Most, if not all, of these pictures were taken by my parents.
The Aspens were pretty awesome.
Ya, I don’t know.
My tire was low before the start of the XC. Dad decided to help me fix it.
The swamp monster didn’t get me.
Check out that SWEET bike!
The berm in the ST race.
Mom, Dad, and Maggie by Boulder Falls.
Good thing Maggie likes car rides, because she spent over 30 hours in a car this past weekend!
Most, if not all, of these pictures were taken by my parents.
The Aspens were pretty awesome.
Ya, I don’t know.
My tire was low before the start of the XC. Dad decided to help me fix it.
The swamp monster didn’t get me.
Check out that SWEET bike!
The berm in the ST race.
Mom, Dad, and Maggie by Boulder Falls.
Good thing Maggie likes car rides, because she spent over 30 hours in a car this past weekend!
My parents came to town for the weekend, and even brought our dog (Maggie). It was good to see them and hang out for the weekend.
The cross country race was on Saturday. Once again, awesome weather. Not to mention, beautiful views. The aspens were in full force this weekend with changing colors. The race took off and then blew up on the first uphill. Eszter broke her chain, and Teal from Fort Lewis broke her break lever. These two were riding at the front of the group, and were definitely going to be a factor in the race. I took the lead on the uphill. The course wasn’t my favorite. I couldn’t get into a rhythm. There was even a section that you had to hike up hill. This was the hardest part. There were some fun sections, and even a swamp to ride through. I crashed several times, but was still able to maintain my lead. We did 3 laps, each lap being around 4 miles long. I thought I saw Teal coming up behind me, so I throttled it. Little did I know, she wasn’t even racing at that point. Teal normally comes up really fast the last lap. Fortunately, it was just a men’s A rider. I was able to take the win.
The short track was on CU’s campus. It was basically a BMX course. Pretty fun though! Lots of whoop-di-dos and even a berm. There was a pretty tricky uphill though. It was loose and steep. Very hard to shift into as well. The first lap Eszter took off. I hit the single track in 3rd behind Teal. Eventually I made my way around Teal. Then she came around me again. Eszter had started to get a gap, so I knew I had to make my move. I came around Teal and bridged up to Eszter. I sat on her wheel for a few laps, then attacked her and made a gap. I fell into my rhythm and had fun. Amazing what it can do once you get into a groove. The race was only 20minutes long. I was able to hold my lead around 30seconds each lap. Things started to get tricky when we started lapping riders. I managed to keep things safe and pulled off another win.
It was a fun weekend. I’m glad I got to see my parents, and our dog Maggie. Next up we are heading to Durango. Long drive, but it’s going to be a blast! Then it’s Grand Junction the following weekend. Nationals is right around the corner! Thanks for stopping in. Pictures to come later!
-A
The short track race on Saturday was pretty fun. There was a really small field. Awesome weather and what not. The course had some climbing and a fast descent. Nothing to technical. I rode the XTC, with a messed up fork (pictures to come). I don’t remember much about the race, because it was a week ago. However, I was able to pull off the win. CSU definitely dominated the field.
It rained the morning of the cross country race. Thoughts of last year filled my head, and I almost had myself talked out of racing. Then I saw Eszter Horanyi from CU. Last year she beat me consistently by 5minutes or more in every cross country race. So it was motivation to race. The field was bigger than the short track race. My goal was to stick with Eszter for as long as I could. She took the early lead and I settled in behind her. Eventually she got a gap, but I could see her almost the entire race. I made contact with her at the end of the first lap. It was nice to have a pace to go off of. I never know how to ride cross country races. The legs were starting to get pretty tired, and I wasn’t drinking nearly enough. It’s so hard to drink during mountain bike races! Anyway, Eszter pushed the pace on an uphill and I couldn’t stick with her. She got a gap that I couldn’t close towards the last part of the race. She won by 30seconds or so. 3rd place was 14minutes back. By far the hardest XC race I’ve done. It was cool to have someone push me to the limits in an XC race. Last year I think I had the mentality of “Oh, there she goes again.”. This time I wanted to see if I could hang. It was a pretty fun race. The course had some techincal spots, some hike-a-bikes, long uphills, and fast downhills. What more could you ask for?
After this weekend I was in the lead for conference overall. Hopefully I can maintain it. There’s some tough races coming up though. That’s all I have for now! Pictures to come soon!
-A
My parents came to town for the weekend, and even brought our dog (Maggie). It was good to see them and hang out for the weekend.
The cross country race was on Saturday. Once again, awesome weather. Not to mention, beautiful views. The aspens were in full force this weekend with changing colors. The race took off and then blew up on the first uphill. Eszter broke her chain, and Teal from Fort Lewis broke her break lever. These two were riding at the front of the group, and were definitely going to be a factor in the race. I took the lead on the uphill. The course wasn’t my favorite. I couldn’t get into a rhythm. There was even a section that you had to hike up hill. This was the hardest part. There were some fun sections, and even a swamp to ride through. I crashed several times, but was still able to maintain my lead. We did 3 laps, each lap being around 4 miles long. I thought I saw Teal coming up behind me, so I throttled it. Little did I know, she wasn’t even racing at that point. Teal normally comes up really fast the last lap. Fortunately, it was just a men’s A rider. I was able to take the win.
The short track was on CU’s campus. It was basically a BMX course. Pretty fun though! Lots of whoop-di-dos and even a berm. There was a pretty tricky uphill though. It was loose and steep. Very hard to shift into as well. The first lap Eszter took off. I hit the single track in 3rd behind Teal. Eventually I made my way around Teal. Then she came around me again. Eszter had started to get a gap, so I knew I had to make my move. I came around Teal and bridged up to Eszter. I sat on her wheel for a few laps, then attacked her and made a gap. I fell into my rhythm and had fun. Amazing what it can do once you get into a groove. The race was only 20minutes long. I was able to hold my lead around 30seconds each lap. Things started to get tricky when we started lapping riders. I managed to keep things safe and pulled off another win.
It was a fun weekend. I’m glad I got to see my parents, and our dog Maggie. Next up we are heading to Durango. Long drive, but it’s going to be a blast! Then it’s Grand Junction the following weekend. Nationals is right around the corner! Thanks for stopping in. Pictures to come later!
-A
The short track race on Saturday was pretty fun. There was a really small field. Awesome weather and what not. The course had some climbing and a fast descent. Nothing to technical. I rode the XTC, with a messed up fork (pictures to come). I don’t remember much about the race, because it was a week ago. However, I was able to pull off the win. CSU definitely dominated the field.
It rained the morning of the cross country race. Thoughts of last year filled my head, and I almost had myself talked out of racing. Then I saw Eszter Horanyi from CU. Last year she beat me consistently by 5minutes or more in every cross country race. So it was motivation to race. The field was bigger than the short track race. My goal was to stick with Eszter for as long as I could. She took the early lead and I settled in behind her. Eventually she got a gap, but I could see her almost the entire race. I made contact with her at the end of the first lap. It was nice to have a pace to go off of. I never know how to ride cross country races. The legs were starting to get pretty tired, and I wasn’t drinking nearly enough. It’s so hard to drink during mountain bike races! Anyway, Eszter pushed the pace on an uphill and I couldn’t stick with her. She got a gap that I couldn’t close towards the last part of the race. She won by 30seconds or so. 3rd place was 14minutes back. By far the hardest XC race I’ve done. It was cool to have someone push me to the limits in an XC race. Last year I think I had the mentality of “Oh, there she goes again.”. This time I wanted to see if I could hang. It was a pretty fun race. The course had some techincal spots, some hike-a-bikes, long uphills, and fast downhills. What more could you ask for?
After this weekend I was in the lead for conference overall. Hopefully I can maintain it. There’s some tough races coming up though. That’s all I have for now! Pictures to come soon!
-A
Bike path to Vail Pass.
Colorado Trail near Copper Mountain.
Taking in the amazing views.
Riding around Horsetooth Reservoir offers some pretty spectacular views.
We went to the top of those rocks.
This is from the top of Horsetooth Rock. The tall peak on the right is Long’s Peak in Estes Park.
Looking west from Horsetooth Rock down the valley.
Sunset with Long’s Peak in the background.
Horsetooth Rock looking towards Fort Collins and the Horsetooth Reservoir.
Chris standing on top of Horsetooth Rock.
Sunset.
A full moon rising above Fort Collins.
Bike path to Vail Pass.
Colorado Trail near Copper Mountain.
Taking in the amazing views.
Riding around Horsetooth Reservoir offers some pretty spectacular views.
We went to the top of those rocks.
This is from the top of Horsetooth Rock. The tall peak on the right is Long’s Peak in Estes Park.Looking west from Horsetooth Rock down the valley.
Sunset with Long’s Peak in the background.
Horsetooth Rock looking towards Fort Collins and the Horsetooth Reservoir.
Chris standing on top of Horsetooth Rock.
Sunset.
A full moon rising above Fort Collins.
Friday night: It was cold, really cold, like 30 degrees at most cold. I pretty much slept on the ground in a tent. End of story.
Saturday: Short track race was 25minutes plus 2 laps. Racing at 9000 feet sucks. I had no power. I think I started to hard. Came in 3rd place behind a couple of pro’s. The course was decent. A long uphill followed by a short downhill and some flatness. Nothing extremely exciting, other than it had quite a bit of single track in it.
Saturday night: Pre-rode the cross country course on the 2009 Specialized Safire. Many thanks to our main sponsor (and my employer) Peloton Cycles for letting me use it. This bike is amazing. It was cold again. I slept by the fire.
Sunday: The cross country race was 2 laps. I think each lap was around 9miles. The course was tricky. Lots of climbing (both technical and non-technical). Some pretty gnarly descents with lots of rocks. I rode the Specialized Safire. Wasn’t sure how it would climb, but it climbs almost as well as a hardtail. The suspension is set up just right, and the weight (around 24lbs), is ideal. Most of all, this thing goes really fast downhills. I was flying. I could hardly feel the rocks underneath me. Amazing. I lead most of the race, but was caught by FLC on the last uphill section. I bombed the downhill and put some time into her to pull off 1st place. I honestly don’t think I would have won if I wasn’t on this bike. I was going way out of my normal comfort zone on the downhill. Yet this bike seemed to stick to the ground with no trouble. Having 5inches of travel was key on this course. The 1300gram wheelset that comes with this bike is by far the best wheels I’ve ever ridden on. I have the Mavic Crossmax SL’s, which are bomb-proof, stiff, and relatively light-weight. I was a little skeptical to ride the Roval’s due to their light-weightness. However, these wheels are just as stiff and durable as the Crossmax’s. Ok enough bike-drooling. Up next is Colorado School of Mines race in Sol Vista, CO. Hopefully I can make it to that race. It’s supposed to be a pretty sweet course. In the mean time, it’s really cold here right now. What happened to spring/summer? Over and out…
-A
Friday night: It was cold, really cold, like 30 degrees at most cold. I pretty much slept on the ground in a tent. End of story.
Saturday: Short track race was 25minutes plus 2 laps. Racing at 9000 feet sucks. I had no power. I think I started to hard. Came in 3rd place behind a couple of pro’s. The course was decent. A long uphill followed by a short downhill and some flatness. Nothing extremely exciting, other than it had quite a bit of single track in it.
Saturday night: Pre-rode the cross country course on the 2009 Specialized Safire. Many thanks to our main sponsor (and my employer) Peloton Cycles for letting me use it. This bike is amazing. It was cold again. I slept by the fire.
Sunday: The cross country race was 2 laps. I think each lap was around 9miles. The course was tricky. Lots of climbing (both technical and non-technical). Some pretty gnarly descents with lots of rocks. I rode the Specialized Safire. Wasn’t sure how it would climb, but it climbs almost as well as a hardtail. The suspension is set up just right, and the weight (around 24lbs), is ideal. Most of all, this thing goes really fast downhills. I was flying. I could hardly feel the rocks underneath me. Amazing. I lead most of the race, but was caught by FLC on the last uphill section. I bombed the downhill and put some time into her to pull off 1st place. I honestly don’t think I would have won if I wasn’t on this bike. I was going way out of my normal comfort zone on the downhill. Yet this bike seemed to stick to the ground with no trouble. Having 5inches of travel was key on this course. The 1300gram wheelset that comes with this bike is by far the best wheels I’ve ever ridden on. I have the Mavic Crossmax SL’s, which are bomb-proof, stiff, and relatively light-weight. I was a little skeptical to ride the Roval’s due to their light-weightness. However, these wheels are just as stiff and durable as the Crossmax’s. Ok enough bike-drooling. Up next is Colorado School of Mines race in Sol Vista, CO. Hopefully I can make it to that race. It’s supposed to be a pretty sweet course. In the mean time, it’s really cold here right now. What happened to spring/summer? Over and out…
-A