Rim Ride Pre-ride Notes

There's still a little snow near the top of the Porcupine Rim Trail.

Keith had very little Stan's in this tube after the air departed.

Chris and I seem to struggle with directions! This was on the new Rockin A Trail.

The view from the Golden Spike Trail looking into Moab is worth the work.

Team Mad Dog headed to Moab for a spirited ride on the Procupine Rim Trail Saturday. The down side was waking up at 0420 Saturday, the up upside was excellent weather and a great group of friends. The trail was packed and dry with the exception of a 100 yard section of snow near the top. The descent was fast and furious with only one wreck and flat tire. Riding time from car to car was 3:08 (we parked behind the City Market). The only bad part of the day was when KC Holley had to turn back due to a nagging knee injury that will not respond to treatment. I don't think I've ever met someone more passinate about riding a MTB than her, and to see the sadness in her face when she turned back was heartbreaking. Get better soon KC.

This was my first hard ride since I began IHE training in February. I have to say, something is different with me. During the 1:40 climb up Porc, my HR was above 165 bpm for 36 minutes, but I never got out of breath. Same for the 12 minutes I was above 170! I was not gasping for air and could even talk. Course, I'm always talking so that's not a good indicator. What's interesting is my legs suffered more than my lungs and I fought off cramps frequently. It's almost like my legs couldn't keep up with my lungs! The cramps may have been due to drinking about 1 water bottle and eating only 400 cals during the ride. I have to say too that I was at the end of a recovery week, so maybe that factored into the equation. At any rate, I'm encouraged and looking forward to being an IHE Gennie Pig for io-usa.

On Sunday, Chris and I headed out from the Courthouse TH on 191 to scout out the Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike and Poison Spider sections of the Rim Ride Moab course. After riding about an hour, we met up with Matt Ohran at the Gemini Bridges junction and rode with him for the rest of the day. After yesterday's "warm-up", my legs felt great and I kept today's pace real so I wouldn't blow-up riding with the "boyz". I started out with the thought of riding in my middle ring all day, like on Porcupine, but that quickly changed when the trail steeply pitched upward. The next 15.5 miles was nothing but high ledges, steep climbs, big drops, slickrock, sand and fantastic views. There was never any time to relax and smooth stretches were scarce. Chris and Matt were on point all afternoon and waited for me constantly. We covered the 15.5 miles in 2:12 riding time which works out to 8:30 miles. Total elevation gain was 2616 feet. Chris & Matt could have knocked off a big chunk of that time were if gramps could have picked it up some. I felt real lucky to be riding with them and watching their mad bike handling skills, all the while dreaming of days gone by. We bypassed the blue dot trail due to dropping temperatures and a blackening sky, and that probably would add another 30 minutes (<2 miles) to the ride time. I suspect if I decide to tackle this 18 mile stretch on the 29th my riding time will be in the 4 hour range. So, I need to be at the Gemini Jctn by 2:00 pm to have any chance of finishing before dark. Ummmmmmm. Realistically, I can't imagine having enough go-juice to finish this thing and will probably bail at Gemini.

I think I'll toe the line this year and see what fate has in store for me. Last year's pre-ride scared the crap out of me and I didn't even leave SLC. So, even if I just show up and offer support, that's progress over last year!

One more thing. After riding Porcupine, Chris and I rode the new Rockin A and Circle O sections that Fred added for this years "race". Those that get there before sun up had better have a good light, especially for Rockin A. The burgandy sectants are hard to see, even in the daylight, and the trail weaves back and forth, with no apparent motive. It's a contrived trail, at best, and one that will add bone rattling time, with no flow and little reward. Circle O is easier to follow and is marked by what looks like wet tire tracks on the slickrock. We found navigating easiest when we looked for the many carins that mark the trail. Good luck to the front runners. I imagine this 4.3mile section will take me about 40-45 minutes. I'm definately hooking up with a light rider for this section.

I'll post a few picks tomorrow.