eye of the storm

Doing what it takes to survive while ultimately thriving in what I pursue. Never satisfied, always moving forward in a constant search for that beautiful state of bliss. Climbing mountains and letting shit go, washing it all away in the mountain streams. Simplifying and becoming mobile. Such a simple concept yet requires more effort and resources than one could imagine. Expanding upward and outward, when in doubt, climb higher. On the path of chasing the dream and in constant pursuit of happiness, not sacrificing or giving up when it's not around the next bend. Head high, chasing the sunshine and outrunning the storm. In the middle of every storm is the ultimate calm and that is what I am after.

Moving On

Sometimes you just have to HTFU and realize you are just being a pussy. Complacency, such an interesting word and how we often just get in our little groove and don't push our limits or like to be put outside of our comfort zones. It would appear as though I have been in this place for the last several years. Content with my world and not super worried about pushing on and trying to excel in other areas. This has all been flipped upside down this summer and I am actually loving it. Embracing the change, the hurt, the discomfort, the lack of conveniences. Toed the line for the Vapor Trail on Saturday night. Started off shitty as i had planned on riding a bike with a front fork but as I was dialing it in I noticed a broken seatpost, with no replacement part to be had, I pulled the wolfhound off the rack. My favorite whip, by far, but I had only been on the rigid bike twice since I broke my hand in June. Turned out to be a beautiful and insightful way of looking at who I am. It's ok to hurt, to struggle. Then out of the hurt and struggle the beauty manifests. My hands have never hurt so bad on a ride in all my life and I just rolled on, pushed through intense knee discomfort and realized it was all spectacular. Nothing causing damage, just some little noises for my body to absorb. These little manifestations are so needed for my mindset, for the pursuit of happiness. The ride was awesome, 125 miles and I'll definitely be toeing the line next year. It's not a race, just a ride that makes me smile. Some are fast, some are not, but it doesn't really matter. For a little recovery day I ran up Mt. Massive. Seemed like a good idea, it was pouring rain so wrapped up in my RAB rain gear and headed up with the black and white. The rain turned to snow, the wind howling at 60-70mph and the snow covering my shoes. Continued up the ridge to a site of extreme beauty. Dark grey skies, snow capped mountains, fresh tracks, happy Madderz and then raced back to the bottom. There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. The last two weeks or so have been spectacular. Ive been chasing an alpine fish around CO, running, riding, eating amazing food and digging the vagabond life. Many things are changing. A move on the horizon, new activities abound, a new style of clinic. Embracing the change, enjoying my surroundings as this is not where I will be for long.

Rising from the Ashes

So many years without a word, yet so many things are still the same. Mountains, bicycles, sunshine, snow, smiles are still what brings a smile to my face. Constantly evolving, moving forward chasing and living the dream. No matter the time or place, nothing really changes. The desires are still there and the dreams are still prevalent, ever changing yet never really changing. Miss Madolin still keeping me on my toes even though she has slowed down immensely. Has been such a fun critter of the last 8 years. Different year, same objectives. Vapor Trail tomorrow, just go pedal, no objectives or real desires other than to smile and enjoy the ride. Many thoughts to be added but just a few quick words to initiate the process. e

Some Things

Haven't written anything in a while as I haven't had the urge to write anything about my play time. Until this weekend that is. Had the opportunity to do the Vapor Trail 125 and jumped on it. I have wanted to do this for awhile but it never quite worked out. Not going into all the details as others do better write ups, but here is what it is. 10pm start time in Salida, 125 miles and 20,000' of elevation gain. I have done a lot of high country and all night rides but this one was extraordinary! Amazing singletrack, long steady climbs, hiking to 13,000' feet under the stars only to descend a killer rock garden for miles followed by an amazingly fast pump track-ish section. And that was all before daylight! Followed by a mellow climb to the top of Monarch Pass for the Crest trail with a little detour down starvation creek where the leaves were changing colors and had fun chunk of trail. Back up to Marshall Pass, finish the crest by descending silver creek and then flowing along the rainbow trail with a quick spin back to Salida. Finished at 3:31 for a total ride time of 16 hours and 31 minutes. The most fun I have had on a bike in years, will definitely be back for this one again. A few errors along the way but nothing to crazy and best of all the body felt awesome, even though it was an off the couch ride. No training of any sort went into this, unless you count hiking the fat bike up some 14ers and doing ridge top rides. It's been a good summer of just having fun. Leave Friday for the WV Fall Tour. It's gonna be six days of bikepacking with a bunch of buddies from across the country. I may even take a picture and write a little about it. peace


GO RIDE!!!

Lots of stuff

has been going on. Sent the wolfhound off for reinforcement, so picked up this as a temporary fix



the carbon fork is so much sweeter than I would have ever thought.

Just got a pic of the wolfie with her new look and she is on her way to Leadville.....notice the new sex tube gusset?




Got some new wheels, looked like this




and then did a few tweaks to make her look a little better




And yeah, the tdi is sweeeeeeet!


GO RIDE!!!

'Tis the season

Spring is here, camping and riding weekends have arrived and I am digging it. Fruita two weeks ago BV last weekend and probably salida this weekend. Pedaling the fattie on dry trails is waaay more fun than you would think. Point it and trust it is the theme when going downhill or through the tech. Too much fun!




Photo credit to spike!!, it was cool running into you out in the desert!

GO RIDE!!!

kickin' it

with the black & white




and headed to fruita for a weekend of riding dry trails on the fattie


GO RIDE!!!

Mineralbelt Mayhem

Third race in the Leadville winter MTB series was Saturday night and it was a blast! Fresh snow and a soft-ish track made it a little tricky but oh so fun. 40 people started but only 27 finished and a few of the finishers were out for almost 4 hours. Pretty silly considering it was only 11 miles. Good times pedaling even though the legs were heavy and slow from the get go. Still managed 1st ss and 5th overall. The easier gear has made all the difference with the fat bike. Here's the finish line money shot!


GO RIDE!!!

fat bike!!!!

so, I've had the fat bike for a week and absolutely love it. I've ridden it everyday and have a constant smile on my face while doing so. Did the Tennessee Pass Night Jam hosted by Cloud City Wheelers last saturday and had a ball. It was my first real ride on it, and it was awesome! Still no real snow to speak of in the high country, so headed to the front range for some snow riding. I'm not gonna lie, it was tough. Fresh snow with no real base makes you earn it. It's quite different than the groomed snowmobile trails like we have in the high country. It doesn't really matter where I am riding or what the conditions are, I always have a smile on my face while pedaling around.

Get out and do something fun with this beautiful Colorado weather!

Here's an action shot while warming up for the Tennessee Pass Night Jam




and a little resting

Exactly

So finally back to a lifestyle where I can ride my bike everyday and I'm loving it. Have ridden every day in 2012 and looking forward to see how long I make it before missing a day. Not bad considering I live at 10,000'. Trying to get geared up for some big rides this year, got signed up for the Gunnison Growler and there are several 150+ mile gravel grinders in the spring I'm gonna go and ride. It's one of my favorite things to do......long gravel road rides and it's cool that there are going to be several routes available around the state. Should be fun!

Got something new yesterday and it's so rad. Should definitely make riding through the rest of winter more doable.








Leadville winter MTB series #2 on Saturday. Tennessee pass night jam, super fun course. Hope to see you there.
GO RIDE!!!

Copper En Fuego

The first race of the Leadville winter bike race series was Saturday at Copper Mtn Resort and it was Badass. 162 riders showed up for a good time. I believe a few folks were in over their heads but overall the response was good. Two five mile laps around the resort with some fun and sketchy sections and plenty of running. Sterling and the rest of the cloud city wheelers, leadville's bicycle club, did an awesome job. Next race is Feb 4th at the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center. It's a super fun course with a super cool vibe. Until then, peace. Here's a quick clip, can you find me?


GO RIDE!!!

Hibernating!

Not really, but the weather is in flux, too much snow to ride not enough snow to ski. Run club is in full effect as well as other exercise induced activities. No pictures due to no desire to take them. Good times...........




something I've been thinking about for next year. Haven't ridden gears or squishy bits for about a decade but I'm thinking it may be time. Keystone is too close to not take advantage of.



GO RIDE!!!

Late season

and the amazing conditions it brings. A few pics from the last few weeks worth of trips. Short and sweet!







Frost on the bags after sleeping at 11,000' after the CB classic







Camping at buffalo creek for beanfeSSt







Moisty conditions







Kokomo pass last weekend, before we got to the real snow above copper mtn, i guarantee we were the last ones to hit this loop for the season, 10hrs with the last two in the dark with no lights. Spectacular!






GO RIDE!!!

Crested Butte Classic

Had never been to CB before and what better way to see a new place than to do a 100 miler? Had a map but wasn't sure about all of the logistics since it's a non marked ride. Turns out the only hard part was finding the beginning for lap 2. The goal was to have fun and not push hard enough to hurt at any point in time. Goal achieved, 11:13 was my finish time on an absolutely perfect fall day in the high country. The trails were spectacular, the weather phenomenal and surrounded by people who love to ride bikes. No write up about, but if interested check here, Pablo did a quite nice write up and check this little video clip by Chris Miller and you will see what I mean. First snow last night, so gonna ride as much as possible until it's time for the skis to come out. peace.


GO RIDE!!!

Fall Foliage 100

Been piecing this together for a while. I knew the leaves would be popping and there needed to be a fun 100 mile MTB ride IN Leadville that was a loop......none of this out and back shit!

So a few weeks ago I set a date and sent out some invites........only to have 2 commit, one had a scheduling conflict. He's a math teacher so he sometimes has troubles with numbers aka dates. The other was local fast girl Becky. That's right, only a girl was tough enough to take on the 100.

Met up at 7 and headed out for chill paced and fun loop. Would tell you the loop, but what fun would that be? Stashed the truck around mile 70 for a much needed snack break, where Susan met up with and rode for 3hrs or so with us. Becky bailed on the last section after the hike a bike and I finished it up with a quick sprint.









Awesome day to be out on the bike, perfect weather, beautiful views, chill pace and good company. Totals were right over 100 miles, I think, a good amount of climbing while most of the ride was over 10,000' and out for 12 1/2 hours. Could definitely pull it off in under 10, if you want to hurt! The plan is for this to be my annual fall ride. It's a rout that is definitely worth your time. Crested Butte 100 next weekend with Bean FeSSt the following weekend. Trying to prolong the riding season as long as possible! The leaves will be be around for about another week in the high country, so get out and enjoy them. peace.


GO RIDE!!!

Livin'

That's the name of the game. Been playing hard in the high country, doing whatever feels right at the moment. Long runs to get high in the mountains where there are no trails, long road rides exploring the gravel infiniteness that surrounds us. Fast and fun mountain bike rides because it is my favorite thing to do. Pushing myself while climbing to get comfortable leading with the tiniest of holds, absolutely exhilerating! Cross training is what some call it, I call it playing and enjoying the amazing beauty that surrounds me. Get out in it, no plans, no time frames, just go and see where you end up. peace












GO RIDE!!!

New road bike

of sorts. I hate riding on the road other than as a connector to trails and commuting to and fro, but love riding gravel and dirt roads and hitting some singletrack on a skinny tired bike. A little bit of sketchiness is oh so fun. Just pedaling to pedal, hence the new bike............



A 42 up front and a 35 out back, since that is what was lying around and she is a bruiser. The 36x16 is a bit stout for the climbs but nice and quick for everything else.

Just cruising around enjoying the fall like weather in the high country. Started climbing a couple times per week and it's so rad. 1st day on ropes and started leading, getting ready for some multi-pitch silliness. Taking advantage of what Leadville has to offer before the snow starts to fly.

Putting a feeler out there, anyone interested in a sweet and fun 100ish miler, hopefully full of fall foliage, hit me up. It's going down on Sunday sept. 25th starting at 6 am from my house. Let me know if you need more info or want to join in.

GO RIDE!!!

Chillin'

Recovery time is hiking with the dogs, behind the house.....
















No trails, no plan, no time constraints. Just the simple art of breathing!

GO RIDE!!!

Little review

you could classify my latest ride as a fail if you are unable to see the positives out of the situation. The day started with Kevin dropping me off at the Indian creek trailhead at 5:45 am for the 6:30 start. Lots of peeps out and about. Hung with the bandwagon crew, Csakany, doug, Joey, Chavez and leadville crew member John Fulton.

Day started out sweet, just pedaling along, trying not to push too hard. Felt good, was a little worried about overheating rolling through the buffalo burn area so kept my pace in check. Just mingled with some folks and snacked a bit and kept drinking fluids. Pedaled with joey for a while, just back and forth? Rolled into Bailey somewhere between 6-7 hours feeling good. Gas station was closed and the little store didn't have much. Had to roll to the next store to get some Gatorade, about 8 miles down the road. Felt good to have some cold fluids and rolled up 285 to Kenosha pass in a non-eventful manner. Stopped at the bench, lied down and had a burrito. Such a sweet place for a picnic. About 7 folks passed me here, but I reeled them all in on the climb up to Georgia pass. This is where I could tell I wasn't totally right. Thought it was temporary and pushed/slogged up to the top. John and I were back and forth up the climb until we started the descent and we rolled together for the next several hours.

Off Georgia pass the single track turns spectacular if you like tight and rocky, which I do. Passed a whole lotta folks on this, get to the bottom, grab some water and head out for some fast flowy stuff. At the next climbing section there was a cluster, trail sign said closed, dude standing there said most of the others went up anyway. So away John and I went, climbed up above keystone and then had a baller descent back down chasing the sunset.....absolutely spectacular. Stop threw on a layer, grabbed a bite, turned on the headlight and away we went. Dropping down to hwy 9 was a sweet and tight switch back delight. Got to the bottom, grabbed some water and Joey and another dude rolled up. Crossed the hwy, saw Stefan, grabbed a quick photo and headed for the top of ten mile.


John said he didn't have enough food to stop so he was rolling all night. We dropped the folks behind us and then John left me behind. By this time I was unable to put any force into my pedal stroke for the climbs and could barely sit in the saddle. Climbed for an hour or two and saw a soft spot beside the trail and decided I was sleeping right there. 17 1/2 hours of riding was good for day 1. Threw down my bag and crashed at right around midnight. A few folks rolled by through the nite, but I stayed in bed. Awoke around 4 am feeling good and started the rest of the climb.

This is when I new I was about done. Legs were fine, lungs were fine, mental component was fine, inflamed hemorrhoids were literally a pain in my ass. Couldn't sit on the saddle but even worse I couldn't put any strain into my climbs. Pushed to the top of ten mile and realized I was about to have a loooooong hike to leadvillle. So I sat down, ate some snacks and enjoyed my morning on top of the world. Stoked to be able to do this for fun, even though I had to bail due to reasons beyond my control. Called in my plans and worked out a ride home. Once I got chilled at the top I headed down to copper mtn, where I lied in the grass and chatted it up with everyone that came along. Such great people involved with this ride. No egos, no bullshit, just people riding bikes because they love riding bikes. I'll be back, for sure! Thanks Susan for picking me up.



GO RIDE!!!

CTR

starts on Monday at 6:30 am in Denver. Mentally and physically ready, but anything can happen. Here's the gist of it, 475 miles, 65,000' of climbing and fully self supported. Hopefully will end the week by rolling into durango. If you wanna know a bit more of what it is check this and to track it check it. Makes it kind of fun from home. 75 racers should be showing up, largest field by far. Lots of different strategies, we shall see if mine works.

ride wheelies. I'm out. peace