Yes, you can

Riding a dirt trail on my carbon fiber road bike. You can do it, you just gotta be a little stupid.

Just a little breezy

Top of the hill

it's all downhill from here - except for the uphill parts ;)

Getting dressed up

We went to a friend's wedding today.

Hope

Distinguished guests make an appearance

I hear they came from far, far away...

New fitness room at work

I am sure this will come in handy this winter.

Lunch ride

it's difficult riding in a place so ugly, but I'll persevere for the sake of improving my fitness to ride with my friends.

Beautiful riding

Cherryvale Road in Boulder.

This wind blows

Freedom

I was six years old when I started riding motorcycles. I had a little Honda 50cc dirt bike on which I spent hours riding every summer day on our farm. Within a couple of years I graduated from a fat-tired mini-bike to a real "dirt bike" - A Yamaha MX75 and again I spent hours and hours riding that bike.

On and on the progression went, from 75cc to 125cc to 175cc dirt bike. Each one bigger and faster and more powerful. I never rode competitively although I very much wanted to and I had "motocross tracks" laid out in various areas of the farm as well as ensilage pits I would ride through to provide huge ramps for jumping.

Freedom, for me, is a motorcycle. No responsibilities, no plans or schedules. Just jump on the bike and ride.

One of the things I promised Tiff was that I would take her for a ride on her visit. My friend PKQ has a Honda Shadow 1100 that doesn't get much use and PKQ considers it a favor if I take it out every once in a while and give it a workout.

On Monday we both needed a day off the bicycles and the weather was warm and beautiful so Tiff suggested we take the motorcycle out. We rode to Boulder and then up into the hills, exploring roads we'd ridden on the bicycles or driven in the car. The plan was to wind up in Jamestown and have a snack at the cafe but they were closed in the early afternoon so we wandered around a little park next to a stream and watched the bicyclists fill up their water bottles from the water jugs the cafe puts out front.

Jamestown is just a little hippie community up in the hills. Total population probably less than 100. It is a very common sight to see houses with rather interesting paint schemes.

Later, running errands, Tiff wouldn't be caught dead with "helmet-hair" so she employed her new Coolmax Performance Bicycles hat to remedy the problem. Wish I looked that good in a hat :).

Bike packing tonight

Needed some zip ties...

Climbing day

Repeats up Left-Hand Canyon to Jamestown.

Brevet Day

I knew the BlueEyedBikinBabe had arrived as soon as I saw this the feet on my dashboard. The socks say it all:

Friday night we were up way too late checking and double-checking equipment and supplies. Tiff was going to ride her first brevet: a 200 kilometer, self-supported ride that is non-competitive however riders must make checkpoints within specified times. At our farthest point we would be almost 2 hours away from help and with no cell phone coverage. Preparations had to be right the first time. As often happens when BBB and I get together, things started getting a little goofy :).

The day started early and cold - about 26 degrees, way colder than I thought it would be. I miscalculated drive time so we arrived much earlier than we needed to however that gave us time to revise clothing choices make sure the bikes and equipment were right.

We started rolling at 8 a.m. with the group and let the jackrabbits go off the front. We knew to set a moderate pace and I know the course very well so there were no problems with getting lost. At one point we met Charly Henderson, President of Rocky Mountain Cycling Club and chatted for a few minutes.

We both rode very strong although I had no speed at all. This is a sight got used to during the day - Tiff out in front and pulling away from me. We made it to the first killer climbs around Horsetooth Reservoir and, as expected, Tiff pulled around me and took off every time. I just yelled "Wait for me at the top!" and kept grinding away.

We had a brief lunch at the first checkpoint, checked clothes and bottles then headed off for the next set of climbs up Poudre Canyon. I encouraged Tiff to break the ride down by checkpoint - each one was just a 30 mile training ride. That seemed to help a bit but I could tell she was nervous.

We got to the Stove Prairie turnoff and the real fun began. I mis-remembered how far it was to the first relative peak and got called names I can't repeat in polite company. For myself, I was pleased with my progress. I have a landmark tree I always remember, and this year I was moving faster than last year by that point.

At the checkpoint it was bitter cold. We put on clothes as fast as we could and started down. I proud of Tiff - she had been terrified of the descent but she rode it like a pro! The wind was whipping us around as we wound our way through the canyon amid 12% grades.

Finally back to the flatlands and checkpoint three where we had a snack, refilled bottles and got moving again. We had one last five mile long section of rolling hills that brought out the evil in both of us. I was hating the ride and Tiff was anti-social.

We got to the finish, got the cards signed, packed the bikes and headed to Applebee's for a post-ride feast.

I am so proud of Tiff for this accomplishment. It is a very difficult ride and her longest ride to date. The fact that she came to altitude less than three full months into her training and with only a couple of metric centuries under her belt for long rides shows an incredible strength of will and character that I admire deeply.

Shake-down Cruise

BlueEyedbikinbabe and I took out the new toy for a little test spin. The verdict?

"I love my new bike! I love my new bike! I love my new bike!"

On top of Flagstaff

Hey! There's a bike in there!

Check the new toy!

Bike Packing 101

"Anal retentive bike packing" or "How to insure your bike survives Northwest Airlines."

The Tiff has landed

Tiff is gonna kill me

She is coming a week of "sunny" biking :)