Lots has transpired in the festive month of December and given the season's fondness for wrapping paper, let's do an iamtedking December wrap-up of the highlights of the still-young month.Thanksgiving was a spectacular affair (...yes thank you, I know Thanksgiving is in November), spent with family and friends in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Soon after an insane ingestion of turkey and pumpkin pie, it was back to work, whereuponst I found myself riding my bike in Colorado's front range. The week of weather was standard Colorado in the late fall, characterized by "being all over the frigging place". I kid you not, on the final day of training -- which included a photoshoot thrown in there for good measure -- there was a twenty minute period where the temperature plummeted from 39 degrees to 19 degrees. Very Day After Tomorrow'ish. This photo is from a frigid cold December 1.Next stop: California! Napa serves as my December 2014 stomping grounds, which is excellent. I've carved out a nice little niche here after being introduced to the area by Napa local and the unofficial mayor of town, Lucas Euser. The first week there in early December was rather damp. Local knowhow deemed it time to flip cars in celebration. I saw not one but two cars over just three days with their wheels in the air in a fit of joy rather than confidently on the pavement. Not MY recommended method, but I'm not from around here.Unlike those zesty automotive operators, I opted for the more disciplined suck-it-up-and-ride-in-the-rain routine, which was conveniently supplemented by riding Zwift. What is Zwift? As someone who admittedly has not enjoy riding the trainer in the past, quite simply Zwift makes riding a trainer enjoyable. I'm a changed man! Still curious? Think of it as a mash up of virtual reality, pedaling anywhere in the world, with anyone in the world from me to your teammate across town to your cousin in Australia to your college roommate in Sri Lanka, but all in the comfort of your custom, basement sweat-house ("pain cave" to the bikenerd layman). I really enjoy it.As the rain continued, my training volume increased, and the prospect of riding into the eponymously nameless Northern California Storm of the Decade with ten straight days of rain didn't seem all that much fun. And with a free ride to Arizona up for grabs, I hopped in the van. A hefty 12 hour drive ensued, but given this picture below was from the first ride in Arizona, and knowing that Napa was getting a half foot of rain just that day made the drive all the more pleasant.Other highlights of the month include the continued distribution of UnTapped. The support from throughout the country and across the globe makes me weepy eyed, as we take wholesome maple syrup from the heart of my native New England to the sports nutrition world. The holidays are here and training still needs to ensue -- not to mention skiing, shopping, wrapping, and cleaning up after the crazy extended family tears through your house. 100% natural maple syrup has electrolytes, an ideal sugar of sucrose, which supplies a double dose of energy as it breaks down into fructose and glucose, plus it's low glycemic, and is bursting with amino acids and antioxidant. You can support our nascent company by spreading the joy of maple here just like Peloton magazine is doing.

Just in. Looking forward to trying this @untappedmaple

A photo posted by peloton magazine (@pelotonmagazine) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:42pm PST

Of course it wouldn't be this festive time of year without National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.Happy Holidays everyone!