This is a Daily Camera article from today that I thought was interesting. Admittedly it is an uninspiring piece but outlines the basics.

Tremendous buy-in is there already from key decision makers and those that hold the purse strings and appropriate the funds within the purse.

Soon folks! Soon!

We're freaks. What can I say? I'm leaving my hotel this AM for a run to push on with za plan and as I am returning, some dude hauling boxes out of a truck to deliver to the hotel says: "What's wrong wit'cho legs, boy?"

Frozen.

When he says this, I am like that little boy with an array of mean kids standing in a circle around me all pointing to a pee stain on my Tough Skins. He continues on..."Wit doze lines, you see doze lines?" I' thinking to myself, "WTF old dude? They're tan lines...and quit looking at my legs" and then it clicks. We've got some weird body things going on as cyclists. As I ran up to the hotel, I was likely a shock to him as his words were to me. Cyclists are like T-Rex's with an even worse color scheme. Skinny arms and atrophied chests with freakishly huge legs. And add to this these fairly ridiculous tan lines and it's a friggin cartoon. Going to Mexico in March with the fam, I felt like that embarrassed little boy above. I go out to the pool and there are like euro studs with banana hammocks rocking full up Bain de Soleil tans (OK, there were plenty of rotund euro dudes too with said banana hammocks that made me laugh). Here comes the American dad! I saunter out to the pool with my t-shirt kept on with my baseball hat on low and towel around my legs.

Taking a step back, I guess it's all a matter of pride. We put the work in and change our bodies fairly dramatically and likely have permanently damage our skin with the 100's of hours we live out doors and 1000's of miles we turn the cranks. I guess I'll accept it...

Yikes. Lest we forget, we live in their 'hood. Not the other way around. Check this story out of a mountain lion tranquilized this weekend in Boulder. Truly a beast in the garden...

Coming out of the base of Walker Ranch once, I had the hair stand up on end as I heard something shuffle coming out of the river and TOTALLY felt like something was watching me. I'd stop every 50 feet or so...or at least turn around assuming my ass was being stalked.

The whole (non) migration of food sources due to human sprawl is REALLY occurring. In other words, we're building into the wild here, sprawling all over the Front Range where we need to to accommodate all of our Hummers and Expeditions and the deer are not moving. These things are ALL over the neighborhoods and either...

a) truly don't get it (e.g. "Um deer, am-scray as we bought the place so yo can leave now")
b) are pissed and have decided to hang out and mosey on across the road with all their brothers and sisters and cousins while we all wait impatiently for the herd to cross or
c) are just plain old dumb and haven't figured out how to get out of the subdivision yet.

So the deer ain't moving and the mountain lions are getting brazen and just eek closer and closer their prime food source which just happens to be near you and I. And shit, what's easier: a deer that can haul ass or some soccer mom or dad with their iPod in not knowing what hit them from behind on their Saturday morning jog at Chautauqua Park. Game on.

Anyhoo, scary. I don't wanna have to carry my Glock around with me on my rides now, yo.

It's upon us. Spring. Flora popping everywhere and temps that require no warmers of the leg and arm variety. I'll just state this for the record: We're past the snows at least at 5-7K feet. Yum. Should it snow, I'll buy you a beer. '

The proud papa clan, otherwise known as Team We Ride Alone dot Com, got our game on . Pete and Dave or the Webber 'varietals' and yours truly. All with kids and wives who need their time so we jumped through the window and got our fat tired grins on.

The three of us jammed up to Heil and proceeded to do the fun stuff. Tires too close to each other as we swooped and zoomed the single track. Pete showing us the sites, including his 'optional lines' as he built the trails with the IMBA and BMA crews. It's getting better and better every time. I am CRAVING the Picture Rock connector trail that will link Heil and Hall Ranch! This will be a 100% certifiable epic that will give me a 6 hour or so epic from my door. No cars. buff single track. The BMA trail crew has been out in force and en masse. You see, instead of hiding all the great singletrack, here you have a situation where great trail builders are advertising and getting great support through tons of volunteers. They're literally breaking rock and cutting sweet single track into the area in between Lyons and the Wild Turkey Trail off of the Heil network.

Anyways, Spring is here and my plan to spend more time in the dirt this year is paying off. The road bike has dust on it.

Digital celluloid:

Game on. The ride out in 'Dwayne'.

The Drop-O-Meter

Dr. Imba

Rolling on the big wheels Epics are back in season

It hath begun. The whittle-down-rides are beginning and these are the rides designed to make a man feel like a chump until you start turning the corner and see your progress. Rides that break you into little pieces like the decomposing granite of the large mountains seen strewn around on these rides. But it's a total dichotomy:

On one hand you are suffering miserably. On the other hand you say to yourself (if you get a chance to remember to pull your head up from starting at your handlebars): Holy crap this is beautiful.

One such ride here in the Republic is Super Walker. OK, first a little background:

Most of the hill climbs here in Boulder have basically two finish points for people: One is mid way up the mountain....where 'mid way' is often what people THINK is the top. The other is the REAL summit of said ride. Anything that puts the rider on or over the real summit is designated as 'super'. Super James (Jamestown...continuing on past Jamestown and up the face well past the pavement ending), Super Flag (Flagstaff past the amphitheater to the mailboxes) and of course Super Walker (a Super Flag + the Walker Ranch loop(s) on your MTB.

Super.

So I railed Super Walker yesterday. I did it last weekend too but I wanted to dig deeper into Za Plan and start reversing the demons. I forgot what setting a tempo up Flag is like. Ridiculous. 7 minute or so delta from what I was railing last year (OK...I was on an MTB yesterday as well). If you do this ride, you'll hit 'the wall' near what you think is the top of Flag. When you have that little stream of vomit coming out of the side of your mouth, smile and think of me as I'll be laughing at you inside our head. It's awesome.

Anyways, back to the dichotomy: You're climbing this beast and the beauty is spectacular. Near the top, have a look see at Cathedral Park (and stop to have a look if you have the time). An entire set of 14'ers is your view and literally takes your breath away (OK, maybe the 7000+ feet does a little as well).

So, this is a typical training ride for us locals. No cars needed. I ride from my house which ended up being about 30 miles and 5K of climbing (different than what you will see in the map my ride link above). More of the same today to start loading it up. Yum. Or ouch. It's a dichotomy.

....make me laugh. I can see who comes to M & C and how they stumble upon the site. And it seems like the Germans find their way due to their very obscure 'obsessions' like you see here in the search field.

Awesome.

Am I a...

...piece of white sex conceptual art?
...marital aid?
...thumb cast?

Hmmm.

Rumormill Tuesday! Sponsored by FUD beer.

OK folks, some juicy ones today. It's amazing what you can glean when you go for a lunchtime ride up at Heil Ranch. It's also beautiful having Heil in your backyard to go for a ride a lunch. Lastly, it's even better when your bud calls you up and inspires you to peel away from the PC to go and exercize a bit. In this case, Pete and I got our groove on. Oh, and it's even BETTER when Pete built the trails with his own hands (and a super crew) up their at Heil and showed me all the little nuances of their work...and some secret stuff to boot.

OK, to the rumors. I am such a little beeatch....

Rumor 1: Valmont Bike Park is on the fast(er) track...
A little birdie today told me today that this project is SCREAMING along. The funding which is in the approved stage measures in the multiple millions. Monies have been approved for construction and sustaining the park for years. And there is nary a person in contention with the idea of leveraging the North side of Valmont Park for this dedicated multi-use purpose. Stay tuned for more details. People are PUMPED though to see this move forward. More approvals to move the project through....

Rumor 2: A well funded big fish with one gear is going to by a littler fish with lots of gears...and lots of suspension...
If you spot what I am saying here, then you will be a maverick of riddle solving.

It's beer:30. I'm late!

...for Dirt Rag to come and pound on. This particular Whole Shot will be the frame put under their scrutinizing eyes. Shhh. Keep that between you and I for now though.

She looks gorgeous and its eventual owner, our beloved "The Don", better be seen on that thing this cross season. Get is arse down from Sacto to race at Watsonville and get some mud on it.

British racing green. Freshen ya drink, gov'nah?

Mike's CAD designed and CNC-milled yokes give plenty of tire clearance and will provide those that run single rines with inner/outer sandwich guides plenty of room to negotiate.

I don't know about you but THIS to me is major. Breakthrough major. I am stoked out of my MIND for Adam!

1 Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea                                             1.58.42
2 Christoph Sauser (Swi) Specialized Factory Racing                         0.51
3 Florian Vogel (Swi) Swisspower MTB Team                                   0.54
4 Nino Schurter (Swi) Swisspower MTB Team                                   1.06
5 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) Orbea                                        1.53
6 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Full-Dynamix-IT                                  2.00
7 Burry Stander (RSA) GT Mongoose / Pacific Cycle                           2.10
8 Adam Craig (USA) Giant Mountain Bike Team 2.22
9 Seamus McGrath (Can)                                                      2.32
10 Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita)                                              2.40
11 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Cannondale-Vredestein                               2.50
12 Cédric Ravanel (Fra) Team Lapierre International                         2.55
13 Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez (Spa) Giant Italia Team                           2.59
14 Kashi Leuchs (NZl) Cannondale-Vredestein                                 3.00
15 Inaki Lejarreta Errasti (Spa) Orbea                                      3.05
16 Martin Gujan (Swi) Athleticum-MTB-Team                                   3.22
17 Thomas Frischknecht (Swi) Swisspower MTB Team                            3.26
18 Jürg Graf (Swi) Swisspower MTB Team                                      3.30
19 Geoff Kabush (Can) Team Maxxis                                           3.35
20 Rudi Van Houts (Ned) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike Racing Team               3.36
21 Ruben Ruzafa Cueto (Spa) Orbea                                           3.38
22 Christoph Soukup (Aut)                                                   4.24
23 Todd Wells (USA) GT Mongoose / Pacific Cycle                             4.42
24 José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Spa) Multivan Merida Biking Team             4.48
25 Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Spa) ECP-TAU Ceramica                             5.00