Bishop's Blog

Leadville 100 MTB race

2008-08-11T14:30:00.005-06:00

Link HERE to a cool video on superhumanmag.org of the 2008 Leadville 100 duel between Wiens and Armstrong. I can't believe they rode powerline, that hill is a beast.

4 x 100 relay

2008-08-11T11:02:00.001-06:00

just in case you fell off the face of the planet and haven't seen this yet

More sadistic fun

2008-08-09T21:07:00.001-06:00

The Reason for surgery

2008-08-07T14:09:00.001-06:00

so I don't have to do this anymore. Of course, I never had any help. . . .lucky bloke

Tour ITT

2008-07-27T16:45:00.002-06:00

I was pretty happy to see Sastre defend his yellow jersey against Evans in the ITT on Sat. He and CSC/Saxo Bank made a race of it and I would have been disappointed to see that not pan out for them. Obviously, they were the strongest team in the tour. Evans never really impressed me, but the Schleck boys sure did. It was awesome to see Frank in yellow. His TT was sorta flat though, but not quite as bad as his boss, Bjarne Riis, pulled in 1997. Enjoy his tour meltdown below.

Alpe d'Huez

2008-07-23T13:41:00.001-06:00

What the hell is Michael Douglas doing on the podium?

ctrl-alt-delete

2008-06-09T12:03:00.005-06:00

Pretty well sums it up. . .

This is what I'm talkin' about. . .

2008-05-28T22:03:00.005-06:00

Now if the pros can ride around the countryside of Italy passing plates of pastries around, why can't we. So often we push ourselves to suffer on the bike, but judging from a candid photo like this, a little more fun is in order. Or, at least some better food!

Anybody up for a pastry ride, let me know.

If Steel is Real. . .

2008-05-23T12:57:00.004-06:00

Then, stainless steel is keepin' it real. . . real nice!

The old saying with bike frames is that steel is real. This is some sort of nostalgic grasping at the 'classic' frames of yesteryear. And as I think about it, the saying can't be that old, 'cause it wasn't that long ago that steel was all there was.

Anywho, now there is stainless steel. I saw that these tubesets came out a few years ago, but hadn't seen anyone work with them. Then today I cruised the Bob Brown Cycles Blog and saw his latest creation. Most of my affinity for stainless come from the kitchen, but it sure looks sweet as a bicycle!

Emily and Katie

2008-05-21T18:24:00.002-06:00

Emily and Katie are a couple of sisters who are riding bicycles across the united states. It is a pretty daring feat in and of itself. Nevermind the fact that these two chose to ride into the prevailing winds by traveling from East to West. The plains states should get interesting. I expect some juicy blog posts about that time. If you want to check in and see how they are getting along, their blog is here, now with pictures.

Go Big Orange!

2008-05-20T17:41:00.002-06:00

While I was busy writing, cramming, caffeinating, examening and all the fun that comes with finals, I missed out on my old high school buddies taking a canoe trip in the ozarks. Here's a little taste of what I missed.

Charlie

2008-05-15T08:20:00.001-06:00

While I'm busy with papers and exams. . . have some fun watching Charlie!

Dishwasher Pete

2008-05-07T21:47:00.003-06:00

Found this here site in the current Mountain Gazette. Apparently, this guy is a real deal professional dishwasher whose aspiration was to wash dishes in all 50 states. He had a successful zine full of restaurant tales that turned into a book about the whole deal which we can now all read. Having slogged away quite a few years in different kitchens in knoxville, I can only imagine the stories he tells.

Random!

Around the World. . . on a bicycle

2008-05-04T20:40:00.004-06:00

Rick Gunn was a photojournalist for the Nevada Appeal. He quit his job, got on his bike, and rode around the world. The Appeal's article about his return is here. You are better off reading that than anything I could say about him. But even if you skip that, his photo-journal is on his website here and is really worth checking out. It is kinda longish and takes a while to load, but well worth a visit.

what's all the fuss about?

2008-05-03T21:14:00.003-06:00

McCain and now Clinton have advocated the suspension of gas taxes through the summer. The $600 rebate was a bipartisan affair. At $40 a tank a week, (mind you a very conservative estimate) that $600 gets you through the summer. Personally, I think the time is now to take this issue away from the politicians and look to some realistic alternatives.

These measures do little to offset the rising cost of food and does nothing to support a slightly more sustainable lifestyle amongst the country. So, here's my attempt at a stopgap. Guard dog included!

Todd Wells

2008-05-01T17:49:00.004-06:00

I've been following Todd Wells via his blog for a little bit now. He lives just over the hills on the western slope in Durango and I've caught a couple of cyclocross races where he has at least starred if not won. Either way, he has impressed me as a pro rider in the day and age of shenanigans and hoodwinks full of artificial this and doping that.

Todd almost broke the top 10 in Houfallize, a world cup mountain bike race in Belgium. This race is often seen as the closest thing to a monument in MTB racing. Good on ye' Mr. Wells. I can't tell his story near as well as a pro, so check out some decent writing on him here.

Fausto!

2008-04-29T10:57:00.004-06:00

The Flintstones

2008-04-26T13:29:00.000-06:00

Wasatch Powder Day

2008-01-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Clark Peak Yurt

2007-12-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, long before my equipment was together, long before I had my avalanche training, long before the snow had started to accumulate, I weaseled my way into a backcountry skiing trip at the Clark Peak Yurt. Everything fell together perfectly and we had a blast. For a great play by play write up, check out Brian's blog to relive all the excitement.

This particular trip was put together as a homecoming of sorts for Mason and Brenna, two peace corps volunteers working in Nicaragua. The location was the Clark Peak Yurt in the Colorado State Forest. The accommodations were almost as good as the tree runs we found on Sunday and a great trip was had by all. It was fun to find such a treat less than 2 hours from the house, another reason to love life here in Northern Colorado.

Avy 1

2007-12-20T10:03:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I kicked off my backcountry skiing adventures. There is much to learn about traveling safely in the snowy high-country of Colorado. The 10th Mountain Division Hut system held an avalanche 1 certification class at the Sangree Froelicher hut outside of Leadville, CO. Having the class out in the field combined with a hut trip is a great way to get the education.

Scott Mesina was our guide and instructor for the weekend and did a wonderful job. He and his crew were responsible for 15 students in the frozen landscape right at treeline about 10 miles north of Leadville. There was enough new snow to make the trip very rewarding. The weather was fabulous, cold, but the wind was calm in an area that is almost always blustery.

In the end we all had a great time and learned a lot about traveling safely in avalanche terrain.

Alright! Enough is enough. . .

2007-11-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

And that is enough of a vacation from bloggins. Tarik has threatened to remove me from atop the leader board, and well, I don't take that threat as idle. Just look at what he did to his bike for misbehaving.

The real dealio though is that I've been busy. Real busy. So let's get some of all that excitement out there on the world wide web so we can all thank Al Gore for more useless crap that requires coal-fired energy plants to up their production so he can make a movie and get a noble peace prize about how we should all use less energy and save the planet one movie and one useless webpage at a time.

Uh, oh. Is there a new tone on the blog. Maybe. But then again, no one gets out alive, not even me, despite my charmed existence. More on that soon. In the meantime, gratuitous puppy pics.

Goodbye Boulder

2007-07-09T19:19:00.001-06:00

It has been real!

SXSW

2007-07-07T01:10:00.000-06:00

The SouthWest face of Longs Peak from June.

Me looking into the Indian Peaks Range and Rocky Mountain National Park

Bicycles Go in the Livingroom, Right?

2007-07-05T22:27:00.000-06:00

I cannot remember exactly when bicycles started making their way into my home. I imagine it was a bit of a fight for my mother to get me to keep my first BMX in the garage. And, I know for a fact that the mountain bike that replaced it was inside when I took it completely apart and then put it back together. I guess the dorm room was the first time I had a bike inside full time and I don't remember slowing down, in fact now there are two bikes inside.

"Just two?" some might ask, and rightfully so. But then there is the occasional visitor who isn't a bike geek (I didn't know they exist either) who just doesn't get it.

First of all, a bike IS a piece of art. Maybe it is form following function, but both are beautiful. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. True enough, but who hates bicycles and wants them out in the weather? (Don't answer that)

These days, if I visit moms she is kind enough to open her home to me and a bike or two. Maybe she has learned over the years that we just go together and we come inside together. I'm facing new living situation and it will be interesting to see where we all end up. Compromise is probably in order, but then again, my track record isn't so hot in that department.

Moose, Mooses, Meeses, Mice?

2007-07-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Jim and Millie Gleaves came back to Colorado and were kind enough to include me in a bit of their vacation. Living in Colorado has many perks, one of which is that it is a destination spot for many of my friends so they come see me, well sorta.

It is fun having folks in the area as it is an excuse to go explore the area some more and undoubtedly see something I've been missing. So, we took a drive up into Wyoming for a drive on the Snowy Range Scenic Byway.

This lovely cow was seen near Cameron Pass, just north of Chambers Lake. She was too busy grubbing in the recently dried marsh to care about us snooping around for a picture.

Ronde!

2007-04-07T00:16:00.000-06:00

For many Le Tour is the pinnacle of cycling. For me, it is the the classics and Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders. Sure the Hell of the North has a special place for me and maybe I shouldn't play favorites. But, the hardmen of Flanders prove their worth this week and it looks to be the showdown of the season this sunday, sunday, sunday.

The 18 "bergs" thrown in the 259K of racing are what sets this apart for the true classics fan. Throw in the cobbled roads on most of the climbs and you have a true hardman's race. I fancy myself a decent climber for a "big" cyclist; therefore, these courses draw me like sirens.

My pick for the day is a three-peat by Tom Boonen. The former world champion has proven his worth here the last two years. He will be the man to beat with a competitive but banged up Bettini to provide the considerable threat foiling the few contenders to make it that far.

The Rest of the Winter Wardrobe

2007-03-20T22:10:00.000-06:00

At this rate, I won't have to shop for any gear next winter. I'll find everything I need out on the canyon roads of Colorado. A mere three days later, I went back up 4 mile canyon exploring the glorious dirt road sections full of old mining relics and happy mountain folk and came across my latest road find, this here fleecey beanie from Bula. It was a bit of a mess, but one trip through the washer and it really is good as new.

In many ways this is more like getting one of my old beanies back. I've lost at least 3 this season alone. I'm bad about loosing hats so it is really nice to get one back, sort of. Now if I can just find some ski pants that are long enough and don't stop mid shin.

The King of All Road Finds

2007-03-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was duly rewarded for my ride up Four Mile Canyon. As though the view and the ride are not reward enough in and of themselves, the cycling gods bestowed upon me the king of all road finds. Behold, my new Arc Teryx softshell. This is one of the few pieces of gear that I have wanted in the last few years. Its wind and water repellency makes it ideal for Colorado weather. To top it all off, it fits perfectly. One run through the washer at it was like new.

On The Road

2007-01-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

With the majority of the nation's winter parking on top of Colorado for the last 6 weeks, most activities are limited to the great skiing or to the in of doors. The Denver Public Library is hosting the manuscript for Jack Kerouac's On The Road, so I hopped the bus to Denver to check it out.

Kerouac's claim to fame was hand typed on 120 feet of rolled paper, all in a three week frenzy. 60' of "the roll" is on display at a time in two different showings. For the most part the work is still in tact and quite an amazing thing to behold.

I enjoyed reading a couple of different sections chosen at random. There was no one in that wing of the library at the time and there was almost an eerie feeling being so up close and intimate with the original work. The manuscript is complete with small editorial marks and the original names of the characters from his real life experiences. It was almost as if I were reading someone's journal due to the stream of consciousness style and rawness of the work.

here is a shot of the DPL. No photographs were allowed by the scroll.

wage increase

2007-01-11T02:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to get political again. I do try and avoid this, but occasionally I have to speak my mind. The minimum wage increase is a very bad idea at this point. It looks like it is for the contributing citizens of this country to help them keep up with inflation. However, the burden of this increase will be seen directly through the private sector where the disparity will be made up through increase in prices, decrease in job market and ultimately more inflation. This is not to say that the people earning within this range do not deserve to have the money that would help them face today's economic situation.

They do and this is how they should get it. A respectable level of earning should remain untaxable for people within a certain pay scale. For instance, the first $15,ooo earned for someone making less than $25,000/year would not be taxed. The amount that this would bleed the national coffers should be made up for through taxation of the upper 1% of society earning more in a matter of seconds than these people will see all year. My numbers are arbitrary, meant only to illustrate a point.

The saddest part about this whole legislation is that it is designed with one goal and one goal only, to create the illusion that progress is being made to help the American working poor. It will only hurt them and the people who are trying to employ them in the long run. This policy is not good for America, this policy is good for politicians. It is time that politicians served themselves while serving the public at the same time.

Elfified

2006-12-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Click on the pics for more of the shenanigans.

Angrified

2006-12-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more videos from the concert on Sat. night. The first one is with one of KC Groves songs (and I think it is titled: A Going Away Party) The last one is the final jam with all the players who are joined by a 14 year old phenom on the mandolin. I'm still working to confirm his name. He only played the last song but left a prodigious impact on the crowd.

The Taste of Anger

2006-12-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

We headed up into the canyons tonight for an impromptu bluegrass show at the Little Church in the Pines in Salina, CO. It was a bit of an adventure just getting there, navigating the snow-packed roads. But, oh what a treat. This chapel maybe held 70, last I counted we had packed more than that in, but it was worth it.

Darol Anger had played the Mackey Auditorium on the CU campus the night before. This show was put together last minute from what I heard. He got together with KC Groves, Ross Martin, Ben Kaufman of Yonder Mountain String Band and a few other friends that I'm still trying to ID.

Darol was quite generous with his talents, electing to showcase KC and Ross more than steal the show. He did an incredible job helping to make them sound great in between solo sessions where his genius shown through and filled the chapel.

At the end of the show, there was a small jam with a crew of people from the audience that had come prepared to play with Darol and the gang.

I tried to capture the feel with some pics, but the video feature on my camera did a much better job. The sound was surprisingly decent and video is poor quality, but you get the idea. We were packed in tight for a really intimate setting. I really enjoy live music in this way, much more so than the large crowds in cavernous auditoriums.

Howard Zinn rant at CU

2006-12-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

The venerable author, activist, and political scientist, Howard Zinn, came to the CU campus on Thursday to share a rant on the current state of affairs in the world. I arrived later than normal to find myself ushered off to an annex for an audio feed. It was standing room only billowing out into the halls and smaller rooms. The Boulder community showed up in droves for the free speech sponsored by the Cultural Events Board.

Zinn's personal history is quite brilliant, from a professor at Spellman to a participant in the civil rights march from Selma back to Montgomery. His involvement in the civil rights movement was inspirational to me specifically as that march was seen as the gathering of "the beloved community," an ideal created through the works of nonviolent leaders such as Gandhi and King.

Much of his speech centered on the idea of "American Exceptionalism" and the detrimental behavior that creates. Specifically, the ideals of democracy that we hold so dear create a false confidence which gives license to atrocity. This exceptionalism serves as an obstacle for learning and growth. Instead, we have moved into empire-like behavior and are running a fine line towards fascism.

I applaud Zinn's courage to stand and speak his mind in the face of simple minded criticism of being unpatriotic. Indeed, this nation was built upon dissent and it is the courage to address the difficult questions with a desire to bring us to an appropriate role in the global community that is missing and necessary today.

A similar speech can be heard here. It is presented by the Professional Education Program from MIT.

Don't ask for whom the bell tolls...

2006-11-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tarik's shenanigans caught on video. Worth a watch for the laugh. Thanks Wink256

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

2006-11-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

There is the gorgeous aroma of shallots roasting and duck braising, must be thanksgiving. I love this holiday. The company of good friends and family, a few pints of a favorite beer, and some of the best food on the planet (cooked by yours truly) and without the pressure and commercialization of other holidays.

Current vice on the block. The 60 Min IPA from dogfish head ales. Worth a try if you can find it. Nice and hoppy, but clean and not as fruity as some IPA's are trying to be these days. Plenty of kick, plenty of bite, but real smooth and clean.

2006-11-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Colorado Sunrise!

2006-10-05T19:58:00.000-06:00

By Andrea Fasula

Indian Peaks

2006-10-03T19:23:00.000-06:00

The weekend weather was just about perfect. In the high country, the temps got up around into the 70's, just warm enough to feel good in the sun. The trees are turning fast, but plenty of the aspens were ablaze with color.

I've been wanting to get into the Indian Peaks Wilderness for quite a while and finally got the chance. I went hiking with some friends from school, up the Mt. St. Vrain trail near Allenspark. We did just a bit of work and avoided all the crowds that were up enjoying the weather and trees. Can't say that I blame them, but it doesn't meant that I want to join them.

night

2006-10-01T19:27:00.000-06:00

a shot of the admin building on campus.

hello, hello

2006-09-28T23:05:00.000-06:00

appologies all around for the long delay. quite a bit going on since the last post. The weekend that "the legend" came for a visit, I received notification of my acceptance to go back to school. so, i moved to Boulder and started in the psych program at Naropa.

Classes are full on. Quite a big transition compared to my life in the last year, but everything is goinng really well.

here is a pic from a friends place up in the mountains.

Visited by a Legend!

2006-08-14T19:08:00.000-06:00

Mud Slingin'

2006-07-30T17:01:00.000-06:00

They've made a bloody mess of the sport, that's for sure. I am more inclined to simply not care, want nothing to do with it, than anything else. The Tour de France is going to be won or lost in a damn court room. Will someone please tell me what that has to do with sport? From this perspective, nothing. I'm sure that it will only get messier from here on out, although, somtimes you have to make a mess to clean one up.

NPR put up a decent article to help explain what the hell is going on, here.

Tarik weighed in here.

More importantly, here is something fun and worthwhile to do with your bike, here. A "ballywho of bikes and beer." This looks like the kinda place where performance enhancing drugs (aka beer) is encourged. Apparently, cross-dressing is too. Who knows what other shenanigans will ensue, I saw the parade last year, you should all be afraid, very afraid.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

2006-07-25T16:47:00.000-06:00

As I continue searching for what is going to occupy my time and energy in pursuit of fulfillment, monetary needs and my contribution to society, I find myself looking to those that I consider successful for tips. Here are two interesting speaches to consider should you find yourself at a crossroads any time soon. Steve Jobs has had an interesting career, full of ups and downs. He was booted from Apple, the company that he started, only to come back into the company after a merger. This is the commencement speach he gave at Stanford back in 2005. Very interesting considering that he never graduated from college. Only at Stanford. And, Tony Hawk pretty much made skateboarding a profession. This is an essay he wrote for This I Believe for NPR. Check 'em out ya'll.

Practice Makes Perfect

2006-07-25T10:33:00.000-06:00

Greg Lemond, three time winner of the Tour de France, is slowly perfecting the art of talking with his foot in his mouth. I can only imagine the task being challenged by thought, annunciation balanced with control over the sense of smell and taste. All the while, he is becoming a bit more aloof when accusing Armstrong of doping. (sorry, you have to scroll down a bit to see the article)

River of Spoons

2006-07-20T17:19:00.000-06:00

Last week I took a small vacation and went to ride the high mountains and see some old friends. The Conways were visiting their cabin in Cuchara, so I went down for a night, some great company, more than enough to eat and some spectacular rides.

From the cabin, it was either up or down. One day was up and over to Monument lake. Once clear of the pass, I was treated to alarmingly beautiful coutryside. Cars were outnumbered by fishermen along the banks of the alpine lakes. The other ride was back down the valley to the town of La Veta for the low point of the ride at 7013ft.

From here, the views of West Spanish Peak are intimidating. There is nothing comforting about the barren slopes of that peak. I've never climbed it, but don't need to to know that it would be an exercise in scree.

All the Kings Horses, and All the Kings Men......

2006-07-20T15:57:00.000-06:00

called papa Merckx and put Floyd Landis back together again.

Yesterday was the "crack heard 'round the world." Floyd Landis lost over eight minutes in the second of three mountain stages in the high alps during stage 16 of the Tour de France. Up until that fateful climb, Landis showed the strength, power and control of years gone by. Content to ride conservatively and let the competition come to him, his ride was reminiscent of Miguel Indurain. And then he cracked.

I'm impressed by the composure Floyd showed after such a devastating stage. No excuses, no whining, just a single beer to cry in and then back to work. "Back to work" included a phone call from Eddie Merckx with the challenge that it wasn't over yet and he must attack.

Well, attack he did and right back into contention he is. Landis' performance has been called the greatest single-day race performance in the modern era of cycling. His attack was so early and so fast, "like a motorbike going up the road" that the GC contenders just sat up and looked at each other. In the end, Floyd was only 30 seconds down on Oscar Peirero and should be able to mop that time up quite easily in the TT on Sat.

This has proven to be one of the best, mos unpredictable Tours ever and is quite worth watching. Enjoy ya'll.

Thievery

2006-07-17T23:29:00.000-06:00

France Snatches Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

2006-07-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Apparently it does actually rain here in the high desert. The skies wept over the weekend which helped keep me inside to watch the finals of the world cup, France v. Italy. France had already captured the stage win in Le Tour earlier that day and looked likely to take home the world cup later that day.

The first half was fairly well balanced. By the 45th minute, both teams were tied and it seemed as though it could go either way. But, between 50 and 60 minutes at the start of the second half, France was dominating play in front of Italy's goal. They palyed as though they could afford not to take a shot and wait for a better opportunity. Confident and strond, indeed they could. Opportunity after opportunity presented itself, only to be just out of reach. Later, Italy would score off a beautiful header from a penalty kick. This was pulled out for an offsides penalty. Ans so it was that we went into overtime tied at one.

Two fifteen minute overtimes and the score was still tied. On to penalty kicks. Crap! I don't think that a world cup final should be brought down to penalty kicks. France missed one, deflected off the crosspiece, and so they lost. It did not feel like Italy really won to me, more like they just didn't loose. France lost. They had the opportunity to end it during regulation and just couldn't get it done.

Zidane was the big news. He had a header in the second overtime that was just barely deflected, one handed, by Italy's keeper. Earlier he had fought through the pain of a dislocated shoulder to play on. And then he was ejected from the game after headbutting an opponent. That penalty could very well have been the deciding factor. A player of his skill and presence ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct effects the whole team. It made for some great drama, though. Had the game gone on to sudden-death, I would be much happier, no matter the outcome.

Hot Stuff

2006-06-26T18:33:00.000-06:00

I have discovered that if you Google, Mark Bishop Colorado, you get my blog. I had no idea. I have entertained my own vanity a few times and googled my name. The only links to be found are race results from a few bike races. Not much else linking me to cyber space. But, that search brings Bishop's Blog in playing first chair. An old co-worker and one time spark, found me recently. It is interesting to contemplate other's access to me as a result of this forum.

It is also interesting to wonder how much anyone really knows about me as a result of reading this journal. I only put out there what I want others to know about me. I have a non-disclosure agreement with myself in many ways. There is no paperwork, but I feel a bit obbligated to censure my own content. Not that this is the shining happy people version of my life, but more that it is really just one small slice. If my life were a pie, stashed away in the bakers case of a coffee shop, this blog would not be enough to serve anyone. Not that it is not good enough, but the portion would be so meager that it would only bait your appetite without offering enough coverage to hide a hook.

I do appreciate all the readership that your time and energy has brought to this site. It has been a fun and healthy experience. I hope to get back to some regular posts. Stay tuned for "When it rains, it pours: Life and times from the dessert"

a view from the liviinig room

Apart is the New Together, Ya'll

2006-05-15T21:48:00.000-06:00

Now, I loved it when pink became the new black. It added much needed character to the bike industry. After all, purple was so 1992. Then breakfast became the new dinner, and that has been great. No more dates with someone I don't know while trying desperately to stay awake. Now, all of a sudden, alone is together. Brilliant! According to the New York Times, couples are Living Apart Together or Living Alone Together (LAT).

Check the article out here. Sorry, but you have to sign up to read it.

The idea is that a growing percentage of couples are choosing to live apart while in a committed relationship with each other. Married or not, this looks to be the next evolution of relationships.

Personally, I think that it has become hard enough to live with ourselves as individuals and it is only getting harder to live with other people. This trend is only a symptom of the greater illness. We would love to call this a social illness of sorts, but I believe it originates inside me as a person, not "out there" in society.

On the up side, it looks as though I am well on my way to a healthy committed, LAT relationship, all I need is for someone else to live at home by herself and I'll have it. Genius, this solves all my inadequacy problems related to dating. Interested in having nothing to do with me? Let me know!

One Love Ya'll

2006-05-12T13:59:00.000-06:00

bike soccer

2006-05-08T22:35:00.000-06:00

these guys have some mad skills, Yo! I love these bikes too. Maybe I'll start a bike soccer league here.

Dog on a Bike v 2.0

2006-05-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

Oh, yeah kids! Bishop's Blog now has video. This dalmation is getting it done, and the commentary is priceless so turn up the sound. And for those of you who are not in the know, check out Dog on a Bike v 1.o
I done stolded this pic from Tarik and the video from Google.

Check Out The Blog-ke

2006-05-04T21:59:00.000-06:00

Bob Roll joined the ranks of 21st century cyclists with a blog of his own. It is aptly named the BLOG-ke. This should be a regular site for all you cycling fans out there. Full of the off the wall humor and such that make up the personality of Bob Roll.

Road Find, It's What's for Dinner

2006-05-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

Seriously, this was on the road today. It is worth $43.30, I already checked. This might be the most useful road find to date. Although, there was an alomost full roll of electrical tape one time, but I think food is better. Too bad Whole Foods doesn't have wine in stock here.

Silver Lining

2006-05-02T20:10:00.000-06:00

I found this beauty last nite on my burrito run. Technically, I spent it as soon as I found it, but I kept the piece all the same. I'll gladly trade in sockets for the cold hard stuff. Really a fun thing to find. Riding up, I could tell it wasn't a quarter right off, so I wasn't even sure that it was money.

Tarik wants to know why we find so many sockets. Well, I thought about that a while back and came to this conclusion. When you are working on a car, sockets get changed out quite a bit and I like to set them on neat little flat surfaces around the area that I'm working. Sometimes they fall down into the engine compartment, sometimes they hide in plane site, but the fact o' the matter is, it is easy to finish up some work and leave a few more things in there than you started with. I'd imagine they find their way out onto the road eventually.

It makes for good finds for us cyclists with nothing better to do.

Great riding weather lately. Not so much the half-crazed roadie kind, but more the cruise my way to the store or post office or meeting kinda rides. Although there have been some chewing on the stem, sweating through your eyes kinds rides too, but not as many as normal.

Snap-On Stock#: FSU20

2006-04-29T21:32:00.000-06:00

The road-find inventory continues. This is a prized piece in that it is a bit of a unique, specialty item as well as the product of the fine people at Snap-On. This is a 5/8" six sided 3/8" drive universal deep socket. Added to the prize list is the simple fact that I would never buy this gem for myself, making the find all the sweeter. I have yet to find a need for this, but I'm sure the day is just around the corner where I will truly have cause to properly celebrate this here road find.

What the %$*! Do We Know

2006-04-28T13:07:00.000-06:00

Back in 2004 I saw the first What the Bleep movie. I loved the challenging ideas and theories that were being shown and discussed. The movie starts to explore the link between science and religion. It challenges the paradigm of our beliefs about what is real, what is perception and our true role in our own existence. Some quantom theory, some mysticism.

I am most intrigued about the roles that we play in the continuation of the universe. Our thoughts are much more powerful than we have ever imagined. That idea is completely sublime to me. I am both scared and empowered at the same time. A quick look at what occupies the energy of my mind, and it is easy to see how the state of the union has developed. This means that the responsibility rests squarely on my shoulders to control my thoughts.

Last nite I saw the next release from the producers, Down The Rabbit Hole. It was more of an extended, uncut version of the last movie. There were some additions to the interviews. The scientists took some of their ideas further. There were also some gaps filled in about the links between religion and science. Apparently, these movies created a bit of a buzz in the world o' science. I'm sure religion had something to say about it too. We used to think that the world was flat, so I'm glad to hear that at the very least a few nerves were touched.

I hope that these films will start up some crazy conversations and ideas a brewin'. I don't claim to believe everything in the film, but I like the direction it points toward and look forward to almost anything that can come witht the increased awareness.

New Bike, Wahooo!

2006-04-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

Tarik gots himself a new ride for bein so smart and dedicated to learnin. It is a crazy smalll wheel fixie that comes with its own shell to hide in kinda like a turtle. I think he should pimp that ride! Where are the tassles? Where are the pegs? All the same, uber cool set 'o wheels, ya'll.

Also, inquiring minds want to know what the bottles o' suds are there hiding in the picture. (Well, not this pic, you have to go visit Tarik for that.) Any good bike project worth its weight in grease deserves a few friends to share it with. We can see that they snuck into the pics, but what are their names?

And I stole, stole, stole the pic. Exploitation by dominant white males continues!

Wednesday Nite Worlds

2006-04-26T21:01:00.000-06:00

Tonite was the wednesday nite worlds, group ride. Local racer guys and gals get together out by the Budweiser plant and pound really hard on the pedals. The first leg is uphill and rolling. There is always a brutal crosswind. You better show up ready to do your share of the work, or you will end up in the gutter quick. There is almost no place to hide. You can try to hang on as the big boys play crack the whip, not to be confused with the Hungarian Pig Drover's crack the whip, but you might as well just get up there and pull.

This may be one of the faster/harder rides in the country. Word is that back in the day, it was INTENSE, or like the kids back home say, "off the chain." Of course, everyone has stories about how great things were back in the day. The ride is a great chance to get some speed work in and I've leaned volumes about riding in the wind. I've been getting better and better at these rides, learning more everytime I go out. I have had to hold back a bit lately, or I will wreck myself for the rest of the week.

Lots o' fun on bikes bikes bikes. Laters

Say hello to Jake Tsakalidis (aka "Socks")

2006-04-24T20:36:00.000-06:00

Often people ask me if I played basketball. Now, technically I did. But is was bush league. I never did take it very far. I think I enjoyed the pick up games more than anything else. That may be true for more sports than just basketball, but that is getting off the subject.

Jake Tsakalidis is why I didn't play basketball. This guy is "not small." He is 7'2" and 290 lbs. Folks, I am 6'4" and 175 pounds. No matter how tall and or big you may think I am, there are people like this who make me look tiny.

Mainly, I am introducing you to Jake because I'm diggin them there socks. With his size, these socks must come up to my waist. I'm thinkin' cycling needs socks like this. Maybe I'll be the one to bring it and show the cycling world what the tall socks are all about.

I used to pimp the tall socks for lacrosse back in the day, that or I would pimp the footy that you couldn't see. It was kind of a mood thing. But these here black socks are quality and I think that we should all be glad that there are people like Jake out there making sure the tall socks are still represented.

Fantastic Racin' Ya'll!

2006-04-22T23:07:00.000-06:00

Floyd Landis has just become the King of Georgia bike racin'. Last season's attempt at a win left Floyd a bit chaffed. His old teammates offering a bit of taunting, he was unable to maintain his grasp on the lead during the tough mountain top finish on stage 5. Not this year. This year he held on and crossed the line with the uber climber, Tom Danielson.

I had the good fortune to see Cesar Grajales win this stage in 2004. Lance took the GC win over Levi. Brasstown bald is incredible. I'm not sure how asphalt actually sticks to the mountain side. I'm not sure how you opperate a steam roller on the asphalt to smooth the surface. It seems to me that it would just slide off the side. The race categorizes the climb as Hors Category. I'm not sure that does it justice or even begins to describe this climb. There are sections around 25% gradient.

Anyways, the racing was great. Danielson, Landis, Popyvich and Grajales duked it out on the climb. Danielson won the stage again this year. Landis stayed on his wheel and finished with the same time. Popyvich tried to make things interesting, but really he just yo-yo'd off and on as the leaders tried to crack each other. Grajales showed up to watch the theatrics.

The tour of Georgia has been a great addtion to the states. Hopefully we will see it again next year.

A little Tour of Georgia commentary

2006-04-21T21:33:00.000-06:00

"I expect floyd to go uncle nutzy in the tour this
year, but I am not sure if he can deal with a one
climb make or break race yet without an all star cast
of domestiques like danielson has (maybe tyler will be
back on phonak next year as super domestique???)"

Tarik Saleh

You may be right about Floyd, but I don't think that Popyvich is really a threat down 1.37, so that should neutralize his position on the mountain, and once on the climb, I'd say that a domestique is almost useless. It should be a 1 on 1 battle to the finish, and with 4 seconds off, it will pretty much be a winner take all.

I'm really impressed with Danielson's time trial, he is showing to be a HUGE contender for some GC action in the Grand Tours. That was always speculated, but the TT was the missing link. While the field was not stacked, it was deffinitely strong.

I am crossing my fingers for Floyd to win. First off, there is not any money on this, but second, he is a new and improved Floyd. Sure there may be a syringe involved, but at this point it is making for great entertainment. I wonder how well tom is climbing, sure he has been good in the past, but he has not done anything special this season yet, Floyd has. I see more motivation for Floyd to uncork one here. Although Tommy will want to impress his mentor, Lance came down to say hi, Disco is a sponsor after all.

Now for the bigger picture, can Floyd really maintain this form for the tour? is he doing the Giro? I say impossible, especially with the specialization that guys like Basso are bringing. he showed some good TT form recently in some race that I can't pronounce and won't even try to spell. I say that if they can keep Voigt from going in every break on the face of the earth and make him come back and help as a true domestique, Basso is your man for GC in both Tours.

I would bet that sometimes Voigt and Piil wake up with nightmares that a break has just gone up the road somewhere and they missed it. I would also bet that if they are not in a race, but watching, and a break goes up the road, they feel that they should be in it.

Thule Part #753-3001

2006-04-19T22:20:00.000-06:00

Thule Part #753-3001

Wheel strap for Thule bike rack. Found last week whilst riding up North of town. In good working order with roadie wheel chock attachment thingy. I don't currntly have a need for this here strap, but I'm sure to later or find someone who does.

Let the Games Begin

2006-04-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

Something about cycling brings out the unsolicited competition. Take a gentle spin down to the local loop and undobtedly someone will show up and beat you to an imaginary line somewhere. Unless you have an iron will, you will succumb to this faux sport and ride much harder than you ever intended. The rules are subjective and arbitrary as is the course and set distance. Keeping with this theme I bring you the unsolicited Road Find War 2006.

Tarik has managed to get the show on the road with his Stanley 15mm socket. Well done, well done indeed. I'll see your Stanley 15mm and raise you an Armstrong 3/8" drive ratchet. Normally, the Armstrong branding would not bring nearly as many points as say a Snap-On, but then again, Armstrong is the living god of modern cycling, this was found whilst riding my bike, so what was once a deterrent is now an attraction.

Hey Tarik, maybe I'll let you borrow my ratchet some day so's youse can actually use your socket.

Macro

I would like to add that said wrench was found in good working order and is even rebuildable should the need arise.

Road Find Celebrates with New Beligium 1554.

Links Ya'll

2006-03-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to put links up on my site. So, go use 'em! Tarik is a buddy of mine from K-town who is now living in Los Alamos. His blog has been getting updated pretty regularly. It was about cats, then about bikes in China, and even some about cats and bikes in China. Who knows what will be next. Hopefully a bit about him finishing up his PhD work in material Science. FYI, he gave a shout-out in his dissertation to the hours between midnight and 5am, without said hours none of the writing would have been finished. I too would like to give a shout-out to those hours, without which I would never get to see Tarik again. I'm a little scared what caffeine withdrawal might look like, but CONGRATULATIONS to Tarik, way to go on one hell of an accomplishment.

Also check out Hugh MacEachran. Hugh, lives down in Loveland. He and I ride together and he is kind enough to invovle me in social events as well. Without said events I might never leave the house. He and his whole family have been great about making me feel welcome out here. We got to ride together yesterday as the snow and cold slipped away again. Winter and spring are fighting it out right now for supremacy on the front range. GO SPRING! Hugh owns a healthclub with his brother Ainslie. Good guys, fun times, all that jazzz.

Books, Ya'll!

2006-03-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

This very evening I went to the library to pick up a book. I do love the library, what's not to love? I was checking out a book by Elizabeth Gilbert called The Last American Man. I knew that I had a fine, when do I not? But, the very pleasant librarian informed me that I did not have to pay up until my debt is over $5. This may be the best credit that I can get anywhere; all the same, I'll take it. I'll try and remember to post a small write up when I finish the book.

I found out about Gilbert via an NPR story on her upcoming book. I can't say for sure what got me interested other than I found her intriguing and everything I found after that only piqued that curiosity. That led me to her last book, The Last American Man, about a guy who lives off the land in the woods of North Carolina. Now, I like the woods, I really like North Carolina, we'll see if it all makes a good read about some guy who dropped out, kinda, and is apparently still "out there." Like I say, I'll let you know how it goes.

Do as I say, Not as I do!

2006-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Come on people. How long are we going to let this go on?!? Next person in court up on muder charges could just pull out a speach by the Bush administration and they would be sure to get off. Well, maybe. About 34% of the jury would agree with the defense according to recent approval ratings.

"Look here, Judge, That guy I shot, he was doing things he shouldn't have been and wasn't getting along with his neighbor. That's progress, right Judge?"

It is easy to make the situation in the Middle East very very complicated. I say, simplify things. Let's get out! Let's figure out the best way to keep from killing people. Our own laws are against it, Bush's God is against it. Next election, I want to vote for the guy who promises to kill the least amount of people.

Eye for an eye and the world is made of blind men.

2006-03-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

West White Pine Mountain

2006-03-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

The cold and snow has finally abated here on the front range. It appears as though spring is more of the beast that it has always been touted to be. Usually spring just means the possibility of more rain mixed with some sun and warmth. Here the sun and warmth are more of a staple, so spring turns cold, windy and snowy, the way the season was described in gradeschool.

I had caught a terrbile case of cabin fever through the course of last week. I needed a break anyways, and so I got one. Today I celbrated the return of my sanity and the sun. I'm not surprised that those two are going hand in hand these days.

The mountains have been looming over me as of late. It had been awhile since I had spent anytime in them, so today's hike was long overdue. I snuck my truck up a sloppy dirt road about as far as they would let me go. Beyond that point the road was closed and is not maintained during the winter. Once parked, I hiked a closed fire road up to the saddle between West and East White Pine Peak. The map showed a lookout tower. I figured I had done enough looking within lately, so it was time for a lookout.

The hike was comfortable and mostly uneventful. The sun and wind were on my back for the hike up and both had almost completely hidden for my return. The raod was completely snowed over, a little slick on the steeper pitches and drifted over in spots. With the wind to my back, the forest was mine. Without the sound of my footsteps, there was an incredible stillness that I have not found in a long long time. Occasionally there was the sound of a bird calling to me or a tree letting loose its load of snow and allowing it to flop to the floor below.

The saddle was easily reached. The trip up to the peak of West White Pine was a bit steeper and covered with more snow. I like taking fire roads for these winter hikes. They offer a very easy path to follow and tend to have fewer hidden rocks and roots. This road took me all the way to the peak, but I assure you that it would take a pretty capable truck and driver to bring an auto to the summit.

Like I said, I was headed to a lookout tower. The thing is, it is gone. The foundation still remains with a shed, outhouse and a few other pieces of the building. Turns out they hooked this sucker up to a helicopter and then planted it in a park back in Fort Collins right down the street from my house. Then they up and moved it again to a remote campus for CSU. More on this later.

West White Pine Mountain sits at 10,305 feet. It is not nearly the tallest peak in the county, you'd have to go to Longs for that honor. The views were great all the same. I saw a couple of springs to keep in mind for later in the year and there were a couple of choice campsites should I need to get away for a bit.

click for BIG!

So there I was........

2006-02-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Holding on for dear life, while some alien lifeform was nailing the pace up the road. I am tucked in, as best I can, behind a couple of TIAA/CREF riders. All of a sudden an Audi comes flying up beside us in the oncoming lane and power slides off the road and into the ditch. There was a huge commotion as rocks, shrubbery, sticks and everything goes flying. Apparently this guy was trying to pass us on the left and found that a truck was using his lane for the appropriate purpose which created some conveluded conflict of intrest.

The pack was probably 50 deep and we were rocketing along at 25-27 mph-ish. Now, many people use their blogs to bemoan the relationship between cars and cyclists. I try to avoid this and the confrontations of the messy situations that arise. The situation was so surreal that it didn't even sink in until after we were all past it and well on our way. It was like watching a movie. There I was, chewing on the stem of my bike, riding for all I'm worth, and I just kinda look over to watch this car slide off the road with it's wheels all locked up. Some big truck threads the needle between us and the car and we all go on. My reaction was more "oh, look at that," than anything else.

The other notable thing about this ride was, and I swear this must be true, it gets colder in the morning, right before it finally starts to warm up. I can't prove this yet, but I'm serious. There is a weird cold snap one minute and then all of a sudden it is gone and it is warmer than it has been all morning. The calm before the storm or the deep breath before the plunge kind thing. If anyone knows anything about this, holler at me.

2006-02-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Going Back to Cali

2006-02-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Amgen Tour of California has turned out to be a fantastic bike race. Many of the top competitors are from the area or at least train there quite often. This has amped up the competition, especially among the Americans competing looking for a win on home soil. The leader's jersey has changed hands three times now, all of whom have been Americans.

Floyd Landis holds the lead going into today's stage. He is followed closely by two more U.S. riders, Dave Zabriske and Bobby Julich, both of Team-CSC. Having both of these athletes to deal with would be challenging enough, but since they are both on the same team, Floyd really has his hands full. If he is exposed too much, team Discovery will certainly take advantage. In the meantime, most of the attacks should come from CSC. Either way, there should be plenty of fireworks in these last few stages.

This is a shot of the podium after the stage 3 time trial. This is also the standings in the general classification (GC). They may be all smiles here for the photo, but I'd guess that Bobby and Dave are really saying "we're gonna git you, sucka." Cycling News seems to have the best coverage on the web and ESPN2 has some coverage on in the weee hours of the morning. Good racing here in the states all the same.

The Race That Wasn't

2006-02-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've had some nosy friends wanting to know what happened in Phoenix. I'd love to tell you, but I didn't go, so I can't. Actually, a freind of mine, Geri Mewett, won the Pro/1 road race on Sat. I have yet to get the details, but the pic on VeloNews showed a clean set of wheels. This is a nice win for Geri and hopefully a big confidence boost as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games.

I wish that I had some juicy story about how I was detained due to mistaken identity or something romantic yet very unfortunate like that. Really, the trip started to fall apart at the seams the week before. In the end the flight was delayed, delayed and delayed again to the point that I was now leaving on Fri, the day of the first stage, instead of Thursday as planned. So, I pulled the plug and decided not to force something that was really not showing any signs of shaping up the way that I wanted.

Instead I stayed in COLD and snowy Colorado. There was much coffee, maybe too much and quite a bit of hanging out inside. I read a couple of books and sat on the couch. My bike and gear went to Phoenix, but that didn't really matter as the weather was too cold to ride anyways.

Old Soldier Rides Again

2006-02-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

This here steed has been to a few battles with me. This weekend, she'll ride again. It was bath time today after my ride, so I snapped a quick pic. I'd say she still shines up pretty well for the camera.

I bought this here bike off of a good friend a few years ago while I was living in Knoxville. I was very excited about it at the time. This is my first real race bike. I still ride it almost every day. I actually have a newer race bike, but somehow it just hasn't stepped up into the daily ride category yet. Which is funny because it is an incredible bike and so much fun to ride.

Gearing up for Valley of the Sun stage race this weekend in Phoenix. Stay tuned for more to come.

Ronde van Budweiser

2006-02-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Monday was a rest day for me. The weekend rides build up and take their toll, so it is time for a break come Monday. I ride just enough to get the blood moving, but it is short and easy. Going East actually earns you better views of the mountains. It is one of those can not see the forest for the trees type things. In town you can't see the mountains for the mountains. So a few miles east and the views really open up.

I went out to the interstate and around the Budweiser brewery. The "King of Beers" has a throne up here. Everybody else brews beer out here, why not have some Bud? The brewery is a staple for me. I use it as a landmark to find out where I am and rides meet there during the summer. It is about 20 mins. from the house, so it is a nice warm up to ride out there. This time, however, the Clydesdales were out doing some training of their own. A team was pulling the beer wagon up the road. Those are some BIG animals. Apparently the Budweiser team has strict criteria for selection. These horses have to be between 2000 and 2300 pounds. I had no idea and was taken back by their sheer size. Impressive sight.

Boulder Ride

2006-02-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

GIDDYUP Y'ALL!! I went down to Loveland today and met Hugh for a friendly ride down to meet the Boulder group ride. I really wanted to ride down, but I was going to be riding way over my head today, so a headwind home would have put me under the hurt locker. So I show up at Hugh's, and we are chatting a bit, waiting on Lew, sippin' some joe. This is where the friendly part of the ride came to an abrupt and eventually quite painful halt.

We headed out at a wicked pace. It was 23F out and we were excited and neither of us had done much riding during the past week. Anyways, I cranked out the hardest effort of the day during the first 20 minutes. There goes one match and I'm sure to need as many as I can beg borrow or steal, only you can't give these things away you have to earn them. For those who have been hiding under a rock, Boulder is one very hot spot for cycling. Current and former pros live and train here year round. These guys eat people like me up for breakfast, before they've had their coffee and still ask for more muselix. So there I was, in WAY over my head.

We were headed South on US-36 near Lyons exactly an hour from the house, wondering where these guys must be. About the time the question leaves my mouth, a group of 80+ rolls over the hill. We swing around and start drifting to the back. Only this group is so big that we just sort of keep drifting. Finally, I find a slot and slip in. Everything stays pretty calm for a bit. It didn't take long for the fireworks to start. So then it's "Katy bar the door" and everyman for himself. Only there are women on this ride, but trust me, they can hold their own just fine. The attacks seemed relentless. As soon as the pace would chill, someone else would fire it right back up. I made the front group all the way to the base of the climb at Carter Lake, I was pretty excited about that. I was kinda hoping they might sit up just for a minute or two before the climb so that I might recover a bit and have a go with the big guns on the climb. They must have read my mind 'cause the attacks just kept coming.

I actually recovered some on the climb. I don't know how, other than it didn't seem like too much was going to change, and there was supposed to be a regrouping at the top near the north end of the lake and I really needed to catch my breath. So, I'm pretty happy with that effort. I had no idea what I was getting into. I seemed to hang on well enough. There were moments of doubt. My body cried in agony more times than I can count, it recovered though, just in time to have another dig.

The field was very deep and very strong. This made for a great training session. When the pace started creeping towards the redline, you could just dig in and get your work done without having to worry about gaps opening up. I learned so much today. Hugh kinda babysat me. He'd tell me when to move up into the front group and when some climbs were coming up. These learning experiences are invaluable and they make the learning process so much more fun. The strength of the field was fun too. I can only imagine that this ride is pretty similar to an elite level road race, only the race would be much more cutthroat.

New Kits

2006-02-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not with the times, I'm riding for the Pedal Pushers Cycling Team for the '06 season. I'm really excited about the opportunity. It just kind of fell in my lap last fall soon after I showed up in town. So many great people have been introduced to me as a result and I am honored to call them my friends. The title sponsor for the team is Pedal Pushers Cyclery. They are in the Denver area, as is most of the team. I am part of a loose contingent of NorCo guys.

Anyways, I ended up working on the clothing order for the team. This work is not too difficult, more of a logistics bit, keeping things in order and getting the right people in touch with each other. No big deal really. I am happy to feel like I am already making a contribution to the team. So, here is the new design. I'm pretty excited about it. Click on pic to make bigger.

We used Champion Systems for our clothing company. They are a small operation, just getting started in the biz. However, their prices and minimums are perfect. They use a digital printing process, so there is a considerable savings in labor vs. screen printing of the past. This also means that they can give you unlimited colors instead of the usual 3 color standard and charging for more. Charlie Issendorf has been helping us out with this project. He has been very helpful and made this job quite easy for me. Custom clothing has been notoriously difficult to coordinate, not with these guys. The other great part about using Champion, is all of the cool accessories come with such low minimums and such low pricing that you can get all the goods to round out your clothing like jackets, vests, hats and arm/leg warmers. Giddyup!

Name Dropping

2006-01-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

Watch your toes kids, there are some heavy hitters out here and it might hurt if their names land in the wrong place. The Front Range is home to quite a few pro athletes, especially cyclists. The olympic training center in Colorado Springs is a big contributor, but the weather, geography and lifestyles makes this area prime for cyclists. Living in Fort Collins keeps me just on the edge of all of this, but it is an edge that gets crossed every once in awhile.

Boulder, CO is probably the area of the highest concentration of big names. Quite a few pros have made Boulder their home and as a result the group rides start to look like an NRC race sometimes. I have yet to attend this ride, but I'm looking forward to it sometime soon. The common sighting of pro athletes makes for a couple of funny situations. For instance, recreational riders and racers are looked down on for wearing a jersey of their favorite teams. Having just gone to an NHL game, I see this as kinda ironic. It would seem that selling gear and creating awareness about these teams would be a good thing. Part of the silly duality of life I guess. I would guess that it is probably not the professional cyclists themselves who have the beef with the attire. Yet again a situation where the ones without a reason to care are the ones who do, and the ones who have a reason to, don't. Maybe we need to start putting names on the back of jerseys to help make sense of it all.

Lately I've seen this guy riding around in a Sierra Nevada/Kodak kit. Only, his helmet and bike match the color scheme. Come to find out it is this heavy hitting sprinter, Dan Schmatz, from Longmont. Apparently when this guy hits the gas he can fly. My friend Hugh said he was in a sprint with Dan once and when Dan punched it, Hugh found out he was pretty much already maxed out. Hugh is super strong, so this put things in perspective pretty quick. Elevate that situation exponentially and you would have me in a sprint with Hugh. Last weekend we saw Dan making his way through some of the local roads. Ft. Collins is 40+ miles north of Longmont. Do the math and you start to see what training for a pro is like. He was out solo, apparently training for the upcoming Tour of California. Word is that Dan is a really nice guy, check for some good results from him in the Tour of California against the Pro Tour boys. Check out his blog if'n you like.

Geri Mewett to '06 Commonwealth Games

2006-01-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Melbourne, Australia will host the 2006 Commonwealth Games March 15-26. A friend of mine from Knoxville will compete in these games as a cyclist. Geri Mewett is a native of Bermuda and will represent his home country, competing in the road race and maybe the time trial. Finding Geri's accomplishments takes a little digging. He is never one to blow his own horn, so I'm blowing it for him.

This will not be Geri's first visit to the games. Twice he competed as a swimmer and once already as a cyclist. Geri swam while attending the University of Tennessee and began cycling soon after, or maybe even during. His fitness translated quite well and soon he was working his way up the ranks in the cycling world. I am amazed by Geri's talent and in awe of his strength and ability on a bike. These abilities pale when compared to the fact that Geri is simply a genuine and friendly person. I am grateful for every chance that I have had to ride with him in the past, albeit a torture test just to stay on his wheel. I hope to get the chance to ride with him again in the future.

I also admire the way that cycling has worked out for him. There are many elite level races that he rides in for Bermuda. Many of these are in other small islands and countries. In 2005, Geri was able to grab the win in stage 3 of the Bermuda Grand Prix. The race was a testament to his strength and determination. His lead was less than a minute for something insane like 30 minutes of racing, holding off the chasing pack with one other guy all the way to the line.

I hope that I have gotten at least some of these details right and if I have not I apologize. Good luck in Melbourne, Geri.

I'm Back

2006-01-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long time between posts. I'm having a bit of trouble getting the screen on my laptop fixed.

Lots of interesting things keep popping up. On Tuesday 1/17 I went to the Pepsi Center in Denver to see the Colorado Avalanche take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in hockey. The game was very exciting. Toronto showed up ready to play and showed their strength by lighting up the scoreboard early in the first. This would have seemed to take the wind out of the sails for most teams. As soon as the Avs brought the score to 1-1, while the goal was still being announced over the PA, the Leafs scored again. Toronto was determined to shut 'em down and shut 'em down quick. And then there was the second period.

The Achilles heal for the Leafs proved to be penalty minutes. Milan Hedjuk scored twice inside of 34 seconds to bring the avs up 3-2. This momentum was all that Colorado needed to get the job done. This game continued a 7 game winning streak and put the Avs in the top spot of their division. Goal tending was great, and longtime rival, Ed Belfour was handed a loss and plenty of heckling from the crowd. David Aebescher has stepped into the goal nicely, but filling the pads of Patrick Roy is a bit hard to do.

I was impressed the whole night by the maturity and resolve of the Avalanche. This game comes on the heals of trading team leader, Peter Forsberg off to Pittsburgh. The Avs seemed unaffected by the lead changes and continued to play well throughout the game, although both showed some fatigue later in the third.

The Pepsi Center was a fun place to watch a game. I would have to say that Nashville proved to be a bit livelier and for me more enjoyable place to watch a game. There was a little bit of a complacent feel in Denver by comparison. Which is odd, seeing as how Denver has the consistently better team, although Nashville is has a much newer program. The predators do more to bring you into the game and really makes the crowd part of the action. All the same though, professional hockey is so much fun for me to watch. We had club level seats, the action was easy to watch as we were just off of center ice. Good times indeed, Go Avs!

Quick Update

2006-01-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Computer is in the shop being repaired, so no bloggy. Sorry guys, get a real update as soon as I can

New phone number, e-mail me if'n you want to have it.

Avalanche hockey tonight against Toronto, stay tuned for full update.

Happy New Year, Ya'll

2006-01-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hey, I know, I know, long time since I posted anything. Just kind of fell out of the habit. So, what we need is a montage to get everyone back up to date. Even Rocky had a montage, so now I do too.

Christmas came and went, brought warm weather that stayed. Best training through the holidays ever.

Saw Broke Back Mountain, yes the gay cowboy movie. The shots of the mountains are beautiful, I wasn't too shocked by the gay aspect, take that away and I'm not sure the movie lives up to the hype. Enjoyable, but not great. It'll probably pick up an Oscar or two for leading the revolution that helps bring Hollywood out of the closet.

Went skiing for a day in Summit County, Keystone to be exact. Fresh snow was nice, it was a bit heavy and wet, but I'm not complaining. It is great to be so close that I can just hop in the car and run over to the resorts. It was very busy, it was new years eve after all. Driving 70 at night felt like running the gauntlet, I think I'll ride next time. The weather was a little warm, hence the wet snow, but there were some crazy weather systems in the area, check out the pics.
A view of Breckenridge across the valley!

Happy New Year! I was in bed by 10. I had an invite to a party and everything, just not into getting plastered and staying up late, so I skipped the celebrations all together. In fact, I missed most of the partying this year. This is the least amount that I have drank through a holiday season in probably 6-7 years. It has been so much more productive.

I'm 10 pounds lighter than last year, in better shape, and my racing season starts in about 5 weeks. I'm loving this winter. I feel great. I even caught a stomach virus right after new year and have bounced back from that pretty quick. I'm getting really excited about racing this year. We are headed to Phoenix for the Valley of the Sun stage race. Fun in the sun, Feb 17-19, can't wait.

Colorado Christmas

2005-12-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

The "Jewish Christmas" of chineese food and a movie strikes me as quite appealing. So, I thought it fitting to create a Colorado Christmas. A little bit of a stretch since the residents here do not exactly make up a religion or ethnicity and I am doing this without any real support or conseent. However, I did not seem to be the least bit alone in my celebrations. The weather has been exceptional. We did not get quite as warm as Denver, but I'm not counting.

So, the Colorado Christmas amounts to going on a big bike ride and then crashing out on the couch and watching movies. I'm sure to be able to refine this a bit over time. The bike ride can be replaced with any outdoor adventure. The parking lots at the parks, trail heads and open spaces were pretty packed out. Obviously I was not the only one with this idea. Who could resist with 63 degree weather.

united airlines brought christmas early

2005-12-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday, after my ride, I found a message from longtime friend Kevin Morton. It is not too unusual to catch up with friends at this time, especially if people are going to be in Memphis. Usually, the phone starts buzzing with plans trying to find time to catch up, get a drink and escape the whole craziness of travel and obligations of the season. Kevin just said to call back, no big deal, right?

Well, as soon as I got cleaned up, he called back. I was a little surprised to see his name on the caller i.d. Kevin was flying from San Francisco back to Memphis on Thursday. His flight had been delayed quite a few hours and now he was going to miss his connection in Denver for the final leg to Memphis. As it turned out, the next flight to get him a seat was Friday at 6:30 PM. Life is full of paradoxes. I wish Kevin could have had smooth travel, but this meant that we could hang out for a day.

We made a beeline for downtown Denver poised to catch up and burn the place down. First things first, we signed into a hotel, tried to orient oursleves and then headed to the Rio for mexican and margs. We were staying at the Marriott on the 16th street mall. Denver has blocked off the street for pedestrians and allowed buses to run shuttle. The warming trend of the days carried into the night and after a drink or two, it was quite comfortable to walkk about and make our rounds on the town.

The next day we did some last minute christmas shopping. We really nailed the location. 16th street is a great place to shop and dine. Great little shops and larger corporate chains share the storefronts with lacal restaurants and microbreweries. The Rock Bottom Brewery was right acrosss from the hotel. I think the bartender knew us by name by the time we left. Barnes and Noble and Virgin Music filled the shopping needs, there were plenty others to choose from. About 4:00 we started making our way to the airport and Kevin was on his way home and so was I. I love being here in Colorado, I do miss my old friend though, it is always fun to catch up. Kevin, thnaks for stopping by, feel free to do so anytime. Thanks for the mix up United.

happy solstice ya'll

2005-12-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

well, i guess winter is finally here. funny, someone forgot to tell the weather. just to show us that mother nature has a sense of humor, we had sunny skies and a very warm day here. I beleive that 55 was the high. it was great. I felt great. I was walking around in a t-shirt by noon.

As luck would have it, I found myself in Denver today. Now, if I am going to go all the way to Denver, I usually try to take a bike and find some teammates to ride with, or another ride to tag along. At noon I met a couple of guys from the team for a great ride. We had to wind our way through the city for a bit, not my cup of tea really. The big metal death boxes can pretty much have the inner city. Actually, I'm really spoiled. Ft. Collins is a great city to live in for a number of reasons, but one of my favorites is the close proximity to great and remote riding.

So, we made our way through downtown, headed West and over to Golden. I had been on most of this route before. We made it past the Coors plant. Beer stinks by the way. Especially the rocky mountain rice beer. (Budweiser has a plant here in Ft. Collins) So, Golden is kinda neat. They seem to be trying to preserve some sense of an older, mountian/mining town. It is home to the Colorado School of Mines. We rode through the campus. And then the fun began.

We climbed up Lookout something. It might be mountain, it might be hill, I'm not sure, but it took about 25 mins. There were all of these great switchbacks and crazy windy sections, beautiful views and hardly any cars. The grade was somewhat moderate and pushing through the turns. It felt really good to open the legs up for the first time in a couple of months. The temperature dropped off pretty quick on the ride home. Rush hour was getting started too. Like I said, too much city. It really was a great ride and a great way to celebrate the solstice.

sorry, no pics this time.

good day sunshine

2005-12-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

we've had really good weather the last couple of days. it has been quite cold, but the sun is bright, i'm sorry, I meant BRIGHT, and it feels good. It always feels a bit warmer to have the radiance of the sun on you. I'm glad for it. It does get dark around here pretty early. Today I was riding in from the hills, it is amazing the temp difference in the shadows. It can drop 10 degrees in a hurry.

These are a couple of fun pics that I took the last few days. Not much else going on.

The winter solstice is coming up next week. I'm looking forward to the days getting longer rather than shorter. It is kind of like the midnight of the year in a way. I think that Jan. 1 should be on the winter solstice, it would be more fitting. It is a great time to start over and look forward to the new year. I like feeling more connected to the weather and seasons. I think cycling does that for me. Being out in the elements almost everyday really makes you aware of what is going on. I guess that is why I write about the weather so much. Please, don't misunderstand, I really like the weather here. It is taking some getting used to, but having the sun around on a regular basis is GREAT!
This is what all the roads would look like without the sun.

Owl Canyon

2005-12-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

The fever finally broke. Cabin fever that is. Kind of the opposite of homesickness, although the word makes more sense used this way. Actually, I had begun to enjoy this bit of hibernation. The house is warm and comfortable and that goes a long long way in my book. I had been inside for about a week, maybe a bit longer, until today. The sun had been out some, Friday was really vivid and inviting, but today the temps climbed a little higher and we broke into the low 40's

So, I had to celebrate the return of sanity with a bicycle ride. Now, the roads of Colorado vary quite a bit. There are plenty of pancake flat roads and there are plenty of roads so steep that I wonder how the hot asphalt stuck without just sliding off the side of the mountain. There are city road and there are state roads and there are US Highways. But, there are also county roads and a lot of these are dirt. I have taken it upon myself to monitor these roads. I feel that it is important to keep up with these roads and so I have taken it upon myself to do just this. I accomplish this monumental task by riding my bicycle down these roads with a fury and gusto that only a dirt road can invoke.

The cobbled roads of Europe must bring a similar response. I have yet to experience the pave of Belgium or France, but soon I plan to. I have to imagine that there is a great similarity here. I hold The Hell of The North as the greatest race on the planet. Often as I am screaming down some torn apart red clay hardpack, I dream of what those men must feel giving their all on those less than smooth but more than perfect roads.

Owl Canyon is one of my favorite (so far) dirt roads. Round trip up to owl canyon and back makes a great 2 hour ride. Part of it ends up on the highway, but the shoulder is forgiving and if you time it right, the traffic is light. The people who inhabit the houses up here must get a kick out of me coming down the road. As I pass them in their cars it is hard to really see much from all the jostling, but they must wonder why anyone would ride such a bumpy road when there is perfectly good pavement to be had. You'd probably have to try it to understand.

Also, I found this carnage on the ride today. Looks like the high winds from last week ripped it off of the post. The matching schards were still bolted to the post. I was surprised by how heavy a piece of metal it is. A mighty wind, no?

weather update

2005-12-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

I must have lost my mind. The sun is out again today and the temps are slowly rising. My insanity comes from being excited that it is 25 degrees outside. This used to be absolutely cold. But, after a week of single digit numbers, this feels like a heat wave. I mean, shorts are not coming out or anything drastic like that, but I don't feel like I have to leave the house wearing everything I own. Which is nice. We are supposed to warm up through the weekend and get back to some more normal temps. I caught some info that the low temp in Colorado yesterday was -45F.

At some point does cold start to loose it's relative effects? I mean -45 is about 35-40 degrees colder than it got here. So, can you notice that, or does it all just still feel really cold. By comparison, if the temperature had been 35-40 degrees in the other direction, it would have been much more comfortable out. I can't believe that I am this curious about the effects of -45 degree weather. If we agree that zero is cold, then where does the scale go from there.

I must admit, I have only been walking to get where I need to go during this period of snow and cold. There is something invigorating about this weather. I tend to pick up my step a little, sure. And, the inside of my nose actually freezes for a little while, that is kinda weird. Hey, you think I have lost it, the bikers are still out there. These guys who use bikes for transportation are serious. I prefer walking at these temps. The added wind from the speed increase on a bike is not a welcomed, playful wind, it is a cold a biting wind that sneaks past gloves and collars. But, there is a purity or clearness, a sharpness maybe, to the world at this temperature. It is not altogether inviting, but I have to admit to enjoying it some. Maybe the enjoyment comes from the contrast.

Them Weddin Bells are a Ringin'

2005-12-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is a very special announcement. Bishop's Blog is proud to announce that Rikki Bost is engaged to be married. On the twenty-fourth day in the month of November, the year of our lord two thousand and five, Brian proposed and Rikki accepted his hand in marriage. The date has been set for the 27th of May, 2006. Services are to be held at Hixson United Methodist Church in Chatanooga, TN.

We are all very excited for the happy couple. The news I hear is that the planning is going well and the engagement looks to be a success. Rikki was in school with my sister, Laura at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They were in chi-o sorrority together, which makes them sisters I think. (I don't really understand too much of the whole Greek thing.) Congratulations Rikki, I wish you and Brian all the happiness in the world.

cold and windy

2005-12-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

yesterday and all through the night the wind just blew and blew hard. the paper today reported gusts in the 90 mph range, toppled trailer trucks and overturned planes. apparently it blew so hard that it brought the weather from the arctic to my little home here in colorado. now it is cold, i mean really cold. now, cold is relative, i know, but i believe the high today was 8. i'm not talking celsius either.

there is a bright side though. snow came with it. starting about 11 this morning we have had snow all day. the wind let up some, but there is a good stiff breeze out of the north today. the snow is beautiful. there is something purifying about it. not so much the snow itself, but everything that it blankets. ordinary objects take on a different beauty with a nice layer of snow. it is like a condiment for your everyday foods. a fries and ketchup sort of relationship.

i'd say that the significance lies in form. snow takes the form away. things begin to become flat, partly from the halflight of the storm and partly from the reflection of all colors through the snow's prisim. all the houses now have white roofs and all the cars are now painted white.

maybe there is a wholeness to it as well. after all white is all the different colors being reflected back at us. so, maybe the snow is just sending us all the different frequencies allowing the forms of everyday life to take on a wholeness that normally seem somehow mundane and incomplete. the house next door becomes significant because you can see that it is now just like the house next to and on down the street. and there is something in knowing that your house is in there somehwere too. unity is brought to us all and because forms start to blend they become the same.

and i do love the trees. here the cottonwoods stand with a strength and vitality that is hard to ignore. undressed in the cold and wind, the snow clings to the trunk and branches, holding against the wind. it is as if the snow wants to somehow gain the strength of the tree and be part of its existence, if only until the sun appears.

one man's trash.....

2005-12-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

this map was recovered from the dumpster of the geology department at the University of Tennessee. Tarik Saleh, a friend of mine, who was ( and still is) working on some sort of PhD in material science, saved quite a collection of maps from a fate of permanent refuse. Tarik soon moved to new mexico and gave up most of his collection. i know that one other has been on display in a loft on market square in knoxville. i am proud to be able to put it to proper use here in my new home.

the map serves me quite well. i am not one for fussing too terribly much with decorating, and yet i like having nice things around me. the north wall of the living area of the house is quite wide and was quite bare. it was definitely going to take a bit of creativity for me to find a way to properly use the space. the map was a perfect fit. being a cyclist and a bit of all around adventurer, maps have grown to be a staple part of my life. i often study them enough to hardly need to reference them at all in the field. i find this to be a fitting use, both of space and of an old and forgotten piece.

i am amazed by this map in a number of different ways. formally, it is the Geographic Map of the United States by the United States Geographic Survey. this map was printed in 1932! this is astounding. as i sit and type this entry on a sophisticated laptop computer that is very up to date, i know that i would find the task of reproducing such a piece quite daunting. there are innumerable advances in technology that would help me. i cannot imagine what was used to print this. it appears to be a piece meal of sorts, indicating that the printer did not have to tackle the full width of the print. all the same, there is such detail, such precision. this work was being done while the automobile was still in its adolescence. Amelia Earhart was all over the news and the Lindbergh's were suffering through a kidnapping. i bring up this bit of history to frame the achievement of a print such as this. i can't imagine how it must have been accomplished.

i don't pretend to be able to interpret this map very well. i have taken a bit more interest in geography since moving here. the lack of flora keeps the features out in the open where the eye can feast upon the sublime nature of earth splitting open and thrusting itself skyward. i live at the end of the plains. just a few miles west and the skin ruptures revealing the veins and muscles that hold us up. there are definite bands of sandstone, varying in color and material and further in the granite protrudes. it is truly awesome to see. this map shows me how ignorant i am, and yet my new home helps me appreciate it all the more.

Pure Whipped Genius

2005-12-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

it is one of those breakfast for dinner nights here. the weather is a bit chilly out, a mere 15 degrees. so, a hot breakfast seemed to be just the thing. and just the thing it was. as my bagel was toasting to a golden brown my attention slid to the dressing of choice. no bagel would be complete without cream cheese. unless of course you choose jelly, butter, olive oil (thanks joe for this one) preserves or peanut butter (crunchy only). other than that, only cream cheese will do. before you ask, there are no locks involved here. that is one tradition that i have never subscribed to. come to think of it, i'm not one to really subscribe to tradition, not to mention that i am not really jewish at all. a jew with a last name of bishop, that's rich.

ah, i digress. anyways, being of a slightly more sound mind in the evening, i was taken aback by the pure genius of offering a whipped version of cream cheese. from my time in the kitcen, i grew to love cream cheese. i'm especially fond of cheese cake. there is a great spanish place in asheville, nc, zambra, that offers a goat cheese cheese cake. this may be my absolute favorite cheese cake. texture is a big deal here. the density of the cake is the key to quality. anyone can take cream cheese and add enough stuff to make it taste great, but texture is a fine art and a true gift to any cheese cake.

i digress again. the genius that i speak of is this here tub of pre-whipped cream cheese. those fellows over at craft deserve an honerable mention for this. here again density is the key. normal cream cheese as we know it is quite dense. quite lovely, but quite dense all the same. the spreadability of this cheese means that i go for it in the fridge that much more. just knowing that most of the hassle behind the use of this condement has been aleviated means that my food will be tastier, quicker. as if the toasting does not take long enough sometimes. whipped cream cheese might very well be the thing that helps keep me going sometimes. let's face it, sometimes a plain old bagel just won't cut it, but add some cream cheese, this changes everything. and just to put a beautiful, buttery crust beneath that lovely cheesecake, the price is the exact same. the tubs are sold by weight and there is a one to one ratio of price per pound. brilliant!

Well, it's my birthday too, yeah!

2005-11-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

27, Twenty-Seven years on this here earth. there were a couple of moments when uncertainty about twenty-six crept in. now, i made it all the way to twenty-seven. i'm pretty excited about it myself.

it is a brilliant day, bright clear skies, and a comfortable 60 degrees for a high. a friend of mine, jimi basler, came in for the holiday weekend. we had fun for thanksgiving. i cooked a duck for the occasion. we just hung out and took things nice and easy for the day. it was nice not to have any big expectations or responsibilities. today we went up to horsetooth resevoir to do some climbing. this area is well known in the climbing circles. i've never been over to the crags, but i can see the groups of people making their way as i ride by this area quite often. it is really just a great day to get out and do anything outside.

jimi, e-mailed me this picture. he asked if i would have preferred putt-putt and a cake. no, indeed a day of climbing and enjoying the sunshine followed by a good pizza pie and a few pints beats miniature golf (for those of you who don't know what putt-putt is) any day. it was great to get to explore another little piece of this new home of mine. the picture is of "meditation boulder." the name is applied by whoever found and explored the area first. so, here is a little meditation on top of meditation. a big thanks to all who remembered me and helped make this a great birthday!

reading list: part 2

2005-11-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

When In Doubt, Go Higher!

the mountain gazette! what can i say. i love it. i fell for this gritty rag a few years back when i was out here racing in colorado. i was at a hip little pizza joint in salida, waiting on a couple of slices, looking for a way to pass the time and what should i see, but a set of Chris King hubs turned into salt and pepper shakers. i knew then and there that i was in a special place. i had already had an epic day up on the colorado trail. the climb up into the trees had earned me a hunger good and proper. i could tell that this was my kind of eatery.

now, i don't remember the name of the restaurant, but what i do remember is the reading material i found lying about the place. when i found out that it was free, i was ecstatic. i love good reading. and this magazine oozes material that is biased in homegrown authenticity. all of the contributors are here in the mountains writing about the mountains, probably while looking at and dreaming about the mountains. and so, the mountain gazette is all things mountains.

they like to claim the rockies here in the middle of the u.s. but, i have found a shared sentimental thread for the appalachian mountains of my past life. western north carolina is a beautiful and very special place. both the gazette and i give WNC it's proper dues, we just agree that we would prefer to be here right now.

the mountain gazette is available in a virtual version on the web, check it out. i loved it so much that i subscribed while i was living in tennessee. now i can pick it up right off the rack. i believe that there are 10 issues a year, i have yet to have one let me down. enjoy.

i'm your firestarter, twisted firestarter

2005-11-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

yikes, no heat!i received a gentle reminder today about what seperates us from the animals. my furnace at the house went out. it is easily the coldest weather we have had since my move. call to the landlord, no anwer, call again, no answer. i get to play with fire myself.

i ended up having to run a new bit of wire to the thermostat from the furnace. more of an electrician's job that that of a true fire starter. no need for a flint and steel here. there were a few tense moments as i was poking around in the walls and floors trying to feed the new wire cable through. there was plenty of motivation though. you can see above, the forecast was bringing in a balmy low of 15F. i was pleasantly surprised to find that i make a pretty good electrician. the whole job took about an hour with a coffee break.
it is a bit odd how dependent we have become on modern accessories. having the furnace function properly was my primary concern. could i have survived, yes. i must admit that i try and do a little better than just survive. there was a great satisfaction when that low rumble started in the basement, and a sense of utter joy as the heat began to blow through the house. it is a mighty and courageous furnace. the chill in the air was no match for its btu's. i'm not sure if i slept any better because of it. but it sure was easier to get out of bed this morning.

dirt road extravaganza!: part 2

2005-11-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

sun. morning, 7:30 came pretty early, but i was excited and didn't mind the hour. the weather looked to be pretty cold, climbing into the 40's if we were lucky. the goal, ride from here in fort collins to the Wyoming border and back, mainly on backroads.

the group rolled out right on time, about 20 mins. late. i heard head counts between 40 and 50 throughout the day. it was a good group and a motley crew, that is for certain. all kinds of rigs were brought out for this ride. there were high end ti, custom jobs and 30 year old steel frames that looked to be resurrected from the dead. fixies, touring bikes, mountain bikes, single speeds, 9 speeds, almost everything was accounted for, but there was not much cabon in the mix.

clothing matched the eclectic mix of bikes. wool seemed more prominent than spandex and nylon. it was a good day for wool. helmets were rare, beanies and stocking caps were not. sweaters, scarves, gloves, knickers, tights and smiles were the order of the day.

the roll out was slow and easy. we rolled along for awhile, then we would stop and regroup, then roll a bit more. there was a bit of a tailwind to push us along as the sun was making it's way over the plains. as we got out of town, houses and cars seemed fewer and fewer. a little push and we were on the dirt! i was having to restrain myself, i normally don't ride nearly this slow, but i was having fun, meeting a few folks, really everyone was nice and having a great time.

about 15 miles from the turn around, we were at the junction of CR80 and HWY287 regrouping. someone flagged down the red bull girls as they sped by. they pulled a u-turn and came back to treat the group. my first and last red bull happened right there on the side of 287 with fifty-something miles to ride on a cold and windy november day. it was a nice gesture though. the funny thing, is that this really isn't the kind of crowd to be into the whole redbull thing. this is more of the roll your own smokes, live on coffee types.

we pushed on up the highway to CR37. here we turned towards red mountain granite canyon, the WY border and a surprise treat of hot cider, cheese and bread! (a big THANKS! to the kind soul who drove these out) this was the hilliest section of road, all dirt and beautiful views. i have to admit here that the roadie in me came out, i won the state/county line sprint, uncontested of course. i don't think this crew even knew what my deal was. it is hard to let something like this go, it is a double line after all.

now, WY was considerably colder than CO. not only that, but WY didn't even bother to put up a sign. so in my book, and according to the signage, we went to the colorado border or at best the larimie county border. all the same, it was cold, windy and snowing at the turn around. i waited longer than i wanted to, but i wanted a bit of a group to ride with as the tailwind of the way out had turned into a headwind for the ride home. we made a decent crew of about five. there would be no more regrouping for me the rest of the day. i was a horse turned towards the barn. the slower than usual pace meant that i had been out in the cold for quite a while longer than anticipated. at one point, around 30 miles to go, the group turned into 3, then one with about 12 or so to go. i had a great time, met a bunch of friendly faces and saw some crazy bikes. 84 miles round trip. i have a feeling that there were some tired bodies that dragged themselves back home much later that afternoon.

more pics here http://homepage.mac.com/mark.bishop/PhotoAlbum1.html

local landmarks

2005-11-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

here is a shot of horsetooth rock. round here we have funny names for landmarks. one is called gray rock. real creative, huh? so, this one looks like a horse's tooth, kinda. maybe you need some peyote to get the full effect. all the same, this is a local landmark. you can see horsetooth from just about anywhere in town. the area around it is a public park and open space. there is hiking biking and rock climbing all up in this place.
this is the devil's backbone. again, it is home to a public open space. lots of these in the area. thanks colorado, i love tax dollars at work. it is a fun landmark, about 15 miles or so from the house. in the late sun it shines all kinds of purty colors. one of my routes home follows this for its full length. i don't know much about this area for activites. this is just outside of loveland, the town directly south of us.