Live and Learn

Since the birth of this site, my camera has become a staple as I venture out on the daily adventure of life on two wheels. Lately my computer has been running slower than Rad Ross during base, so I transferred the 4000 pictures I took this season onto a separate hard drive... Talk about a year book!



The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Don't be fooled by the thin layers of lycra.... Underneath it all we really are hardcore. Scared of a little sign, HA! Certain death.... Bring it....



Well it appears that sometimes those little signs can come back to bite you in the butt. Ranno and I have a court appearance for trespassing on private trails. We will be reporting live on Tuesday from the Boulder County Court House so stay tuned as Ranno learns how to put on a tie. I appoligize for not being part of the solution...

Behind Enemy Lines

Unfortunately I never reached beyond that ten hour mark.... My brother Yuri however did, finishing inside the top 10 at Worlds! I had to share this paragraph from his race report as I feel it pretty much sums it up:



"After 13 hours in the saddle of my Soulcraft steed, vision blurred around the edges, the linear sense of self begins to bleed out like fresh blood on cotton. "I love the smell of napalm in morning!" ....A distant fantasy that kept running through my head in this "heart of an impenetrable darkness", and how the hell did I get here? I trudged through the midnight woods which began to, in my sleep deprived state, take on a sinister tentacled look, something straight out of Ichabod Crane's worst nightmare in "The Tales of Sleepy Hollow". I felt like a paratrooper dropped behind enemy lines, lost and alone, instinctively knowing that I had to move if I was going to survive." ~Yuri Hauswald

This Fat Lady Has Sung

I had every intention to get out and ride as I awoke this morning... For some reason the clock is now blinking five and my day has somehow managed to slip through my fingers.

That's when I thought to myself for the first time this season, "That's it....It's a wrap"?!?! Another season under the belt. No more weekends to pack for, '06 is marked and accounted for.



That is unless you are still gearing up for the sport of cross.... Maybe Ranno and I are just lazy but the thought of getting at it for another 6 weeks is beyond our comprehension. The way I look at it, if you still have energy after a full season on the MTB circuit, than you just weren't trying hard enough.

This picture is out of Ranno's new book, "Cross Technique Of The Pro's". I think Tilford already picked up his copy in advance...

This Affliction Is Self-Inflicted

It takes me about 3-4 days to come out the coma a 24-hour event induces. In the mean time, I have been trying to gather my thoughts inorder to bring you an insider look into why we push ourselves to do such an event... I regret to inform you that I am at another loss for words, lost somewhere amongst these muddy reflections.



With 30 minutes left until Moab's noon start, I found my heart racing like I was getting ready to jump out of a plane or something (I hadn't been this nervous since I asked Tracy to marry me). Maybe it was because I knew vaguely what I was in for, considering Eatough and Haywood's adventures the week before.



For the first half of the race my plan was to stick as close to Nat Ross as possible in an effort to get a feel for what a solo 24 hr pace would be like.



Mother nature however refused to let me get to that point. After about 10 hours of racing in subpar conditions, the race was called (as many of you all ready know). Rampant rivers began to erode the trails and created huge ditches that littered the course making it to dangerous to continue.



Unfortunately for me the race got called the lap after I had a mechanical, dealing me a card of bad luck. Regardless I gained a lot of respect for the likes of Ross/Harris/Tostado and any other crazy mother that has entered and finished one of these epic events. Much respect to all, I will be back to fight another day...

Minutes Turn Into Hours

My mind has been completely occupied with Moab for the last 3 days and right now I just want to get this show on the road. I have been feeling guilty to even climb into bed and get comfortable, knowing what lies ahead this weekend. I am currently in Moab, bikes are dialed (thanks Zack!), food is packed and cooked (thanks Tracy!), clothes are organized and hung and tomorrow is going to be the calm before the storm.

You can follow the race over at Granny Gear's website as well as ride424.com as my crew will be calling in random audio updates. Stay tuned as I try to bite off more than I can chew..... Again!

This Glass Is Half Full

Yesterday I tuned in eagerly to Eatough's 24 hour worlds campaign to get a last minute feel of what I am about to go through this next weekend.

Unfortunately I was greeted with words like: Eatough's blurred vision (caused by swelling of the brain) and Gordan's (the eventual winner), requiring assistance to "dismount his bike at the finish line, and was then carried away by emergency medical personnel and ultimately taken to a nearby hospital for a dose of fluids and electrolytes". Sweet, which way to registration!



This weekend also featured my last big ride before the showdown, it's all downhill from here. The next couple days will be filled with me making pancakes, cleaning bikes and organizing chamois.... Don't be jealous.



Ranno's unusually exquisite form is kind of scary. He actually went back after the ride to pick this beauty up and just got done making room in his bedroom for it (right next to his purple ab roller).



Talk about a close one, as Ranno and I were climbing away, minding our own business, I heard what I thought was a paper bag blowing accross the street..... That is until I hear Ranno yell "Holy @##%". The rattlesnake had curled up right next to us and Ranno almost ran it over until it struck at his front wheel.... So we turned around and took this sweet picture!

What Would Eatough Do?

Mr. Eatough needs no introduction. In preparation for my first 24 hour solo attempt, the six time world champion has been my inspiration and source of "been there, done that" knowledge.

Eatough will be fighting his own battle this weekend in Georgia as he attempts his seventh 24 hour world title . As always we will be doing our best to bring you up to date information and behind the scenes photos. You can also log onto Chris's race webcam and see his support crew in action. It will be running from 9 am (east coast time) on Saturday Oct 7 until 3pm Sunday Oct 8.



Chris has a lot riding on his shoulders as they will be filming his new movie during this weekends events. What makes Chris amazing is how calm and collected he always is, if only we could all be this lucky



Good luck as well to my "always consistent" teammate Sue Haywood, as she is also going to try her hand at the 24 hour world title. She is no stranger to the slow and painful ways of the solo category, as she won Moab back in '99 and '00. Good luck and much respect, looking forward to seeing this story unfold!

Earned, Never Given

Dorothy knew what's up, there is no place like home! Now I don't work for the Boulder Chamber of Commerce but one thing is for sure, I can't imagine training and racing full time while living anywhere else (well maybe Santa Cruz, CA). It's sunny 300 days a year and there's always 15 training partners only a phone call away.



Speaking of training partners.... Who ever said Roadies can't play in the dirt? Pete Lopinto has been dishing me extra portions of humble pie and showing me that even though their tires are skinny, they too can have skillz.



You know your mullet is getting out of control when you are continually distracted by its shadow!



I don't know where I am going but I know where I have been. Cheers to the trails that we have not yet ridden....