tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57441197307220088672024-02-19T06:14:24.188-08:00Jeremy RodgersJeremy Rodgers US Canoe and Kayak Team
Boulder,ColoradoKayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-22578567482450389982016-12-23T23:37:00.004-08:002017-12-29T00:10:41.607-08:002015 World of Adventure Kayaking Expedition with World Champion Adventure Racer Ian Adamson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJhRlrBj4_PnwAdDqfu16Xi2u-xa8ci0jDNU5nWQXeUEU6x8DWXUeCrLWzWGiirnHVrqcByLUSOjpXKcpv-wenPTXJyQYe9sawJZx0fK6HisN2E-NFs1Bod8KT5mxwWp3W91RWjBmA6Y/s1600/11902883_10153671912048083_927081716846046278_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJhRlrBj4_PnwAdDqfu16Xi2u-xa8ci0jDNU5nWQXeUEU6x8DWXUeCrLWzWGiirnHVrqcByLUSOjpXKcpv-wenPTXJyQYe9sawJZx0fK6HisN2E-NFs1Bod8KT5mxwWp3W91RWjBmA6Y/s400/11902883_10153671912048083_927081716846046278_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adMUSDnjM4&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzv9zR8Xg1AY53dPLaZUz4KE5Zrmz2h-J1XX4cWHGHweIl-quV_uKPTLn3hmqLjTneW1r1oQAGuhsEKetAqHg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adMUSDnjM4&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">2015 World of Adventure Downeast Kayaking Expedition </a><br />
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A team led by 7 X Adventure Race World Champion and Guinness Book World
Record Holder Ian Adamson and Jeremy Rodgers set off via kayak from the town of St. Andrews
on Passamaquoddy Bay into the Bay of Fundy, past the Bold Coast &
Downeast Maine, and through the Penobscot Bay archipelago. In these
extraordinary surroundings they come to enjoy not just the adventure but
also the true spirit of teamwork.<br />
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Join NBC's World of Adventure showcasing this Canada to New England expedition of epic proportions!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLyt3QG00O-4mQeVSP_i_6dMzq8NRyogawXEvQjM6AXRoLMrrtTskTy9943hDvjSsAkClVzzGN8GAa5zo85-nDQgpyojOkq5PajAz67nnAx7Uhx9f2mMpdwHtrPKVUkllsdMhdAr3cB0/s1600/15622092_10158051709400171_2644606619520841451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLyt3QG00O-4mQeVSP_i_6dMzq8NRyogawXEvQjM6AXRoLMrrtTskTy9943hDvjSsAkClVzzGN8GAa5zo85-nDQgpyojOkq5PajAz67nnAx7Uhx9f2mMpdwHtrPKVUkllsdMhdAr3cB0/s200/15622092_10158051709400171_2644606619520841451_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<br />Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-60866754187605403882014-06-08T19:22:00.002-07:002014-06-25T22:29:28.187-07:00Life is changing....Go Pro Games 2014<br />
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As I eluded to last year, the field of competitors has deepened
directly proportional to my waistline and inversely proportional to my time
spent in river as Heather and I start a family. We (as in Heather) already discussed where any
prize money would be delegated and in contrast to past years where it went to
new kayaks, bikes, and travel expenses; this year’s top line items were (in
order of payout): 1) new Honda Quadcut lawnmower for the yard 2) new Burley
kiddo buggy for little Delany on the way 3) diapers. This speaks loudly to
where we are at in life as my 40<sup>th</sup> birthday is in less than 20 days. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-_ThuyL6sV25zu54LIYdv03n97_qqWPmk-6L_9ios3mpXmgf2XPP2KARt4qmzf2s6imhJpyfqdF1d3EWg1AzYNG7_IqFTNav3WVV71WteUfbY0B25-LYWDfl597dPoHqARQqXXHp-gY/s1600/IMG_06771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-_ThuyL6sV25zu54LIYdv03n97_qqWPmk-6L_9ios3mpXmgf2XPP2KARt4qmzf2s6imhJpyfqdF1d3EWg1AzYNG7_IqFTNav3WVV71WteUfbY0B25-LYWDfl597dPoHqARQqXXHp-gY/s1600/IMG_06771.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayakers and climbers in training. Go Pro has fun for every age!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Colorado’s runoff is in full swing and that brings Heather,
the Mazz, and I to the US’s biggest mountain festival in Vail, Colorado, the
GoPro Games. As the economy heats back up so do races prize purses and
sponsorship dollars and that was certainly reflected in this year’s Go Pro
field in every discipline. The start of the mountain biking races were back to
being a who’s who list of every dominate male and female rider I’ve ever
followed over the years. It wasn’t just the racers that were out in force with
bigger payouts. The mountain kids and dogs sure knew where the action was this
weekend and I even hopped into the kayak pool to cool off with the
next generation of US kayakers. Climbing, kayaking, running, slackline,
photography contests abound, Go Pro Games is still growing every year. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUvNJXp7_X1y_umL4TE6hyHR7KG-bmO7_vFAdtut5QDssxRVECibSmv9ie6vBCaHB9nQT7OIyPc58Us9zGv8NpsAAqrkj-FxGyJq1R7DxyVg4hjrPRy047_c-sj9RuJpi6eVUbX10_Jc/s1600/IMG_06731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUvNJXp7_X1y_umL4TE6hyHR7KG-bmO7_vFAdtut5QDssxRVECibSmv9ie6vBCaHB9nQT7OIyPc58Us9zGv8NpsAAqrkj-FxGyJq1R7DxyVg4hjrPRy047_c-sj9RuJpi6eVUbX10_Jc/s1600/IMG_06731.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prijon Capri vs Taifun back to back.. and our favorite camping spot on club level!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We parked the Sprinter in our favorite spot on the Vail
Village parking structure after trading KEEN hats and a crisp $20 bill with
some fellow van dwellers who held our spot with their tents while we did practice runs.
We sampled KEEN and NUUN product from the back of the Ultimate Multisport Van
as a way to get to know our neighbors and get our leash reactive dog Mazzy used
to little kids walking up to “her van”. (photo). Ear plugs are a must on “club
level” at Vail Village Parking Garage and after a good nights sleep, we were
ready for the hustle and bustle of Go Pro Games. </div>
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The crisp Vail breeze brought in the morning for the Bud
Light Downriver Sprint with 200 kayak and SUP competitors all vying for the rush of 17 minutes
in Gore Creek’s 40 degree F water rumbling down the mountain with it’s own
agenda to wreak havoc to forward progress. I brought two kayak options for this race, the Prijon Taifun that found
it’s way to a 2<sup>nd</sup> place finish in 2012 and a Prijon Capri that is 10
lbs lighter but is a bit twitchy and less forgiving in choppy big water or
exploding waves but faster in lower volume flows. As always, thanks to the US <a href="http://www.wildnet.com/" target="_blank">Prijon</a> distributor www.wildnet.com for allowing me access to the warehouse full of the worlds toughest kayaks every year.</div>
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My plan was if flows were over 1000 cfs, I’d take the higher
displacement Taifun. Flows were just under 1000 cfs, so I saddled up the Capri
and asked her to have the run of her life today. For the kayakers out there, a
warm up downstream is ALWAYS better than a warmup paddling upstream so Heather
dropped me off well upstream and I pulled into the start eddy with minutes to
spare waiting for the laser eye to give racers the green light. A proper warm up is one that you get your heart rate all the way into zone 5 then recover back to zone 3 within minutes before you go back to zone 5. Training intervals in your workouts improves your "kinetic VO2 max" ie your ability to go up and down between zone 3 and zone 5 very quickly and efficiently which is some sports is more important than your V02 max. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuMO298aL-Cy4OdnpsGg3Mub0FsZ7Qs3Fk2KIvz_kymUrFzNxDT2_8nigTitpDIJbYWIhNI1XWSrbXqCiuKvFYD7KIcHIEz9LlASqXCfgvuDaEA9tS_rzhp_iVpxUhZK4dfObz_mBUC0/s1600/20140607_094445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuMO298aL-Cy4OdnpsGg3Mub0FsZ7Qs3Fk2KIvz_kymUrFzNxDT2_8nigTitpDIJbYWIhNI1XWSrbXqCiuKvFYD7KIcHIEz9LlASqXCfgvuDaEA9tS_rzhp_iVpxUhZK4dfObz_mBUC0/s1600/20140607_094445.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a>My run went much better than last year affectionately labeled "the year of the Titanic" and Heather knew it from the
smile on my face and how dry my cockpit was as a clean run means a dry skirt as
every wave hit to your waist creates friction. Unofficial race results were
posted within the hour showing me in 2<sup>nd</sup> place behind British 2013 extreme
kayaker world champion <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2013/oct/06/brit-wins-extreme-kayak-world-championship-video" target="_blank">Joe Morley</a> which was a shoe in for
the podium and definitely had the skills to relegate me to the diaper category making
my hopes of a spanking new Honda lawn mower just out of reach. After several
hours, some confusion arose that 2 seeded racers, Isaac Levinson and Dane
Jackson both missed their start times and were given a alternate start which is
a whole other topic but after calculating their new start times, US slalom
standout <a href="http://vimeo.com/63290881" target="_blank">Issac Levinson </a>won in 17 min 5 seconds in 1<sup>st</sup>, Brit Joe
Morley took 2<sup>nd</sup> in 17 min 9 seconds then Dane Jackson and I finished
3<sup>rd</sup> and 4th just tenths of a second apart while Dane’s father needing
no introduction Eric Jackson rounded out the top 5. Issac and Dane also went 1-2 in the Steep Creek race the day before so they can buy any mower they want I say. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio18DxMVUtkXtxMXHhAI8x_rFfzGlBCl6RKbYEnPnQDWNPwgLINcvI8xSIHX90-5uGIYtcxdAmaU3dZohFv9iezGimdS2tVgKGBGftOhM1SFL_ZkGCAW-c3z8hyNzlmeAnoxI5Fs3dZwQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio18DxMVUtkXtxMXHhAI8x_rFfzGlBCl6RKbYEnPnQDWNPwgLINcvI8xSIHX90-5uGIYtcxdAmaU3dZohFv9iezGimdS2tVgKGBGftOhM1SFL_ZkGCAW-c3z8hyNzlmeAnoxI5Fs3dZwQ/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Maneater Rapid" under construction in back yard. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtGcc8pY_bvW5aPRKuPq7RA3YkLJueZ6PNw3QtyJx1rGncGRGXM65sx9-2rxdJwRihgnP9FwJasHhZgNb_MNDe5X-Mh3YzAMV-783RXZQJ9YQMrH_heXrpBPA2Tk7Wgi7tON-e57wg78/s1600/outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtGcc8pY_bvW5aPRKuPq7RA3YkLJueZ6PNw3QtyJx1rGncGRGXM65sx9-2rxdJwRihgnP9FwJasHhZgNb_MNDe5X-Mh3YzAMV-783RXZQJ9YQMrH_heXrpBPA2Tk7Wgi7tON-e57wg78/s1600/outside.jpg" height="400" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather + Photoshop = Anything We Want</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So the saying close only counts in hand grenades and
horseshoes applies and the good news is I ordered the lawnmower, Bob stroller,
and diapers anyway as there are some perks with having a real job and one of
those is prize money is just gravy in life and it’s time spent with family and
building a full on raging white water course in my back yard this month that matters more to me now. Heather and I still made the cover of
Outside magazine winning the “most days spent pregnant sleeping in a hot RV
with your dog” category this month so we’re stoked just to be a part of the Go
Pro Games.<br />
<br />
Next Up...www.fibark.net next weekend then finish up the whitewater feature in the back yard. Little D comes on Labor Day. </div>
Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-51896438003233655242014-06-01T23:13:00.001-07:002014-06-02T08:58:31.607-07:00Babies, Big Waves, and Burgers....Buena Vista Gravity Play Puts DART nuun On the Podium Times 2. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqixS08Gh2X5FyThDMenOZEaxXeuJ1YI7zMIoDy_YltBhv3jhxEZybG18XpKKdX1mbHQ2Hkn6tkoirw86SPCHiAGPMggnyWW-hLYifSftNXu3Srym3-oKL8ZmwBBYJ64idAlBsqmtAyY/s1600/finish+line+w+ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqixS08Gh2X5FyThDMenOZEaxXeuJ1YI7zMIoDy_YltBhv3jhxEZybG18XpKKdX1mbHQ2Hkn6tkoirw86SPCHiAGPMggnyWW-hLYifSftNXu3Srym3-oKL8ZmwBBYJ64idAlBsqmtAyY/s1600/finish+line+w+ryan.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan Ognibene (left) and Jeremy Rodgers (right) win both the solo 12 and sprint races. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2014 Buena Vista Gravity Play Adventure Xtreme Series kicked off with a bang. Heather and I rolled into town with the Mazz in tow looking for a warm up race for the Go Pro Games the following weekend. Heather and I are 6 months along expecting our daughter in September so Heather sat this one out but is riding and paddling her way right into the delivery room!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaeGSf0QBDa04myaMb4YOQ9TwScPJi3ypYBf-J1s59J898rB7aCFRUT8X0W3eGOyIrxJomys7350OLM_y7XCxO7hz3pT4nuHrvfZhDN8ATqle8rpRv_CEzui42Aq_2CmtQ0h06GKiIFY/s1600/heather+bv+pre+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaeGSf0QBDa04myaMb4YOQ9TwScPJi3ypYBf-J1s59J898rB7aCFRUT8X0W3eGOyIrxJomys7350OLM_y7XCxO7hz3pT4nuHrvfZhDN8ATqle8rpRv_CEzui42Aq_2CmtQ0h06GKiIFY/s1600/heather+bv+pre+pic.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather showing our biggest surprise to fellow racers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tnWONguFpYGn-eDa7sRxQ_pD14bCHwMemPEelvb8dSRp3jB7E0rUcHFnRHTgBRJqyucK6EBUDadnLJRfvfz0mKDNfbCWeHrqUEPYuBQ2_EWsTdjrf6kZel240RT99aizhPmLU_Gn3GE/s1600/moab+dock+wildwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tnWONguFpYGn-eDa7sRxQ_pD14bCHwMemPEelvb8dSRp3jB7E0rUcHFnRHTgBRJqyucK6EBUDadnLJRfvfz0mKDNfbCWeHrqUEPYuBQ2_EWsTdjrf6kZel240RT99aizhPmLU_Gn3GE/s1600/moab+dock+wildwater.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a>Fellow DART racer Ryan Ognibene and I both entered as soloists in one of our favorite Gravity Play races consisting of run ride paddle orienteering and climb sections. Ryan held off up and coming Tecnu racer Jason Popilsky from Idaho by a coin toss margin after Ryan made a bold choice to clear all of the orienteering points while Jason's strategy was to lay down blistering speed on foot and bike which left them less than 5 minutes apart. Ryan's been paddling with Gary Lacy and I since last fall and has really came into his own on the swiftwater paddle legs in adventure races. The paddling section on the Arkansas from Buena Vista to Browns Canyon put in was at super high flows so racers had their <br />
hands full keeping their kayaks upright in the endless class 3 chop. My personal race highlight was watching one husband get flipped out of the kayak followed by his wife waving to him while she carried on down the river just fine without him! Ryan won the overall 12 hour race and I won the overall sprint race so DART nuun times deux is the punchline for this weekend.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPs7GdNcFon6ckKWO7Qif8LhBgnVE5Fdod_8PSoSUMuv2BMFXoldagAforRBRlyzTSfY3ZeYMYij4jDC4I052vjkVgQI1uoC_jKgOBtpddWUSGknO5yQvx6HxNc_U0gXaMHzbWK-SeaIk/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPs7GdNcFon6ckKWO7Qif8LhBgnVE5Fdod_8PSoSUMuv2BMFXoldagAforRBRlyzTSfY3ZeYMYij4jDC4I052vjkVgQI1uoC_jKgOBtpddWUSGknO5yQvx6HxNc_U0gXaMHzbWK-SeaIk/s1600/photo(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serving up gluten lactose and spam free burgers post race on the Beach!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ryan, Heather, and I served up burgers post race for racers on the new "Beach" in Buena Vista while racers compared all the wrong turns, flips, swims, chaffing, and crashes.<br />
<br />
<br />
Next up....www.mountaingames.com in Vail, Colorado next weekend where 40,000 spectators and athletes vie for king and queen of the mountain in every mountain sport known. Ryan Ognibene and www.dartadventure.com head to Untamed New England next month so look for them and Tecnu to battle it out yet again. <br />
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<br />Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-58926891599311296972013-06-23T22:59:00.002-07:002013-06-24T00:29:48.080-07:00Go Pro or Go Home...Go Pro Games and FIBARK 2013!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-gBUEhwDqZqSjgQyFfqQHHp89fVHwHhgp0TxEpAwJE2A4b294KOhB0vbG3Fm8OxIvrJl7MDccmMpMWr4Hb0QrHGy_O6o7HjpHYxsUOQnxNuMUZJKCAAbSnqftcoacDjZhISGV_I1ZH4/s1600/20130608_181231_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-gBUEhwDqZqSjgQyFfqQHHp89fVHwHhgp0TxEpAwJE2A4b294KOhB0vbG3Fm8OxIvrJl7MDccmMpMWr4Hb0QrHGy_O6o7HjpHYxsUOQnxNuMUZJKCAAbSnqftcoacDjZhISGV_I1ZH4/s1600/20130608_181231_resized.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Dawson (NZ) 1st, Jeremy Rodgers (USA) 3rd. <br />
Martina Wegman (Netherlands) and Mike's girlfriend <br />
I think? won the woman's overall and Steep Creek. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So those of us that thought the longtime Teva Games becoming
the <a href="http://www.goprogames.com/" target="_blank">Go Pro Games</a> in 2013 would result in some degree of contracture of the
event were seriously wrong. The biggest multisport festival in the US held in
Vail, Colorado, now with Go Pro as the title sponsor, took another massive leap
in the direction of growth. Registration and spectatorship was robust in all
events with particular expansion of the slackline and stand up paddle board
disciplines. Where else can the action seeking kayaker to the dog lover to the
climber to the shopper find all their heart desires in one weekend in 2 square
miles? </div>
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With most of the debate settled over my <a href="http://jeremyrodgers.blogspot.com/2011/06/teva-games-2011leading-coup.html" target="_blank">custom kayak creation</a> 2 Teva Games ago, Heather and I once again loaded up the Mazz and
headed to Vail in the Ultimate Multisport Van. Heather entered the 4 sport Ultimate
Moutain Challenge in the Pro Class where she’d kayak class 2-3 Gore Creek,
mountain bike, run a trail 10k, and finally time trial on the road bike up Vail
Pass. Quite a full plate in any one’s book and I was proud of her for diving in
such a competitive field. After the kayak stage, she sat in a comfortable 3<sup>rd</sup>
place (queuewith all the elite Xterra multisport females salivating for the
mountain bike stage that afternoon. Heather rallied through the remaining
stages and learned a lot about herself and the stout female competition at this
year’s Go Pro Games. When the economy bounces back, sponsorship dollars and
prize money comes back and boy did it ever with uber multisport athlete and
past Ultimate Mountain Challenge Gretchen Reeves barely getting edged out for
the title by less than 1 minute and only 2 minutes separating the top 3 females
in over 255 minutes of multisport head to head racing. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGokZJrlDn6v_fbtlcE33BD4wSoEuOtXuZPrLY8NM3xAQXfSAc4l6koajXHoXgPHo1ZwICIMDrasBWgz2Cfui3lyRHJuXAfanhygVZy4aD7Gxwk4ngTAajgmJpoo4JXl1IEPyqA8JkdFY/s1600/heather+teva.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGokZJrlDn6v_fbtlcE33BD4wSoEuOtXuZPrLY8NM3xAQXfSAc4l6koajXHoXgPHo1ZwICIMDrasBWgz2Cfui3lyRHJuXAfanhygVZy4aD7Gxwk4ngTAajgmJpoo4JXl1IEPyqA8JkdFY/s1600/heather+teva.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Heather recapping a tough mountain bike leg in women's <br />
Ultimate Mountain Challenge. </td></tr>
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While Heather was running all over Vail Resort, I focused on
the kayaking events.The BudLight Downriver Race is my favorite 16-18 minute race down 4 miles of Vail's fast flowing Gore Creek. Because the river is only class 3, it leaves lots of options for trickery that us adventure racers love bending the rules till they almost break. Well this year, the rules didn't break but they nearly sank:) The Prijon Capri is only 12 feet long and 43 lbs. Well under the 13 foot limit and not as long as the best in class Liquid Logic Remix Stinger, it's the best choice as long as the water level stayed medium to high. With it's sea kayak keel and minimal rocker, I've got just as much length in the water but significantly narrower and much lighter at 43 lbs. For the sake of head to head racing, I loaned my ringer <a href="http://www.wildnet.com/product-information/kayak-information/prijon-rec/item/31-capri-i.html" target="_blank">Prijon Capri </a> to slalom and freestyle legend Eric Jackson after some intense prize money reallocation negotiations. His run went smoothly until he took out at the wrong bridge and had to re enter his skirt costing him some unfavorable time. The Prijon Capri made it back just in time but I missed my warmup and had to sprint to the start line and make a Superman dive start then skirt up while under way. In all the confusion, I had zero time to check the kayak and the stern hatch was loosened when the kayak got transported and dropped on the starting area grass. This rapid increase in pressure combined with me leaving it loose the night before while emptying bulkhead allowed the normally bomber designed hatch to remain unfastened so halfway down the 4 mile course, I noticed a) I was beating my split deadlines to each river landmark b) I was losing control and sliding through the turns on rapids like high schooler practicing drifting in his sports car. After the rear bulkhead filled half the kayak to the brim and I began to pop a wheelie full time, I looked back over my shoulder to see the hatch cover dangling beside me knowing there was no way to reach back and close it or empty the tanker I had become. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel Hybridlife at GoPro Games. Room service was first class. </td></tr>
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I limped through the bottom half of the course doing a mega crunch to weight the bow enough to keep me operational and crossed the finish line at Covered Bridge in Vail. A NBC sports reporter got a chuckle asking me what happened out there as I emptied the bathtub I just paddled downstream and the best response I could muster was "pre flight checklist ignored". Total rookie mistake but somehow I mustered a podium finish but well off the pace it would take to dethrone New Zealand slalom and extreme paddler Mike Dawson's flawless run. </div>
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As soon as we unloaded the Ultimate Multisport Van, it was time to clean it and repack days later for the 2nd biggest whitewater festival and race in the US at <a href="http://www.fibark.net/" target="_blank">FIBARK</a> in Salida Colorado, one of the oldest, longest, and most debacherous whitewater races in the world actually. </div>
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FIBARK is quite a different race than the Go Pro Games which restricts paddlers to sub 13 foot and plastic 50 lb kayaks. FIBARK lets the river decide what kayaks may pass safely along it's marathon distance course from Salida to almost the Royal Gorge. The kayak of choice is a 23 lb 15 foot long carbon fiber wildwater racing kayak which incidentally is my primary kayak design of choice for FIBARK's 26 miles of class 3 and 4 rapids. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy Corra, 2013 FIBARK winner, executes a perfect line through the exploding <br />
hole of Cottonwood Rapid</td></tr>
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Durango's <a href="http://paddlinglife.net/article.php?id=709" target="_blank">Andy Corra</a>, 9-time race winner and Guinness world record holder in distance kayaking happens to own this race and is probably going to retire before any of us develop enough to beat this American paddling standout. Andy mentored me in my early wildwater days and I crewed for him on his world record attempt on the Yukon River in 2010 so it was a race for 2nd place with past race winner Gary Lacy, Spanish slalom champion Jordi Domenju in a C2, and Salida's own Steve Holmes. </div>
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I regressed back to my adventure racing roots again and rigged my kayak with a custom bilge system for this week's trickery. In a 2 hour race, most of us raced in years past with a <a href="http://www.hydrapak.com/" target="_blank">Hydropak</a> hydration bladder inside the cockpit. This year I rigged a bladder hose from the floor of my cockpit to a hose leading to a bite valve holder on my pfd allowing for me to both hydrate with my favorite race day drink, <a href="http://shop.nuun.com/kona-cola" target="_blank">Nuun Kona Cola</a>, and empty my kayak all along the way. Other than loosing my bite valve going through Bear Creek Rapid at mile 4, the gadget was flawless and the river water that got through my skirt turned into Nuun Cola which had me smiling all along the 26 mile course. For those neahsayers who subscribe to the seed not the soil theory, I did add 2 iodine tablets as well but no telling if they had enough contact time to oxidize my nemesis...Giardia...but at day 7 post race I'm still solid...no pun intended:) <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly "reacting to cold water" aka carping for the photographer <br />
at Cottonwood Rapid. My cockpit full of Nuun was the only thing <br />
keeping me afloat.</td></tr>
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So after 24 miles sitting in second place by a slim 3 minutes behind Andy Corra, I came to Cottonwood Rapid which is the scene of many lead shuffles over the years. While a straightforward Class 4 rapid with 2 distinct line choices, bad and worst, it's just a slap in the face after paddling 2 hours at anaerobic threshold in a tippy racing kayak full of water (except mine of course:) As I approached Cottonwood, I couldn't get a handle on whether to take Andy's left side line (which requires laser like precision but certainly the fastest) or Gary Lacy's right side line (which requires luck that only Gary has). I hesitated at the top setup wave and exploded off the main hole pointing right instead of left. Right it is and I greased that thing like a bull in a China closet followed by getting maytagged like dirty skivvies in the washer on heavily soiled setting.The hilarious photo above showed up on the front page of the paper with the caption "Jeremy Rodgers from Boulder reacts to the ice cold water" which is just hilarious as any kayaker knows that's "carping" after I did a back deck roll through just enough to grab a few oxygen to clear the rapid turbulence before finally returning to forward progress. I like paddling the Arkansas right side up or right side down I say...two completely different rivers. <br />
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So FIBARK ended at mile 26 with Andy Corra in his usual slot uno in 2 hours 20 minutes with me about 4 minutes back followed by Steve Holmes and Gary Lacy, who incidentally chose the same sideways upside down side stroke down the right side line of Cottonwood. Mike Freeburn, another standout US paddler was injured and had to set out FIBARK but certainly deserves acknowledgement in any FIBARK writeup.<br />
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Next up, swiftwater paddling camp for Colorado adventure racers Sunday July 14th 10am at REI Denver and Confluence Whitewater Park. Email me directly for details gang. Jeremy_rodgers AT hotmail dot com. <br />
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Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-86319350745791791962013-05-08T23:29:00.001-07:002013-05-09T07:58:56.210-07:00Dart Nuun Roster Wins Colorado Pole Pedal Paddle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXY5mNFRVcacouvXqr-IJU4AyqcFLn7Ki1tjnQlBisJkncSYumsvT6xGMhOpPcPQyd8nCiJ91esVK50sFcWXEbuaGWIqZDeN_zj8xQ4q_S5rVNj4EiXcgrGtNh106ziAluuHJk42Xn9M/s1600/ppp+salida+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXY5mNFRVcacouvXqr-IJU4AyqcFLn7Ki1tjnQlBisJkncSYumsvT6xGMhOpPcPQyd8nCiJ91esVK50sFcWXEbuaGWIqZDeN_zj8xQ4q_S5rVNj4EiXcgrGtNh106ziAluuHJk42Xn9M/s400/ppp+salida+2013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_1160227424"></span><span id="goog_1160227425"></span>The Pole(ski) Peddle Paddle is much like your traditional
triathlon but it pulls from a much different set of athletes. It brings
together professional mountain bikers, rando racers and small town elite
athletes. After a particularly bad snow year the few weeks before the race
restored some faith in this event dumping over 40inch of snow in April alone
rejuvenated the slopes and refilled the rivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our 3person coed team will be pushing the limits and trying Keep up with
all of the men’s teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team
consists of Ryan Ognibene in his first 3P where he will pushing hard on the
ski. Heather Prentice which will be our stud biker and JR’s new fiancé, Woohoo,
you heard me right people. Lastly, we have Jeremy Rogers doing the anchor leg
in the kayak where he will hunt down anyone that has snuck past earlier in the
race. </div>
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After Checking out the conditions of the course Saturday and
fine tuning all of our gear we settled in for the night and got ready for our
not so early morning. Everyone on the team really enjoyed the 10:30am start
time which left us plenty of time to sleep in, eat a good breakfast, and get
mentally prepared to race. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVhov92xMO_Yya9y2uorh6lfEqjHxx7v_NFDL5TKnVbF5MV3kIu_Rf92epxKNjEXu9PlqNzPxfjigY9keGT5WPFunPMFIFjJWPCeNQEWtQdz2AiTuYRceEWbMtPDO6J6Sxvrks2ifOhU/s1600/ognibene+ski+leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVhov92xMO_Yya9y2uorh6lfEqjHxx7v_NFDL5TKnVbF5MV3kIu_Rf92epxKNjEXu9PlqNzPxfjigY9keGT5WPFunPMFIFjJWPCeNQEWtQdz2AiTuYRceEWbMtPDO6J6Sxvrks2ifOhU/s320/ognibene+ski+leg.jpg" width="320" /></a>At 10:30am the gun went off. Ryan Took off up the snow
packed trail for a 10min accent. Ryan moved quickly into second place pushing
hard. At the top he ripped his skins and took off down the only fun section of
skiing on the course. With fresh soft snow the downhill went very quick,
rushing through the trees and out onto the flats. On The flats Ryan pushed hard
alternating between skating and double poling down the track. Towards the end
when the snow turned in to more dirt then snow Ryan quickly switched to his
Vasque running shoes and ran out the last mile of the course. This did not
prove to be faster than his competitors but it did leave Ryan with the
satisfaction he was not literally skiing on rocks and ruining his skis on the
last mile of the race course and a faster TA time. In the TA Ryan quickly
passed on the timing chip to Heather and she took off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lYXv12DaBwzsTIi5WyWaDeM_IzjlQD2sjqX5kOiZYxt5IC9GWpkV7uCR8G5lGqejy0O-i1hB13RaszltYqDNCPX6hgE1ZixomxfR8MfDCDmkjVJ2kyzeGCfI_JkfWPr5DdTnSEBJfdQ/s1600/heather+bike+leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lYXv12DaBwzsTIi5WyWaDeM_IzjlQD2sjqX5kOiZYxt5IC9GWpkV7uCR8G5lGqejy0O-i1hB13RaszltYqDNCPX6hgE1ZixomxfR8MfDCDmkjVJ2kyzeGCfI_JkfWPr5DdTnSEBJfdQ/s320/heather+bike+leg.jpg" width="271" /></a>Heather powered through the 15 mile mixed forest service
road and single track descent with wreckless abandon shaving 10 minutes off her
2012 split on the bike leg finishing in a solid 1 hour 9 minutes just minutes
off the lead male soloists. Her technical riding skills have really blossomed
in the last year and the packed sand couldn’t slow down the Schwalbe Racing
Ralph’s. </div>
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Jeremy took the pass off from bike to paddle and weaved his
way through record low water flows to win the paddle leg by a respectable
margin with Colorado multisport powerhouses Shane Sigle and Evan Ross close on
his heels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never had running shoes been
so important in a paddling race! He even ran his boat over numerous stretches
that he deemed unpaddle able from scouting runs the day before. Colorado’s
snowpack is finally recovering from last years drought and this years low flows
were more reflective of conservative releases in early season than potential
runoff in the upcoming 4 weeks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhHFN50dC1qdkR5oGK4oWAhoTMuRwMQCE3iFe3Y3Y5iyO6MGN2ur91oxhzg2x1K9zNbDnNWMctuTv9oeqpU-CSPW9O3gRbt9S5R4dWdgZzgBAlHczoVZdebwqIeHszauPg-oeLpAYWiA/s1600/moab+finish+line+jeremy+rodgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhHFN50dC1qdkR5oGK4oWAhoTMuRwMQCE3iFe3Y3Y5iyO6MGN2ur91oxhzg2x1K9zNbDnNWMctuTv9oeqpU-CSPW9O3gRbt9S5R4dWdgZzgBAlHczoVZdebwqIeHszauPg-oeLpAYWiA/s320/moab+finish+line+jeremy+rodgers.jpg" width="320" /></a>After a hard fought race we waited in suspense to hear how
we had placed. Not really knowing how the other teams had done. As awards went
on we discovered we did not take the entire race. A few 3P veterans had
finished just before us. Finally our time had come to learn our fate. We were
not 3<sup>rd</sup>, we were not 2<sup>nd</sup>, we had Won!! The announcers states
that Team Dart-nuun not only won the Coed team division but they had beaten out
all of the men’s teams also. What a great experience and race. We will
definitely be back next year to race the PPP again.<br />
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Looking back at the race we also discovered we had put the
fastest TA times up of any team or individual. This was just icing on the cake
for our great weekend. </div>
Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-88645244040094648212012-10-24T15:16:00.003-07:002012-10-24T15:21:03.189-07:002012 That's a wrap!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8AmhYcIpLMt2N5RoHDDLinRXIlDrfqzcdTXirmOj2CQwb8H5RunnpnfoT6RIyauQtV6ODBGScA4gv4jtfjTuXCWMFlx4EmfXqbWMrNP0UBKV2PDRjsegK1SkgT3iP14Dyc7gixU5zaU/s1600/327896_2357910710138_1321363649_2804441_4701550_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8AmhYcIpLMt2N5RoHDDLinRXIlDrfqzcdTXirmOj2CQwb8H5RunnpnfoT6RIyauQtV6ODBGScA4gv4jtfjTuXCWMFlx4EmfXqbWMrNP0UBKV2PDRjsegK1SkgT3iP14Dyc7gixU5zaU/s400/327896_2357910710138_1321363649_2804441_4701550_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So 2012 ended on several high notes preceded by several medium notes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinter making some watts while we were out burning some watts1</td></tr>
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In July, Heather and I raced the Breckenridge Gravity Play 12 hour adventure race in the 2 person team class. We've race on 4 person teams before in last years Glenwood Springs race but never together by ourselves. The paddle leg was defined by what ourselves and another Colorado adventure racing couple coined paddling "divorce boats". I'm certain we don't argue like non paddlers going in circles in these awkward inflatable kayaks designed more to create angst more than move forward but we certainly had some colorful team communication on the water:) We actually paddle a hard plastic 2 person whitewater kayak called a Jackson Dynamic Duo alot on class 3-4 so we've gotten used to having 2 ambitious spirits in the same watercraft going downstream. After some lightening storm spiced time on the mountain bikes above treeline, Heather smoked the orienteering course bringing us across the finish line in a cool 1st place.<br />
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In September, we split our forces and I joined up with old teammate Gretchen Reeves while Heather joined up with Colorado's multisport patriarch Gary "Let's Get This Fire Started" Lacy in the Gravity Play Glenwood Springs 12 hour race. Gary's son Mason Lacy was under our radar screen as we're always looking out for his talented brother Spencer Lacy who recently suffered yet another shoulder dislocation. Mason was back in his pre college form and laid down a brisk pace on the initial run straight up to the Glenwood Adventure Park where we rappelled into the cavernous cave system. After a 3 hour singletrack bike leg and a mandatory flat tire on my cyclocross wheelset, Gretchen and I could see Mason just ahead of us but couldn't reel him in before the rowdy river boarding section down the Class 3 Shoshone section of the Colorado River. Mason's strength is certainly in the kayak but he laid down a solid pace on foot and bike to take the overall win with Gretchen and I on his heels paddling mandatory (punishment) inflatables. Gretchen was using this race as a tuneup for a race in China the following week so mission accomplished with no hospital bills and some champagne to boot.<br />
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Next up...crewing for Dart Nuun's Cyril Jay Rayon at the US 24 Hour Mountain Bike Nationals in Colorado this year! <br />
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<br />Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-36936786457363250452012-08-25T18:45:00.004-07:002012-08-25T18:46:02.608-07:00Maverick Greets USA Pro Cycling Tour Comes to Boulder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Classic video footage of Heather Prentice and I running ahead of peloton of US Pro Cycling Tour final climb up Boulder's Flagstaff Mtn. That's yours truly in the Top Gun Maverick jumpsuit with the air horn and Heather in the wig and disco get up. Not bad for running in Keen flip flops!<br />
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<br />Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-33498741870938690882012-06-04T22:33:00.001-07:002012-06-10T22:14:44.616-07:00It's Not About the Boat...Teva Games 2012<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Teva Games Bud Light Downriver Podium: Jeremy Rodgers USA (2nd), Mike Dawson NZ (1st), Eric Jackson USA (3rd)</b></span></td></tr>
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So many of you remember the the <a href="http://jeremyrodgers.blogspot.com/2011/06/teva-games-2011leading-coup.html" target="_blank">coup d' etat of Teva Games 2011</a> and thought the story couldn't get better. Well, for the most part you were right but it was all smiles on race day after a last minute rule change that became known as the "Jeremy Rodgers rule" that kayaks cannot be customized in any way and must be a mass produced production kayak. Rather than debate the minutia meaning or origins of this rule, I called up my go to guys, Landis Arnold and Trung at the North American Prijon distributorship in Boulder, CO and told them to troll the warehouse relics for anything under 13 feet, plastic, no rocker, and light as possible. They scored a gem in the rough with a 1986 Prijon Taifun (pronounced Typhoon) at 12 foot 9 inches, 10 lbs lighter than a Dagger Green with less rocker. Rocker, my friends, is the upsweep of the front and rear of the kayak which allows it to turn or not turn easily and when it comes to downriver racing rocker is not your friend as we've only got one place to go and it's not left or right:) The only kicker of the deal was I had to wear the original 1986 rainbow striped skirt (see closeups below) to make the package complete!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With last year's controversy about my custom creation, the Wavechopper, need I say more?</td></tr>
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After chumming it up on pre race practice runs with Ultimate Mountain Challenge favorites Travis Macy, Josiah Midaugh, and Sari Anderson, we ironed out all the nanosecond saver moves on the downriver race course from East Vail into Mountain Village. With record flows last year producing my winning time of 17:30 seconds, we weren't so lucky in 2012 with record low snowpack producing a technical paddlers dream race....the lower the water the harder it is to read the fastest lines. In high water years any line with a kayak right side up is a good line and the field gets compressed into closer times. In short...keep in the middle, paddle like hell, fastest time wins. In sparkling contrast, low water years spread out the field as you just have to weave magic to avoid running aground or wave friction.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Post race cool down in the Prijon Taifun....take a gander at the rainbow striped skirt straps and grab loop aka Garmin 310 anchor! Guys in 1986 wore this? Classic! Lost a few letters on my fellow racer message sticker as well but quickly repaired! </b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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So the story played out that New Zealand Olympic slalom paddler Mike Dawson, who finished second to my Wavechopper last year by same margin, edged my time of 22:57 by 3 seconds in a Liquidlogic Remix Stinger and US whitewater freestyle and slalom icon Eric Jackson finished in 3rd by the same margin. It seems it's not about the boat but the rule change will live on:) Complete <a href="http://www.tevamountaingames.com/media/98038/2012-down-river-sprint-results.pdf" target="_blank">results</a> subdivided by classes and story <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_20770208/teva-games-sam-pilgrim-wins-slopestyle" target="_blank">linked here</a> in the Denver Post. Mike Dawson is on fire this spring leading up the the Olympics in London and his checkbook after Teva Games shows it with a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G63TOHluqno#%21" target="_blank">sweep in all events</a>! Good job Mike. </div>
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On a side note, we saw a power output of almost 400 watts! No, not from a paddle blade but from the latest addition to the Ultimate Multisport Van! Heather and I had a 600 watt wind turbine added to the van this spring via a partnership with <a href="http://www.keenfootwear.com/" target="_blank">Keen</a> and <a href="http://www.windenergy.com/" target="_blank">Southwest Windpower</a>. The adventure van is now officially self sustainable just in case we have to make a fast getaway and leave the world behind. Combined with the solar system, we never have to start the engine to make it through watching Top Gun and Braveheart back to back. Even better, NO annoying generator noise or fumes for our fellow free spirited campers. </div>
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New to Teva Mountain Games in 2012 was the Gibbon Slackline Amphitheater and what a show these guys and gals put on. I thought how entertaining can balancing on a slack line be but man was I wrong. Big air back flips to straddle landing to double front flips was the theme of the day. Good thing the Nuun tent was only a few yards away as these athletes were sweating up a storm with their aerial performances. I think all boisterous 40,000 spectators were piled around the slack line venue all at once so find the lack liner in my photo from my cheap seat in the nosebleed seats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI0VZwUHLbOtwof5Wh734Z-RB8J8sxPTyjc5bgEe-cJm46aeTeBJ5VZ27isgCXhyphenhyphenzhYm1hhYOcFtKiKmx8NNxEfEZuZ6czJPXz0jgV9amyeTCmRSUg7ANzd4OfiIK-2vY0uy-TpbOiQ8/s1600/2012-06-03_13-42-23_533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFI0VZwUHLbOtwof5Wh734Z-RB8J8sxPTyjc5bgEe-cJm46aeTeBJ5VZ27isgCXhyphenhyphenzhYm1hhYOcFtKiKmx8NNxEfEZuZ6czJPXz0jgV9amyeTCmRSUg7ANzd4OfiIK-2vY0uy-TpbOiQ8/s320/2012-06-03_13-42-23_533.jpg" width="180" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzq0OB5mbwV4jeQEYu8yFtHGNDlZfWVA6iYMahZzDUwbVkbPL5nmArxfCahVY34yPAvF_cD_0xWT25R02qYYg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
If over 8 sports and 40,000 spectators weren't enough, even the dogs had their day in the limelight with dock dog jumping competitions and trail races. Mazzy, our 1.5 year old cattle dog, pulled off a coup d'etat of sorts and outlasted the competition in the Rocky Dog 5K race straight up and down Vail Resorts switchbacks. Mazz even snuck in a few dives into the creeks along the way to cool her afterburners on a warm Teva Games morning with me in tow. My Keen <a href="http://www.shoebuy.com/keen-a86-tr/436704" target="_blank">A86</a> new issue trail racing flats handled the loose mountain trail terrain like a pro and at a slim 9 ounces with lots of retro flashy appeal, I think Keen is onto a winner. <a href="http://www.shoebuy.com/keen-a86-tr-wins-editors-chioce-award-in-trail-runner-magazine-trail-runner-magazine/cp327260" target="_blank">Trailrunner magazine</a> agrees with me! The Mazz and I finished a smooth 3rd overall in the 5k to top off a great mountain weekend and Heather snuck in an age group placing as well. .Here's the Mazz strutt'n through town with her medal...does it get any better than this dog lovers? <br />
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See you all back on the river and trails with 3 more mountain festivals in the next 4 weeks!<br />
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<br />Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-17019501932261973072012-05-02T00:05:00.001-07:002012-06-06T11:50:42.791-07:002011...It's a Wrap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://blog.headsweats.com/?p=335" rel="bookmark" title="5:19 pm"><span class="entry-date">December 28, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://blog.headsweats.com/?author=1" title="View all posts by admin">admin</a></span> </div>
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Team DART-Nuun has had another very successful and busy season
of racing. The team not only competed in the biggest adventure races in
the world, but also in foot races, bike races, triathlons, and kayak
races.<br />
Here are some of the team’s key accomplishments:<br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Races:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>The team is currently <b>ranked 2nd in the nation</b> – <a href="http://www.explorecompetelive.com/2011/11/09/ar-power-rankings-no-boundaries-ranks-the-best-teams-in-america/" target="_blank">AR Power Rankings</a>.
They had a great chance to be ranked 1st but team member Cyril
became ill at the US World Qualifier and the team finished 2nd. The
runner-up finish has energized the team to work even harder in 2012
to stand on top of the rankings.</li>
<li>Jeremy Rodgers <b>qualified for US Canoe and Kayak Wildwater Team</b> and will represent the USA at the 2012 World Championships.</li>
<li>Jeremy Rodgers <b>won the Teva Games Downriver race</b> – see the <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/component/content/article/118" target="_blank">race report</a></li>
<li>Mari Chandler <b>won </b>her age group at the Duathlon
long course World Championships despite coming off a 6 day non-stop
race 2 weeks before and not owning a TT bike.</li>
<li>Jen Segger <b>won Ultraman Canada</b></li>
<li>Jen Segger <b>won the Whistler 50 mile ultrarun</b></li>
<li>The team finished <b>3rd </b>at the<b> US World Championship Qualifier</b> – <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/component/content/article/120" target="_blank">race report</a></li>
<li>The team finished <b>3rd (1st American) </b>at the<b> Canadian World Championship Qualifier</b> – <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/component/content/article/119" target="_blank">race report</a></li>
<li>The team finished <b>7th (1st American) </b>at the<b> Switzerland World Championship Qualifier</b> – <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/component/content/article/117" target="_blank">race report</a></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Additional accomplishments:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>DART-Nuun created an exciting <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/videos">Ultra endurance racing video. </a></li>
<li>The team put on races including the Trioba adventure race and Malibu Day & Night trail runs and hosted events such as <a href="http://www.proclub.com/">ProClub</a> series of clinics in Seattle and mountain bike night ride clinics in Los Angeles)</li>
</ul>
For a complete list of the team’s race results and events visit the <a href="http://www.dartadventure.com/index.php/races" target="_blank">DART-Nuun site</a>.<br />
<br /></div>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-68422393468162574792011-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:002011-10-19T20:30:42.719-07:00Birthday...Step One....Become Lighter than Air.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9TEgR7sfd0Mrhyphenhyphen5F8THrga7lmvMRIQyktXeuYyBf8TKbrW9px0dXGEldsZosYHOwRxh1ZVqgYrt0OhzuQyMxjMddPv6KoyOmn7FOlEryuWeb7krIAVAIg4sOA7ORPYFJo4l2ZBiaWQ4/s1600/GOPR4261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9TEgR7sfd0Mrhyphenhyphen5F8THrga7lmvMRIQyktXeuYyBf8TKbrW9px0dXGEldsZosYHOwRxh1ZVqgYrt0OhzuQyMxjMddPv6KoyOmn7FOlEryuWeb7krIAVAIg4sOA7ORPYFJo4l2ZBiaWQ4/s400/GOPR4261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Heather! Glider flight over the Rockies looking west from Boulder</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaehhXiJqkCr-4kOz37Vl0lebpDEWSbyM49AjaOTj6RDbdRpiSNU0QXgOagQeIkoD8onyKzoEuUw5N4kpnulB4nnrPNatHlL2OAFKf4-P3MpzuR4UGjQlaJlGUKwtRLyjcF66mfhONBg/s1600/GOPR4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaehhXiJqkCr-4kOz37Vl0lebpDEWSbyM49AjaOTj6RDbdRpiSNU0QXgOagQeIkoD8onyKzoEuUw5N4kpnulB4nnrPNatHlL2OAFKf4-P3MpzuR4UGjQlaJlGUKwtRLyjcF66mfhONBg/s320/GOPR4220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Heather and I kicked off the official off season with a glider flight for Heather's birthday followed by a trail day with Mazzers on mountain bikes at Picture Rock. We were up for a sunrise flight after sharing ice cream and cake with her parents Marci and Buck last evening.<br />
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Elliot, our trusty pilot from the UK or South Africa ( I couldn't quite place the accent but we finally decided South Africa:), guided us around the biosphere. It gave new meaning to getting outside the bubble as Boulder is affectionately known. I knew we were in the right place when he made us wipe the morning dew moisture off the wings "because it compromises lamellar air flow". I like that in a pilot and I sure don't like compromising lamellar flow on my wing paddles either! <br />
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I just returned from the Russel Fork River Gorge in eastern Kentucky this weekend where I was competing in the US Wildwater Team trials. After a great classic race and ok sprint, it seems I'm back off to France next summer for perhaps my last hoorah. Waxing the backcountry skis as we speak....Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-74593421704027009192011-09-25T21:10:00.001-07:002011-09-25T21:52:03.447-07:00SUP'er FLY Weekend....Chasing the Fall Colors<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenHxhZ06X2BVjlHIknSywKP0JLbJZgZalIqOtBKAflMjX5BNEKswg7G6xegi_v3SnXBep-c862Nm2WYxF4r4V6errnQ4tJUoM-IyIJoX0XJFkPLp_tKkKC8gwSogCeB7lKivI8FNyZTU/s1600/2011-09-24_08-00-51_414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenHxhZ06X2BVjlHIknSywKP0JLbJZgZalIqOtBKAflMjX5BNEKswg7G6xegi_v3SnXBep-c862Nm2WYxF4r4V6errnQ4tJUoM-IyIJoX0XJFkPLp_tKkKC8gwSogCeB7lKivI8FNyZTU/s640/2011-09-24_08-00-51_414.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And A Road Runs Through It...Never Summer Range on Colorado Wyoming border. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk3BrkYacBSqvksbkHn9vBXi_YQWWHlIjejoqSl5z32uFxbiWKAn4xwfP9DowVlD4CXMK4SeCpVgG2ZyjKgH7eZn2fI0Nh-f8P4gUnxW14CXDXgDVU4mmbCjR3d-sXmwGc7WinI7OwPc/s1600/2011-09-24_08-01-42_939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a>So we aren't about to let the summer wind down without a bang but a long season of packing, unpacking, booking flights, entering races, and juggling all things domestic are coming to an end. Perfect time Heather says for a weekend to sneak away to her favorite Colorado getaway...the Never Summer Range in northern Colorado where the aspens paint the landscape with a burning orange and yellow mosaic in the shadows of early season snow sprinkled 13,000 foot peaks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Long off the beaten path, the Never Summer Range takes you back in time to what Colorado used to look like before the development of it central valleys into ski resorts and highways. The photo above is what we woke up to after arriving well after dark. The Sprinter van just seems to have an instinctual awareness to find the best views even absent of light and she hit a home run this morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJyCsKKSHmhlcCQMZ7tAFiruQqWdAf1pWPQ95Nn6c5FJHvzmTcBg5fJuj46wKPOnpgWqJ8yeo3qR9JhVanvA_9HrlHLzNvbaKseHe4KuPMROAy1CrrSEackdi5UZeZueHJDeWNxqEN2o/s1600/DSCF2239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJyCsKKSHmhlcCQMZ7tAFiruQqWdAf1pWPQ95Nn6c5FJHvzmTcBg5fJuj46wKPOnpgWqJ8yeo3qR9JhVanvA_9HrlHLzNvbaKseHe4KuPMROAy1CrrSEackdi5UZeZueHJDeWNxqEN2o/s1600/DSCF2239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJyCsKKSHmhlcCQMZ7tAFiruQqWdAf1pWPQ95Nn6c5FJHvzmTcBg5fJuj46wKPOnpgWqJ8yeo3qR9JhVanvA_9HrlHLzNvbaKseHe4KuPMROAy1CrrSEackdi5UZeZueHJDeWNxqEN2o/s400/DSCF2239.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We spent the weekend scouting by bike backcountry yurts for the upcoming ski season as well as paddling Michigan Lake. Heather continues to develop the best kept secret sport of SUPerFly fishing well into it's second year of development. SUP stands for Stand Up Paddleboard and you get the FLY part hey? The catching seems to be mastered but the release remains a bit tippy. Standby for the production version next spring. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-37853451997826497322011-09-11T23:01:00.000-07:002011-10-06T13:41:22.174-07:00Team Nuun Ripboard Wins Gravity Play Glenwood Springs 12 Hour Adventure Race<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocFwMuARZU_dC6Tq_QP0o_6R8VMVBc_ya-6ei-rGcOIiyZ7qQH3XInkhgX5UDtLfTWxW4QJUlGl9ZV-W53-xdyvqyUY00xb08xufRe0Z5PeBBW8hfu4KCUQ7_fqeNKBtVpmtRsb0wAEk/s1600/339636_2378571706650_1321363649_2824480_1098168765_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocFwMuARZU_dC6Tq_QP0o_6R8VMVBc_ya-6ei-rGcOIiyZ7qQH3XInkhgX5UDtLfTWxW4QJUlGl9ZV-W53-xdyvqyUY00xb08xufRe0Z5PeBBW8hfu4KCUQ7_fqeNKBtVpmtRsb0wAEk/s400/339636_2378571706650_1321363649_2824480_1098168765_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Ripboard Jeremy Rodgers, Heather Prentice, Mike Freeburn, and Ryan Ognibene (missing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So we finally got the adventure racing Zen master Mike Freeburn out of semi retirement for the Glenwood Springs Adventure Extream 12 hour race and what a treat it was to race with Mike again. Heather, Ryan Ognibene, and I teamed up with <a href="http://www.ripboard.com/">Ripboard</a> based out of Denver, Colorado with an all star cast. Mike was one of my original mentors and inspirations to begin downriver kayak racing in 2005 and was one of the best adventure racers in the US for many years. Even better, he's a principal of Durango High School so he knows how to keep the team in ship shape hence the nickname Zen Master.<br />
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So 50 teams began the 12 hour race with a 3000 foot ascent straight up on foot to the caving, rappel, and alpine slide. We jockeyed with Team Lifequest Adventure from gun fire to finish line. We discussed pre race that only the first 6 racers, solo or team to the alpine coaster got a carbohydrate free ride down the mountain. After a grueling vertical ascent, the alpine coaster had us all giggling with high G force turns. We came off of the first run leg 1 hour later in a lead with Team LifeQuest Adventure in a close second place.<br />
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We began the mountain bike leg with a brisk ascent of Lookout Mountain on our way to Boy Scout Trail which is a gem of a ride for single track lovers just outside of Glenwood Springs. This singletrack has amazing views and even more amazing exposure. Today had no shortage of carnage and just as Team Lifequest caught us on the bikes they crashed trying to keep their small lead.<br />
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After several hours of jockeying back and forth and steep descents back into Glenwood, we pulled some aces out of the hat. As team Lifequest rolled into the TA and check out, we traded in our mountain bikes and grabbed road bikes for the bike path ascent to the riverboarding/paddle section of the course on the Shoshone section of the Lower Colorado.<br />
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With 2 national kayak team members and all 4 of us being river saavy, we held our position in draft of Lifequest all the way to the river board start. Race director, Will Newcomer, met us at the river board put in to let us know our engineering marval "Ripboard Transport System", which was a fast hauling portage system to run the river boards 2 miles up the bike path, was a no go. With the Shoshone section running double it's normal volume at nearly 2500 cfs, he was concerned hauling the river board portage system down river with us wouldn't bode well as we agreed.<br />
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It was clear to us after 5 seconds in the class 3-4 <a href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/NZtourism/videos/110/">river board </a>section how Rip Boards got their namesake. Heather got a wild ride in one of the holes in Tombstone Rapid after having her Ripboard ripped out of her hands. She rallied back onto the Rip Board and we cruised into the paddle start neck and neck with Team Lifequest with Team OutdoorLife about 30 minutes back.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather diving for dollars on the river board section. Nice job hun!</td></tr>
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Our strategy played out as the paddle leg was our bread and butter. Team Nuun Ripboard rolled into the finish line in 5 hours 28 some minutes a hard fought but smooth 10 minutes ahead of a solid all male second place Lifequest team. Adventure racing has always been a coed sport and we are hard headed like that and choose to stick with tradition but these all male teams really made us work hard to outwit and outlast the horsepower heavy all male teams that race in the same 4 person elite class.<br />
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Team Nuun Ripboard was first overall followed by Lifequest Adventure and Team Outdoor Life then soloist Spencer Lacy. Spencer and his paddling phenom brother Mason duke it out like 2 brothers 1 year apart should and their post race stories are the best in the business. We even got one racers report that he saw them both crash on Boy Scout Trail off the exposed trail only to hear "giggling in the bushes". Priceless!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Nuun Ripboard, 1st Overall, Mike Freeburn, Heather Prentice, Jeremy Rodgers, Ryan Ognibene, and of course Mazzers and a curious Labrador. </td></tr>
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Hamburgers on our new grill and cool drinks after the race around the HybridVan punch lined the post race events for racers. Special thanks to Nuun, Ripboard, KEEN, and Garmin for their ongoing support of adventure and adventure racing in the US!<br />
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Next up, 2012 National Team Trials in Kentucky Oct 15th followed by ski season.Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-62445367448605827292011-09-05T22:02:00.000-07:002011-09-11T23:34:55.222-07:00Labor Day Colorado Style....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch Crest....Continental Divide. 32 Miles of Mind Blowing Singletrack at Over 12,000 Feet!<br />
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</div>You can see below even Mazzer's was stoked about her new magic brat grill'n wonder that in seconds converts from our hot water shower heater to instant filet mignon.You know we'd be crushed to come back after a long ride and see the grill missing so we had to add a security system and back up camera thanks to the installation crew at <a href="http://www.cartoys.com/">Car Toys</a> in Boulder.Thanks Bobby, James, and Jesse for the advice on these improvements!<br />
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After 2 days of riverboarding on our new <a href="http://www.ripboard.com/">Ripboard's </a>from Ripboard in Denver, CO and a Colorado classic Super Monarch Crest ride, we were ready for the grill for sure.<br />
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Weekend cap was a few good town runs in Buena Vista on our way back home. I just got my new Garmin 310XT to test out and Garmin continues to reinvent itself. Not only is the new 310XT 110% waterproof, it adds several functionalities that the performance kayaker, multisport athlete, or even beginning runner can self coach even better with. My favorite improvement over the Garmin 305 is that the 310XT is slimmer and even lighter however maintains the gold standard super large readouts and multiple data fields for on the fly viewing on even the most aggressive terrain conditions.<br />
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Next week...Gravity Play Glenwood Springs Adventure Race with our favorite Colorado racers Mike Freeburn from Durango, CO and Ryan Ognibene from Boulder. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-88187565883438326512011-08-26T13:34:00.000-07:002011-08-26T13:34:31.946-07:00DART Nuun SportMulti's New Promo Video is Out!<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28169933?portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/28169933">Team DART-Nuun-SportMulti: Ultra Endurance Racing</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4028635">1iOpen Productions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-88225982249961971612011-07-31T16:20:00.000-07:002011-07-31T16:31:48.440-07:00Shot of the Month! Father's Day Colorado Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVKSeSt_4vYd0stK7K27NYvvmXNxhIT8WlskzYVQ0kRbrCotOcm4mqLl-vKHFFvB-k6EgxrBswm-W2A3XME7qkaUEB5uZtEIy_tAiVWR6yp_Mmc0x0p-uGE6gh3QoT0PDkTFX64qeY-g/s1600/harvey+miles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVKSeSt_4vYd0stK7K27NYvvmXNxhIT8WlskzYVQ0kRbrCotOcm4mqLl-vKHFFvB-k6EgxrBswm-W2A3XME7qkaUEB5uZtEIy_tAiVWR6yp_Mmc0x0p-uGE6gh3QoT0PDkTFX64qeY-g/s640/harvey+miles.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Salida Colorado's Next Mayor and Kayaker Extraordinaire Mike Harvey on Brown's Canyon at 1800 cfs with son Miles Harvey in the driver's seat! Love this photo of Miles who is about 10 years old right now and well on his way to out doing his dad on the river.<br />
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Mike Harvey, Heather, myself, and Shane Sigle bought this Jackson Dynamic Duo on a boatshare agreement as a means to take our non-paddling friends down the meat and it sure does the trick.<br />
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For the naysayers, the rear paddler can roll the front paddler as long as he/she lays forward on the deck and weighs considerably less than the rear paddler. Their was a small army of safety kayakers working the river with them I'm sure. <br />
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Nice air Miles....you pick better lines than your dad ever did:)Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-72370011627805959032011-06-05T22:46:00.000-07:002011-12-30T21:23:13.135-08:00Teva Games 2011....Leading the Coup d'état....Jeremy Rodgers Dart Nuun/KEEN Wildwater Paddler Wins the Teva Games Bud Light Downriver Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left to Right) Mike Dawson (New Zealand), Jeremy Rodgers (US), Issac Levinson (US). All stoked about the paycheck and Thule carry-ons!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"A <b>coup d'état</b> (<small>English: </small><span class="IPA" title="Pronunciation in IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English">/ˌkuːdeɪˈtɑː/</a></span>, <small>French: </small><span class="IPA" title="Pronunciation in IPA"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_French" title="Wikipedia:IPA for French">[ku deta]</a></span>; plural: <b>coups d'état</b>)—also known as a <b>coup</b>, <b>putsch</b>, and <b>overthrow</b>—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government" title="Government">government</a>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#cite_note-0">[1]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#cite_note-1">[2]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat#cite_note-2">[3]</a></sup> usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military" title="Military">military</a>—to replace the deposed government with another body; either civil or military."<br />
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So my close paddling friends have long known my angst with any race that doesn't let the river decide what water craft is best suited for any given race. <a href="http://www.tevamountaingames.com/event-detail/Down-River-Sprint.aspx" target="_blank">Teva Games</a>, held annually in Vail, Colorado hosting over 40,000 spectators was such a race. Combine this with my roots as an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpD87gZAIQI">Eco Challenge</a> competitor, where wit and strategic treachery within the letter of the rules is not only allowed but simply held in sacred regard. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get'n a little help from Teva Games race staff...Thanks guys. Notice rear end has been chopped off....previously known as a Wavehopper, now the Wavechopper! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dagger Kayaks was a major sponsor of the Teva Games event in it's humble beginnings a decade ago so Dagger sponsored athletes, who hands down are some of the best creek boaters in the world, naturally lobbied the event to exclude downriver racers like myself who race in 15 foot carbon kevlar kayaks made for pure speed and grace on swift moving violent whitewater. The 2 simple rules remain the same today and kayaks <b>1) must be 12 foot or less in length 2) must be made of plastic.</b> While I'm usually in Europe the month of June racing in wildwater events, this summer I chose to stay and race domestically opening up an opportunity for my coup d'etat at Teva Games against over 200 of the best whitewater paddlers in the US and abroad with an impressive prize purse big enough to justify the hassle factor. <br />
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So I called up my boys from Boulder Boatwerks and told them of my plan to take a 15 foot plastic Wavehopper (made for training but we race in carbon versions) wildwater kayak and have it cut down to 12 feet and rewelded. These good ole boys (Andy and Steve), who specialize in plastic dorry boat design/welding, went above in beyond to reconfigure this mutant wildwater kayak for no other reason than they agree...let the river decide what kayak a paddler can keep upright, not some sponsor who's athletes want everyone paddling the same boat they are contractually bound to paddle:)<br />
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So my mutant kayak was <b>exactly race specifications and 100% legit,</b> 12 foot long and same weight as the Dagger Green, the gold standard racing kayak for this race but more stable and wider than my tippy wildwater kayak. The difference is that wildwater kayaks are extremely narrow and tippy which most creek boaters find unpalatable over distance. Creek boats are made to make big 15 foot waterfall drops, not hammer at a supraanerobic intensity for 15+ minutes in class 3-4 whitewater. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teva Games...pick your sport...gravity is your judge and jury in all of them! Nice photo Heather. </td></tr>
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So Heather and I show up race morning trying to stay under the radar of all the world class creek boaters who are looking for a paycheck. Legendary extreme kayaker Tao Berman was particularly enthusiastic to hear about this mutant kayak which I particularly appreciated considering he knew what I was up to and it wasn't helping him pay his travel expenses:) I think he sincerely appreciated my message....LET THE RIVER AND PADDLER DECIDE WHAT KAYAK THEY CAN KEEP UPRIGHT.<br />
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So, with the rumbling in the creek boater camp underway, I pulled into the start eddy and waited for the laser eye and clock to give me the thumbs up followed by what was possibly my best technical race I've ever paddled. Downriver racing is embodied by the art of reading the swiftwater and with the help of standout US wildwater paddlers Andy Corra, Andrew McEwan, Gary Lacy, and Shane Sigle over the last year, this day I painted perhaps my masterpiece. Specifically, connecting the dots between the fastest moving water and avoiding every minute wave hit that translates to friction.The Colorado snow pack is almost 200% of normal in most river basins following a massive snow season so the rivers are raging out of their banks making wave hits and navigating rapids even more exciting this year. I set my <a href="https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=349&ra=true">Garmin 305</a> heart rate/pace monitor to it's usual screen, revved it up till the heart rate zone data field read "painful", then settled into a rhythm with my "forward focus" mantra chiming in my head. <br />
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With a brisk 17 minutes, 30 seconds registering as I pass the laser eye at the finish at Covered Bridge in Vail Village, the reality of what just happened set in. A coup d'etat had indeed taking place with my time besting the next paddlers, Kiwi Mike Dawson and Americans Issac Levinson and Tao Berman by nearly 20 seconds. Hats off to these guys who I've followed for years on the extreme kayaking scene...they simply rule the class 5 creeks. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mazzy even gets serious in big races...a good day for me means new luggage handles to try to chew on all the way home! Not this one Mazzy....love the Thule Carry On!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel au Hybridlife...pets allowed to offset the wet kayak gear odor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We'll see what this outstanding outdoor mountain festival and arguably biggest whitewater race in the US does next year on this long going debate of should racers be forced by the rules to paddle a Dagger Green like boat or can they paddle any plastic boat they can keep upright. Either way, Teva Games remains the best organized world class event in the US whitewater paddling circuit and I respect their decision. I also respect the hard work and talent demonstrated by all the Dagger athletes and especially Tao Berman's congeniality pre-race which reminds me what this sport is all about...."let's go boat'n"!<br />
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Next up next weekend, Lyons Outdoor Games and US Wildwater Nationals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1qXtbJm2OMmJBIY0jeBkcpm99XzdnNX9TlcnfqyDYkZ5slis6_B7yjTizIJPO7MQD2JSUPufd5kmh7nxk6WWoUNHe1zPYV_BmioT9ShtyT4vogZHUu2KpV6FguKIZZ9m_4_2XAXTfOc/s1600/DSCF2055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1qXtbJm2OMmJBIY0jeBkcpm99XzdnNX9TlcnfqyDYkZ5slis6_B7yjTizIJPO7MQD2JSUPufd5kmh7nxk6WWoUNHe1zPYV_BmioT9ShtyT4vogZHUu2KpV6FguKIZZ9m_4_2XAXTfOc/s320/DSCF2055.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red = maximum area of wussitis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I still can't believe it but I may miss racing next weekend after a freak injury walking Mazzy, our rock star cattle dog on her new elastic leash back to the Ultimate Multisport Van. Mazzy, while perfect in so many ways, loves to chase cars and darted after an oncoming car in Vail Village. Not being used to the new elastic leash, I let her get too close and reacted by tugging her out of harms way. Even in my agile Keen flippety flops:) , I went over a landscaping wall and landed on a metal post right to the ribs and kidney. Seriously Tao, put away the vodoo doll as I was just kidding...you guys own Teva Games:) Xrays tomorrow morning and rib belt and shallow inspiration till then!<br />
<br />
Shout out to past teammates Travis Macy and Gretchen Reeves who both found their way to the podium in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge where they not only paddled but mountain and road biked up Vail Pass followed by a 10k trail race! Junior US wildwater paddler from Durango, CO Cully Brown also represented well in the Downriver race with a 7th place finish in an outstanding 150 some senior paddler field. Look out for this "kid" in 2 years...I'm retiring to avoid him I think:)<br />
<br />
"When long boats are outlawed, only outlaws will have long boats...." is what I say. <br />
<br />
Signing out,<br />
JeremyKayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-33621789849121885342011-05-25T12:50:00.000-07:002011-06-01T23:25:26.926-07:00On a roll....Dart NUUN (aka Team Wildcats) Wins Buena Vista Adventure Exstream Race<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpXk3Z9vDQQ&feature=player_embedded">Race Clip Video </a><br />
<br />
So I've long wondered what would happen if an experienced team took an absolute adventure racing newbie with a big engine from sea level and put him into a super competitive adventure race at 9,000 feet. The victim of my experiment was none other than my good high school friend from Ponca City, Oklahoma Brad (BJ) Rumph. BJ and I played soccer together from our teenage years through highschool and he went on as a stand out collegiate soccer player as well. BJ continued running marathons and mountain biking from his home in Dallas but had never touched a kayak paddle until the day before this race. I convinced Brad this was a good idea to do this race I believe over dinner and too many drinks at one of his many ski trips out to see Heather and I.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpXk3Z9vDQQ&feature=player_embedded"></a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44bd9e_W93pdobflfHEtZtzqKsN79aBn6MdnII1-pFgoPto63BP9SEmDv_iS3TnvqAU-dOo9k0NGj_aFK_b4sSykx1AlAxFpa2Ecdj1HpWeI-_FEILzhnyYGuIoE7Kg342iVXxMgpQyg/s1600/kayak+jr+bj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44bd9e_W93pdobflfHEtZtzqKsN79aBn6MdnII1-pFgoPto63BP9SEmDv_iS3TnvqAU-dOo9k0NGj_aFK_b4sSykx1AlAxFpa2Ecdj1HpWeI-_FEILzhnyYGuIoE7Kg342iVXxMgpQyg/s400/kayak+jr+bj.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BJ in the front calling the lines!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So after a pre race skill session on how to paddle a kayak and swim in class 3 swift water the day before, BJ was clearly ready for what we had gotten him into! The race started with a 1,000 vertical foot climb on foot to CP1 as a means for the race director to space the racers before the class 3 kayak section down our beloved Arkansas River right in town aka "the Milk Run". Mayhem ensued as we entered the river in kayaks in second place behind a 2 person all male team. I steered the kayak from the rear while BJ set the cadence and watched for icebergs and other natural disasters ahead. Plenty of dumptrucks (where both paddlers get ejected) and bus stops (where only 1 paddler gets exits the kayak) were to be had all around us on this steady class 3 section but all racers were smiling at the takeout. We ran the kayak section smooth like butter with our teammates, Heather, my girlfriend, and Ryan Ognibene in a solid 1st place heading towards the 1st mountain bike leg. <br />
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After a short climb on bikes to the ropes course, BJ's resolve came to shine. The ropes course was a 400 foot Tyrolean traverse (zip line). Most zip lines are a time for fun and laughs in most races but with the last 100 feet a near vertical hand over fist suffer fest, BJ visited the pain cave in a big way. Something about hanging upside down for 20 minutes at 9000 feet of elevation zaps the human spirit and for the first time I could sense a bit of hesitation in BJ's facial expression. He rallied back onto the mountain bike as we sped out of the ropes course heading to the orienteering course 2 hours away on bike.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2jopLEjZHdp0_Z1ZH0xAM7CG4CboQ2nuqu8k5uUIOz5uH5AkoNe61e2LeRnopIBuzrzaWknjcWPkpQ4dlRXGfZbt07e5pJorChJSmmuB1jOXc5yZgAmswEqQJdpKE4MxHXs-dFuMmYM/s1600/jr+heather+paddle+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2jopLEjZHdp0_Z1ZH0xAM7CG4CboQ2nuqu8k5uUIOz5uH5AkoNe61e2LeRnopIBuzrzaWknjcWPkpQ4dlRXGfZbt07e5pJorChJSmmuB1jOXc5yZgAmswEqQJdpKE4MxHXs-dFuMmYM/s400/jr+heather+paddle+finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather and I eddying out at paddle finish...no you're not crazy, we switched paddlers after rapids!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So this ain't my first ro'deo when it comes to putting together a rock star adventure racing team so I felt inclined to seal the deal with bringing in up and coming orienteer extraordinaire Ryan Ognibene also from Boulder, Colorado. This 22 something year old engineering student adventure racer just graduated from University of Colorado and has been smoking the orienteering scene this year and making old racers like me vomit just to try to beat him.. This day he was on fire and I witnessed some flawless navigation over the 2 hour orienteering course. BJ held steady with the help of Nuun tablets, gummy bears, and Heather's moral support as he tried to figure out why would anyone run up and down in the mountains for 2-4 hours looking for orange orienteering flags using a map that looks like a bowl of spaghetti. Ryan set a course record on the orienteering course in just under 2 hours with us in tow and really sealed the deal in this race. <br />
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My predictions that the o course above was the deal breaker in this race held true as we remounted our mountain bikes heading to the finish line still holding our lead on the world class singletrack Midland trail back to Buena Vista. Other teams had their own solid lineups as well and we fought off a solid <a href="http://www.mylq.org/about-us/board-of-directors/">Team LifeQuest </a>Elite from Colorado Springs who's past military soliders work with returning soldiers trying to find their center again after returning to the US.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXclNZUC0DOIQEZmYbSjUokyqoPwsxYssvBlSlAQKmIBjnF3uSWfZkofAMj8msL9iXXqk7Z7pJ4PxvNCD-1LDPtnfsi828_yMnOIxobZjra47P03HIUi4ywpL2d59mNWSYcp4kqD7YZg/s1600/jr+bj+bv+finish+line+nuun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXclNZUC0DOIQEZmYbSjUokyqoPwsxYssvBlSlAQKmIBjnF3uSWfZkofAMj8msL9iXXqk7Z7pJ4PxvNCD-1LDPtnfsi828_yMnOIxobZjra47P03HIUi4ywpL2d59mNWSYcp4kqD7YZg/s400/jr+bj+bv+finish+line+nuun.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
So Team Wildcats (our highschool mascot!) aka Dart Nuun Sport Multi brought home the gold in a long 6 hours 40 something minutes just like the good old days at Ponca High. BJ didn't puke and actually really impressed us that a flatlander could not just survive but excel at what we just put him through. Look at that big smile at the finish line above!<br />
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Special thanks to Nuun Active Hydration tablets and Hydrapak hydration systems for standing by just in case! At the cost of a typical water bottle minus the mess of handling gel wrappers, the new <a href="http://www.hydrapak.com/gel-bot/">Hydrapak Gel Bot</a> is simply genius!<br />
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Next up....4 weekends of wildwater kayak racing leading up to USA Wildwater Nationals so I'll be back in the boat for the next month!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx-6vOwsZlM8o3_d5bxNmIZj3iWeae1bSpqRexcNdafFFSvBnDoofsLjHXtY3Pbhtm1bU3ENYVq34KRfWqp4yaAphKzfrmrPyIqfkZWwi5bxgmrybIhGbUnwnhN7ufJHXSkGvH9wIyAo/s1600/post+bv+unloading+gear+garage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx-6vOwsZlM8o3_d5bxNmIZj3iWeae1bSpqRexcNdafFFSvBnDoofsLjHXtY3Pbhtm1bU3ENYVq34KRfWqp4yaAphKzfrmrPyIqfkZWwi5bxgmrybIhGbUnwnhN7ufJHXSkGvH9wIyAo/s640/post+bv+unloading+gear+garage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race gear shuffle in the garage...enough to make you stop adventure racing! Dirty piles and less dirty piles merge into one!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Peace out, <br />
JeremyKayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-88237011917559663032011-04-21T23:49:00.000-07:002011-04-22T08:04:37.133-07:00The Bifecta Weekend....Western National Team Trials and the Pole Pedal Paddle!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp0YUAzKi-TdSacEtIG_SLzZ4xpmJ1BIyiD0HBWUklhRDx3J7jBYWzrMl1qoiR1Sdccj6nABbXPP025wOsoX_QA3aPH0m2MPQJo55MrnbcVdG1RVDgKs-mlH2QJ9ERiPVMYQFAto3NWs/s1600/junor_trials_pre_meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp0YUAzKi-TdSacEtIG_SLzZ4xpmJ1BIyiD0HBWUklhRDx3J7jBYWzrMl1qoiR1Sdccj6nABbXPP025wOsoX_QA3aPH0m2MPQJo55MrnbcVdG1RVDgKs-mlH2QJ9ERiPVMYQFAto3NWs/s640/junor_trials_pre_meeting.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athletes Meeting....my advice...keep it in the middle, paddle like hell, fastest time wins gang:)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Load the dog, throw in a couple of kayaks, Heather grabs the peanut butter and jelly, and we're off to Glenwood Springs for the Western National Team Trials on the class 3 Shoshone section of the Colorado River.Western Junior Trials were held in conjunction with the Glenwood Whitewater Jubilee put on by race director Denny Adams and company. I still can't believe it but we showed up to see <b style="color: red;">45 juniors</b> registered for western wildwater team trials hosted in Colorado this year...so much for rodeo and SUP taking over paddlesports!<br />
<br />
Durango standout nordic skier Cully Brown set the gold standard with a smoking fast 14 minute classic course time for the K1 junior men. I'll be honest that I've watched this kid grow under the tutelage of American wildwater perennial powerhouses Mike Freeburn and Andy Corra and I was seriously watching over my shoulder for this junior to make me vomit to stay ahead of him and several other seniors that showed up in force. I hung on for the overall classic win and Cully won the K1 junior class just some 15 seconds behind me in 3rd place overall. Something tells me I'm going down next year if this 17 year old gets one more tip from these guys:) Coached by Olympian Scott Shipley, slalom standout from Lyons, Colorado Spencer Huff was hot on Cully's heels in 2nd place just seconds ahead of JP Griffith. Dawson School put Sarah Neimeyer on the women's K1 podium who went on Sunday to match the men's K1 sprint time which is very impressive.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EAiL9DtEPwnNLyPWED3QgSYI8ReV0ttHDqwDHbhPg5G29Z7Hwmsc0G78uRTJgT72FxfMHilMO-hcNyNoTVwrhVG9gBWPp8jUfPMsL0WzHgFKkZhd9fhjuCwrGfS6czTg8KE8yLSLTNc/s1600/2011-04-16_13-19-37_743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_EAiL9DtEPwnNLyPWED3QgSYI8ReV0ttHDqwDHbhPg5G29Z7Hwmsc0G78uRTJgT72FxfMHilMO-hcNyNoTVwrhVG9gBWPp8jUfPMsL0WzHgFKkZhd9fhjuCwrGfS6czTg8KE8yLSLTNc/s640/2011-04-16_13-19-37_743.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Clinic time...back to the books with my own version of Mr. Rodgers neighborhood and 45 juniors.<br />
When's recess I say? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I put on a 1.5 hour wildwater clinic for the juniors focusing on outfitting of a racing kayak, forward stroke technique, river reading skills, and pacing with a GPS based heart rate monitor. Special thanks to KEEN and Nuun for providing raffle prizes for all junior attendees.<br />
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Heather and I loaded up the Hybridvan and headed to Salida, Colorado for the Annual Pole, Pedal, Paddle to race with 107 other teams. Our ringer teammate Shane Sigle got deathly ill days before the race so we were short our skier until Salida local and Monarch Ski Patroller Eric Ramsey surfaced after a late request at the race meeting. Our kharma was solid gold as this guy smoked the rando ski leg that begins on Monarch Pass descending into Fooses Creek to pass off to our cyclist...none other than my girlfriend Heather who battled near hurricane force winds to keep us right in the game as she descended into the Arkansas River to pass off to me . With super low water conditions, I nit picked my way down the river in a brisk 45 minutes reeling in the 2nd place team putting some solid time on the next team paddler. So Team 2 Hounds and a Fox won the team race with our last minute savior Eric Ramsey who was eating pizza/brew next to the race meeting when his friends rallied him to jump on our team....does it get any better than this? <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0Zc7XOg_76g-VzgTebR8dAqL8yMGPEicCw_kNbSCxpRsMM69-YOSVBXdC9oo2sVh1hcekoRIX5n7FQ9Mt4Rg-d2bWV1SjqEJNcm3UnXjXD99wO-MmihAwGS0bKK-ZDpICRoySD8IzuA/s1600/Salida+PPP+2011_awards+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0Zc7XOg_76g-VzgTebR8dAqL8yMGPEicCw_kNbSCxpRsMM69-YOSVBXdC9oo2sVh1hcekoRIX5n7FQ9Mt4Rg-d2bWV1SjqEJNcm3UnXjXD99wO-MmihAwGS0bKK-ZDpICRoySD8IzuA/s400/Salida+PPP+2011_awards+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Team 2 Hounds and a Fox</b> Win the 2011 Colorado Pole Pedal Paddle. Jeremy Rodgers, Gwen Ramsey (representing our skier and her dad Eric Ramsey, and Heather Prentice. Powered by Nuun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-46084554362161492572011-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:002011-03-30T21:29:27.272-07:00Saving Face in Moab....Season Opener<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRJ7QDcwJOHZlU_8FP7pBzCxjPuVFbLyxf1WCSl0z4a0zgM4iQ8chhqZ3PuUMQosFu0ni2J1BBkyCtRWay64FNMnhCV-R7W9nYL9mgSBzF6h0We7SmsPX5zFBwtZHt6A29FOY8FM2lKQ/s1600/DSCF1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRJ7QDcwJOHZlU_8FP7pBzCxjPuVFbLyxf1WCSl0z4a0zgM4iQ8chhqZ3PuUMQosFu0ni2J1BBkyCtRWay64FNMnhCV-R7W9nYL9mgSBzF6h0We7SmsPX5zFBwtZHt6A29FOY8FM2lKQ/s400/DSCF1877.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunshot! Did I tell you Michael Jackson's glove's make me feel fast? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Countdown to 2011 Moab Gravity Play Race:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ol><li>Replace carbon bike frame after cracking the headset and finding peace nothing worse could happen?: Check</li>
<li>New chain: Check</li>
<li>Renew Cipro script for lingering Costa Rica GI bug: Check</li>
<li>Replace old non-Schwalbe tires with new bombproof Schwalbe tires. <b>Negative</b> </li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Over 400 adventure racers and teams descended upon Moab, Utah for the US adventure racing season opener in the Rocky Mountains, the Gravity Play 12 hour race. Young and not as young, family teams, elite teams, just for fun teams all come together for this season kickoff in the mountain biking and 4 x 4 mecca town of Moab. As usual, I do a few early spring adventure races before the kayaking season ramps up just to get my overall cardio fitness base up to where it needs to be before spend the next 4 months exclusively in a downriver racing kayak focusing on supra anaerobic 5 minute intervals. With 7 podium finishes in this race, I've had my share of successes making this is one of my favorite courses. That being said, this years race quickly became a test of one’s resolve.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF3unvrC0ak_4TAl8yB3KxqC8hrM5VbZw_ONFtIw7PMSW9OsRsqhlu5qgMH8gsLYxyYaJIuFA54doU0Fb50GeOscoL29HOGIZKPoF5usssLTJOh1wKnXI7jttY4lfcecTG6-GNLiYqkA/s1600/DSCF1897.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF3unvrC0ak_4TAl8yB3KxqC8hrM5VbZw_ONFtIw7PMSW9OsRsqhlu5qgMH8gsLYxyYaJIuFA54doU0Fb50GeOscoL29HOGIZKPoF5usssLTJOh1wKnXI7jttY4lfcecTG6-GNLiYqkA/s320/DSCF1897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great on course shot by Heather. La Sal Mountains in distance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The race begins with a 35 mile mountain bike ride with a 6 mile massive peloton road ride to the mouth of Longhorn Canyon where the jeep roads become paradoxically vertical. Not 3 minutes after the gun went off (pictured), I hear the most dreaded sound known to cycling….ssssssssssss followed by yells from all around me FLAAAATT and zigzagging to get out of my way. With my tires being setup tubeless, there is a milky liquid inside of them to address such a misfortune. That milky goo fills small punctures like a thorn or glass shard but not so much with a nail. If it will plug it, the tire won’t take on much pressure and has to be ridden low. I speed up and zig zag hoping to fill the puncture under way. No luck, my rear tire is hemorrhaging air rapidly and I can see the serpent’s head, a small roofing nail, with every revolution of my tire. Any adventure racer, while perhaps in disbelief this could happen in the first 3 minutes of a race, looks forward to the solution options in a sick way when such a debacle presents itself. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My options: </div><div class="MsoNormal">1) Stop/lose the peloton and pull the nail out and hope it self seals (30 seconds)<br />
2) Stop/lose the peloton and use my only C02 to fill a real tube and place it inside my tire (3.5 minutes) </div><div class="MsoNormal">3) Walk 100 yards back to the starting line and grab my fishing pole followed by Frisbee with our new puppy Mazzy (end of day)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9G465_dsVFiMlg02_6C5VvbXcKqV1kZ-JQhKR1HhSPtTR0J9cDvCqIOGKQZUU6m3Qb1gPwrUj9S1frTHlyI4PuejXWn4WhH8EZD581IfxmG9hLjPdknKeOmhDJe1YowqHMftDln7BYw/s1600/DSCF1946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9G465_dsVFiMlg02_6C5VvbXcKqV1kZ-JQhKR1HhSPtTR0J9cDvCqIOGKQZUU6m3Qb1gPwrUj9S1frTHlyI4PuejXWn4WhH8EZD581IfxmG9hLjPdknKeOmhDJe1YowqHMftDln7BYw/s320/DSCF1946.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear tire at 20 psi at end of bike leg #2...no good:) </td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I chose option 1 (remove nail and hope it seals) with the intent I could bring my tire pressure back up with my only C02 at the top of the climb when it turns to pavement. As any mountain biker would agree, having my tire pressure drop to 30 psi on sandy jeep roads is quite a desirable occurrence but with 40% of the bike course on paved roads, I want my tire pressure closer to 50 psi the entire race. I made a break from the peloton hoping to get far enough ahead to pull the nail and rejoin them just like the Tour De France. Wrong answer. When I made my break, race favorites Mike Dawson, Spencer Lacy, and company jumped onto my wheel thinking I was making a break and all nearly rear ended me as I came to a screeching stop on the opposite side of the road which made for some good post race laughs. Nail removed and tire still hissing as it tries to seal, I watch the peloton move off into the horizon as find myself in dead last place. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a time in my life that I was purely focused on adventure racing results but today, with adventure racing being my secondary sport, I found myself focusing on just living what the race throws out knowing that certain realities are a given, specifically that 1<sup>st</sup> -5<sup>th</sup> place will be decided by less than 10 minutes and I just gave that time away. Self talk is a crippling, yet with a shift in focus, empowering thing and I certainly found myself initially focusing on what was wrong with my tire losing air. As I climbed 2000 feet to the top of the mesa without my usual draft with the lead pack, I went back to some of my old race mantras of “forward focus” and “stuff happens to every team today”, then put my head down, pedals forward, and did my best with the situation. I remember chatting pre-race with “Team Environmental Hazard”, a 2 person women’s team whose goal was to loose 50 <b>more</b> lbs above the 50 lbs they had already each lost. I remember a conversation I had this week at the clinic with a patient who just wanted “to walk 5% better” after an ankle fracture. How about all the parents on the course that juggle every second to find that hour to get in a ride or run? <span style="color: black;">My self talk turned back to “OK, now my bike is 10% slower until I can seal the slow leak but my kayak is 10% faster, so now I’m simply even with every other racer</span><span style="color: black;">”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line shot. Feeling surprisingly good for just blowing a gasket on paddle leg. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">After spending the next 3 hours chasing my way through the pack on the run/orienteering course, rappel off of Gemini Arches, and 2<sup>nd</sup> bike leg, I clawed and crawled my way back through the entire field to 6th place at the final paddle put in. After a hour descent on 2nd bike leg and lots of praying my rim doesn't cave from a rock hit, I jumped off my bike and did a 20 second transition into my kayak. It is here something special happened and I just felt outstanding <b>(thanks nuun active hydration tablets!)</b> getting into the kayak followed by some vengeful paddling bringing me to within 15 minutes of the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> place leaders. I beat my best all time paddle split on that section of the Colorado River for any year ever and finished in just over 5 hours in 3<sup>rd</sup> place overall and 15-20 minutes behind fellow national team paddler/CU Nordic skier Spencer Lacy and minutes behind last years winner Mike Dawson from Park City, Utah.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens without Nuun in the Moab Canyonlands! How many Kid Rock songs would it take to get you through a day like this?</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">In reflection of the day, 20 year-old Spencer Lacy has become a force to dealt with. He ran a clean race and took 10 minutes off of his 2009 time where he finished 3<sup>rd</sup> behind Travis Macy and myself. He’s had a rough CU Nordic season and it brought a smile to my face to see him notch a win. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd Jeremy Rodgers (Boulder), 1st Spencer Lacy (Boulder), 2nd Mike Dawson (Park City, Utah)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">More important than the podium today, I was reminded that in an adventure race of any length, 1000 things have to go right to have a clean race which is simply impossible. We just forget what happened last race and something new happens every year that you can't prepare for. You stack your hand pre-race with planning, training, the right gear, and experience and hope it's enough to offset Murphy's Law. Today, I got what I deserved all things considered and felt good about gaining back the 30 some minutes I lost dealing with an endlessly leaking tire. We’d all like to get in front and stay in front in life but it felt just as good to start in dead last and try to catch these guys and visit with other racers on the course at the same time. Additionally, every team out there had it challenges that no one ever hears about. It’s how we deal with those challenges that defines a team and individual’s resolve and spirit. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Special congrats to Danelle Ballengee who won the woman’s solo 5 years after her fateful fall and subsequent challenges after fracturing her pelvis and also to Team Environmental Hazard who won the race before they even started after having lost 50 lbs each training for their first adventure race. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">And...have you met our new Cattle Dog/Hybridliving partner Mazzy? This was her first road trip in the Ultimate Multisport Van! Next up, San Luis Obispo Adventure Racing Camp with Team Dart nuun and Ian Adamson followed by the start of kayak racing season. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Forward focus!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jeremy<br />
Team DART nuun SportMulti </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-22952716528954614672011-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:002011-02-24T17:22:52.178-08:00Pura Vida in Costa Rica...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZBWo3OkIa1tEMejqtnA_1I6XjQ-ZlMD20YxUOs9ercwtBEP0Fd2sPyvgr7xFi9lLzWHDOyFAhaezvS5Re9C3EwXU1AlN06xLMkoC3mVZEKE8EmwKkiRS-6oRHQ_T2xlI36zS-9GwsSo/s1600/DSCF1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZBWo3OkIa1tEMejqtnA_1I6XjQ-ZlMD20YxUOs9ercwtBEP0Fd2sPyvgr7xFi9lLzWHDOyFAhaezvS5Re9C3EwXU1AlN06xLMkoC3mVZEKE8EmwKkiRS-6oRHQ_T2xlI36zS-9GwsSo/s320/DSCF1397.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: left;">After 10 years of spending every “vacation” multisport racing internationally, Heather deserved a casual vacation that didn’t involve pre-race meetings, bike boxes, and oversize luggage charges for kayaks. We chose the eastern Costa Rica seaboard as our multisport destination complete with whitewater kayaking, jungle lodges, canopy tours, mountain biking, and beaches.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANMEkz-Yk3AE4spppaZvz976mvdLXsxLvBtFAYc56V2h-ZtO-GmAsGjt-gNhCsVbdgnJWa7Vw4QICGm1Xx73T6e6sJcSOhsKTPlC6HyplTxUtp4hy4mMMbGJ_3pQvNLJVwCjuqZyXXYA/s1600/DSCF1633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZBWo3OkIa1tEMejqtnA_1I6XjQ-ZlMD20YxUOs9ercwtBEP0Fd2sPyvgr7xFi9lLzWHDOyFAhaezvS5Re9C3EwXU1AlN06xLMkoC3mVZEKE8EmwKkiRS-6oRHQ_T2xlI36zS-9GwsSo/s1600/DSCF1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNix2ckz_du9dXGznOX5BIIVx4MiLsRUWyHmqJTu2WXn7HAMkq17vcV6BqtxW7q7NgD9598b6poONHI7En6x-AhuTGGtKtzfOgMmtldA83QWzKo8o2G94Twi89irnxuBUF1fExYo4IwcU/s1600/eco+aventuras+296smaller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNix2ckz_du9dXGznOX5BIIVx4MiLsRUWyHmqJTu2WXn7HAMkq17vcV6BqtxW7q7NgD9598b6poONHI7En6x-AhuTGGtKtzfOgMmtldA83QWzKo8o2G94Twi89irnxuBUF1fExYo4IwcU/s320/eco+aventuras+296smaller.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacaure River (Mario in lead, Jeremy 2nd, Heather in raft 3rd)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"> Day 1-2…We hit the water running with our 3 day whitewater river trip on the world famous Pacuare River. The Pacuare River is a 60 mile stretch of continuous class 4-5 big whitewater which runs from the continental divide in the west due east to drain into the Caribbean. Marcos, from <a href="http://www.ecoaventuras.co.cr/ingles/guides.html">www.ecoaventuras.com.cr</a> in Turrialba , was our lead guide on the Upper Pacuare which I kayaked and Heather rafted with 6 others from the UK, Holland, Germany, and Costa Rica requiring Diego, her raft guide, to call out commands in 3 languages to avoid certain doom. Most class 4 rivers in the US are typically class 3 primarily with 5-10 class 4 rapids along the way. The Pacuare is a consistent class 4 rating (ie the whole river is a class 4 rapid) with over 30 class 4+/5- drops as the river rages through the tropical rain forest with waterfalls abound as the monkeys, red frogs, and toucan’s find humor in why these humans are descending this river in such poorly thought out means of transportation. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQfyaWsApWHPXsGZnOSkfVtQ8C7juC82HqC4s1u0VIpkNw7w-WCeIxFDj0kHw7Hgx8529Tjy9XbVaEoU11JDOtazTIGCt_5jixK3uw0qP4uXrdQrJic9_9DsdN3lErpvyhadfuSbC1WI/s1600/eco+aventuras+223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQfyaWsApWHPXsGZnOSkfVtQ8C7juC82HqC4s1u0VIpkNw7w-WCeIxFDj0kHw7Hgx8529Tjy9XbVaEoU11JDOtazTIGCt_5jixK3uw0qP4uXrdQrJic9_9DsdN3lErpvyhadfuSbC1WI/s320/eco+aventuras+223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Heather’s raft guide Diego was excellent and always on line. Even with his multinational commands and mixed experience levels in the raft, they cleared the canyon with only one near flip that Heather insists Diego tried for to spice up the descent. Mario was my compadre in a second kayak and I simply mirrored his kayak angles as we weaved our way through the minefield of bus-sized holes, some more gracefully than others. I was actually impressed with the quality of the guides most when one rafter from Texas took a swim in the gut of the canyon followed by a super swift rescue by Mario. I certainly had my hands full with a wing paddle (trying to limit # of paddles I brought!) and no time to recover between rapids as well as essentially paddling the river blind with my guide in front setting the line as the only thing I could use to foreshadow the trouble ahead.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"> Our friend Shane Sigle from Boulder lived in Turrialba for a year and certainly warned us this river was a handful but you’ll see from the photos, it was worth every minute including getting worked by El Sugundie rapid which I front endo’ed into the main hole followed by a beat down equal to the spin cycle of your favorite Maytag washing machine. My favorite adventure racing teammate Bill Dean put it best years ago: “gravity and moving water, otherwise known as your judge and jury.” </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #f3f3f3;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/hVD_MCNzvoA/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hVD_MCNzvoA&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hVD_MCNzvoA&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Day 3-4…Mountain biking off road in Costa Rica typically means lots of mud and we certainly got our shoes full. Carlos, from <a href="http://www.lava-tours.com/">www.lava-tours.com</a>, was our always enthusiastic and quite fit guide. Heather found him from another American’s blog entry describing his 6 hour “March of Death” ride with Carlos. This ride option obviously intrigued us more than a “March of Roses” ride so Carlos was happy to oblige us for the second time he has done this ride as a guided tour. We began in the rafting epicenter city of Turriablba and made 2 ascents/descents of the continental divide on jeep trails including a 1 hour mud slog in knee deep mud descending into the River Reventazon valley (see video). We were super stoked with these 2 days of riding which allowed us to slow down while ascending volcanic rims and see some great wildlife, sample coffee beans from their host fruit, and suffer some sweltering heat with our solid guide Carlos. Check <a href="http://www.lava-tours.com/">Lava Tours</a> out if you’re looking for a high end hard core single or multi day bike tour with zero down time. Many of the tour companies we contacted catered to casual rides with lots of down time. Carlos knows what’s up and is a solid mountain biker in his own right and multi year competitor in the Leaville Trail 100 Bike Race. He speaks great English and even stuck around to have dinner with Heather and I. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Day 5-7 was spent on the Caribbean Coast in Puerto Viejo following a simple transfer shuttle via the national shuttle system <a href="http://www.interbusonline.com/">Interbus</a>. We were quick to decide renting beach cruisers sooner than later was the best way to get around the coastal destinations for snorkeling, kayaking surfing (see video), and wildlife tours. The monkeys and sloths were particularly densely populated on the coast compared to the elusive species on the River Pacuare. Bring lots of <a href="http://www.kinesys.com/">KinEsys</a> sunblock and plenty of <a href="http://www.nuun.com/">Nuun</a> electrolyte replacement for those tough days where your GI system isn't feeling as gung ho as your legs. We also wished we had brought more clothes for a rain forest trip as by the end of a week we had 2 piles of clothes, those that stink and those that stink less. Something about nothing dries when the humidity is pushing 90%!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Pura Vida</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Jeremy and Heather</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #f3f3f3; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANMEkz-Yk3AE4spppaZvz976mvdLXsxLvBtFAYc56V2h-ZtO-GmAsGjt-gNhCsVbdgnJWa7Vw4QICGm1Xx73T6e6sJcSOhsKTPlC6HyplTxUtp4hy4mMMbGJ_3pQvNLJVwCjuqZyXXYA/s1600/DSCF1633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANMEkz-Yk3AE4spppaZvz976mvdLXsxLvBtFAYc56V2h-ZtO-GmAsGjt-gNhCsVbdgnJWa7Vw4QICGm1Xx73T6e6sJcSOhsKTPlC6HyplTxUtp4hy4mMMbGJ_3pQvNLJVwCjuqZyXXYA/s200/DSCF1633.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br />
</div>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-79745522580223466622011-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:002011-01-19T18:57:31.550-08:00Unleashing the Sprinter...Season 2 Unplugged<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknnLDg_pSLgxVkXzmHCvoV5_U2O5oBwUft1aA4_BIQofdDUxYCr0NASJoljnyeFb4DHk3Craz-wOurdXNZA7Sb10t3Uh6JhdbWAwGTvSLmXeKVWY7KRwnDNEKlqTiV9rLnbyDr06VIrE/s1600/DSCF1344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknnLDg_pSLgxVkXzmHCvoV5_U2O5oBwUft1aA4_BIQofdDUxYCr0NASJoljnyeFb4DHk3Craz-wOurdXNZA7Sb10t3Uh6JhdbWAwGTvSLmXeKVWY7KRwnDNEKlqTiV9rLnbyDr06VIrE/s400/DSCF1344.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Just when we all thought Heather and I's "Ultimate Multisport Van" couldn't be improved, we found a way just in time for UMV Season 2 with the addition of a self sustaining solar power system that allows for perpetual Hybridliving. We all ask ourselves how we can give more back the earth than we take? How can we tread lighter yet live life to the fullest? How much electricity do we actually consume per hour? If I can pay for electricity by burning coal cheaper than other energy sources, why does it matter? <br />
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For about $500 for a 135 watt PV (photo voltaic) panel and an additional $400 for charge controller and installation, $300 for 2 440amp/hour deep cycle batteries, $1000 for a Xantrex AC inverter/DC converter, and $200 for Hell Roaring battery isolater, we have perpetual power to operate our minimalist design multisport van's refrigerator, lighting, TV/DVD, water pumps, and heater for up to 7 days without starting the engine. Our system including the panel, charge controller, batteries, inverters, and installation was approximately $2500. This setup on a larger scale would absolutely work for your home however your average consumption per hour is closer to 800 watts at any given moment. A typical solar panel has a 12-15% efficiency rate providing 100% return on investment in 10 years and a lifespan of 15-20 years (except $300 batteries have a 5 year life span). Once solar panels hit 20% efficiency this year, ROI will be accomplished in 3 years!<br />
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As you may know, solar panels require an amperage charge controller device to keep the batteries from being overcharged and they are also only as good as the ability to store DC power. Going back to physics 101, a 100 watt appliance uses 100 watts or 11 amperes per hour on a 10-12 volt system .(Power = Amperes x Voltage). This would exhaust a 440 ampHour battery in 40 hours without replenishment. It takes about a 150 watt solar panel (producing 10-11 amps) to offset this 100 watt consumption due to inefficiencies in conversion of solar energy to electrical energy/less than perfect sunlight/limited number of hours of sunlight exposure, etc. Additionally, it takes a reservoir aka batteries to store energy when possible because it's impossible to match electrical needs with sunlight availability.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXccytOrxcTRO6LY9WIHelzcXdONSXulDrj2nuZqVpFXPVHzEaZ6HHSTTlflzJLURkMuIJQHi70clyL6Ne5Qm8r-39HUIhPQaRT379-cLziuTPcaad62mFKnOxOWtq7Uo2w-g2VZFP4k/s1600/DSCF1346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXccytOrxcTRO6LY9WIHelzcXdONSXulDrj2nuZqVpFXPVHzEaZ6HHSTTlflzJLURkMuIJQHi70clyL6Ne5Qm8r-39HUIhPQaRT379-cLziuTPcaad62mFKnOxOWtq7Uo2w-g2VZFP4k/s320/DSCF1346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Overkill perhaps but most importantly it's symbolic of our commitment to treading lightly in our surroundings and detaching ourselves from the traditional life of decadence "living on the grid". The Sprinter is just the earliest phases of living a simpler life off the grid as the cards play out. Until then, we look forward to spending time on the grid plugged into our favorite travel destinations. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also added a wireless <a href="http://www.roku.com/">Roku</a> modem to the van this year to stream Netflix movies to less remote locations.No more repeats of the movie 300... just name your request and we can stream it!</div><br />
For a complete summary of the Sprinter's unleashing.... <b><a href="http://jeremyrodgers.blogspot.com/2010/04/unleashthe-sprinter.html">Season 1</a></b> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNjnMdMJJeMp1_Coxde44usSiH9tx1DgJP2BBcH6EpvlVVZKNF_wY7_5fgtvCFGil8wPmURovI7wXORubA_adFacOY1m0Y0sEJxc2lBfA8M-RcmAtfFS-9yvkM3TCRtlVgZacEzR0LQ8/s1600/sprinter_keen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNjnMdMJJeMp1_Coxde44usSiH9tx1DgJP2BBcH6EpvlVVZKNF_wY7_5fgtvCFGil8wPmURovI7wXORubA_adFacOY1m0Y0sEJxc2lBfA8M-RcmAtfFS-9yvkM3TCRtlVgZacEzR0LQ8/s320/sprinter_keen.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
See you all on the trails and rivers!<br />
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Heather and JeremyKayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-15814449268135763892011-01-14T19:10:00.000-08:002011-01-19T15:19:27.346-08:00Right to Float Law: Battleground Colorado.<iframe frameborder="0" height="222" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14867210" width="400"></iframe><br />
<b><a href="http://vimeo.com/14867210">American Whitewater and The Right To Float</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3203001">Amongst It</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b><a href="http://vimeo.com/14867210">Right to Float: Statutory and Case Law in Colorado</a></b><br />
<b>I'm sometimes asked by new kayakers "is it true a river is a public resource and may be floated across private land" as long as I don't touch the ground ?</b> Yes, the actual case law is "People versus Emmert, 1979" that was actually lost then overturned on certain points. It's accepted that public waters are not to be obstructed but it's not clear what happens if a floater come across an obstruction. <br />
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<b>What if a dangerous water level fence, bridge, or rapid affects my ability to make passage safely?</b> Grey area. It's generally acceptable from case law the paddler may safely walk around the obstruction incidentally without trespassing.<br />
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<b>How can I help?</b> Be a respectful paddler and citizen when crossing contested lands in a kayak. Try to pass fly fisherman wide and avoid impacting their fishing experience as much as possible. Plan ahead...don't use the restroom or plan lunch on private land. Join the AWA above. Additionally, contact your state legislature when interest groups need your help. Be informed by watching the video above from the AWA!Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-34754309310756729652010-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:002010-11-23T20:45:17.014-08:00Opening Day...Colorado Ski Season 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxYTq9jl7O-moS8TpV6WZyNvz3cXL8zsGTWAOfYkx8AEXu97sD_df7xazO51J0uEUSbcf2fZIqQPhJwvCYp' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Need I say more? Opening at Keystone Resort. Heather and I getting the cobwebs out. 36 inch base before Thanksgiving....keep it coming o holy white snow santa. Yes, those are teleturns for sure and the new HD GoPro Chest Cam. Bring on the hut trips, nordic skate days, hot chocolate, and winter friends. We even scoured the mountain for some bumps that were hidden in the backside.Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-69026436026052821362010-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:002010-11-21T20:54:33.900-08:00Little Grand Canyon...Westwater Utah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRevkbJtN1XNEKXKmNg3Y5lf84w7shnnmFAws0LRkVMhh_Kz3J_6V_LeQCyhI9W2ZktZiHpWvKiaDM7qRsR96Hv-qSDXaFFB7uUfCP1zBEPStrYBEfZUsjR-UWiyooBlSpNCBKojckp_s/s1600/CIMG1198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRevkbJtN1XNEKXKmNg3Y5lf84w7shnnmFAws0LRkVMhh_Kz3J_6V_LeQCyhI9W2ZktZiHpWvKiaDM7qRsR96Hv-qSDXaFFB7uUfCP1zBEPStrYBEfZUsjR-UWiyooBlSpNCBKojckp_s/s320/CIMG1198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As fall weather slumbers into the Rocky Mountains, all the usual suspects loaded up the KEENmobile and rolled into Westwater Canyon Utah for a 4 day paddling and mountain biking bonanza. Fresh off of my last trip to Seattle to adventure race with the DART gang, it was great to be back on the mountain bike yet again away from endless time in the kayak. Heather and I started the weekend by hitting all the classic mountain bike rides (and a few we made up as we went!) in Moab. What is better in life than to wake up in the morning from our camping vista overlooking Slickrock followed by frumpy oatmeal and chocolate milk watching the sun rise in my KEEN flippity flops?<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyis5eYkpws">ROCK'N VIDEO LINK HERE</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJDs1zGZImQ&feature=related">PADDLER'S PERSPECTIVE (Same Stretch Looking Downstream)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW4SE1V2vlc&feature=related">SIDE PERSPECTIVE (Same as photo)</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTpG7exXgbuW6AJ1C8I75BvL42UT1KArEOFDX891St431TINIiwg0sleGjJo_BJbZQ40sP7JVLt63xYuU_bRIAZtbgGUYyU1L2_2WwfqnDs1FAhU2s0XQehkfEjCvYq6Y9ka7owfBhKQ/s320/skullrapidwestwater2008hirez.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull Rapid, Left Line vs. Right Line</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTpG7exXgbuW6AJ1C8I75BvL42UT1KArEOFDX891St431TINIiwg0sleGjJo_BJbZQ40sP7JVLt63xYuU_bRIAZtbgGUYyU1L2_2WwfqnDs1FAhU2s0XQehkfEjCvYq6Y9ka7owfBhKQ/s1600/skullrapidwestwater2008hirez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>After some epic mountain biking in Moab, we rolled upstream to Westwater Canyon to meet up with Andy Corra and family along with Nelson Oldham/fam for some big water boat'n on one of every wildwater paddlers' favorite stretches of river. Westwater Canyon, sometimes called Little Grand Canyon, is rich in outlaw history, caves, and bald eagles. It is even richer in the quality of big volume pool drop rapids. The exitless inner gorge is 40 minutes of world class continuous big water rapids. Each drop leads to a guaranteed chest hit at the bottom of the explosive wave trains leading to the crux rapid in the series known as The Skull. To the right you see a photo from 2 years ago on another Westwater river trip with me taking the left line and The Boz taking his raft on the rowdier right line barely squeezing by the munchy massive hole that gives the rapid its namesake. Hitting the swimming pool sized hole almost guarantees a beat down followed by a story worthy dance with The Rock of Shock and then an unpalatable dessert in The Room of Doom. It's actually not such a Room of Doom for kayakers but it can hold a raft for hours if one unlucky soul gets sucked into the recirculating eddy inside the alcove unless they <b>dump truck or bus stop</b> (same as a dump truck but only the guide stays in the raft:) in the Skull Hole. .<br />
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Andy Corra and I prepaddled the same 20 mile run the day before in a brisk sub 2 hours on a training run (aka paddle as hard as you can to not lose Andy) but the run you see here is the family run with his talented paddling wife Janet and son Wiley as well as Nelson Oldham and daughter Kate both in kayaks and a support dory. Not blasting down the river in a paper thin 24 lb carbon kelar boat has its own challenges and you see me several times mis time my dory passes in the rapids resulting in a side hit on my stern and a double look to ensure I'm still sea worthy:)<br />
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I try to add a swiftwater racing tip on every blog entry and I think a great paddling tip from today's video is to "reach past every wave apex for your next stroke". Doing so centers your balance perfectly on each mega wave hit and boofs/drives the kayak forward trying to reach the next wave before my bow drops into the trough of the wave set (which would slow my speed like a speed bump). Notice the frequency of my paddle strokes matches the frequency of the swell surges...the slower the surges lift me the slower my stroke frequency. I hear the advice "paddle like hell when a rapid approaches" which I disagree with from a technical perspective as the paddler flails with poor timing. "Never stop paddling and time each stroke to hit each wave apex" is a better paraphrase of that same advice. Notice my paddle is never out of the water except for a millisecond between strokes. That millisecond is the only instant I could get flipped like you see just before the slo mo in Skull Rapid but a few brace strokes prevented a roll. I may slow down my stroke by extending the stroke beyond my hip waiting for the next wave but my paddle is ALWAYS in the water for leverage. In the notorious words of my favorite movie of all time: TOP GUN..."Maverick, that was some of the best (paddling) I've seen yet right up to the point you got (flipped)...you NEVER EVER leave your (paddle in the air:)<br />
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Heather got plenty of flat water time on the SUP paddle board and little 8 year old Wiley Corra really impressed me paddling rowdy class 3 wavetrains with a smile on his face. The US paddling scene will recognize this name in about 10 years as he'll surely go on to match his dad's world record paddling acumen.<br />
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As with life, the compression of every canyon brings a lot of rowdiness and uncertainly. Peace finally returns and that same rowdiness passes us by on its way to the next tumultuous canyon. In the early hours of morning on the same day as this video filming I saw the most magnificent shooting star go overhead seen from horizon to horizon with a glorious trail of green. Later that evening, I got a voicemail from my long time hometown friend letting me know the mother of my high school class Linda Griffin had passed. Now I know what it meant. <br />
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Next up....nordic and hot chocolate hut season is upon us! Special thanks to the ever creative Heather for the video editing above!!!Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744119730722008867.post-59195513592617534062010-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:002010-10-03T20:45:52.450-07:00How Not to Take Heather Kayaking...OK, so only kayakers will appreciate how funny this video truly is. I personally will never take Heather on something she's not comfortable paddling herself but the conversation going on here is just classic among husband and wife/boyfriend girlfriend when paddling a tandem together. Every time we paddle our tandem, we joke with onlookers telling them we're filming a reality tv show called "How to Get Divorced in 2 Weeks or Less".....<br />
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This is on a class 6 section of the White Nile in Uganda and I just can't believe a kayaker would take a non kayaker through this without full disclosure but the drama is just priceless... <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mouMMOraPyw">World's Worst Kayaking Experience</a>Kayakracerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654301801327442362noreply@blogger.com1