Winter Teva Mountain Games

Twenty twelve began with the grand finale of a long cyclocross season. National Championships of CX were January 8^th in Verona, Wisconsin. The Feedback Sports Crew definitely paid homage to the cyclocross scene this year… Sammy and I drove the Feedback Sprinter across the country; packed with 9 bikes, 15 sets of wheels, and a van-load of Feedback Sports products! The Heartland Tour was the last hurrah for the season and it was executed in good form.  Our expo set up was plush and our team rode well. Congrats to all racers, especially Feedback sponsored, Jeremy Powers, who is our National Champion! And thanks to all of our sponsors for your support this CX season.

With nearly a month off the bike altogether, I was apprehensive when registering for a mountain bike race in the beginning of February. I decided to start off my mountain bike season on the snow. The inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games were hosted in Vail, CO this past weekend. The On-Snow MTB Crit was what they called it, but it was more like a snowy short track! At the base of Vail, the snow packed course was lined with spectators who were witnessing something unique. I have never competed in anything quite like this, and I can guarantee that I will be back next year! The laps took about 4 minutes to complete and we raced for 35 minutes plus one lap. It was interesting how they had two categories: Fat Bike/Mountain Bike. The only regulating factor was tire width. If your tires were wider than 3” you competed in the Fatty race, anything narrower and you were in the MTB race. I raced my Niner Air 9 Carbon with 2.4” knobby tires. I set them up tubeless, and showed up with about 22 PSI. After riding a few laps of the course, and realizing that I couldn’t get any traction on the steep section of the climb, I let out some pressure. I don’t know exactly what I was running, but I think it was about 10 PSI in the rear. You could see my sidewalls conforming to the rim and appearing to be flat. It felt weird on the descent, but worked out well on the climb. Speaking of the descent, that was my favorite part. It wasn’t too steep, but it had some dicey corners that were blanketed with fresh powder. I managed to keep the bike upright while drifting through the corners with one leg kicked out to the inside for stability.

The start was weird. I was on the front row of the starting line and the announcer said that fat bikes were to start first, but we were all starting at the same time. I guess they wanted the fatties out front… so I reluctantly moved back to the second row, behind Jake Wells. It worked out well, as I got around Jake before the first corner and was on the front. I had a flashback for a second because it was the same exact scenario at the Summer Teva Games. And sure enough, on the first climb, several racers passed me. Mitch Hoke, Jay Henry, Jake Wells and Brady Kappius were all out front and had put a gap into me by the time we reached the top of the climb. I tried to keep it under control and not go anaerobic. Since I haven’t ridden in about a month, I didn’t know how my body was going to react. Luckily, I felt some left over fitness from cross season! I stayed consistent and rode the climb every lap, while I noticed that Brady was running the top section. Eventually, I pulled away from him, but couldn’t seem to hang with the top fatty bikers! Hoke took the win on his fatty, with Henry, and Wells behind him. It felt good to open up the legs and now it’s time to start training!

I am super excited to be racing for Niner again this year! Their support is amazing. Not just in terms of equipment, because we all know their bikes are the best, but the entire company is like a family. The other day I called up Chris Sugai, the owner, and he was cruising around Italy visiting their distributor. He is super down to earth and genuine. If you ever get the chance to chat with him, you will know exactly what I mean. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to represent a brand that is so passionate about what they do and who they support. This really is the “Big Revolution”! Thank you, Niner.

Some exciting stuff on the horizon for this season! I can’t wait to share with you…

Thanks for reading,

Tim

CX Season

Dialing in some team bikes after Cross Vegas

Cyclocross is the toughest kind of suffering combined with diabolical terrain and dynamic course conditions. It is the most grueling hour of shredding thru the mud, snow, dust, rain, grass, heat, and wind depending on the day. Typically, the course is a few kilometers long and takes less than 10 minutes to complete one lap. We compete for approximately 60 minutes and have a visible lap countdown for the final 5 laps, usually. Sometimes it varies, but the officials try to have the leader finish close to the hour mark.  There are obstacles such as fly-overs, barriers, sand pits, run-ups, and mud boggs that competitors must navigate through as smoothly and quickly as possible.

CO State Championships - I heard this fly over was over 30% grade

Some riders dismount and run, I prefer to bunny hop!

Cyclocross is the NASCAR of bike racing. There is a ‘pit’ where racers can get support, a spare bike, and wheels. The pros usually have a mechanic in the pits to fix their bikes, whether it be a flat tire, mechanical, or the bike is too muddy to function properly. The conditions dictate the workload for each rider’s pit crew. On a dry sunny day, most racers will complete the race on the same bike without utilizing the pits. However, cross season is from September thru January and fall and winter come into play, which usually makes for some nasty conditions. The muddier the course, the better.

A plentiful September

Equipment is essential to success in cyclocross. A pit bike and pit crew is key for the muddiest races because they allow you to alternate bikes. Sometimes in the most extreme scenarios, racers will switch bikes every lap. Every time the pit crew swaps bikes, they are responsible for washing the bike and making sure it is properly adjusted and tuned. Often times there are several power washers that are available for anyone with a pit pass to use. Switching back and forth from my training bike (Ridley X-Ride) to my race bike (Ridley X-Fire) was smooth and proficient because they have the same geometry and cockpit setup. The only real difference between the two besides value, is the material they are made out of. The X-Fire is a full carbon frame while the X-Ride is an alloy frame. I’ve got to thank Golden Bike Shop, my previous place of employment for all of the support with my racing, you guys are vital to my success! While I’m talking sponsors; Ridley Bikes, Stan’s No Tubes, and of course Feedback Sports were incredibly supportive this season.

the power washer became a good friend this season, bearings... not so much

The bikes are phenomenal; stiff in the bottom bracket and head tube and a geometry that would lead you to believe that they know what’s up. Ridley Bikes are exceptional when it comes to fit and handling. I raced and trained on Stan’s Alpha 340 rims most of the season using Stan’s ZTR hubs and the best darn tire sealant in the world. Thanks to Shannon Gibson and Mike Bush for getting me going on a tubeless CX setup this year. I honestly had my doubts with the low volume of a 32c cross tire holding the bead at a mere 23psi. I am super impressed with the way my wheels have held up with standard Kevlar beaded non tubeless tires all season. I used to claim that tubulars were the only way to go for cyclocross, but now I know that’s not a valid argument. I never burped or rolled a single tire all season and there were some serious bunny hopping fails that should have resulted in flat tires. I would recommend the Stan’s Alphas for everyone’s cross bike and road bike for that matter. I build all of my bikes on my Feedback Pro Elite repair stand that I’ve had for several years now. In fact it was part of my sponsorship from the Niner-Ergon Racing Team. This stand is incredibly versatile, functional, and durable. I take my stand to the races to make last minute adjustments and wheel/tire swaps. If you race cross on the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, you have definitely seen us at most of the events this year with our A-Frame event stands, RAKK’s, portable repair stands and wheel truing stands, and of course we are running the Squirt Lube on our chains. Seriously, this gear rocks, check it out!

cooking dinner in the expo at the Gateway Cup before my 9pm race! Right before I snagged that UCI point

After Cross Vegas in September, it has been non-stop racing, or so it seems. I Drove the Feedback Sprinter Van out to St. Louis, Missouri for the Gateway Cup, UCI race hosted by the good guys at Big Shark! Then I made my way up to Madison, Wisconsin for the USGP Series opener. This road trip was a solo endeavor in pursuit of a UCI point which is used for the international cyclocross ranking system. Basically, without one of these highly coveted points, you will not be called up at any UCI (big, national) race. Therefore, it is huge to have a point or two under your belt to at least get a decent call up (Top 30) at a USGP or National UCI event. Mission accomplished! I finished 10^th at the Gateway Cup and earned my first CX UCI point!

getting my pit bike built up at La Quinta in Madison

now it's time to climb back into the van to make the back stiff... only 17 hours back to Golden!

I completed a total of 23 races this season, mostly local here in Colorado. The scene is awesome on the Front Range. I spent most weekends this fall aboard my X-Fire, battling it out with Brandon Dwight, Pete Webber, Spencer Powlsin, and several other top Colorado pros. Overall, I am happy with the way the season unfolded. I definitely wanted to go faster at some of the bigger races, but I just didn’t have what it takes. I finished 4^th at the Colorado State Championships two weeks ago and I managed to hang onto 3^rd overall for the Colorado Cross Cup overall elite men. Next week, Sammy and I are heading out to Madison for National Championships, so I’m hoping for some late season, post holiday fitness to come thru!

Thanks for reading, I’ll be sure to let you know the scoop on Nationals.

I hope we get some fresh powder for Nationals!

few and far between…

It has been too long since I last posted, but thanks to recent motivation from some friends in Phoenix, here we go again. It’s inspiring when someone sincerely tells you that they enjoy reading your writing. I don’t really know why I stopped writing, but I guess my excuse is that I got a “real job”! I feel like there is so much to catch up on since Ireland, I don’t know where to start.

the furthest point in the distance is where I proposed

I asked Lauren to marry me while we were hiking along the Cliffs of Moher. She said, “Yes!”  and the big day has been set for July 28^th. We spent another week traveling across Ireland, riding and running on sweet trails, visiting more pubs than necessary and even competing in a 10k trail running race in the mountains outside of Dublin. Lauren won the women’s race! After an awesome Irish vacation, we were both ready to get back home to Colorado. I had been planning on going to Interbike, the international bicycle tradeshow in Las Vegas, the following week. The plan was to work at the booth for Feedback Sports and race Cross Vegas. Since Feedback is my cyclocross sponsor, I figured this would be a great opportunity to combine racing and working. The tradeshow was a success and the race was hard. Cross Vegas is the largest domestic cross race, drawing in some big international names and of course an insane amount of spectators because of the tradeshow.

Cross Vegas

Shortly after Interbike, Feedback Sports offered me a position to work; Inside Sales and Customer Service. I accepted and the rest is history. I am super excited to be working for such a passionate company. The owners, Doug and Lisa are both competitive cyclists that balance work, racing, and raising a family, and they seem to have a lot of fun doing it! My office is located in the heart of Golden, Colorado and I love my job. Sometimes I even get to sneak out for a lunch break ride!

It's official

Cyclocross season is almost over, just one race left! National Championships are in Madison, Wisconsin on January 8^th. It has been a great season with a little traveling and a lot of mud. I think what I’ll do is write a separate CX season reflection. Hopefully soon enough…

Gaelic translation! Awesome

unwinding and rewinding…

Irish Pub

Hanging out at a pub in Kenmare, Ireland with a pint of Guinness and a piece of paper… I could hear the violin echoing through the streets and that’s what drew me in. It’s probably the toughest decision of the day here in Ireland, “Which pub do I go to?” This one in particular had a friendly family atmosphere that was certainly inviting. The violin, flute and guitar trad sounded amazing and provided the perfect environment to reflect on my trip thus far.

Irish Trad

This trip is awesome for so many reasons. This past week I’ve spent travelling the countryside of Ireland with my Mom! It’s unique to get to have this kind of experience and I am super lucky to be able to do this. I convinced her to join me in Ireland for a week in celebration of her 6oth Birthday! How cool is that?! It has been quite a memorable adventure. Driving the narrow winding roads in a little stick shift mini car is gnarly. Especially because the steering wheel is on the right and you have to shift with your left hand. It took a little getting used to, but now I’m rallying with the best of ‘em! (Irish folk drive FAST)

My Mom was fascinated with all the Churches

We spent the night in Gougane Barra, a hidden gem of Ireland that we never would have found if we hadn’t stopped in at a cafe along the way and started chatting with a local. He told us about this place down the road and compared it to the Grand Canyon of Ireland in terms of its beauty. When we arrived, I noticed that it was loaded with what looked to be sweet single track in some rugged mountains. The trails were gnarly (perfect) and there was absolutely zero mountain bike traffic. If fact, mountain biking as it is in Colorado, doesn’t really exist here. Nobody has ever seen a bike like mine ( fully rigid carbon single speed Niner) Needless to say I went for a sick ride!

Gougane Barra

The moss carpeted trees and the ancient stoney stairsets made for a killer ride. I had never ridden anything like it before. There were several narrow wooden foot bridges that my 710mm Niner carbon bars barely cleared. When I stopped to admire the moss covered stumps, I noticed the blankets of shamrocks poking thru the moss. The entire ride I was thinking about cyclocross in the back of my mind. At every stone stairset/hike-a-bike I took the opportunity to dismount and run. I can’t wait for cross! When I return to the States, I have a week before Cross Vegas and I still haven’t even built my cross bike.

The day before, we were in Youghal, pronounced Y’all. We ended up in Youghal after riding the trails in Ballyhoura all morning and checking out Kilfinnane, the town that is hosting the race and festival. The trails in the Ballyhoura mountains are where the Single Speed World Championships are being held. It is a legitimate mountain bike park, specifically designed with two wheels in mind and NO hikers allowed. Imagine that… Boulder! I suppose we have a fair number of these in the US but they are for downhillers only. This place is solely cross country. It’s rad. There isn’t a ton of climbing but it’s perfect single speed terrain. The wooden ladders are so fun and very different from anything I’ve ever seen. I’m really looking forward to racing here, but even more so, looking forward to my amazing girlfriend’s arrival on Saturday morning! We have a week long holiday planned throughout Ireland. I’ll try to post up another blog to let you know how the “race” goes although I suppose since it’s a single speed race it should be pretty rowdy and not too serious! It is going to be the perfect way to finish off my mountain bike season and transition into cyclocross.

roller coaster single track

The wooded sections were so dark. I’ve never seen a forest this dark. When you look to the side it is literally pitch black.

 

 

 

 

Some of you may not know, and rather than explaining it myself, here’s a link with all the details of the race itself http://www.sswc2011.ie/about/ ! It should definitely guarantee a good time for all!

Leprechaun Crossing

 

 

 

Thanks for reading,

Tim

 

Crankworx

our little house

Lauren and I spent most of the day working in the yard. With all the rain we’ve gotten this year, everything is growing like crazy, especially the weeds! We have been eating from the garden every day. It’s a ton of work to maintain, but the satisfaction of eating our own crops is well worth it. Not to mention, the health benefits.  Here’s a list of what we have growing currently. Thanks to my Mom, the master gardener, for hooking me up with lots of seeds and a green thumb!

• Corn
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Pumpkin
• Spaceship squash
• Cucumber
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Snap peas
• Tapari beans
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Romaine
• Spinach
• Radish
• Carrots
• Beets
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Sunflowers
• Amaranth
• Nasturtiums
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Mint
• Chives
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Green onions

The mountain bike season is winding down here in Colorado and it’s time to start focusing on cyclocross! I decided to race the Crankworx cross country because the trails are simply amazing and I figured it would be a great finale to my mountain bike season. I knew that toeing the line with JHK (Subaru-Trek) and the rest of Colorado’s top riders was going to hurt. I started with the attitude of, “I’m just here for the fun trails and my main event was later in the day”- the pond crossing. Once I got thru the first monster climb, I was feeling really good and riding in 4^thplace. I couldn’t see third or fifth. This is when I started having fun; ripping thru the tight single track, plowing thru some creek crossings, and pushing myself to the limit on the fire road climbs.

www.mountainmoonphotography.com

Towards the bottom of the climb on the backside of the resort, I got caught. I was now in 5^th and just barely hanging onto his wheel. I managed to stay with him until the last switchback where I was able to really dig deep and attack him just before the long single track descent. It was the first time that I was able to make a move that late in a race. On the descent I closed the gap to third, Mitch Hoke (Tokyo Joe’s). We were almost to the finish and I just couldn’t make the pass. Not because of the trail, just because I was exhausted. 4^th place was a great result for me, considering I got 10^th at this race last year. Now it was time to prepare for the main event!!!

We had 4+ hours before the pond crossing so we has some bratwursts and went out to Spring Creek to chill out. Lauren and I took the dogs for a ride along the creekside trail and let them swim in the frigid water. After a good ride, we snacked on some wild strawberries that were delicious!   

The second annual Intergalactic Pond Crossing Championships started at 5pm in the village at Winter Park. I have had this one on the calendar since Crankworx last year. It’s a wild event that combines all types of riders at every age. Last year I went to Crankworx for a cross country mountain bike race and saw the boards floating on the pond and decided to check it out. Turns out, pond crossing is quite lucrative. I went home with an extra $500 cash and made sure that I would be there next year. This year the course was re-designed and the crowds were huge. It was a bunch of 2”x6” boards connected together in a straight line, floating on foam. I’m not sure how long it was, but it took about 8 seconds to get across. It was $10 to register and you get to take two runs. I was excited and nervous for my first run. I was about 20^th in line of about 60 competitors. By the time they called me up, no one had made it across yet. This meant that all the life jackets were soaked. It doesn’t feel very natural to ride a bike with a cold bulky life jacket, that’s for sure. I rolled in conservatively and coasted too long. I started to lose my balance towards the end and had to put a foot down. I still made it across without getting wet, but they disqualified that run because I put my foot down. Now the pressure was on. A few guys made it all the way, and were celebrating victory already. I went for a little spin around to loosen up the legs and focus on what I needed to do.

By the time they called me up for my final run, several people had ridden all the way across. This was a race, after all. There were timing cameras on each end of the floating bridge. I knew that the only way to win this competition was to pedal the entire way, FAST! This was risky, because the board was wet from everyone falling in and climbing all over it, and it was also easy to go off the board with too much speed. With no inhibitions, I just pinned it. It felt great to win this silly event again. It’s so much fun to watch and take part in.  I would like to see more cross country racers out there. I was the only pro xc guy competing, but there were several pro downhillers and slope style riders. I have to thank the promoters for putting together one of the best prize purses ever. $500 cash, some Dragon shades, Oakley goggles, Maxxis DH tire, a full face helmet, Rocky mounts bike racks and locking adapters, and two jerseys. Lauren and I had to make two trips back to the truck! All I need now is a DH bike…

cash money records

Here’s a link to a video of the event http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Crankworx-Colorado-2011-Intergalactic-Pond-Crossing.html

We headed straight to the Fraser Rodeo afterwards for a shitkickin’ good time! HAHA, this was the first rodeo that I can ever remember going to and it was awesome. We watched all the events and I have to say, the barrel racing and bull riding were my two favorites. I can’t imagine!  Quote of the night, Rodeo Clown says, “Howdy y’all, whatcha think of this new music? (blaring in the stands) It’s like a mixture ‘tween country and rap. CRAP!”

Mrs. Fluffy Pants grubbin in the compost

Thanks for reading, now go dust off your cross bike!

Tim

Jackson Hole

This gallery contains 8 photos.

This week has been action packed. We had to check out the geysers at Yellowstone! Lauren and I hadn’t been since we were super young. Old Faithful was incredible, but I really dug all the little pools of crystal clear … Continue reading →

National Championships

A huge congrats to the 2011 XC National Champion, Todd Wells (Specialized). Todd put on a display for all the Sun Valley spectators! I was stoked to see Todd win it again, he is the man. This was a super demanding course that consisted of a steep climb, a switchbacky descent, and a couple man-made rock gardens. “That was definitely the most difficult xc course I’ve ever done” – Ken Benesh (Feedback Sports) Although it was only a sub 4 mile loop, it sure did hurt. Especially after 6 laps.

I took 11 days off work to road trip with Ken and Lauren out to Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana for some bike racing and adventures. Ken’s parents live outside of Jackson Hole which was the perfect spot to stop on the way to Sun Valley, Idaho. It was nice to break up the drive and sleep in a comfy bed, not to mention all the excellent food that Ken’s mom made for us! After a long road trip, the dogs ran for hours on end. They are in heaven here… with endless fields of lush green grass.

Jasper, Poncho and Moki: "We're the three best dogs that anyone could have, we're the three best dogs that anyone could have" - (sing like Alan from the Hangover)

When we rolled into Sun Valley on Friday, we checked in at registration and began our hunt for a place to sleep. It turns out there are only 3 hotels in town and there was no vacancy. After searching around for hours and getting kind of stressed out we decided to go for a bike ride and pre-ride the race course. Holy STEEP! The race starts with a dirt road climb that is steep from the get go and then it got steeper; 24% grade to be exact. Once you reach the single track, it’s all downhill from there, which meant positioning was crucial at the top of the climb because there was essentially nowhere to pass on the way down. It was the perfect descent to recover on. Lots of switchbacks and pretty mellow terrain, until the bottom where a man-made rocky descent was implemented to challenge riders and provide a spectacle for the crowds. It was nothing to worry about but it definitely required some extra concentration.

After committing the entire 3.8 miles to memory, we drove south to a nearby town where we were lucky enough to get the last room available, thanks to LeeAnn Benesh! We cooked up some pasta on the balcony and padded out for the night. Since we had until 3pm on Saturday before our race started, we were able to finagle a late check out and make a couple rounds at the continental breakfast. Ken and I went out for a spin after breakfast while Lauren took the mutts running. After lunch and a power nap, we rolled up to the venue for the main event.

It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet some new ones too. I rode around before the start with no game plan. I think I must have been nervous because I didn’t prepare my bottles nor did I have the proper nutrition ready for the race. Before I knew it they announced the final call to staging for all pro men. “Shoot, I’m not ready yet!” Luckily my buddy Stevie was in the staging area and hooked me up with a gel and told me not to worry about anything and just go race my bike! I did just that.

trying to hang with Ned

The start was manic, but I managed to stay on my bike through the bottleneck. The first time up the climb was intense. By the time we made it up to the single track I was somewhere outside of the top 20. I tried to recover on the descent, carefully picking my line around the tight corners. Some of the switchbacks were faster to chop and skid and others were quicker on the outside line. Dropping into the venue was exciting because of the crowded sidelines of rowdy fans yelling! I found a clean line thru the first rock garden and aired it out over the flyover. Then I hit the long flat rock garden, specifically designed for 29″ wheels. I made it through, but it didn’t feel smooth. It was a dicey boulder field that had no defined line whatsoever. I hope the spectators enjoyed it because it wasn’t that fun to ride. Just around the bend, Lauren was waiting in the feed zone with some ice cold nuun and some honey stinger snacks. Now I only had five laps to go. I picked up a few spots and had the legend, Ned Overend (Specialized) in sight! I caught him on the climb and we battled for the rest of the race. It was super fun riding with Ned and hearing all the comments from the fans. That dude is 55 years old and crushing it! If only I can be half as fast as him in 30 years…

It was HOT! I donated my new Ergon gloves to the fans on my way up the climb on the second lap because I was so freaking overheated. I know someone is stoked on their new gloves, but I already miss them. Good thing I know where to get another pair!

A super impressive ride from my buddy Stevie (Waste Management) who came off a hefty road season and put his fitness to work on that climb! We battled most of the day and he pulled away from me on the final ascent and held it to the finish. He ended up 15th and I was 16th. Definitely happy with that result. It was a tough race, but it felt good to finish strong.

Ken's Dad rompin the '62 Willys up some avalanche run outs to an incredible trail! Super gnarly...

Now I’m back in Wyoming, riding quads, fishing, and cranking out some home made ice cream! Yummmm

cannot seem to catch a fish these days

Next weekend I’ll be racing the XC race in Missoula, Montana on the home turf of Sam and Andy Schultz. Those guys are two of the coolest bike racers around. I’m hoping I can talk them into taking me out on a sweet local ride while I’m there!

-pedal damn it

great recovery day after nationals!

Firecracker 50

camping in the GO!

It’s a little after 6am and the sun is shining way up on the mountain peaks in Breckenridge, Colorado. All I can hear is the creek rushing and the campfire crackling. It’s the day after the race and I feel pretty good… even better now that the fire is nice and hot. It’s Tuesday, the 5^th of July and I’ve got the day off from work! What a great way to start the day; chillin’ with my dogs beside the fire, watching fish jump in the creek, and writing down some thoughts from the weekend on a pizza box.

before the start! Photo: Annette Hayden

Yesterday was gnarly! It started off by sending Lauren and LeeAnn off to their early Independence Day 10k. I got up and started the fire, while Erin made breakfast. Ken, Collin and I were racing at 9:30 so we headed in from camp around 8. We had ample time to get kitted up and hit the coffee shop, where some generous customers of Golden Bike Shop bought me a coffee! Thanks Trey and Heidi. We met up with the girls right after they finished their 10k! Congrats to Lauren on her 4th place in the overall womens race!

www.mountainmoonphotography.com

Now I was all set for a big day on the bike. This year the Firecracker 50 turned into 54 miles due to the late and heavy snowfall that was still covering some of the high elevation sections. Basically, they added mileage and subtracted climbing. The initial climb is about 6 miles of road, paved and dirt. We start in downtown Breck with a roll out that kicks off the 4^th of July parade! On the climb, the leaders wasted no time driving the pace high. It was a little too fast for me. Right before we hit the single track there was a surge and I was feeling good, so I countered it and passed maybe 6 guys and was in 3^rd. I went way too hard and paid for it. As soon as I established my position and climbed the first section of trail, my stomach started to turn. I slowed down and tried to hold it in, but couldn’t. I yakked. Everything I had eaten in preparation for a 4 hour bike race was now on the side of the trail. I was still pedaling, heaving and getting passed by all the guys I had just gone around. So much for that effort. Sure I felt fine, but I was nervous to continue, knowing that my system was completely depleted. I kept on going and started pounding all the gels and food that I brought with me to try and refuel.

another one from camp!

After the first 27 mile lap, I came thru the finish where I picked up a bottle of nuun and a waffle from Lauren. She informed me that I was in 6^th. I wanted to get on the podium at this race super bad, but when I hit the road climb for the second time, my legs cramped up so bad that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish. Throughout the 6 mile climb I came pretty darn close to pulling the plug, but I wanted to finish what I started! Now I had 20ish miles left of pushing thru the cramps in my legs and keeping my head in the game. At one point I found myself walking my bike up one of the steep rocky climbs and dragging my Ergon grips thru the side of a 5 foot snow bank.  When I finally got to the top of the final climb I let out a sigh of relief and managed to find a little extra energy to charge the downhill!

It felt really good to be done! I was a little dissapointed that I didn’t make it on the podium, but glad that I was able to hang on for 8th! I can’t believe that I raced it rigid last year and finished 10th. I was wishing I had full suspension out there. Hopefully soon?

Thanks to all my sponsors for making this weekend possible!  

I think the dogs were just as tired as Lauren and I

more pictures to come…

Wildflower Rush, Crested Butte

Crested Butte, Colorado is one of my favorite places to visit during the summer. The mountain biking is world class, the camping is awesome, and there’s so much to explore. I have been racing in CB for the past 5 years and always look forward to the next. The Fat Tire 40 is a race that starts at 9,900ft at the Mt. Crested Butte Resort. Racing 40 miles mostly above 10,000ft is not easy, but it sure is beautiful.

Lauren and I rolled into camp around 7pm on Friday night, just in time to go for a quick spin up Snodgrass Trail to make sure my new Sram derailleur was dialed in and my new Continental tires were seated and sealed. My old roommate, Brad, from AZ came out to join us for the weekend festivities. Lauren cooked up some dinner while Brad and I rode. Pasta! We hit the hay pretty early because it was going to be an early morning with an 8am start. It was Poncho’s first time camping and he was a little nervous. He probably didn’t sleep at all, but only woke us up a few times.

Poncho Villa

It was cold at 6am when we rolled out of bed and headed to the coffee shop. My moka pot isn’t working so cooking at camp was not an option. By the time 7:40 came around it had warmed up a bit, but I hadn’t even gotten on the bike yet! I was trying to stay relaxed and make sure I had everything dialed in… tire pressure, nutrition, grape nuun, sunblock, clean sunglasses, new ergon gloves, co2, tube, tool, sram power link, one more sip of coffee and a kiss from Lauren… typical race prep. Now all I had to do was pedal damn it!

I pedaled from the parking lot to the start/finish and the announcer called out “Pro men, first call to staging”. Perfect timing! I got a spot on the line next to local, Travis Scheefer (Alpine Orthopedics) and was checking out his brand new carbon 29er. This guy has been rocking the 26” fully forever. I was excited for him to join the big revolution! I was also worried about him getting even faster on big wheels.

love the new Ergon gloves

The race started out up a paved climb for 2ish miles before hitting tight single track that climbed to the top of the mountain. I sat in 5^th wheel most of the climb until Jay Henry (Tokyo Joe’s) came by. I rode his wheel to the top and into the first section of the descent where I made my move. I was off the front and bombing down the trail, feeling great and trying to recover from the effort on the first climb. 30 seconds into it, I hear someone rolling up on me quick. Mike West (Yeti) was charging, super D style. I let him by and tried to stay with him. I hung on for a bit, but he was gone. It was a long first descent with little punchy climbs and technical rock gardens. When we popped out onto a fire road section, the spectators told me West had put 3 minutes into me. I put my head down and tried to catch him on the climb. When we got to Strand Hill, Brian Smith (Alpine Orthopedics and Growler winner), Henry and one other dude formed a chase to reel in West. We never caught him.

The course was incredible. If you have ridden in CB, you know what I’m talking about! Tight, twisty singletrack through the aspens with lush hillsides covered with lupine and dandelions. Lots of creek crossings, some of them quite deep and COLD! It was a warm day though and the snowmelt actually felt refreshing. I managed to hang on for third place and am pretty happy with that. It always feels good to get up on the podium after a hard earned finish.

After the race, we kicked it at the creek and had an Epic Brew while the dogs wrestled amok! Then finished off the day with a couple pizzas at the Secret Stash… sooo tasty!

Sunday, was the girlfriend ride with the doggies and camera. It was fun to spin out the legs and take in the scenery, too bad the camera died half way through. We also strolled the CB farmers market and of course, hit the bike shops. That afternoon/evening we hiked up to Meridian Lake to see if we could get Poncho to take a swim. This is a great spot… there is a canoe that lives on the shore and is for anyone’s use. We loaded up the dogs, fly rod and a couple cold ones and paddled out. It was a super relaxing way to end the day – kind of a bummer that I didn’t catch anything for dinner. Back at camp we cooked hot dogs on the fire with my buddy Firsty who joined us for some camping, and finished off the night with some smores.

Monday morning, Firsty and I went out for a ride at Doctor’s Park. This was a new one for both of us and it far exceeded my expectations. I’m talking 30+ minutes of descending at high speeds thru the aspens. It was incredible… a great ending to a long, fun weekend. We made it home with just enough daylight to mow the yard.

Thanks for reading!

The Original Growler

School’s out for summer! Even though I haven’t been in school for a couple years, my girlfriend Lauren, completed her first year of teaching last week and we had to celebrate! It just so happened that the Original Growler was the same weekend. I was excited and nervous for this race, because of everything I had heard about the course and how grueling it was going to be. My longest ride prior to the OG was the Whiskey 50. It was sure to be a test of fitness and perseverance.

Moki loves to go camping

The weekend came early with a Thursday night celebration for Lauren! We popped a bottle of champagne and sat by the fire in the backyard. It sure seemed like a great idea to finish the bottle and a few beers, until Friday morning rolled around. We had all day to pack the Ele and drive to Gunnison, Colorado. We arrived late in the afternoon feeling tired and just a tad hungover. We checked in at registration and headed out to the mountains where the race course was to find a good spot to set up camp. Hartman Rocks is an amazing piece of BLM land only minutes from downtown Gunnison. The ground is covered in fragrant sage brush and huge granite boulders. With a view of Mount Crested Butte in the background, at the base of “Top of the World” trail and “The Ridge” (both part of the race course) we pitched the tent and I went out for a quick spin. Lauren cooked up some bomber pesto pasta with fish, artichokes, spinach, and goat cheese. It was a great night, calm and cool. We sat around the fire until the wood pile that I gathered was gone.

livin'

Saturday morning rolled around and just about the time we rolled out of our bags, the first 25k runner was coming thru. He was hauling ass! We cheered on the trail runners as we cooked up some eggs and bagels. I told Dave Wiens, the race promoter and six-time Leadville Trail 100 winner, that I would be glad to volunteer on Saturday if he needed a hand with the Sage Burner Trail Run 25/50k he also promotes. He needed someone out at the 27 mile aid station to hand out water and encouragement. Lauren and I spent the better part of the day out in the full sun with consistently strong winds. We were both amazed by the competitors in the 50k trail run. By the time these crazy runners arrived at our aid station, they had already completed more than a marathon and still had another 5 miles of rugged trails until the finish. These guys and gals are hard as nails.

spinach artichoke omelets

Lauren volunteered to sweep the final 5 miles of the course and I opted to go back to camp. I took a short nap under some willow to give the legs a break before the bike race the next day! Standing in the wind and sun all day probably wasn’t the best pre race idea! That night we got a big pizza in town and took it back to camp. Unfortunately, the wind never died down like the night before, so we hit the hay before 8 o’clock. Lauren set her alarm for 5:15 and the race started at 7:00.

pre riding the course! FUN trails!

I woke up at 5:12 and was ready to roll! We decided to head into town and find a coffee shop to fuel up. It turned out to be a perfect morning, shorts and short sleeves. But, I knew this meant it was going to be a hot one and hydration was going to be key. I decided to run my new Ergon BX2 pack so that I could depend less on the aid stations. I had two bottles of grape nuun on my bike(my new favorite flavor!) and a pocket full of Honey Stinger waffles. The race started in downtown Gunnison where all the riders gathered for a mass start. It was cool lining up with friends, customers from Golden Bike Shop, and fellow Niner enthusiasts. The vibe was awesome.

Hartman's is a sea of sage

 

The mayor of Gunnison pulled the trigger, the cops led us out of town for a neutral roll out, and when we hit the dirt, it was ON! The top 10 guys wasted little time pinning it up the infamous, “Kill Hill” and things strung out right away. I managed to get into the top 5 comfortably before we hit the first single track. Then I picked up a few spots on some techy rock lines that I had to rally! We were probably 45 minutes into the race, I was in third, and the two leaders were out of sight and out of mind. I had put a little time into my chasers (Alders-Epic Endurance, Matheny-Honey Stinger, and Baddick-Epic Endurance) and with my head down on a fire road section, I blew past a turn. A couple minutes later, a truck was behind me honking and yelling. My first reaction was, WTF? Then I heard, “You are off course, turn around!” I had to tell myself to stay calm and just pedal, damn it! It is so frustrating to go off course and lose time, but it got me fired up. I dropped back into the top 10 and had to work extra hard to catch back on. I was able to get around some guys before the technical descent from Skull Pass. This is when I found out that I had ridden into second place. I thought to myself, where’s Kalan? (no longer with Yeti – something to do with him breaking a big top 29 and they wouldn’t warranty it… a factory rider was told to buy a new frame?) It turns out Kalan missed the same turn I did but unfortunately no one chased him down to redirect him. Bummer, because that dude was flying.

The cattle were not shy out there; in fact they were hesitant to move out of the trail at times. The trail was evenly covered with hoof prints and there was only one tire track in front of me. This felt awesome knowing the huge amount of racers that were following; it was almost like getting fresh tracks on the slopes. When I reached the “Top of the World” trail, I knew the finish/lap was less than 4 miles, and Lauren and Moki were just a half a mile down the trail hanging out at camp. I picked up a bottle of nuun and a Stinger waffle before climbing the technical Ridge trail back to the finish. I am so lucky to have the best support ever!  

The final lap was intense. We climbed the Notch which is a short, steep and painful grunt. The spectators were pretty stoked when I pedaled past them; I definitely fed off of their energy. I was also looking forward to “Rattlesnake” trail because I pre rode it and it was awesome. This trail defines flow. It’s a little too short but it is amazing how many rock features and creative lines it incorporates. My favorite line on the entire Growler course was up this steep waterfall-like section of decomposing granite. It takes a good punch to clean this and I was afraid I wouldn’t have it in me after 40ish miles of racing. I made it to the top, “Heck Yeah!” After the Notch and Rattlesnake, it was back to the same loop we started with. Basically, to avoid bottlenecks, Wiens put us on the dirt road for the first couple miles and saved the sweet single track for the final lap… brilliant!

By the time I got back out to Skull Pass, my BX2 was empty, and so were both my bottles. I came into the feed zone to grab a bottle, but they couldn’t figure it out quick enough, luckily the Skull pass loop was a short lollipop and I was able to refuel on the way out. Two bottles, another waffle and some Stinger chews.

Lauren and Moki riding Rattlesnake Trail

The race would be incredibly more difficult without the support of these volunteers, huge thanks to them. They even gave me a time split and let me know that Smith, the leader from Team Alpine Orthopedics was 18 minutes ahead of me and Matheny-Stinger was 3 minutes back. This felt like a pretty comfortable second place as long as I stayed consistent and didn’t have any issues.

On the Top of the World, looking back to enjoy the view, I saw someone charging after me, maybe a minute back and had moments of thinking to myself, third would still be sweet. After riding just over 60 miles, my mind and body were feeling weak. All of the sugar made me kind of nauseous and I had trouble finding the motivation to keep the pace high and maintain the gap on third. I still had one gel left. I ate it and glanced down at my top tube… Pedal Damn It. I dug deep all the way to the finish and left it all out there. It’s not over yet, after an interview with Singletrack, I had ride ride back to town to officially finish and receive my very own Gunnison Growler. New Belgium filled it up with Ranger and we hung out the rest of the afternoon to cheer on the podium finishers!

Finishing second place with a time of 5:29, I was stoked! One of my best races ever and definitely one of my favorite races too. I will be back for sure. Thanks to Dave Wiens for hosting such a great event, and to all of my sponsors, friends and family for supporting my hobby! Huge thanks to Sram for all the podium prizes. I won some xx shifters, Reba RLT Ti fork, and a 1091 chain! Mark your calendars and be sure not to miss this event!

Adios,

Tim