What $7 can do

Let's get to 'what seven dollars can do for you' in a second.

First, I'd like to express my gratitude for the great shoot we had with the boys from Radioshack Nissan Trek. Paul, Chris, Kim and myself were a four-man production crew capturing everything we could from high atop mountains, out of the back of speeding vans, and from the back of a high-speed moto, cruising around Mallorca, Spain. A welcome addition to our group this time was the duo of Glenn and Paige, from Capital Sports Entertainment, who were there taking superb photos and providing some much-needed athlete wrangling.

(I pulled all photos - except the blingy shoes - from Glenn Kasin's stash, which I'm truly blown away by.)





Maybe one of my favorite moments from the trip was when Andy grabbed the Super8 camera out of my hands and started shooting his own film.



Upon returning to Colorado, I found one of those boxes that has 'fun' written all over it. (read: a cardboard box with Trek logos all over it) I opened it up to find a sweet pair of racing kicks for the 2012 season.



Tom K from Bontrager has really learned how to make my day. In fact, as I tore open the box, my motivation to ride in the 31 degree(F) weather rose and ultimately, it allowed me to go through with the original plan for a 2-hour ride. Man, it was so cold when I got back! (but totally worth it)

The 2012 pre-season has started a little stranger than years past. I think I was more fit in December than I've been in the past, but with a move, a few international work trips, and a crazy busy schedule in general, my training was a little derailed. It's a strange feeling knowing that your motivation is at a higher level than it has ever been, only to be forced into 1-hour runs and short core-workouts in hotel rooms in random countries. After a jaunt to Israel this next week, I'm home for a while and looking to be ready to toe the line by April. Also, after a nice 6-day, quasi training camp here at home, I'll be ready to take a little break.

So, what about this seven dollars? Last weekend, Josh B (the suffer master himself) and I went on two big training rides. The first was my first ride after getting back to the states and I paid dearly for my lack of riding the previous 2 weeks. I made it home, but it wasn't pretty.

The next day, we jumped into another big one. Unfortunately for Josh and I, there is no going easy. Ever. We rode on the flats near Boulder for the first two hours of the ride to 'take it easy' before hitting the mountains. That wasn't the case.

After putting the hurt on ourselves for a couple hours, we hit the mountains and kept the pace going. (remember, this is less than 24 hours after my near death experience in the mountains the day before!) Josh and I may make our rides hard for one another, but we also help one another get through these types of days. Thank God I was feeling 10 times better than the day before, otherwise I'd have to be pulled off the road.

As we approached Estes Park in a nasty head wind, I realized I left my $20 bill in the car. This was to be used for a motivational refueling of coffee, paired with some sort of super rich, fattening and sugary muffin. We were crushed - knowing we had another hour and a half on the bike before getting back to the car. But wait - Josh had 7 bucks! You've never seen a better pair of spandex-clad, shivering, and hungry bargain shoppers. Not exactly sure on this, but I believe we picked up 2 muffins, a rockstar energy drink, small coffee, several free coffee samples, and a pack of starbursts.



And with that, we were on our way back to Boulder.