I would like to direct you to the Just Jules blog, where I had the distinct pleasure to post a guest blog.  It's all about what I learned after becoming dehydrated a couple weeks ago.  So please, follow the link below, and if you haven't read any of Jules posts, I invite you to do so, she is a kind hearted caring person dedicated to making herself and everyone around her happy...

Just Jules



Happy Riding...

Since May 1, 2011 I’ve been looking for a fitness program to my liking.  Other than riding my bicycle, the only thing I did on a regular basis was try different health clubs, gyms and fitness studios.  Cross-fit, P90X, Insanity, Zumba and good ole fashioned just pumping iron, nothing seemed to lite the fire.  I trained with a bevy of personal trainers, each offering something exciting and new, but in the end just a different cover on the same book.  I spent countless hours researching information, reading blogs and talking to the “experts”, desperately searching for a program to my liking.  What it boiled down to was nothing I sampled offered enough stimuli to engage my mind.  I’m not the type that can go into a weight room and get a quality workout.  Cross-fit was cool, definitely enough mental stimulation, but too hard on my body.  The last thing I needed was to be constantly recovering from injury.  This was really stressing me out because I am training for a huge event in June of 2012 and falling behind.

While out talking with local business about Reasons2Ride, I came across a new fitness studio at 2870 S. Broadway in Englewood, CO (suburb of Denver).  They just opened for business in January and the timing couldn’t have been better.  I met the owner, Dena Stadola-Porter, and discovered we share very similar views about the state of fitness in our community and country.  She invited me to try any and all of the group classes offered at her studio.  I did, I tried every single class, Group Core, Kick, Power, Centergy and Groove.  THEY ARE AWESOME!

First of all the group thing is a HUGE plus.  We are social creatures by nature and thrive in a group environment.  Think about it for a bit…you hardcore cyclists should be quick to identify with the fluid dynamics of a pack.  Something about doing things with others brings the best out of us as individuals.  For me, I find I am constantly pushing myself, to prove me worthy, in a sense, of being part of the group.  My mindset has gone from, I have to force myself to do this to I can’t wait ‘till the next class.  It’s hard to explain but I’ve included video clips (at the end of the blog) to show what each of the classes is like. 

Look, I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I am having success overcoming life-long weight issues.  I’ve found a structured fitness program I’m committed to and I’ve notice significant improvements in the short three and one half weeks I’ve been participating.  I am in a position to offer a V.I.P. pass to come and try any or all of the classes at About Time Fitness, so if you live in the Denver metro area and are looking for something engaging and a bit different just shoot me an email joel@reasons2ride.com and I’ll set you up…


Happy Riding…

Sometimes words just don't quite capture a moment.  Today my amigos at Golden Bicycle Shop hooked me up with a Surly Moonlander to demo.  My best friend since childhood shot this video with my Blackberry Bold.  It's raw and real and the ride was real fun.  I will give a full review once I'm done putting this mamma jamma through it's paces.  

Happy Riding

Occupy A Bicycle Seat

Have you ever sat down and thought about nothing, but realized you were really thinking about everything? 

When I gaze at a sunset, it always begins with the intent of just watching it set.  To have my breath taken away as the day’s light disappears behind the mountains, not clutter it with a bunch of “noise”.  Winter sunsets are the most spectacular in my humble opinion, watching them is a bit of a commitment though.  Walking with Charlie to our favorite spot for viewing them, it’s usually warm enough that a hoodie is sufficient, but extra gear is mandatory.  Once the sun begins to dip below the jagged western horizon, the temperature drops almost as dramatic as the symphony of pinks, blues, yellows and oranges filling the heavens, a daily reminder of the real beauty in life and this world. 

Unconsciously, a flip is switched from off to on and my mind races with thoughts…uncontrollable thoughts of all sorts, random tidbits from childhood to adulthood, mostly I think about the people that have come and gone from my life.  Those people that faded into anonymity, because we simply lost touch, but mostly those people that have left this life.  I think about the memories and sunsets we shared.  Even the darkest and gloomiest, where the sun never appeared.  Those were the special ones, stormy nights, because they were almost always met with brilliant sun rises.  I think about how at peace my soul is, the kind of peace only the presence of the ones I’ve loved and lost could bring. 

I think how, during the day, I long for their company…even just to catch a glimpse and share a smile of acknowledgement.  I'm aware that longing has fled, as I stare deep into the splendor of the days end colors, and I feel all the love we shared.  It’s funny, maybe sad is a better word…I never used to be so enamored with sunsets.  Sure, I would notice them, and maybe even take a second glance if something spectacular caught my eye, but I would never really give them another thought.  Now, even sunsets on cloudless nights bring sensational beauty.  I wonder what changed, why has it taken so long to “get this”?  Then I begin to think about the people I have in my life now, and how much strength they give me. 

It’s here where the influence Saturday Night Live has had on my life shows through; I can’t help but to have my own deep thought, inspired by, “Deep Thoughts” With Jack Handy…

“When I think about all the loved ones I’ve lost in my life and all the loved ones I have in my life, I think…Wow! What a relief, Thanksgiving dinner would be an absolute nightmare, I mean I am old enough where some of these people are pushing 150.  Can you imagine the shmorgishborg of medications and “special dietary needs” food, or the array of medical equipment you would have to accommodate?”…

One of those random thoughts I mentioned that run through my mind… 

My favorite sunset moment is right as the day’s last waves of light struggle with time.  There is a hue…almost purple, serving as a backdrop to the mountains, it’s simply breathtaking, it lasts only a few moments, then the peaks are enveloped by the darkness of night.  At this moment, I begin to realize how intently focused my vision is, then how unaware of what’s going on around me I’ve been and finally that my dog is ready to go home.  My favorite overall moment is after we get home, when my wife greets us.  Last night I gave her a kiss as usual, but there must have been a look on my face because she asked what was on my mind, I said, “nothing really, just how much I love you”…

Happy Riding…

It’s 5 a.m.; the alarm clock is sounding to a half-count beat blaring an electronic monotone that’s grown irksome, like fingernails on a chalkboard.  My wife waves her hand, as if trying to summon a magic spell, hurling it toward the device and silences the audible reminder that our sleep cycle has terminated.  It’s at this moment I feel the most peculiar of human emotions, reluctant excitement.  

I’m reluctant to get out of bed because it’s warm and my doggie is making a great case to stay by cuddling next to me like a brand new puppy, but I’m also excited to get out on my bicycle for a training ride.  After a few moments of debating with myself, I lumber out of bed only to be cut off by my dog as he bolts for the door.  First order of business is for him to do his business then it’s his breakfast time.  About 42½% awake now, I make an energy-tea and head back upstairs to get dressed for my ride.

A quick check of the thermometer showed a temperature of 41 degrees, I had to look again and then verify it with what the morning local weather was reporting.  True enough, a very mild pre-dawn, for January in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  I chose simple cotton socks to wear under trail running shoes, cycling shorts, wind/water proof sweat-pants (mesh-lined) a t-shirt, saying something about an NBA championship in San Antonio and my beloved Broncos hoodie.  I’m not looking to be a fashion statement on the bike, most the colors matched, and I was comfortable.  I put on my helmet, took the bike outside, hopped on and made my way toward what I call WTF hill.  It’s a stretch of road in the foothills west of Denver, with a dedicated bike-lane, rising almost 1,000ft in just over 2-miles.  

On my way to the torturous track, Led Zeppelin’s, “What is and What Should Never Be”, was just starting to break into chorus when, to borrow from Clement Clarke Moore, “what to my wondering eyes” an awe-inspiring sun-rise.  I had to stop and take a couple of pictures, which I then uploaded to twitter© and Facebook©.  I got back on my bike and continued my path.  WIDE-awake now I am pulsating with adrenaline and my mind is a wildfire of Reasons2Ride. 

I’d been riding slightly down-hill or level for about 25-minutes when WTF hill presents it’s approach.  My plan today is to survive the climb.  I begin the ascent like a mad man.  Picture me trying to chase down a cheetah on my bike (kind of like in the old Mt. Dew commercial) as the grade turned from gradual to WTF, my legs felt like they were being pumped full of wet cement.  No gear felt good, I was all over the road.  I know I could walk faster than I was riding, but I didn’t stop cranking.  I could feel my body responding to the demands I was placing on it.  My heart was pounding, respiration was heavy, and I had no feeling below my belly button, I was really quite curios as to how the bike was still moving.  Just as I thought the reaper would soon be snatching me off my bike, I was at the top.  I literally leaned my weight against a traffic light pole for support as I dismounted.  

Setting my bicycle against the back of a bus stop bench, I paced in circles with my arms folded above my head as I caught my breath.  Calmer now, I sat and rested my head into my arms on the bike's crossbar.  Not sure how long I was like that, but I was startled when A commuter asked if I was ok, I said yes, sat-up, scooted back into the bench and began drinking my water.  Two busses came and went, along with the potential Good Samaritan, so I decided it was time to head home.  The best part about riding up a big hill has been, and always will be bombing back down.  I reached a top speed of 46.235mph (according to the app on my smart phone).  I had to begin slowing, way before the bottom, because there was traffic now and I am not quite crazy enough to try and time a light.  Let me point out here disk breaks ROCK!  This morning's ride was filled with kick-ass scenery and white-knuckled speed, best of all, I survived.  I’m already looking forward to my next training ride with reluctant excitement.


Happy Riding...

I never thought of a bicycle as a door, why would anybody?  I mean look at it…doesn’t offer much security or privacy, let alone protection from the elements.  Heck, it doesn’t even fit very well.  Still, when I started riding regularly, I found it opened to a room long forgotten, a room where I was keeping my self-confidence.  Put there many years ago because I no longer believed in myself.

It really is amazing the impact of self-confidence, even if it’s just a small bit.  It’s like finding a safe place to put your foot as you dangle from the side of a cliff staring into the eternal abyss of self-doubt.  Once a foothold is gained you search for another, then another then all-of-a-sudden you’re on solid ground with both feet underneath you.  Standing above all that has held you back with the conviction of a world champion.  Sure there will always be obstacles, but self-confidence leads to belief and believing in yourself means there is nothing you can’t overcome.



To making this year the best so far…Happy Riding…   

At the precipice of a new year, I stand ready to jump in with both feet first and hit the ground running.  Carrying the momentum from last year, 2012 is shaping up to be the best trip around the sun, out of the 44 I’ve taken.  Smack dab in the middle (literally) of training to ride my bike over 400miles in the Rocky Mountains this June and managing the natural evolution of Reasons2Ride my New Year’s resolution is simple, work every day to be the best I’ve ever been; physically, mentally and spiritually.  An extra hour climbing hills on my bicycle, continuing education coursework and taking time to stop and smell the roses with the ones I love are some of the ways I will make that happen. 

Looking back on 2011 with open eyes, mind and heart, it was a really good year.  I met an awesome group of people through technology and reconnected with family that I haven’t seen in over 25years.  My heart beats whole for the first time in many more years than I will truthfully admit.  Personally, as I reflect on my accomplishments and failures of 2011, I’m most proud that I can look into my wife’s eyes and say, with absolute sincerity and honesty, “Baby, I am doing everything I know how, to make our dreams come true”.

What about you...what are your New Year’s resolutions?

What are your highlights of 2011?

I wish you all a year filled with happiness, prosperity and good health.

Happy New Year…and Riding!!

Born and raised in Cheyenne Wyoming, just a hundred miles north of Denver Colorado and Mile High Stadium, I became a Broncos fan once the delivery room doctor gave me a slap on the tuchus.  Growing up, backyard football games were my generation’s Madden.  Instead of using an X-Station or PlayBox to play an electronically generated simulation, we would show up at the big yard in our neighborhood sporting football uniforms ready to play.  You see back then the cool gift for a boy at Christmas was your favorite pro team’s replica helmet and jersey combination. (This was my first one, Christmas 1973 my buddy Jack may not have been as excited about football the day we took this picture)  As you can well imagine, there were a bunch of little Broncos showing up on their bikes to play some ball.  Cheyenne is a small city with a surprisingly diverse population, greatly attributed to the large Air Force base (Francis E Warren AFB).  This meant that there were plenty of neighborhood kids showing up to play with uniforms other than the Broncos.  Naturally, we divided the teams based on uniforms, so during any one of these match-ups you would have seen 4 or 5 Broncos taking on a Steeler, Cowboy, Viking, Raider and/or Dolphin.  We battled for hours on end.  Score was loosely kept, but usually the game would end when someone had to go home so the rule, “next touchdown wins” was adopted.

We played ball every month of the year, enjoying the games in the snow most.  As we grew older, the helmet came off, but the jersey remained.  We all played football for our elementary school’s football team, fewer played in middle-school and even less of the neighborhood kids played high-school football.  I was one of the few that played football through high school, and am still very passionate about the game.  I was fortunate enough to be part of a team that won a State Championship.  That season, words like heart, determination and passion were used to describe how we accomplished what we did.  Notice I didn’t mention talent, strength or skill-sets…that’s because we weren’t the most talented team in the state, but we believed we were the best team in the state and that was the difference.  If there is one thing I took from playing football it’s just that, no matter what kind of talent you might have or lack in having, believing in yourself and your teammates allows for greatness.  In the years since I last laced up the cleats and buckled my chinstrap it seems those values have been discounted, especially at the professional level.

Think about it, scouts are relying more on position profiling and the raw numbers to evaluate talent at the NFL level.  Does he fit the mold for that position?  Are his mechanics correct?  What’s his time in the 40yd dash? What’s his vertical jump?  Heck, the NFL Combine’s only function is to gather the statistical information “experts” use to make personnel decisions.   For the fans, whole shows on sports networks and whole articles in sporting magazines devote an entire off-season breaking down every player by stats and how he fits into the prototypical mold.  What’s worse, are the vast majority of fans buying into this.  Enter one Timothy Richard Tebow.  Don’t get me wrong Tim Tebow is a tremendous athlete and phenomenal competitor.  He is a winner and champion because he believes…in himself and his team.  

At the Broncos game yesterday, from my seats 3-rows from the top of the stadium in the northwest corner of the end zone, I watched, without bias, what passion, heart and determination does for a TEAM.  “Without bias”, I mean not having to listen to the “experts” (Broadcasters and half-time show) break down Tim Tebow’s every move and try to explain why he can’t have sustained success.  For me it’s refreshing to see that heart, determination and passion still trump talent.  I think that’s why Tim Tebow get’s so much criticism.  He is proving the “experts” wrong.  Since he was named the starting quarterback, the Denver Broncos have done amazing things on the football field.  It’s not just because of Tim Tebow, and he’d be the first to admit it, it’s because they believe in themselves as a team.  They are playing with passion, heart and determination.  During a recent interview with Champ Bailey my wife noticed he looked different, “like there was a fire in his eyes”, she said. 

That’s the magic Tim Tebow brings to the game, his ultimate belief.  Part of his role as a leader is to inspire, his ability to do that is immeasurable.  Too often we are told by society we can’t do this or can’t have that.  We become discouraged and our dreams begin to fade when we accept this.  Tim Tebow says, “Believe! and great things happen” then he shows you how true that is.  It’s a breath of fresh air for me to hear a modern day pro athlete speak so highly of team and belief, rather than performing a celebration dance after making a first down, late in a game his team’s trailing by 30 points.  I like that after silencing many of his critics with a stellar performance last week, his highlight of the week was being able to talk with a terminally ill leukemia patient (Boy Battling Cancer Gets Call From Tim Tebow).  Most of all I like how Tim Tebow doesn’t let anything anyone says or does change the way he thinks or acts.  It’s a lesson we’ve all been taught, but maybe one we’ve forgotten.  I haven’t purchased a Broncos jersey since Terrell Davis’s second year with the team.  That was after the 1995 season and it’s a bit raggedy now.  With Christmas so near, I’ve mentioned to Santa a new Broncos jersey would be nice, any number would be great, but if I could choose, I would like the #15 jersey.

Happy Riding…

I realize how long it’s been since I made a post to my blog but, to be honest, I’ve been so full of negativeness the past few weeks, it would have only served as an outlet to complain.  A nagging injury, challenges of starting an organization and other disappointments have had me in a blue funk.  I needed some extra motivation to get me back on track.  Nothing seemed to be working.  Reading, exercise, what ever I tried, there was no putting the Mo back in my Jo.  My mind began to wander and self-doubt began to loom, growing larger with each setback.  What the hell was wrong?

Last Friday (December 2) on my way to a meeting I had been working to secure since May, I was walking in downtown Denver listening to the “Classic Rock Mix” I put together on my mp3 device and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” began to play.  My mood dramatically changed.  Somewhere between the lyrics, “ A Modern day warrior mean, mean stride, today’s Tom Sawyer mean, mean pride” and the drum solo I started to walk with a bit more purpose and felt that fire fueling my passion being stoked.  I guess I didn’t realize how motivating music is for me, but this was more than motivating.  I have an extremely vivid memory and had to sit down because I was literally knocked off my feet with a flood of memories.  For some reason, my brain thought it was time for me to re-live when I purchased my first Sony© Walkman™.  

The year, 1980, it was the weekend before school started and I was going to be in 8th grade.  I had taken my copy of Rush’s “Moving Pictures” cassette into the stereo store at the mall (How many of you remember those) with me, along with a pocket full of “AA” batteries.  The sales associate new me well.  I would stop by nearly every day to eye my prize.  She asked if I came to daydream again and I replied, “Nope, I would like to buy one today”.  She smiled and said, “I’ll meet you at the register, you wanted the orange headphones right”?  I nodded to the affirmative, made my way to the register and counted out nearly $150 for what, at the time, was the ultimate personal music listening device.  With the same excitement as a little kid on Christmas morning, I stepped to the side at the check out counter, took it out of the box and got it ready to play.  I inserted the Rush tape and BAM! The thundering drums of Neil Peart and the hunting vocals of Geddy Lee filled my ears as I waived goodbye and walked out the door.  I could never play it loud enough as a newbie teen, and I like that it still has to be kinda loud today…

That song also reminded me of how hard I worked to earn the money to buy the Walkman™.  From using my bike for running errands to picking up dog poo in peoples’ yards before they mowed the grass, I worked and saved, from December of ’79 (When I didn’t get one for Christmas) until that day in late August when the dream was realized.  Looking back now I understand what I ignored.  I was so excited to finally have my own Walkman™ that I overlooked the process I went through to be able to buy one.  Nothing stopped me from meeting my goal.  It wasn’t easy and I didn’t let anything get in my way.  As I tapped my foot and patted my legs with my hands to the beat of the classic Rush anthem, I felt my smile broaden.  That blue funk broke and confidence began to overpower any doubt I had been harboring.  I noticed people around me would smile too, I was giving off a good vibe and that was too cool. I stood up, then went and rocked my meeting.    

Since the technology has been available I’ve always had some type of personal portable music player, from that first Walkman™ (Which would play both sides,  “A” and “B”, of a cassette if you had extra batteries) to what I have today (Which holds my entire music collection).  There’s everything, including, Abba to Zebrahead, Rap, R & B, Country, I even have some Surf Punks loaded in the cue.  No doubt music is a big source of motivation for me and now I remember why.




What about you, what is your go to source for motivation?

Is there something above all others you use for motivation when everything else just isn’t working?


Happy Riding…     

I finally took the time tonight and set up a page with links to blogs and websites I’ve found to be most beneficial.  What I like best about these sites are the people behind them.  They are real, and passionate about what they do.  I invite you to take some time and surf, I think you’ll be glad you did. (link to the links)

Happy Riding…