Up To the Border

This past week, I've been on a research trip through Burlington, and on up around the US/Canada border. It's real pretty, and I really enjoyed my time up there. I visited some family, toured UVM, rode my bike on some really nice country roads, swam (for free) at a pool in Essex, and mostly, enjoyed taking pictures of the countryside and the changing leaves. It goes without saying, too, but I did plenty of work - checking out the whole area for places to train. It was a great trip, and while I'm back home for a few days, I can't wait to head right back up there soon. Some pictures:

Autumn-time fun

I posted a couple weeks ago about getting out on a cross bike for a late-season change of pace. Let me tell you, it’s been great! I’ve been borrowing a buddies’ bike, and instead of churning out more miles on the road, I’m pedaling away through fields, trails, and mostly, the apple orchard. The best part about riding in the orchard, besides the quiet paths and great scenery, is of course, is the eating – endless peaches, blueberries, and apples all within reach without even getting off my bike! After the ride, I can refuel with a one or two (read 5) of the great cider doughnuts they make fresh right there. It’s everything off-season training should be – fun, productive, and a prelude to eating a lot. I’m loving it!

I’ve been riding in the orchard nearly every day I’ve been home in the last few weeks. As always, I brought a camera along:

A Great Day

Yesterday afternoon, I walked into Earl’s Cyclery and Fitness, a well-known bike shop located just outside of Burlington. I got talking to Jon, the co-owner. I asked him where the good riding around the area was, and he said ”well, what are you doing tomorrow?” I’m hardly one to turn down an offer to ride with someone, especially not when it counts as work. So this morning, I went with John and a couple of other of his riding buddies (including well-known area triathlete Murray Banks and his wife) on a great ride north of Burlington. The company was great, the scenery was great, and the riding was very solid. We finished the ride, ate a quick sandwich, and headed over to the Catamount Center, where Trek had set up a demo tent. I jumped on a $7,000 mountain bike, and headed out to the trails with Jon and his buddy Shane. Now, my mountain bike skills are far from perfect (in other words, I stink)… but I had a blast tagging along with those two, and I only fell down a couple times. I didn’t break anything, so the ride was a success.

In all, I spent a whole day hanging out with Jon, and riding bikes. It reminded me of my younger years in Vermont, without TV or video games. I’d find anybody I could, and we’d play sports all day – it didn’t matter if it was 5 hours of two-man baseball, or a rough game of punt-and-return, that was what we did. The day, really our lives, revolved around it. It was great to recapture that same spirit today - to experience the simplicity, passion, fun, and really… beauty of playing again.

The road group:


Out on the Mountain Bike:

Checking in From Burlington

I’m in Vermont’s biggest city this week, researching the area for the best training. Things go fast in the city – I’ve swam in Lake Champlain with an ex-seal, narrowly evaded death on a nighttime bike ride with area triathlete Jill, gotten a traffic ticket, and best of all, played airplane with my niece and nephew (who live with their parents in Shelburne). Otherwise, I’ve been visiting every pool and bike shop in town, all while trying to find a decent place to ride without all this traffic. It’s been busy, but a lot of fun. Here are a few quick pictures from the trip:

Who We Are (Part 2) - Staying Present

Multisport Maps will grow. At some point, the website will cover the entire country, maybe even the entire globe. I look forward to that day… I want the company to grow. However, I know that will bring different challenges. Challenges inherent in bringing in investors, hiring employees, setting up a management structure, and so on.

I'm looking forward to those challenges, and will accept them when they come. But, I'm careful to not get caught staring off into the future. I want to enjoy the present. I want to enjoy what I'm doing now; business trips don't mean staying in hotels and going to meetings, they mean camping and riding my bike. They mean exploring, having fun, and most of all, they mean working hard to create my own product.

That's pretty cool, and I'm appreciative for the opportunity to do what I'm doing. While we're working hard to grow as a company, and we're operating with an eye toward the future, it's important to us to appreciate such things – to work toward the next step, but always enjoy and embrace where we are now.

Me at the worksite, last week:

Middlebury Trip

I just got back from a three-day trip to Middlebury, VT. Man, it’s nice up there. Of all the places I’ve visited in the last few months (and I’ve visited a lot), Middlebury stands out. If I were to point to one town in Vermont as the best place for a triathlete to live, that would be it. It has a pool (Vermont Sun Fitness Center) and some good open water swimming (Lake Dunmore), lots of good road-running and a 16-mile running trail circling the town. Most of all, there's TONS of good riding… ridiculously good riding. You’ve got the gaps right out the door to the east for some of the best climbing on the east coast, and the lake right out to the west for countless miles of scenic flat riding. In between, there are many rolling, paved roads that wind through beautiful farm country. I mean, how much better can it get? Plus, you have a good bike shop (the bike center), a vibrant endurance community (spurred on by the athletes of Middlebury college), and a great race series right nearby (The Vermont Sun series – two sprints, an olympic and a half). Seriously… this place is the new Boulder. Well, not quite, but you get the idea. Needless to say, I had a great time up there, and feel prepared to guide any athletes going up around that area. A couple quick pictures from my trip:

Cross, Baby!

My competitive season is pretty much done, and I’m looking for a fun way to build some bike fitness before next year. The perfect solution: cyclocross – a fusion of mountain and road riding (obstacle-trail riding done on a beefed-up road frame with knobby tires). There’s a pretty vibrant scene around here, and this evening, a couple guys were down at the local shop (West Hill) running the course set up there. I went down to say hello and check it out... I even rode my buddies’ bike for a couple laps. It’s a hoot – I can’t wait to get my own bike (I’m searching now). Here are a few quick shots from the evening: