who needs sleep?

{ my director reel - live music version }

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Libby's acting in a play that just opened last weekend in Florida - and I wasn't able to be there. I tried to be there in spirit . . .



After the run of 'Pursuit of Happiness', she moves back to New York and I'll be driving up the East coast with her. Can't wait to see her . . .

a white glove operation

Just got back from the first Mountain States Cup race in Fruita, CO (1 mile from the CO/UT border).

Trek-VW had an impressive showing - along with our friend, Brian Fuentes, who threw down and got 2nd!



They don't call him Rad Ross for nothin' . . . He swept the weekend with wins in both the time trial and cross country. Not only that, but he put us up in his house for the weekend, made us dinner Friday night AND gave us a banjo lesson.



Brian ended up 4th in the xc, I ended up 6th in the tt and 8th in the xc, and Josh finished strong as well. (Even though he says he's not quite race ready - he's pretty damn fast. He dropped me like a brick in a race last year where I thought I was flyin')

Martini, who's no slouch as a racer, has decided to focus on being manager over racer this year. He sported the old school wool Trek jersey this weekend.



I'm really excited about the fitness level right now. This is the first time I've ever started the season out with decent results. I've done some homework, but it's a very long season - and when you line up with guys like Ross, you have to be on top of it to stay in the same zip-code . . .



Thanks for reading.

km

some thoughts from the desert weekend

I've never seen the desert this beautiful before. With an above average rainy season in the desert, there were flowers all over the place.



One reason Trek-VW is successful is that they have incredible staff. Like Shep. He got me dialed in and race ready on his own personal bike.



So, next time you're in Phoenix I highly recommend a visit to 2 restaurants:

LGO. www.lagrandeorangegrocery.com

A very perfect place for breakfast. So much so I went two mornings in a row.
(Saturday - yogurt, fruit, granola and an egg-white omelet with tomatoes and spinach)
(Sunday - yogurt, fruit, granola and their thin pancakes drizzled with honey - perfect pre race food)

PROS: the food is great, but so is the coffee
CONS: if you're not there first thing in the morning, parking is a stretch


Chelsea's Kitchen. www.chelseaskitchenaz.com

Not much beats being able to sit outside and enjoy dinner. I mean really enjoy it. Quiet, no wind and 72 degrees. Not to mention the great menu.
(swordfish tacos, rice and a side of mac and cheese)

PROS: I don't believe you can order anything bad here
CONS: bring your checkbook

Next up is race #1 in the Mountain States Cup held in Fruita, CO. As I look out the window right now, I see a ton of snow. We leave tomorrow and I hope it's nice over there . . .

Thanks for reading,

km

technical difficulties

Sometimes you gotta work out the kinks, ya know?

This last weekend I went down to Arizona and had my first race of the year, and my first race as a member of the Trek-VW team. I had great legs and lungs, but some bad luck brought on by bad bike handling and a dead last starting position. However, the experience was great and I'm excited where the fitness is. One of the coolest guys ever and Trek mechanic, Andrew Shepard, hooked me up with his own bike so I could race and he had it runnin' great. A HUGE thank you is in order . . .

(I also owe a thanks to Georgia Gould for pulling cactus needles out of my leg . . . Thanks!)

Some of the best parts of the weekend were hanging out with a childhood friend of mine, Kendra. She hooked me up with a great place to stay and some great restaurants.

Restaurant reviews and photos up next . . .

km