The 'Great' in Grandmother

I've had the true privilege to get to know my great grandmother really well. She would sit with me and share stories of her journey from Russia to the US as a little German girl. She would share with me her experiences on the boat, (hiding inside of a trunk for most of it). She told me about settling on the Prairie in North Dakota. And when she told me stories about my family, I couldn't get enough. I began to realize why I've always held my family in such high regard. I come from a bloodline of great people and last week's visit with my great grandmother, ultimately my last, reiterated this. Two months shy of her 101st birthday, she was sharp and offered up her usual advice on life. I'm going to miss those conversations, but I feel blessed that I've had them. I'm going to miss you grandma.

From the Alps to the Prairie

Yikes. It's been a while.

I think it's safe to say that any time I notice a friend's blog become a little neglected (or a response to my call or email), they've probably been pretty busy. That's the case here folks. I'll give a rapid-fire update of the on goings as of late:

Jani Brajkovic. (this might be filed under the old news category, but still newsworthy nonetheless)

Jani is one of the coolest guys we've worked with. His kind and shy nature made it easy for us to work with him. Paul, (my partner in crime for the past few Trek shoots), and I spent several days on the island of Tenerife, Spain shooting with Jani while he rode up and down the volcano. Here is the 3rd episode of 'Driven', featuring the Radioshack sponsored rider.

Upon returning from Spain, I had a couple races that went... well, let's just say that I didn't bring my 'A' game to them. As always they were fun, but I still have some small plate-sized bruises on a couple of places on my body.

Cut to:



Back across the pond, Paul and I had the opportunity to shoot with the Leopard team again. This time we meandered around the French and Italian Alps for a few days - which totally blew my mind. Although I can't say much about it now, I will tell you to keep your eyes out for the finished product very soon. I believe it is going to be a good one.

Cut to:



More bike racing for me. This time, I felt better and started acting like a real rider.

MTB Race News write-up

Angel Fire, NM is one of my favorite races, and not just because it marks the start of the ski resort climbing races, but also because when in Angel Fire, you're a hop, skip, and a jump away from Santa Fe. My traveling companions and good friends, Dave and Justin, were up for a South Boundary ride following the race and then a quick day trip to Santa Fe for some spicy food and good riding. An impromptu invitation also saw the likes of Sarah and Nick from Yeti joining us on the South Boundary expedition. That's a great group right there.




And finally:

One of my favorites - Race to Sunset in Bismarck, ND. It is always a pleasure to return home and see the family. I owe a huge thanks to my parents and my whole family for sporting some custom t-shirts and ringing cowbells for the entire 10 hours of the race. I hit a pretty rough patch around hour 5, but the undying support from my family and the knowledge from my experienced cousin Ryan helped get me through. And really, everyone out on course and in the support area deserve a huge thanks as well. This is one of the highlights of my season for several reasons and this year didn't disappoint. One of my cousins and I have a tradition where we trade sunglasses for the last hour of the race. Appropriately, she had a pair that matched my casual kicks...



I'm humbled by the kind words of the local cycling crew up here. Every year the entire group gets stronger and faster! I so look forward to seeing you all when I make the trek home and I hope I get to see ya sooner than later!

All I'm doing now is eating. It's weird, the Nutella flew from my grocery bag, into my hands with a bag of apples and a knife, and now they're in my stomach. Apparently half of the jar of Nutella went missing too...

Until next time - which shouldn't take as long as this time,

km