Still More Cross!, Camelback Climb, and Visiting Bike Shops

Suitably chastened by Fatmarc’s post of the other day, I am going to do my best to keep this blog thing going for at least the next few weeks. And there’s actually still a lot going on!

This weekend I’ll have pictures/stories from a “top secret” pre-Nats/Masters Worlds training race, next week I’ll be live from Nats in Madison, and there’s still an off chance that we’ll be in Koksjide late next month for the big shebang.

Otherwise though, not much cx or bike-related going on right now. I haven’t been on MY bike in over a week with our vacation to sunny Phoenix for the holidays, but I’m hoping to get a few rides in before we hit the road again next week. Instead, I spent my holiday climbing Camelback Mountain for the second time:

This was a difficult hike/climb for me five years ago when I had two legs, and was a whole heck of a lot harder this time with the prosthesis. But I persevered, and was rewarded with a beautiful view from the top. There are higher mountains with ostensibly better views in the area, but this one is particularly sweet because the only way you can see it is by powering yourself to the top.

We also had the opportunity to stop by the Bicycle Haus in Scottsdale, a nice shop with more Rapha and Assos gear than you’ll probably ever see in one place, as well as an amazingly nice staff. During our travels this fall we’ve made it a point to stop in local bike shops, and I’ve found it to be pretty rewarding. Not only do shop socks make a great (and useful!) trip souvenir, but it’s fun to see the different gear at different shops, and talk to the people there.

If you’re ever in these areas, please support these great shops that have provided me and Steve with friendly service over the last six months: NYC Velo (NYC), Roaring Mouse Cycles (SF), MASH (SF), Mock Orange Bikes (Winston-Salem, NC), and Bicycle Haus (Scottsdale, AZ).