Weird, John Denver sings about leaving on a jet plane AND tomorrow I am leaving on a jet plane and going to Denver.  What are the chances?!?!?

Gone for a weeks worth of riding in Colorado and Utah.  Dicky has gone and broke my secret that I won't be taking the diSSent down south to ride.  What will I be on?

Taa daa........ a Niner Jet 9.   4" in the front and 3" in the rear should feel like a couch compared to what I've been riding.

After almost five years away from full suspension, four on single speed, and the past three fully rigid, it feels a little strange to be going back to full suspension.  And I have yet to even ride the Jet 9 (or any full suspension bike, for that matter, in five years).  It's waiting for me at Golden Bike Shop in Golden, CO.  Mike and Adam at Golden set me up with a wicked ride.  Cheers fellas!

Part of the reason for the Niner is last year I suffered miserably with all the climbing in CO.  I was a tad overweight (funny how I still am) and maybe not in the best shape of the season, but it was the single speeding up the numerous climbs that torched me.  I didn't want to go back this year and suffer like I did last.  By the fourth and fifth day riding last year my legs did come around, but by that point the damage was done.  Being pooped while climbing is one thing, but being too tired to control the bike on the descents is another.  Last year I bit it big time and dislocated my sternum on the first day. 

From what the Goat has told us, most of the riding we'll be doing is in Utah and around Moab.  Maybe I should be taking the SS - there's not that much climbing in Utah, is there?!?  To be honest, I feel like a bit of a sell out not taking the single speed.  What's going to make me special and stand out from the rest?  I guess I'll have to cover up the tattoos and keep the surly attitude in check.  I've already shaved off my soul patch too.  Is this the end of single speeding?

No.  No it isn't.  I will continue to single speed and do so fully rigid - I very much love it.  More on that when I return.

So . . . I'll be gone for a week and I doubt that there will be any blog-o updates unless Dicky or the Goat take along their laptops that I can use, and even then I doubt that I will have the motivation or the energy to post anything.  So until then, as always, David Hasselholf dollies for everyone (you can print these out at home, colour them and act out your favourite Night Rider scenes).

2nd Annual Tour de Goat

 

Next week I fly down to Colorado. I think that the Tour de Goat is going to become an annual pilgrimage for me. What's different this year is the addition of more riders. This is an attempt to surround myself with as many people possible to suffer the effects of riding at altitude and climbing up big steep mountain sides and hopes that they will carry my stuff and ride behind me pushing my fat arse up the hills.  I was absolutely blown away by the sheer beauty and the frick'n freak'ishly fantastic trails we rode.  Can't wait to see what the Goat has in store for us this year.

 Suspects:

The Ring Leader - a.k.a. "Goat"

Kaa Booom!  Would you follow this guy on a ride?

Physical Description - resembles a hairy, over weight Patrick Swasey without the rugged good looks
Talent - epic route navigator, finder and instill'er of painful long climbs, freak'ish descender
Weakness - spends too much time grooming facial hair, breaking bikes and eating M&Ms

The Driver - a.k.a. "Dr. Claw"

Dr Claw starts his day and ends his rides on a morphine drip.

 Physical Description - mechanical left hand, looks like your dentist

Talent - finding places to fall where most would not , teasing foreigners, and baking specialty cakes
Weakness - has a hidden crush on Carnadians

The Brains/Eye Candy - a.k.a. "Curvy Butt"

More chins than a China-Town phone book.

Physical Description - one booty'licious backside that Jennifer Lopez would be jealous over
Talent - track stands, inflating a tent from the inside with lower GI tract flatulence
Weakness - Faberge eggs, micro brewed beer and chocolate covered marshmallow brooms

The Muscle - a.k.a. "Dicky"

Why do you have a baby carrot and two raisins stuck down the front of your bib shorts?

Physical Description - skinny ass, chub sprouting, little man
Talent - coupon clipping, mooching off the bicycle industry and climbing hills
Weakness - obsessive compulsive hoarder and hears voices

Mtn Biking Is Fun

Two mountain bike rides on the weekend. Both with friends, two who I don't often get to ride with much anymore, both fun as hell.

South March Highlands ride with Lenny on Saturday was mellow and fun. Kanata Lakes is in great shape. 

Sunday's ride was with Curvy and King.  It was only King's sixth or so mtn bike ride of the season.  You wouldn't know it as he had no problem (unless you call puking three times a problem) keeping up on our Chelsea/Foreplay loop. The trails over in the Gats were in stellar shape.

Both days were absolutely perfect, weather wise, for riding and both were in my top five fun rides of the season.

New Dwags and Bike Show

I finally got some new mtn bike shoes after my two season old Shimano's bit the dust and split down the middle.  Went down to Tall Tree Cycles and picked up a pair of last year's Specialized Comp Pros.  These shoes are uber duber comfy, wide toe box, nice and stiff in the sole for SS'ing, but the lugs on the sole still grippy enough to provide good traction when off the bike.

Speaking of Tall Trees, check out their blog.  This coming Friday they are hosting the Westboro Bike Show (clicky clicky for more info).

More on Montreal

Dude has been crushing it.

Gilbert is the man. What a phenominal season he has been having. It was a definite highlight seeing him. He flatted, crashed and still managed to come in third on the day after a late sprint to bridge the gap at the finish. Montreal Gazette Article.

If you said Jonathan Vaughters, current team manager for pro-cycling team Garmin-Cervelo, from the other day's question, "Looky look who I met at the race?", you'd be correct.

I spotted Vaughters sitting alone on the barricades about halfway up the Mount Royal climb.  After some hesitation I went over and introduced myself, shook his hand and had a little chat.  He was friendly and did not seem put out by my approach.  I was actually surprised that he didn't approach me first.  I mean, come on, I'm the original big ring.  Pffffffft.  Curvy managed to catch our interaction on film in between shooting photos of hotties on the hill.

I got a bunch of video of the race but am too lazy to down load it or up load it or edit all of it.  Here's one clip of the fourth last lap as the leaders and chasing peleton near the peak of Mont Royal. 

Busy Frigg'n Cycling Weekend

 You a don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out this post . . . it was a busy frigg'in weekend of cycling.  Friday I got out with Curvy, Scott and timid Tim for a easy peasy fun ride out in South March Highlands on the mtn bikes.  It was a good ride to loosen the legs for Saturday.

Saturday was a 200 km, there and back, ride to Westport.  It was a mostly flat, gentle rolling landscape with a few hills 10 km or so before and around Westport.  It was my longest ride of the year and much needed to prep the legs for the long days of riding to come down in Colorado at the end of the month.

A stop at world famous Schwartz's Deli made up for the depleted calories of the long ride on Saturday.  On Sunday Curvy, Declan, Chrissie, The Peanut and I cruised into Belle de Provence to take in the Montreal Grand Prix - before the race we had smoked meat sandwiches, fries, dill pickles, coleslaw and cherry coke.

The Peanut and Schwartz's.

 

Curvy used my camera all day as he forgot his at home while I filmed on the GoPro.  Downloaded all the photos Sunday night and I see this - Devil with the blue dress on.  Ahhh, to be young and single again.

Looky look who I met at the race.  Any ideas?

Closing on the peak on Mont Royal.

Curvy strikes again.

There was a strong contingent of Ottawa folks at the race (and why not when Montreal is only like 2 hours away).  We ran into Matt near the top of the Mount Royal climb.  Matt is either describing the fish that he caught on a recent fishing expedition or gesturing that my belly (in the forefront) is getting way out of proportion to the rest of my body.

The chase picks up on the last lap.

Chrissie was a super trooper looking after the wee ones while Curvy and I were off snapping photos and taking in the race.

Donate a bike this weekend, please and thank you.

Clicky clicky for more info.

Wind

A windy day is a double edged sword - your friend on the way out of town, your mortal foe on the way back in.  Curvy Butt and I put down around 110'ish kms on Labour Day.

I thought that we would only be labouring for half the ride (coming north back into town), however with the wind at our backs heading south it was too much fun to push the speed up.  For a long slow distance ride, the tempo was more around a "moderate" pace throughout the ride.

Early September seems too early to have a grey cool Fall day, but that's what we got.

Yesterday was not nearly as windy, but it was crisp with a northerly blowing into the valley.

70 kms Tuesday morning.  I'm cramming in the miles and working on the conditioning to get ready for my new annual pilgrimage to Colorado.

Two Rides

Since Hot August Nights I've gotten out for two very different rides.  The first on Wednesday afternoon was a solo 110 km road/gravel ride at a moderate pace.  Got to up the miles for a trip down south to higher elevations in less than a month. 

Mt Cascade loop counter clockwise from Ottawa - that way you get to bomb down the 18% hill instead of climbing it.

With names like Chamonix and Matterhorn you can expect a little climbing on the Quebec side.

Water bottle fill up at the spring in Wakefield.

There's a reason there is a church built on the side of the hill on Chemin Saint Clement.......if you die trying on it's steep climb, at least you're close to last rites.  It ain't 'that' bad - short and pitchy though!

Cross Loop Rd is getting lots of construction on the 105 end with the new section of highway and overpass - still all rideable though.

 The second ride, Thursday afternoon, was a much shorter, albiet MUCH more technical ride on the mountain bike out in South March Highlands with Fritz and Ted. 

Check out Fritz's Fat Back!  Holy frigg'n cow!  I got a chance to ride it on the rocky, rooty, techy trail and it was un-freak'in-be-lievable.  I have to have one.  Snow bikes in Ottawa have gained huge popularity over the past year or so.  No surprise, we're buried in snow almost 5-6 months of the year. 

Weekends ride include:  riding to work, riding home from work, riding to work, riding home from work, riding to work, and riding home from work.  Monday, long miles with Curvy Butt planned.