And he's OFF!

After an 8:40 departure from Grand Junction the journey has begun. The first tracking signal was received around 3:30 pm Wednesday afternoon, this is where he was: MAP LINK
Later in the day another message was received around 7:30 pm, it appears another 7 - 10 miles were conquered: MAP LINK

I'm off!

The adventure begins! Heading south out of the big GJ on the tabeguache trail. Should be interesting seeing as I have no map for half of it and only turn by turn directions to get me there. Looks like the trip is also 80% uphill for about 175 miles. Ouch. Hopefully I will be in Telluride within 4 days. Look for the first update this weekend. Got the bike packed and of course I had to see how much extra weight I was packing. The scale at Ruby Canyon showed 45 pounds without water and 55 with 4.5 liters of H20. Not too bad considering the bike alone weighs close to 30 pounds. Got another 15-20 pounds on my back. Kinda worried about that load with my history of lower back pain but hopefully with the help of a complete bike fit from The Cycologist will help with that. Here goes nothin!

Catch Up time.

A lot has happened since my last post. Time for an update! First off, I graduated! Hell Ya! The ceremony was a bit dull, the CEO of the Farm Bank spoke (College of Agricultural Sciences) why the Department of Landscape Archtiecture is a part of the school of ag at CSU I will never understand. I'm guessing it has something to do with politics knowing my professors

.  Had a huge blowout party at the casa de Mountain with 5 kegs and over 100 burgers/brats.  I have know idea how many people showed up and my memory of the evening is somewhat foggy so I will let the pics speak for themselves. The kegs were dry in 4 hours.

My baby and I

Side of the house with an equal crowd in the front, back, and inside!  The neighbors already hated us but this really did it.

Dad hitting the flabongo! (beer bong that looks like a flamingo)

Mom hitting the flabongo!

The aftermath


Instead of cleaning we wrenched on the bikes for a bit then dropped the hottness for a couple of hours. Cleaning can wait.


Followed up graduation with a monster ride the following week.  Stats ended up at about 9000 vert feet of climbing in about 85 miles.  Definitely kicked my ass and showed me how the real gangstas do it.  I have got a long way to go before I start doing that on a regular basis!



Top of Rist Canyon, steep as shit!



That sign says 12% grade, which in bike terms equals 60+mph!



White Pine Rd. loose, steep, rocky, steep, technical, steep. 2500 vert in 2.5 miles, did I say steep?



Low Clouds and freezing rain at 10,000 ft. brrrr



Climbing up that 12% grade in freezing rain to put the final nail in the coffin. Pictures never do grades justice.


The above ride would have been an absolute nightmare had it not been for my recently tweaked cockpit courtesy of a pro bike fit by Ryan and Sean at The Cycologist in Fort Collins. These guys rock! They will do anything in there power to make your experience in the saddle the best it can be. When I get back in town this fall I hope to ride for them, be a part of their team and build up my dream bike.

After waiting for over 3 months I finally got my CDW Gear! I guess he's been busy, but it was well worth the wait, these things rock! Had Jeff pimp out the frame bag with double pockets with a zip-out removable divider to create one big one or two smaller ones, a document pocket, waterproof lower zippers, and stretch gussets on the top zippers. The handle bar bag and seat bag are pretty standard. The thought and labor that goes into these suckers is incredible! All the major seams that see a lot of wear or stress are either double stitched, tripled stitched, or stitched to the nines with thread covering the whole seam! These suckers will not rip unless you stab 'em with a knife. Took them out the other day for a overnight test run and ended up putting through the ringer.




top compartment fits a 4L MSR Dromlight bag very nicely


The sun came out the end for some magical light shows





The conditions were the worst I had ever ridden in. Constant rain, deep sand, slimmy, sticky mud which rusts steel on contact, etc... My sleeping bag did get a bit wet but I think it was due to condensation not penetration. Still kept me nice and warm through the night though. Probably gonna through the sleeping bag in a dry stuff sack just to be on the safe side.

That about sums it up. Gotta go crank up Little Park Rd. for a couple hours now.

Cheers.

Tornadoes in Colorado

Got a lot of catching up to do on this page but its kinda tough now that I've got no internet at the casa. Will try to get some good posts up soon but in the mean time...

This sucker touched down about 10 miles from my house yesterday!



My condolences to the people who lost property and sustained injuries in yesterdays storm. Looks like this afternoon could be a fun one too...

Stir It Up

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work become monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go for a spin down the road, without though on anything but the ride you are taking."
- Arthur Conan Doyle, 1896

The academic hours that I have put in so far this week have clouded my vision and endangered my mental health. My main focus remains my school work but I recently discovered after a 7 day hiatus that I can never let other priorities keep me from pedaling a bike. I haven't felt as low as I did on Monday night for a long time. I finally cracked late Tuesday night while slaving away in front of this damn liquid crystal display studying for my Ecology of Disturbed Lands final.

My focus was gone. After 2.5 hours of sleep the previous night and a solid 15 hours of academia in the bag for the day, the mind started racing with thoughts of fluid circular motions of human propulsion through the landscape rather than the disturbance and recovery of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. At first the temptation to ride was dismissed due to a strong feeling of guilt. Telling myself that I didn't have time to ride just like I had countless other times when the seductive mistress of cycling had appeared in my mind. I then realized that my productivity had fallen off sharply to the point of being counter productive and that I needed to go pedal in order to avoid a mental melt down.

I had a surprising amount of energy at 11'clock on a couple hours of sleep. I think I was drunk on euphoric sense of freedom and the disappearance of the stress that had been making my life extremely dark recently. I tried to ride some of my urban singletrack stashes but with no moon and a low batt. led camp headlamp, my eyes were having a hard time focusing on the path. Stopped, turned the lamp off, let the eyes adjust to the little light available and continued on for a few hundred yards when all of a sudden my nostrils where overwhelmed with the unmistakable gamey aroma of a fresh kill. No way of telling if it was bovine, equine, or deer but the intensity of the stench told me it was close and I really didn't want to endo into the chest cavity of cow tonight or upset the big cat that was most likely having a feast before I clumsily rode into it's dinning room.

About Face. Ride back to the safety of the flickering mercury vapor lights in the distance. Its interesting how during the day I feel safer with a heightened sense of clarity in the natural world away from the influences of my fellows but at night the rolls switch. I am not one that is afraid of the wild but when you know you have a distinct disadvantage in all the senses,espicially sight, compared to the individuals sharing the landscape with you, it is easy to get the nerves going.

Anyways, after that I rode through town to the NBB rode a few laps on the short track course, watched some delicious brews being created and then rode home with a clear understanding of the current state of my life.

Riding is not a hobby that is optional in my life, it is a passion that requires attention on a daily basis in order to maintain my center and balance. I will never stop pedaling. Ride to live. Live to ride. 'Till death do us part.

One Love,
WC

'Dirty' Tour of Colorado

Here is stage 1 of the ride...



Added the Colorado Trail to the mix. Figured it would be a lot more fun to ride 400+ miles of single track from Durango to Breck rather than forest service roads. Its looking like I will get in 1,000 miles and 100,000 vertical before I leave Colorado!

Its gonna be a while before I can plan the rest of the route, gotta go graduate! See ya in a week! Wish me luck, its gonna be a rough sprint to the finish.

WC

Summer Route v.3

My plans for this summer have changed more times than I would like to admit, but as the estimated date of departure nears, the plan becomes more solidified.

I was very fortunate to grow up surrounded by some of the best offroad riding in the country. I helped to build trails in Grand Junction/Fruita when I was in high school and the area remains my favorite place to ride. My parents recently asked me to come over to GJ for a bit before I leave to help put a new roof on the casa. Initially I wasn't looking forward to it, I've got plenty of tasks in my own life to keep me busy leading up to departure, but then I realized that not only does the area contain some of the best short day rides but it's also the location of four of the premier multi-day offroad rides in country which can all be linked together! Sounds like a perfect prolouge / shakedown session / introduction before I start heading north. This route, without the White Rim section is also known as the 'Grand Loop'



Mileage for the prologue should total close to 600 miles and will probably take about 2 weeks to complete. If I am feeling good and all the bugs are worked out by the time I finish the Paradox, I might forgo the Tabeguache Trail section and ride to Telluride, follow the numerous and spectacular jeep roads through the San Juans, and then start heading N. Or I might head back to GJ on the Tab and then over via Crested Butte, Aspen, etc...

Once I start heading N. the plan remains mostly intact. I am still planning on mostly following the GDMBR with exploration sessions planned for the Wind Rivers, Tetons, Yellowstone region, and more as I move northward and discover landscapes that I have previously been blind to. If I still have it in me in Banff I would really like to travel through the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific coast and then head south, but that is a lot of miles and I probably won't have the funds to support the mileage. Which brings me to my next point...

My funding for this trip is non-existent. I have dropped all my savings into gear for the ride and have none left over for food, supplies and a few more gear items. I am also trying to work it out so that I can film the ride and tell my story to thousands around the country, maybe the world, who knows. If I am able to film the ride, once the film is done, I would like to work something out where most of the proceeds go to MTB advocate groups such as IMBA, COPMOBA, DPMBP, etc... Basically the film would serve as a fundraiser for whatever local non-profit advocacy group was putting it on. I do not want to get rich from the film, just tell my story, inspire fellows, and help out the people that fight for, protect and build our trails.

If you would like to support my journey you can do so through paypal. My account is cooper_designATmacDOTcom, (just replace the capped words with symbols first).

Cheers,

WC

New Belgium STXC Race

Last week was the first installment of the Spring '08 New Belgium Short Track Race Series. 25 minute races on a super loose, super tight course behind the packaging warehouse at the brewery. Missed last weeks thanks to academic requirements but showed up last night to throw down the hammer. Raced B's seeing as I haven't raced in over 5 years and even longer for the suffer fest known as short track.

Race started great. Easily got the hole shot and put a nice size gap on the rest of the field through the first lap. Coming through the start finish after the first lap the legs started feeling real heavy and I knew right away that I went way to hard out of the gate. I held off second place for another lap and then he was right on my tail halfway through the third. Passed me going into the fourth lap and I stayed right with him for the next couple laps until I washed out in a loose corner. This put me back about 15 seconds and I never caught him. Probably could have caught him if I would have given it the effort but the legs were still feeling heavy from the first couple laps so I took the next couple laps to recover a bit. During my recovery laps I was watching the third place rider starting to close the gap. By the time he caught me towards the end of the race I knew he was toast so I let him catch me and power by, looked behind me and couldn't see the rest of the field so I just stayed right on #2's wheel for the rest of the lap. Coming through the start/finish got the last lap annoucement. Stayed right behind him through the first part of the lap then on the last climb I turned on the heat and thanks to my recovery laps I had a ton of power left. He didn't even try to keep up. Hammered through the finsh for a solid second place.

Probably still going to race B's next week looking for the big W. I think I've got it as long as I keep the first lap under control and not go all out like last night. With a win or another second place next week I'll bump it up to the A's and see what it feels like to race with the big boys.

All in all I had a great time. It felt really good to get out there and have a little competition on the bike. Realized how much I missed racing last night and I will definitley be back next week.

Looking for some punishment?

"He Jump on my vagina because he gets so crazy!"

You gotta watch this.

Torque Master Flexx

Guess I need to lay off the juice...

+1 for Flared drops.

The more I ride the new drop bar setup, the more I notice and appreciate the differences. Riding flared drops makes riding so much more engaging. The multiple hand positions allow me to sit up and relax on the roads, and then i drop down to where my hands spend 80% of there time, in the drops, and its like somebody bumped the nitrous button.

Here are some of the benefits I've noticed since making the switch:

My wrists and arms are better positioned to absorb impacts.

Greater range of motion in the cockpit (i can move body around a lot more than with a standard setup, makes the bike feel more "flickable")

I feel like I am riding IN the bike rather than on top of it, especially with the big wheels.

Braking is much better due to the fact that i can very easily use one or two fingers to brake and not lose any sense of bike control.

I have multiple hand positions for climbing and cruising on the flats.

As most things in life, there are some drawbacks too:

A more forward hand position puts more weight on the front wheel and I can feel myself being pushed forward under heaving breaking on steep descents.

Your brake choices are limited to v-brakes or mechincal disks. I run avid bb7's with 7" rotors and I stop real quick. If anything I feel like the brakes have more power compared to a typical bar and lever setup so I don't see this has a disadvantage. If you are addicted to hydros though, you are out of luck without some major modding and fabrication.

Definitley not as light as a carbon bar but a few grams doesn't bother me too much.

Shifting gears is not as convenient with bar ends shifters. Not an issue with a SS setup or STI shifters. I kind of like this factor though because it reminds of riding single speed in that you have to pay more attention to the trail which increases the fluidity and quality of the ride.


The Latest Developments in the Grand Exploration

I am going to film the ride and edit the footage into a nice little documentary of my personal and natural explorations of the intermountain west.

Anybody want to buy me one of these?

Now if I can just graduate first.

Cheers,

WC

Terra Incognita: Into the Maze

The perfect description of my best memories.

Monster Monkey II

This bike does everything! From rippin' the streets of FoCo to riding technical single track, this bike is fun and capable and I can't get enough!

All she is missing now are the Carousel Design Works bags, which should be done any day now, and she will be ready for some seriously hot bikepacking action. I am going to replace the drivetrain and overhaul the fork before June but other than that, what you see is what will propel me through my journey of the intermountain west in a couple months. I estimate I put about 400 miles on her last month and I am loving the bike more and more every time my ass touches that molded brooks leather.

I just put the Maverick fork back on and I am glad I did. The bike is more capable, more comfortable, faster, and a whole hell of a lot more fun than the rigid fork. I find myself riding a lot harder (some would call this droppin it like its hot or throwing the hammer down) with the Maverick on the front end.

When I was designing my bike for this ride I was skeptical of using the fork because I didn't want to deal with a bunch of serious mechanicals out on the trail. I asked the guys at Maverick what they thought of riding their fork for 3,000 remote and rocky miles and they said that with a complete factory tear down, new seals, oil and replacing broken/worn-out parts, the fork should do "just fine." I still don't have a lot of faith and it strongly goes against my K.I.S.S. motto for the trip but I feel that the advantages of the fork will outweigh its drawbacks. Still, I think I will give my parents my rigid fork boxed up and ready to be shipped just incase i blow a seal 200 miles from the nearest full service bikes shop, which is completely possible.

A Really Incovienent Truth

It's a bit lengthy but well worth the read. The most in depth, honest and balanced discussion of the human race's greenhouse gas emissions and possible steps forward, that I have stumbled across.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/188

Route Discussion

The more I think about the route this summer, the less of a route I come up with. This trip is transforming from a rigid standard GDMBR ride to a GDMBR with a few tweaks to now, a free exploration of the North America West. I feel like I would miss out on too many great places if I stick to a predetermined route.

After I graduate in May, I am not going to have any responsibilities, completely free to roam the Earth. I plan on having a general idea of where I'm going at least for the first 1000 miles but after I have worked out the kinks in my setup and become comfortable bikepacking in remote locations, predetermined destinations will begin to disappear.

I foresee the main reason for wanting to come home to be loneliness. I expect to feel like what it truly means to be alone on this trip on a daily basis, and while it may be fun exciting and fun for a while, its bound to become an extremely lonely experience. Humans are social creatures who need companionship and community to survive. It has been shown that when these ingredients are neglected, the mental state of these creatures becomes altered in an unhealthy manner. Good thing my friends and family are planning on meeting me along the way helping to keep the spirits up. Although I can see that saying goodbye after many lonely nights in the wilderness could be rough.

This summer I will experience the ultimate feeling of freedom and I am itching to get started. All these thoughts about this summer are making it real hard to focus on school right now but without a diploma in May all these thoughts are just dreams.