Leaving It Better, LLC has a Facebook page!

Folks:

Our Facebook page has been up for a couple of months now. I hope you'll drop by to take a look: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leaving-It-Better/254114395879?ref=sgm
If you like what you see just click the thumbs-up "like" button. The purpose of the page is to provide information, commentary, and discussion on matters of personal finance, small-business, investing, and economic and world affairs. Come by and take a peek. Weigh in on an existing post or jump right in and start your own topic if you like.

I also provide "economic humor for today" on my personal page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leaving-It-Better/254114395879?ref=sgm#!/jlinroth if you'd like to have fun or make fun of "the dismal science" of economics. I hope you'll decide to click "add as friend" if you want to see the daily humor.

Don't forget our website at www.leavingitbetter.com It'll be getting a complete makeover later this summer.

Best,
Jeff

BSV Ambassador award coming up again this fall!

I really enjoyed seeing so many blue sky folks and munching on the great food last night at Abbondanza Pizzeria! Thanks to Bob Goff and his great staff.

For those who missed it, I made a short "reminder" speech about the Blue Sky Velo "Ambassador Award" that Leaving It Better, LLC sponsors. Last year's winner, Dan Kapsak, recently entered the Buffalo Classic for free as part of his prize package.

As the summer rolls on please contemplate which BSV member(s) is/are demonstrating "Building Community Through Cycling" in 2010. I'm sure the selection committee for this award will be accepting nominations sometime before November so please help them decide who should receive this recognition this year. I very much look forward to November when I'll get the winner's name etched on the traveling trophy and present another prize package!

Enthusiastically,
Jeff

Sunday June 27 B-Z ride

Eighteen riders turned out at the Corner Coffee Bar on Sunday for the first Blue Sky B-Z ride.




A short rest stop in Lyons. Some went on to Jamestown from here, the rest returned to Longmont.


Home stretch around McIntosh Lake:


Most of us were back in just under two hours for a distance of about 28 miles. Next B-Z ride will go a little longer and will likely be on the last Sunday in the month of July. C'mon out.

Thanks to Paul McCarthy for putting this together!

T'was a B-ride Kind of Day!

T’was a B-ride kind of day

I knew this day would come. I just didn’t know when. At 9 a.m. yesterday, I realized “. yes today is it. Today is the day I will head out for my first BSV group ride of the season!”

Okay, in reality it played out a little more like this: Like a lot of other cyclists, I spent much of the winter inside on a trainer. With the recent warm weather, it has been great to get out on the roads again. However, I’ve still been putting in the miles by myself and I was getting more than a little tired of it. Then I had a foggy revelation that hey…I belong to a cycling club,…..we have group rides on the weekends……where people….uh…ride with other people (what a concept)…..hmmmmm, …maybe I should consider joining the B group ride!.

Turns out that a few other BSV members were thinking the same thing (kinda, sort of). Melissa C. sent out an email to the club announcing that she was coming out for her 2^nd ride of the season and would love to have some company. "I was really psyched to go for a group ride. It has been harder to go on group rides or to ride as much as I used to since Connor was born. I was really looking forward to a great workout, beautiful weather and socializing with my club-mates.”

Melissa’s email put me from “maybe I should”….to “yeah, I really should”.

Michelle V. and Kayla T. were at the Corner Coffee Bar as well. Michelle said she “came out for the B-ride with the goal of a long, slow ride to keep building up some base miles. Kayla and I agreed to meet at the coffee shop at 10 so we could do what we love (ride) and catch-up. Weekend group rides allow me to bike with friends I don't usually get to see during the week.”

Turned out we all had a fabulous time. We rode up to Lyons, hit the fruit loops, had great conversation, nice easy pace and were super glad to be out there!

Michelle said that she “ loved that we all (the A and B riders) started out together and I got to chat with folks like Kevin, Bill, Steve, Brad, Jose.”.

Melissa, ever the optimist added “ ….as I anticipated, it was awesome! I came home with a 'riding high' that lasted for most of the day, until I got tired from the sun and exercise. :) I am definitely looking forward to my next B ride."

Me too, Melissa. ….me too!

Bobcat Ridge and Blue Sky Trail

Kevin VP was heading up North to ride the Bobcat Ridge and Bluesky trails Saturday and graciously let me tag along. Once I got the bleeding stopped after craking my head open on the chop saw in the garage, we were off for a fabulous day of riding. Cool part was that there was no wind really up there, even though at my house it was howling, making it difficult just to put the bikes on the roof. Some pics of the day...

Kevin tearin up the hill on the valley loop just before the climbing starts on the Ginny Trail

Here we are about a 1/3 of the way up the main climb on the Ginny Trail. Nice view to the South and great temps. The fence keeps folks from short cutting an old road bed.

A quick cleat adjustment and we were back to riding. You can see the nice tight single track and the best thing is that its mixed up with challenging rock sections and log bridges--in many places two options to take, one tough, one easier. Some narrow, some wider. some drops, some tight places where as I say it, you play pinball with the bike and your pedals! The trail was build very well and is extremely well maintained. Keep that Fruita style lean yielding going and we will keep this trail single! This trail is only about 2 years old now and I recommend pads if you want to try some of the features with all of the rock stuff!

Headed over to Bluesky Trail out of Horsetooth area after Bobcat to meet up with Kevin's brother. Again, sweet single track and nice n dry! We rode out to Coyote Ridge and Indian summer area.
Looking back to Horsetooth here as we soaked up the singletrack. Overall we got a nice 1700 feet of climbing in and about 16 miles of fun and play! Thanks again Kevin! I love that place.

Freaky Full Suspension Flagstaff Friday

Say that five times fast. Yep, the wind was blowing but I decided to break out the Maverick and head up Flagstaff anyway just before I left Boulder. We had a great Night last night, so figured might as well see how far my luck would go! The light was nice again but my little p/s camera did not do as well as the Night Ride pics.

I turned the corner past the Flag Staff Restaurant and this guy was up ahead on his slicks. He saw me on the next turn and it lit a fire under him--he stayed ahead of me until just around this corner as the road steepens to the amphitheater turn off and I was able to pass him...he was shocked to see the mountain bike in tow! To his credit I turned to head up to the amphitheater (still gated) and he went on up towards the green mtn TH. I am not quite ready for that next super steep section yet!

You can see the road is still not thawed completely!

Real happy to be just at the top! Bundled up real good and then dropped the hammer back down to Cu campus. Its nice to get 12.5 miles, 1500 feet of climbing on your MTB all in 1:12. Not dirt, but still fun with excellent views and fun twisty descending. I like doing this climb Friday because the road is empty. Plenty of sand still so watch your tracks! I got off into the shoulder on the climb and almost went down even with the knobbies. Maybe we can get a regular group together for this each week?

Teller Farm Thursday Ride 4.1.10

Headed out again for yet another Thursday evening. Four of us tonight (Toby, David H, Justin, and myself) and super weird weather. Snowing in Longmont, Snowing in South Boulder, building shaking winds off of Araphoe, but we had the big blue hole and almost no wind! The light was amazing too, even my broken little camera captured a bit of the action.
Headed out to the Cottonwood trail to start the adventure out.

The sky was ominous towards Longmont....we did all throw in the parka just in case!

But then you turn South and it looked a lot better!
Justin rockin the cross bike on the ride. That cloud on the left hand side sure was strange looking!

The light got real nice and I kept wishing for my bigger camera.

Toby with that "you paying attention to the trail look?"

David heading East again just after we reached the out and back. The fields were just lit up here.

Plenty of different colors all ride. Kept the views amazing.

Here Justin and David hammering out the last climb to the water tower. We put on some warmer clothes and then dropped back to the King Soopers with a short adventure through the neighborhood instead of the trails back...the lights had to come out for the last 2 miles and we ended up with just about 20 miles again. Not long now before we can leave the lights at home. Next week Heil Ranch and then Left Hand Trail--see you then.