Summer riding

Kelly and I have been putting in some serious mileage lately. The weather here in the fort has been really nice, especially in the mornings. So when we go out on the bikes and we don't ever want to come home!
With the long rides and the tour de france on TV I've been reminded of what we were doing last summer. Getting up everyday and pounding out 4 or 5 hours on the bike just to show up to unknown location and try and find a place to sleep. I miss that way of life, but I'll soon be back on the road with my best friend, exploring some unknown corner of the world.

Kelly in high spirits riding around Horsetooth reservoir.
Ag land just outside of Fort Collins. I ride past here almost daily on my "training" rides.
On top of rist canyon, overlooking Wyoming. Rist canyon is a great climb. A long lonely road with a consistent gradient and a brutal 12-14% grade at the end. I really love this ride!

Some Pronghorn out by my field sites. Their are advantages to being an ecologist!
This morning Kelly and ran into a proud mom with twins! We came barreling down the road and these guys were all crossing. Nice way to start the day.
Looking out over Fort Collins.

Trail ride

Hewlett gulch trail ride.

Pourdre river was flowing fast.

My bike that I'm quite proud of. I slowly rebuilt it over the winter, and now I'm riding it in the hills west of Fort Collins. The gearing is a bit high, but its just making me a faster climber.

Winters last gasp

Kelly and I went to Grey Rock trail this last Sunday. It was a snowy cold day, but the beauty around was hard not to notice. Typical spring in the rockies, snow one day and t-shirt weather the next.

Paris

We and our tired bikes had finally made it to Paris. We rode through the streets with a sense of accomplishment, as we took in all the well known sites.
The Louvre was amazing, and so huge! We spent an entire day walking the halls, but didn't seem to scratch the surface. The Mona Lisa was guarded by three security officers, constantly screaming at people "No pictures! No pictures!" So we never got a picture of the half smiling woman, but we were able to get a picture of this amazing sculpture.
Our trip back to the states took well over 24 hours with many delays and tense moments, but we made it back home safe and sound. Can't wait for another!

England Baby!

We loaded up on the ferry that would take us to England, with all the other crazy cycle tourists. The man in the sunglasses is Carl, a guy from Australia we met along the way.



Kelly was sick the entire time we were in England so we didn't cycle much, but we got a lot of relaxin in! Sitting on the beach, going for walks in the English contry side, and enjoying all the funny English people. Our ferry ride back to France was great. We were so excited to be back in the country where they drove on the right side and spoke a language we couldn't understand.

Mont st. Michel

After our Tour de France experience we headed north and made it to Mont St. Michel. We saw it for miles and I couldn't quite put my head around what I was seeing. I had spent many hours back home reading about the place, and just staring at the pictures, but now I was actually riding up to it. It was a mysterious place with sounds and shadows just waiting to be explored. Kelly and I just wondered around up there for hours. Truly an experience I would recommend to anyone. Some of the best views in all of France.


Look at the grin. I was truly blown away by the place!

Our next tour experience lasted all day and was an amazing site to see. We camped out all day and watched the riders come in with their amazing speed and determination. The press hounded the riders as soon as the riders crossed the finish line. Some were foaming at the mouth, but the press shoved their mics in anyways. Kelly said they seem like paranas attacking their prey.