Handbuilt in the Mile High City

Draft:

Bjet and I took advantage of NAHBS (North American Handbuilt Bike Show) being in Denver so we flew out and saw our family!

I chose to fly Southwest because bags fly free right? Not bikes, they cost $75 a trip. I didn't see that on their website and I had egg on my face... We only got two rides in so that was a $75 ride! Other than that I really enjoyed flying Southwest, they are a fun airline with good customer device, and they're a bit irreverent and goofy.

In the back of my mind i expected some mild weather. I visited Denver 4 years ago in February and it was sunny and in the 50s. This time it was snowy and the tempuratures in the mornings were in the teens. One reason we rode waaaaaaay less.

One day we tried to ride up to Cherry Creek State Park but we lost our way when the bike path ended, and then we ran out of daylight. There were some open spaces and prairie trails where we could jump off and ride in the snow.

Friday I wanted to ride early then hit NAHBS, but like I said th weather was super cold. So we went downtown and had some lunch and hit the show. It was great to see Tim from Shamrock, and Don n Blane from Walker. Don is incredible and really puts together a killer show. Tim's bikes were awesome, I especially had my eye on a stainless steel CX bike.

Posting a gallery soon.

Saturday we got out for about 3 hours. We rode south and hit this trail called the Hidden Mesa loop. Pretty cool to climb up a rocky Mesa and ride around it's deserty and rocky top, no trees to obscure the view!

Sunday we got snowed in when a mild blizzard hit Denver. We went out for a run, it was crazy because we could barely see but it was fun to get some easy tempo in. Took 26 minutes to run 2 miles, man I am slow right now. Well, slow plus bad weather and running in deep snow at altitude!

Denver NAHBS trip!

Every year Independent Fabrications has star riders come out and get people excited at their NAHBS booth. A few years ago we saw Molly Cameron in Austin. Well this year, IndieFab didn't really ask me, but I am assuming if I show up with a sharpie I am bound to draw a crowd with my star power. Kidding. They will call security...

Taking my sweet Taiwan machine built rig out to D-town. Can't wait. Just happy to get some base miles. I hope the weather will be decent for some rides. Supposed to snow one day, and be 48 degrees another.

http://app.strava.com/segments/793443

Looks like a cool MTB trail down in CastleRock.

http://app.strava.com/segments/660768

We could even ride a century by starting in Parker, riding on bike paths around the city, then down to Castlewood Canyon and back up.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/174756402

http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/hidden-mesa.html

http://www.douglas.co.us/openspace/documents/hidden-mesa-open-space-trail-map.pdf

Some other interesting posts for rides:
http://www.rei.com/guidepost
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/my-top-five-best-mountain-bike-trails-in-denver/

New Year, New You

WORK IN PROGRESS

I nerded out and tracked my weight and exercise as I transformed

I've been there myself. I turned 30, weighed 205 lbs (at 5'8"), had a BMI that classified me as obese and was staring down the barrel of diabetes and heart disease.

I took stock and wanted to change. It's been 6 years and kept the weight off. I continue pursuing the optimal "me," where I eat and perform at my best.

I am writing this so others that are currently in a similar situation and want to change can have a starter resource. I should also note that I am not a doctor so I don't have exact scientific principles on some of these techniques. Also, make sure you consult a physician before drastically changing anything.

Weight Loss 101 (Small Changes)
Drink Water
Water obviously has zero calories, but beyond that water keeps us hydrated which helps circulation of blood and the flushing of any toxins or extra nutrients in our bodies. Less soda, juice and coffee.

Sleep
You know when you are on vacation and sleep until you naturally wake up? What is that? About 8 hour-ish? Lack of sleep throws off our metabolism, makes us crave stimulants in the morning, then we drink more stimulants after lunch, then we can't sleep that night. Vicious cycle.

Move
24 hours in a day, right? Well, fit in 30 minutes of exercise in a day and you can increase your life expectancy. Perhaps a post dinner stroll or a nice walk at lunch.

Weight Loss 201
Cook

Exercise
If you really want to be aggressive with weight loss you need to burn off the fat. Plus, why not be fit? Perhaps you will be less prone to injury from minor mishaps.

The key for weight loss is to sustain your height rate in an Aerobic heart zone (roughly 130-140 bpm or light exercise, should still be able to have a conversation). Walking is fine, running will burn it faster than walking, swimming will use more muscle groups, and cycling is great because it is low-impact on your joints and it is possible to go for a 1-2 hour bike ride without feeling wooped.

Weight Loss 202
Goals

Calorie Track

Tracking Exercise
Tracking is great because you can start to see approximately how many calories you burn during exercise. Beyond that, I am inspired by racing myself. What is my best time on a route? How many miles did I go in a week? Can I beat that?

Websites like mapmyride.com, nikeplus, livestrong.com and Strava.com offer online and apps that enable you to easily track your exercise, even using the GPS on your phone.

Eat your Veggies

No more soda


Weight Loss 301
Eat whole foods

Less Sugar
Juices?

Less TV

Looking forward to the 2013 season!

Photo by the lovely Liz Schlaudecker

Maybe a more toned-down year — focusing on the bigger picture and lifelong goals. Last year I introduced a lot of diversity (some time-trialing, a Xterra), this year I might go back to more dirt, i.e., mountain biking.

Training Trips and Races I wanna do:
Short Denver NAHBS training camp in February — see friends and fam, drink some good beer and begin a ramp up after recovery from Da Worldz.
Death March and Brown County — I want to race as a co-ed team with Bjet, as a "team-building" exercise. Maybe stay out there a few days and get in some training rides with our Hoosier Buddies!
Murphin Ridge Inn and Shawnee Forest — maybe a training weekend East of the 'Nati?
Ashville/Knobscourcher Race/Long training Weekend — Bjet wants to work on a Pro MTB license. Maybe do this trip and check out the awesome stuff in that area.
Quad-Century? — Never rode TOSRV, should I go for riding to Cbus, then Portsmouth, then Cbus and back in four days? Also, my teammate Gersy and I might ride "Century of the Month," hoping to get in one 100 mile ride every month!
Mohican — Going for the 100 miler for a third time. I want to be Bjet's domestique. Gotta talk her into the 100 miler!
Big Dave's 6 Hour Series — I want to focus on this series, I hope for some podiums (We'll see if some badasses come up and woop me).
MTB trips with Charley and Sherri — my friends have been going to some epic races. Probably not this year, hopefully next year!
Madiera/Hyde Park Crits — I loved these last year, like CX races on asphalt! Lots of corners!
Versailles — I want to set a new PR in the XC race, aim to drop below 2:10:00
Tour of Colorado — Fun rides out there again!
John Bryan 6 Hour — Compete as a co-ed duo with Bjet or go solo and try to defend my title?
CincyCX — This year I am going to focus on the 4-5 local races and have fun. One last shot at the Elite field in the Cincy3 races, gotta stay "fast" or get faster for those. Last couple of years I raced 21 CX races, maybe this year just do my favorite courses including more trips to see my old friends in CapCity.

Other goals:
Even more soul — I usually do a good job of balancing my "joie de vivre" for cycling with training "hard." I typically train like a Merckx-wannabe and ride loads of miles. Last year I would get upset and crabby if I felt like my volume or intensity was being compromised by others/life. Other days I would get 2-4 workouts in, training that way 5-6 days a week. Was I recovering enough? Were my workouts specific enough? This year I just want to take training in stride. Commute for health. Perhaps do 4 specific targeted training rides per week. Have fun, train smarter not harder.
There are other things in life — make sure I reconnect with my non-cycling friends. I've lost track now that we are all married and having kids. Love'm, need to see more of them. I always hate being one-dimensional and all about cycling, even though I love it and it is very rewarding. But this year I want to put a bit more into my art, and work on fixing up my house too!
Get slightly skinnier — just want to nudge below 10% body fat (for overall heart health) and keep weight about 140lbs. Some of this entails being very mindful of my diet. I keep trying to tweek and "perfect" a diet that is healthy, mindful and sustainable. Sometimes that is very hard and stressful and it is hard to discern what is based in science versus based in a diet trend.
Be All-Over Fit — My core and upper body are my weaknesses. I need to keep working on being a strong person to maintain my health. I keep seeing people my own age or older that are very sedentary and pretty weak — I just worry that someday a minor fall could jeopardize my health. I want to remain fighting fit when I am old.

In the 2011-12 season I raced 47 races, and last year I raced 44. I still have passion and want to keep pushing, but my house and my wallet say I should focus on my home! Hopefully this year I will find balance!

I am saying no to running races this year. I would have to start training for the Heart Mini and the Flying Pig now. I want a break after Worlds. I hope to return to running races with next winters Topo Adventure Sports winter trail series.

What are you guys gonna do this year?

Reset

This is lame but I am taking a 2 week rest. There is a theory that every once in awhile athletes need to "reset" their legs with a break; reduce swelling, any injuries and any overcompensating where stronger muscles make up for weaker muscles.

In the meantime planning to do a lot pf walking (to circulate blood throughout the body), stretching and yoga.

After that, planning to get back into it real easy. I will also start off the new season and base period with a lot of varied exercise (weights, swimming, running, even inline skating). This helps set a strong foundation from which I can specialize later.

Does the UCI have access to my work email?

Hope not.