UltraRob's Adventures

Last Day to Register for 2013 Leadville 100 Lottery

January 31st, 2013

Powerline Climb

Today, January 31st, is the last day to register for the 2013 Leadville 100 lottery for your chance to dig deep going up Powerline and on the rest of the course on August 10th. You have until midnight MST but if you plan on registering and haven’t, I’d suggest you do it as soon as possible just in case you have issues with registering. Head over to this page to register.

As has been the case for the last several years, there’s a $15 charge plus fees just to sign up for the lottery. This fee gets donated to charity though. Also the entry fee if you get picked in the lottery has gone up yet again. It’s now up to $345.

Although the Leadville 100 lottery used to be the only the only way to get into the Leadville 100, now there are the qualifiers to get a slot. There are also various charity slots that can be used to gain a Leadville 100 entry.

Good luck to everybody that is in the lottery! I’ve entered the lottery again in hopes of making my 10th start. Since I had a streak of 3 DNFs, I’ll be going for finish number 7.

Related Links

Jamis Dakar AMT Mountain Bike 2012

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Jamis Dakar XCR Race Mountain Bike 2012

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Tags: 100 miler, Colorado, endurance racing, Leadville, Leadville 100, mountain biking
Posted in Bike, Mountain Bike | No Comments »

Incline Friends Karma Hour Photos

January 17th, 2013

Bristol Brewing held the Incline Friends Karma Hour fund raiser Tuesday evening. They donated $1 of every pint to the Incline Friends. It was crowded while I was there. It was good seeing people I know and meeting some other Manitou Incline lovers.

Other ways to help the Incline Friends is to join them, donate using the donate link on their website or putting money into the tube at the bottom of the Incline.

Here are some photos from the Incline Friends Karma Hour.

[View with PicLens]

Tags: Bristol Brewing, Colorado Springs, hiking, Incline Friends, Manitou Incline
Posted in Hike | No Comments »

Incline Friends Karma Hour

January 14th, 2013

Last week President Obama signed the law clearing up the railway right-of-way issue with the Manitou Incline. The Colorado Springs council also passed the needed resolution for legalizing the Incline for hiking. The only step remaining to legalizing the Incline is a resolution by the Manitou Springs city council. Manitou Springs council is expected to vote on January 29th.

Although I think there are plans to do more than is needed, I noticed several loose ties when I hiked the Incline yesterday. Stabilizing some sections need to be done soon or more work will need to be done. The Incline Friends are tasked with raising money to repair and maintain the Incline.

Total cost to implement the Incline Management Plan will run about $1 million, and the Incline Friends need $200,000 of that by the first week of March to meet a critical grant deadline. They expect much of it to come from private donors, but not all of it.

There are a few ways to help the Incline Friends raise money. Tomorrow night there’s a fun one. The Incline Friends Karma Hour will be at Bristol Brewery (1647 S. Tejon) from 5 to 9 PM Tuesday, Jan. 15. Bristol will donate $1 to the Incline Friends for every pint sold. Click here for more on the Incline Friends Karma Hour.

Other ways to help the Incline Friends is to join them, donate using the donate link on their website or putting money into the tube at the bottom of the Incline.

Below are some photos from hiking the Manitou Incline on December 16, 2012. It has become a tradition for people to hang Christmas ornaments on one of the trees at the top of the Incline. With the dry winter there was very little snow on the Incline itself or Barr Trail in December. With the cold and little snow of the last couple weeks, there was more snow on it yesterday afternoon and more fell overnight.

[View with PicLens]

Stabilicers STABILicers Lite Hiker

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Stabilicers STABILicers Lite

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Tags: Colorado, Colorado Springs, hiking, Manitou Incline, Manitou Springs
Posted in Hike | No Comments »

Manitou Incline Expected to be Legal Next Month

January 4th, 2013

After 4 years and much hard work by many people the Manitou Incline is expected to be legal for hiking on February 1st, 2013. The U.S. Senate approved a bill clearing up the railway right of way issue for the Incline late Sunday. Sen. Michael Bennet pushed the bill in the Senate and Rep. Doug Lamborn led the effort in the House where the bill passed back in July.

The Manitou Incline management plan identified 13 key steps to complete before the Incline could be made legal. Now that all of those steps have been taken, the only things remaining are for Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs to pass resolutions making hiking it legal. The Colorado Springs City Council is expected to vote on the resolution at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Manitou Springs has indicated it will vote on resolution during a Special Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

“As we look at closing this chapter of the process with a vote to legalize the Incline from the City of Colorado Springs and the City of Manitou Springs’ City Councils, we can begin the next chapter in our process – improving the Incline,” said Sarah Bryarly, Landscaping Architect and Project Manager for the City of Colorado Springs.

The Incline Friends is the non-profit tasked with fundraising for improving the Incline and have been a big part of legalizing the Incline. Incline Friends will need your help in a major fundraising push. Total cost to implement the plan will run about $1 million and they need $200,000 of that by the first week of March to meet a critical grant deadline. They expect much of this to come from private donors but not all of it.

They’ll start with the Incline Friends Karma Hour, 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15 at Bristol Brewery (1647 S. Tejon). Bristol will donate $1 to the Incline Friends for every pint sold.

In the meantime, I’d like to encourage you to join Incline Friends and/or make an online contribution (find the PayPal “Donate” link on the main page of the Incline Friends website.) There’s also a donation tube at the bottom of the Incline that you can throw in a buck or more when you hike the Incline.

MICROspikes Red S

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Microspikes

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Kahtoola Microspikes

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Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, Manitou Incline, Manitou Springs
Posted in Hike | No Comments »

Holiday Adventure Party for Indy Give

December 30th, 2012

Tomorrow, New Years Eve, is the last day to donate to Indy Give! Most of the charities get matching donations so your money will go even further. Not only that you get gifts for donations over of $50 or more. Go to the Indy Give! website for all the details. Here are direct links to the Indy Give! page for some of my favorites – Kids on Bikes, Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, Trails and Open Space Coalition and Rocky Mountain Field Institute.

On December 6th, 5 of the charities that are part of Indy Give! threw a great free party at City Rock to help raise money. The 5 charities were Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, Trails and Open Space Coalition, Millibo Art Theatre, Rocky Mountain Field Institute and Kids on Bikes. They are some of the great local organizations that help give us outdoor places to play.

There were fresh adventure films, live performances, free beverages, great food and prizes. The performances included one of my friends that I rode many miles with as a teenager doing jumps and back flips on stilts. The party was brought by City Rock, New Belgium Brewing, and the Women’s Mountain Bike Association.

Here are some of the photos I took at the party. The complate Holiday Adventure Party for Indy Give photo set is here.

[View with PicLens]

The North Face Denali Fleece Jacket Boy's

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The North Face Denali Fleece Jacket Men's

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Tags: Colorado Springs, Indy Give, Kids on Bikes, Medicine Wheel, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Trails and Open Space Coalition, WMBA
Posted in Bike, holidays, outdoors | No Comments »

Global Fat Bike Day

November 30th, 2012

Photo Courtesy of Allen Beauchamp

Fat-bikes.com has declared tomorrow, December 1st as Global Fat Bike Day. They’ll be having a get together in Wisconsin. Right here in Colorado Springs, we’re going to have our own fat bike fun. Pedal of Littleton is having a fat bike event up there too.

You may not heard of fat bikes but they’re gaining popularity. Fat bikes are mountain bikes with extra wide tires that were created for riding in snow. The tires can be twice as wide as a regular mountain bike tire. They also work well in sand.

Racers for the Iditarod Trail Invitational would weld 2 rims together to get enough flotation in the snow. Then the Surly Pugsley was created and better wheels and tires came along. Now the Salsa Mukluk and Surly Moonlander are popular fat bikes.

Tomorrow’s event here in Colorado Springs is in Sand Creek near Platte Avenue. The Hub bike shop and the Surly rep will be on hand with some demo bikes including Moonlanders. For more details on the fat bike demo, see the event page on Facebook.

Salsa Mukluk 3 Complete Bike

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Salsa Mukluk 2 Complete Bike

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Salsa Mukluk/ Beargrease

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Tags: bike demo, Moonlander, mountain biking, Mukluk, Salsa, Surly
Posted in Bike, Mountain Bike | No Comments »

Black Friday Outdoor and Cycling Gear Deals 2012

November 22nd, 2012

Here’s a list of outdoor and cycling related deals for Black Friday and through the weekend to Cyber Monday. Some of the deals are already available and some are just on Black Friday or Cyber Monday so check the details.

A couple big deals are 40% off regular priced items and 20% off sale items at Konasports and up to 30% off at Sierra Trading Post. See list below for coupon codes. The list is alphabetical by store name.

Altrec

Black Friday Special 15% off sale prices. Coupon Code: BlackFriday15. Friday Only.
Cyber Monday Special 15% off sale prices. Coupon Code: CyberMonday15. Monday Only.

Backcountry.com

Backcountry.com is running a few different sales through 11/28/12 with up to 70% off and includes free 2-day shipping on $50+ orders.

Bike Nashbar

Take an extra 20% off orders over $50 including bikes and frames through Sunday with code 72635. Some exclusions. Free shipping on Monday and Tuesday with code 43841 on orders over $25.

Climb High

25% off Rab, Patagonia, Brooks Range & ISIS. 20% Off All Ice Climbing Gear. Free shipping and free returns on all orders. Deals run Thursday through Monday.

CycloCamping.com

DC

Spend $125 and Get $25 OFF Your Next Order & Free Shipping. Offer Expires 11/26 at Midnight.

Derailed

15% Off Sitewide on Snowboard and Ski Apparel and Accessories and More.

Dogfunk

Equipe Sport

Take an Additional 10% Off Existing Spyder Markdowns. That’s up to 25% Off. Free Shipping. Use Code Equipe12
Take an Additional 10% Off Existing Arc’Teryx Markdowns. That’s up to 35% Off. Free Shipping. Use Code Equipe12

Getz

Save up to 50% on The North Face + Free Shipping over $75. Good through 12/1/12.

Giantnerd

Up to 80% off bike and outdoor gear.

Half-Moon Outfitters

Save an Extra 20% Off Select The North Face Items through 12/3 while supplies last, with promo code: tnfsale. Free Shipping on orders over $49!

Icebreaker

30% off ALL Black Icebreaker Product & 20% off Everything Else + FREE Shipping through Sunday. Click Here for Details.
15% off The Icebreaker Gift Guide + FREE Shipping! Monday Only. Click Here for More Details.

Jenson USA

Lots of great bike and bike accessory deals.

Konasports

Get 40% of regular priced with coupon code BCW40 and 20% off sale items with code BCW20. Excludes UGG, Oakley and Nixon . Free 2 day priority shipping in the US excluding oversize items. Click here to visit Konasports.

Moosejaw

Save 20% on almost everything at Moosejaw. No code necessary! Deal excludes some brands. Ends 11/25/12.

Pactimo

30% Off Cycling Apparel – Jerseys, Jackets & More! Sale runs through Monday.

Performance Bikes

Door busters in every category including bikes. Take an extra 20% off items other than door busters and bikes. Ends Sunday. $20 off orders over $100 on Monday.

Peter Glenn

Extra 20% off sale items on Monday with coupon code CYBMON12. Excludes skis, ski boots and ski bindings.

ProBoardShop

Up to 70% Off Snowboards, Skis, Outerwear, and much more through Monday. Click here to see.

Real Cyclist

Biggest Sale of the Season – Up to 50% Off thousands of bike items.

REI

Save on Gear with REI’s Cyber Monday Deals! Online only at REI.com. Save 50% on all REI Brand Outerwear for Men, Women, Kids on Friday only.

Rock Creek

20% off Marmot
20% off Prana while Supplies last
Jacket sale including Marmot, Patagonai and North Face

Sierra Trading Post

Black Friday Deals page
An Extra 25% off purchases – use coupon code CYBERMONDAY12 – Valid 11/26/2012 Only
Get 25% off your purchase of $125 or more – use coupon code AVNOV2 – Expires 12/5/12
Get 30% off your purchase of $200 or more – use coupon code AVNOV2 – Expires 12/5/12
20% off at Sierra Trading Post – use coupon code AVTHANKS2 – Expires 12/5/12

Soul Poles

Get 20% off custom ski poles and free shipping with coupon code cybersoul.

Tahoe Mountain Sports

30% Off All Patagonia Clothing for Black Friday-Cyber Monday AND Get Free Shipping Too. Ends Monday. Also check their sale page.

The Clymb

Get the best prices of the year Monday only. Expires 11/27/2012 At 8:00AM PST.

TriVillage

20% Off Almost Everything for Running, Cycling & Swimming + Free Shipping over $75 w/ code: BLACKFRIDAY20. Ends Monday night.

The North Face Women's Fleece WindWall 1 Fleece Jacket Blue In Size

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The North Face Women's Fleece WindWall 1 Fleece Jacket Green In

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The North Face Women's Fleece WindWall 1 Fleece Jacket Brown In

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Tags: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, cycling, gear, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, snowshoeing
Posted in Camp, Climb, Hike, Ski, Snowshoe, gear, outdoors | 2 Comments »

Manitou Incline History Exhibit

November 8th, 2012

The Manitou Springs Heritage Center is having a “517 at 5:17″ Event tonight, November 8th at 5:17 PM, for the opening of its newest exhibit titled “The Manitou Incline – From Utility to Attraction”. Some of my Manitou Incline photos are in the exhibit. The exhibit relates the story of how the installation of a pipeline for a hydro-electric plant became a famous tourist amusement for 81 years. Now it’s the most popular hike in the Colorado Springs area even though it’s not legal to hike.

Eric Swab created the exhibit featuring photos and artifacts from 1903 to the current day from his comprehensive research of the Incline. Mr. Swab’s complete Incline history in booklet form will be available for purchase in the Museum Store. In addition, a special compilation video featuring a historic film, a video of the last ride up the Incline, and still photos has been created by Heritage Center volunteer Ashley Swendsen and is a highlight of the exhibit.

“The Manitou Springs Heritage Center is very grateful that Mr. Swab agreed to put together the exhibit,” stated boardmember Michelle Anthony. “Eric is great to work with and does a terrific job; we are fortunate to be able to present exhibits he is involved in.” Colorado Springs Utilities and the Incline Friends board helped financially with the exhibit. Admission to the Heritage Center is free but financial support is still needed to cover exhibit costs, so please consider making a contribution.

The Manitou Springs Heritage Center is located at 517 Manitou Avenue in Manitou. Hours of operation starting November 2nd will be Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 to 5 pm. To find out more about the Manitou Springs Heritage Center visit their website at www.manitouspringsheritagecenter.org.

In addition to the Incline exhibit at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center, Eric Swab will talk about the history of the Incline at 11 AM Friday, November 9th, at the Old Colorado City History Center, 1 S. 24th St., Colorado Springs. The title of his talk is “The Manitou Incline – From Drinking Water to Tourism”.

Doors open at 10:30 AM and seating is limited. Historical Society members can attend free and entry for others is $5. Find out more on the Old Colorado City Historical Society website.

Tags: Colorado Springs, history, Manitou Incline, Manitou Springs, Manitou Springs Heritage Center, Old Colorado City History Center
Posted in Hike, outdoors | No Comments »

Input on Biking Pikes Peak

November 7th, 2012

Cyclists got a chance to bike the Pikes Peak Highway during September. I took advantage of it and rode from my house to the top of Pikes Peak and then down Barr Trail. I know lots of people who also rode. The’s no reason for it to not be open all the time the Pikes Peak Highway is.

The Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is taking input on allowing bikes on the Pikes Peak road in the future at their meeting tomorrow, November 8th. The meeting starts at 7:30 AM. Bikes on Pikes Peak is fairly far down on the agenda so if you can’t arrive until a little after 8 you should be there in time and give input. The meeting is at parks headquarters, 1401 Recreation Way.

Hope to see you there! You can check out my Pikes Peak photos and ride report here.

Teo Sport Neoprene Mountain Bike Rebell Winter Booties

Price: $49.00

Planet Bike Borealis Full Finger Winter Cycling Gloves 9004

Regular Price: $39.99
$36.99 on sale

Teo Sport Airtech Tunnel Winter Booties (waterproof)

Price: $53.00

Tags: Barr Trail, Bike, Colorado Springs, mountain biking, Pikes Peak
Posted in Bike, Mountain Bike, Road Bike | No Comments »

Levi Effect Movie Tonight

October 23rd, 2012

As part of the investigation into Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer testified about the doping in Pro cycling. Last week he was fired from the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team because of his doping. Or maybe because he talked about it not that he doped. Tonight the Levi Effect is showing at theaters nationwide for one night only at 7:30 PM.

Levi has stood atop the podium of cycling’s most celebrated contests: The Tour de France. The Olympics. The Amgen Tour of California. The Vuelta a Espana. The Tour de Suisse and the USA Pro Challenge here in Colorado. But beyond the race coverage lies a man whose impact on those around him is even more notable. From the millions in charity work to the reshaping of his hometown.

I’ve been wondering how the doping would be handled in the movie. Neil Browne got to preview the Levi Effect and has a great review of it. He says there’s a segment that talks about the doping but Neil says, “There’s no gory details or tearful apology.”

The Levi Effect website lists 3 local theaters showing the Levi Effect tonight. They are Tinseltown, Cinemark Carefree Circle and Hollywood Theaters 14. If you’re looking for someone to go with, a group is meeting a Cafe Velo before going over to the movie at Hollywood Theaters. I plan to be there.

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