Canmore weather

It's actually coming down as snow flakes that are absolutely huge, this camera can't capture it. The flakes are big and flat, like little leaves.

Tour Divide, hardcore friends

Friends: a person attached to another by feelings of affection, personal regard.  Those who give assistance, supporters. 

Hardcore: unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated.  I’d throw in dauntless too. 

Craig and Tori.  Similar but different.  100% awesome.  I know you’re departing at different times, so this isn’t meant to come across as oblivious to that fact, nor “one size fits all” in addressing your departures. 

You two are bar none the two most impressive cyclists, err, adventurers, err people.  Period.  You repeatedly take challenges head on that dwarf even the dreams of others.  You define hardcore.  I’d go so far as to say the club members view it as an honour we wear the same red and white deadgoat jerseys to be honest.  You’re so firmly in the books of legend in Calgary (and beyond) that it’s just a straight up pleasure to witness and absorb some of the experiences vicariously.  Your fans are among those who perhaps ride close enough to even conceive the challenges you take on, to those who are oblivious yet still find it inspiring.  Your existence and creation of your own adventure is an ongoing gift to those around you.

Craig I wish you had a little parakeet on your shoulder to translate what goes through your mind and eyes to written word; failing that I can’t wait till the pub stories later this summer.  Your riding thus far this year has been fast – freakishly fast.  The deadgoat double header weekend at COP cemented that.  Your ABA students were lucky to have such an experienced yet accessible teacher!

Tori your written words are motivating to all who take the time to read them.  I recall again for the sake of this story the time I got on a bus chilly early morning bus at BC Bike Race, took a seat along with a 50 year old woman from the Caribbean whom I’d never met before, who revealed she entered the event last minute by an email request to the race organizer.  She wanted something outside her bounds for her notable birthday year, and was inspired that she really could do anything she put her mind to… inspired by this Canadian woman whose writing she found on the internet, whom she’d never met yet hoped to one day, who took on grander [bicycle] feats than most people allow themselves to.  I said I found her feats inspiring too, before she even described whom she was speaking of, because it was obvious... imagine that.  I’m not a believer in the big B sense of the word, but you’ve got to believe in something for occurrences such as that to be real.  Tori’s Tour Divide 2011 begins here, bottom up for reference.

You’ll have elated highs out there I expect, but also lows.  If telling your legs to “shut up legs” like Jens doesn’t yield the desired effect, please remember that there’s a lot of people wishing you well at each moment, a lot of deadgoats, Calgarians, bike friends, family and fans who’d put in a pull, pedal stroke, or hand on your back if they could have even kept up long enough to be of assistance.  Yes, you are alone out there in the vast American west.  But you’re never alone when you’ve cultivated such a network; just look at the coincidence above.

Good luck and I hope you take the adventure as far… well… as we know you two can. 

The Grand Tour of MTB
Banff, Alberta, Canada – Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA
One Stage: 2,745mi/4,418km
Self Supported Racing
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

“Decidedly not for sprinters, this battle royale braves mountain passes and windswept valleys of the Continental Divide from the hinterlands of the Canadian Rockies to badlands of the Mexican Plateau.”

I’ll append that this is approximately 1,000km longer than this year’s Tour de France, however it’s sans team cars, scheduled hotels, mechanical support, team chefs, massages and soigneurs. Just think about that for a second…

Free Breakfast!

Non car commuters get rewarded today at my office building. Our building is owned by BCIMC and they actually do a good job of encouraging "green-ness" without being too overzealous.

Kananaskiker Day 2 (Spray Lakes Road TT)

Not sure what to say about an uphill gravel road time trial. It hurts. You never really finish and say "I felt great". I felt like it was an honest result and I couldn't go faster on my own and simultaneously wasn't slowed down by anything other than that feeling induced on the body by uphill gravel road time trials.

Seemed like a lot of traffic when we went up. I caught my 30 second guy just past where the pavement ended and the gravel started. Got close to the minute man but couldn't catch him.

Kananaskiker Day 2 (Nordic Center TT)

First, thanks to the Bicycle Cafe for sourcing some long valves and getting my wheels done right. So easy, should have been like that to start.

We had a great dinner, slow pace at Luna Blue. Great pasta. Lounged in room. Just unwound.

Really nice morning today, and I was up first for the TT to accommodate a conference call. Rode a selection of the course from yesterday. I focused on getting up to speed then trying to ride the singletrack clean. Sort of powered out at the top of the first climb and wished breakfast was an hour earlier in me, but not so bad. Liked the "level" singletrack, then thought I could recover and get the heart rate down on the Coal Chutes before the Georgetown climb. Got to the bottom of the 'Chutes with very little heart rate drop; it's funny how super aggressive bouncy descending isn't actually "rest". Ok Georgetown climb then tried to keep power through the remaining singletrack. Ouch. Drew Simpson started 30 seconds behind me and definitely closed the gap a bit.

Kananaskiker Day 1

The photo is of a valve of insufficient length, and is currently the achilles heel of my very nice two wheeled toy.

Shawn and I had good sleep last night, great breakfast this morning. Nice weather, gray but warm enough. Nice start line vibe. I tried to air up my tires a bit at start as they were tiny bit soft, but no pump would grab the small valves I have that are wrongly installed. Guy helping me says "those valves are too short". Yes, I know, waiting for right ones.

Nice neutral start up to the hill, I fell into a logical position around 6th. Half a lap in on the singletrack once we were at highest elevation point, before any downhill, I had moved to 4th without burning matches. Note me advancing places on hills isn't a very normal event. Downhills were fun and easy - great course they set up.

Front was Graham Torre, then Shawn and Brian Cooke trading places, then Leighton Poidevin and I settled in and traded spots for a few laps. All smiles, and each time up Georgetown climb I'd open up time. So fun! First lap through stadium though Leighton and I lost 45 seconds with no marshall and no signs or arrows for a turn then yelled back to the guys who became oncoming toward us - they turned and it took us 5 minutes to get through the group again.

So then we get to the last lap, and since I started with tires a little low, and I was washing on corners. Leighton was gapping me on the singletrack, which is generally against my policy ; ) but I couldn't do corners and was riding gingerly not to bottom out. I thought I could make it to end of race, but then realized I'd have to air up.

You think a CO2 thing is going to grab those valves? Guess again. Frick. Front one get's a smidge of air in while wasting most. Rear just is a disaster, cracks the presta nipple off in the CO2 valve. I eject it from the inflator valve gizmo with some CO2, but can't get any more in the tire now. Tire is too soft to ride. So I force the valve into the rim to deflate it, pull wheel of bike, and use my tube. In the midst of this I go from 4th to DFL with guys zipping by. Such is life, but let's just say I wasn't the happiest at that point. With Brian Cooke ahead, and Leighton and I just waiting for a final hill sprint hoping to go the way all the other hills have gone thus far (Leighton even made this comment himself at the finish, which should temper me sounding too dumb/offside for saying this), I was just so excited to be on the verge of what was going to be a good ABA result (for me, the ageing desk jockey). Argh.

Graham Torre won, Shawn 2nd, Brian Cooke 3rd, Leighton 4th.

Gotta figure out what to do tomorrow; I've begged Andy Holmwood for first TT start and Last TT start so I can fit a work conference call in the middle.

New Bike

I like building bikes.  I have lots of extra parts, and bought a few.  Craig donated a frame to someone who really will enjoy it on our Ride to Conquer Cancer ride in 3 weeks.  Right now it has a mountain bike tire on the front, but this weekend it’ll have two 1.5” road type tires on it, after which it’ll go back to a mountain bike for general fun and commuting.

I’d say this would pass as a race bike (ie. Brian Robinson passed me this weekend on the same frame, similarly equipped).  It’s nice!

Thanks Craig.  Valerie – enjoy!