Digging Carrots in February

Each year we leave some carrots in the ground. Not only do they "stay good", they mature, starches turning to sugars long after the frosts give way to snow and sub-zero temps chill. Then one day in mid-February, we'll get to hankerin' for some carrots and get busy digging beneath the blanket of snow down into the moist soil, loamy and unfrozen. (Psst... carrots make bikes see better.)

Riding the Ice

The ice, she's an unforgiving mistress.
Click here for today's Elm Brook State Park ride. 3 minutes.

Video Fix - Bavarian Cowpath Extravaganza

Somehow bringing my stuff(kit, helmet, shoes, pedals, tools, tube etc.) leads to hitting the trails and breaking up otherwise end to end days of work. It's a welcome event and this past weekend Georg picked me up at the hotel in Munich and we ventured south to the Alpen lands of Leggries, taking in a gravel road ascent and cow-path descent up out of and back down into the clouds. That was one good beer consumed listening to some old gents singing traditional tunes while overlooking a sea of white with Austria jutting upward beyond. This bit of vid should give you some of the malty flavor. What a day.

ECCC Collegiate Racing

Catamount Family Center Oct 2
For the past several weeks, the local collegiate MTB racing scene been rockin'. These kids, ahem , young adults, fly in both XC and gravity events split between Saturday and Sunday with XC and Dual Slalom or 4 Cross the first day, and STXC and DH on Sundays.
I've be travelling with the UNH team as "coach" and it's been wicked good, ayup.
Exhibit A(Catamount Family Center Oct 2):
Exhibit A implies there is an Exhibit B(Catamount Oct 2):

Mount W and Tinker

Moments before winning, Nico Toutenhoofd grinds up 22 degrees of pain.




That's Peter Ostrowski getting career advice from Tinker Juarez, atop Mt Washington moments after Tinker placed 2nd in 58:08. Thanks to Tom Barton's invitation earlier in the week, Tom and I spent the weekend transporting, breaking bread, and sharing the glow with a guy whose prolific results still has him a professional at 49. Tinker was a graciously approachable, chatting it up with none other than this 10 year old lad - Jonah Thompson from Albequerque, NM. The kid rode a full size frame with 150mm cranks and a rolled up the big one in only 1:28.(!)

Equally impressive was Andy Chambers' ride, a 1:02 good for thirteenth overall. I've got to post Andy's and Tinker's shots here with appropriate signage backdrop reading "OLD POWER HOUSE."
A good day on Mt W.

Running the Great Wall

The Great Wall at Mitianyu- a notch in some of the super steeps of the Wall.

Tower 23.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the past 11 days spent on supplier visits and 2 day's as tourist in the PRC(People's Republic of China) and Hong Kong. My god it was hot(90-105 degrees) and smoggy. NH is truly Disneyland in every pleasant respect.
We had to run downhill on the Great Wall to make our ride back to Beijing.
What a blast of economic prosperity, construction, and crush of people! Saw a few fantastic sights: Beijing's Olympic Village and The Forbidden City and people people people...

The Forbidden City
And of course there was the bike, not just any bike but a rear suspension rocker!

GET DIRTY

If you havent' seen the new MTB anthem, have at it.