Brad Cole

9000 ft and one gear...

2010-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

This definitely is a recipe for disaster. Mountain bike nationals were again held here in Colorado at Sol Vista resort in Granby. Lucky for me it was close and I was able to sleep in my bed the night before the race. That is a good thing right?

Beginning.:

3:00 A.M. a good time to be sleeping, right? Jo's flight was leaving at 6:00 the same morning as nationals so it made sense to go ahead and register and make the short jaunt on up to Sol Vista. We loaded up the dogs and the bike and the suitcases in the dark and rolled out promptly at 3:30. We made our way to DIA in just under an hour, it is amazing how quickly the drive is when there is no traffic. On the way were blessed with the good fortune of seeing a car roll over on I-25 death corridor at 80mph, which definitely kept me going, or at least my eyes open for the remainder of the drive. I dropped Jo at the airport, we said our goodbyes and I rolled on up to the high country with one short detour to get my large coffee with a double shot of espresso. No better way to warm up for a race than with a liquid rocket fuel.

Middle:

I arrive at registration at 6:45 to pick up my number and to my amazement, no one was there. A line of eager racers had already formed and I found my way into the line. 7:00 A.M. rolls around surprise surprise, still no USA cycling. The first race were slated to begin a 8:00 and riders were beginning to get a bit nervous. Finally at 7:15 USA cycling representatives rolled in and begin giving out numbers. CLASSIC move from a well run stand up organization... Anyway I grabbed my number and scrambled to get ready I got I quick spin in and found a groove with the gear I had chosen, I kind of had to I had no other option. I was rolling on a 34x18 on my 29er, seemed like a good choice for the course. As time ticked by I found my way to the start line and staged next to an old friend, Cameron Chambers. Cameron is the guy I attribute all my racing to, he is the one that really got me into the sport of cycling and got my psyched on racing, so it was fitting to toe the line with him. Also joining us was the legend Ned Overend, Cameron Brennaman (last years champion) and a SS cult hero in Dejay Birtch. It was going to be a tough day for sure. The whistle blew and off we went. I was rolling a pretty big gear so was forced to ride the opening climb, read wall here, much harder than I would have liked, but such is life on a single speed. We hit the first section of single track and I had a small gap.We climbed the first few switch backs and I held strong. After exiting the single track Ned poured on the superhero strength and went to work. Cameron went with him and I hopped on for the ride. We climbed all out the fire road and I was at my limit. When we took the first left into the upper section of single track, my time caught up with me. I was still in third but struggling. The climb was rough and somewhat technical and I was way over geared. I fought my bike and got everything out of it that I could but it wasn't enough. I looked up and saw Cam and Ned floating on their pedals effortlessly, or seemingly effortlessly, churning away. I chose to back off and stay out of the red zone for fear of never returning. I settled into my pace and enjoyed the rest of the day. My Tomac Flint performed flawlessly and chewed up the rough trail as I fought my way upward. Once we reached the top, the fun began. The descent took us through part of the Super-D course and onto the lower section of the 4X course. It was pretty sweet railing on the 3-4 foot berms all the way down the mountain.

I reached the staging area and it was time to repeat. I had a comfortable gap on 5th place and continued to ride my race. As we hit the final descent on the last lap the race was on. The 5th place rider had cut the gap and it was going to be an all out race to the finish. We were bumping and pushing each other to the limit on the lower section of the course and all I had to do was hold my position. I fought like a sprinter in a tour finish and never gave an inch. We ended in an all out downhill single speed sprint, insert laughing here, it had to be a pretty funny sight, the two of us sprinting downhill spinning at 120+ rpm's. I held my position for forth and was pretty dang excited about that.

The past month has been a bit of a challenge for me. I had a small accident in the middle of June that caused me to break a rib just over my heart, and the 5 days later a second crashed caused me to break yet another rib, my first floating rib on the right side. This put a bit of a damper on racing and training. By the time I toed the line at nationals, I was feeling better but not 100%. I was able to cough and sneeze without pain, but breathing deep and lateral movements were still met with a fair amount of discomfort. Oh well I guess it is part of the game.

Ending:

So the day began at 3:00 A.M., one airport drop off, one national championship race, and now to work. I finished my day off working for 4 hours at the shop. This created a bit of an out of body experience at time and put the nail in my coffin for the next 36 hours or so. Sleep was just around the corner...

Single speed nationals start (in the white Verge kit next to the guys head)

Year of the Tiger?

2010-07-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

I think the chinese calendar is off, it isn't the year of the tiger, it is the year of the bear in my world. I have been spending a lot of time in the high country riding the trails above Fort Collins and have seen more wildlife this year that in any year past. It is amazing the things you can see when not pounding the pavement and watching dotted lines roll by. For the first time in four years I saw my first bear in the wild, unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me as I rolled up to Old Flowers road to ride with the dogs. A week later Jo and I were riding with them out on Blue Sky trail and saw a young mountain lion. This one was a bit unsettling since where there is a little one, mom is certainly lurking. I've also gotten to see a fair share of moose this year in the high country as well, but again have always managed to be without a camera. It's funny, I have a degree in photography but never seem to have a camera. But alas headed home from Flowers last week I finally got my chance, with a camera and captured Yogi Bear in the midst of dumpster diving.

Fourth of July done right

2010-07-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the day riding in the high country, the classic Old Flower-White Pine loop. The ride almost came to an abrupt end before it ever began. I woke to rain this morning and the high country looked as though it would be out. However, we went forward with our plans and headed up. Fortunately the clouds broke and we were greeted with blue skies for much of the day and were actually lucky enough to ride under overcast skies on nearly all of the climbs... perfect. Picture do tell the story much better than words so enjoy.The beginning of the White Pine descent

The top of White Pine

Monument Gulch overlook

Quick break on Monument Gulch

Ahh... what a beautiful bike, my Tomac Flint... doesn't get any better

2010-06-19T17:08:00.001-07:00

Much of the Fort Collins cycling community is well aware of "Fort Collins Time" and I too have fallen victim. Nothing, cycling related, starts on time here in Fort Collins and unfortunately this blog is following suit. I've had my new sponsors for months, much of my new equipment since early May and have even raced this season, but have yet to update my blog, so true to form I am running on "Fort Collins Time."

I was fortunate enough to have secured support for the upcoming season from some the best in the industry. I began working with Tomac bikes just after the first of the year am fortunate to have there backing for the season. They have generously set me up with the best race bike I've ever had the opportunity to ride. I will continue you my assault on the season with my new Type X carbon hardtail (review and photos coming soon) as well as sweet new design from them, the Flint. The Flint is a dedicated 29er with the versatility to run geared or as a single speed. But enough about the bikes as I said above there will be more to come on them.

So I'm going to try and keep this thing off of "Fort Collins Time," but we'll see what happens, it has a powerful draw. But check back soon for rambling on racing, bikes, work, and really whatever comes to my mind... for now a little photo teaser on The Teva Mountain Games.

Taking the hole shot at the Teva Mountain Games

Jo tearing up the single track in her first mountain bike race, she won... not a bad way to start things off

Jo, Zuri, and Sala, hanging out after a long day in the sun. The dogs were surprisingly worked after two days, it is amazing how exhausted they get when they don't nap on the couch all day.

My buddy Joel climbing in the community bouldering comp. He surprised himself and finished third.

Some random guys running during the trail race, but the view of the mountains from the upper part of the course was pretty amazing.