Scary

It is never fun seeing the aftermath of a crash, especially when it is somebody you know. Down at Chatfield Worlds on Saturday, Simon went down hard on the run in to the spot where everybody sprints. I was well off the back by that point, having done my best to get it strung out and not so bunched up. Good news is that he is OK beyond the concussion, broken collarbone, bruising, and significant amounts of road rash. Unfortunately, his existing brain damage was not reversed as he was quick to lament the fact that he'd be missing out on Koppenberg when he called me after getting released from the ER. Heal quickly!

The ride yesterday was pretty much the same as the past few Saturdays. I have an inability to leave the house on time and end up putting in a 45 minute time trial effort down to the group ride, flog myself on the group ride, and then head uphill until I decide I am ready to go home. It looks a little something like this on the map, with approximately 4207' of climbing total. I planned on riding up and over Shadow Mountain to Evergreen, but ran into some old teammates who were on their way down from the top of High Grade and said it was ridiculously cold and snowing. That would be a violation of my riding rules which state it has to be 40 degrees at least.

A few of us decided to hit the movies last night to see The Bank Job at the new Landmark Theater down in Greenwood Village. That place is my new favorite movie theater. They have a bar in the lobby, intelligent films on the big screen, and "complementary" popcorn and drinks. It is a genius idea on their part, charging in advance for the popcorn and soda. It is cheaper than the major movie theaters and they don't have to have somebody staffing a concessions counter. They pay for that person by offering VIP seating for $14 and having the concessions cater to your every snacking need.

While waiting for the temperature to come up to a comfortable riding range this morning, I decided to be a little bit handy. The switches in the bathroom for the lights and exhaust fan have been loose since the work was done originally by a bunch of hacks. They didn't bring the switch box out to the proper level so there was nothing supporting the switch. I did some carving on a plastic "mud ring" and viola, the switch is solid!

I also did some caulking, changed some light bulbs, and fixed the laptop (the video chip is on a ball grid array that comes loose about every nine months causing the monitor to flicker and fade, you can find the details of the fix on the internet, but it involves exposing the guts of the computer and a 1000 degree heat gun).

Ride time!