Some Call It Demons, Others Call It Justice

The simple formula has been my mission. Years ago as a passenger of a jet plane flying from somewhere I never wanted to return, I realized I wanted to simplify a life out of sorts. If feels like most things I do by bike has a deep seeded meaning like Justice.

Here's to those who have jet fueled my motivations, those poor experiences and of course those who are a wealth of motivation and inspiration. Family. Friends. Job. Music. Life. My current lifestyle includes making things once wrong, right. It's about seeking Justice for myself. To answer the question, "How do you keep pedaling?" This is how. Some call it demons, others call it Justice. It's the fire. It's looking down at your legs and seeing a 2 cylinder engine half a day into a race. It's kind of funny, I have to regulate the amount of Justice I tap into. For countless training rides and races I've overdone it at times. At the Gunnison Growler, PCP2P, and Vapor Trail 125, that wasn't windburn in my eyes in mid race, nor the tears of pain, but of joy, of Justice. Although, it cannot be welcomed for a lengthy stay, but kept at bay, since being choked up is literally suffocating. I'm hoping that for the next race at the 25 Hours in Frog Hollow, I'll be able to muster the strength to produce special numbers. Whether or not I hit those numbers is not what takes the cake, but that I visit a very dark place and hit my "ceiling of fitness" to see just how deep I can go and I know that Justice will be the ghost the drives me.

***

To transition to a lighter subject, below are pics of the recent Moab & Fruita trip with Brett Ebben that gave me more confidence than I imagined it would. Love that! The trip started with Amasa Back, one of my favorite areas in the universe! It was here where I first realized that I needed a much beefier bike since I managed to turn a trued rear rim into a frowning rim which swayed from seatstay to seatstay for the last few miles. Gladly, I was prepared and brought another rear wheel. It was then to the Sovereign Trail that same day which equated to more cheesy grins on cloud 9. The following day, Fred Wilkinson, a badass rider back in his hay day, joined us at City Market to ride up and around Slickrock. We were up for a big day of working for every mile at Slickrock and Porcupine Rim so I was stacked with 2500 calories, 7 water bottles, and body armor. Slickrock was a mountain biking playland and a physical test. I was able to minimize my dabs on the Navajo Slickrock to two during the entire ride, which I'm still stoked about. I plan on returning in a few weeks to make it a clean run! Brett and I then parted with Fred and climbed to begin my first try at Porcupine Rim. It was a long time coming and one of the best trails I've ever been on. I took it in that I've finally arrived at the trailhead after years of wanting to be right there. It was like climbing Navajo Slickrock stairs for miles and was right up my alley. I guess I'd call it cross country all mountain riding which is my favorite style of terra.

The next day we drove to Fruita for the Kokopelli Trail System for more spectacular riding over very different terrain that was still very challenging. I continued to think about how fortunate I was to be able to spend time on the bike and be fit enough to properly tackle a weekend like this. This weekend was a dream and a great time spent with Brett. The night was also a great time to take it all in by falling asleep to the stars. No tent, no bugs, just the peace and chill of the night and the ageless beauty of the stars.

Complete annihilation at Paradox Pizza owned and operated by Fred Wilkinson

Cheers,

Tim

24 Hour Nationals Race Report: 7th Place

First and foremost, I have to thank all those around me that helped me succeed at this race. Brett Ebben, Amy Welnak, Ben Welnak, Jari Kirkland, and the Trek Bicycle Store team members: Curt Wilhelm, Erick Erickson, and Jonathan Davis. Jonathan let me borrow an extra team jersey which I was psyched to wear for some extra mojo. I had so much amazing support I had no choice but to give it everything. Unfortunately, Ben had an untimely crash going into lap eight that forced him to pull the plug. He and others then dedicated their time in the wee hours of the night to tend to my bikes and my nutrition needs. They took shifts sleeping so that they could support Jonathan Davis and myself and for their effort, I am incredibly grateful and still totally blown away. You guys rocked, thank you so much!

The weekend got off to a great start when I made a course recon on Friday. I had already completed 45 minutes of openers before I ran into Jonathanimal who was about to preride. Sonya Looney, Rebecca Rusch, and Kelly Boniface then showed up for pointers and a ride led by Jonathan. How the hell could I have passed up the opportunity to ride with them?! I ended up riding for two and a half hours that day just so I could hang out with badass endurance heroes from Colorado and Idaho.

1st single digit plate!

That Friday evening I traveled back to Denver to pack and for a night's rest before returning in the morning with Brett Ebben. The twenty four hour race started at noon on Saturday and the course covered approximately 13.4 miles and 1100 feet of climbing per lap. The race was held at Palmer Park in the center of Colorado Springs and the course was incredibly well chosen. I heard it was one of the tougher 24 hour courses comprised of mostly singletrack with all mountain features. For the morning until the race start, it was a lot about setting up under the easy up tent, discussing logistics, soaking in my first 24 hour solo, maintaining my bike, and well...not eating enough which was my first mistake that I later paid for. Just prior to the race start, I was able to speak with Jari Kirkland who was the female winner for the nationals last year. She didn't hesitate at all to give me loads of advice that I held close throughout the race. That's what I love about this discipline in mountain biking, the enduro racers are so down to earth and supportive. Thank you Jari!

The race was underway with the typical and traditional, but completely unnecessary le mans start which fortunately was only a short dash on grass to our staged bikes. I'm not sure why this has to be but I'd rather not run in carbon soled shoes if I don't have to. At the time of the run, I noticed Jonathan's head on a swivel since he was keeping an eye on Josh Tostado, another down to earth champion who won last year's male 24 hour nationals. In mid run, my thought was "badass!" We're about to race for 24 hours and Jonathan has been focused for so long on making the podium, that in the first seconds of the race, he has a watchful eye on the competition. That's exactly what direction I'm heading with racing and I was inspired by what I witnessed.

Once in the saddle, I immediately found my rhythm which I seemed to settle into for the next three laps. Brett was killing it with great exchanges at the lap throughs regarding bottles and nutrition. Amy, as usual, was ultra helpful and made sure I got what else I needed in the pits, whether it be food, drink, or motivation. Due to not getting down enough grub before the race, I felt compelled to make up for it during the race and instead I paid the price on laps 6, 7, and 8 (lap times here). GI issues hit me intensely and gave me haunting episodes of time loss and terrible scenarios I won't discuss for the reader's benefit. I'll take the lessons and move forward. I did learn to trust what worked and discovered some trustworthy foods at least for this race. I ultimately minimized my "nutrition" to CarboRocket and Honey Stinger Waffles, amongst junk food options like Papa John's and hot bacon (yeahhh buddy!) which made for long lasting energy plus my typical products that I wouldn't race without. I later learned from from Mark Ruda at Golden Bike Shop that I should have been taking ammonia blockers to counter the pH spikes from animal proteins.

A gorgeous shot at the camp at night.

By the time the frustrating GI issues subsided, it was a few hours into the night and I was relieved to find my rhythm again and fortunate that it didn't sap energy from my legs. I continued to push through the night with only a few things in mind like "stay home" and "don't think." I knew I had to stay home by cycling through only a few principles throughout the entire race and primarily focus on the singletrack beneath me, not the singletrack ahead of me. I've never been more mindful of every moment in a single day and I'll never forget how that felt because it'll need to be exercised again in four weeks at the 25 Hours of Frog Hollow in Hurricane, Utah. I am so amped for this race and hopefully I'll be outfitted in a full Trek Bicycle Store kit!

I'll never forget one of the last corners of the race. I didn't anticipate Amy standing there, camera in hand, and screaming at me for the entire city of Colorado Springs to hear. I started cheesing out from her energy and the elation of finishing well at a race of this caliber and also because it wasn't just me I was racing for out there. It was also for my team of supporters.

Ultimately, I raced for 15 laps equaling 201 miles in 22:36, good enough for 7th place.
Garmin results here: Part I, Part II. Missing lap 13 due to being charged.

I am tremendously excited to ride with Trek Bicycle Store and it has been my secret goal to get on a team of this talent. As much as I enjoyed racing for Rocky Mountain Racing, it was time to transition to a team that would better suit my goals with the ultra endurance racing scene. Next year's races will look more like hundreds, 24's, and the Breck Epic. I've been warmly welcomed by its team members who are very family oriented and I'm excited to meet the rest of the team, shop, and sponsors. As for for the team's race results, Jonathan Davis rocked the course and made his goal by reaching the podium for 3rd place. Michael Scott and Jeremy Young were on fire and snagged second for the duo category. Jill Hueckman and Eric Lord also nailed second place in the coed category. Congrats team!

As I crested a corner, three chickens were meditating like Mr. Miyagi. I gave a "howdy" and they responded with silence. It was so eerie that I couldn't believe its randomness. Thanks for the heebie jeebies.

Four days after the race start and I'm already amped for 25 Hours of Frog Hollow!

XXC Magazine pre race article (pic of me in the Springs)

Cycling News

Singletrack.com

All Things EPIC (Jill Hueckman)

See you out there,

Tim

One Week 'Til Nats

Grocery run #1. Natural Grocers I love you. 

I first heard of 24 hour racing 13 years ago in a bike magazine about Chris Eatough's feats. I thought how dreaming it would be the easy part but had no clue how to ever sets goals to achieve it. Fast forward 13 years and I'm confident entering my first 24 hour solo which happens to be the nationals one week from Saturday at noon. I'll be entering the abyss once again this season which is what I make every season about - going bigger, going deeper, and finding the way to suffer more. To fight in the dark and convince yourself that failing is not an option is a great space to challenge yourself and see what exactly you're made of. For the most part, I have failed to break myself this year. Mentally yes, it was done but was quickly turned around at the summit of Granite Peak at Vapor Trail 125. Maybe it'll be at the 24 Hours of Colorado Springs Nats and that'll be ok since I'll finally feel where the ceiling is...for now. I may be a virgin to 24 hour solos but something tells me this is only the beginning to pushing this kind of limit. This race will put the "ultra" in endurance racing for me and I can't wait for the test. Not sure what exactly to expect but I'm sure my own intimidation will be enough to chase and push me through the course which Ben Welnak and I checked out earlier today. I'm very satisfied with the course, err, maybe the sand traps could be saved for the golf course but I got some great tips from Ben today so if I can stay upright and smooth, things should pan out well. Easier said than done. Thanks also goes to Jonathan Davis for giving us the hookup for GPS course routing. The course is like a plate of spaghetti and even with the Garmin course uploaded, we still got lost!

Hydration fuel of choice, CarboRocket. Half Evil 333 was on backorder so Brad hooked me up big time with sample packets to hold me over!

Thank you Honey Stinger!

Not sure if I'll need the ginger ale any longer since Ben has taught me the delicious homemade version, so good!

Homemade ginger ale and working towards eating more raw foods! I could've used this recipe all summer long!

Fully equipped with Honey Stinger, Starbucks DoubleShots, Snickers, and of course, Coca-Cola.

Funny the influence of other racers have on each other. Got the Sour Patch Kids from Lynda Wallenfels, Twizzers: Michael Scott, Marie Calendar's Pot Pie: Bill Martin, good ole peaches from Eszter Horanyi, and the Detox tea influenced by the obvious. 

See you on the trails,

Tim

Vapor Trail 125 Race Recap: 17th Place

This story starts after the Park City Point 2 Point race when, days later, I was still on cloud 9 from the weekend's race. I followed it with a few days of rest by a couple of hard 3-4 hour efforts on Wednesday and Thursday, thinking that my next race was soloing the 24 Hours of Colorado Springs Nationals. Little did I know that at 9:45pm on my way home from work on Thursday night that I would think differently. I initially thought about the Vapor Trail 125 and how the race start was in 48 hours. I kept thinking how it would be a great race for next year's schedule until I questioned why I wasn't racing this weekend. Sure, my legs were taxed, a late entry was unlikely, I was not prepared mentally, my bike needed work, I had no idea what 100 of the 125 miles of the race were like, and I was time crunched with my work schedule before and after the race. I've always thought that if my mind's ready, my legs will usually follow, and therefore I did what I could to make it a possibility.

A gorgeous full moon all night.

The weekend was a blur. Leading up to the race was a mental fiasco. The Vapor Trail 125 is not a race you should enter for the first time on a whim. I kept on telling myself that if I make it successfully to the end, luck was on my side. And it was. Things somehow magically fell into place, I received a ton of support from my coworkers, family, and race organizers just to get me to the start line. Friday, I was in disbelief and ecstatic when I got the last race entry twenty four hours before the start. I couldn't thank Heidi enough! Since I got the go ahead, it was time to scurry and logistically plan for a race more adventurous than I've ever been involved in. The Vapor Trail 125 is called the "high altitude ultra marathon mountain bike enduro" for a reason. It begins at 10pm from Salida, Colorado and ventures into the darkness of neighboring national forests for a 125 mile megaloop with 20,000 feet of climbing. No sleep and it's like a eating contest while riding a bike. The course follows many trails including the Colorado Trail, Monarch Crest Trail, Rainbow, and even includes two hike-a-bike sections, one hike summiting Granite Peak (elevation: 12,958) at approximately seven hours into the race. I swear it must've taken around an hour to climb rock over loose soil in the late dark night. I've never bitched so ferociously during a race, not even close. By the time we reached the summit, my calves were numb from carbon soled shoes (yes, I did make the mistake) and I was humbled by the mountain that broke me. I got what I was there for, a mental beating. Countless times I thought of quitting and mentioned to a fellow rider that "if there were a chopper to air lift me the F outta here, I'd take it home."

Climbed this...and then some.

Luckily there wasn't a chopper, but there was frost from freezing temperatures, plenty of unnecessarily layered clothes, the sunrise and possibly the best damn downhill I've ever descended. While still at the peak of the summit, it was gorgeous despite how cold it was. The number in my head all night was 641 since that was the time the sun would come up. I knew if I persevered, then I could make it the entire race. I then began the meanest descents I've ever had in my life. Eight miles of of pump track descending was something I've never seen before, only heard of. Little did I know that from this nine hour mark until the finish, I would feel incredible on a bike. I assumed that I'd be good for nine hours, then fall apart slowly for the remainder of the race, when in fact it was the contrary.

After the descent, I stopped at aid station 2 and who's making pancakes and sausages for us in a raccoon hat? Dave Wiens! How in the hell can you not be inspired upon seeing him? I scarfed some tasty pancakes, sausage, red bull, Heed...you name it. I took off with a fresh set of race legs and began the multi-mile dirt road ascent and dropped some more riders while riding into the thin air. I'm not sure if it was the sleep deprivation or the strong current of prerace anxiety, but there's a lot I don't remember. I think my focus was right on and therefore glued to the trail and nothing else for nearly the entire race. Next thing I remember is the Monarch Pass feed station where the best volunteers in the universe were waiting and cheering me on. It was the feed station of a lifetime, you don't get many like this. The volunteers were so fantastic that it was like my bike had it's own pit stop and so did I. While my bike was getting the ten point inspection, I was catered to by hosts of a dinner party with massive amounts of food and greetings. They told me I had 45 miles left, what I was heard was that this race is nearly over. Heidi and the other supporters gave me some kudos, my bike, and even more inspiration to go race my bike. I ripped out of the feed station and did my best to race the next 45 miles like it was a cross country race.

I then arrived at the next feed station to descend and ascend the dreaded starvation loop. It was a fantastic singletrack descent but every foot you descended, you know you need to climb back up which was a tough pill to swallow 100 something miles into the race. When you reached the bottom, you were to climb a five mile constantly pitched dirt road that never seemed to end. It was as if you were on a treadmill and I couldn't help but think that making us race this was so wrong in so many ways, but necessary. Hell, I'll do that loop three times if they'd take the hike-a-bike out of the equation. From then on it was the "it's all downhill from here" quote that you get nearing the end of races when instead you have dozens of punchy climbs left. I never take that phrase seriously! From then on, it was Rainbow Trail which rips like Lair O' the Bear but for miles and miles of tasty thin singletrack! After being dumped onto the road in Salida, I tucked on the descent and time trailed the way to the finish line.

When I finished, it was strange. I didn't feel like the race should be over. I had the same feeling at the PCP2P just last week. I'm not sure how much longer I could've gone at that pace but I wanted to know. Nothing truly hurt, I was simply fatigued. My nutrition was spot on and didn't have a single muscle cramp. I guess I'll find out at the 24 Hour Nationals in over two weeks from now just how long I can go. I'm not going to lie, I'm drooling at the freaking mouth for this one and plan on turning myself inside out for 24 hours. For now, supposedly I'm to take it easy until then and not ride much, which is when I suffer most.

After the race, I was fortunate enough to stay at Michael and Lacey Scott's place. I owe a huge thank you! I got to spend some time after the race in Salida with Michael, Lacey, Curt Wilhelm, and Jonathan Davis which was a great wind down in a gorgeous town. We all had great rides, including Jonathan who smashed the record and crossed the line in 13 hours, 42 minutes! I'm very fortunate to have had the go big or go home attitude lately or I would have never pulled this off. Next year, I plan on having the same month of September, PCP2P, then the Vapor Trail 125, but next time I'll be ready!

Garmin stats

Results

Mountain Flyer Magazine write up

Vapor Trail 125 Video

Monday, September 26th Amendment: Still reflecting of the affect this race had on me. I look back at the destruction that Granite Peak inflicted upon me. I now believe that I was cursing this mountain so much not because I wanted to quit but because I knew I wouldn't let myself quit. It just wasn't an option and frankly, after being forced to quit the 12 Hours of Snowmass one year ago, it's not a place I ever want to return to. It's the worst feeling I've ever experienced related to cycling. That feeling slingshot me through the winter for anticipation of redemption. There's just nothing so disheartening to lie in your hotel while the race races on. As much pain you induce during a race, there's much more pain involved when you quit.

See you out there,
Tim

Namaste

Park City Point 2 Point 2011 Race Recap

I've left a piece of me in Park City, Utah. Somewhere on the singletrack just raced upon, maybe where I laughed out loud and by myself at the pure joy of it all. I still have a cheesy grin on my face and remember all the great people I met - racers, supporters, locals. It was a weekend that even before it was underway, something told me, I'd never want it to end. I loved the atmosphere.

Like the "M" on Lookout Mountain, Park City has theirs.

The Park City Point 2 Point race was 80 miles by 14,000 feet of climbing. 95% of the trail was singletrack and the rest, fire road or double track. The Bailey HUNDO should take some notes. Mile for mile, the singletrack was even better than the Breck 100. When it was rocky, it was hella rocky, the roots were ginormous, but if and when you could smooth out some lines, it was ultra fast considering how late in the season it is. I once and only once had the opportunity to raise my head and take a mental snapshot of my surroundings before I was required to focus all of my attention back on the trail.

On race day morning, I was up at the first strike of my alarm at 4:30am, well before sunrise. I had the typical race day jitters, intimidated mostly by my own expectations. Breakfast was the usual race day fuel, I collected myself, and set off onto the dimly lit bike path toward the start line in nearly freezing temps at 35 degrees!

 

Many other racers were shivering at the cold like I was, it made me feel a tad warmer that I wasn't alone. They divided the racers according to their anticipated finish times. Therefore, I started with the second wave of riders in the 8-9 hour finisher group. When Jay announced the "ready, set, GO" I immediately launched off the front of the pack of who knows how many. I'm not sure if I was simply fired up, if I was the only realistic 8-9 hour finisher, or because I operate best in cold temps, but a minute after the start, I was way ahead of the group entering the first singletrack. I looked back once because I've never experienced such a quiet start and saw that the riders were a hundred yards behind me. The first 12 miles were at Round Valley in order to organize riders before hitting narrow singletrack up a switchback climb. This climb eased into 2400 feet of climbing with minimal descending, reaching the first aid station along the way at mile 28, where I could resupply my own nutrition products. I swear, I felt like there was an army of volunteers meeting my needs and I couldn't thank them enough! I then set off to finish the rest of the climb, prompting myself to eat and hydrate regularly and ensuring that I was riding on the cusp.

I have difficulty remembering a huge chunk of the race. It's all a blur. I do remember a guy in the woods outfitted with a swamp thing or yeti costume handing out fresh and crisp dollar bills to racers passing by. Random and freaking hilarious, I love the people at these events! After the mile 37 water station, I descended like a madman into the forest of gargantuan roots and trees just wide enough to allow my handlebar through. I took off screaming downhill because I knew Sonya Looney was behind me and was picking up speed. She's a badass rider and inspiring to the local riders and race scene. So, it's always special to race with her, and the likes of Kelly Boniface, and Rebecca Rusch to round out the top female riders yesterday. As for the male riders, Alex Grant got the win, followed by Tinker Juarez, and Josh Tostado who was helpful during the course recon the day prior. Back on the trail, I was successful at the downhill slalom amongst trees until one had gone unnoticed. It was hidden behind another tree and surprised the hell out of me. I hit the tree hard first with my shoulder, then I ricocheted to the other side of the trail and hit another tree with my hip, all in mid air. I picked up my bike in a state of uncertainty, fearing that I may have broken my collarbone. I must've looked like I got tossed out of the ring by an MMA fighter, it was ugly! I next picked up my mangled bike and collected myself. In the meantime, Sonya Looney passes me groaning at the side of the trail. That was the last time I saw her and later realized that I finished ten minutes behind her and a few minutes behind Rusch. Not bad!

As anticipated, it became a race from feed station to feed station. There was another sustained climb and tough descents that make the Steamboat Stinger and Breck 100 feel like a cake walk. I arrived at the mile 56 feed station where I could resupply with my own fuel for the second and last time. Again, the volunteers were tremendous and in my daze, I remember having four fellas helping me at the same time. Typically, as the race grows older, the more brain dead I become. So much that I initially had a volunteer looking for a Denver Broncos cooler which was back at aid station one, 30 miles away. Damn it, I can't be trusted late in a race! I eventually found the right bag and pounded half a Coke and a Honey Stinger waffle, not knowing what was in store.

Up until then, I had felt like my legs had shown up for a race for the first time since the Gunnison Growler in May. They were solid until mile 56 and I had no complaints. But, after the feed station, I felt like I had hero legs and was able to crush the course. Since I'm very calculative when it comes to crunching numbers during races, when I reach mile X, I can turn it on as if the race is nearly over. Mile X was mile 56 this time, two thirds of the way through until the finish. It also could have been the Coke or possibly that it takes hours and hours to for my legs to warm up and firing on all cylinders (i.e. at the Breck 100 it took 8 hours). Climbs became flats, flats became descents, and descents were the most synchronized moments I've ever had on a bike. It was more of an extension of my body than ever. It was surreal. I think in 24 miles, I must have passed at least a dozen riders, my Dad would say I was riding "like a bat outta hell."

I officially crossed the line in 8:46:05 for 9th of 87 riders in the 30-39 Age Category and 61st of 355 total riders for the Overall. Had I entered the Open Class like I should have, I would have finished in 36th. Final results here. Garmin stats here.

Relaxing at Stefan's place for the weekend. Nothing like the U.S. Open to ease me before the big race. Go Nadal!

This was hands down, the best race of the summer in regards to the course, event production, and personal results. Jay Burke organized the event and I was fortunate to have the chance to thank him for his efforts. Also, I was able to introduce myself to the CarboRocket founder, Brad Keyes, who shared tons of CarboRocket support at the aid stations along the way and continues to support me in my dream to make it onto the podium. Another huge thanks goes out to Schwalbe for tire support, the Racing Ralphs were perfect for this race! Thanks to Honey Stinger for their Gels, Chews, and Waffles which coupled with CarboRocket Half Evil 333, it's helped sustain proper nutrition throughout the long and brutal races. We'll see how they do for the upcoming 24 hour solos!

A special thanks to my friend Stefan, who despite not being in Park City at the time, he was incredibly hospitable in allowing me to stay at his place for the weekend. It made for an incredibly relaxing and successful weekend!

This race was right up my alley and a great springboard for my first ultra endurance solo race, 24 Hours of Colorado Springs National Championships, where I anticipate doubling that amount of climbing in one day. I've been waiting for this race all year and couldn't be more excited.

Here's a quick video of this year's race, watch for swamp thing handing out dollar bills!

I'll be back in Park City next year!

Tim

Reflection of USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Saw the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 2 race today from the peak of Independence Pass. Got to see idols pass by at inspiring speeds. When I saw Basso, I nearly lost it. When I saw Andy climb, I checked off where it reads, "things to see before I die." When I saw Christian Vande Velde, I was in awe at a local hero tucked in an aero climbing position that I nailed for the first time last week. I could hardly cheer them on because of the tides of emotion coming over me. Suddenly, the cold I've been trying to kick has been cut at the knees. Positive days heal. The emotions, dreaming, and thoughts continue, a recent text to my Dad after the race...

USA Pro Cycling Challenge road race. Best & most talented cycling race north america has ever seen. Nowhere in the world do pro racers climb over 12,000 ft. They did that 2X today and I was at the top of the 2nd Pass. Surreal. I almost lost it when I saw my idols for the 1st time, tearing up the mountain. I'll race road next year bc of it and bc of a strong road ride the other day. I actually believe my body's strengths oddly excel more on a road bike to the point where I feel it's part natural talent like my time trialing, sustained climbs, and several other ways that would make me a better road rider than mtn biker, some are gifts I was born with. I guess there's only one way to find out, I just have to decide to commit to it.

Here are some pics and videos of Stage 2...

Awaiting the lead group in the crazy bright sun, soon to be gone.

This was only the beginning of the fun! Adam from Wheatridge Cyclery was pretending to be Andy Schleck, storming past riders on the climb!

My campsite from the previous night. Gorgeous, free, and my favorite site in all of Colorado!

The top of Independence Pass was littered with bikes.

Here's a choppy video, but understand how difficult it is to keep steady while your emotions are going nuts. With that said, go Andy, go, go, go!!!