Don't ride hard, ride fast.

Within these wise words lied what I told myself over and over this last weekend in Fruita during the 2nd Mountain States Cup race. As simple as it may sound, it's certainly more difficult to follow through with that advice when in the throws of a mountain bike race. Told to me by good friend Josh on the drive out to the Western Slope, those words were the winning ingredient on Sunday.

It seems that when Brad Bingham toes the line at a race with me, we're doing battle - one way or another! Brad's unbelievable talent on a mountain bike makes him a feared competitor, but his friendly nature makes him a likable guy. When the dust settled on the first 10 miles of the race and Brad and I were alone, I knew it was going to get tough. He's got huge power and insane bike handling skills. After some good miles of back-and-forth racing, I found myself alone - and in the lead! 'Don't ride hard, ride fast!'

Benefiting from a couple big races around the country the same weekend and good preparation, I was able to win my first Mountain States Cup as a pro. Couldn't be happier - and to do it in front of some new teammates (and team manager Len!) it was made much sweeter. Thanks to Honey Stinger, Trek, Bontrager, et al, for all the support.



I woke up that morning with great legs and a good mind. Brad didn't have the day he wanted given some tire troubles to throw into our close battle, but said he had fun nonetheless. Thanks for the great race my friend - there will be a lot more I'm sure...

They Do.

It's been a while since I've been really excited to drive to the airport and get on a plane. Don't get me wrong - I love traveling. However, most trips lately consisted of lugging multiple cameras, lighting setups, microphones, hard drives, etc - across numerous countries, leaving me with bruises on my back and dark circles under my eyes. So, a trip to LA to see some of the best friends anyone could ask for and be part of a wedding for two of them was a truly great treat.

My accommodations were provided by my good friend Nicki who happens to be the key hair stylist for a show on Adult Swim called, Children's Hospital. Couldn't be more proud to see her in her element - especially after her and I slung coffee together back in the day in Denver.

The weekend was a perfect and much needed escape. These days it's very rare that large groups of friends can gather and spend some concentrated time together.



Looking around at my cohorts this weekend humbled me. The good-hearted and talented people in this group reminded me of why I strive to be good at what I do. Needless to say, I'm honored to have been in the wedding of two people capable of bringing so much goodness onto one beach in Malibu.

Congrats Rod and Rachel.

'15 seconds...'

We, as bike racers, know how it feels to hear those words on the start line. I get nervous even typing it. Well, last weekend I heard those words as I signed up for the first race of the year. Fresh off of the trip from Spain and a 4 hour ride the previous day - I suited up and toe'd the line. I have to say, I felt pretty good. So, as much as I'd love to use my travel and ride as an excuse, I can't say it effected me too much. However, my technical riding completely disappeared, leaving my competitors wondering how I managed to ever get a pro mtb license!



Speaking of Spain, I had the great opportunity to spend time and shoot with Jani Brajkovic, of Team Radioshack. He is an extremely humble, talented, and nice guy. Not to mention a cool dad to his fun 3 year old son. Jani allowed us to invade his 6 hour training day for some filming on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Apparently, every passenger in the car must have a seatbelt on there. AND the doors have to be shut... What? I paid 40 Euros and spoke some poor (very poor) Spanish to learn that lesson.







In honor of David Lee Roth, we shot some photos halfway up the Tenerife volcano, where Jani's lone hotel was.






I'll post a link to the Jani piece when it is finished. Thank you again Jani, for the quality time you gave Paul and I.

Denver-Chicago-Madrid-...Tenerife?

Nestled in a small group of islands just off the coast of Morocco, Tenerife (Spain) looks to be a beautiful place to shoot our next project! Warm weather, huge volcano, beaches, and good people are great ingredients for a successful adventure.



Just as jetlag will surely be setting in when I return, I'll be heading to NM for the first race of the year. Really looking forward to kicking off the season. Hopefully, this trip will help my body absorb the last few big rides I put in.

Yesterday was my first mountain bike ride in Boulder this season and I actually broke down and threw a hydration pack on. For those of you who know me, you know how much I dislike riding with anything on my back other than a jersey. However, Osprey provided packs for us this year and I've totally turned the corner! Possibly the best feature is the magnetic holder that keeps the hose in place. Huge fan.

I feel so spoiled again with all the support this year. Honey Stinger, Trek, Ay-Up Lights, my parents, Bontrager, etc. It has helped keep me motivated through the windy days and early mornings.

PS - Here is the 2nd video from the 'Driven' campaign that we just finished up.

Driven: Fabian Cancellara

Ducks in a row

Every day that comes and goes, we're one day closer to that first race. No matter how fit or trained an athlete is, nothing can really prepare them for what they'll experience that first day of the season. For me, I've learned to relax and take whatever result I get. It just seems the harder I work, the harder I suffer that opening race. Maybe it's because I never feel like I'm where I should be and it makes it that much tougher. I don't know. What I do know, is that I've put in the work and I'm excited to see where this season goes - and not only for myself, but for the exceptionally talented riders on the Honey Stinger/Trek squad.
(we're missing a few faces here)




I recently read a quote from Eddy Merckx, on Trek teammate Jeff Schalk's blog, stating that the secret to riding fast was to 'ride lots'. This is, and always has been, my theory. I don't pretend to be a doctor or coach, but I know what works for me. I actually don't ride 6 hours a day, but I ride because it's fun and it's a huge release for me. I'm not one to look at and analyze data from every ride because for me, it doesn't always translate. I've tried it, and it wasn't good. I had times where the numbers were great and I was getting dropped, and times where I should have been dropped per the numbers, but had a great day. (With all that said, I know of a couple riders who've won big races by analyzing the numbers!) Personal reference for sure.



After attempting to organize photos on my computer, I ran across a couple fun ones from last year. I figured it would be good to share one since my new team director, Len Zanni, is not only the boss, but he's also qualified in 'tearing your legs off-ology'! (seen here about to throw down the attack...)



I'm really enjoying the company of the team. Not sure if it's good or bad yet, but I found another partner in crime who's pretty much up for any adventure. I have a feeling Colin Osborn, along with training bud Josh B will be pushing me to my limits on training rides, night rides, and in races.



Thank you Devon Balet for the photos and night ride out at camp.

Honey Stinger/Trek Team Camp 2011

Although I have yet to snag all the photos from the weekend, I can try and paint a picture of what our camp was like.

Riding mountain bikes with a bunch of great people, a lot of food, more riding, more food, good stories around the campfire, some night riding, nutella in a tortilla, more stories around the fire, more riding and so on...



More photos coming shortly.

I will say that this group of people is certainly a clan that I'm proud to be a part of. Treating me - and the other newbies to the team - like family, I felt like I was at home. I think it's going to be a good year!

From the 'White Roads' to the Cobble Stones

After a couple weeks of working in the beautiful countries of Italy, Belgium and France, I'm back home and staring straight into the eyes of the fast approaching cycling season. With a new sponsor and new team for me, and some inspiration drawn from spending time with arguably the best bike racers in the world last week, I'm feeling ready and confident to start the season.

With our team's training camp kicking things off next weekend, I'll get to meet all my new teammates and get a chance to do a ton of mountain biking. I feel stronger than I ever have coming into a season and I have some lofty goals, but I'm also realistic. My other work could keep me on the road for a significant amount of time this summer and an injury is always a possibility, but I'll just take it day by day and enjoy the experience.

With the first major goal of the season to repeat at the Growler - all the way to my hopes of a great finish at 24 hour nationls in October, it's a long season and it's important to remember to have fun, win or not win.