PROFESSIONAL CYCLISTS THAT ACTUALLY MAKE THEIR MONEY RACING BIKES

Seriously, how many? And how many call themselves "pros"? Can anyone tell me this?

FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

MY VIJ RECAP OF 24 IN THE SAGE...NOT MUCH RACING HERE.

Racin don't have much to do with it...

AND THEN THERE IS THIS. VAIL TIME TRIAL DAY....

No Comment. Full story coming soon...

GARMIN CHASING DOWN THE BREAK. STAGE 4 USPCC 2013

Today was a good day. It started earl staking out my spot to observe stage 4 of the USPCC. I then jumped on the road bike and rode from the State Bridge side of Wolcott Pass up to Beaver Creek and back to settle in and watch the racing. Upon my arrival I found some folks from Texas had set up right next to my car and set up one of those Cabelas portable toilet stalls right where I had to open the front door to my car to get in if I wanted. I looked at them and said out loud, "Really", and that was followed by a "move this fucking stinky thing over by your truck."

The racing action was great. and as expected there was a break off the front with Garmin chasing to get Tommy D. in a position to win the stage. Here is that video.

Once the race had passed there was a long line of traffic heading down to Wolcott as expected, and five road cyclists started weaving in and out of cars at a high rate of speed crossing the double yellow line all over the place. When I told one of them to chill and that he was the reason people cant stand bike riders, he flipped me off, said "fuck you" and motioned for me to pull over several times. He was tall and very skinny. I obliged him and asked if he was wanting to fight at which time he told me he did not hear what I was saying from the car. I laughed. I should have just punched the dick, but I'm actually much more civil than that. Then I drove home and watched in a warm dry place the finish of the stage, which was very exciting. Tejay is going to win the 2013 USPCC....

NBA LEGEND BILL WALTON RIDES THE USPCC COURSE WITH CARMICHAEL TRAINING SYSTEMS

A2B has got to give the big guy some love. GIANT DUDE (6-11) Bill Walton has been pre riding every stage of the USPCC this week, if you are on course early and see a really BIG guy on a really BIG bike climbing his ass off, that's Bill, give the guy some cowbell, that's a huge carcass to haul over our mountains. The Honeystinger Bee hooked him up yesterday at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass.

STAGE 3 OF THE USPCC. BRECK TO STEAMBOAT AND MORE. JENS GOES ALONE

Chris Froome gives Jens Voigt words of encouragement after his solo attempt at victory during Stage three into Steamboat. 

The first three days of the USPCC have been well, fun. Stage three was topped off with a Solo shot by none other Than Jens Voigt that had the top of Rabbit Ears pass in a frenzy today. "Red and White has quickly become the 500m mark for KOM points where it shows up....and the Honeystinger Bee has been everywhere I've been.

Today's throw shwag included the Cannondale crew chucking us chalk for the road which was immediately used to encourage Jens Voigt, otherwise known as Chuck Norris in these parts. And Smokey the Bear stopped by to give us frisbees. I guess if a fire breaks out close to where you stand you throw the frisbee at it and the hurricane force winds put the fire out. There are also billions of bags of Jelly Belly jelly beans that get tossed everyday which tunr into a fucking bar fight on pavement everyday, I won today.

There is a short and sweet story about this photo taken at the top of the Moonstone KOM climb yesterday in Breckenridge. Without getting into all the details, because Jens Voigt is almost directly in front of myself and Jamie Driscoll, I'll just say "it just happened".

And below is the Jens Voigt Pre Solo breakaway Rabbit Ears Pass ride from today's stage. Sorry if you missed it. Tomorrow Stage four comes right to the hood. Have fun at Beaver Creek everyone, I've got another plan. I'm tired of being around idiots like me.

WHAT IS IN THE PRO PELOTON MUSETTE BAG?

Today was stage two of the USPCC in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was a very difficult day and the race has basically been imploded by two very tough opening stages. We cheered loudly for all the leaders and riders who were dropped during the day, and there were many. For some reason, I decided it was a good idea to jump in with the very late (as in dropped) Jens Voigt group on my townie bike and ride to the top of the Moonstone KOM with them. It just seemed like a fun idea at the time, the group also included Jamie Driscoll, Ben Jaques Maynes and Juraj Sagan. After all of the riders had passed, a handful of team cars came by our observation space where I stood and one of them handed me a musette bag which turned out to be one of the rider bags from Jelly Belly. Here is what was inside upon further inspection. If videos show up on social media of the bike ride, I'll just go ahead and turn myself in to the proper authorities....

some type of chocolate (Nutella?)  filled pastry and a rice cake with more chocolate (Nutella) inside it.... 

  A team bottle filled with some type of electrolyte mixture, sport beans, a chocolate Clif shot and Bonk Breakers which were Almond Butter and Honey flavored...

And of course the actual team musette bag from Jelly Belly..a nice souvanir..

That's it, that's the secret folks.

VIJ HIGHLIGHTS FROM STAGE ONE ON "WHERE EVER WE GO". WHATEVER THAT IS.

JENS VOIGT IS IN TOWN....

It's been a ridiculously busy ten days. The last nine spent announcing great races while catching a nasty head cold in the middle of the entire thing. I've got a collection of some images and vij from the road but just did not have the energy or time to blog any of the shit. Then Jens Voigt and the USPCC shows up yesterday and Lane and Brian York pick me up on their way to Aspen from Summit County so we could partake in Stage One on the McClain Flats climb where it a;; broke up on lap three....

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE 2013 BRECK EPIC....

Somebody is going to have to go and pee in a bottle...

THE 2013 HARDSCRABBLE HUMPER IS SEPTEMBER 28TH. MOUNTAIN BIKE GRAN FONDO STYLE RIDE RETURND TO THE HILLS AROUND EAGLE, COLORADO

If you like having a good time and a killer ride during the peak of changing leaves, don't puss out. This ride is a beast. Roll out from the Mountain Pedaler in Eagle, Colorado at 7am. Please bring $20 for your entry fee. 100% of the proceeds go to the Hardscrabble Trails Coalition.

LACHLAN MORTON TURNS UTAH UPSIDE DOWN....

Only 21 and on top of the world right now in Utah....

BRECK EPIC STARTS SATURDAY....IT'S A BIGGIN.

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

Let's hope we get through the week without any shit days this year...

THE LATEST FROM RUDY PROJECT IS EN ROUTE FOR REVIEW....

Look for the review in a month or so, including the latest cycling kit from Rudy.

MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

When I die I'd prefer to keep it simple. Play this song, the ramifications of which none of you will ever understand nor do you need to as it is better left to your imainations, and dump portions of my ashes on either side of the Continental Divide up on Loveland Pass as well as some off of the old iron bridge below Dillon Reservoir, the same as I did with my father's ashes...simple.

ONE FOR THE GATORS...

Love you guys....kisses.

"I'M GONNA GO TO THE BAR", HELL YES YOU ARE......SEE YOU THERE.

ERIE GETS RACKED BY MEGA STORM YESTERDAY, NEW VELODROME DESTROYED.

THE ONE THING I HAVE IN COMMON WITH JIM MORRISON OF THE DOORS...

We both got thrown in jail at a Florida State football game. My charges however, were eventually dropped. That is a true story.

MADALYN GODBY....A PUFF TOO MANY, CONSIDER IT A LESSON BRAC RIDERS.

So by now you've all heard about Madalyn Godby getting busted for Clenbuterol levels at the Pan Am Games and being stripped of her medals. This post is not here to lambaste Madalyn, I know her father and brother very well and guess this was a case of one puff to many on the inhaler. That is the problem, and with USADA now here in Colorado at the amateur ranks we are going to see plenty more of this. I know SO MANY riders, including myself, who battle excersize and/or allergy induced asthma that I'm not so suyre everyone out there is paying attention to proper dosage of these drugs....you take one puff too many of of your inhalers and you are going to be gone and labeled as the local Lance Armstrong if you get randomly tested that day. So buyer beware, there is more shit heading towards the fan here in Colorado soon.