Last ride of '05 for me

I got up to Hall Ranch yesterday. I was amazed at the conditions. I rode up Antelope to see how wet it was and was pleasantly surprised to find it entirely dry and in very good shape. The Nelson loop even had a nice and tacky blue groove running most of the way. Outta sight!

Monday Ride Jan 2

Anyone interested in a ride on Monday Jan 2? Thinking of either going down to hit the Green Mt/Dakota Ridge/Matthew Winters loop in Denver or heading up to Ft Fun for a tour de Horsetooth. I'd rather go to Horsetooth but it will depend on moisture. Both areas are good right now but we'll see what the weekend brings.

Leave the shop around 8:30am?

Let me know if you're interested and where you want to go!

Country Roads

Take me home, to the place...
Just got back from a whirlwind tour of the heartland in good ol' Nebraska. Weather wasn't the greatest, but we did manage to rustle up the local posse for a bike ride. Trails weren't rideable. A good snow and recent thaw had left mud everywhere the eye could see. We kept to gravel roads on the outskirts of town. They were still a bit soft but we managed to have a great ride as usual. Thirty miles of soft dirt. The privelege was all mine though. It was good to hang out and to ride with the Lincoln Crew.mg ponders life outside of town at a nearby lake/preserve.


a glimpse of sunlight at dusk. The first we saw all day.


Saturday was a real treat in itself. Morning with the regulars at the Mill was as good as ever. Sierra the crazy monkey woman was in full force, as was Zoe the grumpmaster. After downing a Moto Mocha, we powered over to the coolest shop in Linclon, Monkey Wrench Cycles. If you're ever in Lincoln, stop by and say hey to Nate
a brief look up from the cockpit at MWC.


Even though MWC has only been here a few years, they have the feel that the shop has been there a long time. Take note of the museum of bikes hanging from the wall.

After all that, it was finally good to get home and sleep in my own bed. We'll be back to the usual non holiday schedule next week, complete with a 7pm Tues ride. Monday the second day of 2006 might be good for bike ride, too. I will post more details on that as they emerge from the fog. All for now, thanks for readin'!

Intense 6.6 baby blue large I

breathtaking, isn't it? Too much of a beauty for words, so I won't.

Intense 6.6 baby blue large II

Intense 5.5 medium Java

the wall shot


amazing welds on the rear triangle upper crossbrace


linkage and more great welds



do you swing, baby?


beefy dropouts



beefy headtube and gusset/wrap.



another shot of the rear triangle. art.



every last detail down to the cable routing is dialed.

mmm, java...

the latest

Tuesday Night Rides are officially on hiatus until 1/3. We'll break in the new year with the next Tuesday night ride being 7pm on 1/3.

We got our first Intense frames in today. A med Java 5.5 and a baby blue Large 6.6. I cannot believe how beautiful these bikes are. The tubing is manipulated so intricately it hurts. All of the CNC work is equally meticulous and the welds are about as nice as I've ever seen on a fat tubed aluminum bike. I'd rank both of these bikes' welds nicer than the Tracer I last owned.

The 5.5 weighs in at a nice 6.74lbs whilst the 6.6 heaves in at a stout 8.11 pounds! Speaking of stout, if looks are anything on the 6.6, it'll take quite a bit to deflect the rear triangle of that beast. The 6.6 - hmmm, can you say 6.75 inches of backcountry love? Super D-tacular? Takin' the lifts up for a day?

Anyway, pretty excited about that. I was kicking myself for not having my camera on me. No worries, pics to come!

Keeping the fire burning

Despite the wicked cold temps in Lyons today (around 15 is what my thermometer read when I left the house), I had to get out to ride today and thought the recent few inches of snow would make for a good time. Not having a lot of time, I wanted to keep this ride relatively close to home so I headed to Hall Ranch. I'd heard the front side was in good shape before yesterdays snow so I went there first. I took the long way up Old South St Vrain Drive. Here's a shot of the mighty South St Vrain Creek looking cold and quiet.

When I got to Hall, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of cars. Only 1 car in the upper lot. Coincidentally, there was only one set of foot tracks from today, too. I could make out bike tracks from yesterday, but they were dusted heavily with the snow throughout last night. Conditions were superb. The snow was a very light early season snow; light and dry. About 2-5 inches covered the ground, which had been hardpacked and dry before the last dusting. The snow kept the riding interesting, but not too dificult to enjoy the days climb. I climbed up to the rock garden without dabbing. Given the slick snowy conditions, I was surprised to have made thru a few sections clean. Once I made it to the rock garden, I was forced to dismount a few times. Despite the snow, sections that I thought I'd have trouble with were dab free. The smooth sections were buttery and quiet.

After a little more labor than normal, I made it to the top. The veiw to the North was great today. The look back to the South was pretty good, too. I love the low clouds from today. About the time I reached the top, I realized that I needed to get going. I opted out and rode back down the Antelope Trail to a warm shower and hot coffee. Antelope had deep enought snow that it probably would not have been as enjoyable as a climb. As a descent today, though, it was akin to carving a board down thru some fresh snow. There were no other tracks except for bobcat, deer and bunny.

Looking back on my tracks revealed nothing but cold temps, snow, and a few bike tracks. What a great site, eh? It still beats concrete!

Freaking Cold Again..

The temperature guage was reading 12 when I left home this afternoon, and that's cold. I had the skatepark to myself for a little slipping an sliding. Heck, I pretty much had the town to meself as all the sane folks were either inside or shopping. I did manage to find a good way to warm myself up after. Yum.

not bike related but

worth reading nonetheless. This is funny:

Hey Crackhead

riding the flats

I spent this last weekend riding the flat and rolling dirt roads of Boulder County on my cross bike. The knobby 35c tires were perfect on the grippy dirt and packed snow of the local farmland backroads.


We're lucky to live in an area that offers so much diversity in riding. To me, dirt roads this time of year hit the spot. It was good to get out and just spin.

Even though it's slightly uphill all the way back to Lyons, I enjoy the ride west on Hwy 66. The views make it all worthwhile.

Nite Ride Tues 12/13

Hmmm, with the recent snow and thaw and warm temps, I'm not sure where won't be muddy. At 7pm, it will still be warm enough that the ground won't be frozen yet. In either case, the forest stuff up from here is pretty much shut down right now. We will probably head down to the Boulder Res. Leave the bike shop 710ish and be at the trailhead off Neva Rd at 7:30. Hope to see some of you there.

Sat at the park

I got out super early this morning to beat the thaw and to get in a little spin on the cross bike. Made it not even 1/4 mile into Hall. It was pretty tracked out with footprints. The inconsistent snow made it difficult on 80psi 35c tires and 39/25 gearing! Oh well, I rode up far enough to be able to enjoy the 3 minute snow surfing downhill back to the parking lot.

latest news - velodrome, trails, etc

I went to the Parks and Rec meeting the other day to find out more info about the velodrome project. The 2 men, Doug and Frank, that proposed (and have the $$) the track were also there. Basically so far so good. There will be a public hearing at a town board meeting soon. Provided that everything flies at the public hearing we should be good to go with getting a track very soon! This particular P&R meeting focused on not if, but where exactly in Bohn park the track will be situated. It will be a 7m wide, 250m length concrete track and will be set into the ground as deep as the water table will allow. I'm not too hip on track design, but this one will be built as a pursuit track - not quite as steep as a sprinters track. More good news - the UCI has regulated that all records henceforth will be set on 250m tracks and this will be the highest 250m track in the WORLD. Possible hour record attempts made in little ol' Lyons? hmmm... Doug and Frank say that they are ready to break ground absolutely as soon as Lyons says "go."

In other news, Boulder County Open Space has come to the Lyons Pathways Commission to ask what the town's priorities are for open space over the next few years. The recommended priorities were:
1 - finish the Heil connector
2 - Dowe Flats to Rabbit Mt connector
3 - multi use public access to Steamboat mountain.

I love Lyons.

Hall Ranch 12/6

I made it out to hall for the 3rd day in a row of having it to myself. Today was not nearly as windy but between the cold temperatures & the snow it certainly made for a fun ride. I took no chances & I suited up with the snowboard helmet & goggles for protection. The trail was snow covered & the deer were very relaxed. I rode home from the winter day for warm tea.

no night ride Tues 12/6

Got a LPC meeting - Boulder County is coming to town to ask us what are our next list of priorities after Heil and Hall...

good news on the rider limit for big events in CO...

News about the proposed 2500 rider limit of 2 weeks ago is still hammering my inbox. Good news from Velonews:

Colorado patrol backpedals on 2500-rider cap
By VeloNews Interactive
This report filed December 2, 2005
The Colorado State Patrol has reconsidered its decision to set a 2500-rider cap on organized cycling events in the state, according to Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs.

"The latest is that the CSP is backing off to ‘study the issue' for the next year," Merrifield told VeloNews Friday evening. "I intend to keep up the pressure."

Col. Mark Trostel, chief of the CSP, told a press conference at the patrol's Lakewood headquarters that while he had "had a lot of input in support of this, too," he had decided "in the spirit of cooperation and problem solving" to delay implementation of the 2500-rider ceiling for one year.

The cap, which ride organizers said was set arbitrarily and without their input, drew howls of outrage from Colorado's cycling community, a petition drive from the advocacy group Bicycle Colorado and bipartisan criticism from members of the state Legislature.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, like Merrifield an avid cyclist, told The Denver Post: "I am not going to negotiate numbers. I am more than willing to negotiate with them about how we can continue to make these events safer as Colorado grows.

"I am very happy they have suspended the rule for a year so we can continue this discussion."

brrrrr

Pile Driver

I got out on the bike for a few night rides this week. Unfortunately I ended the most recent one with a pile driver style dismount. Tuesday's ride up in the forest was fantastic as Dave mentioned!!! A few of us rode a super fun trail with small amounts of snow & ice on the trail for that touch of the winter season, good stuff! Yesterday however, I piled it into a newly dug out & much deeper than expected ditch just outside Lyons. It was full of leaves so i was unable to see that it had changed since the last time & had been there. I hit it at a pretty good speed as the trail was slightly downhill. I broke my glasses & cut up my right eye pretty good. Another trip to our favorite Lyons nurse Michelle for her second edition of taping up my right eye this year. I took a good shot to my infamous right shoulder & scraped my cheek down my lip & neck. The swelling is filling in nicely around my eye, cheek & lip. Hey, if your gonna do it, do it right I've been told! Too bad this picture doesn't do it justice, it really has some pretty shades of yellow & purple around the eye area. They really go well with the red blood spots, I think I found my winter look!

Thanks again Mic! - Chad

Tonight's ride was a blast, thanks to all who came. Despite a missing glove and cold temps, things couldn't have worked out better. Thankfully, the snow and ice were a lot less than I'd have thought, too. Throwing the bike into switchbacks with 100% traction is always a plus.

Here's a cool shot of Melis. Still working on the shutter thing...

Ft Collins Action Alert!!!

Horsetooth Mountain Park in Ft. Collins is a fantastic place to ride. Suggesting closing trails to mountain bikes is a travesty. Read on...

Colorado Alert: Horsetooth Mountain Park Plan

Northern Colorado's Larimer County Parks and Open Lands department presented
preliminary comments on a Horsetooth Mountain Park Management Plan on Monday
Nov. 14, 2005.

A park-user survey conducted in May and June determined that mountain bikers
comprise only 20 percent of all park users — a finding that local mountain
biker groups question.

Larimer County has suggested that bikes might be banned from Horsetooth Rock
Trail, and is considering closing other trails.

Bike advocates are urged to submitt comments. Consider including the
following information in your remarks:

- Mention your support for shared-use trails
- The trails you ride at Horsetooth Mountain Park
- The number of visits you make to Horsetooth Mountain Park per year
- If you have purchased a Larimer County annual park pass in the past, or
plan to buy one in the future

Comments on the preliminary plan must be filed by Dec 12, 2005. Go here to
make your voice heard:

http://www.lairmer.org/parks/htmp_plan

The complete Draft Management Plan will be posted online on Jan. 3, 2006.
Public comment for that document will be considered until Jan. 30. The final
Management Plan will be prepared and adopted in Feb. 2006.

Additional information can be found at the following links:

http://www.dpmbp.org/index.jsp

http://www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/htmp_plan/

giving thanks

I'm thankful for good health, good family, good friends and good riding. I'm also thankful that I got out on the bike today. Saw a total of 3 riders and zero cars at Hall Ranch. Plenty of deer, too. Hope many of you were lucky enough to sneak out for a pre or post feast ride.

Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving from Redstone everyone!

NO night ride Tues 11/22

Thanksgiving preparations beckon, so there will be not Tuesday night ride on 11/22. We will resume the following week at 7pm!

twelve

Wow, what a ride tonight. DSR and MikeE came out for what turned out to be a super fun ride. Since it was a full moon, I had tossed around the idea of riding at the Boulder Res. It's not that great a place normally, but it's pretty fun on full moons. It's completely devoid of trees and you can usually ride all night without a lamp. Well, DSR committed himself to this evenings night ride on the stipulation that we didn't ride the Res as it's right by his house. Although my arm still hurts from all of his arm twisting, I told him that if he came up, we'd head west and ride in the forest.

We had zero snow in town and I heard reports that Hall Ranch was as bone dry as it appeared. No snow, but it was downright cold. We all met up at the shop at 7 to drive up into the hills. I thought it was cold in town, but it was really, really cold at the trailhead, around 7300'. On top of that, the snow line up north here seems to be about 7000'. We started the ride in bitter cold conditions and 1.5-3 inches of perfect dry white snow.

The snow and the full moon combined for fantastic conditions. Since we started the ride with a long climb, we all settled into a warm groove shortly. Shortly after connecting onto the singletrack part of the climb, we encountered some paw prints. Those suckers had to have been 4-5" around - bigger than the palm of my hand. Yikes! The tracks came and went for most of the rest of the climb. Since the snow was only a day and a half old, the tracks had to have been pretty fresh, too. Kitty has good taste in trails, though - this particular singletrack was finger licking good. We were just a tad nervous of kitty thinking the same of us!

We kept going without incident. The singletrack was superb. The fine line of trail, normally technical in the daylight was even more fun under cover of dark and snow. Timing on the ride was about right, too. My hands and body were toasty warm, but stopping and standing a couple of times in the powdery cold made my toes very, very cold. By the time we reached the bottom of the descent and the car, my toes were about ready to fall off. I ran in place to get the blood flow going back in my feet. We finally got the bikes loaded and were on our way. A quick look at the car thermometer was enlightening. 12 degrees.

Not much happening lately ridewise. I was able to sneak out on the road bike last Friday over the lunch hour. Man, I forget how fun and how fast road bikes are. This was my first skinny tired excursion in over a month. It felt good to pedal and not worry about steep or technical terrain, just spin and go. The ride, unfortunately as always, was too short. I need to get out on the road bike more, but the dirt calls me.

It called today. Rang me up and got me out of bet at 6:45. Redstone? Yes, this is Redstone. Oh, hello Redstone, this is the dirt calling, and you have an appointment before breakfast today. Will you be able to make it? Certainly, I'll be right out. And so it was. A quick local tour early in the morning is good for the soul. It also makes the coffee more enjoyable after the ride! I needed some coffee in a thermos on my watter bottle today. The thermometer read 25 degrees when I headed out! Man, oh, man it was cold. It warmed up though and was up to almost forty when I returned home a couple of hours later. November riding, eh? We're still cheating Ma Nature, though, in that we are still stealing rides in over 7000'.

It's coming.

Letter sent to Boulder County Open Space

The time is now to get your thoughts across regarding a connector that would allow folks to ride from Lyons straight into Heil Valley Ranch. Please send your comments to Patrick Malone at pmalone@co.boulder.co.us. I've attached a copy of the letter I sent.
*****************************************************************
Here are my thoughts on the Heil thing:

Firstly, I agree with the BOA stance - "As a cyclist, resident, taxpayer and registered voter of Boulder County I hope that Boulder County Parks and Open Space will recognize the importance of Heil Valley Ranch trails to the mountain biking community by supporting the creation of a larger second loop option as part of the 2005 trail plan. Recreation on public lands is important to me."

I know that BCOS is into “preserving the experience.” With this in mind, it is important to note that a larger loop would help with dispersing users, both cycling and non. This would go a long way to help preserve the experience for all.

Secondly, as we’ve discussed before, it is absolutely imperative that the easement connector from Heil to Red Gulch Rd be kept on the table. Mr. Olson has a proven track record of bailing at the altar when it comes to doing something with his land. The residents of Lyons do not want the possibility of a Heil connector to hinge on the fleeting whims of a greedy landowner.

All of that said, with a few minor tweaks, you guys have come up with a solid plan for Heil Ranch. I appreciate all of your diligence and hard work!

On One 29er

Well, after 3 rides, I can say I like it. 29'er, rigid, and really cool sliding dropouts that don't photograph well with a flash.

If anyone out there needs to take it for a spin let me know!