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.

Something New for Me...

We had our last day of ski school on Saturday and I know my son, for one, is excited to have his Saturday's back. I think it has been worth it, even on a low snow year. Our kids have become better skiers and someday I think they'll thank us for hauling them up there. We aren't done skiing this season by any means. We'll still drag them up, but we'll now go up later in the day and ski together most weekends.

I've officially joined a cycling team this year. I think it will help me be a better cyclist and I definitely think it'll help with my goal of Lotoja but that's not my only goal. I'd like to try racing too. In fact, I'm going to try my hardest not to fixate on Lotoja too much and I think doing a bunch of races will help that. Saturday will be my first official race. It's the Utah Crit Series out at the Rocky Mountain Raceway. I'm intrigued by the criterium thing and I think it will be fun. For those who don't know, a criterium or "crit" is mostly an american thing where it's not a traditional road race but instead laps done on a closed road. They are easy to organize and tend to be more spectator friendly, being able to see the racers over and over. They also tend to be very fast so I hope I can keep up. I'm excited though and I know my kids are excited too. My goals are to finish and not crash. We'll see how it goes.