Category: All Posts
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Old Man Winter V.3: taking some good things from an otherwise frustrating day.
I flatted out of the Old Man Winter Rally yesterday. It was probably the most expected outcome from my decision to ride a road bike on a course that was a lot more suited to something with off-road capabilities. But it was the risk I took, and I’m still not too disappointed with the result. […]
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Why would you drive 22 hours in one weekend to ride bikes? Sedona.
The blowing storms of Colorado (and a new house that we’re feverishly trying to turn into a home) finally got the better of Christa and I. We looked at our options for a getaway, and decided that in order to find weather that I could get my hairy knees out in, we’d need to go […]
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Exploring the new neighbourhood
Christa and I bought a house in Lyons, Colorado. About 12 minutes by car from the bubble of Boulder, we’re settling into our new surrounds, and finding out what the riding options are from this new starting point. Having ridden in and through Lyons so many times, it’s weird how foreign some of the same […]
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The Peter Estin Hut – an opportunistic trip
In a fit of passing motivation, I checked the 10th mountain division site just before Christmas to see what availability was left over the holiday period. The huts normally sell out early in the Autumn, and finding a space involves either knowing someone who booked early, or squeezing a short trip during the middle of […]
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Thinking about the consequences of a dry autumn
Autumn has been very dry here in Colorado. Traditionally it’s the time of year where the weather most closely matches the cool and drizzly days of home. But this year the temperature has hardly budged below 20 celsius. While it’s nice to have access to the high country mountain bike trails that are normally buried […]
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The Missoula ProXCT – Solitary suffering on the slopes of Marshall Mountain
There’s a six foot drop approaching, and my fork is locked out. Not by choice of course. The cable is just a little sticky. Probably something to do with the gel I just spilled across my bars. What would you do? Forcefully unlock it and suffer another 4000 feet of climbing with a bouncy fork, or […]
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La Bresse World Cup: The Nun with a chainsaw.
There’s a chainsaw being revved mere inches from my ear. The Nun wielding the chainsaw is laughing maniacally and paying little attention to the proximity of his blade to my head. Yes, the Nun is a man. Welcome to World Cup Mountain Biking in France. I’d seen said chainsaw wielding Nun earlier as I was warming […]
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British Series at Dalby Forest: sunshine and singletrack in Yorkshire
I’d heard about the racecourse at Dalby after the World Cup in 2010. First of the “new school” courses, the lap was shorter and more technical than anything before. Since then, other courses have caught up, but it was still the best course I’ve raced on. All this was reason enough to put the British […]
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Crashing and learning on Salamina. This is all about not racing my bike
What do you do when you fly 16 hours for a bike race and then crash out before the start? That’s not a question I was hoping to answer, but it’s actually less depressing than it first sounds. I came to Greece to race two three-day stage races. After a successful first race, I headed […]
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reHYDRAting in the mediterranean
Hydra. Pronounced EEEEE-druh. Christa made the wise choice to get off our small Mediterranean island and find a prettier one. After a weekend of racing, I was perfectly willing to go explore. A short hop on the ferry to the mainland, and then a longer trip south to the island took a couple of hours, […]