View from the Bubble

Beer Moment: Mama's Little Yella Pils

2009-09-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

I had my first tast of this new offering from Oskar Blues Brewery out of Lyons, Colorado, at the recent Velocross Cyclocross race held this past Sunday at the Boulder Indoor Cycling Velodrome. I had first noticed the beer this past summer while browsing (as I'm prone to do in liquor stores) at Union Jack Liquor in Louisville. It had grabbed my attention because it was a pilsner offering from a brewery that by all my previous experiences brews hoppy beer. While I very much want to like Dale's Pale Ale and Old Chub, I find them barely palatable. Hops just aren't my thing.

I'm not going to go on a diatribe about why I think craft and micro-brewers over-hop the living crap out of everything they produce, but let's just say that Oskar Blues generally doesn't let down the stereotype.

On to the beer: I like, on some level, that Oskar Blues delivers it's product in a can. It's fun and it's very American. It also seems appropriate, in a way, for a pilsner. They're generally light and crisp and have a very easy finish, perfect for a beer you want to grab out of a cooler full of ice on a hot, late-summer day: exactly what I did at the Velocross race after I'd finished my 60 minutes of suffering in the Men's Open category.

I found the actual product to be slightly heavier and more complex than a German Pilsner, while not as sweet or aromatic as some of the Belgian beers that I've been enjoying lately. There was a hint of hops in the way the beer finished, but nothing that was too pungent after a few sips. Altogether, very enjoyable.

I'm glad that I have a new option from a smallish local brewer, and I'll be sure to stop by the OB Brewery in Lyons next time I'm out that way on a mountain bike ride to get some post-workout refreshment.

Race #2 Complete!

2009-09-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

The video is from the Sports Garage Tuesday Morning Cyclocross Skills Clinic presented by Colorado Multisport. I'm doing my best Sven Nys impersonation and trying to hit the barriers hard and smooth.

The second day of the weekend's racing proved to be a very good one. The course was a big question mark for everyone involved given the venue, the Boulder Indoor Cycling Velodrome. This is tucked away in an industrial area of town just west of Foothills Parkway, and being only vaguely familiar with the area I assumed it consisted of mostly parking lots. While I'm not totally wrong, the imagination of the promoters combined with the fact that there is actually some grass and dirt and sand tucked back there as well lent itself to a FANTASTIC course! The highlight and most unique feature was that the course did in fact briefly go indoors. While there was a lot of stop and go and tight corners, the course was not lacking for long drag strips where I could make some use of my fitness and make up for my still-developing skills.

I ended up 12th on the day and didn't get lapped (by the skin of my teeth) and felt much better overall than the previous day's efforts. I had a proper warm-up on my trainer for 25 minutes or so and felt ready to rev when the whistle blew. Starting on the back row didn't help anything but I was able to work my way up through the field and felt strong. My form is starting to come around and I'm glad to have gotten a couple days of racing in my legs. I feel like the snowball is just starting to roll along and there will hopefully be good things to come.

A Race Under the Belt

2009-09-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

It really feels good to get one under the belt, so to speak. There is a level of comfort that comes with having toe'd the line and had everything gone, to a reasonable degree, as expected. The Open field was not large, only 10 or so guys lining up. I finished sort of mid-pack, 6th in my estimation. I was reminded of just how much the almost imperceptible difference in racing speed versus very fast training speed can make the body hurt so much more. Finding my rhythym and working on learning new courses are going to be things to work on in the very near future.

My start was good, had a blip getting into my pedal but was through the first turn in 3rd. Bobbled a turn shortly after, and dropped to around 8th or so by the end of the first lap. As the laps ticked by, my speed going through some of the more difficult turns increased exponentially. Need to work on sorting out the course at speed before the race actually begins. Can't be learning on the fly with the fast guys.

On-bike fitness was brilliant. I was able to close massive gaps up the longest climb on the course. All of the rides back and forth from home to work 'training with a backpack on' this summer seem to have yielded a great base of fitness. Where I was letting those huge gaps open up, over and over, was on the long uphill run-up (PS- barriers were NOT UCI legal!! wink, wink). Maybe dust off the old running shoes this week and work on that.

Second race of the year is today in Boulder. Unique indoor/outdoor course should prove interesting if nothing else. I'm interested to see who will show up. Race report to follow. Possible beer report to follow as well!

Here we go

2009-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today begins anew what is quickly becoming my favorite season of the year... CYCLOCROSS!!!

Yesterday started with a bit of skills work and a couple of practice starts. With the first race closing in fast, every bobble and hesitation brought with it a tinge of panic. Are the skills there? Am I ready to hit the barriers at speed in the middle of dozens of other oxygen deprived maniacs?

The morning is starting with some espresso and a look at the paper before I get ready to head down to Colorado Springs. Haven't ever raced down south before, so not sure on the course, but I'll probably go with my Zipp 404's with Challenge Grifo tubular 34's. They seem to be a superb all-around tire. Sunday we're back in the People's Republic, racing an indoor/outdoor course at the Boulder Indoor Cycling Velodrome. Word is the course has lots of goatheads. Might go with the Mavic Ksyrium's set up with Challenge Fango clinchers, my daily training setup.

It's funny how Cyclocross started as a completely fun endeavour. Triathlon was the focus of my athletic effort, cross only a way to get some fitness through the Fall. Results did not matter. How things change...

Summer Open Triathlon

2009-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

4th place again, second year in a row!

Swim was OK, I think the course was more legit than in '08. I've been swimming a lot more than I was last year, but haven't really put in the effort I know I need to reach my potential. Just need to HTFU and get out of bed in the morning and get slayed at Master's swims at FAC. Also only the second time this year that I've worn my Orca Apex 2 wetsuit (the first being yesterday for 15 min. at 24 Hour Fitness before work).

Run was good, 18:09 for the first 5k of the year is at least an improvement and I know I wasn't completely focused for the duration of the run, so improvement possible there. I've been pretty consistent the last couple of months with my running. Not getting in much volume, which I know would benefit me, but have been doing track/intensity every Wednesday religiously with Ryan Ignatz (1st overall today) and the CMS Get Fast Crew. Maybe need to up the volume just by a hair and attack the track sessions?

Bike not good. Should have been first into T2 by a comfortable cushion, instead was never in the lead until 100m from the bike finish and only for about 5 sec. Pete Mendes passed me through T1 and Craig Howie passed me on Lap 1 of the bike. Was able to hold on to Howie as he passed and when Ryan went by we all sort of stayed close and came in together. To have a shot at the win I needed to have a cushion going out on the run and it just wasn't there. The SRM worked perfectly but the feedback was not good. Let's just say that my average power when I went 2:14 on the bike at Harvest Moon Half-IM two years ago was higher than for the 12 miles of the sprint this morning! Need to get out and work on that, hurt a little more and more often in training.

The LOOK 596 was perfect, no surprise there. Actually a lot of people made comments about it and how well put together it was. I've certainly made more efforts on this bike than with any other to get parts, decals, and wheels that all match the frame. But that is just the sort of thing one does for fun when their job is to be a bike pimp for others!

Thanks as always to Powerbar for providing awesome nutritional products. After a couple of shots of espresso from the Nespresso machine, I ate a Peanut Butter Chocolate Performance bar for breakfast on the drive up to Longmont, washing it down with the new Sun Tea flavor Endurance drink. I'm addicted to that stuff! It tastes like a Snapple!

All in all a good first race for the season, just need to focus a bit more and I'll find my form and do what I know I'm capable of.

Long time, no post

2009-05-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. I haven't been very diligent about updating my posts on this blog. But I've got a lot that I want to say, and I've got my own little soapbox here on which to stand and say it. I'll ignore the fact that no one is listening.
Part of the reason for my absence stems from the fact that shortly after my last post, my apartment burned down. That was a bummer, though it brought to light what an amazing group of people I have surrounding me in Boulder.
Another more recent reason for my absence is that I've been posting to the Colorado Multisport blog. Anytime I've had the energy or desire to blab on about something, I've put it on there. While it has provided an adequate outlet, and probably more views for my banter, it is a more 'professional' setting to put pen to paper, and as such, I can't always get everything off my chest. On my own, and thankfully much less trafficed blog, I can say what I like with [less] repercussion.
And so begins another chapter in the dramatic saga that is my life [insert sarcasm].

Simon Says

2007-09-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

So I went on the Simon ride this morning that meets at 8am just North of Boulder. It is really interesting the difference between riding with Simon and riding with Macca. Simon rides are hard from the start. I do a lot of drafting (he even lectured me a couple of weeks ago about not pulling enough, as discussed in my last post). Macca rides are almost leisurely. They are long. We stop for coffee and talk the entire ride. What is really amazing is that both of these athletes are absolute legends. Both have been successful for long careers over almost every distance. Both have been ITU World Champions and both have won Ironmans. I guess my point is that what both of these athletes is doing is clearly working, clearly proven. But what works for one does not necessarily work for another. Keep that in mind and strive to figure out what works for YOU!

So my dear friend Yeong moved to LA over the summer to do research at UCLA. He's an astronomer, an astrophysicist learned his trade at both Harvard and Princeton and a PHD to his credit. He's a genius. He also gets himself into some really cool events. That's him on the right at With Brad Beven the Boulder Peak Triathlon last year. At the LA Triathlon this past weekend he was on one of the motorbikes working as a draft-buster (he and I shared a laugh about this the night before!). He texted on Sunday morning to inform me (and others I'm sure) that the race was about to begin. I called about 30 minutes later for an update, and though he said over the phone that he couldn't hear me, he continued to rattle off the leaders through the swim and the first part of the bike. He then called 20 minutes later and said "you won't believe what happened." Apparently a course marshall waved a car across the closed course right into the path of his moto, thowing Yeong (and the driver) through the air across the hood. Yeong apparently broke his ankle and last I heard he might have some internal bleeding. So send some good vibes to my Malaysian friend cooped up in the hospital in LA. I'm sure he's bored out of his gourd!

On a more cheerful note, the top 3 guys from LA all live in Boulder! Steve Hackett was the guy I was pulling for. He's so humble and unassuming, but also good for a laugh. If you read this Steve I've got a victory gift for you the starts with T and ends with oohey's New.

September 11th 2007

2007-09-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, I'm getting pretty excited for the upcoming Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. This will not be the first time that I've been, but I'll have much more of a purpose in being there than in the past when I simply wandered around and got drool on the 'unobtainium' on display (please don't sue, Oakley!). There are a few reasons why I'm excited. I'm going with Colorado Multisport, so we're going to have a bunch of meetings with our vendors so they can show us their new wares for the upcoming '08 season. Well since we carry most of the best equipment that's on the market today, that means I'll get the lowdown on what people are going to be lining up to buy in the next few months.

I'm really excited to see the new SRAM Red group. I have a titanium frame with a carbon rear-end (a Primary, of course!) that is just about out of production, and I think I'm going to outfit it with the new Red group. I'm also going to put this awesome Fizik Arione saddle in the Acqua e Sapone team colors on the bike. It should be a sweet ride when it is done. I'll be sure to post some pictures of it. I'm becoming a total Fizik whore, these guys should sponsor me! I just got the AG2R saddle a month or so ago, the one with the black 'wings' and the white stripe down the middle. It was a hot saddle as well, but the AeS saddle is really hard to get. In fact, I lucked into one myself, as Ryan was on the phone to order some Conti tires from our distributor, who also happens to do Fizik, and we asked them as an aside if they had any. I fully expected a 'no' but they'd had a couple of orders cancelled and so had 2 of them. Lucky me, unlucky wallet!

I should be meeting with our graphics guy this upcoming Friday to try to finalize the finish on our carbon frames, which should be arriving very, very soon! The forks for the carbon bikes are ready to go, they in themselves are really nice. Made by Dedacciai and really light and stiff, with a nice finish. Anyway, I'm really excited about the ideas that I have for the graphics package. It will be used across all of our frames as well as on any clothing that we do. It's going to be some simple sort of stripes, strategically placed to have a good impact on the people looking at it. Think racing stripes but a bit more subtle.

I've been having some good discussions with a good friend of mine, Jack, who is my neighbor here in Boulder. He's in the surgical supply business, and it seems to me he has a great outlook on business as well as life. We've been talking about how some objects, some material items, posses what is referred to as 'soul.' Many items, such as lugged steel bicycle frames made in the hands of a master (let's say Richard Sachs) have an aura of such craftsmanship associated with them than the ownership experience is enhanced to a degree supposedly not found in items that haven't been created by the hands of a 'master.' What I'm wondering is why this is? What gives an inanimate object a 'soul?' I would submit that it goes into the relationship the owner has with the item. For example our bicycle frames. Our carbon frame for example, is a light-weight carbon fiber frame that rides really well. But beyond that it reflects the personality of it's owner. A bike's ride quality, for example, can be enjoyed under certain circumstances and at certain times while the bike is being ridden, while a bicycle's visual appeal can be appreciated at any moment. You cannot simply look at a bicycle and say that it is stiff or lightweight. But you can look at a bicycle and decide that you enjoy it's appearance. (you might just see this epiphany in some Primary literature at some point... I'm calling myself out!) I guess what I'm getting at is that there's more to what a bike means than one simple aspect of it's existence: where it was created, how it tests in the lab, or what material it is made of. A bike is a composite of many different aspects and they are all layered up one upon another. What Primary is good at doing is taking all of these layers and arranging them in a way that makes our bicycles desirable. I wonder what Jack would think of this, I'll have to ask him next time we exchange hello's.

Well it's off to bed, the Simon Lessing ride leaves at 8am tomorrow morning, and the last time I rode with that crew I got a mini-lecture from Simon that I should be pushing myself a bit more. I guess he would know what works, being a 5-time World Champion and all!

We're just getting started!

2007-09-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

So.......

Lot's going on out here in Boulder. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Geoff Nenninger. I'm a triathlete and I live in Boulder, Colorado. I just got engaged to my long-time girlfriend Alissa, and we're going to be married next summer.

I've been racing triathlon since I was 11 years old while being raised as a swimmer in Northern Virginia. After successfully racing as a Junior, I came to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder (GO BUFFS!!!) and make my triathlon dreams come true. For the past 3 years I've been racing as a 'pro' (though not making much money!) but I've been thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Living in Boulder allows me to train with some of the most talented athletes in the world. As you'll see in the future, Boulder is a sort of 'fantasy camp' for triathletes. From swim workouts at Flatiron Athletic Club coached by Dave Scott to group rides and runs with some of the sports greats, I really have it good out here.

To fuel my passion (read: get paid and buy food and have a life) I work at Colorado Multisport, the best triathlon shop in the universe! Honestly, though, we have a really kick-butt team at CMS including Tim Troha (owner/athlete/fit specialist), Ryan Ignatz (pro Xterra triathlete/fit specialist), Aaron Hersh (top AG triathlete/master mechanic), and Lance Panigutti (GUTTI/short-course ITU guy/2nd place 24 hours of Triathlon [go figure]). I started at CMS after 3+ years working at Cutting Edge Sports, another shop in town with a great staff and overall enthusiastic atmosphere.

I also am co-owner of Primary Bicycles, a newborn bicycle frame brand based here in Boulder (I am trying to satisfy every stereotype of Boulderites through my racing, working at, and owning businesses all directly related to cycling/triathlon). We've got some awesome products in the works that you'll be hearing about in future posts. I've been riding one of our prototype carbon fiber frames for the past 3 months, and I don't mean to toot my own horn but we're onto something. We should have frames and forks in stock in the next month or so in the carbon model, and our titanium/carbon model will be released later this fall. I'm not going to say much, but keep your eyes peeled for a Triathlon/TT model early next spring!

My triathlon coaching business is boulderTRIATHLON. We're mostly an online coaching company, with athletes both in Colorado and on the East Coast. If you are interested in coaching get in touch with us as we are accepting new athletes!

So far as my athletic pursuits go, I've had a marginally good year. Started off the year with a win at the Triathlon Season Opener while in Florida visiting Grandma with Alissa on her Spring Break. Followed that up with a 3rd Overall at the Tri The Creek Triathlon in Denver and a 13th Overall at the Prospect Lake Triathlon to the likes of Hunter Kemper and the resident team from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (which happened to re-qualify me to race as a professional for the next 2 years!).

Lately though, my season has taken a slight downturn as my running has taken a backseat to improve my swim for ITU style racing. My swim is just about where I need it, but the end result is that I self-destruct on the run as seen at Boulder Peak and more recently the ITU Pan-American Cup in Longmont, Colorado. So the past couple of weeks have seen a drastic increase in run volume. I think it is working as I just about hung in there on a group run this past Sunday with Steve Hackett, Craig Walton, Jake Timm (former CU/UW middle-distance guy), and Marek Dvorak (long-time friend and some-time training partner). We went for ~90 minutes in North Boulder and I was hanging tough until the last bit I just couldn't quite keep up the pace on the uphills. No biggie, in a couple of weeks I'll be good to go. I just have to hit the pool hard for the upcoming ITU race in San Francisco in November.

I've got the Harvest Moon Half in just over a week. This is my first Half so I don't fully know what to expect, but I'm really excited about it. My inclination is to think that I'll do OK just because I won't have to cross over into the red zone as much as in an Olympic (especially the ITU variety). So I feel like it will be more akin to a hard day of training than any of the racing I'm used to. Check back here in a couple of weeks to see if I still think this or if I'm really full of crap right now!

I've been doing a bit more cycling than earlier in the year as well, including some rides with Chris McCormack and Paul Ambrose. I figure if Chris is doing these rides pushing toward a win at Kona, then they're probably plenty good for me! As a matter of fact, we've got a ride tomorrow morning at 7:30, so I'd better hit the sack pretty soon. Our meeting spot is convenient as Chris and Paul both live in my apartment complex in Boulder! Chris has a sweet new ride from Specialized that you might have seen. The new Transition S-Works is really trick and has quite a few aero features that are going to become more and more common on bikes, but Specialized is really on the forefront including some of this stuff on a production bike. Innovative internal cable-routing and proprietary brakes are two of the features that I really took note of while we had Chris's bike in CMS earlier today. And the bike looks stunning in person. I have to admit, when I simply saw it in pictures, I had my doubts about the raw bike-lust that it might generate. But to see it in person the bike definitely screams out and captures peoples' attention.

You'll notice that even though I've got my own bike company gig going, I am a complete bike-nut at heart and lust after many, many makes and models of bicycles! It's kinda like what Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles says: "I would never say that 'At Vanilla we make the finest bicycle in the world' That's pompous. I can say, however, that I build the finest vanilla bicycle, with out question. If you see another bike out there and it makes you want to freak out and do what ever you can to have it then that's the bike for you." I really, really like this (as well as some of his creations... holy crap, talk about bike lust!!!). I feel the same way about Primary... we make some of the finest bicycles in the world as people who have ridden our bikes will tell you, but as long as your out there riding... we're all on the same team!!

Ok, bed-time. Until the next post...