Took a little motorcycle ride to Estes Park yesterday to see the fall colors that make this time of year in Colorado so beautiful. The warm, sunny day was perfect for zooming up the winding roads to Estes - not too cold, not too hot but very refreshing. And then, lo and behold, as we’re sitting at the cafe in town 4 elk come meandering across the busy traffic to graze around in the grassy area right next to us. They sauntered up like people and cars are just part of the crowd, which I suppose for them, living life in a busy tourist area, is true. Up the road a bit farther we found more herds of elk, hard to miss when hordes of cars are pulled to the side with everyone inside craning to get a look, and several stands of aspens exploding in bright yellow. We almost saw, or were hoping to see I should say, a knock-out fight between 2 bulls when one tried to take over the other’s harem. The bigger of the 2 bulls had a much fiercer, braver bugle that must have been pretty intimidating, because in the end, the smaller of the two bulls cowardly walked away, leaving all the observers boo hissing his lack of, um, balls.

Almost 12 hours of sleep last night and I am on my way to recovery. Amazing how much life Vegas sucks right out of you. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast being there but after 4 days it’s time to get the heck out. The smoke-filled, AC-infused casinos, sweaty and grungy outdoors, bright lights and excess, glitz and glamour, and everything and everyone at Interbike are enough to make anyone’s head starting spinning after a few days. And that’s without throwing one single dollar down on a table or even a quarter in to a slot machine! But, hey, I did get to stay in the plush and luxurious Palazzo during my stay where I did enjoy some down time poolside.

All in all, I have to say the highlight of the trip was CrossVegas. Yeah, the CROSS race. Me racing cross. Crazy. It’s been a long time since I’ve really freaked out before a race but not knowing what I was in for made me particularly jittery. Luckily seeing familiar faces and friends who gave me a few tips here and there helped calm me down and I lined up at the start like it was any other race. Pre-riding the course helped too, because the Vegas course isn’t exceptionally technical (come on, if Lance can do it, so can I - ha ha) - mostly grass with some pavement sections and only 1 set of barriers. More or less crit racing on grass. Granted I had only learned how to dismount “properly” a week earlier (and I still have a long way to go to to do it right) but as long as I didn’t over think it, I knew I could do it. Call-ups were made and I found myself just about dead last so I knew I had a lot of work to do to get myself near the front for any chance to “race”. Funny thing is I had a good start and I found myself near the front pretty quickly, which I never do in crits. Soon enough the race had thinned itself out and I found myself riding with a woman from Velo Bella. Following her wheel closely and watching for little things that I could learn, we rode together for several laps. I was doing just fine keeping up with her, until the last time over the barriers when I didn’t quite make it out of my pedal in time to run over the barriers. Good thing, this time anyway, is that I am still such a rookie at dismounting I was so far away from the barriers when I was hopping along with one foot still attached to my pedal that I didn’t even run into the barrier. I got a few oohs and aaahs from the crowd and a heads up that my chain had fallen off as I clumsily tip toed over the barriers and practically crawled up the hill. Rolling down the otherside of the hill I got my chain back on and was able to catch up with Deidre in a few hard pedal strokes. I tried to save everything I had for the sprint but in the end she got me for 8th place. Hey, I’ll take it for my first cross race EVER! Damn, did I have so much fun! All amped up and ready to watch the action from the sidelines, I joined in the party to watch the men duke it out. And I really do mean the “party” because cross fans (and racers) are like no others - body paint, wigs, lots of beer, cow bells, horns…you name it and you’ll find it at a cross race.

Check out these photos from CrossVegas - good times (look closely for the Aaron’s kit).

I did race the crit the next evening but I have to admit I did not have much fun. Mostly, I was exhausted and my motivation was waning and the course is nothing to cheer about. It’s a parking lot crit for crying out loud. And it’s dark. Really not much to say about it.

Stepping off the plane on Friday about brought tears to my eyes as I breathed in the fresh mountain air. Aaaaahhhhh. Intoxicating in a beautiful way. So intoxicating, in fact, that I decided to race the first Boulder Series CX race with Kroepschy the next day. Again, crazy. But, really, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity because it was an awesome day out and the last thing I wanted to do was waste it (enough days wasted in Vegas). I did second guess my decision several times on the drive there but once I pulled up and saw some of the action I got my head into it. This course was similar to Vegas - still a lot of grass but 2 barrier sections, a sand pit, and deep, soggy grass in sections. Another good start (I got a little “jesus” from someone when I shot a hole to move my way up) and I shortly found myself alone chasing the lone leader. I never did catch her but I was able to hold steady for a 2nd place finish. Again, I’ll take it.

Now, a couple more good nights sleep and I’ll be right.

Back from Vegas, but more on that later because all I can think about right now is sleeeeeeeeep! Hopefully the wonderful, clean, fresh air here will expedite the recovery process though.

Mabon signifies the autumnal equinox and at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, CO, it’s a time to celebrate with some down-home bluegrass music, home cooked food, an overabundance of libations, and down to earth fun. Last night Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufmanm of the Yonder Mountain String Band, jammed for almost 3 hours as part of the Mabon festival. For these 2 dudes, bluegrass is their passion and jamming is their specialty. Between these 2 gifted musicians, they played the bass, rhythm, steel, and celtic guitars, the banjo and mandolin, harmonica and keyboards (used during Pink Floyd’s “The Thin Ice”), alternating between each instrument with ease and panache. Adam and Ben kept the show mellow but lively, strumming away for a modest 400 people. However, it was Zoe who stole the show. Zoe, Adam’s dog, had been wandering around the grounds throughout the day and wanted an up close piece of the action on stage, so just a few songs in to the first set, she sauntered on stage affectionately lying down at the guys’ feet. And so it was that Zoe stole the hearts of the audience.

It pays to know someone who knows someone because after the show we got to chill with the crew backstage thanks to Shawn “the Mayor” Hines who knows just about everyone in the state of Colorado (it pays off to work for a company that allows you to trade beer for schwag). Although last night was an intimate sort of show, I had to keep reminding myself that these guys, along with Yonder, play sold out shows at places like Red Rocks. To be sitting around shooting the shit with these 2 guys who are totally unpretentious and goofy was pretty cool. Ben, literally hanging out in his kilt, has quite a repertoire of jokes (most not appropriate for kids), Adam is the more soft spoken of the two, and both are friendly, nice guys.

And now, it’s Vegas baby.

October Cyclocross