11a Leadville 100 update

Diana just arrived. Alina's loving jumping on the bed! skies cloudy, but not any rain or snow here. snow frosted on the mountains.

 
 
 
 

early hours of :L100

at 4a this morning for the race start, it was 39 degrees with a steady drizzle. it's about 8:30a now, and the skies are socked in gray, and it's been raining steadily with thunder all morning. Probably about the worst weather day all summer, and it coincides with the big race. I hope Helen has enough clothes; I'm pretty sure she does. We won't see her until about 2p this afternoon, when we drive Kate out to Winfield at the 50mi mark.

Helen's big one - Leadville 100

Here we are again in Leadville for Helen's big race. Start time is only about 7hrs away. Pretty violent storms over Breck and the mountains today, including large hail and lightning. The mountains west and south of Leadville, including the course's highpoint, intimidating Hope Pass at 12,600', all were cloaked in thick dark clouds as we drove through town earlier during a light rain. Hopefully the worst of it was today and tomorrow brings better weather. If not, no worries. Helen is proven in bad weather, and she logs more miles in blizzard conditions than anyone else I know in the entire ultrarunning community. Rain and/or snow will just make it worse for those who aren't prepared, but that certainly won't be Helen.

Anyone reading this over the weekend, wish Helen lots of great thoughts and positive energy. She is aiming for 22hr30min time, about an hour off of last year's 4th place time of 23hr35min. Diana, Kate & Katie are all coming up to help pace Helen during the last 50 miles. Pretty much from 3p onward, leaving from Winfield up and over Hope Pass for the 2nd time of the day.

T- 7hr14min

Sitting in the Leadville Super 8. More pics from the road over the next marathon 24hrs.

sent via Treo by AT&T

Sugar Daddy

i saw one on display at the supermarket, and ALMOST broke down and bought one. Then I remembered how they stuck to my teeth, but mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, caramel.

Dennis descending Westridge

Click to Play

sent via Treo by AT&T

Dyersville

sent via Treo by AT&T

Colorado Trail

got up at 4:30 this morning so I could get out the door at 5a, and over at the dredge by twilight for a long ride on some more classic trails. Dennis, Scott and I rode from Horseshoe Gulch and then up Blair Witch to Hayes to the Soda Creek loop. Scott continues on home while Dennis and I climbed up the switchbacks on the way up Westridge. 24 great miles of singletrack, in just under 3 hrs of riding. Passing through the Keystone Ranch area, we saw a big herd of elk, over 23 total. Easily my wildlife highlight of the summer. Hearing their breath and steps across the meadow is quite impressive.

Wheeler Trail

a few pics from the Copper side.

 
 
 

Wheeler Trail

last Saturday I got out at the crack of dawn to ride up to Wheeler Trail and over the pass. epic high alpine ride. a true summit county classic.

 
 
 
 

backpack

Alina says she's going for a run...

 
 

dog days

back in most parts of the country, early August is kinda considered the dog days of summer. the hottest time of the year. Up in Breck at almost 10,000', we cherish the 2-3 weeks each summer during which the temps are over 80. Those weeks were late June and early to mid July. Now that the monsoonal weather pattern has settled down here the last 7-10 days, the daily clouds and rains have kept things pretty cool. Only rough part is trying to do something outside after work. Early am is the sure bet. Our weekly Thursday night ride was rained out. Bummer. Looks like all work and no play for me today. But tomorrow morning I'm looking for a big one, 5:30-10a. Maybe I'll get in over 3hrs saddle time, maybe not. Depends on the crew.

Madison Haser

Sorry Helen, I don't know her middle name...

sent via Treo by AT&T

one of my niece's hands

I've always been fascinated by these kinds of pics, clearly showing how small and beautiful a newborn's hand can be.

wknd recap

Helen won her Mountain RATS stage race up in Steamboat! 75mi of trail and dirt road running over the course of 3 nights and 4 days. And I proved that Helen doesn't do ALL of the work with Alina. Mary was a great help as always, staying over with us Friday night and into Saturday morning. When she left, Alina was a little bit sad, but luckily didn't dwell on it for long. After all, she was going to Bella's 3rd b-day part, a princess party. Alina is in the lower left with the yellow hat on.



An all-gal, 3-yr-old princess party! Pretty cool. Cake and ice cream and juice and snacks for all! We made necklaces and magic wands too!

Saturday morning I left the house at 5:20a and rode through a very dark town to get up on the ski area. Saw an incredible sunrise from the Peak 9 service road, and then about 1hr20min after I left the house, I was 2,800' higher and up on 12,400' Wheeler Pass. What a great place up there! Picture dump to come soon, maybe even tonight! Spruce Creek and Burro Trail yesterday.

race 12 re-cap, Peaks Trail TT

This past Wednesday, I was treated to another treat, racing on the Peaks Trail in the downhill direction, from Breck to Frisco. In the other direction, I rode a 44min race last year. So I thought I might be able to come in under 30min this other direction. Legs felt great Tuesday eve for my openings, but Wednesday after work they weren't feeling too snappy, and I didn't get the 45min warm-up that I had envisioned. Out the start I rode smart, but bobbled badly in one of the rock gardens. The rest of the race was good, except for the section of trail running alongside the meadow, where there were lots of muddy sections. I should have just chugged through them all, instead I picked my way around some sections (not sure why, it's a freakin' TT), and lost at least 15-20 seconds there. The last 4 miles were a high-speed, smiling blur. Finished strong, but lost to Overstreet by 18 seconds! 2nd place again, and 1st loser again. ouch. 30min25 sec was close to my goal, but still a good performance.

Mountain R.A.T.S.

Helen's off on this insane four-day ultrarunning stage race. Carrying about an 18lb pack with all of her food and most gear for 3 nights in the woods. Hopefully the weight of the pack will force her to eat a lot and often to lighten the load on her pack, not to mention the fuel and recovery needed for running 8 miles this afternoon, 25mi tomorrow, 25mi Saturday, and another 18mi on Sunday. Ouch. Good luck Helen! Alina and I are spending some quality time together (eating ice cream).

sleeping babies

thanks Steve!


Maddie & Izzy from Steve Cospolich on Vimeo.

view

I'll never get tired of this...

sent via Treo by AT&T

36 today

ummm, not too bad. still am plenty active. it will be great when I have to struggle to catch Alina on the slopes & trails. that may be a while, but it will still be great.

more baby pics

Not sure how to yet tell them apart, but they're my nieces! Guess mother nature is quickly making up for the fact that my mom had 3 boys. Well she has plenty of little girls around now to call her Granny. Alina already loves looking at their pics. Can't wait to visit Dallas and see them.

I saw a lynx today, but unfortunately...

it was in its last moments of life. I drove to Frisco around 7:45a to get my oil changed and tires rotated. Just as I passed the rec path before the Agape Church, I saw what I swore was a lynx off on the shoulder. It looked like it had been hit by a car. I called Helen and told her about it, saying I wasn't sure it was a lynx but pretty damn sure. It had big white tufts of hair on its pointy ears, and big feet.

Well, sure enough. I just read tomorrow's version of the SDN, and they have an article on it here. I borrowed the below pic too, courtesy of one of Susan Fairweather, one of the many good samaritans on site. Poor guy or girl was struck by a vehicle as it tried to cross Hwy 9. And the article goes on to say some pricks were yelling at the people who were trying to direct traffic and help it out.

peace, and babies

babies Cospolich

Madeline & Isabelle. I can't tell them apart, and I don't know their full names...but these are first pics from Steve. how adorable, like peas in a pod!

welcome Madeline and Isabelle

Steve called a while back to say everything went well, and that everyone (4, that's right, 4 people now) is doing well. I think he said Madeline was 6lb2oz, and Isabelle 5lb5oz. I will confirm spellings with weights when he posts some pictures soon. Will they be impossible to tell apart, at least for me (Uncle Jeff now)?

Congrats Steve & Rose! You are beginning a new chapter in your lives, times two!

156

race weight is what I like to call it. I was about 166 the first week in April. So two months of riding my bikes about 10hrs a week has shed off 9 pounds. And I still eat lots of dessert and ice cream, just like Alina!

new Cospolich-es

Steve is in the hospital now with Rose. C-section should be underway as I write this! cool to know they're bringing 2 baby girls into the world today. and cousins for Alina, and call me Uncle Jeff! super exciting.

Aspen Tunnel singletrack

Click to Play

Gotta get my real helmet cam mounted soon. Tired of shaky video at poor resolution, making me ride one-handed. Soon my friends, soon. From a high temperature and growth perspective, it is full-on mid-summer and lush, even with no rain. sent via Treo by AT&T

Dropping in

From the top of the mine on the lower section of Aspen Tunnel trail. Another day of threatening skies...but no precipitation whatsoever.

sent via Treo by AT&T

le Tour

woke up around 5:30a to watch some of the great stage 16 action in the alps. They were mid stage, on the ascent up the Col de Lombarde. What an incredibly beautiful climb. About as wide as a bike path, lush green forest, towering jagged rocky mountains above. 222km climb. That's a huff. Then they have another giant climb...the climb to the Cime de la Bonette averages 6.2 percent for a daunting 26.7km — and the most difficult part is at the top. The final 9km average 9 percent, with the maximum grade of 10.2 percent continuing for a whole kilometer. From the 9,193-foot summit (the highest in France), the survivors can look forward to a rapid 22km downhill on a recently resurfaced road to Jausiers (population 1,100) and 1.5km of valley roads before the finish line. Can't wait to see the action unfold tonight, thanks to DVR. I don't care for the prime time broadcast format nearly as much.

a few more from the kids' museum in Rochester

DIA

while waiting with our luggage while Helen was talking to United about our lost childseat, I snapped a couple of quick pics of this gargoyle coming out of a suitcase.

Rochester trip

Thanks to Bill & Mary, a quick weekend trip to Rochester to see Helen's cousin Sara's wedding. Mike and she were married in a beautiful church at a divinity school in the Ithaca College. No pics at the wedding, knowing I'd have my hands full with Alina. But here are some pics from our visit to the children's museum.

O'Hare

Waiting to hop on a 767 to fly back to Denver. Pretty nice waiting area at the gate. Flat screen tvs show standby and upgrade passengers, flight info, etc.

sent via Treo by AT&T

atari

sent via Treo by AT&T

Waiting...

At O'Hare...on a small plane trying to get to Rochester. Flight from Denver to Chicago delayed by almost an hour. O'Hare seems to be a mess now. Not sure why, but most all traffic in and out is delayed. Weather doesn't seem bad. Alina and Helen are 2 rows behind me. This little jet only has 2 seats on each side of the aisle.

sent via Treo by AT&T

Carter Park swings

Click to Play

sent via Treo by AT&T

Peaks Trail TT, downhill direction to Frisco from Breck

I'm already salivating over this one. Definitely going to bring my big bike for this course, with it's overall downhill course profile, littered with roots and rocks. Next time I ride the Scott hardtail...might not be til mid August.

race #11, Swan River Rampage

was one of my better races of the season, coming in 2nd. Tough road climb to start, but the singletrack on the CO Trail is unbelievable, that made forgetting the pain that much easier. I don’t think I spent too much energy early. I wasn’t warmed up, felt like shit. For some reason, the initial road killed me. But I didn’t panic, and rode into the race well once on the CT. No mistakes at all on the first section, passed a few bumblin'-stumblin' fools, didn’t spend much energy, it was still kinda tight with racers. Then on Westridge I felt awesome. On Sudayn I rode up the Westridge climb on my 5.5 in middle ring the whole way, after having already ridden 21+mi earlier int he morning via Great Flume, GA Pass and the south fork section of the CT. So in the race I told myself having a 5lb lighter hardtail should enable me to ride a couple gears bigger. I rode 3rd cog & middle ring and passed so many guys. I'd guess at least 15 people in my class. It was a rare good moment this year. The end, I don’t know, empty tank? Zeke is strong, I was riding his wheel, then he left me with about 1/4mi left, but only by about 50yds. never could close the gap. But I held off the 3rd place guy too. Fun stuff. Results are by no means super important, but they're nice when they come around.

Westridge

The joy of racing on the legendary Colorado Trail, especially the high-speed roller coaster sections descending from Westridge, will be mine tonight! Almost 5mi of continuous, delicious descent through a dense forest, mixed in with some cool switchbacks and peppered with a few small rises. Super high-speed. Summit Mountain Challenge race #4 tonight!

Dealoco

my younger brother Steve was interviewed by a Dallas news station about the deal aggregator website he and his college friends created. Pretty cool to be interviewed by a big news station. Way to go Steve!
Here's the article
Here's the video (requires Flash player)

single vs. multiple exposure

can you tell which one was single exposure, and which was image blending (HDR/multiple exposure)?