Where is that damm soapbox of mine?? Ahh, there it is.
I’m healthy again.
That’s kinda a misnomer if you know anything about my past. I have wrecked my body through climbing and mtb biking in more ways then I have time to list today. And after coming off a broken foot, I have been training again to get back to climbing hard. I’ve been feeling pretty good, actually taking some good climbs again, and then a friend I work with sent me a blog link.
It was to a friend who had a liver transplant from his brother. His brother had given 60% of his liver so that my friend could live. Then his brother died…
Suddenly my stupid, petty little climbing thing didn’t seem that big a deal.
His faith really impressed me. This is a man who knows his brother died because he loved him. He was willing to pay the ultimate price to help his brother, and he did. It reminded me of a story I read often in the Bible. The one about this guy names Jesus who died for people who He didn’t know, but was still willing to pay the ultimate price for.
I am not a religious nut.
I am a man who has seen what God can do in your life when everything falls apart because God was there walking with me through every part of my accident and recovery.
I am just like every other climber I know. I am a dirtbag at heart. And I know that God made me that way for a reason.
Stories like this always put my drive in check for a moment in time; I will stop and look around at things with great clarity.
I remember laying on the hospital bed waiting to go into surgery to cut my leg off, and being able to hear the wind blow in a window down the hall, I could hear the drips in my IV, and the curtains around me moved and rubbed back and forth so loud, I could tell when someone was approaching. That clarity comes very few times in life, and I’ve learned to appreciate the calm before the storm. The one thing I know for absolute is that there will be storms, and the better I have a grasp on the fact that I have no control, the better I do.
I’ll always be driven when I climb, God made me in such a way, that when I am climbing I am happy.
But today, I’ll take one less lap on the boulder, one less lap on the trail, to be at home and spend the time with the people that really do matter.
One of the other things that being so banged up teaches you is that the things I accomplish on rocks pale in comparison to the relationship I have with God and my family.
Those things are the things I want to be remembered for.
And those are the things I think about when I’m outside doing what I love.
Outsideallday.com contributor and all around good buddy Craig DeMartino has starred in a show that will never air. Breakthrough with Tony Robbins on NBC was a summer show that was unfortantely cut after it’s second episode. Craig’s episode was show number 4 and is available above.
As I drive across the windswept flats of southern Wyoming on my way to Salt Lake City, two things are nagging at my mind. The first is why is a no name one legged climber wasting time and money to go to the largest outdoor industry retail show? And the second, why if all I’m doing is sitting still, does my body hurt so much?!
The drive to the show fills my head with things I should be doing once I arrive. I am the guest of Evolv Climbing, they are the shoe company I work with as a climber and I am really excited to see what the booth looks like as well as the whole show. 7.5 hours later I roll into the city and find my way to the convention center. Once inside, I become lost amid the booths and displays. I must look lost, because once I find a friend Ian, he points me in the right direction with a laugh and kick in the butt.
The feeling around the floor of the mammoth center is awesome. Every company I ever heard of is there with the gear and clothing that makes me giddy with happiness.
As I’m hanging out in the booth a bit, getting my bearings, I bump into a guy by the name of Jeremy Collins, he is a very talented climber and illustrator who the year prior had illustrated a piece I did for Rock & Ice. I feel like we are old friends in that we both have a shared strong faith in our lives, as well as trying to balance the climbing and family life we both love. I end the first day late in the afternoon and head out to meet my friend who I will stay with, of course before I leave, I get lost again…I may need to do the bread crumb thing tomorrow.
The second day I meet with companies and work on product sponsorships. Being a photographer, I don’t look for money from companies, which for the most part makes the choice easier for them. I do however need gear to do the things I love, and selling yourself nonstop is tiring and a bit weird. It’s hard to feel like you deserve the things they want to give you, but I feel like together with the companies I like, I can do good then if I try to go it alone.
I also meet with my friend Fitz Cahall who is the creator of The Dirtbag Diaries and The Season. Both showcase his amazing story telling ability and for the up coming Season, he has asked me to be an athlete that he and his partner Brian will profile. Talk about being humbled, I am excited but in the same breath, scared that what I do is really just not that big a deal. Fitz senses my angst, since he begins to tell me that we will work together to make something we are proud of, which relaxes me almost as fast as he says it.
I head back to the booth and finally ask Chris Sharma for a photo, he is sponsored by the same shoe company, but is the best climber by far in the world right now. The cool thing about him is he is so darn humble and nice, the total package, and has been at the forefront of climbing for over 10 years now.
The last day is spent making deals, getting shut down by some and embraced by others. My new friends at Friksn Climbing apparel are super cool, and the team of Evolv just continues to blow me away with the love and support they throw my way.
As I power back up the hill past Park City and enter back into the flats of Wyoming, the first answer seems to be clear for me know. I went to meet people and to see how I would fare in a market of elite companies and athletes. The second question only got cloudier, in fact just an hour into the drive, I was aching and asking the same question over and over…
SCPS#8: Storm the Beach
Race Report by David Lawson, Celo Pacific Photo: David Lawson
The 2009-10 Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross presented by Shimano is now officially half way through the season with stop number eight at Celo Pacific’s Storm the Beach Cyclocross in Oceanside, CA. Over two hundred racers came out to play in the sun, sand, and surf – and it seems that everybody had a great time. The course was a dichotomous balance of high speed and slow motion racing. Hard packed fire roads and a long, firm beach section saw speeds approaching those of your local criterium. These were punctuated by steep bluff-side climbs, a barely rideable sand-pit, and two deep sand runs. The bluff-top expo area which overlooked all the technical portions of the course gave the spectators a dilemma of whether to watch the riveting race action or gaze out at a stunning ocean view. After their races, appreciative riders took advantage of the bike washing station provided by Nomad Portable Power Cleaners to get that grinding noise out of their drivetrains. Other highlights of the day included SoCal’s youngest ‘crossers competing in the Clif Bar kids race; the “Please Pre-register” raffle for a pair of Revolution Wheelworks Rev-25x wheels won by Kermit McGovern; and an historic moment in SoCal cyclocross racing with Brent Prenzlow taking his 100th career Elite win. Now on to the racing action…
The juniors were first up and carving lines in the fresh sand. Tori Baldewin, Team Velocity’s up-and-coming racing star led the 10-14 Junior women’s race smiling as always along the way! In a hotly contested Junior 10-14 Men’s race…newcomer Quinten KIrby took the win! The warm SoCal sunshine brought in racers from as far away as Sacramento and New Mexico including National Masters Champion Tove Shere, (Nat’ls Project) in town visiting friend Renee Milton, made a powerful showing to win the Masters Women’s 35+ race (3 of the top 4 ladies were over 50! Go fast ladies!) with Milton finishing in a respectable 6th place in her first ever ‘cross race! Both had so much fun, they duked it out again in the Women’s Elite race! Jon Miller (Rock N Road) “aka Wave Dogg” surfed his way through sand to a smooth victory as the donimant series leader in the 55+ men’s race. Johnny O’Mara continues his winning ways in the 45+ Men’s race… winning two in a row with hid debut at Spooky Cross this season. Host club and Best Team Competition Leaders Celo Pacific took victories in starting with the Yourth-Jameson Campaigne, Ben Jones (SS 1/2/3), James Walsh (Men 3/4) and Brent Prenzlow (1/2/3) races. Mike McMahon (Velocity) returns to form with a close but powerful victory in the 35+ 1/2/3 race between 6 riders and coming down to the final lap uphill sprint finish.
Just as with every field on the day, a wicked fast start initiated the Women’s Elite race across the course’s long, hardpack dirt sections. The pack was led out by Tonya Bray (YOR Health/MTBChick.com) and followed closely by Megan Elliott (Black Mountain), Dorothy Wong (SoCalCross-CICLE) Lana Atchley (unattached) and Emily Katchorik (Beer). Once the race hit the sand, Megan Elliott (Black Mountain) and Dorothy Wong (SoCalCross-CICLE) attacked. Then taking advantage of their strong road backgrounds, the pair worked together and increased their lead on the hard packed fire roads. Megan proved to be the stronger rider and surged on the finish hill with two laps to go, opening a gap on Wong. Elliot kept the tempo high and maintained her lead to the finish. In the end it was Elliott, Wong and Lana Atchley (also a strong road and track rider) on the blocks with Tonya Bray and Emily Katchorik rounding out the top five.
In the Elite Men’s race, presented by Hoover and Nebrig, the action started out fast and furious through the dirt fire roads and resembled a (dirt) road race as the pack stuck together taking advantage of the draft. The early pace was driven by Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L), Brandon Gritters (Rock n Road), Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air), John Bailey and John Behrens (Bailey Bikes). It was the deep sand sections, however, that would prove to be decisive. On the third lap, as the eight-strong lead pack wended its way through the sand, Prenzlow and Taberlay threw down the wattage and opened a gap. The two collaborated on the fast fire roads, but once on the beach Prenzlow made an acceleration into the B&L Bikes sand run and forged into the lead, leaving Taberlay in his wake. Prenzlow threw everything into this move and, upon re-emerging onto the beach from the fire roads on the next lap, Taberlay was nowhere in sight and would eventually slip back to the chase group. The last three laps saw Prenzlow increase his lead while the battle for second place remained close despite several riders being taken out of contention by flats including Kyle Gritters (Rock n Road) and John Bailey. Finally on the last lap, Prenzlow used the massive lead he had built up to savor taking his 100th career Elite win on his home course and in front of a home crowd: beaming a huge smile, high fiving the crowd, and dismounting to finish in classic cyclcocross style. The sprint for second resembled a tractor pull with rooster tails of sand being thrown up by the lead group of riders as they careened through the sand pit under full power. Taberlay held off a hard charging John Behrens with Gary Douville (Platinum Performance) and Fritz Bottger (PAA/Sixtumed) just behind.
Photo: David Lawson
Photo: Eric Colton
I came across an interesting statistic this week. Celo Pacific’s own ace cyclocrosser, Brent Prenzlow, has 99 ELITE level cyclocross wins (does not include Masters or other races prior to reaching the Elite level). He will compete this Sunday at Storm the Beach, his “home” course, with the opportunity to reach the 100 Elite win milestone.
I want to take this opportunity to mention something just as remarkable about Brent, who as many of you know, is a relatively soft-spoken, humble guy. The time & energy he spends unselfishly volunteering for the club is off the charts. From website design and updates, building our cross courses, bringing in sponsors, to mentoring our amateur racers, he gives up countless hours of time he otherwise could be out doing something else…like training!
A little more on his bio: He has spent 15 seasons of hard work and dedication to cyclocross – almost all of it with Celo Pacific. He’s proud of his accomplishments, but never overly confident. With 100 wins just on the horizon, his goals don’t stop there…”The one thing missing from my resume is a national jersey. I need to take care of that,” he says.
I know he’d love to get the big win this weekend. This weekend brings Storm the Beach in Oceaside, California on his home course, in front of his team, family, and friends but we all know you can’t predict what will happen in a cyclocross race, or who will show up on good form. I assure you Brent will give 100% and we will all hope for the best. Please come on out and cheer him on. Prenzlow’s most recent win, Spooky Cross
Picture: Kreative Shots
If you’ve ever found yourself in San Luis Obispo, CA on the first Thursday of the month, you’re likely to have run into a motley crew of bikers overtaking the streets of the sleepy college town. A local filmmaker and Cal Poly grad has recently finished shooting a documentary about these “Bike Happenings.” For those of us who’ve experienced this and for those who plan to, this looks like a movie that is definitely worth seeing. Check out the trailer.
I came across this video today about biking in DC. It was made and submitted in response to the Project Report competition, which is a partnership between Youtube and Pulitzer that goes about telling different stories. This video was submitted for Round 2 of the competition, that being it was for telling the story of a local issue that also reaches into a more global realm.
“A Virtuous Cycle: Bicycling in DC” examines how Washington, DC is incorporating bicycling into its transportation infrastructure. Much like cities across the world, DC is feeling the effects of years of dependence on cars: pollution, congestion, obesity. This documentary takes a look at why DC sees bicycles as part of the solution to some of these issues and what challenges it is facing with the increased popularity of biking.
A Virtuous Cycle: Bicycling in DC
Smartbike has been rolled out in the District, and I have seen quite a few people on these bikes. I just hope that the local biking associations are doing all they can to protect riders by lobbying for new bike paths, etc, because I for one have had plenty of close calls.
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
