TJ Woodruff ONLINE

Boulder is a place that many pro cyclists call home. This likely isn’t news to you, as it wasn’t to me, but perhaps I’m learning why so many riders come to this place. I’m here simply because I’ve got a welcoming place to stay. But out on the bike I’m finding many challenges that keep calling me back for more. All I have to do is turn my front wheel in the westward direction and I’m certain to find something steep, something challenging, something scenic, or something gnarly. Anytime I choose a combination of these appeals can easily be found. Many environments that I’ve raced and trained in have been quite tame compared to what can be found here in Boulder’s niche of the Front Range. Just like any good book, there has to be a conflict of sorts and here you are guaranteed a bike versus nature tale of epic proportions – if that’s what you’re looking for…

The weather has been largely hit or miss and this only adds to the challenge. Today I got out early for an intense STXC practice before doing a super-walker this afternoon. It was raining and 45 degrees outside, but yet the ride was nothing short of amazing. Since Boulderites are so into the eco-friendly lifestyle they call it ’super’ if you ride to the trailhead instead of driving the car. So ‘Super Walker’ simply means I rode up to the Walker ranch, did a loop, and then came back down. Last week I did a similar ride, but with two loops of Walker Ranch, one in each direction. Would this be a ‘Double Super Walker’ or a ‘Super Double Walker’? Anyone care to enlighten me?

The goal is to head into Deer Valley acclimated and ready for the sustained climbing. I’ve been here for two weeks now so the acclimatization is half taken care of and I’m starting to find my climbing rhythm too. Hopefully I can put it together for a strong performance. In the meantime I’ll be doing the Chile Challenge at Angel Fire and the Teva Games in Vail. These events ought to be good practice for this sea level being.

With some more racing just around the corner chances are good that I’ll have something blog-worthy. Check back for more on that. Thanks for joining in and enjoy the battles you find on the bike, where ever it is that you aim your front tire.

-TJ

We all search for it in one way or another and today I experienced it in full force. A good ride will always bring about a smile, but the days where everything comes together and makes perfect sense are few and far between. Their seldom occurance makes them all that much better too. The views, the terrain, the weather, the bike, the vastness, and the endless miles of singletrack were all mine on. I awoke just before sunrise and was on the bike by 7 am. Five hours later I had ridden each and every one of the trails available south of I -70 at exit 15. Incredible sums it up nicely; more than simply a bike ride for sure. The camera phone pics below don’t quite do justice, but it was my best option as the camera batteries died after only getting the above shot.

The Colorado River, several thousands of feet below.

Steve’s loop skirts around this impressive canyon.

I’ll be back for more of this.

Keeping it Real in CO, -TJ

The Fontana NMBS is a beast of its own nature. This true urban assault style XC course has a distinctively unique set of challenges. Short and steep elevation changes, soft and deep sandy stretches, ruts, and ample amounts of concrete require a rider to maintain 100% flow and concentration from start to finish. Few riders are able to do that and they are rewarded with the results. For the rest of us a brief lapse in focus or attention quickly resulted in lost time, a bobble, a crash, or all three combined into a huge dust cloud.

The course was quite congested I more or less held my own for lap number one of four. Lap two started off alright as well as I maintained a top 40 position hoping to keep the pace and pick off riders as the race wore on. This was not the case however. Somewhere out there I let a gap go, bobbled, and hit the eject button. My rhythm had been broken and I failed to regain it though I tried in earnest until the finish.

Event number two of the race weekend and also my personal weekend highlight was the Junior 14 & under XC race. My cousin, DJ, strapped on a number plate for the first time. He’s been riding consistently for the past two weeks and I’ve been able to see both his skill level and confidence improve in that time. Seeing him line up for that race was awesome and I couldn’t help but relive some of my own first racing experiences as I watched him tear off for one lap of the course. He thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and the only thing better than his 3^rd place finish was the beaming smile and fatigue on his face at the finish line.  It was a success on all accounts and he came through loving it. We were proud to see him take on the challenge and to have so much fun with it.

And finally the short track. I really enjoy this discipline for its close quarters action, speed, and lack of concern for self preservation since it’s such a short event. Yesterday’s edition was shorter than I would have licked after being pulled, but to some extent that is simply the nature of this course. The first lap couldn’t have gone much worse. Wicks crashed and held us all up in the first corner. Even though he was in the front it affected those of us near the back even more since everyone hits their brakes. In corner number three I was forced to dismount and run since riders were getting too pinched up on the inside of the U turn.  After moving up on the flat stretch a Kona rider came out of his pedal and I had to change direction (and speed) to avoid crashing into him. And finally we got to the technical descent just in time to get off our bikes and literally stand in line until we could all funnel through the bottom. The leaders were surely halfway around the course before I ever got to finish lap one and now things were fully strung out in single file.  With some hard efforts I made some progress but didn’t ever have a chance to move up on this fast and also technical course. It was fun to ride on, but tough to race on as passing opportunities seemed minimal.

So now that the NMBS season is half over it’s a natural time to seek some transition. I’ll be leaving the dry and dusty Southwest for the thin air of Colorado. I’m excited for a change of scenery and ready to focus on the next round of racing to come though my recent stay in California has been a great time. Augustines, thanks for all your support!  This is it for now; thanks for reading.

-TJ