Kookoo for Kokopellis

This Thanksgiving, Doug Johnson and I spent the long weekend camping and riding the cornucopia of singletrack that the high desert of Fruita has to offer. This was certainly a test of my hardiness and desire to become a better cyclist….oh, and a whole lotta fun too.



We arrived in Fruita on Wednesday night and butted our way into a table (waited patiently) at Hot Tomato Pizza to enjoy some….pizza. YUM! After filling up, we headed off into the darkness of Rabbit Valley to find a suitable spot to camp for the next couple nights. With a little team work and plenty of heckling about my “sleeping bag,” camp got set up …the stars were admired briefly and then it was time for bed.




Thanksgiving day was spent riding at Loma. Basically that place is full of amazing views on top of sweet singletrack that gave me the willies cause I’m still afraid of big rocks and falling off of cliffs….oh, and watch out for the Juniper trees- they’ll get you too. Post-ride, Doug & I enjoyed an epic Thanksgiving feast of sweet potato stew (recipe can be found @ pedals not pistons) & took a stroll around “camp” while I went googoogaga for the sunset that unfolded in the sky.




We spent Black Friday not Christmas shopping, but rather riding from camp on the Kokopelli trail out to the Western Rim for some more amazing views of the Colorado River. After all that, we packed up…hit town so I could enjoy a HOT pumpkin pie latte & Doug an americano and re-stock our water supply. The Bookcliffs & 18 road would be our next destination….funny, how a porta-potty, picnic table and a couple other mtb hungry campers can make things feel less primitive.




The rest of the weekend we zippety do-da’d our way up and down chutes & ladders, mastered one-pan breakfast burritos & staying warm in the desert in late November…and I personally worked on laying off my brakes and not being a giant crybaby. Next year, you should spend Thanksgiving in Fruita too….hmmm.



Thanks for staying on the Bandwagon through the "off-season!"

Sincerely,
a very THANK-full Thumper

High School Series Wrap Up

Now that the Colorado High School racing season is over I thought I might share some reflections about the series. I heard about the high school cycling league last year while I was in eighth grade. The idea of participating in a race where everyone else there was around the same age as me sounded pretty cool, but I wanted to race on a team and my high school wouldn't be able to have one this year. When my dad and I searched for teams in the area, the only team that we could really find was the Cheyenne Mountain High School team. We contacted them and they said that I could come ride with them and see how I liked it. I first rode with them toward the end of the school year and I thought all the people on the team were pretty cool. Toward the end of the summer I was informed that their team would be a composite team, so I could race for them even though I didn't go to Cheyenne Mountain. When the time of the first race rolled around I had no idea how well I would do. I expected to do pretty well, but again, I had no idea how I would do. This is how the series panned out.

Race 1: First, let's just say that lining up at this race was actually difficult. You had to wait 200 feet away from the staging area until exactly the right time before you could line up. Being the law-abiding citizen that I am, I followed these rules. Unfortunately, this earned me a spot in the fifth line from the front. When the race started, I managed to catch up to five other guys in the front. At the first steep little hill, four of them got off their bikes. The other guy pulled up front while I maneuvered around people jumping off their bikes. When we reached the top of the hill, he already had a decent gap on me and he disappeared around the next corner. I almost caught up to him while he was going through some traffic of previous races, but unfortunately I had to deal with the same traffic. Most of the people were cool with letting me pass, but I got stuck behind one guy (in a different division) who moved to whatever side I said was going to pass on. I ended up hitting my head on a tree when trying to pass him, but it really didn't mess me up at all. In the end, I finished with a stellar second place. It turns out the guy that won (Henry) was riding in his first race ever! Nice job!

The three of us behind the leader - Henry Chapman leading me and Jackson Shanley up the first climb at Nathrop

Race 2: This race started out a lot better for me because the top ten riders overall get called up to the first couple lines. Starting in the front row made a huge difference for me. I went out really hard at the start of the race and even held the lead for a little while. Henry passed me as soon as we reached the double track and he was out of sight really quickly. On the second lap my chain fell into the small front chain ring, which was not very desirable on that flat course. At that point I was racing to stay in second anyway, but the chain still kind of annoyed me. I finished second again and I was still really happy with how I did, but maybe it would be cool to win the next race.

Taking the hole shot on the start at Snow Mountain Ranch

Race 3: I really liked the course for this race. I wasn't exactly sure why but it was a lot of fun. This race started similarly to the previous race, with me leading out and Henry passing me before we got too far into the race. There was one section on the course which was entirely exposed and very windy. It was very hard for me to ride because whenever I got there, there was nobody in sight to draft behind. At the end of the first lap, I dropped my chain and spent about 15-30 seconds fixing it. When I started riding again I began to cramp up, but thankfully that stopped fairly quickly. About halfway through the last lap, I shifted going into a turn and what happens? My chain falls off, of course. I spent more time fixing this and I was in third when I got back on my bike. I quickly got back into second and at the very end of the race…. My chain falls off! I ran my bike across the finish line for second place, which I was very grateful for considering the circumstances. Time to buy a chain guide!

Running across the finish at Peaceful Valley (photo Carrie Dittmer)

Race 4: Note to self: Eat a large breakfast on race day (even if you're not very hungry). I learned this the hard way. I expected this race to go very well for me because of the large amount of climbing. It started normally, with me leading everybody up the first hill. Toward the beginning of the race Henry and I already had a gap on everybody else and I tried to drop him when we got to a pavement section. While trying to do this, he passed me like I was standing still. At the top of the next hill, despite my fancy new chain guide, I dropped my Chain! I got passed by Brannan and spent the rest of that lap catching back up to him. Toward the end of the second lap I had a solid 30 second gap on Brannan, but then the inevitable happened. I suddenly got hypoglycemia and pretty much lost my ability to think and pedal (but I didn't drop my chain!). I was passed by three people in the last mile and I rolled in for a fifth place finish. When Jackson passed me he offered to let me draft off of him for the rest of the race, but I couldn't keep up with him anyway. It turns out Henry almost passed the guy who won the race that started 5 minutes ahead of ours. Thanks to the medics for helping me be able to function again after the race.

Finally catching Brennan's wheel after dropping my chain

Henry putting us in the bag

I ended up getting second overall in the series, which is pretty good because of how fast Henry is. Overall, I thought these races were a lot of fun and I will definitely do them again next year.
Brrraaaaaaaap!

Podium for the overall: 1st-Henry Chapman, 2nd-Me, 3rd-Jackson Shanley, 4th-Brannan Fix, 5th Joel Sawyer

2011 Pixie repack

You have been waiting patiently all year, and for that good behavior I reward you with some death defying moments from the 2011 PIXIE REPACK!

It has been said many many times before by our esteemed leader and all around big toe, " the Rope" ,that pixie racing is inherently stupid and completely dangerous, well it will become completely obvious here.

Bandwagon Bike rack

Welcome to the wonderful world of rusty metal.

Latest Bike rack creation.

Typical DJ but this time his nose is the swollen member.

Cargo Bikes are not just for dead bodies

I used to think there was two kinds of friends. The ones that will help you move and those that will help you move bodies. But wait for it, there is also the green kind. The friend that will help you move bodies by bike. Hence the cargo bike.





I decided that I needed a cargo bike.

I know ,I know how does one decided that they need a "cargo bike". Most people can do just fine with a back pack and a townie. I wanted a bike that I could just dump body parts and what not in the back and go.There are a few pre made offerings out there like extracycle,yuba and surly big dummy none of which was what I was looking for,CHEAP. I found a nice steel frame and dug up some old parts that I had laying around. The rest was either donated or purchased at the velo swap. I think I have about $65 bucks in the whole project. I have about 200 miles on the rig now and a new found affection for running errands.~ The Navigator~

More green drinks

"Bandwagon is going to be providing appetizers for the Green Cities Coalition shindig at Angletech next Thursday....and by Bandwagon; I mean you....and you'll be serving them in a bikini and delivering them by bicycle!"

This past Thursday evening, Bandwagon Racing proposed a challenge to the Green Drinks happy hour attendees (a buncha green-minded networking-happy folks). The challenge would be that if at least 10% arrived via bicycle, public transportation or some other mode of sustainable transport, that we would provide tasty treats for these folks to snack on. Giving this green group the benefit of the doubt, we (meaning I...Stephanie Jones, newly appointed head of PR for Bandwagon and team member) began brainstorming what the menu would be for the evening. The food would have to be delicious, not require heating & be easily transportable. I settled on a hummus crudites platter, rice paper summer rolls, a pesto/tomato tart and a roasted butternut squash, caramelized onion & goat cheese tart.



My weapons of choice for spending the day in the kitchen....

So the food got done just in the nick of time with only one minor snafu...I forgot to get lemons for the hummus...yikes! Thankfully, Bandwagon boss Doug Johnson saved the day and made some lemons magically appear. He also made himself magically appear to assist in packing up the food to be transported to Angletech.




Turns out I would be relieved of transporting the food myself....Doug would be the mule. The ride was brisk but relaxing and the food arrived without incident.




As luck would have it, I would be relieved of bikini-clad serving duties as well. We didn't do a final head-count but it appeared as though approximately 10% of the attendees upheld their end of the bargain and rode their bikes in. Also, judging by the amount of food that was left - they enjoyed their tasty treats. From the rumors coming in through the grapevine (pun intended? HEHE), it sounds like the wine & beer that was donated by others were enjoyed as well. So while it's still chilly outside, partaking in this event leaves me feeling welcome to the Bandwagon family and warm & fuzzy on the inside.

I foresee some Halloween shenanigans & cyclocross racing on the Bandwagon horizon.....stay tuned & keep it green.

-Stephanie

CTR 2011

I'm simultaneously a little elated and a little down this week. The 2011 CTR is over for me after finishing on Saturday night with a time of 5 days, 15 hours, and that means two things: That one of the major goals I had for the year ended in success, and that one of the major things I thought about for the past 52 weeks is no longer needing any attention, leaving a minor hole in my psyche and a "what now?" feeling. Hence the dueling emotions.

What's more, I'm not even able to really remember the CTR all that well. It's quite like an intensely vivid dream that you just had, but upon waking you can only vaguely recall the feelings it gave you, not necessarily the specifics. I guess while out there I was simply in a completely different mindset than normal, and now that I'm back to home, work, normal life, the space that mindset occupied is somewhat occluded, hidden behind a semi-opaque curtain of normal brain activity and day-to-day routine. In any case, I don't have any major detailed stories to relate, in print anyway, and I took no photos. I'll share a few general observations, some highs and lows, and re-post some photos that friends took along the way.

General observations: I knew going in, intellectually at least, that the CTR was going to be a mental test more than anything. I had ridden some 12-hour rides this year, and a couple overnight trips, but nothing physically I did came anywhere close to six 18-hour days in a row. My legs and lungs weren't what I had to push through, however - it was my own mind. I wanted to quit at least once a day; I felt uncomfortable and unsure often; several times I denounced the whole endeavor as quite silly. It got to the point where I began visualizing my will as a stretchy rubber membrane, and a couple times I genuinely began visualizing that membrane finally giving in and snapping. The CTR, for me, was 95% mental. It should be said that I felt very well prepared physically and gear-wise beforehand, and that if those two things hadn't been in place, the mental battle never would have had occasion to take place. The CTR is the first "race" I've ever done in which I didn't care how well I was doing, position-wise - I simply wanted to finish, and finish I did. My favorite part about the whole thing was meeting some wonderful new people. It's amazing how something like the CTR can take away all the superficial social layers we normally approach people with and allows you to bond very quickly with like-minded individuals. John Ross from the UK and Aaron Weinsheimer (?) from Salida stand out as exceptional people I met.

Highs: In no particular order... The twilight-hour double rainbow over the Angel of Shavano area that Aaron and I caught sight of once breaking into a meadow after roosting down aspen-lined hero-dirt trails; riding solo for five+ hours in pouring rain and darkness after Leadville; blasting down from Kokomo Pass just ahead of a big storm cell; coming through uninhabited woods for hours at night only to hear someone, somewhere, blasting Bob Dylan at midnight ("like a rolling stone"); eating hot dogs in a bar (I hate hot dogs); making it to Silverton at 8:35pm after absolutely destroying myself for two hours at 12K with no food, just to get to the Silverton grocery stores before 9:00pm closing time; finishing at Junction Creek with Sandhya, Adam, Mel, and others there to greet us.

Lows: Realizing that the Silverton grocery stores actually closed at 8:00pm, making me 35 minutes late instead of 25 early, and leaving me with almost no food options (hence the hot dogs in the bar); getting spooked half to death by a herd of cattle in the middle of the night in the woods, not realizing at first what they were as my headlamp simply picked out a dozen very large pairs of reflective eyes staring at me; ordering breakfast burritos at a little Leadville bakery only to discover that they were of the commercial frozen variety, unlike all the delicacies in the bakery case; awaking the morning after the all-night rain ride to find my crankset wouldn't spin due to waterborne sand that had permeated my drivetrain; the point during every day at which I simply thought the CTR was the dumbest thing ever invented; Sargent's Mesa; and the time I was walking through a giant herd of cattle only to look up and see the largest bull I'd ever seen staring me down from 20 feet distant (I kept waiting, comically, for the Ferdinand the Bull hoof-scratch, pre-charge); learning that Zach Guy, the guy who finished third, took major advantage of the post-office-drop-rule and effectively cheated (same as last year, but even more flagrant - I guess even with no prize, some people just can't help themselves).

Interesting stuff: The lightning strike at 13K that hit within 100 feet of our current riding party; Mark, the lives-in-his-van guy who happened to walk up and offer me a box of granola bars as I was laying on the ground, about to drop out due to lack of food (real trail magic!); the giant bear that I just knew we'd see on the final descent into Durango, thereby quite confusing my British riding companion by whistling at every brushy section, only to not see any bear... but then, upon talking to Cat Morrison, who finished 15 minutes ahead of us, learning that SHE had flushed the largest black bear she'd ever seen on the final descent (we got so lucky, and I was vindicated in John's eyes).

A few photos by Chris Miller (I may add more later, as John Ross took a bunch):

Cataract Ridge in the afternoon golden hour

All this riding makes for a sleepy Aaron. He'd been sitting down for about 10 seconds.

A storm cell that eventually chased us off the ridge for a bit.

Some techy rock climbing by yours truly in order to make the summit of a ridge.

30 miles of this will almost make you cry... and it will make you walk. Sargents Mesa.

Taking a break at the top of Georgia Pass... I wasn't with this group at the time.