Busy Busy

Between my big training weeks and long work weeks, I haven't had much time for anything else but eating. Nothing much going on worth reporting. Last Saturday my ride destination was Avery Brewing. It was the first time that the tasting room had ever been open on Saturday.

I got to taste this beer (really the reason I wanted to get up there), which you will see if you click the link is joint effort with Russian River Brewing. Two very well respected breweries come together for a tasty beer. I even bought a couple of bottles to bring home. This is a one time dealio. Once there gone, they're gone for good.


Sorry for the crummy pic.

Devil's Thumb Ranch responded to my post. You can see those here:
https://www2.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12638542&postID=5702569287261128948

I'll reply to them later, but I don't really feel like the responder addressed the issues I wrote about. When there is more time . . .

Disappointing

Please be advised of the cancellation of the following DBC Events:

Cateye Road Race - March 10th
Boulder Roubaix Road Race - March 24th

DBC Events has made the decision to cancel these events due to a recent in-flux of emails that have been hostile in nature. The goal of DBC Events was to host grassroot cycling races that are fun and accessible to as many as possible within reason. Certainly, promoting the races is not for fiscal gain nor is it for recognition, as neither are forthcoming in this business. That is understood by most race promoters. But what is not understood nor accepted is the attack by cyclists and members of the cycling industry because of changes and choices made by the promoter.

In the past few days, DBC Events has received a series of emails regarding the lack of Women's categories in the two road races noted above. Not one of these emails asked why there was a change nor did they ask what could be done to change the situation. Instead, this is the tone:

What are you telling the cycling public by not having a women's race for
either Boulder Roubaix or the Cateye Road Race?

Your 'gender neutral' policy really destroys everything we are working towards.

Hope your races go down the tubes as I sure will spread the word on how unfair DBCevent is to women racers. I will definatly pass your flyer along to all the womens bike clubs in our area so they are sure to see who does NOT supports women riders

By providing a gender neutral start, DBC Events felt that it was providing a great venue for everyone to get out there and essentially, train for the upcoming season. Many female champions, such as Katie Compton have stated that to achieve her goals as a cyclist she raced with the men. This helped her become as strong as she is and achieve the level of success in a competitive environment. As noted in the most recent issue of Velo News:

She finished an amazing eighth place in the elite men's field at the 2006 Colorado State Cyclo-cross championships.

"That was the hardest race I did all year, hands down," Compton says. "Women are more content to be comfortable with their spot in a race, men race you for the 20th spot, in and out of every corner."

Compton says competing with the men gave her the strength to wallop the women's field at the national championships in Providence, Rhode Island. She plans to compete predominantly in elite men's 'cross races for 2007 training.


It is not the responsibility of DBC Events to pave the road for women cyclists. It is the responsiblity of the women and that goal is not going to be achieved by personal attack and threatening emails. The goal is going to be achieved by increasing the number of women racers that participate. DBC Events hopes that they do come out and race at every opportunity presented to them as well as increasing their numbers.

We have consistently demonstrated our devotion to the cycling community. And our support has been "gender neutral" - we have provided opportunities that did not exist to cyclists - regardless of sex, race, religion or age. We advocated for everyone.

So, now, we have decided that instead of putting our energies into venues to get others on bikes, we are going to focus on riding our own bikes. We wish you the best of luck in the 2007 season.

Chris Grealish and DBC Events

Devil's Thumb Ranch

I've been skiing at Devil's Thumb for the last 6 year. The two years previous to this one, I had a season pass, and I skied there almost exclusively. The place has amazing trails and tons of them. It's hard to get bored there due to extensive trail system, and a lot of those trails are extremely challenging.

Begin Rant:

I've been having an internal debate of whether or not I should post my recent feelings of this place on my blog. I couldn't decide if I was just being a whiny little bitch or if I had a legitimate complaint. Honestly, it's a little bit of both.

This year (and some of last year) the grooming there has been sub-par. Even when you hit the freshly groomed trails, they are extremely soft and you sink quite a bit in the snow. If you know anything about skate skiing, fresh and soft snow isn't necessarily your friend like it is with alpine skiing.

From my six years of skiing there, I can tell you that this is not the norm. When I first started skiing at Devil's Thumb, the lodge was a little shack, and they also had a small building with some lodging. It was really quaint. Two or so years ago, someone bought the place, and now this person or persons is turning it into a high end destination resort. I don't have a problem with what they are now trying to accomplish. In fact, it has made some of the facilities much nicer. I guess a good way to describe it is that they are going for the Vail for cross country ski areas. I'm not sure it's the best business model, but they probably know something I don't.

So back to my complaint. Their attention to the trail system has seriously degraded over the last two years. I often go skate skiing in a multitude of places and the conditions are great. If you do any kind of skiing (or even cycling), you have those days were everything clicks. The conditions and the way you feel just get magically intertwined and the endorphins rush through your body. This is not and should not be a rare event. It hasn't happened once in my six trips this year to Devil's Thumb. This is exclusively the results of poor grooming.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that I don't know jack about grooming, however due to my growing frustration with Devil's Thumb, I've been skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch more. Snow Mountain Ranch is 10 minutes down the road, and the three times I've been there this year, their trails have been pristine. They were freshly groomed and nicely packed. I do understand that you can over-groom trails. I also understand that Devil's Thumb has a large amount of trail to cover, but I would be happy if a third of their system got the treatment that Snow Mountain Ranch gives their trails If Devil's Thumb is trying to achieve the status of THE premiere nordic destination and if their prices are starting to reflect that, I would think that their trail conditions should also measure up to that status. Quite simply they don't. The conditions where better when they were a tiny operation.

I'm really not sure what these people are trying to accomplish. If they are shifting their focus away from the skiing and toward their other amenities, I can't really fault them for that. I'm sure they have a vision of what they are trying to create, but it is starting show in more than just the trail conditions. Their customer service is on the decline too. I went to the Frisco Nordic Center last weekend, and I almost thought I was some top ranked Euro skiing superstar. The folks there were bending over backwards for me.

These aren't my only complaints. I have had a number of issues with them this year. I won't get into all of that. I'll just say yesterday's conditions where the straw that broke the camel's back. I can get a multi-day punch card for Snow Mountain Ranch at a much lower per day price than what Devil's Thumb currently offers. Next year, that's where I'll be spending most of my days.

Here are the sites of the nordic centers I mentioned:
www.devilsthumbranch.com
http://www.ymcarockies.org/page.php?code=74
http://www.breckenridgenordic.com/frisco_center.html

PS Snow Mountain Ranch updates their conditions on their site daily. Devil's Thumb does it sporadically.

Off to Ski

Maybe a post later tonight. Does anyone really care?

Oh well. I've got a moment right now, and I have a nice coffee buzz kickin.

Let's see. I'm listening to the Old 97s right now. Wreck Your Life. An oldie but goodie.

My weight is down into the 165 range. That was my racing weight last year. My goal this year is to keep going lower.

Bought a bottle of this from Stone Brewing the other night at the local liquor store.


I got one to drink now. I may pick up another for aging.

I guess that's enough rambling. Thanks for tuning in.