AND THERE YOU HAVE IT....................

Post by The Capital Breakfast Show.

THIS SEEMS PRETTY LEGIT. SLIGHTLY.

Munifest Moab 2014 #GoPro from LS3 Aerial on Vimeo.

CHRISTMAS EVE SKIING AT THE LEGEND

It has been an incredible three days of skiing at Arapahoe Basin. It is hard to explain to those who have no history or understand the snow, wind, scene, people and skiing at The Legend. It is not even worth trying to explain it to them. There simply is no better place on earth to ski. It is quality vertical. I'm so lucky and blessed to once again consider this place my "home" hill after moving to Lakewood. Kudos to all the lift ops today for having such a good attitude on Christmas day and all weekend...you helped make it a great three days of skiing. the last time I skied three days in a row here was nearly 20 years ago. I'm back. I'm psyched. Nothing else compares, no matter how you justify it. If you do not like wind, rocks and cold, stay the fuck away. If you want to put your big boy pants on, see you on the hill, often.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM A2B

IT IS ALMOST HERE!!

THIS MIGHT BE THE A2B DOUCHEBAG OF THE YEAR WINNER...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM A2B...

SO HERE IT IS, THE VIDEO. 2014 COLORADO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CYCLOCROSS RACING IN A FREEKIN BLIZZARD. SINGLESPEEDERS.

I WAS SURFING THE INTERWEB FOR OLD SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS THAT I REMEMBER AS A KID....

When I stumbled upon this. THIS, was the greatest catch in World Series history. Ron Swaboda of the New York Mets saves the day.

I DO THIS FOR A LIVING....BLESSED. ANNOINCING THE BIRDS OF PREY FIS WORLD CUP DOWNHILL SKIING TRAINING RUNS

TIME TO GET SERIOUS NOLES.....

WORK

Birds of Prey 2014, announcing from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

SO, WHEN THANKSGIVING COMES ALONG......

I'M GUESSING SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW WHO DANNY KANELL IS....COLLEGE FOOTBALL GUY....

Well, if you want to know a little something about him on the college level....check this out. He orchestrated perhaps the greatest college football game comeback in history. "The Choke at Doke". The game ended in a tie and Bobby Bowden later he said that the team came back from so far down with 13 minutes left that he could not risk losing the game going for a two pointer. The Gators admitted that the game was the same as losing after blowing a monster lead with so little time left....College Football overtime was instituted in 1996...this game was in 1994. Florida State had a 54 home game winning street at the time.... 

SUMMERHILL SLAYS THE KING AT DERBY CITY....

 Image from Dave McElwaine

Danny Summerhill pulled off the unthinkable this past weekend at the Derby City weekend in Louisville. He doubled up, including a big timer win over Jeremy Powers who has been unbeatable for a very long time, especially when at the front of a race late....and Summerhill pulled it off just prior to his start to ramp up for next season's road shenanigans for United Health Care. 

With this said, I'm still a bit concerned when I see the online images of the UCI level CX races all over the country. The crowds seem to be shrinkng...there are never more than a couple of hundred fans (probably earlier racers, sponsors, family members) who are at these events. What happened to the monster crowds of 7-8 years ago? Have we bored our audience to death with fairly predictable top three at e every race? It is REALLY good to see Summerhill mixing the top spot of the podium up, even for just a weekend....too bad he won't be at Nats from the sounds of things....it would be nice however. 

Meanwhile, back in Colorado, the State championships are just weeks away, and I'd have to say it's a toss up as to who would be a favorite to win that title this year. It'd be nice to see some of Colorado's talent show up to get after it in December in Parker. Can we expect to see the likes of Krughoof defend, Eckmann, Jake Wells, Summerhill, and the rest of the crew show? I sure hope so......

On yet another note, I find it a little disappointing that Cyclocross Magazine has virtually zero coverage of Colorado Cyclocross racing, not sure I get that one, especially with the level of comp we see here. I mean really, how about diversifying just a skosh and giving Colorado some love guys and gals?

SO I GOT TO THINKING.....

I would not try this in this or any other lifetime, however I would highly encourage all the people I do not like to check it out. For sure. With a Go Pro mounted on their ass.

TOUR DE LAKEWOOD...

This is quite an amazing place to live. Colorado is full of em. While everyone else is worried about where they are going to finish in this weekend's Cyclocross racing, I continue to explore the hood and find some fun. The dirt has been world class lately. It's been a nice diversion after the crushing blow of losing my all time favorite pup companion just a week ago. Our hearts are still crushed from the blow, and always will be to some degree, but life moves forward and we must all try to embrace each day as what can always be our last in this wonderful world of Colorado. This fall has been amazing, I hope it keeps rolling.....

ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.....

It's heartbreaking to post this today. Myself, Anna (my girlfriend), Tiger, Nathan and Eddie had to say goodbye to Peaches yesterday after another back issue placed her in a position where meds and bed rest could no longer relieve her chronic back pain. It was a very difficult week for her. Much harder for her than for us I am sure. She was an amazing dog, she brought smiles and a wagging tail to everyone she met. Maybe the happiest dog that ever roamed the earth. She had a life of almost five years and it was full of endless love, affection, treats and play time. We were so lucky to have spent it with her. We are so very sad she is gone. We are really sad. My heart is crushed this morning. We were with her when she moved on, maybe the most difficult thing I have done in my life. Anna, Tiger, Nathan and Eddie are a fantastic support crew. We will rally. We miss you Peaches. (a.k.a. the Tasmanian Snapping Wiggler). This image was from the past week during one of her restful moments in her backyard. We will miss everything about you little one. Rest peacefully Peachy, you filled our lives with great joy and always made sure we were OK whenever we sneezed..... 

SOME EARLY HALLOWEEN CHEERS FROM A2B

COWBOY CROSS.....THIS SAYS IT ALL.

FACEBOOK HAS TOTALLY FUCKED UP THE BLOGGING WORLD....

 As if it were not painful enough to go read the majority of the crap people blog, 98% of which is about themselves, which is barely tolerable to even think about reading, Facebook as become the "quick fix" for blogging and has been for quite sometime now. What does all this mean, absolutely nothing, which is the point to begin with. For instance, if I post another meaningless image like the one below, so few people actually give a rats ass that it is really not worth posting this pile of crap on the world wide interweb black hole. So what is the point? Well there is none, exactly the point. So as this rambling pile of stupid shit on A2B moves forward, look for fewer posts. Hard to believe this thing is approaching 400,000 page views, what the hell are you people thinking? If you want to be randomly entertained over time, then feel free to scan back through the old, good shit here. Ciao.

IF YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT MY FAVORITE LINE ON A POWDER DAY AT BEAVER CREEK IS......

You are looking at it....from a good day last season. They are all good at the Beav.

More from Beaver Creek 1/31/2014, THE line. from Larry Grossman on Vimeo.

FUCKIN A RAMPAGE

EXACTLY

COLORADO IS MAKING SNOW.....ONE CHAIRLIFT RIDE AT ARAPAHOE BASIN GETS YOU THIS, WITH A LITTLE WORK...

Elgee Helmet cam 2013, East Wall, Arapahoe Basin

CMON DAWG....FOR REAL?

FALL

WOMEN'S WORLD TEAM TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS CRASH. WOW.

FOR OUR FRIEND DALE RILEY.....BATTLING CANCER, A GUY I'VE ENJOYED RACING AGAINST.

Dale from Jamie Servaites on Vimeo.

RAD DAWG. I WANNA GO....

SOME DAYS AT WORK ARE GOOD, AND SOME ARE REALLY GOOD.....

We had a special guest show up in Castle Rock yesterday at Kick It Cross to "get the rust out" early season. None other than Jeremey Powers, our current USA National CX Champion was in house and I got the bucket list interview with the Stars and Bars.

Photos from Shawn Curry

ANNOUNCING TO NO ONE, STAGE 5 USPC, HOW, WHY, WHERE, WHEN....MAKING SHIT HAPPEN....

Above is a short video of some of the action from Stage 5 of the US Pro Cycling Challenge. This video was shot while once again there was zero television coverage available for viewers on their boob tubes and other "smart" devices. In a nutshell, the TV coverage has once again been terrible during this event. It's a complicated system that requires ground cameras to send a digital feed up to a helicopter which then sends the feed to an overhead circling airplane which then bounces it up to a satellite. It's a plan that simply will never work in August with late day stage start times. It storms almost everyday this time of year. I know these things because I lived in the high country of Colorado for 31 years. for cycling fans, it sucks. With that said I have a very good idea of how this tour operates and works. I worked with the USPC the first two years in Vail and Avon, as well as in Beaver Creek as the expo director for all three of these stages for the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).  Being a member of these stage committees requires a TON of your personal time in meetings and planning which is all basically for free and for being closer to the race action when it comes through. You might get a free embroidered golf shirt and hat as well as a free Smashburger for lunch for your efforts, or not. I've also been very fortunate to have been paid by the Champion Systems team to host their team party for the Denver and Vail Time Trials which gave me an opportunity to announce all the great names involved in this wonderful bike race. It was an honor to do so, and Dave Griebling hooked me up with these opportunities. I've been among and part of a few of the craziest parties at this race. The crowd on top of Swan Mountain road during the first year of this race was legendary. The Vail Pass TT crowds are always insane. Thanks to Dave for sneaking me up to the finish last year in the Champion Systems Team Sprinter Van with my sound system for the mayhem. I've also watched some of the racing in very remote places where there are no fans at all, which is a very satisfying way to observe the race, it's quiet and you do not have a bunch of fat people in skin suits running you over trying to get on TV while they actually do not even watch the race, it's annoying.

Let's move forward to this past Friday and Stage 5 of the USPC. I had driven down to Colorado Springs the day before to watch Stage 4 in Garden of the Gods National Park, were Jens once again went free and clear only to be caught close to the line, it was a great day. The next day I had to drive to Gunnison to announce the 24 Hours in the Sage over the weekend. This is one of mountain bikings biggest parties, and it was again this year. With that said, I had to drive right along the route of that day's stage to get to Gunnison from Lakewood. From Jefferson to Fairplay, on Hwy 285, the peloton would travel, exactly where I would be driving that day. As I came off of Kenosha Pass I realized that I had my full PA system in tow, along with my generator. The decision was made immediately to set up and blow out the race as it came by. There is an unmarked smaller pass on this route right before the race drops into Fairplay. It is called Red Hill Pass, and I knew the race would be slow climbing up this section of the course, it's a fairly long grind at 4-7% grades. A couple of people were at the top of this pass, and it was dumping rain most of the morning up there. and freezing. I decided to set up camp about halfway up this climb away from anyone, and in a spot where no one else could squeeze in. It was a grand viewing location, I could see the riders dropping into the bottom of Red Hill Pass from about 4-5 miles out as they approached. With the PA speakers covered with plastic bags and my sound board in the back of the car dry, I had the music pumping, really loud, and when the 12 man break came through they got a full dose of Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain". Roughly 4 minutes later came the main Peloton which was being paced by BMC protecting the lead of Tejay Van Garderen. It was grand, and it was miserable and cold, and the Peloton came by to "Turn Down For What" ripping over the sound system. The entourage of vehicles was throwing thumbs up and honking horns as they came by, and I annnounced, to no one other than the riders. It was a riot. The entire incident got a little bit of play through Twitter and Facebook for the better part of a day, and if  it helped the riders at all, it was worth the effort, which was minimal, but fun. And that is all it was meant to be. This is the video.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE, AND THE CAR YOU LAND ON....

Unpoetic justice that this douche lives.....while cyclists get creamed everyday.

WORK

 Images from Sayako Ikeda

Not so much.........

HOW FACEBOOK RUINED THE WORLD....

In my personal estimation, which is worth the pile of old used and broken cell phones you have in your night stand drawer, I think Facebook and smart phones have totally fucked up and ruined the world. Facebook has completely and utterly ripped the soul out of mountain biking. I believe a lot of people ride their mountain bikes now just so they can tell a bunch of people who really don't care what ride they did today, yesterday, and will be doing tomorrow. What happened to heading out with a group of your homies, riding your asses off, drinking a few beers over shitty nachos somewhere, and doing it all again the next day without a word spoken? Nobody cares where you ride or how many feet you climbed, these are numbers for the soul, keep them there. Oh, and put the gaul damn smart phone away a actually LOOK what direction you are walking in once in a while. Fuck.

CAN I AT LEAST HAVE SOME OF MY MONEY BACK?

I spent a fair amount of pocket cash on all of these magazines and books years past. Apparently I thought they were pretty special and truthful at the time. I found them all in one of the boxes I just moved down to the front range of Colorado this past week. I was wondering if there was a way to get some of my money back? Who would I call to see about that? Just wondering, as usual.

AND SO IT COMES DOWN TO THIS......

 These photos have absolutely nothing to do with this post, but they were the best I could come up with from what I've done recently, which is have more fun. 

As the next chapter of my life begins, with a move to the front range of Colorado to spend my days with my better half and her four four legged pups, this is all I could come up with. Some images from the South Platte River outside of Hartsel, Colorado where I spent so many days guiding people (many idiots) fishing in the 80's and 90's. I like to go back there on occassion and listen to the bitter fishing guides scream at their clients for hours on end while I giggle through some of my old favorite fishing holes. I had to leave that profession eventually as it was another dead end, a place where old and bitter guides go to drink themselves and lie to their graves.

I've lived in Eagle, Colorado for a while, but that too has run it's course as I like to say, "if you do not live in Eagle, there is really no reason to go there". It's got stuff to do that is fun and outdoorsy, but so does every other place in Colorado, and most other spots have quite a bit more character than this one time boom satellite town. I've spent the last two plus years in a house that has crappy internet, no cell service from my provider Verizon ( no I CANT HERE YOU FUCKING NOW!) and that is a 20 mile drive to get anywhere. I've lived this part of my life, and I'm really excited to move on to the next episode. With two more nights remaining here, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have made it through 57 years, 31 here, with no major injuries which could have been inflicted through my lifestyle, very lucky. Never a knee injury after 30 plus years of skiing hard, and just a few standard scrapes, separations, bruises and head knocks from riding a ton of miles on all kinds of bikes. There comes a time when the shutdown begins if you have been lucky enough to get to this point. I have, my skiing career is now in it's twilight. I will continue to ski, but no more 75-100 days a year, my body does not like that anymore. I'll ride bikes for fitness and fun which is what you are supposed to do anyway correct?  

Most of all I'll spend a lot of time around my new "family" outside of Denver. I just can't live the mountain thing anymore, time for someone else to take over my spot. Good luck pulling it off the way I have for the last two and a half decades, it is impossible to do anymore, things have changed too dramatically for it to go back to how it once was. Facebook and smart phones have totally fucked up the world. Me, I, Me, I, Me, I, Me, I.....get after it children, nobody actually cares, trust me.  

With that said, Eagle never is going to build the fucking mall that so many blind people got sold with smoke screens and mirrors, so I'll just move to where the mall is, not that I ever needed it, but it sure is nice to drive two minutes to the store and pay half the price, in a quiet hood, in a new chapter of the world. Good night

P.S.
Why the fuck would you live in the mountains of Colorado if you don't ski or never get the chance to ski except on weekends? That is just plain and outright stupid.

THE DOPERS.......DAZED AND CONFUSED

I struggle with the doping subject in cycling, and I wonder why some of those who we know clearly doped in the past continue to be promoted and worshiped while others are seen as cheats and the devil himself. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I think it sucks that so many talented young riders never had a chance to make a true living riding a bike in the pro peleton because of it, and it's screwed that the former cheats are looked at through two completely different set of spectacles.

IT'S ONCE AGAIN TIME FOR THE MEGAVALANCHE!!

Freeeekin sickos.

Megavalanche Front row action from Pump Battle Events on Vimeo.

SOME BIG THINGS HAPPENING ON THE TOUR DE FRANCE FIRST DAY OFF.....

And just in case you missed it, A2B has it all for you right here.

CONTADOR'S BIKE, SPECIALIZED S-WORKS. FRACTURED LIKE HIS LEG.

The Tour is a blowout, just like this rig.

THIS IS A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT CORRECT?

Just Wondering

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM A2B...PLEASE LOCK UP YOUR GUNS.

I can't tell you how important gun safety is, but maybe these ladies can.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2014 FIRECRACKER 50...

Gotta be the most fun mountain bike event ever invented....

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM A2B

ENJOY

I LIKE NOT RIDING A BIKE EVERY NOW AND AGAIN. AGAIN.

 Today we hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, it was stellar.