Santa brings the gift of wind

Today was my first day back on the bike since the CO Cyclocross championships a couple weeks back. I've been taking it easy since then, doing a little tele and nordic skiing, hiking a little, and spending a lot of time in the lab being productive.

Skiing with Maggie near Penitente Canyon

Nemo tearing it up

Alex at Eldora

Danger!

Today was warmer than the past few days, so I decided to give Rollins Pass another shot. Three times previously I've been turned back, once by deep snow, once my lightning, and once by a combination of deep snow and impending nightfall. The closest I've come was about a km from the pass. Today I was hoping that the old Rollins Pass road would be clear or packed enough that I could ride up to close to Yankee Doodle Lake and snowshoe from there to the pass. It was an admittedly optimistic plan.

It was a long climb into a stiff, gusty headwind

The old rail grade to the pass was not in good shape for riding

But the views down past Tolland were great

Ditch the bike and switch to a more suitable mode of transportation...

and spend a couple hours in the woods.

On the ride back to Ned along Peak to Peak Hwy, 40-50 mph winds buffeted me and sent me off the road more than once. Predictably, snowshoes make [unfortunately] good sails when strapped to your back. 5 hours after I left, my head was back in the refrigerator looking for my leftover enchiladas.

It's all been building to something...

I finally entered the world of blogs after many years of quietly laughing at all the people that subtly (or not so subtly) use blogs as a means of boasting about their activities. Honestly, I rarely impressed by how hard a climb/fast a run/epic a ride/extreme a ski descent someone did over the weekend. So from the outset, I'd like to make it clear that I'm creating this blog with the intent to document my preparations for and experiences during the 2009 Tour Divide mountain bike race.

A season of adventurous rides in spectacular places, combined with a waning interest in racing on the road or doing a few laps around some mountain bike course, has all been leading up to something bigger. After years of road, crits, time trials, cyclocross, short track, and cross country, riding was no longer providing me with something it once had. Riding the Grand Loop, my first ultraendurance race, in May sparked a small flame within me that begged for quenching. The more long days I spent in the saddle, the more I wanted to just spend even more hours pedaling and exploring places previously unseen by my eyes. Part of this undoubtedly stems from my ever-increasing compulsion to somehow extract myself from the stifling nature of city life. Whatever the reason, my mind was no longer relieved by a few hours of meditative pedaling; I'd return home still feeling like I needed to sneak out for my daily ride.

Deep down, I think I realized this metaphorical flame was the Tour Divide whispering to me, "Look at me - I'll let you spend weeks in remote mountains and deserts. You will pedal and worry of nothing else. Society will be something you might see once a day if you're [un]lucky. You know you can't resist."

And I couldn't. By September my mind was set on racing the Tour Divide next summer. At this point in my life, I have the flexibility to take a month of my life and push all else aside, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to do so again. Since I mentally committed to the race, the flame has cooled to a gentle blue, and I was able to focus on cyclocross season. But now, after ten days off the bike, the urge and need to ride is returning, and a new year of training is about to begin.

Below are just a few of the sights from great rides of 2008.

Returning from a long day in the Cochetopa Hills

Getting close to Rollins Pass after 6 hours of climbing

Pennsylvania Gulch - why do I keep taking this trail?

Colorado Trail on the peak leaf peeper weekend of autumn

There are not trails like this in the Midwest

A refreshing stop after nearly 200 miles in 24 hours

Not all days were good days. This flat, smooth road in Cactus Park destroyed my morale.

Desert sun in during the Grand Loop

Rides included an increasing amount of pushing

Riding with Maggie near Saguache

Exploring the trail system near Fruita with Alex