Wayne Gretzky at the Duffer League, Bonelli Park #2

"Bonelli is like the 100 meter Olympics of mountain biking," proclaimed a fired up, dust-crusted Kris Sneddon. 

"It seems like a crazy way to ride a bike," replied endurance connoisseur Cory Wallace as he listened to the other three Kona boys describe the events of the previous weekend. 

Fast, crazy, frenetic, aggressive, exciting - there are many words that can describe Round #3 of the US Cup at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. Thanks in no small part to the organizational efforts of Scott Tedro and the Sho-Air Cycling Group, some 85% of the world's top-twenty ranked XC mountain bikers (and 100% of all top North Americans) were on the start line for Saturday's cross country race. This included reigning World Champion Catherine Pendrel in the women's race, and perennial heavy hitter Nino Schurter in the men's race. 

"It's like having Wayne Gretzky show up to your Duffer's league," jokes Canadian Kris Sneddon. "Actually it's more like showing up to a major swim meet with Michael Phelps, or having Michael Jordan at your basketball game...that was the most competitive field I've raced against in a regular season North America race since the NORBA days in the early 2000s"

With the literal momentum of these early season races, it's easy to forget that the 2015 is race season is just getting underway. The Kona Endurance Team now has three major Olympic XC events behind them, with much more racing to go. I brought it home this weekend in Bonelli with a satisfactory 17th, 5th for the U.S.  Barry and Kris battled from back row starts and churned out finishes in the top half of the internationally stacked field. 

Up next is the cycling industry mega-show at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, where both the Endurance and Gravity Team riders will be on site to shred some sunny California hills and the odd trail. The same international fields will be at the start line, and it's sure to be another good show. 

Conjuring the Indicative - Pan Am Continental Championships

The Team USA Super Suit certainly aided in braving the thin air at the Pan Am Continental Championships in Cota, Colombia. The climbs seemed steeper than the descents.
Photo Credit: Maximiliano Blanco, Shimano Latin America - www.maximilianoblanco.com

Last weekend I spent about 80 exciting, merengon-fueled hours in Cota, Colombia with the US National MTB Team.  Our 20-rider crew flew to Bogotá, Colombia to compete in the 2015 Pan Am Continental Championships, a major championship event for the Americas, held every spring, typically in Central or South America.  This was my second consecutive year attending Pan Ams.  Last year took place in Barbacena, Brazil.  

Team USA's new customary nutrition supplement: merengon! Scientifically proven to lessen the effects of high altitude! There were at least 20 roadside Merengon dispensaries between the race venue and the hotel. 

The Continental Championships is a bit of a wild card event.  It takes place early in the race season and typically holds lower importance for the North Americans, who are just getting things started. For those racers who live in more southerly latitudes, the race comes at the end of their summer, and they are typically more peaked.

Ripping through the start-loop.  I need to tighten up that start! Photo Credit: Maximiliano Blanco, Shimano Latin America - www.maximilianoblanco.com

Last year Pan Ams were in Brazil, and I pleased myself with a 5th place finish. The Colombian version would prove to be a much different beast. With a starting elevation of 8,500' and seven times around a frenetic ~4km race track full of extremely steep, punchy climbs, most of us lowlanders had to adapt our race strategies to perform within the effects of Boyle's law.  Adapt I did (or so I think) and finished a respectable 12th.  Definitely not great, but not terrible either...decent enough for me given the early point in the season, not to mention the challenging environment!

This place is deceivingly high elevation!  At 8,500' I am used to experiencing more arid environments, and colder temperatures!  Here the air even felt thick with car exhaust (maybe that was just the clogged roadways), and the temperature was a comfortable 70 degrees during the day.

At 8,500', there is approximately 26% LESS oxygen available compared to my sea-level home in Bellingham, WA.  Consequently, overall performance at this elevation is typically reduced by some noticeable percentage, no matter who you are.  Those who are more adapted (live/sleep at altitude, altitude training, anomalously high hemoglobin, etc.) can perform closer to their maximum. Lowlanders, on the other hand, must be wise about going into the "red-zone" for extended periods of time, otherwise the performance reductions may be proportionate (or worse!) to the reduced oxygen levels!  If you go too hard for too long, you blow up, and recovery simply won't come.  Since my engine spends 99% of its time performing at elevations with at least 90% of sea-level oxygen, I did my best to go fast, yet avoid a meltdown.

#LocalLine - met up with some kids from Cota on the way home from training.  They invited us to hit their carpeted dirt jumps.  I'm not sure if they thought we were ridiculous or genuinely interesting - but they were definitely excited to have us check out their "rampas".  It was a memorable encounter to say the least.  They chased after us on their bikes as we left, dragging their feet to slow down (no brakes).

For me, the trip to Colombia had a lot of positivity packed into it.  Regardless of its short duration, lots of time spent in a hotel room, and a fairly unremarkable result, what I took away was a great sense of refreshing affirmation that I feel will last me through the rest of the season.  I was there!  That is, affirmation for continuing to grow in this craft of bicycle racing, and all that it entails. Maybe it's because I spent the last seven years balancing this pursuit with a completely separate full-time career, and am just now enjoying the situation of being a "full time" cyclist.  It is now my "work".  Now that I'm "all-in", I have an even greater appreciation for the privilege of being free to enjoy a balanced lifestyle, or in another sense, the "payoff" of a hard-working, balanced lifestyle.  It was my passion for cycling that motivated me to put good fortunes to work (supportive family & friends, good education, good job) and design a financial and lifestyle situation that could afford me the freedom to always have "work" be as deliberate, inspired and fulfilling as possible.  From another angle, I decided years ago that if I had anything to do with it, I would integrate the things I was passionate about into my everyday life, and avoid the situation of looking back at this phase in my life with any regret...with any sense of "but if only I would have gone for it...what might have been..."

Content Cow

I had a funny realization about all this musing as I was trying to remember how to speak Spanish.  I was rooting around online to see if I could refresh my memory on conjugations, and came across a TED Talk about language.  This one in particular was Phuc Tran's, "Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive".  He talked about how harnessing one's use of the indicative and the subjunctive mood [in the English, anyway] can be used as a "lens through which to experience the world."   The indicative mood is used to express factual information - it is objective and certain.  The subjunctive mood is used to express everything except for certainty - it is subjective and about possibilities.  Mr. Tran explained how the subjunctive allows for creativity, but can leave us "mired in regret". On the other hand, it takes real courage to embrace the indicative, "do or do not!".

So there it was.  Cycling as a "career" for me had originated positively from a subjunctive mood - Should I do this?...I could achieve this...I might have done that - and eventually it went through enough life-processing and emerged on the other side with a strong indicative mood - I am...This is.  I feel fortunate that now the worst the subjunctive mood I will experience is thinking about what I might have done differently during or in preparation for a given race.  As an athlete, such things can be vexing, especially when you place high expectations on yourself, as I've experienced.  But luckily the negative tendency of the subjunctive can be countered by the positive realization of the indicative - that this is what I am doing, that I love what I do, that I belong here.

Photo Credit: Maximiliano Blanco, Shimano Latin America - www.maximilianoblanco.com

Entangled at the 2015 US Cup Season Opener

Once again, Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA played host to a microcosm of the international cross country mountain biking scene at the 2015 XC Season Opener - the US Cup.  Nearly 800 racers were in attendance, ranging from from amateurs to seasoned professionals, juniors to masters.  In the elite fields, twenty-two nations were represented amidst the blur of tall seats and highly coordinated outfits.  Forty-seven elite women and ninety-nine elite men.     

Barry Wicks and I made the journey to San Dimas to shake things out for the 2015 season, which will last until September.  As with any long commitment, we made sure to start things off conscientiously with two visits to the time-honored Bru Bar at Klatch Coffee San Dimas. Stimulating brew and Barry's colloquy on quantum entanglement proved to be the perfect warmup for our pre-race testing.  And as quickly as the interaction between entangled particles occurs, the 2015 race season was underway.   

The perennial first scene of the season-openers in Southern California - Klatch Coffee

Bikes assembled (and tuned) at the Holiday Inn Kona Endurance Team HQ, we dusted a couple warm-up laps to shake down the new equipment.  For 2015 the Endurance Team (Barry, Kris, Cory, Helen and Spencer) will be using 1x11 drivetrains and wheels from Shimano components, electronically adjustable suspension from Fox Racing Shox, Maxxis Tires,  Pro-Bikegear cockpit, FSA headsets and ODI grips.  

We decided we were warmed up enough after Barry had left sufficient amounts of sweat and blood on the course.  He liked his new bike so much he showered with it at the end of the day.

As I took in the first sight of the venue, I appreciated the familiar scene of race tape strewn across the hill and all of the trim cyclists zipping around aboard their fresh bikes and fresh coordinated outfits.  I thought to myself that we bike racers are like many entangled quantum systems.  We are all entangled in a system of behaviors which are highly correlated, if not linked.  For the last several months, most of us have had zero direct interaction, yet in March, our quantum state as racers may be taken as a whole, given the preparation we have all undergone during the winter.  Legs and lungs are primed for maximal performance (or at least pretty close), and at the start line, none of us can necessarily be described independently.  The energy at the first start line of the season is greater than the product of each of its individual parts.  Then it all blows apart, and we're all disentangled, and highly measurable.   

I measured in at 18th overall in the Elite men's field, 3rd for the US.  Barry had worked his way up from a back row start and lots of "handlebar entanglement" but suffered a flat on the penultimate lap, relegating him to the 30s.  In any case, the race was fast and furious, and left us both feeling motivated for the season to come.   

**RESULTS??! PRESS COVERAGE?!? Throughout the events last weekend, it became clear that water was not the only thing in short supply in California.  So was the press coverage of the race.  While ShoAir Cycling Group and Ride Biker Alliance did a FANTASTIC job of race coverage DURING the event, there was a drought of press coverage from major news outlets.  

Velo News, CyclingNews, where were you? Thanks to CyclingIllustrated.com, CanadianCyclist.com, and CyclocrossMagazine.com for getting race reports and a few photos catalogued.   

Check out the VIDEO REPLAY HERE: http://uscup.net/us-cup-tv/ 

Race Results are HERE: http://shoaircyclinggroup.com/events/race-results/ 

Funemployment and Special Arrangements with the Weather Gods

What precipitated this anomalously warm winter in the Pacific Northwest?  Is it global warming?  Is it natural variation?  Is it a secret deal with the weather gods?  

Whatever the cause, I'll always remember this balmy 2014/2015 winter and how it began at the final scene of my former "real" job.  It was a drizzly Friday afternoon in December, and I stood calmly at the Shipping counter of the local FedEx store with a packaged-up work computer addressed for permanent return to the mother ship.  In that underwhelming moment of sealing the packing slip, I said goodbye to my corporate title of “Manager of Development and Origination” and hello to my new sole proprietorship as "full time Professional Cyclist" for the Kona Bicycle Company.  

XKCD

My official resignation (and I deliberately call it that instead of “quit”) preceded my turning 30 years old, and touched off a winter of significantly decreased email-osis, along with wonderfully pleasant riding temperatures.  Of course, it was all planned out.  My self-promotion to Full Time Cyclist was the culmination of years of forethought, hard work and patience.  A dialed program full of support from family, friends, sponsors and awesome bosses, and even elaborate arrangements with the weather gods.  

Early scenes from Retirement 1.0

Mega-ridging bringing the warm "omega" winter to the PNW - See Cliff Mass Weather Blog to learn more

Notwithstanding the dialogue on whether global warming or natural variation is to blame for the warm winter in the PNW, I'll admit that it has more to do with my personal arrangement with the atmospheric deities than anything else.  All those years juggling the dual career wasn't just to support my cycling passion financially, but meteorologically as well. 

Typical scenes in Bellingham during January and February 2015

You see, spending twenty to thirty hours per week outside on a bicycle during the winter time at 48.7 degrees North latitude means that having any control over the weather is a big advantage.  In nearly all cases, such a thing is completely impossible.  Fortunately for me, I had developed some leverage with the craftspeople of climate whilst working for Ridgeline Energy.  At Ridgeline we developed and built power plants that would generate electricity directly from the wind and the sunshine.  Over the years, we developed and built three major wind farms, representing over 300 megawatts of renewable energy capacity (wind turbines).  For perspective, peak power output from all of these turbines is equivalent to a peloton of approximately 1.2 million cyclists pedaling simultaneously at 250 watts, or approximately 666,666 Barry Wicks’ time-trialing at 450 watts.  These wind farms will continue to power homes and factories in the Pacific Northwest with clean, stable-priced electricity for many years to come.  I once calculated that we had placed enough “green” energy into the grid such that my share (of our 30 person team) just barely offset the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of my bike racing adventures.  

In any case, all of this pleased the architects of the elements, who were willing to arrange mild winter weather at home during critical training periods, thus helping to ensure that the 2015 race season would get off to a good start.  As long as I kept up my end of the bargain (training diligently), they would keep the ambient temperature and trail conditions very hospitable.  

In addition to the weather, I've also benefited tremendously from strength training at Trailhead Athletics in Bellingham, regular training plan consultation with Peaks Coaching's Brig Brandt, and physiological testing with Herriott Sports Performance in Seattle.

As if that weren't enough, I've renewed a great contract with Kona Bicycles and will be flying the black and orange proudly across the globe as part of the Kona Factory Endurance Team.  We'll be aboard top-of-the-line equipment from Shimano drivetrain and wheels, Fox suspension, Maxxis tires, PRO Bike Gear components, FSA headsets, WTB saddles, Champion System clothing, Smith Optics eyewear, Giro helmets and shoes, Clif Bar nutrition, and Stages Cycling power meters.    

Chuckanut Drive, Photo Credit: @sherburnator

Despite the great outdoor riding conditions this winter, there has been plenty of work done indoors, too.  Strength and conditioning at Trailhead Athletics in Bellingham, and physiological testing at Herriott Sports Performance in Seattle.  

I couldn't be too selfish though.  By February the whole weather arrangement had become a huge bummer for the ski folk and watershed managers, among others.  With snowpack dipping frighteningly low in the Cascades, I feared I may have taken too great advantage of this outstanding arrangement.  Thus, to encourage winter's return, I traveled east to Mazama, WA for some time in the snow, then headed south to California to get in some big hours where it was supposed to be warm and sunny.  Thankfully, this retreat from home was enough to precipitate a return of winter conditions to the PNW.  Snow should be flying again starting in March, conveniently around the time when racing season kicks off and I'll be down in California anyway...

Thanks, weather deities, for being so accommodating.  You can now go back to full winter for the appropriate amount of time.    

First race is US Cup #1 at Bonelli, California.  The organizers at ShoAir Cycling Group, USA Cycling, as well as many sponsors and media supporters, have a very exciting series in store for the Olympic cross country discipline this year.  Be sure to follow all of the action at this blog, on Twitter and Instagram @slaxsonMTB, as well as www.uscup.net, www.usacycling.org, www.cyclingnews.com, www.pinkbike.com, and cog.konaworld.com.    

In the meantime, appreciate what the weather is doing and how it works, and ride your bike! Or do some gardening!

As of the date I pulled this data, the Olympics were at some 3% of average snow water content. Yikes!!

The front of my house at 48.7 degrees North on February 15th, 2015

Mazama, WA near the Goat Wall

Skinny ski cross training weekend at the largest XC ski area in the U.S. in Mazama, WA; an incredible network of nordic trails stewarded by Methow Trails 

Down to San Francisco and Sonoma area for some extra fitness farming

If you like pedaling skinny-tire, curly-bar bikes and getting out of breath and you've never participated in one of the infamous Grasshopper Adventure Series events, then I highly recommend you put one on your list.  

Fitness felt just about right for mid-Feb, not too much, not too little, enough to be amongst the first few to the beer and food at the end of 80 miles and 8,000' of beautiful NorCal roads.  

I ride for Kona Bicycles - www.konaworld.com