AN INTERSTING WEEKEND AHEAD

I've never raced in a road stage race before, but I am this weekend despite being an old bastardly curmudgeon. It's never too late to try is it? After all, it's just a couple of bike rides....

24 HOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

Follow the red line dawg, Palmer Park in Colorado Springs is once again host, and it's on my birthday, and I'm announcing, watch out! This is a real deal course and a ton of fun...

VRD SERIES IS A WRAP

The Vail Rec District finally wrapped up the 2012 mountain bike racing season with the Beaver Creek Blast and the ensuing awards ceremony. The gold wheel rolled back up valley this year to the Pedal Power crew as they took the overall team title from Mountain Pedaler. 2013 will be here before you know it.

SICK, VERY

I HAVE NO VIJ, NO PICS, NO VOICE

 

Image from Cycling News

And so yesterday a very exciting race came to a close, and the racing and support from the fans in EVERY city was spectacular. And the party yesterday at Serioz in Denver right on the Time Trial course was fun, and I knocked another bucket list item off the chart. I have no video, no pictures and certainly no voice left after screaming into the mic for four hours. It's funny to watch this race as it travels from town to town, with each town putting together a unique experience for the fans. Each town seems to think that they were the first to have a big crowd at their stage and quickly begins to claim. It started with Crested Butte, The Vail TT and Independence Pass last year, and ended with Boulder and Denver this year, and each town claims they were the best. One thing is for sure, the race is the best, for many reasons. As George Hincapie traveled from town to town and was honored for his stellar career as a USA pro cyclist and celebrated by all who attended, I could not help but think to myself...it's a good thing he did not win seven Tour De Frances, or he would not be standing up there celebrating right now....bravo.

TOMORROW'S PARTY IN DENVER!!!!

VIDEO, GOLDEN START 2012 USA PRO CHALLENGE, STAGE 6

GOLDEN TO BOULDER, WHO PICKED SUTHERLAND? NOT ME...

Golden was awesome...

STAGE FOUR FINISH, BEAVER CREEK

ON A DAY MANY WILL CONSIDER A DARK ONE IN THE CYCLING WORLD....

Photo from www.codydownardphotography.com

I am going to refuse to go there, and instead say it was one of the most spectacular days in cycling ever, at least for me. Coming off 12 spectacular days on the road in Colorado, I was home to be the Expo director for the Beaver Creek Stage finish of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. It's been a long arduous journey the past two years working with the Vail Valley Foundation on this incredibly complicated project of bringing America's grandest stage race to our valley but somehow it all gets pulled out of a hat and just works. In a place where I ride, and 100 yards away from the place I work in the winter, my personal (as well as many others) pro peloton rider, Jens Voigt soloed to a stage victory that was nothing short of legendary, even by his standard. It's got to be one of the most memorable rides in recent professional cycling history. He went early from Aspen, and beat down his younger competition on the infamous Independence Pass climb to Leadville, then buried himself the rest of the way to Beaver Creek for the win. And so many of us got to be there screaming and pounding the barrier boards as Jens raised his hands in victory. It was like a five year old getting a Willie Mays autograph back in my youth, and it was truly a special day for everyone. The crowd was tremendous. Jens was tremendous. Jens made a 54 year old cycling fan cheer like a kid, and I'll nedver forget that moment. Ironically enough, professional photographer Cody Downard captured the moment for ever from across the finish line while I was blowing a lung on behalf of Jens Voigt, he also took the now viral image of me with the Liguigas girls in the BC Expo. And the day starts off even better than all of this when I get to meet, hand shake, and chat with Phil Liggett, an announcing legend and a person I hope to emulate in my own career someday. I am thankful, this is an incredible ride through life, and with any luck it will continue to stay upright and climb like Jens Voigt did yesterday.....damn.

But perhaps the fondest part of the entire day was shaking Jen's hand after his post race press conference, when I was certain he broke my fucking hand, it's not legend, it's true people, he is a beast. The firmest handshake in the universe belongs to Jens Voigt, not Chuck Norris.

Jersey Presentation 2012 from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

HOW I BECAME A LIQUIGAS FAN

That's how.....

photo Cody Downard, thank goodness.

JENS, YES.

Priceless is this man...

GUNNISON, STAGE TWO

AMERICA, WHAT A COUNTRY, TO RACE AND RIDE BIKES IN

Gunnison went off yesterday and welcomed the USA Pro Cycling Challenge with a GIANT USA flag on Highway 50 and Main. It was a grand day as the peloton rolled through. Below, Dave Giebling hands out Team Championships System's cycling caps to the crowd. Sunday, on the TT route in Denver, Champion Systems is having their team party which I will be hosting. $40 gets you in and you see each rider twice from your own private porch at Serioz Italian eatery. It's gonna be a hoot. See you there. Sunday, Sunday. Sunday...

And then there was the Gunnison Citizens Crit on Monday eve which turned intoa bucket list ride for myself. Dave Wiens showed up in baggies and a t-shirt and we rode in the break the entire race. It was a pretty special ride for this kid, "seemed like a pretty good wheel to follow to me". Thanl\ks for the photos and cheering Ncik and Tracy Thelen.

LET'S TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME

Ski Jumping Juniors is Steamboat at the Stinger from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

To where this craziest of weeks all began, Steamboat Springs.

THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING 10 DAYS

And no picture sums it up better than this....

24 Hours in the Sage wrapped up a rediculous week and a half of work. Touche!

AMAZING BRECK EPIC STGAE FIVE FOOTAGE FROM THOM PARSONS OF CYCLING DIRT

Watch more video of 2012 Breck Epic Stage Race on cyclingdirt.org

AND TODAY'S RECAP AT STAGE 3 OF THE BRECK EPIC...

Watch more videos on CyclingDirt

BRECK EPIC YESTERDAY

Watch more video of 2012 Breck Epic Stage Race on cyclingdirt.org

AN OLD FISHING BUDDY OF MINE

Told me he found a picture of my old girlfriend wearing a thong, so he sent it to me. Thanks so much for the photo. Now I have to get to work in Breckenridge.

THE BRECK EPIC IS BIG THIS YEAR

Really Big

and South Africans owned day one.

GEORGIA GOULD

Such a fantastic defining moment..and a priceless reaction.

A2B OWLMANIA

Owls, rarely see the things, but the last two weeks I've encountered two. The first was perched in a srub oak branch that I never saw on some local single track until it took off and hit me right in the fucking head while riding my mountain bike, this one unfortunately, was in the ditch next to the road out on the Colorado Riverr Road, way out beyond cell reception and too late to call for help. The bird was alert, but had a busted up wing and could not walk after apparently getting hit by a car the previous night. It was a bummer. I'm gonna call the DOW this morning and hopefully the bird made it through the night and they can pic it up and rehab it or something. Drag

YA GOT ANY NAKED PICTURES OF RANDY TRAVIS?

What a freekin rockstar dawg! Not even Joe Walsh was ever found with a black eye with his shwantz hanging out after partying all night l;ong when he was with the Eagle. THIS is a new standard! This guy would make a fantastic trustee in Eagle, Colorado!

I wonder if he got road rash on his wiener?

PEACEFUL VALLEY, BOBCAT GULCH....

Bobcat Gulch from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch is host to the PV Cycle Derby. This is the last race of the Rocky Mountain Endurance series. Bobcat Gulch is just one short section of the 22 mile lap...it's sweet

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ENDURANCE SERIES IS A WRAP

The well received and very successful Rocky Mountain Endurance series wrapped up yesterday at one of my favorite race venues period, the Peaceful Valley Boyscout Camp outside of Elbert, Colorado. Many big dawgs showed, and we basically had a bit of a party.

Photo from Yann

THE BOULDER WRISTBAND THING

I was down on the front range of Colorado this weekend to do some work announcing a bike race. I tried to find a shop that had a wristband that would allow me to watch the Flagstaff finish of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage from Golden to Boulder. I actually work with the race when it comes through Eagle County and finishes at Beaver Creek so I probably could have gone backdoor and gotten a few. I decided to get them the way most others are, but the shops said they were all out of 30,000 of them when I was down there. I brought this up to some people at the race I was working on Sunday, the fact that there were none left for those who wanted to watch the finish on Flagtaff. The people I told kind of chuckled and said "damn, I'm glad we all went down and got 15 a piece before they all ran out", to which I thought to myself, you need to wear the band that is pictured above, douche bag. What a shit system.

And I'm pretty sure this douche bag got one, how's that purple wheel working out for ya?
 

And if you smoke more hooch you might remember to tighten your axle bolts next time...

 

IT'S TRUE

SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2013

EAGLE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AROUND BEER #7

Darwin was correct

SO IF I COME DOWN THE DAY OF THE FLAGSTAFF FINISH.....

You gonna have one of these laying around for me so I can go watch? The ONLY good thing about this program is you do not have to pay for the freekin thing...

IF THERE WAS EVER A GOAT FUCK....

Then this is it, actually, this looks like me CX racing, ask the guys I race against.

BALLS

ARMSTRONG WINS GOLD IN LONDON

Cmon Taylor, let's double up! Well done Kristin!