This one's up for grabs...

I'm heartbroken to have to announce that I will not be at the Growler this year to defend this plate.



Although both of my jobs are dream jobs for me, the necessity of having to choose between the two is often taxing. Winning this race last year ranked among one of the biggest wins of my career. I had worked so hard to be in the best shape possible for the 2011 edition, but instead it looks like I'll be in peak physical condition for my flight to France that weekend. Yep, France - again!

I'll be in the shrouded mist of the French Alps doing some shooting - so I guess it makes it a little less of a bummer.

Good luck to the guys and gals in Gunnison!

The Gold Coast

I'm not even really sure where to start, but I guess I should kick this off by saying that I won't come close to giving the appropriate amount of word-time to people and places mentioned in the next couple paragraphs.

Last week I went back to Los Angeles to shoot a video with Shepard Fairey, a world-renowned artist best known for his Obey Giant campaign - and more recently, the 'Hope' poster he designed during Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.




Lucky for me, good friend and ultra-talented filmmaker, Rod Blackhurst, resides in the city and thus I was able to hire him to help me. Rod and I have traveled all over together working on projects, so it didn't take any time to get back in the swing of things. Here's the link to the video:

Shepard Fairey + Trek = New Team Radioshack bikes for the Tour of California.

Upon returning to CO, I headed down to Cortez, CO with my friend Jesse Swift for some racing in the desert. Honey Stinger/Trek teammates Len Zanni and Colin Osborn met me down there, and along with them was Calle Friberg, Swedish national champion (several times over!) to round out our 4 person team for the 12 our relay.

Unfortunately for us, Lady Luck and I have been on the outs for some reason. After my first lap double-puncture, we rallied all day long to get back into the game. And into the game we were! With all of us tearing ourselves inside out to catch back up, the team delivered me a great opportunity to go out and steal the win. As I was getting ready to head out for my last lap, the leaders came through the timing tent 2:15 ahead of us - sitting in 2nd place. Well, I knew what I needed to do. It was my fault we were in this place so I had to clean it up!

I went out with purpose and I was feeling great. I caught and passed the leader (who, I must mention, was on a 3 person team... Not 4!). As I was cruising along and dreaming of finishing in first after the crazy circumstances, I hit a steep hill. Standing up and mashing on the pedals, I heard a 'pop' and then looked down to see my chain laying in the sand. Long story short, I wasn't prepared enough to fix the chain in a timely manner, thus slipping our team back into 4th at the finish... Lucky I have a very forgiving team and we chalked up the day as a fun one, albeit challenging. Lesson learned - be prepared.

The next day I found myself back in Concourse C, boarding a flight to San Francisco. Trek had asked me to be in a photo shoot for their catalog, ads, and whatever else they'll use the photos for. Of course I said yes. Who wouldn't take the opportunity to ride their bike up and down Highway 1 North of San Fran for 4 days?! I saw mostly familiar faces and met a handful new people. I've worked with photographer, John Laptad before, but never in this capacity. John does tremendously great work, and the fact I knew what he meant when he said, 'I'm shooting at f11', was hopefully a help. Thanks to John for making me look good as I know it's a tougher job than I'd like to admit. He had two lovely girls with him who helped make us look good and tried to keep us on track. Thank you Amarett (Assistant) and Mariva (Stylist) for putting me in the hot seat...

Out there with me doing the heavy lifting as 'models' were new friend Chris and old friend Jeff. The 3 of us are simply fans of riding bikes, so when we weren't shooting we were riding, sprinting, attacking, and just having fun.

I'm finally back home and anxiously awaiting my upcoming schedule. I've been preparing for a few big races that are quickly approaching, but my travel schedule may have something to say about it. As always, I'll just try to hit that moving target known as
my schedule.

Wouter Weylandt

No one likes to hear the news of a fellow rider passing away. We, as fellow racers and enthusiasts, know the inherent risk of riding our bikes as fast as we can, but we never expect tragedies to happen. We expect to have fun, suffer, give it our best, and go home to our loved ones with stories to tell and recover before the next adventure.

Today, Leopard-Trek rider Wouter Weylandt, suffered a fatal crash in stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia. Although I've only spent time with him on a couple of occasions as 'the film guy', I can't help but feel crushed - which only makes me realize how devastated his family, friends, and team must be. My deepest sympathies go out to them.

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