Regaining Balance

upper ford, alpine dry creek trail oct 2009

It’s now been about two months since my last cycling race and I have been trying to find different activities to keep me engaged. Different activities mainly being playing with the kids and wife, while the days get shorter and temps get colder. I will admit it has been nice to take a break from the bikes; too much of one thing gets to be hard to balance. Its tough when you have so many time consuming elements to your life. When I crashed and tweaked my knee on a just for fun MTB ride I knew it was time to hang it up and recharge the batteries.

Starting to get excited for next year, I want to do a lot of the intermountain cup again, but would really like to do some other stuff too. After I think I canyons not sure if my knee will let me do something really long, but want to do some endurance events. So the plan is to just maintain until Dec, 21 (winter solstice) then really try and drop some more lbs for 2010. first race will be in march unless I do the frozen hog in feb. In the mean time what should I ride next year? 26 hardtail, 29 hardtail, 26 dually???

pictures

I finally figured out to get my pics off my phone. Bluetooth file exchange. Not a lot of riding right now.


Mt. Timp. Me and Paige are going to try and hike this on Oct. 10


Gavin is having fun, even though he may not look like it.
Old race photo. Deer Valley 2008
Porcupine Dam. Good swimming hole.

I think I CANyons

Last Saturday morning I joined approximately 50 other road cyclist on a ride to benefit homelessness in Salt Lake City. I was told about the ride from a co-worker and met up with her husband and rode the first half of the race with him. The ride was as follows; start at Barbacoa on Wasatch Blvd. ride up Little Cottonwood, up Big Cottonwood, up Millcreek, up Emigration and back to Barbacoa. 110 miles and 12000 vert. pretty big ride. So Logan flatted half way up Big and feeling the effects of a cold pulled out after two canyons. I put on the iPod and cranked up Slayer and I decided to Time Trial Millcreek, I have ridden this canyon quite a bid but never timed myself. I started at the fee station and it took me 52 min to the very top. Felt so good picking riders off. Passed about ten riders then I flatted halfway (stopped the clock and fixed my tyre) got passed by about ten riders. poop. Jumped back on and passed then all back. Killer. Felt real good. wouldn't last, I paid for the effort in Emigration canyon. I completed the ride and it was very gratifying. All in all it was 8 hrs in the saddle. Have not rode since. caught a cold and have had the not so fresh feeling lately. Good news though, met up with Jeffery Heal today, local Cache Valley MTBer. He is fast and has only raced one year. I might try and get some Cache Valley team together to better represent the Valley at ICUPS. talked with Mark at Wimmers and he is stoked. May look into Logan Race Club too. We shall see. More to follow. As soon as i figure out hw to download pics off my phone i will load some images onto the bloggy. Peace out.

one x nine

I have decided to do the I think I CANyons ride/race whatever it is. The USU MTB Race sounded pretty iffy, the orginizer is going out of town etc... plus I think I CANyons benefits homelessness and I think it is more of an accomplishment. 110 miles 12000 vertical. I do agree with my last post's commenter, road racers are, well, somethings wrong with them because they don't race MTB right? MTB racers are a lot more fun. Case in point. On one of the TNR group rides, (local group road rides) we got to the top of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. At the top there is a drinking fountain where we stop to fill up bottles and turn around. I dropped my bike and filled em up, turn around and there is this guy (it was a nice bike) asking someone to hold his bike while he filled up. What, come one, you can set down your bike (even if it is gentle). Bikes are made to be hammered, crashed, ridden hard and set down gently.
Last week I purchased the MRP one ring kit. First, I was bummed because my 44T ring would not fit. uh. So I am using my 32T, need to purchase a 38 or something to make it just right. Jury still out on this one, not sure if I am in love with it. I did drop some weight and the Scale is rocking the scales at 23 lbs.

Training rides are officially over. Riding for the rest of the year is just for fun.

Back in the saddle for a final push

Took the family to Disneyland last week... good times... nice break from the bike. Got back on yesterday and took a nice long ride. It was rough, I am sore, felt like I haven't been on the bike for months. Trying to figure out how to wrap up the season. Sept 19. there is a local MTB race or a road race in SLC going up and down four canyons. What to do??? Will probably to one or two cyclecross races and put a wrap on the season.
The only two wheels i rode last week. Scooters are pretty fun.

A few nevers at the Mt Ogden 50k and proud dad moments

Today was the Mt Ogden 50k Mountain Bike race. It had been three weeks since I lined up to race the Mountain Bike. After about a one hour drive to Snowbasin resort I arrived one prior to race start. Got registered and ready and lined up. The pro's went first and then the relay teams (bad call) then all the rest of us. After 300 yds we hit all the slow relay folks then it turns to bumby singletrack and it is a cluster. after about 2 miles of cluster passing it spreads out and I am ready for a drink, reach down and nothing, Poop! lost my bottle, I have seen alot of bottles on courses but this is the first time I have ever lost a bottle. where am I going to get hydrated? Luckly there was a bunch of water stations, istop and ask if they have bottles of something I can take with me, they look around then one pulls out a case of Powerade (race sponser) its wrapped in plastic and he can't rip it and pull a bottle, I was like "are you kidding me" 4-5 people ride by and he finally gets it out and throws it to me, I put in my jersey pocket and ride on. (I was glad to have it, but it had a screw on lid so I had limited areas where I could open it and drink without crashing). I caught all the people that passed me and pass a few more I was starting to feel really good, then I start hearing a rattling noise and my rear derailer is not shifting right, Crap again, I stop and find out my rear cassette is loose (what the heck, I have never had that happen either) I tighten it with my fingers then pull out my mini tool and crank it with the flat screw driver. Jump back on the trail after 4-5 people pass me again. I finish my first lap passing 4-5 people back but I am worried about my cassette so I pull of at the start area where a guy is sitting will all these tools, he quickly grabs a cassette tool and I tighten proper (thanks dude) Jump back on, only 2-3 pass me this time, This guy in the autoliv who re-passed for the (4th) time, no joke was propably thinking what the hell is this guy doing. I am ready to kick some but on this last lap. I was so suprised I rode the entire first 2/3 rds all by myself. It is weird when no one is around, racing for that long, anyways I finally start catching peeps passed two before the final pavement climb, then passed KC Holley and Bob S on the final climb (I was stoked on that because I think they started 2 min before me and they are both fast). I think I was 4th in the NonPro and not sure about age group, Sweet compliment by Chris Holley (Super Fast, won the race today) he said I was starting to get fast. The kids wanted to go to the pool, so I left after I finished.

Now the proud father post. Gavin has been getting so good on his bike the last few weeks. He could not even bike around the block (we have some hills here) but now he stands up and hammers down and can go around the block three or four times in a row. He is going to do the Haloween cyclecross race and he is starting to train. He said to me on this ride around the block the other night "hey dad you want to see me attack this hill" as he stands up on the peddles. :) So, last night he want to build a jump, so I help him build a sweet jump. He jumps on his bike and jumps it first thing.