Brad Mullen

ICUP Soldier Hollow #1

2011-05-14T20:15:00.002-06:00

Too much snow at Sundance so Ed moved the 4th ICUP race to Soldier Hollow. We basically rode the traditional course backwards, and it was hard. There was mud at the start and finish, new cut single track, steep climbs and descents, and great single track in between. The weather looked a little iffy for the 0930 start but it proved to be prefect, and the overcast kept the temperature in a very tolerable range. Much cooler, and easier to handle, than Mesa Verde last weekend.

I toed the line with the Single Speed group again with the lofty goal, as at Desert Rampage, to not be DFL. There were only six guys in the category so I was questioning if I had set my goal too high. As it turned out, I finished 5th and 3rd and 4th were within 2 minutes of me. Not that I could make up that time or anything, but I felt good that they didn't kick my ass and make me look like a poser and sissy-man. I have to admit though, I was gassed and could not have gone 1 second faster. The winner, Dan, cleaned house and my Mad Dog teammate Scott Billings came in a strong 2nd. Nice job Scott!

My gear choice was 32x21 which served me well on all but 4 hills, which I walked, but it was very deficient on the flats and long downhills. My only problem is if I had gone with a 20, I'd be dead. So, it is what it is and I'm going with the 21 next weekend when we race the course in the traditional direction. I just hope my legs recover and I can step it up a bit.

Overall I lacked snap and my legs have not recovered from last weeks effort. I took it easy this week but I just need more time. I actually felt better on my 2nd lap today than the first and was surprised to see the 2nd was about 2.5 minutes slower. At least my mental outlook was good and that got me through it.

As for the race, I started out at the back of the pack and stayed in touch going up the first long steep climb. I passed a Canyon rider half way through the 1st lap and smiled because I was no longer last. I kept in touch with two other guys in front of me and hung about 10-20 seconds behind them through lap 1.

Beginning lap 2 I was still in 5th place, but that was okay because I was not DFL. 3rd and 4th were still in view, so that was good too. Then half way through lap 2 on a long gradual uphill the Canyon dude passed me like I was taking a nap! Crap! Now I'm DFL, and I'm hurting, bad. I kept mashing the pedals with more purpose now and set my sights on the tatted due ahead of me. I finally caught up to him a few hundred yards before the summit and he was barely alive. That was good :-) And right in front of him, within 20 yards of me, was the blue shirt dude. Nice. I'm gonna pass both and ride home to glory.

Wrong! The tatted due was toast and me fell off the pace. The blue shirt dude got his second wind just before the summit and he commenced to bitch slap me back to reality. I never saw him again! I think he came in about 1 minute ahead of me and Canyon due was 2 minutes ahead.

But I wasn't DFL, so all's well that ends well.

After I got home and cleaned my bike and got things in order, I sat down for a bite to eat. That was a mistake! I started relaxing and dozed off in to zombie land and just got mobile again about 45 minutes ago. And now that I'm done with this, I'm gonna go back to zombie land until tomorrow morning.

Can't say I'm looking forward to next weeks race.

12 Hours of Mesa Verde, 2011

2011-05-09T10:12:00.013-06:00

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, but now that the 2011 edition of the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde is finished I thought I write a few words so I can remember next year just what happened.

Like in 2010, Dwight Hibdon and I teamed up for the Duo Geezer class. Our goals were to go faster than last year, and hopefully improve our 2nd place finish. We did go faster by about 60 minutes, but we slipped to 3rd place. The competition stepped it up a few notches and the class swelled from 6 teams to 12. It looks like we finished 62 overall out of 320+ teams. Overall, we were very satisfied with our effort and happy for a podium finish.

Other than Dwight zoning out and hitting a small bump he did not see which had the effect of lifting his rear wheel above his head and launching his body head first on to terra firma, we were mishap free. Dwight did badly gouge and dent his helmet and has shoulder, elbow, knee and nose rash, and a very stiff neck, but that makes for fun conversation and lasting memories. DH is one tough cookie and a great teammate.

I was pleased with my 4 laps and rode consistently. My gps riding times were 1:28:22, 1:32:07, 1:35:04 and 1:35:03. Offical times will be slower. I rode sans heart rate monitor so I have no data there. I felt like I pushed hard and left nothing on the course - I was maxed out. The 80+ degree temperature felt hotter than last year but that may be due to the fact the wx in SLC has been so cold and anything above 50 is tropical. Except lap 1 where is mistakenly used a water bottle (I should have listed to you Paul), I hydrated well with my flow gage mounted CamelBack providing good info on how much water I was consuming. I'm a bad water drinker so having a digital readout on h2o consumption is very helpful to me.

Interestingly, on all 4 laps it took me about 1 hour to feel comfortable. That's probably because most of the climbing is in the first 7-8 miles and the remainder is technical rocks and fast flowy, curvy single track. Climbing is still not my forte but my cornering and technical skills are improving. After the 9 mile mark I felt like a super star! At least until I'd get passed by the lighting fast male and female elite riders, many on single speeds, and solo!!! Like I said, the competition was tough.

DH and I had not been keeping tabs on our placing until someone told me we were in 3rd place. I went to the computer after our 6th lap and saw that we were indeed in 3rd place with about a 6 minute lead over the 4th place team with 5 teams within about 20 minutes of us. We were 20+ minutes behind 2nd place. I was hoping we were solidly in 3rd place and I could do a "beer" lap and celebrate on my 4th. That was not the case and I had to hammer the 4th to preserve our "rightful" place on the podium. Unbeknownst to me, DH's lap 7 opened the gap on the 4th place team and they failed to get in by the 6:00 pm cut off time. So, thinking I was being run down by 5 other teams, I rode a more energetic lap than was necessary. But, we did close to within 6 minutes of 2nd place and we held on to 3rd with 8 laps. I was quite pleased to see my 3rd and 4th laps equal in time. Afterwards, I was spent. I had a difficult time sleeping but woke up happy and feeling ready to go again - except for my ass! I can't imagine how the solo asses feel.

Back to the course. There's a reason the best riders complete only 8-9 laps, even the teams. This is a very technical, mentally demanding course that does not let up for more than 5 seconds, ever. You have to be on top of your game constantly, and at the end of 12 hours you are whooped! Eating and drinking safely, at speed, is limited to a very few "safe" areas. Do not undersetimate this course.

In only it's 5th year, this event has grown tremendously because of the fabulous course, spacious venue, fun people, tough competition and incredible vibe. But more importantly, the race organizers are top notch and have put together a very complete package that makes everyone from the casual rider to the serious pro feel welcome and leave satisfied. They truly know what racers are looking for, and they provide it. The only shortcoming is a lack of a beer sponsor and beer garden - hahaha. But, MTBer's are resourceful lot and fill that gap adequately on their own.

As for 2012, DH and I plan to give it another go. We both feel like a fine wine - we get better with age. Who knows, maybe the elusive top of the podium with be in our future.

Stay tuned...

Feeling good about your bike skills?

2010-12-20T10:29:00.003-07:00

Click here to be humbled, you posers. Maybe it's time for me to hang up my lycra. Unbelievable!!! Thanks Heather Clarke for the link.

This is too close to home

2010-12-03T18:26:00.004-07:00

Proof that I was at Thanksgiving on November 23rd.

This video is for those of us that are over the top and no longer salvageable. Watch it and be ready to laugh your ass off. If you don't, there's no hope - hahaha. Warning: there are 2 F-bombs so if that offends you, don't click here.

24 Hours of Moab, 2010

2010-10-11T16:54:00.021-06:00

Mad Dog #1 - 4 Dog Night. Craig, Brad, Bill & Dwight. Grand Master Division Winner

Hill Billy Haven.

Just a few jumps to get warmed up. That's Keith taking pics.
What do you mean I have to go out now. It's 2:00 am!!!

Check out this link for professional pics of the race - click here. Lots of good "on course" shots.

Another one is in the books, and by all accounts, it was a huge success.

Our Team, Mad Dog 4-Dog Night, pulled off a Division record 17 laps in 24 hours 41 minutes and 18 seconds. We even finish ahead of the 4-Women Pro Team Division winner and wound up in 71st place overall. Last year we put down 16 laps and finished 72nd overall, so the riders this year were faster than in 2009.

Team Captain Bill Dark had one of his most consistent performances in recent years and rode the record 17th lap in a speedy 1:26 which just put us ahead of some 30-something hot shots.

Craig Williams was the new youngster ringer we recruited to the team, and he did not disappoint. He was a low-maintenance, consistent and reliable mate that was fun in camp. On the negative side though, he took a nasty crashed part way through his 3rd lap, broke a rib, and broke his 2 hour old, brand new Light & Motion Seca 1400 and rode much of the lap without it. He came out for a 4th lap and turned a 1:31. Wow!

Dwight Hibdon put down 2 sub-1:20 laps and was very instrumental in our achieving 17 laps. Dwight's become a good friend and mentor and I've enjoyed several fun trips with him. We have plans for 2011 so be ready for some fireworks.

As for my race, I am very happy with it. I felt steady and rode the best I have in 4-5 years. I picked really good lines and found a few new ones. My Ay-Up lights did not let me down and I highly recommend you give them a look-see if you're in the light buying mood.

My 1st lap was uneventful and came in under 1:18. The 2nd lap was a little different. Dinner was late so I just snacked and ate a PB&J before my ride. This was my 1st of 2 night laps so I was a little anxious anticipating how the AY-Ups would perform. I pushed myself early, but not hard enough to blow up, or so I thought. At about 50 minutes I started feeling pre-cramp twitches and went for the E-lyte caps. I was riding with a Camelback and was way behind on my hydration and it was beginning to catch up to me. As soon as I began the climb on the back side of the Butte the full blown cramps hit, both legs. I popped a few more E-lytes and was able to get things under control by the time I finished the climb. My descent down the road was fast and I passed quite a few riders. That felt real good.

Lap 3 came at 3:00am and it was cold. I backed down the pace cuz I just wasn't feeling it and all I wanted to do was get in under 1:35. All was well until I burped my front tire descending a steep ledge and went over the bars. I landed on my feet and didn't get hurt at all. My gps got scratched and my tire had about 5 psi left in it. I fumbled around with cold, gloved fingers and found my CO2 and got back on the bike in 3 or 4 minutes. I wasn't very efficient and was in a little bit of a mental fog. After that I was a little conservative for a while but got back up to pace rather quickly.

While prepping for lap 4 I discovered that I blew my rear shock somewhere on the 3rd lap. It would not hold even 1 molecule of air! Yikes, now what? Oh yeah, I brought my single-speed in case the opportunity arose to ride it BEFORE the race started. Well, now I get to ride it DURING the race! Yikes again. I went out conservatively not knowing what to expect, other than pain, and I found out as soon as i hit the pave'. Those rock beat the crap out of me and by the time I got to the tilting slab an about 1.5 miles, I was hammered. I still had 13.5 miles to go and I was dead already!

I found some relief on the dirt heading to "The Left" turn and found even more when I caught up to Heather Gilbert. Heather knocked it out of the park at the Park City Point-2-Point race and I know she is strong both physically and mentally. And, she's a top notch single-speeder so she's been there before. As we were pushing out bikes up the insanely steep, sandy hike-a-bike, I looked at her and said I was done - no mas - I'm toast - I hate this - I want to quit - I'm such an idiot to do this, etc. She said something that must have inspired, but I can't remember what it was. We continued on and went back and forth for the next 30 minutes or so when she pulled away from me on the flat stretch to the Butte. I finally caught up to her at the top of the last climb, at the sand pit before the slick rock slab, and she immediately pulled away on the flat road and descent back to the exchange tent. Without her, I may well still be out there - lol.

Lap 4 came in just under 1:30 and I was pleasantly surprised, and relieved it was over. As for the future, I don't think they'll be anymore single-speed 24 Hours of Moab laps on these legs. My hats off to those of you that put down multiple laps on those brutes. Amazing!

Like always, this post was too long. Sorry. It'll give my wife something to read at my funeral.

Ay-Up LED Lights

2010-09-16T18:02:00.013-06:00

I got the conservative Titanium finish. Probably would get a different color for the helmet since the difference in lens design is difficult to detect in the dark.

I mounted the 6-hour battery under the stem. It seems way solid and is easy to remove. I can still fit my gps on the stem with the battery mounting strap in place. Nice!

Both lights are independently adjustable so I can fiddle with them on the fly when the terrain suggests a change. Nice again.

As you can see the whole handlebar system doesn't take up much space and it's so light I don't even notice it's there. I have yet to take them out on a hard ride, but I did ride around Red Butte Gardens and even with the ambient city light it was very bright. Should be most excellent for 24 Hours of Moab and 25 Hours at Frog Hollow, both of which will be ridden with no moon.

I bought the V4 Adventure Series package.

Great Weekend

2010-09-12T17:02:00.004-06:00

I rode my single speed with Craig Carlson and a long time friend Mitch Cocorinis on Saturday and had a blast. We rode 24/7 to Flying Dog and down the east side of FD to Glen Wild. The trail was in excellent condition, although some of the "downhill" dudes were idoits. They have no idea that uphill traffic has the right of way, dude! There should be an open season on those kinds of "dudes."

This morning, Garret & Brittany Kener and I hit the Shoreline trail over to City Creek Canyon. Like yesterday, trail conditions were excellent and the weather could not have been better. We ran in to Shannon, Jen, Tyler and BSaf (and another guy but I forgot his name - sorry) and enjoyed a short recap of last Saturday's P2P race. Everyone was still glowing about the event and were already excited about the 2011 edition. I don't expect them to top this years cuz it was over the top excellent. But I know they'll try.

Yesterday was my 1st day back in the saddle since last Saturday's race, and I felt great. Transitioning to the single speed and hardtail is going to take some time since my upper body is a little weak right now, and my legs to! I was happy that I cleaned the rock garden, switchback and steep climb in Dry Creek and Cardiac Hill (?) on the way over to the Bobsled. I rode behind Garrett and he always knew where I was cuz I was huffing and puffing like a locomotive. Those climbs are steep! Weekend total, 4:13 ride time, 38 miles, 4,820 climbing - not bad for a single speed.

Last weeks race was an epiphany of sorts for me. My gps died about 2 hours before the finish and I had to ride "by myself" without the aid of an electronic device. And I liked it. Both rides this weekend were sans HRM and I liked it even more. So, I'm seriously thinking about riding the 24 hours of Moab and training and racing in 2011, by "feel" and see where that takes me. I reserve the right to change my mind cuz I'm sure I'll start to panic and fall back to my crutch, but at least I'm thinking outside the box right now. Time will tell.

Enjoy the fall riding, it is an excellent time to be on the trails. And Jessica, keep it going :-)

Park City Point 2 Point, 2010

2010-09-06T19:03:00.019-06:00

Jane and me after it's all said and done.

Two of my three fans - Dwight Hibdon and up and coming, soon to be endurance icon, helmet hair Craig Carlson.

Me and Brad Sneed.

I'm mixing it up at the start with the Big Boys - Brad Keyes and Craig Carlson.

Dave Harris, Coach Lynda, Fixie Dave and Jane - all living legends.

Sorry this is so long. First of all, thank you so much to the Mad Dog support Team headed by Kendra Clark, and my Grand Masters buddies Dwight Hidbon and Craig Williams for all the support and help you guys gave me. And thank you Jane for your support of my weird addiction. I'm really sorry about that but no matter how hard I try, I cannot not stop :-) Maybe in our next life we can eat popcorn, smoke cigs and take up bowling together.

The race was everything I thought it would be, and more. The weather was perfect, the course was superbly marked, the neutral support was more than ample and the spectators were very supportive and encouraging. I especially liked the Canyons Resort finish along the walkway with all my cheering and adoring fans welcoming me home. I felt like I was on top of the world :-)

I had one goal for this race and that was to finish in good style. My plan was to keep myself under control, zone 2 and low zone 3, until I got to Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR), then let the big dog eat to the finish at the Canyons. I listened to Coach Lynda Wallenfells suggestions and followed them better than I have before, and it paid off. From the results it looks like I may have passed 30+ riders during the 2nd half of the race. And for those of you that are not familiar with the course, the 2nd half is monumentally harder than the first. It felt good seeing familiar, exhausted faces that had blown by me earlier, stopped dead on the side of the trail, unable to move. It kinda made me feel young again - lol.

Back to reality. Almost everybody kicked my ass. I finished 4th out of the nine 50+ guys that started, and 150th overall which was 4 hours 27 minutes behind the young stud that won. The tops guys and gals are all National/World caliber riders so I felt privileged to be in an event with them. Their strength and determination is unbelievable.

Enough of them, back to me. I started with the 10+ hour projected finishers and rode the 10 mile Round Valley loop without getting in to zone 4. I was on plan and feeling very comfortable and confident. The ride on Lost Prospector was uneventful and included two places where I walked to save energy. That was one of the keys to my success in this race. I left my ego behind and did what was best in the long run, and it paid off. Burning matches early in an endurance will come back and bite you 7 or 8 hours later. I didn't get bit today.

Jane met me at Solomere and gave me a fresh water bottle that took me to Silver Lake #1 in about 3:23. After a quick food exchange and pressure correction on my fork, I was off again. Within a few minutes, I was hoofing it again as the trail got real steep and unridable in several sections. I was on and off, mostly off, my bike to the top of Deer Valley and headed down Bowhunter. That's where I almost bought the farm. I had a brain fart and lost my focus for half a second and teetered on the edge of a very steep drop-off only to stop my momentum as my front tire went over the edge. WOW! That got me focused again. I got through BH and hooked up with Tiffany Martin and we finished off Flagstaff and Nail Drive back to Silver Lake 2 together. That lap took about 1:22.

From Silver Lake 2 to PCMR is the crux of the course for me. I pre-rode it a few times and was familiar with it enough that I was not intimidated like in 2009. I walked a lot and stayed in my granny a lot, but I completed the climb from the bottom of Sweeney's to the descent at Shadow Lake in 65 minutes. I hooked up with fellow masters rider and Leadville finisher Tim Fisher before Sweeney's and we rode together until Apex. Tiffany caught up to us at Apex and she and I again rode together to PCMR and got in at 3:06 which was just before the cutoff time of 3:30. I rode this leg in about 3:22. Now I knew we were gonna finish this beast and my spirits were again lifted.

This was Tiffany's first endurance race and she was having issues and challenges that almost did her in. But she is one tough cookie. She got back on her bike and finished the entire ride and earned her finishers socks. Her feet were too sore to put them on, but she finished. Truly amazing Tiffany!

Back to me :-) As I headed out of PCMR I was soon joined by Ben Schmalz (?) and another guy that were both content on letting me pace them up Spiro's to Mid-Mtn where Ben and I dropped the guy and passed several others. Somewhere along this section I ran into Brad Sneed and we rode together for awhile. Sorry Brad, but my mind was foggy about where we hooked up, but I remember we talked. We passed quite a few riders in this area and my conservative strategy was beginning to pay off. With each body I passed, I got stronger. I struggled up the new switchback section (luckily I didn't walk any of it) and kept the pace steady. At the top of the SB's my gps died so I was no longer distracted and limited by it and my HRM. It died at 9 hours 25 minutes and 61.94 miles. I was relieved to be released from it's burden and rode the rest of the way by feel - and I liked it.

The aid station at the Colony was very welcome and I filled up on Coke and Chocolate Chip cookies. Again my spirits were lifted and Ben and I headed off for the last 12 miles to the finish. We chatted a lot and it kept our minds off our sore butts and aching hands and shoulders. I was stronger on the descents and would open a big gap, and he would close back to me on the climbs. He was a very strong climber. We seemed to work well together but he never took the lead the entire time from PCMR to the finish. But that was fine with me cuz I didn't want to blow up trying to stay up with him.

The entire time on Mid-Mtn Ben was asking if we were gonna make it in 10 hours. I said no, but maybe we can sneak in under 11. That didn't happen and I finished in 11:22 with Ben about 2 minutes back of me. When I finished I felt great. I was not a dead-man-walking like last year, but I was relieved it was over. I was greeted by my wife, Craig & Jessica Carlson, Garrett & Brittany Kener, Craig Williams and Dwight Hibdon - my adoring fans - hahaha. They all came in 25-45 minutes ahead of me but hung around to see if my sorry ass was gonna make it. And I did. Thanks for waiting guys - it meant a lot to me.

Afterwards I was chatting with Dwight and he suggested doing the race next year as a duo. That's sounded pretty good at the time, but, amnesia is setting in and I'm feeling like as long as I can still make the cutoffs in time, I'm gonna drag my sorry ass around as a solo. Seeing how hard this course is, next year may be my last solo effort.

Of all the epics I've done over the years, this one was by far the most friendly to my stomach. I kept it simple and ate only Hammer gels and Clif Blocs, 2-half bananas and lots of Endurolytes to PCMR, and I felt great. I also stayed ahead on my hydration and that made a huge positive impact. After PCMR I feasted at the Colony aid station and I was still feeling fine at the finish. Sunday and today have been a little different story as the exhaust is suggesting all is not as well as I perceive.

So, I'm happy. Jay and Shannon ran a spectacular event, all my friends finished, nobody got injured seriously, I'm still married and I met a few new friends. And that's what this entire journey is all about...

Click here for the official results.

Pierre's Hole 50 - Holy Crap!

2010-08-22T07:39:00.042-06:00

I think this guy had an issue with me and was following me around all day.

The Grand Teton is in full view coming in to the valley. You can even see it on the drive up canyon to Grand Targhee.

This historical marker tells the story of the area. I'm glad it doesn't say Brad Mullen, RIP!

This was Craig Carlson's first endurance race and he was uber fast. This guys got a future in the sport. Hopefully he can make more than $25 per pop!

Here I am at the start chasing Mad Dog teammate Brittany Kener and another chick that kicked my ass. It never got any better than this.

Garrett Kener was on it today. He's always strong and a great guy to ride with. WTG Garrett.

Eight minutes in to what was to be a 6 hour 42 minute ordeal, I knew it was going to be a long day. A rider in front of me went down on a downhill off camber corner and I went down trying to avoid him. Unfortunatey my day continued but his mercifully end with a broken tailbone. That's how bad my day went!

The weekend started with a relaxing Friday drive through beautiful SwanValley to Driggs Idaho where we checked in for Saturday's race. Garrett and Brittany Kener and I arrived before Craig and Jessica Carlson so we went through the process and headed to their base camp at the Teton Valley Cabins. I checked in with the Carlson's at the luxurious Super 8 just north of town. Actually, it was a nice room, except for the screaming shower. We ate dinner at the Royal Wolf and went back to the motel and got ready for what we thought would be a tough, but fun, well supported event. Were we in for a surprise!

The race began with a 10+ minute "spread em out" lap before a gnarly single track downhill. Like always, the hotshots took off at a XC race pace and us wanna be's followed. Before I knew it I quickly passed through heart zone 4 in to 5!!! Yikes, that was not according to my plan for a day of steady zone 2-3 riding in preparation for the Park City Point 2 Point race in 2 weeks. That high paced craziness lasted a good 15 minutes and I knew I'd pay for it later.

The course was rougher than I expected and lacked the flow of Park City and Deer Valley. Lots of small stumps and roots, rocks, very loose dirt, tight turns, off camber single track, and unrelenting steep climbing. It was advertised that there were 2 support/fueling stations but the first one was an unattended blue water cooler at the back of parking area that nobody saw! That impacted most of us very heavily as the race unfolded. The 2nd station (actually the only one most of us saw) was a well stocked and attended tent that had everything I needed, including very friendly and helpful volunteers. Thanks you very much for being there and your positive spirit. Without you, I'd be dead!

Back to the beginning of the race. After we zipped through the baby start loop we headed for the dreaded downhill, narrow, white knuckle ST trail towards a wooded, rocky section that lead past the unmarked aid station to the first long section of paved climbing. Although the pavement climb went on for miles, it was welcome relief from the pounding we had just gone through. The route hopped back on the ST for more bouncy double track and another loose, white knuckle rocky ST descent before we passed through a beautiful section of private property pasture that lead to the only true aid station on course. At this time I was averaging 10 mph and feeling confident I'd have a 5 hour day. All systems were go and I was in a good place. But that was all about to change.

The difficulty of the course exposed itself immediately after the aid station at the coral - roughly mile 13 - where the climb from Hell began. It was 3+ miles of ST that went as steep as 24% and it was merciless. There was no air circulation, it was hot, and did I mention it was long and steep! I walked a bit of this section on lap 1 and most all of it on lap 2! Afterwards I found out most everybody walked some of it, even Brittany. Except for my initial crash and backtracking about a half mile before the end of lap 1, all systems were still a go as I completed the first 25 miles. But my hopes of a 5-hour race were dashed.

Can you say CRAMPS!!! About 2 minutes after completing lap 1 the cramps began. It was totally unexpected since I was religiously popping E-lyte cabs every 30 minutes and took extras when they were available. I thought I was drinking enough, but I probably fell behind and that contributed to the problem. Without going in to great detail, I must of cramped 50 times - more than I have in the last 8-9 years combined! Whenever the trail headed up, on came the cramps and I turned in to a hobbled hiker. I must have pushed my bike for several miles and my 2nd lap was almost 2 hours slower than the first. All I can say about lap 2 was it was shear will and survival instincts that got me through it. I was a whopped puppy looking for someone to mercifully put me out of my misery. Suicide was an option, but I couldn't find a place to do it and make it look like an accident! So I continued to suffer to the end!

When it was all said and done, I finished 4th from the last (click here for results) of those that completed the 50. Quite humbling and a big eye opener for the PCP2P in 2 weeks time. Rumor has it they are changing the 2011 course to 3-33 mile laps for the hundie, but I don't know what the 50 will bring. I do know it won't bring me back, I think. If you are looking for a very challenging 100 miler, give this some serious thought and a whole LOT of respect. Even with the new course, it's gonna be Big Bite to swallow.

Craig, Garrett & Brittany had good races although Craig and Garrett both battled cramps on lap 2. Somehow Brittany was immune to the cramps and finished in fine fashion with a smile on her face - so I was told. Maybe it was the Friday night beer! Hmmmmm. The four of them kindly waited for me to push across the line and I felt very grateful to finish in the saddle. Craig's wife Jessica was a great supporter and without her being there I may have packed it in after lap 1 (it was a pride thing). Thanks Jessica.

Overall it was a great weekend and one I won't soon forget. The event was well run, the after race "reward" beer and spag dinner were most excellent, the raffle was great and very generous and all the folks affiliated with the event were incredibly friendly and very helpful. The Royal Wolf Bar and the Bunk House Bistro served surprisingly delicious food and the weather was very cooperative, except for the heat. Dave Byers has a race recap that is probably more accurate than what I have written. The course was probably better than I described but I'm trying to make excuses for why I sucked. I still don't think I'll do it again...

Deer Valley, Sherwood Hills and Mr. Bad Ass

2010-06-20T21:22:00.007-06:00

This is kind of long so if you only want to read something funny, skip to the last paragraph.

The June 12th ICUP race at Deer Valley was postponed due to constant rain and muddy trails. We ended up doing the race on Wednesday which was kinda weird. Due to the rescheduling, my week was totally screwed up. I need structure and predictability so this got me out of my comfort zone.

DEER VALLEY. We started at 6PM and a light rain started falling - de ja vu? Nope. It stopped, Ed sent us off and we heading up the infamous, sinister, long and steep Little Stick climb. My group started with the Sport Women and we stayed together for about 2 minutes. At that point Joel Quinn showed his strength, took the lead and we opened a nice gap by the time we hit the top. Joel was about 5-10 seconds in front of me so I was pretty satisfied. He put a little more time in to his lead right after Little Stick but I caught him on the single track descent. We rode together for another 5 minutes and I responded to each of his attempts to put riders between us. On the next long climb he opened a gap and I lost sight of him. I continued to push as best I could knowing I still had a possible chance to catch him on the final descent. I was right. I caught up to him at the top of the 4 short switchbacks before the long straight away that leads to the start/finish line. I followed him for a few hundred yards and made an unsuccessful attempt to pass him on the left. I was stopped by big rocks and has to fall back in behind him. I made a 2nd pass attempt a few seconds later and that one stuck. I kept the hammer down and nipped him by 19 seconds. This was a hard fought and gratifying win and one I was never sure of the outcome. Well done Joel.

SHERWOOD HILLS was run on Saturday and I was not fully recovered from Wednesday. Since my training has been so on and off and sporadic at best, my recovery time is not very quick. I got to SH feeling mentally tired with heavy legs and not a lot of motivation. I got a decent warm up and I'm glad I did because the start was the usual blast off from 80 bpm to 165 in 30 seconds. Oh how that hurts! Joel jumped out to the lead, again, and I got on his wheel and followed with a guy from Arizona on my wheel. We stayed together until the Feed Zone and dropped the AZ guy and took off. I stayed on Joel's wheel for the next 15 minutes, observing, and then passed him on the long double track section after the upper meadow. He got on my wheel at the base of the climb and stayed there till the Feed Zone. I had backed the pace down hoping he'd pass me but he was content following, so I backed it down further and got a little rest on the climb. My HR data showed 160 average for the 1st lap and 166 for the second. About 50 or so feet before the Feed Zone I kicked in to another gear and opened a quick gap on Joel and picked up the pace. Knowing that he's not comfortable on fast descents I picked it up and increased the gap. He would close in on me on the climbs in the trees but he never got back to my wheel. When I got to the upper meadow ahead of him I know I'd increase my lead in the upcoming technical twisty section in the woods, and I did. I got back on the double track and kept the pressure on the pedals. When I got to the top of the 1st climb after the double track I saw he was back a ways, so I upped the pace again. I kept pushing and rode for several minutes above 170 bpm knowing if he was going to catch me he was going to have to suffer more than me. My plan worked and I finished my 2 laps in 59:23, 40 seconds ahead of Joel. Like DV, Joel pushed me hard and I was very gratified with the win.

So as the points now stand, I have about a 83 point lead and a pretty good chance of winning the points championship, something I haven't done since 2005. This will be my last year chancing points since it heavily impacts my endurance training, and I hate the high heart rate thing.

One last thing. I rode Park City Mtn Resort with Garrett and Brittany Kener today scouting out some of the trails for the September Point 2 Point Race. After climbing the Steps Trails we headed to Apex and came across a Sage Grouse in the road. Garrett warned me about their aggressive behavior and how one attached him on a recent ride. Well, I rode up to this bird and as I approached he just stood there facing me, challenging me to give him my best shot. He did not move his position or back down, so I bumped in to him (or her?). That pissed Mr. Grouse off and he came at me with him beak a peckin. I started laughing and jumped off my bike while Mr. Grouse kept attacking my wheel. And he wouldn't stop! Garrett & Brittany we hootin it up while I was jousting with this persistent bad ass Grouse. I was finally able to get back on my bike, but to my surprise, he came after me again. Garrett was downhill laughing and started riding toward me so Mr. Bad Ass got interested in him instead. Garrett and the bird went back and forth with Garrett finally retreating momentarily so he could pick up some speed and safely pass Mr. Bad Ass. When he finally got by I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. We looked at each other in amazement that this 5 pound hunk of kick-ass was ready to take us on. It was unbelievable! Well, we left Mr. Bad Ass on the double track and headed up the Apex Trail. After the first switchback I looked back and that damn Grouse was marching up the hill, taking shortcuts, guns-a-blazing on the attack again. We were amazed and picked up the pace, but Mr. Bad Ass kept coming clearing 3 or 4 trails we had already crossed!!! We were marked riders and Mr. Grouse was gonna have one of us for lunch. I looked around to see if there were cameras filming us cuz I could swear we were in a Steven King or Alfred Hitchcock movie. This was surreal. That bird was not going to give up until he pecked at least one of us. We picked it up again and finally got far enough ahead that he disappeared and we were safe. The next 10-20 minutes was filled with laughter and amazement by what had just happened. As a matter of fact, I'm smiling right now thinking back on it. That was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen and one I'll never forget. So next time you see a Sage Grouse, be forewarned - they're bad asses.

Stupid is as stupid does

2010-05-26T06:52:00.005-06:00

What's the other one - "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." Well, I had one of those days yesterday.

It started out like any Tuesday. I got up early, was productive at work and was going to finish the day off riding the Mid-week Series XC race in Park City in the evening. All was well until I left for Park City.

I'll make it short.

I left home at 5:10 and headed to Park City for the 6:30ish race. Just before getting to Parley's Canyon I realized I forgot my GPS and called Jane to confirm my realization. She acknowledged my misque so I pulled off Foothill Drive to return home via Parley's Way. Insteading of driving over some stupid weeds I heading for the gravel and immediately high centered my Element on a boulder that came out of nowhere! Even when I was on it, it didn't register what had just happened. I was stuck and my AWD was doing nothing. I called Jane to bring a shovel and dug under the rock for a good 30 minutes before it was loose enough for my car to get free. Once free, I reluctantly headed to PC hoping to get there before registration ended so I could salvage some portion of my evening.

I got to the parking lot at 6:15 and couldn't find the registration table and assumed they had closed up shop. Damn!!! Fortunately Garrett and Brittany Kener directed me to the right spot and I got registered. Finally I'm back on track. Yes! But now there's no time for any kind of warm up so this was not gonna be pretty. I hop back in my car to change in to my Mad Dog kit and discover I didn't have it! I had left my riding clothes at home. Double damn it... I can't believe this. But, what a fitting end to a totally screwed up hour. What else is gonna happen?

But wait! Enter Mad Dog teammate Bruce Lyman and his trusty roll of black electrical tape. That was the answer. I rolled up my Kuhl pant legs, taped them down tight, tightened my leather belt, put my HR strap on under my T-shirt and headed to the start/finish line. NICE! I got quite a few strange looks but that added a nice flavor to what started out as a full blown fiasco. I did the race and had a blast. Bill Dark and I started and finished together and enjoyed a few laughs along the way. One word of caution - if you want to try racing in street pants, keep your belt loose or you won't be able to breathe - believe me.

Well, all's well that ends well. I didn't crash or take anybody out, and I actually had a good time. I've learned a lesson and I'm gonna put an extra pair of riding shorts and jersey in my bike bag so I'm prepared for my next brain fart episode.

And I'm gonna keep an eye out for those jumping boulders. Stupid is ...

Soldier Hollow ICUP

2010-05-23T16:33:00.016-06:00

My daughter and grand daughter at the Sugarhouse Crit on Saturday. I'm slowly converting them to the wonderful world of bicycles.

Gene, Lewis, Joel, me, Bill and Bruce.

May 24th - 2 days after the race!!!

First off I've gotta thank Chris and Jared at Bingham's Cyclery on 300 South in SLC for hooking me up with a new 2010 RockShox Reba Team 29er fork. They pulled some strings with the SRAM boys in Chicago and got my blown out 2008 fork replaced - at no charge to me! And THANK YOU SRAM for standing behind your product. That is way cool.

Along the fork line, I guess I've never had a fork set up correctly, or I've never had a good one because this new Reba was as smooth as butter and very stable. I set it up based on the factory recommendations, no field testing yet, and I love it. And the proof is in my hands and arms. Very little discomfort compared to usual and I don't feel beat up. I'm excited again.

I encountered rain and snow on my drive to Heber Saturday morning, and expected the worse. To my surprise, conditions at the venue were actually quite nice. The course was wet and muddy so Ed was forced to shorten it by eliminating the single track climb to the normal high point. That would have been a mud bog so Ed made a great call. I'm glad too because I struggled mightly today. Like the rest of you, work and bad weather kept me off my bike since last Sunday, and, I did a boot camp class on Thursday that made my glutes and hamstrings tender to the touch! That was so stupid - I can't believe I did that. The fallout was I had absolutely no snap and my legs felt like lead the entire time. Yikes!

My race went like this. Joel Quinn and I separated from the pack immediately and went back and forth for about 17 minutes. The fun thing about where our group starts is all the people we get to pass. And surprisingly this year riders are being more cooperative than in past years. So, if you're one I've passed, thanks for being a sport and moving over.

Back to the race. Joel built up a 50-75 yard lead that felt like a mile. I wanted to quit but decided to gutt it out and see what happened. Maybe he'd get a flat and I could coast to a cheap victory. Didn't happen. He kept that gap for a few minutes and I took it back on the short steep righthand uphill after the slightly downhill fast double track (you know where I'm talking about). We rode together until the course headed downhill and I gapped him. My bike was hooking up on the corners like never before and my confidence soared. And the bumps that usually drain my speed were a non-factor. I built up a 10-20 second lead and I hung on to that till the end. The only time I got concerned was the short steep hill just before the start/finish line. I thought about walking it the 2nd time up but there was a chick at the top watching and my manhood would have been called in to question. Damn women! That hill really hurt me.

The weather stayed nice, but cool, until after the awards and everybody went home happy. On the way home I stopped at Brothers Bikes Store in Heber (520 North Main Street) and cashed in my winnings. Brothers - thanks for supporting our race.

As a follow up, I'm writing this on Sunday and I can report my legs have come back. I rode in PC at Round Valley and Lost Prospector with some Mad Dog teammates and my legs felt like new. And my fork was just as good today as yesterday.

Watch out Dwight and Roger. I'm coming after you at the State Championships!

Sundance Spin Video

2010-05-18T08:18:00.002-06:00

Youtube video from last weeks Sundance Spin. Click here.

Mad Dog Team Photo

2010-05-17T14:01:00.003-06:00

Sundance Spin ICUP

2010-05-15T20:05:00.017-06:00

Mad Dog headquarters at the Sundance Spin ICUP XC Race.

Bill Dark, Cutthroat Ali and me enjoying a delicious, ice cold Pale Ale recovery brew after the race. This is a very important step in the guidebook to successful MTB racing. Thanks Uinta Brewing Company.

The podium boys. My photographer had one too many recovery brews!

Action photo courtesy of Reed Abbott. Thank you.

12 Hours of Mesa Verde photo

Sticking your tongue out is critical when jumping a small bump. Highly effective - I landed it.

Today was a perfect day for racing - cool temp, clear sky, no wind and a moist tacky course. This was the 4th race in the 13 race series, and our first in the mountains. With the fast desert courses behind us, now the pain begins as we hit the ski resorts where the climbing gets much more serious.

I had the misfortune last weekend at Mesa Verde of blowing up the seals in my Reba fork to where the fork was rigid for 2 1/2 laps! Yikes!!! I had no compression whatsoever and got the crap kicked out of me for half the day. I took it to Bingham's in downtown SLC and am awaiting it's new replacement. Thanks Jared for pulling the right strings on that one. In the meantime, I'm riding my Gary Fisher Rig 29er Single Speed and that's what I raced on today.

The initial climb up the pavement went off as usual. Joel Quinn took off like a rocket, and I followed. Usually Bill Dark is up there too, but he took it easy today. I stayed on Joel's wheel to the end of the pavement then moved to the front before we hit the single track. Joel, Bill Peterson and Dark were on my tail as we headed through the trees and winding trail that dropped off very steeply on our left side. I'd hate to fall off that one - Ouch, or worse! I was working my ass off trying to gap the boys, but they wouldn't give in. I was hoping to have a pretty good lead going in to the steep climbs but they were still there.

When the trail headed up, I had no choice but to go hard. Anything less and my bike would come to a halt. That's the beauty and pain of the single speed. It's everything or nothing. I still couldn't shake them by the time we hit the steep double track and thought maybe this was going to be the end of me. I was hurting and the trail was getting steeper. I pushed as hard as I could and then hopped off and ran the final 50-75 feet. My legs were toast! I looked back and Joel and Bill Peterson were less than 50 yards back and there was a lot of hard climbing ahead. Oh boy, I'm in a race now. I didn't look back and just put the pedal to the metal and blasted through the tight S turns and remaining climbs. Somehow, I managed to stay ahead of them when we topped out and I opened a decent gap on the descent. I climbed the pavement the 2nd time and thought for sure they were on my tail so I turned myself inside-out to stay ahead. I kept pushing and looked back at the top of the climb and nobody was in sight. Nice. Now just keep it together on the descent and climb the pavement one more time and I get the glory (hahaha). I did just that and won by a little less than 3 minutes.

This was a fun race that challenged me and pushed my fitness and confidence to a higher level. I didn't think I could pull the win off and was very pleased I did. As always, I race with a fun and competitive group of guys so any podium place is more than welcome. And afterwards we share a brew of two and swap stories. I love this sport. Life is Good!

12 Hours of Mesa Verde

2010-05-10T09:03:00.014-06:00

How about this cool custom award. Neat.

The Geezer podium.

The exchange area was inside the fair grounds exhibition hall.

The theme in 2010 was "Pirates." Ryan Miller with Cutthroat Racing was in full gear. Those guys know how to party.

This may have been my 1st lap exchange. This is the only race photo.

Dwight's gash! He rode for over an hour like this. DH, you da MAN!

We just had to look at it when we got back to SLC. I sure hope it heals well cuz it sure looks sore.

The sponsoring bike shop. These guys were real friendly and they closed down the business on race day to support their employees and us racers. You guys rock.

Breakfast Sunday morning was most excellent. I got the Denver Omelet and was not disappointed. I'll definitely hit this place again in 2011.

When in Moab, you gotta stop at Paradox Pizza on the south end of town. Susan and Fred know how to make the manna of life an eating experience.

Just a short post for now and a few pics from the most fabulous race course I've ever ridden - Phil's World in Cortex, Colorado. It was 16.4 miles long and had about 1150 feet of climbing per lap, a millions turns per lap, 2 incredible roller coaster sections that were better than any amusement park ride I've ever been on, technical sections that were nail biting and single track that flowed like a river. I don't have the words to describe how fun this course is. Just go ride it for yourself and experience the ride of you life.

Dwight Hibdon and I teamed up in the Duo Geezer Category, 50 years and up, and came in 2nd place out of 6 strong teams. Race results are here. We got thumped by a couple of youngsters from Colorado. Our goal was 8 laps and we accomplished that. The 2nd place finish was the cherry. Our strategy, if you can call it that was for me to ride the laps 1 through 3, Dwight would ride 4 through 7 and I would finish up the 8th and final one. I rode the 1st 3 pretty steady and Dwight put down 3 strong middle laps and narrowed the gap with this 1st place team. Unfortunately, on his 3rd lap he hit a tree with his right bicep and rode 12 miles with a gaping hole in his arm! Unbelievably, he still put down a really fast time that kept us in 2nd place. I went out for lap 7 thinking it was only lap 6 and I was a little bummed. Then a light went on that I was really on 7 and we had a slight chance to get in 8. I picked up the pace and got to the exchange tent 7 minutes before the cut off and headed out for lap 8. It wasn't a pretty lap and I was one of the last to cross the finish line, but we and the 1st place guys were the only 2 with 8 laps. Nice! Way to go DH for the strong laps you threw down. Without those we would not have made it.

Now for the silly facts for all you anal types, like me:

Lap 1, 1:34:00 (I missed the 1st 7 minutes cuz I forgot to push start), 151 bpm (83%) average, 10.5 mph avg.
Lap 2, 1:38:27, 144 bpm (80%), 10.1 mph.
Lap 3, 1:38:09, 142 bpm (78%), 10.1 mph.
Lap 4, 1:37:05, 132 bpm (73%), 10.2 mph.
Lap 5, 1:50:26, 120 bpm (66%), 9.0 mph. I was fading fast - hahahaha.

Enjoy the pics and I'll try and update later.

RAWROD 2010

2010-04-27T09:59:00.016-06:00

Me, somewhere between Airport and Gooseberry.
Bill Dark at Camp Element.
Beer soaked Brats. Don't look at 'em, just eat!
The Shafer Trail switchbacks.
Murphy's Hogback climb. It's really steep!
Hardscrabble. If you look real hard you can see cyclists under the dark brown band.
The top of Hardscrabble. Several guys made the climb. Wow!

Much to my surprise, I finished the RAWROD (Ride Around he White Rim in One Day) in fine fashion - on my bike. Before I start, a special thanks goes out to Kenny Jones and Eldon Nelson for getting a great group of riders together for this non-event. You guys create a lot of good memories for a lot of people.

Enough about them, what about me? The RAWROD was divided in to 2 days. The faster Rabbits went out on Friday, self-supported, and the slower Turtle group, of which I was a part, rode on Saturday. Let me tell you, if those guys/gals are Turtles, I'm a snail. My ride time was around 8:45 which seemed quick to me, and I was in the middle of the group. Heather Gilbert did 160 miles between the 2 days, on her Single Speed, and Jileen rode both days! I got to ride with Vets Larry Tucker and Tim Fisher as well as Bill Dark and Canyon Kris Nosac. What a pleasure it is to hang with them.

The day went pretty much as planned; I drank & ate less than I needed and I suffered just the right amount. But I did not cramp and did not walk the climbs I was capable of riding. That means I walked Murphy's and Hardscrabble.

Cleaning Horse Thief was one of my goals. That doesn't seem like a big deal, and typically it's not. But, last fall when I rode with Dwight Hibdon, I bonked at the start of the climb, cramped half way up and had to hobble like I was walking on stilts back to my car. Pathetic! This time I fueled up about 30 minutes before the climb and made it up without an issue. I was tired, but happy because beer and salty potatoes chips welcomed my arrival. Just sitting in my cushy chair, staring at anything and everything was one of life's simple and fulfilling pleasures. I started the day with Bill Dark and Canyon Kris, and that's how it ended - together. Thanks guys.

The only downer on the day was the battery on my new Garmin 705 crapped out at 7:50 riding time and 92.5 miles! It was fun riding with a gps, and playing with it took my mind off what was sometimes monotonous riding. That stretch between Airport and White Crack always tests my commitment and fortitude. It seems to go on forever! The gps was a nice diversion. Don't get me wrong, I love this trail, but the gps mades it more loveable :-)

This was interesting. While I did not check the angle of all the climbs, I did look down on one section of Hardscrabble and it said 27%! Needless to say, I was walking at that point, but others were riding it! Wowzers! Next time I'll have to see what the angle dude says about Murphy's Hogback. I'd love to ride that one, but I think it's out of my league. Maybe Hardscrabble.

I also liked looking at the map to see what was ahead. That provided additional relief and helped pass the time. At one point I said to Bill the Green River was just on the other side of the clif and within seconds, it appeared. Cool!

My other goal was to keep my HR in the 135-140 bpm range. Before the ride I looked at my average HR from past endurance races and it seems to average about 138 (my XC average is 163-165). And my typical race starts out way too fast and ends with my a-- dragging big time. This time I stayed in my prescribed range and actually ended up averaging only 131 bpm. That didn't include the last 45-50 minutes and the Horse Thief climb, so it may have been a beat or 2 higher. I must say though that I'm not real fit right now and my effort was probably the best I could do. But now I'm hopeful for the Point 2 Point race in September. With LW's help, I'll kill it.

The ride ended the way it started. Bill, Canyon Kris and I finished together, the sky was sunny and clear, there was no wind, and everything was still working - both body & bike.

On the way home Bill and I were planning our fall RAWROD, unsupported with Dwight. Life is good!

Little Creek Mesa & 5-Mile Pass Photos

2010-04-20T07:03:00.031-06:00

Just a few random photos from some recent rides. Little Creek Mesa is a super fun route south of Gooseberry that I rode after the Cholla Challenge in Hurricane. Kenny Jones was our tour guide and he did a fantastic job. The route has a lot of flow and just feels good. And there are technical sections that even the most skilled would be challenged to clean. I think it's more fun than Goosberry, if that's possible. Another cool feature is the trail follows the cliff edge for a long time and the possibility of taking a life ending fall is real. Kinda makes the butt pucker, in a good way.

The valley views are off the chart!

Bob Dawson finally got off the Single Speed Rigid and got some gears.

Kenny doing his thing. This is steeper than it looks.

This one was real steep too - it's a double pucker!

Dawson attempting the crux of the trail. Did he make it?

Three of the five graduating seniors on the Weber State University Women's Tennis team. Keya, my daughter MarKay and Alyssia. These girls have had a blast and have lived the college experience to it's fullest. Way to finish strong :-)

WSU Team photo with Coach Jonas.

The hike-a-bike section (Yellow Page Hill) of the 5-Mile Pass course. Maybe my memory is failing me but doesn't this look rockier than it was in 2008? That's Brittany and Garrett Kener doing the push.

This is on the descent after cresting 7-mile pass. It used to be real fast and smooth but it looks like rain and ATV traffic has dramatically altered the surface. There are 2 short sections like this and lots of fist sized rocks. Bring extra tubes!

This is the 1st of the two rutted sections.

Gotta get back to work. White Rim in a Day is coming up this weekend so I hope to get some good photos for next week.

ICUP #2, Cholla Challenge

2010-04-05T17:41:00.012-06:00

Dwight and me on the back half of the course, lap 1. Photo courtesy of Smugmug.
Post race celebration with Coach Lynda. Photo courtesy of Dave Harris.

The second XC race of the 2010 season went better than expected. I finished 1st!

The Cholla Challenge course in Hurricane Utah is a wonderful mix of slick rock, sand, small ledges, gravel flash flood drainages, single track and just a bit of double track. And it's fast. I really like the course cuz it doesn't have any long hard climbs like Solitude, Sundance and Deer Valley. And, we're in the desert, which is where I love to be.

Our race started about 12:45 under an overcast sky, no wind and a comfortable temperature. I think our group had 7 guys toe the start line. We started with the 6 or 7 Clydesdales and I got squashed at the gun when I hit the hard left turn. The dust was flying, visibility was "0" and when it cleared I was next to the last! By the time we hit the slick rock climb I passed everyone but Dwight Hibdon. DH is a great climber so I stayed on his wheel hoping not to get dropped to quickly. We went back and forth keeping the pressure on Joel Quinn who has been riding real strong so far this season. By the 1st rocky descent we had gapped Joel and he was no longer in the mix. DH was setting an excellent pace and I stayed on his wheel the entire 1st lap. I pulled on the single track section heading back to the start-finish line which we crossed together. That felt real good being with him.

Lap 2 was the same as lap 1, for a little while. We headed up the 1st slick rock section together and began the gradual climb before the rocky descent. I had a brain-fart and dipped my wheel in a rock and lost my momentum. That's all DH needed as he slowly pulled away from me. I was working hard to bridge the gap, but I couldn't catch up. And then he put a slow rider between us at the top of the rocky descent, and that opened the gap a little more. Bye-bye DH! Well, to my surprise DH got a flat at the bottom of the rocky descent, and, he didn't have a spare tube!!! Shame on you Dwight. I offered him my spare and after 1st refusing, he said ok, give it to me. So I did and off I sped. I don't like to take advantage of a distressed rider, but I did anyway. I put the pedal to the metal and pushed hard knowing he'd fix that flat in 2 minutes and run me down. And I didn't want that since I was a good samaritan and all that.

Needless to say, DH didn't catch me. In fact, he didn't catch anyone. Ya see, the tube I gave him, the lightweight one I've been racing with for several years, had a hole in it! Poor DH :-( And he wasted a Big Air trying to blow up my gift tube. So I was actually a double-winner. I won the race and, now I know I need to patch my spare race tube. Sorry Dwight. But seriously, if he hadn't flatted I wouldn't have caught him. He's strong and fast and the real class of the group. I really enjoyed staying with him as long as I did and hope I can do it again. He and Roger deserve some competition.

I'm certain DH will get the last laugh and beat me every time we race from hear on out. But at least I got him once this season! And I'm gonna be careful accepting a "gift" from him during a race.

All in all, it was a great weekend that was capped off with a Saturday afternoon ride on the 25-Hours of Frog Hollow course, a kegger at Gooseberry Mesa, and a Sunday ride on Little Creek Mesa. Ya can't ask for much more than that. Life is gooooood!

Nothing Special

2010-03-30T08:53:00.005-06:00

Life has been pretty hectic since the Desert Rampage in St. George earlier this month. I've been working way too much and riding way to little. My approach this year is to just wing it training-wise, so I don't have high expectations. My fitness level is flat and my legs are heavy. I'd love to get onboard with LW Coaching, but work is such that a commitment on my part is not in the cards. So, the bottom line is I feel like crap, my riding is equally crappy and my attitude sucks.

Last Friday I rode a couple hours with some friends in StG and just took it easy. The next day I went out and tried to push it a little and just couldn't get it going. That really helped my already crappy attitude. Now I'm in a funk and the Cholla Challenge is fast approaching. This will be a 15-mile race and I'm not sure I can push hard that long. I may have to hang in the back just to survive. I'll report back next week no matter what the outcome.

On the FWIW front. I've been hearing so much about this 5-hour energy stuff that I thought I'd give it a try. Well, I drank half a dose before a trainer ride last Thursday and I have to report that stuff sucks! My heart rate was elevated and my power was down even though I was not overtrained or tired. Afterwards I was edgy and snappy and just wanted to hit somebody. Luckily, the only person around was my wife so that wasn't gonna happen. And the after effects lasted well beyond 5-hours. Maybe it's my physiology but I'll never drink that crap again. Good riddance...

That's it for now - pretty exciting, huh! Back to work and the depression cave.

Let the Racin Begin, ICUP style.

2010-03-08T16:47:00.047-07:00

Let's get it on!
This is about 90 minutes before the start of the race. You can see some of the course on the hillside. Niiiiice...
The Three Amigos - Mad Dog's senior ambassadors. Bill, Dwight, me.
Mad Dog Director Sportif Keith Payne, Fidel Lisonbee, Dwight and Bill on the Zen Trail.
Oh yeah! That's what I'm talkin about. Standing on the box always feels better than the dirt.

The 1st ICUP race of 2010 took place in beautiful St. George Utah this past weekend, and nobody left disappointed. The weather was better than expected, the crowd was large and the course was in fine shape for the Red Rock Desert Rampage season opener.

It was great seeing all the "usuals" and how white most of our legs were. I think our pasty whites made the sky a little brighter and definitely brought out the humorous side of even the most serious racers.

I'll keep this short. My race went better than I anticipated as I was able to hold a much higher HR than at any time last year, and I finished on the podium - 3rd behind Roger Gillespie and Dwight Hibdon. My 1st lap was 32 minutes and the 2nd 33 minutes. I spent almost 37 out of 65 minutes above 165 bpm (my max is 181, I think). I never saw that last year. I stayed with Dwight for the entire 1st lap and then he dropped me when I stopped for a new water bottle at the start of lap 2. To my surprise, he finished less than a minute in front of me. Never got that close to him last year so I'm encouraged. Joel Quinn hung with us on the 1st lap and we gapped him by a couple minutes on the 2nd. He's riding strong, along with Bill Dark, so I'd better ramp up my training if I want to stay close. One fun thing was all the riders we passed during the race. Our group started at the near end so passing was a necessity. That makes for a suspenseful and exciting race. I bet I knocked off 50+ slowpokes :-) Sure made me feel like a big shot - hahaha.

Coach Lynda spanked the Pro Women's group which was loaded with Utahs' best MTBer's. Anybody that can do that to my hero KC Holley is off the charts. The Mad Dog Team had a good showing with several podium placers. Don't know what the team points are but Mad Dog's gonna give the Overall Points Trophy a run this year.

After the race a group of us went and rode the Zen Trail and had a blast. We rode CCW and for the 1st time ever I cleaned the nasty short downhill sidecut that has the wicked sharp right hand turn and drop at the bottom. Shortly after that I fell on a flat section of the trail. Go figure!

Sunday was a sweet 2-hour recovery ride with Coach Lynda, Dwight, Bill, Chris and KC and Noah. We hit the Church Rocks and part of Prospector Trails and dodged a few rain drops and small puddles along the way. There's nothin as nice as stacky desert single track with your best friends. All of Northern Utah was there doing the same thing as we crossed paths with groups from UMB, Revolution and Mona Vi all out having fine time on our day of worship and thanksgiving.

The 2nd stop on the ICUP circuit is the Cholla Challenge in Hurricane April 3rd. I can hardly wait.

Dry Creek

2010-02-22T18:11:00.024-07:00

Bruce and I at the Trailhead. Bruce was actually happy.

Riding in the snow is fun, as long as you stay on the hardpack, Dwight!

Dwight and Bruce.

Two weekends ago I rode my single speed with Dwight Hibdon and Bruce Lyman around Round Valley and had a blast. The trails were hard packed snow and the temp was just right. I was a little disappointed cuz all the trail users were real friendly and didn't seem to mind our bikes on their trails. It was a surprisingly pleasant blend of hikers, skiers, dogs and MTBer's enjoying an absolutely perfect day. I was looking for someone to get pissed off at and take my Leadville frustration out on, but there were absolutely no opportunities. The great day made me forget about Leadville and the purge is now complete.

My next obsession will be the Park City Point 2 Point race in September. Nothing like a homegrown, classic epic right in our own backyard. Mark my word. This race will be on every serious endurance junkies bucket list. It has more climbing in less distance than Leadville, and, much of it is technical single track. I'll be spending a lot of summer time in PC getting ready for this bad boy. It really threw me for a loop last year so I'm gonna be better prepared in 2010. I hope.

This past Saturday was MTBing on the Shoreline Trail and Dry Creek Canyon. BIG MISTAKE!!! Shoreline was dry really fun. I didn't go into Red Butte but I suspect there is mud back there. But Dry Creek is anything but dry. The snow began immediately and was only briefly interrupted with patches of dirt and MUD. I should have know better, but I needed 2+ hours and I was gonna it no matter what.

I was riding my HiFi 29er with a Stans Crows on the back at about 25 psi. I was able to clean everything up to the steep switchback except the rock garden, but after the SB it was a mess! The flat traverse to the overlook was ice and mud with a little water running along the side. The temptress was after the overlook looking towards City Creek the trail looked great. Dry dirt! But around the first corner it turned to sticky mud. I rode through it and around the 1st left hand turn and decided I'd had enough. I turned around and couldn't even move my wheels the mud was so thick. IDIOT! I retraced my route cuz I at least knew what I was getting in to, and, I got my 2 hours in. But this was a day of quantity, not quality. And it's gonna take me all week to clean up the mess. Enjoy these pictures of my stupidity - ROOKIE!

This is the switchback.

Just around the corner of the switchback. I walked this too.

This looked pretty inviting to me. Just get past a little mud and it will be smooth sailing. NOT!

When I looked down at the mud on my tires I thought I was riding a Pugsley.

And then the wheels stopped turning, and I was done.

Life does go on

2010-02-12T16:04:00.002-07:00

I'm over her now. The numbness and confusion has left and I'm ready to move on. The Milk Dub thing didn't work out, nor did the couch. I went to the gym and lifted weights and did a level 13 stair master workout, and I felt great. I think I'll knock it up a little more tonight and see if I can have a heart attack. Then I can truly justify my rejection and move on.

The weekend is looking up with a little snow biking on tap with Dwight Hibdon and some other Mad Dog snow bunnies. We're gonna ride in Park City and get some of the skate skiers pissed off at us. I think I'm in the mood for one of those encounters. Hope I don't throw a shoulder or elbow out if I have to cold cock one of those skinny smart asses.

Well, maybe she's not out of my system yet...

Leadville 2010

2010-02-10T17:12:00.002-07:00

Is this any way to treat family?

"Dear Leadville Trail 100 Family,

We deeply regret that we were unable to accept your application into the 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race."

That sucks!!! I thought 3 finishes in 3 years and over 55 would give me an edge, but it didn't. I guess that brings an end to my pursuit of the elusive 9:59. Damn. Any suggestions for a filler race?

Now I can shift my winter training to the couch and TV. Maybe tonight I can train on a couple boxes of Milk Duds. Double damn...

I hope life goes on.

Big Mountain

2010-01-25T20:19:00.002-07:00

Sunday afternoon I slapped on my BC skis and skins and headed up the road from Little Dell Reservoir to Big Mountain. I made it to the monument by Affleck Park and turned around there. Seems the snowshoers ran out of energy, or time, and stopped breaking the trail there. I thought I'd push on until I took two steps forward into the virgin powder and said, "enough." The snow was a good 18+ inches deep and any further progress was going to require more effort than I was willing to expend. Guess I'm getting lazy in my senior years. I kept the skins on on the descent to get a better workout and made the round trip in a leisurely 1:20. I kept my HR way down and barely worked up a sweat on my over clothed body. I took a few pictures with my phone but didn't know what I was doing, and it shows. It sure was fun and, a nice break from the trainer :-)

The snowshoe trail looking up canyon before snowmobile.

And after. At first I was a little honked off the pretty trail was flattened by the machine. But, maybe he went to the top of Big Mtn and my next trip up will be farther and I can ski down without the skins.

St. George Weekend

2010-01-19T13:46:00.005-07:00

With the weather forecast for the upcoming Camp Lynda weekend looking iffy, I decided to head to Dixie with some of the MadDog Team riders for a weekend of warm, dirty riding. I left SLC at 5:30am Saturday and got back at 8:00pm Sunday. We rode about 7 hours and I couldn't be happier.
Phil, me, Bob Dawson, Joe Moffit, Chris Holley, Dan the Man and Kevin Moffit at the top of Zen Trail. Thanks for taking the picture Keith Payne.

Seems this weekend the theme centered around mechanical issues. Flat tires, broken chains, dropped chains, bent derailuer hangers, and the never ending loose brake rotor. McGuiver Sr. and Jr. put their heads together and found a solution to Chris's rotor that just did not want to stay in place. A rock and heavy hand proved to be the solution.

This is a minute or so after Dawson completed his body part inventory and found all pieces still in their intended position and condition. His rigid fork dug into the sand at the base of a sharp rock and he went ass over tea kettle. Look above his left eye and you can see where he broke his helmet.

McGuiver Jr. had to modify his chain guide in the field in order to keep his chain on. He spent quite a bit of time playing with his chain and crank! The HiFi one.

I wish I could remember everything we rode, but only these trails come to mind: Zen, Barrel Cacti, Bear Claw Poppy, Barrel Roll, the trail between BCP and Barrel Roll, Church Rocks and Prospector. Just like when I rode with Chris and KC 2 weeks ago, I rode strong and close to race-pace for the 1st 2 hours on Saturday and hung on for the remainder of the day. Seems after a short rest my motor dies and getting above zone 3 is impossible. My Sunday effort was more consistent than Saturday but my HR stayed in zone 2 and 3 in spite of a strong effort on my part. Guess I need more fitness. On the positive side, I was able to climb a long, steep uphill section on Sunday that I had to walk 2 weeks ago. Life is getting better.

We sure had fun and I'm looking forward to another adventure in a few weeks. On the bummer side, Camp Lynda V3 has been cancelled due to forecasted heavy rain and snow. Hopefully it will reconstitute in the spring and I'll be able to ride with all those great folks that show up for this most excellent event.

23-26, BYU

2009-11-29T10:09:00.003-07:00

This is a tough one to swallow, but congratulations on the win. Oh, that hurts...

What an exciting game! I thought the freshman (Wynn, not Hall) was going to do it in the end. This game tested Jordan 10x more than TCU and will serve him well over the next 3 years. And that hit he took on the 2nd play - OUCH!!! I was impressed with BYU's defense and how well they stopped the run, and the Utah long ball. I didn't expect that. Well done. I guess the young Utes forcing overtime against a seasoned and experienced team is a moral victory, but it still shows up in the "L" column and that sucks. And so, in spite of the loss, I think the U's future looks bright.

As for Max Hall's unnecessary comments after the game, I'll leave that to Monson and Kragthorpe to more eloquently describe that one. At least Brain Logan and the Ute players interviewed after the game were able to give credit where it was due and not walk hand-in-hand with Maxine into the Lenny Nomes hall of shame. Unbelievably classless! For the sake of the BYU program he just tarnished, I'm glad he won.

And now for the familiar quote that is oh so difficult to say, "wait until next year!" Enjoy your time in the sun.

My Car was Vandalized!

2009-11-27T09:38:00.002-07:00

Last night while enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her family, my wife's car was desecrated. As you can see, a Y sticker was prominently plastered on 2 windows, without my knowledge, and I drove the public highways as an unsuspecting victim. How could this happen? I don't pay tithing, I don't go to church, I'm not LDS - why me? I could have been injured, or worse yet, someone may believe I am a Y fan! Y would I be a Y fan? U know that would never happen.

Sadly, I called several window replacement companies today and none of them were willing to replace the damaged windows. Something about hazardous waste disposal and liability insurance premiums. My wife will not drive her own car now and my neighbors are looking at me like I'm some kind of alien. My life has been destroyed!!! Y me? Who could be so villainous?

Well, after a very short investigation I found the answer, and the perpetrators. It seems my wonderful niece Astra, and her BYU football player boyfriend, Remington Peck, were the instigators. They thought it was funny!!! I hear they were tickled pink with their "trick" after I drove off unsuspectingly. After all I've tried to do to bring CF awareness to the public, THIS is my payback! I am crushed...

Back to reality. Watch for Rem on the sidelines Saturday. He's number 50 and stands behind "Coach run-on-sentence" who says, I believe if we execute at the highest level and play position football and live up to BYU tradition and focus on what is in front of us and we play in a businesslike fashion and I'm able to maintain my LaVell Edwards stoic face and we do not get overly excited and we overtly continue on our quest for perfection and we stay mindful playing BYU football is about setting and breaking records our 12 - 25 year old+ seniors will elevate their game their children will be thankful and the heavens will open and validate our position as the supreme Utah team, and so, without 5 interceptions or mistakes that will slow our progress our lack of speed will be offset by our superior execution and we will prevail, and so, continue or unprecedented streak of 5 Las Vegas Bowls in a row and our tradition of setting and breaking records will be left intact. (Breathe...)

Don't ya just love rivalry week :-)

Cystic Fibrosis

2009-11-11T15:06:00.009-07:00

I have a niece and nephew that are both living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

Astra, my niece, is 18 and a freshman at the University of Utah. As has been her protocol for years, she undergoes pulmonary treatments at least 3 times a day and has been on supplemental oxygen since last spring.

Alex is 14, limited in his activity and battles the disease more from the digestive standpoint. Both struggle to gain weight and must take enzymes with each meal and snack in order for their systems to partially digest their food. Alex has no appetite and nothing appeals to him except pizza and hot dogs, not even Thanksgiving dinner!

The reason I mention them is because CF is a little known genetic disease that children are born with, and the disease does not get the attention and headlines it should. I'm not even totally certain what it is and was pleased to see an article earlier this week in the SL Tribune describing it and what is being to to help these folks. Click here to read the article.

CF is a cruel disease, it is non discriminatory and it is fatal. During this Holiday Season would you please consider making a small donation to the Boomer Esiason Foundation and give hope to those that dearly need your help.

I've included a link to the Heros of Hope Foundation that has a audio spotlight with Astra (August 2009, Astra Waller). The interviewer, Somer Love, has CF and was the featured person in the SL Tribune article mentioned above.

Where's the Man?

2009-10-26T08:08:00.002-06:00

For those of you who have inquired about Kevin Nelson and what's going on in his life, this pic ought to sum it up. He's traded his mountain bike for a fishing pole. Last time he looked at his bike the tires were flat and there was so much dust on it he couldn't tell what color it was. I've invited him back to SLC to do some hill training so he can get back in shape but he says the Florida hills are only 5-10 feet high so he doesn't have much need for what we have to offer. Sounds like he's doing great and all is well on his end.

A Fall Day in the Wasatch

2009-10-25T10:20:00.007-06:00

There's not too many things more fun than a fall day mountain biking in the Wasatch. That's what I did for a few hours on Saturday, and I was not disappointed.

I rode the Flying Dog trail clockwise from the 24/7 side and experienced much of the the Wasatch offers weather wise. I started dry and loaded with rain gear, just in case, since the sky to the west was black - 1st hint. Nobody was in the parking lot, so that was good - 2nd hint. Since I like riding when nobody else is on the trail, I ignored the hints and took off.

This ride had it all. It was windy, cloudy, wet and dry, rainy, hailey (is that a word?), tacky, muddy, fast and slow. And, I was paced for about 50 meters by a Sage Grouse that ran 10 feet in front of my wheel. That was really funny and I wish I could of gotten a picture of that.

As for the ride, all was well for the 1st 40 minutes and then it started to drizzle. As I got higher the drizzle turned to light tapioca pellets that barely dotted the trail.

About 5 minutes before the summit I had to put on the rain coat cuz I was getting pelted. The trail was still solid and nothing but leaves were sticking to my tires.

As I headed down the Glen Wild side there was a noticeable difference in the trail surface. My tires were getting muddy and the trail was softer. I opted to take the Preserve Interconnect Trail back to 24/7 instead of muck up the remainder of the FD and that was a good call. The rain picked up but the trail shed the water nicely and mud was not a factor. The descent was chilly, but I was able to get some speed and the fun factor increased noticeably. I made it back to the trail head with frozen toes and fingers, but that was part of the experience, and had a smile on my face the rest of the afternoon.

I just love fall riding in the Wasatch.

Race Across the Sky Movie

2009-10-22T20:07:00.005-06:00

I just got back from watching the Race Across The Sky movie with Jane, and I'm stoked. Click on the Play Trailer button for a taste of what you're missing. Chris Holley's mug and an Alex Grant's post race commentary added a local flair that makes the movie even cooler. There's lot's of cool riding shots and colorful insightful commentary by Bob Roll. They also threw in a couple of personal stories that got the emotional juices going and show what makes this race what it is - a must do Classic.

If this movie doesn't get you excited about the race, you're dead. I just hope I can get in again in 2010 and get under the 10 hour hurdle.

24 Hours of Moab, 2009

2009-10-12T13:43:00.031-06:00

Now that my blood shot eyes have returned to white and the delicious aroma of campfire smoke is fading, it's time to recap the 2009 edition of the 24 Hours of Moab. Of the 7 years I've done this race, the weather was the best I can remember. Sunny, no wind, fast dry course, comfortable days and cool nights and a fantastic collection of friends. What more can one ask for!

As a Grand Masters team (aka the not so pleasant end of the age category spectrum) we again managed to pull off 16 laps and beat the 1st place all chicks team, albeit by only 1 minute 15 seconds! At our present rate of deterioration, can we hold the chicks off for one more year? We may have to recruit a youngster to fight them off in 2010. As for this year, we rode steady and had no mechanical or physical issues so overall the race was a resounding success. Click here for our Mad Dog Gray Hounds results, and here for the overall. Overall we finished 72nd overall out of 365 teams and were 1 minute per lap slower than in 2007. I attrubute that to my horrible night riding times this year.

Captain Bill Dark put together a fun and amply qualified team this year. Jim Westenskow was our rookie, but he rode like a seasoned 24 rider. Jim was the 60+ NORBA National MTB champion 3 years ago and brought a long list of overall top LoToJa finishes with him. At 63 Jim still challenges, and beats, riders decades younger than him. The guys climbs like there's no tomorrow. It was great having Jim on our team and it's going to be sad not having him in 2010. In spite of his great performance, Jim has scratched the 24 hour test off his bucket list and is moving on to other stupid things. Thanks for the great race Jim - it was an absolute pleasure racing with you.

As for my race, I was pleased. My 2 day laps (laps 1 and 4) were strong but my night ones (2 and 3) were my worst ever. This year I found some new lines, rode more efficiently than in past years and finished with a strong 4th lap. Several drops and shelves I've walked in the past I rode this year. Maybe it's the 29er that is giving me more courage, or, age is blocking out my memory. Sand riding has always been a strong point for me and this year was no different - maybe those memories are fantasy too!

An unpleasant lesson was learned this year and that was, weight does not matter when it comes to lighting. I sold my super bright and ultra heavy Nite Rider HID system prior to the race and opted for a lighter weight LED system from Princeton Tech. That was a BIG mistake. My night vision is not the greatest I'll admit, but, the 2- SB2 lights I rode with were barely safe. Although I managed the get through the technical sections, barely, I out ran the lights on the flats and was constantly in fear of going down at high speed. I backed it down more than usual just to stay upright. I will admit my 2nd night lap was better than the 1st, but it was also slower too. Next year I'll come equipped with some serious lighting and will knock off 10 minutes per lap, guaranteed!

The highlight of my race was passing the new National 24 Hour Champion Josh Tostada on my 4th lap. I spotted him a pretty good lead at the start and caught him at the top of the last climb at the last sand pit. We chatted for a while and then I just had to get going - he was going too slow . The reality of it is he was on his 16th lap and I was on my 4th! He beat our entire team!

Another highlight was seeing Lynda Wallenfels and Dave Harris winning the solo single speed National championships. Lynda had such a huge lead, she packed it in early while Dave had a fight on his hands to the end. Congrats 2-Epic.

Well, I'd better get some work done so I can make some money to buy one of those cute teardrop trailers, someday! It's always good to dream, but it's even better if they come true. I'll post some pictures later.

P.S. For those of you that don't know anything about this race, this is what USA Cycling had to say:

"About 24 Hours of Moab
Since its inception in 1995, the 24 Hours of Moab has earned a reputation as one of the largest and most prestigious 24-hour races in the world. Rightly so, Moab, Utah is recognized, around the world, as the Mecca of mountain biking. Attracting upwards of 400 teams and an elite field of world-class, ultra-endurance soloists, the 24 Hours of Moab delivers the richest awards table in mountain biking with a prize value approaching $30,000 and more than $20,000 in cold cash.

The 24 Hours of Moab is also unique in that it is operated in a completely remote venue, 12 miles from the nearest utilities. Each year, a mountain bike city grows up in the high-desert grazelands hosting 4,000+ racers, support crew and spectators. This amazing location provides a 15-mile race course that is breathtakingly scenic and brutally challenging. Typically, teams and soloists together, log more than 79,000 miles and more than 1,300 miles of vertical elevation gain during this epic event.

Since 2002, The 24 Hours of Moab has been designated as the AMTRI World Championships of 24-hour mountain bike racing. In 2005, it also became the series finale of The Inaugural 24 Hour National Point Series."

PC Point 2 Point Recap

2009-09-08T18:57:00.014-06:00

The 0700 start at Quinn Junction.

Round Valley glam shot curtesy of the event photographer.

Brad Sneed and me heading out from Silver Lake #1.

Raggedy Ann Fox handing out "prize money." Thanks Chris.

I'm gonna keep my winnings.

Whooped at the finish...

Lynn Peek and me at the finish. She must have been holding back cuz she looks much fresher than me.

My fan club: Derrick Batley, Chris Holley, Aaron Smith and Bob Saffell.

And last but not least, the finishers swag :-)

So, now it's official. I finished the first annual PCP2P race in 90th place overall (20th male solo), 10:45:55 after I started. Ahhh, the thrill of finishing!

My wife and a friend asked me how this race compared to the Leadville 100. Well, they both hurt, but in different ways. At Leadville, it's the altitude cuz the course is mostly fireroads and double track with wide single track thrown in to give it a MTB feel. It's not technical at all and favors a Roadie style. The P2P is shorter, with about the same amount of climbing, but, it's mostly tight single track that requires a lot more attention and riding skill. Which do I prefer you ask? Both, because they are so different.

For the benefit of the other type A anal retentive riders out there that may read this, I've put together a few of my personal stats to compare the Leadville Trail 100 to the 75 mile Park City Point to Point race.

Total Time: LT 100 10:48:26 / PCP2P 10:45:55
Riding Time: LT 100 10:18:49 / PCP2P 10:17:22
Elevation Gain: LT 100 11,320 feet / PCP2P 10,899 feet.
Kcals burned: LT 100 7710 / PCP2P 8017
Average HR: LT 100 134 bpm (74%) / PCP2P 137 bpm (76%)

To me they look very similar with the only difference being altitude and distance. Since there was lots of hurt in both, and their duration was the same, I think they are pretty much similar. But, PC P2P is technically harder so I would give it the edge. That said, DO NOT under estimate either one. Try them for yourself and see what you think. Hopefully they'll both be on my 2010 race schedule.

My lap time were as follows:

Round Valley: 59:35 (Avg HR 147 bpm/81%)
RV to Silver Lake 1: 2:01:55 (148 bpm/82%)
SL 1 to SL 2: 1:16:20 (143 bpm/79%)
SL 2 to PCMR: 2:56:43 (134 bpm/74%) In my mind this was the hardest leg.
PCMR to Finish: 3:02:47 (128 bpm/71%)

That's it. I'm looking forward to next year and hope to beat the time limit by more than this year - damn, there I go again...

Park City Point to Point Race

2009-09-06T09:28:00.006-06:00

The 1st Annual Park City Point to Point is now in the record books and from my perspective, it was a great success. For a 1st year event, these guys did a superb job. My only offer of advice is put together a better website that is more informative and user friendly. Other than that, wow - job well done.

After I finished and was at my car cleaning up and hacking and weezing, my wife of 25 years said, "why do you do these things?" I think she was looking for an answer other than my standard one, but, as usual I disappointed her. While my glory days are far behind me, I race now to be part of something that is exciting and ultra positive. I race to be with young, motivated people that know no boundaries, that are able to look at adversity and over come it. People that face their fears and self doubt and challenge it instead of running away. People that push on even when their minds and bodies say please stop! I race to be with my friends, young and old, and new ones I meet on the trail. I race for friendship. I'm coming to grips with my limitations and realize that is my challenge now, and I'm ok with that. Why do I do this? Cuz I'm crazy just like you :-)

Back to the race. We started at the Quinn Trail Head at 0700 with comfortable temps, no wind and cloudy skies. To my surprise, the Leadville type start worked real well and I never got held up on the trip around Round Valley. I was hoping for a 60 minute time and that's exactly what I put down. I got a hand up from my wife and headed off to Lost Prospector and Silver Lake. After turning the corner to the Rail Trail I looked straight into a black sky and new we were headed for rain. Damn, I had dropped my arm warmers and did not have a rain jacket and was thinking about Leadville and LoToJa 2005. Luckily, the rain was not heavy and the temps did not drop. To be honest, it was quite refreshing, but it did make for some slippery situations.

While on Lost Prospector, Lynn Ware Peek caught up with me and we rode together for much of the next 2 hours. I was a little stronger than her on the uphills but she was wicked fast on the downhills and I just got out of her way. Riding with someone in these long races is a big advantage, so Lynn's cheery company was very welcome. We rode into Silver Lake with Bob Dawson who at 50+ was riding a rigid single speed. Unbelievable! Talk about a strong guy physically and mentally. Lynn and I parted company at Silver Lake and I headed up the hike-a-bike with Bob. I ran into a new friend named Brad - I'm sorry I don't remember your last name - and we hiked and rode much of the nasty steep and loose section together. He pulled ahead on the climb and I never saw him again. I'm certain he finished with a very good time so congrats Brad and thanks for your company.

After the nice flowing downhill section I made a wrong turn. Instead of turning left and going around the mtn to the south, I headed straight. I was riding with a guys and he blocked my veiw of the left turn arrows at the intersection so we kept going straight. After about .5 miles we ran into traffic coming towards us and I realized my mistake. I turned around but the "dude" said he was and he continued on. I got back on track just in front of Dawson and had no more issues the rest of the day. Bob and I headed back to Silver Lake 2 and took on fuel and water and headed out.

After about 5 minutes Bob says, he had to turn around because he forgot his water bottles. Age can be cruel at times ;-) I continued on knowing he would catch me, and he did. I bonked about 30 minutes out of Silver Lake and had to stop and gather myself. By the time I was ready to resume riding, Bob came along. We rode together for a few more miles but then we got separated before the horrible John's Trail descent and I never saw him again. That's not a good place for a rigid fork. I hope you're ok Bob.

After John's I headed up the Step's to Shadow Lake. OMG, that's was the crux of the ride for me. It seemed to take forever and I saw nobody for at least an hour. Thankfully, the trail was well marked. This leg took 30 minutes longer than I estimated and really kicked my butt. I was very happy to arrive the the PCMR aid station before the cout off. I stayed there awhile and had my bike worked on by the very helpful and friendly mechanic and was on my way to Spiro at 2:45 pm. By this time I new 10 hours was out the window, but who cares. I'm gonna finish this thing and that's an accomplishment in itself.

Usually I ride Spiro in the middle ring all the way to the Mid Mtn trail, but not today. I was in the granny most of the lower 1/3, but I kept a steady pace and made the Mid Mtn in about 45 minutes. What a relief to be there cuz now the bad stuff was behind me and I know I'm gonna finish. I made it to the neutral aid at the Colony and to my surprise, Lynn Peek was there chatting and eating up. We both looked at each other and laughed and decide to ride the rest of the way together. That was a huge lift to my spirits and made the last 10 miles go by fast. Like earlier in the day, Lynn was blasting the downhill and I had all I could do to stay with her - she may have been holding back, but I'm glad she did. We parted company about a mile or 2 from the finish when Lynn had to stop for something. Although I finished ahead of her in the stats, we were togehter in my mind and forged a life long bond that only adversity like this can create. Thanks again Lynn.

At the finish I was greeted by my wife and Mad Dog teammates, and Lynn's family. We took some pics and and exchanged hugs and relived our day with our loved ones. It was very special and gratifying. I overcame the constant thoughts of quiting between Deer Valley and PMCR and finished the race. I made some new friends and have another story to tell my grand children after I hang up my cleats. Hopefully I'll still be able to remember these things in 20 years!

See you next year.

Pics and stats to follow later. Sorry for the long post.

Park City Point 2 Point pre-ride

2009-08-31T21:28:00.004-06:00

Seeing how the E-100 12 hour & 100 mile races several years ago kicked my butt, and in a big way, my memory has faded and I decided I need to get my butt kicked again. Why? I have no idea other than it sounds like fun :-)

Reading the route description and looking at the map reveals a significantly different course that looks hopeful. I've always done Round Valley the way Boris laid it out and I must say that has been one of my favorite loops. I like loops, so those of you that don't, just shut up! Loops are fun cuz everyone can see you suffer and it's harder to make up shit that supposedly happened that didn't.

Anyway, I rode the loop around Round Valley and over to Silver Lake and it is a BLAST! The RV loop is killer and has much better flow and is less dangerous that the original E-100 12 hour loop. The new course does not go near the old rock garden of death descent and all of the climbs, except for the one at about 6 miles, are very gradual and manageable. I rode the loop on my Single Speed (32x21) in 62 minutes and stayed below race effort. And the way the organizers have routed the Deer Crest section is fantastic. We ride quite a bit of the ICUP course backwards and none of the climbs are killer, like they were with the E-100. I'm not too familiar with the trails between Silver Lake and PC Mtn Resort, but if the 1st section is any indication, it's gotta be nice. Riding back up Spiro to Mid Mtn will be a challenge but at least I'm familiar with that section of the course.

So, the only issue I can see is conserving energy. The 1st half is going to be fast and a lot of matches will carelessly be burned because the fun factor will be so high. Saving some extra energy for the last leg will be curtail for me, so I'll probably be looking at a lot of asses early on. Hopefully you'll be looking at mine passing you in the last 2 hours. The fast relay teams should tear it up big time, especially the 1st leg.

As for a solo finishing time, that's a hard one to predict. Since the E-100 took me 13.5 hours, I would hope to do this in 10 to 10.5. I bet the winner will be around 7.5. I can predict this though. The 2010 version of this race will have a lot more participants cuz this course is gonna put a lot of smiles on many faces and the enduro junkies are gonna want to be part of it next year. Mark my word.

Night Ride

2009-08-27T07:54:00.008-06:00

Now that the days are getting shorter and the 24 Hours of Moab is fast approaching, it's time to get the lights out and hit the trail. I rode the Shoreline last night to see how my Princeton Tech Switchback 2 performed as a handlebar mounted light source. I found it worked well where it was real dark, but not so well where there was a lot of ambient light. I have a 6 year old Nite Rider HID that has a large water bottle cage battery and want to transition to something smaller, so the SB2 will be my primary bar light. Maybe it will work.

I'm thinking of either a Nite Rider MiNewt variation, or, DiNotte Lighting has a sweet 200 lumen setup that runs on AA batteries that looks real interesting. If anyone has input on either, let me know the pros and cons please.

Leadville 100 Finale

2009-08-19T22:14:00.007-06:00

Thanks Tim Fisher for the finishing line photo.

It's Wednesday night and I'd better get this finished before my memory fades and I turn into a super hero. Speaking fo hero, I rode my single speed on the Shoreline trail tonight and I felt like I had wings! Wow, did I feel strong and fast. So much so that I'm sending a urine sample into the USDA for testing to see what I'm on. I want more of whatever it is :-)

So, back to the Leadville Trail 100. After riding over the Twin Lakes Dam through all the cheering support people and spectators, I felt great. Shortly after getting back on the asphalt and climbing towards Pipeline 2, my energy seemed to wane. I had a target of 1:10 and ended up riding a 1:17 and my mojo was low. Then, I rounded the corner and saw the Pipeline aid station in the distance and my spirits picked up. One more leg and I was done. Praise the Lord!

Since my 10 hour goal was long gone, I took more time at the aid station and ate a cookie, drank a coke and shoved a few other goodies in my pie hole, and off I went. Within a minute I was off the side of the road taking another nature break. Geeze, how many times can a guy pee in 11 hours? I counted 8 riders that passed me and I was determined to get them back. As a matter of fact, I set a new goal of cleaning the entire course after the Powerline hike-a-bike. That was my new carrot and motivation to push to the end. I easily passed the 8 individual riders due to a nice tailwind and hooked on to a another group of 9 just after turning into the wind on the road that leads to the Fish Hatchery. With the infamous Powerline just up the road, my anxiety heightened.

Once off my bike I got in to a nice steady pace and pushed past many, many people. I followed a tandem from Wyoming up most of the hike and then hopped back on with my new goal in mind. This next climb is really long and tough, especially after 77+ miles on the ole legs. And, since I was so far back in the pack, a lot of folks were walking long stretches of the trail. As a matter of fact, most of the riders were reduced to walkers and that gave me more incentive to stay mounted. Long story short, I met my new goal and did not get off until I stopped at the Carter Summit aid station for a Sprite and brownie. I hopped back on and cleaned the rest of the course which brought a smile to my face. It's amazing what successfully finishing small contrived goals will do for the spirits. I actually smiled and raised my arms in victory when I crossed the finish line, even though the clock showed a dissapointing 10:48. I was satisfied for now, but the 10 hour carrot is still out there calling to me.

All in all I can't complain. I didn't train nearly as much for this years race as I did in the past, the conditions were more challenging early on and the course was a little longer. I'm encouraged because I can think of a ton of excuses and that give me hope for the future. If only I had done this, or this...

I'll apply for the 2010 edition and hopefully get accepted. I don't know why I want to go back because this race causes me so much discomfort and is such a huge obstacle for me. But, I guess I'm like the rest of you. I have this dream, and hope, and that keeps me going, no matter how stupid and trivial it is in the overall game of life. I know I can break 10 hours.

Leadville 2009 a Success

2009-08-17T11:09:00.004-06:00

Well, it's Monday and I don't feel like working, so I'll make a short recap post.

The race started under a clear sky with temps in the mid 30's and a light drizzle. By the 2 hour point the rain had turned to light hail and the mountains were covered in clouds. It was neat, but very surreal. The Powerline descent was done in total rain and mud, but it was fun.

Dwight Hibdon and I started together and paced each other for the first 65 minutes, about to the Haggerman Pass road, then he pulled away, not to be seen again until he came down from the Columbine Mine station. DH rode a wonderful race and came in under his goal of 10 hours. Congrats and well done DH :-)

My race can be summed up with too many pee stops, too many stops to put on a rain jacket, too much time at the aid stations, no climbing legs at all, no altitude lungs and too much pre-race worrying and analysis. That ought to cover just about everything.

I went out at a very manageable pace and was good for about 2.5 hours, but between Powerline 1 and Twin Lakes 1 the bladder started getting active and I started to loose my mojo. I kept up with my fueling plan, which I'm having 2nd thoughts about for future races, and thought I did well with fluids. Like always, after the race I checked my camelbacks that I thought were just about empty and they still had 75% of the water I started with! Why I carry all that weight is beyond me. I guess I'm just stubborn and stupid. Something has to change.

My plan was to blow through Twin Lakes 1 and carry my momentum up Columbine and stop there for more fuel and a jacket. I did that but, I had absolutely no legs. I crept up the road in my granny most of the time and people were passing me left and right. When the hail started again I stopped, peed, put on my jacket and began my slow crawl again only to stop a few minutes later when the sun came out. I seemed to be looking for an excuse to stop, and I found many. When the fire road turned to the steep rocky single track, I got off my bike and just pushed. Some of the sections people were riding, I just walked. I bent over my top tube several times and wanted to quit, but there was no one there to surrender my bracelet too. Crying wasn't an option because I peed out all my extra moisture, so I just kept going. I mentioned quitting to a guys behind me and he encouraged me on. Whoever you are, thank you - that's the spirit of mountain bikers. When I finally summited I hung out for 6-7 minutes, lubed my chain, ate some food and put on a wind jacket. I spent way too much time here, and I knew my 10 hour goal was not going to happen, so I shifted to just finish under 12 hours mode. I really wanted the finishers belt buckle.

Coming down off Columbine is both exhilarating and scary. There is constant uphill traffic on the right side of the trail, and the downhill line on the right side is very rocky and off camber. But, it's downhill and the air is getting thicker and the worst is behind me. I flew down to Twin Lakes 2 faster than last year and felt quite good. I bypassed the aid station and just an uplift in my spirits by all the cheering people, even though I was at the ass end of the race. The support of the crews, spectators and LT100 support people is unimaginable. That truly make this race an great, must do event.

That's enough for this post, I'll finish with another post and some pictures.

Leadville 100

2009-08-15T20:42:00.002-06:00

I finished the race in 10:48, not quite as fast as I had hoped, but I was happy that I passed a lot of people in the last 25 miles and rode the first 75 according to my plan. The climb to Columbine Mine at 12,600 feet killed me this year, like it did my 1st year, and I just about quite the race several times during the ascent. I think the 2nd half of the race may have been faster than the first, so that was good.

This race is really hard for me. I can't seem to get the altitude thing dialed in and it kicks my ass. I hope to do it again next year, but I'll have to give it some serious thought. Right now, I'm whooped and feel like crap and I'm going to go to bed.

I'll write more on Monday when I get home and have some pictures.

3 days to Leadville

2009-08-13T09:13:00.008-06:00

The training is done, I'm all packed up and now it's time to hit the road. Karl Vizmig, the Holley's and I will be heading out in a few hours for the 8 hour drive to Leadville Colorado. I've been waiting for this race since 2 days after last years debacle. In spite of the bad weather forecast, I have a good feeling. Check out Karl's blog for a link to realtime video of the race. You can also click on the Leadville 100 link in the right column.

Since my last post I've been in a 2 week taper and yesterday was my last structured workout. It was only an hour but I felt real good with good power and a low HR. That's good. My only issue is the right knee, but I have Vitamin I and Extra Strength Excedrin for that.

It's been a long time since I traveled out of town for a race and my level of excitement and anticipation is higher than normal. I'm really looking forward to leaving the stress of work behind and just focusing on Saturday. I'll try and post more the next few days and convey the flavor of the event.

2 weeks to Leadville 100

2009-08-03T09:49:00.002-06:00

It's getting closer and I'm getting more excited. This is the biggest race I've ever done, and they seem to do it right. The atmosphere is off the chart and the support is unparalleled on any level. If it wasn't for the altitude, this would be the perfect hundie. But, maybe that's what makes it so intriguing.

Training is slowing noticeably for the next two weeks and I couldn't be happier. I just capped off a huge 2 week block with an energetic ride yesterday with Chris Holley. It's been a while since I've ridden with Chris and he has not let up since. I always push myself harder than I think possible when I ride with him and KC, so that made yesterdays final big ride before Leadville a special one. I was hammered after 6 hours and 56+ miles with him, but today I feel much better and encouraged. For the record we rode from 3 Kings Condo to Silver Spur up Spiro to the Mid Mtn trail over to the Red Pine restaurant (we made it in 1:32) down the Ambush trail (that was scary) and then to the Spring Creek trail head. We then did the 24/7 Flying Dog loop clockwise and out Glen Wild back to the trail head. To finish it off we headed to Round Valley and climbed up the back side of the 12 hour course and down Somewhere Elks and back to the condo on the rail trail. Nice loop, with 5600+ climbing mostly up Spiro and 24/7 Flying Dog, and hot (101 F max temp).

The last 8 weeks I've been real cautious so as not to get hurt or over train or over race myself. I did way too much of both last year and it bit me in the ass the last 25 miles at Leadville. Well, yesterday I almost bought the farm - really. I'm running a new Stan's Crow on the back and it is FAST. With 25 psi it grabs surprisingly well, and it wants to run. I was following Chris down the trail at the Canyons towards Ambush and we were ripping through the woods, over bumps, tight corners and flowy single track. Like an idiot I wanted to stay on Chris' wheel and see how the Pros do it. He launched over a bump and so did I, but, I had the angle wrong and while airborne I headed for a large Quaky on the left side of the trail. I could see the tree coming straight at me and it felt like I was a goner. It was not going to be pretty and there was no way I was getting off the mtn on my own. I was a dead man flying! I've never had anything like that happen before and was surprised how big the tree looked and how slow things seemed to be going. I remember asking myself why was I being so stupid to ruin my Leadville trip just 2 weeks away. Dumb ass - what a shame - it's too late now - get ready for impact. When my tire touched down I made one last effort to steer clear hoping it was not too late. Surprisingly, I missed the tree, but don't know how. I really think the tree opened up where my bars were and let me through. I just about wet myself. Once clear I yelled out to Chris and stopped to gather myself. I already talk too much, but that one raised my voice a few octaves and upped the tempo and level senseless drivel. Needless to say, I was much more cautious and measured after that. And thank you, whoever you are, for watching out for me on that one. I promise I'll be a good boy from now on out.

So here I am, it's Monday, I'm still in one piece and ready to go. The bike is tuned and I feel my body is as ready as it can be. No more 6-7 hour rides, only a 3 hour ride next Saturday. I'll be doing some interval work the next 8 days with good intensity but fewer reps and I be resting a lot. My weight is now within 1 lb of where I want to be, but I can live with it where it is. I'm excited to see if I can get under 10 hours with fewer training miles in my legs, and if so, that will set the stages for next year. If I don't make the 10 hours, I'll be happy with a 12 hour belt buckle and I'll give it a go again next year.

That's it for now and good luck to all you guys and gals at Leadville.

The Blob!

2009-07-30T20:00:00.002-06:00

This is what I found in my rear tire. It's a 35 gram, 4 inch long conglomerate of Stan's special sauce that was plugging the 1/4 tear in my sidewall. Yikes! Or, maybe it was just floating around looking to attack a goat head or other unwanted invader. It's now sitting on my treasures shelf, a testament to the sealing powers of Stan's.

Don't leave home without it.

Funny Pic

2009-07-29T14:07:00.002-06:00

I saw this on a Realtors website and thought it was funny. Sometimes your the frog, and other times the bird. Never give up, no matter what side of the meal you're on.

3 weeks to Leadville

2009-07-26T21:33:00.003-06:00

Flying Dog has it all - beautiful quakies at the the top...

and wide open meadows at the bottom. I love riding these trails.

I tore this tire before riding the White Rim in a Day back in March and it's still holding air! I got my money's worth out of it and now it's retiring.

I was all smiles after only 1 hour of my 6 hour ride. Notice there are no more pics!

I just finished my biggest week of training that I've done in the last 12 months, and I have one more big week before tapering for Leadville. I've decided to go 2 weeks hard followed by 1 week of recovery and that seems to be working better for me. And instead of a 12 week plan, I've done only 10. That was more because I couldn't make up my mine if I want to just wing it on training, or call on LW to do her magic. Being the anal sole I am, I opted on a regimine instead of flying my the seat of my pants (sorry Chris & KC) and I lost 2 weeks of training time. I can't say I'm going to be faster, but I'm sure less burned out than I was this time last year. Hopefully, that will make Leadville more enjoyable and I'll have a better result than 2008.

Another thing I did this year was race less XC events and I rode fewer 100 mile/12 hour MTB races. As a matter of fact, the only mountain hundie I did was White Rim back in March and a road hundie 2 weeks ago. I expect that will help also. That doesn't make sense, does it? I rode 6 hours today in the Flying Dog/Round Valley areas and picked up 5600 feet of climbing and felt better during the last 2 hours than I expected. Maybe things are coming together.

From a fueling standpoint, I've been riding with Hammer Nutrition most of the time and feel I have a good routine that should be simple and effecient and cut down on pit time. I'd like to find a few solids to add, but haven't tried real hard to find them. I'm counting most on Hammer to get me under 10 hours.

So, now it's 2 days off and 5 more hard ones beginning on Wednesday, then the taper. That's the next carrot and I can hardly wait to taste it.

Last weekend

2009-07-13T18:55:00.002-06:00

The last 2 weeks have been busy with work, and working out, so posting to my blog was a low priority. Now I have a few minutes before mowing the lawn so I'll give a short recap.

I've changed my training routine around, with the help of Lynda Wallenfells, to 2 weeks on and 1 off. Last year I did 3-1 and it killed me. Seems like I need more time to recover as I get farther away for the big three O. So far, it's working well for me. My knee problem over the winter cut about 4 months out of my riding schedule so I've been on the fast track to get back in shape. Although I'm doing well, I can tell the missing winter base miles are having an effect. Leadville is only 5 weeks away and that's my only "A" race for the year. I'm ready mentally, and I trust the physical will come around by then too.

My last 2 week block concluded this weekend with a 4 hour mtb ride in the Glenwilde area on Saturday; Flying Dog from both sides and some other goodies, and a 6 hour mtb ride on the PC Rail Trail Sunday. That one really challenged me mentally. Six solo hours on a slightly pitched smooth trail in a hot canyon with the wind in my face ought to do wonders for my mental toughness. More importantly though, I learned to drink water! I'm one of the unfortunate ones that does not get thirsty, and I suffer greatly afterwards for it. Eight days ago I did a 102 mile solo road ride and got so dehydrated I was fuzzy for two days after. Really. So yesterday I drank the equivalent of 1-24 ounce bottle per hour for 6 hour/88 miles and I felt great. I got home and drank a bunch more, ate some food and life is good.

I have 2, 2-week blocks under my belt now and the mileage and intensity has been steadily going up. I feel I'm adapting well, but my butt is slow to come around. More Gold Bond and Butt Butt'r will hopefully solve that inconvenience. And I'm thinking about a 24 solo in October!!! Yeah, right. I test (Powertap) again this week on Thursday and hopefully will see a little power gain and then I hit the final 2 weeks before a nice 2 week taper before the Bigee. I think LW has a couple more 7 hour rides in store so that ought to up the stakes a little higher.

In all seriousness, I don't know how I'll finish this race. Ten hours at 10,200 to 12,600 feet just doesn't seem doable. I'm still way off from where I think I should be and I have some minor lingering knee pain that bothers me a little. I really want to break 10 hours in the biggest way, but, I need to be real and be satisfied if I can finish. There's always next year and now that everything is physically in order, 2010 will be a spectacular year.

Have a good week the two of you that read this :-)

It rained yesterday

2009-07-03T07:39:00.001-06:00

I decided to ride my trainer today.

Round Valley

2009-06-29T17:55:00.008-06:00

I couldn't resist stopping and smelling the cactus. What a perfect day for riding in the Wasatch.

Here's my latest "secret weapon" - a Mountain Feed Bag. It worked really well and I did not notice it at all.
Stupid ham shot. Everybody else does it so I might as well follow along.
And when I got home my granddaughter was waiting for me. What a nice way to top off an outstanding morning in the saddle.

I just finished a recovery week and topped it off with a very nice ride around the Round Valley area in Park City. I just love those trails and it was a perfect way to start a new training block.

The next 2 weeks are going to be tough but they should get me in a good position to get under 10 hours at Leadville 100. There's always a number to shoot for in every race, and that's mine. I've come close in my first two tries, but not close enough. Coach Lynda has given me some good advice and tweaked my routine to a point where I feel like this will be my year. I can feel it in my bones. My mileage is way down from last year, so I should be very fresh, and ready to go.

I just got a blast from the Leadville folks and it looks like there will be a slight course re-route around the nasty steep & loose hill that even Dave and Lance have to hike. That will be a welcome relief. Also, I see that besides Lance, Levi & Tinker are scheduled to show up. Talk about the stars coming out. Should be another special year in August.

Deer Valley ICUP

2009-06-15T07:55:00.010-06:00

Early on, Saturday looked to be a warmer repeat of the 2008 race with the possibility of rain and mud fouling up what's always a beautiful, fun course. Five minutes before the start it started to drizzle and a minute later, it was done. The race went on under perfect conditions and nobody went home dissapointed.

My race went better than expected since I won. I've won on this course before, but the 6-7 minute climb up Little Stick just kills me. And we had to do it twice - I know, the pros and most other riders do it 3 or 4 times, so stop crying. The funny thing about this race is within 2-3 minutes of the start, I was seriously thinking about stopping and riding back down the hill to my car. I didn't get a good warmup and felt like crap. Poor warmups seem to be my logo this year. And the thought of doing this daunting climb 2x was more than I could handle. Somehow, I convinced myself to hang in there, and I got the job done.

Joel Quinn got a jump out of the gate and lead our group up Little Stick. Poor ole Jim Westenskow dropped a chain right after the start and it took him about 5 minutes to get it out of his spokes and operating again. That was the end of his race, but he still finished 4th. I got behind a freight train after cresting LS and made a couple of dicey passes, but Joel was gone. Then on the fun swoopy single track throught he woods we got behind another slow group of 4-5 riders that were timid in letting us pass and when we finally did, we put the hammer down. When we got to the clearing, to my surprise, I saw Joel and got excited again. I caught him pretty quickly & stayed on his wheel for a few minutes and passed him as he struggled making a sharp left hand corner in the woods before the pavement. I decided to up the pace a little and cooked it nicely down the rocky single track off the summit. I looked back at the corners and he was nowhere in sight.

After finishing the first lap the 2nd time, climbing LS was a little better. I heard Lew's name called out by Ed and he was about 1:15 behind me. I figured he passed Joel and was in 2nd now so he was my competition. I found my groove climbing LS and figured if I was hurting this bad, they were going to have to hurt more to catch me, and I was betting they didn't want to do that. I crested the 2nd time and headed to the descending single track knowing I just had to stay upright and the race was mine. I backed it down a little so as not to make a dumb mistake and took it home to an uneventful 1st place finish, or so I thought. To my surprise, Joel got to the finish line 1st, and I never saw him pass me! Ed had him 25 seconds ahead of me and I knew immediately what had happened. I talked to Joel and sure enough, he missed the turn at the end of the first lap and did not come down through the start/finish before beginning his 2nd lap. Joel and Lew worked it out where Joel bumped down to 2nd and Lew stayed in 3rd - that was gratious of Lew. Ed put Joel 2 seconds behind me. It was a good race and fun day, and nobody got hurt.

My conditioning is improving weekly and my spirits are high. My delemia now is since I've got 2 firsts and 2 seconds in my group, do I bump up to the 50+ open group and get my ass kicked and confidence shattered, or do I stay for 1 or 2 more races. I'm starting to feel bad for the guys in my group that work hard but are denied a podium shot cuz there are 4 of us that dominate. Maybe one less dominating racer would be good, and humble pie might make me more hungry (I'm not feeling stuffed though, so why would I do that?). Chances are I'm done with the XC for the season since Leadville is only 2 months away and I need to focus more on that. So, that makes moving up a mute point. We'll see. I sure like winning and that's tough to walk away from.

The weather gods looked on me favorably Sunday too. I did a 5 hour road bike ride and as I rode my bike up my driveway at the finish, the skies opened up big time! Talk about perfect timing. I just started to laugh as I stood in the living room looking out the window as water rushed down the gutter. This was definatley my weekend :-)

Why would I want to change anything!

Wolf Creek Pass

2009-06-06T13:55:00.006-06:00

I'll sum this ride up in one word - COLD!

Our group of 13 pushed off from the Kamas grocery store about 8:15 am this morning under sunny skies, no wind and warm temps. So warm that yours truly and a couple others decided to leave our wind breakers and warm gloves in the car.

The ride to Noblette was uneventful and the pace was nice. Seems like we were all saving our best for the climb to the Pass at 9,485 feet. By the time we got to Noblette the temp was noticably cooler, but not enough to worry about.

The climb is about 7.4 miles and 2,500 feet (I'm guessing) with 2 or 3 50-100 yard rest spots, otherwise it's always up. The hammerheads went off the front and I stayed with Barb Sherwood in the middle of the pack. We kept a good steady pace and did not redline, and, we didn't want to sweat cuz it was getting colder. I was catching up to Paul Moote, who was about 100 yards ahead of me, and issued a laughing warning I was going to catch him very shortly. That's all it took for him to light the rocket and increase the gap. Later he said he was searching for a spark and my verbal assault was just what he was looking for. Barb hung in there real well and was not too far behind when we crested the Pass.

We decided to head down from the summit immediately since there was no water and it was cold and breezy. The descent down was sketchy at best because we were shivering too much and our bikes were shaking. That's not good on a high speed descent like this so I backed it down to under 30 mph just to stay safe. We all made it down in one piece and gathered at the Noblette outhouse, out of the wind, and laughed and shared our "shivering" stories with eachother as we attempted to warm up. Later we found out one of the girls in the group had to get in some strangers pick up truck to warm up cuz she was loosing it! She felt it was safer being with a stranger than riding downhill frozen like a popsicle. She made it down without incident, but she did have the best story of the group.

All in all it was an excellent ride. I pushed a faster pace than last year and had higher HR and wattage numbers - but, I also have higher tonnage so my W/kg is probably worse. Things are coming around and I expect by Leadville I'll be fit and ready to break 10 hours. I'll do this ride a few more times and that should seal the deal for me.

Sundance ICUP

2009-05-30T17:08:00.007-06:00

I don't have any Sundance pics so hears one from the warmup last week at Draper.

Today was another great racing day. After last weeks exciting 3rd place finish behind Jim Westenskow and Lewis Rowlins, I was looking for a little redemption this week. In reality, I was just hoping to keep them in sight for the 1st lap and then blow apart on the 2nd.

The race started in the upper parking lot so we did not have to start at the bottom and climb that long damn pavement hill. Ouch! We did do it twice, but it was nice not to start on it. My group started with the Clydsdales and Bill Dark immediately shot to the front of the pack. I marked Dwight Hibdon but knew there was no way I would keep his wheel for very long. He is riding real strong this year, and he's 30 lbs lighter than my fat ass! By the top of the pavement climb I was still in 2nd and Lewis tried to come up on me before the single track but I accelerated and put Greg, a Mad Dog Clydsdale, between him and me. Nice move Brad :-) Jim was having brain farts shifting so he unexpectedly fell back and was in 3rd at the single track, but working extra hard to catch up. I decided to put the hammer down in the woods and go as hard as I could for as long as possible and hoped Jim, Bill & Lewis would tire trying to catch me. On the switchbacks by the pond, some gomer shifted at the wrong time as the trail pitched up and fell and knock me off my bike, then, he tries to get back on and stay ahead of me. I didn't let that happen and never saw him again. Lewis was 1 switchback behind me and was looking strong. I expected him to come up on me but he stayed back as we began the long flowy climb through the trees. At the 180 degree turn he was less than 10 seconds behind and I could see Jim on his tail. I kept my head down and pushed as hard as I could and gasped in relief when the dowhill came and I was still ahead of them. I sped down the single track and caught some guy and had a fast chick on my tail. I guess we made him nervous cuz he went head over heals off the trail and we sped on by (he was ok). I let the chick pass me cuz I didn't want to be her next casuality. Crusing down the trail was very controlled and exciting, and I didn't take any chances on the first lap. After passing the start/finish line on the 1st lap and heard Ed say Lewis's name and he was about 50 seconds behind now. That's what I wanted to hear. Shortly after that Jim blew by him and almost caught up to me!!! I got to the single track before him again and put the hammer down again. Today was one of those days where I just felt like things were good. I fully expected Jim would catch me cuz he was always there when I looked back, but he didn't. I could see him at the 180 turn before the S turns in the trees, but he didn't close the gap. Going down hill I opened it up a little more knowing if Jim & I got to the road at the same time he'd kill me on the climb, so the downhill was my only chance to seal 2nd place. Luckily I put some time on him on the downhill and got to the finish line about a minute ahead of Jim. Another great race with an even better outcome for me.

Mad Dog finished 1, 2 and 4 in my group and, we solidified our 24 hours of Moab team with the addition of Jim as our 4th rider. we're going to be strong this year - maybe the strongest ever. I don't know why but this season seems so much better to me than any other one in the past. I'm enjoying racing more, probably because I've put less pressure on myself, and the competition has stepped up significantly. Hanging around the teammates is a blast and everything is just great. Things are falling in to place for a great Leadville on August 15th.

One side note - Fidel Castro showed up at the race. Really. What an unexpected surprise. If anyone has a picture of him, I'll link to it.

Draper ICUP Pre-ride

2009-05-22T07:06:00.013-06:00

I don't think I like how these cranks bolt on. The XTR set up is much more secure and easier to check.
It's not much, but I haven't put any pics in lately and this is the best I could do. The skin gap between the red lines is the zone of protection my chest strap afforded me. HR monitors ARE important and can save your skin. Kids, never leave home without your helment or HR strap :-)

Taking Keith Paynes advise, I decided to pre-ride the Draper course in preparation for the Monday ICUP XC race. I've never raced this venue because I've been at the Ironhorse Classic in Durango Co the last 2 years racing the choo choo train and snow. Since I am mad at the IH race directors handeling of the 2008 event, I'm not going to Durango this year and will give Ed my money instead.

I saw Bob Saffel Wednesday on the Shoreline Trail and he was showing off his road rash from his Draper pre-ride and I didn't think much about it. He warned me it was loose and several tight corners on the Ghost Falls trail come up pretty fast, so be careful. Always listen to people with road rash.

My ride started out nicely with Aaron Smith leading the way through the revamped starting loop, through the tunnel under the road and along the single track that takes you past the barking little mutt. We hit the fireroad and Aaron said this was going to be the last wide area to pass before Clark's, so get 'er done in here if ya have to. He pointed out the start of Clark's TT so I hit the watch to see how fast (slow!) I could do it on my SS (34x21). Wow, that's quite the climb. I pushed about as hard as I could go and did a 14:02. I don't know where that puts me but now I have a baseline to improve on. The trail was in great shape and the shade was very welcome.

After a brief stop at the top of Clark's Jay Griffin and his son came up behind us and we headed down the race course. That top flat section is real fast, even on a SS, and I just about launched myself on the bump past the gate and slowed just enough to make the sharp left hand turn on to the Ghost Falls trail. I should have known that that bump was a warning to slow down. I stayed on Aarons tail winding down through the tight flowing tree lined trail just having a ball. My speed was very good and I was hooking up real well, until that tight downsloping left hand 90 degree turn just before the 2nd or 3rd bridge came upon me from nowhere. Like a rookie, I grabbed too much front brake too late and went down hard in a sliding ball of dust. Fortunately I landed on my left side instead of my too often damaged right and just got a little road rash on my back, hip and calf. But the fun was not over. I got back up and headed down, albeit more cautiously, kowning I had better keep things in better control. Fortunately I did because about a minute or 2 after falling my left crank arm fell off! That was wierd. I walked back up the trail a ways but could not find the missing bolt so I proceeded to half pedal and hike back to the parking lot. So much for my spirited and informative pre-ride.

I wasn't able to ride the entire course but I hope I saw all the tight, dangerous stuff. I've got a feeling a lot of folks are going to donate blood on Monday. To me, this is a fast course that should be approached with extreme caution. The corners are tight and loose and the tiny rocks on the surface are very slippery. My little incident is going to slow mw down quite a bit cuz I don't want to jeaprodize Leadville by going for it in a "C" race. I hope I can remember that during the heat of a race. I think I'm going to let more air out of the tires too.

So, it should be interesting on Monday. Be careful and have fun.

Soldier Hollow ICUP

2009-05-16T17:29:00.019-06:00

Thanks for the pic Kendra.

What a great day for ICUP racing. The temp was perfect, the skies were clear and sunny and there were a ton of people toeing the line waiting to attack this great course.

Ed does such a great job with his series that we don't even know how spoiled he has made us. Unbelievably, he started the Pros within 2 minutes of the advertised start time and that's after running the kids races. Way to go again Ed. You're the man.

I had an excellent race today and finished 2nd out of 6. I am really pleased given all that has been going on healthwise the last 5 months and my limited amount of training. I rode as hard as I could and had no mechanicals or crashes. That's good! The only mistake I made was letting the winner gap me at the start by about 20seconds thinking I could real him in as the race progressed.

I came out of the chute in 5th and struggled up the 1st hill while Lewis Rollins was putting the hammer down in the lead. He was pushing an aggressive pace that I was certain he could not hold. I kept him in sight for the whole 1st lap and got to within 20 seconds on the last climb on the first lap and felt I had a chance. To my disadvantage Ed mentioned my name when I came through the start/finish line and Lew heard him (he told me that after the race). Lew was still in sight and I knew I had less than 15 minutes left, and, if I was going to catch him I had better git er done right now. I called to the engine room for more power and the response back was "that's all we got boss"! That's not what I wanted to hear. Lews a pretty short guy and he kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller. Every time I'd round a corner and see him I thought I was getting closer, but he was actually 2 turns ahead of me! Damn!!! I kept pushing hoping he was going to bonk or hit the wall, but it was not to be. Once I got back on the single track after the fast paved portion near near the end I saw he was too far ahead. Good for you Lew.

It was fun actually racing someone and having to work hard, even though I came up short. I love to race and I love competition and I had both today.

What a great day for racing and a great race. Congrats Lew.

I've had 2 races in 4 days and all is well. No heart pains, no nothing. I think my dealie last week was asthma and stress related and my ticker is good. The VA has scheduled a Nuclear Stress Test for June 2 so I should get a clean bill of health then will put all my worries to bed. In the meantime I've got to get back to my Leadville training routine and hope Lynda's 100 Mile PR program can work a miracle for me.

19 Hours at the Ole VA

2009-05-10T19:45:00.011-06:00

I've gone back and forth on whether I should publish this or not, but what the hell, let's have some fun with it.

This a a condensed recap of my Event this weekend.

4:00pm Friday - The Warmup: chest pains start at the end of a 2 day appraisal seminar. Not too intense but strong enough to get my attention.

4:30-5:30pm - Deeper Warmup: 6-8 reps, 2 to 3 minutes duration, intensity level 9+ followed by 10+ "oh shits".

6:00-10:00pm - Headed to the VA ER starting line and was moved to the front of the waiting room pack. Nice. Got lots of attention and "atta boys" from the officials for being in shape (someone saw something unusual for the VA on my stomach - it was a small muscle - hahahaha). Officials inserted an UCI approved IV in to my left arm and asked me to submit to a voluntary out of competition blood test. I agreed and then bagan the interview process while my blood was being drained. I answered the questions with the objective of getting a quick "get out of jail free pass" so I could head for home and avoid any more needles and probes. I was truthful, but they hadn't hooked me up to a lie detector, so...

10:00pm - The officials decided my answers need further review and my blood tests were inconclusive, so, a sleep over was in order, but I was still in the Event.

1:30am - I got to my transition area (the Telemetry Unit) and set up camp with my wife and daughter acting as my pit crew. The officials hooked up a bunch of wires and took some more blood and advised me to relax and get a good nights sleep (hahahaha) cuz this may last until Monday! Yikes, that's not what I signed up for. 24 hours max, not 3 days! I haven't trained for that.

1:45am (+ or -) - My initials attempts at sleep were rudely interruped every 15-60 seconds by the sound of the automatic adjusting bed randomly changing my position for me. Great. The description of the Event I signed up for made no mention of that. Fortunately it didn't take long to get accustomed to this and I was out.

2:30am - The alarm buzzer wakes me up from a deep sleep. Did I miss my next lap? Did I get DQ'd? What's going on? I look at my trusty HR monitor and the below 50 bpm alarm was sounding and the screen was flashing a comfortable 48 bpm. Nice :-) I went back to sleep holding a nice steady pace, or so I thought.

3:00am - Off goes the alarm again. Whoooooo. Now I'm down 39 bpm and still moving forward. Looks like my limited (lack of) training is paying off. There must be something about this more recovery time is better thing.

8:30am - Mandatory rest period is over. The IV is blocked up so out come the blood sucking needles again. This time the tests come back and show some enzyme in my blood that may get me DQ'd, but, the officials determine the level falls in the "indeterminate" range. Whew. I dodged another extended sleep-over bullet. Shortly thereafter the head official informs me my Event is over and I'm kicked out. Oh, poor me (hahahaha). Back to my nice home and soft, quite bed. Bad boy...

11:00am - I'm getting hungry and falling behind on my fuel and fluid replacement, in spite of having a very active bladder. How does that happen? Just in the nick of time a lower level official brings in fuel and fluid that was abandonded by another Event participant that decided to go home. Thank God for small miracles. I flipped on the vacuum switch and made short work of the trays overcooked contents.

1:00pm - I am officially banned from the Event and forced to sign expulsion papers. But, they want me to participate in a Nuclear Stress Test (NST) sometime in the next few weeks to confirm their suspicions and validate my expulsion. I reluctantly agree and head for home.

So, that was my "race" this weekend. I hope yours was more fun and rewarding.

Bottom line is I'm fine and did not have "the Big one". They don't know what caused the pain and that's why they're recommending the NST. I have my theory on what's going on, but my wifes not buying it, so, I'll do what she says. Gotta keep the better half happy.

I'm smiling and looking forward to Soldier Hollow this Wednesday evening and next Saturday.

RAWROD 2009

2009-04-26T16:22:00.016-06:00

Shafer Trail road.
Shafer switchbacks.
White Crack lunch stop.
Base of Murphy's.

Top of Murphy's Hogback with storm in the background.
Hardscrabble.
Arches on Sunday morning.
Breakfast.
Bob Dawson, single speed and rigid!!! WTG old man.
Chris Holley, smiling!

After hearing so much about the RAWROD (Ride Around the White Rim in One Day) I decided to give it a go, and I'm glad I did. It is so incredibly electric being around a fantastic bunch of motivated and positive people that you're inspied to push beyond your expectations. With a little less wind, it would have been perfect.

I got to the top of Horsethief Canyon Friday around 5 pm and parked the Element near the brat & beer pit and set up camp. The weather was perfect and the brats Fatty cooked were off the chart. Kenny Jones did a fanstatic job hooking up the group and making the weekend memorable. Thanks Kenny.

Sleeping Friday night was difficult at best. Since my only long ride since last fall and prior to the knee fix was a 4 hour, zone 1, flat road ride I wasn't sure the WR in 1 day was a wise endeavor. But, what the hell. I decided to go for it and see how far I could go. Long story short, we rode clockwise and I finished it without injury or mishaps in 9:21 riding time. I'm way pleased with that time since the wind was a monster and fought us all the way. I was hoping for 10-11 hours.

As I mentioned, the wind was the enemy all day and it seemed it blew for all but an hour, and almost always in our face. I bet it was mostly 20 mph and peaked around 40"! The traditonal tailwind after White Crack never materialized so the battle with the headwind raged on, and on, and on ... At one point between Murphys's and Candlestick it was a whiteout with the wind blowing so hard I thought for sure my frame was going to look like it was sand blasted. It was impossible to ride a straight line and I was blown off the road twice that I remember. I wish I had a picture but I didn't want to stop cuz I didn't think I'd be able to start again. It was that fierce!

Back to the ride, I walked Murphy's and Hardscrabble knowing if I tried to ride either, that would be the end of the day for me. Good call Brad. There were a lot of single speeders and quite a few with rigid forks (WTG Bob Dawson!). The SSer's seemed to do better on the steep climbs and were very inspiring to watch. The top of Murphy's is a great place to "rider watch" with everyone cheering the dudes and dudettes that pull off the impossible. Hardscrabble is different and harder overall due to it's steepness and loose surface. Both are great places to practice your hike-a-bike technique.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, is the climb out Horsethief Canyon. Camp is only about 1.5 miles away, but looking at the "wall" is daunting, especially with 8.5 hour plus in the legs. One guy offered $100 to anyone that would bring his car down to him! He ended up riding it himself and was glad he did. I push granny for all but maybe 2 minutes and made the top in 25 minnutes! I was gassed and wanted to quite several times but people were gathered at the top cheering us on so quiting was not an option. The other thing that got me to the top was the sugar drenched cinnamon twist donut that was happily waiting for me in the car. I was craving that donut so badly I was creeping myself out! I could not wait to attack it. And I did so with pleasure, and it did not let me down :-)

After about 20 minutes I got my body and head together and said goodbye to everyone but Bob Dawson and his buddy Mark. The 3 of us stayed the night at the scene of the prior nights feast. We swapped stories for hours, drank a few beers and ate sausage and eggs prepared by Chef Bob, and slept like babies. We were treated to a starry night with no wind whatsoever and an equally windless Sunday morning. It was the perfect end to a most excellent weekend. Thanks again Kenny.

I don't need a helmet

2009-04-24T08:02:00.025-06:00

Rob Westerman took a header on a rocky descent during the Mountain States XC race in Fruita Colorado last weekend.

Rob also damaged his leg that still has 16 screws in it from a Deer Valley mishap 2 years ago.
It was a long 10 miles back for Rob - no saddle! And, he wasn't DFL!!!

Chris on the last climb of the day.
Chris applying power to his "rental" 29er HiFi Pro.
KC demonstrating the Holley climbing power the family is known for.
KC the canister crusher. Don't even try to pat her on the back, unless you want to damage your hand. Talk about tough!
Some stupidbiker.
Carson climbing the last hill. This puppy was steep.

Moab in February

2009-04-10T08:09:00.008-06:00

The Bride is located in the side canyon on Gemini Bridges Road before the Gold Bar junction. It's a worthwhile 15 minute side trip. There are 5 primitive camp sites in the canyon and you must bring your own water and potty.

I just thought these were cool. They're on the south side of Gemini Bridges.

Isn't camping what Moab's all about? Chris and KC were huddled over the fire cooking Brats and keeping warm. Believe it or not, it was dark when I took this pic. We camped in the main campground just before the Slickrock parking lot, spot #18.

I took this pic of the moon and ? shortly after I took the one above. Pretty neat.

Chris and his new smiling face. KC wasn't impressed.

Work has slowed to a managable pace so I have time to throw in a few pictures from a trip to Moab Chris, KC and I took in late February. As I recall the weather was prefect and nobody was there - it was dead! On Sunday morning, the parking lot at the Slickrock Trail was totally empty! How did we get so lucky? We split up and I rode Soverign, Gemini Bridges, Bar B, Circle O and Rockin A while the Holley's rode Amasa Back, Soverign, Bar B and anything else they could find. We camped under clear starry skies and slept like babies. I've got to get back down there, and soon.

My conditioning is bad but I am riding again. I've had a few knee setbacks but I'm heading in the right direction. I just have to reset my expectations and enjoy the race season and my biking friends. This should be a fun year.

Enjoy the pics.

Abbey *** 1993-2009

2009-03-14T09:12:00.011-06:00

The dreaded day finally arrived when we had to put our West Highland Terrier, Abbey to sleep. She came to our family as a 6 week old puppy in October 1993 to the wide smiles and enthusiastic excitement of our 2 kids, Oliver and MarKay. Abbey spent many happy years sleeping and cuddling with the kids, which was here favorite thing to do. She loved to be around people loved to sit on your lap and just cuddle. She wasn't hyper and was content to just sit around and visit.

Over the last 2 years her life changed dramatically. She developed cataracts and lost most of her hearing and just getting around from room to room was a slow process. She no longer could jump up on the hot tub and watch people walk by or go freely up and down the stairs. Walks on the golf course became shorter and less frequent and her pace slowed to a crawl. She no longer pulled us around on her leash and we sometimes had to carry her because she was just too tired. Her world got smaller and smaller, but she never complained. I think that is what made yesterday so hard.

I've never experienced the anguish associated with making a decision to end the life of an animal you love like a family member. I've spoken with countless of you that have expereinced this before and I now know the pain you have felt. It's not good at all. I have tears in my eyes as I type this and wonder why I'm putting my feelings in to words. I feel really, really bad, but I know it had to be done and she's better off, and out of pain.

Dr. Witty came to our home and gave her an examination upon his arrival. He felt she had either lung or bladder cancer and that she had maybe a few months, at the most. He said even though she did not cry or react like she was in pain, her inability to releive herself was painful and would only get worse, and her silent suffering would intensify. After a group hug and reassurance from each other that this was the right thing to do, we allowed the Doctor to proceed.

The procedure involved first administering a sedative that completely relaxed her in about 10 minutes. As the sedative took effect, we took turns sitting on her favortie couch holding, cuddling and kissing her as she fell asleep and we said good-bye. She was very calm during the entire procedure and seemed to be at peace. The final 2 medicines slowed her breathing and her heart and she passed very peacefully. The doctor said she was ready because the medicine reacted faster that he expected, so that gave us some comfort. But, she was gone.

Our hearts are broken and the house doesn't feel the same this morning. Second thoughts cloud my vision and I'm overwhelmed with sadness and emotion that I supressed yesterday. It know it was time and we did the humane thing, yet I'm selfish and we want her back. I know she'll forgive us and she's happy.

I'm sorry for such a downer post, but I just needed to get this off my chest. I'm a baby and I admit it. To all of you pet owners, please know that when you have to cross this bridge, my heart is with you and I feel your sadness.

Good-bye Abbey Dog.

Back in the Saddle

2009-02-22T11:26:00.002-07:00

It's time to get going again. I've been off-and-on the last 3 weeks due to over straining my knee with hiking and spinning, but now I have to move on and get ready for Leadville.

This is the latest in the season I have started training in I don't know how many years so my anxiety level is a little high right now. If I'm feeling good in 2 or 3 weeks that will put the anxiety behind me and tell me all is well and don't worry. I'm starting my Base program tomorrow and will stay on that for the next 12 weeks, then I'll move into more specific training for the LT100.

I rode for about 1:45 yesterday on a flat road course and feel fine today, so I'm hopeful. I've got a new bottle of Vitamin N that should keep the swelling and pain down, so I'm covered there too. Now I just have to do it. Oh yeah, did I mention my % body fat is up about 2% and my weight is 7-8 lbs too high! Seems like I had a little too much food fun during my rehab, so that's being addressed right now too.

I hope to get down to Moab next weekend for some welcome, and well needed, mental readjustment sessions that always set my attitude on the right course. As for racing, the first ICUP event is March 7th in St. George so I'll attend that one and put in some quality training miles there. Being out of shape, I have no expectations but to finish so that makes racing more fun.

That's it for now and I hope to post more often and keep current on my progress, or lack thereof :>)

Leadville, Here I Come

2009-02-08T15:50:00.002-07:00

Got my pretty gray postcard with the bright green sticker confirming my entry into the race on August 15th. I am beyond stoked and am excited to get training again. Now I have a worthy "A" race for 2009 and I couldn't be happier. Team Holley and Ellen Guthrie got in too. I'm waiting to hear from Tim Fisher who is absolutely consumed with this race. Good luck Tim.

I'm still in the cross training mode right now but with LT100 only 6 months away, it's time to talk to the Coach and get some direction. The first ICUP race is just 4 weeks away so that will be a humbling experience and will provide more motivation to git 'er done. St. George in early March is niceeeee. Looking forward to that one.

In the meantime, it's time to plan and kick it in gear.

A beautiful day for a hike

2009-01-31T17:59:00.010-07:00

The temperature was perfect and the sky was clear, so I went outside and played in the mountains! Continuing with my cross training theme I decided to climb the hill at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. The goal was to reach the summit of what my kids call the "Toaster Towers". I've been told they're microwave towers that probably aren't being used anymore. Maybe someone can chime in and give a little historical background.

I went solo with a fanny pack, my ancient plastic ice climbing boots and telescopic ski poles. The nice thing about solo is I can get in my groove and move at my own pace. I got to the top in 1:37 and climbed 2220 feet. Coming down took about 55 minutes. I took it easy to protect my knee and had no problems at all. Excellent day :-)

Thought I'd try an artsey-fartsey shot.

The path was well defined for 3/4 of the climb/hike.

The orange lichen on the gray rock looked real cool.

Another artsey shot. I know, don't quit my day job.

This peak was used as a fire observation post back in the day.

Graffiti even gets up to 8,000 feet.

Looking at downtown SLC with Antelope Island in the background.

Funny Video

2009-01-29T17:34:00.003-07:00

You've got to checkout this funny youtube video. It will lighten your day and bring a smile to your face. Pay attention to the clock in the lower left corner during the green car parking scene.

Enjoy.

Camp Lynda Photos

2009-01-29T08:05:00.009-07:00

I made it down for Day 2 and had a blast riding for 3+ hours. I was surprised I lasted that long. Cramps set in on my left leg (my right knee was the one that got fixed) at 1:50 riding time, but I was able to keep them under control. Mud was a minor issue at the start but it lasted only a few hundred yards. What would CL be without mud :-)

My bike performed splendidly and I am so pleased with the 29 wheel. Downhills are a blast and seem much smoother than before. Maybe it just a mental thing, but that's OK with me.

Got to get to works so here are a few memories.

The General and her trusty Lieutenant pointing the way. Stay out of the mud wee ones!

I Must Turn the Corner

2009-01-19T09:16:00.004-07:00

I'm rotting!

I've grown roots out of my butt into the sofa that has held me captive while watching 2 full seasons of Prison Break on DVD. My waist is looking like the Michelin Man and my legs are hairy. What has happened to me?

It seems I've let this knee thing get out of control and get the best of me, but, I've decided to fight back and take control of my life again. I pulled up the roots about 2 weeks ago and I'm feeling sparks of motivation again. I've ridden my trainer a few times, hiked on the golf course in the snow and started lifting weights. The bathroom scale staring at me each morning, and weighing this thing called a body still scare me. I'm dealing with the body, but the scale is going to have to wait.

This weekend was the break through I was looking for. Saturday, I rode outside for the first time since November 16th, on my road bike on a flat course, freezing my ass off, and it actually felt good. There is just something magical about a bicycle. The speed, the wind, the fresh air and the beautiful scenery all come together and boost my spirits.

After riding my less than challenging circuit, I went home and had a PB&J sandwich (that's good for the waist line :-)) and headed up to Mountain Dell golf course for an hours worth of track skiing. Two weeks ago I was gassed after 20 minutes - today's hour was non-stop. Yahoo!

Sunday I went back up to Mtn. Dell and skiied for 2 hours. I took a 1-2 minute break at the hour mark and finished off in fine style, for me that is. Track skiing is definately NOT my sport and is just a means to an end. I like how it taxes my whole body, especially the upper torso, lower back and butt. The down side is looking like a fool when EVERYONE on the course passes me. I guess there's the price to pay for fitness. Wait till we get back on the bike - I'll kick you ass you skating sissies!

So, the next step in my progression is Camp Lynda. I'm heading down Friday night and hope to ride parts of Saturday and Sunday and feed off the positive mojo CL exudes.

Don't count me out yet.

Cross Training

2008-12-27T15:59:00.004-07:00

It's best to start with a 10-12 inch base in order to get the maximium benefit from any snow shovel routine.
Technique is important and one of the reasons I have progressed so rapidly.
Milk Duds are a key component to the successful implimentation of the hyperthermic dome protocol.
The business end of the dome.
You know you've hit the workout just right when the Duds are soft and the box is empty when the 60 minute buzzer sounds.

My recovery has gone a little slower than I had hoped for, but I'm making good progress and hope to be back on the bike in a few weeks, weather permitting. In the meantime, I've developed a random routine that is going to help me to the top of the podium in 2009. I don't have any copyright problems with this workout, so feel free to copy it and spread the word to your friends.

My core was a marshmellow last season so I've been doing lots of gut work this month with the snow shovel. Mother Nature has provided an abundant number of opportunities to challenge even the toughest core so far this month and I'm confident that I will now have the guts to push on when the going gets tough. Milk Duds and any HFCS are also helpful motivators.

The snow blower is also providing unexpected and useful benefits. My traps and lats are getting bigger from pulling the start cord, so much so that I may want to do a few body building contests in the late winter, just to further advertise my program. And, another benefit is the bigger shoulders offset the Milk Dud and HFCS benefit.

Another area of noticeable improvement is my thumbs. My right one in particular. It seems pushing the gas primer has had an unexpected benefit that will speed up shifting and help reduce thumb fatigue on those long races. Oh, I forget - I'm using grip shifters now! It may also help when I'm too exhausted to speak, and just a thumbs up will do.

I'm also tamping out maze paths in the snow for my dog so she doesn't get lost in the snow that is now higher than her back, and that is providing good stomping power for those out of the saddle bursts of speed. I'll be someone to reckon with if it comes down to a sprint. You better not let me hang on...

I've also incorporated snowshoeing, sans snowshoes, with a double pole technique to help my shoulders and forearms. I've been using trees as slalom gates to improve my lateral quickness and situational awareness. This has made me feel quick as a cat and ready to pounce on my prey.

And finally, I'm using a Far Infared hyperthermia dome I got from a skiing buddy that is loosening up my knee muscles and giving me something to obsess over since my hypoxic training opportunities no longer exist. I can't possibly race without some kind of gimmick that will give me an edge ;-)

So, life is good and I am progressing. Although I haven't put a HR monitor on in over 2 months, I feel like I am still alive and all will be well. Time will tell...

Hitler react to BYU loss to Utah

2008-12-05T17:35:00.004-07:00

Here's a candid funny YouTube video documenting Hitler's react to BYU's loss to the University of Utah last month. Have a sense of humor and no flame throwing from either side. Enjoy and have a laugh on Hitler.

Progress Report

2008-12-03T14:45:00.003-07:00

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and got my stitches out. The doc said I can resume all activities and let pain be my guide. I should expect the swelling to decreased over the next 2-3 weeks and my range of motion should be back to normal shortly. There is still a little tightness below the knee cap, but everywhere feels fine.

So, armed with those words of encouragment I decided to give my trainer a short 5-10 minute spin after dinner and see what would come of it. To my surprise my knee felt great. I had good flexibility and no pain. I rode my fixie in tennis shoes, with no resistance and at a slow pace. No heart rate monitor and no agenda except to just see if I could do it. The trainer felt so good that afterward I decided to do a little resistance work just to get my leg muscles working again. My thigh and calf have shrunk a little and that makes my wrinkly skin look that much wrinklier (is that a word?). That went well too and after applying ice for 30 minutes afterwards, I was good to go and happy to be back at it again.

That was before I went to bed. Ouch!!! At 2:45am I was awakened by a very sharp intense pain in my knee. Damn! I hobbled out of bed and couldn't straighten my knee or put weight on that leg. Fortunately, after a few minutes the pain became tolerable and I hopped back in bed, albeit I was a little discouraged. I guess my wife was right - I was a big dumb ass for doing what I did. She actually said that while I was riding. How unthoughtful of her. I should check to see if she has a voodoo doll hidden somewhere.

Well, 12 hours have passed and my knee feels fine. Although there is a little discomfort, I'm on the mend and all is well. By tomorrow it should be back to "post-op normal" and I will give the trainer a go again, but, I'm staying away from the resistance stuff for awhile.

So, a lesson was learned and I'm going to get back at it very gradually. That means going to Moab on Dec 19th with the Mad Dog guys/gals is out and Camp Lynda most likely will be my first significant ride of the year. I'm sure looking forward to that.

Utah 48 BYU 24

2008-11-23T14:17:00.002-07:00

12-0, Mountain West Conference Champions.
Yeah Babeeeeee

Sorry - I just couldn't contain myself any longer. Soooooo sweeeeeet.......

Fixed Knee

2008-11-21T13:31:00.005-07:00

I got 'er done! Finally, thirty-five months after tearing my Meniscus playing tennis with my daughter, it is now repaired. Yahoo!!!

The surgery was Monday and went as planned with no problems. The doc said my ligaments and cartilege are great, aside from the torn part, and I should be back to 100% in about 6 weeks. He said the tear was complex and in many planes which may have been the result of waiting almost 3 years. Thanks, you inconsiderate Doc at the VA - thankfully he's gone now.

My tolerance for anesthetic is not what it used to be so Tuesday was a lost day. Glad that's over! Being self-employed and with no sick time pay, I went back to work on Wednesday and limped through the day, barely. My motivation was low and my attitude was pissy. Sorry Jane. It was hard concentrating and I just wanted to go to bed and rest.

I took the bandage off Thursday night and these pics are what it looked like at the unveiling. Gorgeous! I'm still sore below the knee cap, but my flexibility is increasing daily. I haven't been on my trainer yet and will probably wait until Monday to try that. No need to push since it's off season - right?

Overall it has gone about as I expected. I got off the LorTab within 24 hours and have taken Tylenol since then. I'm now taking 2x500 mg at 12 hour intervals and my pain is very minimal. I probably will stop tomorrow. I may even go for a short walk around the park tomorrow before the Big Game.

Things are looking up. I'm excited for next year and racing with 2 good legs. I don't know if my results will be better, but my attitude will be. Watch DH and BD...

Election 2008

2008-11-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

24 Hours of Moab Video

2008-10-29T20:54:00.001-06:00

I got this link to a cool video of 24 Hours from Bart's blog. Check it out and get your juices flowing for 2009.

24/7 Night Ride

2008-10-29T20:16:00.003-06:00

Laura crossing through the mud.

Laura, Patrick & TMac

Sunset!

Tuesday evening was the absolute perfect night for a ride in the hills above Jeremy Ranch. The air was calm and comfortable, the sky was starry and clear and the trails were spectacular. It was one of those evenings where you could spend the rest of your life and be totally happy.

I rode with 3 Ski Utah hot shots including my former coach Terry McGinnis (TMac). We started just before sunset and rode for a little over an hour on Fink This, Dropout, 24/7 and a couple other trails I can't remember. I've got to get back up there in the daylight cuz even in the night they had good flow and fun obstacles. What a treat.

Mad Dog is having a handicap race up there this Saturday and I hope it covers some of these trails. If you haven't ridden them, do yourself a favor and get up there before the snow sets in.

24 Hours of Moab recap

2008-10-14T18:33:00.021-06:00

Thursday afternoon before the crowds arrive.

A tranquil camp soon to be interrupted by incessant winds that lasted until Saturday.

This tent flapped in the wind all night long on Friday!!! No one slept.

The LeMans start is always exciting and gets the crowd pumped.

That's me coming down the sandy "S" curves section.

Bill Dark on his pre-ride.

Me on a pre-ride glamor shot.

For the third year in a row Old Dogs, New Tricks wins the Grand Masters title. This could be our last year in this group if nobody else steps up to challenge us. Left to right: Mike Matzko, Bill Dark, me and Dwight Hibdon.

I'm finally feeling back to normal and am ready to finish this post that I started on Tuesday.

This years event will be remembered for the wind and cold. I heard the wind gusts were over 50 mph and I'm certain they were a steady 20+ from Thursday until late Saturday, and the temps got into the mid 30's during the night. Burrrr....

As always, Mad Dog Team Manager Keith Payne put together a great camp with spectacular food, great support and a welcome atmosphere. Because of his efforts, and those of the other Mad Dog volunteers, this race is the highlight of the year.

I took some notes between laps and will give a short recap of what went on in my race.

Before I start, my knee was fine. I rode twice on Friday about 20 miles and felt no pain. I've been taking 1500 mg of Naproxen since last Saturday and that has deadened the discomfort. I did not get a shot and I have a ortho appointment set for October 21st. Now back to the race.

I ran/rode the first lap beginning at noon on Saturday. My effort was minimal and slow so I wouldn't aggravate my knee, plus, my 34 minute 10K days are well behind me so why make a fool of myself. On the bike, I passed a lot of riders on the road before hitting the single track where it was congested to the 5 mile point. After that the pack thinned out and the pace quickened. If possible, running faster and staying ahead of the less skilled riders would help greatly so keep that in mind when it's your chance to run at the gun. The wind was a factor in places but the sand was better than when I rode on Friday. My bike floated over the sand and I passed lots of people who were struggling mightily. The technical sections were a breeze on the 29 inch wheel and I actually enjoyed them this year. Ride time 1:25:44, run and ride time 1:28:32 - slower than last year. Max HR 176, avg 161, temp 71F to 78F, 74F avg.

Lap 2 began at 5:41 pm and was a race to beat the sunset. I got in at 7:09 and it was dark, but I did not use my light cuz I wanted to save my battery for later. This lap was a struggle since for some unknown reason I ate only 1/2 of a turkey sandwich after lap 1. As a result, I semi-bonked and got cramps in both quads after about 9 miles. Dumb, dumb, dumb! I crashed on the tilting slab at about 1.5 miles and wandered on the fire road sections more than I wanted to. I couldn't seem to get the flow and the lap was just so-so. Afterwards I ate a big dinner with lots of carbs, brownies, Gatorade, more goodie and real food; and I felt wonderful! Ride time 1:27:33, max HR 169, avg 152, temp 51F to 59F, 54F avg.

Lap 3 started at 12:15 am and physiologically went better than lap 2, but it was cold! I took and endurance drink in a bottle along with water and E-lyte powder in my Camelback and had no physical issues. My only problem was I got tentative on several of the technical drops and walked a lot. The lines just don't look the same at night and that throws me off. Since it was so cold I decided to ride at an endurance pace, not that I could have gone any faster, so that I wouldn't sweat too much and go hypothermic. My toes were frozen in spite of wearing Woolie Bullies. The slower pace worked and although I was cold I was never in any danger. Ride time 1:42:11 (my slowest lap ever), max HR 152, avg 135, temp 38F to 40 F, 39F avg.

We had a problem during the night when Mike Matzko, our new guy from Colorado got hypothermia on his 3:38 am start time 3rd lap. Come to find out his battery didn't charge properly and he lost his light after just a couple miles. That forced him to ride slow and therefore not generate enough body heat to keep the chill away which resulted in shivers that forced him into the EMS station at the Camelback truck. Bill Dark was waiting in the exchange tent and got a call at 6:14 am to head out cuz Mike was pulled from the race. Lucky Bill - he got to go out on the last night lap and watch the sunrise over the LaSalles. That is a special time and one that stays in the memory bank a long time. Bill rode a great lap and got us going again.

My 4th and last lap began at 7:56 am and I didn't need a light - nice! By now I was quite tired since I hadn't slept more than 1-2 hours at a time since Wednesday night, and I was whooped. Being able to see in natural light is a great help and I felt much better, although it was still quite cold. I walked less than on lap 3 and found a few new lines that were more efficient and had a good time. No cramps or crashed, no problems. Ride time 1:34:58, max HR 148, 134 avg, 38F to 43F, 39F avg. Click here to see my lap times.

We left the venue about 4:30 on Sunday and I got home at 9:00. I went right to bed and my wife said I didn't move all night long. Monday was cleanup day and I was still on a high and feeling good. Tuesday the post race depression syndrome (PRDS) set in and I've been in a funk ever since. It's Thursday morning now and I can see a light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

The weekend forecast is for warm weather so hopefully someone will want to go on a long MTB ride and all will be good. Winter's coming and that means fun rides in Moab and St. George and that brings hope and a smile. Life is good...

Moab - 3 days and counting

2008-10-09T07:20:00.002-06:00

Finally, yesterday my knee started to feel good again. I actually had a day of very little discomfort and pain, so, I'm rethinking my options. I decided not to get a shot cuz I didn't want to mask the pain and cause more damage, which could make the cleanout more difficult and recovery time longer. Interestingly, driving the car hurts more than walking!

I have an appointment with the VA Ortho Clinic on October 21st and I'm hopeful to get on their schedule for surgery before the end of the year. Things move slowly up there so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and, I'm going to butter up and be real nice to the docs in hopes of getting near the front of the list:-)

As far as the race goes, I'm going to take it day-by-day and see how I feel when I get to Moab. The plan is to ride the smooth dirt road in front of the exchange tent later today and see how that feels, and progress from there. If I can get out of the pedals without pain, and hike uphill, I'm ging to give Saturday a try - one lap at a time.

Well, that's it and it's time to hit the road. Moab or Bust!

The Year of Injury

2008-10-06T06:43:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it! The 24 Hours of Moab is coming this Saturday and I injured my knee, again. It must be because my training has been going real well the last month. I've been night riding several evenings and I've focused on this race more than in the past, and I want to give it a good shot this year and not just get through it. Ironicaly, I've been concerned the last month about getting injured and have had that in the back of my mind - that's not like me at all and I don't know why I harbored those thoughts.

What's the old saying; if you think about something long enough, it will become reality. Damnit, it's true. For the second time this year I've reinjured the meniscus I tore 3 years ago in my right knee. Only this time it locked up on me and it was painful straightening it out. Bummer! I wore a brace the last 2 days and that took some of the pain away, but moving side-to-side hurts.

So, I'm putting in a call to my VA doctor today in hopes of getting a Cortisone shot so I can ride on Saturday. I hear they hurt real bad so I'm not looking forward to that. I also think it's time to get my knee fixed and hope I can convince the doc to finally do what should have been done years ago. Seriously, when I initially hurt this they wouldn't operate on it because, and I quote "half the guys your age are walikng around with knee problems". What's that have to do with me? Ninety percent of the guys my age are over weight and don't exercise either, especially the ones that go to the VA for medical help. Warning to those of you reading this that want the government to take over the health care system, be careful what you wish for.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'm able to get a shot in the next day or two. If not, I may be a spectator this weekend.

Night Ride on the Shoreline Trail

2008-09-25T20:45:00.003-06:00

Clear sky, light breeze, 69 degrees, short sleeve jersey, no people, excellent trail. Why am I so lucky? Have I died and gone to Heaven? Life is good...

HiFi Pro, First Ride

2008-09-24T06:46:00.004-06:00

My first ride was on the Shoreline Trail behind Research Park as the sun was setting last night, and I couldn't be more pleased.

The big tires on Stan's hoops with low pressure provides a very comfortable ride. I had no prior knowledge about the Rock Shox Monarch shock and am pleased to report it works very well. It has little bob in the open position and when locked out, it's bomber stiff. I bottomed it out a few times so I'll up the recommended pressure to address that issue. The Reba Team fork was smooth and stayed hooked up on the bumps. I love the handlebar mounted remote lockout and used it extensively. It is so much more convenient than taking my hands off the bars and reaching down to twist a knob, like in the past. I'll need to take it out in the daytime to get a real feel for the fork, but so-far-so-good. On the bottom end I had a few issues hitting a pedals on rocks, but that may have been because it was dark and not a low BB issue. Datime riding will answer that question.

Another thing I noticed was the stability going through small to medium size bumps. My Element was harsh and rocked back and forth, probably because I had it set up too stiff. With most of the Reba settings in the mid range, the HiFi just plows through the rough without trying to buck me off. Again, that may be because my speed was slow so I'll reassess this aspect when I get her up to speed. The longer wheel base and bigger tires may also play a role here.

So, I'm happy and can't wait to wringe her out more. This bike should be a good weapon on long rides and provide the comfort and stability (forgiveness) I've been looking for.

New Bike - Gary Fisher HiFi Pro

2008-09-20T17:36:00.015-06:00

"That's a beautiful bike Grandpa. Thanks for sharing your pictures with me" - Love Ralfee.

This is my new Gary Fisher HiFi Pro 29'er. Isn't she pretty! She's a mixed breed with parts that are old and new, just like me. I can't wait to test her out at the 24 Hours of Moab in 3 weeks and see if I can pull faster times than last year.

Parts-wise I went with an XTR front derailleur, X-9 rear, grip shifters, compression cables, 100 mm Reba Team Fork and 100 mm Rock Shox shock, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Bontrager XXX carbon cranks and Stan's ZTR 355 rims with American Classic hubs. She weighed in at 25.9 pounds but that was with a tube in the rear tire and a heavy-ass SRAM cassette. I'm thinking closer to 25.5 when she goes on a diet.

I want to give a great big hug to Chris Holley for hooking me up with most of the parts for this bad ride. He's not a squishy bike dude so he sold me his Subarau/Gary Fisher team frame and fork, as well as other key parts that made this doable. He and KC have been my inspiration for going big, and I'm glad o have them as friends and advisors. Thanks also to MAD DOG CYCLES in Orem for their support with parts and advise. They're big on Gary Fisher, and I know why - he makes a great riding bike. Another big hug goes to Stan's NoTubes.com for the incredible wheelset they make. I raced 4 seasons on my 26 inch set and never had to true the front rim! And get aload of this, my new rear 29'er wheel is only 10 grams heavier than my Stan's Olympic setup on my old Element! WOW!!! And that's with a steel skewer instead of Ti - another diet component.

Lastly I want to thank Chris and Jared at BINGHAM'S CYCLERY on Foothill Drive in SLC. Those guys are the best mechanics in the valley and I was lucky enough to get them to put all the pieces in the right place for me. I'm not kidding, these guys can get any bike running and keep it going forever. I owe a lot of my success to them because they kept my Element in prime racing shape for years, and they'll do the same for this one too. And, they're not bike snobs.

Well, now I'm totally 29 and itching to shake her down.

12 Hours of Sundance

2008-09-14T10:53:00.003-06:00

Now I know the answer. Duo is harder than solo. I teamed up with Mad Dog XC hotshot Tim Hodnet on Saturday for 14 exciting laps at beautiful Sundance Ski Resort in perfect weather. We finished 7th in the male duo category and called it quits early cuz we were just plain pooped. We left the race with enough time on the clock to put in 2 more laps, but neither one of us were that committed or excited to keep it going. And, by this time Chris and KC Holley were 3+ laps ahead of us! The powerful Holley's put in an unbelievable 19 laps on rigid single speeds and took top honors all around.

I raced my single spped for the 2nd weekend in a row, and it was tough. Each lap was 7 miles with 950 +\- feet of climbing on buff single track. The course was in excellent shape and well marked which made it fast, if you had the legs. John cut a new trail in the grass and rocks that proved to be quite a challenge early in the day. Seems like everybody was talking about the "grass" - that's so hard and slow! By the end of the race the trail was well defined and much more compacted and ready for the public.

My race went well with lap times between 43 and 48 minutes. It took a while getting into a rhythm since my rest time between laps was only about 40 minutes. I was being nice to Tim and rode slower so he could fully recover ;-) It's all about the team to me. About 10 minutes into lap 1 I got stung on the back of my thigh by a bee and that aggravation lasted all day. The bees bit a lot of people and made for fun chatter between laps. I rode real well on the 1st 3 laps with less than 1 minute difference in riding time between them. Lap 4 was a different story. The cramps I got last week came back, and stronger! I had all I could do to hold them off while I finished the last 5 minutes of climbing. Same thing on lap 5. I popped a bunch of e-lytes and ate some chips, a PB&J sandwich and all was well after that. Only now the engine was running out of gas. As is normal in long events like this, my perceived effort rose and my heart rate sank. I'd call the control room for more power, but there was no more to give. Damnit Scotty! Tim finished his 7th lap and convinced me we were done. It didn't take much effort on his part - I was an easy sale at this point. I went out on my 7th lap and rode with Karl Vizmig who was riding solo. I rode the entire lap with him and it was the most enjoyable lap of the day. Karl was riding strong and his spirits were high. I finished my lap and he went out for 2 more! I think he finshed in the top 5 for the solo category - way to go Karl.

This was a way fun event with many of my favorite biking buddies and buddettes in attendance. I like the team idea because it's fun visiting between laps. I don't like it because starting and stopping is hard. I'm not sure I'd do a dou again, although if I were on a gear bike it may be more enjoyable. Solo? I love solo because it is slower and easy to keep in the grove all day, but I would miss the visiting and exciting atmosphere in the pits. So which is it, team or solo? Well, both.

Next up is the 24 Hours of Moab, my favorite race. This will be my 6th time on the fabeled course and our Grand Masters team is up to the challenge. Hopefully well have some competition this year. Old dudes - where are you?

Sundance SS Challenge

2008-09-08T20:29:00.005-06:00

Action shot by Adam Lisonbee. Thanks Griz.

That's Chris showing me how big his calfs are. They're huge!!!

Yahoo, I did it and I met my goals. I finished 3 laps and was not last. I'm like a fine wine, I just get better with age. And the nice thing is I only got chicked once! Well, only KC showed up on the girl side, and you know how fast she is. Losing to her is an honor, and a given.

The thing that pleases me is all 3 of my laps were within a 1 minute spread, 34-35 minutes. I felt pretty smooth on the course, but the 29er wheel is different and is something I will grow into. Lifting the front wheel is harder and the hardtail is way different than I'm used to. Physically I was fit and felt strong, but both quads started to cramp at the same time on the last climb of the 3rd lap. Fortunately I was able to fight them off and finished in smiling fashion. Really, I didn't think I could do 3 laps!

This was a really fun, low keyed raced that has a real nice vibe to it. If you are into no-pressure, low key SS racing, give this one a try next year. I'll be there again with the same goals in mind.

Up next is the 12 hours of Sundance on Saturday. I wasn't going to do this race but Mad Dog temmate Tim Hodnet needed a partner, he was way desparate and I was his last hope, so I'm going to dou with him. Tim's way fast, and I'll be SS'ing it, so this should be quite interesting and fun. I've never raced duo before and am somewhat apprehensive. I hope I can recover adequately between laps and that my legs won't set up into concrete by mid-day.

Back in the saddle

2008-08-31T15:09:00.004-06:00

Life after Leadville has had it's ups and downs. I picked up an upper respiratory and sinus cold at the race and was off my bike 7 full days. When I tried to get back at it I rode for 2 days and knocked myself down a couple more pegs. Not good. I took more time off and decided I was better and hopped back on my road bike last weekend. Last Sunday I rode and out and back from East Canyon Store to Lost Creek Reservior and felt strong, for the most part. My riding mate, Dave Knoop, is the kind of guy that picks up the tempo as the road pitches upward - he loves to climb and mash the gears. I held his wheel on all the climbs, and even lead him up a few, until we hit the long climb back from Henefer, which I love. After about 5 minutes of over-the-top tempo, I fell apart. I had no go juice and had to back it down. After summiting I was strong on the ride back to the store. I was encouraged.

On Tuesday I rode Emigration Canyon and felt like crap and was discouraged. I surmised my legs had not recovered from Leadville and the lack of riding was catching up to me. I took Wednesday off and hit Emigration again on Thursday with the hope that I could push through my lack of energy and get back in the grove. I couldn't believe it. My legs felt strong and snappy for the first time since June! I don't know what happened, but all is good now. If only I could have felt like this for Leadville. But, being a life long Cubs fan, I'm used to "wait until next year"!

I rode with Bill Dark and Dwight Hibdon yesterday as they prepare for LoToJa next Saturday and put in a solid 87 miles in heavy winds and high temps. I rode real well for the most part and took several strong pulls into the wind. I had good zip, until Brown's Canyon where the wind, lack of water and a poor choice of fuel started to catch up to me. I was experitmenting with a different type of fuel and it did not work out so well. And I was way behind on water, like always.

So, I'm feeling better and back in the saddle. I'm going to give the Single Speed Challenge at Sundance a go next Saturday with a goal of finishing and not being DFL. Believe me, that is a formidable challenge. I'll be riding my 29er Rig and look forward to my full conversion to the 29er family. More on that later.

Cyclist Intentionally Rundown

2008-08-25T09:34:00.006-06:00

My fellow Mad Dog teammate Bill Dark has penned an excellent cycling awareness article that appeared in the Opinion section in the Sunday, August 24th edition of the Salt Lake Tribune. If you haven't read it, please click here, read it and give me some feedback. I want to write a follow up letter to the editor and am interested in your thoughts - if anybody is out there ;-)

I want to take a work together attitude, like Bill has, and not attack. I have a few ideas but could use a few more.

Leadville - 1 week after

2008-08-17T10:39:00.008-06:00

The Leadville split times are in and it looks like I was on pace for a 9:50, if I could duplicate my final leg time from 2007. I ran out of gas and rode 25 minutes slower. I've looked at my data and it looks like dehydration may have gotten the best of me. I could not get my HR out of zone 1 (!) during that leg and had no zip whatsoever. After the race when I checked my Camelback that I filled at Twin Lakes and carried to the finish, only a few ounces were gone! I'm one of those unfortunates guys that does not get thirsty, so Camelbacks are not a good choice. I've got to go back to bottles so I can see what I'm (not) drinking. Given my splits, I'm encouraged for next year and I still think 9:30 - 9:45 is possible.

I've taken the entire last week off and hopped on my single speed yesterday for my 1st ride since the race. I have mixed feelings about my ride because I felt good for about 45 minutes, then I tanked. For one thing, the SS is a different animal and I worked much harder than I anticipated. The other issue is my lungs. Seems I must have picked up something no-so-good at Leadville and catching my breath and coughing has been a challenge all week. Hopefully things will clear up soon and I can get back at it. This may be stupid but I think I'll ride Emigration Canyon later today.

Someone asked me if I thought the IHE sessions I've done this year made a difference. Without a blood test to determine my hematocrit levels before and after the sessions, it's hard to tell if there was an actual physiological improvement. I did "feel" stronger though. It may have had a placebo effect because I really felt much better hiking Cloumbine this year than in 07. That said, my 08 time was only 2 minutes faster! On the other end, I rode the entire race about 8 minutes slower and I tanked during the last 30% of the race where I'm typically stronger. So, my answer is probably, but I'm not sure. Would I do it again - yes, why not?

So, now I can sit on my butt, guilt free, and watch the Olympics. Heck, if I can't breath, I can't ride, so I might as well get fat...

Leadville, 2 days after

2008-08-11T19:18:00.019-06:00

Lance and Dave heading up Columbine. Photo by www.robodeaphotography.com.

I just remembered that I met my 2nd goal for the race which was to not end up in the oxygen tent afterwards. That felt really good, and it's far less embarassing.

Check out this cool video of the race. It's better than reading what follows.

So the race started at 6:30 and we staged our bikes at 5:45 which was too late. It took KC and me 30+ seconds to get to the start line after the gun went off. The 1st 4 miles is neutral and exciting because of the huge group of riders and all the cheering people along 6th Street. The race offically begins at the dirt road, but for KC and me it stopped because of the "people jam" at the turn. The pace picked up along the flat dirt road to the St. Kevins climb and I passed quite a few riders before beginning the climb. I passed a bunch more guys on the climb and kept near KC and Stuart Edgerly (he's a 10 time Leadville finisher and 24 hours of Moab teammate) for motivation and speed. After topping out on St. Kevin's I exited the single track and hit the pavement just behind KC and quickly found a bunch of speed. My speed toped out at 41.4 mph and it felt sooo good. 40+ is real sweet on fat tires. Once the road pitched upward, KC blew past me and set a target for me to follow. That was a mistake on my part. As we climbed up Sugarloaf I got occasional glimpses of KC so I knew my pace was aggressive, maybe to much so. Since I wasn't to far behind her at the top of Sugarloaf, I thought I might be able to catch her on the descent down the Pipline Trail. Not a chance - she was gone! I never saw her again until she came down from Columbine Mine.

By this time I knew I was pushing past my comfort zone but thought I'd keep it up to see what I was made of. Well, it turns out I'm made of mush.

After the Powerline descent we hit the pavement for a few miles of road work to the Pipeline feed zone. One group of about 6 guys passed me and I was not able to hang on. I knew right then that it was going to be a tough day. I eventually caught a tandem with 4 or 5 other riders and followed them into the Pipeline FZ which I bypassed and headed off to Twin Lakes about 50 minutes away. Shortly after the PL FZ I saw a rider on the ground with a bleeding head being attended to by 4-5 riders. I don't know what the outcome was but I'm sure his day was done. The Pipeline to Twin Lakes leg is pretty bland with nothing exciting or challenging so getting through it is no big deal.

Twin Lakes is real exciting with hundreds of people, a dam that only the riders can cross, and the it's the gateway to the 3,200 foot 10 mile Columbine Mine climb to the 12,600 foot high point of the race. I made a quick stop for water bottles and Blocs and headed out for what turned out to be a better experience than last year. I kept a steady pace up the gravel road and began walking at the cable car tower. I kept up with a chick that was riding so I knew I was doing OK. She crapped out and I walked past her and probably 20 other people! Wow, what a difference a year makes. Last year this was a death march, this year it was a hard effort, but it never brought me to a stop or got the best of me. Well, that's not exactly true. I did start to cramp just after the 3rd hike-a-bike and stopped for a minute or two to take 2 e-lytes and water, and I was back on my way and road to the Columbine FZ without any further issues. I made a quick grab of food and water at the FZ and headed back down in real short order. The objective was to get off the summit as fast as possible and get down to thicker air. Mission accomplished.

I almost forgot to mention Lance and Dave Weins were coming down the Columbine road at breakneck speed at 10:25 am while I was still climbing and probably 1:15 from topping out! Later I found out they stayed on their bikes and climbed the last 1.5 miles to the summit. Most mortals do 2 to 3 long hike-a-bikes going up to 12,600. Amazing!

Back to me. My descent down Columbine was controlled, but fast, and I passed several riders on the way back to the flat road. Here's where the doubt started to creep back in again. Two guys I blew by on the descent passed me and I couldn't hang with them. That was not the case last year - I was passing people at this point. But this time, I had no go juice. Crap! I made it back to Twin Lakes and fueled up and headed out to Pipeline 2. This section starts with a road climb that gets your attention right away, especially if you stopped at the FZ and let your legs cool down. About half way into this leg are two more killer hike-a-bikes, even for Lance and Dave. A guy passed me on the trail just before the 2nd climb and started pushing his bike up the hill. After just a few steps he just sat down in the dirt - he was cooked! I didn't look back to see if he got up cuz I didn't want to know. I finished the leg and stopped at Pipeline 2 for a Red Bull and fuel for the final 2:45 (I hoped) back to the finish line.

This leg begins with a asphalt/gravel road ride into the wind, past the Fish Hatchery, across a shallow creek and on to the vaunted Powerline climb. This is the part I was dreading most, especially since my mojo was not flowing. It went well cuz I walked the steep section and, to my surprise, I cleaned the rest of the climb. I have to admit there were 3 or 4 times I almost got off my bike and pushed, but a little voice in my head said kept saying stay on the bike and salvage some sense of honor. As I topped out on Sugarloaf it began to drizzle. By the time I hit the dirt road it was coming down steadily. I kept pushing on but it got colder when the small hale got mixed in with the rain. By the time I hit the asphalt it was an aggressive downpour that forced me to stop under a tree to begin my fight with a rain bag that was to fit over my torso. The yellow plastic bag (call it the big target, or better yet, the parachute) was all stuck together and I couldn't tell where the holes were or how to put it on. It was actually quite comical and I'm glad nobody was their to witness the mess. The bag was marginally effective, but it did keep my core warm until the last 20 minutes, so it did do it's job.

I pressed on as the pavement headed up and the rain kept coming down. I got passed by quite a few guys who looked real fresh. The bummer with this section is this is where I was blowing by people last year! Damn, that was discouraging. I finally reached the neutral aid station and hooked up with Mike whom I had been changing leads with since 30 minutes before the Pipeline FZ. We got some food from the volunteers and I said to him we weren't going to make it under 10 hours. He said lets just have fun and enjoy the trail. SO, we headed up to St. Kevin's with rain pelting my yellow baggie, muddy water running down the trail dodging large water puddles that did not reveal their depth until it was too late. The going was slow but we kept the pedal down and descended in one piece. Mike was actually way ahead of me at this point so I expected to come in by myself. Two guys caught me on the flat road and wanted to work with me, but I had nothing left so I said go on without me. They did and to my surprise, I caught them at the last rocky climb at the start of the Boulevard, and I saw Mike in the near distance. It took me a few miles but I caught Mike just before the pavement and lead him to the finish line where he sprinted past me. Good for him, he rode strong and deserved the win.

At the finish I was given my finishers medal and headed to the aid tent for soda, brownies, soup and cookies instead of oxygen and doctors like last year. Ellen, Rob, Ryan, Lia, Chris and KC greeted me at the finish putting a nice touch on a challenging day.

In spite of the challenges, I already looking forward to next year and going after the 10 year finishers buckle in 2016.

Next year I'll make my time goal more realistic, I'll ride my pace, I'll drink a lot more water and I'll finish strong - the opposite of this year. This is a great race and an exciting challenge that hits my fun button and I don't want it to stop. I hope I get in again so I can continue to push myself, get faster and solidify my place in the Leadville family.

I'll put some comparison numbers to together in another shorter post.

Leadville #2 Finished

2008-08-10T21:41:00.004-06:00

I just got home from the long weekend and will post more later.

Briefly, I finished the race and exorcised the ghost of Columbine Mine, but Saturday was not my day. I struggled from the get-go, never found my mojo and battled the whole day. My bike setup was perfect and I had no mechanical issues at all. I could not have gone any faster and gave it my best shot, but I fell well short of my 9:30 goal at 10:10:48. Overall I was 227th and 28th in my age group. I can do better in the future. The course was fast and packed, the weather was cool, but comfortable, and it began raining at 3:00 until the end.

As a reward for finishing Chris, KC and I enjoyed an excellent burger and fries lunch in Leadville at Rosies before hiting the road and driving 8 hours back to SLC.

Here's a link to a Velo News video of the race. I've got to finish unpacking. More later.

Jackson ICUP and Phillips Canyon

2008-07-30T10:59:00.019-06:00

Dave on the Ridge Pass Trail
Teton Village Hostel.
Spacious acccomodations for 7 in the Hostel.
Scott on the race course trail.
KC checking out the map. That's all we had!
Team Mad Dog at the top of Teton Pass. Sorry but when the slow guy is taking the pictures, you don't get many action shots.

I haven't posted in a while cuz I've been riding my butt off preping for the Leadville 100 on Aug 9th. LW has me in a 2-week taper mode now so I'll try and catch up a little.

Mad Dog went to Jackson for the next to the last ICUP race and we had a good result. I won my group (there were only 2 of us) and we had 4 or 5 other winners while the Holley's continued their awesome year with a 1st and 2nd place finish in the pro division. My race went well with only 1 crash and no injuries. We stayed 2 cozy nights in the Hostel, which I understand is being torn down in the near future, so get up there before that part of Teton Village's history is gone. By cozy I mean 7 people in a 10x20, one window box. It was tight!

We rode 9-10 hours total and finished with a semi-epic Sunday. The first ride was up the Old Pass Road to Ridge Pass Trail and down Black Canyon. That was a great ride with long stretches of pavement, buffed single track, beautiful flowers and views of Jackson and a tight, rocky downhill that took us back to the trailhead. We were out about 2 hours.

The second ride was a little more involved, and exciting. We headed back up Old Pass Road past Carter Lake to the parking lot and crossed the new highway to Phillips Canyon Trail. This is where it started to get exciting. As earlier, the flowers and views were magnificant, and the riding was spectacular. All the ingredients for a pleasant ride. We met some trail workers who warned us the trail we were heading to was a work in progress and a bit lumpy. That's an understatement! The uphill was no big deal, but the downhill - yikes! The next 4 miles was white knuckle, rocky, rooty and curvy steep drops that pushed well beyond my comfort level. My tires got swallowed up several times but I was able to keep from going over the bars, barely. KC watched over me after many of the bigger drops and commented how tough the riding was. She got no debating from me.

Here's where the ride got goofy. We finished the descent, with no crashes, other than Tim rolling a deflated tire, and came upon a sign that said "access" and chose to ignore it. Instead of going straight, we went right. Oh boy! It was hot, sunny and we were out of water - and we began to climb again. It got so hot and steep I chose to push my bike for probably 10 minutes. We followed the fire-service road up and up, to where it dead ended, 1,000 feet of climbing above the "access" sign. Chris did a short recon and informed us we were not where we were supposed to be, and that's not good! I started thinking about how much a helicopter rescue was going to be and if we were going to be on the Sunday Night news. And, what we were going to do for water? We had no phone and barely an idea of where we might be. After a short discussion our only option was to go back the way we came up and see what that brings. Well, wouldn't ya know it but that "access" sign was still there and we decided to see where it lead. Within 3 minutes we were on the paved road heading west to Wilson which was 4 miles away. We made it! We stopped at the General Store for water and went back to the trailhead where Keith, Dave and Scott were patiently waiting.

Lessons learned: never go exploring into the unknown with a half full camelback, and "access" means this way out :-)

Park City Perfect Weekend

2008-07-13T20:54:00.010-06:00

What a great weekend it was. It began at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday morning and I still have a smile on my face late Sunday evening. The Park City Perfect 10 held at Deer Valley Resort was a most excellent event.

Jane and I got to play host to the legendary Chris and KC Holly, Lynda Wallenfels and Dave Harris. We had a good time swapping war stories Friday night, all bicycle related surprisingly, and helping each other in the tent during Saturday's 10-hour race. It's times like this that make me happy to be part of the mountain biking community and thankful for having such good friends.

Of the many races I have attended over the years, this one had one of the highest showings of top-notch racers that I've been to. For having only 150 entrants, the quality of competition was over the top. There were a bunch of faces in attendance I recognized but don't remember their names, but I do remember the likes of Brad Keyes, Kenny Jones, Dave Byers, Roxanne Tolley, Chucky Gibson, Jen Hanks, and others that put this race over the top. And what was really cool was the Young Riders Club featured a 14-year-old that turned a 30 minute 22 second lap! And the dude was on the 29er. Bob Saffel was there to, but fortunately he wasn't there to torment BK. The race was a lot of fun for me because every time I got passed by somebody I knew, which was quite often, they would always shout out something encouraging and lift my spirits. It's interesting being a middle of the packer and seeing just how fast most of these guys and gals are. Their speed and smoothness in the tight and loose switchbacks is just amazing. And KC and LW, well their both from a different planet. Really. How they get so much power and speed out of those small bodies is baffling. They've got Kenworth engines and Porsche bodies.

I decided to do this race last week after talking to coach LW who suggested this would be a good training ride in preparation for the Leadville 100. I didn't think my fitness would be good enough to climb this much on a high mountain course, but decided to give it a go anyway. My goal was to do 10 laps, ride the full 10 hours and ride the second half faster than the first. I ended up doing 12 laps and rode the second half three minutes faster than the first half. Mission accomplished on all 3 counts. That makes this a good day.

For the most part, over the years I've been relatively mechanical free. This year has been an exception. Flats seem to be hounding me lately and on Saturday they came out in full glory. Near the end of the fourth lap I ripped a side wall on my rear tire but was able to get the Stan's to temporarily take hold. I only had about a quarter mile to go to get back to the staging area and was able to nurse it down the switchbacks just as a tire went completely flat as I hit the finishing shoot. Chris made a quick repair for me and got me back on course in no time and I able to ride 2 more laps before the same tire had a catastrophic failure. I didn't look to see if the side wall had ripped all the way through or what, but I put a whole CO2 cartridge in and it came out as fast as it went in. I ended up pushing and carrying my bike from the barricade down through the switchbacks back to the staging area where Chris took the tire off and put a new heavy-duty 2.1 Continental Explorer Protection on for me. What a difference that made. With the bigger beef on the back I was at the able to go much faster through the loose and rocky Naildriver downhill section and my confidence and comfort levels were significantly higher. I didn't notice the extra weight climbing and my times became much more consistent after the tire change. I think I just converted from being a tire weight weenie and am going to something more substantial, dependable and predictable. Confidence equals speed.

Regarding the race, my strategy was to stay in zone 2 as much as possible during the first 5 hours, assess myself over the next 2 hours to see how I felt, and then finish off the last 3 hours in a blaze of glory, assuming I still had something left. I have to say everything worked out pretty well. Of the 12 laps I rode, 10 were between 46:00 and 49:29. My slowest lap was 51:37 on the lap where my tire failed and I had to hike. My riding time on the bike was 9:34 and I finished somewhere around 10:35 which was good for 14th out of 32 male soloists. I think I only got beat by three solo girls this time. Thankfully KC and LW were riding on duo teams otherwise I would have been chicked five times. I don't know if my odometer was off calibration but the laps were closer to 6.1 miles instead of the advertised 7 so the mileage was around 73 - 74 and climbing was 9900 feet. The temperature ranged from 47° to 88° and it was pleasant all day because much of the course was in the trees. And the flowers were in full bloom on the Flagstaff Loop which made riding the narrow singletrack through the bowl somewhat dangerous because I wanted to look around and take in the beautiful scenery. That's one of the advantages of riding solo, you can do what you want and not worry about disappointing your teammate.

In ending I want to congratulate Chris and KC on their duo win in finishing just ahead of LW and DH. That is an amazing result and I know KC is still smiling. I also want to tip my hat to Brad Keyes who rode a punishing 14 laps on his single speed to take the male solo title. Thank you LW for your well thought out and effective coaching programs without which I don't think I'd be where I am. Thank you Dave and Chris for taking such good care of my bike between laps & LW and KC for your smiles and encouragement. Congratulations to everyone that finished and I look forward to seeing you at the next event.

Park City Perfect 10 Pre-ride

2008-07-09T21:27:00.008-06:00

First, the pictures...

The staging/transition area will probably be somewhere around the Sterling Lift.
Typical buff single track with big trees and plenty of shade.
This is one of the bigger switchbacks on Team Big Bear (TBB).
After getting off TBB, you follow the single track that parallels the road and pass under this tower.
Confusion junction near the start of the Flagstar Loop. I don't know which way to go... I think right since I went left and that was wrong.
If you see this sign, I think you screwed up. Sorry.

And if you see this pond, that's not good either.

But this is good. It's right before the short switchbacks that lead to the start/finsh. Note the soft terra notfirma.

Next, the BS.

Well, I rode the Park City Perfect 10 course this evening and got myself completely lost. Call me stupid but the map on the website did nothing but confuse me, and the course was not marked.

It looks like the course starts at the Sterling Lift, heads west for a short distance and turns left on to the mid-mountain trail just beyond the bridge. The mid-mountain trail is nice singletrack with a few loose rocks at the start, but nothing technical. When you come to an obvious junction in the trail, with a sign that says Team Big Bear, go left. This is nice climbing singletrack with many tight corners, some of which are loose, that winds through tall trees, over roots, rocks and small stumps and will provide welcome relief from the sun. When you come to the first fire road cross it onto the singletrack on the other side, do not turn left or right on the fire road. Continue winding up TBB singletrack for a quite some time until you come to another wide gravel road. At this point, turn left immediately. Do not get on the road. The trail parallels the road and heads east and within a few hundred yards you'll pass under a chair lift. From here on is where I got confused so hopefully it will be marked on Saturday. Course I'm not worried, I'll just follow everybody else. Somehow I ended up on the lower loop of the Flagstaff Loop, not the upper loop. The regular signs in here are confusing and again, the map offered no clear suggestions. I was able to get on the Deer Camp Trail but I ended up at the pond and the map shows I should've been south of the pond. I have no idea how I got goofed up in there. I missed the GS Trees section but did find Naildriver which was loose, dusty, rocky and fast. Naildriver takes you back to the start/finish.

I rode my geared bike and stayed in the middle ring the whole time. On the climbs I used the 3 easiest cogs on the back and kept my heart rate below zone three. I think using a lightweight cross country tire will be risky because of all the sharp rocks. I'm going to take an extra set of tires and definitely carry a tire boot with me. Several of the corners on the descents are loose, rutted and rocky. I don’t know how long a lap will take since I didn’t complete a whole one. I rode 6.6 miles in 60 minutes and made at least 6 wrong turns and had to backtrack, and wander. I’m thinking about 50-55 minutes for myself. You fast guys will probably go 40 + or -.

So that's it. Looks like it'll be a fun course with plenty of good views and relief from the sun. Hope this little bit of info helps and see you Saturday. Oh yeah, and thanks for showing me the way :-)

State XC Champion

2008-07-05T17:15:00.021-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted cuz LW's Leadville training program has me on the road alot which leaves little time for writing. But, today is a good day and I'm going to toot my horn a little.

Bill Dark, me, Bruce Argyle.

The State XC Championships were held at Solitude this morning and I won my division. Yahoo... I was a little apprehensive at the start cuz I just finished a big 3 week block with lots of intervals and 9-12 hours per week, so I was less than fresh. As I look back, every time I'm anxious at the start of a race, it turns out favorably in my direction. I have to say, I felt great today. My legs felt strong on the climbs, I did not cramp, I did not crash (like I did on Thursday's pre-ride), I was a little slow on the descents and my attitude was positive. I held back after topping out on the 2nd lap cuz I couldn't see anyone behind me and didn't want to blow it by crashing or doing something stupid. And, true to past performances, I only drank about 1/2 of a small water bottle in 1:16, but it didn't seem to have an adverse effect. I've got to get this drinking thing figured out on short races. Long races aren't a problem, just the <2 hour ones.

Ed had us old guys start about 5th from the pros, instead of near the back of the pack like usual, so I had a chance to race with some fast ombres. I caught Roger Gillespie at the top of the long climb on the first lap. He was having a bad day and bailed shortly after that with a mechanical. Actually, he was probably embarassed I passed him, and that did him in. I caught pro chick Roxann Tolly at the start of the 2nd lap and rode with her and some other chick for the rest of the Serenity Loop, after which we parted ways. Keith Payne (3rd place in 40 Sport) and his fast group of 3 passed me at the end of the 2nd lap as we crossed the ski run just before the pavement and "s" turns, so that made me feel good to stay in front of him that long. KC never caught me (she started ahead of me and I was off the course before she reved it up). If I would of ridden one more lap, she would have chicked me too. Chris Holley had a good race but decided to eat dirt a couple of times and that did not play into his plans. KC & I forgot to send him the memo that we were going to win our divisions on Saturday. Chris finished 5th in a strong pro division.

Team Mad Dog had a good day winning 6 individual Championships, the most of any ICUP team, with many others finishing on the podium. We may not be the biggest team in the ICUP series, but man-for-man, and chick-for-chick, we kick ass.

I had some fun before and after the race cruising around the venue on my 1982 Specialized Stump Jumper. To my surprise, it was a big hit. It was more comfortable than I thought (it has a really long wheel base - kind of like a limo), but I can't imagine how I rode that thing on the Slick Rock and White Rim trails way back when. Maybe I'll get the guts to take it out on the local trails again, for old times sake. No, I think I protect the 20+ year old tires and stay in the parking lot.

Karl's 2008 Arantix with my 1982 Stumpie in the back ground. My Stumpie has superior rear wheel mud clearance and a much safer stem. What a difference 26 years makes.

So, now it's on to a well deserved recovery week and the Park City Perfect 10 next Saturday. The Leadville 100 is 5 weeks away and it looks like everything is coming together nicely. I think all those hard Moab rides with Chris and KC, combined LW's 100 PR program are a good potion for me. Stay tuned.

Chris takes dirt to the next level. There was more on him than there was on his bike.

Mad Dog put on a feast for the team and families after the race.

I found this tear in my rear wheel after the race. Wow, am I lucky, or what!

Credit Crisis

2008-06-19T09:35:00.007-06:00

I try to stay away from political, religious and other sensitive topics cuz going there is the fastest way to get people pissed off, and that's not the point of this blog. I'm a happy guy and want everyone to be happy too.

That said, I ran into a podcast on NPR that artfully, and in my opinion, correctly explains how the Credit Crisis, aka the Sub-prime collapse was born. It's not a conspiracy theory, self-serving scarce tactic piece, nor does it blame Democrats, Rebublican's, or the President for the mess. Ira Glass and his talented This American Life staff in Chicago expose the Global Money Market, Alan Greenspan, large and small banks and mortgage brokers, among others, as a willing group of aggressive, self-serving "business" people looking for a quick buck, at the expense of you and me, the little guys.

Since I work in the Real Estate industry, and have seen first hand the pressured, unethical and down right wrong, look-the-other-way tactics of the mortgage industry, this piece really hits home. It should be required listening for everyone because there is a lesson for all of us to learn. Do yourself a big favor and click here to listen to the online podcast. It appears in the May section and is titled "The Giant Pool of Money". The podcast runs one-hour long, it's free if you listen to it online, or $0.95 if you download it to your MP3 player.

On a lighter note, last night was the Wednesday night series XC race at Soldier Hollow. That sure is a fun race that is getting more popular and is a great mid-week interval workout. The course is about 4 miles in length with about 380 feet of climbing, nothing too serious. I rode my Fisher Rig SS and had a blast. And, I didn't finish DFL!!! There are no age group clasifications, just experience levels. I'm riding in the Expert B group so I get to race against the 2nd level hot shots. Most of those guys are pretty fast. I planned to ride only 2 of the 4 laps, but I was having so much fun I did all 4. KC Holley passed me about 12 minutes after the start (I had a 1 minute head start on her too), and I got chicked by Erika Powers and 2 others, but what-the-hey. They're FAST!

My race went well and my legs feel like they are coming back to me. I finished a 3 week training block last Saturday and spent the next a day and a half on my back due to exhaustion. A few days of rest seems to have done me good and the "lead legs" are gone. I'll recover the rest of this week and get ready for the ICUP XC State Championship race at Solitude on July 5th, and then it's on the Leadville. I also started another 5-day "boost" IHE session Tuesday in hopes of topping off my red blood cells so I can have an Incredible Hulk performance in August. We'll see...

2008-06-11T19:28:00.002-06:00

I'm not so sure the high price of gas is a result of the oil companies, as this symbol implies, but the artwork is right on. Ouch!!!

Single Speed Sunday

2008-06-09T13:11:00.002-06:00

Since the weather's been so good, and I've been having such a good time riding, I decided to take my Fisher Rig single speed on a five-hour trip yesterday. The right of choice was around Glen Wild, Flying Dog, and my favorite, Round Valley. I did the same route last week on my gear bike, and with this week I rode it in a different direction with my Mad Dog teammate Bill Dark.

Although it was a little on the chilly side, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The skies were sunny and there was a breeze, but not stiff enough to hold you back. Although the Glen Wild trailhead parking lot was jammed with cars, the trail was not as congested as we thought it would be. We left the parking lot around 10:45 a.m. and headed towards Jeremy Ranch and up over the top the traditional way to the Cobblestone turnoff. The trail was smooth and dry and pushing the 32 x 21 felt real good. About a third of the way from the top we ran into water and mud on the trail, which was significantly greater in volume than last week. Instead of coming back down the way we came up, Bill suggested we take the Jeremy side down and connect to the 24/7 trail. I've never done this variation before and it turned out to be spectacular. We got back to the Glen Wild trailhead in just a little under two hours and refilled with water. We didn't hang out very long and headed on the paved road over to Round Valley. Bill and I did a half lap together and he broke off at the National Ability Center and headed back home. I finished up a traditional lap on the E-100 12-hour course and did a second lap finishing up with a steep and sustained climb up Somewhere Elks. During the climb I hit the 4-hour mark of my ride and started to feel a twitch and cramp coming in my right quad. I popped couple enduro-lytes, backed the pace down a bit, and made it to the top cramp free. Somebody has cut a new swooping trail on the northwest face of the Round Valley Loop that provides a fun variation. It's still pretty new, and the horses have left some nice pockets in the surface, but it's well worth the ride. I took the variation and hooked back up to the main trail and finished off on the main trail to the RV trailhead. I finished up on the road riding to the Glen Wild trailhead, into a stiff headwind, to a waiting ice cold coke (compliments of Ironhorse) and Power Bar recover bar. Ah, life is good!

I seem to have recovered from my funky slump of a few weeks ago and feel stronger and more motivated. I've giving myself more recovery time and picking up the intervals, so maybe that has had a positive effect. The snap is coming back and so is my confidence. I'm still hooked on the data, I'm riding with my Polar HRM, I'm blocking the HR with tape during my races, but I'm not stressing like before. I guess somethings will never change, I like data ;-) What's the old saying - you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig! I'm always going to be hooked on data. It's my destiny!!!

When I got back to the car I saw Bob Safel and his wife Lyna who just finished their Sunday ride. Ah, nothing like family time on a Sunday... After talking to them for a while, I got all excited about soloing the 24 hours of Grand Targhee. They did the race last year and said it was an excellent event, and solo friendly. Now I just need to find a pit crew and I'm going to go for it, I think... It's 2 weeks after Leadville and the same weekend as the Brian Head stage race. What to do!

Ride recap: total time was 4 hours 45 minutes, 45 miles, 4800 feet of climbing. This was a zone 1 and 2 ride with very little time in zone 3, which makes for a pleasant recovery ride after a Saturday race. Interestingly, I did the same route last Sunday, with a slight variation on the Flying Dog section, 4 minutes quicker and my total caloric expenditure was only 25 calories more this week. I have to say, it was a lot more fun riding the single speed, and having someone to share the experience with.

Each time I ride that 29er I'm more convinced that I want to go to 29 inch route when I buy my next bike. The question is, what bike?

Deer Valley

2008-06-08T07:22:00.002-06:00

This must be the year where snow and rain want to get into the MTB scene. Ed Chauner was able to pull off the DV ICUP race, barely, in temps that ranged from 42 to 46 F, on a revised and shortened course. Because of all the recent rain and snow, the course was fast and tacky. We encountered a few water and mud obstacles, and a small patch of snow in one spot, but overall the course was in excellent shape. What was surprising was the large number of racers that showed up. It shows how popular this series is and is a testament to the excellent courses Ed designs and how well he runs things. Kudo, Ed.

My race went well with no missed turns or major mishaps. Since my group was cut to only 1 lap, I didn't have to worry about missing the 1/2 lap turn-off. I did see it when I passed it, so that made me feel good. My rear tire started loosing air with about 10 minutes to go, so I had to nurse my Element back to the finish, but I was able to hold on to 1st place over teamamte Bill Dark. Between Bill, Dwight and me, one of us has topped the podium in a 7 ICUP races so far this season. That's good...

After the race Team Mad Dog went to Paul Moote's home in Jeremy Ranch for a BBQ put on by Paul and his wife Judy. We had a fun time, ate burgers and dog and planned out the rest of the summer. What a fun bunch of guys and gals I get to hang with. They sure love to ride!

Sundance ICUP

2008-06-02T08:18:00.003-06:00

Saturday was a spectacular day for mountain biking in the Wasatch. Particulary, Sundance Ski Resort in Provo Canyon. That was the scene of ICUP XC race 6 directed by Ed Chauner and sponsored by my team, Mad Dog Cycles.

After a week of fatigue, little training, a heavy work schedule and a lot of self doubt, Saturday came together for me and I felt great. I'm still missing the snap I'm looking for, but I wasn't tired and did not make any wrong turns. And, Dwight Hibdon and Bill Dark both joined me on the podium for a Mad Dog podium sweep. OK, there were only 4 of us in our group, and Dwight beat me by 4 minutes, but Bill beat the 4th place guy by 12 minutes.

The team did real well with lots of podium finishers and no injuries. I'm writting this after the fact, and can't remember anything else, so that's it. It's time to go for a ride.

Ironhorse Whiteout

2008-05-27T08:17:00.007-06:00

The Element was loaded with 3 bikes on top and 3 29er's inside, along with all of KC's gear.
Saddling up at Amasa Back on Friday, before the rain.
KC showing the young wipper-snapper how to ride.
Chris doing his thing. There's not a drop or rock ledge exempt from his attack. Note the same hiking wipper-snapper in background.
Here comes the snow! This is before we hit Cortez.
Race canceled, car's packed. Hurry up and take the picture, Bill. We're off to Moab!

As we drove from Moab to Durango Friday morning, the snow began to fall. Actually, it is more like graupel than snow, but it was white and sticking to the road. We drove through areas of high wind, high clouds and no rain, and down right limited visibility. When we got to Durango around 4pm, it was raining. And it never stopped for more than a few minutes.

The atmosphere at the check-in was subdued, and it seemed like the excitment usually felt at an event like this was missing. I guess most of us subconsciously felt Saturday was going to be iffy, at best. With rain, snow and thunder all around us, having a positive outlook was an exercise in futility. And the prospect of LoToJa 2005 was in the forefront of my mind, as well as Chris & KC Holley, Dwight Hibdon and Bill Dark, all survivors of that near-death experience.

As we left the registration area we were informed to monitor a local radio station at 0600 Saturday to learn the disposition of the race. At about 0605 someone yelled out their tent, "go back to sleep everyone", and that was it! Ironhorse 2008 was officially canceled. To be honest, for me it was no big deal. My training for this event had been very limited, and I'm not a good climber, even when I have good miles on my legs. I was there for the event and to spend time with my cycling friends.

We decided to get out of Dodge asap and loaded my Element during a snow/rain downpour and headed to Moab. Surely the weather gods would be more receptive to us there and allow us to ride with a free spirit and smiling face. And we were not dissapointed. Chris, KC and I got in a ripping, single-speed, 2 hour ride Friday on the Soverign Trail followed by a Brat dinner cooked over an open flame expertly prepared by Chris. We went to bed early and were occasionally awakened by very light rain drops during the night, but nothing close to what we went through dduring the prior 24 hours.

Sunday morning started casually with a light breakfast followed by a single-speed ride on the Procupine Rim Trail. We did the usual start at the City Market and headed east through Sand Flats, past the Slick Rock trail and what seemed like hundreds of campers. There are lots of cool spot to sleep at out there that I'll have to try in the future. Beautiful views, and reasonably quiet. When we got to the Porc trailhead a tour guide suggested the "Lower" road out of the parking lot as a very fun, worthwhile alternative that we should give a try. BS! That variation sucks. I was probably 3 miles of steep gravel and paved road followed by 1 mile of so-so single track. Did I say steep! If you want to grind it out for 35-40 minutes with no relief, take this route. Otherwise, do the normal trail and do an out-and-back from the overlook. That way you'll be able to do the fun stuff and avoid the death climb.

We descended from the overlook like bats-out-of-hell and had an absolute blast. I did some stuff on my 29er that would have been white-knuckled, and over the bars on my Element. Fast corners, fast over the choppy stuff and even a few jumps. Just like Disneyland! Yahoooooo......

After that it was going to be hard to find more fun so we decided to pack up the Element and head home. It was a memorable weekend, and well worth the effort. I'm already looking forward to the next adventure, no matter what the weather gods throw at us.

Power test confusion

2008-05-21T17:14:00.004-06:00

I'm perplexed. I did a 30 minute power test yesterday, and got mixed results. While I'm somewhat satisfied with my power output, 258 Watts versus 265 Watts in April 2007, I'm confused about my average heart rate. In April 2007, while riding on the same course doing the same power test, my average heart rate was 163. Yesterday it was only 152 and, I raced last Saturday for 1 hour 17 minutes with an average of 166! When I look at my Cycling Peaks data, the yellow line that tells me whether I'm overtraining shows a plus value which indicates I'm rested. The only thing I can figure is it was hot yesterday, upper 80's versus mid 50's in 2007, I didn't eat a carbo rich lunch, and I may have been a little on the dehydrated side since I didn't drink a lot water during the day. I tried to have a positive attitude and block out negative thoughts, but staying psyched and motivated was quite a struggle. I haven't been training with a purpose for the last six weeks, but the XC races I've been in I have turned out real well and I have felt strong.

If anybody reading this has any thoughts, throw them at me. I am really curious to see how well I do in the Iron Horse Classic this weekend and will report on my results along with power and heart rate numbers compared to last year.

Stupid

2008-05-17T21:40:00.005-06:00

You won't believe what I did today at the ICUP Soldier Hollow race. My race was going as planned, I was feeling very strong and sharp, climbing real well, no cramps and in the zone. Contrary to my normal routine, I didn't pre-ride cuz I thought I knew the course like the back of my hand, and after Hurricane, I didn't want to drain myself before the race. What wsa different for me is my group was to ride 1 full 9 mile lap and 1 - 12 and under 4 mile lap for a 13 mile total. I'm used to riding 2 full laps. Well, I did the 1st lap in fine style and had a several minute lead over teammate Bill Dark, and then it happened. I saw a couple of targets ahead of me at the top of the 1st grass climb and got myself all excited tinking aI could catch them before I had to turn off. I didn't think I could catch Westerman, but I did think Laura Patten was a possibility, so the race horse with blinders on kicked in, and the chase was on. I put my head down, cranked it up, and, I rode right past the 12 and under lap sign! I didn't even see it, and I thought I was looking for it. My engine was going full blast and I was picking off riders one-by-one and feelin strong. Laura was getting closer and I kept after her. When I got to the short hike-a-bike by the golf course, I caught her and asked if she knew where the 12and under lap was. She responded "it's way the heck back there. You passed it a long time ago." Crap!!! NOOOO, this can't be happening to me. So, I turned around and backtracked and found the damn sign, right where it was supposed to be. I kept the hammer down hoping I still had a chance, but I ended up in 3rd place. The only good thing is Bill took 1st, so two of us made the podium.

Part of my confusion was watching my odometer. The 12 and under lap is supposed to be 4 miles, but it is only 2.6. I was thinking the turnoff would be around 2 miles and didn't think to look real hard before then. My bad! As it turned out, my group actually rode 11.6 miles, not 13, and I put in 14.7 on my version of the course. That's really dumb on my part. But, like Bill said, that's racing.

I've learned my lesson and trust I won't have anymore senior moments in the heat of battle again. I will pre-ride the little loop from now on and, I won't get caught up in other category races, or try chasing down riders that are better than me.

Stupid, just plain stupid!

Wednesday Night Series

2008-05-15T08:36:00.004-06:00

Last night was the first race of the Soldier Hollow/Sundance weekly series. Because it was so well attended, there was a bit of an issue and back log during the sign-up, but it got worked out and nobody got hurt. Mountain bikers are a very patient lot. Now that we have our numbers, the lines should get faster and everybody will be happy.

I haven't done this series for a few years, but after last night, I'm looking forward to riding a lot of the races. They are short and intense, just what I need for a weekly interval session. The competition is great and the SH ICUP course was in the best shape I've ever seen it. Unlike Sherwood Hills, this course is fast and most of the moisture is gone. I imagine it will be a bit dusty Saturday as the race progresses, but that beats the mud.

Yesterday was a first for me because I raced my SS Rig. And, I did it in the expert class, did not finish DLF and I didn't blow up. That makes the race a success. I have to say I'm running a wimpy 32x21 on my 29er compared to Brad Keyes who runs a 16or 17!!! I can barely push that on the flats, let alone on a climb.

The Rig was fun but this was the first time I've really pushed it hard, and it showed. I'm not used to the big tires, or the hardtail, so I'm going to have to make adjustments. Braking is slower and I over shot several (many, many) corners. The cool thing is the big tires just plow right over the scrub oak and sage brush. Anyway, I had fun and am looking forward to many more races and improving my technique and time. Stay tuned...

Wimmer's Sherwood Hills

2008-05-12T07:38:00.008-06:00

What began looking like a mudfest turned out to be a relatively dry, spongey and fun XC race. When I arrived around 10:00 most of the talk was about tires getting hung up in the mud, deraileurs clogging and talk about whether or not to ride. By the time my group pushed off around 11:45, all was well and I'm glad I stayed.

Many of the usual suspects were noticably missing, but that did not effect the competition or level of excitment. My group was only 5 strong and I was able to finish on top of the podium. I was in 3rd place in the over 50+ group when my 2nd lap finished, so that made me feel real good. My teammate, Bill Dark, came in 2nd so we had a good day. Other Mad Dog riders had mixed levels of happiness topped off by KC & Chris Holley taking 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the Pro divisions. I'm always amazed when someone rides faster than them because when I so on training rides with those two, I'm maxed out and they are barely breathing. How can people ride that fast!

Overall I'm a little amazed with my conditioning at this point in time. My time on the bike and total mileage is lower than last year, but, I feel better and I'm racing stronger. Go figure. Maybe it all the rest and recovery I'm getting - hopefully that won't come back to haunt me later this summer. My plan is to start Lynda's 100 mile PR program on May 19th in preparation for Leadville in August, so that should pick up the mileage and bike time. That ought to make my wife real happy. In the meantime, I'll do a few more ICUP races and the Soldier Hollow/Sundance series and see how things work out.

White Rim

2008-05-01T13:28:00.007-06:00

Horse Thief Canyon in the morning.

Riding along the Colorado to Hardscrabble in the canyon's shadow.

The back side of Hardscrabble before Potato Bottom.

Roundng one of the many finger bays on the White Rim.

The approach to the Shafer Trail from the Potash potty.

Ellen just before the top of the Shafer.

When the climbing is done, here's your reward. The Shafer Trail from the top.

Dudette and dude.

I forgot to mention the desert flowers were just starting to pop! Gorgeous.

Last Saturday, Ellen Guthrie and I rode the White Rim Trail under a cloudless, sunny sky, and a minor blow that varied from a tailwind to White Crack and headwind to the end. The conditions could not have been more perfect. Yes, there was a lot of sand, but that's the WR. We rode in the opposite direction of the RAWROD crowd which came down Shafer's, and met up with them at White Crack. We both picked up 2 bottles of water from their sag wagon, and that was it. I still had over 3/4 of my 100 oz Camelback full, and food to spare, when we finished! Because it wasn't hot, I guess we could have made the whole thing unsupported.

Our total riding time was 9:06 which was real good considering this was the 1st long ride of the year for Ellen. A 1st for me was cleaning the entire route for what I think is the 1st time ever. Typically, Hardscrabble has a nasty soft section on the steepest part of the climb that always does me in. Not this time. Someone has come in and filled in the soft sand hole and the climb is now ridable. I hit 175 bpm by the time I got to the top, but I made it non-stop, without a dab. Yahooooo. Another 1st was I beat Ellen on a climb!!! That little waif always kicks my fat ass whenever the trail/road kicks upward, so being in front was a real treat. I'm going to enjoy it while I can - I know my glory will be short-lived.

The climb up to Murphy's was interesting and a little more painful than I remembered. The last left turn was a little loose and almost bucked me off, but I was able to keep my balance. And the ledge just before the summit was a challenge. Since it was smoothed out a few years ago, the ledge has been a no brainer and somewhat of a letdown. As I got closer to it, it became apparent a slight ledge had reappeared and just hitting it straight on might not work. What was interesting is gravity took me to the left edge of the road, then back across diagonally to the right edge, through a narrow smooth section, and then back to the left to the top. I'm certain if I had hit this straight on I would have fallen, or at least dabbed. As it turned out, I made it, but there was nobody on top to cheer me on. When we came down the backside toward White Crack, I felt sorry for the others that had to still climb Murphy's. It looked much harder to me climbing from White Crack. My hat's off to the RAWROD dudes and dudettes.

Before we started, my one concern was riding Shafer at the end, but that proved to be no problem, relatively speaking. From where we started at the top of the Mineral Bottom Road, the Potash potty was 87 miles in with the 2.6 mile climb looming ahead. It was still sunny but much of the climb was now in the shadow of the canyon wall. I found a comfortable, smooth and steady pace and did the climb in 36 minutes, no dabs. Now I have a number to shoot for this fall when I do it again, and I'm in better shape. Counterclockwise worked out well for us and I would not hesitate to do it that way again. The ride back on 313 was a bit of a drag since we had a headwind and all the fun was done. When we got back to camp, Rob Westerman had the Brats ready for us and we settled into a nice, chatty evening with their kids, Doug Davis and Scott Tolly. A perfect end to a perfect day.

This was a memorable weekend, and one that came at a good time. Ellen was a great riding partner and I wouldn't have changed a thing. Thanks for the fun day Ellen.