Chris Butler

TAKEN!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Well the weekend was going to be an epic one. The weather was going to be phenomenal, rides with Boni, Doug, and Felix were planned. I was going to be buying a new car on Fri. I was finally going to be practical and economical. I decided to get a used Honda Accord, not only to save on gas mileage and wear and tear on the Tundra, but also to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible. I found a great used car from a retiree in Denver. Only 71k miles, and immaculate. I took it for a test drive and everything looked great. The seller was in town for the weekend for his son's wedding. He lives in CA and CO partime. The accord was his CO car. So I offered him to use the car through the weekend for his sons wedding. He refused to take the cash, so I left with the intentions of receiving the car on Monday, no biggie!! Here is where everything fell apart. I drove the 2 blocks to Doug's house to meet up with him to go ride my first ever ride at Buff Creek. I was excited!!!!!! We were taking Doug's Element to save gas on the drive up, so I loaded my belongings into his car and off we were. We'll I didn't leave the cash (6500.00) in my truck as I didn't trust it in Doug's alley (previous problems). I figured safe in Pine, CO, right??? WRONG!!!!!! We got back from our 2.5 hr ride and someone smashed Doug's window in and took everything. When I say Everything, I mean EVERYTHING!!!!! I am still painfully compiling the list, but every CoMo kit that I owned for the past 2 years is gone, EVERY bike tool I own was in my tool bag, also GONE, wallet, cell phone, car keys, Watch, Sunglasses, Yeti Hoody, etc, etc, etc. Total so far is just over $15k, that is just what I lost!!!!! So as I am pissed at the world, I realize I will make more money, I can replace ALMOST everything that was stolen except the cash. I am more pissed about the time those ASSHOLE's took out of my life. Hours in Wells Fargo on Sat, Hrs on the phone trying to straighten my life out again. Not to mention I have never had a pleasurable experience at a DMV office, Looking forward to that enlightening event tomorrow! Also, they got to have a 1600.00 shopping spree on my credit card before I could drive back to Denver and find a phone to cancel it. So someone has a nice new something for 989.00 from Best Buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least they didn't ID me at the bar last night, because I might have ripped someones head off!!!!!!! Hope everyone else had a better weekend!!!! By the way if you see some Mexicans rolling in some CoMo kits or a Yeti Hoody, whoop their ASSES for me please!!!!!!!!!!!

Killer Tomato!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:01:00 +0000

I was attacked!!!!!!! That's the only thing I can think of. After work on Thursday, I bucked up and dressed warm to go and preride the Teva Mtn Games course in Vail in the rain. Getting pumped for what turned out to be a pretty brutal race on Sat. They had to reroute the course because of the record snowfall this winter, but somehow maintain about the same amt. of climbing in less distance. Go Figure!!!! Anyway, getting myself mentally prepared to race on sat, I worked Fri am, then went home to cut the grass. I started getting light headed and decided to head in to eat something. Things quickly turned for the worse. I found myself in the fetal position around 3:00 Friday afternoon. Woke up about 8:30, was able to choke down some food and TONS of fluids, took some Tylenol PM, and next thing I knew it was Sat AM. Needless to say, I wasn't able to race on Sat. I would have had to have a Porta Shitter every 1/4 mile on course just to finish a lap. I had a sandwich for lunch on Thurs, from the cafeteria at Vail Valley Med. Center, and all I can think was I got a good case of the Tomato Salmonella that is going around. I was able to get a ride in on Sun, with a jersey full of TP, but felt better. Now it's Tues, and I think I am on the mend, I feel good and things are starting to solidify a bit!!! Sorry if anyone is eating lunch reading this........ Missed out on a great training race on Sat, but I will hopefully be ready for the Butte! STAY AWAY FROM TOMATO'S!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wake up Call..... Enough is Enough!!!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:01:00 +0000

Alright, I can't do it anymore. I can't fake this bike racing thing. Either I need to buck up and put in the training amt that I need to to compete in the expert class, or designate myself as the official trailer hauler/keg tapper. I am sick of this shitty weather, and I cannot use that as an excuse anymore. I hurt the back last week in the gym, and that is finally starting to feel better. The new Yeti is here and built, so I really have no excuses. I have officially thrown my scale against the wall becasue it continues to lie to me........ So enough said, it's GAME TIME! Next race is Crested Butte June 20-22, so that gives me a little over a month to get as close to race shape as possible and see how it goes. Stay Tuned....... I will document this block of training if I can catch my breath enough to take a steady shot with the camera. OUT!

Afterall I could do this with my freetime on the weekends!

TCTC 2008................ A Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:05:00 +0000

Training Camp 2008 is in the books, and I haven't been to any others, but the weather was great, the riding awesome, and the group was amazing! I think all in all we had 25 people camping in the high desert in Fruita, CO. I headed over Thurs afternoon, and people started trickling in that evening. After the 4 days, we had roughly 13hrs on the bikes, and I think we might have seen 1 cloud all weekend. Here are some pics, thanks to everyone that came and pitched in, I had a great time, and Maya and Kenzi are still sleeping!

One of the many sunsets and sunrises we enjoyed!

Sunset on the Book Cliffs and the IMBA mobile.

Got windy at night, so we moved into the camper. Let me tell ya, this was one wicked game of BULLSHIT! Doesn't Illes look like he's up to something?????????

Another thanks is due for Pudge and Autumn Schultz for hosting the team dinner at their house Sat night. Not an easy task to feed 20 hungry cyclists. Autumn pulled it off, and the lasagna was great. THANKS GUYS!!!!!

After all the great riding, joking, drinking, and hanging out, we all went home with smiles on our faces, dog tired!

SEE EVERYONE IN FRUITA!!!!! Its time for #6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks everyone!

Training Camp Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:20:00 +0000

Well, I've got some news, not sure if its good or bad, but here goes. After an interesting drive into the mtns on early Sat morning with Juth and Boni following, the trailer is in Grand Junction, and ready for the kegs to be cracked for training camp. The roads were a little slick, but no issues. We finally rolled into GJ around noonish, grabed some lunch at Pudge's house, and off to the trails we went. We headed to Loma to ride the Koko loops, becuase we knew they were in good conditon and rideable. We were not dissapointed, we rode Mary's, Rustler, Horsethiefs, Steves, Lyons, and all the way back on Mary's. 30miles, 3000+ ft, and a little over 3 hrs of ride time. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!! Trails were prime, and there wasn;t a whole lot of people. So for TC, Loma is a definate. Sunday morning we got up and made some breakfast and chilled until the mercury climbed above 30deg. Then we headed out on the Reeder Mesa road ride.
I had to jet out early, but I logged just over 2 hrs and 40 miles, and I didn;t see 1/2 of what was possible. Definately going to have to be done with the team one day. Now for the bad news. The crew headed out to Rabbit Valley last night to get another little ride in, and found it to be VERY muddy on the TT course. A lot of it wasn;t rideable still. 18rd is still muddy as well, but s hould be good by this weekend if we don;t get anymore moisture. We are still planning on camping at 18rd, stay tuned for updates as the week progresses. Suppose to be in the 50's and sun all week in GJ, so we'll definately get some good miles in. Any questions, email me, otherwise we will see everyone on Thurs or Fri. Drive Safe.

Training Camp Update

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:35:00 +0000

WOW, it's been a while since I have communicated to the world through the blog. I would have had this done an hour ago, but it took me that long to figure out my user name and password. Anyway, while winters death grip is slowly letting up on us in Western CO, TCTC is quickly approaching. This will be the official place for up to date info on Training Camp. Here is the latest skinny on the fat. Road riding in Grand Junction is stellar right now. Mid 50's during the day, and sunny. Roads are dry, so the miles could be endless. However, if any of you are like me, I could care less if I sit my ass on my road bike saddle for a long time to come. After all, we do race the fatter tires! So, here is my take on the Mtn scene in GJ, as told through Ryan (aka. Pudge) Schultz. Isn't it nice we have a bubba and a pudge on the same team???? Anyway, riding around Loma (Mary's) is in great shape, few muddy spots last weekend, but should be fantastic by the time we get there. 18 rd????? That's a different story. As of last weekend, 18rd wasn't even passable. You weren't even able to get to the trail head because the road was so muddy. That being said, It should be good to go by this time next week. Few showers in the forecast for this weekend, but then back sunny and 50's all next week. For those of you that are not familiar with GJ riding, it can pour there for 5 hours, and be dry and ready to ride in another hour. So as long as the ground has soaked up everything this past week, this weekends shit show shouldn't be an issue. However, just to be sure Juth, Boni, Pudge, and Myself are going to play in the rain all weekend in Fruita to do some riding. If anyone else would like to join, feel free. I can provide lodging, and the hot tub is always HOT! So there will be a full detailed report of the riding conditions on Sun night or Mon morn. Check Back. Also, I am waiting for direction from TC as to what types of rides he is planning. I will post as soon as I receive. Word to the wise, BRING BOTH BIKES (of course that is if you have 2). I got you covered Catherine! Team trailer is heading up to the mtns on Sat with me, and I will have it all set up and ready for us on Thursday. If anyone want to put anything in it before it heads up, call or email me before Sat. Yes Bubba, the beer will be cold and flowing by the time you get there, unless you show up with one of those fancy new ASR-C's!!!!!!! Oh, one more thing. About 18rd, if that doesn't open up for us, we are in search of plan B for camping. I am sure I will find something, I have some feelers out right now. Stay tuned. Hope all is well, and I sure hope everyone is getting A LOT more riding in than I am (Wouldn't take much). The end is in sight, days are getting longer, and weather is getting nicer! email me with any questions.

D-U-N!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:04:00 +0000

DONE, FINISHED, OVER IT!!!!!!

That pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now. The Iceman Cometh Challenge was this past weekend in Traverse City, MI. Yah, Yah, I know why the heck am I still riding my bike, much less racing it in the middle of November in Michigan? I still try to figure that out every year as the leaves start to fall along with the temps. End of October comes, and its hard to mentally stay on your game for another 3 weeks to stay/get prepared for what could happen with Midwest weather. I think I wore out my refresh button on my computer, between trying to buy those damn Rockies World Series tickets, and trying to make the weather channel page dude give me a better forecast. I have said it over and over, I can ride in the cold! No problem, I can dress for that, but add precip and wind, and I curl up like a little baby! So the day finally arrived this past Saturday, and mother nature actually decided to let the sun come out one last time before it permanently hibernates til early May. Temps were in the 20's while warming up, but no wind and no rain/snow, so I wasn't complaining. I had one more hurdle to figure out now, the bike...... The Bike you ask..... Well, stupid me decides to buy a new bike from a buddy's shop in MI. No biggie right? Wrong!!! I wasn't able to actually even see it until the day before the race much less even ride it. So I got a 45 minute preride on Friday on it, and it was time to race it. Once again, just a stupid bike, you ride them all the time you say. Yah, well this happen to be a hardtail (which I am not used to) and a 29'er. Which means the wheels are 3in larger than a normal bike. So Geometry, Handling, etc.... are all different. Actually I can't complain anymore, the bike felt great, and it was definitely fast. My back is still tight from it, but My massage on Fri should take care of that.

26 degrees at the start!!! BRRR!! I did warm up in the down vest too!

Starting to lose some more layers...

We had a big wave. Expert Men were the first group off at 9:30am. Pudge and I got a great spot right up front for the start. There were over 120 riders behind us. Unfortunately that didn't last too long. We got past pretty quickly.

It's almost go time...... Losing more layers.

It was a good race, the fields were super stacked this year, and I think when all the Pro/Elite riders heard that the likes of Ned Overend, JHK, Ross Schnell to name a few were gonna show up, I think some people downgraded to be competitive. I was super happy with my time. I cut 11 mins off of last year. My time this year would have put me 2nd in mens expert, but the competition was fierce and I ended up 8th. Kinda disappointing, but I felt good out there and that's a good way to end the season.! Good trip back to MI. Everyone had fun. Here are some more pics to enjoy.

Williamsburg Road Crossing. 16 miles into the race, still with the 2nd pack. Sitting right where I wanted to be, about 2 mins off the lead pack.

Coming into the finish, trying to find anything left in the legs. Trust me there wasn't much if any!

I was pretty happy to see that banner. Race was obviously over, but so is the season. It has been a long one. On the bike since 2nd week of Jan, total of 18 races, many many training miles, many good times. Let it Snow!!!!!!

Pudge and I are still smiling at the finish!

Joanna's Cousins came up from Kalamazoo to see everyone too. (Joanna, Paige, & Meg)

24hours of Moab

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Another one in the books! 24Hrs of Moab was this past weekend, and compared to last years 8hrs of Rainy Moab, it Rocked!!!! We had a just for fun team going, and that's exactly what it was, a lot of fun!!! I rolled into the desert on Thursday to rope off a camp area for us. I thought there was only going to be about 4 teams camping with us, but in the end we had.......

39 people
8 RVs
4 Tents
2 Fire Pits
4 dogs
60 + bikes
1 Awesome Pit
10 Coolers full of Cerveza!!!

Here are some pics... Of the camp, not the beer!

Here is the Team Trailer/Pit Area. We (I should say Strouse/Taylor) were wrenching on bikes all night long. The Moab dust does a number to the components.

Here is a shot of some of the camps set up behind us. If it looks like chaos, it is, trust me!!!

For those of you that don't know anything about 24hrs of Moab, has over 400 teams/Solo riders in it, and is started by a neutral lemans style start. So picture this 500 people all lined up to sprint/walk 400yards around some random tree in the middle of the desert, with Moab dust flying everywhere. Give Up, here you go. Too Funny.

Some people take it way to serious others, know how to have some fun with it. Like the 2 really fat guys that started walking from the get go, and were doing the parade wave to the crowd! I Hope to hell we beat their team!!!

Race Start at 12:00pm on Sat and Finishes 24 hrs later. So that makes for some very inopportune lap start times. Here was my schedule as rider #2 on our team.

Lap 1 : 1:35pm Start

Lap 2: 7:44pm Start (Night Lap)

Lap 3: 2:44 am Start (Sucks to get motivated @ 2:30 am)

Lap4: 9:37 am Start

Here is the Link to check out our results and all our lap times.

http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/team.php?team_id=241&action=display

Don't I look happy to be going out riding my bike at 2:30am????

Getting everything set for the next lap. Thank god for generators, it would really suck in the dark!After you finished your lap, ate something, got your bike set for the next lap, and hit the hay, you were lucky to get an hour of shitty sleep, to just do it all over again!

Here is Chris Taylor & Dave Strouse who graciously drove the team trailer 7hrs over from Denver to support us. They were awesome. They wrenched on bikes, stayed awake to greet us when we finished, cooked, kept the fire going, and helped lighten the coolers!!! We really appreciated them more than they know. Thanks guys!!!!!

Here we are Sunday morning, trying to stay warm. Temps dipped into the upper 40's at night, and upper 60's during the day. Were Nick, Dave, and I are still smiling, Ryan is out on his 4th lap, so I guarantee he's not smiling at that point!!!

Here is the other part of our support crew. Kara, Kathy, and Joanna. They made some great Spaghetti for dinner, and some awesome breakfast burritos in camp! Thanks girls!!!

Now Ryan is smiling after his lap lap is finished! But now I'm on course, so I'm sure I wasn't smiling anymore. Actually, I had a great race, felt good, felt strong, so I was loving my laps. I just didn't like getting up in the middle of the night to do them!!!!!!!!Another great weekend on the bike with great friends! Thanks to all that came out to race, and support. We couldn't have done it without all you guys!!! One more race to go for the season. The Iceman Cometh Challenge in Traverse City, MI, Nov. 10th. I'm praying there is no snow. I know there won't be any sun, that's a given in MI in the Fall and Winter season.

Check out Dave Strouse' Blog for his account. http://davestrouse.blogspot.com/

Next weekend..........

WORLD SERIES!!!!!! GO ROCKIES!!!!!!!

GO ROCKIES!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:48:00 +0000

Boys weekend in Denver this past weekend. We somehow scored 4 tickets to the Rockies/Phillies NLDS game 3!!! The game was awesome, Rockies swept the Phillies in 3 games!!!! Lights went out in the stadium in the first inning. Might have had something to do with the refrigerators working OT, to keep up with the large amounts of Coors Light we were drinking!!!! Sorry no pics of the game, only the aftermath!!!There was so many people in Downtown after the game, you could barely move. This is what the scene looked like all throughout downtown!!! Between the Rockies Game, Avalanche Games, Broncos Game, OktoberFest, and the 68,000 ppl running race for the cure, you get the idea!!!!!! We walked into about 10 different bars, and could not move in any of them! We finally found a little space, TROUBLE!!!

Concklin Showing us how a white Boy Dances! Quote of the Weekend " I like to Party" - Cal Naughton Jr - Talladega Nights. We surely put that to the test!!!! By the way, WTF is up with the inside out T???? Guess I missed last issue of GQ!

"We Like to Party!"
That's all for right now, the rest was pretty much a blur. 24 Hrs of Moab this weekend. Their will definitely be some great shots from there, have a good rest of the week, stay tuned......... GO ROCKIES!!!!!!! Since the Donkeys SUCK!!!! The Packers are going to kill them in 2 weeks!!!

Long Live Long Rides..........

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:45:00 +0000

As October is finally here, the reality of the long winter ahead starts to set in. Mornings are Frigid (30's), afternoons warm up nicely. Frost blankets the ground, and snow is visible in the higher terrain. There is one thing other than the colors that I love about this time of year. LONG Mtn. Bike rides. The temps are perfect, the colors are great, race season is winding down, and rides become more for fun than for training. Here are some randoms pics from Sundays ride. Saturday was more epic, but I forgot the camera. Just means I'll have to do it again, SOON!!!

You Know your in for a great ride when this is the first sign you come across..........

Myself, Brenda, and Nick are still smilin'..

Yup, Still Climbing.........

Thats snow in the forground! At about 9500ft... Having any fun???

Get it Nick!

Nice Junk!!!! Keep that in your pants.

Nice legs ladies!

Self Portrait.

FJ40 Land Cruiser Pics. FINALLY......

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:07:00 +0000

The FJ is back, and we are enjoying it while the weather is still nice. Would have been great this summer with the hot temps, but it took a lot longer to get finished than I had thought. Here are some before and after pics. Just the body work is done, now it is time to accesorize. Future plans:

New Suspension & Lift

New Wheels and Tires

Roof Rack

Brush Guard & Winch

Getting Closer.....

Before........

After.......

Before........After..........

I'm putting the top back on it tonight, so I will post some pics tomorrow of the top on. The top looks just as good as the rest of it. All the emblems are new, new quarter panels, new rear sill, new running boards, the entire inside is rhino lined and then painted blue. I like it!!!!!!

Callin' Smokey the Bear!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:41:00 +0000

Well, another Lightning storm came ripping through last night, and started another blaze out the back out our house. Pretty small still, but really windy outside, so it'll move quickly. It was super small this morning when I was out riding, and we went to Costco, and by the time we came back, it was MUCH bigger. Here are some pics..

We'll keep you posted, Joanna is starting to pack the house up already. Man, I had bigger bonfires in high school than this, Monica did too!! (Right Moo?)

Oh Yeah, I got bite by the damn softball this week too! I was always told to keep my eye on the ball!!!! Guess I did a good job of that!

I swear I will post FJ pics later.........

Tri-Glenwood Triathlon

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:29:00 +0000

After all my celebrating last weekend for the end of the MSC race series, Joanna had one more major task in front of her for the summer. Her very FIRST Triathlon!!!!! Joanna and one of our good friends Nicole decided about 2 months ago they were going to do this triathlon that Glenwood has ever year. Sounded like a good idea right????? Well neither of them have ever done one, neither were real good swimmers when they started, and Nicole didn't even own a road bike! Idea sounding better and better all the time! Todd (Nicole's Husband) and I were like there is no way they are going to "actually" do this. Well, after months of training, shopping for a new bike for Nicole, "special" triathlon gear for both of them, the day finally came! Over 450 people do this tri every year, so they break it up into heats with about 50 people in them. The swim (1/2 mile) takes place in the Glenwood Hot Springs pool. Nicole was in the first heat and she had to start at 6:30 this morning!!!!!! BRRRRRRRRR

Yep, Still Dark out! Good thing the water is warm!!! (This is Nicole before her start)

Joanna was in heat #3 so she started @ 7:30. A lot lighter outside, but still in the upper 40's!

I think I would start DUNKIN' people!!!!!! Joanna is by the big orange buoy.

After their 1/2 mile swim was over they had to hurry up, and run over to transition #1. They quickly dried off a little, got their bike shoes and gear on, and headed out for the 15 mile bike portion of the race. The headed west on I-70 towards New Castle, then turned back, and ran directly into the morning westerly head wind!!!! How those legs feel now?!?!?!

Here is Joanna heading back in from her bike leg. Sorry Nicole, I didn't get any of your bike pics!

Nicole lacing her shoes up tight in transition #2, heading out for the 5 mile running portion. Looks like she's having fun doesn't it!!! 2/3 finished almost there!

Joanna lacin' up for the 5 mile run!

Gotta get that hat on!

Faster Faster, he's catching you!

Nicole, kicking it strong to the finish line!! This was Nicole's first entry back into working out. Let me tell you, SHE ROCKED IT!!!! I was really impressed with both of them. Their were times leading up to the race, I think even maybe 6:29 am this morning, that Nicole could have been talked out of it!!!! She persevered, and did a great job. Congrats Nicole!!!!

Joanna coming into the finish line strong. Joanna ended up finishing 3rd overall women 25-29! First Tri ever. I was really impressed. They called her name at awards, and I think she was really surprised too. They didn't post any results prior to awards, so we didn't know where she ended up. We were at the awards for a chance to win some freebies, then they called her name for the podium!!!
Here is who Joanna and Nicole owe a huge thanks to. Jen is our trainer at the gym, and has been doing sessions in the gym with both of them, and writing up training programs for them to do on their own. Thanks Jen!!! Well, enough bloggin for now, not much happening now till Moab, so maybe I will take my camera with me on some of my training rides and get some scenic pics of CO for everyone. After all Todd and I found some cool trails yesterday while we were off-roading in the FJ40. Oh-yeah, I will post some pics of the restored Land Cruiser tomorrow. Meet the Fockers is on TV right now, and I am having a hard time typing and laughing, its that whole circle of trust thing. FOCKER OOUUUUTTTTT!!!!!!!

In the Books!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:55:00 +0000

COMotion Sports 5x Regional Mountain Bike Champions!!!!!!

The last Mountain States Cup race has come and gone, and its official, COMotion Sports is the 5x regional Mtn. Bike Champions!!! The week leading up to the race was hectic, trying to manage to find time to get over and preride the course, and the drama of blowing up the rear shock on my bike on Thursday. Specialized was "suppose" to overnight me a new one for Friday delivery, and I could put it on and be ready for the short track XC race on Sat a.m., but they decided to ship it on Fri for Sat delivery. So I spent Friday afternoon calling every bike shop in the state to try and find a feasible XC race bike. Finally in Boulder I was able to rent a nice Yeti (one of the team sponsors!). One of my teammates Boni, was nice enought to drive up from Denver and pick it up for me and deliver to Keystone for me to race on Sat. Thanks again Boni, you are a lifesaver!!! Anyway, the overall points series for me was all wrapped up, so this weekends race was more about patronizing our team trailer than racing!There was still some racing to be had, I suffered again in the short track on sat, and pretty much went for a leasurly bike ride during Sunday's cross country race. Motivation and fitness have been at bay for the past 2 weeks or so, so I was glad Sunday was over, and no more racing til 24 hours of Moab in Oct.

Joanna on the other hand was still in a points battle coming into the last race weekend, so she let her competitive side come out and decided to race her first short track race ever on Sat, "I need the Points!" She would say!!! She was on the edge for winning the overall beginner women 19-29 class, and by doing the short track pretty muched locked it up. So she mustered her courage and got out there and raced against all the sport women as well.

So here is the aftermath of all of our hard work, training, racing, & traveling all summer long!

(By the way, that is Mike Giem from CoMotion in 2nd overall with the Mexican Wrestling Mask on!)

Overall, a great first race season for both of us. We met a lot of really nice people, and being part of COMotion has added the "fun" element for both of us to racing. Nice to have people to hang out with after the race, the support of the team during the races, especially short track! Thanks to everyone, you all know who you are!!!!!! Here are some random pics..........

Hey nice Rental bike!!!!!

Here is Joanna and her friend Anita that she raced against all season. Joanna would beat her on the up hills, and Anita would catch her on the downhills. Guess we know what we need to work on for next season.

Pure sufferin' for 30 mins during the Short Track, I was glad it was over!

Illes and Chambers battlin' in the Pro Men Short track race! These guys FLY!!!!!

Welcome to the Pain Cave!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:44:00 +0000

That pretty much sums up my first ever short-track cross country race. For those that don't know what short track is, here goes..... Imagine a bunch of riders all together on the same short course. The course was about 2 mins long, and you keep going in circles until some random guy with a pot belly says 2 more minutes. I swear if that guy were ever to experience the hurt that we do on a short-track race, he would ring that damn bell sooner. Anyway, we raced around this same 2 min long course for 25mins straight, then they call out 2 more laps. So pretty much you are going all out for about 29mins, not a heck of a lot of fun. I guess there are some tactics to it as well, but I chose to disregard any insight the veterans had for me, and went off the front of the pack right away. Great Idea, I was thinking to myself. What an idiot!!!!! Anyway here is the aftermath............................. Heart Rate Max was 196. By-the-way, thats the highest I have seen it all year.That was the closest I have ever been to revisiting my breakfast on a bike before. Just ask one of the other guys in my class. One kid finally caught me, and decided to put an attack on. I countered and sat on his wheel, to the top of the climb, where he quickly released his innards!! I passed him, and ended up beating him in a sprint finish on the final lap. It was super fun, but was really painful!

Joanna ended up finding out that she was going to have to race against the sport women, and that everyone could see the whole course from the ski deck, and that everyone would be able to watch her. She opted out of the short-track.

After spending all week trying to get over some nasty bug I got while I was in Michigan, my voice was gone, lungs were full of phlegm, and the short track didn't help anything. The XC race on Sunday was pretty disappointing. I had the lead through the climb, and hit the single track section with one other rider in sight. We caught the expert women that went off in front of us, and he got around them, and I didn't. I came out of the single track, and went to hit the gas, and the engine puttered a little, and conked out! That pretty much sums it up, it took everything I had to finish in 3rd place. Oh-well, a good week of rest ahead of me, and one more MSC race. Keystone is Labor Day weekend. Joanna finished the XC race in the top spot on the podium once again. If I could only get her to race the short-tracks, she would have the series points standings all wrapped up.

After the race on Sunday, the team help it annual team BBQ. There was lots of great food (Thanks Strouse!), Cold Beer (Thanks Breckenridge Brewery), and fun. Another great weekend for COMotion, 1000 points both days, that pretty much leaves only crying left for Rocky Mountain Racing!!!! Congrats to everyone, especially TC! Your killin' it man! Here are some more pics to enjoy..

Here is the start of the Pro/Semi-Pro Men Short-track start. Once again, thanks to Colorado's great monsoon season, the skies opened up and poured. Making the hurt that I talked about earlier, hurt even more....

Here's Juth, Me, and Felix right after finishing the XC race on Sunday. Remember all that rain I talked about, yup, the course was a little on the muddy side. Super fun though! Great course, just wish I was feeling better.

Camping again with the dogs

COMotion Pro Steve Iles, sufferin' in the rain during the short-track

Thats it for now, Finally we are going to have a weekend home without much to do. Although the FJ40 is suppose to be done this weekend, so I may be heading to Denver one day to pick it up. I will post pics as soon as I get it home.

Michigan Road Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:35:00 +0000

Well, it was the first week of August, and Joanna and I made our annual trip back to MI, to visit the families. Of course, there is always an ulterior motive, Joanna's was her cousins wedding, mine of course was the Ore 2 Shore Mtb Epic Race in Marquette, MI. More on that later. We headed out all packed up 4 bikes, 2 dogs, clothes, and random shit. We headed to Traverse City first, to see Joanna's fam, and go to the wedding. I have always said that if I were to ever move back to MI, it would be to Traverse City area, and this trip only solidified that even more. NO WERE NOT MOVING BACK!!!!!! Anyway, the weather was great, we did some serious fishing, some sailing, some tubing, and some water skiing.

Here is Joanna's dad with dinner!!!!!!!

Check out Joanna's Honker!!!! Let me tell you were going to be eating good!!!! Only 100 more, and we will have a feast!

Let me tell you, the dogs surely loved being at Joanna's parents house. They swam everyday. I would cast the bobber in the water, and they would jump in and chase it. I didn't catch any fish. but the dogs got a good workout. Oh-yeah, Jeff, they apologize for digging that hole in your yard. They told me they were REALLY sorry, and hope they can come back.

Always fun times on the lake. I will admit, I do miss the water living in CO..........No were still not moving back!! By the way this is going to be a really long blog, because I have a whole week of activities to tell you about, sit tight, grab some popcorn, and bear with me.

Then we made the trip up to the U.P. of Michigan to visit my parents house for a couple days, and see a couple buddies from H.S. Bo, I know you read this, good to see you, hope you didn't drink too much at the Nickle!!! Plan on T.C. for the Iceman race in November! By-the-way, your little boys are cute, too bad they look like you though. They are already starting with one strike against them..... Just Kidding!!!!!!

We then headed to Iron River, MI, where my aunt, uncle, and 4 cousins live. Once again, we took part in some water activities that wore everyone out.

Next, it was off to Marquette, MI. Home of Northern Michigan University, where Joanna and I went to school. We rolled in on Friday, and got to see some college friends that are still there. NO, NO, they are not still in school, they DID graduate, and are living and working there. We didn't screw around that much in college. Anyway, the Ore 2 Shore (http://www.oretoshore.com) was on Saturday, and there are 2500 riders, and it is the largest mass start race in the country. (I think?). Anyway, there are a ton of people that do it, there is the 28mile race and 48 mile race. Joanna did the 28 miler, and I did the 48 miler.

Here is the Start of the Hardrock 48 miler- Trust me I am in there somewhere representing COMotion!!!!

The Ore 2 Shore is epic, because it is a 48 mile point to point race. It starts in an old mining town in the UP of Michigan called Negaunee. Negaunee is the home of Iron Ore mining, hence the Ore part of the race. It then traverses through power line trails, a little singletrack, huge forests, and oh-yeah, a shit ton of SAND!!! Did I mention yet, that I really hate riding in sand. Well the UP of Michigan is having an abnormally dry summer, so needless to say the sand was WAY worse than years past. It was like riding on a beach for most of the race. Sand was over the rims on your bike in a lot of parts. So any advantage I had going into the race from living in CO, was quickly evened out when we hit the beach! The race continues on and ends on the shores of Lake Superior. Absolutely beautiful, but NO I am still not moving home. Here is a before and after shot. Some people race this with surgical masks on, because of the iron ore dust.

Before..................

And After............

There was no mud on the course, this is all from the dust and sand. I am still pulling crap out of my ears and eyes. Well, as much as I was in the pain cave during the race, I didn't want it to end, because I knew as soon as it did, we had to immediately pack up and hit the road driving back to CO. I didn't even find out results until I got home Sunday night. Too bad too, because there would of been some COMotion Podium shots!!! I ended up 3rd in my age class, and 72nd overall. Not to bad considering all the racers, and the 100 preferred starts given. Joanna ended up 10th in her age class, another great race for her.

Overall, a great summer vacation, thanks to all our fams for putting us up, and putting up with us and the dogs. It was good to see everyone, we'll be back next summer. I am not sure yet if we are going to drive though. We ended up with 3552miles in 9 days. We are still trying to recover and get caught up with out sleep, and I have come down with a cold to boot. Off to Eldora Mtn, this weekend for another stop on the Mountain States Cup race series. 2 more to go! I will post those highlights or lowlights next week. Thanks again to everyone!!!!! Here are a couple more random pics to enjoy..

Joanna's Fam

The Dogs first pontoon boat ride

To-Hell-U-Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:28:00 +0000

The Title pretty much sums it up. Telluride was the destination this past weekend for yet another Mountain States Cup Stop. Telluride was scheduled as a 2day event, with the Cross Country on Sat, and a Hill Climb on Sun. Who the hell thinks of this shit anyway, a "Hill Climb", doesn't the MSC people know I am not much of a climber!!! Sorry Chambers, I know this was right up your alley! Anyway, we rolled into T-ride on Friday, and right as we pulled into the campsite it started raining. The initial plan was to set up camp, go get our race plates, and get a preride in. Well, it kept raining, and raining, and raining, soooooooo needless to say, there was no preridin'. What the heck, just another XC race going in without knowing what to expect. It makes it all the more fun!!!! Anyway, the rain finally let up on Sat morning about 4:00am, and myself and the rest of the COMotion team was ready to dominate again! Course was extremely muddy to say the least, but made for some great racing. I went out with 2 other guys at the start and tried to hang on for dear life. Another typical mtn race course, straight up from the start, and I stayed on as long as I could. I felt pretty good, I finished my first lap, I saw Marcie (Felix's g-friend), and I was sitting in 2nd place, and she said I was only 10mins back. Are you f-ing kidding me, only 10 mins!!!! Thanks for the motivation Marcie (Just Kidding!!!), I knew I wasn't going to be gaining much of that back, the kid in the lead was a local kid, and knew the course like the back of his hand. I looked back after the first 2 climbs, and saw no one, so I just settled into a good rhythm, and finished the climb out. I ended up 2nd place by only 14mins!!!! I am glad it was so close. Anyway, Joanna had a great race as well, I caught her right on top the climb. She had to do one lap, and started 35 mins after me. I thought I would see her earlier, but she knocked the climb out. Anyway, COMotion had another great weekend, 3 or 4 1st places, and a handful of 2nds! We are still leading in the overall team standings, so 2 more races, and we should have the 5th straight title pretty much locked in!!! Joanna and I heading to Michigan this weekend for 10 days. We are leaving this afternoon, and driving straight through. Should be loads of fun, can't wait for scenic Nebraska and Iowa. I will get to do 2 bike races while I am back. The MI NORBA series has a race on Sun, and it is only 45 mins from Joanna's house, so I am going to go and race in the expert class against all those flatlanders and see how I can do. That will be the next post. Stay Tuned------ Here are some pics from T-Ride

Final Descent on my 1st lap:

Joanna on the Initial Climb out of the Start: Looks like she has her game face on!! Gees have a little fun would ya!!!!

Kalan (2nd Expert Men), Me, Felix (2nd sport men), Joanna ---Kalan is clean because he was just getting ready to start!

Joanna and I after the race, Not TOOOOO Muddy!!!!

Joanna must have scared everyone off at the awards ceremony.

Everyone showed up for my podium

Blast the Mass- MSC Stop #4

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:36:00 +0000

Well, there is 4 down, and 3 big races to go. Snowmass was the most recent stop of the Mountain States Cup series. It is always a nice race, because I don't have to travel anywhere. There is always something about sleeping in your own bed. Snowmass in turn was also delegated as the Colorado State Championship race. There was cool state champ jersey's on the line, and because of that everyone was ready to get it on. The course is phenomenal, it starts of with a grueling long climb, then some great rocky/rooty singletrack, creek crossings, screaming descents, and like always a nasty climb at the end. Anyway, the pace went out fast, and I was able to hang on for 3rd place. Joanna also raced (2nd race ever!!!) and did a great job. We just don't know how great a job she did, because they had the results all messed up at the finish. We finished before 10:00am and waited til after 5:00pm to get results, and they still didn't have them together. Overall, it was a great weekend AGAIN for COMotion!!! Three top finishers, and state champions. Congrats to Matt Juth (Sport Mn), Megan Castle (Expert Wm), and Jon Chambers (Semi-Pro). There was a couple 2nd place finishes, and a couple 3rd place finishes. Even though the results aren't available STILL, I am pretty confident the COMotion is solidifying it over-all points lead in the MSC series. Sorry I don;t have any racing or podium pics. We got to tired of sitting around, and went out for some sushi in Aspen. Mike Giem, decided he would celebrate for everyone though-------

Here is a great example of a pic worth a thousand words!!!!

Boni, Felix and I hooked up on Sunday for a great ride in Carbondale on Mushroom rock. Sorry Felix, I know it wasn't one of your favorite rides, hope you will ride with me again. (As soon as boni sends me some pics I will get them posted. Have a good week everyone. Next Stop Telluride!

South Canyon is going OFF!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:56:00 +0000

There is a section of the Colorado River by New Castle called South Canyon. Every year about this time, kayakers flock from not only CO, but all over the country. When the water hits a certain CFS (cubic feet per second), this awesome wave forms. For all kayakers this is the dream, a perfect wave, an easy park and walk, and a great eddy (pool of water to hang out in). This South Canyon wave goes off only two time a year. Once while the river is on the rise, and the other while the river is receding. Well, with our funky temps, and super quick runoff, the wave was only here for a day or two on the way up. It only goes off between 3000 & 3800 cfs. Well, the time is now, it has been going for 3 or 4 days, and I was able to make it down with some buddies today for my first attempt at this wave for surfing. Surfing in a kayak is when you enter the wave facing upstream, and there is literally a wave that has formed because of the amount of water, and the river bottom. Just like a surf wave in the ocean, except this one never stops. There is no white sandy beach to hit, not that that is all that bad. Anyway, professionals come in, and are throwing all these huge tricks, and it is pretty fun. Good thing there was no bike riding in the schedule today, so I am able to hit the WAVE!! Now we pray it stays for a couple more days. People go crazy when the wave goes off. People take days off work, drive from all across the country, and there was people there @ 7am this morning when I was heading into work.... Good thing it is in our backyard. Here are a couple good pics courtesy of one of my good buddies Nick Armano.

(This one is of Nick)

4th of July

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:10:00 +0000

Well, once again the bloggin has been kept to a minimum, the temperatures here in CO have been kept to a maximum, and everything in between has been a blur. Joanna and I headed over to Breckenridge, CO for the 4th. There is a mtb race there called the Firecracker 50. It is 50 miles of buffed single track, flume trails, fire roads, and rocky descents. Some people do it solo, some do it on a singlespeed, and some do it as a team. Ryan "Pudge" Schultz and I decided to take on one 25 mile lap each, and did it as a team. It is not a simple feat to do just the one lap, as there is 5700ft of climbing per lap. Here is the elevation profile

Super fun course, it goes up above treeline @ 11,500ft, and you ride past a couple of historic mines, and on some of the flume ditches that were used to carry the water from the mine with the gold in it. This race is also to crown the National Marathon Championship, so there were a lot of the big boys in town. Here a little comparison, Pudge and I finished the 2 laps as a team in 4hrs 59min. The winner of the men's Pro solo division did both laps by himself in 3 hrs 40mins. Yeah, we were only 1 hr19min's off of the lead!!!!! Not to Shabby.........

Here is a before Shot.............................

And After............... I was glad to be finished.

Afterwords, we made our way back to Glenwood for the weekly Wednesday Jazz in the Park, and an awesome fireworks show to follow. We met Todd, Nicole, Ryan, Mary, Nick, & Kara down at the park, and had a picnic dinner, and a couple cocktails, and watched the fireworks, and all the weirdo's that live in G-wood. More to come next weekend, Joanna and I have a big race in Snowmass on Sat, and then my parents/grandparents come on Sunday. That in itself should make for some good blogging. Stay Tuned..................................

Dopers Suck!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:19:00 +0000

Sorry it has been a little while for a new blog entry, but that pretty much sums up how exciting life has been here in CO. Joanna has been out of town, I have been pretty much permantly placed in the Colorado River kayaking, becasue of the heat wave that mother nature firmaly has her hands around our necks. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all!!! It is much more enjoyable in the river, and any thoughts of cycling need to be accomplished well before that morning cup of coffee. Anyway, there is an exciting weekend coming up down in Crested Butte. I have a race there this weekend, and we are going to take the camper over for a couple days. Joanna's mom is in town, and Monica (Joanna's Sister) is going to meet us in the Butte. Anyway, to pass some time, here is a really funny pic I found on another site. Pretty Entertaining!!!!! For those of you that don't know who is in the orange, that is Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France Champion (Still under investigation for doping).

If it doesn't get any bigger, there is a guy in the black wearing a Dopers Suck t-shirt and wrist bands walking behind Floyd while he is being interviewed. The guy is sticking his tongue out at him, and the people in the back ground are laughing their asses off, including skiing legend Glen Plake (Purple Mohawk).

Anyway, a little humor on Monday morning. Stay Tuned their should be a good entry next week! Have a good week everyone!

Maiden Voyage!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:20:00 +0000

We headed over to Vail, CO for the Teva Mtn games this weekend (www.tevamtngames.com). Instead of making the trip everyday, we took the new pop-up camper over. I know I know, you ask why did we buy a camper? Well, after doing butler math (usually good for buying things) we figured I have about 10 race weekends this summer, and at close to $500/wkend for hotel and food, we invested wisely (butler math again!!!). We bought a base model off-road pop-up. Check it out.

We are able to take the dogs with us now every time we go somewhere, they love camping too! Don't ask where we are suppose to sleep?

Maya likes to play in the mud wherever possible. Joanna and I are convinced she was destined to be a black or chocolate lab. She prefers the darker shade!

Anyway back to the Teva games. It is kinda like a carnival, they have rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, mtb racing, dog challenges (we didn't enter as you can see above our dogs are challenged enough!), trail running, etc.... They also have all the vendor tents set up, and they are giving out free schwag. Usually you have to do something to get they freebies! Here was my warm up for the mtn bike race. Good thing I didn't race till 1:00pm, I was just getting my shoulders loosened up!!

This happened to be at the Carhartt Tent. I really wanted one of their cool Nalgene water bottles, so I had to rope a bull first. Little did I know I had this hidden talent, FIRST TRY!!!! Got it!!!! SWEAR TO GOD!!!!

Well, the race was brutal. It started raining and hailing on us at the start line, which in turn made the first lap of the race pure SURVIVAL!!! This course is a typical mtn course, ALOT of climbing, tight rocky & rooty single track, and oh-yah more climbing. To add rain, sleet, hail, and snow on top of the rocks and roots, you get the picture. People were crashing everywhere, broken parts on bikes, flat tires. I made the executive decision to sit back off the lead and let things play out. This was just a fun race, no points being awarded, so no need to injure myself for the races that count. Non-the-less, competition was fierce, and the race was fun and I was covered head to toe in mud.

I was glad to be done, I got cleaned up, washed my bike down, and we headed back to the start line to watch the pro's start @ 4:00. Their was a field of more than 50 pros all battling it out for more than $17,000 in prizes. Their were some really big name guys that show up to this race. Guys like Ned Overend (52 yrs old and still kicking the young guys asses!) Ross Schnell (Factory Trek/Volkswagen), and the ever popular Floyd Landis. Yep, you heard me FLOYD LANDIS! The 2006 Tour de France Winner. This was his first race since the end of the tour last July, and the positive test for synthetic testosterone. This was not a NORBA sanctioned event, so he was able to race, as he is still under investigation for doping. Well, he raced with his new hip in him, and he was sporting the logo of Smith & Nephew. Smith & Nephew is one of my biggest competitors in the sports medicine field. Good thing he got his butt kicked. He took 38th place overall!!!! Maybe that hip isn't workin', I think Mitek might have one for him!

Looks like he has a little bot belly on him. He did just get out of 2 weeks of arbitration in California for his doping case, and wasn't able to ride.

Here is a pretty good article on Velo News about Mr. Landis http://www.velonews.com/race/mtn/articles/12355.0.html

Anyway, another fun weekend, we are trying to figure out were we want to go next weekend. I have a couple weeks off before my next race, Crested Butte June 22nd. Check back often, we'll be updating all the time!!!!!!!

Memorial Weekend in Durango

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:52:00 +0000

We just got back from a long weekend in Durango, CO. We went down for the IronHorse Classic Bike Race. It was a great weekend, there is Red Mtn Pass outside Ouray that is about the coolest drive in CO. I guess if you can't beat mother nature, outsmart her! They can't keep the avalanched under control in the winter, so they said hell with it, we will just build and avalanche tunnel. Remember Lights on for Safety everyone! My mom is going to love my nascar skills on this pass this summer when they come out, should be fun, that will definitely be blog worthy, stay tuned...... Your right, I don't notice a guard rail either. I guess those are a lost cause as well?!?!The Goal of the IronHorse bike race is to beat the old coal fed train to Silverton. 52 Miles and over 6000 vertical feet later to roll (hopefully!) into town. There is over 3000 riders that partake, and a couple of stray horses. The horses have gotten too excited to run up a couple mtn passes to Silverton as well, so they escaped and started setting a killer pace for us up the first pass!!! I wanted to grab on to their tail and let them pull me, but they were REALLY big horses!I didn't think they were being serious about the Iron horse part, I thought that was the name of the old train!!! After we piled into a friends truck on the way back over the passes (yep thats 8 bikes and 7 people in one truck!). Dave and I were cozy in the back, stretched out with the cooler of cerveza's.

Joanna and I are still smiling after the long haul, it was definitely tough. Joanna started the early start @ 7:00am with Kathy, and the rest of us started @ 8:15. Joanna and Kathy were feeling a little left out of the hoopla at the start, so Dave and I staged an impromptu start for them in front of their house.

On your MARK, get SET, GOOOOOO!!!!!!

More of the Aftermath~~~~~~~~
Keep Pouring Ed!!!!!!! You Earned it!!!!!! Gotta Luv the Captain/Coke & Pizza!

Ah, this is the life. Dave and Kathy our Great hosts, have a hot tub, sauna, and v-ball net in there huge backyard. I think this is one of the main reasons I kept turning the pedals over, I knew the party after was going to be awesome!

8 people, 5 dogs, Cooler of Beer, 3 lg pizzas, Showing off your awesome battle wounds in your bikini....... PRICELESS~!!!! Thanks Kathy!!!

Sunday Joanna and I went to Mesa Verde National park http://www.nps.gov/meve/ in the SW corner of Colorado. Mesa Verde was home to all the cliff dwellers of year past. It was neat to see how they constructed their dwellings and the architecture that they used. It was pretty cool, but it was the busiest day of the year for the national park, and it was packed. All the tours were booked solid, so we did a short self guided one, and went and hit a great mtn. bike trail about 7 miles down the road instead.

A Quick Thanks to our great hosts Dave and Kathy Croll for a great weekend, and great hospitality!! We really appreciated all that they did for us, and the dogs. It really made for an enjoyable and relaxing weekend!!! You guys are the BEST!!! Thanks Again. Can't wait to get together again SOON! They were great tour guides to the areas best mtn biking, we'll definitely be back.

First Mountain States Cup Race

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:40:00 +0000

Well thew first one is in the books, and what a great race it was. For those that don't know what the Mountain States Cup series is check it out here www.racemsc.com. Joanna and I headed down Friday after work, and were able to preride the course. Joanna was REALLY excited about it let me tell ya! (Ha Ha!). She toughed it out and was ready to go at the start line @ 8 am. for her first mountain bike race ever. She was really nervous I could tell, but the whistle blew and off she was for the first of her two laps on the course. Well the rest is history, check it out! http://www.racemsc.com/results/main.php?func=event&eventid=30&year=2007 Click on Beginner Women 19-29. I am sport men 25-29. We drove home with 2 1st. place placards! What an opening weekend. Finally, all those mindless early season road miles have paid off. Leave it to us, first race weekend of the season, and we show with no camera and two podium finishes. I will try to get some pictures up if I can find them....... Sorry!

Up and Running

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Butler) — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:21:00 +0000

I am going to give this blog thing a go, pls be patient with me as I try to get everything figured out. More to Come Stay Tuned........