Progress

Well my birthday is coming up. I'll be 28. I'm still not sure how I feel about that, but I'm sure I'll write about that later. I've always taken a bit of pride in getting old and being single in Provo, UT.

Like I got away with something.

Kinda like I got through a whole ride on splash mountain without getting a drip of water on me while everyone around me got so soaked they had to go home and change.

Today I was told that to progress any further in life I needed to get married. Makes sense given the emphasis my religion places on families and such. However, when he said the word progress all I could think of was dropping 45 minutes off my Leadville time, or squeezing in 1 more lap at the 12 Hours of Sundance. That's the kind of progress I'd like to see every year.

Maybe we are on different pages.

Or completely different books...

Or maybe I am just a hopeless menace to society...

Group Rides are Under Way

Stopped for lunch at Joe's in Payson. Best sandwiches ever.

We had a great turn out for the Saturday ride today. 13-14 guys (including a gal, thanks to Heather for adding some gender variety) showed up and rolled around west mountain. Good times. Stories were told, new friends were made, and everybody got a chance to pedal around for a bit. Not a bad day.

One Piece at a Time

So the latest bike build is coming along rather slowly. One piece at a time. Just like the Johnny Cash song except it won't quite be free. I'm almost sure I could pull it off, taking one part/bolt from the shop each day over a few years, but quite frankly I don't want to wait that long for my dream bike. Oh, and I guess it really wouldn't be fair to Racer's Cycle Service.

Either way its going to be sweet.

So far I have this much:
Yup. That's it. A seat collar. A blue seat collar. Bit by bit, piece by piece she's really coming together. But don't worry, by mid January everything should be here...I hope.

PS Thanks to Kye for the seat collar. It was a Christmas present I wasn't supposed to open yet...

Building Bikes

To this day one of the most exciting things is to plan out and build a bike. I don't know what it is, but there is something about scouring through parts and comparing different builds that just gets me flat out excited.

I also happen to be a numbers guy. So comparing weights, prices, price to weight ratios, and all that just makes for a good time. I currently am in the habit of using excel spreadsheets. They get kinda big. Ask Kyle or Rick.

As of right now I just finished building a fixed gear commuter. (Notice it is NOT a "fixie" but a "fixed gear". If it were a "fixie" a pair of girl jeans, a white belt, and cup holder for my soy latte would be prerequisite items to riding)

I've had the frame for a year. Its the Surly Traveler's Check. Basically a Cross Check frame with couplers so it can come apart and fit into a standard size suitcase, thus negating the need for over-sized luggage fees when traveling. I got it last year for my trip to San Francisco (oh, silly, its not what you think...) and have put it to good use since. I only have to fly with it like 20 more times to save enough money on baggage fees to justify the cost of the frame....

Anyway, I've had it kicking around the last year with spare parts on it, built up about half a dozen different ways, depending on what parts I needed from it. However, every bike needs an identity. The bike has horizontal drops in the back so late this summer I obtained a rear flip flop wheel, got some decent single speed cranks this fall, and just this last weekend finally built up a front wheel to complete the bike.

Granted I am going to pull half the parts back off next week when I fly home with it, but for now she's finally complete.

Next Level Training: Featuring Coach Dan

A few guys in the area have expressed interest in stepping it up this next year. Getting a coach is a great way to do that. Now here comes my shameless plug for....myself.

As an avid cyclist, masters student in exercise physiology, and pending level 2 USA Cycling certified coach, I figure I should start putting my experience to good use. Which is why I've come up with....drumroll please....
Next Level Training.
Yup. That's right. I am officially selling myself out as a coach. Don't worry, I will still be more than happy to listen to any training questions you may have out on the group rides...I'll just expect some form of payment if you want an answer; like a pack of Mike and Ikes or a few grains of CarboRocket.

I've been working with a few guys in the area for the last few seasons and I think they would agree that having a method to the madness is quite beneficial.

The good things is that now there is a more economical option to those of you who are looking for a bit more structure in your training. After looking around at coaching prices I can assure you hiring Coach Dan is quite economical. After all my reason for coaching isn't to get rich. If I wanted to get rich I'd start a bike shop. I just like helping people. Especially when it comes to bikes.

So if you are interested check out the blog. Give me a call or email and we can chat more. I'd love to work with you so we can all put "fast" at the beginning of our names.
Check out the blog:
Next Level Training
Wondering if getting a coach is right for you? Look here:
Rationale for Hiring a Coach

Finally Got the Cannon Video to work