Life Of A Junior Cyclist

Summer Madness

2009-07-26T21:25:00.002-06:00

Well to continue where I left off, my surgery went great. 13 stitches later my elbow is back at it. I am yet to get back on my bike again but the time is gonna come soon. In other news, I spent last week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I have never been to Mexico before, and let me tell you, its a wicked fun time. I met some awesome people, saw some crazy shit, and definitely made some memories. I have to start work at the Christmas store again soon, then I have to get senior pictures(big sarcastic YIPPEE!). Other than that, nothing is going on around the Sandstrom house really. Soon senior year will start, then who knows what will happen. Thanks for checking in, peace.

Life goes on,
Eric

Crash.

2009-06-15T21:43:00.002-06:00

Well I stacked it up on my mountain extremely hard on saturday. To make a long story short, I ripped off a lot of skin on my elbow, and now my "bursa sac" is exposed. For those of you who don't know what a bursa sac is, it is a little fluid-filled sac that you have to aid in fluid joint motion and such. Tomorrow I am having surgery on it. I don't know exactly what the doctors are going to do to fix it, but basically the gist of the whole operation is to make some incisions somewhere on my elbow to actually have something to stitch my wound shut. Other than this whole crash fiasco, I have resumed work at the Christmas Store, and enjoying my summer vacation before my senior year of high school. I can't believe I am going to be a senior. Well, that's all for now, wish me luck on my surgery. More to come later.

Life goes on...

Eric

Laziness.

2009-02-26T17:09:00.002-07:00

Defunct? I think not. I decided to start updating my blog again. Its been close to a year since I last updated it. Not much has changed since then though. I am almost done with my junior year of high school, and things are progressing well. Over the winter time, I hardly rode my bike. Life at the Christmas Store was extra stressful and school was more of my main focus. Just the other day I started riding again, and realized how much I missed it. I ordered a few parts to get my cross bike up and running as a tarmac machine for the summer. Other than all that, nothing is new. So stay tuned for some more interesting and exciting blog updates.

Life Goes On,
E-Weak

Time.

2008-06-20T13:03:00.002-06:00

Well, lately, I have had quite a bit of time on my hands. Apparently not enough time to keep my blog frequently running. but oh well. I finished school up without a problem and entered the beginning of summer with practically nothing to do. I have been riding my mountain bike a lot, and commuting to work on the cross bike. I am only working a couple days a week(there can only be so much christmas in the midst of June) so things are alright. Soon enough I should be working a little more to help build some funds for the never ending expenses of the cycling world. In a couple of weeks, Evan, the fam and I are headed up to a private cabin in grand lake to stay for a week and relax. We have a HUGE party raft, and all the time in the world to just float around and kick it. We are also staying there for the 4th of July, so there should be an impressive fireworks show to watch somewhere. Also, Evan and I decided to pre-register as a relay team for the Firecracker 50, also on the 4th of July. I am excited to race my mountain bike for the first time, I am having a blast recreationally, and can only imagine the race perspective. Aside from the race, I have a nice whole vacation to look forward to. In other bogus news, school starts for me on August 12th. Bull s***. This year we got released on the same date as always, and we usually return to school on August 22nd. Oh but not this year. 2 weeks of summer just POOF! gone with the wind. Oh well, I won't dwell on that right now. Atleast I will be the lower level of the upperclassmen. Class of 2010 baby!

Well life goes on.....

Eric

and oh PS. Evan has ebay things up. check it out.
www.evansandstrom.blogspot.com

Counting the Days

2008-04-29T19:04:00.002-06:00

Well, I and other people, well hell, everybody I think is counting the days until summer arrives. I don't think I have ever been this stoked for summer to arrive. Should be one to remember. I will slaughter the singletrack with my big wheels, donkey tuck the dirt hills on my cross bike, and just experience pure bliss. Also, I am counting the days until cross season arrives! Just 136 days away! Well first off, I have to get my bike to start working properly. I had a tiny crash last week, but I guess it was just enough to fill the shifter with dust and cease the whole f***** up, My Luck! Oh well, I think I may have found a deal somewhere. Other than that, life is just cruising along. Going to classes, I have worked a couple of days (I cannot believe Christmas is back) and am trying to get out and pedal as often as possible. Evan and I are riding our mountain bikes well, knowing how much fitness either of us have. Poor Estrong is so busy with class and work he barely has time to ride, but he still squeezes precious saddle hours in.
On second thought, the tan lines are coming in. I guess anything looks nice after being covered with leg warmers for the past 8 months, my upper thighs look like the course at the state champ cross race!
Well thats all for now, time to hit the books. Shoot an email to my brother and I if you are ever in Littleton
mine is ejsands92@gmail.com
ask my brother for his.

Well, life goes on.....

Eric

P.S. my new name to people from littlefun is officially E-Weakling.

Nothing quite like a new bike

2008-03-28T17:30:00.007-06:00

Well, I finally had my bike ordered, and Evan and I drove up to Greeley and built it up. And boy is it a sexy machine. But, when we pulled the wheels out of the box, we all noticed that the back wheel had a huge dent in it and the was completely tacoed. Mark decided to swap them out, so instead of the sun rims that were supposed to come on the bike, I now have black mavic rims. Everything else worked like a charm though, the 2008 shimano XT is awesome. It shifts just as well as my dad's old V-Brake XTR. Also, the Hayes brakes feel like a million bucks too.

In other news, me and Evan's trip to Fruita went off without a hitch and we had a blast.

Even though it was practically my first time doing actual mountain biking, I did surprisingly well. I was able to climb well, and descend just as well. I had so much fun, and I cannot wait to slaughter the singletrack on my new 29er.

It was also my brother Evan's first time up this season, and Fruita definitely got him pumped up to mountain bike to help train for road and such. But, he still did some very Estrong like things up on the mountain....

Oh Estrong, always hungry. Eventhough it looks like Evan chowed most of our trail food, I was able to find some to keep me energized. All we need now is Evan to squirt a water bottle all over his face to make him look a modern day super male model.
Despite such good looking fellas up on the trails, we actually saw someone in town, who, believe it or not, was NOT a mountain biker. He still had the idea of two wheels and two legs to get around, but his diet is nothing compared to Estrong's.

After we got back from Fruita, Evan and I decided to go mountain biking with his buddy Justin. We headed up to Waterton Canyon, and made it to the trailhead in record time. We team time trialed it all the way up but once we got to the singletrack switchbacks, things took a turn for the worst. There was still probably a good 6 inches of snow/ice/mud/pine cone combination covering the whole trail. It gave me nightmarish recollections of the state champ cross race. We decided to turn around since a climb that would normally take us a few minutes would have eventually taken atleast an hour to climb, plus, the three of us had places to be.
Well thats pretty much all I have for now.

Life goes on....

Eric

mmmm Spring Break....

2008-03-26T12:32:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been quite a while since my last post, but not much has changed. I have pretty much just been going to school, and riding every once in a while. I was able to tag a long with Evan to the City Park criterium in Denver a couple weeks ago. It was nice, the weather was perfect and I got to see some faces I hadn't seen since cyclocross season. Also, last weekend, Evan and I rode up to Greeley to help out Dana "El Presidente" Curlee put on the UNC criterium at Promontory Point in Greeley. The race went off without a hitch but there was a huge fiasco involving an overweight rent-a-cop and a parking situation.......
In other news, I placed the order for my brand new 29er which should be here within a couple of days. Evan and I will have to go back to Greeley, build/pick it up, and also pick our new fixed gear frame from Steve at the Roubaix in Greeley.
Spring Break arrived at a perfect time this year. I was getting a little fed up with school at the moment and needed a break. Evan, my Dad, and I decided to saddle up and head west to Fruita,CO. In Fruita, there are some of the gnarliest mountain bike trails in the state and my brother and I had a blast. My dad couldn't ride because, earlier in the week, he crashed his bike and jammed the snot out of three of his fingers on his left hand. His whole hand is nice and swollen and ripe. So, for the trip, I got to use my Dad's awesome mountain bike. He has a custom Yeti ASR with full V-Brake XTR, and believe it or not, it fits me like a charm with only a minor adjustment of the seatpost. I will have some pictures up of me and Evan's adventure, along with my new mountain bike coming up soon on the blog, so stay tuned.

Well, Life goes on....

Eric

Just Hanging Around

2008-01-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well the past few weeks have been pretty laid back. I hit the rollers every now and then just to keep a little bit of my slowly declining fitness. Also, work ended, so I have not had a whole lot to do besides school. I have been looking around at different mountain bike teams as well, since I will be purchasing a new mountain bike soon. I plan on doing as many mountain bike races as possible. I think I have decided on the Kona 29er, but to make sure my older brother Evan and I will talk to Mark at I-Bike in Greeley and go for a test ride. I cannot wait until I get a new mountain bike. Also, I will also be upgrading my cyclocross bike with a few new parts. I will be getting a new Alpha Q cyclocross fork, gold TRP euro x brakes (match the chain guard), and a pink chris king headset (as some of you know, I use pink crank brothers candy series pedals). I would really like to succeed in the '08 cyclocross season, maybe win a couple races and defend my BCR title! I am super excited to ride for Boulder Cycle Sport in '08 as well, I will be one of few juniors racing for BCS. My dad also just ordered all of the parts for his cross bike today, which will be really nice. He picked up Troy Wells' old javelin cyclocross frame at veloswap a few months ago. He will run 10 speed ultegra shifters and cassette. An ultegra front derailleur, 10 speed dura-ace rear derailleur, sram crankset, Alpha Q cyclocross fork, green chris king headset, avid shorty 6 brakes, and to top it all off, 32 spoke mavic open pro rims with ultegra hubs. Evan and I are strongly encouraging him to come train some mornings with us and perhaps show his face at a few races in '08. As some of you know, Evan got his road bike built up with 10 speed sram force. Sram force is a great groupset with very high quality components and he loves it. He also got accepted to Rocky Mounts/Izze Racing Team out of Boulder as well. I am excited about his new team because I can drink as much Izze as I could ever dream of, and chug enough energy goo too make a man go crazy, possibly free of charge! Today I hit the rollers hard for a good half hour or so, and felt real good. I cannot wait until i can ride outside again without getting dirty and cold. I personally try to avoid getting covered in grass or mud and freezing my ass off while enjoying the off season from cyclocross.

Well life goes on......

Eric

Bringing in The New Tear

2007-12-31T23:01:00.000-07:00

well life has been extra busy lately. finals went well for me at high school. i did far better than i ever expected which was a relief. Work at the christmas store has been extra busy lately as well. Mainly we are just tearing stuff down and preparing to close for six weeks. In other news, christmas was excellent. i got money to go towards my cyclocross upgrade and savings for my new mountain bike, both of which i cannot wait for. on another good note, my mom came home with the grand prize of her company party raffle. she won a brand new playstation 3! we also picked up rock band for a damn good price. it is so amazing.
Also the christmas store christmas party was a blast. every body danced and drank and had a really great time. all us young kids brought what we named the "Razzle-Dazzle Party Train Extravaganza" we encouraged the older people to dance, it was awesome. I am getting better at my new rollers that i got for christmas. i only fell off a couple times. now i havent fallen for a few days. I am taking a little time off of cycling, i was training and racing cyclocross a lot, which is a good thing, i was getting a little worn out. this time off is feeling good. i think i might go out with evan a little for some of his base training to keep some of my fitness. Otherwise life is good looking forward to the new year, for mountain biking, and especially cyclocross. i got picked up by Boulder Cycle Sport, and will be racing indefinitely for them next year. i spoke with Brandon Dwight, owner of BCS and bad ass crosser, and he was more than willing to except me as a team member. he saw a few of my results this year, and he wanted me to get some of those results for his team. (as you know, this season i was unattached in the way of teams) I am really looking forward to that next year though.
Happy New Year to you and yours!

Well, Life Goes On.......

The End.

2007-12-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

well cross ended on a rather good note. state championships were in lyons, colorado. just a few minutes north of boulder. the junior race was freezing, like always. but loads of fun. i was having an awesome race, sitting about fourth of fifth wheel, then i crashed really hard and it took it out of me. i only lost two places. but i finished. I won BCR for the junior men 15 16 category though!! Congrats to Tim Johnson for winning natz. that sucks for trebon though. ouch. my only question is how they are going to make a stars and stripes skinsuit for tim johnson and still keep the nine balls. well i am sure it will be pretty sweet though.

Life goes on.......

Wrapping it up

2007-12-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

well cross season will come to a close this sunday. you could say i am ready for its end. also, coming soon, will be the end of work as well which will be a good feeling. hopefully i will be able to take BCR for my category, i will have to do real well at state to win. a little time off the bike will be nice. i will finally get to sleep in consistently. that junior schedule kind of sucks. well, life goes on.....

thanks for reading

Wizard

Breaks

2007-11-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, i am just about to finish up my thanksgiving break. it was a much needed break but too bad i was working 3 of the 5 days i had off oh well money is money. did a little bit of riding, then the shifter on my bike broke so i had to use my brothers bike for 2 races. i am replacing those shifters this week though. also my phone broke so i have hardly spoke to any of my friends for like a week i have been a lost soul which is sad but whatever. i raced in colorado springs which was ok, the course was ridiculously long and dusty. i had a good race, i stayed with the young clif bar kid who usually beats me but i was a few yards behind him the whole race but just couldnt pass him. i lost one spot at the end to finish around fifth overall and first in my category. today i just raced foothills cross number 2 which was an icy mudfest if that makes sense. the grassy spots were slick and icy but then the single track parts got sloppier and sloppier every lap. i finished 9th overall and maybe second or third in my category. atleast this weekend i will get to ride my own bike at the races and not have a terrible back cramp post race now.i found an awesome deal on some ultegra shifters, normally they run about 200 dollars but i found some brand new ones for 50 shit yeah.

well thanks for reading

Wizard

A memory filled week.

2007-11-15T16:17:00.001-07:00

raced last saturday. it was pretty nice, it was a pretty hard course. i crashed once, nothing serious but i lost one place. i finished 9th out of about 60 so i got myself a few much needed BCR points. the blacksheep kid that i have been trading blows with for the past few weeks didnt even finish so that made me feel good.it was a mountain bike suited course with bumpy spots little sand pits a few barrier sections a run up and a fast paced paved section. i had some fun. looking forward to table mountain and colorado springs this weekend, should be lots of fun. i also made the decision last night that i will buy a new salsa mamasita 29er mountain bike. what parts it will consist of is yet to be decided. it will drain my savings but i will superbly enjoy riding atop such a fine machine.

thanks for reading

A cup filled weekend

2007-11-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Pretty good weekend on the bike. the redline cup was on saturday and it was tons of fun. i had a good warm up and enjoyed the course. my start was good and i moved up throughout the race to finish within the top ten. but i will get definite results up sometime soon. I wish i could have stayed and watched the pro race but i had to work. my bro told me ryan trebon won the mens and katie compton won womens. the pro turnout was almost as good as the fan turn out. Today was the boulder cup. it was right behind fairview high school. the juniors race went well, i am not sure what i placed but i will post results soon. i had a bad start but hammered through the barriers, flats, and hills. i rode the sand a couple times when other people werent. some lady from the womens race and i were helping eachother out throughout the race but then i crashed and she pulled away. Katie compton won womens again and ryan trebon won the mens again. the womens race was ok, compton pulled away quick georgia gould took second so it was kind of predictable but fun to watch. the mens race was the same but i thought it was much more fun to watch. i got some good pictures and videos of todd wells barry wicks jeremy powers and tim johnson i tried to get trebon but he was too fast. todd wells was successfully jumping the barriers every lap. brandon dwight had a very good race and i enjoyed watching him. today was a great race to watch.

thanks for reading

First Post

2007-10-29T18:52:00.000-06:00

Well I finally decided to create my own blog. Most of the content of my blog will consist of events in the cyclocross world which I have enthusiastically become a part of. But, who knows what other content could fill this blog as time goes on. I will have some pics and other general info about myself posted as soon as possible.

Now i will speak about my cyclocross career which has consisted of about 12 races throughout the state. First off, i got my cross bike (redline conquest 2007) sometime in july. i rode all around town on that bike and then started doing cross specific training with my brother evan (http://evansandstrom.blogspot.com/). I reall enjoyed riding around at the park near our house hitting hills, sand, etc. I couldn't wait until cross season would arrive. My very first race was an eye opener. i got destroyed by the kids in my category but i had a lot of fun. the course was pretty technical and very bumpy but i didnt crash which counts for something. my second race was at the CU research park in Boulder, CO. i had a lot of fun at that course and felt much better than the week before. i was second to last in my category and probably 11 or 12 overall. The course was fun with a decent run up and some good drops and a fast pavement section. Nat ross was there to get all the juniors to pedal harder and babble on about other cycling related topics. My next race was at Bear Creek Lake Park in Morrison,CO. it was a fun course with a big drop and a running sand pit finish. i took second in my category and 3rd over all but i felt i was improving throughout the race. the next series of races for me was in Gunnison,CO. These races were lots of fun but a little bit on the chilly side. the course was all grass which was a nice change from all the dirt i had been riding the past few weeks. i had been training much harder in preparation for the racing in gunnison, so i was pretty anxious to get out and show myself atthe races in gunnison. i took third in the first race with the lead group pretty far in front of me in the first race. the next day, i took second with the tiaa cref kid about a minute or 2 in front of me but oh well, i had fun. next weekend was interlocken and evergreen. interlocken was a beautiful day with a mostly grass course with a sand pit and barriers and a run up conveniently placed for maximum pain also dont forget the most disgusting puddle i have ever seen that you had to run through and a nasty run up right after it too. . i felt super strong that day setting a wicked for myself and the fat blacksheep kid behid me. he sat on my wheel the whole race and never attacked. we passed a few kids throughout the race and on my last lap with the home stretch just around the corner, i dropped my chain. the blacksheep kid and a few more kids passed me so i took ninth. The field was pretty big but knowing i could have taken fifth or sixth had i not dropped my chain was kind of depressing. oh well thats how races usually work. the next day was ridiculous. when my dad and i arrived on the course there was probably 4 to 5 inches of snow on the ground a bitter 25 degrees and i chilly wind blowing across the course. i started the race and did ok but fell back. there was a muddy puddle that got my pedals all gummed up and shortly after the puddle they would freeze preventing me from using my pedals. this kind of sucked, the way mountain shoes work, your cleat is the only traction you have for gripping to your pedals. my race was good i finished top ten. the next weekend was fun which consisted of velo swap and the boulder reservoir race. velo swap was fun just looking around buying random little shit. but boulder reservoir was tons of fun. it was a sandfest for sure but the course appealed to a rider like me. decent hills sand and turns and a nice run up. i had a decent start and moved up throughout the race. the blacksheep cycling kid passed me for a brief moment but shortly after, i attacked and flew past him. by the end of the day i probably had about 1 minute or 2 on him hich felt nice after him beating me at interlocken. i finished in tenth place. so far my cyclocross season has been well. i am sitting first place in BCR points and have high ambitions for suceeding in the rest of the season.

thats all for now thanks for listening.

PS: my blogs will probably never be this long ever again, unless something amazing happens that requires a lot of words. Just wanted to post a little bit about my cyclocross season so far.