The first of many.

I woke up this morning and shortly after found out that it was raining along the front range. I couldn't have been happier since it's my understanding that a cross race just isn't a cross race without crummy weather. As you can tell I was pretty happy. I met Scott Wenzel and Mark Cooper in the International Bike parking lot and we headed off to Boulder. Upon arrival I realized just how tough this race was going to be. The course consisted of about half on sand and the other half mixed between gravel, dirt, and pavement. Since all the sand was along the beach, parts of the course were even muddy and wet.

Overall I liked the way it looked, there was a really long, uphill run-up and that scared me a little, but what can you do? The race started and I instantly found myself in 3rd, then 2nd, and on the second lap I closed the gap to the leader. It was a kid from Durango that I've raced mountain bikes (and road) against since I was a freshman. I've kind've gotten to know him over the years, and we're usually close to the same fitness although I seem to beat him on the road, and he beats me on the dirt. I figured I'd try to play with his head a little so I caught my breath the best I could and in the freshest, non-panting voice I said, "Hey Bryce, how have you been?" He responded a little flustered and I could tell he was breathing hard. I expected him to get nervous, what I didn't expect was for him to pull over at the next dismount and tell me to pass him. I didn't expect him to do this, but I took advantage of the situation. I led for most of that lap, only to get passed on the next lap through the second long sandy part. The sand was really tough for me, but by the end of the race I felt 100% better riding through it than I did the first few laps.

I floundered in the sand the next few laps and lost a couple more positions. A fellow Rocky Mounts racer rode the sand next to me one lap yelling at me telling me what to do and how to handle the sand better. Although I expected this to annoy me in a very extreme way, it didn't, it actually helped me a ton. What did annoy me was him running the run up with me, making me to run it faster. You see sometimes you can only run so fast and I was at that point. By the time I got back on my bike I was totally cross-eye with my tongue hanging out. The run-up was really hard and it got much harder every lap.


By the end, as one of Scott's video's shows, I could barely get my bike over the barrier. I guess the leader of my race got pulled because he was actually a Cat 3 that started with the 4's and didn't know it. He must have felt like a rockstar leading those 3 or 4 laps, only to find out he wasn't in his race. The last two laps things started to click a little in the sand and I made up one position in the final sandpit and held onto it for the finish. Overall to race hurt as bad as anything I've ever done on a bike. I don't know if I should say it hurt worse than anything I've done because I tend to say that every time I finish a race, but it was quite painful, the kind've effort that leaves you feeling queezy for an hour or so afterward. I ended up in 3rd so I shouldn't complain. I was really hoping for a win, but being my first race I still have a lot to learn. I wasted a lot of energy around the course today that I should've put toward riding faster rather than zig-zagging through the sand, or trying not to tip over on my dismounts. Next race will be a different story. I also should've started a little slower, had I hung with the 3 that got kicked out of our race I would've had a solid lead once he was gone. Oh well, you learn something everyday right? That brings me to my next point.

What I learned this weekend:

#1 If you eat 5 clif bars, get on your bike and get sick, it's not because you didn't eat enough, especially if there was some secret Ramen in there earlier in the morning.

#2 Don't offer to drive someone home thinking they'll refuse since it's an hour and a half out of your way, they just may take you up on it.

#3 ALWAYS wear undergarments to the doctor, even if you think you may have to take them off later.

#4 I'm okay with myself being a Hillary Duff fan.

#5 The iPod Nano may be the coolest thing apple has come out with.

#6 When wheelbuilding, if at first you don't succeed, give up, you'll only waste more time and get more frustrated.

#7 Stalkers are more creepy than they are flattering.

#8 Don't jerk the wheel of your car to scare the passengers if they have a higher tolerance for near death experiences than you do.

#9 Cross racing hurts, but it's fun.

#10 All the ducks are swimming in the water. Falda-ralda-ralda falda-ralda-ralda.

P.S. I'd like to personally congratulate Justin Williamson on all he accomplished this weekend. After completing a nearly inhuman feat, he still has the strength to update his site for the first real time since last spring. Thanks Prospect S.D. you're a real inspiration to us all.

Golden Gate Grind

Today was the CU mountain bike race in Golden Gate State Park west of Golden. The festivities started off with a Time Trial at about 10:30am. This equates to about a 7am departure from Greeley which is never fun, but coupled with a 6am wake up call from the driver telling you he won't be attending, the morning started off on the wrong foot. After picking up some much needed coffee and the two passengers in my car (Evan, and Scotty Boy) we headed south to the land of Coor's beer and engineering students. The time trial went off without a hitch, the course was good for me, fairly technical uphill and wide open loose downhill. I felt like there were needles in my lungs the whole time (I later learned this might have had something to do with the 8000 vertical feet that separated me from sea level). Since I was going uphill so slow, I kind've lost motivation for the cross country that was to start as soon as the last riders were done with the TT. Regardless of the way I felt, the race started, and I had no choice but to try and hang with the leaders as long as possible. I hung tight for the first short lap, but as soon as we headed out for the long lap everything went down the toilet. My legs turned off and my lungs almost blew up. I had to walk almost all of the steep technical stuff, and couldn't seem to recover at all. I knew this would pose a problem since the downhill starts with probably the gnarliest stretch I've ever raced. Just as I suspected I entered this section of rocks, roots, strategically placed 2-3 foot stepdowns, and switchbacks with a horrible case of the noodle arms. I couldn't steer my bike for anything, and I think I hit most every rock on the way down. By the time I came out of the really bad stuff I was starting to feel decent, put on a good chase through the whole creekside downhill, and managed to pick off a few of the slower decenders making as big of splashes as possible all the while through the countless creek crossings. I held my place after that and I was super surprised to hear the official say 5th as I crossed the line. I rode into the parking lot amazed only to get knocked totally off my feet when Scott told me I got 2nd in the TT. That's my highest place in any race, of any kind since short track in Nathrop two years ago.

After the race I treated myself to a large Chipotle burrito, a white trash mocha, and entirely too many king sized candy bars. Needless to say I'm starving now and I feel like garbage. I think it's time for a midnight meal and then off to bed. Somehow I need to find racing legs again by tomorrow at 12:25 for the first cross race of my life. I'll be racing Cat 4 since that is what my license says and I'm not feeling too olympic to begin with after today's effort. Scott, Mark, and possibly Mike will be watching the mayhem unfold at the Boulder Res. so hopefully if nothing else we'll have some great race photography for tomorrow's update.

One last note of importance, I recently found out that I am an "Ashlee Owner." Like it or not it's a part of my life, so if anyone knows what can be done to fix this please let me know as soon as possible. Thanks to all you loyal readers, I hope you haven't been sitting there hitting the refresh button for too long waiting for this update.

-Corey

New York Subway

Shouldn't this guy be a little more concerned? He looks like he's just standing there eating a ham sandwich. I guess I just wouldn't feel too comfortable walking around in plain clothes next to a bunch of guys in haz mat suits.

I hope he doesn't throw too much money at them.

Dutch rider to attempt hour record...without saddle

In the Masochistic Cycling Feats Dept., news has filtered through to us that a 50 year-old Dutchman will attempt to break the World Hour Record for riding without a saddle (or a seatpost). Maas van Beek, a former tandem pilot of Jan Mulder, will attempt to better the mark of 45.848 km set by none other than Fausto Coppi on the track in Alkmaar, The Netherlands, on Saturday, October 8. He's doing it for a good cause: to raise money for the Polar van de Donck foundation, which helps children in Africa who have AIDS.

Van Beek has been averaging 43 km/h during training, and says that it's quite possible to hold a position out of the saddle for three hours, provided the muscles are used to it. He'll be using a bike with a massive 68 x 11 gear and 205 mm cranks, but no particular aerodynamic equipment.

Fall is upon us.

Here is a picture from my ride in Nederland last Friday afternoon. It started getting cold finally today. I had a class this morning, but made it home with plenty of time to drink coffee and check my eBay stuff at least 500 times to see if the price had gone up before Scott got here at noon. We screwed around on my computer for a good half hour before we actually headed out on our ride. Scott informed me that the wind was blowing about 10 mph out of the north, but once we got into the country it didn't take long to realize Scott was being a bit optimistic. After mashing granny gears into the wind at 17kph for what seemed like forever, we headed east where I proceded to put the wood to Scott and made him work a little. Once we turned to the south things got real interesting real quick. Evidently we are both capable of catching a little wind because before long we were cruising along at 65kph. I think the tailwind had a little to do with it, but it felt cool. Scott came around me and I had nothing since I was already spinning my 53x12 with all I had. We sat up and spun into Greeley on 18th before making the typical tour of bike shops in town.

I had class tonight and it was as boring as it could possibly have been. Tomorrow is class, a physical, possibly a mountain or cross ride, then more class at 5:15. I kinda like the cold, but I'm going to have to turn my heater on soon. It was freezing in here when I woke up this morning and that makes it really hard to get out of bed. My eBay stuff did sell tonight and I got good money for most of it. A handlebar that I almost threw out when I moved sold for 46 dollars so I can't complain there. Hopefully I got enough to pay for my new cross gear and entries for the rest of the fall. I'm having some trouble finding a 42t chainring so if anyone has any idea where I could get one that would be awesome. (Scott, I know you have one, maybe I could borrow it for a weekened? there could be an incentive involved). I'll leave you with something that kept Scott and I off our bikes for a half hour. It's only a few seconds long but I think I could watch it all day.

Things I've Learned This Week 2.

#1 Nederland can be a really long ways away depending on who you're riding with.


#2 Phone card companies lie.

#3 Some people will always put themselves first, others need to learn to do it themselves sometimes.

#4 Michelin tires suck.


#5 It would take approximately 2 afternoons to read all of Dan Schmatz's archives.

#6 Being tired sucks.

#7 Colorado is awesome in the fall.


#8 Kayaks aren't made for people with arms my size.

#9 Don't agree to buy something without first discussing price, at least don't wait 6 months to talk money.

#10 Fried chicken and mountain biking don't get along.

#11 Some people can be complete jerks, and once they forget about it, they think everyone else has.

#12 Laguna Beach is staged.

#13 DVD's can evidently dissapear (i.e. PRO).

#14 People will pay extreme amounts for stuff that says Lance Armstong or XTR on it.

#15 The sign said, "Long haired freaky people need not apply."

That's all for right now, sorry my updates have been lacking this week. I wanted to keep the AIDS one on the top for a while, plus I really haven't done much since mid last week. I started getting really tired and have been sleeping non-stop for a week or so now. I'm starting to feel better, but I have a huge gaping wound on the inside of my cheek and I think it's been getting me down. I'll keep my mouth shut a little longer and hopefully we'll be running on all cylinders by the weekend. First cross race and I'm pretty excited. Forecast calls for T-storms, cross your fingers for rain!

Big news

- Frankie Andreau of USPS fame is putting together a new US based Continental Professional team.....and they are being called the US Pro Team. On the roster we hear are US Pro Road Champ Chris Wherry, US TT Champ Chris "Scooter" Baldwin, fast finisher JJ Haedo, NKOTB Ivan Stevic, Antonio Cruz, Ivan Dominguez, Justin England.....

That doesn't mean much to most of you, but to those of you that it means something, it's a pretty big deal.

Something to think about.

Jordo and Jonah
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Most of you probably recognize the girl on the left of this picture as Jordan Arters. Who you probably don't recognize is Jonah on the right. Jonah actually isn't his real name, he really doesn't have a name. For this reason Jordan took it upon herself to name him. The reason Jonah isn't really named is because he doesn't have any parents. Jonah is one of 18 million AIDS orphans currently living worldwide. Here are some interesting FACTS to look at.

-By 2010 there will be 25 million AIDS orphans

-Every 14 seconds a baby is orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic

-AIDS claimed 540,000 lives in Asia 2004, 2.3 million in Sub-Saharan Africa.

-Generic AIDS medicine costs just $140 per patient per year.

-The U.S. is currently spending $500 million over 3 years in Africa.

-Currently 25.4 million people in Africa are infected with HIV or AIDS.

-The U.S. has spent somewhere between 2.6-2.9 billion dollars on AIDS and AIDS research per year in recent years.

-The war in Iraq is currently costing the U.S. 5 billion dollars a month. Thats $5,000,000,000.

It seems strange to me that we're focusing so hard. and spending so much to free the people of Iraq, yet in comparison not doing much at all to fight an epidemic that is currently killing worldwide. Not only is HIV/AIDS being spread and taking lives throughout the world, but is also spreading and killing here in the U.S. Think about this:

-The monetary cost of one month of the Iraq war could provide medicine for almost 600,000 people... for the rest of their lives.

-540,000 lives in Asia in 2004... thats almost 200 9-11's, 100's of Katrina's, almost three Indian Ocean Tsunami's... and remember that is one year in one country.

Jonah is over a year old now, he's learned to walk, and has been found not to have HIV. Although this disease isn't going to take his life, it already took his parents from him just like countless other kids in Cambodia and worldwide. Aids is only one problem the U.S. and the world faces, what would 5 billion dollars a month do for cancer, MS, poverty, hunger, etc.... It just makes me wonder why the conflict in Iraq is so much more important than other bigger problems that the U.S. and the world are facing.

Cross photo shoot

I went for a little cross ride and Scott managed to come along and get some photos and videos. It was pretty funny and we even got made fun of by some passing students. Oh well, I guess that's what you get for riding bikes in spandex and running up and down hills on a community college campus. Tonight Scott took me to the Rio, then we watched Nuggets cheerleader tryouts and Laguna Beach. That's the excitement in my life for now. Oh yeah, that calling card only lasted 36 minutes. 27 cents per minute, still beats the ones from the store I guess?

Thanks for reading, sorry this is lame but I warned you, it does say Boring at the top.

-Corey

Man, I need to get a life.

This morning I started talking to Scott online and we agreed to meet up for a ride. I took my time getting ready, plenty of coffee, shower, and a shave. Scott picked me up and after about a block or two of riding we returned to my apartment and I hopped in my cross bike. We were going to do a little photo and movie shoot at the cross course at Aims so I could actually see what I look like getting off and on my bike. We rode out O Road on our way and I had Scott anti-motorpace me since I wasn't racing this weekend, but still wanted a good hard workout. My lack of fitness and 40mm tires allowed Scott to set a pretty intense pace for me. It didn't last quite as long as a real motorpacing session might have, but for not supplying the horsepower himself, Scott did a great job and managed to make my eyes cross a few times. By the time we got back into town we decided a coffee break was a better idea than the photo opportunity. During our Charbucks stop we were discussing the effects of the "curse of the world champion." For those of you who don't know, Worlds was today and Tom Boonen won. I like Boonen a lot so I hope this curse doesn't plague him as it did Cipo, Roland Green, and many others. We were thinking that possibly these people suffer from a lack of motivation, after all when you are the best in the world, where else is there to go? That's when Scott came up with the astounding idea of the "Intergalactic Games." Martians running around on bikes that glow in the dark and make cool beeping and swooshing sounds could be pretty entertaining to watch. I went to the trouble to design the champions jersey in advance just to strike a little motivation into Boonen for next year. We'll have to see where it goes from here.

That's all for now. Tomorrow is class then I might go practice some mounts and dismounts.

P.S. that jersey took just as long to create as it appears to have taken, and yes, those are UFO's on the riders left shoulder.

What's next for Boonen?

Intergalactic Champions Jersey
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Things I've learned this week.

I figured I'd share a little wisdom with you all that I learned this past week, maybe this will become a Saturday tradition.

#1 If you unclip one foot from your bicycle, and try to run with the bike still clipped to the other foot, you will fall.

#2 Grass is a nice medium to fall on.

#3 It's really hard to get back onto a bike after finishing a ride and drinking a cup of coffee.

#4 Rides home are nice.

#5 Some people will always have an excuse for absolutely everything, all the time.

#6 Stories can vary from 1 shot to 4 beers, depending on the storyteller.

#7 iBike has gone way downhill in the past two weeks.

#8 The Cactus Canyon and mountain biking don't get along.

#10 Michelin tires don't hold up well in the rocks.

#11 It would suck to live on the coast during hurricane season.

#12 Justin will never update his site.

#13 Business school is incredibly dull.

#14 Waitresses look at you strange when you order the exact same thing as the guy you are with, everywhere, no matter how you try to hide the fact you're ordering identical orders.

#15 It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock and roll).

That's all for this week, I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting but I'll write them down and save them for next week. Hope you all learned as much this week as I did.

-Corey

I missed a day.

This is the sight every mountain biker dreams to see when pulling into a trailhead parking lot. That's right I had the place to myself. Thursday morning I went to class, then instead of falling asleep when I got home at 9:00am I packed into my car, swung by the Breadboard for a little coffee and nourishment, then headed west. I automatically drove straight to the Backbone since that is pretty much habit, although I did have a bit of a desire to ride Coyote Ridge. When I saw the lot was empty I decided the boner it was, so I rode out and did an entire lap in the opposite direction of normal (for you insiders, I went left around the backside of that knob instead of the usual right switchback, then counterclockwise back loop). When I got back to the bottom of the climb I was having so much fun I decided to flip it, climb back up and do a regular loop. It had rained the night before so what had been a little loose a few days before was now firm and fast. The rocks were dry, but the dirt was just moist enough to be solid. I couldn't have asked for better conditions so you can imagine that even after that loop, I still wasn't ready to hang it up for the day. I decided I'd ride Coyote's after all. I kept the chamois on and headed north a few miles. I actually ran into Jen and Luna on my way there which was a bit ironic because I was going to stop to see if she'd be interested in riding with me. She couldn't but it was nice to at least say hi, then I went to Coyote's and was one of about 3 cars in the lot, so as you can imagine, the place was empty. I rode one lap and decided I'd better head back to make it to class on time. Here is a photo from the top of Coyote Ridge looking down between the hogbacks towards the Devils Backbone, if the picture was better you would probably be able to see it off the the right.

Class was alright, then with a little arm twisting, Scott got me to take him to the Canyon for the Thursday night chaos that seems to be most of the school's weekly ritual. It didn't take me long to realize why I haven't really adopted this tradition myself, although we ended up having a pretty good time. Matt Koch was there too with some of his friends that I kind've knew/know. We survived the evening although things were looking pretty grim when some high speed country/swing/spin/throw your partner around, dancing got a little too close for comfort, luckily the dancers took the responsibility to utilize a resin ball as to prevent the potentially deadly consequence of a slipped grip.

This afternoon I rode Horsetooth Mountain Park with Nick "I'll punch you in the threwwt" Lobejko, and his friend Bryce/Brice who works at UNC and shops at the Roubaix. I'd never ridden Horsetooth, but I was soon to realize that at least the route that we rode took us straight to a bunch of trails I'd ridden under the guise of Lowry State Park. We had a really good time though, it was fun, and now I'm exhausted.

I just bought a calling card online that advertised 12.2 cents per minute to Cambodia, but once I got it and tried it, it was 45 minutes for 10 bucks, you do the math, I come up with 22.2 cents per minute. Explain to me how that works? Oh well it still beats the 65 cents per minute I paid last week at that big blue corporate america store down in Mexico.

Tomorrow is the cross ride so I guess I better get to the shop and do some thorn proofing. I'm thinking liners, TR, and Goo. If that doesn't work I'm just going to sell all my bikes and buy some rollerblades and ski poles. I figure I've got all the spandex I'll need to start this new hobby.


Should I feel strange for not having the desire to take someone's life?

Something to chew on.

Check this out.

http://www.hk-icycling.net/movie/erl4men.mpg

I'm on my way out the door to go MTB. I'm sure you're all jealous.

-Corey

Amazing.

So I just spent the last hour and half glued to my TV watching a jetBlue airliner circle LAX before it made an emergency landing. I'm sure most of you have heard about it before you read this, but the front landing gear was turned at 90 degrees and evidently was stuck that way. Anyway, the pilot finally landed it at about 7:15. It was pretty crazy to see as the tires burned off and the wheel, which is about as tall as I am, was ground down to half its original size. Congrats to the pilot and the people on board, that must be a pretty freaky feeling circling an airport for two hours burning fuel knowing that you just might die if something goes wrong. Anyway, thats all for now, I was going to go mountain bike again today, but I fell asleep instead. Tonight I've got some house cleaning to do, and if I'm really feeling energetic I might go buy some laundry detergent and do some wash.

I talked to Danny last night and today about buying a mountain bike, so if any of you have the chance, be sure to encourage him to do so. I also mentioned that it would be fun to get all of the Northern Colorado Bloggers Association together for a mountain bike ride sometime soon. We were thinking the Dog Park in Ft. Collins, and then possibly head up A Trail if everyone is up for it. Anyone who reads this is invited so be sure and leave a comment saying what day and time would work best for you. I know there are at least 7 readers that all mountain bike, so I'm hoping we can get some good response. Just because you are out of state, don't feel like you're excluded from this invitation.

-Corey

Lazy day.

I took it pretty easy this morning, I woke up with a headache and still have it a little bit. It feels like a matter of hydration, but I've been chugging water all day and it doesn't seem to get better. Maybe it's all the pressure I'm under lately? Anyway, I still managed to make it to my first cross ride which turned out to be a lot of fun. Things started off badly with my pump falling off my bike on my way across town and the jerk in the car running it over. I mean this guy was a couple hundred yards behind me when it fell, he saw me stop and turn around, yet he didn't feel it necessary to slow down, or even swerve a little to one side or another. No, this guy thought he'd run right over the head of the pump which broke the head off the body. Oh well, I got the pump for free from my good buddy Scooter because it was dirty. It still sucks cause I like having a frame pump, maybe I'll buy a new one since I supposedly have a job at a shop (although lately it really feels like I don't have a job anymore, maybe I'll get called to work more often if I buy some Buckethead CD's and work on being cooler). Anyway, the ride was fun, although the course is full of Greeley Goatheads, so I think I'll be running TR tubes, Goo, and liners next time I ride there.

Wow, I was watching Law and Order when I started writing this and kind've spaced out to what was going on. I just heard some commotion so I looked to see what was happening and there were fireballs, a goblin creature, and a pig with a man's head. I hope Law and Order is over or else McCoy is going to have a very hard time prosecuting this case. I've been watching L & O about non-stop lately. I'm not sure what's so addicting about it, but it is. Cigarettes have a Surgeon General's warning on the label, I wonder how long it will be before things like L & O, or Super Mario Bros. 1 will have a warning written by the "Dean of Students General" warning us about the detrimental affects these products will have on our school work? I know it sounds crazy, but if the first time I watched L & O, there was a clause that said, within a week or two you'll be watching two epidsodes a day at an hour an episode rather than studying like you should be, I probably would have thought twice about watching that first episode. Oh well it'll never happen, but remember, when midterm grades are posted, its not my fault, I wasn't warned of the effects. Maybe I'll sue TNT, they could televise the whole thing because it could be high drama, and we're all aware that "they know drama."

Wow, now there are disapearing people and spells and stuff on the TV. I think it's time to turn it off and write my SWOT report for class tomorrow morning. I'm not so sure this business thing is for me yet, but I guess I still have the rest of the semester to decide if I like it or not.

Remember, as they say on this fine show, "We can't ask the leprechauns and trolls for help anymore. Yeah, but we CAN ask the bats."

Wow.

A devil of a ride.

There is red dirt on the tires and that can only mean one thing. I packed my most precious belongings and headed west to the Devil's Backbone this afternoon. I moped around all afternoon because I couldn't find anyone that had the same desire to go get pounded around on this 8 mile piece of technical rocky trail that I've grown to love in my three years here in Colorado. Finally at 4pm I realized I didn't need anyone to share this one with, I'm fully capable of enjoying the "Boner" as its affectionately called, all by myself. I rode the trail out to the loop at a leisurely pace, but lit the afterburners once I hit the technical climb that starts the back loop. I realized this weekend in Laramie that I wasn't feeling too good on the rough, rocky parts of the course, so I figured there is no better place to hone this skills than the infamous back loop of the Backbone. I rode two laps in the standard clockwise direction, then just as I was getting tired and hungry I switched it up and did a lap in the counter-clockwise direction. It's funny, I can't count how many times I've ridden this trail, but I think this was the 2nd or 3rd time I did the loop counter-clockwise. It's like a whole new trail riding it backwards and it was exactly what I needed. Since I'm not too good about previewing race courses, I'm usually cross eyed with my tongue hanging out when I see everything for the first time in a year (assuming I've raced the course before). I wasn't quite as wiped out as I would have been in a race situation, but I definitely saw my technical skills spiral down the toilet bowl as I hit the first few rocky parts of the trail. I managed to keep the rubber side down all day, although I found myself doing a handstand at one point with my bike behind me upside down, feet clipped in, balancing on my front wheel, bar ends, and hands. I suppose that isn't exactly rubber side down, but I came out of the situation better then my friend and former teamate Danny who I once saw leave a blood spot on the very rock I was doing my handstand on. I rode a few parts that I usually don't make, but I also screwed up a lot of stuff that is usually pretty rideable. Oh well, I'm glad I went, maybe this will be a new Monday afternoon tradition. I managed to take a ton of pictures so I thought I'd share a few with you as well as a quick description of each. Here we go.

Pulling into the parking lot you are greeted with a view of the Backbone itself shadowed by the majestic Rocky Mountains.

The Backbone disapears behind a hill as you start the trail, but quickly comes into view as you round this corner.

The trail winds along beside the rock formation and through this meadow. I really like this part of the trail, especially on the way back because its slightly downhill with some cool little ups and downs.

After the traversing the length of the Backbone (which is a very unique and interesting feature geologically, I'd be glad to explain it's formation if anyone is interested, but I'm not counting on much interest from the readers of this site), the trail crosses the meadow and heads up this hill with a few steep loose switchbacks.

The view from the top of the first section of climb.

This section used to freak me out because it seems like if you fall to the left you'll just keep picking up speed until the barbed wire a hundred feet down or so.

The view from the actual top.

Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there is still time to ride the loop one direction then flip it and ride it the other way.
One of the first really fun rocky parts.

The view from the urinal.




More rocky fun.

Man, that was a lot of pictures. Sorry, some of them towards the end got a little blurry because my camera was flying unwrapped in my jersey and got a little sweaty. Oh well, this is one of my favorite trails and the pictures don't do it justice. I had one of those rides today that reminded me of the reasons I started mountain biking back in grade school. I remember the feeling of flying down Smudy Bear with some of my closest friends back in the early days, and it's those feelings that make me get out on my bike and ride until I can't see straight. Mountain biking is one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done, but it's not the competition that gets me out on my bike, I really can't explain why I do it, I guess you have to ride a trail you really love to fully understand why simply pedaling around on a bunch of rocks and dirt gets my blood flowing the way it does. I leave you with a parting shot, and ride the boner if you ever get the chance, you'll probably hate it, but oh well I like it.


P.S. I wasn't even tired after the ride so I went and big ringed Towers Road like 8 times.

Just for Stever

I don't think it's Pikes Peak, looks like Bill owens made a pretty easy 25k. I wish I was a governor so someone would mail me thousands of dollars for no real reason at all.

"Your life must suck"

Alright, you all knew I was a dork, so this shouldn't really come as a surprise. I got the new Oregon quarter today! Yeah, that's right, I've got all of the Statehood Quarters that have been released yet. I'm not sure if Kansas is out yet or not, but I haven't see one. Anyway, I'd be happy to show you the collection if you are interested.

Well, that's about the extent of the excitement of my day. I got 5th in ST today after not finishing yesterday due to a little pedal crankshaft interface problem (I hit my pedal on a rock really hard and it came off). Today was fun though and now I don't race for two weeks, but I will be able to do the Aims Cyclocross rides so I'm pretty fired up about that. I've never raced cross before, or even done an official cross ride so I'll let you know how it goes. I'm gonna try to fit one in Tuesday, but the ride is at 4:00 and I have class at 5:15 so it could be hard to squeeze in. I won't bore you anymore with the bike stuff for today.

Thanks to the incredible lack of response to Friday's update, I won't be handing out any CD's since Scott is the only one who responded and he's already informed me that he already had both the Hanson, and 'N Sync CD's.

*News Flash* This just in, I found out that the Kansas quarter was revealed in Lawrence, Kansas at the Kansas State Fair on Friday, September 9th. It will be hitting the banks soon. If anyone sees one or has one drop me a line, I'll give you 20 cents for it.

Thats all for now, thanks for suffering through this. I'll leave you with a parting shot of the newest member of my collection.

Gearing up for tomorrow

I'm busy getting my stuff ready for the race tomorrow, wanna see what one day of racing requires?

First off is survival gear, we're talking fall in Wyoming, could be cold so coffee and the faux Carhartt are a must.


Next we have the bike which is possibly the most important piece of equipment. P.S. I hate Avid BB5 brakes.


Now we'll hit the items I need to make sure my bike runs all the way to the finish.


And now the stuff to make sure I make it all the way to the finish.


Now for what I'll be wearing. Red is the name of the game when it comes to race attire. Start with the red Six Six One Raji gloves, red Defeet knee and arm warmers, as well as red Defeet shoe covers (not a chance I'll wear them), the red, white, blue, and yellow Cofidis colored Giro Atmos helmet, as well as yellow Specialized shoes, UNC bibs and jersey, blue Oakley Half-Jackets (with the ever so important clear lenses) and finally the tall black wool socks which I haven't raced without in over a year, and just to silence all you critics, it has nothing to do with Lance, I actually first saw and liked the tall black when I saw it on Geoff Kabush so I unveiled them at the New Belgium Criterium last June.


The final touch to my suitcase is the paperwork stuff involved in running a team, ok, there isn't that much.


So, hopefully I can fit this all into my Mountainsmith bag that I was informed today, really isn't that cool. Oh well, since I started writing this I've remembered two things that I left out. I'm thinking this would be a good chance to have a Wenzelesque contest. The person who can name one or both of the items I've forgotten will be given a burned copy of 'N Sync - No Strings Attached, or Hanson - This Time Around, winners choice. Like I said, there are two items so you have a chance to win both CD's. I guess that's all for now.

One more interesting note...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/09/15/zellweger.chesney.reut/index.html

"fraud" we all knew he was gay, I don't think that's fraudulent?

I'm out.

Pinky to the Rescue

Off to Double You Why oming this weekend, Laramie to be exact. I'm a little disapointed in the lack of a team we have this year. It looks like it's going to be my and one other kid. That photo is of the XC race in Wyoming two years ago. I had managed to flat, and strip a pedal out of my crank within a lap and a half of the Short Track the day before, and had to have a spare bike rushed to me in time for the XC the next day. I made due with Pinky and our relationship has never looked back. She's hanging in my bike room just waiting for a sealed headset, but the way I see it, unless I need her to rescue me again, I have until June to get that headset in. With that being said I'll probably get bored and put it in next week, as well as a new cable set and drive train clean. She deserves some TLC and since I usually find a bike to work on rather than read or do something I need to do like laundry. Tonight I rebuilt the rear hub and freehub on my road wheels. Not that they needed it, I just wanted to mess with it more then anything. Anyway, I'm gonna go read for a minute or two before I go to bed. Thanks to all 5 of you who read this yesterday. Who knows, by next week there could be 6-7 people reading this, it's amazing what is capable with the World Wide Web at your fingertips. I promise there will be something interesting in my next update, if nothing happens to be between then and now, I'll make something up.

Beaver

Alright, I'm back. After much pleading from the 3 people that actually check this site, I decided it was time to get back on the horse. This weekend kicked off the collegiate mountain bike season after 10 months of hiatus. The Beaver Meadows short track (and the infamous rock jump) have become one of the many signs of fall for a select few of us here at UNC. I headed up to Red Feather Lakes Saturday morning with my good buddy Justin knowing the race was going to hurt... bad... and probably be a pretty embarassing event overall. I also knew that getting completely worked was the only way to dive into the racing season. I'd made a plan with Scott (who also made the trip to see my puke face) that I'd get the whole shot, and be the first to jump the rock on the right of the traditional mud puddle. The whole shot when as planned, well lets just say I'd moved into first by the rock. I tried to get some air over it, but since my eyes were already crossed and the black spots were starting to appear I don't think I actually got that much. I slowly drifted back during the next 2 or 3 laps and watched Ft. Lewis rider after Ft. Lewis rider pass me before I finally settled into 6th or 7th. I finished right there after holding off another late surging pair from Ft. Lewis. Overall I can't complain, although I'd rather not be tasting blood on the second lap, and it would be nice to be competitive like I've been there in the past. Oh well, thats what a summer of laziness and gluttony will do for you. Nicky was there to congratulate me at the finish which was awesome since she's one of my biggest role models in the cycling world.

After the race Justin and I rode one of my favorite rides around the Ft. Collins area, "A" trail up to Shoreline, and down Micheod, I think I spelled that wrong, but it doesn't matter since I totally missed the trail and we ended up coming down some new ultra knarly, steep, rocky, switchback descent that dropped us down behind some water plant. It was a really fun ride, truly Coloradorific as Justin said. It did get a little hot, but Justin was sure to show me proper "cool off" technique.

Well, I should try and keep this short so maybe I'll end up hitting this two days in a row. If anyone actually reads this leave a comment and let me know who you are and what you're up to. Thanks for coming down this weekend Justin, I had a lot of fun, and thanks to Scott and Nicky for making the trip up to watch me get throttled.

I wonder if my new tire came in yet, and if it did, I wonder if Scott wants to MTB today?

Steve spilled the lotion!

Uh Oh
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Hey, so much for two updates in a row, and guess what, the next one is already a few days out. Oh well.

I've been busy moving the past few days so I haven't found time to update, although in the process of stalling I've found time to do about everything else I can think of. I've realized this week, that I have a lot of trouble accomplishing goals when I'm not under a strict timeline. I started moving on Monday I think and now on Thursday I still have a load or two left. Oh well, there is no rush so I guess I'm not going to rush. My new apartment is pretty cool and I started setting up the bike room tonight so I'm pretty excited about that. I'll be sure and get an entire photo album up once I get all moved in. I'm thinking about building a bedroom set and some stuff for the living room. Until I figure all that out it's going to seem pretty empty. Nothing else really exciting happening that I'm allowed to talk about just yet, but I'll have a very interesting update for you next week. Stay tuned.

-Corey

I'm still alive

What a view
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Man, it seems like years ago that Mark and I were setting out on our adventure. This is a picture from the first day when we were leaving Telluride. Although our trip turned into a car camping adventure, we still managed to have a lot of fun, and I would do it again in a second if I had the chance.

A lot has happened since I updated last, Justin came out and joined us for a few awesome days in Winter Park, then took Mark back to Y-town. I followed a few days later to celebrate our nation's independence. My parents had a little shin-dig on the fourth then we all headed to the river to watch the city firework show. After that a bunch of my friends came out for a campfire and some tent camping at my newly restored firepit. I ended up heading back to Greeley on the 6th, and I've been here ever since.

Some of you may have heard I was considering a little break from school this coming year. I was even in the process of lining up a job in Moab, UT at one of the nations premier bike shops. While I was home, my parents "talked a little sense (cents) into me" and I decided it wasn't in my best interest to put school on the back burner just yet.

I stumbled across an apartment as soon as I got back and just signed the lease yesterday. It's in an awesome old house that was built in 1905 in the Meeker Historical District. The landlord lives across the street and used to teach at UNC. I move in on Wednesday, so I'll have to try and get some pictures of it for ya'll soon.

I've figured out my class schedule for fall for a business management major and I'm in the process of registering right now. I'll have to green card into one class so hopefully that doesn't prove to be a problem, but I've had pretty good luck getting into classes in the past.

On the bright side of this all, I get to continue racing my bike at UNC, and I've actually been riding lately, so we might see something great if I'm actually in shape at the beginning of mountain bike season. It's pretty freakin hot here though, so riding isn't always exactly enjoyable, but it's been a great way for me to escape and get my mind off everything for a few hours everyday, even if it does mean drinkink 8 or 9 bottles of water over a 3 or 4 hour ride. I climbed up to Estes Park the day before yesterday, and today I have this itch to ride Rist Canyon in Ft. Collins. I've never been there before, but I hear it's a great climb. Maybe I can look for a bed while I'm there.

Thats all for now, since all I have to do lately is pack and ride, maybe I'll try and hit two updates in a row. We'll see tomorrow.

P.S. if anyone in the Greeley area is free on Friday I'm in need of a favor, had someone lined up, but they found something better to do.

Slight Change In Plans

Whew, another whirlwind week. If you would have told me a week ago as I was setting out on the San Juan Huts that I would now be in Arizona I never would have believed you, but as life so often does, Mark and I were thrown a curveball on the third leg of our trip.

The first leg from Telluride to Last Dollar Hut was a bit of a curveball. As we looked at the description it read that we would be riding 14.7 miles on gravel roads. Being that hardcore mountain biker that I am I was a little disapointed, but sucked it up and decided we should leave by noon or so, so we would get to the hut early afternoon and hang out there for a while. Well, we left about 12:15 with fully loaded B.O.B. trailers that weighed twice the amount I thought they would, and as soon as we left Telluride we started climbing, up past the Airport thats on a huge mesa and up to the top of Last Dollar Pass. That little 14.7 miles ended up taking us about 5 hours.

The views from the top were breathtaking and we got some good pictures. The next day we were treated to a nice fat descent and then another 20 miles of rolling gravel. The second hut was awesome as well, nestled in some aspen trees just off a forest access road.

We set off on the third day for 33.1 miles of up and then down, ending at the same altitude we started at. By mile 2 or 3 it started misting, mile 5 it was raining, mile 7 the snow started and by the time we had climbed up to mile 9 it was nearly a soaking wet white out. Since we were only a little over a fourth of the way through the route, still climbing, and couldn't feel many appendages, we made the call and flipped it back to the hut we had come from. Now, for any of you who have ever gotten really cold on a climb, the descent is guarenteed to be twice as bad. I know that Scott is familiar with this phenomena because we almost died on HWY 34 descending from Estes last spring. So Mark and I made it to the hut, made a fire, warmed up a little, dried out all the clothes we'd been wearing, and sat inside as it continued to rain, snow, and sleet, the rest of the day.

The next morning we left really early and headed for Telluride. We rode about 15 miles of gravel back to HWY 62, descended 10 miles to Placerville, CO. then climbed 16 long steep miles back to Telluride up HWY 145? I think. We got into town to find all the campgrounds were full, so we drove on to Durango, for a day before we decided to go spend a few days in Phoenix with my favorite Aunt Brenda, and wonderful Uncle Dave. We had a blast there, and now we're in Flagstaff to do some riding before heading on to the Grand Canyon and then Moab later tonight.

Thats my last week, if any of you actually read this far, please leave a comment at the end and you will be given a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut because I'm pretty sure this marathon update will cover all of the stars you needed for the month. I'll try to check in again soon.

We're really doing it Harry!

Last night Mark and I took off from Greeley around 5pm, made it to the Flagship REI store in Denver and maxed out both of our credit cards (not really but close), then hopped on I-70 and crossed the Rockies to end our day at the Colorado River State Park Island Acres just outside of Grand Junction. Our first night in the tent went without a hitch and we woke up to a great view of the Colorado river and surrounding red and orange cliffs. Right now I'm sitting in the Grand Junction Public Library and Mark is outside on his phone. We're off to Telluride to hopefully get the final revisions of our huts course and try to get a mountain bike ride in before returning to the tent for night number 2. We'll try to find a computer in Telluride to let you know how Marks first off ride bike ride goes. Stay tuned.

Corey's Fro

Corey's Fro
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Mark's Hawk

Mark's Hawk
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

Hello Everyone. I am guest writing for Corey today, and yes, that's me with the hawk. Today we are leaving for Telluride and getting this adventure off on the right foot. Yesterday I was looking at my hair, and decided... I need a Mohawk to truly be a rockstar, so master cutter Corey took the wheel and crafted the best mohawk I have ever seen. After the haircut, I considered donating the leftover hair to a cancer cause, when suddenely I had a revelation... with the help of my leftover hair, Corey would make a great Angus Young (AC/DC guitarist) look-alike. So now, Corey and I have become true rockstars, with not only the lifestyle, but the looks to accompany.
Last night, Corey and I had a little Greeley send off party at Jackson's. Scott, Kari, and Jordan joined us for some brews and long islands... only appropriate for a true rockstar send-off. Today, we are packing, making some final bike ajustments and eating Taco Johns for the 4th or 5th day in a row. We are stopping in Denver and Boulder before we head to Telluride to disembark from civilization for a month. To everyone reading, thank you... and for those about to rock... We Salute You.

MARCOR summer adventure day 1

Hey Everyone,

I'm updating from Marks house as we put the final few things together to take off on our trip. After a little packing, lunch with Lay Z and a little preening of my house, we will depart on the first leg of our journey. The trip today takes us through colorful Nebraska (home of arbor day) into beautiful eastern Colorado, and finally to the smelly little place I like to call home, Greeley, Colorado. We're hoping to get there in time to suck down a slurpee at the Rio before bed, but the way things are falling into place, it looks like that may have to wait for tomorrow.

The next few days we'll be in Greeley, hopefully getting some quality riding in during the day, and trying to to get thrown out of Roasties at night. Its been a fun few weeks here in Y-Town but it will be great to see some of the Greeley people for a few days before we hit the trails.

Latest trip update, we'll be departing Telluride on June 8th, not June 6th as originally expected. I guess there was some confusion in the reservations, but it all worked out because I got to stay an extra couple days in YKT and hang out with a few new friends.

So, in closing, to all of you in Yankton... farewell, thank you for a wonderful week home. To all of you in Greeley... beware, rockstars on the loose.

P.S. the last entry wasn't lost, there was just nothing more to say.

ROCKSTARS!

Hail Storm

Hail Storm
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.

So, last week we had a heck of a hail storm here in Greeley. The picture is of a few hail stones I found in the grass and a AAA battery for reference. It actually made me a little homesick because I remember this type of storm happening quite frequently the first spring we were in S.F. I also remember re-shingling a few houses in S.F. because of those hail storms. Anyway, you know my life has hit a low point when I'm talking about the weather on my webpage.

School got out a week ago and since then life has been pretty low-key. I've been working quite regularly at the bike shop, but no longer at the Rio. That gig is done until I'm done with my bike trip in June. For those of you who don't know, I'm going on a month long trip in June with my homeboy Mark from SoDak, word has it Justin might make it out for a week while we're in Moab. That would be awesome, in all honestly the whole thing makes me get all stir crazy everytime I think about it because I'm so excited to get on the trail.

I went mountain biking today with my roomate Scott, a kid from south of the border named Ray, Mike, and Jenn his wife. We had a blast and finished it off with some burgers and beers at Coopersmiths in Old Town Fort Collins. For those of you who haven't been there, you should get there because it was really good, but I think that every burger and beer I've ever had after a ride was "really good" so maybe save yourself the trip, go for a mountain bike ride, then eat a burger and drink a beer, I promise you'll love it.

Moving on, my friends are starting to trickle back into the states from Europe so if you aren't back yet I wish you a safe trip, but to all of you, I can't wait to get back to town to see ya'll. I miss hanging out with everybody from home, other then a few weekends with Bob, I haven't seen any of the Yankton crew since summer. In other personal news I've been hanging out with a very nice girl named Jenny a little lately so I'll keep you all posted as to where that goes. I hope this post finds you all well and I apologize that it has taken me this long to get a real news entry up on here.

Thanks Steve for the encouragement, and to the hater, find something better to do, chances are I don't like you even more then you dislike me.

That's all,
Corey

Trials Trials Trials

P1010013
Originally uploaded by coreycrlsn.