Catching Up

Phew. It's been a crazy last few days - sorry about the lapse in blogging. It's tough to live the dream and juggle computer time all in the same day sometimes.

To catch up on the last few days' happenings:

- I spent 2 fun-filled days in Denver, and had one of the craziest cycling experiences of my life.

- I saw the Colorado Rockies play baseball at Coors Field.

- I attended a bike shop in Littleton, CO's grand opening and geeked out on $14,000 bikes with a bunch of weirdos like me.

- I had a Coors in Golden, CO where they brew the stuff

- I snowboarded in Arapahoe Basin and enjoyed one of the best park days of my season.

- I spent more than half of my reported taxable income from 2009 on a new bike.

- I rode that bike and realized that it was entirely, unequivocally worth it.

- I checked in at Elevation Fitness in Dillon, CO, where I'm running a 2-session-a-day, 3 week cycling boot camp (yeah, I'm getting paid to do what I'd be doing anyway. You're jealous)

- I've eaten a lot of bagels and peanut butter, and drank a lot of chocolate milk (again, you're jealous).

So let's recap in detail, shall we?

My first day in Denver I spent on my bike (of course) and was fortunate enough to stop at Adrenalin Cycles in Littleton (a suburb of Denver). The new shop is run by some of the most enthusiastic and personable bike geeks (said with the utmost of respect and admiration) I've ever met. Sean and Ryan - keep it up. They stock some ridiculously high-end race frames, so if you're into cycling and want some in-person bike porn (sorry Mom) to look at, check out their shop when you're in Denver. Their grand opening featured some excellent food and green tea, which was delicious, and I spent a good hour just oogling and talking about bikes with all of the other obsessives in attendance. Think: Star-Trek-convention-level-nerdiness.

Day 2 in Denver was a blast. After a week of trying bikes and searching high and low, I found my dream bike (for the moment...). It's a 2010 Cannondale Supersix 3 (pictured above), and it's ridiculous. I invested more than half of my reported taxable income from 2009 (it's a pricy bike, but this stat is much more a reflection of my less-than-poverty level income than the price tag) on this gorgeous machine, and after 2 rides I am 100% certain I made the right choice. It's going to be a fun race season, and I'm determined to kill it. To quote Johan Buyneel - "if we're racing, we might as well win."

I then went and enjoyed a Rockies game a Coors Field - met some new friends and had a great time. I don't care who you are - major league baseball games are cool. Some of my new friends asked if I wanted to grab a beer after the 14 inning game, which got my wheels turning (bike pun). I decided on the spot that grabbing a Coors in Golden (home of the Coors factory) was the best idea out at that specific moment, so I hopped on my bike and set out. 28 miles, a lot of climbing, a 6 mile stretch of Colorado backcountry roads with no streetlights, a failing headlight, a slow leak in my bike tire, and one of the most intense solo rides of my life later I sat down and enjoyed a pint of the good stuff. Worth nothing: you get some weird looks when ordering a beer at 12:30 AM with lycra cycling pants, cycling gloves, and a flickering headlight on. I didn't care though - I had more fun that day than anyone at the bar. Plus, they had a claw machine that housed a lobster tank, and you could claw machine your dinner. It was too late for that, but what a cool deal. If you're really good at claw machines, you could land the cheapest lobster dinner ever.

On a race note, the Mt. Baker SkitoSea team I'm competing with is complete. We're racing under the moniker Team MurderKill, and I bought a sweet skull-laden black and red bike jersey to celebrate the occasion. If you want to see just how epic this is going to be, check out www.skitosea.com. I'm doing the road bike leg (of course), and some of my best friends are on the team with me. I can't wait. The 1st place cycling finisher managed a 30+ mph average pace for the 38 mile course, so I've go some training to do.

Snowboarding at A-Basin was a good time, despite the snow conditions. I even ran into another guy wearing a Sonics jersey in the park. We high-fived.

Running this cycling camp is a hell of a thing. I'm 24, have a mohawk, am living on the couch in the back room of the gym, and teaching Spin every morning at 6:30 AM and running a weights/core training session every day at 6:30 PM. I'm making a mental note so I don't forget this - when I'm old and lame I'll be able to laugh about how cool this was. Basically, 6 people have paid money to spend time with me every time the clock hits 6:30 for the next 3 weeks. Hammer time.

Doug, the owner of the gym, is the man. He's a New Jerey native and a relic from the powerlifting/bodybuilding golden days, and has a miniature yippity dog (I think it's a type of terrier) named Momo. It's hilarious. But he's a gym fanatic like the rest of us and an avid musician. Not to mention he's letting me sleep at the gym (a nice alternative to the front seat of my T-Bird). He teaches guitar here in town as well, and we're hoping to be able to sit down and play something this week. I'll be sure to let you all know how that goes.

Well, it's noon and I need to fuel up before setting out on a 40 mile day touring the Dillon area. I'm circling the lake, which should be very scenic. I'm riding my new race bike, and I'm brimming with excitement, so it's time to go.

Takeyourbike.org launches in 1 day! Stay posted, and try and get a bike ride in today or tomorrow to celebrate with me!