mullerb's musings

Solo loop on some new territory. Left the house at 6:20 to avoid heat and traffic. 93 wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. There's really only 1 mile of road with a very small shoulder; otherwise it's fine. Though it is a deceptive uphill climb out of the Boulder Valley the whole way to Rt72. And the the climbing just begins to get all the way up to mile 20 and the top of Wondervu. There is no real shoulder on this stretch but also little traffic. I also don't the sun hit me at all on this stretch. Very nice. The schuss down to Pinecliff is a blast but then there is still another 9 miles of uphill to get to the Peak to Peak and the Sundance Cafe. Finally, from there it is pretty much 22 miles of downhill to Nederland and the canyon down to Boulder. And again no traffic in my direction. I think 5 cars passed me the whole way down the canyon (though I was going 35-40mph the whole way). Lots of cars and endless strings of motorcycles heading UP the canyon on this hot Satu

Killer workout with Kay and Heidi. Hot hot afternoon/evening ride up Flagstaff to the Walker Ranch Loop. That's a lot of mountain bike to haul up the steep 5 miles of grade! The single track, counter-clockwise, was in great shape for mid-summer; there have been trail crews up there toiling in the heat this year and it shows. The ride back down on the road on a mountain bike is far more fun than on a road bike. It feels so solid and stable.

A beautiful hike up East Maroon Creek, over Triangle Pass, down to Conundrum Hot Springs and down to Castle Valley. Set up a bike shuttle between the Conundrum trailhead and the Maroon Bells bus. The girls, as usual, where just beasts and hardly let a complaint come out. It was a long 9 miles up East Maroon to our first camp, just below treeline. The next day up across the tundra and over Triangle Pass was incredible. Blue skies and great mountain views all around. And the flowers weren't too shabby either. The hot springs, well, they were busy. We just managed to snag a site right above the main pool. The water was a warm 101F or so and pretty clean. Rachel and I enjoyed it most in the early morning when the rest of the 30 or so nearby campers were still sleeping..

A killer nice loop early in the AM. Left the office at 6:15AM in an early morning haze (the atmosphere, not me) from yesterday's rain. Apple Valley is my future retirement spot! What a pretty little area, nicely secluded but so close to the quaint town of Lyons. The ride out to 75th and then south all the way to the Diagonal is a cruise. I don't think I ever went below 23mph on that stretch and was usually up around 26 or so. Averaged 21.5mph for the whole 40 mile loop!

The bike is either a motivator or it really does make a difference to lose a few pounds and have better power transfer. Kay and I stuck with the lead group most of the way up Lefthand. Once on the hill, I caught up to the last person in the front group just 30 yards from the high point. Yahoo! Waited for Kay and then we schussed down back to NCAR. Averaged 19mph on this one.

The Giant climbs like a goat! I have to figure out whether I want to swap out the standard double 52/39 with a compact 50/34 or 50/36. I think, given the feel on Olde Stage and now on the northside of Leehill, that a 50/36 would be the better choice. Lots of people out early this AM. It just amazes me  how active Boulderites are. How cool. I must of passed a dozen people on 36 and Lefthand and say another dozen heading up Olde Stage while I was on my down.

Ohhhh, Ahhhhhh. How smooth. The Giant is so smooth and solid compared to the aluminum I've been riding. Made it up the south slope in good speed on the standard double (52/39 with 12-25) but I was wishing for one or two more low gears. Doable as is though. Held Heidi off early - hey, hey. Couldn't take Jose though.

Smooth, silky, solid. After testing 12 or 14 beasts, settled on this mid-level, all carbon ride for $1800. I was leaning pretty heavily towards a Cannondale Six13 Pro2 for a bit more cash but it really is a race machine and not as smooth for the longer rides that I like to do. This Giant seems to be a better balance of $$$/features. I'll most likely swap the crankset out for a compact double 50/36 to gain a few more gears on the low end; again, for comfort on those longer mountain rides. More than you wanna know: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11255 frame: fomulaOne Composite, Compact Road Design fork: fomulaOne Full Composite, 1 1/8" w/alloy steerer handlebar: Easton EA50, 31.8 stem: Easton EA50, 31.8 seatpost: Giant Composite w/ micro adjust, 27.2mm saddle: Fi'zi:k Aliante Sport, Ti rails pedals: SpeedPlay shifters: Shimano Ultegra STI, 10 speed derailleur: Front: Shimano Ultegra, Rear: Shimano Ultegra brakes: Shimano 105 SLR Dual Pivo

The girls stayed with Iris and Rachel and I took off for a soggy power hike from the 4th of July trailhead. Lots of elevation gain/loss on nice trails. We rarely had views further than a mile due to the fog and drizzle. But the woods were beautiful, the creeks were flowing and tundra was lush.

On a whim, I posted my bike on Craigslist for $750. I bought it last May, 2500 miles ago for $870. It sold the next day. Now, off to find a new bike! With the OK from Rachel! Wonders never cease... This 21lb beast featured a Shimano 105 groupo on a very stiff aluminum frame with a cheap carbon fork. It was an amazing upgrade from the 20+ year old Trek that Rachel kept and I very rarely rode. It served me well! I bought it on the hopes that I would get motivated to do those occassional lunch rides with Heidi and Kay and folks at work. I didn't want to spend too much in case the habit didn't stick. At least I would stil have a decent commuter bike. But it did stick! And now on to the next ride...

Last ride on the Tirreno! And a whipper of a pace with just Heidi and I cruising it counter-clockwise at just under 21 MPH. My thighs are a burning!!