Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!!!!

It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to a close soon. It's been a year of good times on and off of the bikes. I don't necessarily talk about my personal life that much besides for the bike trips with and without my partner in life, my wife, Laura. My life revolves around my wife and my dogs.  I may not talk about it much but that is my life. I tend to get tunnel vision at times wanting to just bike and not involve Laura into my daily routines especially when our work schedules are opposite days at times with my work at the Sheriffs office. It's something to work on...................

I didn't race as much or either did I have the best results this year but I definitely enjoyed the times I suffered in my endurance events. This next year my biggest focus will be training for the Colorado Trail Race. It's both exciting and scary thinking about this race. I speak of it a lot right now and I think Laura will be happy once it comes and I complete it so I can talk about something else. LOL. I know quite a few individuals who have completed this race and they have set the bar very high. My goal will be under 6 days. Single Speeding it of course. I will be heavy into the bike packing trips dialing my gear setup.

Colorado Trail Race website: http://www.climbingdreams.net/ctr/


Besides the CTR I haven't thought of what other races/rides I will do. I'm skipping the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo for the first time in 9 years. This would have been my 10th trip. I've had some good results down there; 1st in four man SS team in 2004, along with a 2nd and 4th in solo SS class. Not too shabby.

I'll probably do the Mesa Verde 12 hour race again. It is practically in my back yard so I feel the obligation to race it promoting the Kokopelli Bike and Board Race Team. As well as some of the Colorado Endurance series this year. I'm hosting the Rico 100 again which will be held in September this next year with the Rico 100 being the Colorado Endurance Series championship. Cool. Maybe the Vapor Trail 125 again but that will be decided at the last minute depending on how I feel after the CTR. Other than that I will just pick and choose whatever sounds good at the time and three to four months before the CTR I will race in events that will be part of my CTR training plan. I'm sure the Kokopelli Trail Race will be involved in that plan as well.

Other than that its winter in Southwest Colorado with the Salsa Mukluk my main riding bike for the past month. Its a great training rig. Heavy and slow. Nothing fast about a fat bike.

Happy New Year..................and remember to pedal. Maybe some skiing but mostly just pedal.

Moab in December

I had some days off during the week so I headed to Moab before the upcoming storm rolled into the San Juans. Paul Adams joined in as well. We camped on Willow Springs Road at one of our usual spots.

I brought the Selma single speed but the fat bike won out for two days of riding. The first day we rode from camp over to HWY 313 to ride 7UP to Mag 7 trails. We decided to ride a loop out to Gemini Bridges road and back on the Sovereign ATV trail to our camp on Willow Springs Road. 36 miles.We saw some desert sheep as well on the way out of Gemini Bridges Road.

The second day we rode a loop I had ridden last month. We rode from camp and headed into Arches National Park. It was 7 miles in from camp and we took a left turn onto some sweet sandy 4x4 road heading toward the Marching Men of Klondike Bluffs that was 10 miles in length. We than headed up a knar climb that was literally straigh up and over to Salt Valley Road. After a short stint on Salt Valley Road we turned left to Baby Steps/Klondike Bluffs area. We humped it up the knarly climb and down to UFO. On our way to UFO we saw a trophy size buck. UFO is one of many new trails in the Klondike Bluffs area. After UFO we turned left onto Little Salty down to Dino and back to Copper Ridge Road. We took a left on a huge wash on Dalton Wells Road that led us back to Willow Springs Road and to camp. A great loop with lots of options to make it a longer ride. 37 miles for this ride.

Mag 7 trail head.

Paul's view from his back door of his camper.

Paul on Great Escape. 

Mag 7 trail head after 9 miles on 7 UP.

Bull Canyon.

Desert Sheep on Gemini Bridges Road.

Dino tracks on Willow Springs Road before the Arches Nat Park boundary.

Paul pointing to a sign.

Paul pointing to the upcoming sand climb.

Paul!!! Look sand!!!

Paul climbing on the slickeeee rock.

Sand!!!

Baby Steps climb out from Salt Valley Road.

Yep, sand.

One hell of a climb.

Paul pointing at another sign. Lots of signs out here.

Paul climbing up, up and more up.