Yes, a great weekend for riding.

Weekend fullfilled. With the wife and kid's hanging out in Minnesota I was able to spend some quality time on the bike. Saturday allowed for 5 hour ride (actual ride time) that took us 37 miles around the 80403. This included White Ranch and a grand tour of Golden Gate State Park. I guess about 8000 feet of climbing, but I would not know. This was a great day in every way for me. We left my house close to 9:30 AM and returned to cold refreshing beverages around 4:30 PM. A full day of riding and adventure, fully enjoyed!

Sunday I was able to enjoy a good stretch on the legs, with a relatively flat 60 mile 4 hour ride. Perfect. Monday was also fun, an hour spin on the fixte followed up with some epic crit races in downtown Golden. Congrats to the B to the I to the L. Great race! This blurred pic is of the pro 1-2 race. Them boys can fly and make it look easy.

Mediocre week, hopefully a great weekend.

The title relates to my biking for the week. I must fully admit my commuting absolutley sucked this week. With the family gone, I thought it would much easier to commute, but I was wrong. Mostly a hectic schedule at work contributed to my lackluster effort. I did however, try to make up for my effort with two MTB rides, both single speed, and day of hill work. The hill work came in the form of Lookout Mtn. I did a couple of up and downs and a lap around Coors. That equated to about a two hour ride.

The ride up Lookout Mtn. is always enjoyable, and Wednesday night the weather was perfect. From downtown Golden to the top is close to 7 miles on the road. What makes it so enjoyable is the massive amount of recreation that takes place during those seven miles. I crossed the Clear Creek bridge in Golden to view a plethora of kayakers surfing the white water. Proceed to the Pillars where most cyclists start and begin the ascent amongst several dozen riders. One the way up I notice 8 para-gliders in the sky, several climbers doing some top rope work, hikers, MTB'ers, trail runners and the remote control glider crowd all enjoying a Golden evening. Wow! This is really cool, everybody sharing the Mtn. and getting their recreation on. I like it a lot here!

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Awesome 29er tires.

I have purchased these Maxxis Ignitor 29er tires, and have been riding them for about a month. They are the best tires that I have used in the 29er format, and meet the needs of Colorado riding. They hook up extremely well in climbing, in the corners, and descending. I think they are the perfect size in both width and air volume. Needless to say, I need to get a second pair to have them waiting in the wings, should a tire tragedy strike.

Summer of George II (Seinfeld reference)- The wife and kids are MN for the week of Memorial Day. I hope they have a blast, and I am so happy the kids get hang out with our family including the 15 cousins. We are very lucky to have such a great family. I miss you all. I am looking forward to some great days of riding.

Two wheeled weekend.

Enjoyed another great weekend in Golden. Saturday allowed for a three plus hour MTB ride in the the Front Range. We shot up Chimney Gulch, and then enjoyed Apex via the Enchanted Forest and up and around Sluicebox. I finished with a grind up the jeep road at Green Mtn. Estimated distance was about 25 miles. Based on those #'s I sure was not breaking any speed records. However, the ride was mostly about climbing. My guesstimate would be well over 3000 ft. The only bummer was that I lost one of my favorite water bottles, that contained some important fuel for the body. I hope to keep adding to this effort with plethora of trails that are located in this area. I am very lucky.

In the picture, my good friend takes a moment to look out onto the snow capped mountains.

Sunday was swell, as well. Me and the kids cruised Golden on our bikes. Later in the evening we added Mom to the biking mix. We headed down for a great dinner and a little time at the park. Simply a wonderful family night on bikes.

Have a great day.

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Got Game?

Quinn, Bil and myself went to the Rockies game last night. My wife and daughter stayed home, so it was men only at Coors Field. What a great place to watch a game. The Rockies won, and offered a very enjoyable time. A home run, a throw from center field for a put-out at home plate, and many hits, made this game fun to watch. All this for a cost of $9. That is right $9 for the three of us to get into the park. That is tough to beat for your entertainment $. I look forward to our next Rockies outing, via the bike. Let's get a date set.

I would like to wish a good friend of mine a huge a"GET WELL".

How do you clean your chain?

Evidently, I use my pants leg to clean my chain. This does not speak well of my general maintenance skills, but I do work hard to take of my bike. Mandatory before every ride is checking the tire pressure. I hate flats more than anything else, and I do get my fair share. The least I can do is make sure I reduce my chances of a "pinch flat" by having the tires properly inflated. Next is the chain and drive train cleaning. This falls more along the lines of once a week for general riding conditions. Long weekend rides or races moves the drivetrain to the mandatory list. That leads me to two more pet peeves. 1. Being the person on a group ride whose bike is always making questionable noises (lack of bike TLC). 2. Paying for race and ending up with a DNF especially if it is something that I could have prevented, that just sucks. I actually like to see if I do finish last. Other than that, I just try to pay attention to the bike for any potential maintenance issues as they arise. That help me eliminate having to use my pants leg as a maintenance device. Have a nice day.

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A snap shot...

that a makes a strong statement on the current status of life in America. Before I jump-in, I would like to first admit that I contribute to the problems. I am working to reduce my impacts as they pertain to gasoline consumption and support of corporations. Simply said, I try to spend as little of money in those areas as possible.

Back to the picture. I ride past this particular area about three times per week on my bicycle commute, and this sight always strikes me. This is about 7:30 AM. It generally makes me sad to see so many cars lined up at the drive through of a Starbucks coffee shop. People so committed to convenience, gasoline, and corporations. Yes, it does make me a little sad.

However, it sure was a great ride in the morning. Blues skis in the Foothills, and rolling into awesome visuals of the City of Denver. I do feel lucky on this Friday. That coupled with a planned visit to my favorite brewery in Golden this evening, have me giddy as a school boy.

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Taugimba-Rocks!

I wanted to give a good friend some major kudos for the effort extended for the Trans-Iowa event. You continue to inspire me, when I am on the bike in a strong head-wind or rain, I know that my suffering is nothing compared to what you must have endured. Great effort!

Weekend ride photos.

Had a real nice weekend here in Golden Co. During the previous week we had some ample rain which significantly hampered my commuting plans. I headed out bright and early on Saturday morning to sunshine and green grass. The green grass is a real treat. I snapped a couple of low-res shots from Hogsback/Dinosaur Ridge. To the west is the famous Red Rock's park and concert venue and to the east lies Green Mtn. Needless to say, this is a very popular cycling road.

...and a new bike!

My lovely daughter turned two last Friday. I think she had a great day. Along with several other gifts, she got her first real bike. It is always a great day when you get a new bike. I look forward to many family tours in our future.

Giving a bike as a gift is awesome and I am honored to do so. My four year-old has been pedaling for two years. He is excited to see his little sister start turning over pedals. He is excited to help her learn, and for that I am grateful.

Good Day-

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Good to be back!

Seems like every time I find my rhythm in this blogging adventure I get detoured. Feels good to be back.

Here my "bestest buddy" rocks his new wheels. Our favorite thing to do together is go for a bike ride.

This next picture is of my awesome daughter, cruising in the trail behind on the same day. Our morning consisted of a bike trip the the coffee shop and then to the park. I love doing things together on our bikes!

Computer crash

Just as I was getting my rythm, boom my hard drive fails. I hope to have some new pots and piture up soon. Thanks.

Geeky Commuter

Yes, I am a geeky commuter. Nothing makes feel better that a bike commute to work, well almost nothing. It is great to get a ride completed, I save money, and I make a small contribution to the community by reducing pollution and traffic. I do listen to headphones while I commute, so feel free to bash. 80% of the commute is on greenbelt/ bike trail, the other 20% is on an established bike lane.

The second photo is from the commute looking onto the west side of Green Mtn. This is where I do a lot of mountain biking. I find the riding excellent. I can get a great workout and still have fun.

Have a great weekend.

Good to have the sun back.

Here again is a picture from our townhouse looking towards Lookout Mtn.

It sure is nice to have the sun and blue skies back. For the past two days we have had cloudy skis. That is a long time in Colorado. However in Minnesota, where I resided for the previous ten years, you may go up to a week without seeing the sun.

The temps are warming up and I am excited to get rid of this snow. All week I have been banking a bike commute on Friday, a fun ride Saturday and off to snowboard on Sunday. I do enjoy living in Colorado. I am a lucky man. Have a great day!

A typical dad move.

Sorry the picture is not great. This is what is left of the snow fort that Quinn and I attempted to build on Monday night. The fort construction went down like this: first, Quinn and I both work hard, next Quinn losses a little interest and only helps out when I ask. Finally, Quinn goes inside and leaves Dad all alone to finish the construction.

Every once in a while I have these flashbacks to my childhood. This particular flashback was of when my father got so involved in a project and my attention level continued to fall. I think this is something most dads can relate too. I did notice that during the couple of hours of my diligent snow fort work, my wife would peek outside with a smile. I think smile was hiding the laughter that was taking place inside.

Where is my motivation?

This picture was taken late Monday, March 20 looking at Lookout Mtn. in Golden.

Last week I was totally excited to re-commit myself to the cycling efforts. For me, this mostly means allocating time on the weekends. Unfortunately, two thing happened that may dampen the increase in efforts. First, I had a great time snowboarding on Saturday and would love to use "my" time this weekend towards that recreational pursuit. And secondly, we got a bunch on snow. The snow works against me, it fuels the snowboarding desire and diminishes the cycling enthusiasm. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the week comes together.

If you are curious why the "my" is in quotes, I am thinking you may not have kids. Truth be told, there really is no such thing as "my" time. There are periods throughout the week that may belong to me, but they only come about through the team work of a great marriage. I am a very lucky man.

Great St. Patty's Day Weekend

I love St. Patrick Day! Seriously, why not? There is no pressure, no gifts, no expectations. All I need to bring to this Holiday is a smile and some beer.

Friday started with a bike commute to work. The return trip home put me at the brewery. I love it when that happens.

To celebrate St. Patty's Day we started at the Golden City Brewery with a couple of friends and then home home for some Guinness and Irish stew. My wife is awesome and made a great batch. Thank you.

I took it pretty easy in regards to beer consumption. My wife and I went snowboarding on Saturday with "no kids". We left the kids with our good friends/ neighbors. The boarding was awesome. My wife took some good spills, but got up every time with a smile. Did I mention that I have an awesome wife?

Sunday was a total family day. We hung out at Casa Bonita. I wish my 4 year old son could write about this place. We would get a 3-page essay on why Casa Bonita is the greatest place ever. Needless to say we had a great time and some very marginal food.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Fruita Revisited

What seems like forever ago, four brave souls headed to Fruita to find the underlying reason we all ride bicycles. The story is short but the rides were long.

Myself with my beer and Shonny! She is a Carhart girl and a Luna Chick!

This was the new 43er bike being previewed.

Lakewood-Denver-Lakewood

The recap
Four riders set forth on the first ever L-D-L. We left the house packing PBR and a full Surly flask.

Edgewater Inn - Scooners of Coors Light and pizza! Hydrations and fortification.
Three Dogs Tavern in Highland Square - didn't make it there but stopped off at another pub (Meade St?) for a pint of Guiness.
Protos - Eleven Dollar pitchers of PBR, I believe that is some kind of crime.
Ironworks Brewery - Smoky! not smokin' with live music Lakewood style. A beer that bothered me like ragweed in the fall.

Twenty-five miles of pure fun. Look for a winter version coming soon.

Peace,
L-D-L mgmt

Snow arrived

The snow arrived earlier in the week which forced me to don the running shoes and slog through it. The running wasn't all that bad, but my body is just not ready to commit to a full schedule of running and that winter regiment. I do have to say this winter will be easier to muddle through this year with the prospect of a good spring cycling season ahead. The last few months I have found that commitment to a routine of cycling that has been lacking since moving to CO.

Only a month or so before the weekends will be filled with skiing and snowshoeing. First I must finish out my cycling season with some solid 'cross races.

Time for lunges in preparation for deep powdered tele turns......