I'm Going Back to Cali

Hi all,

Just got back from an amazing trip out to California to train with my Boulder team, Horizon Organic. Four of us made the trip out to NorCal to ride bikes, hang out and check out a couple stages of the Tour of California.

I'll post some pictures very soon, but here are the stats: 8 days, 40 hours ride time, 505 miles of riding, 40,000 feet of climbing.

One of my teammates, Dave, is an employee at Google and sort of hosted the trip out in Mountain View, which is where he spends quite a bit of time for his job. If you've never made the trip to that part of the country, I STRONGLY recommend it.

The riding is incredible. The roads and terrain are wildly overgrown. Most of the time you feel like you're riding through a rainforest, with huge mossy trees, banana slugs, salamander looking things, lush tree canopies and some of the best bike riding I've ever come across. Many times we would climb and climb and soon (after 15 miles of climbing), we'd be above the cloudline.

The Bay area is sweet, with great restaurants and an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. For the first few days of our trip the weather held pretty well but then the rain set in for the remaining 5 days or so. We stayed determined to fight on our bikes, despite the weather, and so we put in some very, very difficult days in the saddle (think wind, rain, cold, hail and assorted other conditions). It was often times "warm" enough (50's) to sweat up to the top of a climb, only to get frozen on the descent. This sort of freeze thaw cycle is bad for asphalt and bad for our bones. Towards the end of the week we were hopeful that the weather would turn in our favor, but alas, no such luck.

We got to see a couple of Tour de California stages and we had fun picking out the local Boulder riders from the peloton, including several former riders from my team, Fred Rodriguez and Scott Tietzel. Following the first individual time trial stage we stopped by Palo Alto Bike Shop. I was looking at some wool socks, turned around and saw that Mario Cipollini was standing behind me. Pretty soon there was a crowd gathered around watching him shop at the shop.

Watching those guys climb up Mt. Hamilton and Sierra Grade made really appreciate the speed and finesse that top level professionals can carry, even 90 miles into a road race. They whisked past us and were smooth as silk, despite the road gradient (20-23% in some areas) and the pace that the leaders were setting. Besides seeing the racers, hanging out on the slopes of Sierra with our bikes, wine and sandwiches made me long for a stage or three of the Vuelta Espana. The rolling caravan, half a dozen helicopters and ravenous fans screaming the names of their favorites had a decidedly European feel to the day.

After a dedicated training camp I'm feeling back on the ball, I mean bike and I've even begun working on my cycling tan lines that drive the groupies crazy. ;)

So...back to the grind we go. The race season starts out here in a few weeks, the
weather is starting to change for the better (and hopefully for the permanent) and we're all getting tuned in for the next chapter of riding, training and racing.

Stay tuned for the pics and video coming very soon...

Roll Up

I've been watching the temps in Minnesota drop, or stay dropped and not missing that at all. Life in CO is good, with snow days up in the mountains (check out the snow levels at Wolf Creek, 150 inch base???), warm days in the front range, but man the wind is a nasty little thing that I wasn't really warned about before I moved out here. It is viciously windy out here in the early spring as if we're getting kicked in the shorts one more time before summer roles around.

Kudos to all who are answering the call for donations, sponsorships, interviews, etc. We have an amazing thing going with Team Strong Heart and my little heart goes pitter-patter whenever I think about June.

I'm headed to California this Friday for a 10 day spring training camp for my Boulder team, Horizon Organic Cycling Team. As usual, this time of year we really put some thought into how much time we're on the bike and how much time we're digging around in the fridge. I think our bodies still want the winter poundage, but our minds are looking at that first race and wondering how the heck we'll get through.

Somehow we manage. I vividly remember those early season races in Minnesota, with the wind, the rain and sometimes the snow. One year I came in 10th place down near Rochester, MN because I was the 10th rider to finish. Half the field literally dropped out after the first lap because it was damned cold and sleeting. Yikes!

Pushing through the stress of trying to get ourselves, our sponsors, our crew and everyone in our lives across America will be worth it when we get to that last time station in Maryland and see the Atlantic inlet in the distance. What we do now will determine how we do later, whether it's our first race of the season or that pernicious little race called the Race Across America in June.

I really wouldn't want it any other way... You?

TC
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Humphrey Bogart: A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature.
Katharine Hepburn: Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put into this world to rise above.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN, 1951

Brain Freeze

Back on the bike and into the gym I go. I'm psyched with all of the new and returning sponsors for Team Strong Heart and I'm a bit suprised that there are only about 16 weeks to go before the race!?!

It's been kind of cold out here in CO, but I really can't complain too much. I mean, I'm in pretty good shape this year and the thought of riding in one more Minnesota winter chills me to the bone. Last week I had to pull my arm warmers off because I was getting too hot. Poor ol' me!

I'm finding a returning focus to the bike and am feeling pretty good heading into the "final" swing before the race season starts out here in CO.

Keep on keepin' on, I suppose.

Hasta!

TC