Arizona--2021

It's 2021, we're hopefully moving past COVID and moving towards some return to normalcy... more to come!

Arizona Adventures

I’ve never been one to shy away from biting off more than I can chew, so when Glen tossed out the idea of a one day epic 100-mile ride along the very remote Arizona Trail, I was in. I even started to train for it, but then, well, life got hectic, and “training” turned into drinking lots of coffee hoping that it would be a suitable replacement for proper sleep, diet, and exercise. 

It wasn’t.

Tour de Heifer

The combination of camping, Vermont, and a good gravel ride makes for a perfect weekend in my book.

Those three factors came together on the weekend of June 8th & 9th as Jean and I, along with the illustrious Liz & Dan, brought our travel trailers to Brattleboro, Vermont, for the Tour de Heifer.

Brattleboro is one of my favorite towns, with a cool downtown and an amazing farmer's market, books stores, antique stores, coffee shops, and restaurants (like the Whetstone Brewery with great beers and awesome outdoor seating). We were there last year for the West Hill Grinder and had been looking forward to a return--the Tour de Heifer was the perfect reason.

Vermont Overland Pave' Madness (Hot as Balls)

Vermont Overland Pave' Madness 2018 from David Alden on Vimeo.

WATA Gravel Grinder Video

Read the story here.

Cape Cod Trail Race--Falmouth, MA

It's officially race season! I'm excited that I've got a bunch of events on the calendar--running, mountain biking, gravel rides, and hopefully some cyclocross this fall. I enjoy participating in these even if I toe the line woefully unprepared. In fact, that's my typical strategy, and my race results usually reflect that.

But hey, I can have just as much fun sucking wind in the middle of the pack as I would if I was standing on the top of the podium being deafened by the roar of my fans and burdened by medals and trophies.

With all that said, Jean and I, and Liz and Dan combined the first camping trip of the season with the first race of the season and de-winterized the campers for a weekend at Bourne Scenic Park. That put us in close proximity for the Cape Cod Trail Race in Falmouth. The race was fun, the camping... well... (see below after race pics)

Winter Migration

2/9/18: 
My Winter Migration: Riding in the Nevada Desert

Seasonal Affective Disorder aka the "winter blues." Is it a real thing? Yes, indeed it is, and it sucks. The days are colder and shorter, and all you feel like doing is hibernating inside catching up on some of your shows and reading your books. Yes I own a fat bike and yes it does extend the season, but even then riding is limited. Should I buy studded tires for even more coverage? After this year it is a serious consideration. For as long as I live in New England, it may be a necessity. I hit the gym and ride the stationary bike, but that sucks too. This time of year has a high suck factor. I could do only one thing to combat said suckery and that was to head West.