - utter craziness! After a few runs of snow plowing with Keagan my legs were like noodles. Fallon got her ski legs back and is ready for a season of showing up dad. Skied with my Dad after sending the kids back to hot tub. We did some laps at Peak 10, my dad was timing us - 12 mins per lap. Then worked our way back over to Peak 8, skiing the trees/bumps off the 6 chair. Good way to make the legs burn as my dad is a non-stopper and we are skiing hard from top to bottom. This year I plan on working on my Tele technique and ski some harder stuff.

I was informed that we will be skiing through the end of March this year, so I have been planning my long runs/rides for up in summit county. Then again we have to wait and see if a move is in the future. I think our preference is to stay in Denver, but already two offers from Austin. We'll see what the week brings.

IN

Looks like I'm in for another long ride in Iowa!

Spent the day working on my Tele turns with Fallon after spending a night of barstool time at a new place in Breck called the Mother Lode. We figured out our life after a few too many pints.

Time to get training.

Switching Sports

Sunset on the Ten Mile Range

Heading to Breck to end a nice week of transition with a weekend of knee dropping fun - plus a few pints with the wife to discuss our future. Hopefully we can have a plan by sometime next week.

TIv3 lottery results will be up sometime tomorrow. Hope my bro and I both get in.

Transition Time

After finishing up with the season, it is time for me to relax and prepare for the start of my program in January. I plan only a few low intensity rides and quick weightlifting sessions to get me ready to hit it hard. I have found that as I get older (over 40) that I can't afford to take much time off, therefore I keep at it year round. I try and stay fresh by taking some mini-breaks throughout the year and setting my goals for spring and fall giving me the summer to enjoy cycling.

No news on if where I will be racing next year, but not heading up to Calgary. Narrowing it down between here and Austin.

Seasons Over!

I finished up the year of racing with the State Cyclocross Championships up near Longmont at the Xilinx facility. I raced decently and finished mid-pack, kind of how the rest of the season went. I wasn't in the top ten in the Boulder Series so no call ups for me, a nice third row start position. Had a good start to the bottle neck of slippery mud and ice, then just settled in and rode as hard as I could passing a few riders.

My father and his wife brought the kids up to watch the race. It was nice for him to see what cyclocross is all about. I opted to pass on the Singlespeed race in favor of lunch in Boulder with the family. I think is was a good choice, only one bike to clean.














Thoughts on the CX season:
-I didn't get points the I wanted to get an automatic upgrade to Cat3 in CX.
-Riding a rigid 29er as my mtn bike of choice improved my handling skills.
-My starts were better than last year.
-The courses are getting better and harder every year.
-Raced 19 CX races including skipping two weekends (Gunni & USGP)

All in all a great time and can't wait to start racing again.