Not that kind of exposure… as much of a glory whore as I am I could care less about whether you know how rad I am or am not.
I love tall scary things. I feel like I wasted the last few years of my life in suburbia riding road bikes and being safe-ish. Racing local things and "shredding" front range trails. Waving as the past significant other passes me on her way to yoga as I finish riding at 8am with 45 year old men.
Let's run the metrics real quick. I have put less than 500 miles on my road bike this year, an equal amount of time on my mountain bike and worn out one rope. #America.
I literally forget how much I love climbing until I get my lead head about me on the sharp end. I can still climb a 5.9 all day long if I have a friend in town and they want to go climb but I'm not comfortable doing it. I just know that it's my baseline. Hanging off 2 fingers way up in the air and being comfortable enough to look around and say, "Yes, this is my life and I am happy," is a different monster. And being in that zone is sweeter than anything in the world.
MOAB teaches me that on a bike every damn year I visit there. I linked together the sweetest turns I have ever put together on the Whole Enchilada this year. Things I never would have turned my brain onto were automatic for some reason that morning. It might have been the beer at the halfway point. Going fast enough on a mountain bike to get tunnel vision and literally only hear your heartbeat and see what is in your immediate line is a special feeling. Couple it with a wicked trail and actually commit to the drops and you turn into a rockstar real fast in your own head.
Anyways, cheers to exposure. Big lines, overhangs and being scared.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
It's Not About The Bike
Admitted. I am a bike snob.
Always have been and always will be, that doesn't mean that many of my fellow compatriots that don't buy a new bike every year aren't way faster than me.
Recently I sold my S-Works Tarmac. That 14lb wonder bike that made me giddy about having the Ferrari of machines. I sold it to "get back to my roots" and bought an Allez Expert Ultegra Bike. And by "get back to my roots" I really mean "pay rent for 3 months while I ride a bike 1 pound heavier. I sincerely miss my Tour De France winning machine, I am not slower on Strava because of it though. Apparently my muscles can't tell the difference between a ridiculously expensive plastic bike and an every man aluminum one. Both cool bikes I guess. And I live free for 3 months.
Joel Dyke posted this today and it made me happy. This was a photo of one of my first Dirty Kanza attempts (#2 I guess) but this was the best bike I have ever owned. Hands down. That's a Tricross Expert Aluminum frame with Ultegra 9 speed and Mavic open Pro rims laced to ultra hubs. Yes i owned my dream bike at 19 and yes it was amazing. I literally owned 2 road bikes at the same time I owned this and refused to ride anything else ever. I sold this machine for $750 and regret every second of it. 3 water bottle cage bosses, my fit, beautiful hand built wheels and more miles with my best friends than anyone can understand.
Moral of the story: Don't sell your friends. I regret selling my Tricross and X-Cal, sometimes you have to dance with the one who brought you. Wish I still had them around.
So cheers to lost loves.
Always have been and always will be, that doesn't mean that many of my fellow compatriots that don't buy a new bike every year aren't way faster than me.
Recently I sold my S-Works Tarmac. That 14lb wonder bike that made me giddy about having the Ferrari of machines. I sold it to "get back to my roots" and bought an Allez Expert Ultegra Bike. And by "get back to my roots" I really mean "pay rent for 3 months while I ride a bike 1 pound heavier. I sincerely miss my Tour De France winning machine, I am not slower on Strava because of it though. Apparently my muscles can't tell the difference between a ridiculously expensive plastic bike and an every man aluminum one. Both cool bikes I guess. And I live free for 3 months.
Joel Dyke posted this today and it made me happy. This was a photo of one of my first Dirty Kanza attempts (#2 I guess) but this was the best bike I have ever owned. Hands down. That's a Tricross Expert Aluminum frame with Ultegra 9 speed and Mavic open Pro rims laced to ultra hubs. Yes i owned my dream bike at 19 and yes it was amazing. I literally owned 2 road bikes at the same time I owned this and refused to ride anything else ever. I sold this machine for $750 and regret every second of it. 3 water bottle cage bosses, my fit, beautiful hand built wheels and more miles with my best friends than anyone can understand.
Moral of the story: Don't sell your friends. I regret selling my Tricross and X-Cal, sometimes you have to dance with the one who brought you. Wish I still had them around.
So cheers to lost loves.
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