Thursday, February 7, 2013

Wintspiration



I need to update this more frequently.  But not always at 2 in the morning!  Some people will be getting up for work a mere hours from now, and I’m just winding down.  But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!  I work nights so I can enjoy my days.  Speaking of enjoying my days, what have I been doing with them?  Shortly after my last post, in which I had suddenly been too tired to continue a ride, I spent a couple of days in pure rest mode.  Probably more rest then I’ve gotten in months.  It was something natural that came over my body that I just had to listen to.  I wasn’t sick, but was running on low energy for about 3 or 4 days.  Normally I would push through and get out and ride regardless; this the infection that many cyclists have, always feeling like we are regressing or “losing it”, but in this instance I decided to let it be.  Since then my riding has been mostly mundane.  I need to find the inspiration somewhere to get back out and start hammering again.  I know it will come, and I will find it, but for now it’s a slow process.  That’s okay though, because there is so much in the way of mountain biking right around the corner, and I will surely get my fill. 

The first thing on my definite schedule is the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey in April.  I’m so excited to be getting back out to California again!  Not so excited about taking my licks from all of the top MTB Pros that will be there, but so it goes.  Everybody has to experience it.  It will be a UCI-type XC race, which I am not at all used to.  In the last couple of years the UCI has reworked what it considers mountain bike races, switching from backcountry, singletrack epics, to viewer friendly, technically challenging, fast and furious courses with minimal climbing.  These courses are best-suited to the big-power guys.  I am not a big-power guy. Before that, there are a couple of Pro XCT stops in southern California in March.  If I can swing it, I’ll also try to be out there then.  If not, some trips to Moab and Sedona will probably be in store.  Then, in May the real racing begins.  There is the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series season opener in mid-May, followed by the Gunnison Growler a week later.  After that, everything becomes a blur!  I kick off my foray into the ultra endurance scene with 100-mile races in Ohio then Michigan only two weeks apart.  Then Marathon Nationals, Breck100, and more!  Whewww! I hope it all works out.

In my immediate line of sight, there is this thing called Stout Month.  In its 20th year of existence, the heavy hitting dark beer extravaganza at the Mountain Sun Pubs is something to behold.  Let me preface this by acknowledging my own skepticism toward both the epicness and the appeal of having over 10 stouts on tap at all times.  Big deal.  Who even wants to drink this much stout, right?  Well, apparently every beer drinker in Boulder!  The talk was not cheap!  It is truly something special.  The influx of amazing beers and variety of our constantly changing tap wall has made me change my mind.  Every day something new hits the wall that I have to try!  More than anything, it has been the guest taps that I have enjoyed the most.  We have gotten all of the best stouts, some of which are extremely small-batch, from local Colorado breweries.  New Belgium Lips of Faith, O’dell Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout, Renegade Peanut Butter Cup, Avery The Czar, Avery Tweak, Great Divide Oak-aged Coffee Imperial, and more from Ska, Strange Brewing, Telluride, Equinox, Cooper Smith, Left Hand, Elevation, Wynkoop, Boulder Beer, River North, Gravity, and more.  This in conjunction with our personal rotation of 40+ in-house stouts.  It’s a stout explosion.  But that’s not the only thing exploding.  Facial hair also explodes in odd forms and variety this month, as it is tradition for Stout Month to coincide with Chop Month.   


Mine was a small explosion.  More like a fire-cracker.

More bike goods to come, as they come funneling in, including my new 2013 singlespeed race bike build!  Cheers.

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