Winter Hath Cometh and Pause

Decided to start my pause yesterday. The fact that it's raining, cold and possibly snowing later only highlights my genius more in choosing this period to start my end of season no-bike break. Next week I will be in the motherland...Tennessee. Looking forward to the visit very much.

Yesterday I began the official, unofficial process of applying to culinary school. I filled out my fafsa form. When I was an undergraduate and dependent child on my parent's tax return, I received a token gesture from Uncle Sam to help defray educational costs. Since I left California, I have positioned myself to make just above the poverty line which has allowed me to travel, race my bike a lot, become economically crafty, and above all more eligible for educational funding. The program here at the Culinary School of the Rockies is a 6-month intensive culinary arts program with a 1 month farm-to-table externship. The purveyors previously had a externship in France but I guess that ever-depreciating dollar scraped that idea. They describe the program as such,

"Culinary Arts feeds your passion. You develop your own sensibilities and philosophy about food, ingredients, cooking techniques and dining."

My own philosophy...I like the sound of that. It will be the perfect learning environment to develop my philosophy when I write my book. But developing my philosophy has it's costs...no such thing as a free lunch, or free self-developing philosophy. It's to the tune of $28,450. That is a $38/hr program based upon the 6.5hr day and 23 weeks of delicious enlightenment. During my observation day last December some key things I observed that are included: 1)someone is paid to do the dishes(ie those who know me, know that i spend just as much time cooking and making dirty as I do cleaning) 2)they include lunch b/c you basically cook your own lunch or group lunch 3)coffee is always available 4)they pay for the food at the awesome end of program 5)you get a name embroidered jacket and knife set, hello professional! 6) you get to eat a lot of food 7) you get to work, i mean experience the North Fork Valley in Western Colorado on a farm and restaurant 8) they help you find a job the rest of your life(so far FSU hasn't done anything for me) 9) Wine Appreciate development, yes I could use more of that and finally 10) I learn French Technique which will give me even more rumbling of sophisticated words when I talk about food or when I am in the kitchen(this I'm sure all my loved ones will and should appreciate).

So it's pretty much awesome I think. And of course I will probably bring those techniques to Bearclaw Granola and to the belly of Kristi =)

Yesterday I was thinking that I am too qualified and underqualified. How does this happen? Why won't Starbucks hire me? Why won't Safeway hire me? Why won't these private economic research jobs hire me? Am I flight risk? My story of racing my bike in Germany has now been changed to "the past 6 months I took an educational trip to German." I did take official German language classes, I even forked over some Euros myself for them. I guess educating in the classroom is less flight risk than "i educated myself on the ruthless, no gifts, no pity, no nothing street of Germany pouring every bit of energy into the pedals to say, yeah, I finished in the last group." We will see if it works.

Here is to high hopes! =)
Bearclaw

A Reflection of Reality

So it has been just over a month since the dream ended. What have I been up too? Or rather what have I not been up too. Namely, working. I began job searching in late July and today it still remains that...a search. I know things will have to turn around at some point. But it's pretty stressful and boring for me. My de facto office has become the Panera Bread here in Boulder which I set up shop in the morning, soak up the free wifi and amp myself on hazelnut coffee. I think I have a pretty credible background...even one that might be judged as unique. Unfortunately, uniqueness is not bringing home th bacon. Not exactly sure what can make my candidacy say "WOW," so any suggestion should be left as comments.

Since California I've been doing a little riding on the cross bike. Nothing serious, but I sourced out some cool trails in the Boulder Open Space. My hematocrit is slowly normalizing to the altitude. My technical and overall strength is better than last year but my recovery from hard efforts is not as good which I blame on the lower concentration of oxygen here. Or maybe I laid every bit on the line in Mecklenberg and left my German team with only enough strength to board that plane. I never remembering crushing myself so far into the pain cave day in, day out. I continue to believe it was the greatest 4 days of racing in my life.

I've gotten back into the full time cooking thing. Catered a friend's birthday party the other night for 20 people. A French theme was requested so I did my part, and it seems it went over well. Being the über self-critic, there are things I wasn't as pleased with but they are teachable moments. Next time it will be better. I did manage to pull off some awesome crêpes, self-made of course. Granola production is back in 50% production. I've sourced out a Costco membership so that should begin to help lower production costs and in turn provide greater product for you my consumers. Currently contemplating whether I should pull the trigger on culinary school which I was close to doing last year. Nothing better in a scheiß economy than to go to school and take on debt. Atleast it would give me a project to focus on and let me fulfill that dream to learn to cook better. Then you can hire me to cook deliciousness in your home =)


Here are some pics to enjoy as you read...
Kristi, Me, and the Palace of Fine Arts(self-timer portrait by me!)
Me, my Lady, and the view from the hill near my old stomping ground(another timer self-portrait by me!)
A Suspicious Me(a long arm self portrait)
Homemade Huevos Rancheros(one of my culinary artistry pics)
The German Consulate in SF(Kristi took this masterpiece)

chow,
Bearclaw

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

Mecklenberg Rundfahrt Day 3

Saturday's race was grade-A euro mudsling'n of a race. The parcours, 123,3km which looked like a cardiograph on paper. Unfortunately, cardiographs can't display the hellish winds chimed throughout the day. After losing Markus Jahn to a crash on Friday, all remaining resources were to make sure Marcus Kühn can retain the sprinter's jersey. Several riders were very close so it was going to be difficult. We had to drive 30+km to the start upon arriving, the rain came. Not much of a problem until you see the cobblestones and you think, Scheiße! Fortunately the rain let up but it was quite cool, only around 20C. The race started out under neutral, and don't be foolish to think that the neutral isn't a race. If you aren't going full gas, then you might get dropped even before the flag falls. The wind was in full force and the attacks started immediately. I was doing well covering the first few moves then set tempo on one of the climbs as a non-threatening rider went up the road. After doing my time, I drifted back to recover then we started rolling down a long stretch of road that was quite picturesque with the trees lining the road and the farm vistas surrounding. Then the ultimate scheiße moment...a puncture. Front tire nearly rolled off as we went into a turn. I feel back to get a new wheel from team support. Heinz came by first but signaled me to wait for the van which unfortunately for me was in the very back. So I got the wheel changed and a nice push from die Latz and I was off. Ohh yeah, the wind is über scheiße now as it is blowing in the face or on the nose. No bueno when you are alone and the field is jettesoning away from you. Latz made it back up to me and provided a nice draft behind the van. The last 6-7kms then it was trying to make my way back into the field as the commissar was close and wasn't going to allow any tomfoolery from me. Normally all autos are encouraged to keep a small gap between the car in front when riders are coming up b/c we are allowed to use them as a draft and rest 20s behind the cars. Well these gaps weren't the 5meter ones, more like 20-30m. And that is a big no bueno when you are redlined already. Finally after leapfrogging fwd and bkw for 20km I finally caught back on. Heinz and Markus weren't quite proud and it helped to have their encouragement on my journey up. Let's just say that I pretty much burned the book on that one. The rest of the race was absolutely brutal. Rain, wind, up/down, down/up...it had it all. You want to now what is different about racing here than in the US? It's stage 4, GC is pretty much set 30% of the starters in the race are out, and you are riding single file at the +55km/h only to be seated in 78th position. What the hell is wrong with this? 78th position is no in-the-money position but if you don't hold it, either A) you go to 79th or worse B) you fall off the back and don't make time cut. When I was alone I was doing everything I could to not think B. I joked with everyone that I probably lost 5 years of my life with the effort. Fortunately it paid off b/c the 10 or so others that I had came up on while I was chasing never made the jump across to the field and their race ended that day as they missed time cut.

Later on I was nourishing myself and getting the fluids in b/c I still had 80km of racing when I got back in. And it was going to be hellish. At one point the field split as one race vehicle went straight and the other went left. Total catastrophe as nobody new what was going on. Finally they neutralized it and we came back together and had a nice little 4min picnic while the commissar pulled his hair out. Unfortunately that means your legs get cold and the human cyborgs at the front are going to make them cry like a baby without its pacifer.

When we made it into the finish town, I fell back and did what I could to conserve. And I was pretty much cooked, not a shade of pink you could say, only 1min50 down on the stage.

Unfortunately, die Kühn lost the jersey on a tie for points.

I did enjoy some Eis that night which was a nice recovery =)
chow,
Matthew

Mecklenberg Rundfahrt Mannzeitfahren

Team Trial Video by Heinz Sanwald

Photos from Mecklenberg Rundfahrt

Mecklenberg Rundfahrt Day 3

Mecklenberg Rundfahrt Day 3

Sitting in 80th something place. My GC(general classification) position can be attributed to doing quite a bit of work to put my teammates, Markus Jahn and Marcus Kühn in the White Sprinter's jersey. Thursday was the first stage, a 83km jaunt with lots of action. I have been feeling much better recently, and motivation to help the team goal of the sprinter's jersey definitely was motivating. I worked with Daniel Hartmann, Oliver Hager, and Elmar Burke chasing down every attack and move in the first 20km. I was able to get into a few moves that lasted a few kms but nothing was going to sit as the peloton was riding aggressive and hoping for a field sprint. As long as we could represent ourselves in every move and not let anything go then it would put the pressure on the other teams and save the energy for the Kühn and the Jahn. On km 58 or so I put in an attack about 3km from the sprint, I got about 10s. I was hoping to put the work on the other sprinter's teams to drive the pace and thwart attacks coming into the sprint. After getting caught about 1.5km from the sprint, I was drifting back holding my line when some wanker came by and chopped my front wheel. Spoke broken, and I was no bueno. Fortunately, Heinz was driving support and was 2nd auto in the caravan. Wheel changed, the real race for me began. Heinz did a super job at motorpacing me back to the field. After putting in a hard effort just prior to getting chopped, I was not too ready for the effort of getting back. Sure riding inches behind a car is fast, you still have to put in the effort. At times I had to signal Heinz to slow b/c I was blowing up quite spectacularly. Heinz brought me up to about 5 cars deep and then the BDR(German Cycling Federation) gave Heinz the evil finger and quite a bit of words. Heinz played it cool and I was able to use the rest of the auto to make my way back into the field. At this point it was just conserving and saving as much as I could for the rest of the week. I ended up falling a little bit off the pace of the field. I guess my tactic of conservation got a little too aggressive but I managed to only lose 1:10 to the winner, which is quite a bit considering the race is pretty much a sprint finish each stage. But my GC chances were given up prior to the start when I was directed to ride for Marcus and Markus. Cycling is a team sport, the winner is always supported by a great team and a win for one is a win for the team. Well after finishing we pedaled 30km back to the hotel with Heinz motorpacing. I thought I was okay and recovered but the future would tell a different story. Next comes dinner in the hotel. You would think that I would be super motivated to eat but eating was a low motivation as I was feeling the efforts of my work and chasing. I was trying my best to hide the discomfort erupting in my stomach but it was nearly as difficult as the race itself. Upon leaving, I found myself slowing falling behind the group on our way back to the house. Let's just say on the way back I emptied my calories the supermodel way. Doing so is no bueno in any situation but I did feel much better later. But, when you are stage racing, calorie intake and recovery are über important. So going into severe caloric deficit on the first day can wreck the entire race. So you could say that I went a little past my limit in my efforts for the race but the team recognized my efforts and that made it all worth it and we got Markus Jahn into the sprinter jersey.

Yesterday morning, I awoke to feeling better not 100% but better. Able to put in a proper breakfast. Being the last place finisher, I had the privilege of being the first in the individual time trial of 11,3km. Rode it in 16:06. Good enough for 60 something I think. The team gave me strict orders of not going to hard in order to save for the race later in the afternoon and for today. They specifically said they don't want me putting myself into the condition I was the previous night. After some good down time following my race, we all ate some pasta and got ourselves ready for battle in the afternoon. The course was pretty tight with lots of wind and super fast speeds. At each sprint we were hitting over 60km/h with tops at 65km/h! On a wide road this is not so much, but on these narrow country roads with autos lining the roads and partly on the roads, positioning was über critical and sometimes just downright dangerous. Markus Jahn took a big hit on the first sprint when he got pushed off the road and into the sandy side. His race unfortunately ended as he was sent to the hospital. Fortunately no broken bones, just cuts and a huge hematoma on his leg. I tried to do what I could in the next few laps in the sprint but I had difficulty getting close enough. On the last 2 laps I was pulling back breaks and setting tempo on the front. Felt good again. Efforts were rewarded with Marcus Kühn sprinting well and taking the sprinter jersey. Sad to see the Jahn out.

So today is the longest stage at 123km....lots of up and down and the wind is howling. With 4 sprints, our day is going to be very difficult as we have only 1 point above the 2nd person in the sprint jersey competition. Legs are holding up well and motivation is high so we have a lot to prove but I'm confident we can hold it. We got in some good pool time yesterday to help with the recovery. Waterslides are muy important for proper recovery, atleast I hope that theory holds =)
Chow,
Bearclaw

2009 Baden-Württemberg Bergmeisterschaft Fellbach