flurries

Forecast flurries have evolved into 1-3 inches of snow. If I had my new bike and the weekend off, I would be bummin'. I guess I could put some studded fatties on the Surly and go off road, but, contrary to all the evidence, I'm not crazy. (when you tell my friend's 2 year old granddaughter that she's crazy, she says " I'm not crazy anymore!"
Instead, I'll keep checking the Copper Triangle site to see if they've updated their list of registrants, visiting mybicycleroutes.com to re-read the BTC summary, and see if he's posted a summary of CRMBT'09, and trying to figure out how many layers it takes to stay warm when you camp at 10,000 feet in June. Maybe I'll pull out American Flyers and live vicariously through Kevin Costner.

march?

February is going out on a cold note. It's in the 30s all weekend, but the forecast is for 60s and 70s by next weekend, which I have off! Woohoo! It's kind of fun to layer up and ride early in the spring or late in the fall, but my favorite rides are when it's hot. The sun on my arms, breeze in my face, and my halo headband keeping the sweat out of my eyes. Early in the riding season my rides are usually limited to 10-20 miles. Partly due to time/daylight considerations, but mostly because I don't enjoy it as much as when it's warmer. I'm counting on a mild Kansas spring and daylight savings time to give me more rideable time.

february

Kansas weather is unpredictable. We're expecting flurries this weekend, but today was near 70. I was able to get 25 miles in before golfing with buddies. With 2 tours in Colorado planned for the summer, this flatlander needs to ride as much as I can to get ready. Losing the 20lbs. I gained since last summer would help too. I eat better when I get to get outside and get on my bike. Ride, ride, ride, let it ride!

inspiration

These guys make me want to ride:
-Lance. When he stood up to push it, and turned around to see if anyone was coming with him. He gave Jan Ullrich "the look". That was awesome!
-Floyd Landis. He was robbed.
-Tyler Hamilton. Break your collarbone, keep riding.
-Levi Leipheimer. 3 Tours of California in a row.
-Jim. My brother rides all the time, or thinks about riding, or builds a bike to ride.
-Nick. My nephew knows so much about bikes he makes me feel like I have a bicycle learning disability. Short bike?
-Bruce. My brother-in-law got bitten by the cycling bug, didn't treat it, fed it. If we had the time/resources he would be ready to ride anywhere, anytime.
-Pat. My high school buddy and I reconnected when we discovered we'd both gotten into cycling. He's done some crazy stuff: Furnace Creek 508, Tour of the California Alps-Death Ride, and the Solvang Double Century.

adventures

My brother-in-law and I did the Tour de Kota last June and the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bicycle Tour in August. The CRMBT was hard, but incredible, and incredibly satisfying. Our plan was to do it again this year. We were also going to do a tour in June, leaning against TdK, looking into Bike Across Kansas (BAK) or Border Raiders. The plan was for my sister to come to KS too and she and my wife could spend the week together while we rode. Bruce decided that this year wasn't going to work for a KS tour, so I had to decide if I would go back to SD or ride solo in KS. The more I looked at the local tours, the more impatient I became to return to CO. I looked into Ride-the-Rockies, but that covers the same route we rode last year, in reverse. The Bicycle Tour of Colorado, however offered some exciting challenges, including Colorado National Monument, Cottonwood Pass, and Independence Pass. So, I'm registered for 2 week-long tours in Colorado, and looking for ways to tweak these trips to make them truly excellent adventures.

http://www.mybicycleroutes.com/
http://www.crmbt.com/
http://www.bicycletourcolorado.com/

bikes

I hadn't owned a bike for 20+ years when I got the bug about 10 years ago. My first purchase was a Trek 7200 hybrid. You know how "they" say you "need" 1 more bike than you own? Well, a year later I added a Trek hardtail mountain bike. Three years ago I bought a Surly Crosscheck cyclocross bike. No, I'm not insane. I put road tires on it and have had a sturdy, reliable touring bike with a Brooks leather saddle. It's been good enough to get me around a South Dakota week-long tour, and a tour through the mountains of Colorado, including Independence Pass. Well, I've convinced my wife that I need one more bike to do the rides I have planned for this summer, and ordered my Trek Project One Madone 5.2 last Saturday. I should be able to pick it up next week. I can hardly wait to get it on the road, and I definitely need to train for what's in store for me. More on my planned adventures later.

road

you can say the sun is shining if you really want to
i can see the moon and it seems so clear
you can take the road that takes you to the stars now
i can take the road that'll see me through
i can take the road that'll see me through

"road" nick drake