SO WHAT'S WITH THE SLOW BLOGGING?

 Let's get caught up, it's been one hell of a roll here at A2B and here's what is up. It dawned on me when a woman I do not know walked up to me tonight at HP Provisions in Eagle Ranch, which is where I poach my night time internet access and Americano's from Burnsy (just two blocks walk from the bank owned condo I live in, hell, they always owned it, now they really own it.) and asked me, "so what happened?", She was with her two young daughters and explained she reads my blog all the time and was wondering how I ended back up in Eagle. I replied that "I had made some mistakes and bad decisions". Some really big mistakes and bad decisions, and that I was happier than a pig in a ten foot bucket of shit to be back, and that is true.

So why the few and far between blog posts lately? Well fuck, I had to move ALL my shit back to Eagle, deal with a cluster fuck of a situation to leave my lease and get square with my landlord in Longmont, due to some incredibly irresponsible behaviors out of my control, and then get settled back in all the while working three jobs, which I'm incredibly thankful for at this time. I know many of you wonder just what the hell I do for a living, or have done for a living. It goes something like this right now. I work five days a week at Christy Sports in Beaver Creek Lodge as their custom ski boot fitter and maker of insoles. This is Monday through Friday. I then drive down to the front range for the weekend to announce and race in bike races. On top of this I also write as a freelance writer for the Sneak Peak Vail weekly newspaper doing all kinds of product review and articles about cool and fun stuff to do in the Vail Valley and surrounding area. The schedule at Christy's Sports includes a three hour split from 11-2 everyday which allows for plenty of ski time, as well as access to every demo ski available to mankind, which does not suck. But I do get kind of tired once in a while. But I do ski once in a while. Let's just say it's damn good to be back. Oh fuck yes.

Above is the start of the Birds of Prey Downhill at Beaver Creek where practice runs were underway today.

AND THEN THERE WAS CYCLOCROSS...

There is always Cross.....

In the middle of the chaos which has finally begun to subside, big time, there was Cyclocross this weekend, and a lot of it, and it was a damn goodin, catching up with friends who are true friends, announcing and racing, and it was damn F'n good. And it all started with a raging hangover after the Friday night debauchery at the Bonfire Brewery. Oh hell yes.

PLEASE COME JOIN ME TONIGHT IN EAGLE....

At the Bonfire Brewery as I welcome myself back to the high country and temporarily come out of musical retirement from 8-11pm and get the season rolling in correct fashion. See you there. Let's get a good ol hangover in store for CX racing on the front range tomorrow...I vote hell yes.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY FROM A2B...

Chaos, that's what my life has been for the last two months. And now I'm settling back into a great place, working three really fun jobs, have very little time to screw off, kind of, and it's a great Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to all A2B fans all over the world and I hope things have turned around for you as they are for me. Life is better than good, take nothing for granted and eat till you puke.

Cheers.

SSCXWC, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN JUST A LITTLE FUN....JUST A LITTLE

Watch more video of Chris Jones on cyclingdirt.org

LET'S PLAY ANOTHER GAME...FIND THE XYXLOXROSS RACERS

Below is a picture, there are 9 cyclocross racers in this photo, find them all and you win. Rock Ledge Ranch is a very cool venue for a Cyclocross race, I would not call this a classic course, but the guys at Pikes Peak Velo did a pretty good job of putting a race course together. There was a punishing run-up, and another which I dubbed the "red rooster run-up". And many loose corners to negotiate, which were not all negotiated by all the racers. But it was a great November day to announce and race....

2011 CYCLOCROSS NATIONALS COURSE HELEMT CAM..

I'm pretty sure I paid $10 to get lost in this corn maze for an hour a couple of years ago. I had to dail 911 to have someone come and get me out of it.

Here it is folks, the 2011 Nats course in Wisconsin, I wonder where the Leinenkugel run up will be? They are gonna need something. Snore. As one observer said, "at least you will be hauling ass when you crash and smash your face on the ice in January".

CONTOUR ROAM AND HD ARE GONNA STEP UP THE SKI VIJ AT A2B...

This is an entire new level of one upmanship from A2B, the frontal rearal vij system which will get busted out as soon as we have a legit powder day and I'm not working, which may be an issue this winter. Life changes dramatically on Monday with my new full time gig at Christy Sports at Beaver Creek doing all of their custom ski boot fitting and custom insole work this winter, as well as writing for the Sneak Peak Vail, AND continuing to announce on weekend on the front range for another month. bring it, and let's start climbing out of this deep chasm I've created for myself....game on.

PACE LINE ON TT BIKES........NOT.

Duh........I'll leave it at that.

LET'S PLAY A GAME...

Search these two images very carefully
 Whomever finds the image of Jesus first, wins.

HERE IS SOME VIJ OF YOU GUYS FROM CYCLO-X,

What a FUN course put together by new mountain bike Hall of Famer, Pete Webber.

OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE MOUNTAIN ALWAYS WINS, REMEMBER THAT.

Dead in an early season avalanche in Utah...what a waste.

PAYING THE PRICE FOR BEING A POOR BASTARD, AND WEATHER.

Wind, what a weekend of wind in both CX venues this weekend. Both venues  provided some great racing and really fun courses. Pete Webber designed a classic on Sunday, but I once again paid the price for being a poor bastard with no pit bike and no tubies to race on, just the poor man's clincher set up which cost me dearly both days, in particular on Sunday. I mean, I'm so poor these days that Warren Buffet would see me as a huge risk investment. The days are getting very short, as some of these photos reveal, but in only five weeks the days start getting longer. Touche.

 

 Darron Cheek Drops the ditch, then goes on to take Jeff Hall down in the 45+ race.

SS and Cat 3 riders race at days end...

Al Marvin drops the Ditch which ate his lunch earlier...thanks for the tube Al, all though I flatted that one as well....

Gates Carbon Belt Drive Sandwich with The Freak in the middle

I HATE THESE FUCKING THINGS...

And I just wanted to say one time

"Fuck You Goat Fucking Heads"

A2B THANKS EVERY SINGLE VETERAN AND THEIR FAMILIES...

Thank you for fighting for our right to live in this great country, and speak our minds as free citizens of the world.

Thank you....

LET'S DO SOME MORE OF THIS

Thankfully, there are still five weeks left in Cyclocross season in Colorado. The beauty of this is that as soon as we roll through State Championship weekend, the days then begin to get longer, and then before you know it......

ANNOUNCING

Is so much

easier

than

actually racing

I guess that is why I enjoy racing so much...thank you again Annette at Mountain Moon Photography for the great pics...

IT'S ALL FALLING BACK INTO A GOOD PLACE...

Click those heels baby,

In the words of the great Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home".

Truth or Dare, and the rest of the Eagle Fairgrounds...should Cult Cross be resurrected?

DEAN CUMMINGS WILL BE AT THE BONFIRE BREWERY IN EAGLE TONIGHT

Ask him if this day was any good....


And get ready for this....it's a comin.

MUD, SWEAT AND GEARS........SCHOOLYARD CROSS 2011

On a chilly and damp morning in Brighton, Colorado, Schoolyard Cross was the flavor of the day with very challenging conditions, in particular for the juniors who had to race first and early. Pictures below are from their pre-ride lap which was hosted by one of their mentors and coaches, Greg Keller, of the well known Cyclocross Blog Mud and Cowbells. With this said, I would like to ad my three cents worth after observing all of the junior racing on the front range this season.

It's probably pretty easy as a coach or mentor of these kids to get caught up in making them better riders, faster riders, kids that will turn into champs on the podium....but I gotta tell you from the "outside", where I get to observe these kids every week for the most part, there have been some huge changes in these kids, when you are around it all the time you may not see it as clear as it actually is. For one thing, these kids are indeed getting really good. But there is a much bigger picture, these kids are learning very valuable life lessons during the coaching and competition portion of their programs. From BJC/Curve, Alpha, Black Sheep and the new Dawson youth clubs, it's been very fulfilling to call their efforts out on course each week. These kids show an amazing amount of character and sportsmanship out there every week. What they go through is incredibly difficult, we all know that as adults, but they take the challenges on squared up and head on, and they compete, and then play like kids when it's over, and have fun, and there are no losers. The coaches and mentors and adults who support these efforts are to be commended, you have created a generation of future adults that are sure to pass on the good word and ethic, because you do not line it up in a CX race, no matter if you are 8 or 88, without staring straight down a huge mound of adversity, and to conquer it at the finish line is a great life lesson, and all while suffering and in the name of fun. It's really good shit to see. Well done.

I would have run away from home at this age if something like this, this early in the day, was even suggested....

Keller making sure the future of Cross is solid....

The unforgiving mud of Schoolyard CX, which the kids had to race on first.

A2B KICKS OF THE 2011/12 SKI SEASON, AT THE BASIN OF COURSE....

On a cloudless, windless day on November 3rd, 2011, my 29th ski season in Colorado kicked off at Arapahoe Basin. With a lift ticket coupon I had received at this time of year from good friend Lief Borgeson, who suddenly passed last ski season, I got some soul on in his honor. Thank you Lief for helping me kick off the ski season properly at the area you will always be a part of, The Legend, Arapahoe Basin. I smiled all day, and the skiing was simple and grand. 

FALL BACK CYCLOCROSS RACE THIS WEEKEND, A NATIONALS POINTS QUALIFIER...

This weekend, November 6th, is the Fall Back Cyclocross race sanctioned by USA Cycling in Colorado Springs. This means that if you are planning on participating in Cyclocross Nationals in Wisconsin in January (uh, not me thanks), then this is an opportunity to acquire some very valuable call up points for your start there, so do not miss the opportunity, it's your last chance locally. I'll be there, but on the mic only, and I hope to be calling the action when YOU line it up. Two great reasons to be there, the kids have a Strider race to rock, and all racers get a free pint from the Bristol Brewery if you are 21 or older of course....

THIS WAS HALLOWEEN, AT DR. PETE WATSON'S HOUSE

I'm not sure what you did on Halloween 2011, but I've got this buddy, who is a doctor, who along with his wife makes ALL OF THIS from scratch, and then sets it up, only to have to tear it down because of the snow storm a couple days prior, and then set the production up again for the big night, to scare the living shit out of the neighborhood kids. Too bad he is not a child psychologist, he could make a living counseling the children who walked by his yard on Halloween for a lifetime.....
At least he races Cyclocross.

THERE IS JUST NO DIRT, LIKE EAGLE DIRT

Amen brothas and sistas

BOULDER'S BIGGEST WEEKEND OF CROSS WAS JUST THAT....HIGHLIGHTS FROM CYCLING DIRT.COM

There is really no proper place to start rambling about this weekend in Boulder, it was all so spectacular. Starting with the call from Aaron Bouplon just two days before the Colorado Cross Classic to come and help with the race call with DAVE TOWLE, who again, was the reason my interest in announcing Cyclocross and bike racing in general was peaked a few years ago. I've truly looked forward to the day if it came that I would get to sit beside the master of the mic at a CX race and it happened this weekend, at an elite race stuffed full of all the elite names, and I sat silent a lot by choice, and I took it all in, and I listened, and I learned so much, and I know what I have to do to get better, and the support from the fans and the racers has been awesome, and for that I thank all of you, the promoters included, you are all making this dream slowly come true for me, and I will continue to improve, and make events more exciting and fun, that is my goal.

Of course Sunday was the Boulder Cup, and the crowd was tremendous and insanity rang loud and clear, and it was an honor to be there in the prime position to call the action, thank you DBC Events for considering me to be a part. The excitement I now get to hear in my own voice in these videos from

Colt Mcelwaine at Cyclingdirt.com  

is true and from the heart, for I am lucky enough to just have this all pour out over the PA as I hopefully feel what you are also thinking and cheering as you ring the cowbell, enjoy, what an amazing two days of Cyclocross in Boulder.

I must thank all of you for your positive feedback and support that you have given me during my brief announcing career, and I plan on being behind the mic for many races and years to come. I care about the racers, promoters, fans and want to make these events special. And with racers laying it all out there like they did this past weekend, you all make my job easy.
It has always been a dream of mine to be able to call the names of the very elite here in the USA at a Cyclocross race right here in our backyard of Colorado, I like dreaming, thank you for making this one come true.

Watch more video of Colorado Classic/ Boulder Cup 2011 on cyclingdirt.org

Watch more video of Colorado Classic/ Boulder Cup 2011 on cyclingdirt.org

Watch more video of Colorado Classic/ Boulder Cup 2011 on cyclingdirt.org