The new Alma

This is the newly redesigned Orbea Alma. Needless to say I am smitten with it.



Orbea took a lot of heat about tire clearance on my frame. It loks like that's been addressed. They alos got rid of the small lip near the BB area that used to scoop mud away but still away from clearance.



BB30 bottom bracket area looks sexy. The chain stays are beefier and they also put a small kink in the seat tube to make the stays a tad shorter.


Tapered head tube and a system for sealed shifter cables.

Love the seat post clamp and I could learn to like the bridgeless seat stay.

These aren't supposed to be available until July but I think I may have found my new frame.

Back home

We've spent the last week In St. Louis visiting friends and Heather's family. It's always good to see everyone again but these trips are generally pretty emotionally draining for both of us. Overall, I'm happiest at altitude and my wife is happiest back home in Missouri. The drive home is always surreal as I'm always anxious to get back to the beautiful mountains and my wife is usually a bit sad to leave. 6 or 7 years ago she made the decision to come with me and has probably regretted it ever since. While there are some things that I don't like out here, it seems to be a bit easier for me to separate them from the things that are simply magical for me. It's selfish for me to ask her to continue to come back here. At the same time, it's selfish for her to ask me to move back home. We are both selfish people who love each other and don't want to think about living life apart. We both joke about coming up with a compromise (like somewhere in Kansas) but we both know that's just a way to try and ease the tension during those uncomfortable moments of discussion. No true compromise exists. I know how to deal with my own frustration/depression of living back in Missouri but am clueless of how to deal with hers while living out here. In my heart...I am tired of seeing my wife unhappy and know what the solution is. I'm willing to do it but I know it's gonna be very difficult for me. Maybe that's what these long rides are for? Perhaps I've found my niche? It's a way for me to have my solitude in the wild. It takes me back to when I was a kid and would spend hours upon hours in the woods behind my house. It gives me the time to stop and wonder who stood where I was before I got there? Who looked at the same stuff I'm now taking in. The midwest has some gorgeous scenery and some really remarkable history. It also has some pretty stifling heat and that's always been hard for me to deal with. I'm not sure I could do the bikepacking trips back there but I know it would make me appreciate the ones I can do much more. Maybe they'll even make me able to deal with the dark/tough times more efficiently? We've probably got a few more years out here but...time will tell.

One of my favorite workouts that I've been doing on and off for maybe 10 years now pretty much has to be done on the trainer and I hate the trainer so I don't get to do it as much as I'd like. A few years ago my friend Dan suggested some other types of workouts. The one that I really took a liking to is what I did yesterday. It ends up being about 10 minutes on and then off. If I really let myself have it, three is plenty. It was yesterday. I do one loop down the Pass and then back up to get warmed up and then head back down to my turn around point. Dan always wanted me to keep the cadence between 40-70 but I like to try and keep it on the low end. So for me that means a 53x12 and then the lowest rpm I see is right at 45 on one little riser that's really not all that tough but it is humbling. Hands just rest on the tops and it's all legs. There's no cheating with rocking the body. I guess Dan likes it from a power standpoint for crit riding but for me it mimics the hills (which is still power but......I'm lost when it comes to power). This year I wanna do that workout once each week just cuz it's fun and it probably doesn't hurt to mix things up and use some different stuff other than LSD type rides.

I wonder if we have any Whipped Cream for my waffles?

Hunter

Rick Hunter is a frame builder in California. I stumbled across this bike the other day and was really taken with it. It has very similar lines to the things I like from other builders like Victoria, Coconino (to some extent) Mountain Goat, Retrotec, Pereira, etc. This was built for a guy named Devian who lives in Southern California. He will be lining up for this years Tour Divide. It's an interesting build. I'd need a suspension fork and I like hydraulic brakes (when they work). There's also that damn monostay again. I'm sure some builders will argue that it's stiffer but that's fine. The handlebar on this bike is an inverted Mary Bar. Looks really fun but I think Devian's gonna be wishing he had aero bars. I'm not a fan of the paint but, regardless, how much would it suck to train for and do something long distance like TD and then get the frame scratched up from the bags? The Alma is showing some wear from the bags rubbing. I suppose I could always get it powder coated again. Can't really put another clear coat on carbon. Titanium would be the ticket I think. Ti just looks better and better the older it gets. Neat bike nonetheless.

I got a late start today but was able to get pedaling at 1030ish. I like riding Rampart Range Road so I spend a good chunk of time up there. I had a full CTR load today and it felt fine. I road almost to Highway 67 and then had lunch and turned around to head home. All in all I was out for right at 4.5 hours and covered a hair over 60 miles. Fun ride. Saw 3 motorcycles, 1 car, and a group of soldiers doing some training.

Not much has changed with this bike but I'm really anxious to put the new stuff on. I'm gonna be patient though because I think I'm going to spend more time on it this year cuz the road bike is getting the stink eye lately.

I can't even go riding in the woods without the ladies taking their clothes off for me. It's a curse I tell ya. I found this hot little number on a Bobcat at the beginning of a MX trail. If you look closely...she's got a big assault rifle. She was dirty too.

I thought about riding this for a hot second but then knew that it would just be miles of gravel from all the dirt bikes and that's not so fun. We have endless options just like this right out the back door. I wish motorcycles didn't make me scream like a frightened child. I also wanted to spend a good bit of time climbing on the road. I felt very good all the way.

Today's ride

As dull as this looks it is one of my favorite roads to ride on. Spent 4.5 hours up here today.

That's a sharp helmet.

Good views.

Requisite Pikes Peak shot.

Trees and stuff.

New awareness

Last night I had a long talk with myself and my wife. I think I was finally able to put my finger on some things and explain how I'm feeling about the race this year. I was trying to figure out what I could do differently to prepare this year and I really don't think there is anything. Fitness hasn't been the issue for me. It's not a question of IF the dark moments are going to come but WHEN. Now that I've seen them tenfold I guess my different preparation needs to be how to address them when they do present themselves b/c I simply can't ride, visualize, or meditate more than I do. I can't afford to make knee jerk decisions. I've always been able to think clearly in times of stress or when weather is an issue. I have to be able to do the same when I'm tired, thirsty, or hungry. I also have to always remember what happens to my body and head when I do get dehydrated or when I don't keep the calories coming in. The other thing that I am going to do differently this year is have several rewards along the way that will remain buried in the pack until they've been earned. One of those will come at the end of that first day if I can get to where I want to be. Another one will for sure come out after the dreaded Sargents Mesa. There's gonna have to be a big one after the exposed high altitude sections in 22 and 23. I feel much better this morning.