The Art Of Losing

  The last race win I had was in 2008.  I was still racing Juniors and the venue was the first Windham National.  With a 2:56 flat, I won and would have placed 4th in the pro category.  Since turning Pro, the results sheet has always been a source for thoughts of, "Lots of room for improvement" - to be lighthearted about it.  I've had top 5's in Pro, which is cool I suppose, but no one races to lose.  Being realistic is important in cases of large National or International races, but local races...I should definitely have been doing a little better.  Granted, there were external factors in my personal life that hindered my ability to perform at my best, but a racer always has an excuse for poor results.
  For the past 5 years (I took 2012 off because of my job at the time), I have been been a student in the art of losing, graciously riding back to the pits one lackluster run after another, watching my friends and fellow competitors have highly successful races and seasons, with not a whole lot to show for my efforts.  We all are in it for the fun of it, but losing isn't fun, so there are times when it becomes more of a chore than a hobby.  But, with a long off season, a lot of personal drive, and a new-found love for iron, training is winding down and the new race season is nearly here.
  It is important to start the new season off in a positive manner, which is sometimes easier said than done.  I think for 2014 I'm doing fair job of it though, as I've actually won something bike-related, the first [unofficial] race of the year: our annual team event.  While the racing is as grassroots as it gets, and it is just another day out with the crew, racing is always racing, and a win is always a win.  It felt good, I have to say.  To be the best on the day is always a nice boost, and it was a good soft-opening to test out if and how all the winter training paid off.
 
There was no fan fair, there wasn't even a podium picture; just a slip of paper and a quick announcement of the final placings for the day.  The understated nature of the event is its greatest appeal without a doubt.  It's a simple format: Four trails; four races; and a grand timed total like rally racing.  Being the top finisher on the day of an event like that is just as rewarding as any other win - I didn't crash across the finish line of the first run trying for anything but a win.  I proved to myself that I can train, I can learn, and I can win.  And that personal validation is exactly the kind of progress needed to stoke the fire for the real deal. 

Fatty Fat Fatso

  I want to ride a fatbike...there, I said it!  I know these bikes are sort of like fat chicks (a la "The Mo-ped Joke") and wheel size has become the latest "jumping [of] the shark" from journalistic standpoint, but this winter, more fuel was added to the fire: the conversation was all about the width; the girth; the fatness.  For the average rider not in a harsh climate e.g. Cali-brah, The South, or The Midpacificnorthboulderland, these bikes seem like monstrosities/atrocities that belong in someone's workshed or back at the NAHBS show.  However, beyond the looks of the unwieldy beasts, there is true innovation and application at the heart of these now common-place contraptions.  When your life is driven by pedals, you yearn to have that in your life every day, but living in the North East aka Hoth this is not an option.  Freezing temps, snow, and general inaccessibility to visible singletrack keeps all but the most hardcore [read: mental] riders from going out for a spin - until now.

But does this tire's volume go to 11!?

  These beefcake bikes have suddenly found a spot in a growing number of garages around the world, particularly in my area of residence, and it is plain to see why, as these Bad Larrys float, plow, bob, weave, duck, dive, and dodge (twice) through all forms of nature.  With granny gears low enough to tow a 747, you can grind it out at a stand-still pace to trudge through conditions usually reserved for planks and poles.  New avenues of adventure and challenge have been blazed - all in the name of not spending $80+ to spend the day with every asshole from downstate stuffed into a cramped gondola.  Now, this is by no means a replacement tools for what we have going now, but it is certainly a nice diversifying quiver item.
  With Nicolai's new belt drive/gear box fatbike, Rock Mountain's Blizzard, Borealis' fatty, and the Bluto fork,  we now have some seriously capable bikes to go get ragged on in the cold white of winter.  Real suspension, usable geometry, and thoughtful specs - this is what evolution looks like, race-tech isn't the only place innovation takes place.  These companies have been putting some real thought into these designs so the diehard rider now has the ability to buy a two-season bike for when the other two seasons are turned over the top of the calendar.  Few things make me want to ruin my credit quite like the possibility of buying a bike that will only ever be slowed down by how hardy I'm feeling on that given day.  Finally, a no-excuses, purpose built two-wheeler that says, "It might be The End of Days, but I want to ride right now!"