I’ve just started on a new adventure. I’m hoping to provide more updates on this as they happen, but for now I’m going to let you know what’s up. Back up a bit… back in February, Chris Carmichael put up a call for people to join a team going to La Ruta. That’s short for La Ruta De Los Conquistadores a four-day long mountain bike race across Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Nuts to begin with, so why would I even want to do this? I’ve heard about this race for a few years here’s Carmichael’s summary of what he has in mind. It’s his 50th birthday year and this is his plan for what to do. Now Chris is an ex-pro (the 7-11 team) and a very strong athlete himself, so why do I think I can keep up with this? I don’t know, but I filled out an on-line application and waited. I was a bit surprised when I saw that I had made the top 25 cut and was asked to make a short video application. They asked that this be less than 3 min long and the instructions were: “please record a video that gives us a better sense of who you are and what you’re passionate about.” So here’s my video application:

The next step was waiting and I finally found out that I’m in. So now that I’m in, what’s next? I guess I have to starting thinking out about 7 months and refocus my training on how I’m going to get into the kind of shape it takes to do that race, not that I know what that is. I figure I’ll find out soon enough.

We (the entire hand-picked team) will be meeting at Carmichael Training Systems in mid-April. At that time, they’ll run us through the battery of tests, including Lactate Threshold, VO2Max, do a proper bike fit and do some riding too. Then we go off and train for some time, coming back to Colorado Springs in mid-July. I’m sure some of us will meet up at Leadville in August, then September, we go to Costa Rica for a pre-ride of parts of the course. The cool part of that is we will be joined there by 2009 winner Manuel Prado and he’ll show up the trail. Good recon beta in that. Then some time to put the finishing touches on my training and we race… November 17-20.

Meanwhile, I’ve decided to start a Video Diary and did  a couple in the last week. Mostly this is for me to see, but I thought someone else might be stuck at work and bored out of their skull and watch this…

Or this:

The Leadville folks have put up the applications on their website:
www.leadvilletrail100.com
You have to apply before Jan 31, 2010 and they’ll tell you by Feb 8. This one’s going to get a lot of apps after that movie, but I’d still like to go do a few more. Gotta get that 1000 mile buckle.

I looked for you in Vail, but I never saw you–pussy!

This is my buddy Dave from Allbeefjerky, Nerdmexico. I’m trying to get him to meet us for the 24 hours in the old pueblo next year…

-M

Well Team Bacon Strip will be Reppin’ The Single Speed World Champs 2008! Had my ipod Touch all cued up and hit send @ 12:01 while watching the fireworks in Downtown Reno from our dining room. Gris, Bustigator, Icandy, Nat and Myself all got in so far. Next, to find some camping! Anyone else get their app in in time?

Beers @ are in order to celebrate! GBB or Downtown @ Ceol or Imperial?

-M

Something recently made me think of this AWESOME video from the early 1980′s. Got to love this, and with the older, wiser ear, detect subtle truths we can still take to heart…

-M

First, prepare your gnarly scrawney asses for cyclocross. Even JR has committed to racing, and fixed no less! First off this month is Thursday, and presumably every following Thursday for the Outlaw series in Truckee and environs. Second is the Sagebrush series race on the 20th @ Hidden Valley. Our beloved Grisly Bike Geek is the triggerman for the series and says that if we get three fixtards racing he’ll get us the best prizes. As it should be. I say bring it. I’ve got nothing to loose!

Second, got this note from my buddy Jason re: the Keyesville Classic which Gris JR and Myself went to last year…

Team Bacon Strip,

I am Jason Smith and the new Keyesville Classic Race director. I was last
years assistant director and have the race from this year forward for
awhile.

We are becoming a part of the national calendar this year. For those that
race for point standings this will help.

We will have:
Downhill
Short Track
Cross-country

A non-uscf sanctioned stage race where all riders participating will have to
race the same class with the same bike. We are adding the one bike thing
this year. We really wanted to do it last year but since we had no real
time to execute it was pushed of to this year.

I saw on the blog you have that you fellows were disappointed with not
having the 8 hour race. Sorry. If we could logistically figure out how to
do everything in one two day period of time we would. We would love to add
it to the events if it were feasible.

I would like to invite your team to the race and enjoy another event with us
this coming year. It is only 162 days away. Come hang out, drink beer from
the brewery, eat spaghetti, and camp out…oh yeah, and race.

Thank you for all you support in the past.

Third, and blasts from the past seem to come in twos these days (My dad and I took Jason(from above) climbing for the first time a few years ago. I think I was 14…): My buddy Dustin from High School called the other day to talk about a new website he’s building to be a guide/wiki for adventurism in Kern County. The last guide book was published about 13 years ago. Before that, we had a laminated photocopy of the Stonemasher’s Guide to Kern River Climbing… Good work Dustin!

-M