Lately, the tires on my road bike have been flatter than Nebraska—not the north western part of Nebraska where the Black Hills of South Dakota poor across the border to delight hypnotized drivers. Nope, the part of Nebraska that is supported by John Deere and government subsidies. I get a flat almost every time I turn around; I have been twice at the complete mercy of strangers. I don’t know why. The city has street sweeping services, and the bike paths are pretty clean. I have only picked up one of the infamous goat heads (for the reader not sure what exactly a goat head is, imagine a stick tight with two thorns protruding from either side). More intriguing still, I have only a slow leak in my tubed mountain bike tires. I have been dodging cacti and jagged rock with almost nothing to show. I reckon, I can’t complain.
That said; I have acquired a whole new disdain for cacti. The trails around here do a superb job of tricking me into riding fast, railing corners, and gliding over rocks, and then I round a corner. I feel a dull thump and then a sting, followed closely by restricted hand movement. Sometimes I ride farther, but inevitably, I stop and pull a dozen or more cacti needle from my knuckles or arms. More inevitably still, some of the needles are lodged so far into the skin that upon pulling them out a steadily flowing rivulet of blood instantly works its way across my skin.
Anyway, enough of this killjoy talking. I have met and ridden with plenty of awesome riders, who have given me some good local insight, stories, motivations, lactic acid baths, et cetera. My friend Mario has introduced me to his teammates and many other cyclists and even coaxed me into racing my road bike. He invited me on a ride last weekend and introduced me to his coach and friend, John. Some may know John as the guy who makes Mario race with a power tap. However, he is better known as the guy who make Jeremy Powers race with a power tap. I think he knows everyone and has coached most of the currently awesome and formerly awesome U.S. U23 cyclocross racers. He’s “not fast,” but has raced against Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, Erwin Vervecken, etc. Now, I may not be serious enough to get a coach or financially able to get a coach, for that matter, but I know I will benefit from following John’s wheel and will always enjoy his conversation and stories. He’s a nice guy (like most cyclists) who knows his stuff.
Mario, et al. is doing an excellent job at getting me stoked to suffer and get faster. They tell me about all the fast elite racers (e.g. Kabush) who train in the area. They say the race scene isn’t so stellar though. I suppose, if it is not so stellar, that promoters are not doing a good job of encouraging entry level racers (just my guess). As much as the fast guys give legitimacy to a race culture, beginners compose the skeleton that supports said culture. Hopefully, this is not true. Hopefully, the locals are only comparing themselves to Colorado.
I will find out soon enough, I suppose. My first race is July 11th. After over two months off racing, it will be a guaranteed doozy. The Sandia Peak Challenge begins climbing for 8.2 miles from more or less the get-go. Then racers descend about the same distance and do it again. The expert race is just less than 34 miles. That’s one long XC race. So in preparation, I have focused my training—lots more intensity. I have done intervals and a crit this week. Thursday’s night of super steep hill repeats had my legs feeling about as flat as my road tires. Ouch. Yes, so dedicated to suffer am I that while racing the crit I altered my strategy to produce more suffering. At first, I was doing the cliché make-all-the-splits-stay-near-the-front thing, but then I realized how much more I would suffer if I soloed off the back of the pack into the 200 mph headwind. So, I did. All of this points to an awesome first XC race of the season. I am going to kill it. I just don’t know what “it” is…
June 26, 2009
June 14, 2009
ABQ Trail Review
In the spirit of an old Bike Snob (http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/) blog post (http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/08/bsnyc-2008-dream-bike-shootout.html), I bring you a review of the three Albuquerque trails I have ridden so far. Whether or not you read my blog, stop by his and give it a read. Here they are in the order I rode them:
1. The Foothills Trail
Located on the east side of Albuquerque and the west side of the Sandia Mountains, the foothill trails overlook the entire city. The primary benefit being an excellent view of the sunset, an added feeling of superiority (as you think about all the chumps not on the trails), or in my case, an excellent view of the looming storms that are about to dump water on trail-goers.
1. The Foothills Trail
Located on the east side of Albuquerque and the west side of the Sandia Mountains, the foothill trails overlook the entire city. The primary benefit being an excellent view of the sunset, an added feeling of superiority (as you think about all the chumps not on the trails), or in my case, an excellent view of the looming storms that are about to dump water on trail-goers.
The trails are mostly buff, loose-ish, shallow, coarse sand with just enough tricky, intermittent rocks to keep riders on their toes or on the ground as I once discovered. The trail network is composed of a few double track trails running the length and width of the park. Single track weaves in and out of those trails, making double track avoidance pretty easy. The climbing is mostly gradual and fast; though, when it is steep is short lived and usually involves some big rocks. Perfect. The single track is fast and flowy with just enough sand to make riders nervous about railing every turn so easily. Forget about rain being an issue; the sand gains traction when the trail gets wet. The best section of trail lies at the north end of the park. Parallel to the famous Sandia Mtn. Tramway lies an 8.5+ mile climb to the top. Now I did not find out about this section of trial until days after riding here, but I did read about it. So I assume this section of trial once again gives the rider an opportunity to feel superior as he considers all the blokes riding the tram. Overall, going fast is the name of the game on this trail. Judging by the blood running down my arm and leg and the pain in my ribs, I would say the trails are fun.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides to this trail. For instance, the hardware store with 15 mm wrenches between my house and the trail is non-existent despite what google maps may say. Be prepared for what Mark Twain calls “Jack-ass Rabbits” crossing the trail and foot traffic appearing right in front of you on blind corners. When these trails were laid out builders addressed tough questions. For example, “How can we layout a trail that doesn’t have any cacti on it, but close enough that cyclist are likely to get gloves full of needles while they are leaning into fast corners.,“ or “How can we make some of the sweet-looking trails in the adjacent National Wilderness area tease cyclists.” Some people complain about getting lost. As long as a rider remembers the mountains are on the east and the city the west, he will do fine.
Ride this trail if: You like going fast.
Don’t Ride this trail if: You don’t believe in tire sealant and are lame.
2. The Rio Grande Trails
Best described as the Lawrence River Trails of ABQ, these trail careen along the Rio (which is Spanish for the River). The trails get pretty sandy at times. Imagine really long, brutal, cyclo-cross sandpits. According to a local source, every ’cross race is in the sand out here; I’d better learn to deal with it. But when riding in the desert along a river what else can a cyclist expect. The trails flow pretty well and were easily manageable on my fixie cross bike. The trails are located along the central and northern sections of the Bosque trail and end at the Pueblo reservation boundary. Not much to say about these trails other than I saw two road runners. If you are visiting town and are an avid cyclist, don’t bother unless you are close and have a little time to kill.
Ride this trail if: You think cyclo-cross is fun.
Don’t Ride this trail if: You think a little bit of debris on at straight road is technical.
3. Cedro Peak Trails
If these trails were longer, I would call riding here epic. Though I spent over 4 hours here and did not manage to ride everything. The trails is either buff or completely littered with rocks of varying size. Parking just south of the ranger station on NM 337, the ride starts at over 6000 feet of elevation with several miles of climbing with only a few single track off-shoots. Don’t loose hope! Follow the fire road. It’s a long climb, but rocks along the way keep it interesting. Once near the top, double and single track starts branching off to the left and right. Not all trails are labeled, but all trails have something to make riding them worth while. After riding there on a 34x16, 26er single speed, I would recommend gears unless you like getting off your bike on awesome, technical climbs. Technical climbs are broken up by mostly technical descents and fast flowy sections. There are several banked corners making it easy to corner like a rabbit on crack driving a Porsche and descend like a greased squirrel on a luge. Don’t worry about boring flat sections and pointless recovery, those never last long. The views from up high are awesome, and there is no shortage of interesting creatures along the way. I saw too many lizards to count, crickets that burrow into the ground, and black squirrels.
Ride this trail if: You like going fast.
Don’t Ride this trail if: You don’t believe in tire sealant and are lame.
2. The Rio Grande Trails
Best described as the Lawrence River Trails of ABQ, these trail careen along the Rio (which is Spanish for the River). The trails get pretty sandy at times. Imagine really long, brutal, cyclo-cross sandpits. According to a local source, every ’cross race is in the sand out here; I’d better learn to deal with it. But when riding in the desert along a river what else can a cyclist expect. The trails flow pretty well and were easily manageable on my fixie cross bike. The trails are located along the central and northern sections of the Bosque trail and end at the Pueblo reservation boundary. Not much to say about these trails other than I saw two road runners. If you are visiting town and are an avid cyclist, don’t bother unless you are close and have a little time to kill.
Ride this trail if: You think cyclo-cross is fun.
Don’t Ride this trail if: You think a little bit of debris on at straight road is technical.
3. Cedro Peak Trails
If these trails were longer, I would call riding here epic. Though I spent over 4 hours here and did not manage to ride everything. The trails is either buff or completely littered with rocks of varying size. Parking just south of the ranger station on NM 337, the ride starts at over 6000 feet of elevation with several miles of climbing with only a few single track off-shoots. Don’t loose hope! Follow the fire road. It’s a long climb, but rocks along the way keep it interesting. Once near the top, double and single track starts branching off to the left and right. Not all trails are labeled, but all trails have something to make riding them worth while. After riding there on a 34x16, 26er single speed, I would recommend gears unless you like getting off your bike on awesome, technical climbs. Technical climbs are broken up by mostly technical descents and fast flowy sections. There are several banked corners making it easy to corner like a rabbit on crack driving a Porsche and descend like a greased squirrel on a luge. Don’t worry about boring flat sections and pointless recovery, those never last long. The views from up high are awesome, and there is no shortage of interesting creatures along the way. I saw too many lizards to count, crickets that burrow into the ground, and black squirrels.
Overall, these trails are a blast. You’ll either leave with a smile and better technical bike handling or a smile and a hand full of injuries. Downsides? There is a bit too much double track for my liking. Although, a lot of that double track is actually fun. There is no source of water once past the trailhead. Carry lots.
Ride this trail if: You’re a real mountain biker.
Don’t ride this trail if: You are a pansy.
Ride this trail if: You’re a real mountain biker.
Don’t ride this trail if: You are a pansy.
June 7, 2009
Albuquerque: First Impressions of a 303 Year-Old Town
After a short time in Albuquerque, I am confident that I have enough thoughts to write a blog entry that is less exciting than the last (by all means, skip to the previous post if you are a 1st time visitor). Today is Monday; this means that I finally start work for the summer. Until today my time in Albuquerque has been spent in either extreme excitement--often in the form of being lost on my bike--or in extreme boredom. Generally speaking, unpacking, facebooking, and not having roommates are not exciting pass-times. But enough of my naysaying such a fine town. Albuquerque has made many positive impressions upon me. In no particular order, they are:
1. Albuquerque is a super bicycle friendly place. The bicycle infrastructure here differs from Kansas City almost as much as the change in elevation from one city to the other. There are bicycle lane, bicycle boulevards, bicycle paths, and generally speaking a greater awareness of cyclists on the behalf of drivers. I’ve been lost a few times now, and every time I get lost and worried about getting hit by a motor vehicle, I find a bike lane or path in almost no time. The bicycle boulevards (see picture below) have unusual speed limits and see more bicycles than cars. The bike paths have striping letting users know when it is okay and not okay to pass. This all makes cycling accessible to huge numbers of people. From the racing types to the commuters, to the kid wearing a $140 specialized helmet while riding his $75 Wal-Mart special. Now, I must admit that this takes the chip off my shoulder. In Missouri, being a cyclist made you unique out here it’s common. But everyone is super nice and I am sure the cycling community will only enrich the experience.
2. My landlord is an interesting guy. My lease stipulated that my apartment would be furnished, but furnished is a bit of an understatement. Inspection of my single bedroom apartment yielded 4 mirrors (who needs 4 mirrors?--2 of which are in a single room), a mediocre, irremovable painting (with poorly stretched canvas), and a coffee table that I believe is supposed to be art (See Picture Below). My shower, toilet, and sink are all perched on and flush with the edge of a 14” ledge. How is the positive? The apartment’s uniqueness is laughable and all in all a cool place to live. It is almost 100 years old and adobe. For that matter, everything down here is adobe. A brick or vinyl siding façade sticks out like a sore thumb. I dig it.
3. I live next to a ton of awesome restaurants. I am excited to start visiting some of them. They put chili peppers on everything, and that is just wonderful.
4. I don’t think I will have to drive, except to trailheads. Most everywhere I would need to go on a regular basis is well within walking/cycling distance. If not, public transportation is stellar and free to students.
5. Albuquerque is a true melting pot. This is definitely the biggest shift from the ‘burbs of Missouri, but I think it will be a good shift. Almost every time I am walking somewhere, I think of Bob Dylan’s song “Hard Times in New York Town.” He says “There’s a-mighty many people an’ their millin’ all around.” Though I think that ABQ is going to be much more laid back than NYC.
6. I saw a sign that read “Indian Tacos for Sale.”
I originally intended this post to be shorter and contain subtle humor. But once again, my in-excellence in writing has thwarted my intentions. Here are some pictures for you to look at to make up for my short comings:
Here’s a picture of the speed limit sign on my street. Nice.
Here's the art that my landlord provided. Notice both the painting and the table.
1. Albuquerque is a super bicycle friendly place. The bicycle infrastructure here differs from Kansas City almost as much as the change in elevation from one city to the other. There are bicycle lane, bicycle boulevards, bicycle paths, and generally speaking a greater awareness of cyclists on the behalf of drivers. I’ve been lost a few times now, and every time I get lost and worried about getting hit by a motor vehicle, I find a bike lane or path in almost no time. The bicycle boulevards (see picture below) have unusual speed limits and see more bicycles than cars. The bike paths have striping letting users know when it is okay and not okay to pass. This all makes cycling accessible to huge numbers of people. From the racing types to the commuters, to the kid wearing a $140 specialized helmet while riding his $75 Wal-Mart special. Now, I must admit that this takes the chip off my shoulder. In Missouri, being a cyclist made you unique out here it’s common. But everyone is super nice and I am sure the cycling community will only enrich the experience.
2. My landlord is an interesting guy. My lease stipulated that my apartment would be furnished, but furnished is a bit of an understatement. Inspection of my single bedroom apartment yielded 4 mirrors (who needs 4 mirrors?--2 of which are in a single room), a mediocre, irremovable painting (with poorly stretched canvas), and a coffee table that I believe is supposed to be art (See Picture Below). My shower, toilet, and sink are all perched on and flush with the edge of a 14” ledge. How is the positive? The apartment’s uniqueness is laughable and all in all a cool place to live. It is almost 100 years old and adobe. For that matter, everything down here is adobe. A brick or vinyl siding façade sticks out like a sore thumb. I dig it.
3. I live next to a ton of awesome restaurants. I am excited to start visiting some of them. They put chili peppers on everything, and that is just wonderful.
4. I don’t think I will have to drive, except to trailheads. Most everywhere I would need to go on a regular basis is well within walking/cycling distance. If not, public transportation is stellar and free to students.
5. Albuquerque is a true melting pot. This is definitely the biggest shift from the ‘burbs of Missouri, but I think it will be a good shift. Almost every time I am walking somewhere, I think of Bob Dylan’s song “Hard Times in New York Town.” He says “There’s a-mighty many people an’ their millin’ all around.” Though I think that ABQ is going to be much more laid back than NYC.
6. I saw a sign that read “Indian Tacos for Sale.”
I originally intended this post to be shorter and contain subtle humor. But once again, my in-excellence in writing has thwarted my intentions. Here are some pictures for you to look at to make up for my short comings:
Here’s a picture of the speed limit sign on my street. Nice.
Here's the art that my landlord provided. Notice both the painting and the table.
Picture of the front of my apartment building. Photo cutious of my dad.
June 4, 2009
And He's Off
Starting this kind of blog off right requires an epic experience. Though, I must apologize, with my poor writing abilities, you will not likely receive a story that is equally epic. Yesterday morning just after 6 am, I hopped into my loaded-down car and made for Albuquerque. However, yesterday did not end in NM but in TX instead. Palo Duro Canyon State Park to be exact. On the way the park, a billboard told me that Palo Duro Canyon was the 2nd largest canyon in the U.S. Not bad, but I have to say not good enough to stand up to the Grand Canyon.
Upon arriving in my campsite at 5:00, there was no time to make camp. I grabbed an apple and had a quick conversation with the young couple from TX headed to CO across the camp and hit the trails. Unfortunately, I had no fat tires on hand; the feet would have to suffice. And suffice they did. The trails were wonderful. They flowed beautifully and led to equally beautiful views. After getting lost a few times and taking a few intentional detours, I made it to a peak that overlooked Lighthouse Peak. A let down for sure, I was hoping to hike to Lighthouse Peak not look at it. The sun was beginning to drop below the opposite canyon rim; it was time to descend. The decent was made by DHers for sure. It was just chalked full of extra rocks, jumps, skinnies, berms, et cetera. I ran the whole way down--smiling from ear to ear. Hiking the last few miles back to camp, the low angle light struck the canyon walls amplifying their colors. With the cooling breeze blowing by me, I wanted to slow down and make the most of the moment. However, the recurring thought of being dinner for some mountain lion caused me to keep moving. I spent the rest of the evening with my surprising hospitable neighbors from Denver. We stayed up talking around their campfire until midnight. I drifted off to the sight of silhouetted trees and a sky littered with stars; a great end to a long day.
The next morning, I awoke as the sun just peered over the canyon rim, quickly broke camp, made a PB&J, and hopped on my road bike. Being in a hammock all night, the legs felt pretty stiff but got loosened pretty quickly. No sooner were my legs loose did I find another hindrance to my ride. I double took; sure enough that was a rattle snake I almost smashed under my tires. I turned around and approached the snake only to find it moving extremely slowly in the cool, shaded, desert morning. I snapped a picture and got back to riding. The roads were virtually empty; there were no ignorant day-trippers to slow me down. The road was mine. The silted-in low-water crossing, bends, and awesome scenery kept me happy. My thoughts drifted into a cyclist’s dream world. As I hammered the climb up the canyon wall, I dreamt of tifosi running behind me, cheering me through every switchback. Alas, after only an hour and a half it was time to get off the bike. I made my way to Albuquerque, got the key to my apartment, and unpacked.
The view halfway up the lighthouse trail.
Upon arriving in my campsite at 5:00, there was no time to make camp. I grabbed an apple and had a quick conversation with the young couple from TX headed to CO across the camp and hit the trails. Unfortunately, I had no fat tires on hand; the feet would have to suffice. And suffice they did. The trails were wonderful. They flowed beautifully and led to equally beautiful views. After getting lost a few times and taking a few intentional detours, I made it to a peak that overlooked Lighthouse Peak. A let down for sure, I was hoping to hike to Lighthouse Peak not look at it. The sun was beginning to drop below the opposite canyon rim; it was time to descend. The decent was made by DHers for sure. It was just chalked full of extra rocks, jumps, skinnies, berms, et cetera. I ran the whole way down--smiling from ear to ear. Hiking the last few miles back to camp, the low angle light struck the canyon walls amplifying their colors. With the cooling breeze blowing by me, I wanted to slow down and make the most of the moment. However, the recurring thought of being dinner for some mountain lion caused me to keep moving. I spent the rest of the evening with my surprising hospitable neighbors from Denver. We stayed up talking around their campfire until midnight. I drifted off to the sight of silhouetted trees and a sky littered with stars; a great end to a long day.
The next morning, I awoke as the sun just peered over the canyon rim, quickly broke camp, made a PB&J, and hopped on my road bike. Being in a hammock all night, the legs felt pretty stiff but got loosened pretty quickly. No sooner were my legs loose did I find another hindrance to my ride. I double took; sure enough that was a rattle snake I almost smashed under my tires. I turned around and approached the snake only to find it moving extremely slowly in the cool, shaded, desert morning. I snapped a picture and got back to riding. The roads were virtually empty; there were no ignorant day-trippers to slow me down. The road was mine. The silted-in low-water crossing, bends, and awesome scenery kept me happy. My thoughts drifted into a cyclist’s dream world. As I hammered the climb up the canyon wall, I dreamt of tifosi running behind me, cheering me through every switchback. Alas, after only an hour and a half it was time to get off the bike. I made my way to Albuquerque, got the key to my apartment, and unpacked.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
The view halfway up the lighthouse trail.
I like taking pictures of the flora. Here's my favorite from this trip.
Took this on the morning ride. Pretty big, huh?
The lazy rattler.
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