The New Bike

Check out my first ride on my new Trek Madone 6.9:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/SELOB3N3UNRMKHGSALCICAKPLM


OK, so I did just ride down the hill and around the track for 45 minutes, but it was a 'test ride'! Yes, if you didn't know already, I am officially a geek!

IMPORTANT: Please attend Asheville's Greenway City Council Meeting on 1/27/09 at 5PM!

http://advocate.biowheels.com/2009/01/26/asheville-city-council-to-consider-giveaway-of-planned-greenway-route-on-tuesday-january-27/

My e-mail:

City Council Member,

One of the reasons that my wife and I relocated from the D.C. area to Asheville was the proximity to recreation (specifically cycling and running) and the healthy community that Asheville both promotes and inspires. We recently purchased a home near the future Greenway path and are excited about the prospect of how it will enhance the lives of our family and neighbors. I was saddened to hear about the possibility of the future Greenway path to be compromised by a land giveaway. In my short time in Asheville I have heard from numerous sources that the one resource we lack is a true bicycle friendly environment in town, and I have spoken highly about the future Greenway and have heard praise for the plan.

From an unselfish perspective, I feel that the path of the future Greenway will not only enhance Asheville's appeal as a whole, but also the future business development of the River Arts District, and the Downtown area from the aspect of convenience. An additional consideration is the increasing costs of petroleum products and how the bicycle provides an alternative that will allow residents to continue to enjoy the myriad restaurants and cultural offerings of the downtown and River Arts area.

Please do not allow the planned Greenway route to be altered. I feel that is would do harm to the future of Asheville both financially and culturally.

Sincerely, Chris & Jessica Larsen

Is is this crosstraining?

So on Wednesday, after a couple LONG days at work I took the afternoon off and my wife, Jessica, and I drove out to Roan Mountain in Tennessee and did some snowshoeing! With the temperature in the 20s, I thought it would be cool to do some endurance training off the bike. When my wife got me snowshoes for Christmas everyone asked her, "where are you going to snowshoe around HERE?" Roan Mountain, that's where!

As we climbed the mountain in our car I realized that it beat the heck out of riding up it (during the Roan Groan in June)! At the top we got out and headed up the AT for a 2hr snowshoe hike with our dog Jackie - what a blast! About halfway up Jess asked me, "Is this crosstraining?" Why yes, yes it is!

Winter is an awesome time to work on FTP, but it's also a time to recharge mentally, spend time with the family, and build your all-around fitness to avoid injury during the racing season. I'm psyched to have so many natural resources around Asheville and I hope you can get out and enjoy those around you as well.

Happy Crosstraining!

Chasing George

So I went down to Greenville yesterday for the Upper Winter Bike League ride, in hopes of better weather and some motivation to ride 4hrs. The weather was OK, but the ride was great, and I got to meet George Hincapie before heading out for a fast 84 miles. The ride was good, but uneventful as I tried to basically stay around top 20 and just treat it like a training race while catching up with some friends. There were 3 sprint zones and I just maintained my position, however during the last one George attacked and a few chased heading into the final sprint. I couldn't resist and as the final rider pulled off I took a hard 1 min pull, then flicked my elbow. All I heard was "I got nothin'". 1 rider had come along for the ride and halfway across the gap to George I was all by myself, only to be swept up going into the sprint. Oh well!

Last night was the ABRC party and it was quite inspirational to hear stories of riders who had achieved their dreams, won races, and awards and spoke of how cycling had changed their lives. One rider came up to me at the end and said what an inspiration it is to ride with my team and see us race. The funny thing is I was thinking how lucky this guy was to have the experiences he had and how that's what cycling's all about.

The point is I used to, and still do draw motivation by seeing what the pros do (like George riding away from everyone yesterday). However, now I know that cycling is about providing health, motivation, and balance to one's life. Motivation comes from different areas in cycling and I always love to hear individuals' stories about what it's done for them in their lives. Look around and see what a glorious sport we participate in, and how inspiration can come from even those that will never be professional but are out there everyday on their bikes.