Katie Compton, one of the newest Squirt Lube converts who will be racing Cross Vegas in 18 days, competes for a MTB World Championship tomorrow and you can follow it from Australia live right 
Pix from "trail night" this past Wednesday.....thanks again to the crew who showed....it's way too early and warm for this much color up there...
Tim Mt. Pleasant on Catwalk on the way to Blue Grouse...
There are some things in life that are just an incredible experience to have, one of these items on the short list is getting to go a a fairly big road ride with Peter Davis. Peter as you may or may not know wasa one time Crest team rider who rode with Hampsted and the like, won plent of stage races, was a Tour of Chile Polka Dot jeresey winner in his day, and now lives here in Eagle and has taught me what liuttle I know about road racing. He was dubbed many years ago before the Energy Drink was ever invented to be consumed by every jacked up kid and adult in the world, "The Rock Star". So when we pulled into Junction today and stopped at City Market, and there was a RockStar promo going on, we were easily reminded, and spending the day chasing both Peter and Fred Reynolds around left me no time to take picutres for the 70 mile or so jaunt in 95 degree heat. While Silagy headed back down the short way, I was left to be brutalized by these two, I'm just glad they are racing with me in Moab this year.......Peter aint lost much over the years, and it is really something to see and be inpired by, nice ride, fuck I hate trying to stay even in the same ballpark with ya...
Next Thursday evening at 7:30 pm, the Hardscrabble Singletrack Coalition will hold it's first fundraiser to help with the cost of our first round of signs up on BLM property. We will be showng the movie Klunkerz which was produced by Billy Savage who I interviewed on A2B at Sea Otter this spring. The movie is outstanding documentaion of the history and roots of the sport we love, Mountain Biking. Admission is $10 (despite the poster saying $15, my bad), or whatever you can afford, and this gets you in the door to watch the flick as well as one cocktail (beer or wine) from Yetis. Proceeds will go partially to Nate and Tara of Yeti's to pay for the cocktails, and the rest will go to stickers we need to purchase for the Carsonite signs that the BLM is supplying the coalition with for FREE. Please come and hang out and watch this great flick. We will also raffle off the DVD after the movie compliments of Charlie Brown of the Mountain Pedaler in Eagle. Bring fold up chairs as it's looking like a BIG crowd will be there and we want everyone to have seats!
So I'm reminiscing after watching part of the movie, and the conversation comes up about the old Pearl Pass ride during Fat Tire Bike week in Crested Butte which was at one time an overnighter, old beater trucks drove your camping gear up near the top of Pearl Pass and we had a huge kegger up there before descending into Aspen hungover as a dog the next day. I did this ride and raced the third annual Fat Tire Bike Week race up Schofield in 1984. There were two dudes there riding these fuckin crazy looking bikes and I have NEVER been able to find them anywhere, until today. I remembered the company was called Velocitech, but I could not remember the model of the bike. I knew it was a Colorado company, well, sure enough, good ol google turned up the Mountain Machine from Velocitech, this thing was waaaay out there. Check it out, Looks like a Travis Brown invention...this was for real in 1984. The first climbing specific machine...
While getting ready to head into my "other" job this morning at the Real Estate office, I overheard some crazy, oversensationalized story in snippits which said that Sarah Palin does not hunt, fish or sleep in the same bed as her husband who apparently does not like her very much anyway, this from one of those Good Morning Today Now morning shows on a major network. On top of this the allegations come from the father of her illegit grandkid, Levi. Seems Sarah is getting screwed now, by her should be son-in-law which makes him a nominee for this weeks A2B person of the week.LA Burning...
Seems to me there might be a pretty good opportunity to go lay down some saweeeet singletrack up there when things settle down....
The Wednesday Night shop ride will be a mission to complete the Blue Grouse singletrack, bring implements of destruction and lets try and knock out the last few hundred yards and get ridin the damn thing...probably two waves of riders heading up there. 5 and 6pm at the Mountain Pedaler in Eagle.
One of my other sicknesses is that I enjoy Grouse hunting, or Grouse walking as I like to call it. It's basically a sweet quiet hike in the woods every September, a great way to explore the area, find potential new single track and then blast the living hell out of the silent morning should you happen to stumble across any birds. Nothing better than the serenity of the Colorado High Country suddnely being shattered by the flush of a big Bloue Grouse and then proceeding to swing and crush, then eat of course. This time of year the birds can be found low, 7000-8000 feet of elevation, as the season cool they will migrate higher to different food sources. This morning was the typical opener, walk for two hours, beat yourself up in the thick berry, scrubby, quakie cover, see nothing, then get back to you vehicle where they are sitting on the hood of your car.
I need a cup of jo.... I guess this qualifies me as a "moderate democrat".
