The Totem Ride

Since Last Post: 8,102 ft.
Total Elevation: 48,792 ft.

Follow my ride:
8/15/2011: Totem on 8th
8/17/2011: Freeway - 8th
8/19/2011: Kestral Loop
8/22/2011: Crazy Ride

8/29/2011: Table Rock

8/31/2011: Freeway - Hulls

9/2/2011: Rocky - Shanes

You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day.  ~Daniel Behrman

In my last post I had achieved my goal of reaching Table Rock in 30 minutes. I then set a goal to reach the totem pole on 8th in 40 minutes. I wasn't sure how realistic it was but figured it was a pretty good guess. The next day, I used my GPS data from previous rides to determine checkpoints along the way to help me reach my goal. I then taped the checkpoints on my bike as shown in the picture above.

That monday, the 15th, I took off to see if I could reach my goal. I stayed pretty close to each of my checkpoint times as I reached 8th street. I was at the upper parking lot in 33 minutes which was right on pace. I underestimated the last 2 checkpoints and missed my goal by about 50 seconds.  I've since adjusted my checkpoints and hope to reach it in 40 minutes next time.

I've since been doing some other fun routes. My favorite was a loop using Kestral and Red Cliffs trail. I did 3 loops on 8/19 that was a really fun. I would have been a bit faster had I remembered to shift back down to 2nd while climbing on the second loop. Oops!

Well, I'll check back in tomorrow. I hope to reach 50,000 ft. when I try the totem again. That'll give me about 50,200 ft. Wish me luck!

Table Rock in 30

Since Last Post: 6,879 ft

Total Elevation: 40,690 ft.

Follow my ride:
7/29/2011: Hulls - 8th
8/1/2011: Kestrel - Central
8/2/2011: Ridge Crest - Bucktail
8/4/2011: 8th - Bobs
8/9/2011: Ridge - Red Cliffs
8/11/2011: Sidewinder

The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion.  Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well.  ~Ivan Illich, Energy and Equity, 1974

I finally reached my goal of riding to Table Rock in 30 minutes! If you followed my blog a few weeks back you read of how I made it in 30:30. Yesterday I pushed myself just a little harder and made it in 29:41. Here is a link to the player if you want to check it out.

8/12/2011: Table Rock

My next goal, reach the totem pole on 8th street in 40. I haven't been there this year, but I think that's possible. I'll head there on Monday and see how long it takes me. I think I can make it to the parking lot in 35; that gives me 5 minutes to make it to the totem. We'll see how it goes.

Table Rock to Somewhere

Since Last Post: 2,058 ft

Total Elevation: 33,811 ft.

Follow my ride:
7/27/2011: Table Rock Loop
7/28/2011: Ridge Crest - Central

What do you call a cyclist who doesn't wear a helmet?  An organ donor.  ~David Perry

Yahoo! I'm a third of the way to my goal of 100,000 feet. I had hoped to get more July rides in but all the summer travel made it difficult. I'll do better in August, I promise.

Some of you reading this may be curious about the title of this post, "Table Rock to Somewhere." Well, it's like this. I took an innocent little ride up Table Rock after an incredible week off in Washington. I decided it would be a good ride to get my legs moving again and I've been wanting to try and hit the cross at the top in 30 minutes flat.

I've been on these routes enough now that I have certain "checkpoints" along the way that I use to help determine how well I'm doing. On this route I have a 90 degree corner on Shaw Mountain road as my first checkpoint. If I'm not there in 10 minutes or less I know I need to pick up the pace. Today I hit it in 8 minutes, 30 seconds. I was off to a good start.

My Table Rock Checkpoint Map

The next checkpoint is the last house before the real climb. At that point you've gone 3.6 miles and have climbed 500 feet. I need to be there in 20 minutes. I was at 17 minutes, 41 seconds. The fun part starts at that point as you climb 330 feet in 0.85 miles. That gets you to to the end of the pavement which is the final checkpoint before the cross. I was there at 25 minutes, 25 seconds. I had lost a little ground but still had about 4 and a half minutes to go the remaining 0.66 miles and some 150 feet elevation.The second checkpoint is Shenandoah Drive. I need to be there in 13 minutes or less. I was at 11 minutes, 11 seconds so I'm still doing fine. I knew if I was going to beat my fastest time of 31:09 that I'd need to keep up the pace. If I didn't slow at all I'd surely make it.

I rounded the first bend; 26 minutes. I rounded the second bend; 28 minutes. I hit the parking lot at the top; 29 minutes flat. Now for the quarter mile dash to the cross. In order to make it I'd have to get up to 15 mph and maintain it to the cross. 

I really wish I could tell you I made it in time, but I'm sad to report that I came up a few seconds short. The official time, 30:30. Oh well, that gives me something to shoot for next time.

Anyway, back to the topic of the title. If you follow my ride above by clicking on the link, you'll see that things got a little confusing after that. I tried to follow a trail back behind Table Rock but missed a slightly hidden left-hand turn and had to turn around. I then went down a trail on the South-West side, came out by the Old Penitentiary, then stayed on the trail until I came out, well, somewhere.

For some reason I ended up doing this odd u-turn thing and heading back uphill towards a dead end. I soon realized I better check my iPhone to see where I was. I then headed back down, then back up the aforementioned Shenandoah Drive before meeting back up with Shaw Mountain Road. It's all downhill from there.

I ended up with 1315 ft elevation gain over a 12 mile distance. Not bad, but not good either. Next  time, I think I'll stick with what I know.

To view a 360° view of Table Rock from a previous ride, click here.

Picking Up Speed

Max at Shane's Loop
just below Rick's Leap

Since Last Post: 2,903 ft

Total Elevation: 31,753 ft.

Follow My Ride:
7/18/2011: Sidewinder
7/19/2011: Red Cliffs Loop
7/20/2011: Rocky - Shane's

The secret to mountain biking is pretty simple.  The slower you go the more likely it is you'll crash.  ~Julie Furtado

I've been away from my blog for a while so I thought I'd hop on and give an update. My last 3 rides have taken me up to nearly 32,000 feet. I had a great ride up Sidewinder on Monday that almost matched my top time of 38 minutes from last year. It's always hard to compare because I have a couple of miles to and from the trail where traffic can really skew your time.

The Red Cliffs Loop ride on Tuesday was a fun ride with Max and Jeremy. This was the first time Max had been out this year and he did really well! He made it up Kestrel without stopping which is impressive for a first ride. I saw a lot of improvement in Jeremy as well. He's getting more comfortable on the trail, which should help his speed and ultimately make things safer.

On Wednesday, Max, Jeremy and I went on another ride together. This time we went up Rocky Canyon before branching off to Shane's. We had a great ride and the weather was great! I think I'm finally getting back to where I was last year. I'm eating better which I really helps. I'm looking forward to some longer rides with more elevation in the coming weeks.

Meet Unicycle Guy!

Since Last Post: 1,165 ft

Total Elevation: 28,850 ft.

Follow My Ride:
7/13/2011: 8th Street

Learning to ride a unicycle is 60% determination, 35% persistence and 5% sense of balance. -- John Foss

Meet Kevin Troutt, otherwise known as Unicycle Guy. I ran into Kevin on the trail just behind Camelsback park at the start of my ride. At first I thought it was just a guy riding without using his hands. As I got close I realized it was a guy on a unicycle. You don't see that everyday, especially while mountain biking!

From what I gathered in our brief conversation, Kevin has been riding that unicycle for more than 4 years. I can't imagine the time and energy he's put in, not only learning to ride it, but to ride it on the dirt trails with some fairly challenging climbs. I think because he has half the number of wheels, each foot of elevation gain should count as at least two feet. My hat goes off to you, Kevin. You're amazing!

After chatting for a bit I made my way to 8th Street where I began my ascent. I made it up the initial curve to the lower parking lot before taking a break to try and figure out what was going on. For some reason, I was totally wiped already! That stretch has never been that difficult for me, and here I am wanting to turn back after just a few hundred feet of gain. After a quick drink I continued but for some reason I just didn't have any energy. Maybe it was the 4 hours sleep the night before that was to blame. Another 100 feet or so elevation and I was back to telling myself to turn back. I quickly recalled the question my mother-in-law asked me when she said, "Why do you do it?"  I told here how I love the challenge of the climb, and the satisfaction I get when I've pushed myself to go further when all I wanted to do was turn back.

The internal dialog continued as I slowly made my way up the winding dirt road. I put my head down and focused on my legs pushing the pedals one at a time. My mind then turned to Jeff Good, the man I'm riding for. I thought of how fortunate I am to be on the bike that probably took him up 8th Street a time or two, but with much more ease than I was displaying at that moment. I stopped one more time to take a drink and decide if I was going to continue upward and reach my goal of the upper parking lot. I really didn't want to. I just wanted to coast back down the hill and be done with it. Naturally, I did what seemed like the only thing to do. I got on the saddle, shifted down a gear or two, told myself to stop whining, and got my butt up the mountain! The downhill ride from the upper parking by way of Crestline is always a great reward!

To learn more about Unicycle Guy and some of the supplements he uses to keep him going, visit www.unicycleguy.com.

Silver Creek Weekend

Dirt Road at Silver Creek

Since Last Post: 2,660 ft

Total Elevation: 27,685 ft.

Follow My Ride:
7/09/2011: Silver Creek
7/10/2011: SC to Crouch
7/12/2011: CR - Shane's

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.  ~John F. Kennedy

I had a great couple of days at Silver Creek Plunge this past weekend with the fam. I threw Ol' Betsy on the back of the Suburban so I could get a few rides in and see some new territory. As an aside, the name Ol' Betsy was made up on Friday while packing for camping. I found it a fitting name for a 16 year old bike. The kids got a good laugh out of it and it just sorta stuck.

It had been 13+ years since I'd been to Silver Creek Plunge. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the roads and campground had been much improved. We stayed for $15 a night. That didn't include access to the pool, which cost an additional $54 for all of us for the day. All in all, a pretty reasonable price for a weekend of fun in the sun.

I was able to get my first ride in on Saturday afternoon. I hadn't looked on Google Earth/Maps ahead of time so I wasn't sure where to go from our campground. I picked a small dirt road just South of our camp site and started my climb. The trees were a nice change of scenery from the foothills of Boise. I prefer the singletrack trails, but as you can see from the photo above, the road had some variety to it making it pretty fun.

The next day, I decided to ride Ol' Betsy from our campsite to Crouch. I appreciated the improved road even more than I had during the drive in. I was given a head-start while Darci and the kids paid the bill and hooked up the trailer. They caught up with me after 19 miles. It was fun having them honk and cheer me on as they passed. It worked out to be a 22 mile ride when all was said and done.

I got one more ride in today back in Boise after taking Monday off. I did a pretty normal ride up Ridge Crest, across Central, and up Shane's. I didn't have my Garmin so I'm using my Cyclemeter application data to build the stats for this blog.  

25,000 Feet Milestone!

Morning on Aldape Summit

Since Last Post: 2,537 ft

Total Elevation: 25,025 ft.

Follow My Ride:
07/07/2011: Aldape Summit
07/07/2011: Rocky -Shane's

Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.  ~Albert Einstein

I was able to get a couple of rides in today to finally reach my first milestone of 25,000 feet! My first ride was early this morning before the sun came up. I wanted to get an early start so I could see the sunrise on my way up Rocky Canyon. I would have really liked to have been on top of Aldape Summit when the sun came up over the mountains, but I'm not about to get up that early. On the way down I saw some cool pack horses just off the main road. I'll add a picture below.

Me on Shane's Loop

The second ride today was a lunch hour ride up Rocky Canyon to Lower Shane's Loop and down Central Ridge. That route provides 800 feet elevation gain which I knew would put me over the 25,000 mark. I actually felt really good. Jeremy went along for the ride again and snapped a photo just before Shane's when I hit the milestone. I'll probably take tomorrow off and then hit it again on Friday.

Rocky Canyon Sunrise

Pack Horses on Rocky Canyon

A Much Needed Break

Since Last Post: 2,786 ft
Total Elevation: 22,488 ft.

Follow My Ride:
06/24/2011: Kestrel - Reserve
06/27/2011: Sidewinder - Fat Tire

06/28/2011: Shane's - Central

Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it if you live.  ~Mark Twain

Hey there sports fans! It's been a while since my last blog entry so let's get caught up. I finished the week of June 20th with a quick ride on a borrowed bike. I decided to go on a test ride using my buddy Neil's Kona just to change things up a bit. It's a 19-inch full-suspension bike compared to my 22-inch hardtail (front shock only). The main reason I wanted to ride it was to see how it feels going downhill on a bike with a much better suspension than my own. His front fork has so much travel in it! I really struggled with the climb due to a low saddle and the "pogo" effect caused by the rear shock. If you look at the ride stats for 6/24 linked above, you'll see my average speed was a few mph slower. The downhill was fun but I took a really sandy route and nearly lost control a few times.

Sand on Trail #23

I started the week of June 27th with a ride up Sidewinder and across Fat Tire Traverse. I really like that ride and the 1300 ft. elevation gain it provides. The downhill from there is fast and keeps you on your toes. I try to keep the speed down to reduce the risk of wrecking.

My most recent ride was a stroll up Rocky Canyon to Shane's Loop. I took the upper side of Shane's to try and get 1000 ft. gain in and then went down Central Ridge. That was such a fun ride!

I spent the last 4 days of the week in San Diego at Legoland California with my son, Jake. We had a blast! I plan on getting back on the saddle tomorrow morning so I don't have to fight the heat.

Thunder and Lightning

Photo I took back in May 2006. I'm
posting it in honor of last night's storm!

Since Last Post: 2,112 ft
Total Elevation: 19,702 ft.

Follow My Ride:
06/22/2011: Crestline - Hulls
06/23/2011: Kestrel - Central

We had quite a show last night with all the thunder and lightning. I thought I might get lucky enough to capture another photo like the one I got in 2006. No such luck. So, for your viewing pleasure I thought I'd post the old one.

NEW FEATURE ALERT!
 I wanted to point out a new feature I'm adding to my posts. You may have noticed a 'Follow My Ride' section at the top--not to be confused with the popular MTV series "Pimp My Ride." If you click on the link next to the date, it will take you to the Garmin Connect Player so you can see the route I took and the elevation and speed at each point along the way.

Garmin Forerunner 301

I use the Garmin Forerunner 301 to track my rides. I purchased a Garmin bike mount that fits nicely on the handlebars where I can see it. After each ride I upload the data to the Garmin Connect site and track my progress that way. This is what I use to get the stats at the top of each blog.

In addition to the Garmin I use the iPhone app Cyclemeter. It's a great app that tracks a lot of the same things. I've been comparing the two, and it looks like the Garmin isn't quite as accurate as Cyclemeter. In fact, I'd say there's usually about a 5-7% difference in elevation between them. I use the Garmin distance, which is the lesser every time. If I can get some good reports from Cyclemeter, I may switch to that.

Hello Summer!

View from Table Rock

Since Last Post: 996 ft.
Total Elevation: 17,589 ft.

Updated Page(s): About Jeff Good

Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.  ~James E. Starrs

I just love that quote! It's true 99% of the time. The remaining 1% is when you wreck.

Jeremy on Table Rock

I rode up Table Rock today. I had my co-worker with me, a really nice change. Jeremy is more of a road biker but he picked up a mountain bike when he started working in Boise. As he can attest to, mountain biking is a different beast.

Last year I had a chance to ride a road bike a couple of times to see if I liked it. I'm not sure what it was but I just didn't enjoy it as much. Admittedly, that may have had something to do with the way the saddle fit. I couldn't ride, or walk, for a couple of days after that. I decided that even if I was going to ride on the road I'd just as well stick with the mountain bike.

Onward and Upward

Flowers on Ridge Crest

Since Last Post: 895 ft.
Total Elevation: 16,593 ft.

Updated Pages: About Me, About Jeff Good, and About ALS.

The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine. ~John Howard

Another day on the foothills and what a beauty it was! I felt great after 3 days off and was ready to get back at it. Today I thought I'd test my custom iPhone mount so I could video the ride up Ridge Crest, across Central Ridge, around Shane's Loop, and down Bucktail Trail. The mount kinda worked, but it kept slipping on the handlebars. I'll have to come up with a better solution. The video wasn't all that great either. It looked a bit like I was underwater.

I improved my official time over last week by about a minute. That includes having to stop a few times to mess with the video. In all I think I shaved more like 3 minutes off. I still have a ways to go to get to the shape I was in last year, but I'm making progress!

Jumpin' Jeepers

Since Last Post: 897 ft.
Total Elevation: 15,698 ft.

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.
~H.G. Wells

Well, today didn't go as planned. I had every intention of having lunch with my wife at Big Jud's and throwing down one of those incredible burgers. However, I learned a long time ago that when you have 4 kids, anything can change at a moment's notice. We'll see what tomorrow brings. 

My right calf felt pretty good this morning so I thought I'd go ahead and go for a ride at lunch. Before hitting the trail, I took a gander at my copy of Mountain Biking in Boise to see if there was a cool route I could do in an hour or less. Pausing story while I put in a plug for Steve's Book....

I bought this little beauty of a book when I first started riding last year, because I was honestly a bit intimidated by all the trails and thought if I didn't plan ahead I may get lost. I shelled out about $15 for it at a bike shop in downtown Boise. It came in handy all last year when planning solo rides. I like to explore as many different trails as I can, and this book helped me do just that without worrying about getting lost or going on trails that were more technical than I was able to ride. Thanks, Stueby!

...and we're back!  I found a pretty cool intermediate ride called Jumpin' Jeepers Figure 8 Loop that looked like it would fit the bill. It isn't a lot different from the ride I did the other day on Shane's Loop. The main difference is instead of breaking off of Shane's Loop and heading south to Rocky Canyon, you stay on Shayne's, which loops back around and connects with Bucktail Trail. What a great slalom ride that was! I remember I rode that trail a couple of times last year with Lahcen, but I don't remember it being that fun. I give this trail a big HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Photo for Ravi

Photo from Shane's Loop

Since Last Post: 2,348 ft.
Total Elevation: 14,801 ft.

I received an e-mail the other day from my buddy Ravi who used to ride quite a bit here in Boise.  He's since moved on to greener pastures, but I know he misses the foothills. So, Ravi, at your request I stopped on Shane's Loop to take a picture for you. Enjoy!
The past couple of days I've been able to get some pretty good rides in. I logged over 1100 feet elevation per ride, which I'm pretty pleased with. I'm hoping over the next couple of weeks I can shave some time off. I'm taking a break tomorrow to let my right calf heal. I hurt it Monday night on a ride to the school with the kids. My bike was at work, so I grabbed my wife's 17.5-inch Gary Fisher, which seemed like riding my kid's BMX bike. Long story short, one too many wheelie attempts on the playground led to a stressed right calf, a bruised right heel, and a few scratches on my ego. Hopefully a day off and a trip to Big Jud's with the wife is just what the doctor ordered. In the meantime, enjoy a few pics from Tuesday's ride.

Tiger Swallowtails

Find the 4 Lizards

Bull Snakes

Bull Snakes on Hulls

Since Last Post: 2,065 ft.
Total Elevation: 12,452 ft.

The trails have been pretty active these past couple of days, and I'm not talking about all the other hikers and bikers! This week, instead of a deer, a couple of bull snakes were tangled up on the trail. Each was about 3 feet long and neither one paid much attention to me. They must have been preoccupied.

Last Friday I did a ride up Central Ridge and over to Shane's before heading down into Rocky Canyon. Today I went up Hulls again since I didn't make it to the top last week. At the top of Hulls I decided to make the half-mile climb up to 8th street. That's the first time I've taken that route this year. Once at the top I decided to head down 8th just to get back more quickly.  I prefer going down Bob's Trail more than anything but time didn't permit it.

Daily or Every Other Day?
The legs still feel pretty sore each time I start my rides. I wonder if riding every day is a good thing. Last year Lahcen and I rode about every other day and I usually felt good. I've done a little research and it seems beginners or casual riders prefer every other day, while more experienced riders have done fine riding every day. Hopefully I'll get used to the daily routine sooner than later. Anyone have any experience with this?

If I go every other day I'll need to go a little farther each time to keep the goal within reach. I'm not sure I have the time to do 1500 ft. elevation per day but if that's what it takes, I'll have to find shorter routes with more climbing. 

It's Bambi!

Gain Since Last Post: 692 ft.
Total Elevation Gain: 10,388 ft

Check out this groovy photo I snapped today of a deer crossing the trail ahead of me!  That's part of the reason I love getting out on my lunch hour.  One minute I'm sitting at my desk staring at a computer screen and the next minute I'm out playing chicken with Bambi.

Had a nice ride today up Hulls Gulch but man were my legs sore!  It's funny how one day you can feel great and the next day feel so tired.  I think my lack of sleep over the past few days is finally getting to me.  I was a little rushed on time and with the serious case of leg burn I had going on I didn't make my goal of getting all the way to the top of Hulls.

Hulls Gulch

Hulls Gulch Rock Pile

If you have an hour or so and want to go for a nice ride, Hulls Gulch is a solid choice.  It's about 3.4 miles from Camel's Back park to the top of Hulls with a gradual elevation gain of 800 feet (2750 to 3550).  I'd give Hulls a difficulty rating of moderate.  There's a rock pile on the way up where you'll more than likely have to walk your bike.  I guess there may be some out there who can do it but I'm not one of them.

This time of year the creek is running strong and the vegetation is green and thick.  The trail has plenty of rise and fall with a few blind spots so keep an eye out for those coming back down.  Once you're at the top you have three options.

1. You can turn back around and head back the way you came.
2. If you want more climbing, you can keep going and climb up the steep winding trail up to the 8th street upper parking lot.  This is a half mile grunt climbing an additional 250 feet up.   That's a slope of about 9.5%.  From there you can head down 8th or better yet, cross the road and head down Bob's Trail.
3. Your third option is to take the trail to the right and head down Crestline.  This is a fun trail if you want a good balance of speed and variety.  If I take this route I usually end up connecting with Kestral to get back to Camel's Back.

No matter what route you take you can't go wrong.  Have fun, be safe, and keep on ridin'!

Table Rock

Gain Since Last Post: 937 ft.
Total Elevation Gain: 9,696 ft

I've often said,  "I'm not made of sugar" so what does it matter if it's raining outside and I get a little wet?  Well, it's not me I'm worried about, it's the dirt (or mud) I'm riding on.  Yesterday's roller-coaster ride was great and I hoped to do another trail ride today.  I decided to take the safe route instead and ride the pavement.

When relegated to roadways, one of my favorite lunch routes is Table Rock.  As it turned out, the pavement was only slightly damp and the the cloud cover made it perfect out!  At the 28 minute mark I hit the very moist dirt road leading up to the cross sitting atop Table Rock.  I took a few minutes to snag a panorama of the view using Photosynth on my iPhone.  I think it turned out pretty cool.  CLICK ON IT to load a 360-degree view you can control with your mouse!

First Post

I figure I better get typing before I get too far down the trail.  I hope to post the progress I make towards my goal of gaining 100,000 feet elevation on my mountain bike this year.  I'll be posting to the blog some additional information about how I arrived at this goal and what inspired me to do it.

So far in 2011 I'm up to 8,759 ft.  With the somewhat inclement weather we've been experiencing across much of Idaho this year I'm off to a slow start.  In fact, to date I've only logged 10 rides averaging roughly 900 feet elevation gain per ride.  I know, I should be ashamed!  Having said that, I'm about a month ahead of my start last year.

It was May 14th, 2010 when I took my first test ride around the winding streets of my old subdivision.  The bike was an old Gary Fisher Montare mountain bike that had been sitting in the basement of my work for some time.  When I inquired about it I learned that it belonged to Mike Ferry, a co-worker of mine.  Mike was kind enough to allow me to throw some air in the tires and take it for a spin to see if it was something I'd be interested in buying.  A few days later I took it for a second spin before finally making the decision to buy it despite the literal wear and tear.  I remember thinking, "Well, I guess I won't have to worry about getting a scratch on it."

On June 23rd I hit the dirt trails for the first time, my good friend Lahcen leading the way.  After a mile or so I remember him pulling to the side and motioning for me to take the lead.  I nervously obliged and got my first glimpse of the wide-open trail.  After 3 miles we took a brief pause near a small wooden bridge to catch our breath and take a much needed drink. Thinking back on it now it seems like only yesterday.

In the weeks and months that followed I spent hours in the saddle.  Most of the time I was accompanied by Lahcen, though others would occasionally join us.  It was through casual conversations on the trail and at work that I came to know the history of the bike I rode.  I was told it had once belonged to a man by the name of Jeff Good who had passed away in April of 2009 after a battle with ALS.  As I learned more about Jeff an interesting thing happened.  I found myself becoming less and less critical of the lowly basement-dweller of a bike I'd purchased.  In fact, you might say I became quite proud to be the owner of it due to the connection I began to feel with a man I'd never met.

I finished 2010 with 65,500 ft. elevation gain and a severe case of mountain bike fever!  That fever burns still as I begin the 2011 bike season.  I've decided to dedicate this year's rides in large part to the memory of Jeff Good.  May each of us in our own passing be as highly revered.  I'll soon be posting additional information off of the home page about Jeff and his love of mountain biking and life.

I would be remiss if I didn't include in my dedication a few others who have been an inspiration to me in my first year or riding:

Lahcen Airir
First, my dear friend Lahcen Airir for introducing me to the joy of mountain biking and showing me how to catch some sweet air!  Yes, there's an inside joke in there.  Lahcen, I won't soon forget our morning ride up Sidewinder where we stopped to share a mango and talk about life.  Best of luck in Denver my friend.  You were missed the moment you left.

Mike Ferry
For selling me the $100 basement-dweller of a bike I've come to love.  Mike, your work ethic and humility is unmatched. I get tired just watching you!  Oh, and you weren't lying when you said, "The tear in the saddle makes it more aerodynamic!"

Rick Gerrard
For his love of the climb that inspire my elevation-based goal.  Rick, I hope to someday have the same passion, dedication, and drive you have.  I hope you keep on climbing, but please, try not to make it look so effortless!

Keith Latimer
For being the ultimate fountain of bike knowledge.  Keith keeps me in the loop on all the latest goings on in the bike world and helps with any questions I have regarding my own bike.  Keith, thanks for being willing to sacrifice your own time, talent, and effort to help a newbie like me get moving in the right direction.