OK, HERE WE GO.....

FIRE, THIS TIME IN OUR BACKYARD

Today was our turn in Eagle. I want to make one thing perfectly clear to all the victims of all the fires out west this year, and especially to all of my fellow Colorado residents who have been horribly affected by fire this year. This post is not here to brag about our town's temporary success against a lightening strike which started a fire north of town, but dangerously close to a ranch and housing development. We are extremely lucky here thus far. The first thirty minutes saw huge wind and flames growing frighteningly fast and spreading. It was frightening to watch. Eagle had  couple of things going for it tonight, and it's not quite over. First there was wind from the east, which is rare here, if it had been from the west there would have been big trouble quickly. The fire is also burning down and into a bowl feature on the mountain, again this is due to luck of the winds. Had the fire breached the ridge with normal NW winds there would be big trouble right now instead of a smoldering fire that has ground crews trying to get on top of it during the night hours. Lastly, we live 6 miles from a military chopper training facility, and Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters were enlisted after the slurry bomber had done it's damage to the fire with four perfectly placed drops. It was amazing to watch, and many people were mesmerized by the process they were watching. The crowd of people gave a loud cheer every time a drop was made, and all though the pilots of these planes and helicopters could not see or hear that, they need to know that. Thank you firefighters. Lets hope for a calm night. My thoughts go out to every single person who has to now struggle due to what these devastating fires have done in our beautiful state. This is an incredibly brutal time for us all...

 

fire hits Eagle, Co. from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

THE GARMIN EDGE 500

The Garmin Edge 500 is the latest tool added to the A2B arsenal. If you are serious about training, which I may have to be once again, this computer does it all. Today's first test ride was from the Cul De Sac where the USA Pro Challenge TT finished last year, back to Eagle. It was a tired day as I had a bunch of trouble elevating my heart rate on the ride, just tired and stressed from dealing with some shit, but it was reflected on the computer and extremely helpful, telling me to take it easy and enjoy the ride....it was a stellar eve with the crew above of Peter Davis, Ted Gould, Alan Christie and Charlie Brown...

SAY NO MORE....

Meanwhile, back to having some fun around here. Pipeline and Wolverton are riding very well despite the dry dirt here in Eagle, and this gem just showed up from the Brown Santa via Tammy Deranleau at Garmin for testing and review. The EDGE 500 with the sexy cadence, speed and heart rate sensors. Good by Strava, never thought it was all that good of an app to begin with, it's killing people trying to go too fast on their bikes.

EAGLE SHOULD BEWARE AND PREPARE

This is an image from the Northwest Side of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs sits geographically a lot like Eagle, Colorado with large mountains to the west that generate their own weather patterns which include wind and lightening. It is also where we play on public lands. Below these mountains lie the Eagle Ranch Development and the town of Eagle. The houses were built extremely close in parts of Eagle Ranch due to developers greed. The difference between Eagle and Colorado springs is that it is SURROUNDED by mountains and hills that are currently covered with bone dry forest and beetle kill. It takes one dirt bike spark, one 4x4 spark, one lit cigarette butt, one careless fire spark to start a fire tat could turn into what this picture below looks like. Just one silver dollar sized ember, which can literally blow for miles, can cause a scene like this, and the wind has been blowing, and refuses to stop this summer, and it is very hot, and only fools think this can not happen in my back yard, because it can. Colorado is burning up, and the reports on Facebook from friends are both disturbing and frightening and I hope they all stay safe and can rebuild. This is the real deal, and myself and the rest of the people who live in places where this year the potential to burn is so high should be prepared, for whatever happens. These images are heart breaking. We all have friends that live in the affected places, and they are going to need some help. 

And for those of you who think this is all bullshit and that this is a normal weather cycle and that we are not seeing the effects of Global Warming, you may want to think again....

FIRE

I have friends all over the state of Colorado, and right now Colorado is burning up like a motherfucker, and there are so many fires we can not even keep track, and many of my friends are frightened, and the entire state is frightened, and we need some help. These images are from today in Boulder where two new fires started and Colorado springs where the Waldo fire burns recklessly close to town and homes. Over 200 homes have burned already, and the wind continues to rage, and the fires can not be stopped by man. We need a break.

MEANWHILE, COLORADO CONTINUES TO SCORCH AND BE SCORCHED

I hate everyone of these fucking fire images. Fuck you fires. Go out.

JUST IN CASE YOUN NEED SOME HELP FOLLOWING

THE COLORADO CX SCHEDULE-POACHED FROM THE FRITES EN MAYO SITE. AND I PLAN ON ANNOUNCING ALL OF THEM, IF I CAN.

Sept

Saturday Sept 8th - PPV Supercross

Sunday Sept 9th - Open

Saturday Sept 15th - Kick it CX Festival

Sunday Sept 16th - Boulder Racing #1 Valmont

Saturday Sept 22nd - Boulder Racing #2 Xilinx

Sunday Sept 23rd - Queens of Cross

Saturday Sept 29th - Primalpalooza

Sunday Sept 30th - Adrenalin CX

Oct
Saturday Oct 6th - Frisco
Sunday Oct 7th - Cross the River
This is also the weekend of Jr. CX camp in Lafayette
Saturday/Sunday Oct 13/14th - USGP in Fort Collins
Saturday Oct 20th - Boulder Racing #3 Interlocken
Sunday Oct 21st - Blue Sky Velo Cup Xilinx
Saturday Oct 27th - CO Cross Classic - Just says in Boulder.  Dont let us down Boups
Sunday Oct 28th - Boulder Cup - Just says in Boulder.  Help a brotha out Chris at DBC

Nov
Saturday Nov 3rd - Schoolyard Cross
Sunday Nov 4th Fall Back Cross - This is the time change race with a new schedule from here on out.  Says it is being permitted by USAC so this is a Springs race
Saturday Nov 10th - Cyclo-X at Sienna Lake
Sunday Nov 11th - DBC CX Monarch HS
Saturday Nov 17th - Boulder Racing #4 Westminster
Sunday Nov 18th - Alpha Cross
Saturday Nov 24th - Parker CX
Sunday Nov 25th - Green Mountain Sports #1

Dec
Saturday Dec 1st - Cyclo-X at Louisville
Sunday Dec 2nd - Castle Cross
Saturday Dec 8th - Boulder Racing #5 Superior
Sunday Dec 9th - Green Mountain Sports #2
Saturday/Sunday Dec 15/16th - States CX with Cross of the North in Loveland

IF YOU DID NOT KNOW ONE THING ABOUT EITHER OF THESE TWO PEOPLE....

Which one would you guess was a pedophile? And I'm serious. which one?

"We Are, Penn State"

I PREDICT BROKEN BONES TOMORROW

Tomorrow at Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming, outside of Laramie, there is an Xterra event. I predict that for those competitors that do not have much mountain biking experience, there will be broken bones, because all though the riding is super fun there, under racing conditions there will be very unnecessary chances taken on some very technical singletrack sections, and they have really hard landings. Good luck racers. 

I saw a turtle at Curt Gowdy today, the smoke in the background is from the High Park fire west of Colorado Springs, it's not the Turtle burning up.

Colorado saw three new BIG fires start today, with temps in the 90-100's and VERY high winds gusting to 40mph, seems there is an arsonist running around, there aint no lightening on crystal clear days folks. The fire situation is both frightening and sad, and I do not pray often, but we need a big pile of rain right now...

GAGE HECHT WIN THREE NATIONAL TITLES..

I better get an autographed picture with this kid quick before the line gets too long.

Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us
Laurel Rathbun and Julian Kyer also bring gold back to Colorado

SUMMER SOLSTICE 2012

BMX IN EAGLE IS GOING OFF

The popularity of BMX racing in Eagle continues to grow with a ton of kids showing up every Thursday night at the new and improved BMX track. This thing is the bomb, and they run gate practice every Monday eve as well....git sum.

Eagle BMX Summer Solstice from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

TRAIL WORK

THIS IS HO0W IT GETS DONE...

Trail Work from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

THOUGHTS ON THE COLUMBIAN...

I think it is safe to say I have a reputation on this blog, A2B, for being a dick to some in the world. Which is the point. It's a great place for me to come and get lost for a few minutes and write about absolutely nothing while at the same time knowing that someone, somewhere is probably getting pissed off about something in these typed words because they just do not like me, which is again the point. That being said, there are a fair number of you out there that read this with the intent to read it for what it is worth, nothing, and hopefully funny and inspiring thought, and that I've actually typed what many of you are thinking. There are also a fair number of you who know that deep down I'm a pretty good person, who loves cycling and the stories and the people who ride. I give everyone a fair shot, if you are a dick to me, then I'm a bigger dick to you, it's simple, and I'm good at it, right?

Let's get back to this story. I met a very talented rider from Columbia at the beginning of this racing season when he blew up the Rocky Mountain Endurance field at the Voo Doo Fire race. He was humble and gracious in victory. I immediately became a big fan. He has had two very impressive pro field top ten finishes this season at the Teva Mountain Games and the Ute Valley Pro XC tour which was won by Ryan Trebon. His name is Fernando Riveros Paez. I saw him this weekend at the race in Colorado springs and he quietly told me on Saturday he had a gift for me. On Sunday, prior to the racing action started, Fernando came to my announcing table and brought me some gifts from Columbia which included a Columbian key chain, coffee candies and this had made and painted clay bus shown carrying provisions which are so commonly seen in his country which he carefully explained to me in his best broken English, I was actually touched which I know many of you find hard to believe as you probably think I have no heart, but I do. It was an incredibly kind gesture from a racer that we are sure to all embrace. He is sponsored by Rotor Bike Components and Bandwagon Racing, cheer for him loudly and give him plenty of loud cowbell, he's a good guy. Thank you Fernando.

DAVOS DASH CROWNS NEW CHAMP, COLIN CARES OF KENDA/FELT

This guy won The Vail Rec District Davos Dash last night in 17:05

And this guy finished second

ELIMINATOR FORMAT RACING, HERE TO STAY...

Ryan Trebon and Chloe Woodruff took the inaugural Eliminator formatted race at the Ute Valley XC Pro Tour race in Colorado Springs this past
Sunday, at it was really exciting racing.

Dena Rosenberry photos

With the UCI now sanctioning an "Eliminator" mountain biking event, the best professional riders in the United States lined it up for the first ever Eliminator race at the Ute Valley Pro XC Tour weekend in the Springs. The format starts with 32 riders who race in 4 person heats. Think 4 Cross cross country here. They race a .75 mile circuit ONCE. The top two advance to the next round and the bottom two are eliminated. The last four rounds of four racers produce the final 4 by winning that heat, and what is called the "small final" which determines spots 5-8 overall. The small final group are the riders that finished second in the last four heats. The racing is fast and furious and heats roll one after another. It's perhaps the best spectator discipline you may watch. The course in Colorado Springs started with a long gradual climb, had a FAST descent that went into a hot left hander where there were plenty of crashes, and finished with a short grueling climb to the running track where the finish was located. It was great racing to watch, and Ryan Trebon put the wood to Colin Cares, Gert Heyns of South Africa, and Brady Kappius for the win. Cloe Woodruff left her competitors in the dust on the women's side. Good stuff.

HIGHLIGHT FROM THE UTE VALLEY PRO XC TOUR...

Damn good racing this weekend from the best...

I'M THINKIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT SHOP RIDE HERE...

Who's in?

KATIE COMPTON SIGNS WITH TREK

Trek has signed it's first ever professional Cyclocross rider, and it's power house and I can't remember the last time she was not National Champion Katie Compton. I spoke with Mark Legg this past weekend in Colorado Springs after he won the SS race at the Ute Valley Pro XC Tour weekend and he said he had big news on Katie's behalf and that it would be released today. Well Mark, this is HUGE news and congratulations to Katie Compton, so well deserved!

AND Chris Horner is now on the Tour team.....lots of good news today...

UTE VALLEY PRO XC TOUR SHINES WITH HUGE NAMES...AND FANTASTIC RACING.

 Dave Mcelwaine photos

It was Ryan Trebon all over the third round of the PRO XC Tour this weekend at Ute Valley Park in Colorado Springs. Trebon hammered the lead group time after time until he left them for good with two laps to go on the 4.5 mile super fun and fast circuit. The race venue was incredibly spectator friendly,and Trebon wacked the field back to back in XC and then the first and very exciting Pro Eliminator race on USA soil. Trebon above, JHK and Toad Wells below...

Katerina Nash won a brutally tough race in a drenching rain storm going away...below, the start of the women's open race, first climb.
 

I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF SANDUSKY THE TICKLE MONSTER

Jerry Sandusky referred to himself as the "Tickle Monster" according to the sixth accuser in the sickening PSU investigation and case. He is seen here in all his glory with a pile of his "players" holding him up in celebration while he more than likely had a raging boner. I've heard enough in this one folks. Throw this douche in prison and cut off his air supply, please. 
I'm anxiously awaiting the excuse of "New Car Smell" which made him pull little kids pants down. 
You know what Sandusky and Walmart have in common? They both have boys underwear half off.

OFF TO COLORADO SPRINGS

The best in the country line it up tomorrow at the Ute Valley Pro XC Tour in Colorado Springs. National Champions and Olympians will be lining it up to throw it down. A short XC loop means plenty of chances for spectators to see their favorites. Pro women roll at 1:30 Saturday, Pro men 3:30. I'm going.