'you're a vagabond girl'

Stay tuned for the premiere of a music video I just finished . . .

north dakota II

Sometimes you gotta go back to your roots to truly and fully appreciate how great life can be. It's better to do this when you have a sandwich in hand.



A few weeks ago I went home for a race I do every year called 'Race to sunset'. It's a 12 hour race which is perfect training for the upcoming 24 hour world championships. More so, it's an opportunity to see my family, and I mean my entire family as they roll out the RV and set up camp for me!

Well, this year I wanted to share the experience with some close friends of mine: Handsome Rob, Jen G, and a new friend of mine since the trip, Tony Stalion.



My family hosted all of us like we were top professionals as our laundry was done every day, amazing hot meals were served and unbelievable relaxation was provided... I owe a HUGE thank you to mom and Gary. Again, thank you... (I so look forward to stealing Libby from NYC and bringing her with me next time.)

The race went well and we all had our successes. Jen finished 2nd overall in the time-trial, even beating all the guys! (Rob crashed pretty hard on his - so it would have been close...) Rob and Tony won their category in the team division and Jen and I finished 1st and 2nd - again - in the 12 hour race. Jen got herself in pretty deep by signing up for the 24 hour worlds, but she's proven so far that she's up to the task.

My cousin, Ryan, has been my main man at this race for the past couple years and we're like a well-oiled machine now.








After the race on Saturday, we decided to hit the Maah Daah Hey trail in the Badlands of ND. I'll skip the details of the ride and just post the pics. This is a trip I'll never forget...



We ran into a lot of cattle . . .



Devil's Pass



Tony, on the edge man.



One of the only places I know where you won't see anyone for miles. At all.





Oh yes, the brownie face off. (I think Rob works out judging by the guns...)

north dakota

lots more to come . . .

the good life

One minute you're eating a larabar while Shep dials your bike in . . .



The next you're suffering with 60 fast mountain bikers fighting for a better place . . .





And the next you're at work making bands look good . . . (hopefully)

she did it!

My friend and old teammate, Dellys Starr, has officially qualified for the Olympics and will be racing in the cross country mountain bike race for Australia! Go Dell!

worlds collide

Saturday, June 7th will mark the first time that both of my jobs will go head to head on a pretty large scale.

The Teva Mountain games are in Vail and it's a great event. More spectators at this race than pretty much any other. AND there's more money so it draws the top guys from around the country.

THEN- I head back to Denver and straight to Red Rocks as my directorial debut there will start the second I pull into the parking lot.

Look for a 90 minute DVD of Big Head Todd and the Monsters- Live at Red Rocks to hit the store shelves some time at the end of this year.

miles and miles

After a long break from daily routine - I'm back in the swing of things.

It all started with a trip to Monterey, CA to help my friend Nick race in a 24 hour event. Then it was straight to NY for Libby's acting showcase, then back home to enjoy my new bike (for about three days . . .)



Then back to FL for a trip with Lib up the East Coast to move her back to NY. 1,000 miles and a speeding ticket later we made it there. It was a great trip for sure. (minus the ticket)

I had some racing to do in between all of this and my results were lackluster, at best. I guess it will sink in one day that my peak fitness just comes later in the season.

However, I just got back from Angel fire, NM (which is by far my favorite race of the year) and I felt incredible for the first part of the race. I crested the first climb of the day in 4th and as I looked around I found myself in very talented company. When we started the 2nd climb, (out of 3) I started to shut down a bit and my legs began cramping. That was the beginning of the end for me . . . I am extremely disappointed, but I will bounce back.

As a whole, Trek VW had an amazing weekend with a 2nd, 4th and 5th place showing. Josh, who ended up 5th, rode super smart and chipped away at the carnage that this race leaves in its wake.



Josh and I have been training so hard these past couple months and it's paying off for both of us. Our mid-week rides hurt so bad that my body instinctually goes into 'pre-race mode' and I feel like I'm heading to the start line.

Standing in for team manager this past weekend was Shep. A stand-up guy who, (ruling with an iron fist . . . not really) kept the bikes running perfect, the water bottles clean, and our stomachs full . . .



Now that I'm back in the office, I'll be logging the right kind of miles - the ones that do not include airports . . .



I'm also happy to report that all Trek VW team members are slowly cooperating with uniform standards, including team-issue aviator sunglasses



A last thought for now - I believe it's a good practice to realize what life really is about. Family, friends and health are the fuel for mine.

After all, who was looking out for your scrapes and bruises when you were a little guy, (or gal)?