Big Time

The CX Gods smiled upon us and brought some wet stuff for the big weekend in Fort Collins.  Two days of worship filled the cup.  Couldn't race but gave it everything I had to capture the weekend.  Here are some favorites from Saturday...

http://shawnlortie.photoshelter.com/

Head Spinning and CX Eyed

What a weekend of festivities! Killer to have all the big names in town to throw down with the local heat. Jake Wells had a great weekend, as did Nicole Duke. Boulder Cycle Sport, the Hudz/Subaru crew, the Tough Girls, all had impressive results. But results don't tell the whole story, and many of our local racers were relegated to the back of the pack at the start due to lack of UCI points.

On Sunday, I saw Pete Webber start one or two rows from the back in the Men's Open race.  This is in a field of nearly 100 racers. Pete worked his way up to 19th place by the finish, imagine what could have been if he were to start near the front.  Regardless, everyone had their work cut out for them as they chased the likes of Tim Johnson and Katie Compton around the course.

My lungs hurt from racing and screaming and my neck hurts from lugging around all that camera gear.  Had a blast shooting all weekend and can't wait for the USGP to roll through Fort Collins.

Da Boys

After shooting all day, and racing Saturday, I could barely get out of bed on Sunday.  I really wanted to race the new course at Flatirons but I knew it would be a futile effort.  I couldn't stay away.  I had to go shoot the guys I usually race with.  Once again I got so involved in yelling at everyone that I missed a lot of shots.  Here are a few of my favorites from the 35+ race.  Can't wait to re-tool and get back out there.

Brian Hludzinski with the hole shot.

Jeff Cospolich on the run-up.

Mark Legg-Compton likes to show up every once in a while and kick some ass.

Rod Yoder capturing it and sharing it.

Double Dip

Two in a row this weekend.  First day was fast and flowing, coolest course of the year for me. Threw down hard but played it smart, recover, recover, go. Second day was pretty rough with a couple long run ups.  Not much jam but kept it steady.

Lots of carnage and tragedy narrowly avoided.  Keller taken out by a rider warming up.  Coyle glancing off a 3 year old girl loose on the course.  Myself having at least two close calls with riders warming up.  It's crazy out there.  Round and round we go...

Family Affair

First time my wife and kid have watched me race in two years.  Really a good feeling to look over and see my 5 year old daughter Ruby yelling "go daddy!"  Puts things in perspective.  Placing doesn't matter as much.  Of course it is still why I am out there, to push myself, see where I can go.

Sweet venue up in the mountains.  Longs Peak keeping an eye on things.  Rugged course with lots of places to go wrong.  Took myself out twice in places that should have been no issue.  Feeling good, getting a bit jumpy.  Sit in and be smooth, it will come.  Lots of fun coming up in the new few weeks!

Thumbs

Fall is here.  I know because this is when the fingers and thumbs start to crack.  Makes squeezing that lime into the bottle a painful experience.  Small price to pay.  I also know it's fall because I had to wear my knee warmers before the race last weekend.  A brutal affair trying to dodge the wind, sucking wheel like a baby.  Survival from the start.  Straight and flat with nary a turn to be had...

All the Usual Suspects

First race with all the usual suspects.  Field was 40 or more.  My call up didn't help much as the road sprint went on forever.  Dry and dusty out in the fields. Great course with ditches logs and a run up.  Gotta make the starts a priority.  Once the boys are away it's nearly impossible to get back on.  Good pain and suffering.  Good pain and suffering.

Getting back in the grove shooting.  Awareness returns with time behind the lens.  CX'ers move a lot faster than the houses I've been shooting.  Damn that dust though!  Lenses are grinding, sensors are spotty.  Let it snow!

Let the Suffering Begin

CX season is back.  Figured I'd get a couple races under my belt last weekend.  Steamboat and Copper.  Always good to get slapped in the face early in the season.  Oh yeah, I gotta work at it if I wanna be fast.  Super fun racing again, trying to get dialed on the CX bike after a fully suspended summer.

Small fields gave me some room to work out a few kinks.  Still lots of room for improvement, those guys up front are so damn fast...

Intelligent Design

I've been totally slacking on posting as of late, but there has been a lot going on in my little world.  Since I do have a single track mind, and just about everything I do ties into the bike, I figure I should write a bit about some of those other things I do.  One of those things is photographing architecture.

I recently got the opportunity to shoot a very cool home designed by fellow bike freak and Architect Brian Fuentes, of Fuentes Designs.  Brian is totally committed to lessening the impact we put on our planet by building as green as possible, and not the "green building" that many folks are claiming, but truly innovative and intelligent building that makes a difference.  Brian has also been car free (which could also be construed as care free), for quite a few years, preferring to get around on two wheels under his own power.

The chance to shoot a home like this does not come around too often simply because not too many homeowners are aware enough to realize the benefits of building for the future.  Although there may be a few more costs up front, the long term benefits to the homeowners, and to the environment, definitely outweigh those costs.  Brian could go into detail about all that went into the design of this house, so please feel free to contact him with any questions.

The home owners were very helpful during the shoot, and it was obvious they took pride in the fact that they had invested in the future by building in a way they feel is important to the environment and the conservation of our resources.

Brian was also super helpful on the shoot and acted as my assistant for the two days of shooting we did.  Hopefully Brian will continue to design homes for this type of client, and hopefully more people will see the light and become this type of client!  Thanks Brian!

Everybody is Doin it...

Deep down I wish it wasn't true, but I don't see how it could not be true.  It's a part of cycling history.  It's part of human nature; do whatever it takes to conquer.  Sad but true...

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden

The Hundo

Last weekend I got the opportunity to shoot the Bailey Hundo for Mountain Flyer Magazine.  This was a race that had started out as a group ride and exploded into a happening 100 mile endurance race with the racer limit set at 150 invitees.  Dave Weins, Travis Brown, JHK, Sonya Looney, Ezster Horanyi, and a host of other super fast folks spent the first half of the day ripping the killer single track around between Bailey, Buffalo Creek, and Deckers, and the second half of the day climbing back up to Bailey on a brutal climb up Stoney Pass Road.

Jason Bertolacci of Colorado Mountain Bike Association dialed me in on following the race in my car which was crucial, as I needed to know when the leaders would be coming through certain sections of the course.  I definitely felt like I needed to do some scouting too (read: ride single track) so I spent five hours on the clock the day before the race.  It was good: really good.  So Luckily, with a lot of hustling, I was able to catch the leaders in three or four places throughout the single track portion of the race.

After that, I drove to the long dirt road climb but the first four riders had already gone up the road and I wanted to shoot a bunch of stuff on the way up the climb. It was a pretty awesome sight to watch these guys and gals work their way up through the burned out wasteland and finally into the trees at the top of the pass.  I ended up shooting racers in about 5th thru 30th places as I leapfrogged them up the pass for a couple hours.  There were some epic battles going on as each rider struggled with the conditions in their own way.

I knew quite a few people in the race, and one of my oldest racing buddies, Jason Stubbe was sitting in 20th place or so though out the race.  40 miles into the single track section I had ridden my bike a few miles out onto the Colorado Trail to shoot.  Stubbe came by and I was screaming and yelling at him telling him he was doing great.  He stopped for a minute and I helped him refill his camelback and grab a bite to eat. He was off down the trail  "I feel good."

A couple hours later I'm half way up Stoney Pass Road and I know he should be coming up soon. I should have a cooler full of food but I literally have 1 small bottle of water and a cinnamon roll in my car.  Ill prepared for hand-ups and for shooting all day.  I'm parked at the top of a particularly steep section that climbs and turns into a stiff headwind, mile 85 or so.

Here comes Stubbe, I know the way he rides his bike, I've ridden with him for hundreds if not thousands of hours.   He's hurting, I can tell.  But he's still holding the same place he was 40 miles ago, sick.  I yell down the road to him, "Stubbe!!  I've got stuff for you!!."  Not really, that is besides the 12 ounces of water and most of a cinnamon roll.  He pulls up and gets off the bike and grabs a bit of shade from a tree.  After drinking the water he grabs the cinnamon roll and picks up his bike asking me were we are.  I don't know, maybe near the top?  He slowly pedals off eating the roll.

Turns out we aren't that close to the top.  After the finish he told me the cinnamon roll saved his life;  I believe it.  Stubbe ended up finishing 23rd overall, pretty damn fast for a guy that works his ass off building houses during the week!  Anyway, Good times and suffering were had by all.  Definitely check out the trail system in the Bailey area, lots of excellent single track!

Down for the Count; Groveling at the Growler

What a great weekend in good ole' Gunrack.  Wiensey was at it again, throwing 300 or more folks out into Hartman Rocks for some classic single track amongst the sage and rock.  It's a deceivingly brutal 64 miles that gives riders no quarter.  Up, down, around; with little time for physical or mental rest, the course is constantly dealing out another challenge.

My race was a race to implosion as I hammered my way into oblivion.  Some sort of volatile mixture in my stomach had me puking out at skull pass on the first lap, spraying myself all over my right arm and leg multiple times.  After this pleasant incident,  I could not hold down any food or water, specially at the pace I was riding.  I finished my first lap in about 3:15, too fast for my own good.  By the time I set out for my second lap I knew I was headed to a bad place.  I was getting goose bumps and chills yet it was 70 degrees and sunny.  I was getting some liquids down but things were not settling in the belly well.

After skull pass on the second lap I pulled into the aid station for some shade and a coke.  No sooner had I snapped open the pop top of the coke than up came all that I had drunk in the last hour or so.  Spraying of the sage commenced for a few minutes.  The aid station volunteers no doubt enjoyed my suffering.  Violent chills and uncontrollable shakes began.  Twenty minutes later I was no better off, and about to have one of the course workers check me out, when Sally, an EMT working the station came over.  She said she had been watching me and I didn't look so good.  I said I must look as bad as I feel.  She took my vitals and blood sugar count and told me I was done for the day.

Weinsey happened to be out at skull resupplying the water so he gave me a ride back to the front side where an ambulance met me to check my vitals once again.  Seeing some improvement and the fact that once I stopped riding, I was eventually able to get some liquids down, they set me free to wallow in my sorrow.

Regardless of this heinous experience, it was a great weekend for a great race.  I am looking forward to completing the Full Growler next year, after a trip back to the drawing board that is.

What a day...

Lance is out of ATOC, Floyd is out with the truth, Cadel throwing punches in the pack at the Giro, what next?  Great finish in the Giro today too!

In the Dog House

Just bought a new bike that I couldn't afford but it had to be done. My MTB is a 9 year old Trek OCLV.  It's a sweet ride for sure, but it is getting hard to find components and I've been drooling over disc breaks and the new full-suspension technology for years.  The wife is not happy, I'm in the dog house.

Soul

Living in Boulder is a love hate thing for me.  It's a beautiful town with tons of riding, (although the single track is not as abundant as I would like), and the weather makes it easy to ride my bike all year.  There are tons of people on bikes all over town, the surrounding roads, and in the hills above town.  Quite a tribe on two wheels.  It's a different tribe than I'm used to, with all the speedy road racers, sick bird hucksters, trendy hipsters on fixed gears, and of course the fat tire freaks.

Living in Crested Butte for over ten years was an awesome time in my life.  Lot's of time on skis and bikes.  I got to ride with, and know, many of the legends of the mountain biking community.  I loved hearing the stories about "back in the day" from the likes of the Cook Brothers, Wes Williams, Coach, Dave Lindsey, and the list goes on.  It's a tighter smaller tribe up there in the mountains and I miss that.  Lot's of soul.  I'm not saying that Boulder has no soul, but let's not forget our roots as mountain bikers.  Here's a sample of some roots.

Back on the Bike

Francisco, is that you?

Haven't posted in quite a while, although I'm fairly certain no one is following anyways.  Still, this is my place to rant and rave, wax poetic, or just ramble on about stuff my wife doesn't want to hear about.  Like the new bike I'm ready to sell my car to be able to buy.  I wish...  I could never do that... could I?

Didn't ride so much through the winter with the crappy weather and all.  Also wasn't able to get up into the high country very much either.  I did take a nice long trip to Thailand though, which was an experience I will never forget.  I'll post more on this later; some photos with the stories behind them could be good.

Ah yes, back on the bike, that is where I was going....  Been back on the bike for a few weeks now and it sure feels good.  The Growler is coming up in a couple weeks.  Although I have much less time on the bike than last year at this time, I feel really good.  Lots of riding last season helped build up my base miles I guess.  Regardless, it will be a hell of a race down there in Gunni.  Hope to se you there!

Also went down and shot the Battle the Bear and the Front Range 50 MTB races last weekend.  Would have rather been out there doing my five laps, but a hacking cough/cold would have made it a bad idea.  Good to see a bunch of folks from last seasons CX races out there.  Bear Creek Lake Park single track is so fast and rolling!

Airborne

The other day I was pissing in a ditch out on Oxford Road.  An hour and a half into the ride and things were flowing.  Dirt, mud, hardpack snow, worked together to set the adrenaline free.

Out of the corner of my eye an orange flash in the sky and some smoke.  A parachute falls with a trail of smoke behind.  I never even think plane crash.  I thought it was some kind of skydiving stunt over the rez.  Then balloon boy came to mind.  But for some reason I never though about a mid air collision.

I stopped at the market in Hygene for some powdered donuts later.

When my wife got home that night after work,  "did you hear about the plane....?"  before she finished I had goose bumps and finished the sentence for her.....Crash?"

She told me the details and I took a seat as I thought about it.  I had watched this thing happen.

The randomness of life is constantly amazing.  It's even more amazing when witnessed from the saddle of your bike.

Two days later I got a call to shoot a couple of real estate properties from the air.  Never been up in a helicopter before.

What I had seen the other day was on my mind, but I know driving on the freeways in LA is way more dangerous than flying in a helicopter.  It was a small four seater with the door removed so I could shoot freely.  What a killer  feeling!  Like surfing through the air.

Seeing things from the air like that is something else.  I wish I had the cash to hire a chopper for an hour or two.  The visual patterns created by both natural and man made are captivating.  Hopefully I'll get the chance to go up again.

Telling it like it is...

Here is an interesting article with some strong statements from our US Masters Champion 45-49, Johnny Bold.

http://www.cxmagazine.com/bold-words-thoughts-nationals-worlds#more-10798

Definitely some things to think about as the U.S. CX scene seems to be gaining momentum.

Be Here Now

After the buzz of CX season I have been trying to fill the void with something that will get me to where I need to be.  Typically, for much of my life, this time of year would be spent in the water surfing somewhere between Blacks Beach in San Diego county and the northern reaches of Santa Barbara County. I love Colorado but I was born and raised on the beach and I just can't shake it.

This year has been specially hard as the El Nino weather pattern has been pounding Hawaii and California with consistent surf for weeks on end and all I can do is dream as I check the images on Surfline.  It's also tough to handle as this is only my second winter back in Colorado after a five year stint in Santa Barbara.  Rincon was never more than a 15 minute drive away.  I was a lucky soul to be that close to such a jewel.

But it ain't gonna happen.  I am not working enough to justify an extended trip out to Cali.  Maybe sometime in the next few years I'll be able to spend some time in the water again, but I need to be here now.  Be here now.

Skinny skis in the woods, knobby tires in the snow and ice.  A few days on the fat boards where gravity does most of the work.  Still can't wait for CX!