Tour of BoulDurango Wrap-Up

Holy crap, am I glad that's done! Unfortunately I was unable to keep the updates running throughout the week due to the fact that my computer hates the Colorado mountains. That being said, I love them! There were some definite highlights, but none more spectacular than cresting the summits of some of the highest rideable passes in the state. With that I will simply leave you with the photos!

Ska Barroom Hero, Arlo really chilling with a Dale's Pale Ale

Dale making out with a Modus

Robin Drinking an Avery Joe's Pils





Loveland Pass

That's right, serious SAG!

Chad applying obligatory OB sticker--note last year's Avery and Ska in there.

A little river fun in Buena Vista!

The Brick Oven Pizzeria boys haul our asses up Cottonwood Pass!

Hey look, there's Adam Avery!

The muscle Arlo pulled in the shower wasn't the only one today!

My new custom Oskar Blues hand built Reeb belt drive singlespeed 29er!

Dave Chichurra reflects upon his ass pain while gazing over Blue Mesa

Joe and Steve from Sierra Nevada with Avery's Steve Breezely

Smiley! One half of the ultimate OB support crew!

Yes, that is Chad Melis riding a wheelie up Red Mountain Pass!

Sam looked a little rosier 5 days ago.

Home Sweet Home. Thank you Motley Crue.





 



Chad's Oskar Blues Blog is Better Than Mine

Well, the brewer's sufferfest known has the Tour of BoulDurango has arrived. I've made it to Colorado's Front Range and there's all manner of good stuff happening today such as the World Cup finals, the Tour De France, the 1st Annual CO Beer and Cocktail Party at Denver's Star Bar, and Reel Big Fish is playing at the Odgen Theater, but all I can focus on is this silly ride, and how I, once again, have found myself committing to it.

We take off in the morning from Avery Brewing in Boulder with much of the same sweet crew as last year. Adam and six others from Avery, along with Dale, Chad, Dave, and Jeremy from Oskar Blues, a couple of the Grossman clan of Sierra Nevada fame, and Arlo (Barroom Hero), Sam (Accountant), Robin (Chemist), and myself, all from Ska.

The bottom line on internet coverage is this: Chad's Brews and Bikes blog from Oskar Blues is much better than this, with killer photos to boot! That being said, I'll try not to dissapoint--I'll be the Stats Man, keeping running statistics on the really important things such as mileage, mechanicals, crashes, and types and amounts of beers consumed, at least until I'm too happy or sad to care. We'll arrive back home at Ska, hopefully with everyone still in tact on Saturday 7/23. I'll do my best to keep this updated daily, so stay tuned!

I Kept Trying to Will One More Gear Into Existence But My Summons Fell Short

What a day! I thought I'd throw some summit photos up however and just mention that It's incredibly beautiful in Colorado at 12,000 ft! We were joined by the Brick Oven/Avery team as we hauled ourselves up and over Cottonwood Pass from Buena Vista to Crested Butte. Thanks for the hospitatlity at Brick Oven Pizza!

Loveland Pass, Elevation 11,990'

Hoosier Pass, Elvation 11,542'

The 20 mile climb up Cottonwood Pass ended with us crossing the Continental Divide once again,

Elevation  12,126'

The Brick Oven/Avery Brewing team made today's ride with us from Buena Vista to Crested Butte, obviously leading the charge

Here's us, we're what you'd call "Way Behind"

I'm Not Very Helpful and I Tend To Stifle Progress

No other way to put it, this ride is fucking fun!
Other possible headlines from today range from "I love birds, but hate RV's" to "bikes and roads were here long before cars or you". Anyhow, we made it to Buena Vista where we were treated to a number of delicious beers, at Eddy Line Brew Pub, including my favorite, CPA!
I had one of the more terrifying moments of my life going nearly 54 mph down the back side of Hoosier Pass today--speed wobbles as though my front wheel was coming off! I just kept praying that I'd slow down a bit more before I crashed. The road was freshly paved and we had it all to ourselves, and I don't know that I've ever gone that fast! Turns out I made it to the edge of the highway without wiping out my friends or myself. It also turns out that my headset was a bit loose! I've never thought of myself as all that religious, but I must say that I've been praying my ass off on this trip (maybe that's why it hurts so bad???). So, I opted for bed while the troops opted for Salida and more beer at Amica's, and unfortunately my camera is in the van! But never fear, great photos can be found at Chad Melis' Oskar Blues Brews and Bikes blog! Chad's so much faster, he's got the time to pull off, take photos, eat some food, go catch a movie, and still easily catch us on the next switchback. Cheers!

If Lookout Mountain was Arlo's Cruel Mistress, Loveland Pass was his Leather-clad, Sado-masochistic, Spiteful Ex-mistress

Turns out Jeremy got a bit of food poisoning, puked large, and then punished the Colorado Rockies--Oskar Blues maintains the Yellow Jersey! Aside from a brief stint with some hail and rain the day was otherwise uneventful, but fantastically so. Climbing Loveland Pass proved to be much easier and more fun than last year. Couldn't do it without music though! Today's climbing mix highlighted Eels, and it couldn't have been more perfect.

You'll note in a photo below that Arlo found a new pair of drawers! Thank God.

It's always a good feeling to realize what a great industry we're in--we were greeted at the Breckenridge Brewery by our good friend and Breck Master Liason, Todd Thibault. Not only were the beers fantastic, but a hearty "Cheers!" to Breckenridge for giving a portion of every pint today to Bikes For Kids!

Arlo, riding for Mix 1!

The crew on our first summit, Loveland Pass at 11,990 ft!

"I'm gonna start out slow and then taper off"

At the risk of sounding weak, today was the first and shortest day of the venture and I'm alrady in pain. Unfortunately Dale (of Dale's Pale Ale fame) was unable to join us, but it was bittersweet because Jeremy completed the Oskar Blues trilogy, joining Chad and Dave on Team O.B. (on a 1x9 bike!) Adam, Ted, Caitlyn, and Orli would hold the reins for the Avery team. We departed from Avery Brewing this morning and took off out of Boulder on Hwy 93 to Golden, where we would encounter Lookout Mountain, AKA Arlo's Cruel Mistress.

Adam Avery and Chad Melis ride Lookout with Coors in the background

Last year on Lookout we saw some longboarder skate kids at the summit, and it seemed a bit insane and ridiculous but we didn't actually get to see them go. This year, however, 8 of them went flying by easily hitting 40 mph--it was crazy enough that it gave me a stomach ache, but at the same time completely took my mind off the climb. Uneventful would describe the next hour or so, but then, as always, comic relief would come from none other than Ska Barroom hero, Arlo Grammatica. His shorts blew out and he rode out the remainder of the day winking at everyone through his drawers, which was interesting because it was the only part of the day that I somehow got stuck behind him. Oh--Check the photo.

Once again, the beautiful part of the ride, aside from the Colorado mountains, was the array of beers waiting for us in Idaho Springs. We rode straight to the Tommyknocker Brewery and enjoyed some delicious Pick Axe Pale Ale, compliments of Steve Indrehus. Thanks Steve! And of course I am now reaping the benfits of riding with brewers 3 of Colorado's best breweries; a plethora of Ska Mexican Logger, Avery White Rascal, and Dale's Pale Ale. Tough job, but if I didn't do it, who would?

Tomorrow it's Loveland Pass to Breckenridge and the Breck Brewery to see our good friend Tebo. Prepare yourself, Dude.

Stats: Mechanicals--3 flats (Arlo doubled down with 2 blowouts, a tire and his shorts)

We Made it! 448 Miles

I have to apologize, I was worn out and lacked the energy to take this wheelsucking blog to the next level! Yeah, I drank beer and passed out. There are stories that need telling, however, such as the time a fellow rider needed to relieve himself, anally and mid-ride, of protein drinks and last night's beer, and the difficulty involved with said task. And stats. Stats will be posted. Stay tuned for more tales of the ever-name-changeing Tour de Bouldurango International (we had an Aussie, a Brit, and a Spaniard with us). I'm still woozy enough after the finish line party to state that this will be an annual event, and the Wheelsucking Brewer blog is the place for furhter details!

"Today was a record I hope to never break" --Matt "Truck" Thrall

130 miles today! Talk about a pain in the ass. Literally. Yesterday we made it over Cottonwood Pass after a grueling 20 mile climb and a somewhat unappreciated payoff in the way of a 15 mile dirt downhill, and eventually (after 76 total miles)wound our way into Crested Butte. Today, however, 130 miles. Did I mention the taint pain? I guess so. The picture is Matt, "Truck" Thrall after we found our way to Hutch's Ourayle House Brewery. The contrast between 100 degrees in angry-big-truck-Montrose, and the beautiful box canyon town of Ouray was that of apples and oranges. Make that worm-ridden apples, and fresh-picked oranges. I'm too tired to blog, but will add more about Crested Butte's Brick Oven Pizzeria, the beer selection, and their kick-ass bike team on the next post. Cheers!

Buena Vista to Crested Butte via Cottonwood Pass at 12,160 Feet

ZZZZZZZZ.

Enlightenment?

Road biking is new to me, and honestly, descriptors such as "sane," "beer-swilling," and in particular, "fun" have always seemed far more than 6 degrees separated from the sport. Mountain biking has always fit that mold, and for that matter my lifestyle, far better. But I had never gone down Loveland pass at 45+ miles per hour on a road bike--what a Fu!#ing blast!
Climbing up Loveland Pass from the ski area was less than easy. In fact it was the vision in my mind when I woke up every night at 3:00am for the last month that kept me from falling back to sleep. A steady rhythm and hearty Ipod mix of Neko Case, Slade, Minor Threat, and Madness made it come and go, and the only thing that could top the downhill payoff was our arrival at the Breckenridge Brewpub. Good friends and Breck Marketing Masters Tebo and Sara (see above photo) arrived just as we did, and pitchers of Ska Modus Hoperandi, Avery White Rascal, and Breckenridge Summerbright were waiting with a feast that couldn't have been better. In fact, John the Brit (also pictured) said the fish and chips were the best he had ever had in the U.S! The speed, the beer, and the good friends must be what's really going on behind the full factory kit (road-biker outfit) scene!

We're Not Crazy--You're the One That's Crazy

Riding from Boulder to Idaho Springs on Sunday was beautiful, and fortunately, uneventful! We rode over Lookout Mountain, past Coors, AKA 'Brewery #2'and after paying our respects at Buffalo Bill's Grave we ran into these two lunatics. They took off, straight down, on their skateboards--as they hit the first corner it appeared as though the nitrous kicked in. Good luck boys.

Avery to Tommyknocker via Lunacy

Community Cycles--Folks that Deserve Emulation

We kicked off the ride with a wonderful party at Avery last night with some great beer, a fantastic carbo-load pasta feast,and a top notch raffle with some high end donations from the Garmin/Slipstream team, The Kitchen Upstairs, The Sink, Deuter packs, and the Boulder Rock Club among others.

The beneficiary, however, was the highlight, and that was Boulder's Community Cycles. Your Boulder hippie-type/bike culture sort of dude, Peter, was on hand to tall us a bit: Community Cycles provides re-cycled bikes and a welcoming space to learn about bicycle repair, maintenance and operation through outreach and advocacy activities. They serve a wide range of people in the Boulder community, but focus on at-risk youth, low-income individuals and work release program inmates from the county jail as well as college students and others who are interested in commuting via bicycle. In addition, Community Cycles supports schools, businesses or other organizations interested in establishing a bike fleet program. The Earn-a-Bike program lets kids volunteer at the shop for 10 hours and they walk away with a bike of their own.

These are folks that deserve emulation.

Adam's Dumb Idea (and my dumber response)

The phone rang at Ska and it was Adam Avery of Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colorado.

"We had this crazy idea that we should ride our bikes from our brewery to yours and we're hoping you could do a fundraiser and maybe tap a special keg when we arrive," Avery said.

We always open our home to our fellow brewers, and I was about to reply that 'of course, we'd love to' when something ridiculous spewed out of my mouth instead. "We want to ride, too."

That was a couple of months ago, and honestly, I thought that by the time the third week of July rolled around, I would be in shape, or better yet, the idea would simply have faded away. Well, the idea didn't fade away, and now the portentous day is here. Although I'm in better shape than I was, I can't stop thinking that we're about to ride 426 miles over 9 of Colorado's high mountain passes, and I'm a fatty. Somehow, with few words, my friend Jon Bailey at the Durango Cyclery put a much better spin on it. "Dude, you're riding your bike all day and then drinking beer."

Adam's dumb idea evolved into a collaborative beer, the Wheelsucker Wheat Mountainous 7.2%. Bavarian-style Hefeweizen, and a charity fundraiser at a different Colorado brewery each night of the ride. The beauty here is the beer part, the beast is of course, the bike. If we were doing a ride like this with non-brewing road bikers at least we would have a professionally hung-over leg up on them. Not the case, the Avery boys are good. Note the photo above--this was taken July 1st when they came down to Ska to brew the Wheelsucker. Ska Head Brewer Thomas Larsen simply dilly dally's while the Avery crew (Adam, Orli, and Breeze) work their asses off.

So with that Arlo Grammatica (Ska's Barroom Hero) and I are off to spend the week picking up all manner of road bike guy fashion tips from the Avery boys, and maybe a couple of brewing tips as well...