Flashback - Courage Classic 1998

Greetings Readers

Pictured is the first bike jersey that I bought at a bike tour event. The event was ten years ago. Wow. How times flies when you do not really pay attention. Ten years. The bike jersey is sort of cool these days, in my opinion - basically all white and a few logos and colors which makes the bike jersey alright. Though, at the time of purchase I thought that this was the most, as my ex-co-worker would say, "just so awesome" bike jersey.

I do not think that I have told you readers the story behind the purchase of this bike jersey. Or have I? This bike jersey was expensive, but at the time I wanted a bike jersey that looked like that. Also, at that particular time in history that was when I was rotating between the two solid yellow bike jerseys.

So this bike jersey is from the Courage Classic Bike Tour that is held in the Rocky Mountains over a three day period. The amount of mileage differs from year to year as well as location when I was an active rider in said tour.

Unfortunately, due to the Courage Classic Bike Tour upping their registration fee, applying a camping fee, a shower fee, and I think adding more meal plans the tour got too fucking expensive for me to really to participate and feel good about. Believe me I am all for helping out the Children's Hospital of Denver, but I need to make sure that I am not paying any more than I have to in order to enjoy the biking itself. Yet, when they started to add extra fees I got a chip on my shoulder and to this day that fucking chip is still there.

I forgot to mention that I pay for my own way into any bike event(s) I ride in. I do not believe in raising money for the event(s). I do not like the thought of going around and asking people to pledge money to help me. The way to look at it is basically you are asking money from people to help you to get to ride in the event. And me being me I hate asking for money. It hurts. Not only does it hurt I hate making people feel that they must give me money. Sorry readers when I type "give me" I really mean contribute/donate money to the charity itself. I do not want to make anyone feel that they must give me money or feel uncomfortable by saying no. If you say no then so be it, I am not going to hold that no to you nor will I remember and bring that up later in life and say "yeah that was the person who elected not to contribute to the Children's Hospital.

If I pay all the money myself then I am on top of the Earth. I know that by paying the entire amount myself I am content. I do not have to thank anyone for their contribution nor am I obligated to ride in said tour if someone contributed by assuming I was riding the tour for their contribution.

So, I think it was the second day of this bike tour when the route was staying around the Frisco, Breckenridge and Keystone area of the Rocky Mountains. Their was an option on the route and that was to go up Loveland pass. Loveland Pass. Wow, at that time the thought of climbing/riding up the Loveland Pass on a bike was something to brag about. Oh yes, readers I still brag about climbing Loveland Pass on a road bike anytime I get the opportunity to do so. I love showing my pictures that I have taken at the top of Loveland pass. I also like showing the picture of me standing next to the Loveland Pass sign that is the dividing line of the Continental Divide.

Pretty Cool.

So, when I approached the turn off section, option section, I thought right there that I was presented with a challenge. This is what separates the men from the boys and the girls from the women. To climb Loveland Pass would be something so fucking awesome to talk about after the bike event which was something that motivated me to take the option up Loveland Pass.

From my Spring training prior to the bike event I knew I trained, but the real question was did I train enough. Or more to the point - correctly. I self trained myself at that time and matter of fact I still self train myself.

I can not recollect the exact feeling or moments on that climb, but I remember the feeling of me actually riding up Loveland Pass. The Loveland Pass that is used when the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed and the only way to continue East or West is to take Loveland Pass.

I can not remember if the climb was truly hard or just something that was hard in general. I do remember that the number one goal was -NOT TO GET OFF THE BIKE AND WALK. That was the number one rule in my book and even today that is the cardinal rule not to break. Never, ever get off the bike and walk to the top of the mountain. Yet, I have walked my bike on some mountains so I have broken the rule a couple of times. I am human.

Present day - with my training I make sure that my hill climbing skills are superb. I never, ever want to walk my bike up a mountain. I want to ride smoothly and ride with style up a mountain. Again I think, I believe in my hill climbing skills. I often get cocky, I often joke and more importantly I make it a contest between me and other riders on a hill climb. I want to "shine." I get off being the guy who can take the mountain down and to leave riders in my wake.

Returning to the story, I made the bike ride to the top of Loveland Pass and the rest is history. From that moment on I knew my life was going to change - and change for the better.

The descent was fucking awesome. Who knew that I could get over 40/50 miles per hour on a bike. And at that time I had never crashed on a bike which meant I was fearless going down Loveland Pass on a bike. I was tucked in on my Motobecane and enjoying the descent into Keystone. I was holding onto dear life on the handlebars and I was enjoying the descent since I rode up Loveland Pass.

Fast forward - after the event I decided to go to the merchandise area and reward myself for climbing up Loveland Pass. I saw the bike jersey hanging on the tent wall and that my faithful readers is the story of the first official Bike Tour Jersey I bought for myself and how I think I got into buying the "cool" bike jerseys.

Presently, this particular bike jersey hardly ever gets worn anymore. It is dated and nowhere close to bike jersey designs these days. Yet, to me this bike jersey is "Old School". I decided to wear this bike jersey for old times sake and this was the first time in over a year that I have worn this bike jersey. I do have to admit that I wore my US Open White Bandanna with this bike jersey and changed the Oakleys lens to mirror black and I looked pretty decent. =).

I have fond memories of my first official bike event in my life and I remember reading the brochure that stated we riders have over 145 miles of biking in the Rocky Mountains. I remember thinking could I ride 145 miles in three days?

Now, I can do 150 miles in 10 hours on a bike event day. Now, that was something at the time I never thought of happening to me or even think of attempt to do. There was no try - either do or do not. And yes there is a bit of Yoda there.

Until the next time

Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete

My Biking/Cycling Jerseys

Greetings Readers

Another year has transpired and another year I am one year closer to death. You know that is sort of similar to a Pink Floyd song lyric in a song that I love. (Oh the reason just came to me! that is a story in itself - 1st year college and coming home for break and visiting the so called high school sweetheart who was a senior at high school - Probably not the story that you are thinking even happening. Totally messed up - but more importantly I could care less at that moment in time)

No, I am not giving you readers a grim look of death. Nor am I worried about it.

Okay, let me change that topic into another topic that will be interesting, I hope.

Oh, I have not gotten my birthday present that I asked for =).

Onto Cycling once more.

Bike Jerseys

I do not buy bike jerseys for the sakes of buying bike jerseys. The bike jersey(s) that I would buy would need to catch my attention. As I mentioned before bike jerseys are expensive. Well, any bike jersey that has more than one color, logos, and a name brand are expensive. There are the cheap ones that are anywhere from 25.00 to 40.00 dollars. And yes I do own two cheap bike jerseys. Courtesy of when I first started biking and needed to look like a biker/cyclist. Both are yellow (one is bright canary yellow and the other is a dull yellow) and I think I bought both of the bike jerseys from Gart Brothers.

After I started biking and started to understand that there was a "big" difference in bike jerseys. Not to mention was is socially looked upon as "rich" and "poor" and a "racer" cyclist/biker. The "racer" aspect I was not worried about at all. I was worried about looking the part of a "rich" rider. Or in my point of view - A cyclist who gives a fuck on how he looks on a bike.

So, after those two yellow bike jerseys I had in my ever so small collection I had to buy the "Cool" bike jerseys. If I remember correctly, I think the next bike jersey that I bought was a white bike jersey (with logos) from the bike tour - The Courage Classic Bike Tour from 1998. Yes, the bike Tour jersey is cool, but not as cool as the bike jersey(s) I have bought for the past 12 years.

I now own over 20 bike jerseys (I am trying to think of all the bike jerseys that are hanging in my closet) and each of bike jerseys were selected/bought for my taste and my want meter at that moment in time. I also took in the factor that I know that I would most likely be the only rider in my area to be sporting that particular jersey "on the block".

If you were to ask me what is the most favorite bike jersey that I have hanging in my closet I think that my favorite looking jersey would have to be the "Texas" jersey since I absolutely love the bull that is pictured on the back of the bike jersey and the words that are printed on the back of the bike jersey are "Don't Mess with Texas". That motto is a true motto that means do not litter in Texas since it is a very expensive fine. Now, I say that is my favorite, but I do love my "Southpark" bike jersey that I acquired... about two years ago. I love Cartman on the back of the bike jersey. And the main reason that I like this bike jersey is that this particular bike jersey gets everyone from no one to comment on this bike jersey. I wear this bike jersey to get the attention that I crave. The attention that I want. And more importantly the attention that I thrive off. I desire to be the center of attention when I am on the bike. Which I think that most of you faithful readers should know by now.

Then there is my "Santa Fe Century" bike Tour jersey. Only two colors are on the bike jersey and those are the colors of yellow and red. This bike jersey is just an attention getter and catches any one's eye from anywhere. The state symbol is on the jersey along with various "indian drawings"

I have many bike Tour Jersey. I do really love wearing them also. And not because that most of the bike Tour jerseys cost 70.00 dollars plus. The Bike Tour Jersey that I own are very nice - lots of color, nice layout of design and overall just look Damn good on me. Again, should you ask me what my favorite bike Tour Jersey is - I would have to say that it is the bike Tour jersey that was made in a very limited run. Very, very limited - "Tour Diablo" it is yellow once more and on the back of the bike jersey there is a picture of the El Diablo. I would have to say that El Diablo is not scary looking, but sort of a modern art rendition of the devil. I love the way that the devil looks and more important the words "Tour Diablo" is listed on the upper part of the jersey so anyone who is back of me can see where the bike jersey came from. I think this was the first bike Tour that was associated to American Diabetes Association that was held in Loveland, CO. After the first year the ride changed the rules and the official bike jersey could only be acquired through a donation level that was submitted. Long story short - that fucking pissed me off!

I own one Elephant Rock Bike Tour Jersey; Many, many Courage Classic Bike Tour Jersey (I left the tour standing as a 6th year rider); and so own...

And I could go on, but I guess I better come to a stopping point on this subject. I do not want to bore you readers with each jersey.

Again after the first two years of me getting into after cycling, after high school, I was and able to pick and choose the bike jerseys that I wanted to be seen in.

I do not want to seen in the one solid color jersey. To me, and remember readers that this is my personal opinion, you are too cheap to buy an expensive jersey. I do know that there may be many, many reasons why you are wearing a one solid color bike jersey, but overall I have my opinion and I do stand by that.

Now, readers those two solid yellow "cheap" bike jerseys that I mentioned earlier in the blog I still have to this day. Yes, I will pull these bike jersey out to wear. However, I only wear in extreme cases - such as running out of bike jerseys to wear (not doing laundry), or I am going to get dirty (and I mean dirty), or if it is winter (like now) and no one can see the bike jersey that is underneath my coat/jacket.

I have brought you readers into another aspect of my riding and what I think.

Note: I think that is the picture (on today's blog) of the last year's bike jersey that I bought. I was able to buy this on sale and I bought it for the reason that I believe in Team T-Mobile and also my retired rider Jan Ullrich rode for this team. Anyway, I will have to check what I have hanging in my closet.

Until the next time

Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete

Doesn't this photo say "I'm OG, Brah" ?!?!

Greetings People

I can not believe that I have to re-type this blog entry. What makes this worse for me is that I am sick, literally, and I do not want to type any more.

So, here I go again and this will not be the same word for word, or if I want to sound smart - per verbatim.

Here is a photo from the day of the Boulder Backroads Marathon 2003. I had just gotten home from Boulder and I was sort of in a foul mood and I was literally fucking tired. This is the face of a driven man and the face of a man who has ran two marathons in two weeks. Anyway, I think this photo now says - "I'm OG, Brah!" or may be in my own words "Don't fuck with me honeychilde"

Of course, my co-worker would say "brah" is for Point Break movie watchers. I neglected to say that this was also the word Cartman used as Dawg the Hall Monitor.

So, I have been out of commisson for the past week due to an off and on cold that has been trying to put me down and out. Down for the count is what this cold wants. I almost was out - I have been sleeping and resting around the clock and I hate being like that. Basically useless is how I interpet this situation, if you will. I have not been able to run, bike, go out, be up, or worse yet, play with my new computer that I got just before Thanksgiving.

In closing, I have added some more photos from the Boulder Backroads Marathon 2003 and Courage Classic Tour 2001 so take a look if you want to see some more grand pictures of me.

With that I will let you readers go, more importantly, let me go back to my life of slurping soup and sleeping. Urgh.

Oh, the grand daddy is on this Saturday - IRONMAN HAWAII - from this October. If you want to see what I want and also had a taste of this with the IRONMAN ARIZONA I competed in please watch. And yes, I actually made it this far without finding out who won the women's and men's title. Woo hoo. I have been looking forward to this event ever since October - the replay!

Until the next time

Daryl Charley

The Fallen Athlete