Not exactly what I was going for.

So, with a big plan for next summer, I decided to head out and test my ability to ride long on consecutive days after bike camping. New bags arrived a while ago, and the message from the guy who makes them was a sign. At least I took it as a sign. I needed to go out and do a long ride. I convinced my friend Marc to come along, although he rarely needs convincing. We packed up our gear and set out from my house around 3:30 with 2 and a half hours of daylight and charged up lights to see how far we could get. We rode a mix of trail and road towards Stowe. After taking several wrong turns (all uphill) we found where we wanted to go and made it into Stowe's downtown where we decided to set up camp. We rode trails to the high school, and then hit the bike path hoping to make it to a secluded place to camp away from the main drag. Unfortunately, it was getting late and we ended up camping across the river from the bike path behind a stand of fir trees, hoping they keep us out of sight. We set up our tarp tents and got comfy, then made dinner. I chose cous cous, while Marc went for the Ramen. We crashed pretty hard after dinner, as the 4 hours we rode tooks us about 40 miles with 4000 ft of climbing. Sleep came pretty easy, although in the middle of the night a loud "pop" startled me awake. I immediately thought Marc had let his little campfire get to big and my fuel canister exploded. Thankfully, there was no fire, and Marc was sound asleep. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. Waking up in the morning was a bit tough, as sleep was fitful. We packed up, made oatmeal for breakfast and started to head out. Marc took off before me to visit a port-o-let on the bike path. That was when I noticed the large tear in my rear tire. I guess it wasn't a great idea to use my 4 year old tires for this journey. To make the morning even better, it started to rain. I had to ride to Marc who was about a mile up the bikepath. It was a slow, wet ride, punctuated by the lump of the valve stem every time my wheel rotated. I actually felt pretty good, but with no cash or cards, there was no chance of repair or finding a new tire. I caught up to Marc resting under a covered bridge, where we called anyone we thought would take pity on us and pick us up. My wife was out running, Marc's parents were out, but his brother came to our rescue. Not the best way to end a bikepacking trip, but I certainly learned a few lessons.

Rationalizing the irrational

I enjoy riding my bike. Up until 2005, I didn't really think about bike riding. Getting a job at a bike shop helped increase my interest in biking. Living one mile from an outdoor center that holds weekly races, has loads of sweet singletrack, and even a bike camp for kids increased my interest even more.

Then, I learned that I live smack dab in the middle of a mountain bike paradise. I still haven't ridden all the "local" trails, and I would rather ride than do most other things. I guess my point with all this is that biking has become a huge part of my life, and I really enjoy the experiences I have had, the people I have met, and the opportunities that await me because I ride my bike.

From racing at the foot of Mount Washington for 24 hours

To seemingly endless climbs out West, that lead to even longer downhills,

Biking makes me happy.

So I guess it isn't too crazy that I want to attempt the Colorado Trail race next summer. I have read numerous blogs, articles, and even talked to people who did it this year. All of this has helped me realize that I have no idea what I am getting myself into. 500 miles? HIGH altitude? 60,000 feet of climbing? What the hell am I thinking? I know that I am going to have to train, train some more, train a little bit more, and then train a lot more, but I think I can do it. I believe that I am going to have fun, and have an unforgettable experience.

But........I feel a bit selfish. So, I think that my ride should have some positive effect that transcends testing my self, because I may fail. Okay, it is a strong possibility that I will fail, but hey, at least I will have tried.

SO, the positive affect I am going for is sending kids to bike camp. For the past few summers I have worked at Catamount Outdoor Center as a camp counselor. Catamount Mountain Bike Academy (MBA) was started in the 90s by Eric Bowker. If you have ever met him, you know that he is a great guy, and that you will never forget his laugh for as long as you live. He has taught more kids how to mountain bike than Justin Bieber had fans, and he remembers a surprising majority of them. He makes sure that every camper gets to enjoy the nature preserve that his family has created at Catamount, a non profit organization with the mission "to promote family and community well being through activity and education in a natural environment"

So I want to help raise money to send less fortunate kids to camp. I set up a fundraising page, and have a goal of $1,000, which would send about ten kids to camp, and hopefully change their outlook on life, but at very least give them the opportunity to fall in love with the bike.

If you could, please check out my fundraising page, and help me send kids to camp!!!

What the future holds....

Yes, I do have a blog. I am sure this a surprise to many of you, and I am sure those of you who knew this already are just as surprised that I am writing. Summer is over, although there is still a lot left and it is night riding season! It was a good summer. Trips to Cali, Oregon and riding in beautiful Vermont in between.

All told, it was a great summer for riding, but not a great summer for racing. Lots of flats in Canada, no 24 hour race, and a puking fit 5 miles into the Vermont 50 made it hard to put a lot of importance on racing this year. In retrospect, not having a big race to plan for made racing an afterthought, while riding and having fun was definitely the main priority. Nevertheless, I was feeling a bit left out the weekend of Great Glen. I didn't sign up this year, and my family was having a "camping" reunion in Freedom, NH. I live approximately 155 miles (okay, not approximately) away from Freedom. I wanted to attend the reunion, but I also wanted to get in a bike ride. So, I packed up my camping gear into some dry bags, threw on my hydration pack, and set out to cross the twin states. Just to make things interesting, I wanted to take my mountain bike, and ride as much trail/dirt road as possible. To make things even more interesting, I decided to take my single speed. To make things even MORE interesting, I decide to let google maps decide my route, using the directions function and clicking the "bike" button. Great idea.

As you can see from the map above, there was no way to avoid copious amounts of pavement. However, I was able to stay mostly on dirt, class IV roads, and even some bike path through most of VT. On the way into NH it was mostly pavement and not a ton of fun. I ended up climbing over Kinsman Notch, which I had never visited before. It was breathtaking.

The descent was chilly, but it was good to be heading into civilization after 30 miles through WILDerness. Not much between Woodsville and Campton. At eight at night, light was failing and I started to look for a place to sleep. It was pretty dark, but I found a nice field with a river at the end and a great view of the wide open sky. Sleep came quickly, but the mosquitoes and made sure I didn't get too much rest. The tarp I brought kept me dry, but not bringing a sleeping bag or something bug proof was a mistake.

On the next day, I woke up to see that I had slept below a ridge with a line of houses on it. Oops. I hope they liked watching me change in the morning. I packed up and headed out to visit one of my teenage stomping grounds. I grew up in a small town, and we spent a lot of time in the National Forest to the North of town. Sandwich Notch road goes through the forest and is about 3 miles from my parents house. I rode through memory lane, taking several detours and visiting some landmarks.

I stopped at my parents for lunch and to visit with my father. I even helped him build a compost bin. Then I slept for an hour, packed up and headed out to Freedom. The ride was uneventful, mostly dirt and pavement. I met my sisters and brothers and all their kids at the campground, and hung out for the rest of the weekend. It was a great trip. It also helped me choose my race for next year.

The Colorado Trail Race.

It is going to be a long winter.