Block Break in Moab and Fruita!!

Well, this is Fruita... And that is me... Being stupid...


Seven of my friends from Colorado College and I drove to Moab and Fruita to ride for 3rd block break (afive-day break from each individual class on the block plan). I decided that it would be fun to do a "superman" down this hill to put some spice in things. Of course, the dismount proved more difficult than I had hoped.



We rode the slickrock trail, bartlett's wash, and the porcupine rim trail in Moab, and then we ripped up a bunch of short, fast trails on 18 Road in Fruita. These pics are from Zippety-Doo-Da. I can't wait to go back to fruita to explore more!!

Break out the tissues.

Yesterday I got the opportunity to acknowledge the support that has been given to me as a member of the Soulcraft 'team' by the myriad of extraordinarily generous and thoughtful sponsors who make the day to day in the trenches so much more pleasurable.
Not that riding a bike, and for lack of a better term, acting as an ambassador for Soulcraft is hard work by any stretch..
Yet after I began thinking about the lengths that people have gone for my benefit- Sean and Ben for securing and maintaing the team contacts, not to mention Sean's efforts in building me a bike to begin with, I became befuddled.. Of course there are the previously mentioned sponsors- The companies who extend themselves to us so that we can do what it is we do.. To just say thank you doesn't cover it.
The more I think about it, the more grateful I become.
I'm not one with a false sense of entitlement... I guess I just can't quite wrap my mind around how lucky I am, so to Sean, Ben, Lainie, Yuri, Vanessa, and of course Steve, Mo Betta, and Matt, I want to offer my most humble thanks for letting me take part, and for taking care of me.

Finally, because I don't think a post is worth the paper it's not written on if there isn't a visual aide, here is a shot of the cast from the best television show ever, though I'd be lying if I said I remembered the guy with the blacked out glass lens.

Racing report

So I hardly raced at all over the summer, but this fall has been full of racing. Started with SSWC in Durango, then headed to eastern AZ for the 60-miles-of-dirt Tour of the White Mountains. Super fun singletrack, great aid stations, gorgeous scenery...all of the Epic Rides (www.epicrides.com) events are highly recommended. Despite the 15 miles of dirt roads (not exactly my strong suit), I pulled off a 3rd place, outsprinting a girl that I've never beaten in endurance stuff before. Woohoo!
The next weekend, my husband and I drove to northern New Mexico for some huevos rancheros and a 12-hour DH race at Angel Fire. Sure, I wasn't riding my Soulcraft....but I wanted to brag about the most prize money I've ever won! Thanks to Red Bull for putting up cash for such a cool race.
Finally on to some AZ Cyclocross, the first 2 races of the series were in Flagstaff this weekend, a really fun venue at one of the high schools. I hadn't planned on racing much 'cross...but when it's 2 miles from your house it's hard to pass up.
Even though my lungs were not so hot (thanks, swine flu), the Groundskeeper and I shredded this giant pile of dirt and pulled out the win both days.

Contradictory to the show's title...

There promises to be very little crank available at Saturday's event.
If you are unfamiliar with the Artcrank series, allow me to be the first to welcome you from beneath your rock.
The show itself is in its third year, but this is the fist year that it's gone nation wide.
Bike related, limited edition, hand signed prints, generally associated with life on a bicycle, and a metric shit ton of people hanging out and celebrating life with two eyes, aboard two wheels.
It's not going to suck.

Rode bike, and carved pumpkins later

Biketoberfest

Biketoberfest Marin was sweet. Perfect fall weather for a nice road ride with some peeps from Team Hamana and other sorts. Corrupted the group at the turn-off for shorter route to the longer route. I wasn't ready to get off the bike quite yet which usually happens when you ride with me. FYI - I like to ride my bike. I voiced my interest in the longer route, and others jumped on the bandwagon. Wicked. The group split into a sub-group, and rode on. Wheeled past the inkwells. (See picture below)





Afterwards, there was a nice, juicy cheeseburger, garlic fries, and pitcher of beer for my belly. And more beer from the local breweries. Hung out with Sean for a bit in the booth, and met teammate George for the first time. Picked up some Soulcraft swag. (Which by the way, wore the vest tonight on a 10k run through SF. Versatility is rad. And so is the back, zipper pocket! Rode the bike from home to run group meeting place, and back. Action packed.) Drank more beer. Then hit up yoga that evening. Uber sweetness.

hermosa creek trail

did it two days before the durango worlds. super fun. rain and no rain. cold at the end. rain and sand killed the brake pads. no brakes for a while down a long asphalt road. tightened the do-jiggers and had some more brakes. rigid single speed in the mountains is fun.

Who's Got the 10½?

When hanging out at a motor sports event with a German, an ex-pat, and a former pro roadie, sometimes it's not a bad idea to pack in a little extra.

Riding Jones Trail in Colorado

I've been in Colorado Springs at Colorado College since late August. The Colorado riding (which is COMPLETELY different than California riding) is epic. I got into the collegiate racing scene here, which is relaxed to the point of wearing flannel shirts and cut off jean shorts as jerseys. So far, I have raced twice: once about an hour north of Fort Collins and another race at Sol Vista ski resort.

The rides in "The Springs" are awesome, but they certainly get overridden. I can't wait to
get to Moab, Monarch Pass, and Fruita. These pictures were taken on Jones Trail, which is about a forty mile ride with 4,000 ft of climbing. I think we all felt low on blood sugar by the top, but we were energetic enough to take few portraits of each other. The downhill is well worth the climb. Lots of whoop-de-doos all the way down.

Props to all who attended the 2009 Single Speed World Champs. It sounded awesome!! I was collegiate racing, but I heard some awesome stories. 'Til next time,

Keep da rubber side down. Peace,

Daniel Boyes

Here Comes The Corn - September 2009

The September 2009 Here Comes The Corn just went out. This month includes updates from SSWC09, Interbike, new socks, and more. What? You're not signed up to recieve Here Comes The Corn? Get yourself signed up now and don't miss another issue. In the meantime, you can check out the online version here.

More SSWC09

Durango and the 48 hours of fun: a chronicle.

Arrival of Soulcraft's High Elevation Desert Racing Team....


Pre-race preparations.....


...including bike maintenance. Can anyone guess what we are doing? (note we are under a wooden deck with small gaps between each wood plank).


...And of course, high elevation racing requires plenty of hydration...



...horseplay,


....race predictions,...



.....and "sleep".


Game on...




1000+....



rippin', beautiful course....



plenty of riff-raff....


followed by a little culture....


and more riding on the way home....


Fantastic weekend and it was great to meet many of the Soulcraft group (glad to speak with a re-hydrated Mitch). The pictures above were taken by Ben Proctor and shared with permission.

...let's just say it has some features...

it was a pleasure to co-pilot the sub.