Adam Snyder checks in from Durango and his Silverton ski trip

Now that I have landed back in Durango I started riding the bike again and doing some Base miles… \uggghhhh. To break up the monotony and possibility of institutionalizing myself that happens every year during Base I decided this year I am going to try and ski a few times a week. So last Sunday I decided to hit up the last day of unguided skiing at Silverton. I went with my ski bunny buddy Dave who is my personal Silverton guide. Unlike previous trips to Silverton we were able to hike all the way up to the top and explore all the hidden treasures that the mtn and surrounding mtns have to offer.

We started out early with the yearly signing of your death certificate that the mtn makes you sign before you head up.

With Silverton the chairlift only goes up half way so you are on your own when you want to hit the untracked sweet stuff. It is usually a 45 min hike up if you want to go to the top. Who said downhill skiing doesn’t count as base.

After the long hike you are rewarded with some sick hot nasty skiing and views from the top.

Scoping the lines for the day.

The day started out sweet and we had 2 sick runs until my “guide” decided to go off this pretty standard 40ft huck that required a bit of finesse on the landing (Trees). When he landed he had to make a quick left and apparently his right ski didn’t want to make that turn and decided to plant itself deep in the snow while his body continued to make the turn. This resulted in a really sweet crash but not without a severe casualty. Dave tore his ACL and of course we were a good hour away from getting Dave any help.

We decided that we would get down the mtn ourselves and get Dave back to town asap. So I loaded up with Dave’s gear and him on my back (yes like a back pack) and headed down. Once I got Dave down to the flatter ravine section he side slipped his way down to the road on his one good leg while I hopped the bus to the parking lot and got the car.

Luckily Dave made it down with ease and we loaded up in the car and made it back to town and got the knee checked out. It turns out that it was a torn ACL and Dave is set for surgery this Thursday, hopefully all goes well so we can get our revenge on the mtn next year.

Now that I am out a ski buddy the motivation to go shredding is low but I think in a town like Durango it should be easy to find another one. Although this race season starts early so maybe all the ski trips I have planned may have to be cut short this season….Booooooooh. nevermind.

The rest of us aren’t Vermont ski prodigies so…we’re left to our own devices in the white stuff.

I know. We’re idiots. Its not like we planned it this way.

But, you know not that different than usual.

snowshred from jsager on Vimeo.

Adam “Da Spyder” Snyder Verge NBX Barrier Hop 2009 from thom parsons on Vimeo.

Hey, watch me jump these barriers!

Man, my hands are cold.

Next time, Rotem, we’re bringing you down to Texas for a little TexMex.

“Welcome to Wosta’h that’ll be a dolla’h twenty five sa’h” (toll booth Willie).

Those are the words that lets me know that I am no longer in Durango and I am back to the mother land of Mass. I always forget how much the tolls rob you around here, it cost 8 dollars in tolls to get home from the airport which is only about a 54 mile drive…Dang. Enough about that and on to the real reason for this update, I am back east for two weekends of cross racing and for the Thanksgiving festivities with the rest of the Snyder contingency.

This weekend was a classic it is my favorite race of the season for two reasons one is that it is 10 minutes from my house and the other is because there is a “horse Jump” that for some reason only I can ride and no one else can and it is a huge advantage to ride it.

This year I thought was going to be one for the books, it had been raining since Tuesday so I thought sweet it’s gonna be a muddy one but to my dismay it stopped raining Friday night and got “wicked” windy and dried the place up. So instead of being a slop fest it was bone dry and a highway, oh well. Having not raced any of the Verge series races and not having any points I was last row last call up and this normally isn’t much of a problem but back East everyone starts like rabbits and the fact that it was so windy made it tough to move up.

As the race moved along I was able to make some lets say less then favorable passes and hop my way past a few riders to make it to a decent 15th place, not where I wanted to be but it was a move in the right direction. I made some cash, a little better call up for the next day and remembered how to really race cross.

Day 2:

It was on they changed the course up in my favor it was a lot more technical and a good course for an all around rider. From the gun I felt great and made my way up to Broderick’s wheel in about 9th or 10th and I was pleased about where we were and we were making some good ground working together taking some mtb’er lines when boom catastrophe struck and I broke a chain. No need to fret I have a pit bike so I got the pit bike and got myself back up to 11th when boom I broke a chain ring guard and lost a bolt. Due to the broken chain ring guard I had to keep wrenching my chain out of the little space in between the chain ring and the guard so that slowed me down a lot and relegated me to about 19th place with 1 lap to go. I put in a big effort on the last lap and made it back up to 17th by the line. Again not where I wanted to be but it shows that I can be in the UCI points for next weekend.

All in all I think it was another classic Sterling it was a lot of fun and a lot of anguish but that is the reason I keep coming back to the race year after year to try and redeem myself, it’s a lot like my cross version of Mt. Snow. On that note it is raining again today so I am going to do some more rain dances and hope for a wet one next weekend in Rhode Island.

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Typically, the racing season winds down sometime in October, earlier if you’re in the North, a ‘cross racer, or in the Rocky Mountains. I’ve always enjoyed fall mountain riding and racing more than any other time of the year. Trails are dialed, weather is typically perfect, and there’s no need to train….just ride.

And drive.

We stopped by Adam and Rotem’s stomping grounds – Horse Gulch and the adjacent trails in Durango, Colorado. While Colorado had its share of snow in earl November, things have warmed up nicely and we were treated to plenty of groomed dust.

Adam was back East racing ‘cross in Mass, but there’s no shortage of talent and company in Durango when it comes to bike riding. And you wonder why so many fast folk come from there?

Thanks guys. That was refreshing. Its easy to forget how fun riding with friends can be. No schedule, no agenda, no “training”….just riding, skidding, jumping, and laughing.

Its not often someone invites 700 of their best and wildest friends over for a bike ride, much less to their own house for a race on their property.

That’s exactly what Lance Armstrong did this past weekend outside of Dripping Springs, Texas.

Benefiting the Livestrong Foundation, the Mellow Johnny’s crew pulled out all of the stops in putting on a first class event – and the industry matched that support. SRAM brought HB and Dawson along with their full sized rig, Rapha and King were in the house, waffles, burgers, beer, and just about anything else you could hope for were all added to compliment an organizational structure and race course that would make a World Cup blush with envy…and we won’t even mention the crowds and energy.

Word just could not describe it. Then Lance arrived…and things exploded.

And did I mention this is in his front yard?

The ranch (and the Austin area in general) received 4 inches of rain in the 48hrs preceding the event. Typically this would have made for a disaster of mud-fest proportions, but between careful course design by Dave Weins and raw man hours from the Livestrong land crew, by race time things were barely damp, though highly sticky and sometimes slick due to the multiple course crossings.

The Jamis crew was lean in numbers – Rotem and Seamus are deep intheir off seasons, Snyder racing ‘cross back East and Harlan buried in school. It was up to the old man to do his best – and waxed by JHK we all did get.

Racing on what felt like duct tape for 2hrs clearly sorted out the men from the boys and Sager held onto 3rd by the finish, making for a fairly nice weekend in the Hill Country and nice way to close out the season.

Lance threatened to have us back for another one in the Spring…count on us to be back again.

It was a quick trip down two weeks ago for Adam and I to the Rocky Hill Ranch…then back to our respective homes…and of course, winter’s first big punch of the year.

Not one to sit idle on a powder day, I took the Dakota out with a set of Geax Lobo MAS Loco’s out at 14psi for a solid day of training. Snow is the best workout, I have to say…its non-stop laughter, and you’re unlikely to ever stop pedaling.

Back on the plane Monday where a stop at DIA is never complete without bumping into one of the Wells brothers. I only mention that because I’ve never been to the Denver airport and not seen at least one of them. Its without fail, somehow.

We’re back in Texas for the week, riding in shorts and under the Republic’s blue skies…so if you’re in the ATX area – join us tonight at the Dirt Derby for a wheel and bike demo.

If you miss us there, then we’ll see you on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at the Mellow Johnny’s Classic at the Armstrong Ranch west of Austin, Texas, in Dripping Springs.

Rocky Hill Ranch.

Its been, sort of thankfully, a long time since I’ve raced here. 2004? 2005?

This place is a serpentine patch of coiled single track that’s partially laid out on loamy pine needle carpeted earth, and when its not a perfectly groomed path of 1cm pine needles on the forest floor, its a vague path of small gravel on top of larger river rock gravel in between large pine trees, who’s turns are defended by small pine trees.

Summary – the trail is never straight, and leaning your bike is done at your own peril.

The drive down to Durango to pickup Snyder wasn’t bad at all and I stopped off to ride the Alpine Loop outside Provo before winter’s snows closed the road for good. The climb’s gate is already down – making this the world’s best bike path – which climbs from 4500′ to 8500′ over 10 miles. In the valley it was summer – practically 70*. At the summit, also practically summer – 60’s. However, the valley, in the shade, was covered in ice. And I had bare hands and legs… this was hand’s down the coldest climb I’ve ever done…much like Mark Twain’s cold winter during one San Fran summer. Going up was worse than riding down!

With a pit stop at the Wells’ house in Durango, Snyder was loaded and Bread visited…we rolled out at 0:dark30

Side note: If you’ve ever wondered the difference between, say, your average Oakley pro, and maybe your average 2x Olympian Oakley pro…witness-

Olympics:

No Olympics. What’s that loose bolt for, Adam?

Both claimed to have more inventory, but whatevers. I have maybe 5 pair of shades, and they’re never organized. You guys have too much time on your hands.

I’ve not made a semi-cross country drive in awhile. They’re great experiences, except for all the driving. The key is to bring someone to help with the driving.

At least they’re there for moral support.

They say you don’t know what you got ’till its gone. There’s a bevy of truth to that, and returning to Austin becomes more and more of a vacation with each trip. Austinites are family, and this is coming home for me. Food, friends, and all the old places that both seemed larger and smaller when recollected.

Of course, Snoodles and Calfzilla are both larger than life in their own way.

4 meals a day were TexMex but I’m offsetting this with a new diet of Chia seeds and more wine. If you’re into gooey cold gritty globs of oily seeds, you’re going to love Chia.

We had a nice venue setup at RHR – directly across from the Start/Finish and well within range of a vicious musical assault from the registration PA. I was tempted to mount the Perimeter and regulate the microphone and its DJ a few times, but things sorted out by the end of Saturday’s demo.

Sunday rolled around and the mist/fog was heavy enough to require the windshield wipers but no rain. From the start Snyder and I rolled into the woods alone and slashed and burned 600 turns per mile, which rolls out to about 9 feet between turns and twists. That’s likely a bit generous, but made for a lot of yehaw and heyaah’s out there. All was well in Dodge with us set to roll in with a 1-2 punch, until Snoodles planted his butt firmly into the saddle during one of the deeper creek crossings – slicing a tire on the burly river rock. Nice timing, Snyder, see you at the finish…

But, with free Shiner after 2 hrs of single track sessioning, how can anyone complain?

See you guys at Juan Pelota’s in 10 days.

Head’s up – there’s a garage sale going on here.