Holiday Greetings from Summit!

Hi friends! it's cold and snowy up here in Silverthorne so here's a photo from surf camp in Costa Rica to warm things up! I just finished baking a fresh batch of happy brownies and thought of you! I'm starting my transition to Summit County, moved some stuff to Eric's basement and will be back and forth to Boulder while I show my condo and pack up my things. But I am really excited about my new job in Breck. I'm still looking for a place to live but meanwhile I'm enjoying shoveling snow, stacking wood, getting the woodstove cranking, and my 15 minute drive to ABasin! Phone and email are still the same so stay in touch! Miss you! Happy New Year!!!! Allison

Cyclonauts! Once again the year draws to a close and I find myself incredibly grateful for all the adventures and good times with great friends I got to experience in ought-four. From Xmas in AZ to Snowmass trip, 24 Hrs in Old Pueblo, Margy's Hut, Boulder-Roubaix, Mexico, Partyapalooza on Wheels II, CarBombs-in-the-mouth, "night" rides galore across the Rusty Nail and other environs, to the Beasty Boys at Red rocks, BB guns & bonfires, the August Invitational, Farvas in Fruita and Twelve Twenty! Almost seems like too much for one year but we're aiming to top it in 05 so strap on your strap-on and dig in your heels...it's gonna be a bumpy ride! Yee-ha!

That's right folks the Innaugural bIKE cLUB Rider O' the Year, the 2003 Trainwreck Award winner and top half of the winning Naked ChickenFight team of Chainsaw and Uno is now mine! All mine! Bwah ha ha!

What's small, round and very very valuable? No Brad, it's not a macadamia nut. Ok I see your argument Sean but still no, it's not a silver bullet. Buffalo nickel? No. Shrunken head? Ummm, no. Star-fangled nut? Not even close Pete. Ambergris hand grenade? What? Screw you guys, I'm going home.

Like Cheese-O in the gut of some fantastical beast little Baby Jesus lay in his virginal mother's belly some 2037 years ago this very night awaiting to be born. Merry Xmas all and to all a good night!

Cock-tails!

Ash and Thumper have sent up a flare, Friday 7pm at the Corner Bar. Shhh, Baby Jesus doesn't even have to know...

Cabin-fever? No we don't gots no cabin-fever round he-are. Disco fever mayhaps... 

Snow remains deep and crusty in the Foothills of Lore. Gnomes have not been seen for months and despite Betty's best efforts the voles grow bold in their rapaciousness... 

12/20 Report!

Thanks to one and all for the excellent times at Casa d'Brendash Saturday night when the wine flowed like beer, the haberdashery was top-notch as expected and the mellow sine-wave of garulous drunk-nosity was ridden by all into the wee hours. Dogs kept the place clean and despite the presence of waaaaay too many candles (check the bIKE cLUB Safety Manual for the various dangers associated with open flames & Cyclonauts in the same room) destruction was kept to an absolute minimum. Best moments were watching Fuller weeble wobble in with the Crossbowmaker and seeing Sean twist in the dead center of a Triangle of Awkwardness (or maybe it was a Quadrangle) of his own devising. At our lawyers request the Twelve Twenty party was again documented only with easily destroyed Polaroid snaps so you'll have to track down the stack yourself and flip thru 'em by hand. A messenger has emerged from deep in the shadows of the Foothills of Lore, themselves trembling in the penumbral shade of the dreaded Mountains of Lore on High from whence acidic fog even now steeps forth from the Muckery. Ensconced within their hardened spittle hibernatory-cocoons the Uber-Ancestors bade me go forth into the world and spread their best wishes for a Happy Holidays and Merry New Year! Well that was a bit of paraphrasing actually as their piercing screech could more accurately be translated as "Whip the drones unto new heights of succulence. Let them feast on their weakest brethren." or something like that. Their heart(s) are in the right place(s) at least, "heart" and "right" being open to interpretation. All the best from Highroller, CHainsaw and Betty should we not meet again until Saturnalia has passed!

Footsoldiery! Don't get stuck alone again, in the cold, humping a disgusting sappy tree this Holidays, like last year. (nice comma-work eh?) Instead join your fellow Cyclonauts for one or both of two exciting festivals of Good Cheer, good food and messing up somebody else's house. Tomorrow night head to Chautaqua for cocktails, meatballs and assorted tasties as we trim the tree and drink vino at Ma's house. Saturday night descend like scavenger birds towards the stink-pot of depravity that Dash's house will become oh about 8:01pm as we kick off the 12/20 party with the traditional CarBomb prologue. Yes it's on 12/18 but believe you me, it's the 12/20 party baby! Be there and/or RSVP for the 411

Chainsaw and I finished up the weekend hunting down the perfect Xmas tree deep in the back 40 near our boundary with the Roosevelt National Forest. This one looked tiny outside but ended up being over 10' tall. Fits into the A-frame just fine and looks great with some handmade ornaments. Now waiting for a cranberry/popcorn chain to finish it off in style...

Weather was so nice up in Coal Creek a ride seemed in order so broke out the Hakuna Matata for a hot lap around East Mag. Trails were hopelessly buried but nice to get out anyways though I did run into a logging operation going on near the Carwash that was worrisome. Couple sideways moments coming back down 97 kept the heartrate up!

Morning Cyclonauts! Weekend activities started off at the crack of ass Saturday, well pre-crack actually, with "Deadeye" Ben Cook and Highroller taking part in a nice 3+ ice climb in Boulder Canyon. Wet but steep with interesting mixed potential for later on in the season...fun!

Papa's got a brand new bag! The Dean may now rust in peace as Chainsaw samples her spankin' fresh from the factory Yeti 575 on the Chalet test track. Gotta get baggie shorts now downhiller! 

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Originally uploaded by mchesaux.

I thought I'd share a pic of this week's honoree in a common, though not oft documented pose. Unlike this representation, the subject is usually trying to figure out why something doesn't work.

The Wood Ape, Uno and the Crossbowmaker heading out on a 3 hour tour. Edge Loop, Fruita, CO. Oh, and Dash's head too... 

Furious receiving invaluable coaching during his innaugural 'cross season. "Get on that guy's wheel!" "Go faster." "Close down that gap!" 

Brrrr, I'm so cold. Sean forgets to wear his warm flannel skirt to A-Basin. 

The Wood Ape, mostly clothed thankfully, and dropping in on Horse Thief with impeccable style! Word on the street is that Sean shranked off his derailleur in the first couple hundred yards during States and was deflated back to Bruce Banner-dom and innocent bystanding by the time the Champ was crowned...Next year! 

This, sadly, is our Rider 'O the Year folks so don't forget to get out there this weekend at the CO State Cyclocross Championships as the Wood Ape takes firm aim at the top step of the Podium! Rider "O the Year AND State Champ in the same year? Seems like too much to hope for but Furious has been closely sniffing the ass of success the last few rounds and is definitely in the running for the top spot. Clearly today will also mark the beginning of the Week 'O Furious, which I expect to be somewhat morally damaging, so break out your best pix Cyclonauts!

course 

muck 

bell 

climbing 

leading 

Grrrreta says Turkey Day was grrrreat! Many thanks to Gurst, Cousin Jim, Chainsaw, the Polish Rocket and "the Tornado" for lively times as we repast-ed up in Chautaqua week past when the beer flowed like wine, the cheese was strange and tasty, the trails muddy, the dog underfoot and crafty and the "Just Guess" cut throat just like we like it! Friday saw Dub, the Crossbowmaker, Chainsaw and meeself dip into the soothing melodies of Hot Sulphur Springs where the water has some sort of medicinal mineral added to it...if I could only remember which one. Retreated to WP for drinking and home made nachos (how them jalapenos sitting now ladies?) and to prepare for the next day's blitzkrieg cross country assault which saw Matty A nattliy skating whilst the rest of us lumbered old school round St. Louis Creek. Good fun! Couple excellent hot laps the next day on Indian Peaks (great conditions!) completed the mountain trifecta (soak, xc, DH), and there was much rejoicing!

Greetings Cyclonauts! High up in the Foothills of Lore, where the voles burrow silently, creeping ever closer in their bloodlust and depravity to the succulent warmth of Das Chalet, Chainsaw and Highroller spent some quality shoveling time in the 2 degree weekend weather and are pleased to report that the deck and boardwalk, seemingly so elevated and easy to stumble from when drunk during the summer months are now below sea-level so to speak. Shoveling has reached the more difficult stage where we can no longer 'Zamboni' the snow off the edges but must now lift, carry and toss over the growing drifts...hurrah! Winter is here!

junior goes down 

Tele turns have been initiated, boards have carved and picks have been swung in anger but with the rapidly approaching arrival of Chainsaw's brand spankin' new Yeti take a brief moment for end 'o season bike lust over this pink lusciousness! Disc brakes on a single? ...one step forward one step back, but seems perfectly logical to me! $550 and she's mine! Bwah ha ha!

Photos of Ice!

A small gallery of images to remind (most of) you why you wisely refuse to engage in the "risk-taking", "death-defying", and mind-numbingly cold "sport" of ice climbing.
Take a look at http://homepage.mac.com/mchesaux/PhotoAlbum7.html if you dare.

Ice!

Cold and clear at Mt. Lincoln for Cheese-O, Big Ben and Highroller as we froze our digits waiting for the only other people there to snake our line up the Scottish Gully. Ben eventually lead it out up a wet/hollow bulge, stuck in a screw about 12' up and then ran it out another 130'. I followed, bypassed the anchor and strolled another 50' to a nice solid tree, brought up CHeese-O and promptly sent him up the challenging headwall where he put in our 2nd screw of the day. 2 pitches, 2 screws, welcome to ice climbing! Headwall had a nice steep corner for the first "well I gotta pull and swing one of these tools, not sure which one is really in solid, I'll try THIS one" moment of the season. Cheese-O and Ben took on a second route with a nice thin smear and then all retreated to Breck for burgers...good times!

Snow!

Cheseaux and I pulled of a couple of laps in Butler Gulch Saturday and got a few hundred feet of powder turns. Managed to avoid getting drilled by the posse of 50 year olds. The trick is to freeze so they think you are a tree. Love those first turns of the year.

Cyclocross racing in the Snow on Sunday saw perhaps the worst performance of any bIKEcLUB member in recorded history. Pete 2 was lapped on the second trip around. Hopefully, next summer is kinder to his training.

Eldora!

Chainsaw and I dropped in on three very very cold runs in the mist today, frosty with all the snow blowers going full blast but fun to make some turns again!

...and so the Week 'O Dash draws to a close with this flashback to Monarch Crest and some hotties, and Dash of course there in the middle.