Vacation or Adventure Race?

The plan for the day was to hop on a train and head south to visit Naples and then jump over to the island of Capri... That was the plan but things turned into another adventure race of exploration...

Last night we met Dan and Dan from Colorado and talked about all sorts of stuff. One Dan works as a National Park Ranger and has been doing some nice runs through the country. He has done some Ironmans too and was a wealth of information for us. We started talking about the bus to the city and he was telling us about how the train station was two miles down the road (we have been paying for the hotel shuttle every day) and the train was only a couple of buckaroo's. . . SO, with our new found friends advice we decided to get on the train early the next day and head out.

After a quick BFast and loading up our packs with extra clothes, wetsuits, all kinds of crap that we didnt need to carry we were off to the train station. "Now was that a left then a right?" Well, we made it down to the train tracks and took a wrong right leading us.... Our adventure race was on! We could see the train riding by but no station to be found. We walked with all of our crap, over and under bushes, keeping the wild dogs in sight, looking at the map and pushing each other just a little more to see what was beyond the corner.


The hardest decision to make in an adventure race is realizing that you may need to turn around after all that effort in the wrong direction. Finally, we decided to turn around and head back in the other direction. Wouldnt you know that we soon found the train station which was where we should have gone left instead of our wrong right! HA Figures, we like to do it the hard way, because once we went the other direction the train station was only about half a mile up from our original turn. . . AND the direction we were heading had the next station at the airport a mere ~25Kilometers away.

(Don't worry Mom & Dad we were so safe the entire time)

This was our first experience on the Euro trains and it was a good one. We arrived into the heart of Roma but decided that at this time (and the time we lost) that we would just hang out another day in Rome without making the long trip down south. We walked and walked and walked. I think my pack was 50+ pounds and I was really feeling it. The pizza and espresso at every other corner was a big help to get through it ; - O

We ended up finding a killer Euro sports club that had all kinds of stuff including a really nice indoor pool so we signed up for a day to swim. Even with all of the crap we packed Monique left here swim suit in London so after a new suit, one day membership and a few hundred dollars later we were swimming with the Italians... This a perfect introduction to the Italian culture up close. Too much detail on this one to go into now but such a good experience of "another world". I will leave it at that ;-)

After a nice Italian meatball soup splash we were off to see more of the city and we got in a lot of unique places. I am still amazed at the scale of the "art" here... Here is a picture of an old church from outside.



It did not look that big but once inside it opened up to a HUGE warehouse sized areas filled with separate rooms, vaulted ceilings and statues all around. Check out Monique next to the organ!



We were navigating and working as such a team and even had our own language starting for directions... "left at foo-man-choo and turn down Via Galopagos to the castle of pappa pizza". I bet we through off some other tourists. We finished our day walking through the park and city stopping to enjoy some gelato and espresso along the way as we shopped. Another beautiful day of discovery within the city walls. Tomorrow we are off to Tuscany for our stay in Siena!

Vatican City

Another day in Roma and this time we made it to the Vatican City and even got in a little trail time on some bikes. The rain stopped today but we were pouring out oohs and ahhs as we toured the galleries in the Vatican. We were a little surprised at the amount of "art" as we walked around the city but I believe nothing in the world can compare to what depth the Vatican has to offer. From the St. Peter's Basilica to the Vatican gardens and museums, I just cannot express how amazing it is... You have to see it in person. This was one of the few times in my life that I stopped taking pictures because I realized that the V-City just cannot be captured in a photo. However, I still managed to take almost 400 pictures. Here are a few.

His-story from the lifespan of the bible with detail from Egypt to today

endless halls with the greatest detail were only a passage to more

Stories through art like this physical and spiritual battle depiction

Scale is another story... Pictures just cannot express the SIZE and DETAIL

After over five hours we spent in the museum we managed to find our way out and onto the streets of Roma. Back to the crazy beat of the city where pedestrians, mopeds and tiny cars move in a harmony that only a local could be comfortable with... We read about the moped infested streets but had no idea until we saw the lines and lines of them weaving through traffic and everyone from little girls dressed up to old men in aprons going about their Italy errands.



Soon after walking the streets and heading north we came upon the Villa Borghese Parioli. A huge park and just outside the park we got ourselves some bikes for just around ten Euros. Sweet! Trial time was on in full session . . . even in the middle of Rome.



It was so nice to move about through the park and city on bikes... Weaving just like the mopeds and seeing the back streets and cafe's that are off the beaten path. Our Disneyland map was now easier to explore and just downsized a scale.


We stopped to have a bite and we were surrounded by Italians and not tourists. It was a nice change. . . and GOOD eats!!



We continued our tour around on bikes and watched the sun set atop the hills overlooking the city... A beautiful ending to a beautiful day in Rome.


We also posted some additional pictures of the day over here.

Roma Around

This morning we took the bus from our hotel down to the Vatican... The plan was to go there first and then walk around the city, however, as we drove around the Vatican City walls we realized two things that would change our plans. One was the fact that the place was HUGE and we already had a late start...plus, the only thing longer than the city walls were the people lined up around the streets waiting in line to get in... Crazy! There must have been hundreds of people in line. There was also a light rain that probably explained why everyone wanted to get inside the museum and churches and out of the wet. So, with our open schedule we headed out to roam around the city and see what other sites we could take in and put the V-city on hold for now.

This turned out to be a good move and the city was beautifully wet and alive with activity. What a better way to see the city. I wish we could import the maps we got from the hotel of the City...It is almost like Disneyland with all of the spots to see and how surreal everything is here. Almost like a movie and so detailed in every architecture design that it just cannot be explained or captured in a picture. The streets feel so safe and friendly and we got our first taste of real Italian pizza! Sooo Goood!!!

On our first day out we really had little "plans" for seeing the sites besides switching out the V-City for the Colosseum but we quickly learned that the "sites" were all around us. A modern day city born out of thousand year old buildings, intricately detailed statues and landscapes that all create the biggest museum in the world. As the gents from London described it "brilliant!"


As we made our way across the city we got to play in the rain and mark some spots to re-visit later during our stay... The history behind all of the buildings was something that took me by surprise. Maybe it is our short span of history in California or even America compared to thousands of years and so much that happed around Rome to shape the world we live in today.

Thinking back I was struck by the little things... Millions and millions of little 4x4 inch black bricks that create the streets around the city, the detail in statues that are on every corner and the time that went into making all of them. London has tons of history also but it was not until today that we really felt like we were out of the country and seeing the past and the world through another cultures eyes. Now, we were on vacation.


We have too many pictures (believe me) but I posted a few over here. Tomorrow we are off to explore more of the city...

When in Rome

Well, it is only about 9:30pm at home but here in Rome it is reaching 5:30am... I have been up for hours typing away and researching what we are going to do (along with some good reads about aero helmets, Kona bike counts and other blogs). Still feeling a bit sick but relentless to settle into this new time structure. Monique is just about 100% over her cold and if I could get some rest I am sure I would be too but I am just too excited ;-)
(You cannot see it but behind me in our bathroom is a B?day...Oh, la la...)

We had a pretty exciting day today and we are already seeing some of the big differences in Italy compared to London. We have heard so many stories about the "richness" of the food and a quick glance at the landscape and it is easy to see why. It is nice to know we will be staying at the same place for four nights and our view can speak for itself. So stoked that this is the view out of our hotel window!

(the view from our room looking into the City Center in the distance)

Tomorrow we are heading out to the city center and we are going to try to check out the Vaticani Musei, and "Rome" around and hang out until about 9ish so we are planning on catching the Coliseum as the sun set.

London Heathrow

Slate and I finally landed in London and we are in our hotel feeling like we just did an adventure race! The feeling of raw teamwork, running with your split second decisions with total exhaustion while taking in all you can in an unfamiliar territory. Yes, we were out of this world. Trying to extend our high and stay awake till night time we headed down to the Executive Lounge (slates traveling is finally paying off) to suck up a cappuccino and with plenty of time to head off to a tour of the Windsor Castle and the shops in the area.

The Windsor Castle added to our blur and our vacation was now in full effect as we were true tourists…”did you know” the castle is over nine hundred years old and is one of the Queens official residences. Here you can check out our castle collection. After the castle we looked around the shops, and came across this awesome oil shop. The weather was cold, dark and misty and everyone was wearing their big parka’s. UK has it’s own beat of fashion! Hey, I think I just saw Harry Potter.....HA"

Now totally wasted on espresso and lack of sleep we headed to Starbucks for some sandwiches that looked somewhat normal. I wasn’t so sure about the other weird sandwiches in the little cafés, so we played it safe.

Back at the hotel we decide to calm our nerves and refresh our energy by going in the steam room and belly floppin into the tiny pool which we attempted to do laps.. hehehe slate stubbed his toe and kept bumping into the pool walls… sooo funny… now into the sauna for some heat! We certainly needed that and we were super excited to crash out.

We got back to our hotel room, plopped into bed and I set my alarm for 6:30 am, we had planned to wake up and run before our 12:15 pm flight to Rome, Italy. Well at 2:00 am in the morning we woke up and could not go back to sleep. Looking on the internet and emailing friends and family past the time away and it was now about 4am, time to go back to sleep so we could run before having to get to the airport by 10am.

My alarm woke me up and I hit the snooze, like I do every morning! I woke up a little later to look at the clock “CRAP” it was 10:40am, I couldn’t believe it. We were already suppose to be at the airport! I woke up Slate and I called the Conserige to call us a taxi while we threw all of our crap in our bags and put the same clothes on from the day before. Back to adventure racing and running down the next checkpoint! Dang I should have brought my shampoo to the pool and washed like the Indian lady after we swam.. hehehe I don’t know why people do that… gross… Anyways we made it downstairs and into the taxi in record time. At the airport we were able to check in and make it to the gate with time to stop and grab some food. I think it was 2am US time? I can’t believe we made it, we were both sooo stoked. It was a quick 2 hour flight and we landed in Rome for the next stage of or race. I mean vacation.

Here are some snaps

inside the cyardUK GromsUK Laday

Off to Europe

We finally got everything wrapped up and I am typing out the rest of this blog entry on our looong plane ride to London. Yeah! All packed and most of our plans made below with lots of room to explore and make up some side trips as we move about. Nacho is at the pet hotel and our bikes all tucked away for a couple of weeks... boy am I going to miss my bikes.



We made it through some tough last few weeks and Monique got sick last week and I managed to make it through VQ and my presentation but started to breakdown yesterday. Nothing like sitting on a plane for 11+ hours with your nose running and your sinuses feeling you shoved a soccer ball up behind your eyes... No worries though… We are on Vacation and I have plenty of time for recovery and rest. The outline below is really to help us have links back to what we were looking at because we have spent so little time putting the trip together but making decisions the day of just makes it more exciting.

March 7th -8th
We should land at about 10am London time and we have some open plans to explore the Windsor Castle and some areas around our Heathrow/Windsor Marriott Hotel. There are a few trails around our hotel and Windsor like the 180 mile Thames Path National Trail that begins near Kemble and runs to Thames Barrier... We don't have too much planned on this day because of the jet lag and short time before we head out to Italy.

March 9th - 13th
Leaving London the next morning we fly to Rome and we are staying at the Rome Marriott Park Hotel for about four nights and our schedule is pretty open. We plan to hit up some of the main sites/tour attractions (Palatino, Coliseum, Vatican, Villa Borghese Parioli, Sistine Chapel, etc) but also explore as many back roads as possible.



We are looking into trading one night or maybe a day trip to the island of Capri and visit the Grotto and in between renting some bikes, mopeds and …maybe even get in an open water swim? We brought our suits! We have gathered so much advise and emails from friends over the last few weeks about "what to do in Rome" that we are just going to work through a list. I am glad Monique and I have the same attitude towards planning. Low stress, high level of surprise around every corner.

On our last day in Rome we pick up our Lancia rental car and head north to Siena. I was so stoked to see the admiration for our sweet little rental car in this YouTube video. We have to do some testing!

March 14th-16th
Departing Rome we drive a little ways north to Central Tuscany for our stay in Siena were we were originally going to stay with the Vertigo Mountain Bike Tours but elected to say at the Via Scacciapensieri and take our day trips out from there. We are still planning on some tours/rentals from Vertigo and hopefully we can find some nice single track as we wind our way through the hilly vineyards of Chianti or get a nice long ride on our way to see the historic town of San Gimignano.



There are a few tours we want to look into from trails to vineyards to ones that include cooking lessons so we are keeping it open for a day or if we want to stay at a bed and breakfast. We are also looking into a spending a day south of Siena exploring the ruins of San Galgano that were built in around 1200AD and surrounded by dense woodland…Should be a nice change in scenery from the hills of Chianti. There are so many trails and little towns that we can explore so we again have a pretty open schedule.

March 17th-20th
Next is a few days in Florence which sits between West and Eastern regions of Tuscany and is close enough to explore any other region in Tuscany in a day. We will still have our car for a couple of days here so we may take some longer trips to another region at first and then dig a little deeper into the City Center to explore some local sights in detail. Much of what we got advice about is that the little neighborhoods are so diverse that you can get lost discovering little nuggets and great eats around every corner so we plan on spending the last day or two just hangin out in the center area. Also on the list is some sights like going to see David at the Accademia, check out the Uffizi gallery and Bargello but we may decide to just jump up to Venice for a day. . . and that would be just as normal for us as a week gets. We plan the big picture and let all the little stuff fall into place.

March 20th-23rd
On our last Thursday we head back to London and we get to hang out with Marius and Mandy who will be heading back from South Africa and meet some new friends who live near West Wimbledon. So stoked to see them over there and hang out at some local spots! We are planning to meet up on the 21st so that gives us a few days to explore the parks, museums and some courses in the area....Who knows we may be back to race one day...soon? Our only solid plan is to head out for a day to Bath to see some sights. I have been advised about the great food and romantic atmosphere at the Moon and Six Pence so we will have to go there for some dinner. We have also tossed around the idea of taking the chunnel to Paris for the day but we will have to see how far we can stretch our Euro...



On our trip back we are staying in the Grosvenor Square area that is right next to Hyde Park. The park is over 350 acres with plenty of room for us to get out on the trail. It also has a lake with its own open water swim club that said we can join along so we may do that a few times.

I think that is about it... for now but hopefully we can post a few times when we are over there too or put some pictures up. We wish you were all here with us and hope to see you soon.

Vision Quest 2008 Race Report

Saturday Morning I had the privilege of joining about five hundred other mountain bikers for the Warriors Society’s 2008 POW WOW event held up and down the Santa Ana Mountain mountain range in Orange County, CA. The events lined up for the day were the Counting Coup at over 44 miles and 8,000+ feet of climbing and the Vision Quest at over 56 miles and 11,000+ feet of climbing. Sounds like fun. I was so stoked to make it to the starting line and looking back I am beginning to understand more and more why the hardest part of any race is just getting to the starting line. My memories from last years race, the support, trails and people made the decision for me much easier and got me to focus on why I was really out on the trail in the first place. With my priorities in check I was ready to take it all in.

This year I wanted to think about nothing but turning the crank around. Zone-out and forget about dynamic crypto maps over GRE tunnels (work), where my zones were for my heart rate, vacation plans or anything else but just riding… No watch, heart rate monitor or goals beyond not blowing my season of racing or vacation just a week away by a nasty crash. …Simple and obtainable.

I got up at 3am and made it out to the start to pick up my race packet, said “wha'd up” to a few people and before I knew it we were all headed off on the first of many extended climbs. Black Star - I knew the road well and it was good times in the easy gears and conversating with everyone I rode with and a unique feeling of “racing” with a relaxed state of mind. Perfect. The steady glow of lights winding this way and that up the hills could not be captured on camera or explained in my poor writing skills . . . I tried to take it all in with every switchback as I gleamed over the edge around every turn... Beautiful! This is why I am so glad I made it, I thought to myself. With no watch I would be running on RPE (rate of perceived effort) all day and wanted to be comfortable enough to have fun and stick to my “no goals” strategy.

As we climbed, I had all kinds of stuff falling off my bike. My bag under my seat dropped a few times, pump and jacket from my jersey. All perfectly aligned for when I needed a little break and to insure I would have an easy pace on the first few climbs and not get caught up into the “race”. We had clouds all morning that kept us wet and eyes wide as we poked in an out of them on the climbs. At points it was hard to see 10 feet in front of you but it added to the excitement for the day. I really don’t think it could have been a better day to enjoy the trails and we even had some mud from time to time too. SICK!

I could go on and on about my renewed found love of downhill and how it has been so long since I have been on a real single track trail… But let’s just say I was “praisin’ the Lord” on Motorway, the first extended downhill section of the race and don’t know if I will manage to ride my road bike with any zeal for a few months. Mountain biking is AWESOME! For me, bouncing around turns at a speed that is “almost” too fast for your own good is the only way to live more ;-)

Unfortunately, it was over before I knew it and after our first aid station I was back to the grinding climb up Maple springs. Last year I bonked in a strange way up to the peak but this year I really felt like I was just getting started. IPOD playing everything from The Fugees, TriTalk podcasts, Weezer, Techno and bible studies. . . I was lost in the random bliss and enjoying the day plugging away at ease. I needed this more than I thought and my mind was just as free to roam. I feel like Forest Gump in writing this but I thought about life and relationships and how much I am stoked to know the people that I do… Cheesy, but I feel stoked about it and it fueled my riding beyond the race itself. I ended up riding some of the trails at O’Neil after the race because I just loved it and I wanted to keep that mindset going...

Anyways... snapping back to the race, I have now reached the top of Santiago peak. Yeah! I didn’t bother to pump up my tires before the race(lazy, lack of care?) so I had a marshmellow feel that added excitement to the downhill’s. My arms and wrists were not ready for the single track and my balance was off a bit but by the time I got to Holy Jim I was in the zone. Bucket size drops and such a sick trail! I let it go at this point and just felt my way through the trail like a jedi knight! Then I slid out and thought I blew my rim...It looked tweaked but it was actually my rear tire. I somehow managed to peal the tubeless tire right off the rim around some rocks. I may have been sub 25lbs of pressure and should have known...It could have been a show stopper. However, it wasn't and I was SOOO stoked to be able to get it going again without a tube and using only a tiny hand pump! Anyone who has setup a tubeless tire understands how lucky I got to get this going again. I was stoked and after a little rest of the legs and quick action of the arms was back riding again.

All along I felt great and didn’t feel like the fatigue from the training this week or stress from work, lack of sleep or any other excuse I could think of had any effect on me… I started thinking about the Western States race and the endurance it demands. There is a river that the runners cross (most of them in the black of night and after hours of running) and it is so deep that you have to hold onto a rope and pull yourself across. They say this is the point where the "race starts. . .Mile 78. I think I was starting to get the pacing down and riding into Aid #2 I felt like I could make some serious gains.

At the second aid station, Heather hooked me up with some lube, H20 and Cytomax and I was off before I knew it and unfortunately without my "personal" bag drop. Oops...I started counting my calories and I had put down one gu flask, 1 power bar and a few bananas...Cytomax. Way behind. I was still motivated heading up West HorseThief, the last major climb that turns into a hike-a-bike section but somehow started losing my motor skills or something? Bonk? I felt fine but I was just falling all over the place. I would just stop and fall over into a bush. Ha HAA! I must have looked so strange because I was going like 2MPH but I just started losing balance or maybe my low calories were getting to me now that I think about it. I stopped before the hike-a-bike and stretched, ate all the food on me and headed out on foot for the hike.

Hiking last year was awesome. I was running a lot more and passed a few people. This year I was just talking to people and letting them pass when I would slow the pace. Somewhere near the top before we reached the main divide my calories kicked in and I got my second wind... Just in time for the Trabuco Trail!

I think the Trabuco trail has got to be one of the best trails I have ever ridden and got me so pumped I felt like I had a new start by the time I reached the bottom. One final flat/somewhat downhill dirt road left. The road was muddy and I felt ALIVE... Ha ha.. I wanted to ride all day but I was stoked to be done.

The Alma even made it with no hangers getting broken or major problems. I am so proud of my fragile 29er! With all the breaks that it has had recently I am stoked that it always pulls through on races.

I hung out a bit at the finish line...popped some of these pics and talked with some people and then rode over to O'Neil for some El Pollo Loco grub. I needed that. Refueled but still hungry for the trail I took off to ride some of the loops through O'Neil park. It was awesome! So green and not a person around. The rain had the dirt in prime condition and I was back in the zone.

Some of the trails were so grown in I felt like I was already on vacation somewhere else in the world...

Then I realized I better get back because it was Monique's Moms BDAY and I was running behind. I rode to Monique's sisters house but they had already left for the BDAY party so I headed down the street to the Demeis and was so stoked to see Shelley at the door. I got to hang out with them for a bit and it just made me realize how much I miss them... Dennis gave me a ride back to my truck after a bit and I was ready for some BDAY cake and family time.

Much to my surprise I finished at a faster time than last year and much faster than I thought that I was going... I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. I will need to go over my "lessons learned" in another post, but I am stoked that I could have dug deeper but more stoked that I had such a good time again on the trail when I almost sat this one out. What was I thinking! Next year I am planning to do some specific training around VQ (Climbing!) but for now it is time to get out of the country and relax.