Slackin' in California

Yes, things have been quiet for me on the blog front. Fortunately, I kind brother and sister lit the fire for me to write some. So I am here in San Francisco, chillin with Kristi on TI before we head up to Napa for a Napa Valley wedding. Fun times with old college buddy Nathaniel. Write more later.
chow,
Matthew

Back to Reality

It has been just over a week since my euro adventure ended. Excited to be back and catch up with old friends and reacquaint myself with the roads and trails of Colorado. I've been keeping myself busy with job hunting and other projects. Riding is becoming a way to get away from it all and enjoy some stress-reducing exercise. I forgot how important and popular cycling is to the Boulder community. I mentioned to Kristi last evening how many people are out riding every day. Commuters, kids, exercise enthusiasts and those training for that next event. Cycling is quite contagious here.

Right now, I am digesting the season and just enjoying riding the bike. I'll start some cross races here in Colorado and do the cross ride on Wed mornings but it's a no-stress fall season. I'm very pleased with my successes over the past year and I know that next year will a breakout year for me in US.

Chow,
Bearclaw

Summit County Mtn Biking

Kristi and I ripped up the singletrack of Summit County this past weekend. Schön Wetter und Schön Zeit!

Getting back to the woods was a nice change from the road. There is so much beauty in Colorado. I kept telling Kristi how great it is to be here. Company was also pretty much muy bueno as well =)

Friday evening got rained out from cooking so we hit the local establishment that I seem to go to every time I am up in the mountains, The Dam Brewery. Of course I went with the Tatanka Burger but settled for a Hefeweizen. It was good but lacked what I remember tasting just a week ago. Kristi went with a Quesadilla, pronounced Kay-sah-dilah. It was definitely the largest and most developed Quesadillas I have ever witnessed. Tasted so as well.

Saturday morning we awoke to 37º which in Cº is about 2-3º so pretty friggin cold. We were hungry but our fingers weren't working well and the water was taking quite a long time to heat. But we persevered despite the hardships and nourished ourselves to prepare for the über awesome ride Kristi had planned. We took on the Aquaduct trail which provided lots of killer singletrack and descending ops. Kristi threw down pretty hard, and I was muy impressed with her sweet mtn biking skills. The altitude of 9400-10,800' was quite a change for me. On Sunday we did the Colorado Trail which is a trail going from Denver to Durango. We did a sweet loop on it, 20+mi, 3.5hrs. Pretty difficult climb up as one portion was 2mi in length and topped out at 11,100'. The descending was most excellent. It was a muy fantastic time together. Looking forward to the next one.

Chow,
Bearclaw

Summit County Bound...

Heading up to Summit County in a bit to get in some late summer camping and mtn biking at 9000'+. I'll probably suffer a bit as my lady Kristi powers away from me on the Colorado Trail. Looking forward to gettin' dirty and increasing my red blood cell count the all natural way. Going to rig up a mount on my Titus for some action photos of Kristi killin' it on the trails and the beautifulness that is the Colorado High Country.

My body is here in Colorado, my time clock still remains in Germany. Sleeping 5 hrs and waking up at 4am every day so far is no bueno. Hopefully things get better soon.

Chow,
Bearcaw

2009 Euro Campaign in the Books

Nostalgia has once again set in. I'm here in the Stuttgart Flughafen awaiting departure back to Boulder, CO. I can still remember the same moment when i was coming here back in February. In February, 6 months sounded like a long time. Half a year out of the country in a land I'm not familiar with, trying to speak a language I knew literally nothing about, and an untold number of new experiences I would encounter. To explain it all I would need to write a book(in the future) but I'm going to just highlight a few things that forever will impress upon me as I grow older.

Top Eleven Things (b/c 10 is too generic...in no particular order except the last one)
* I learned a new language
* I suffered like I have never suffered before in a race
* I discovered that küchen(cake) is a suitable pre-race food
* I learned what it's like to be part of a true team
* I saw many new lands and rode through countless villages sometimes at very high rates of speed other times not so
* I was part of a championship winning team
* I grew deeper into my relationships with those close to me
* I learned the SuperPrime is very difficult in the race
* I tried many new foods and developed a great appreciation for Schwäbisch food and Deutsche musik.
* I completed a full-season of racing in Europe
***I became part of a family, one that helped me, encouraged me, looked after me, spoke with me, and gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream

Last October, the idea came to make this all happen. Until December, I didn't think I could pull it off. Thanks to all the people who made this happen: my parents and siblings, my ladyfriend Kristi, my friends Karl & Shawn, my team, and my Deutsche Familie, Die Sanwalds! It's amazing to think about what I have experienced over the last half-year. Ich gehe züruck nach Boulder, aber Ich bin ein Backnanger und Ich komme züruck =)


Now onto the next chapter of my life in Boulder with a great girl and the fondest of memories to share with all....

Auf Wiedersehen,
Matthew