Christmas!

The past couple of weeks have been full of snowstorms.  So much so, I haven't been outside on my bike in a long time.  Instead I endure the rollers and with it, complete and utter boredom.  I try watching t.v. or replays of the Tour all the while listening to music but still, I can't stand it.  But I do it anyway, in an attempt to stay somewhat fit.

The skiing has been fun.  During the Christmas season, with everything that's going on, it's hard to get up but I took the kids by myself one day and then we went up on Christmas Eve on a total powder day.  So much so, that we ended up skipping the torchlight parade and fireworks because we feared they'd close the road.  In fact, the drive up was so harry we considered turning around and going back while we still could but thankfully, we decided to ski and it was so much fun.  Hendrix is skiing from the top with no problems and Lily is still a natural ripper.  The only problems come when one of them decides to explore through the trees and once in a while they'll get stuck.  I try not to discourage them in their adventures but it's hard to get them out on occasion.

Now that life is returning to normal I hope to be able to get up there more often, maybe without the kids, and I pray the snow continues.

At Least the Skiing is Getting Better.

This past week has been a good one for skiing, not so good for biking. It did warm up a bit on Thursday so I tried to get out on the bike for some outside riding but just a few miles into my ride I got a rear flat tire and being completely unprepared had to abandon.

I snapped a few pics as I waited for my ride to bail me out.  As you can see, I wasn't too happy about having to abandon.

I have to admit, I live in a very pretty state.

Me about to drop in near the Bookends.

Like I said, at least the skiing is getting better.  Jen and I got up there on Friday morning and hit Mineral Basin which skied very nice as long as you hit the right aspects of the mountain.  The east facing slopes were the best.  The Bookends were my favorite.

Mineral Basin taken from the ski lift.

Saturday was a full on powder day.  We had Christmas parties both in the morning and in the evening but we were able to squeeze in an afternoon on the slopes.  We had our kids and they skied so well.  They are becoming little rippers.  Hendrix led us through some tight trees that were hard for Jen and I to get through but it was no problem for him and Lily.  I can tell it won't be long before they out ski us.

Packing up after the ski day is over.  So beautiful and as you can see, we were one of the last ones to leave.

This week is the last before Christmas and we are all excited for the holiday.  My kids are at the perfect age for it.  They make it so much fun.  Plus, it's suppose to snow most of the week so we'll enjoy that too!

A Quick & Cold Ride Up & Down South Mountain

Self portrait from the top, with mouth hanging open. 

Utah Lake as seen from the top after ascending the north side.

It was a dark day today.  Not in the metaphoric sense but in the literal sense.  Low hanging clouds and an on again, off again drizzle made for an eerie feeling as I road South Mountain.  Still, it was a fun ride.  A bit cold on the decent and the wind was howling on the way up but still fun.  I figure any day I'm able to get out vs. staying in on the rollers is a good day.   Also, if I'm having fun on a day like today then I still must love riding my bike.  The snow is still scarce so I'll ride my bike as long as I can, just like last year.  But I plan to take it a bit easier in an attempt at timing my cycling season a bit better.

A quick shout out to my wife, Jen.  She's been running a lot lately and biking less.  She is a natural runner and Saturday she proved it by running a half marathon  (13.1 miles) by herself on Saturday just to see if she could.  She is one that has run most of her life but never taken it too seriously.  She did it with no problems and in just over 2 hrs.  She felt just fine after with little soreness.  She amazes me as a runner.   Good job Honey!

Early Season Fun!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  We stayed overnight at the resort on Wednesday night and skied on Thanksgiving morning.  It was a fun, warm day with the kids and we made it back to Jen's family dinner by 1:30 p.m.

Here we are atop the Little Cloud Bowl.  A paraglider had just flown overhead and we stopped to watch.  You can see it going down canyon.

Then, on Sunday night, is was just Jen and I who stayed up there and enjoyed another warm, sunny ski day the next day.  It was our first day on the snow without the kids this season.  We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the clear skies, as the valley was socked in the haze.

I forgot to mention...I lost my new iphone while up at the resort.  I used the "find my phone" app on Jen's phone and it worked perfectly.  That's the second time I've used it to perfection to find my lost phone.

First Day of the Season.

We made it up to Snowbird on Saturday for our first day of the season as a family.  As planned we left later in the day and then skied until the lifts closed.  We find this to be the most fun if we aren't expecting powder because we have the slopes almost to ourselves for most of the time.  When we arrived at the base it was raining and it didn't look fun at all.  Jen wanted to bail right then and there but I kept a positive outlook and made her wait a few minutes because I could tell the rain was just about to turn to snow and sure enough it did.  It was a wet snow but still much better than skiing in rain.  It turned out to be such a fun first day.  Both kids ripped it up on the slopes.  It's amazing how they don't forget over the long summer, like riding a bike I guess.  Below are a few pictures.  We're now getting excited for Thanksgiving!

Jen in her new coat.

 
Hendrix had been hitting this jump all day and he crashed about every time.  Still, he kept trying but as you can see he was a little apprehensive in the end.  Lily never had any problems with it.

We Got Dumped On!

This storm was good one.  I always hope for an early season storm like this, as it builds up a nice base.  The danger is if we don't get additional storms to follow-up then the surface of the snow will rot and cause an unstable layer for future storms which builds the avalanche danger in the future.  But still, 50" over 3 days up at Snowbird is cause to celebrate.

Courtesy of Snowbird's Website

The only thing that would have made it better was if the resorts were already open.  I guess I could have gone up anyway and hiked for my turns but I had a lazy weekend with my family.  Instead, I've been impatiently checking to see if they will open early but it looks like they are sticking to this Saturday which has been the planned opening date all along. (Update:  Snowbird just announced they will now open Thursday.) I think Brighton is opening tomorrow and others maybe midweek but I'll wait until Saturday and go with the family.

My daughter and I did get out and enjoy some sledding at the local park.  That's something I haven't done in a long time.

November Again...

It's November and just like last year, it's warm and dry.  Perfect for riding the bike, terrible for skiing.  Technically, the resorts aren't scheduled to open until closer to Thanksgiving but if there was snow, they would open early as they have done in past.  We did get about 14" at the resort last week but the storm was quickly followed by warm temps. There isn't much left now.  Halloween was the warmest that I can ever remember.   Still, it could change pretty quick and I'm hoping it does because I miss skiing.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying myself while riding carefree on the bike.  Nothing too intense and the fall colors are still putting on a great show.  I had an Infinite Cycles team meeting last night and it got me to thinking about what my goals will be next year.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to do much of what I did this year, with an emphasis on building up later in the season.  I guess I'll wait to see if I get into Lotoja again before I make too many plans.

Off topic but Halloween was so much fun this year with my wife and kids.  They are at the perfect age, and eat it up.  Yes, my wife too.  She'll always be at the perfect age for any holiday.  We spent all day going to parades and parties at school, followed by marathon trick'o treating at night.

This was, in my opinion, the best house on the block.  You know it's good when the kids are scared to ring the doorbell.  Even for free candy.

Batman on his way to Grandma's party.

My Costume (Jack) 

Without the Mask.

So, Lance is a Cheat but Did the UCI Cover For Him?

I'm at a loss for words about this one.  Reading the "Reasoned Decision"  released by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is jaw-dropping stuff.  It's over 200 pages not including all of the supplemental material and reads like a fictional conspiracy novel that had me on the edge of my seat.  But this isn't fiction and it's about a sport that I've come to love.  It's really shocking.

I've never been  a big fan of Lance Armstrong and the fact that he still remains unrepentant makes me dislike him all the more.  I know that he represents hope to a lot of people but to me, Lance is the worst kind of cheater.  He won't own up even after he is caught.  Talk about burying your head in the sand.

But enough about Lance.  Cycling as a whole is in trouble.  The implication in this report is that the UCI covered for him.  If that's the case, the sport of cycling has lost all credibility.  If the world governing body is setting it up so the person they want to win or lose does, that's a big deal.  A bigger deal than just Lance. This has to be the beginning of the investigations. There are still more questions than answers.   The amount of corruption at the highest level of the sport is astounding and surely this report only scratches the surface.   They say that this was all in the past.  That the sport is the cleanest it's ever been.  But I have a hard time believing that.  The same people are still in the UCI.  The same people that once where the doping riders of that "ugly" time are now the team managers of this "cleaner" time.  There is still the code of silence.

I'm impressed George Hincapie is coming clean but still, it's only after he retired this year.  He kept the code of silence up until now.  I'm more impressed with those who are coming clean with this report and are still trying to have a career riding.  Not only are they going to have the stigma of being past dopers but even worse, they will have the stigma of being riders who broke the code.  They have now put their careers on the line and that's still just the way it is in cycling.

It's a pivotal point for the sport.  I'll be interested to see what happens next.  My guess this that not much will really happen.  There might some new rules put in place or a committee set up, but I doubt that the people in power will step aside.  That would be real change.  From the top all the way down, from the President of the UCI to the managers, to the trainers and doctors, to the team owners and managers.  People have to step aside, get out, or be forced out for the culture of doping to stop in cycling.

First Snow of the Year!

The first snow at the resorts usually happens around this time of the year and every year I hope its a sign of things to come.  But I've learned it means very little in terms of how much snow we'll be getting or how early the resorts will be opening.  Really, I don't start praying for snow until the middle of October.  Any snow that falls before that always seems to melt anyway.  Still, I can't help but get excited to see the white stuff up high.

Snowbird Web Cam 9-25-12

Snowbird Web Cam 9-25-12

Enjoying the Color.

The changes in the seasons in Utah are amazing.  This is one of the things I love about living here.  Just when I start to complain about the summer being long and hot, things change.  First, you notice the darkness.  Getting up for your early morning ride feels even earlier due to the lasting darkness.  Then, you start to notice the ever cooler air as you try to get warm at the beginning of your ride.  Last, you begin to see the beautiful colors. Beginning on your rides up to the tops of the canyons but quickly they work their way down to the lower valleys.

Now, the colors are almost at their peak in the mountains.  I got so see them up close going up Butterfield and Alpine Canyons this past week.  So pretty.

The Road up Butterfield Canyon 9-22-12

Panoramic View of Butterfield (my hands were a bit shaky)

What To Do Now?

I'm feeling somewhat lost in my training now.  Though I was not to be focused on one particular race this year I have found that Lotoja gave me a purpose and goal that was easy to train for because you knew that if you didn't you would be in world of trouble.  I also feel a sense of relief.  I don't have to be riding for a purpose except to have fun.  I can ride whenever and wherever I like.  I don't have to worry about peaking or tapering.  If I feel like riding up Little Cottonwood I can.  f I feel like taking it easy, no problem.  There is a definite sense of freedom now, but still I feel somewhat lost.

I was back on my bike on the Monday after Lotoja just to do an easy spin-out of the legs.  I could feel a bit of knee pain but for the most part I felt good.  I didn't get back into full rides until later in the week and now I'm back to riding ever day feeling great, but like I said, with no real training plan in mind.  Really, I guess my plan is to enjoy the good weather while it lasts, ride the canyons with the amazing fall colors, and wait for the snow to come.  (In fact, I had a skiing dream last night, and it was all in Italian.  It was awesome.)

With my training this year I think I peaked a little too early.  I think I rode perfect as far as distance and climbing where concerned but I don't think I got the timing just right because by the end of August I was feeling a little tired.  Next year I'm going to try to hold myself back at the end of winter/beginning of spring and time my training schedule a bit better.  It's hard because of the lack of riding you get during the dark winter and riding the rollers can get boring but I'm going to try.

One thing I've decided to do is change my set-up of my bike a little bit.  It's not a big deal but I figure now is the time to do it, with plenty of time for my body to adjust.  Below are pictures of the before and after set-ups.  Can you tell the difference?

Besides the fact that I have a new saddle, which I changed months ago, there is something different, and I'll give you a hint.  It has to do with the stem.  Yes, I flipped my stem so that it is angling straight instead of up.  This puts me in a more aggressive, aerodynamic position.  It's also a little bit more of an uncomfortable position, but so far so good.  Like I said, I have plenty of time to get used to it. 

Lotoja 2012 Report Part II

Looking back at the different feed zones I was pretty lucky.  Earlier in the year I had convinced Jen to be my support in this race and she reluctantly agreed but she really didn't know what she was getting herself into.  I didn't really didn't know what she was in for either, I'd never done it before but I admit that I had a pretty good idea that it wasn't easy from what I had read from previous years.  I may have downplayed that fact a little and it was probably good I did.  I don't know if I could have convinced/coned her otherwise.  Apparently it's pretty crazy trying to get in, park, find your rider and be prepared with all that you need.  Once she witnessed this at our first stop she realized that it would take all of her fighter pilot skills to make it to the next two meetup points.  Even with her amazing skills she admits that it took a lot luck for us as well.

Once outside Montpelier I began my treck up Geneva Pass, the next major climb.  My stomach began to hurt at this point from the sudden intake of food and I wasn't feeling my best.  I made it up, and my legs felt good though my stomach hurt.  It was the next climb up Salt Creek that just about killed me.  As I approached the foot of this climb I remember feeling drained and tired and that the sun seemed to be really beating on me.  That's when it dawned on me that with all my excitement getting ready I had completely forgotten to put on any kind of sunblock.  It was now later in day and though I hadn't really noticed up to that point but I'd been riding in the sun for hours now.  I was sure this couldn't be helping my energy level and I wondered how I could get a message to Jen to bring some to the next stop.  The problem was the next stop was still far away and I I'd better get some on right away.  I began looking for anybody on the side of the road who might have some and after asking the first person I saw she was able to hook me up.  I was grateful and quickly got back on the road.

My energy was at an all time low at this point.  I really struggled up this climb and watch as many people passed me.  I've heard people talk about their "dark time" on this ride. The time you start to loose strength and hope and your mind plays tricks on you and you think you're not going to make it.  I never considered giving up but I knew this was my dark time.  I thought that if I can just make it over this climb I'd be able to recover on the way down.  It did worry me that I was already at my "dark" time in my ride and I was just about half way through.  I slowly made it up the last steep portion of the climb and stopped at the neutral stop at the top.  I quickly ate as many oranges as I could and I couldn't get enough of the swedish fish they had available.  I knew I had lost a lot time going up that climb so I tried to hurry and not linger too long.

Once down the other side of the mountain I began to feel much better and recover.  I found a good group to work with and stayed with them all the way into Afton, WY., our next feed zone where I would hopefully meet up with Jen.  As I rode into the area I once again was met by Jen's voice calling for me and she was  ready to give me what I needed.  I thought to myself, "man she's got this down, like she's a pro."  Little did I know that she had just made it by the skin of her teeth, and basically got there at the same time I did.  She didn't mention this to me at the time as to not worry me.  Jen took this short clip of me rolling out of Afton.  Man, did I feel better at this point.

Afton to Alpine was pretty uneventful really.  I just rode as hard as I could and joined up with as many groups as I could to work with along the way.  I was making much better time and I felt much stronger.  With this stretch of road you have to be careful of the rumble strips, and do you best to avoid them, but you learn to time your pulls so you don't have to ride over them.  I remember thinking how pretty Star Valley was at one point and how it was a shame that I wasn't looking around much to enjoy it but with so many miles to get through you sometimes have to zone out.  It's actually a part of biking that I enjoy, being able to focus inward and think.

After a while we reached Alpine and my final feed zone to meet up with Jen.  It was only about 47 miles to the finish at this point.  Jen was there once again all ready and willing and I was grateful.  Jen mentioned this time how I must have been going really fast because she barley made it in time.  I think she was just trying to make me feel good about myself, but I did kind of get a sense of how much this was a race for her as well.  She seemed pretty happy that she was able to beat me there.  Jen mentioned to me to be careful because she heard that someone crashed and went over the bridge into the Snake River at Hoback Junction about 20 miles ahead.  I told her I would and I was off.

At this point you climb up Snake Creek Canyon and into Jackson.  It was so beautiful and dramatic with the big Snake River flowing out.  I did a quick stop at Hoback and with 27 miles to go I realized that I was probably going to make it to the finish.  It was now a matter of making my goal of under 11 hrs.  I knew it was going to be close.  I passed over the bridge where Jen had told me someone had crashed and fallen into the river.  I remember thinking that it probably wasn't true because "nobody could have ever survived that fall."  I also remember noticing how low the guard rail was and how easily someone on a bike could fall in.  It broke my heart to find out on my way home the next day that it was true, and that the guy had died.  The road was a mess during this stretch and there were people on the side shoulder telling everyone to slow down and be careful, but I still didn't really think it happened.  Thinking back, I'm glad I didn't know because it would have messed with me pretty good on that final stretch.

Coming into Jackson was a pretty ride.  I'm sure it would have been more so if it weren't for the wildfire that was burning up along side the road.  Right where the fire and the road met we turned left through some beautiful country toward Teton Village.  I road with a group that pushed it hard.  I enjoyed the strong pace and stayed with them all the way to the finish.

My timer said I finished in 10 hrs 54 min. but my official time says 11 hrs 5 min.  I had better go with the official time.  I felt good at the end.   I did much better on the last 100 miles vs. the first 100 miles.  This is something I will remember in the future.  No major pains and I still felt strong.  I had no flats the entire way and my bike ran smooth and quiet all day.  I later learned that the earlier start groups had over 200 people flat just before Preston due to some Goat Head thorns in the road.  This made me feel lucky that I had got a later start time.  The thorns seemed to have gone by the time I passed.

Jen had made it to the finish line to watch me cross and I was again very happy to see her.  I thought that the finish line had the same sort of excited feeling that the start did, which made for a fun atmosphere.  We then checked into our hotel and went to a cool italian restaurant for dinner in Jackson Hole called Nani's.   I ate like crazy and couldn't seem to drink enough water.  Over dinner we made plans for next year.

Lotoja 2012 Race Report - Part I

Maybe it's because this was my first time and maybe it's not always like this.  Maybe I'll have to do it during a snow storm or with major bike problems in order to get the true feeling of surviving.  But I thought Lotoja was actually a lot of fun.  200 miles in 1 day is a daunting task and I do feel a big sense of relief to be done but I had so much fun.  It worries me a little bit that it was so fun.  Maybe I didn't push myself hard enough? (though I did suffer.)  Maybe next year won't be as much fun?  I know the weather could never be better.  Is it all downhill from here?  I hope not.  One thing I know is that there is a lot of room for improvement as far as my own personal performance goes.  I'm already thinking about ways I could have been faster. (i.e. less time at feed zones, less feed zones, pedal faster, etc.)  I'm not unhappy about how I did personally but I think I can do better.  My main goals for this first time were to finish and to finish under 11 hours.  We'll I finished, and my official time was 11 hrs 5 min. so I'm calling that close enough.  Overall, I'm happy.  On a more somber note, I was really sad to hear about the cyclist who died on this ride.  My heart goes out to his family and friends.

This is how my race went down:

Once in Logan we went to packet pick-up.  It was easy and quick, just like it should be.  We then wondered the staging area before heading to Randy and Nicole's.

I stayed at my Uncles and Aunts house who live in Logan and they were very gracious hosts.  They fed us a big pasta dinner, helped us prepare food for the next day, and even gave us their bed for the night while they slept downstairs with their kids.  A big thanks to them.

My start time was 6:58 a.m. in the Men's Licensed Cat 5 Group.  I was a little worried about the late start time compared to the other starting groups just because I would have less time to finish.  But, it turned out to be a blessing in the end.  After getting up around 5:15 and eating breakfast and packing up our gear we were off to the start line only a couple blocks away.  It was just getting light and I was grateful for that because it's always more fun, and safer to ride in the light.  I was a little nervous.



Once at the start we only had a little bit of time to joke around before they called my start group up.  Then we were off.

I was impressed with the starting/staging area.  I thought it was well organized and there was a lot of excitement in the air which made for a party atmosphere.  Time to start pedaling.  It was cool, in the upper 40's I think, when we left and once out of town the temps dropped noticeably.  We went along in our large group on the west side of Cache Valley at a fast but comfortable pace.  I noticed many riders from earlier groups off to side of the road fixing flats and I remember thinking that there seamed to be an lot them but it was just a fleeting thought.  I was just praying that I did not get a flat because I was riding on tubulars and I had no way of really fixing them except the pitstop stuff I kept in my pocket.  We soon caught the group that started before us which made for a very large riding pack.  It was uncomfortably large but everyone road safely along.

In what seemed like no time we came upon Preston.  My plan was to not stop in Preston and ride on through to Montpelier as my first stop.  The sun was just coming up over the mountains and I remember a guy riding next to me telling me to watch the sun as it would be all the way on the other side by the time we finish.  I found that funny.  I rollled on through Preston as a number of people stopped and dropped off their cold weather gear and grabbed food.  I kept going and took off my wind vest and arm warmers and stuff them in my jersey pockets.  I was still with the lead pack outside of Preston but I knew I'd have to stop soon to pee.  I came upon some port-o-potties along the side of the road and stopped but found that I had to wait for they were occupied.  This cost me some time and once I got on my bike again I had lost the front group.

We went through some beautiful country of rolling hills and as I went I heard some guy talking about strawberry pass.  It felt like we were going generally uphill so I wondered if we were already on it.  I didn't dare ask though in fear of sounding arrogant.  As if I were saying, "I'm so good I can't even tell that I'm going up a mountain."  But as we went for a while longer I realized that we hadn't started the official first climb yet.  Once we did I was well aware of it.  But it wasn't too bad.  It felt good to get in a rhythm and climb at a good pace.  I felt good all the way to the top and stopped at the neutral support near the top.  I ate what I thought I had time for and was off on the decent.  It didn't take long before I found a good group to work with all the way into Montpelier where I would first meet up with Jen.  I was getting hungry for some real food at this point and I knew it was important to keep eating.  I pulled up into the feed zone to find what looked like thousands of people crowded around the designated area looking for their riders.  I knew it was going to be a miracle if I found Jen.  But as I pulled up to our predetermined sub-zone I heard her call my name.  That was a big relief.



I ate as fast as I could and saw my cousin who happened to be their waiting for her husband in the same area and then I was off to do the next two big climbs.

Final Preparations....

Well, it's almost over.  All the work and training, all the worry and wondering, finally I'll just be able to get on my bike and ride for as hard and long as I can.  Jen and I will be staying with my Uncle who lives in Logan because hotel rooms are all long taken.  I'll be tuning and cleaning my bike tonight and I'll go for a short ride tomorrow morning just to make sure everything is working as it should.  Then, we'll be off.  Off to see if what I had once thought impossible for me might be possible.  Jen worried at the beginning of the year that Lotoja would become all consuming and I've tried hard not to let it, but right now, it's dominating my life.

Jen asked me what's it going to be like for me and my bike after this race?  Would I go back to "sane" riding (like only once a day)?  I told her I didn't know yet.  I would like to keep my fitness and continue to get better.  I really enjoy riding my bike.  But I've ridden hard this year.  Over 4000 miles and 287,000 feet of climbing since January 1st.  Maybe I'll look back at this year and think "it wasn't that much", but from where I'm standing right now, it seems like a lot.

The next post I put up on this blog will be my report of how the race went.  Wish me luck!

Lotoja is Coming!

It's only 2 weeks before Lotoja and I'm getting pretty nervous.  I'm trying to get my last bit of hard training  before I start to taper down the last week leading up to the race.  Last week was great as far as training goes.  I wasn't able to get anything very long in distance, but I was able to climb Butterfield Canyon to the top on three separate occasions and that felt good.  This week as been a bit tougher time wise so it hasn't gone as well.

I'm having to get a new tubular tire for my back wheel as my current tire is officially shot.  As you can see from the picture I've had to be a little creative in trying to get the most life out of this tire as possible.  I've been using (with pretty good success) tube patches on the outside of my wheel to cover spots where large spots of tire rubber is missing.  The patches last about a week but they only cost about 50 cents each so it's a heck of lot cheaper then gluing a new tire.  Unfortunately, it's to a point now where I can't seem to keep air in the wheel for very long as the cuts have just gotten worse and worse.  I can't believe how fast the back wheel wears on tubulars. I will try a different brand to see if it helps but this last one only lasted 2 to 3 months.  The tire I'm replacing is the Continental Sprinter Gaterskin tubular tire for anyone who is interested.  I wasn't really impressed.  The next tire I will try is the Continental Grand Prix 4000 SR tubular.  I've heard it lasts longer but we'll see I guess.

Ultimate Challenge....Check!

Last year I discovered the Tour of Utah Ultimate Challenge ride that coincides with the Tour of Utah each year.  The idea is that they let "serious" amateur riders sign up and ride the exact course as the Pro's on what they call the "Queen Stage" of the Tour.  It's a brutal stage with more than 10,000 feet of climbing and I remember thinking to myself how crazy it would be to do it.  Well, with about a week before the ride this year, I decided I'd give it a try.

I was nervous going into this ride not knowing how my fitness would be.  I've been fighting a cold for the past few weeks and though most of it's effects are gone I'm still struggling with a brutal cough.  After visiting the doctor on Wednesday he confirmed that there wasn't much that could be done to help but the good news was that I wouldn't be aggravating or prolonging it by doing this ride.  That was good enough for me.

Saturday morning started at 4:30 am wake-up were I'd meet some Infinite team members and carpool up to Park City for the start of the race.  Thanks to the Infinite Team member for driving.  We got there with enough time to do final preparations and rolled to the start at about 7:15 a.m.  It was a bit cool so I wore some arm warmers but I probably didn't need them as it got warm pretty early on in the ride.  As I got going I noticed a rubbing sound coming from somewhere nearby.  With so many riders riding in a pack it was hard to tell if it was me or someone else who was make the noise.  Turned out, it was me.  My breaks were rubbing on my rear tire but there was no way to stop if I wanted to keep up with the main pack.  So I road all the way up the first climb with the annoying squeaks of rubbing breaks.  Once at the top, before heading down to Kamas I was able to hop off and quickly adjust my breaks, problem solved.  

Flying down though Kamas I elected to not stop at the first feed station.  I had plenty of food and water still and it felt good just to keep going.  The ride in the valley though Kamas was beautiful in the morning, with mist coming from the fields around you.  We then climbed out of Kamas and road down into Heber Valley which again was beautiful.  I made my first stop at the feed station in Heber because I was getting hungry and though I knew that most of my fellow teammatse were not going to stop I thought I better be safe and stay on top of my nutrition.  

I then road with various packs past Deer Creek Reservoir down Provo Canyon.  We then turned on the road up to Sundance.  This is at about mile 50 in the ride and I was surprised at how good I was feeling.  I knew this was going to be a tough climb but my strength was good and I wasn't coughing a lot.  I found my rhythm and really enjoyed the long road up.  As you get higher the ride gets prettier and prettier.  I don't think there is a more scenic ride anywhere.  It really helps take your mind of the struggle of the ride.  I stopped at the food station at the top for food and a bathroom stop and then headed down through American Fork Canyon.  I found myself alone going down and that made me be a bit more cautious because  I find it much easier following people down a canyon road following their line than trying to judge the speeds and the turns myself.  I eventually caught on to a group near the bottom and road with them all the way through Alpine up towards South Mountain.  One note about Alpine, they had an option to finish there if you wanted and there were people lining the roads cheering you on at this point.  I couldn't believe how many people in fact.  It was a cool atmosphere as you road on through.

South Mountain is a climb I've done many times before and I know it very well so I was able to judge my effort easily on this climb.  I still felt really good and what made it even better was seeing my wife and kids cheer me on at various points up the hill.  I stopped at the top and had a quick chat with them and took these photos:

As you can see, I look pretty happy at this point.  I bombed the decent down the north side of Suncrest and road through the very familiar roads of my hometown, Draper.  I knew at this point what I was in for the rest of the way and I still felt pretty good so I knew I'd be able to finish.  Once at the bottom of Little Cottonwood I stopped for a quick feed and I figured there was no point in delaying the inevitable pain so I started up the canyon.  One mistake I made at this point was that I drank a Coke that they had at the feed station thinking that it would give me one last little boost at the end.  But I learned that you don't experiment with food at this point.  I never drink coke on rides and it did me no good.  In fact, it made me feel sick about half way up the canyon.  It was really hot at this point of the day and I did my best to stay hydrated but I could feel my strength being drained.  I began to loose my rhythm and I struggled to keep going.  I could see other riders stopped on the side of the road struggling as well.  I didn't dare stop because I didn't trust myself getting going again.  As I reached Tanners Flat I began to feel good again.  I still felt somewhat sick but my legs were gaining their strength back and I was able to keep a decent peddling cadence.  People were lining the road at this point cheering you on and that was really fun.  People in crazy costumes offering you food and water.  Some guy put an ice pack down my neck which felt wonderful.  It was the boost I needed to make it the rest of the way.  

Someone had told me that the finish was at Snowbird Entry 1 this year instead of Entry 2 as in previous years.  I was highly disappointed at the time to find out that was wrong.  But once past Entry 2 you go downhill to the finish line where people cheer you on as you cross.  I saw my family in the crowd cheering the loudest of them all.  Once I crossed the line I thought I was going to throw-up.  It took everything I had to keep it down and I then started coughing like crazy which didn't help.  It took me a good 45 minutes before I felt okay again.  I enjoyed lunch with my family at Snowbird and watched the Pro's come in about an hour after I did.  Such a fun ride and I will for sure put it on my calendar for next year.  

ULCER 2012

Last weekend we decided to ride this years ULCER that starts at Thanksgiving Point and goes around Utah Lake and finishes again at Thanksgiving Point.  The course was a total of 103 miles of mostly flat roads.  This was our first century ride last year and we probably over-trained at the time thinking that is was going to be "so hard" but it ended up not being bad at all so this year we signed up at the last minute without stressing about it too much.  I recommend this century to anyone who has a goal of doing one for the first time.  It's so well run with plenty of food and it's nice and flat with pretty scenery.  Jen and I stayed together the whole time and we had fun chatting about the funny riders around us.  This was us getting ready to go:

I could feel a cold coming on as we rode this and by the next day it had gotten worse.  I'm headed to the doctor today because it's gone down into my chest and I have a hard century ride this weekend and I don't think I can do it in my current condition.  This weekend's ride is called "The Tour of Utah's Ultimate Challenge" and yes I know, it sounds very dramatic but its going to be tough.  It's 100 miles with 4 good climbs totaling about 10,000 of elevation gain.  I'll post about it once its done.  Hopefully I'll feel better by then.

A Crash and a Vacation

Every year my wife's family does a reunion / vacation in the bear lake area.  Jen lately has been calling the trip "Bike Camp" as we are usually able to get in some good miles around the lake in the mornings as the kids played with their cousins at the rented house.

Our plan was to ride Saturday morning, load our things in the afternoon and head up to the lake that evening.  We had just finished coming down Butterfield Canyon and I had wondered a ways ahead of Jen.  I decided to soft pedal until Jen caught up and while doing so I suddenly hear behind me "Ahhhhhhh"!  I then felt the impact of a bike crunching into the back of my bike.  I struggled to stay up at first but then I looked behind me to see Jen flying through the air over her handle bars and smashing, face first, into the dirt.  My first thought was "oh no, this is going to be bad."  I stopped to see Jen spitting out rocks and bleeding pretty bad from her knee and elbow.  It took some time for her to gather herself enough to get on the bike and ride the rest of the way home.  She must of had some serious adrenaline flowing at the time because by the time we got home she collapsed on the stairs exhausted and overcome.  It turned out that she had some serious bruising to her knee and some good road rash but remarkably nothing on her face.  I asked if I could take a picture to document her first major (there have been lots of minor) crash but she would have none of it.

After analyzing what went wrong we decided we were both somewhat at fault (mostly hers but a little bit of mine too.)  I wasn't paying attention at how fast she was gaining on me as I was waiting and she apparently got distracted looking at a yard sale that we were just passing and seeing a nice set of drums that she thought would be cool to own. She didn't notice I was going slower than her at the time and Boom!  I'm pretty sure the people at the yard sale thought we were idiots as they witnessed the whole thing.

Our bikes sustained some damage that we've been mostly able to repair.  Nothing too bad.  My back tubular tire that I just had replaced had a chunk of rubber taking out by her pedal but I've been able to use a patch on the tire itself and it's seems to be holding up.

As for our vacation, well we were delayed somewhat in leaving that night and Jen wasn't able to ride for the first few days we were there.  But about mid-week she got back on the bike and road quite a bit given that it seemed to help loosen up her hurt knee.  We had fun with our kids on the lake and hiking Logan Canyon and just hanging out and being lazy.  I've notice Jen is still a little bit skiddish on the bike since the wreck.  I'm sure she would say she's just being more cautious and I don't blame here.  It will take some time for here to forget and get more comfortable, I think.


This was a typical ride of ours in the morning.    
We also enjoyed climbing Logan Canyon.


A funny picture I think.

Dry, hot, and windy have been the story of my riding this past week.  Fires down south have hampered air quality to the point of it being very noticeable.  Just this morning the haze of smoke was so thick you could taste it as you gasped for air.   It makes me wonder if my overall health is being helped or hurt by being outside on a bike.  Still, I'm addicted and I always notice when I don't get a my ride in for the day. (sometimes two.)

Yesterday at work I was showing a subcontractor what we needed done to one of our buildings when out of the blue he asked me what I ride.  At first I thought he was talking about motorcycling so I asked him what he meant.  He responded by saying "oh come on.  Shaved legs?(I was wearing shorts), tan line just above the ankle? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want but it's obvious that you ride."  It was a little embarrassing but it made me laugh.  I didn't know it was that obvious but I guess I do have a pretty funny tan line.  It turns out this guy also "rides" and he seemed to be just as fanatical about it as I am.  I'm thinking you have to be in order to spot someone out like that.

High Uinta's 10,000 Road Race

Friday night, thanks to my wife, and really on just a whim, I decided to do the High Uinta Classic early the next morning.   It's a challenging 80 mile race from Kamas to Evanston, Wyoming.  I figured it would be a good test of the legs with the nearly 30 miles of climbing.  I woke up early, drove to Kamas and got myself ready for the punishment that was to come.  As we started I did my best to stay near the front of the pack.  I even did 2 pulls at the front before the pace was just to much and it didn't take long before I was dropped.  I was caught between packs of riders from then until pretty much the end of the race.  I did latch onto a group of 3 guys who were in a different category for the last 15 miles or so and that really helped in getting me to the end.  I couldn't believe the difference between riding on those flat Wyoming road alone and riding with a group.  I was able to go 1 to 2 miles per hour faster and practically soft pedal for the whole time.   I ended up taking 25th out of my category of 40 riders which isn't very good but at least I wasn't last.  

As a side note, I flatted my rear tubular tire today on my lunchtime ride.  This is going to be a pain to fix but at least it wasn't in race.

B4K Stage Race, Venus and More Training....

I was able to complete the next 2 stages of the B4K Stage Race on Saturday.  The Road Race in the morning and the Time Trial in the evening.  I did okay in the Road Race but I lost some time in the Time Trial.  I knew I would without a TT bike but all in all I was happy with whole thing.  I ended up finishing 20th over all 3 stages.

We got to see Venus transit the Sun on Tuesday.  It's such a rare event that we made a special effort to do so. It was cloudy and windy and cold most of the evening but we drove to a break in the clouds, set up the telescope along the side of the road and watch the last hour or so of the transit.  It was could to see.  Not on the scale of the last solar eclipse but while thinking of how little it happens it was cool to see.

Yesterday I was able to go on a lunchtime training ride that turned out to be a little bigger than I planned.  I headed up South Mountain and back down the Highland side with the intention of turning around and going right back.  But I kept going.  I ended up reaching the mouth of American Fork Canyon and continued on up.  It's really a beautiful ride and the temps were cool and the climbing felt great.  I reached the summit trailhead and came back down.  I didn't bring near enough food or water with me so I started to struggle back up South Mountain back into Draper but I made it.  It ended up being 64 miles and over 6,700 feet of climbing.  I should have been better prepared but I really didn't intend on going so far.   Sometimes I get caught up in the freedom of riding a bike and I just keep going and going.   

First Stage of My First Stage Race

 I began my first stage race by competing in this mornings B4K criterium around Daybreak.  I've been recovering for the last week from the flu so I was really worried about how I would feel but so far so good.  My goals were to get through this opening race finishing in the lead pack and not crashing.  All goals accomplished though there were several very close calls and 1 major crash that I was able to avoid.  The course was interesting since it used the roundabouts in Daybreak with the intent of making the corners safer but they had to it to reduce it to 1 lane which made the turns tight and fast.  Currently I'm about 7 seconds off the GC lead and with the road race portion tomorrow I'm hoping to do even better.  I feel like I've got plenty of energy left over so we'll see how it goes.  The time trial portion will be tomorrow night and it's the final stage and since I don't have a time trial bike I'm pretty sure I'll loose a lot of time, but still, it's worth the experience.

Zion's and a Solar Eclipse

We had an adventure this past weekend as we went to St. George for a few days and hiked in Zions with the kids and view the solar eclipse in Kanarrville.  A great little getaway with an absolutely beautiful eclipse.

A Ride with a Friend

Last night I was able to go on a ride with a long time friend as he is training for a triathlon.  It's kind of weird riding your bike with a childhood friend.  It seems like yesterday we were riding our crappy bikes around the neighborhood looking for anything to do without a care in world.  Now we're both in our mid-thirties trying to recapture that feeling in some way, with the excuse of getting in shape or training for some event.

We ended up riding from his house in Riverton up Butterfield Canyon and back.  About 35 miles in total.  Below is a short clip as we made our way up:


The summary of our ride:

I'm in!

I just got word that I made it into Lotoja 2012.  The following is an excerpt from the confirmation email:

"Thank you for submitting your 2012 LoToJa Classic application and for your patience while you waited for our response.

CONGRATULATIONS!  Your application was successfully selected to ride/race in this year's LoToJa Classic.  We hope this is exciting news for you!"

 I am excited but again, I'm trying not to get too fixated on this one race.  One problem I'm having is finding a hotel room in Logan.  I thought something might open up this morning after all who found out they're not in the race cancel their hotel reservations but so far, nothing.

2012 Antelope Island Classic Road Race

So Saturday was my first road race and my goals for this race were to be safe, not finish last, and to learn as much as possible.  In that respect, it was a complete success.  I didn't crash, I finish 14th in my classification out of 44 riders, and I learned a boat load about racing on the road.

It was a cold morning.  It started by leaving the house by 6 a.m. and driving the hour and 20 minutes to the marina on the island.  I had some time to prepare before we lined up for the race so I pinned my number on in the car and took my time warming up with the heater on but in retrospect I should have taken my bike out to warm up on the road a bit, but it was so cold and I was nervous about missing my start time so I just stayed in my car.  As we lined up to start everybody started shivering so bad that it was hard to listen to the start officials giving final instructions.  I was thinking that I was going to wear myself out just by the violent shaking but finally we started and we headed west across the causeway away from the island with a heavy cross wind.  As soon as we got going I forgot all about the cold and just thought about the race.  Though it stayed cold most of the morning it never bothered me once as we raced.  In fact, it was quite nice not getting overheated.

I stayed on the front of the pack at a moderate pace until about mile 4 when a group of 15 to 20 riders attacked hard.  I thought for sure we'd all stay together until at least the first few hills, but that was not the case.  I tried hard to bridge the gap that formed but with the heavy wind I wasn't able to make it.  I was caught in no-mans-land battling the wind by myself and it was still really early in the race.  The main pack ended up getting destroyed as people began panicking.  I ended up getting with a small group of 3 other guys and we began working together as we made the turn back across the causeway towards the island.  We kept a quick pace and ended up dropping one of the guys in our group as we started up the first hill as we hit the island.  We had a pretty steady group as we did our three laps of the island, but it quickly became apparent that it would only be me and 1 other guy named Daniel doing most of the work.  Nobody would move up the paceline after a pull so we basically said to heck with it and pulled the rest of the group of maybe 6 or 7 guys the rest of the way to the finish.

The finish was an uphill climb for about a mile and after riding hard for so long it was hard to really go for it up the hill.  But still I tried and I felt good with the results.  I've never to date ridden so hard for so long before but it turned out to be real fun.  I really liked the course and I think I'd like to do it again.  I had so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures but antelope island is really beautiful by bike.  The one complaint most people have are the bugs but it was cold enough Saturday that I don't think I saw any.

My next road race is June 1st and 2nd.  It's a stage race with a individual time trial, a criterium, and road race over the 2 days.  It's also located near my home on the southwest end of the valley so I should know the roads pretty well.  I will be doing some crits in the meantime to try to improve but that race is my next big goal.  Also, on a side note, I find out if I made it into lotoja tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

Bike Upgrades, Training, and my First Real Road Race....

I had a major upgrade done to my road bike a couple of weeks ago. I got a pair of new carbon wheels.

As you can see they are deeper than your average wheel which makes them more aerodynamic.  This helps while going across long flat sections of road on your own.  These wheels are also much lighter than the average wheel.  This makes them turn with less effort making them a good climbing wheel.  One more big difference, these wheels are tubular's.  This means the actual tire has a rubber tube sewn into middle and then the tire is glued to the wheel rim.  This improves the bike's ride quality and makes the wheels a bit lighter but it also means that they are much harder to fix once they flat.  Most people save tubular's for a "race day only" wheel but I've been spoiling myself and training on them daily.  They have been so much fun and they really are faster.  I'll give them a true test at my upcoming road race this weekend.  

The Antelope Island Classic is a 43 mile race around Antelope Island of course, and I'm so excited to give this race a try.  It will be my first real road race and I have no idea really what to expect.  43 miles is a decent distance but add that with a "race pace" and I expect it to be pretty difficult.  Though I dream of glory, I'm not putting high expectations on myself for my first race.  My goals are to finish and try not to be last.  I want to learn as much as I can as well.  As I've been learning in the crit races, there is much I don't know about strategy and positioning in bike racing.  

Training has been as fun as ever.  Some warm weather made for some decent rides.  Compared with this time last year I am miles ahead of where I was in terms of fitness.  Slowly we are building up the distance and climbing. 

Lotoja 2012!

So I've registered for the race that's been on my list to do since last year. It doesn't mean I'll get in though. It's a lottery and I won't know if I get picked until May 8. My chances are pretty good because I've signed on as part of Infinite Cycling Race Team and when you register as part of a team your chances go up. This was my original intent when I first joined this team. Hopefully it all turns out they way I hope. In the mean time I'm planning to do a few local races. One is a race around Antelope Island on May 5. This will be my first classic road race. My next one will be June 1 & 2. This will be my first stage race which is 3 races, a Crit, Road Race and a Time Trial all raced within the 2 days. I'm a little nervous giving these a try but I just want to see if I can do them. It's scary trying something new like this. A lot of self doubt comes into play. That's almost as much of a challenge to me as actually riding the races. Can I force myself past the doubts in my mind? Maybe I'm being foolish thinking I can do this but I just want to see. In between these races Jen and I plan to do some fun, supported rides. These I know I can handle and they're relaxed and fun to do with Jen. We just don't know which ones yet.

A little video below showing our rocket launch over the weekend. My boy is currently obsessed with rockets right now.

Saturday morning there were crazy amounts of cyclist out on the road. It was warm and I think everyone was trying hard to get their rides in before the wind picked up. It was a good thing too because the wind was fierce later in the afternoon. Here is Jen making it up past Herriman Pond...

The Long Training Rides Begin

Today Jen and I went for our first real long ride of the season. It was fun. Long stretches of road with a bit of climbing to mix it up. I particularly liked going through the old part of Alpine. I love the old houses with the beautiful mountains as a backdrop. I think we'll do this ride again soon. I was impressed at how well Jen did. She hasn't been on her bike as much as I have because she mixes it up a lot more with running but she did great.

Yesterday, for my lunchtime ride, I went up Suncrest and dropped back down on the Highland side, turned around at the church at the bottom and went right back up Suncrest back into Draper. Though it was about half as long as today's ride it still had about 400 ft of more climbing. It felt good. These early season climbs can be torture but so far it's been more fun than anything. Besides, you know what they say, "to find your climbing legs you have to climb." I can't wait to start hitting Butterfield Canyon. That's a tough climb. Soon. It will come soon enough.

Ahhhh, That's the Stuff!

This is the Snowbird that I remember. Beautiful sunny sky, bottomless powder, and Jen there with me. Jen almost didn't make it either. She's been battling a cold for about a week now and it wasn't much better when she woke. But when she looked out the window yesterday morning she new it was not a day to miss. We really skied powder all day and we could have skied more but I had to come back to work in the early afternoon. But so much fun. I really don't think there is another feeling as close to flying without leaving the ground as there is with skiing untouched powder. Nothing else like it.

Waiting in line at the Bookends gate. Well worth the wait.

As you can see, she is sooo suffering.

Waiting for the "Road to Provo" gate to open.

It's been warm and windy this past week. Last Saturday I did another crit race and it didn't go well at all. After being excited all week and dragging my family there and thinking I was so prepared I flatted my front tire on the 3rd lap of the race. I didn't bother bringing a spare so I was done for the day. Quite the disappointment. I have learned my lesson. I had moved up to a higher category group of racers so I was excited to see if I could keep up. On the first 3 laps it was much faster than the group I had raced the week before. I guess I won't know how I'll do unless I try again.

That's me in the Hidden Peak Jersey waiting for the start of the race. (published by cyclingutah.com)

But, this week has been fun on the bike. I've been trying to find a new pair of cycling shoes that don't hurt my feet and after 5 different pairs I think I've found the ones. My feet are shaped really funny and it is a big headache to try and find specialized shoes or boots like this. My ski boots cost more than I want to say because they had to be custom melted and re-shaped to fit my wide feet. It turns out I needed cycling shoes that are made especially for wide feet plus be custom moldable too. Similar to my ski boots.

I climbed south mountain for the first time in a while on one of my lunch time rides this week. I struggled due to the early season and the incredible wind. This morning I knew I would not have time during lunch so I rode in the dark, before work. It was a bit colder but it felt good. There is something about riding in the early morning that just feels good. It's suppose to snow this weekend so I'm hoping to get in some much needed skiing maybe early next week. I still haven't given up on my perfect powder day this season.

Utah Crit Series #1

So Saturday was my first time racing my bike in a crit and boy, was it fun! It was also a learning experience as I tried to break away on the last lap only to be caught on the turn for home. I ended up finishing middle of the pack. I think I'm going to try again this weekend and move up into the C flight. I will try to race a smarter race this time. Thanks to my wife and kids for braving the cold to come support me and was it ever cold!

First lap on the cold race.Me on the inside.

Somewhere in the pack.We were all battling the wind.

That's me in the back.

My kids following me back to our car, post race.