Hmmm…..awoke to a mere dusting of the fresh this past weekend. Return of cold temps with little in the way of the white, and not much expected in the next 2 weeks. Really? Really. That being said, the ‘ol wagon gets loaded tomorrow and I head off the hill to warm temps, work days, some good riding, and much-anticipated hang time with the lady. A nice change of pace for a few days, which is usually all it takes to want to return home to Truckee. Good food, at least one BIG day on the bike, and a concert in SF on Saturday night. You know what’s insane in the Bay Area, besides the cost of living? The drivers. Watchin’ over your shoulders at all times for shit like this to happen:

By the way, the show in SF is The Wood Brothers. They’re playing again next Wednesday in Nevada City if you’re looking to get out for a little live music. It’ll be worth the effort and gas. See for yourself:

So get up off the couch. away from the computer (wait, not yet!), and into the out of doors. Here’s a little funky audio-visual mash-up with some archived footage matched to a great beat by Restless Leg Syndrome to get the blood flowing. No riding for me today – first aid & CPR refresher in Reno. Throws some tracks in the dirt for me, will ya?

Hello folks. Hope that all has been prosperous thus far in the New Year. This year I think I’ll try on the optimist hat and say there’s much to look forward to in 2013. I look forward to many, many miles of buffed out singletrack being eaten by my wheels as I explore new trails & new areas, perhaps with new riding buddies. However, it’s January in Truckee and riding bikes on local trails is generally out of the question. I’ve considered the whole FATBIKE thing, but how rad can one truly get on shitty snow in shitty weather? I’d rather pack up a REALBIKE and head to Reno or Auburn/Nevada City for some dirt. After all, you don’t hear me callin’ myself the Snow Gypsy.

Well, I was slightly enlightened today with the discovery of two things.

#1 – The Schwalbe Ice Spiker treads. Not sure if his POV footage makes is seem like he’s getting ‘radder’ than he truly is, but the fact that he doesn’t eat it makes me believe these things work. And that he probably has skills.

#2 – This kid ripping without studded tires. He’s probably Canadian, Alaskan, or from somewhere that has no concept of ‘fair-weather riding’. Having issues with embedding video on this site, so either click HERE or link below.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/295205/

Now that Donner Lake is frozen over and people are basically white-trashing it on skates and couches, perhaps the Schwalbe’s would be a good addition to my ‘time-killing’ opportunities.

If you have a penchant for drooling over the most well-crafted and beautifully designed bicycles that represent the finest two-wheeled offerings from the good ‘ol U S of A, do yourself a favor and head on over to Denver next month. On Feb 22-24, Colorado’s biggest city will host the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show, highlighting domestic framebuilders both large and small. The previous two years found the show taking place here in Northern California, and as bummed as I am that it won’t be hosted here again in 2013, I’m glad that another bike-heavy state such as Colorado gets the honor. Got a few minutes? Of course you do!! So check the show site and click through the selection of images to get an idea of what incredible works of pedalable art will be on display.

Word on the street is that Lance confessed to Oprah that he did, in fact, used PEDs during his career as a professional cyclist. I’d have a sliver of interest in this, but I can’t get over  THIS!!!

Lance isn’t my hero and never was really. Now, she is. How zen can someone be to drive through neighboring countries, sleep in their car, and get in a car accident before realizing they were ‘off-track’?

Incredible.

Each time we ratchet down the buckles on our bike shoes and step in to our clipless pedals, we’re preparing for what will hopefully be a great ride. I tend to say that a day on the bike is better than a day off the bike, regardless of what ensues during that ride. Mechanicals, walking out of the woods in the dark, bonking, bee stings, rangers, aggro hikers….they’re all part of the game we call mountain biking. Keeps things exciting, keeps you feeling alive. I also tend to say you gotta sometimes pay to play. Dislocated shoulders, stitches, sunburns, a broken bone here or there. Riding is more than just turning the pedals and getting fit, ‘specially for us mountain bikers. We’ve gotta worry about trees, traction, gravity, and other forces of Nature that can impact our lives and those lives of the people who surround us.

It all boils down to risks, and the degree of said risks we’re willing to take. My dad shakes his head every time I pay him a visit with new abrasions and skin-jerky on the appendages. “Son, you’re gonna be feeling that when you’re 40”, he says. “Yeah, I know”, I reply. Followed by, “It’s who I am”. Deep down inside, I know he’s right. But let’s just hope that I can make it to 40. The irony is that sometimes the risks we expect are not the ones that do us dirty. Of all the maladies I’ve suffered riding, training, and racing off-road, it’s the handful of road bike crashes and collisions that have gotten the best of me. Being hit by two cars while road riding over a period of six weeks is proof enough that there’s more elements we cannot be in control of when riding on pavement. As a guide, I constantly see close calls, inattentive drivers, abundant road hazards, and countless opportunities for disaster. Granted, many of these near misses result from rider negligence, machismo, or lack of skill, but more times than not it’s the motorist that’s the Devil. Be safe out there people, because I want to ride with you again someday soon, and it’s not always you you’ve got to worry about.

Burry, I hope the trails on the other side are tackier, swoopier, more technical, and never-ending. RIP.

…

2013.

yee-haw! here we go, gypsies. what about them resolutions?

for a minute i had the idea that i’d stop drinking booze.

okay, not for the year. and not even stop, really.

just greatly limit my intake of alcohol in hopes of dropping the empty-calorie filled beer belly.

an AA-cum-athletic traing program. where i would have to ride, run, or ski a mile for every ounce of booze i had.

beer after rides @ 1oz. per mile ridden

liquor after skiing @ 1oz. per backcountry ski touring mile

wine after running @ 1oz. per mile ran

as of january 9, i need to ride 122 miles, ski from truckee to auburn, and run 19 miles to break even.

…then I’d find myself hard pressed not to make one of them getting over to France in 2013 for the Trans-Savoie. My rides as of late have been a hefty mix of endurance, mental & physical fitness, and technical prowess. All of these are the necessary elements when it comes to the Trans-Savoie, and while I’d probably need to redeem a second wish to ensure I wouldn’t perish, it’d certainly be a race of a lifetime. It’s probably not in the cards for moi, but as far as Enduros go, I don’t think that the you could find more alluring stats.

6 DAYS OF TIMED ENDURO STYLE RACING

130 MILES COVERED – 75 MILES TIMED, REST OF MILES ARE NEUTRAL

OVER 68,000 FT OF DESCENDING

LESS THAN 7,000 FT OF ASCENDING

Oui! Oui!

I’ve gotta say that lately I’ve felt like Malcolm (seen below) with each outing on my bike. To be riding with friends, getting a healthy dose of dirt, soaking in the sunshine, and pushing the limits……that’s what it’s all about! And after a season of guiding others on two-wheeled journeys, it’s therapeutic to embark on personal adventures where the passion for pedaling is rekindled.