Tonight I think I made the cut for the Xterra World Championship in Maui. I will know when I wake up in the morning.
It will change some of the dynamics for 2010 slightly, but not much. I might nix the first race of the year and opt for something else. Perhaps more swimming considering the circumstances of racing in Hawaii. Send me good Karma. I am out.
Horizons
Just waiting for my dad to get into Denver. He is airborne right now heading to Denver. I cant wait to see the old man.
Anyways, getting back to training for 2010. I worked out a lot this week and have been quite busy fashioning my habits to match a good routine. I need to focus on eating more proteins and calories. I am losing weight but I fear it is muscle mass. I even got two days of swimming in this week, which was super nice.
I received the Van Dessel Ramble Tamble today and promise to take pictures of it sometime soon. The paintjob is amazing. When I picked it up, I was listening to Fallout Boy's song 
"American Suitehearts." I think that's what I will call this bike. "Sweetheart." I don't plan to build it up for sometime since the FS takes priority. I am also on the hunt for that last elusive Jersey Devil HT 29er frame to compliment the FS. I pasted the picture below from the shop that shipped it for me. I am amazed at how lite the frame is. It weighs almost as much as my ASR carbon weighed when I bought it back in the day. If I could get to it sometime next summer, that would be nice. The Jersey Devil Hardtail is rumored to weigh even less. Wow! I talked to
"American Suitehearts." I think that's what I will call this bike. "Sweetheart." I don't plan to build it up for sometime since the FS takes priority. I am also on the hunt for that last elusive Jersey Devil HT 29er frame to compliment the FS. I pasted the picture below from the shop that shipped it for me. I am amazed at how lite the frame is. It weighs almost as much as my ASR carbon weighed when I bought it back in the day. If I could get to it sometime next summer, that would be nice. The Jersey Devil Hardtail is rumored to weigh even less. Wow! I talked to With my move to Highlands Ranch in March, I am planning to commute to work by bike. I think "Sweetheart" will find itself being put together under those circumstances. The planned route has been scoped out already and I think it is perfect terrain for a single speed rigid 29er.
Enough procrastination. Dad should be landing soon.
Staying in shape
Working hard this week at my job, although I am certainly burning it up with my workout routine. I got 4 days at the gym complimented by a 6 mile bike ride and afternoon of snowboarding. My shoulders are sore but for the first time in my life, I am starting to master the push up. I am already up to three sets of 10. I know that isn't much but it has always been a weak point of mine. I cant wait to see the scale Tuesday at the gym. I am down to 206, originally at 216 1 month ago. I would like to get to 195 since I believe that is my ideal weight.
I am going to make this post quick but I just wanted to update that I am the proud owner of a Van Dessel Ramble Tamble in size Large. So excited!
I am going to make this post quick but I just wanted to update that I am the proud owner of a Van Dessel Ramble Tamble in size Large. So excited!
3 Days of Rest (And Stress)
Just finished three straight days of hard work, although it was not the physical kind unfortunately. Tomorrow morning I am going to get in the gym, spin, swim, and lift weights. Gotta look good for tomorrow evening. Also spin class Saturday morning followed by snowboarding Sunday.
The Van Dessel Ramble Tamble HT ends in 14 hours on Ebay. I am bidding on it and really hope to get it. If I do, I am going to build a HT SS with rigid fork. Simple, cheap, and perfect for winter racing at Leadville. I have also been planning some ideas regarding how flexible it is. I originally planned to buy a cross bike next year but I have seen plenty of people rocking SS mountain bikes lately at cross events. I also have enough spare bike parts that I could cheaply build the Ramble Tamble. Time will tell but the Ramble Tamble has a lot of options worth exploring. Enough with that though. I am excited it is almost the weekend and I have some time to rest from this week as well as prepare for the coming workload. I swore I would not get into cross unless it was a cheap venture. I would like to devote more time to saving, building my business, and family time with my folks. In between mountain bike and snowboard season, that's sort of where I need to fit it in. Not cross. Although that is a segway into that race I always fantasize about. (Dirty Kanza)
My goal for the next two weeks is to complete the carbon componentry which will be mostly Titec stuff on Vandy and get the wheels here by the end of the month. Not sure if I want to go with the Titec Pluto seat again but more to come on that later. Might just need to adjust my type of riding shorts. Maybe I will look like this guy next year if I race cross. Talk about some pep in his step!
I will call it "Vandy."
So I read an article in Bicycling Magazine who had this complex with a folding bicycle. He loved it but despised it as well. Long story short, he called his bike "Foldy." I decided to name the Van Dessel Jersey Devil FS with a similar name, "Vandy." I plan to have the HT and SS version of this bike over the coming year. I believe they will be the only bikes I need in the stable to complete Leadman and the races I plan to do over the next two years. I am tired of looking at bikes and trying to figure out what I need to meet my needs. Now, I am running with one exclusive manufacturer who will meet my needs effectively.
I started building Vandy this weekend. I have attached some pictures of the build below. The FS version is setup with a cross country platform backed up by front and rear Fox suspension. I wanted a 2x9 setup so I went with an Origin-8 crankset. I like it a lot, however it is somewhat heavy. My goal is to get the bike right at 25lbs. A lite set of wheels are in order and I will most likely go with Stans ZTR. I plan to ride this bike in the Winter Park series in 2010 as well as the Breckenridge 100. I feel both of these courses will be technical and having the rear suspension will be extremely beneficial. I thought Winter Park was a great series this past season but it was a lot to absorb on a hardtail 29er with an 80mm travel Lefty. I don't like the idea of having only one water bottle holder though.
The hardtail version will most likely be used in Leadville, most of my Xterras, and Battle of the Bear. My belief is that if it isn't overly technical, I will stick with the HT. I am fast and effective behind a HT. Not so sure about a FS, even if it has lockout. I am also excited about the carbon seat stays on the HT. When I rode my Cannondale 29er, I was almost completely happy with how it felt, however a small amount of cushion would be nice. Either way, the HT will be a solid bike and I plan to build it up exactly the same as Vandy, minus the rear suspension.
I belive the HT will resemble the early 29er version Cannondale produced which I loved so much. The second generation and new Flash 29er do not neccessarily impress me.
The SS will be a growing bike. I want to build it cheaply as an SS to run at the Leadville winter races in 2011 as well as Battle of the Bear. I should have the frame by next week. Still haven't found a HT but I am on the hunt.
I started building Vandy this weekend. I have attached some pictures of the build below. The FS version is setup with a cross country platform backed up by front and rear Fox suspension. I wanted a 2x9 setup so I went with an Origin-8 crankset. I like it a lot, however it is somewhat heavy. My goal is to get the bike right at 25lbs. A lite set of wheels are in order and I will most likely go with Stans ZTR. I plan to ride this bike in the Winter Park series in 2010 as well as the Breckenridge 100. I feel both of these courses will be technical and having the rear suspension will be extremely beneficial. I thought Winter Park was a great series this past season but it was a lot to absorb on a hardtail 29er with an 80mm travel Lefty. I don't like the idea of having only one water bottle holder though.
The hardtail version will most likely be used in Leadville, most of my Xterras, and Battle of the Bear. My belief is that if it isn't overly technical, I will stick with the HT. I am fast and effective behind a HT. Not so sure about a FS, even if it has lockout. I am also excited about the carbon seat stays on the HT. When I rode my Cannondale 29er, I was almost completely happy with how it felt, however a small amount of cushion would be nice. Either way, the HT will be a solid bike and I plan to build it up exactly the same as Vandy, minus the rear suspension.
I belive the HT will resemble the early 29er version Cannondale produced which I loved so much. The second generation and new Flash 29er do not neccessarily impress me.The SS will be a growing bike. I want to build it cheaply as an SS to run at the Leadville winter races in 2011 as well as Battle of the Bear. I should have the frame by next week. Still haven't found a HT but I am on the hunt.
I do not plan to buy another mountain bike for a few years after these three bikes are prepped to ride. Other areas to focus such as running 100 miles and training time will take precedence over bike building time.
I am off.
