2013 Schedule

The 2013 schedule for the RMCC is now available on the website! First a few notes about the process of putting it together in general.

As a club we like to have a structured schedule setup for the whole year as opposed to making it up as we go along. Reasons for doing this are many. First, it keeps the schedule varied—not running the same basic ride three weekends in a row. Second, we want to have a reasonable progression of rides in the springtime, as opposed to doing 60 miles one week and 20 the next. Third, it ensures that rides actually happen on a regular basis—you'll always know that there will be an RMCC ride this weekend without depending upon somebody to come up with something at the last second!

Hopefully this makes riding with the club more beneficial in multiple ways: You don't get bored with doing the same ride week after week, you know if you come out you'll see some of your friends there or be able to make new friends without having to exchange fifty e-mails to get a ride worked out, and you'll be challenged as a rider in ways that you aren't when just ride on your own, which helps you get better!

Over the course of each season we collect notes on each ride (how many people showed up, problems with the route etc), and collect feedback on the schedule as a whole. Then in the fall a group of us get together and combine all of this information and work out the schedule for the following year. Because it's a big schedule, a lot stays the same from year to year, so I'll just highlight some of the key changes for 2013:

1) We are going to experiment with “flex start times” during March and April. As we all know, the weather tends to be variable in the spring—start the rides early and it's sometimes too cold; start the ride late and you waste half the day waiting for the ride to start when you could just get out early. So, for 2013, March rides will start at either 9:45 or 10:45; April rides will start at either 8:45 or 9:45. The actual start time will be posted on the website by Thursday morning for Saturday rides and Friday morning for Sunday rides. As such, you'll need to check the website each week to confirm the start time before heading out! Depending upon how this works, we'll either continue, expand, or retract this experiment in the future. Please let us know your feedback on it!

2) We've moved some of rides from more distant start locations closer to town. This means fewer rides out of Monument and Exits 255 and 243. To try and arrange things such that everyone has at least some rides starting close to their home, we've added new start locations out of Cherry Creek (one Sunday ride), central Denver (two Sunday rides), and US 36 and Wadsworth (a couple of rides). Despite this change, we really haven't eliminated any popular rides; some rides that used to be run twice during the year now just go once.

3) During the hot mid-summer months, we're doing fewer flat rides on Sundays and replacing them with rides with relatively easier climbing. This seems to line up better with people's actual riding interests.

4) Sometimes we've had too many rides happening on the same day between the regular ride schedule, the Challenge Series, and the Brevet schedule. As an experiment, we are setting aside 3 Saturdays where the special event ride is the only ride for that day. These will be for the Foothills Climbfest, and two mid-summer 200Ks. If you haven't tried any of these events before, we hope you will! If you prefer something shorter than these rides, we are pairing these Saturdays up with shorter climbing days on Sunday.

5) With cyclocross riding become more popular, we've added two mixed pavement/dirt rides in the late summer early fall. One of them will take in roads west of Boulder; we're still working out the course for the other ride.

One final note: For any number of reasons, the schedule is always subject to change. We're getting more such information e-mailed out through Constant Contact, but the best course of action to check the website each week to make sure you're up to speed on what's going on!

We hope you'll make the RMCC club rides a key part of your 2013 riding, and look forward to seeing you out on the road!

This past July I had some wonderful reminders.  I was reminded of how much I love riding first of all.  Then I was reminded of how beautiful this state is and what great riding there is here.  Most importantly I was reminded of how much fun it is to ride with friends, both old and new.

these reminders came to me during Summer Contrail, or as we now call it, A Ride with Friends.  The trip began and ended in Silverthorne.  We were allowed to leave our cars at the Comfort Inn for the week.  this seemed like a great idea because when the trip finished, thoe who wanted to could gather for a quick bite.  It also allowed for exchanging of email addresses, phone numbers and Contrail stories.

The first day we rode to Carbondale, then Ridgeway, Durango, Ignacio, South Fork, Gunnison, Buena Vista, and back to Silverthorne to round out the eight days of riding.  We climbed alot of mountain passes including Wolf Creek and Cottonwood which I had never done.

What makes a ride like this special is the people!  We had a terrific time riding riding with our "old friends"  Val and Robin, Tom Boyle, John and Bob.  We got to know Ronalee better and her husband Paul was a fabulous sag driver.  We made new friends like Jeannie and Roger, Jim, Brenda and Brad.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves and had a fine "adventure".  The riding was tough, but was rewarding.  The accomodations were great and what is more fun than riding, eating, drinking and talking in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

My favorite lodging spot was the Casino in Ignacio.  The rooms were beautiful, pool and whirlpools were quite luxurious and the faint aroma of sage coming through the ventilation system added "magic" to the atmosphere.  My favorite pass is probably North Pass because I thoroughly enjoyed the wide sweeping turns as you go screaming downhill into Gunnison.  You get that same reward as you come flying down from the former Purgatory Ski Area into Durango.

Paul, as I said before, did a wonderful job of sagging for us and taking care of our 2 little 4 legged mascots.

He managed to snag delicious homemade cookies for us to eat before we climbed some of the passes, did beer, wine and food runs without complaint.  He managed to figure out if he needed to add an extra rest stop, if the day seemed tough.  He did all of this with a smiling face and a great attitude, when some of us were tired and grumpy.

My favorite evening of the trip was a rather simple one.  Brent and I hung out with our old friends Robin and Val in their room.  We just talked for hours, ate junk food and laughed at our dogs snoring on their beds.  It was the BEST.  We all get so busy that sometimes we forget how much fun it is just to hang with friends .. or ride with friends.

I can hardly wait for next years Contrail!  the reminders of how wonderful it is to live in Colorado, how great most riders are, and why we love riding are things I never want to forget.  Why don't you come join us next year and have a ball!

Seven Wins Forever

Lance Armstrong

Couple of emotional days with the continuation of the legal things going on with the USADA.  I can understand the objectives of the ADA being to keep certain sports dope- free.  Fine objective because the opposite is what we have in the NFL, MLB, etc.  They are working on genetic tests to try and stay ahead of very sophisticated cheats, but what about the breeding programs in China?  The analytical tests used are constantly being revised and updated.  The medical establishment is not infallible.  Just take a look at the board of directors for USADA and make your own decision as to whether there is or isn't any bias.

There is no physical evidence.  Lance has been tested more than any other athlete.  And the French were after him.  Unidentified witnesses.  Sounds like heresy trials.  Can we now go back after the greatest rider, Eddie Merck?  I'll testify that he must of been a doper.

So go ahead and strip him of his medals.  I will always know who won those 7 tours.  He has been an inspiration to cancer patients the world over.  Beat Marco Pantani and Jan Ulrich many times.

As an old swimmer I just love the talented Olympians (yeah Missy).  But apart from what they do at the Olympics what next?  Why tear down our heroes?  We can't seem to embrace our heroes from the wars so what next can we aspire to?  

Friends who I can't ride with anymore

It is very overdue that I write this post.  The first is Joe Lookingbill who was one of the first mentors riding I ever had.  He would come and lead rides in his convertable Alpha Romeo.  Riding out of Littleton one day he showed me his chemo pump on his hip.  Can't tell you how much I miss him.  Norm was another one.  Very quiet but determined and rode the brevets including PBP.  Attended his funeral after his bout with Lou Gehrigs. Jim Peyton I met on my first Contrail.  Strong rider who could pull with the best.  Helena was his riding partner.  Our goverment called him to duty and asked him to give up his life for two tours.  Jim couldn't do a third.  Miss you Jim.

Miss you Tim.  Can't tell you how much.  You were so full of life.

Miss you Austin.  Thanks for riding with me on the tandem doing ERock.  The picture on my wall of you and me is one of my favorites.  Best fathers' day present ever.

Going to stop now that I am in tears.

Rafting the Colorado

Summer Contrail 2012

This will be one of the sights along the Colorado River on the first day.  If you look closely we were riding up the river at this time but Glenwood Canyon is just one of many sights along the route for this year.

Planning is being finalized for the trip with lodging being booked in the next few weeks.  I will be  posting updates and recommendations for riders along the way as well as hints from my previous rides.  Like "what is Chamois cream used for?"

Brent