It’s Monday, I’m on my second flight out of Seattle Tacoma airport to Colorado Springs, finishing up the rest of my pre-class reading assignment, learning about thread pitches and diameters, metallurgical properties, and other mechanical skills. We touchdown, I grab my bags from baggage claim and make my way to an awkward group of similar looking folks standing in a circle. I introduce myself, get their names (which I promptly forgot) and they continue talking. Once the rest of the group arrives we jump in our rented minivan and head out to the Travelodge for accommodations.
As everyone’s chatting away, the first question posed to the group from one of the students was who wants to go get some weed after they check in? Apparently the ol’ mary jane is legal in Colorado and that was clearly on everyone’s forefront except for yours truly. (I’m not a smoker, and not really a drinker, and it was clear this was a different crowd). Turns out some of them went out to the bar the first night, got some weed and showed up graciously hungover for the first day of class. It became very clear to me early on that I live in a bubble, and I like my bubble and nobody is allowed into my bubble unless they know the password. While some were out partying, I spent the evening putting my bike together and unpacking. I did get to bed late, it was after 11:00!
As everyone’s chatting away, the first question posed to the group from one of the students was who wants to go get some weed after they check in? Apparently the ol’ mary jane is legal in Colorado and that was clearly on everyone’s forefront except for yours truly. (I’m not a smoker, and not really a drinker, and it was clear this was a different crowd). Turns out some of them went out to the bar the first night, got some weed and showed up graciously hungover for the first day of class. It became very clear to me early on that I live in a bubble, and I like my bubble and nobody is allowed into my bubble unless they know the password. While some were out partying, I spent the evening putting my bike together and unpacking. I did get to bed late, it was after 11:00!
Day 1: Barnett’s Bicycle Institute
8:00 am we’re out front of the building waiting to be let in, the doors open and the sweet aromatic flavor of cleaning fluid, grease and coffee fills the air. I know I’m in the right spot. The first day of class is typical amongst any setting, syllabus, course material, house keeping, minimal lecture, answer questions, state your name, etc. That went on until about 4:00 pm when we were released. I had met one other guy who brought his bike and we decided to go for a ride that evening. I came downstairs in my kit carrying my 20” wheeled contraption that appears to be a bike, and I met Joe on his full carbon Campy EPS, Carbon clincher wheelset Colnago superbike and we head off to ride Garden of the Gods. We manage to not get super lost, enter the park and see these stunning views of the landscape. Colorado is extremely dramatic when it comes to viewpoints, and this was just amazing. The other big thing we noticed was that living at 130 feet above sea level is different than living at 6,100 feet above sea level. My HR was through the roof and short of having a vacuum set on blow put in my mouth I could not get enough oxygen. Oh it hurt soooo goooodddd!!!!! We looped around Garden of the Gods and made our way back to the Travelodge for a shower, dinner and a study session downstairs.
I showed up a bit late to the session because I wanted to get some groceries instead of eating out everyday and as we had access to a kitchen. By the time I showed up the study session was a full on “moan-fest” about all the problems everyone has with corporate, their staff, their wife, their firstborn child, the dog across the street, the classroom, and over ripe bananas. Holy cow! I sat back and listened as the complaints kept spewing about the room like a loose water hose. Eventually things died down and once our coordinator left so did everyone else which left myself and another couple of guys there to read and study in silence.
8:00 am we’re out front of the building waiting to be let in, the doors open and the sweet aromatic flavor of cleaning fluid, grease and coffee fills the air. I know I’m in the right spot. The first day of class is typical amongst any setting, syllabus, course material, house keeping, minimal lecture, answer questions, state your name, etc. That went on until about 4:00 pm when we were released. I had met one other guy who brought his bike and we decided to go for a ride that evening. I came downstairs in my kit carrying my 20” wheeled contraption that appears to be a bike, and I met Joe on his full carbon Campy EPS, Carbon clincher wheelset Colnago superbike and we head off to ride Garden of the Gods. We manage to not get super lost, enter the park and see these stunning views of the landscape. Colorado is extremely dramatic when it comes to viewpoints, and this was just amazing. The other big thing we noticed was that living at 130 feet above sea level is different than living at 6,100 feet above sea level. My HR was through the roof and short of having a vacuum set on blow put in my mouth I could not get enough oxygen. Oh it hurt soooo goooodddd!!!!! We looped around Garden of the Gods and made our way back to the Travelodge for a shower, dinner and a study session downstairs.
I showed up a bit late to the session because I wanted to get some groceries instead of eating out everyday and as we had access to a kitchen. By the time I showed up the study session was a full on “moan-fest” about all the problems everyone has with corporate, their staff, their wife, their firstborn child, the dog across the street, the classroom, and over ripe bananas. Holy cow! I sat back and listened as the complaints kept spewing about the room like a loose water hose. Eventually things died down and once our coordinator left so did everyone else which left myself and another couple of guys there to read and study in silence.
Day 2: The distance from the Travelodge and the classroom is about 1/10th of a mile, so we walk over even though some folks would have preferred be driven there. The Barnett’s class is interesting in that it’s setup as a lecture and then we break out to a workbench for a lab. As we’re performing the lab, the instructors would walk around and present us with tips and tricks. Each workbench was setup identical to the other one and the tools were on a grid so everything was easy to find; it was a really nice setup. The premise for the entire class was to learn how to efficiently and effectively use their 14,000 page pdf document, so each bench had a computer where we could access the specific lab we were supposed to be doing.
That evening Joe and I went for our ride out to Garden of the Gods. This time it took us 20 minutes to get there (since we knew the way) and we looped around a few times. The altitude was still affecting us quite a bit but we suffered through it. We rounded out the evening by listening to the open fire hose of complaints again at the study session. Eventually people got tired and left the remaining few of us to finally get some studying in.
Day 3: Class ran long with all of the labs and lecture so there was no time to ride but that did give me more time to study ahead. During the class our coordinator explained to the group that the study sessions were “optional” which meant that we weren’t getting paid to attend them, at which point nobody continued to attend the study sessions until the very last one before the test. I know this because I was at every study session. It became clear very early on who was there to work and who was there for a vacation. During our lunch break some students were planning yet another trip to the, “special green store” and what strip club they were going to attend that evening. I politely declined the offer to go make some bad decisions and spend a lot of money, at least they invited me right?!?
That evening Joe and I went for our ride out to Garden of the Gods. This time it took us 20 minutes to get there (since we knew the way) and we looped around a few times. The altitude was still affecting us quite a bit but we suffered through it. We rounded out the evening by listening to the open fire hose of complaints again at the study session. Eventually people got tired and left the remaining few of us to finally get some studying in.
Day 3: Class ran long with all of the labs and lecture so there was no time to ride but that did give me more time to study ahead. During the class our coordinator explained to the group that the study sessions were “optional” which meant that we weren’t getting paid to attend them, at which point nobody continued to attend the study sessions until the very last one before the test. I know this because I was at every study session. It became clear very early on who was there to work and who was there for a vacation. During our lunch break some students were planning yet another trip to the, “special green store” and what strip club they were going to attend that evening. I politely declined the offer to go make some bad decisions and spend a lot of money, at least they invited me right?!?
Day 4: More lecture and labs today - there is nothing we have done in the class that I haven’t done before either at home or in a shop. The difference is these instructors can explain more of the why and how to create repeatable results on different bikes. This gives me great training tools for current and new staff on how to go about different procedures on the bike. It’s been great to get to chat a little with these instructors; they’ve got such an extensive background in the bike industry and are an amazing resource.
We ended class a little early and that evening Joe and I went to find a new ride called Cheyenne Canyon, it’s a Category 2 climb and has some nice steep sections. The altitude was still playing a key factor in my climbing ability at this point, but everyday seems to be a little better. Taking the day before off the bike was probably a good thing to allow my body to recover. We make our way up the canyon road, and then we flew back down. At this point I was still a little shaken from the Oregon Grand Fondo but doing ok. We make our way back to the hotel, showered, ate and I headed downstairs to get some studying in.
Right after the Oregon Grand Fondo I e-mailed my coach with a brief race report, explained what was going on and he suggested I try listening to this hypnosis track geared specifically for cycling. It’s got positive messages and relaxation techniques in it. I’ve been doing this every night since I arrived in Colorado Springs. I ‘ve never given hypnosis any thought before, it seems like a bunch of snake oil and voodoo to me, but at this point I’m willing to try anything to get my mental game back on track.
We ended class a little early and that evening Joe and I went to find a new ride called Cheyenne Canyon, it’s a Category 2 climb and has some nice steep sections. The altitude was still playing a key factor in my climbing ability at this point, but everyday seems to be a little better. Taking the day before off the bike was probably a good thing to allow my body to recover. We make our way up the canyon road, and then we flew back down. At this point I was still a little shaken from the Oregon Grand Fondo but doing ok. We make our way back to the hotel, showered, ate and I headed downstairs to get some studying in.
Right after the Oregon Grand Fondo I e-mailed my coach with a brief race report, explained what was going on and he suggested I try listening to this hypnosis track geared specifically for cycling. It’s got positive messages and relaxation techniques in it. I’ve been doing this every night since I arrived in Colorado Springs. I ‘ve never given hypnosis any thought before, it seems like a bunch of snake oil and voodoo to me, but at this point I’m willing to try anything to get my mental game back on track.
Tune in tomorrow for the exhilarating adventures of climbing 14,115ft. Pikes Peak and repeats up Cheyenne Canyon! Thanks for reading, comment below.
Cheers,
-Andrew-
Cheers,
-Andrew-