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Ok, about 20 years ago, I was an aspiring bike racer – training with the US National Team in Carlsbad, California – racing Category 1/2 on the Road and Track all over So. Cal while managing a bicycle shop in Escondido, California called North County Bicycles (now long gone…). 

It was an amazing experience – riding 500 miles a week.  Lifting weights every other day, massage daily, riding like a mad-man and loving every minute of it.  Unfortunately I had a nasty crash, blew out a knee along the way and although I continued to race, lost that caliber of racing forever.

While I was working at the shop, and racing I was introduced to this stuff called Kool ‘N Fit.  I always thought of it as this massage stuff that smelled like Eucalyptus, but it made me feel incredible.  I used it regularly but eventually I left the shop and couldn’t find it at my LBS, and moved on.

Recently I had found out the manufacturer is actually in San Diego, and I met the owner’s of the company.  What a fantastic couple!  They seem to have a true passion for their products as well as still going to races – whether a marathon or a criterium nearly every weekend. 

Turns out they wanted to have a few web-design things done, and I had the wonderful opportunity to do the work for them.  Of course I got some Kool’nFit and man – it was like old times!  You can literally feel the muscles warming up, feeling flush and loose…and my knee that’s been reconstructed twice feels better than ever. 

As I searched the internet I read many times that people had a hard time finding Kool’nFit, but you can get it online from Kool ‘N Fit themselves  HERE .  They also have a whole site full of testimonials you can check out at http://www.KoolnFitBlog.com. 

Do yourself a favor and go check it out!

You’re probably thinking gambling…unless you know me.  Then you already probably know I’m not much of a gambler.  I’m talking about Mountain Biking at 8000 feet!

Just a few days ago I took a trip up to Big Bear, California to take care of some business, and of course couldn’t pass on the opportunity to put in some miles in those beautiful mountains.

View from Bertha Peak, Big Bear, Californa

It was an incredible morning, about 72 degrees and sunny with a cool wind blowing.  My buddy Pete and I headed out from his house on the Southwest corner of Baldwin Lake.  We headed up Van Busen which turns into fire road fairly quickly and the climbing started.  We climbed about 3 miles before hitting the Pacific Crest Trail.   We left the road and hit the single-track for another 2 miles of climbing before we summited at Big Bertha peak at just over 8000 feet. 

The altitude and climbing were taking their toll on me, but the next 45 minutes would be well worth it.  We started our decent down Cougar Crest Trail, stopping briefly to chat with some local hikers we knew.  It’s a technical single-track, with large jutting rocks spewn everywhere, with a steep drop off one side or the other for the top 1/2 of the decent. 

I took my obligitory spill somewhere around the middle, remounted and we continued to fly down the mountain.  We came just West of the Discovery Center and flew back on the Alpine Pedal Path, and then headed back to Pete’s house.

The ride lasted about 2 to 2 1/2 hours total, but I’ve been dreaming about it since.  I was exhausted, dirty, scraped up a bit and I couldn’t wait to get back up there to ride again soon.