December 2022 (miles 2101-2202)
What just happened? I mean 2022 was quite the year, but it has all been just a blur. I wrapped up my service in the USAF. I stepped forward in my career at FedEx. I am going to all my kids’ events. I am even racing and building more. Life should be good, but stress, a feeling of a lack of time, and I don’t know adulthood are fucking hard. Held an average of 220mi/mo and that was wild. I gotta shake things up for 2023. I have to take better care of myself and get my projects done.
November 2022 (miles 2023-2100)
With my goal achieved, I needed to rebuild. While my bikes were “mostly” healthy, my shop, my base of operations had completely fallen apart. I had Air Force items lying about, gear absolutely everywhere, it was a mess. I unapologetically took the month to rebuild, reorganize, and come up with a plan to come back stronger.
FedEx saw me travelling to Memphis again. I even got to rent this baller Benz by luck of the draw at Hertz. Who says the rental car shortage is all bad? That was a great week of food, good company, and work. James Mother F*cking White has also joined the two wheeled chat. He got himself a big bike, so look for dumb decisions all next summer on that front.
I took a rejection to heart this month too. I applied to a race. I didn’t get in. The silver lining, it lit a fire up under my ass. I bought a 3.0l crank for RustBucket and we are going to add serious power. I’ll make my doubters eat their words. The days of bringing a knife to a gun fight are coming to an end.
October 2022 (miles 1797-2022)
That just happened. I completed my goal a solid two months early. 2022 has seen a record number of 200+ mile months. I stayed focused, healthy, and kept my bikes working well. Go figure, the level of difficulty goes down when you don’t shatter your hand.
Life after the military is great. I am racing a lot, got two full course track days in, and even managed a win. I’m there for my kids. The TCA Cheerleaders look forward to what costume I’ll wear to the next football game. As a family we snuck in a trip to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, and DC. I am hoping to make family travel much less rare. There is no shortage of adventures in Casa Hamilton, so stay tuned.
September 2022 (miles 1591-1796)
Severe turbulence. September was a time of change, saying goodbye, building something great. I started the month with my 40th birthday, and a funeral. Which pretty much sums up my month emotionally. I also said goodbye to 13 years at the 731st AS in the USAF Reserves. I have a limited amount of time, and in the end, I think I just joined the military too late to give it a full 20. My career at FedEx is taking off, kids are growing up and one foot out the door. I need more time.
Riding my bike was key to keeping my head through all this. It certainly is a lot to process. Just me and the wilderness, the speed, the danger. The only thing that matters in two wheels is putting the bike where it needs to be at speed. Any other thoughts can put your face in the dirt. Certainly, a welcome distraction. I will always miss flying, but the cruel thing about life is… you only get so much of it.
August 2022 (miles 1357-1590)
New trails and new adventures. Mountain biking in N. Colorado Springs is a dynamic environment. The trails are changing, some good, some bad. While I welcome the addition of dozens of new trails, I stand cautious and ready against the tearing down of the old guard, The new trails have safety in mind. They are often smoother, wider, lower risk. The older trails built 15-20 years ago when Freeride DH was popular and definitely unsanctioned, required attention, skill, accepting a lot of risk.
As trails are ripped out, I’ve found myself paying more attention. Who is around? What work is being done? Is this feature visible to other trail users. This month has awakened another side of me. I was part of the old guard that built the original trails. We’d build, it got found, destroyed, repeat. The cycle has come full circle. We built trail organizations. They added trails. Got comfortable, then started policing everything. As this policing continues, the fight begins. Defund these parks on the ballots, look for opportunities to reopen features. Go back to the underground.
July 2022 (miles 1104-1356)
Riding bikes and racing cars. Life is good. Cranked out a lot of miles. Showcasing my extensive pit bike collection of pixies. Loads of dirt jumping and getting back into doing tricks in the air. I even managed to squeeze in a park day of big money sends. This is what I spent those long hours building. Time to enjoy it.
In terms of miles/month this was one of my best yet. I am on pace to exceed my 2022 goal by a good margin. Summer is short and I fully intend to make the most of it. With that being said I am off to go crank out as many of those evening dirt jump sessions while the sun still allows them.
June 2022 (miles 937-1103)
I got to explore France on the trip of a lifetime. I was selected to go to Normandy for the 78th anniversary of D-Day. Flying in formation over ceremonies over hallowed grounds on the C-130 was almost the highlight. Right up to the point that I got to drop paratroopers out of a C-47 over Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The experience of celebrating liberation with Europeans at the cities where it happened is surreal. They dress up in vintage WWII uniforms, drive Willy’s Jeeps, and have an unparalleled sense of gratitude and history. Everything going on almost made me forget that instead of spending $200/night an individual to stay there in a hotel, we rented a beach house for the same $200/night for the entire team. I could go on forever, but TROGDOR!!!
May 2022 (miles 736-936)
Pixie bikes have always had a special place in my heart. This spring I’ve spent a lot of time revamping my fleet of 6 pixie bikes. I am trying to get them all in tip-top shape for my big 4-0 in September. Of my builds I am most proud of the Princess bikes. I polished the stock paint, added graffiti, tattooed princess stickers, and some stout BMX parts. This bike is one of my favorite pit bikes, and beer drinking downhill racers. If you haven’t made it out on one of my bikes for a run down the street… come on over, down some liquid courage, and let’s ride. Oh and I also got in 200 miles this month. Not bad.
April 2022 (miles 531-735)
I had a realization last month. That I hit a comfort zone, and stayed in it. I haven’t been pushing myself and getting outside of that comfort zone. I realized this when I pedaled passed what I call “Stupid Rock”. It is a tall slab of sandstone that I used to ride down when I felt like doing something stupid. I thought about it and realized I haven’t ridden it since I broke my hand.
So, I decided to make a change. I’ve been packing my GoPro and that makes me hit something worth filming. It is a bit of a process, but slowly I am getting back to my old full-send self. I also started a Tik-Tok as part of doing more and more progression. Just playing around with my antics in a cleaner 30 seconds or less edits sense. Let’s see how this plays out.
March 2022 (miles 391-530)
In 2022 I’ve kinda taken a liking to some hiking. Especially when it is cold, snowy, and what others would describe as miserable. I genuinely love it. You get the place mostly to yourself, which is rare these days in Colorado. The first mile sucks, but then you build up body heat, start snacking on spicy snacks and its magical. I’ve also managed to scout some new trails, and find a few things I never knew were in my town.
February 2022 (miles 211-390)
So, the grainy photo is due to my phone falling out of my pocket at 40mph. Let’s just say it wasn’t in the same shape after bouncing off the pavement on the way to the park. I mean seriously, this shot looks like it was taken in the 1800’s before I left to fight in the Civil War.
Anyways, February is winter, winter is cold. As usual the snow didn’t keep me inside. I mean, yeah… we’re in the Rockies. February is also Lent, and for Lent I am taking to fixing up my equipment and taking care of business. I have a special bike that I am building, and well… riding 2000+ miles/year is hard on equipment, so I am also catching up an maintenance.
January 2022 (miles 0-210)
Third year of this challenge and I feel fresh. Last year was a battle of wills. One that while I completed it, ultimately broke my will and desire to continue racking up miles. I think I really needed the break to clear my mind. I also needed some time to catch up on projects, put some things behind me, and just build that mental space to just breathe.
2021 was a year of broken parts, broken bodies, and broken spirits. Here is to hoping that 2022 will be a year for rebuilding. Either way I’ve committed to another year and another 2,000+ miles. Let’s see how this pans out.