just another girl on a bike

Some of the best of Moab

2012-02-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Now days it is difficult to say what is best in moab. There is so much ~~good~~ great riding there. But with the higher elevations under snow, choices were innately limited.
We went down on Saturday with Josh. We started on Pipedream--it was Josh's maiden voyage. I think he liked it. We took the no dab challenge. We all failed heading South. Chris dabbled heading North. I was dab-free. The thing about trying not to dab is I cannot go as fast. That takes some of the fun out of it. Maybe I will go for shortest time next time.
Then we packed up and headed to the Bar M area. We started on EZ (or maybe it was Lazy) to Deadman's Ridge. Chris almost did not make it though. Josh and I came around a corner and Chris was on the ground looking shook up. He clipped his handlebars on a rock and dove head first into another rock. Luckily, his helmet took the brunt of it. Let's say his helmet needs replacing. He has had a headache but otherwise he is okay. Josh was pretty disappointed that he misses witnessing it.

Time for a new helmet?

We did essentially the normal after that--Deadman's, Bar B, Sovereign. I was not feeling as strong as I would have liked and we ended up calling it short of what we planned, but still ended up with 5 hours of riding on the day. Not too bad.

Camp Lynda 2012

2012-02-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity and pleasure to once again be a part of Camp Lynda this year and it did not disappoint. The turn out was amazing--lots of people and fun. Three fantastic days of riding in sunny St. George.

Musings from Moscow

2012-01-31T17:00:00.003-07:00

So I had/got to go to Moscow (the real one in Russia) which kept me from riding my bike for a few days. I missed a trip down south. I would like to say it was worth it, but I am not sure it was.

I am too big of a wimp to hit a city like that on my own for a couple of reasons. First, everything was in Russian and only Russian. Most people speak little more English than I speak Russian. Thus, communication would have been difficult and I had no bearing as to where I was ever. Secondly, you know how on movies they always make Russia seem like it is incredibly cold. Well, it is. So if I did want to go see Red Square or look at cathedrals, I would not have lasted long. And I am incredibly cheap/frugal. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities right now. That is not a good match.

None the less, I hung out and prepared my presentation. Here are some observations:
1. The sun is lazy in Moscow. Sunrise was around 8:45 am.That seemed crazy late too me. But it still set early. This made it difficult to assess time especially in the morning.
2. I did not sleep well at all. I had little appetite. And I did not feel like exercise which makes sense given what I was eating and how much I was not sleeping.
3. When I don't speak the language, I find that I go long periods without talking to anyone. That seems to play with my psyche just a bit.
4. I sometimes wish I was more social.

My flight was then cancelled due to some sort of mechanical issue. I got to wait in a few more long and very long lines. Then I got shipped to the airport hotel. The room was freezing so I climbed into bed with my puffy down coat on. Surely, it would warm up. It didn't. Apparently, it was too far from the elevator. So I got a new room "closer to the elevators" which was warmer. I ate my first meal other than breakfast while I was there. I was not impressed. I don't know what it was, but I was hungry and ate.

26 hours after I was supposed to depart I was finally on my way home.

It was great while it lasted...

2012-01-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

Chris and I received a termination email last week. It brought great sadness, but we both felt it was coming. Somethings are too good to last.

After the re-branding of Gary Fisher as Treks, the Subaru-Trek factory team all riding 29ers, and the bigger wheels being much more mainstream, it is easy to see that this just makes business sense for them. I was surprised it did not happen sooner.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I was able to represent Gary Fisher/Trek. The grass roots initiative we had for the first three years was a dream. Then the 29erCrew hook ups were still great. And at the level I ride, it was more than I probably deserved.
I will miss my close association with the company in the future and the ability to represent them as I had. Thank you, Mr. Fisher.

Heading South and Staying Home

2012-01-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to St. George with the Paul and Gayle, Lance and Tiffany, and Tim and Jen. Again, it was good times. I sported my 100 for the weekend and it was a dream. I loved it. I don't think I can go back and forth between my HT and FS Superfly's. My hardtail makes transitioning back to my full suspension difficult. Thus, I think I might sell my HT.
We went down and rode by ourselves the first day. We hit Church Rocks and Prospector. We ran into Paul and Gayle as we were heading back to the car. They were with some friends. After some chit-chat, we made it back to the car, packed up, and headed to Zen. We did it anti-counter clockwise (as we always do) and then clockwise. I by far enjoy our standard practice of anti-clockwise. But now I know.
Day 2 was a lot of the True Grit course and a bit of the stuff we just like to do. In the morning, it was Chris, the Tim's (Tim Fisher joined us) and myself. Then Paul and Gayle, Lance and Tiffany, and Jen joined us in the afternoon.
Things broke up for Day 3. Paul and Gayle had to head back home due to a sudden influx of unexpected work. (Missed you guys out there). While everyone else opted for hiking. We attempted/rode Guacamole. Chris just got frustrated because it is new and not as well marked as he would have like. We had to go slow to ensure we could follow the course. We spent about an hour there then packed up and headed to Virgin. We parked off the dirt road and headed up to Gooseberry from the West.
Now here is the thing. I was apprehensive about first riding the road to get there and then secondly actually doing the trail. I had spent the past two days burying it. Gooseberry has always taken a lot to ride. This time though I stayed relaxed. I don't feel as if I was fast but nice and consistent. I used my momentum well and places where I usually struggled were smooth and seemed to take less effort. It was awesome. I don't think I have ever enjoyed Gooseberry like that. I cannot wait to go back.
This weekend we had plans to go to Moab...and the St. George, but ultimately ended up staying home. Winter-ish weather hit. So we tried snow riding again. And again, Chris just got frustrated while I smiled and enjoyed being on a bike. I think Chris has snowbiking built up in his mind as something more than it is. I don't know, but every time we try it he gets "frustrated and bored". None the less, I thought it was great. We hit the old race course area.

Yay! We got snow

2012-01-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

While we had plans to ride with some friends on a new to us trail, Mother Nature threw a much needed curve ball. It snowed...not a whole lot but a little. So we put the snow bikes on the car and headed North. As we approached Provo, it did not look like they received what we did. We kept driving and decided on heading up the Alpine Loop from Aspen Grove.

Loaded up and ready to go

We got the bikes off the car, put on warmer clothes, let out some air pressure and started up the road. Maybe 100 ft from the gate, I went down fast (not necessarily hard) and Chris came tumbling after me. I tried to get up but slipped again. I looked down and notice it was pure ice under the thin layer of snow.

Oh yeah...the temps have been in the upper 40's and 50's. It makes sense the snow would have been melting and slushy and then froze with this storm. I probably went down five more times. Each time was hilarious. I would struggle to get on my feet.

The snow definitely got deeper the further up we went. Some guys on ATV's passed us. Riding in their tracks was much easier. Climbing was awesome. I love my bike.

Chis after attempting to go down Jurrasic Park--snow was too deep

Ahh... the Ridge trail


At the top

While going up was great, coming down was not so much. It was so incredibly cold. Almost miserably cold. We made it though.

Still Dry

2012-01-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

It still has not snowed in Utah. So we have tried to capitalize on the weather. It has been warm which makes the trails soupy. Thus we have had to be selective about where and when to ride. I had a great week of riding. I mentioned the five hours on the trails last Monday. That was followed up by some spin classes squeezed in between family entertaining. Then on Friday I hooked up with ET, EP, and AV in Draper. EP led the way around Corner Canyon ensuring we avoided the mud. It was warm but windy. I rarely get to go on rides with other girls so this was a treat. The pace was quick-ish but mellow. It was a blast.

Erika, Erica, Allison, KC

Over the weekend, we hiked around Goblin Valley and put in another 3 hours on our local trails. It was cooler when we rode which was less muddy and ultimately warmer.

Boss (nephew), Tom (bro), KC, Chris, Mom, Jac (Bro), Not pictured Suzy (SIL)

With no work on Monday, it was perfect for another long ride. With warm temperatures our trails would be a muddy mess. Thus we headed down to Moab with some friends. We squeezed in almost five hours of pedal time staying in the Bar M and Sovereign area*. It was delightful.
I say that I love Moab. I have heard others say the same. But I don't think anyone enjoys Moab as much as Josh Wolfe. He was whooping and hollering the whole time about how much fun he was having.


Photo by Jeff Higham: Adam, Chris, Chris, KC, Josh, not pictured Darrin and Jeff

KC and Chris

Now that the holidays are officially over it will be harder to squeeze in the riding. Hopefully, I can keep it up. And I still would not mind some snow now that I have a new toy...and I like to drink water.

*We parked at Lion's park and took the path up to Bar M and hit Deadman's Ridge, Bar B, back on Bar M over to Sovereign out and back, took Bar M to the North 40, EZ and then took Deadman's Ridge down to the path and back. Good route. Good times.

Let it snow...just a little

2011-12-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

No one is more surprised by this attitude than me. Don't get me wrong, I have been loving the riding I have been able to do. Chris and I have been riding the local trails like it is early spring or late fall. Yesterday, we actually put in close to five hours. Granted we planned on four. It got dark and cold on us. And when it got dark and cold, I just took my sunglasses off and could see. Even getting dark and cold, it still was great. We did a Dry Canyon Loop then headed North to Lambert Park and back again. We were joined by Keith (for a moment) and then Josh and Matt. We were plagued by flat tires, but my two were expected as I am still waiting for rim strips to come in for my 100. And tubes...well, they suck.
But Chris got/built/adapted me a snow bike for Christmas. This is a custom Holley special.

He took an old frame he got from the Shop. And had the chain stays and seat stays adjusted at a local metal shop. He also had them build a disc brake mount. Then he welded it back together elongating the stays to fit the bigger rim and tires.

He drilled out my rims so they would be lighter and increased the Q-factor to accommodate the wheels and tires again.

He stole drive train, shifters, brakes and levers, and cranks, etc. from my Hi-Fi. He bought a Surly fork and put everything back together again. Now I just need to find some snow.

Vision Quest IV

2011-12-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling around South East Asia giving presentations in different markets to our (Nu Skin) distributors--5 presentations in 8 days. It has been so much fun not having to hassle with glasses. I have been able to see everything I needed very clearly. And being on planes for long periods of time alternating between sleeping and watching movies has been a breeze.
I have noticed an increased sensitivity to sunlight. It has been sunny here (in SEA). I have always loved the sun and seemed somewhat impervious to bright light. Chris would often say the sun is burning his retinas and I would just be soaking it up. My retinas will likely be burning with his now. One more thing we can bond over.
I went swimming for the first time also. I grew up swimming with my eyes open in chlorinated pools and it has never really bothered me. Until now. I swam for a mere 20 minutes the other day and my eyes HATED it! Wow. That is going to take some adjustment. Luckily I don't swim that often anymore.
I go in for my one month check-up on Friday. I should find out how good my sight actually is. I am pretty excited.
And I canNOT wait to see Chris on Thursday!!!!

Things I miss...

2011-12-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

1. Chris. I have not seen him since Monday December 5. That seems like a long, long, long time ago. We had just spent the weekend in St. George riding bikes. So much fun.
2. Riding bikes with Chris. I have hardly exercised since the 4th. I got one hour on a rickety old spin bike and 45 m. on an elliptical trainer this week. That has been the extent of my exercise. I was going to squeeze in one more spin class on Monday before I left, but opted to spend a little time that morning with Chris.
And in my absences, this came in. See below. I cannot wait for to head south to do some serious riding.

2011 Superfly 100 Pro

3. Eating where I like to eat with Chris. While galavanting around SEA, I find myself at seafood eateries. We are talking fresh, fresh seafood. Crabs, snapper something, prawn, squid (yes squid) and I could not tell you what else. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of seafood in the slightest. I just don't like it any of it. I did also get a first and second taste of durian and mangosteen while in Singapore. I am sure I like mangosteen, but the jury is still out on durian. I like it better than fish, but can only do small doses.

Durian

Yummy Mangosteen

4. Just being home. I am a bit of a homebody. I am okay with short trips, but being gone 10 days (I am on day 6) is a long, long time. The worst part of it is also being limited in my communication. I don't have a phone that makes calls from international locations, so Chris and I have been limited to email.

I am over half way done... I can do this.

From Funtastic to Fiasco

2011-12-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in St. George with friends mountain biking. We invited everyone we knew who rides a bike in the dirt to join us. On Friday, we hooked up with the Olpin’s (Paul and Gayle), the Nelson’s (Tiffany and Lance), the Hodnett’s (Jen and Tim) and Dan. Dan we met at the trail head. He raced with Keith in the ICUP series and was extended the invite. As we got ready to ride Church Rocks and Prospector, it was cold. But once we got riding, it was not bad at all. The sun started to come out and warmed things up. We were able to keep a good pace. We grabbed a quick bite en route and headed to Paradise Rim. We have not ridden this section of trail for a long time. It was perfect as we just wanted a little something more before calling it a day.

The Olpin’s rented a house for a big group of us to share. It was so nice and had a hot tub which felt good post ride(s).

View from Zen

The next day, our group was joined by Bart (Gillespie), Jeff (Higham) and friend--Chris, Keith, Richard (not to be mistaken with Keith Richards). We met up at the Zen trailhead and rode Zen, Barrel Cacti, dropped down Bear Claw, to Stucki, rode the Rim trails, Barrel Roll and then the wash back. Different individuals did different variations but that was the jist. The weather was a chilly when the wind blew, but when it was calm it was so delightful.

Most of us met up for dinner that night at Bajio and were joined by Jess, Dave Dean and Wendy. With two days of good riding in the legs we were feeling it but feeling good at the same time.

Thanks to Paul and Gayle for the cake. I hear it was as delicious as it looked.

Birthday ride

Then we hit Hurricane Rim, Jem, and planned on Gould. It was not to be though. Paul, Gayle, Tiffany, Chris and I headed out with Joe. Joe was at the Zen trail head cooking bacon and ended up joining Jess, Dave Dean and Wendy on their ride. We headed out and Chris got a flat on his MukLuk. He tried to patch it but it did not take. The group had separated figuring we would regroup on the trail due to pace. Chris headed back with my pump to the car to get his SF100 circling around to join us. About 15 minutes later, I pinch flatted my rear tire. Paul was riding with me and through some air in with his CO2 cartridge. It did not seal so I nursed it until we caught up with Gayle and Tiffany. I must say the trail is not nearly as fun when you are protecting a rear rim. We finally caught the two girls and I started to throw a tube in. Joe caught up and had a pump, so we used that. Another 10 minutes or so, Paul’s sidewall started leaking. He threw in a tube. By this time, I could not figure out where Chris was. Why had he not gotten to us?

Chris got to the car and had no rear brake on his 100. He still rode it up but thought he had missed us some how. So he went back to the car and called. Then there was a mix up on where we would meet back up as we were all about done with this ride. Finally, we got to the road and back to the car.

While it ended in a fiasco, it was a delightful weekend in total. Thanks to all who shared it with me.

Paul, Keith, Richard (who did NOT get lost!)

Fast guys: Bart and Chris

The good guy: Lance

Gayle and Tiffany

Tim and Jen's wheel (she was too quick)

Three Days and Two Nights

2011-11-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

I love Moab. It is one of the most wondrous places in Utah (I'd say Earth but I have not really been so many places on Earth). We used to go to Moab much more than we do now. Mostly because we discovered mountain biking in St. George and the winters have been much, much nicer there the last couple of years. None the less, we spent three glorious days and two nights in Moab. And it was fan-tas-tic!
We rolled into town and parked at Lion's Park just south of the Colorado River. We got our stuff together and headed back North up the path (or old highway) to the Bar M area. Bar M is so much more now than it was just a couple of years ago. It used to just be an area we passed through, but now it is a destination of its own. We rode Lazy to EZ E, but first hit the new North 40 Loop. Crossed the dirt road and started on Deadman's Ridge to Bar B. It took us a moment to remember how these two trails connected. That means it has been way too long. Everything was perfect. We saw a surprising number young riders out with their parents. It was so cool to see that.
Then we continued on to Sovereign. (Surprised, I am sure.) Sovereign was ideal. I felt so good all day. I am still loving the1X10 set up on my Superfly. Not once did I feel I needed a lower gear. I was climbing well and finished the day spent but still strong.
Day 2: Porcupine Rim! This was a treat because we did not think it would be ridable. There was one icy section in shaded spot, but the rest was clear and as dry as we could have asked. I chose my Hi-Fi for this trail. I know I am a bit of a pansy, but the full suspension makes the descent so smooth. My legs felt the previous days nearly five hours of effort on the climb to the trailhead and beginning ascent. I started to think maybe the Hi-Fi was not the right choice. It did not disappoint once we started to top out and head back down. Everything felt good. I had my Moab flow going. It was delightful.
We grabbed a quick bite at the hotel and headed out to Pipe Dream. We had some friends raving about this trail as we were doing 24 Hours of Moab. So it was on our "must hit" list this time.It met our expectations. We parked at the Hidden Valley Trail Head and did an out and back. I opted for my Superfly again. The sign suggested a "No Dab" challenge defining a "dab" as putting a foot down. I took on the challenge and fell short in both directions. Three dabs out (heading North) and one on the way back (heading South). Next time for sure.
Day 3: Amasa Back w/ Pothole Arch. This is a classic Holley ride. I sacrificed my Superfly for the day to Chris who broke a spoke and slit a tire on Pipe Dream. So he stole my rear wheel and I was on my Hi-Fi again in order to avoid Moab inflated prices. I felt sluggish going up the trail, but smooth on the descents. The trail to and from Pothole Arch just flowed. And then we rallied back down to the trailhead.
Then we headed back to Pipe Dream. This time we parked on the road off of Kane Creek and did an out and back in the opposite direction. This will likely become our standard protocol for this trail. I came so close to being dab-free on the way out, but lost focus. It is always on some piddly little something that I messed up. Then ended up putting a foot down a couple of more times. I shared with Chris my distress and showed him the challenge. It was on, last chance, heading back to the car. I tried to stay focused. I would get nervous the closer we got. Chris yelled out in frustration as he put a foot down. We got closer and closer. Yep. I was dab-free. Last time. Heading North.
We had 12 plus hours of riding in us and called it. We packed up and headed home. The weather could have been warmer, but it definitely could have been colder. We missed some base jumpers, which was disappointing. But all in all a absolutely amazing weekend. Topped off with a late Thanksgiving celebration with my in-laws on Sunday. I am incredibly grateful for all that I have.

Vision Quest III

2011-11-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

So I am day 11 today and things are good. My eyesight was pretty decent for the mountain biking in St. G last weekend. When the sun was out and casting shadows things were pretty crisp. But when the sun was behind a cloud, it got a bit hazy/fuzzy. I felt safe enough riding and don't believe it slowed me down much.
I was supposed to the contact bandage off my eye Saturday morning. I left it on until that night. I thought it would be better to spend the day riding with it still in the eye.
When I took it out, the eye felt a bit grainy so it was nice to have a good night's rest before needing to actually use it so much. Since Sunday things seem to be steadily improving. I can see road signs at night sans glasses. Computer screens are still a bit fuzzy. This seems to increase when my eyes get tired. I keep trying to test my vision to see where it is really, but I am not sure to what I would compare it. I should have taken some mental inventory of what I could not see in different situations for comparison.
I can see people's eyes. That is what I have noticed the most. When I would not wear my glasses throughout the day, eyes were just black holes. Now they have color and I can see whites.
I finished the antibiotic eye drops on Monday. I am still taking the steroid drops and artificial tears. It is harder to remember to put the drops in now as my eyes don't bother me as much.
So far so good. And it should only get better from here I am told. December 15th is the big day. That is when I go in for my next check-up.

TruckerCo.Com Kits

2011-11-14T08:51:00.002-07:00

I got hooked up with some TruckerCo kits this week. (Thanks Chucky!) I spent a four ride in each of the kits.

The first was the Vanderkitten kit. My kit was extra small. I liked the way the bib shorts fit. They had a really nice cut and very comfortable chamois. The straps themselves had a different cut than I have worn. I liked the way it hugged.

The jersey fit a bit more loose than I expected. That being said, I never felt like my pockets were bouncing around. Everything seemed to stay in place--and I rode it on a variety of terrains from slower techy to faster rolling.

I am not sure what to call this next kit--Girls, girls, girls or Vegas or something along those lines. I have to admit, I was not sure what to make of this design at first. Then I started to get it...it is just funny. Chris laughed at me all day in this kit.
I again wore an XS. It had a different fit or feel than the Vanderkitten. The shorts were not as fitted, but still felt good. The chamois was equally good--which is the most important thing, really. The jersey fit loose around the chest (as I am not shaped like the girls featured on the kit) but the elastic around the arms was tighter than expected. It was not too tight at all just more fitted than I would have anticipated.

Funny stuff!

See TruckerCo.com on Facebook or http://www.truckerco.com/

Spectacular

2011-11-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

We escaped the winter weather in N. UT by heading to SW UT. And it was great. It was never really sunny for an extended period of time, but with weather in the 60's we could not complain. The trails were spectacular.

Day 1: Vanderkitten kit by Trucker.Co.com

Chris drove down while I rested my eyes. We started off with a little Zen which was so zen.I started off a bit shaky (i.e. no skills). I suppose that should be expected seeing as I have not done any riding with the exception of one spin class since the following weekend. My technique came around. After Zen we rode Stucki over to the Rim trails and then Barrel Roll and back through the wash. I ended up cutting a sidewall on the Sidewinder off shoot. And then Chris flatted after Barrel Roll on the road to the wash.

Flat #2

Zen

Texas gets to play

So on day two we were both riding with higher PSI in the rear tire due to a tube. This obviously has more of an impact on a hard tail which I was riding vs Chirs' full suspension. We hit Zen again, then Barrel Cacti and the race course. As we were finishing up, my bike it not shifting so well. Chris and I switch bikes so he can diagnose it--splintered derailleur cable with only a couple of strands left. Again!? I checked it the weekend before at Frog Hollow. Luckily, I brought my Hi-Fi down also. This has saved me now two weekends in a row.


Day 2: Girls by TruckerCo.com

We then headed N. to Hurricane to ride Church Rocks and Prospector trail. I was tired. Chris' weekend challenge to me was to keep my heart rate at 160 on the flats. So far I had been doing well. I was able to keep pushing the pace. With a head wind on the way back, I was surprised that I was able to continue to push.
It was a one by weekend for us. Chris converted my Superfly into a 1X10. It was perfect. I ran a 28 up front with a 36-11 in the back. I loved it. My Hi-Fi was already set up 1X9.

Vision Quest II

2011-11-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Day 3:
Today has not been a good day. I went to work for a bit. I was just tired of being cooped up at home. If I was to be honest, this probably was not the best idea. My vision has not been good today. My computer screen was fuzzy or blurry. This increased throughout the day. Everything seems so out of focus. I drove my self home. It was fine, but again maybe not the smartest of things. Chris did offer to take me home if I needed it.
I came home and just closed my eyes for a bit. It felt good. I have taken my artificial tears hourly or sometimes earlier. My cocktail is still being taken every four hours. Fours hours takes forever to elapse.
It is not a real pain, but an definite irritated feeling. Almost like when contacts are really dried out.
Things are crazy blurry. Not out of focus necessarily but everything is soft or has a halo. Writing this I need to really focus my eyes in order to see.
I am glad Dr Yardly said my vision would be all over the place and it would get worse before better because otherwise this would be scary. But apparently it is just part of the process. Here is hoping tomorrow is better. Please be better.
My next follow up appointment is tomorrow afternoon. We scheduled it early because we had plans to go out of town with friends. The friends have bailed, so we are trying to decide what to do. If this does not improve though, I cannot ride.
Day 4:
I slept in late today. When I got up I my reflection was so hazy in the mirror that I couldn't see my eyes clearly. So I turned the radio on and crawled back into bed. What was the point?
I wanted to go to spin. I have not been on a bike since the race this weekend. I have done yoga a couple of times but that is it. I debated between driving and jogging there. Things seemed to be clearing up so I drove the mile or so to the gym. No biggie. As I spun before class started, I thought my vision was continuing to clear. Distance is definitely better than close.
I drove myself up to my appointment in Sandy. My vision seemed okay. I saw Dr. Linn this time. He asked how things were going. He looked at my eyes and said the epithlium looked good. So he could remove the contact bandages. Excellent.
He took them out and things were not so excellent. My left eye felt okay, but my right eye felt as if there was something huge in it. It was watering constantly. Dr. Linn looked at it again. He said there was a bump in the epithilium, so he put another contact bandage in that eye. Ahhh...much better. He said to leave it in until Saturday morning. He gave some instructions on removing it. And I was on my way.
When I got outside thought things were as clear as I remembered them. It was a nervous drive back home. Again, I can see, but details were not clear. This did not deter me though. Chris and I were going to go out of town. I was going to ride my mountain bike again...this weekend. St. George here we come.

Vision Quest:I

2011-11-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Day 1
On Monday November 7th, I underwent PRK (photorefractive keratectomy). I got tired of juggling my multiple glasses during riding and life in general. I looked at a couple of places and decided on Hoopes Vision for my procedure. Hoopes was not necessarily the most convenient nor did they really have the best price, but they did provide the greatest piece of mind.
After enduring a couple of hours worth of tests and evaluations, Dr. McIntosh indicated that they felt I would not be a good candidate for the more common InterLase procedure. Essentially, they would prefer not to make a flap due to my "irregular" corneas. Thus, they recommended the InterLase predecessor, PRK. PRK has a longer recovery and is potentially more painful. Yeah!
Chris brought me in on Monday morning and we joked around during pre-op. I got some valium, that did not seem to have any noticeable effect. There was a quick evaluation of my sight again. A hair net and booties to cover my shoes. And lots of eye drops. A "Sharpie" was used to identify the astigmatism in my right eye. Then it was my turn in the Operating Room. The worst part of the actual procedure was when they removed the tape that held my eyes open.
I was not allowed to look at a computer screen on Monday. I was supposed to take a nap. But I never really got tired. I fell asleep around 6 pm. I woke up around 10. Watched some more TV for an hour or so and fell back to sleep.
That is an uncharacteristic amount of sleep for me, but given I just finished a 25 hour race this weekend it was not surprising. Monday thing were great.
Day 2:
I had read that pain an irritation should begin today. I did not feel anything. I continued to use my artificial tears every 20 minutes or so. Every four hours I took a cocktail of eyedrops that included an antibiotic, a steroid (prednisone), and a pain killer (NSAID). I actually did not start the NSAID until my last application on Monday because, as I said, no pain. While I still did not feel anything on Tuesday, I continued to use the NSAID.
I tried to test my vision on Tuesday to see if it had actually improved. I thought it had but then I was not so sure.
I had a follow up appointment that afternoon. I stayed home again, but answered emails and what not. Chris came and picked me up and took me to Sandy. Like I said not the most convenient of places, but I feel good about using them. The appointment was quick. They checked my eyes. My vision reading seemed good. My farsighted vision was vastly different between my two eyes. I was concerned, but Dr. Yardly was not. He said it was normal and that my sight will be all over the place the next couple of days. He also said that if I did not need the NSAIDs not to take them. We then talked a little mountain biking and Rich Abbott. He knows Rich and so we talked him up a bit. Chris returned to work and I drove my car home (which I left in town the day before).
That night my eyes seemed to get irritated. There was some pain. When I was in high school, I went to the doctor with mono. He asked if I was in pain. I said no, but he gave me something for pain just in case. That night my throat became incredibly painful. I could barely talk or swallow. My mom told me it was in my head because of the earlier conversation with the doc. As it ended up it was not in my head, but I wondered if this time it was. None the less, I kept the NSAIDs as part of my cocktail.

My new "sleepwear" so I don't rub or scratch my eyes in my sleep. Sexy!

PS: please excuse the typos, at the time of this writing I could barely see.

Another Cold One

2011-11-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

During 24 Hours of Moab this year, I made the statement that I was done racing for the year. I was cold and it just did not seem like fun. My wise friends within earshot did not believe me and even called me on it. And they were right. After a day or two, I was considering 25 Hours of Frog Hollow should someone invite me. Though I did not care enough to put something together. Then it happened. Josh asked if we might be willing to do a 5 person team with him, Matt, and their friend Jeff. The weather had warmed up and we agreed.
As the race approached the weather forecast turned ugly...again. When we showed up at the event site (morning of again in order to avoid a cold night of camping), it was chilly and started raining/snowing. We just sat in the car as everyone in the camp started to wake up. The wet stopped thankfully about 30 minutes before race time; the cold stuck around the entire time. My toes got cold on all of my laps. My first two laps (both during the day) had a beast of a head wind on the road up to the Jem Trail. Ahh...the Jem...absolute delight.
On my second lap, I sensed a rider behind me just before getting to Jem. I asked if he wanted to get around me. His response was "Do you descend as well as you climb?" As I entered the single track, I said not really. I don't think I slowed him down too much. It seemed as if I would gap him periodically and he would make his way back to me. He passed on the dirt road to the Virgin River Dam parking lot. I had him in my sights most of the way to the finish. He probably put 45 seconds on me or so. He was the only person to pass me throughout my five laps.
We doubled up on our night laps to allow more recovery. I think it worked well at this race as the laps were around an hour for me and less for the guys. My back to back laps were 1:03 each differing by 10 seconds or so. While not blazing fast, they were consistent. I definitely enjoyed the large chunks of rest at night and even caught some sleep.
While racing was fun (yet cold), base camp was an absolute blast and warm. There was always someone around to help take care of us and lots of people providing entertainment. Kevin and Jackie brought down their box trailer decked out with lights, heaters, stoves, and food. Someone was always trying to get me to eat something which is so needed at these events. Jackie, Becky, Joan, and Angie took turns making sure everyone had what they needed throughout the night.
The guys--Josh, Matt (x3), Chuck, Dan, Larry, Kevin, Jeff, Steve, Jay, Brian, and Kenny came in and out with entertaining stories, jokes, and laughs. I loved the good natured ribbing and whit that made the dark of night seem bright. Heather, Natalie, and Monica also raced on teams with impressive rides. It really was so much fun. I am glad I was wrong at 24 hours of moab.

Beautiful Sunrise

The Holley Pit

Jeff and Joan in the box trailer (i.e. home)

Podium

Chris talking shop with Larry--Supefly 100 stuff. I wouldn't understand

Soaking up the sun, trying to stay warm and fueled

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

2011-10-27T18:44:00.001-06:00

I love autumn in the mountains. This year has been especially vibrant. These photos don't do the landscape justice. But it is all I have.Sometimes I feel as if I live in the most beautiful place in the world.

Bike Rack Holley Style

2011-10-21T18:31:00.000-06:00

Just trying to keep it simple...and organized. This is what we came up with to store our bikes.

Exposure Lights

2011-10-19T19:32:00.002-06:00

We got hooked up with some Exposure Lights to demo for 24 Hours of Moab. (Thanks to Kevin Day!) Each person on the team ended up running one as our main source of light. These lights were awesome. I had the opportunity to try the MaXx-D Mk.4. I mounted it to my handle bars and it lit my way for each of my three night laps.

Exposure lights are light and compact. No wires stringing to batteries. So I did not have to struggle to find someplace on my small frame and minimal stem to mount a battery. That was so convenient.

I ran a secondary light (I think) on my helmet. But I could only tell it was on when I turned my head. The Maxx D drowned it out otherwise.

They do have longer charge times than my other lights. Because my lap times were a bit longer, I ran a piggy back battery that easily strapped to the light itself. I did not have any issues running out of battery, neither did Matt, Josh or Chris. If you are looking for new or a first set of light, be sure to give Exposure a long, hard look. They are pretty sweet.

St. George w/ the in-law family

2011-10-18T12:09:00.001-06:00

This weekend was our annual trip with Chris' family. We hit up St. George again this year. Chris and I would sneak out for an early morning ride for a couple of hours. We would get back as they were getting done with breakfast. We would grab a quick bite and then be off for the day. We had an opportunity to ride:

Stucki to Rim Runner and Barrel Roll (accompanied by Sabrosa Jon)
Zen, Barrel Cacti, and the race course
Prospector, Church Rocks, and High Grade

With the fam, we hiked Snow Canyon--

We also went for a ride. We hit the paved path and then took Chris' mom on some single track. She tore up the bottom of Bear Claw Poppy:

I lost a tooth!

2011-10-17T18:26:00.000-06:00

Who loses a jockey wheel tooth? Apparently me. Seriously!

Notice the extra space between the chain and derailleur

Maybe the last 24 Hours of Moab

2011-10-13T10:30:00.001-06:00

It took Chris and I a while to solidify our 24 Hours of Moab team. We finally convinced Josh and Matt to join us again. Chris and I headed down on Saturday morning. It was supposed to get cold Friday night and we are not really cold weather campers or people in general. While it was nice to sleep in our own bed, we were greeted with a snow storm not far up Spanish Fork Canyon. Nothing like winter driving conditions on Highway 6! The storm broke as we descended into Price. Then we hit more rain as we approached I-70 and it lasted through Moab to the event site. It continued to rain until 11 or so. And while the moisture stopped it never really warmed up.

Snow on the La Sals in October

I found this year to difficult. The actual racing was not as hard as last year mainly because I got LOTS more rest between laps. The course was in great condition, but it was still challenging. First, it was cold at night. I actually dressed really well for each of my laps. And racing was comfortable. It was just hard to get ready mentally. I know boo-hoo. I am a big wimp what can I say. And since I am whining, I will continue. The other challenge was fueling. I have had to make recent changes to my diet. It is restrictive and forces me to be conscious of what I eat. I can no longer simply eat whatever sounds good as in years past. And much of what sounded good and was available, I could not eat.

Chris on his "hot" lap

Chris started us off coming in first off the starting lap and laying down an impressive time, 1:01:47. Then Josh and Matt went out with solid times. My first lap was in the late afternoon. The legs took a while to come around and I ended up with a 1:15:35. I hoped for something better, but I always do. My next lap started my night rotations with a 1:20:45 and 1:23:44. Then I ended up with the chilly morning transition lap, 1:25:06. Finally the sun came out and it warmed up a bit. Matt came in at 10:45. I had every intention of just taking it easy and finishing. There was no reason to really push. I knew I could not get in with time to send Chris out. Then I started to feel really good and was having fun. I was soaking up the sun. My final lap was 1:18:05. This was faster than I expected it to be.

We ended up in 2^nd place on the day behind a crazy fast 4 Men Pro Honey Stingers team. They had a couple of guys throwing down sub hour times. But the vast majority of the time difference came from me.

Catching Up

2011-10-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

It was Keith's birthday,

Shout Hooray!

We went riding today.

He is one year older and stronger goo.

Happy Birthday to you!

We rode a big loop up Provo Canyon in celebration of Keith's birthday on Saturday.

The Birthday boy atop the Loop.

Chris and Ty Mud Springs

Mud Springs


Ridge Trail


Ridge Trail

Last weekend we hiked to Emerald Lake. I did not mind the up so much. The down is painful though. I thought it would be great if we could get a helicopter to pick us up at the top. Chris had a better idea though. Zip lines! What if we could take zip lines down.

A view of Deer Creek

Chris playing at Emerald Lake

Stewart Falls


Stewart Falls

Another Day in Paradise

2011-09-18T09:35:00.000-06:00

Friday late afternoon it started raining. But it did not end up being just a typical UT afternoon thunderstorm. It kept raining. I was bummed that I would not get in my ride, but I was more apprehensive for the following day's 12 hour race at Sundance. If only this had happened 24 hours previously.
It rained most that night. Things were wet in the morning. Chris questioned whether we really wanted to do this. The early weather reports (5 am early) did not look too promising.We left the house before 6 and headed to Sundance. The two miles on Alpine Loop Road had several areas that were littered with rocks and/or mud confirming the area had been hit with its fair share of rain fall.
First word was it would be delayed an hour maybe two. I welcomed this as I HATE riding in the mud. Chris would do the first lap so things would be even better by the time I hit the course. We park the car and sit for awhile keeping warm. As light breaks we get out and mingle for a bit--bike talk stuff. Then head back to the car to get warm again. Official word is 9 am start. The 12 hours has been chiseled down to 10. Still a good day on the bike. We start to get ready. I start to eat a bit as I have more time.
Chris is fiddling with his bike and it is not good. Long story short, he needs to replace his dearailleur cable. So I will be taking the first lap to allow him to get his bike working. This is not our standard protocol. I rush a bit but was able to get ready and get on the start line. I had several people ask me why I was there or where Chris was.
That initial lap was in way better condition than I thought it would be. Yeah there were some puddles and a couple of slick spots but still good. And each lap it got better and better. The course of my third lap reminded me of the first time we did 12 hours of Mesa Verde. It got packed down perfectly. The weather was spectacular. There was an afternoon shower for maybe 30 minutes or so, but nothing too bad. (It was Chris' lap.)
Before Chris went out for our 12th lap, he said to talk to Matt He wanted to negotiated a truce. While both Josh and Chris would make it back in time for us to go out again, we decided to call it. I should probably explain that there is a friendly rivalry between them and us. They were ahead of us with no chance of us catching them. Jon (Russel) and Tyson (Apostol*) had called it earlier. And there was a four man team in front of Matt and Josh they would not catch. After some thought, I agreed to not go out again. Truce.
Chris got back from his last lap with about ten minutes to spare. He said he was going to wait until the course was just about to close and do one more lap. I said I called a truce. His response was I did, he did not. He had a huge grin. So just before 6:29:59, he heads up the road and yells down that the Holley's are going out for number 13. The course was announced closed. I was not there, but I heard Matt was none to pleased. As he was not looking Chris turned off the course not completing lap 13. It was a joke/false alarm. Chris (and many others in the area) thought his little joke was priceless.
For a day that I thought was going to be horrendous--I packed four different kits, warm gear, and a number of wash cloths and towels--turned out to be awesome.
*Yes, the same Tyson Apostol that was on Survivor Tocantins

First Cyclocross Race...Again

2011-09-15T18:06:00.000-06:00

I still suck at cyclocross (CX). That has not changed, but I did not really expect to improve while not participating.
I did some CX a couple years back. I stopped for a few reasons:
1. I am not good at it.
2. I a bit shy and don't enjoy showing up by myself when I am already feeling self-conscious. And Chris has shown no interest.
3. I got jealous. Chris would go out on a long delightful MTB ride while I did an intense hour jaunt for the weekend. This played the biggest factor.
Then Euclid and SBR started a mid-week series. I did not have to sacrifice a whole Saturday of riding but just a post work ride. That seemed more reasonable.
So on Tuesday I lined up for a CX race. Let's just say it was not pretty. I got scared in the dust. I could not see anything. Keith warned me. My hands developed blisters on the hoods. (I will have to use different gloves with more padding.) My undercarriage got a bit upset and let's just leave it at that. The barriers are TALL and I tripped on one of my run-ups.
But I am going back. I am going to make some adjustments to the bike and hopefully improve. It really could not get much worse.

Some riding and some not

2011-09-11T09:14:00.000-06:00

Chris said that from Saturday to Saturday, he put in 25 hours on the bike. I was not so lucky (and a bit jealous). The loop we "discovered" on Monday is now a standard of ours. Here it is (hopefully I have all the names of the trails correct).
We start at Sundance and take to road past the pay booth. We climb what we refer to as Jurassic Park (the trail from the parking lot for Stewart Falls to the top of the road). Head up further on Horse Flats and then descend crossing the road. At the T head towards Timpanooke for an out and back. Then head to Mud Springs taking the Tibble Fork trail down to the dam. Jump on the road and head up (and up and up) Mill Canyon to the Ridge trail. Take the Ridge to Joy. Cross the road and head back up to the top of the Loop. And head back down to Sundance.
We did it in its entirety yesterday.
On Wednesday we did a shorter version of it after work. It was awesome. We barely squeezed it in before dark. Nothing like 3.5 hour mtb ride after work.(Chris rode it on Friday also).
Friday was not a good riding day for me. I brought my single speed to work thinking I should ride it before racing on Saturday. But then realized that the race was cancelled. I should have just gone for a single speed ride, but preferred to do something long (and easier) vs short (and intense). So I rolled out on the road bike for a trip around West Mountain. About 15 minutes in, I came up on some train tracks and once on top of them realized they were in terrible condition. Not much place to go due to on coming traffic. I hit them harder than I would have liked. I was surprised that I did not go flat right away. I did pinch flat he front it just took a while for the tube to figure it out. I started to air up my spare and in spite of the fact it was brand new tube, it had a hole in it. Son of a...! I pull out by phone and try to figure out who to call since Chris was enjoying a delightful mtb ride up the canyon. Doesn't matter I have no cell service. I just sit there for a moment or two trying to wrap my head around the fact I am walking back to town. Luckily a woman whose neighbor's lawn I am sitting in, asks if I need a ride. Thank you!
By the time I get home my rear tire is flat too.I probably should have jumped on another bike and gone for a ride, but I accepted defeat.
Anyone know why the sundance single speed race was cancelled? Sad.

PCP2P After Thoughts

2011-09-09T07:54:00.000-06:00

1. Mad props to my friend, ET, coming in second. What a phenomenal performance!
2. Speaking of friends. Not only did we have teammates, like Kendra and family, Dave Dean, and Dwight, waiting on us, but coming into PCMR Rick and Dan Z. were there doing anything they could to help me out. I needed a couple gels, Dan ran over and got me one of every flavor to ensure I got what I wanted. Seriously, thanks to all.
3. I got to ride with Jay (Sherman) for a bit. That was until I popped out of my pedal (again) but this time did it with such force I fell over into the embankment. It was pretty funny.
4. And I had to chase down Janelle Kramer (Revolution). She had a strong ride.
5. I allowed my flask to leak all of me because I did not close it. Son of a.... And I ended up needing it later too. Hence, Dan Z bringing me an assortment of gels.
6. I started off too conservative and/or stayed too conservative. Note to self: It is a bloody race. Stop being scared and race your bike.

P2P Weekend

2011-09-05T20:12:00.000-06:00

Park City Point 2 Point was this weekend and it did not disappoint. My game plan was to start slow and then ramp it up. I started back with the time groups so I would not have the pressure of trying to keep up and starting out too fast. I may not have ramped it up enough or soon enough. I felt pretty good getting to Deer Valley.
I kept popping out of my pedals on the climbs and then on some of the descents. That sucked but it was absolutely my own fault. I wore a different pair of shoes given last weekend. I added shims but then used the old cleats. Bloody stupid, I know. I had my other shoes and our support was able to have them for me at PCMR thankfully. Mid Mountain would have been terrible in the other shoes.
I was able to ride most of the race with Adam. It was nice having company. When he first caught up to me, it was all chatty. Then the conversation faded a bit.
At PCMR I thought I might make it under 9 hours. I was encouraged at Mid Mountain and still thought I was on pace. Unfortunately the end was longer, looser, and more technical than I remembered. I missed the mark by two minutes. Son of a...! Next time, right?

Happy to be done and dirty.

Erica, Brad (so good to see him again), me all lovin CarboRocket

Today is Chris' birthday so it was all about him. We slept in later than normal and had a lazy morning. Washed the mountain bikes and got ready for a ride. Chris decided on the Ridge. Mid ride he decided he wanted to go down to Tibble Fork and climb back up to the Ridge. We got a little "lost" or "turned around" or something. Needless to say, we did not know exactly where we were or how to get back. Instead of a three hour (maybe) long ride, it was 4.5. It was a good loop. And we will likely do it again minus a couple of water crossing and make sure we bring along some lube. (We had to bum some off a couple of riders. It ended up be a wax base which is fine but definitely not a first choice.Beggars can't be choosers.) Saw ET and Johnny on their way back to Vegas. Funny.

Coming down the canyon being "stalked" by the Tingey's

We went to Carrabba's (thanks Dad) for lunch where Chris got the bread basket to himself. I may have been a bit bitter. When we got home, we had to wash the bikes again. Now we are just being lazy; Chris is asleep. Hopefully Chris had a happy birthday.

100K Photos

2011-08-30T19:43:00.000-06:00

Heading out for the 2nd lap

Chris leading out some Roosters

Covered in dust and poop (don't ask)


I could not wait to get my shoes off; not sure how I feel about that bike

Mt. Ogden 100K Take Two

2011-08-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday started early, early, early. I set an alarm for 3 am so I could take my heart burn meds as this has been really bad the last couple of races. Then I dozed on and off for another hour to start eating breakfast--three hours before hand is the general rule. Then it was just getting ready--water bottles/camelbak filled, check weather, dress appropriately, pack up our stuff and load the car.
We arrived at the event site for the Mt. Ogden 100K about an hour before the scheduled start. I checked my rear tire which I had torn on Thursday. It seemed like it may have lost a bit of air over night. Got my equipment ready. Several trips to the bathroom, per the usual. 7:10 they did call-ups which I found a bit embarrassing, but cool too. And the parade lap started.
Things looked and felt good for the first hour or so. I was excited. And then not so much. Things just went awry. I did not descend well as I was nervous about my tire. This allowed the gap to 2nd and 3rd to grow. I never felt really good going down hill. I was not prepared for the climb up Sardine Peak. It was not necessarily that I had no power, but I felt as if I had no energy even though I had been sucking down calories. Hot spots formed under both my feet making descending almost unbearable. So I had nothing. No climbing. No descending. All I could do was (soft) pedal. At the top of the climb on my second lap, things were really bad. Both my quads were on the verge of cramping. I finished my 5th bottle and had it refilled by the incredibly accommodating individuals at the aid station. I took in some water and forced down a much needed gel. With the long descent, this allowed me to get back on top of my electrolytes.
My feet were still on fire and there was nothing but soft pedaling on the climb back to the finish. I had hoped to finish within seven hours, but watched the time come and go.
Chris had started to come back looking for me. I always feel badly when I am so slow he starts to worry. Besides it reiterates how poorly things had gone.
Crossing the finish line I could not wait to take my shoes off. That was all I could think about. As I stepped off my bike into the grass, my right calf seized. I was writhing in pain as ET looked on desperately trying to help. Ugh! I can't complain though about the timing especially since this same calf woke me up from my slumber early Thursday morning. I guess that should have been an omen.
Post race I hobbled around. The course just beat me up. They did the awards later that night during the Royal Bliss concert. That is right. Awards under stage lights. A big crowd. A band beloved band waiting to play. Pretty cool vibe. That Yeti, Steve, at Snowbasin knows how to put on an event. And he is a pretty cool guy, too. Thanks.
We got home around 11 pm--20 hours after waking. Needless to say, I am still pretty wasted.

Super XC

2011-08-23T07:35:00.000-06:00

The Utah State Championship Series has concluded. It's in augural year was absolutely successful from a racer's perspective. A huge thanks to the sponsors (especially Ford!), the staff, and of course the volunteers.
This last event was dubbed a super cross country race meaning it was longer. My three laps, 36 miles, took 3:24. And it burned. The legs. The lungs. The heart (and not in a good way). And it was a bit warm, but not bad.
At the start, I had a good view of all that was taking place. I was off the back for the first bit. I knew I did not want to enter the single track last, but ET, LW, and JK were all wheel to wheel. The only place was in front of ET so I took it. I really did not feel I was up to leading the group but feared getting gapped off in the back.

In the front early

None the less my heart rate hit 182 about 7 minutes in with ET on my wheel. Not a good place for a longer style race. I was excited when she came around me. I expected her to drop me as she is a phenomenal climber. But she kept close. I would like to say that I kept her close, but I don't think that was the case.
We developed a pattern throughout the race. ET would pass me on the climbs and put some time into me. I would catch her on the descents and put some time into her. While this was carrying on, I still feared that LW would catch us/me at any moment. I was constantly looking for her.

Behind ET on the climb

Luckily, the last descent has a couple of techy spots and is longer. On my final lap, I was scared. I wanted/needed cushion between ET and myself before the short road climb to the finish. But I also did not want to take any risks and ultimately take myself out. I could not see ET, but pushed like mad up to the finish for second place well behind KS.
While I have yet to stand atop the podium in a race this year, I was able to take the series win. I look forward to doing this series again next year. Great venues, well run events, pay-outs, and a great end of the year raffle, the USCS is doing things right.

You know what really...

2011-08-14T17:56:00.000-06:00

...sucks: When you get up early to squeeze in a bike ride before your sisters wedding activities only to get set up and start pedaling up the trail and your perfectly tuned bike won't shift. Then you look down and see that the derailleur ate through the cable. And while I want to be mad at the derailleur, or more importantly the engineers who designed it, I have be upset with myself because this is not the first time said style derailleur has done this. Granted it has not happened in months, but still I am at fault for becoming complacent and not checking it periodically. I would like to say lesson learned, but we will see.

two remaining strands, but not enough tension to shift.

...could be irritating: When you rush home, grab another bike to ride because you could still fit some kind of ride in, and it is walk your dog down the middle of the road day in Mapleton. Granted some areas don't have formal side walks, but still the middle of the road?

...makes you understand why motorist don't care for cyclist. When you see two "roadies" (I use that term loosely as they were on road bikes and did have helmets, but I am not sure they really were roadies) blow a stop sign while making a left turn when the car to their left was there before them. It started to roll into the intersection and then had to stop again in order to not hit the two of them. Seriously! Seriously? I will roll a stop sign, but not if I am not the first one there. C'mon guys.

...is ironic. When your husband tries to squeeze in a mtb ride on his sister-in-laws wedding day between the activities only to have it cut short when his derailleur eats through his cable half way through the ride. So then he as to ride it as a single speed back to where the family is hanging out between activities--luckily it was mostly down hill as he was stuck in his 11t cog. As he too had become complacent as it had not happened in a while.

cable was completely severed

...makes you feel bad. When the morning after your sisters wedding reception where you did not get home until late, you make everyone wait for you to start riding because we had to replace two derailleur cables at 5 am in order to try and make it to PC for a 7 am ride. Seriously, sorry Adam, Keith, Bill, Karl and the gang.
...makes you itchy. The weeds! And while you have "weed armor", sometimes you don't know you need your "weed protection" until too late. There are some pretty weedy sections on the way to deer valley on the P2P course.


Chris modeling his weed protection-arm coolers and long socks

...makes you think. When your brother who is in town for the weekend, questions why you keep getting up at 5 am on your days off and the only explanation is to explain you want to ride your bike.
...is a lot of fun. Seeing your brother and his family from California for the first time in a long time and watching his cute little girls play with their only boy cousin. And having the whole family together--five sibling, now four in-laws, three nieces, one nephew, and grandma and grandpa together. So much fun! Welcome to the family, Jay.

A Little Bit of Everything

2011-08-06T17:59:00.001-06:00

It is always a good week when the bike love is shared among the fleet. This week I rode my Superfly, my road bike (twice!0, my single speed and my Hi-Fi. And it was filled with ups and downs.
While the fork on my Superfly was getting some TLC from a neighborhood mechanic, with the help of Adam loaning us an adapter I was able to use my spare Reba. It was short lived though. Chris stole it the next day for his Superfly100 as his shock was also in need of some love.
I rode my single speed with the girls on Thursday. It rained and was muddy so it was a good choice, but then we jumped on the road for a bit where it was only ok. It was fun though and I did not have to worry about any chain suck.
Then Keith joined us for a ride on Friday. I let Chris keep the fork and I rode my Hi-Fi. For a "kids" bike it does pretty well. Starting up the road, I was surprised how heavy and slow it was. Maybe the legs were still tired. I thought back to the Mt. Ogden 100K when I rode--I must have felt phenomenal that day. Something wasn't right, but I did not think much of it. It was creaking and we stopped to take a quick look. Nothing seemed to out of the ordinary other than the noise. The down hill was smooth, flowy and cushy on the full suspension. We climbed some more and I still felt slow and weak. On the final descent back to the car something was really wrong. The rear wheel did not spin while pedaling. It would free wheel but there was a ton of resistance with every pedal stroke. Son of a...! Luckily it was almost all downhill. We limped it back.
Today I used Chris Hi-Fi rear wheel and was surprised how good my little bike felt. There must have been resistance from the start yesterday and I just did not realize it. Today I was back to "normal". We met up with Justin, Richard, Branden, Keith, Tim and Jen for a ride. We started in Mill Creek (I have never been there before today) and climbed up and over to Park City above the Canyons, hit Mid-Mountain, climbed up to the Crest and came back. It was a beautifully, fun ride. Four hours or so in the saddle. No uncharacteristic resistance. Perfect riding for the 1X9 full suspension. It was a great day.

Keith, Me, Tim and Jen (hiding/stretching)

Me, Keith, Tim, Chris, Branden

Unbeknownst to us (Chris and myself), we lost Richard on the way back. He took a wrong turn and ended up descending the wrong canyon. I feel terrible. Next time we ride, we will have to use the "buddy system". Sorry Richard. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the trip down.
On the way home, we stopped by Mad Dog Cycles where Travis helped us replace my rear hub body on my Hi-Fi wheel. I have had the replacement part for about a year or so. Given yesterday's ride, it seemed like the perfect time for the fix. The cassette feels good, so we should be back in business.

It's Over

2011-08-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

The final ICUP race was held at Snowbasin this weekend. This course is brutal but fun. I felt good enough but could not hang with the true locals who got a gap and rode off the front. ET got by me on the climb, but then lost a chain on the descent allowing me to leap frog her. I thought she would catch me on the climb, but she never did. I kept looking over my shoulder expecting to see her right there.
It was dusty! Crazy how it took until the end of July to get that way.

ET, KB, SK, KC

Kevin, Kegan, Nick, Chris, Jake, Rich

This weekend was also Chris-N-KC's Weekend of Fun. It started on Friday. We got a condo in Huntsville and invited the team to stay with us. A few obliged. We pre-rode the course, had meat for dinner (and delicious broccoli slaw), and then hung out on the deck over look the lake. Beautiful.
Saturday was overcast and really comfortable for the race. It warmed up for awards. And then it was back to the condo for more food, rest, and relaxation. By early evening it was just Chris and me at the pad. We had an opportunity to spend time with Steve Andrus of SnowBasin and the Mt. Ogden race. Pretty cool.
Sunday I realized why I was so beat up from the race. Well, Chris really did. He asked if my fork was working. I assumed it was, but when I loaded it nothing. It did not budge even though it was unlocked. That made me feel a bit better. Now it is getting some much needed TLC from a mechanic.
We also took Monday off work. We had a reatively lazy morning for a work day. The threat of rain had us move our agenda up a bit. A road ride (yes, you read that right a ride on the road) up and over the Alpine Loop. I think it has been almost two years since I have done that. We got some mist coming down AF canyon but that is all for moisture on the ride. I lack trust for skinny little tires, but warmed up to them a bit by the end. We went out for lunch, watched a movie while it rained and then worked on bikes. We are playing musical forks.
This is going to sound weird, but usually I look forward to returning to work after taking a day or two off. Not so much this time. If I could make it happen, this past weekend would have lasted forever. It was just good times all around.
Thanks to all who participated. We are lucky to have such great friends, team mates, and competitors.

ICUP Pro W Overall: KC, ET, SK (not pictured)

Mad Dog one the ICUP team competition and were pretty stoked

I cannot believe the ICUP is over already. ET went home to melt in Vegas. Summer is coming to a close.

Not alot of Solitude

2011-07-28T11:15:00.000-06:00

It has not been uncommon for me to race by myself. My field tends to be small and we commonly get spaced out. I was anticipating this for the Solitude ICUP race.
First, I thought there was a chance I would be alone on the start line. There was Pro XC race in MT and I knew that some had plans to race it. I had not seen anyone before my warm up and started figuring out my game plan. Maybe I would do more distance (Ed let's us make changes on the start line if the group unanimously agrees and if I was by myself who would protest) but take it down a notch. Needless to say I was surprised to see ET pedaling around in the parking lot upon my return from pre-riding.
ET said the Katherine O'Shea was there too. Son of a...! So much for being just me and taking it easy. KO is the National Champion from Australia. She raced Deer Valley with Kathy while the rest of us chased for third. She is in PC for a bit to do some training and get some altitude. That is what I had heard anyway.
I obviously needed a new game plan. ET said she was going to go out with KO and see how long she could hold her wheel. I wished her luck and said I was going to do my own thing and hopefully rev up and find a nice race pace. I think I am done pegging it at the start. In fact, HC, Expert W, took off in front of me, but then sat up a bit to let me get in the single track before her. She should not have done that. I planned on coming around her by then.
While KO and ET put some distance on me at the start, I started seeing ET on the first double track climb. (Note: She was having a very off day). I was able to enter the next single track before her. She cheered me as I gapped her--she races like I do. I started to see KO as we continued to climb and climb.

Coming out of the descent

There were to steep pitches before the single track descent at the top of the course. KO did not carry momentum and had to really push through them. I was able to squeak by her and enter first. Yep, I passed a National Champion. This is one of my crowning achievements...and it was short lived.
I could hear and feel her as we descended. About half way down, I had wished I did not pass her. Why had I done that? Oh, yeah. Because I did not think she was descending so fast due to the fast as I caught her. When we got to the short road section before the start/finish, I let her by. I hate that last little descent and can never find my rhythm. At that point I was embarrassed for one of two reasons:
1. Because I passed her and she saw the way I descended.
2. Because I gave her a free pass in a MTB race.
(which is worse?)
I saw her most of the second lap but could never really close the gap. She put more time on me on the third lap, but I did see her once or twice.
None the less, it was still a really good day for me.

And Chris finished 1st because he is a stud.

Stealth Mode

2011-07-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

If you have been riding with me much this summer, no doubt you have heard me as I approached. As Chris said, I have one of the most expensive "wal-mart" bikes. It creaks like crazy. This is something I have just accepted. We were pretty sure it was coming from my rear hub, but have not been able to silence it or even really quiet it.
That was until last week.
Chris tore it apart (again) and lubed it up. This time he did a little bit more than before--o.k. he told me exactly what he did but I did not really follow it. None the less for our ride on Saturday, something was "wrong". I was pedaling and there was no noise. No creaking. No squeaking. Nothing...but I was moving. It was delightful!

A quite ride

And speaking of delightful, look at Chris' new ride. He is just plain giddy--you can't tell by the picture, but trust me. Although, he has had to retract his previous opinion of FS 29ers. He is hooked.

Chris' Superfly 100

Practically Perfect PC 50

2011-07-13T10:00:00.001-06:00

I was scared. More scared of a race than I have been for quite a while. Why? A multitude of reasons logical and not. Primarily though because I have not had a successful race in this type of format for quite a while (i.e. P2P and True Grit). Granted True Grit was a bit out of my control, but it still got to me.
Then I felt ill prepared. It dawned on me that I really have not done much endurance preparation. Usually, I will have put some distance in during the spring. That was not the case this year. Maybe it was the weather, but I could not recall doing a four hour ride let alone anything longer.
We did a little recon the Monday before putting in a four hour plus ride but at a pretty easy pace. We were not only coming into this race but also trying to recover from Dutch Hollow. Given the amount of climbing early, I devised a plan. I don't usually put a whole lot of planning into these events. I follow the advice once given that always seemed to work--ride as hard as you can for as long as you can. It was my mantra going into my first endurance race (Brian Head Epic) and worked until the P2P.
My plan was to start off conservative. Don't worry about who was going when. Just race my race. I set heart rate limits?! I figured 170 would be a good upper limit for the first half and then let it go after the second feed zone.
Calories. I usually eat a lot of solid food provided by the aid stations.This had me nervous as I have made some restrictive dietary changes lately in hopes of pleasing my body. I could break them but then risk having issues again. I opted to keep to the diet and rely heavily on calories my bottle. Well, really Camelbak.
I stuck to the plan...mostly. My legs felt really good climbing at 175 so I went with it. The whole point of keeping the heart rate down was to ward of cramps and keep the legs happy. If I could that at 175, why not? I picked my Camelbak from Lance at aid station one. And then refilled it at two. This took time. I think in the future, I will start with a Camelback and pick up another one along the route. This should be quicker. But what I did definitely worked.
This course followed some of the P2P course. Feeling good I just grinned as I flew by sections that I was suffering through last September. I recalled being in pain hardly able to pedal. But not this time.
After spending most of my day in fourth position, I ended up in third in the last ten miles or so. I still had "some in the tank" at the end but I ultimately accomplished my goals--and no cramps!

Snowbird at Dutch Hollow

2011-07-04T19:22:00.000-06:00

Dutch Hollow was a good time. Snowbird is still under snow. I did not take 4th but again there were only three of us. The course was great and my little bike held up well with the mix of stream crossings and dust.

Chris having GU issues and getting sticky on the start line.

It worked out well in the end though.

Trying to get some time on Heather while going through a water crossing.

A view from the event.

Still no flow

2011-07-01T07:36:00.000-06:00

So I seem to have misplaced my "flow". The last week or so, I just have struggled going down hill. It is not fluid, but almost choppy. It is driving me nuts.

Debris Field

Last night, Chris and I climbed up past the "snow slide" which has since melted. But dumped a ton of debris. They (I am not sure who they are but I am grateful to them) built a trail/track through the debris field so the trail can continue up. We were able to reach the snow slide again. I am not sure if this one is going to melt by the first snow this coming season.

Snow field from above

New end of the trail

As we were coming back down, just past the track through the debris field I went down twice...probably within the same minute. Seriously. The first one was nothing the special, I hit a rock and went down to the side. Whatever.The second one was a bit more spectacular. Based on the visible and felt contact points I must have again hit my front wheel this time on a somewhat hidden rock which caused my handlebars to twist. They, length wise, hit my chest/abdomen leaving an interesting abrasion. I then continued forward, hit the fat pad on my left hand (leaving a bruise). My head hit next and I forward rolled and hit my back/shoulder before coming to a stop.

Nothing too bad...but I miss my flow. If you by chance find it I would like it back.

Not my day.

2011-06-26T08:37:00.000-06:00

Some days are just better than others. I have felt good in my last couple of races, this was not so much the case in the 2nd Utah State Championship Series race held at Round Valley this weekend.
I started questioning things off the start. We took off right behind the Pro Men. My heart rate hit a mere 167 and my legs were already screaming. This is not a good sign for me physiologically. I was able to push through it and caught up to KB.
AC and ET had a bit of a gap, but they were still in sight. As we were descending, a tree jumped out in front of me--or maybe I overshot a corner. As I started to pedal I realized the tree had scared the chain right off of my bike into the cranks. So I had to dismount and put it back on. I lost a little time, but still felt there was a chance.
I again started to close in on KB. Lots of Expert guys were coming up on me now and wanting to pass. I tried to find a spot to yield the trail quickly thus to not negatively impact their races. At one time, I heard a guy behind me on another climby section. I yielded the trail but he declined. So I told him to let me know.
I was surprised when I did not hear a request for a bit. Then I hear a guy say there is a train of eight guys waiting. Ugh! Sorry! So, of course, I get out of the way soft pedaling for a bit as they pass. I feel terrible! Really, sorry guys. I would have moved sooner if I would have known.
About half way through my second lap I have KB in my sights, again. I think I am closing in and then it happens.KB must have started to feel better but I just lost it...motivation...the drive to push...everything. My bike starts to complain about having a dry chain and so it is not shifting well. I ask for lube as I come through the feed zones. No one, but Brandon acknowledges my request and he does not have anything. (Or so he says.) :)
My last lap was funny. I was okay to be riding my bike because the course was just fun. I was smiling, but I only had faint surges of "racing". Oh, well. Another 4th place. I seem to be collecting them this year.
Congrats to AC on the win. It was great to see you. Way to hold on ET through the pain. And KB nice comeback.
After the race, my body (i.e. gut) decided it hated me. It was a long trip home. I have got to get this figured out.

Frenemies?

2011-06-21T18:30:00.002-06:00

I thought so, but looking at the actual definition--a "friend" who really doesn't like you, nor you like she, yet you are drawn together by some sick dramatic bond--it definitely does NOT fit.
Maybe "fretitors"--friends but competitors. Anyway, a major reason why I enjoy ICUP races even though they always seem to humble me.

Sherwood Hills

2011-06-19T11:39:00.000-06:00

Pre-race focus?

I have always like Sherwood Hills. It goes back to when I raced Sport. This was the first race I felt I did well at. That day, I also took 4th, but the field was bigger. It is a shorter lap so we did four. I was really nervous about counting that high during the race. Funny, huh? I several times had to consciously figure out what lap I was doing. I attribute part of that to the funky start loop. None the less, I did do it correctly.
It seemed as though everyone felt pretty good. ET went from complete frustration the week before to putting her stamp on this week's race. I did not realize she had passed SK as both of them disappeared after the first lap.

Following Emma off the start loop

KB was not feeling so good coming into the race. She stayed behind me for most of the first lap. I struggled cornering and felt thrashed by the trail. After we finished the winding portions she came around me--likely dumb founded by my lack of ability. She invited me to go with her but I had been pinned at that point. She put a gap on me but I could see her most of the race.
At this point I was in 5th. KB eventually got around EG. I tried to stay focused and push. As I was finishing my 3rd lap, I tried to decide if I should come around EG now or wait. She was descending better than me--I seriously could not find my flow--but I felt like I was climbing faster at this point. Do I accelerate and try to gap her or sit behind and try to get her later? I decided to do it. As we approached the feed zone, I jumped out of the saddle and pushed. I got by with a little room. I kept the intensity up and try to be smooth going down hill. I kept looking for her. I was afraid she would come back. I was able to hold her off. I was off the podium but put in a great effort to the end.
And is it me or does that course have very little recovery.
It was another good day on the bike.

Chris

KC, Sarah, Erica, Kelsey, Emma

Pro Men podium

Getting a tutorial on hand ups--Thanks for the help

A Decent Deer Valley

2011-06-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

I felt pretty good. On the start line, I was not sure how I was going to feel. My warm-up did not feel great but it was not difficult either. The competition was tough per the usual. ET mentioned before the race that a new fast girl moved into Park City. Jokingly, she said expressed her dissatisfaction with faster people moving into the area. I reminded her that she is fast and while technically lives in Vegas spends her summers here just to race. I found her perspective funny given the circumstances. I have to agree though, it does seem as though faster girls are continuing to enter the I. Cup.

So the usual suspects were there and then some on the start line. I was nervous. In fact, I leaned over to KB on the start and stated that I was not feeling so good. Luckily it came together for me.
Off the start we were all together. We tried to find our places on the climb. ET had bike issues and fell back. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would return to the group. The duo from Ogden (O-town to the cool kids) were just in front of me. I followed KB on the first lap. She was riding steady but not pushing as hard as I felt I could. I came around her as we started the second lap and eventually caught SK. I was able to get by her for a bit, but then bobbled a switch back. We rode together to the start of our final lap.
On the third lap we started the single track with an Expert Male between us. As we finished the first descent I realized that I focused on the guy and lost SK. I chased and got close but could not close in on her. Son of a...!
Oh, well. I felt good and had a fun race finishing 4th. (First and 2nd were off the front from the start.)
A couple of items. First the guy I tried to pass but ended up running into a tree while chasing down SK on my final lap. I apologize if I misunderstood you. I thought you were yielding the trail. None the less, I would like to apologize for the miscommunication and/or if I disrupted your race.
And a note to self: It is OK to be more aggressive. If you want to pass, simply say as much. That is all.

Broken Promises

2011-05-29T07:53:00.000-06:00

A number of years ago, Chris and I were introduced to the Dry Canyon Loop. I don't remember how it happened, but it turned out to be a significant event. It is easily the most ridden portion of trail by the Holley's. It is the give-in for our choices of trails when riding at the mouth of the Provo canyon.
There is one portion of this trail though that has caused me some angst--the pipe. Chris started riding it not long after we discovered the trail. I was a bit apprehensive and would dismount and walk down and around it. As I felt I might try it, Chris discouraged me. If you are off balance it is a big drop. This was an easy out for me so I was indifferent. Then I started to feel as though I wanted to ride it. Chris continued to discourage me and had me promise not to ride it. I consented. I promised not to ride it.
Time continued to pass. More and more riders were riding it, while I continued to dismount. I knew I could ride it. I stopped even looking at it because of the aforementioned promise. What was the point? I started to get frustrated that I was not allowed to do it.
This spring has been especially frustrating for me in general. I don't know if it is the weather (i.e. lack of really nice weather) or what. I have felt more dissatisfaction while riding then ever before. Friday was especially tough. I was just angry while on my bike. And then we approached the pipe. Chris simply jumped on it and smoothly rode down. I dismounted, carried my bike down the rock steps, set my bike down, got situated, and started again. I had had it. Next time I was riding it.
Yesterday we rode again. Life and riding was better in general. I thought about when I would tell Chris my decision. As we approached the section of trail before the pipe I told him. I expected some heeding or words of caution. Nothing. Interesting. I rolled up onto the pipe and put a foot down. I just wanted to look at it from the top. I turned around and then Chris realized what I had said and what I planned on doing. He started scrambling around trying to put his bike down or something. I went up the trail a bit, remounted my bike and did it. It was smooth. I "smoked the pipe" as they say.

Smoking the pipe

Chris made me stop and talk to him for a bit after the stairs (the end of the next section of trail). He said that he wished I had not done that. Something about being worried or nervous. I told him I would be careful. He still did not seem too pleased.

The Official Soldier Hollow Race

2011-05-24T17:00:00.002-06:00

First, I want to express my gratitude to the staff at Soldier Hollow and Ed for providing two different courses. It was readily apparent that they put in a lot of work to get these two courses prepared for racing. It did not go unnoticed.

Before

My race on Saturday was a bit funny in retrospect. I felt really good off the start. The top climb was nice and steady. Coming off the top was a little bit comical. I was just surprised at some of the difficulty individuals had descending the muddy, slick section. My assumption is they simply were stuck in their "fast" mode when really "cautious" mode was smoother and ultimately faster. The last portion of the lap was fast and rolling. Fun in a painful sort of way.

During

About half way through my second lap or so, I started to fade. I did not hit a wall, but slowly was losing ground. I was struggling. I think I may not have fueled well before hand being thrown off a bit by the late start. Please note, I was definitely grateful we started later as it had a positive impact on the course.

After: Dwight, Brad, KC, Chris, ET

So within one lap I went from first to last as Erica passed me right as we started the final lap. And then she proceeded to drop me like a stone. She did graciously offer words of encouragement as she went by.

Last place had its perks though. I was closest to the lucky number and scored a crazy cute Kuhl skirt. As skirts go, I think it is my favorite.

Chris on course

For the second week in a row, Chris and I were even in our placements, granted he had to beat more people than I did. A pair of threes last week and twos this week for the Holleys.
And congratulations to Heather Clark on her race. Very impressive. While she thinks it was a bit of a fluke she did so well, I know she is going to fit in well with the Expert girls.

Sundance, Soldier Hollow, or Both?

2011-05-17T18:47:00.001-06:00

This past weekend was the Sundance ICUP race. Unfortunately, Sundance was still under quite a bit of snow so the event was held at Soldier Hollow. Yes, that means we would race Soldier Hollow two times in a row. I am not so excited about that, but the course this past week was drastically different than the normal course which will be this weekend.
We pre-rode this new course on Friday. I was not sure what to make of it. Most individuals who raced the Wednesday night world cup, which was actually on Thursday, were not so impressed. The course on Saturday was much better. In fact, improvements were made between Friday evening and Saturday morning. In the end, it was not a bad route for a race.
My one qualm was the swamp section through the start. Why did we have to ride through the mud and gunk? We could have easily just stuck to the road and avoided it. Each time I rode through it I got angry. (Dan, that is my rant. Not so impressive, I know.)
Ultimately, I had a good day on the bike. On the start line, I thought it could go either way. I thought I might not feel so good and was pretty nervous. I had taken steps to be recovered from 12 Hours of Mesa Verde and it seemed to work fairly well.
The weather was warm, but not too hot. Then about 10 minutes after we left awards, we noticed the sky was pretty dark. And within minutes, rain was falling. Not bad timing wise.

Waiting for awards w/ Chris and Tex

New Wheels

2011-05-16T22:22:00.001-06:00

Actually the wheels are not new, but the ride is.
Part one of the great parts swap of 2011 is complete. New Trek Superfly frame, new Reba fork, new seat post, saddle (another Tioga Spyder), seat clamp, headset, bottom bracket, and Sram XO front derailleur, cassette, chain rings and of course chain. Re-used SRAM XX shifters, cranks, brakes, and rear derailleur, Bontrager stem and handle bars. Resulting in an equally fantastic ride.

Mesa Verde Again

2011-05-09T13:29:00.000-06:00

We headed down to Cortez, CO this past weekend to partake in the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. It is no secret that Chris and I enjoy the 12 hour duo format, but this is one of our favorite courses. It is held on Phil's Word and that Phil guy knows what makes for ~~good~~ great mountain biking. And to make it even better, there is a big contingency of local riders that also skip out on the ICUP race for this event.
My first lap was rough. I have had more lower back pain on the bike lately and it started screaming really early. I crashed about five weeks ago and messed up my shoulder pretty good. It ranges from achy to painful, but I think the soft tissue damage might be contributing to this. I had taken some ibuprofen, but I knew I was in for a long day. Luckily though we have great friends. Per the usual, we camped with Matt and Josh (2nd duo) and the compound expanded to include Larry (6th solo geezer), Dan and Chuck (3rd duo), and Bryan, Derrick, and Steve (15 men's team). This meant that Joan was there too.
Joan is great. And as a massage therapist (see J Mower Massage), she always offers to work on us. I have never felt the need, but this time I was willing to give it a try. The difference between my first and second lap was phenomenal. Not so much time wise, but I felt so much better. I barely felt my back and my shoulder felt better also. There might be something to this whole massage movement. My third and fourth lap definitely slowed and I was cooked by the end. I felt badly that Chris had to go out for a fifth lap.

Chris-KC

There was some stiff competition this year too. Not just for the overall but even within our category. I was pretty nervous the whole day. Chris was able to get us some cushion and I was able to not lose too much. Congrats to the many Mad Dog, Revolution, and other local teams.
And it has been raining all day today...just saying.

I tried...

2011-04-29T17:49:00.000-06:00

It is snowing...again. I try not to complain about the weather and I feel like I am pretty realistic in my expectations. For example, I expect that April will have its fair share of cooler weather. In fact, I anticipate that there will be some cold, wet days and even the occasional snow shower through June. I would like to emphasize the words "some" and "occasional".
April has been unexpectedly cold, not just cool, but cold in my opinion. And wet. (Those May flowers had better be phenomenal!) Thus riding has been pretty hit or miss. And it has seemed more miss. That could be primarily that the hit days landed on what turned out to be more of a miss or partial miss day due to my schedule.
On a hit day, though Chris and I were exploring the trails above Timpanagos Park to see what was dry and ridable. We continued up from the altar on the Great Western Trail (?). The trail was in good shape and then we ran into a big old pile of snow that someone dumped in the middle of the trail. We had to turn around. Luckily almost everything else has dried out...or was.

Snow on the trail

A little perspective on the amount

(Girl)Friends

2011-04-24T08:49:00.000-06:00

I work for the company that is (was now) the title sponsor of the Women's Expo this weekend. They have been sponsoring this event for the last couple of years and so they offer free tickets. At first I was like "eh" about it. But this year, I thought maybe I would try to go. Then I started thinking of who I might have accompany me as I am pretty sure you don't go to one of these events by yourself. I started thinking of my friends and realized that maybe I don't have so many. Well, at least not of the female persuasion who live in the area, would be in the area (and not riding bikes), etc. I did come up with a couple of names of some neighbors (i.e. ward members) but it would not be convenient for them to work around my riding schedule.So alas, I had a more typical "women's expo" for me this weekend--MTB riding.
I had the great pleasure in attending the first race of the Utah State Championship Series. It was held at Lambert Park on a short, but incredibly fun course. Dangerously fun really. Being as fast and flowy as it was, there is some danger around lap 3 and 4 when fatigue starts to set in. I was safe, but I did see a spectacular crash from a gentlemen on a high end Trek FS. He bounced up though and was okay (or the adrenaline did not let him know otherwise).

After awards where Sarah got a check that was almost as big as she is, she, Kelsy, and Nick joined Chris and myself for some more UT county riding. We hosted them on the Dry Loop which was anything but dry. After picking up some food and eating it on the way, we hit rain in Orem. Son of a... But they had driven down and were troopers.

Nick, Chris, Kels, and Sarah at the iconic altar

Chris, Nick, Kels getting ready to descend

Sarah getting to the top

See I have friends they just happen to live in Ogden... or Vegas... or be in Moab riding bikes.

Excuses.

2011-04-06T17:49:00.002-06:00

As a MTB racer, I feel I should offer some excuses for my performance on Saturday. I probably should have laid some ground work before the race. None the less, here is what I have come up with (including some commentary):

1. It was uncharacteristically warm. But then again, it was probably hot for everyone. Even those from Vegas commented on the heat.
2. My bike still has not fully recovered from the previous weekend. My rear derailleur is limited not allowing access to my biggest cog. I am not sure I actually needed this cog as the course was pretty flat
3. My water bottle popped open and let's be honest we were all conserving every drop on Saturday. That had to have cost me 15 seconds at least.
4. I got tangled up while trying to pass. Phast Dan was there. Or was that Terd Ferguson? Again losing up to 30 seconds.

Honestly though I had a good race. My heart rate was higher than I have seen it for a while. (I think my recovering strategy is working.) It also remained relatively high throughout the race. I even led for a bit-after

Kathy took a wrong turn and Erica got some nasty chain suck. I kept quoting the line from Rat Race, "I'm winning. I am winning!" I reveled in it as I knew it would not last.
So now, I need to figure out how to get truly fast because right now I am not.Or maybe I am at that point in my career where I should turn into a single speeder.

Erica (2nd), Kathy (1st), Me (3rd), Jill (4th)

After the race, I attempted to do a cool down lap. I stopped to fill my bottle and then started out on the course again. I could not grab my handlebar with my left hand. My palm hurt like crazy. I thought it was odd and I assumed that due to the heat, my hand was cramping. OK, so I may have been oxygen deprived, dehydrated and hot. I shook it out after a few minutes, but could only grasp the bar gingerly. My palm was swollen and sore for a couple of days afterward. It just slowly got better. It was weird though.

Truely Gritty

2011-03-30T17:33:00.000-06:00

This post is late. I have spent most of my non-work time with family commitments or working on my bike (i.e. helping Chris work on my bike). The BB was shot. A jockey wheel need some cleaning and lubing. New chain and chain rings--which may not be compatible with my cassette. Replace derailleur cable. That was just my bike which only made it to Barrel Roll.

On the start line

I DNFed. I was not taken out by anyone but myself or my bike as the case may be. I was feeling good. I was racing smart. But while I was having a good day my beloved bike was having the worst day in its history.

As your probably have heard, the 10% chance of rain started a short 30 minutes into the race. And that 10% chance must have been the 10% of the area that encompassed the race course. As it rained continuously. Not a hard rain, but nice and consistent. I actually did not realize how wet I actually was for quite some time.
My bike started having issues early—about half way through Zen. The chain kept getting sucked up between my crank arm and chain stay. There is little room there and I am surprised the chain even fit. None the less, it happened repeatedly. I fell over once on a steep section of the trail even though I got out of my pedal there was no place to go but down. I started losing spots as I was pulling my chain out and/or attempting to clean and lube my chain. (Luckily at the last minute, I opted to carry lube and a rag with me as opposed to just having it at the aid stations. See smart racing.) I would climb back just to lose positions again. (Thanks Dave for helping me out.)

Leaving Zen after cleaning and lubing my bike

I caught back up again. And things started to look good. The chain was lubed and running smooth…for a while. I came up on Lynda on Rim Runner. She was emotional about everything. In my simplistic mentality, we talked about rerouting the course and just heading back. We spoke to Eszter (and Christine) and it seemed like a plan. We made our way to Barrel Roll. I was a bit behind as my chain issues were back and tore off the metal guard on the chain stay. When I rolled up they had given their names and were headed to Lynda’s house. Here is where it dawns on me that I am taking a DNF. I am not so sure about it. They all ride away and I remain there thinking.

DNF or go on?

I make a half hearted attempt to ride Barrel Roll. I am cold now. There is standing water on the entire trail. My bike lost its protective cover on the chain stay already so any chain suck will start digging into the carbon fiber stay. I ask myself what I am doing. I start to choke up. I turn back on Precipice and give them my number. I am done. I pansied out. I quit. I was not happy.

Then Carson and Karl came by in Carson’s impeccably clean vehicle asking if I needed a lift. (My knights in a shining SUV.) They had dry clothes and blankets—giving Chad, Brady and myself a lift back.

Chris a finisher with True Grit

Clean and getting warm

Note to self—things that I did right:

1.       Plenty of recovery (Sunday off, Monday off, Tuesday hard ride, Wednesday easy with a couple of shorter hard efforts), Thursday and Friday off
2.       Stayed relaxed and rode behind Lynda and Eszter at the start. Kept (tried to) keep them in view.
3.       Drank calories from the start
4.       Remained calm when I fell back and slowly reeled people in

The Aftermath

2011-03-27T15:49:00.000-06:00

We are beginning to assess the damage. It is not looking good especially for Chris. His prize money and then some is pretty much spent. As an example, here is where a brake pad once resided. Amazingly it stayed in place after wearing thru the spring.

March Madness

2011-03-20T09:57:00.000-06:00

As we rode into town the weather looked ominous. Chris comments that we should have gone to Moab. I shrug my shoulders. I had thought about it. I got up early and checked the weather forcast for Moab and compared it to Provo. Both were windy. Moab had sunshine and would be warmer, but Provo was not supposed to be too chilly. We had plans to ride at home and I did not think the weather looked so much better to be worth the drive.
The original plan was to ride from Springville into Provo. But the high wind advisory had us change our mind. The wind was from the South also so we would be feeling its wrath on the way back as opposed to when we were fresh. So we opted to just meet everyone in Provo.
There was a small group that steadily diminished--Carson, Keith*, Phast Dan*, Adam, Larry, Chuck and Jon (though I never saw them), Chris and myself.
We hit just about everything twice. We even tried Bonneville by Bridal Veil. We got a little ways up before hitting snow. Chris and I rode for close to four hours before throwing in the towel. Phast Dan was not done though and headed back out when everyone else was done--and he was on a single speed with a 19. All I have to say is I am a wimp.

I was glad I had thrown on a new rear tire. The Maxxis Ikon had more bite. This week was great. I rode outside on dirt five out of six days. And the day I took off was not even a day that I couldn't ride but a day I consciously took off the bike. A week like this in March reminds me how good life really is.

* Rember when these guys used to update their blogs? Um. That was cool, huh?

It is official

2011-03-17T18:38:00.000-06:00

First installment of trek 29er crew shwag. This time of year is exciting!

Another Flat

2011-03-15T19:53:00.001-06:00

Chris found this in his Maxxis Ikon this weekend while fixing a flat (obviously). I don't know any tire could have withstood this.

I lack discipline

2011-03-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

As a MTB I lack discipline. I think some may find it surprising, but I really do. I am well motivated to train and ride hard. My struggles and lack of discipline are in recovering.
I had chocked this up to a simple fact: I cannot recover on my MTB . And for obvious reasons, Chris HATES the idea of me road riding. He was bound and determined to prove me wrong.
Yesterday, was the day. Bonneville Shoreline was the proving grounds. I rode easy for two hours. My goal was to keep my heart rate below 140. Chris "allowed" short spikes above that but was constantly asking me how I was doing and where was my heart rate. The first 30 minutes were torturous. Seriously, why would anyone ride like this? Oh, yeah to recover. It did get better and became a bit enjoyable. In the end Chris was right, I did it. I finished our two hour ride having kept my heart rate in my recover zone and feeling unstressed physicially.
Today is the true test though. Will it have been worth it? Will I feel good?

Denied

2011-03-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Chris and I had grandiose plans after the Red Rock Rampage. We stayed down in St. George through today (Monday). We were denied though. We woke up this morning to rain. We thought we could be patient and wait it out. It surely could not carry on like this. It did. So when 10 am came and it was still raining and did not look as though it would let up, we left defeated.
Ah...it was worth a try. Yesterday's weather was pretty nice. We had an opportunity to pre-ride almost all of the Tru Grit course.We cut out the lower portion of Bear Claw Poppy but did the rest--assuming we stayed on the course. We rode on and off with a variety of individuals including the younger Gibson bros (Chuck and Greg), Kenny and Heather, Duff, Chad, Sarah and Noah. With this group we could carry a nice pace. I was surprised at how technical some of the course was. Nothing too crazy, but quite a few obstacles that can be intimidating. I am also glad that we are hitting Barrel Cacti and Zen early on as opposed to the end.

Our drive back was snowy and slick. Chris did point out that this is the first trip we had to take with winter driving conditions, so we can't complain too loudly. It was a great weekend. Thanks to all with whom we shared it. It was great seeing you and/or spending time with you.

And some photos from the race:

Zazoosh

Photo by Jen Hanks

Photo from Jen Hanks

ICUP #1 for 2011

2011-03-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

The season has officially started. I think it is off to a good start. The Red Rock Rampage was yesterday. There were a lot of women racing. I lined up one of seven which is a decent sized field for my class, especially with two regulars out on medical leave. (We missed Erika and Jen.) The Expert and Sport Women had double if not more. That is so exciting. It is so cool to see MTB growing among females.
I finished behind Lynda, Sarah and Erica. While I would have liked to finish on the podium, I have so much respect for each for each of my competitors. I was pretty close for a bit but then lost some time. It is obviously early in the season and I hope to get stronger. But I did feel good. After struggling last year, I am really pleased with how I felt.

Lydia, Erica, Lynda, Sarah, KC

And the weather! Seriously I don't think it gets any better. As Chris put it, he never even thought about the weather during the race. It was never hot climbing. It was not cool descending. It was not windy. I could not have asked for anything different. What a great weekend to be in Utah's Dixie.
And did you see Phast Dan?

It's coming!

2011-02-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

My 2011 race season is on the brink of starting. I am excited for what this season holds, but as always nervous at the same time. Every race brings this mix of emotions for me. This year brings a new race series and a couple of new events in which I plan to participate. My hope is that this season goes better than last. While I would not call last season unsuccessful, I did not feel as good overall I would have hoped. In fact Solitude and the Mt. Ogden 100K were the two highlights of my season. I truly felt good at these races.
Besides the race experience, I am anxious to see friends again after a long winter break. I love MTB and MTB people.

We found pothole arch...finally!

2011-02-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

We finally got to ride Amasa Back again. We have not ridden it for-ev-er. That last time we attempted this trail, we were turned away due to a man hunt.
There is a shoot off of Amasa Back called Pothole Arch. We have ridden this numerous times. At the end or turn around we always look for the infamous "Pothole Arch" but have never seen it. This weekend I turned around and was right there. Chris could not believe that we have missed it this whole time. I think it just happened, and whoever built the trail simply new it would appear. That makes much more sense.

Pothole Arch

It is just a little arch

If there was a highlight reel to our ride on Amasa Back it would have featured me falling over time and again. Had there been any on lookers, they would have thought I was a beginner. I would get to a point where I would need to unclip, but not be able to do so. I would end up clipped in and on my side or falling down a rock. Chris suggested that I check my cleats and possibly clean them. They did not look that bad, but I scraped some dried mud out and that fixed it. I was able to easily pull my foot out of my pedal before falling over. That made trying obstacles much easier.

Moab was much cooler than we anticipated. In fact, I think it was warmer in SL county than in Grand county. The trails were in a weird condition. For the most part they were either sandy and loose or wet or muddy--but not usually too muddy. It was a delightful weekend in SE UT.

Frozen river down town

A little ice out by Amasa Back

Some ice on Cane Creek Rd

Sharing treats atop Potash Rd.

Chris out in a rock field (Sovereign)

We have never really noticed the landscape before this.

The MTB Three Bears

2011-02-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Bonneville was a bit more soupy today than it has been. It was not bad, but just a bit wet. This did not sit well with our drive trains. About half way through the ride, Phast Dan was stuck in his big chain ring due to chain suck. I was stuck in my small chain ring for the same reason. But Chris' drive train was "just right".
In anticipation to the muck, I put quite a bit of lube on my chain, but apparently it was not enough. It was still enjoyable getting out.

Chris and Dan

A mud spotted KC

Camp Lynda

2011-02-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

It was Camp Lynda 4.0, but my first time attending. I have missed for a variety of reasons--intimidation, travel (for work), weather, etc. I was pretty excited to be down in St. G and participating last weekend and it did not disappoint. We rode some favorites, found some new access points, and even new trails. The weather was delightful which matched the trail conditions.
It was also great to spend time with MTB friends that I have not seen for a while and meeting new people.

Noah, Alex, Matt, Chris Day 2

Day 1

Day 2: Matt, KC, Chris, Karl

Day 2: KC, Chris, Erica

The End: KC, Erica, Adam

Photos courtesy of Facebook Friends

Homecoming

2011-01-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Reality Check

2011-01-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Chris on Church Rocks

KC N Chris on Zen (photo by Karl)

KC starting Church Rocks (photo by Karl)

Chris atop Sidewinder, of course

Noah, Carson, Karl, and Chris making a decision

We spent the weekend in the glorious sunshine of St. George hitting most of the trails we wanted. (A few still seemed like they would be questionable mud wise). I pushed hard. We rode for a bit over eight hours in total. My average heart rate was 150-156 depending on the ride. In total I probably average around 154 give or take a beat/minute. According to my VO2 max, I burn around 675-700 calories per hour at this rate. If I give myself the benefit of the doubt and call it 700 calories per hour for eight hours, that is a total of 5600 calories. That sounds pretty good until I stopped to think about it. To burn a pound of fat, it takes a 3500 caloric deficit! If I did not replace any of those calories (and I assure you I did), I would at best have lost 1.6 pounds.How do those contestants on the Biggest Loser drop weight the way they do!
While I likely did not lose much excess mass, I did have lots of fun.Thanks to Carson, Karl, Scott, and Noah for spending some pedal time with us. It is always a good time.

Back on the bike but off it too

2011-01-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the gunk is out of my lungs, so I started riding again. Not so much outside though. The weather has been frigid, air quality is bad, and lots of snow makes it very difficult. And I don't like to ride on the road unless I have full access to the shoulder which is presently occupied with snow/ice.
We did try to ride above the inversion on snow pack. But Friday evening the Alpine Loop was not ridable for either Chris or myself. We pushed our bikes for about 20 minutes up, turned around and road maybe half of it back down.
Saturday we were back at Aspen Grove but this time for snow shoeing. (We saw Tim and Jen coming down the by Sundance. They had an experience similar to ours the night before.) Our goal Saturday was to "hike" to Stewart Falls. We never made it there, but got in 1:45 of physical activity. I thought it was fun--not MTB fun but what is? I just enjoy being outside and moving around after being cooped up for such a long time.

Somewhere up there, looking back

A skier swishing down--Chris was missing his snow board.

Above where we went

Chris "waving" in his lobster gloves.

And being watching Erica and Heather's blogs. They both have some pretty exciting news coming.

Providential Living

2011-01-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

I caught a super bug. Its resistance to antibiotics is not what is making me categorize it as a "super bug" but its intensity. In fact, antibiotics are working fairly well, but not before it took me out. It was in my throat and lungs. Though coughing was strictly forbidden out of fear--each needed cough was stifled as much as possible. While I was sure it was strep throat due to the INTENSE pain, my throat culture came back negative. The doctor took pity on me none the less and still gave me some antibiotics (my ears did not look good in his opinion) and more importantly at the time something for the pain.
Now I am feeling better but still have some gunk in the lungs. As I have always heard that one can exercise with a head cold but it is best to take it easy with a chest cold, I have been trying to avoid working out. This is always a struggle for me. So I have been trying to find things to do while taking it easy.
One thing we did was break out our new grain grinder my parents got us for Christmas. It went perfectly with the wheat, oats and rice that we received from Chris' dad.

The new grinder

I wanted a hand grinder because if things are supposed to get bad then we likely won't have electricity to grind said wheat, oats, etc. And I honestly like doing some things "the old fashion" way. I often will mix my cakes by hand--sans electric beater. One time I even tried to the do the same with whip cream. Chris laughed at me. Apparently that does not work. Who knew?

Chris after his ride.

Things to do when one can't or shouldn't ride her bike...grind wheat, oats, and rice. Now I need to figure out something to make with all this new flour.

Moab Day Trips

2010-12-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

With all the snow we have been receiving, we have take solace down south a couple of times. The first was on Christmas Eve. The plan was to do some MTB riding and then have a little time for Chris to take his Gas-gas out. Well due to a lack of planning which resulted in what seemed like endless mechanicals, we spent the entire allotted time riding MTB and no time was left for the trials bike.
So we tried it again a few days later. We each took Tuesday off and headed down again for a repeat. We fixed what needed on our respective bikes. This ride went better. Well, I still keep getting my trash kicked on Sovereign, but the lack of mechanicals was better. I can't seem to muster my technical skills, fitness, and courage to sustain the entire route. Something always seems to give out and I ended up frustrated.On our second try Chris was able to take his "new bike" out.

Getting ready

So these are not our usual rides (bikes).The majority of our shocks are in the shop/being sent back to Sram--both XX forks from our Superflys and Chris rear shock from his Hi-Fi. None the less, we were still able to find something to ride. If you look close you can see Chris' trials bike mounted to the back of the car. Chris made a pretty cool rack for the Wagon.

We started at the parking lot just North of the river outside of town. In fact, we did not enter Moab for either of these trips. We never made it over the bridge, but I think the bridge might be completed.We then take the newly paved old highway which is not a path up to the Bar M trails.

They (I am not sure who "they" are but I am pretty fond of them) have been adding trails to the Bar M area. We rode Lazy and attempted EZ. As we started on Lazy Chris proclaimed it his new favorite trail--it was that good! EZ is having a bit of a tumble weed problem. Hopefully the fence will go up soon to remedy this issue. I anticipate EZ will be equally joyful.

Just across from Lazy/EZ is Deadman's Ridge which will take you directly to Bar B. Chris has always said the biggest problem with Bar B is that it is too short. Deadman's Ridge is essentially an extension of Bar B--same type of riding. Problem solved! According to the maps, Deadman's Ridge extends beyond Bar B and spits out to the old highway/newly paved path. It is still under construction, but once finished we will need to capitalize on this also. The portion to Bar B is great fun though.

They are also working on a trail or loop beyond Lazy/EZ, called the Back 40. We are looking forward to this completion. Again, I don't know who they are but they are good.

A view of Deadman's Ridge from Lazy/EZ

Chris starting Lazy/EZ

Chris on EZ

I have to get Chris to "fix" my seat. Those devil horns keeping snagging my shorts.

Chris glove fell in such a way to sum up our frustration with mechanicals on Christmas Eve.

The plan was to be on Moab again today. This time with Erica (Tingey), Jen (Hanks) and Erin (Collins), but I totally wimped out. With the chance of winter driving conditions and a high in the 20's, it did not seem that enticing. Hopefully, we will get another, better chance.

Crosstraining

2010-12-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Shoveling is great cross training but this is getting RIDICULOUS!

A Belated Birthday Party

2010-12-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago or so, I was in Moab riding with Chris having a really great time. It hit me that this--mountain biking--would be a great way to celebrate my birthday. So I sent out a mass email and invited people to join me. To be honest, I did not get that great of a response and then as the date approached, it seemed as if interest was continuing to fade. I fully expected it to be just Chris, myself and maybe a couple of friends.
To my surprise, we have more friends than we expected. A group shot was taken, but I have not seen it yet, so I am going from memory as to who was in attendance:
Keith, Adam, Ty, Heather and Jed, Gayle and Paul., Jeff and Emily, Jen and Tim, Tiffany, Chad, Cody, Brad, (his friend) Craig, Dave and Lynda, and then Phil and Cathy (sort of). I was blown away. We can rarely get anyone to join us for a ride, let alone a weekend trip!
And it was delightful! The weather was warm and sunny. The trails were in good condition. It was a bit difficult to keep everyone together, but I think we did alright.
One day one, we rode the race course, Zen, Barrel Cacti to Stucki Springs, Barrel Roll, Rim Rock, and back through the wash or some variation. In retrospect, I think I was the only one who rode all of that--Chris (and Chad) unfortunately missed most of Zen due to a mechanical. Day two we parked in Coral Canyon by the Harely dealership and rode Church Rocks and Prospector. We caught a snack at Red Rock Campground being careful not to disrupt anything and back again.

I did not get any photos of day one as Chris had the camera. Here are some pix from day two though.Thanks to all those who could join me. It was a great weekend.

Getting Ready

Out on Prospector

Coming down Church Rocks

Grabbing a drink

Check out that sky!

As I mentioned previously, I broke my pedal last week mid trail and had to borrow one. Incidentally, Chris had already purchased some of the new eggbeater pedals as a birthday gift. Practically perfect timing.

Expensive pedals let's me know he cares

And this is the most recent addition to our bike collection. It is a bit different from what we normally get, but Chris has wanted one for years. I am excited that he finally got it.

Chris practicing on his new trials bike

He just attempted a wheelie and was a bit successful--he still needs to get a helmet.

Trials bike or not a trials bike? Trials bike!

November

2010-12-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

November was a crazy month for me. I spend the week after Frog Hollow and the week after Thanksgiving traveling for work. None the less, I did not do as much riding as I would have liked. We usually put in miles and hours down south over the holiday weekend, I instead spent it traveling. In fact I spent six days doing no physical activity. That is crazy for me and I don't like the way I feel because of it. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things...my normal kinda life.

I went out for a ride today. And I broke my pedal. Chris is my hero though. I called to see if he had anything in the car that I could use. He didn't so I was going to turn back after only riding for 30 minutes. I was disappoint, but what could I do. He insisted that I call around and see if I could locate something. He would use his lunch bread to pick it up and bring it to me. Racer had something I could borrow. I dropped off the trail a bit, removed the broken pedal. He threw the new one on and I was ready to go again. Thanks Chris and Racer!

A broken spring

While I really did not have any time to enjoy it, this is what I left:

Batu Ferringhi Beach (Penang, Malaysia)

Batu Ferringhi means Foreigner Rock

I came home to this. At least I can enjoy it, although I probably should not breath too deep.

So November is gone with its preparing to travel, traveling, and catching up from travels I don't feel like I have done much. Hopefully December will treat me better and then I can start getting serious again in January.

Winter Riding Is Here

2010-11-21T17:25:00.002-07:00

I returned from Taiwan last weekend and was excited to ride my bike. The only bike available was my Rig single speed. While maybe not the optimal bike, I was still excited. After not riding for a week, I felt really strong. It was a great day to be on my single speed. It made me think maybe I should have done absolutely nothing between Mt. Ogden (100K) and Park City Point to Point. Hmmm....
Then the weather got cold. I had to ride inside and did some cross training--running.
Chris and I have some vacation days we need to burn through so we took Friday off. While we were going to go to Moab, we decided to the stay local for the day. Most of the lower stuff in Provo Canyon was in great condition. Things got wet and muddy above the altar. We ran into some lunch riders and even hooked up with Kenny and Miles for a bit. We also saw Jeff Jarvie and one of his friends. Jeff had a new Superfly 100--pretty sweet.

Chris approaching the Altar

The gully on Area 51

On Friday evening, we left and met Keith in Moab. The plan was to ride with him on Amasa Back and then while he had an afternoon meeting, we would ride something else. Maybe Porcupine Rim.
We started up Kane Creek Blvd and were met by a road block. Some guy shot a Park Ranger near Poison Spider parking lot the night before. Maybe it was Phast Dan. He is into guns lately, but I don't think he would shoot a park ranger. They were still looking for the guy and due to the proximity--just across the river--they evacuated this area also and no one was allowed to enter.

Kane Creek Blvd Road Block

Given the situation we decided Keith probably had enough time to fit in Porcupine Rim. So we headed to the school, our usual "trail head" for this ride.The wind was blowing pretty hard. And it felt as if we consistently had a head wind. I am not sure how that happens. We maybe caught a tail wind 10% of the ride even though we rode a loop. There was also snow at the top, but it was not that cold.

SNOW!

Keith heading down the trail

Closing the loop from Porcupine Rim

Potash Rd Road Block

After parting ways with Keith, Chris and I headed out to Sovereign. We were both pretty spent after Porcupine given the wind. So we wimped out and started at Chuck Wagon as a trail head. We ran into a large group of trials bike riders. Chris was enchanted. He just picked one up and is excited to get it running.

A view from our turn around point on Sovereign

Chris taking some water, again.

Photos N' Such

2010-11-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

That is what I look like running in cycling clothes. Weird. That is the cheer leader that beat me.

On the final (parade, lunch) lap.

Lap one

Another of the parade lap

Lap three--the final day lap

KC & the Sunshines (Jill, Erica, Jen) atop the podium minu the KC

I don't think we ever got a full team photos. That's a bummer. Thanks again to Jen, Jill, and Erica for playing mtb racing with me in S. Utah. Good times. Fastest female lap results are here. (Erica is a punk!) And results are here. Here is the question that has been plaguing me a bit. Should I (we, Erica joined me) have gone out for the final lap? We ended up nine laps up on our closest (female) competition. Was that just mean? What would Phast Dan have done?

25 Hours of Frog Hollow

2010-11-08T10:59:00.003-07:00

Erica and I started scheming a couple of months ago about putting together a fast team for 25 Hours of Frog Hollow. It was on and off and then on again. Within this time the team structure (i.e. category) morphed quite a bit. In the end, we put together a fast four woman team. We were super excited that Jen graciously accepted our proposal. It took some time to find the fourth, but Jen and Erica knew Jill, a recent transplant to PC. And then we were ready.
Friday was all about camp set up, meeting up with friends, and pre-riding the course.The course consisted of a long dirt road climb. It had varying grades and oscillated a bit. I never really minded it. Then we jumped on the Jem single track and let it fly. It rolled and flowed and is delightful. Another short road section spit us on the Virgin Trail head. From here we jumped on Hurricane Rim and back to the Jem. The course was crazy fun.
Both Erica and I were vying a bit for the fastest lap. I am not as conniving as Erica is though. She asked specifically not to do the first lap because she thought it would hurt her knee...and she knew that running adds time to your lap. She is a punk. I said I would not mind running because really could it be worse 24 Hours of Moab? The answer is no. In the end (and as I expected) Lynda got the fastest female lap.
So I took the first lap and I think I ran pretty well. The dirt was hard packed which made the run interesting with my choice of foot wear (cycling shoes). I was able to pass some guys on the road climb. I think I needed to let a guy or two by on the Jem. I did get beat by a cheer leader. I have some issues with that, but as was pointed out he was not likely a real cheerleader. (The event encouraged costumes.)
My first three laps were in the daylight. I was pretty consistent around 55 minutes. I had light issues on the first night lap. I had my lights all set up and went to turn them on, but nothing. My brand new (only used twice in Moab) light was not working. Jill would be back at any minute. Chris was on his way out for his lap. So thankfully Shannon, helped me do a quick switch. I was late meeting Jill by only a minute or so, but Chris let her know I was coming. My next two laps were also in the dark, but less eventful. These were a bit slower. I scrubbed some speed on the Jem for safety's sake and obviously my legs were a limiting factor on the climb.
It looked as if I would get a final lap in just before the cut off time. I was tired, my gut was upset, and there was no reason to go out. We had each done six laps a piece and we were a bit up on the competition. I did not want to leave time remaining though. When I told Erica that I was for sure going out and that it would be a parade lap, she offered to join me. So we brought cameras and snacks. We stopped for pictures and had a bite on the course.

I can't find official results yet, but we definitely had a good showing. And Phast Dan was there racing with (Uncle) Larry, Mark and (his Dad) Kevin. It was fun to hang out and see them. Dan was a bit disappointed in my team's results. I promised him we would be better next time.

And it begins...again

2010-10-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

The weekend weather forecast did not look promising, but the rain early Saturday morning was the clincher. We wanted to get in a long(er) ride, so we packed up the car and headed south. We rolled into Moab a little before 9 am. Because it has a tendency to get snow in the winter and, therefore, riding it can be limited, we decided on Porcupine Rim. We parked in town, got the bikes together, and headed up Sand Flats Road. We are curious about Lower Porcupine Rim, but opted to continue and ride it the traditional way. It was wet which made the rocks a bit slick, but not too bad. I don't know what my deal is this year. I am a pansy on more stuff than usual. Needles to say, I did not ride as well as I hoped. A little over three hours, we were back at the car.

We got some lunch and then headed North of town. We parked just past the bridge. (Is that bridge ever going to be completed thus allowing Lion's Park to open up again?) The lot was much more full than we have ever seen it, likely due to the newly paved path. We turned left onto Bar M Loop heading towards Bar B. They are putting in new trails in that system. We did not have much time to explore, but are anxious to try them. After Bar B, we headed to Sovereign out and back. My lack of skills continued and my frustration level rose. But even a not so good day on the bike in Moab is better than a rainy day at home. We got in another 3.5 hours of riding.

Then we headed home.

Tex digs Moab

24 Hours Duo

2010-10-11T21:59:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, I mentioned to Sarah that I thought it would be cool to do 24 hours duo with her. I then quickly forgot the conversation. In the bathroom at Snowbasin before the ICUP race, she asked if I still thought that would be cool because she was in for 24 Hours of Moab duo. After checking with Chris (my manager, training partner, and usual team mate), I agreed.
My thoughts going into the race were to push hard during daylight and take it down a notch and play it safe at night. (Un)fortunately, we did not have any competition within our division--Women's Duo Championship. Interestingly, there was also only one team last year in this category.
My first lap did not go as planned. I volunteered to do the run as I have never done it and figured I should pay my dues to the 24 Hours of Moab. That bloody bush is much farther away than it looks. I had staged my bike in a prime spot but got confused in the ruckus and spent time looking for it. On the first lap, we avoid the single track at the start to help thin out the group. They had us enter the course much sooner than I expected based on what they did last year. We had to do the first technical climbing sections. It was a HUGE cluster for quite a bit. I then dropped my chain twice towards the end of the lap and had to stop and put it back on the chain ring. My time, everything considered was respectable. Sarah rocked her first lap
On my third lap I formerly met (my boyfriend?) Trevor from the Sports Den in SLC. I saw him a bit on my earlier laps. We chatted it up a bit. He professed his love to me and I rode away.Sarah rocked her second and third lap.
I set up my lights and headed down for my fourth lap. I spoke to Trevor and his soigneur (wife/girlfriend?) exchanging pleasantries. I went out before him and never saw him again, so I guess we broke up. I wonder if it was something I said? This lap was the worst. I did not feel good on the bike. I had light issues. My set up allowed/forced the battery to disconnect. I had but one working light for most the lap. I came in and told Chris I needed my spare Superfly (2008) which has easier gearing because I was too weak to push the 26-36 on my new bike. He essentially told me to "hike up my skirt" and ride my bike like he knows I can. (He did not trust the spare bike because we just threw it back together and he did not trust it.) He instructed me to take some No-Doz and ride. He did mention that Sarah was struggling. She was having neck issues and if we were both miserable maybe we should take a time out for a bit.

Stars, stripes, and plaid?

When Sarah came in I mentioned that for her consideration. On this lap, I came around. I started to feel good again. I used a set of light that I borrowed from Sarah and they were amazing. When I came in I asked Sarah how her neck was. She said it was better. I told her I felt good and wanted to keep going. She agreed. Later, she told me that she was a bit disappointed that I wanted to continue, but in the end she was really glad we did.
I rode a couple of sections that I never have before like the detour around Nose Dive and that funky rock slab on first technical section . The rest of my laps just sort of blend together. In the end we did eight laps a piece. I don't think I have ever done more than four laps at this race. I knew it was going to be hard, but I think it was harder than I expected. I did a good job fueling and the pre-race steps I took to help my GI track happy worked practically perfect--a combination of Prilosec, probiotics and Gaviscon. We finished early and I am a bit disappointed that I did not go out for a final lap. At the time, I was torn but did not feel it was necessarily worth it.

Chris teamed up with Chuck, Greg, and Noah. Noah crashed and got a concussion which put them down a man through the night. They placed fourth in a stacked field and overall.
I also want to say thanks to the Mad Dog Team and company for their help and support. To mention just a few:
1. Carl and Dave Dean for working on my bike
2. Carson for pedaling around to make sure it was good after the tinkering
3. Brady for making me sit in his warm RV
4. Keith lubed my chain for me after a night lap
5. Abby, Scott and all for feeding me.
6. Stu and Racer prepping my bike after/before a lap
7.The massage and leg rubs from Joan in the start house
8. The countless words of encouragement especially when I felt absolutely cooked.
9. And of course to Sarah for doing this with me. It was a great experience.

Catching Up

2010-10-02T18:04:00.000-06:00

The weekend after Sundance Single Speed Challenge was 12 Hours of Sundance. I felt some pressure and anxiety coming into this race. First, Chris was sick, again. He caught another cold, sounded and felt terrible. I thought I was going to have to find another partner, but the day before he started to feel a bit better. Secondly, we have been lucky and won the overall the past two years. This year there were a couple of really quick teams. And lastly, my feeling good on and off had me nervous. This would be a "feeling off" weekend.
The morning of the race was warmer than I anticipated for which I was grateful. Chris took the first lap and said he might do the second also. I was surprised at how quickly the leaders started finishing. Chucky laid down a super quick first lap. Chris was just a bit behind him and I was going to take the second. My first four laps were within a minute of each other. Then I started to slow. Results should be here sometime.
We ended up in third place. We were in fourth most the day behind Josh and Matt, Chuck and Joseph, and a four man team. Chris came in before my final lap and made it sound as if I would be taking our last one. He said that we were not going to catch anyone and no one could catch us so just ride quick, smart and safe. I was pushing pretty consistently and on the back side of Archies, I see Joseph. The poor guy had cracked and cracked hard. I wished I had something to give him, but I could hardly even speak when I passed him. At this time, I realized I could likely get in before the cut off time...and we would move up a position. I spotted Phast Dan where the course crossed and asked if he would tell Chris that Joseph was done and I was going to make it in before the cutoff so he would be ready when I got there. Chris went out for another lap and we moved up a place.And in the grand tradition of 12 hour racing with Chris, I came in off of one of my laps and could not find him.
The following weekend, we spent five days in Moab with the in-laws. We biked and hiked until I was cooked. We rode Sovereign twice, Amasa Back twice, Porcupine Rim, and Slick Rock. Most days we would get up early, often before light and head to the trail with our lights. We would come back, have breakfast and then go hiking with Chris' family. We hiked Delicate Arch, Sand Dune Arch (the coolest one in the park), and Devil's Garden--Double O Arch, Landscape Arch, and couple more in the area that I can't recall the names. We also hiked Corona Arch, which was really amazing. The hiking fried my legs though.
We thought about going back down to Moab this weekend, but opted to stay home.

A Correction, a Sandwich, and Some Riding

2010-09-12T14:19:00.000-06:00

First, I stand corrected. The podium from the PCP2P was Heather first, Kelly second, Sarah was third, Lynda was fourth, Erica fifth, myself in sixth and Jen in seventh. My apologies.

I used to teach school and providing criticism or correction was best done sandwiched between compliments. This method was often recommended and employed especially during parent conferences. In retrospect, I was delivered a "humility sandwich" in my racing. I felt good at the Mt. Ogden 100K, I was decimated at the P2P, and then I felt great again at the Sundance Single Speed Challenge.
I have not been on my single speed that much lately. I tried to do "One Speed Wednesdays", but I cheated frequently. So coming into the race on Saturday, I was not sure how it would go. I took some comfort in assuming there would not be any expectations as there has never been any female competition in years past. Then I got the call...Erica.
She had a change of plans and decided to do this race. She borrowed Carl's, her brother in law, rigid single speed, took it for a spin, and was going to race it. Son of a...! I was excited to have some competition, but apprehensive at the same time.
Erica and I were joined by Kate--a mid-week race regular. The course was different and I was skeptical, but it turned out great. I really enjoyed it. Erica beat me up the road into the single, of course. She bobbled a section in Center Isle, I believe, and I got by on the first lap. I did not descend very smoothly on the first lap. I am continuously looking over my shoulder knowing she is going to be catching me as I start the climb again. I am still feeling strong. My second lap is close to the same time as my first and the final half lap goes almost as smoothly. Chris defended his title again.
During the race I had two contradicting trains of thought both were concern for Erica. One was that she would be catching me. The other I am concerned about her in general. I start to realize that really this is a technical course. Nothing crazy, but just consistent. I think I should have told her that with a rigid fork, she will need to unweight even more. I should have told her the line for the rock drop. None of this occurred to me until I was riding. She was fine though. She did not care for the rigid fork. And opted to stop "racing" and just ride it out. I have always said that it it an acquired taste.
Later that night, Chris and I went for a night ride. It was a nice night. Even though Chris thinks it is weak, I like my light set up. I felt pretty good, but Chris was cooked from the race earlier in the day.

Getting Worse

2010-09-05T06:49:00.000-06:00

The Park City Point 2 Point hates me. Last year it just did not seem to like me, but this year it was pure hatred. I don't know why. I had a blast riding in Park City several weekends before hand. Yesterday everything changed. I have some theories though.
I started off feeling okay. I got dropped by the group off the start which is par for the course. I caught back up and passed Erica on the way to Deer Valley. She can climb much better than I do, but was content staying behind me for a bit. She got by and I never saw her again. She ended up in 5th. I knew she would do well.
I got to Silver Lake the first time grabbed bottle and continued to climb. I still felt okay. I started to see Sarah and thought things were turning around. She then pulled away and ended up in fourth. I am glad she had a good day on the bike. Lynda came flying past me. I was waiting for that. She got some bad intell via me that morning and started a wave or two back. I felt terrible on the start line, but timing was all done by chips so she did not messed up. She ended up in third behind Heather and Kelly.
I made it back to Silver Lake and expected things to improve. The tough stuff was over the remaining course was long, but lots of flowy single track and nicely graded climbs.
A bit later around 4:30 into my race things started to fall apart and then continued to get bad. I started to get pre-cramps in my hamstrings and quads. I have never cramped here before. I had been drinking calories and electrolytes like crazy. So much so my stomach actually felt full. I couldn't really eat much as there was not much saliva and food would sit in my mouth forever but I made several noble efforts. I ran out of beverage long before I reached Park City Mountain Resort. Dave caught me a little before hand. I told him I was in a pit of despair. I don't think he believed me. Once at PCMR, I told the pit crew I was in dire straits. They did all they could to help me. The encouragement was the best and I continued. (Thanks Kendra, Wendy, Dave Dean, and Gayle).
Things continued to get bad. I soft pedaled my way to the Canyons. I could not accelerate into anything so every little up hill was a climb. I got passed by so many people. I and another guy pulled off the side of the trail for a bit as we were both trying to ward off cramps. I was grateful for the company. My left calf seized up a bit later and a train of riders passed me.
On the final road climb, I was soft pedaling as much as I possibly could and everything revolted in unison--both quads, hamstrings and gastrocs. I pushed my bike as my quadriceps continued to pulsate. It was so messed up that my inner quad (vastus medialis) and a muscle on my lateral calf above my malleolus cramped. Who does that? I finished because I did not know how to quit. My time was 35 minutes slower than last year.
Chris felt good though and finished fourth behind the likes of Alex Grant, Josh Tostada and Kelly Magelky. Impressive.
This morning I cannot sleep. My chest hurts when I breath, swallow and lie down. It started a little bit after I finished yesterday. I am not sure what is up with that. Lots of things hurt though.

Mt. Ogden 50K or 100?

2010-08-29T21:29:00.002-06:00

Chris and I had been planning on the Mt. Ogden 50K all summer. We did this race last year and really enjoyed it. Being the weekend before the P2P, we thought the shorter version would be best. Then some circumstances changed a bit on Friday--as in the night before. As we drove up, we were pretty sure that we were going to do the 100K. Our reasons for doing so varied. Mad Dog had a pretty good showing. Karl, Carson, Adam, Kevin, and Bruce were all there.

The 100K followed the ICUP course and then continued to climb. On the start line, Sarah, Mary and I figured out our excuses for not winning. I had a heavy bike; Sarah had taken some time off the bike and was not sure how she would feel, and Mary was going to go down and get a bit dirty so she looked like she crashed. Sarah led with a steady pace on the first climb. I got around her right before the short single track section. Sarah came around on the next little road climb and I followed her into the single track. She was carrying a nice, steady pace. And I was content staying behind her. Then she started to slow a bit, so I got around her. I was feeling good and tried to ride smart. The course had some steeper sections, but with the rain the night before it was in great condition. The climbs were nice and steady for the most part with some occasional steep pitches. The descents at the top were more technical than the 50K course but still great. My front brake was fading a bit and at first this got to me, but I was able to stay in control and keep some speed.
I was riding around some different guys on the first lap. On the second lap I was pretty much solo. While on the first lap I thought the climb was not so bad, I was pretty sure I was going to feel it on the second lap. I rode more conservatively on the climbs and had to stop and get a bottle filled at an aid station towards the top. The nice guy who filled it struggled to get the lid back on. I then tried to screw it on and it took me a while also. I was certain that Sarah was right behind me and hoped that I had not spent too much time there.
The descent was amazing the second time through. I started looking at my time as I approached the bottom. I really wanted to get in under six hours and knew it was going to be close. So I started to ride more aggressively. I over shot a corner and had to come to a complete stop. I also took a curve a bit hot and went down. I essentially rolled into a rock. While it was frustrating, I found some humor in being rolled up in a ball next to a big rock. It was as soft landing though. Picking up the speed was not helping so I took it down a notch.
As time was ticking away, the final road climb seemed so much longer the second time up. I got to the flags at the six hour mark. "Son of a...!" I was pretty disappointed that I was not making my goal, but I was not that upset with my race. Even though I came up short (or long as the case may be), it was still a great day on the bike.

Chris had a good race also.

Chris, Jake, Quinn

Sarah, KC, Mary

Branching Out

2010-08-22T19:01:00.000-06:00

Chris has not felt so well this week. He has a summer cold and thus he has not felt like riding so much. On Wednesday he opted to ride his bike home from work rather than race. This actually resulted in more riding for him as the race was rained out. Thursday, while still not feeling well, we were out for 3.5 hours and then he coughed the entire way home from Alpine. After riding a bit on Friday he said that he was not sure he wanted to do anything too big on Saturday.
Luckily, Erica had invited me to join her and her brother-in-law, Carl, on a scouting ride on the PCP2P course. I accepted. Now I don't and never have ridden much without Chris. In fact, I am not sure I have ever been invited to join another group on a ride and done so without him. As this was uncharted territory for me, I grew a bit nervous. What if I was late? I had to drive to Silver Lake Lodge and be there by 6 am. What if I was too slow? Having a group wait for me a bit with Chris is not so bad. I know that if I am falling behind, he will come back for me. What if I have a mechanical? Chris takes care of me. Yes, I can change a flat. Yes, I can fix a broken chain, etc. But Chris usually takes care of these things in a timely manner. Oh, the "what if''s..."!
The night before, I start preparing my bike to ensure I would not delay them in the morning. I lubed my chain, checked my shock, got all my riding food prepared. I started planning what recovery food I would pack. I would check my tire pressure in the morning before leaving. I set my alarm for 4 am, went to bed early, and got some sleep.
The preparation paid off for the most part. I left on time. But realized I forgot to put the chocolate milk in the cooler for recovery. I showed up a little before light, so I was grateful to have had my chain lubed and tires pumped. I packed my pockets and we left. I don't think they had to wait for me more than a minute or so. I did forget to grab my pump. Son of a...! I was pretty nervous about the possibility of getting a flat. Luckily, I did not need it, but it would have been convenient as Carl could have used it.
All my nervousness and anxiety was for naught though. It was a great ride. We held a good tempo the entire day. My average HR was 145 which is good for five hours of ride time. (Erica said it was just shy of five hours of pedal time. I did not pedal the whole time though. I like to ease up a bit on the down hills.) We got to the Canyons at around 4.5 hours, but Erica wanted to get five. So she paid Carl off to get her a Coke and said we would go do some more climbing. While I, too, was hoping for five hours, I definitely could have been done. Going out again sounded painful and it was a bit, but worth it.
Carl did the ride on a single speed rigid. Now I can appreciate that, but I don't completely understand it. If is were me, I would at least put a front shock on it. I really think the lack of suspension will be more limiting than the single speed. But I am not one of those single speed, rigid elitist. I just dabble in it. Kudos to him and best of luck.
This will be Erica's first endurance mountain bike event. I think she is going to be good and really enjoy herself. We talked some about what she should expect and some basic tactics. I am not sure I gave her the best advice, but I shared with her my experiences and what has worked for me. In talking to her throughout the ride, I gained even greater respect for her. She is a great individual; I am glad to have met and have the pleasure to be associated with her. I sincerely hope that we stay in touch.
And really the people I meet are some of the biggest reasons I love to mountain bike.

Still a fatty?

2010-08-13T06:34:00.001-06:00

Some might have notice that lately my Superfly has been missing a bit of its flair--my Tioga saddle has been MIA. I thought I was making progress towards slimming down to my "race weight". Apparently, not so much

The SPYDER and SPYDER TWIN-TAIL saddles have been tested to adequately absorb shock for riders up to 190lbs.

I don't quite weigh 190 pounds, but this lasted a mere 3.5 months. I love this saddle so I am working on a warranty. The shop said that they will be sure to say that a petite female rider cracked this one. Wish me luck!

Canyons ICUP Finale

2010-08-09T20:20:00.001-06:00

Saturday I lined up with the Eric/ka's. Erica and I wanted to add a lap after confirming that the course was shortened. Erika, due to her hip issues, preferred to keep it short. So we went with the short two laps. Interestingly, we left behind all of the Sport Men with the Expert Women. While that made for heavy lap traffic the vast majority of the guys were very accommodating. Even when I dropped my chain and had to pass a big chunk of them a second time. Thanks guys.
Erica hurt me on the first lap. We did some leap frogging through the first lap. I ended up passing her on the final descent. I was able to hold her off on the second lap. She apparently had some mechanical (chain issues) and Erika, proving her prowess in spite of her hip issues, passed her. They ended up finishing three seconds apart.

And a public service letter:

Dear Sir:
I beleive in the heat of the race on Saturday we may have had a misunderstanding. You may recall the situation. I came up on you during the single track climb. I asked to pass but you did not respond. I waited patiently growing nervous that my competition would be catching me. I requested to pass again. To which you responded with stating you did not race for me and I would need to pass whenever I could get by you.
You are correct that you do not race for me, but I was not asking you for much. I was hoping you could simply yield a bit of the trail increasing both our safety as I tried to make it by you. Maybe you are not aware of the difficulty in trying to maneuver past an individual without being able to see clearly what is coming. Yes, I can and did jump into the side of the trail to get by you. In doing so though I risked not only my safety, but potentially yours. Without being able to see clearly and having to get all the away around you, I risked not only my safety but potentially yours as I could have easily slipped into you taking us both down accidentally. Thus costing time to multiple individuals.
Please be aware that I don't believe my race is more important than yours. I don't expect anyone to a put a foot down or come to a complete stop. But as I am willing to move over to one side of the trail or find a safe spot for others to pass, I wold expect that of others like yourself.
None the less, I hope you had a good race and finished a top your Sport category.
Regards,
KC

2010-08-02T20:30:00.001-06:00

I thought after Solitude, it might be a turning point for my season. I finally felt good at that race and was hoping this was a sign of change. I could not have been more wrong.
While my heart rate monitor reported a high of 179 bpm for Snowbasin, I never saw anything higher than 171. That is hardly racing. Maybe I had not recovered from Wednesday's ride. We hit PC again for our anniversary. We only rode 3.5 hours and I pushed but not crazy hard. I can hope that was the issue though.
I got some new shoes last weekend also. I rode with them on Wednesday and my feet were numb in the beginning but felt better after an hour or so. They were miserable during the race. I messed with the positioning of the cleats hoping that would improve things. I doubt this really impacted my race though.
Then to add insult to injury. As I was on my final descent before the finish, I feel an intense stinging on my right shoulder blade...repeatedly. I try to ignore it. It continues to intensify but I am not any place where I can take a hand off the handle bars. I finally opt to stop for a moment and try to kill whatever is there. I start pedaling again and shortly the stinging resumes. I find a spot to take a hand off and swat at what may be there. I still don't think I got it, but finally get to the finish line. I have quite the collection of bites in that area that itch like crazy. Again, this had little impact on my placing. Erica would still have been over a minute in front of me.
Next time...right?

Check Your XX Rear Derailleur Cable!

2010-07-31T17:36:00.000-06:00

Chris had some issues today. His rear derailleur cable broke.

So we came home and checked mine. It is being held together by two strands.

It looks like the derailleur cable is being cut/worn by the guide. If you are running this set-up, I would suggest checking it. Just an FYI.

And Again

2010-07-25T20:15:00.000-06:00

We met up with the gang again in PC. Apparently word got out about what a great time we had because there was a much bigger group--two to three times. The pace was quicker too. I did not mind the faster pace but it was a bit harder to keep up. I spent a lot more time in the 170 bpm range. I have to say I was a bit intimidated.

Our plan was to start at Deer Valley again but take a more direct route to Park City Mountain Resort and ride the portion of the PCPP from PCMR to the Canyons. So Duff, Adam, Trevor, Matt, Chris and I splintered off after a couple of hours and met Aaron at PCMR. I thought the pace might then slow a bit, but it stayed pretty quick.We rode the new bypassed portion of Mid-Mountain. It was rough, but not that bad. I am sure I will be singing a different tune in September though when more miles and hours have been spent suffering in the saddle.

While the stats seemed similar for ride time and distance for this weekend, it felt much harder in the moment. I was still feeling pretty good at the end though.

Notables:
1. Aaron brought Mark with him. It was great to see Mark on a bike again.
2. My condolences to Dan whose frame broke (chain stay severed at the BB) about an hour into the ride. He then had to walk his bike out and wait for a ride back to UC. A moment of silence for him please.
3. Aaron rode a recovery pace to that I even I could ride with him.

Photo by Adam

Photo by Kevin Day

Escaping the Heat

2010-07-18T19:46:00.000-06:00

It has been warm lately. I would not say too hot but definitely warm. In an effort to avoid the heat, we spent the weekend riding higher in the mountains. On Saturday, we accepted the invitation from Aaron to do a long training ride in Park City. We picked up Adam on the way and joined him and a group of guys to ride portions of the PCPP race.
We started at Deer Valley. Aaron rolled up as we were getting ready. He had started at Round Valley a couple of hours earlier. While there were a couple of groups, Chris and I primarily rode with Aaron, Aaron, Duff, Ryan, and Adam. Zac met up with us at a couple of different points. Not being that familiar with the trails in PC, I can't elaborate on where we rode, but we spent close to seven hours out on the trails. Not all of that was riding though. The guys tended to get chatty. I would indulge them in their conversations for a bit, but then tried to move them along. I would say between five plus hours or so was actually riding. We had a couple of flat tires, stops for water and food, and regroupings. They were really great about waiting for me as I tended to be the limiting factor. Hopefully, I did not hold them up too much.