L'epic avec JG, musings de la musette

BrEpic: then there was one


There is only one mountain bike stage race like it in Colorado this year, and there have been many who have come before it in other parts of the world. We saw the inaugural Brian Head, Utah stage race succeed last season and of course the famously radical BC stage race of Vancouver is happening right now as I ponder, at this very moment, the allure of such endeavors…these races are cool. And, well, “when in Rome.” I mean they all have sweet singletrack and beautiful scenery. What more could you ask for? Perhaps a cheaper entry fee? Yes. Maybe some socks? I’m a sucker for free socks, throw in a pair and any event is the bomb diggety.

But really us mountain bikers are just big fat suckers for a great course and a good challenge. I think these stage races are offering a new format and the shift is cool. Adding more suspension, a camelpack and ripping fast descents day in and day out give reason for excitement. I do think however that more and more “underground” stage races such as the CB 100 will become even more popular than the uber organized events. I think mtb’ers are looking to get back to the roots of why they race and want to keep it real. Let’s face it; racing is expensive.

Oh! I have to pause quickly because I just saw a really funny commercial. Scene: Meatloaf (the food), Meatloaf (the Singer) and A1 steak sauce…”I would do anything for love…” Meatloaf’s meatloaf loves A1. Hilarious!

Anywho, I’ve just come up to Breckenridge this afternoon after a long day of packing, picking up last minute items, paying bills, making phone calls and finally driving at a break neck speed of 30 miles per hour on I-70 to arrive by dinner time. I’m feeling a bit fatigued but alas I have comfortably settled into my digs for the duration of the Epic. A big Muchos Gracias is in order for one of my Spot/Dale’s Pale Ale teammates, Travis Lukens and his wife Emily, for letting me invade their charming house in the heart of Breck. You guys rock!

So I’m camped out in front of the tele watching a re-cap of the semi-final men’s Wimbeldon match between Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. I’m pondering sport.

I will say that I want to try the Brian Head race and I would love to do the BC stage race, maybe even the Trans Alps in Europe someday. There is an allure for the scenery and the serenity from riding a mountain bike but the for inner demon that wants the challenge, the little demon that gets off from the rush of the descents and the good hurt of accomplishing the grueling ascents. It’s weird. And maybe it’s not something that most people have living inside of them. I don’t know, maybe we all do but only those of us who try to shun the real world of the 9-5 as long as possible battle find the time to battle the force. I think the hardest part about finding some success in anything you do is walking away from whatever that is. I remember a friend once confided in me, referring to an athletic ability,that “it wouldn’t be so hard to give up if I wasn’t good at it.” The worst part about it though is that no matter how good you are, if you are not the best it is very difficult to make a living doing that alone. Therefore, most of us realize quickly that a day job is necessary, the twin brother of the demon inside.

The most amazing thing for any cyclist to remember though is that it is all about the journey and as long as it is fun and you are a better, healthier, happier person for it then you have succeeded leagues over most.

Whew, enough of that deep mumbo jumbo for now.
It is safe to say that it’s a patient, steady, strong, road, the road to athletic greatness. The good days are awesome, good results are great…but any champion is one who endures with resolve and focus in the face of the many bad days.

Goodnight, tomorrow is the last day of prep…and the Firecracker 50! I do kinda wish I was doing that one too!! Ha! So nutty.

JG
Pictures to come...I don't have the cord to download em'!

L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette - Preparations: 3 days to go

So, I have this friend, a really great friend-one of the best. She is such an amazing role modeling in all the crazynesses of life, especially cycling. She always has her gear ready, her food prepared, her clothes aligned for her to get suited and booted quickly. Her pre-race warm-up does not include a bunch of chicky-chacking (like mine does), her work ethic kicks the shit out of most and her bike is always clean! Sadly and again I am admitting to you all another shortcoming, but this is not like me, I’m the “oh I’ll clean it tomorrow” type, or “as soon as I find a hose it’ll get it done” girl…”oh look there’s a car wash!”(insert screeching brake sounds) Just blast the dirt off, nothing works like a pressure washer for those caked on mud stains and mucked up drive trains. Right? Don’t worry, for those of you aghast, I’m usually careful to mind the proper bearings and seals!


Anyways, I digress a little. My friend Dellys Strarr, 2008 mountain bike Olympian, always says, “A clean bike is a fast bike.” And she is right!

Yesterday, after I went to Redstone Cyclery and had Dave get my wheels rolling. I swapped out a cassette and some rotors over to rims that would make the bike lighter. The Stans NoTubes wheelset are nice and light but will also allow me to have a tubeless set up. I just secretly hope they will act like an intergalactic force field, protecting me against the perils, the gloom and the doom (not to be confused with Dr Doom Steve Fassbinder) of French Gulch and the other famously rocky Breck decents. I say two thumbs down for flats. Who’s with me? Digressing again…So after all this…I took “Copi” for another ride up my arch nemesis…and realized he could go faster-if only he were clean!

So I went to the car wash…no just kidding. I actually broke out the simple green, the hose, the rag, the brush, and got down and dirty…but not before drinking and Old Chub. Was it the chicken or the egg? Hmmm.

Thank you Dellys Starr for your good influences. The Durance along with my pretty white Spot are both now sparkling clean and race ready. Next comes the arduous task of packing. All I can say to that is, man it sure comes in handy never to really unpack. I basically live out of my car/suitcase. Wherever I go, there I am. I think it was actually James Hetfield of Metallica who said it best, “ Anywhere I roam, Where I lay my head is home.” So I’m set, 2 days till the green hornet flies again, followed closely by the famously evil Dale’s Pale Ale RV. Breckenridge or Bust?

Speaking of busting…I just may bust a move right now because I am listening to some amazing jazz funk, don’t know who it is, don’t care, but it’s awesome. Oh and another awesome discovery from the music world lately came in the form of The White Buffalo. You must check this man out. He has an unbelievable voice. Crush lately? I have!



Happy day to all, and cheers to accompany your evening,
JG

Oskar Blues Brewery Radio - 7/1 to 7/15 Music Update

We continue our bi-weekly audio podcast hipping you to the local & national touring acts whose music (like our beer) is way too flavorful for the mainstream as they make their way to our intimate brew-pub stage. The OB show is hosted by Lyons Bluesologiest Dave McIntyre. Stay tuned as Oskar Blues Radio brings you whats fresh at our Lyons brew-pub. Check out Oskar Blues Radio in the Podcast section of iTunes or HERE via our podbean homepage.

July starts on a Wednesday and the first Wednesday of every month we have our local band night. This month we will have The Slick Allen Trio www.myspace.com/slickallentrio and the Mike Schikora Band www.mikeschikora.com Mike is a great country singer/songwriter and the Slick Allen Trio play Americana style music. It starts at 7pm and we hope you will support these fine local groups. Thursday the 2nd will mark the return of the Jeff & Vida band www.jeffandvida.com with their Colorado band consisting of Greg Schochet on guitar , Justin Hoffenberg on fiddle, Jake Schepps on banjo and Will Downs on bass these guys add to Jeff & Vida already great bluegrassy sound. Friday the 3rd will be Jockamo with their jumpy New Orleans sound www.myspace.com/skyedowning. This will be their last show with Skye as she heads to Austin Texas in the fall. Tyler Grant has relocated to the area from Nashville www.tylergrant.org he is a award winning guitar player and has an all-star lineup for his bluegrass show on July the 4th. Heidi & The Rhythm Rollers www.myspace.com/heidiandtherhythmrollers will be back on Sunday the 5th joining the effervesent Heidi are Gene Libeaa (2 time Grammy winner) Rodney James on guitar from The Blue Flames They play what they call Bluesabilly resurrecting great tunes from the 40’s & 50’s. Wednesday the 8th is a special show with a fabulous band from the Ozarks Big Smith www.bigsmith.com a family band of cousins who play a hippie tinged roots music or alt-country sound. A Six piece they are high energy and not to be missed. Thursday the ninth will be Lil Joe McClarren www.lttlejoeblues.com who just won the International blues Challenge as a solo act but will be bringing a small band with him. Joe is originally from around here and is a true purveyor of the old acoustic blues. Watch out July 10th for a return visit by Oskar old friend John Lee Hooker Jr. www.johnleehookerjr.com a show that is over the top. John was nominated for a second Grammy this year but lost out to B.B. King and is the first bluesman to have his own animated video. Saturday the 11th will be Eddie Devil Boy Turner www.eddiedevilboyturner.com a smoking guitarist from Denver who was Otis Taylor’s guitarist for his first 3 or 4 CD’s. Sunday the 12th we have the one and only Joe Price www.joepriceblues.com. Back for a visit with his lovely wife Vickie, Joe is an Iowa Blues Hall of Famer and endorsee of National Resophonic guitars and an exceptional slide guitarist who has lots of fun from stage. Our acoustic plug-in blues jam is Monday the 13th hosted by Peter Maves, Patrick Cullie and Brain Donnell everyone is welcome and they even let me play a couple last month. So come on down and join in on stage. Wednesday the 15th is our Tribute night this month we will be honoring Outlaw Country artists like Willie, Waylon and the boys of outlaw music, hosted by Oskar’s Jamie Lunde, get a hold of Jamie @ Awnry girl productions and join in on the fun and great music starting at 7pm.Thursday the 16th is that wonderful Lyons duo of Coyote Joe and Emilyn Inglis www.myspace.com/coyotemoonband they play acoustic folk, country and even graced us with an opera song last time.

Beaver Meadows Mountain Bike Festival

Biking, BBQ, Bluegrass, Beer compliments of Oskar Blues, need we say more? Ok, come prepared to let loose and enjoy some Frisbee golf, Citizens Bike Events, and Bike Demos by Peloton Cycles of Fort Collins. Win big in our Dash for the Cache treasure hunt and bring your speed for the Peloton/Oskar Blues Old Chub mountain bike race. Be ready to pitch your tent next to the stream Friday, July 24th at 3:00 p.m. Join some great company at the Beaver Meadows Mountain Bike Festival and don’t forget your dancing shoes, appetites and thirst for a good ride and a good drink.

Check out all the details via the FORT COLLINS CYCLING FESTIVAL homepage, HERE via their facebook page or follow them on twitter.

L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette - PREPERATIONS

A deep look into the vigorous preparations of an epic...don’t get me wrong here folks most of my accounts will likely be light-hearted and delivered with a grain of salt, some Old Chub and a good sense of humor. Make no mistake, however, that the nature of the Breck Epic, a 6 day mountain bike stage race within the heart of Colorado’s famously snow-capped Rockies is a rough and tough, no non-sense trial into the depths of fitness, courage, preparation, technical prowess. We're talkin' 'bout a soul searching nose dive into the guts of each rider as they battle not only the mountain, their respective competitors, but most certainly the evils that lay hiding beneath the surface of our own perceptions. Usually these evils arise as questions: “why the hell am I doing this?” “Am I really fit enough to finish?” “Can I really eat another GU?” “What if I can’t do it?” “What would I be without bike-racing?” “Am I taking years off the of my life?” “Butt butter! What?”

Such inquiries and many more will arise everyday during my pain, er I mean epic. I hope to share all of them with you! Hopefully my account of the week long Breck Epic will inspire, entertain and shed some light on why my family calls me “crazy”…or at least give you a good read whilst at work. Suckas!

Like I said, this is a vigorous thing, this bike racing. But, for me it’s not so much the actual riding and racing that I find extremely challenging, it's the freaking preparations. I understand why people run and I for sure see the appeal in tossing around the frisbee. It’s not so dang difficult to prepare for! This is a problem, because, self admittedly, I happen to be terrible at planning ahead and taking care of the details that accompany bike racing. Not this time though. I have 4 days to go and I am kicking ass. Just yesterday in fact I went to pick up a bike at the Maverick global headquarters in a little place called Golden. (btw, Golden is sooo Golden…I love that place)

So, as many of you may know I have a Spot(pun definitely intended…wink) on the Spot Brand/Dale’s Pale Ale bike racing squad. Therefore, you may be asking yourself why I’m at Maverick getting a bike? Well...the first reason is both of these homegrown companies share space in Golden, Colorado. By the way...Spot Brand Bikes is building singlespeed trophy frames for the winners of the SS Solo and SS team categories, CHECK THIS BABY OUT! And to be honest, based on the duration & difficulty of the race I’m scared of what my back would feel like after 6 days on my favorite Spot hardtail…not to mention my girly parts! Thus, the always delightful and charming likes of Mike Swafford and Chris Russum at the Mav graciously offered to let me ride a cool, light blue Durance. It’s awesome! I'll be starting out stage one on my Spot Brand hardtail & be making the transition to the Maverick Durance as the courses demand.

So after Ethan, Maverick’s Tech/wizard/Guru, helped me swap over some parts, I quickly hopped into the green hornet, aka my car, and hurried down to meet George Mullen.
He is one of the very best bike fit specialists in Colorado, perhaps the entire country. If you are in need of a truly professional fit, he is your man. He works with your own strength, flexibility and ride ability to set you up in a position that is tailored especially for you. To contact George email him at: gjmmullen@yahoo.com


Once I was masterfully positioned on the Durance(on my WTB saddle)I was ready to take it for a test ride. A few other bike part changes need to be done like switching over to a lighter wheel set (I’m going with a sweet Stans NoTubes ZTR set with Chris King hubs. A special thanks goes out to Taylor Anderson at Spot Brand for getting those built up for me) but for today I swung a leg over the saddle sans sweet wheels and took the Durance, named “copious” (Maverick does not assign serial numbers to their bikes but rather names) and hit a trail that I have come to think of as my arch nemesis.

The Picture Rock trail and Wild Turkey trails are not uber gnarly but there is something about them that I simply do'nt like. Granted, previous to my ride today I had only ridden it on my beloved Spot Brand hardtail, but after riding it armed with full sauce and a pivot system that allows me to peddle over rocks smoothly two things happened: 1. I still DON”T like the trail! 2. I love the bike “Copi”, as I will lovingly call him from here on out, rode like a dream. I am confident that this is the bike for the job. Thank you team Maverick for the sweet rig (Mike, Chris and Ethan) and thank you George Mullen for making sure my long skinny arms were properly set up in a most excellent fit.

Tomorrow I plan to sleep in. Yeah! Then get the wheel set dialed. I’ll hit up Dave Chase at the, always radical, Redstone Cyclery in Lyons. Dave definitely knows his stuff and is always right on with any bike questions/help, check out his blog: The Redstone Underground. He’s my main man when it comes to that side of the preparations. 3 ½ days to go…


Stay tuned…copious amounts of verbiage, fun, and stuff will be had by all.

Ciao and many cheers,

JG

Pikes Peak Rocks - Pictures

The Pikes Peak Rocks event was truely something special. Over 100 musicians, cancer survivors and supporters set off early in the morning to hike & summit Pikes Peak. There were many memories along the way & I want to thank Love, Hope, Strength for including us in this fantastic event.
The Group hits the trail after a little music & info about the day's plan.
The White Buffalo plays at the Devil's Playground for a small group break before making the final push to the summit.
Ahhh, what a view.
Conditions where great but a little snow was on the menu, the Oskar Blues crew gets closer to the summit.
The White Buffalo blew everyone away all day, here he plays solo on Pikes Peak summit. He will be opening for Grace Potter tomorrow night at The Fox in Boulder. Check him out, the full band was killin' it at The Hard Rock later.
Kevin Bacon gets his grove on top of Pikes Peak.
The Bacon Brothers, performing at 14,142 feet after starting the day at 4:30am. It was a 20 hour day by the time they finished their set at The Hard Rock Cafe in Denver for the post party.
Yep, DPA made the trip.
An interesting summit for a 14'r.

Kimi Hendrix celebrates with a Brew at The Hard Rock Cafe in Denver as The White Buffalo kills it.

Thanks again to all who participated in making this a special event!

L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette

The Breck Epic, July 5-10 2009, is a 6-day ultra-endurance mountain bike stage race held in the sprawling backcountry of Breckenridge, Colorado. After a 10-mile time-trial on day one athletes will contest 5 subsequent stages spending 4-8 hours on course each day, most of it over 10,000 feet...check out the course profile HERE.

The race does have a tender side: Proceeds from the inaugural “B.E.” benefit local open space initiatives and trail improvements. Registration for 2009 is still open!

Stay here at Oskar Blues Brews & Bikes Blog for L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette. DPA/Spot Brand Bikes pro Jen Gersbach will provide day-by-day insight into what it takes to tackle one of Colorado's most grueling bike races. Along with Jen's smile & insight we'll keep you in the action with images from www.photo-cycle.com, Tour de France banter & contests as well as many gonzo giveaways & antics as we can muster the energy to throw your way. The race starts on July 5th but preparation has already begun, stick with us as we prepare to tackle Colorado's biggest & baddest Mountain Bike Stage Race. We'll also be posting updates via the Oskar Blues Facebook & Twitter pages, so check them out as well.

Keepin' it in the family....we also have SPOT homeboy Jeff Carter's SPOT BRAND blog HERE.