velo narcissisté

fleeting summer lines

Goddamn tragedy, October's nearly expired.

one red thread

Cycling, just like any other wheeled pastime, is really just another glorified means of rolling around. There is no greater cause for which to strive, no lives to save, only rolling. But the truth is, it's saved me. Finding that indescribable sense of freedom in these mountains, through rolling and suffering, and suffering and rolling. Freedom saves. It is analogous to life in that through suffering, we are saved. And we are saved, because we are free.

This is why I came to Utah. Soon, it will be time to move on. 

"...had the itch to fly, so I flew"

Find somewhere new. Find that which saves you. And wear your helmet.

le tour recovery

The Tour of Utah came to its spectacular conclusion today atop Snowbird Resort in the Little Cottonwood Canyon. Somewhere between the last week of zipping between waypoints, and swinging cowbells, I managed to sneak in a photograph or two thousand. Some of beautiful bicycles, some of suffering on climbs, and some of podium elation. But rather than sift through and post any number of the potential hundreds of favorites, it was a snapshot amidst the post-stage chaos that really stood out...

...when Salt Lake favorite, and BMC rider Jeff Louder shared a quiet moment with his wife and newborn son shortly after nabbing the "Best Local Rider" jersey for his stellar time trial performance that evening. This little guy is going to grow up with one hell of a cycling coach. Maybe even swoop that jersey from dad in a few years.

Hope to have another blurb or a few more photos up on Picasa soonish, but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath. This sunburn isn't going to treat itself.

new drink for the old drunk

chased the sunset up capitol reef, and won

Home from St. George, I finally had a chance to wipe down the BMC. Dried droplets of sweat and Gatorade off the carbon top tube. Coffee stains on the white Easton stem. Simple evidences that the finish line came neither quickly, nor easily.

devil is in the details

carefully curated

all aboard, off to the bike shop

______ in the making

The way I see it, there are understood to be two schools of thought in buying a bicycle. The foremost, would be to attend a prestigious law school, whereupon graduation, sauntering into a bike shop and dropping thirteen thousand dollars wouldn't seem like much, after having already spent ten years in academia, hemorrhaging cash and common sense. "Getting back in shape," a justifiable and highly likely end to means of budding alcoholism and nipples buried in debt.

The second would be more deliberate. Less direct, but perhaps more personal. Carefully choose a frame. Buy it. Put it in a box. Tape the box shut. Do not take it out at parties or snuggle with it at night. Create a list instead. And then, every week or so, check something off that list.

The final step? Wait for Spring.

hibernation

14 degrees outside

...but inside? Kinda busy making summer plans.