Fat Tire 40ish Pics

Race report is coming...in the meantime pics before and after the crashes

Photogs that make me look fast are my heroes

Hammering Home

"Rohit Bery earning his glass....crumpled number and soil samples, but he brought it home.  The Keg is tapped Rohit"

Good announcer

As requested...

The essay that was used to get me into Leadville this year.  

The requirements for the essay were:

Submit a two- to three-paragraph essay or a video that includes the following:

• A summary of your biking credentials
• Your home club and how long you have been a member
• A brief story about why you should be chosen to represent your Life Time destination at the 2014 LT100
• Your kit size (please indicate bib shorts and jersey sizes; click here for a size chart and note that these kits are a snug, race fit)
• The address to which you would like the kit to be mailed

By "winning" I get to pay the entry fee and buy a Lifetime Cycle Kit, which I have to wear on race day.  I guess they also get to use this essay for whatever marketing purposes they want, but that's all cool.  There's not much truth stretching in here, and certainly no blatant lies.  The 30lb drop was measured post race....so, ahhh, some of it has come back :)

Summer of 2011.  An overweight, overstressed father, husband, brother, friend and IT exec moves his family from New Jersey to Scottsdale, AZ in pursuit of a better lifestyle, a shorter commute and a pool in the backyard. Two and a half years later, thanks in large part to the team at Lifetime Scottsdale, that guy dropped 30+ lbs, regained his place as “fast guy on the bike” (among his buddies), saw his wife regain her confidence and fitness, his three children turn into budding athletes (as well as all around rockstars) and his mother be excited by what he was doing (besides creating 3 of her grand-daughters)!

The Scottsdale Lifetime Fitness family has taken me on a journey from finishing rides to performing in races. From riding alone to leading friends and family on group rides and races. I made that journey on trails in Scottsdale, racecourses in Traverse City, MI (Iceman 10+ years), Flagstaff, AZ (Barn Burner 2 years), Prescott, AZ (Whiskey Off- Road, three years) and Cave Creek and Fountain Hills, AZ for local races about five times per year.  This journey also took me to Leadville, CO in 2012, where I earned a buckle from a lottery spot.   This year, I’ll go back to all those places--plus Lake Tahoe. And hopefully, I’ll go back to Leadville and represent Lifetime Scottsdale in pursuit of a Big Buckle!

* I love my Speedy Motor City Jersey...but would leave it in the bag for a Lifetime Kit at 6th and Harrison on 8/9.

But the most amazing thing about this journey is that it is not mine alone: I’ve found that my commitment to cycling and to fitness has sparked others to do the same. In the past year, my riding buddies (some of whom live 1000s of miles away...hooray for Strava, Facebook, and Twitter!) have all upped their training, my brother-in-law has bought not one but two new bikes and work colleagues have started endurance cycling. My employees and co-workers have gotten themselves in better shape. Now we even have a small team for our local races, and several have signed up for Tahoe, BarnBurner and even for Leadville.

* Barnburner 2012...put this guy in an LTF kit

People have provided me inspiration over the years--coaches, teachers, writers, friends and family, and my superb trainer at Lifetime Scottsdale, Jamie Meng, tells me it’s time to start returning those favors. Indeed, I owe it to all of them to pass the encouragement along. As a representative of Lifetime Scottsdale, I can show everyone what a person with three kids, a full-time job, and daily challenges can do.  Whether it's my friends and family, or the person at the Scottsdale club who looks over and sees someone who's wears size "L" (sometimes “M”!)  instead of "XL"--I know that by finishing Leadville in a Lifetime kit, I will be that example for every other weekend warrior who wants to make a change in their life. There’s not many 6’ tall Indian-American men putting their knobby wheel on a start line, so I know I stand out!

I'm after a Big Buckle. My Lifetime teams ensures me that with the right training, it’s possible. I know that there are some hard miles between here and central Colorado. Maybe I get one, maybe I don't. But I plan to take a lot of folks with me on this journey. I want to pass Bahram Akradi on the slopes of Columbine again and show him what his trainers can do. I want to encourage another friend or two or four to make a commitment, and allow me to take the wind or crew for them in 2015 and beyond.  And I’d love to do it all in my lifetime, wearing a Lifetime kit.

Thanks. I'll see you all at the club in Scottsdale and on the starting lines in Lake Tahoe, Flagstaff, and hopefully Leadville!

Fat Tire 40-ish

Raced today. Fat Tire-40 (a badly named race if you ask me)  Went hard, went fast.  Had a great ride, until I didn't.  Big Gunz and Momma had some good rides too.  Big Gunz figured out at mile 35 that 1 Gu pack ain't gonna feed the beast for an endurance ride.  

Me and Big Gunz

I turned in a 3:48 for a 47 mile course.  12.5 mph. Last year course was 41.2 miles, and i did a 3:51, for 10.8mph. not a bad ride today I must say. Got passed by 2 guys whilst on the trail, and 3 while i was laying in the dirt collecting soil samples. Went down hard twice. Once at about 20 mph, once at about 12. same thing happened both times. Downhill left hand corner and the front tire didn't grab, until it did, dumping me straight over the bars. The 2nd one took the fight out of me, and I limped home the last 4 miles or so. Likely could have turned in a 3:30 but for the crashes.

Note these crashes both happened after mile 40...but I'm not bitter, really I'm not.  I am in pain.

Another race where I landed in the med tent. Don't think the new hard tail is busted, but the headset may be toast. I'm a bit banged up. Right lat is definitely bruised. Need to recover quick. 

That's all for now.  Full report later

Game on

Acquired a new go-fast machine yesterday.  Carbon hard tail. Carbon wheels, carbon fork. Carbon post and bars.  Damn. 

Feather light, whippet quick in the corners and a goat on the climbs. Slower than the full suss on the descents, but more precise steering and flick-ability of the rear means I'm not getting beat up even in the big rocks. 

Race season is going to be fun

It all happens for a reason

So I finally got the email. It was a bummer of an email.  When I read it I was a bit deflated, sad, and irritated. For the amount of money I spend at Lifetime Fitness, I figured I would be able to walk into Leadville just by asking!

Then I got mad at myself for feeling that kind of entitlement...that I could just buy my way in. As I was beating myself up for being an entitled jerk, I remembered it is pretty clear there is more than one way to buy your way in ($2000 for a 2.25 day training camp, not including lodging anyone????)

So I got over it.  

As always, Suman provided the real insight to what's going on here. 

Last year, on a whim, on my first try, I got into Leadville from the lottery. Getting the email transformed me in many ways. I'm not a huge believer in fate, but it certainly seems that the universe was not only telling me something, but giving me what I needed as a cyclist and as a human when I needed it. 

This year I need to qualify. Put some more sweat in, get myself organized, and earn my place at the corner of 6th and Harrison. Maybe I need that race in Lake Tahoe to make me fast.  Maybe I need the trip to let the fam have some time to themselves. Maybe I need to connect with new and old friends. Maybe I need to be transformed again. 

Time to dig deep!

It's HERE!

The go fast machine has arrived.  It's in this state.  it's in this city.  it is not in my garage.

now all i need is that email...

I am going absolutely batshit crazy waiting for the email.  

I know you all care :)