Orbea

So I got my new racing rig the other day. It looks nice and I assume it rides nice too, but thus far it has a total of 30 minutes in a frigid commute to work on it. Nothing else. I've tried to leave work early two days in a row to get in some miles, but alas it is Saturday morning and I'm actually in the office waiting to test an application that has been down for 2 days. What does this mean? No riding the new bike. Hell, maybe no riding at all today. I do have a picture to keep me sane though.

Can you say new bike

I got my new bike on Tuesday, the Orbea Oiz. Pretty sweet full suspension in the mold of the c-dale scalpel, now all I've got to do is actually ride it. Riding time has been limited lately because of a lot of stuff going on. I'm getting in minimal hours but trying to get in all the "work" (intervals) that I need to get in shape. Been riding about 1 to 1.5 hours max and doing a lot of tempo (high end aerobic) work. The weather should be nice this weekend so hopefully can get in some solid time outside.

Good news on the team front, we picked up a cash money sponsor, SouthEnders, a new coffee shop in the neighborhood. I met with the owners (Mel and Nancy) on Monday and they are great people. They want to create a community focused business to give the people who live in my area a true neighborhood joint. Coffee in the morning, sandwiches at noon and a wine/beer menu at night. Visit them at www.southenders.com for more details.

We'll be starting some training rides from SouthEnders soon, feel free to join us once day/time are set. I've got someone finalizing jersey's this weekend and can hopefully post pictures soon.

There are still spots open on the team, if you are interested let me know.

Also I've created a web site for the team www.racinggreenmtb.com, still a rough site and very much in progress but I'll keep working on it over the next few weeks.

A new Post?

I keep thinking I have a "profound" post in me, something on politics, cause I'm still bitter about Iowa, though NH is almost ok with me. But the reality is right now I don't have the brain to write (or is is right) the thoughts.

We did get a new baby today. No not the kind we've been trying for, but a lizard. Seamus' first pet. It's nocturnal, which means my 6 year old will now be a creature of the night.

Tomorrow big miles I hope. The first LookOut ride of the year. Always painful but the climb is somehow honest and reveling in more than a physical sense. I hope there isn't ice on the top.

Definitions

As a cyclist how do I (or any of us) define ourselves? I road over 6,000 miles in 2007 most of those 5,500+ on a road bike (or at least on the road), yet I don’t consider myself a roadie. I am a mountain biker. Why do I classify myself as a type of rider when, in reality, I spend very minimal amounts of time participating in that sport?

I enjoy road rides; I even enjoy road races so it’s not as if being a roadie is all bad. The past few weeks I’ve been spending hours at a time riding on the farm roads east of Denver. Rolling hills, minimal traffic, a few cows, and lots of beer cans on the side of the road. These have been some of the most fun and peaceful rides I’ve done in years. These solo rides, and I mean solo since cars rarely pass and I only go through one town once outside of Denver, have gotten me thinking about why I define myself as a mountain biker. So far I’ve not come up with anything concrete. Sure I race the mountain bike more, but that alone shouldn’t define me. For a long time I thought it was the solitude of mountain biking, but then I realized the road rides I’d been on were more isolated and independent than most mountain bike rides.

Maybe it is the challenge of a mountain bike ride, the fact that the same trail can (and does) present different challenges each time it is ridden. A section I can ride cleanly today may pose more problems than expected tomorrow. Cleaning a section I’ve never made before on a ride is unique and a source of (selfish) pride. On the road bike the challenges are minimal; on the mountain bike they are omnipresent. A challenge allows me to explore my limits and motivates me. Creates learning opportunities that aren’t always available, maybe those opportunities are what make me thrive and cause me to define myself as a mountain biker.

Oil's at $100

So oil hits an all-time high today. Tomorrow the Presidential campaign begins its official tally. Obesity is at an all-time high. Damn it's good to live in America.

Seriously I love politics, for those who don't know me you'll get a taste over the next 10 months. I'm a bleeding heart liberal whose candidate of choice will probably say game over on Friday. I hate the money in politics, right now it is not about who can best lead the country but who has the money to buy votes. The best candidates (in both parties) will be lucky to pull in 10% of the votes in the Iowa cacuses tomorrow, won't get in more money and will go home. On the other hand people pulling in 15-25% of the vote aren't the best candidates but will get elected.

The good news though is I can save you money and help your health with my liberal green ways. I've been preaching using the bike as a form of commuting for (at least) a year. Maybe with oil at $100 a barrell more people will consider it. The benefits are huge: Save Money on Gas, Save Money on Doctor/Medicine, Feel Healthier, Help the Environment. Cliff Bar has the 2 mile challenge, trying to get people to cut the short drives of 2 miles or less. These use a huge amount of fuel (green house gas) and take as long or longer than biking with time spent finding parking etc.

I know it is the dead of winter but try to cut out one trip in the car this week. Take your bike to the weekend coffee shop trip or breakfast, the gas savings alone will almost cover the cost of the coffee.