How I spent the cold dark days of winter...

Well folks...here's my first post. A little recap of the Fall and Winter months before Spring really hits here in the Desert Southwest. I jumped in with both feet to take on the humbling experience called Psyclo-cross at the beginning of September and did the whole NM State Cross Series through the middle of December which culminated with the NM State Championships.

Man, I thought I was a bad ass Mt. Biking MutherFo until I ran into these guys called roadies. Wow, they got this thing called "cadence with power" and basically handed me my butt in most all of the events.

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite that bad. I came in about 10th overall in the series out of about 20 45+ Master folks. But still, it opened my eyes to the benefits of road riding. Gonna put some road wheels on the Cross Bike and start pounding the pavement this spring.

I've had the good fortune to be invited to ride with the Big Wheel Racing Team which was the genesis of an extraordinary Endurance Racer name Matt Turgeon. You can read more about Matt and his truely heroic exploits at his linked blog to the right. Suffice it to say, Matt's more than enough inspiration for a whole team.

Anyway, I was able to take the Cross conditioning and keep the cranks turning this winter in Albuquerque in preparation for Mas-o-Menos. I couldn't find a female partner for a Co-Ed Duo down in Tucson for 24HITOP (24Hrs in the Ol' Pueblo for those not attuned to the acronym) so I opted for Mas-o-Menos which is the first stop on the USAC National Endurance Series. It is a "Marathon" event of 100K which should suite my style. And no, Sandra didn't want to go through 24Hrs of Coed pain.

As to winter sports, I haven't been able to do as much skiing as I would have liked to have done. The conditions up in Colorado are the best in more than 20 years. I guess I've just become a slave to cycling right now in my life. I did get out with my buddy Scott Sundae for a really sweet powder session at WolfCreek in Mid-December.

It was some of the best fluff conditions I've ever skiied in at a resort. Had the AT Gear and skins, but who needed to go anywhere out of bounds. The only caveat was the balmy

-5F temperature. Froze a few of the Goat Wiskers no doubt.

Then I spent New Years weekend with my "Honey" Sandra up in Pagosa Springs. We had a blast.

We hit the Brazo's overlook for a little XC Touring Adventure on our way up. The conditions were just awesome. A little cold with the windchill but the scenery made all of that go away.

Sandra even got out at Wolf Creek for her first downhill session in about 3 years. She tore her ACL the last time we

went skiing together and has been a little gun shy ever since. But she really enjoyed getting back on the skis and she seemed confident. The knee held up well and she loved it. Now I just need to get her on some AT Gear and maybe we can hit the backcountry together.

And of course you can't go to Pegosa without taking in the World Famous Pegosa Hotsprings. They are without a doubt the nicest Hotsprings in the country. Really well done and very intimate. We had so much fun.

Well that's the winter of 2007-2008 for me. I'm ready for spring and doing some bike racing. Bring on the warm weather!!!