Pump tracks are all the rage in The Exit. There is one public track and 4 or 5 private tracks. The tracks are fun; a great core and cardio workout - seriously, I know it doesn't look like it because you don't really pedal much but your heart rate tops out quickly; a safe way to learn advanced skills (sort of); and 4 year olds and their parents can ride at the same place at the same time. I was really intimidated by these things at first but then my buddy Brendan spent about an hour with me at the town track a few weeks ago breaking it down step by step...how to get my whole body into it, look down the track, commit to and rail corners. Centrifugal force is your friend. It's the closest thing I've seen to perpetual motion. Here's a little video from the Pump Farm track.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tour Divide
The Tour Divide race covers 2700 miles of dirt roads, byways, old rail beds, and trails from Canada to Mexico. Racers travel solo, border to border, at their own pace over the course of about 3 weeks; they carry everything they need, sleep in the open, under bridges and in doorways, and resupply in the small towns along the way. Salida is the last major stop and last bike shop on the route before riders hit the New Mexico desert. This brings them through the shop for service, parts, and a lot of Clif Bars. We saw the race leaders trickle through on Tuesday.
Scot helping Matt Lee with a freewheel overhaul, shifting setup, and brake bleed...all in about 45 minutes. Matt came in about 7 hours ahead of the other riders. I'm learning that the longer the race, the mellower the racer. All these guys are kind, personable, and unpretentious.
Matt's bike with 3 weeks of camping gear and some food weighing in at 31 pounds. That's not much more than the bike you're riding this weekend!
Here is Blaine Nester getting ready to head out after some shifting work and a massive meal at the cafe next door. Again, calm, calculated, unhurried.
Erik Lobeck's Moots YBB loaded and waiting. He had some major drivetrain issues in Montana that sidelined him for 36 hours. I can't imagine what that would do to a person mentally. Even so, the guy has made up ground and is back in the running. Note that the three leaders in the race are all on Cannondale Lefty forks. Lefty domination!
Follow their progress here: www.tourdivide.org/leaderboard
Scot helping Matt Lee with a freewheel overhaul, shifting setup, and brake bleed...all in about 45 minutes. Matt came in about 7 hours ahead of the other riders. I'm learning that the longer the race, the mellower the racer. All these guys are kind, personable, and unpretentious.
Matt's bike with 3 weeks of camping gear and some food weighing in at 31 pounds. That's not much more than the bike you're riding this weekend!
Here is Blaine Nester getting ready to head out after some shifting work and a massive meal at the cafe next door. Again, calm, calculated, unhurried.
Erik Lobeck's Moots YBB loaded and waiting. He had some major drivetrain issues in Montana that sidelined him for 36 hours. I can't imagine what that would do to a person mentally. Even so, the guy has made up ground and is back in the running. Note that the three leaders in the race are all on Cannondale Lefty forks. Lefty domination!
Follow their progress here: www.tourdivide.org/leaderboard
FIBark Boater X
Nick and I headed up to Pine Creek north of BV to check out the FIBark Boater X. The paddlers race through class V holes in sets of 3 or 4; pine creek has about 7 massive, powerful holes and a nice rock garden. The action was amazing and really fun to watch. One particular hole kept swallowing people. The video shows a guy get surfed, enveloped, and spit out. FIBark was fun to experience and I'm glad that it happened...but I was also glad when it was over as the festival headquarters was literally across the street from my apartment raging until 2:00am for three nights.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
