Another State Of Mind...

It's usually about this time of year when I find myself starting to think more and more about spring. The racing calender begins to take shape, a new bike is on the horizon, it's slowly staying lighter later...........well, hate to break it to you, self, but we got a long way to go....

It's hard to be optimistic when the current month starts with "J" and doesn't end in "une" or "uly." These night's it's cold, it's dark, and it's windy.

During the summer months this very ride percolates with energy and excitement; but in the dead of winter it's often tough to summon the will to even leave the house after coming home from a long day in the cubicle....

Love-hate relationship indeed. Doesn't it seem like it's always winter?

Now That's Putting The Cart Before The Horse...

You ever find yourself stuck in a moment, struggling to make time stand still?

It is a well known fact that mountain bikes and beer go hand in hand.................Yikes....

It is a newly discovered fact that drunken Wii tennis is much more fun than actual tennis...

But you gotta suffer the consequenses. And it was with a groan of tediousness that I dragged myself out into the following 24 degree day. At times not even Jedi mind tricks will coax the legs into working. It's a little like holding your hand over a candle...

Counter-productivity at its best... One of those days when the legs tell you, "You wit'out me s'like a corn flake wit'out da milk."

Ahhh well.......if you don't sleep, how can you ever dream...

I Haven't Missed The Train....Yet...

The dichotemy of the human persona is a fascinating thing. And so are Colorado winters. One minute you find yourself working on the transmission in single-digit temps over top 4 feet of snow...

24 hours later on the Front Range, you find yourself working on the transmission in 60 degree temps...

Base miles can come in many forms - and I sure got my fill of them this weekend. The long road to spring fitness begins here...Tip Of The Day: taking a banana on a long road ride is a great idea. Downhill skiing with a banana in your backpack is not.

Nice.....

Latin For OMG...

I've never been really big on wearing labels.

Powdericus caninemus...

Tip Of The Day: When you have the opportunity to get a personalized "powder-stash-tour" from a 20 year veteran ski instructor at Steamboat Springs, take it.

Disappearing into the trees, time and time again, where one was a crowd; the thrill of getting lost in the powder tells you to pray while the devil's on your shoulder.

There's something indescribably special about Steamboat. If you've been there you know what I'm talking about. Maybe it's the fact that every time I go there it's either cloudless and 78 degrees, or there's a fresh 12 inches of powder to play in. Maybe it's the Strawberry Park hotsprings looming desolately above town, where nekidness abounds after dark. Not that I would know, of course...

This is the type of photo you get when you ask your buddy to take your "face shot" on a powder day:

"click - alrighty, later!"

Nature has it's own religion and days like this heal the soul...

And I'm turning the pages of January...

Giving New Meaning To The Term "Texas-Sized"...

I'm gonna just throw this out there right off the bat. Anyone who weighs less than 135lbs and wears glorified underwear while pedaling a bike around isn't exactly considered a "Man's Man." I like my espresso with foam, a nice gas fireplace, and I like to wear my big-collared shirts.

So when I headed out to Texas hill-country to visit some friends-of-the-family on their ranch over Christmas, I strapped on my 6-shooter, yelled a hearty "yeeeeee-hhhhaaaawwwhhh!" and leapt into the ma-in-law's leather-interiored SUV.

What would you do if you had almost 400 acres of Texas ranch land surrounding a small compound of well-appointed housing? I'd build a big bon-fire and shoot my guns in the air; that's what I'd do.

In all honesty, this ranch is what 99.9% of the world would dream of having; and its owners are some of the nicest people I know and I couldn't say enough good things about them. But when you set up an "ethnic-cleansing" program of sorts to clean up the deer population's gene pool; then go one step further and designate a "Wall Of Shame" for those who suffer their cruel fate...

You've got to start to wonder.

Being only a little out of my element out in the "Man Cave," a place where guns, bullets, and reloaders outnumber those of a developing nation's, I opted for a safari on another one of the ranch's many toys...

Besides, when gun-toting Texans are in "the zone," I should have known not to even try and act like I could relate...

• "Hey, have you guys ever played paint ball?"
• "My dad used to have a BB gun...."
• "This is a good popsicle.....red is my fave."

In my suburban "on-the-grid" world I couldn't imagine occupying such vast space between me and my next door neighbor; but I'd sure like to try. I mean, how many people can say, "I'm going to the mailbox. Be back in 20 minutes."

Thanks, T-Diddy, for a few of your photos which I used, without your permission. Well, I'm off to Steamboat Springs. All work and no play, you know? Catch you on the flip-side, my peeps...

Around Town...

Instructions: Push play, wait 30 seconds for effect (sound), scroll down and read.

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2008: Year In Review

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January: A seed was planted...

February: Winter began to drag on a little long...

March: I got a glimpse of spring...

April: It snowed in the high country, the depths of which had not been seen in over 100 years.

May: The Mrs. and I embarked on an eye-opening chapter in our lives, the depths of which we'd only dreamt about...

June: It started to dry out. Little by little...

July: Pure ecstacy...

August: Raced more in this month and in the previous than in all of 2007.

September: Grabbed my first Pro win, albiet a small one. Grabbed a handful of other podiums in a "best-ever" late-season push.

October: Me and the Mrs. watched the leaves change color from the saddles of our bikes.....over, and over, and over again.

November: Let go of the rope and embarked on a whole new set of winter training experiences...

December: Chased the holidays all over the United States; chased the Stunt Double all around the Falcon Trail, and chased the Mrs. upstairs...

Happy New Year to you all~