Saturday was a near perfect day! I got in a 3 hour mountain bike ride with some friends:
Heeey! Wait for me! I went out riding with Nick Martinez. We started racing and riding the same year. NM 2003! Then, we ran into my friend, John Stevens, who I actually bump into on the trail every time I come to ABQ!
After the ride, I ate some food, changed into my hiking gear and headed out with my Dad. He hikes on the weekends, but as I mentioned in a previous post, his hikes are not your normal hike. He doesn’t believe in switchbacks, or nicely groomed trails. He likes his hikes intense… so, as expected, we hiked up the side of the mountain on an animal trail. I love that! It was really fun and steep. ~1700′ of vertical gain in 45 minutes! Here are some photos. He will have an Ergon pack next time!
Pumpkin Cranberry bread at the top!
Descending.
…and the efforts of the day were rewarded with one of my favorite local ABQ breweries, Chama!
For once, Sunday is a day of rest. I’ll be back in ABQ for Xmas, so the fun in the Sandia Mountains will continue. I wonder if it will be like last December – mountain biking in the snow!
The other day, my dad and I both left the house at the same time, each with our stallions. My Stallion, of course, is my Rotwild, and my dad’s stallion is his 550HP+ Z06 ‘Vette. I rode next to him (of course, he went slower so I could, haha):
I’ve been enjoying the trails (the pics all start to look the same… I know). I even got to play some tennis with my dad.
The Looneys had a great Thanksgiving with food, family time, and many things to be thankful for. Hope you did too. Today, I am taking the road bike out and hoping that the Black Friday crazed drivers don’t run me off the road!
Today was one of those days I got to ride on some roads that I haven’t set rubber to in a couple of years. There were certain things I forgot (like how hard the ride was going to be!) I hopped on the road bike and headed east. The wind was pretty substantial in Albuquerque today, so I dressed a little warmer (i.e. no shorts and jersey today!). By the time I got out to the East Mountains, the wind was absolutely raging. In fact, I got blown into the gutter with gusts of wind. I had to put it in my smaller ring on the front and pedal downhill. I had forgotten how the wind gets back there, so it was both funny and frustrating at the same time. At home in Colorado this time of year, I mostly fight with being cold, ice, and snow (I have learned about when to avoid certain roads in windy conditions). Today, it was fighting with the wind and yet another thing to help make me a little tougher. I yelled at myself “Harden the f*&! up, Looney!” I also forgot how hilly N HWY 14 is. Wowee!!!
Finally, I got to the turn-off to Sandia Peak. I remembered the peak being 10,300′. Wrong! 10,678′ is the high point.
The wind was still howling straight at me riding up the road, making it infinitely harder and challenging. Fortunately, it wasn’t super cold, and there were only a few tricky parts of the road with ice and snow.
I only made it halfway up before I had to turn around today… Even though I ride on weekdays, I still gotta work, so that resulted in me flipping it and heading back down before I wanted! The road is 14 miles long, I turned around at mile 7 at the Sandia Peak Ski Area.
There would have been some serious nostalgia if I went in and sat there at a picnic table. I learned to ski as a child at Sandia. It doesn’t open very often anymore. I also did my first 2 mountain bike races there and I love going back and riding the trails. It’s been a couple years, and last time I rode up there, it was before they had been maintained for the year. I remember the feeling, the people I met those first two races, crossing the finish line (and at one of those, I took so long, it was just me and promoter left!!! hahaha! awesome, but probably not for the promoter.) Last time I rode at Sandia (for fun), there were tons of fallen trees and overgrown sections (adventure!) I can’t wait to ride up there again, but I rarely get to ABQ during the racing season.
Tomorrow is a big day of work, a big day of rest(well, and core workout), and a big day of going to SADIES for lunch!! YEAHOO! My family has been going there since I was a little kid, and my grandpa used to give my cousin and I quarters to buy candy from the vending machines, and play pacman (and we’d also play pranks on people in the restroom!)
It’s always a special treat to ride the trails where I first mountain biked. I remember riding up around Elena Gallegos on my $300 bike, having a great time. Some things don’t change… I still smile and have a great time in the North and South Foothills trails (rode them all today!), but the skill level and speed improve every year!
I rode the hardtail today. The trails are pretty mellow, but a few spots made it evident that I was on a hardtail, and I had to tweak my riding style a little bit – can’t sit there and be as lazy over the rocks!
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It was about 60F. I started in knee warmers, arm warmers, and a vest which were soon taken off, and put it in my Ergon pack.
There were so many people on the trails today… the trailhead parking lot was full, and cars were lined up down the road. I have never seen it so busy! It actually made me happy to see all the people enjoying their Sunday, spending time running, hiking, and riding. I saw a lot more people out road riding yesterday than usual too.
In August, I won a race called Pierre’s Hole that was super fun! A part of the prize were specialty brews from Grand Teton Brewing. I have been saving the spoils for the holidays, so my dad and I could share and taste it together. He has been a home brewer for 12 years, so it makes it fun to hear his opinion as well.
We did a little research on Doppelbock since we usually are drinking stouts or IPAs.
Thanks Grand Teton for the great prizes! I also have the Weizenbock, but that will be sample another day.
The beer pours nice, with about 2 fingers of head.
It had a very full flavor, and was heavy in the mouth. It reminded me of Scottish style ales – pretty sweet tasting compared to the smoky stouts or hoppy IPAs I occasionally drink. Bready, malty, and fun to drink.
And then I got to eat the best Red Chile Enchiladas (my mom makes them for me every time I come home and they are the best. I could eat the whole tray!)
I love New Mexican food, and I miss that when I’m in Colorado!
I am excited to visit Chama Brewery while I’m here too. Sleeping Dog Stout rules. I only drink a couple beers a week (and even less during the season), so I make them count!!
Sometimes I feel like I live in 2 places. I am still very connected to the life I left in Albuquerque over 4 years ago, and I come home 3-4 times a year. I love coming home to my parents, brother, and grandparents, and it is often bittersweet in that I am sad that time is passing by and I don’t get to spend more time I have with them. You can never calculate the moments you have with someone, and you don’t realize how precious those moments were until they are gone. We often “spend” time and take it for granted, unwittingly forgetting how valuable our time really is. It is also wonderful coming home to old friends. People you’ve known your whole life, or at least for a significant amount of “time” and experience.
Today, I got to go ride with a very special person to me. My friend, Nina. I met her when I was 19 years old, and first getting into cycling(I am now 26). I had no idea what I was doing and she was there. “Let’s go ride!” she’d say. I also learned a lot of other things from her – coffee, healthy eating (I had no idea what ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ food was), being an advocate for the environment… and I often hear stories of her taking people out on their first or second bike ride ever. She doesn’t get enough recognition for all the things she does, so I am giving it her here. Thank you Nina, you are an amazing woman!
So. I met her at her house this morning, and was greeted with a delicious latte from her beloved (and super nice) espresso machine:
and her malamute, Qimmiq. No one is as loving towards dogs as Nina. It’s awesome, and I know what kind of dog owner I want to be (when I stop traveling so much and can have a furry little friend of my own).
I was too busy blabbing and playing catch up in our lives on the ride and forgot to take photos until the end.
In school, they always warned us about flash floods with the tag line, “Ditches are deadly, stay away.” I don’t see them often, but today, the water was surging rapidly into the ditch. A lot of the bike paths in ABQ parallel arroyos.
and to leave you with a funny and awesome sign that Swiftwick Socks posted on facebook awhile ago that I hung on to.
That’s the beauty of endurance sports. They make you feel alive… Seeing breathtaking views make ME happy to be alive and glad that I do what I do… and I love the sense of accomplishment after each ride. Knowing that I am healthy, and able to conquer the mountain – that gives me confidence that trickles into other aspects of my life.
Eddie Vedder rules…but I don’t know about his hairdo.
Most of the road wasn’t snow covered, but it looks so much cooler and more dramatic than a picture of a dirt road, or of pavement!
I got out pretty early on the bike today, so descending was a little tricky. There were spots that were sheets of ice (but the ice wasn’t super slippery). It was enough to keep my attention, and for me to slow way down. At least going downhill slower means it won’t be as cold!
I brought my pack today to add extra weight, and so I could bring as many clothes as I wanted. Keep an eye out for a post on must have winter clothing items vs. nice accessory items. When I moved to CO, all I had was a wind vest, arm warmers, semi-warm gloves, and leg warmers…I got by. Just in the last year, I have started outfitting myself with nicer winter gear. It makes a world of difference and is worth the $.
I wish the snowcapped mountains were more visible in this picture. The Continental Divide looks amazing!
No riding tomorrow, but I will get to do my old running route (back when I was a runner racer in ABQ) tomorrow!!! That’s right, I get to go home tomorrow and see my friends and family in NM, and ride with my buddy(she helped get me into cycling and was a big influence), Nina!
That’s pretty much the story for the week after the 8 inch dump on Saturday. It’s warmed up to the low 50s but there is still a bit of snow up the canyons. It’s a good opportunity to continue to ignore my poor, abused road bike and keep riding my awesome Rotwild.
The dirt roads and paths are muddy and/or snow covered. The snowy bike path dirty sections are fun… it’s like snowy, icy singletrack. Definitely an opportunity to work on the technical skills. I have learned the hard way in years past to NOT ride on the opaque, shiny ice.
Mostly Zone 2, and a little Zone 3 training today… but mostly just enjoying turning the pedals.
Happy as a pig in the mud… errr… Looney in the mud. Same thing.
Under 6700′, the roads were dry. Above that, there were some icy spots, but nothing too crazy!
Today I thought that winter training is kind of funny, and odd in a good way. (this is more appropriate to the past weekend’s training) I mean, we are going out when it’s freezing outside, probably muddy and/or icy & snowy. Most people would call it crazy. To Jeff and I, that’s a normal winter weekend. Mud is spraying me in the face from my front wheel, and speckling my glasses so I can barely see. I smile, but my teeth hurt from the cold air. I sweat going uphill, and feel my race fitness starting to fade now that I am 6 weeks out from my last race, but I push forward and think about adding more weight to my backpack. My energy level drops, so I try to eat a PowerBar which is partially frozen or try to eat a gel which has turned into more of a thick, cold paste. Coming back down, I shiver; my hands, cheeks, and hair freeze as my wheels turn faster, faster. I try to say something out loud to myself to make it seem more fun, but I sound drunk because my skin and muscles are so cold that I can barely speak. When I get home, I’m hungry, and huddled over a bowl of something to refuel me from my efforts… and when I get in that hot shower, my fingers tingle because my nerve ends don’t know what the heck just happened. A few hours later, I think of how awesome my ride was and the thoughts of being cold, tired, and hungry seem like a distant memory. I wake up the next day, and do it all over again.
My brother has been in town visiting too, which has been great! He and I don’t get to spend a lot of time together(he lives in Albuquerque). We will both be heading back there on Friday. That means singletrack this weekend, and visiting lots of ABQ shops next week, and then Thanksgiving!
I’m starting to get my 2010 schedule together, but a lot of races next year are not yet planned out. Early season races will be 24 Hours of Old Pueblo, and the Ouachita Challenge. I am looking forward to it! I’m also itching to get a little bit of skiing in with all these snow capped mountains taunting me…
This week had a pretty diverse weather forecast. Some days, it was 60-70F and I was riding in shorts. Near the end of the week (like today), highs in the low 30s and lots of snow. I had a pretty good training week, and focused on force. Base miles = mostly Zone 2.
Wednesday… road bike up a canyon.
Some mountain biking at Heil Ranch/Picture Rock on Thursday. It was 70F out, and I saw like 15 people on the trail during the afternoon!
I love how my Suunto T6 maps the elevation profile. COOL!
Then back to the road bike on Friday.
The forecast for today, Saturday, was 5-10″ of snow starting the in PM, so I tried to get out a little earlier. It was about 30F in town when I left, pretty cold all in all. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t super wet outside, so I was able to stay warm. Climbing for 2+ hours ensured I was super warm… in fact, I was sweating a ton! I had to take off my jacket and strap it to my pack, and my hair was getting wet from sweat. On the way back down, it froze solid and was whipping around in the wind like a squirrel tail.
Here is a video I took. Skip the first 15 sec, they are super bouncy!
Watch the car coming… run little squirrel!!!
I brought the pack because it was easier to carry clothing, and I also added some weight to it. Carrying weight uphill can make you stronger!
Definitely wintery in the mountains.
I rode to Gold Hill via Sunshine Canyon. It was the foggiest there. I continued up Gold Hill Rd, and came down Sawmill.
There was some carnage… looks like a couple cars caught on fire.
About to go down Sawmill Road.
Then headed up the road to Peak to Peak Highway.
I rode a little ways on Peak to Peak before I decided it was too wet.
Lefthand Canyon was wet near the top because it was snowing.
I brought some Chai (the sugary kind!) in my Nissan thermos. It kept it piping hot for 3 hours.
The hardest part about riding up the canyons in the winter is the ride back down. My hands freeze no matter what gloves I wear. I tried something creative this time. I think I want to try these gloves.
I have never owned actual base layers (I always used running shirts), and I just got some Craft baselayers. I am very impressed with them. They totally rock!
Being warm makes me happy. What a goober.
Last weekend, it was warm and the colors were red and brown. This weekend, it is cold, and everything is turning dark with white snow. Tomorrow – hiking. Next weekend…. Albuquerque!
I went out riding with Nick Martinez. We started racing and riding the same year. NM 2003! Then, we ran into my friend, John Stevens, who I actually bump into on the trail every time I come to ABQ!
