The time for Epic rides has begun...

It has been a strange (read: typical for Colorado) weather season for spring around here. I feel like the winter riding was almost better for the working man who likes to ride bikes. I think that Summer is finally here and with that comes the epic, all-day bike rides that a select few of my friends have come to know and love.

Matt (The Bagel) is on injured reserve, so I am having trouble finding someone who is as willing to do giant rides on a moments notice. I got busy texting my potential candidates for riding partner and here's how it went: Russ- on the way to Italy, Daniel-racing somewhere, Kalan-racing at the Teva Mountain games (he got 11th in the Pros!),  Greg-riding moto, Kelli -racing at the Teva games (she got 2nd in the Pros!). Matt (Simmmmeeee)- a go!

Here is a pic of Simmmeee taking a pic of me:

Here is a pic of the ride profile (which may expain why it's hard to find riding partners):

And here is an account of the ride from Simmeeee's perspective: http://twowheeledworld.com/the-bonk-heard-round-the-world/

It's going to be another Epic Summer!

Fun with my GoPro HD

I recently picked up a LCD bacpac for my helmet-cam. Of course, I was at work so I decided to film a typical test ride after building a customer's bike. It took me about 10 minutes to film and an hour to edit. I posted it on Facebook so if you saw it there, nothing new here!
For some reason, it is one of my favorite videos and I laugh every time I watch it. Enjoy!

2011 12 Hours of Mesa Verde

I keep telling people that I am retired from mountain bike racing...then I keep finding fun races to do. This one is at the top of the list. Phil's World in Cortez Colorado, is one of the best places I have ridden a mountain bike!

Russ and I did the race last year as a Duo and we both decided to NOT do that again. So over the winter I hatched a plan....put a four man team together containing a few of the old school crew and call it team "Legends Packfill". This year's "Legends" team contained Ned Overend, Dave Wiens, Travis Brown and Daryl Price. Our team had myself, Russ, Wade and Todd Wilderman. At least three of us were packfill for those guys in the 80's and 90's!

Of course being an ex-racer, I had set some little goals to keep me motivated all winter. One was to beat my best lap time last year and hopefully get a 1:20 lap. Another was to beat the lap time of at least one Legend. Pulled it off. I did a 1:20 and change my first lap and beat Daryl Price on both my laps! Of course, Daryl probably didn't even ride much and was still pulling decent times. He could train for 2 weeks, like Wiens did, and crush me just like the old days!

Had to steal this shot from the photo website. Throwning down some style in my non-descript jersey.

The team decided that Wade should start us off. It was a "Lemans" style start which meant a 300 yard dash in cycling shoes. I did it last year and vowed to avoid it at all costs. Wade was always good at starting fast (still is) and would put us in a great position for the rest of the race.

I swear Wade looks like a gun-fighter ready to draw. We picked the right man for the job!

Here is a quick video of the running start and subsequent chaos:

Lemans start of the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde mountain bike race from Alan Keeffe on Vimeo.

Wade's daughter Sage was also there with her team, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Devo Sweet Elite. She already has a closet full of National Champion jerseys and proved she is the future star by setting the fastest lap by a woman (and all but the fastest men) of 1:15!

Here is Sage with two of her heroes, Susan DiBiase and Susan Demattei (of the Women's Legends team):

One of Sage's teammates is Colton Anderson and he came into the start/finish in first place at 1:09 with Travis Brown a few seconds behind. I thought I heard Travis saying something to the effect of "he tore my legs off on that first lap". I think the future stars of the sport are making themselves known! Here is Colton leading the fastest of the fast (including my buddy Daniel Matheny in the second Honey Stinger kit):

As it turns out, a four man team is the way to go for maximum fun. We placed 24th overall out of over 500 teams. And we were 11th place in our category (Legends got 3rd). The top 5 in our 3-4 man category were also the top 5 overall so I feel like we did pretty good for a bunch of 45+ year olds.

I'm already looking forward to next year and hope to bring more friends so they can be part of the fun!

Arizona trip

Just got back from Scottsdale with a bunch of pics, videos and memories.

After 12 hours in the car, we took a walk around the neighborhood where my Dad had rented a house.

The next day we headed to the McDowell Mountain Sonoran Preserve for a hike and a bit of re-con for my mountain bike rides.

The next three days were filled with fun desert mountain riding.

On Wednesday, I did a big ride over to the McDowell regional park where they had the last Cactus Cup mountain bike race. They have specific directional "competitive loops" laid out as well as a fun pump track (no pedaling around a small course with big banked turns and roller jumps).

This is the top of Windgate pass looking toward Scottsdale. Elevation is over 3000' and the climbing up the west side is brutal at times.

That saddle is the top of Windgate pass as seen from the McDowell regional park side.

Who says you can't get some good elevation gain in the desert?

I recommend a "knees in" cornering style. There will also be a stiff penalty for over-shooting corners!

We spent a lot of time relaxing. It's a dog's life.

On the last day of the trip, I had scheduled a tattoo appointment with Cory Lenherr. He is well versed in the Traditional American style of tattooing. I had been saving a Sailor Jerry piece of flash for just such an occasion. Thanks, Cory!

One night after a long ride, I was sitting around thinking about some music for my next video. My Dad suggested "Cool Water" by The Sons of the Pioneers. Sorry Dad, but that was a little slow for a mountain bike video. I chose "Low Desert Punk" by Brant Bjork. Enjoy:


Fun in the Az sun! from Alan Keeffe on Vimeo.

Lunch Ride Goodness

This winter has been pretty kind to the Colorado Springs area. As a result of that, along with the fact that work is always slower in the winter, I get to do a lot of lunch rides.

One of the best places to ride mountain bikes in the Springs is Palmer Park. I have been riding there for 25 years and I still look forward to going back. It is that cool!

I am also very lucky to be friends with many of the local riders who are still racing at the Elite level of Mountain bike (and Road bike) competition and are available to ride in the middle of the day when most other people are limited to a one hour break. Riding in Palmer Park with a bunch of Elite riders is so much fun that I try to go as fast as I can and am usually totally worthless at work for the rest of the day. It's worth it!

Here is a little video that I made with two different rides combined into one. The second ride had me following my friend Kelli, who happens to also be at work while we are riding. Lucky.


A lunch ride to Palmer Park from Alan Keeffe on Vimeo.

There's a little black spot on the sun today..

Haven't blogged much lately, what with all of the holiday happenings. We finally got snow in the Springs area and that means the trails are not so fine. It also means that Lake Pueblo State Park is back on the radar. Here is a little video clip from a recent ride there:

cuatro cinco from Alan Keeffe on Vimeo.

Notice the little black spot on the sun.

Oh, I upgraded the brakes on the Trance to the new Shimano XTR Trail. Wow. They are so powerful that I had to reduce the size of the brake rotors. Testing is still in progress....

And, I don't want to sound like an info-mercial but I just got a Vitamix blender and it is awesome. I recommend it for someone who wants to eat healthy foods but is too lazy to make huge meals. I drink more emulsified fruits and veggies than ever before!

Another winter-time favorite is the Manitou Incline hike. Cindy and I are back on the "every Sunday" schedule. Here is a pic from a past hike:

Feel the burn! Hahaha. Ow, cramp!

A gift from La Nina

This time last year, I had already hit the trainer a few times and made a few trips to Pueblo for some dry riding conditions. This year has been a bit....different. There has been very little snow on the Colorado front range but the mountains have been getting a good amount. I keep thinking that every snow-free ride will be my last. So I just keep on  riding with a smile on my face.

Matt the Bagel and I met at Cheyenne Mountain State Park yesterday for a fun ride with my video camera. I edited the video and then added some helmet-cam footage from a warmer time...


Cheyenne Mtn. State Park footage from Alan Keeffe on Vimeo.

The forecast looks dry. Lunch ride, anyone?