UtRider

Brighton Night Session

2012-01-24T16:21:00.001-07:00

Brighton Night Session

EveryTrail

We'll Miss You

2012-01-19T15:14:00.002-07:00

Press Release from GreatBikeShops.com

2012-01-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

The following press release is from GreatBikeShops.com:

Get Your 10-Speeds in Gear

On the road of life, you can choose to drive or you can choose to bike. Regardless of your choice, there will be bumps along the way. If your method of transportation includes two wheels, two pedals, and a handlebar, you are lucky to have a number of bicycle shops to help you along your journey.

GreatBikeShops.com, a free online directory of bicycle shops across North America, has recently launched to help you navigate to these bike experts regardless of where you are. "Local shops are at the heart of the bicycle riding community," said Chris Greenwood, the creator of the web site. "Whether you're looking to make a purchase, in need of a repair, or in search of a recommendation for some great trails, we connect you to someone who can help."

About GreatBikeShops.com
GreatBikeShops.com is a free to use directory of bicycle shops across North America. Since launching in December 2011, GreatBikeShops.com has grown to over 6,000 listings.

Getting Softer

2011-12-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

After the new snow of the last 36 hours I had high expectations for today's session. And while it was much, much softer than it has been, I'd still classify the surface as firm. However, given the rather difficult start to the 2011-12 season we're experiencing, I'd still rate today as the best so far.

I was riding new boots (Garmont Delirium), skis (Volkl Bridge in 187), bindings (Marker Jester), and insoles (custom made by Black Diamond). My takeaway from the 2 hours I rode today: My new boots are stiff! We're talking a 130 flex rating compared to my old boots which were 80. My nice, cushy, comfortable backseat is gone. When I'm aggressive and charging the new boots are awesome. However, when my legs are burning and I start to ease up I quickly discover there's nowhere to relax. Long term I think this will be a good thing, but I'm beginning to realize that the next few weeks are going to hurt as my legs adjust to being on the throttle full time.

Sunny Day

2011-12-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Cruised around with the kids for a couple of hours today. I was a bit worried about conditions, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. There were patches of ice here and there, and some sections of trail are getting quite thin, but overall the riding was good. It was Kate's first day this season and her first run was very cautious, which sounds nicer than saying she was skiing extremely slow! However, with each run her confidence grew so that by the end she was skiing very well.

Brrrr!

2011-12-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

First Day at Brighton

2011-12-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Alder and I started our 2011-12 ski & snowboard season today at Brighton. We got a late start and rolled into the lot about 10:15 which resulted in a 3rd row parking spot. On a normal Saturday the lot would have been almost full, but given the lack of snow (relatively speaking), and the resulting limited terrain that's open for riding, we are still very much in the pre-season.

I had set my expectations really low, so was pleasantly surprised with the good condition of the groomers. Coverage was good, the surface was firm without being icy, and all of the traditional groomed runs were open off of the Explorer, Majestic, Crest, and Snake Creek lifts so what little traffic there was on the mountain was widely dispersed.

Venturing off the groomed runs quickly revealed how thin the snowpack really is with a multitude of rocks, branches, and vegetation waiting to bite your bases.

One Lap of the Full Track at Miller Motorsports Park

2011-09-20T15:52:00.002-06:00

This was filmed during the September 5, 2011 APEX track day at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Turn 1 Crash at Miller Motorsports Park - West Track

2011-08-08T09:09:00.000-06:00

In case anybody's curious as to what caused the huge dust cloud on Turn 1 about 12 minutes into the 4th B group session Friday night here's the video of my crash. After watching the video a million times and talking to different people the consensus seems to be that the small rocks and dirt on the outside of the turn caused me to go down when I turned the bike in after running too deep on the brakes. To avoid the crash I should have done one of two things differently:

1. If I had turned into the racing line as usual, albeit carrying a bit more speed (for me), I most likely would have been fine.

2. If I had stayed on the brakes and continued in a straight line, not turning in once I entered the junk, I most likely would have stayed up, even if I ran off the track a little.

I was able to walk away with just minor bumps and bruises. To be safe I went to University Hospital to get checked out after I had a short period of fuzziness in my left eye, and was released with a mild concussion and no restrictions on activity. I could have ridden Saturday had my bike and helmet been up to it, but my left fairing is pretty worked, as are my frame sliders, clutch lever, and footpeg.

I'm going to replace the factory plastic with race plastic (probably Hotbodies as they are running a 2 for 1 special in August) so the bike will be track only going forward.

My leathers need a few patches, and I'll need to buy a new helmet, but overall I think it was a good learning experience.

This was my 4th track day but it won't be my last. Assuming the bike comes together I'll be at the Apex track day on September 5th to check out the full track!

Kinda feeling a mustache after watching this

2011-01-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

Womens Ski Recommendations?

2010-12-17T14:17:00.004-07:00

My wife had her first ski lesson last week at Brighton and (thankfully!) loved it. Note that the lesson was administered by Brighton Ski School instructors and not by me. After 13 years of marriage I know better than to try and teach her myself! Plus I really don't know what I'm doing given that I've never had a lesson myself. Anyway, she had so much fun that she almost immediately began asking when she could go up again. Yesterday we made it back for lesson #2 and as before, she had a great time. Speaking of lessons, early season is a fantastic time to go as there are few - if any - other students. In fact, both days she was the only person in her respective group ("First Time" last week and "Learning to Turn" yesterday) which resulted in a 1 hour private. The first time she even had two instructors - how cool is that?!

Last night she asked when she could go up again which tells me that I need to stop renting her equipment and buy some gear. Honestly I wasn't sure if she'd enjoy it, but now that it's clear skiing is something she'll want to continue doing, I need to figure out what to buy. My problem is that I'm inclined to get a mid-fat ski (85-95mm waist, something like the Bluehouse Spark or Line Celebrity 90) and let her grow into it, which I'm guessing isn't the best option for a beginner trying to learn proper technique. In that case should I just go with a lower-end frontside (aka, groomers) ski and then upgrade to something more versatile next season? If so, what is that ski?

#1 on My Christmas List

2010-12-02T12:14:00.001-07:00

Bluehouse Skis

2010-11-30T19:27:00.003-07:00

Two Laps with Saeed at Losail, Doha, Qatar

2010-10-28T15:15:00.001-06:00

My Fastest Lap at the Losail track - Doha, Qatar

2010-10-26T17:26:00.001-06:00

Souq Waqif

2010-10-22T14:50:00.005-06:00

These two guys were amazing. In the office or out, Ibrahim and Medhat were a pleasure to be around. Many thanks!

Here are three pictures from inside a "sweets and snacks" shop. Ibrahim bought nuts for his family, I purchased candy and figs for mine.

With Ibrahim acting as negotiater, I paid 200 QR for seven bracelets from this vendor, 120 QR less than his asking price of 320 QR.

Check out the shesha pipes these people are smoking. They were everywhere in the souk, as well as the Egpytian restaurant where we had dinner earlier this week.

Pictures of Doha

2010-10-20T12:42:00.010-06:00

I can't post pictures of Doha without including a few skyscrapers!

Toyotas are by far the most popular car in Qatar. This color is a favorite:

A little different than the bike shops back home:

I didn't realize Toys R Us was a global brand:

Turkey Central Restaurant served one of the best lunches of my life today:

Hidden under this bread is some of the tastiest chicken I've had the pleasure to eat:

Mixed grill of beef and chicken meat and kafta:

Assorted salads. The Hummus was amazing:

This bread was made to be dipped in hummus:

Looks a little different but tastes the same:

Avocado "juice" for dessert:

Qatar

2010-10-18T15:08:00.008-06:00

The view from my hotel room looking to the right:

The view from my hotel room looking to the left:

The restaurant where we picked up lunch:

Burger King sign:

Doha is full of crazy skyscrapers:

Looking at my hotel across a sand parking lot with the building where I'm working reflected in the glass:

Two Mustangs parked in front of my office building:

Check out the license plate:

The appetizers at dinner tonight:

Upper Millcreek Canyon

2010-06-09T16:13:00.007-06:00

It's going to be a while before the upper Millcreek Canyon trails are ready to ride. However, there is a very short south-facing section of the Little Water trail that is dry. Five minutes of riding probably doesn't justify the effort to get there, but if you're desperate here are some pictures.

Looking at the Little Water trail from the upper parking lot:

Looking down the new Little Water Bypass trail at the point we turned around:

Kris hiked a bit farther after it got too wet to ride responsibly:

The north facing slopes still have a lot of snow:

The meadow at the top:

The 2010 Clark's TT is open for business!

2010-05-06T11:19:00.004-06:00

The 2010 Clark's Time Trial is now open for business. Be aware that the top of the Clark's trail has been rerouted by Draper City. While I don't have GPS data at this time, after riding it last night I can say it feels slightly longer. I wouldn't expect the 2010 times to differ significantly from previous years, but keep the reroute in mind when comparing results.

Another slight change is the finish line. Now that there is a new fence at the top it makes sense to use that as the line. The start line is unchanged. To summarize:

1. Start the clock when you leave the bridge at the bottom of Clark's.

2. Stop the clock when you reach the sign that says End Clarks TT just before the wooden fence at the top.

Will anybody challenge Bart Gillespie, who for the past two years has posted the fastest time? I can think of a few potential candidates to assume the top position in 2010, but the only way to find out is to get out and ride. Good luck and have fun!

SLC Restaurant Recommendations?

2010-04-29T20:06:00.000-06:00

What are your favorite SLC restaurants? I've been to a lot, but can always use a good recommendation. In the last week I've eaten at Tsunami, Wild Grape, Frida's Bistro, Sage's Cafe, Tin Angel Cafe and Vinto.

I like Trio, Em's, Metropolitan, Market Street Broiler & Grill, Takashi, Mazza, Cucina Toscana, Bambara, Faustina, Acme Burger, Bombay House, Tandoor, Red Rock, Settebello and Squatters.

What hidden gems am I missing?

Back in the Saddle

2010-04-26T16:16:00.004-06:00

Dang, it's been a while! Close to 5 months, in fact, since I last rode a bike. My full suspension BMC is still at the shop, getting some much needed TLC (can you believe in 4+ years I've never had the cables replaced?), so the choice I had to make was whether to ride my road bike, or single speed mountain bike today. And the bike I chose was ....... the single speed mountain bike. Honestly, it wasn't much of a choice. With temperatures in the mid-60's and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail a 20 minute ride from my office, it would have been wrong to not ride dirt for lunch today.

Climbing E Street made me second guess my choice because it hurt. A lot. But I made it up to 11th Avenue, where I turned east. 11th was fine, until I crossed Virginia, passed Popperton Park, and started to climb through the neighborhood below the U. That hurt. Thankfully it didn't last long and I found myself on dirt as I dropped down to Dry Creek. Lower Dry Creek was fine, except for the technical rocky section which forced me to put a foot down. From the switchback at the top on up to the overlook, however, was quite painful. I made it up though, and didn't even stop at the top to take in the view. Until I hit the rocky section a bit higher up, at which point I again put a foot down. Dang rocks! My tech skills are minimal on the BMC, and close to non-existant on the rigid single, so a little dab here and there doesn't make me feel too bad.

I was feeling good as I approached the Wall, so hit the bottom of the climb with a bit of speed. It didn't last long, but I was able to make it up ok, though I'm sure my heart rate was at the highest level it's been in a long time as I went over the top! I kept going, albeit at a drastically reduced pace, as I recovered from the effort. From that point on I felt great, as the trail was mostly downhill as I descended into City Creek. I felt a bit squirrely on the loose descent, but am blaming that on the rigid bike and not any real or perceived lack of dh skills.

All-in-all I'd say it was a good first ride, and I'm looking forward to a repeat tomorrow. My legs felt good, with most of the pain related to the high intensity cardio efforts, so I'm hopefull it won't take too long for my bike fitness to return.

I'll have a dozen of the frozen Margos

2010-04-14T14:36:00.003-06:00

Good, but could have been great

2010-04-07T17:38:00.004-06:00

This morning at Brighton would have been amazing had I only made it up Big Cottonwood Canyon before it closed at 8:15 AM. Here's the first text sent by the Sheriff's Department at 6:30 AM:

Both BCC & LCC will be closed this morning for avalanche control.

Given that Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) has been closed since Tuesday night, I interpreted this message to mean that both canyons were closed. Previously I had planned to meet a friend at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC) at 8 AM to carpool up. I forwarded the above text to him and assumed I would stay at the house a bit longer before driving up. At 8:06 AM I received the following text from the Sheriff's Department:

Big Cottonwood will close at 8:15 AM - 9:00 AM for avalanche control

I panicked, quickly packed the car, and took off without eating breakfast to try and get up the canyon before 8:15 AM. Unfortunately I reached the canyon at 8:20 AM which, after hearing on KSL that BCC would close at 8:30 AM, I thought would still be ok. As is often the case, however, the news report was incorrect and the canyon had closed on schedule. I didn't realize this until I came to a stop 3 minutes later. So, for nearly an hour, I sat in my parked car (turned off mind you, unlike many others who kept theirs idling the entire time) thinking of the powder turns I was missing in the Milly Bowl (which never opened yesterday). Not helping my mood were the following texts my friend (who had, when he received my first text about the canyon's being closed, immediately driven up BCC since it was still open at that point) sent:

I got up early, I was going to wait for you but not if it's closing

I'm going to be first in line today

The latest says they are closing bcc from 8:15 to 9:00 so you can still make it up if you hurry

Me: Son of a $!&. I'm screwed

Sorry man, I'm already in the parking lot

Me: I'm stuck in the canyon. Save some pow for me!

No way

I pulled into the Brighton parking lot at 9:31 AM. Looking up at Milly Bowl I could see a lot of tracks, but still plenty of fresh. The session was good, but I had a tough time enjoying it as I knew I'd missed out. Listening to my friend talk about how the first 5 runs were some of the best in his life each time up the chair didn't help my mood. Even now, at 6 PM, I'm still bitter about getting caught by the closure. At least now I'll know better for the future.

Happy 50th day on skis this season to me!

A day that did not suck

2010-04-06T14:54:00.003-06:00

Wow.

Looking back I think the conference call I had at 8 AM this morning was a stroke of luck as it got me to the Brighton parking lot early enough to 1) Get a front row parking space in front of Milly Express, and 2) Participate in the call (if you call listening silently, muted, to 45 minutes of arguing participating). What surprised me was the fact that when I arrived - nearly an hour before the lifts were scheduled to open - there were at least 10 guys standing in line. Note that the temperature was in the high teens, the wind was blowing (effectively dropping the temperature below zero), and it was snowing quite hard. I don't know about you, but if I stood around in weather like that for more than 10 minutes I'd be frozen solid! Those guys certainly deserved the first chairs.

So after catching the last 10 minutes of the conference call from a private stall (I just couldn't wait any longer...) I was finally able to get my gear and go stand in line. Luckily the call ended before the lift officially opened so I was able to get my headphones put away before the real business started.

Let's just say that 3+ feet of new snow ridden on big, fat, rockered skis does not suck. In fact, it made for an extremely enjoyable morning. So much so that I'll be back tomorrow morning for more. I rode the lift with a group from out-of-state who were in Moab yesterday, but decided last night to drive up and go for a ride in the white room. Spring riding in Utah rules!

Bikes for Kids Utah Hosts First Annual Omnium

2010-02-25T10:38:00.003-07:00

Bikes for Kids Utah Hosts First-Annual Omnium With
University of Utah Cycling Team

Proceeds from the event's time trial will benefit the Bikes for Kids Utah mission to give bikes to second-grade students.

SALT LAKE CITY - Feb. 25, 2010 - Bikes for Kids Utah today announced details of the University of Utah/Bikes for Kids Utah Omnium, the first of its three annual fundraising events. This series of three bike races will be held Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27 throughout Salt Lake County, and produced in partnership by Bikes for Kids Utah and the University of Utah cycling team. Proceeds from the Hill Climb Time Trial on March 27 will support Bikes for Kids Utah while proceeds from the Criterium and Circuit Race will support the University of Utah cycling team.

"Developing our annual time trial into a three-stage, USA Cycling-sanctioned event is a great opportunity to draw more cyclists to the Bikes for Kids cause and for local cyclists to compete against each other in multiple racing disciplines," said Debbie Reid, founder and president of Bikes for Kids Utah. "We're working hard to make this a quality event that draws amateur and collegiate cyclists from around our conference."

All USA Cycling, Utah Cycling Association (UCA), Intermountain Collegiate Cycling Conference (IMCCC) and cyclists who like riding in charity events are invited to participate in the three-stage omnium events to earn racing points and to raise money to buy new bikes for Utah children. Descriptions of the stages follow below:

Stage 1:
Electric Park Criterium
Friday, March 26 at 12 p.m.
Starts in Thanksgiving Point's Electric Park at 3003 Thanksgiving Way in Lehi, Utah
The criterium race track consists of an 11-cornered, closed loop through Electric Park and the surrounding roads. Each lap of the spectator-friendly course is approximately 1.3 miles (2 km) that ends in front of the Electric Park pavilion. Riders will race between eight and 35 laps depending on their category, taking about 20 to 75 minutes to complete the race.

Stage 2:
Hill Climb Time Trial
Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 a.m.
Starts at the intersection of Bangerter Parkway and 13800 South in Draper, Utah.
The climb travels up Traverse Ridge Road and finishes at the intersection of Traverse Ridge Road and Deer Ridge Drive. The four-mile (6.4 km) time trial course has an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet (396 m) with 10 percent to 12 percent grades in some locations.

Stage 3:
Circuit Race
Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m.
Starts at Early Light Academy at 11709 S. Vadania Dr., South Jordan, Utah
Starting and finishing in Daybreak Utah, the race loop is 12 miles (19.3 km) and includes one 600-feet (188.8 m) climb. The route will take competitors up to the Kennecott Copper Mine, past Butterfield Canyon and through the Herriman area back to the finish. Riders will race between two and seven laps around the circuit depending on their category.

Registration for these events opens February 25 at sportsbaseonline.com and closes for the Criterium and Time Trial on Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m. and for the Circuit Race on Saturday, March 27 at 12 p.m. Please register in advance, as there is no on-site registration at any of the Omnium events. The registration fee for each race is $25 and $65 for the entire omnium before March 1. Collegiate cycling discounts are available with collegiate cycling license. Any Bikes for Kids Utah supporters that want to make a $5, $15 or $30 donation to the organization can do so at sportsbaseonline.com.

"We have really enjoyed working with Bikes for Kids Utah the past several years and are glad to increase our commitment to the organization's mission," said Brad Duncan, race director of the University of Utah cycling team. "Together we're planning and promoting strong events that will help get more Utah kids on bikes and strengthen Utah's cycling community."

For information about joining USA Cycling, UCA or IMCCC teams and participating in rides sanctioned by the governing bodies, please visit usacycling.org.

More information about Bikes for Kids Utah is available at www.bikesforkidsutah.com.

More information about University of Utah cycling is available at www.utahcycling.org.

About Bikes for Kids Utah
Bikes for Kids Utah is a non-profit organization formed in 2006 that provides bicycles for underprivileged children throughout the Salt Lake Valley. It generates support for its cause through its event registration proceeds, auctions, and private and corporate donations. Bikes for Kids' annual bicycle fundraising events, including casual road rides, timed road races and a dinner auction, raise money to provide 1,000 underprivileged children with new bicycles each year. For more information about the events, please visit www.bikesforkidsutah.com or call 801.656.0472.

Details about the Bikes for Kids Utah Fundraising Rides, held in conjunction with its bike giveaway on Saturday, May 8, 2010, and its fall dinner auction are forthcoming.

Saints to Sinners Bike Relay

2010-02-23T09:36:00.002-07:00

Salt Lake City to Las Vegas
July 30th & 31st, 2010. Ride the Saints To Sinners Bike Relay. Over 500 miles of racing from the heavenly heights of Utah to the infernal heat of Las Vegas. Make the cycling trek in teams. The team with the fastest time to Sin City wins.

Ride through the heavens of Utah to the depths of Sin City, dropping 9,000 along the way. Click on the map for more details of each leg of the Saints to Sinners Bike Relay.

the Big LePowSki 2010

2010-02-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

McDowell Mountain on the Single

2009-12-09T21:28:00.002-07:00

I've been riding the full suspension BMC all week and didn't want to end the trip without riding the singlespeed. For some reason it just seems silly to transport a bike so far without riding it. In fact, that's the reason why I no longer bring my road bike to Arizona - I never rode it once I realized how good the mountain biking was.

So today I had to ride the single. One thing to consider was that, after 5 days of riding, my legs were tired. Tired legs, 1 gear, and a rigid bike I needed to select a trail that would be fun to ride with minimal climbing and, since my right wrist has been sore since my fall yesterday, it also needed to be relatively smooth. The answer? McDowell Mountain Regional Park. I first rode the Pemberton Trail clockwise, then did a quick Sport -> Technical Track loop, and finished after the sun had set with an even faster Sport loop. Totals were 1:51 ride time and 21.74 miles. My only regret is that I didn't have time to do the Long loop too. The singlespeed is definitely returning with me on my next trip.

The Pemberton Trail is more double track than singletrack, but the fantastic scenery and excellent flow keeps me coming back for more. It was a perfect match for the singlespeed.

The Sport Track is really, really smooth and very, very fast. My (then) 8 year old rode it with me December 26th last year and said it was like a roller coaster.

Here's one for the roadies. The road riding in Arizona isn't bad either. If the dirt wasn't so much fun I might actually consider bringing my road bike.

Pass Mountain v2: This time I complete the loop

2009-12-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

My previous attempt to ride the Pass Mountain trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park didn't go so well and ended with an early withdrawl. Two years later I returned to finish the loop and, while I certainly didn't ride everything, I was successful in completing the trail.

Mike, of Mountain Bike AZ fame, joined my brother and I this morning. Spend a few minutes reading his trail reports and watching the videos shot from his helmet cam and you'll realize that he has mad bike skills. Skills, I should add, that I don't currently have. He rides like a mountain goat, just floating up and down technical features, making the roughest sections of trail look smooth.

Yesterday, and last night, the area received a ton of rain. This was a good thing as it had been months since the last significant storm. This made for absolutely fantastic riding conditions and if not for the handful of puddles it would have been difficult to tell that a major storm had occurred in the previous 24 hours (unless you'd been riding the loose, dusty trails in which case the transformation was even more dramatic).

I had one fall on a mildly technical uphill climb where, for whatever reason, I was unable to unclip after stalling out on a rock move and fell to my left, landing on both hands and my left shoulder. Thankfully there were no cacti in the immediate vicinity for me to fall into. I view this as a minor miracle as, like most trails in the Phoenex area, Pass Mountain is full of cacti. The discomfort of my sore right wrist is nothing compared to the pain and discomfort associated with removing a couple of dozen cactus spines!

Adding a pair of tweezers to my pack would probably be a good idea, since you never know when you'll have a close encounter with a cactus. For example, after we'd finished Pass Mountain, and were riding the Moon Rock trail on the way back to the car, my rear wheel kicked up a piece of cholla that stuck to my right leg. Luckily it was embedded mainly in my knee warmer, but even so I ended up sticking my finger, and poking my calf, trying to remove it.

Some people (like Mike) get excited when they see a trail sign that says it's not recommended for bikes. Others (like me) get a bit nervous.

The trail lures you in with sections of flowing, smooth singletrack. Enjoy them when you can because they are the exception, rather than the norm for this trail!

Looks fun, doesn't it?

The views to the northeast on the backside are massive.

Looking at the east face of Pass Mountain.

This looks easy enough, but don't let the picture fool you. That rock is anything but smooth and there is a significant drop to the rider's right side. I walked this section.

This section of slickrock also looks easy, but is much steeper than it appears and is filled with gaps and folds waiting to suck in your tire. I walked this too.

Mike makes everything look easy. Well, at least the stuff where I was close enough to see him ride he made look easy!

Refreshed

2009-12-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

My wish for rain has been granted, but now I'm worried that the area may get more than I'd hoped for. I started my lunch ride a little early this morning in order to avoid the heavier rain forecast for later in the day. When I rolled away from the house the roads were damp but it wasn't actively raining. That only lasted a few minutes, however, and from that point on it would rain off and on for the 1 hour and 40 minutes I was on my bike. Generally the rain was light, but as I climbed towards the Gateway Saddle in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve it would inevitably begin to come down harder (I rode both the north and south approaches).

I didn't mind the rain on the climbs as I could take off my sunglasses and see quite well. The descents, on the other hand, required that I wear the glasses to guard my contact lenses from the sand and small rocks my front tire would occasionally kick up into my face.

It was a fun ride and a unique experience to ride in the desert during a storm. I told my sister-in-law after I finished that I have a hard time leaving when it's raining, but if I get caught in rain after I'm on the bike it doesn't really bother me too much. Unfortunately for me, I was caught in a torrential downpour with only minutes left in the ride, ensuring that I returned home completely soaked!

2.5 Bypass in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

2009-12-05T19:57:00.003-07:00

Prospector Trail looking up towards Bell Pass

I say 2.5 Bypass (which is nothing compared to the annual Quad Bypass ) because we rode to Windgate Pass, Bell Pass, and the Gateway Saddle in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Riding from my brother's house in DC Ranch, our route was Desert Park to Windgate to Bell Pass (with a quick out-and-back on Prospector to the scenic view) to Gateway Saddle and back on Desert Park. One of these days I need to try the climb to Tom's Thumb, but after reading Mike's report I think my fitness level needs to be a bit higher than it is right now.

The descent down Bell Pass was better than I expected. After climbing (and hiking...) it in the spring of 2008 I knew it was steep, loose and rocky, with a handful of relatively tight switchbacks. Given my tentative descending skills I expected to walk a few sections. However, while I did unclip in a few spots (just in case I needed to eject) I never had to put a foot down.

The trails are dry and dusty as it hasn't rained in a long, long time. A cold front moved in last night and there's a chance of rain Monday. I'm actually hoping we get some moisture to freshen up the trails. Temperatures are in the high 50's to low 60's which is cold from a local's perspective, but feels great to me.

Windgate Trail, before the real climbing began

Looking down on the Bell Pass Trail before starting the descent

The Classic

2009-12-04T20:03:00.001-07:00

I met my brother after work for a quick out-and-back on the always fun Desert Classic trail at South Mountain Park. We started late and finished in the dark with lights. Either my light batteries aren't holding a charge, aren't recharging to 100%, or my night vision is deteriorating in my old age because like last night, I was having difficulty seeing details of the trail. So I rode slow which was fine as my legs were tired anyway. The picture above was taken at the point we turned around to start the ride back to the cars.

My Lunch Tasted Better Than Yours

2009-12-04T14:24:00.003-07:00

After a 10+ hour day in the car (and one super lame speeding ticket for going 65 in a 55 just outside of Jacob Lake that the officer empathetically reduced from 10 over to 1 over so my fine was only $62 instead of $120) I wasn't feeling too energetic when I finally arrived at my brother's house in Arizona. However, he was adament that we do a night ride so at 9:30 PM I found myself riding the Gateway Saddle loop in the nearby McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Unfortunately, this first ride didn't go so well for me. Historically my first couple of rides in Arizona are a bit rough - literally! - as I reaquaint myself with the rocky, rugged terrain that is more technical than what I normally ride. Completing my first ride in the dark, after a long day in the car during which I skipped lunch in favor of pretzels and leftover Halloween candy, didn't make it any easier. In fact, it made it extremely difficult and frustrating as I found myself off the bike hiking quite a bit. Fast forward 15 hours and the identical loop ridden at lunch today was much, much better. It's amazing what a good night's sleep and good visibility does for my riding! Plus, I was able to enjoy the scenery which isn't bad either.

It's been a while since I had a lunch ride that tasted this good!

New Shoes

2009-11-20T07:54:00.003-07:00

My new shoes came in the mail yesterday and I'm pretty excited. It's been a while since I've had any style on my feet and, judging from the reaction of my kids last night, the red sole alone on these should be an attention getter!

I want to be an IN-N-OUT Burger VIP

2009-11-16T11:47:00.007-07:00

So I just heard that there will be a VIP event for the new IN-N-OUT Burger in Draper, Utah. However, what bothers me is that - as of the writing of this post, at least - I have yet to receive an invitation. Given my many public statements of love for IN-N-OUT Burger (both on this blog and via comments on many other popular blogs) I am surprised that I haven't been approached to participate in the VIP event.

If you are in a position to fix this obvious oversight on the part of the IN-N-OUT Burger Sale/Marketing/Public Relations/etc. team feel free to contact me via the link in the right sidebar.

Mueller Park

2009-11-11T16:12:00.001-07:00

Four for Four

2009-11-05T16:31:00.002-07:00

After four lunch rides in four days my legs are beginning to fatigue (yes - I will admit I'm currently not in the best condition!) but with such nice weather now is not the time to rest.

Today I rode up to the radio towers located on the west side of City Creek Canyon. It was breezy, but that's a good thing as most of the valley haze is gone. Also, the circulating air has allowed the warm, high pressure system to drop into the valley. This has resulted in even warmer temperatures which could very well set a new record for November (the current record high is 75 degrees).

Tomorrow I'm thinking of extending the lunch ride and driving to Mueller Park. Unless, that is, the trail is muddy. Does anybody know if it's good to go?

BST: It's what's for lunch!

2009-11-03T15:05:00.004-07:00

Back-to-back lunch rides to start the week. Yesterday I chased Mark A. and Jon S. up E Street to 11 Ave to Dry Creek and along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to City Creek. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a chase as most of the time I couldn't see them, they were so far ahead of me. I knew I was in trouble when, as we began the climb up E Street, Jon kept it in the big ring. As he and Mark A. chatted, I hung on for dear life. At Popperton Park I politely excused myself from the group and watched them ride away. Occasionally they would stop to enjoy the view from scenic locations along the trail and I would catch up, if only for a minute or so.

There were tons of people out on the trail, all of whom were quite friendly, with one notable exception being a surly trail runner who knocked Jon off his bike and then polluted the air with a barage of expletives. Not cool, but I've encountered some angry, reckless bikers too so I'm not going to get down on trail runners. Luckily everybody rode and ran away without injury.

Today I rode solo up to the mouth of City Creek where I jumped on the BST heading west, climbing up to the overlook where I hiked last week (see the post below). For some reason the last couple of times I've done this section of trail I haven't felt like continuing up to the radio towers, nor have I been inclined to descend the same trail that I just finished climbing. This time I decided to explore, dropping down a rather loose, steep connector trail that eventually intersected the main Ensign Peak trail. I descended the last few hundred yards on the main trail (which was composed of a nearly continuous sequence of water bars) to the park, and then dropped through the neighborhood, past the Capitol to the bike/pedestrian lane that took me back to the mouth of City Creek and then back to the Avenues. A quick bomb down E Street and I was back to work.

On a different, but related subject, I'm not a huge fan of lycra and hairy legs. Unfortunately, my cycling drawer is currently full of the former, and my legs are quickly becoming the latter. The question I'm faced with is whether it's worth one final, late-season shave in order to fully enjoy the 2-3 remaining lunch rides this week? Normally I wear leg or knee warmers this time of year so the hair on my legs is hidden. This unseasonably warm weather pattern we're currently enjoying is throwing a wrench into my plans to have hair on my legs for the start of ski season.

Falling Back

2009-10-30T20:13:00.005-06:00

Lately it's been harder and harder to get out on the bike. For example, this week (so far) I have done 0 rides. Hopefully that will change tomorrow as I have a nice window in which to recreate in the morning. To compensate, I've been avoiding the elevator and taking the six flights of stairs between the lowest parking level and my office on the fourth floor. In fact, some days I take the stairs down to the garage and back up to my floor each time I leave the office to use the restroom. It's not much, but better than nothing.

As far as "real" exercise is concerned, I did manage to get out on a hike Monday evening. Together with a client who was in town from Doha, Qatar, I went up the Shoreline trail on the west side of City Creek. We didn't have time to go all the way to the radio towers, and besides, the view from the overlook is better anyway (in my opinion at least, though you can't really tell from this blurry picture courtesy of my phone):

I was surprised how steep the switchback climb turned out to be. I knew it was a lung buster on two wheels, but for some reason expected it to be easier on foot. Not so, and it was cool to see the lines I normally ride from a different perspective.
We started just before 6 PM so by the time we reached the top it was already quite dark. It didn't take long on the descent to switch on our headlamps and we enjoyed the hike down in the dark. Maybe I'm just a wimp, but hiking (or biking for that matter) at night isn't something I would do alone. However, with company it's super fun and I always come away asking myself why I don't do it more often. Given that the time changes this Sunday, which means it will get dark around 5:30 PM, I'm thinking that recreating in the dark will become more and more common.

Custom Built Road Wheelset For Sale

2009-10-25T11:38:00.002-06:00

I've decided to sell my backup wheelset. It's been a difficult decision because the wheels are a sweet custom build courtesy of Lyle at Spin Lite Cycling. However, now that I've converted my Ksyriums to a tubeless setup I don't see myself using them very often. Plus, I need some $ to buy a pair of bindings for my new powder skis!

Here are the details:

Rims: Velocity Fusion (black)
Hubs: White Industries LTA (silver)
Spokes: Sapim CX Ray (silver, 24 front/28 rear, laced 2x front, 3x rear drive side and 2x rear non-drive side)
Skewers: Zipp titanium (black)
Weight (front, no skewer but with Velox rim strip): 720 grams
Weight (rear, no skewer but with Velox rim strip): 860 grams

Asking price: $350 Cash or PayPal.

Let me know if you want to check them out.

Flying Dog & Glenwild

2009-10-17T16:35:00.001-06:00

Kris and I got out for a sweet 2 hours of riding in Park City this afternoon. If all fall days could be like this I'd be a happy, happy guy. With temperatures in the 60's, a bright blue sky, the earthy smell of fallen leaves and plenty of colorful leaves on the hillsides made for a near perfect day. Finish it off with a burger, fries and Coke from Five Guys and it doesn't get much better.

Flying Dog:

Glenwild:

Fall on the BST

2009-10-16T18:28:00.000-06:00

Season of Change

2009-10-15T13:12:00.004-06:00

Today I received the following text:

FRM: SheriffCynAlrt@slco.org
MSG: Test of Sheriff Canyon Alert System for 2009-2010 winter season

For more info or unsubscribe go to www.slsheriff.org

Yeah! Bring it.

Bobsled

2009-10-13T17:17:00.003-06:00

I hiked up the Bobsled with Mark A. this afternoon to re-visit the scene of his accident. It was a bit unnerving walking uphill on a popular high speed, downhill-only trail. I kept expecting a rider to come flying around a corner but luckily we didn't run into (pun intended) anybody.

He went down just above where this car sits off to the side of the trail, on an off camber section of loose surface on top of a hardpacked base. To the side sits a big, rather innocent looking rock that we assumed inflicted the damage to his arm.

Emergency Extraction

2009-10-12T21:41:00.004-06:00

No, I'm not talking about dentistry. I'm referring to a call from a friend that is hurt and needs help. This afternoon I received such a call. I won't go into any details (my buddy who called has a blog too and owns the rights to the first real post on the subject as well as the graphic image of the wound) other than to say he's ok. It's nice to have a hospital (LDS) just minutes from the office and trail, not that I plan to return anytime soon. This was my second time taking a friend to the ER after a cycling accident and it does make you think about the inherent danger in what we do on bikes. I'm just glad I'll soon be able to ride with him again. Be safe out there.

I love CarboRocket

2009-10-08T20:04:00.008-06:00

Seriously. It's all I drink on the bike when water just isn't enough. Well, I also like Coke but usually I only drink that when I stop at a convenience store post ride. Anyway, so today I discovered another use for the stuff that I want to share.

Last night both myself and my 7 year old daughter got hit by a stomach bug. Hard. She fared worse than me, and had thrown up 11 times by noon today. As you can imagine she was starting to get dehydrated yet couldn't keep anything down. She kept asking for water but I didn't want her to keep throwing it right back up. It was at that point, in a true moment of desperation, that I had the idea to mix a glass of CarboRocket (raspberry lemonade if you were curious what flavor) for her to drink.

Brad claims it's easy on the stomach and I'm here to tell you that he's not lying. I started with a spoonfull every 5 minutes, then 2, 3, 4 spoonfulls until I just let her sip it from the cup. At that point I was getting pretty stressed and worn out as my wife had come down with the same bug and wasn't able to help our 4 month old baby. I was completely drained and turned to two things for help: CarboRocket and my in-laws. Let's just say that both were absolute super stars and my family and I are feeling much better now.

I can honestly say that CarboRocket got us through a very difficult day. I love that stuff.

Will Bart repeat in the Clarks TT?

2009-10-08T09:08:00.008-06:00

Last night I received an email from Bart Gillespie, local hero and working man's pro mountain bike and cyclocross racer. He had ridden his cross bike to Sandy and decided to give the Clarks TT a go while in the area. In his words:

I started very conservative and just upped the pace as I went, it made it so it did not hurt all that bad becasue I never got close to blowing up.

The result? 8:24! To put that time in perspective consider it's 58 seconds faster than the 2nd best time and 34 seconds faster than Bart's previous best time from 2008.

Can Bart be beaten? From his email it sounds like with slightly higher tire pressure, lighter wheels and less traffic on the trail there's a good chance he could go sub 8 minutes!

I'd really like to see Alex, Ali, Eric, Art, Reed and the other elite cyclocross guys give it a shot on their cross bikes. If somebody is going to beat Bart it will probably be from that group.

Again, in Bart's words, the "dirt is in great shape and the cool temps make it nice" so if you haven't done the tt in a while (or at all for that matter) now is the perfect time. Get out and ride!

Wow! What a difference 10 days make.

2009-10-05T16:09:00.004-06:00

When I last rode my bike on September 23rd it was in the afternoon, with SkiBikeJunkie, in very warm weather (the temperature was in the mid 80's). Today I did a similar ride, with SkiBikeJunkie, only the route was reversed (City Creek to Dry Creek) and the temperature was about 40 degrees cooler. What a difference 10 days makes!

However, given that fall in Utah is composed of extremes, and that the average temperature you see reported for October is just that - an average and not something that is normally experienced in real life - the fact that today's ride was abnormally cold wasn't surprising since the previous ride was abnormally hot. In fact, the average of 45 and 85 is 65, not coincidentally the average temperature for Salt Lake City in October.

Also, the fact that the mountains have received so much snow in the past week that some people have already completed their first backcountry tour of the 2009/2010 ski season means that my fall riding in the high country effectively ended before it could even begin. Which means that the fall season, at least as far as mountain biking above 8,000 feet is concerned, lasted just over 1 week this year.

And if you think that because of this abnormally cold weather the ski resorts will open early you'd be wrong, because again, fall in Utah is one of extremes. To balance out this string of extremely cold weather we'll probably be back in the 80's next week.

Tonight's Sunset

2009-09-30T23:20:00.001-06:00

More BST

2009-09-23T23:02:00.002-06:00

Another day, another 12 hours in the office. Well, all except the 70 minutes I spent riding the shoreline between Dry Creek and City Creek at lunch. Work has been super busy which is why I'm doing lunch rides in the brown foothills while everybody else is up high enjoying the fall colors. Oh well, if it ends up that I miss the spectacle completely at least I can take comfort in the fact that ski season is fast approaching! That and the knowledge that the colors of Moab are always in season.

Where is everybody?

2009-09-21T19:49:00.004-06:00

I did a quick ride this evening from City Creek to Bobsled via the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and saw no other bikers on the trail. Zero. Nada. Not a single mountain bike.

When I rolled away from my office a little after 5 PM I figured the trails would be crowded. After all, the weather was absolutely beautiful with blue skies and temperatures in the mid-60's.

Don't people ride the BST anymore?

Bluehouse Skis Pre-Sale

2009-09-17T14:13:00.006-06:00

It's time to gear up for the 09-10 winter season!

Check out the Bluehouse Skis pre-sale this Saturday, September 19th beginning at 12:01 AM MDT to save up to 52% off retail.

Yeah, you read that right - up to 52% off retail pricing!

Shoots - Maestro (New)- Mavens

Districts (Backcounty Magazine Editor's Choice Award Winner!)

MRs

Antics (New - Telemark Skier Magazine, Telemark Skier Award Winner)

Amazing

2009-09-14T22:23:00.008-06:00

It's been a little more than 48 hours since my last ride in Moab and I'm still on a high. My worry that the whole Moab experience would fall short of expectations was completely unfounded. I had an absolutely fantastic time. Even now, thinking back on the 2 days, I can't help but smile. And laugh, as I watch Kris' slow motion endo over and over and over again.

Slickrock was a complete mind trip. I still can't figure out how it's possible to ride a bike up what look to be near vertical faces. Basically I just turned off my brain and followed Kris and Paul wherever the white dashes led us. Tons of fun.

After putting a foot down on my first attempt at climbing Cogs to Spare I cranked the volume on my iPhone, queued up Eye of the Tiger, and fought my way to the top. Survivor, it's not just for boxers anymore!

Sovereign was awesome too. I wasn't able to ride everything we encountered on the trail but couldn't get enough of the mixed terrain that was both technical and flowing at the same time. The huge slickrock field at the top was incredible. Riding without boundaries was another first. Picking our way up the slope without painted dashes or a defined trail to follow was a unique experience. What made Sovereign even more enjoyable was the fact that it rode like a completely new trail on the way back. Much respect to whoever designed and built that trail. Well done!

Klondike Bluffs and Baby Steps, while not as impressive as Slickrock or Sovereign, were still awesome rides. I really enjoyed the change of pace the short hike into Arches National Park provided as mentally I was getting a bit tired from all of the technical riding.

Watching the sun set over the Slickrock Trail while lightening flashed in a distant thunderstorm was a dramatic way to end the trip. We only had time for the practice loop and an out-and-back to the Wooly Gully but those 30 minutes ended up being some of my favorite moments of the trip. My brother Paul had tried to ride the Gully crossing the day before without success and predicted that if we returned he'd be able to do it. Well, it took him 4 attempts but he was able to make good on his promise to ride it without dabbing. It doesn't look as impressive on film, but trust me when I say this was some of the most impressive riding of the trip. The approach is intimidating and the ledge on the far side is tricky as it angles away from your rear tire. For a dentist who doesn't get out on his bike very often he sure knows how to ride!

After a quick baby wipe "shower" in the parking lot we were on our way home but not without one last first for me: A bacon cheeseburger at Ray's Tavern in Green River.

What's your favorite trail in Moab?

2009-09-09T17:37:00.002-06:00

After nearly 4 years of mountain biking it looks like I'm finally going to make it to Moab with my bike. Given the fact that I've been subjected to a seemingly endless chorus of hype about how amazing Moab is over that same period of time, I'll admit to being a bit fearful that it won't live up to the hype. Is it really that good? The mecca of mountain biking? I guess I'll soon find out. So to make sure I ride the best trails during my short 2 days in town, let me know which trails you love and any other information I'll need to know in order to get the most out of my trip.

Road Climb: Little Cottonwood Canyon

2009-09-07T18:18:00.008-06:00

Ouch! That hurt. I haven't been up Little Cottonwood on the road bike since I did it with Kris in 2007. I rode Butterfield Canyon a couple of times earlier this year and justified not doing Little C because I thought the former was a tougher climb. Well, I'm here to tell you that, in my opinion, Little Cottonwood is the hardest climb in the valley.

I haven't ridden with a heart rate monitor all year and my Suunto T6 recently died so I don't have any ride data other than mileage (which you already know) and time (which shall remain anonymous). Perceived exertion wasn't too bad except for the S Curves (killer headwind) and Tanners Flat (which always kicks my butt). There were a TON of cars on the road which kept the smell of burned rubber in the air all the way up. That smell is what Little Cottonwood is all about. The fact that cars struggle to make it up just proves how steep it is.

The wind kept changing - headwind, tailwind, cross wind. As the road turned so did the wind. This made for a more exciting than usual descent. 40+ mph and gusty wind don't mix well. Luckily I made it down safely (the new pavement on the top half is the sweetness!) and basically coasted all the way home. This was much appreciated as my legs were pretty toasty because, even though I wasn't pushing the pace, I didn't eat enough and ran out of gas between Snowbird and Alta.

Looking back I should have filled both bottles with Carborocket and brought my last Mung Bean Cake for fuel. Oh well, I limped in to the upper lot, ate a bar, drank some water and then headed down. At the 7-Eleven on the corner of 10000 S and 700 East I bought a Mexi Coke and banana which got me home without any further difficulty.

Caption This

2009-09-03T15:47:00.004-06:00

Corner Canyon Therapy

2009-09-02T22:38:00.005-06:00

Work has been super stressful this week. How bad can it be you ask? Well, to give you an idea my boss called my cell phone this morning at 7:14 AM to make sure I'd seen the email from our London office detailing an issue a key customer was experiencing. Luckily I'd been awake since 7:11 and, in the previous 3 minutes, being the dedicated company man that I am, had just read the email to which he referred. You see, I sleep with my iPhone on the floor, just under the bed, so when I wake up I can easily check email (and Facebook and the local blogs).

So anyway, work has been stressful. There's a lot going on and I'm feeling a fair amount of pressure. All things considered, this is a good thing. It's great to be employed, even better to be in a position to contribute, and I really enjoy my coworkers. Let's just say it's an awesome place to work. But stress, well, nobody likes that. And you know what makes it 100 times harder to deal with? Not being able to ride. Monday and Tuesday I couldn't get out and let's just say that I wasn't a joy to be around when I got home in the evening.

But today was different. Why? I was able to ride. Given how the day started I had my doubts that I'd be able to pull it off, but thankfully things went well and I was able to leave at a reasonable hour. Kris met me at the Draper Equestrian Center a little after 6 and we headed out for what turned out to be 1 hour and 39 minutes of much needed therapy.

We rode a bunch of trails, some old, others brand new (that's what's so cool about Corner Canyon - there seems to always be something new or improved to ride). All were fun, with the out-and-back we did on the BST through the scrub oak charred by the fire of 2007 my favorite of the night. Hopefully Kris' pictures turned out 'cause I want to steal one for this post. There are a ton of bright yellow sunflowers blooming up on the hillside which contrast dramatically against the bare, black branches of the burned scrub oak. We also had a tailwind - seemingly in both directions, how does that happen? - which made it fast and fun.

Other trails we rode included Gas Line, Lower Ghost Falls, Steps, Clarks and Canyon Hollow (also referred to as Brocks Point). We also rode the new, machined section of what I'm guessing is Jamie's trail as well as the new connector from the top of Clarks to Canyon Hollow.

Clarks is in great shape for a time trial. As smooth as I've seen it this season and hard, hard packed. If you haven't done the tt yet now's the time to do it!

Park City Loop

2009-08-29T21:33:00.001-06:00

Keystone:

Shadow Lake:

Wasatch Crest:

Mid-Mountain:

Spiro:

Kris and I started at Park City Mountain Resort and rode the loop clockwise: Crescent Mine Grade -> Apex -> Keystone -> Shadow Lake -> Wasatch Crest Connector -> Wasatch Crest -> Mill Creek Connector -> Mid-Mountain -> Spiro -> Silver Spur.

It took us 4.5 hours to complete the 32 miles. Notable events included:

· Broken spoke (rear wheel driveside) on my bike as we began the Wasatch Crest. Kris flatted at almost exactly the same time. We removed the spoke and Stans sealed the puncture after the tire was reinflated with a hand pump.

· Rode up on a lady who had just crashed lying in the trail. Her husband was there and after verifying that she was uninjured we moved on.

· Kris rode the spine for the first time (on his 29er hardtail). Awesome!

·Another broken spoke (again, rear wheel driveside) on my bike as we approached Red Pine Lodge on Mid-Mountain. We again removed the spoke and continued.

· My fuel for the ride consisted only of CarboRocket (10 scoops in my 100oz bladder) and a Mung Bean Cake. More on the latter in a future post.

Help a brother out and enter to win some cool stuff

2009-08-27T11:58:00.004-06:00

Robbie Squire is one of the top U23 Mountain Bike racers in the United States who happens to call Utah home. He's a former Junior National Champion and finished 2nd in this years U23 national championship. Not only is he extremely fast on two wheels (he blitzed Millcreek in 39 minutes yesterday) but he's also a nice guy. So where am I going with this? Keep reading...

Thanks to his excellent results, USA Cycling has named Robbie to the U.S. National Team that will be competing at the upcoming Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia the first week of September. USA Cycling doesn't cover travel expenses which - as you can imagine - makes it difficult for Robbie to attend.

Thankfully, the organizors of The Tour De Park City have generously donated some awesome swag for a raffle, the procedes of which will go towards helping Robbie get to Australia without racking up a ton of debt.

Reynolds Solitude Wheelset
Garmin 605
Rudy Project Helmet/glasses combo
3 energy packages including hammer heed, pro bars, sportslegs, and gels

Each ticket costs $5 and the raffle will be held in 2 weeks.

Click HERE to purchase raffle tickets.

Clarks TT: New PR

2009-08-17T22:29:00.008-06:00

Daren invited me to join him for some threshold intervals he planned to do up Clarks this evening. I, on the other hand, was going to hit the climb at full gas. Also, while he continued to climb up the doubletrack towards Jacobs Ladder after finishing Clarks (to get in a full 15 minute effort), I rode circles at the top of Clarks trying not to lose what remained of my lunch.

I've been wanting to do another time trial for a while now, especially since it's been more than 3 months since my first (and only) attempt of the season way back on May 6th. That initial attempt also marked my first real ride in 2009 on the single speed and proved to be quite painful. However, I've done a fair amount of riding since then and was confident that I could beat my previous time of 14:04. The question I had to answer was how much quicker could I go now?

Well, this evening's two efforts hurt just as bad (if not worse) then those first attempts, but I'm happy to report that my suffering resulted in a much improved time. I completed the first attempt in 11:56 and the second in 12:19. For the first, I waited about 20 seconds after Daren started and never saw him the entire climb. I did, however, pass 6 riders and 2 hikers on my way up. At the time I thought dealing with all of the traffic would negatively impact my time, but looking back I think it actually worked to my advantage. Being forced to slow and wait for an opportunity to pass prevented me from going out too hard, allowing me to really punch it up the steeper sections over the latter part of the climb without blowing up.

For the second attempt I waited just a few seconds after Daren started to try and use him as a rabbit to chase. I managed to keep him in sight on the lower slopes and actually reduced the gap up the steep section leading up to the big left hand turn at the top of the gully. Unfortunately, at that point my legs were cooked and I started to fade fast until I completely exploded at the upper gate. Looking back I definitely went out too hard (that's what I get for trying to keep up with Daren) which hurt me when I got to the steeper part of the climb.

I'm excited to see how fast Daren can go at full intensity. My money's on a sub-11, especially if he throws down on his cross bike! Speaking of which, he's pretty excited to race cross this fall. In fact, listening to him talk about the different courses tonight actually made me think about giving it a go. I'd need to get a smaller rear cog (currently I'm running a 20 but for cx I'd probably want a 16, 17 or 18), but think I could probably get by on my single speed 29er. If the weather's good (and by good I mean no rain, snow and mud!) I may try a race or two.

I should also note that I couldn't have set a new PR without CarboRocket in my bottle (I don't think anything else would have stayed in my stomach after finishing the tt!) and Fly socks on my feet. Seriously, those two simple products give you wings. I'm pretty sure if I'd worn either my Masher or 29 & Single jersey I'd have gone even faster! As crazy as it sounds I think looking fast actually makes you ride fast(er).

Millcreek - Wasatch Crest - Dog Lake

2009-08-13T08:18:00.004-06:00

Mark and I rode the same loop that Kris and I completed last Thursday: Drive to the top of Millcreek Canyon, ride up Big Water, Great Western and the Wasatch Crest trails to the base of the spine. Descend to Desolation Lake and continue down Mill D to the steep connector that climbs to Dog Lake. This climb is about half riding and half hiking (for me - I've heard that some guys can ride the entire thing). Once you reach Dog Lake and climb up to the Little and Big Water trail intersection it's all downhill back to the car. We chose to drop Little Water all the way down to the upper parking lot.

The trails are getting quite dusty and if we don't get rain soon I may start riding the road until we do. There were lots of people out riding, especially on the Mill D downhill (we even passed 3-4 riders climbing up - I need to try this loop in reverse next time). We encountered a group of 3 riders walking the steep, root & rock technical section and just rolled on by, picking a different line than I'm used to riding but making it down no problem all the same. Moments like that make me feel good - not because I think I'm an amazing rider (I'm far from that!) but rather because they indicate I'm making progress. I ride with so many guys whose technical riding skills far exceed my own, it's nice to know that I'm not as bad as I might think.

American Fork Canyon

2009-08-08T12:25:00.000-06:00

Desolation Lake

2009-08-06T22:37:00.000-06:00

This fight isn't over

2009-08-06T11:19:00.004-06:00

Millcreek & American Fork Canyons

2009-08-05T17:35:00.006-06:00

New Addition: Bluehouse Maven

2009-07-26T11:19:00.004-06:00

Is it winter yet?! I'm so excited to get these out in some pow. I picked them up last night from Jared at Bluehouse Skis and dang, they are HUGE! At 139 in the waist they make my Line Prophet 100's look tiny. Of course, it wasn't long ago that I thought my Prophets were big compared to the old school Rossignol Rebels they replaced. It's all a matter of perspective I guess.

Only 4 more months until the real season starts and no, I'm not talking about cyclocross!

Draw your own conclusions

2009-07-23T13:12:00.004-06:00

I found this graphic, courtesy of The Science of Sport website, quite interesting:

For those of you who follow cycling you'll recognize the names of Riis and Pantanti as two riders who either admitted to, or tested positive for, the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Crazy.

What's up with Boise Cyclists?

2009-07-17T20:18:00.007-06:00

I've ridden two days for a total of 6 hours in Boise so far this trip and I have yet to pass a person riding a bike that hasn't either waved, nodded, smiled or said hello to me in passing. In fact, even the triathletes down on their aero bars have made an effort to show some sign of acknowledgement.

You might think that I've encountered relatively few riders and that those I've seen just happen to be of the friendly type. Well, that hasn't been the case as I've spent the past two days on some of the most popular routes in the city: Hill Road and Bogus Basin Road. It's been a nice surprise and if there is such an award I hereby nominate Boise as the friendliest cycling city in the west. And keep in mind that I have yet to ride my mountain bike so these are, generally speaking, roadies. I know - crazy.

While the trip has thus far been quite enjoyable I did manage to leave one very important item at home: My legs. I don't know why but I've had nothing on the bike. This morning I left the house at 8:30 AM and while it was significantly cooler than yesterday, I still had no snap on the climb to Bogus. However, this time I started much slower and was able to make it up to the top. It's a great climb with an even better descent.

I'm really enjoying riding tubeless and seem to notice the biggest difference (besides the fact I'm not fixing flats) on the downhill. Like yesterday I was again carrying more speed through the corners than I have in the past. It's been a lot of fun and almost makes me forget how slow I climbed up.

After the ride I decided to take my cold bath to a new level and added most of the contents of a 10 pound bag of ice to the tub. It made for an uncomfortable first 1-2 minutes but hopefully it will result in my having a better day on the bike tomorrow. Speaking of which, those of you racing the Boise Twilight Criterium will want to have a good hydration plan as it's forecast to reach 104 degrees! I will probably be spectating with a CamelBak filled with ice water!

Friday's Pie Tracker: Raspberry

Suffering in the Heat

2009-07-16T19:46:00.004-06:00

I rolled away from my parent's home in Boise this morning at 10:30. My plan was to climb Bogus Basin road to the lower lodge of the ski resort that shares the same name. Unfortunately my body had other plans and when my legs went MIA half way up I decided to flip a U- turn at the Forest Service sign.

I still managed 2,200 total feet of elevation gain for the 40 mile ride but wish I'd been able to reach the pine trees and cooler temperatures up higher on the mountain. You see, it's quite hot right now in Boise - close to 100 degrees for the daytime high temperature and Bogus Basin - especially on the lower slopes - is painfully exposed to the sun.

I think a combination of heat, 5 hours in the car last night and going to bed at 1 AM took a toll on my legs. After showering I filled the tub with cold water (my folks get their water from a well so it's really COLD) and soaked for 15 minutes. Hopefully that helps on tomorrow's ride as I'm planning to head back up.

Today was my first official ride on a full (front and rear) tubeless setup. Everything worked great and I finished the ride with no flat tires. I must admit to being nervous as I started the descent as a rolled tire or blow off would have most likely resulted in a painful, high speed fall. However, it didn't take long to begin to trust my tires to the point that I stopped using my brakes. Bogus Basin is a super fun descent and the lower pressure I'm able to run tubeless seemed to give me more grip than I'm used to. Very cool!

Pie Tracker: Pumpkin (not just for the holidays!) and Apricot (with fruit picked from the tree in the backyard).

Road Tubeless

2009-07-13T23:04:00.000-06:00

Last night while I watched Stage 9 of the Tour de France I converted the front wheel of my road bike to a tubeless setup. I went to bed too late to get out this morning so my first ride will be later this evening. However, thus far everything looks good and the tire held air just fine overnight.

It terms of the conversion itself it was really pretty easy. Keep in mind that I'm not a very handy guy so if it was easy for me it should be extremely simple for you. (While I can do simple bike maintenance like installing a cassette, chain, bar and/or stem I struggle with more complicated tasks like, for example, adjusting the front derailleur.) I used the Hutchinson Fusion Road Tubeless tire (which is, to my knowledge, pretty much the only option currently available) and Stans valve stems and sealant.

Since my Mavic Ksyrium ES rims don't have internal spoke holes, all I really needed to do was remove some of the excess rubber around the valve stem (so the tire bead could engage the rim hook), screw the valve stem in place and mount the tire. The only sorta tricky part was inflating the tire for the first time. I wasn't able to get enough air into the tire to seat the tire's bead so had to remove the valve core in order to inflate the tire. Of course, with no valve core I lost all of the air as soon as I removed the head of my floor pump. However, the bead stayed seated so I was able to replace the valve core and re-inflate without a problem. Since I didn't have a way to get the Stans into the tire via the valve stem (I need to buy some small diameter plastic tubing) I had to unseat a section of tire and pour the Stans directly into the tire. Again, I was able to re-inflate with the floor pump as most of the bead was still seated.

I'm curious to see how road tubeless works out. I've been running a tubeless setup on my mountain bike for the past 3+ years and have yet to experience a flat tire (that's not to say I haven't punctured, just that I've never had a puncture that didn't seal). If the same proves true on the road bike I'll be very, very happy.

As far as weight is concerned I'm guessing the front wheel is the same, if not slightly heavier, than before - mainly due to the sealant. In my mind this is a small price to pay for the convenience of eliminating flat tires from my road riding.

I should have my rear tire converted in the next day or two and will post an update after a few weeks of riding. If anybody has any personal experience with road tubeless I'd be interested to hear what you think.

UPDATE: I just finished converting my rear wheel to tubeless and it was much easier the 2nd time. Earlier in the evening I rode over to Revolution (about 21 miles round-trip from my house) to pick up some more valve stems and a 2 oz bottle of Stans. I ran about 95 PSI in the tubeless front tire and it rode great. It also felt different, though I'm at a loss to describe what the difference is. More lively? That sounds too cliche. A bit squirrely? Maybe, but that makes it sound like the wheel was hard to control and it wasn't. Who knows - I'll try and get out for another ride tomorrow now that both wheels are done and see if I notice any changes. Oh, and I should report that I didn't have any flats - front (tubeless) or rear (tube).

Two Summits

2009-07-10T22:26:00.000-06:00

In the morning I was at the top of the Alpine Loop in the morning, accessed via bicycle:

In the afternoon I was at the top of Hidden Peak in Little Cottonwood Canyon, accessed via the Snowbird tram:

Corner Canyon - Draper, UT

2009-07-08T23:58:00.000-06:00

Independence Day in Park City

2009-07-04T20:48:00.006-06:00

The past two years I've ridden Park City's Mid-Mountain trail on the 4th of July. Both years I've been lucky to ride in cool temperatures under cloudy skies which presents a welcome relief from the heat of the Salt Lake valley. Today I even rode for a few minutes in the rain - while the sun was out! The moisture made the already damp & tacky trails even better. Seriously, conditions couldn't have been much better. The seemingly neverending rain we've experienced this past month can get a bit tiresome, but it sure makes the forest lush and green. I'll take rain over dusty trails any day!

Normally I start from Park City Mountain Resort but today I decided to park at The Canyons and ride the pavement as a warm-up. This made the fun little grunt up Spiro much more enjoyable as doing this climb with cold legs hurts. It was then all Mid-Mountain goodness until I descended Holleys trail back to the car.

New Ride

2009-07-03T15:17:00.006-06:00

No, it's not a new bike. Unfortunately my "needs" have taken a backseat to the baby. Kai is pretty spoiled compared to our other kids! Those Maclaren strollers are pretty nice.

It's getting crazy outside...

2009-07-02T14:33:00.001-06:00

Millcreek Canyon: A true fountain of youth

2009-06-30T23:15:00.015-06:00

After riding Millcreek last Wednesday with Kris I knew I had to return for at least one more ride before the winter gate opened on July 1st. The trails are so good that the opportunity to enjoy them with minimal (if any) traffic is impossible to pass up.

Looking at my schedule for the coming week, I realized Monday would be my only chance. It should be noted that while Monday was the 29th day of June and the upper Millcreek trails are only open to bikes on even numbered days, the rule isn't really applicable until the gate opens. I mean seriously, how many people are willing to hike 4 miles on the road (each way) in order to reach the trailhead? Yep, you guessed it: Very few. Or, based on my experience: None.

So Monday it was. Kris was in and so were Mark A. and Alex. This was my first time riding with Alex and I have to say that I came away very impressed. Not only is he an extremely intelligent, pleasant, articulate and friendly guy, but he also happens to be super fast on two wheels! To illustrate my point consider that Kris and I rode a slightly shorter route last week yet finished Monday's ride more than 13 minutes quicker. I'm glad Mark was there so that Alex had somebody to talk to as he rode. Me, when I was close enough to be heard, I couldn't talk because I was breathing so hard!

If we had encountered many other people on the trail I'm sure they would have wondered what triggered the stampede of clydesdales:

Thankfully we did stop occasionally to regroup and take in the scenery.

Here I am enjoying one of the many spectacular views:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

One thing that's cool about my blog (in fact, perhaps this is the only cool thing about my blog) is all the people I've met because our paths crossed online. On the ride I mentioned to Mark that I'd met all of the guys - Kris, Alex and himself - through the blog. He said that the same was true for him. Which brings me to the title of this post.

Cimbing up to the Little Water trail from Dog Lake we encountered Jared and Eric. I was familiar with both of them from their respective blogs but had never met either in person. After introducing myself, Eric remarked that I was much younger than he'd imagined me to be. Apparently he had been under the impression that I was a 60 year old guy. I laughed at the time, but now I wonder: Do I really seem that old? :)

I finally get to meet the SLC Samurai and Faceless Ghost in person:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

Millcreek Canyon

2009-06-24T23:17:00.003-06:00

Big Water Trail:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

Dog Lake:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

At the top of Great Western approaching the Mid-Mountain Connector:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

Pipeline:

Image courtesy of KanyonKris

We're tentatively planning a repeat ride for the evening of Monday, June 29th.

Starting Over

2009-06-23T18:02:00.000-06:00

Quick Stats
Name: Kai Vaun Nielson
Gender: Male
Born: Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 11:32 PM
Where: Jordan Valley Hospital, West Jordan, Utah
Weight: 7 pounds 8 ounces
Length: 20 inches

Wow.

Life sure is different with a new baby in the house! I think all of us were caught by surprise at how quickly everything changed to accomodate the new arrival. A week ago I was under the impression that I had young kids. Not anymore.

At 7 years old Kate is already a mother in miniature, taking every opportunity she's given to help Kai. Whether it's changing a dirty diaper, choosing and dressing him in a new outfit each morning, rocking him to sleep or making sure his pacifier doesn't fall out when he's fussy, she's always ready and willing to lend a hand.

Alder, on the other hand, is already showing signs of manhood. At 9 years old he still has a ways to go before he matures physically, but after observing how he interact with Kai you'd think he was much, much older. Change a diaper? No thanks. Hold the baby when he's crying? I'll pass on that. Pick out an outfit? Nah, just grab something from the drawer. And so it goes. What he has done, however, is help around the house. You know, attending to the physical needs of Mom and baby. Taking out the trash, getting diapers down from the closet, teaching Cami how to use the baby monitor or showing her the features of the new car seat are all things he enjoys doing. And if the baby is happy, Alder is more than willing to hang out and interact.

Cami is an all star. Physically, she's nothing short of amazing. It's taken me more than a week to recover. Even now, as I type this, I still feel some lingering fatigue. Cami, on the other hand, is going strong. Feeling great. Adapting quicker than anybody to the new routines. She was doing simple core exercises the day she returned home from the hospital. When Kai cried from 9 PM to 1 AM this past Friday night, Cami was calm and composed as she comforted and eventually helped him to fall asleep. (I should note that this has been the only occurence of true colic-type behavior. Poor Kai was exhausted after he finally relaxed and pretty much slept for the next 24 hours!)

Me, I'm still amazed that I'm a Dad again. Often I find myself wondering how it's possible that when Kai turns 9, Alder will be 18. Or that when Kai is 7, Kate will be 14. For some reason that really throws me for a loop. It doesn't seem very long ago that Alder and Kate were babies and now that Kai has arrived I'm beginning to realize my time with them is passing much too quickly. Alder halfway to college? Kate halfway to high school? How is that even possible?! Where did the last 9 years go? Yes, having a new baby in the house has been a big adjustment on many levels.

A damp, but not very muddy, Flying Dog

2009-06-12T16:13:00.002-06:00

Image courtesy of Forrest Gladding

I met up with Forrest for a quick session on the lower Park City (or upper Jeremy Ranch?) trails today at lunch. Initial reports from riders coming down the trail were that the lower stuff was good but the upper trails were muddy. We must have timed it just right since we really didn't encounter much in the way of mud. Sure, there were a bunch of puddles and a few of the boardwalk sections on Flying Dog had some mud leading into and out of them, but it was nothing you couldn't ride around, or walk over, without difficulty. In fact, the most mud we encountered was at the very end of the ride on Glenwild as we skirted the golf course through the meadows, but even that wasn't sticky, gunk up your bike stuff, just some wet, dirty soup. However, at that point it started to rain so, not knowing how long it would last, we decided to play it safe and finish up on the road.

Image courtesy of Forrest Gladding

Overall it was an awesome ride with Flying Dog - as is always the case - the highlight. That is just a fun, fun, fun trail to ride. The fact that the surrounding vegetation was incredibly lush and green, the meadows fully in bloom, dirt damp and tacky and our fellow riders few and far between, made it even better. Oh, and both of us were on our single speeds which is, in my opinion, how you should ride these trails. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this area was designed and built by single speeders as the trail flows perfectly, always rolling up or down, never so steep that you worry about losing momentum. It's just one big continuous loop full of silly grins. The fact that I haven't been on a mountain bike since last Wednesday's Full Throttle race made it even better.

No Hands

2009-06-09T15:09:00.003-06:00

For those of you who watch professional cycling on TV, have you ever seen a racer put on/take off a jacket, jersey, gloves or arm warmers while riding no handed? They make it look easy don't they? Have you ever been on a ride and decided to try doing the same, only to realize it's quite a bit trickier in real life than the pros make it look on TV?

Well, today I witnessed something similar. In the bathroom. You see, I drink a lot of water which requires me to pee a lot. Generally I find using the facilities to be quite routine. This afternoon, however, I witnessed something amazing. I entered the bathroom, turned the corner and saw that my co-worker - let's call him Tom - was standing in front of the urinal. Taking a leak. WITH BOTH HANDS ON HIS HIPS!

Before today I'd never thought seriously about peeing no handed. But now that I've seen it I can't help but wonder if I could do it too. In fact, I asked Tom how he did it. His response?

"Well, it's a big urinal."

It looks pretty small to me...

Full Throttle: Single Speed Magic

2009-06-04T07:34:00.003-06:00

I don't know how I did it, nor do I fully understand why it happened, but for some reason the crazy notion to race my rigid single speed 29er at last night's Full Throttle race turned out really, really well.

All day at work I was nervous, staring at my ss leaning against the wall of my office across from my desk, wondering what I had gotten myself into. To make matters worse, I decided to bring my Salt Cycling 29 & Single jersey and Twin Six 6" Argyle socks instead of my Revolution team kit. So instead of blending in with the other racers (there are a ton of Revolution folks that show up for the weekly race) I would stand out. And standing out when you're slow isn't fun.

Luckily Mark A. (who has had a very impressive start to his Utah mountain bike racing career) had some friendly words of advice for me: If you can't be fast you should at least look good. He then pulled up his pant leg and flashed the knee high, striped, multi-color SmartWool women's socks he was wearing and explained that at RawRod he knew he wouldn't be the fastest guy there, but by wearing those socks, at least he'd be one of the better dressed riders.

His sage advice calmed my nerves and gave me the confidence to proceed as planned. One other thing I did differently this week was to arrive early and ride a lap of the course as a warm-up. On the single speed, which requires a bit more leg on the climbs, I think this was a big deal. If I had started the race with a shorter warm-up like I did last week I think it would have had dire consequences as the potential to blow up on the climbs would have been much greater.

I had a more conservative start due mainly to my gear limitations - I was spun out rather quickly on the double track. Same story on the initial section of fast, slightly downhill singletrack with the tailwind. However, I think spinning out was a good thing as it prevented me from pushing too hard, too soon, and smoking my legs before the climbs. Speaking of which, my legs were completely toasted at the top on both laps. You may climb faster on a single speed out of necessity but it's certainly not any easier nor does it hurt any less. If anything it hurts more since you don't have the option of shifting to an easier gear. Which, I think, may be the secret to my good performance: With fresher legs entering the climbs, and no option to downshift, I had no choice but to ride hard.

It will be interesting to see if this was a fluke performance or if I'll be able to replicate my good result (for me) next week. Assuming, of course, that my wife doesn't have a baby next week. Her due date is June 12th and, given that our previous two children arrived early, she could pretty much go anytime. Unlike yesterday, if the baby hasn't come by Wednesday, I'll probably be racing with my cell phone!

Sundance Mountain Biking

2009-06-02T13:40:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures I took while pre-riding the Sundance ICUP course last Friday with Mark. I had never ridden any of the Sundance trails before and was blown away by the beautiful surroundings and majestic scenery. It was absolutely stunning! And, I might add, very single speed friendly. Both of us had a great time on our rigid 1-gears.

Butterfield Canyon

2009-05-30T19:13:00.000-06:00

Each time I ride Butterfield Canyon I come away with three thoughts:

1. That climb is a total butt kicker.

2. At under 2.5 hours round trip from my house in Riverton, I should do this ride more often.

3. Who in the world are Colton and Josh?!

Of course, the reason why I don't ride Butterfield more often is because it is in fact such a butt kicker. Looking at the climb from a statistical point of view it doesn't seem so difficult: A bit under 7 miles and 2,300 feet of elevation gain. That doesn't seem bad does it? The problem is that you gain most of the elevation over the second half of the climb. And when it eventually does get steep it quickly becomes really, really steep.

In fact, the middle section of switchbacks is so brutal and unrelenting that if you're not mentally prepared for the inevitable pain & suffering you'll soon find yourself either walking your bike or flipping a U-turn. Think I'm exaggerating? Go ride it and experience it for yourself!

Half Throttle #1

2009-05-28T08:39:00.000-06:00

Dang, bike racing hurts!

If I didn't have so much fun I might end my competitive season right now. Call me crazy but I'll be back for more. The Round Valley course is awesome with a nice dirt road climb to spread things out and fast, twisty singletrack to keep it interesting. I had a good start and entered the 1-track in about 5th or 6th place behind Mark A. who pinned it from the line. I stayed close to the front group on the fast tailwind section. Once we started climbing, however, I started to lose contact. It was at this point that Andy passed me and I began to realize that a pre-ride of the course would have been helpful as I had the mistaken assumption that the climbs were short. Because of this I tried to keep it in the big ring which eventually led to a massive blow-up. I suffered for what seemed like an eternity as probably 4-5 racers came around me (including Kris who beat me at the first race of the series last year but never returned to give me a chance to redeem myself - hopefully he doesn't do the same thing this year!) as I struggled to recover. Eventually I pulled it together and rode a good second lap, though I didn't pass - nor was I passed by - anyone.

The kids race is free and they race on some fun, flowy, non-technical singletrack. I'm hoping to get Alder out to give it a go before the venue changes to Solitude.

I scored a pair of Skullcandy Smokin Buds in the raffle which, due to their pretty lavender color, were quickly claimed by my daughter.

Memorial Day Family Ride

2009-05-25T18:30:00.004-06:00

We hit the Jordan River Parkway Trail this afternoon for a fun 1.5 hour ride. This was our first family ride and given that Cami is 8.5 months pregnant I'm thinking a bike trailer will be a mandatory purchase in the not too distant future!

Kate has obviously outgrown her bike and will soon be shredding on a real mountain bike. Her Ibex Alpine 320K is on order and should arrive later this week. I'm curious to see her reaction to Lambert Park.

Alder is in good shape thanks to all the running he's done with soccer and is excited to hit the trails. He should have the legs to try some of the Draper trails (perhaps he'll soon become the youngest person to submit a time for the Clark's TT!) as well as move to some of the longer options at Lambert (thus far we've stuck mainly to River and High Bench).

The kids were a little disappointed that we didn't see any snakes or frogs but had fun nonetheless looking at birds and finding insects. If anybody knows of a place to catch tadpoles (if it's not too late in the season) and/or frogs let me know.

Snake Whisperer*

2009-05-25T10:47:00.003-06:00

*That's what Kris called me after I picked up this cool Gopher snake for a few pictures. Snakes like this serve as motivation for my 9 year-old to get out and ride his bike with me. He's always disappointed when I tell him I saw a snake but didn't bring it home with me!

Timp Foothill Trails

2009-05-23T22:29:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to ride Kris' home trails for quite a while now and finally made it down this afternoon. It was nice to have a tour guide as I struggled to maintain my bearings - there are a ton of trails in those foothills!

Here's a quick summary of our route taken from Kris' blog:

We went up the Water Tank road, up Betty, up Lament, up Area 51, down the GWT back to the Altar, down Frank, Down Dragon's Back, west on the Union Aqueduct road, up the Race Course and back up to the Water Tank road, then up Betty again, half way up Crank, then down Ireland and Water Tank road then city streets back to my house.

We rode for 2:18 and climbed 2,799 feet. The skies looked threatening the entire ride but never produced any significant rain, thunder or lightening. In fact, the cloud cover provided a welcome relief from the sun and kept the temperature cool & refreshing.

Draper Social

2009-05-21T20:55:00.000-06:00

I rode the Draper ICUP course this evening with Doug and Erich from Team Revolution. Not only were they a blast to ride with but both of them timed themselves up Clarks so I was able to post two new results to the official tt blog. I mention the time trial to most people I meet on the trail and in the Equestrian Center parking lot. They probably wonder who I am and why I care so much about the tt, but I figure most of the site's publicity comes via word of mouth so why not open mine and let people know it's out there if they want to give it a go. So far there have been 23 results submitted in 2009 for men and 2 for women. Given that Clarks has been open just over a month I'd say we're off to a nice start. I wonder if anybody will beat Bart's record 8:58 from last year?

The course was fun and we saw lots of racers out pre-riding which is a good thing as it's going to be a real challenge on race day. Not so much because it's a technical course (which it's really not), but rather because it's very, very fast. What's so difficult about fast you ask? Well, the trail surface is quite slippery. There are also a number of tight corners that tend to sneak up on you. And the trail is quite narrow in spots. Oh, and there's also a fair amount of exposure. Like I said, it's a fun course!

Speaking of fast, I wish there was a way to time people as they climb Clarks as I'm sure there will be some very quick times coming out of all categories.

Eat to Ride or Ride to Eat?

2009-05-21T14:11:00.003-06:00

It seems that for me, lately, I've been falling more and more into the latter category. And while I certainly enjoy my time on the bike, I oftentimes find myself thinking of food while I ride.

For example, this Monday I commuted to and from work on my road bike. Each way I'm looking at just under 21 miles. Given that I've only been on the bike consistently for a month now, 42 miles feels like a big ride. However, I didn't do the full commute because of the miles. Rather, I did it because I wanted the calories. Specifically, I wanted a blank check to eat as much as I could at Mark's house where we had been invited to eat dinner that night. In fact, I distinctly recall thinking, while I took a long pull on 700 E, that because I was riding hard I'd be able to have a second piece of chocolate cream pie for dessert (I dare you to click that link). Which I did, guilt free, thanks to the ride home.

Another example would be the chocolate cake with olive oil gellato I had at The Wild Grape yesterday afternoon. I remember thinking that it was ok to eat such an indulgent mid-afternoon snack since I would be riding up Millcreek in just a few hours and would need the extra calories.

Or today, while I enjoyed a Five Guys burger, fries and coke, I felt good about it because of the ride I have planned at 6 PM to ride the Draper ICUP race course with a friend from the team.

And so it goes. Ice cream before bed? No worries since I'll be riding in the morning. A grilled brat for lunch on Saturday? Not a big deal since I rode earlier and need the calories for proper recover. Brownies and milk at 1:30 AM? It's just fuel for a ride later in the day.

Could I ride faster if I ate less? Probably. But at what cost? Currently I find the journey tastes too good to go without!

Millcreek Pipeline

2009-05-20T21:15:00.002-06:00

I met Raul and Matt after work for an evening ride up Millcreek Canyon. Starting from the park-and-ride on Wasatch we rolled the pavement up to Elbow Fork. Well, at least Raul and I did. Matt was craving 1-track and left us at Rattlesnake Gulch to ride the dirt up the canyon. Raul and I jumped on Pipeline at the top and met up with him just above the switchbacks down to Birch Hollow. He flipped a U-turn and we rode back down and out Rattlesnake Gulch.

The trail was in fantastic condition which surprised me as I expected a fair amount of rutting due to impatient riders hitting it too early. I guess the people who ride Millcreek are more disciplined than those who frequent Corner Canyon or the Salt Lake Shoreline Trail as there wasn't a rut to be found. Either that or Pipeline sees so much traffic that any early season ruts have already disappeared or the soil is such that even when wet it doesn't produce much mud.

What also surprised me was how few riders, runners and hikers we encountered while riding down. For such a beautiful day and given the popularity of Millcreek I had expected much more traffic. Speaking of which, we ran into (figuratively speaking of course) Andy and Rhonda Hypio and Ken Costa. All three were looking lean and fast. Speaking of fast, Matt was ripping up the trail tonight. For a self proclaimed "rec rider" he sure can ride fast!

Unfortunately I left my camera in the car (which fortunately wasn't the victim of a smash and grab unlike the car that had, at some point in the not too distant past, frequented my same parking stall as evidenced by all of the glass on the ground) so I came away from the ride with no pictures. That's a shame as the canyon looked absolutely amazing.

Oh, and I rode the single speed which was awesome.

First Place!

2009-05-19T08:01:00.009-06:00

No, not me. My daughter finished 1st in her annual gymnastics studio competition this past Saturday. I had considered going to Moab the same weekend but decided to stay and watch her compete instead. Here's a quote from Kate as we drove to Chuck-A-Rama to celebrate her victory (it's her favortite restaurant):

Dad, I bet you're glad you didn't go to Moab since I got first place in my gymnastics competition.

I sure was! Moments like this are a good reminder of where my priorities need to be.

Here are videos of her four passes:

Pass #1
Score: 9.8

Pass #2
Score: 9.2

Pass #3
Score: 9.0

Pass #4
Score: 9.0

Lambert Park

2009-05-13T23:28:00.004-06:00

Ripped around Lambert Park this evening with Kris for 2 hours and just under 2,000 feet of elevation gain (1,988 to be exact). Normally I ride Lambert in the early spring when everything is still brown so to see all of the color was a nice treat.

Dirt & Road Weekend

2009-05-11T21:33:00.005-06:00

Friday night I met Kris and Mark (a friend from my neighborhood, not to be confused with my other friend and co-worker Mark) for a continuation of last week's tour of Corner Canyon. Mark recently moved to Utah from Arizona (referring to the Mark from my neighborhood, not to be confused with the other Mark who recently moved to Utah from Idaho) and is in the process of getting to know the local trails. As much as I hate moving it would almost be worth the hassle and expense just to experience another season of first rides. On our first ride I took him up Clark's and then up to the top of Jacob's Ladder. It was about 10 seconds into the descent that I realized he was much faster than me on the downhill. After 30 seconds I lost sight of him. We'd regroup when the trail split but all the way down Ghost Falls and continuing back to the Equestrian Center he continued to rip.

Well, the same pattern repeated itself this Friday as we rode an out-and-back on the BST to Bear Canyon, then up the dirt road to Ghost Falls, down Ghost and over to Silica Pit to lower Clark's to the BST where we headed west to Spring Hollow. New trail or not, he was ripping the downhill. Once the Draper ICUP course is officially marked I need to take him out again so he can show me all the sweet lines!

I saw the small gopher snake in the picture above coiled to the side of the trail as we finished our out-and-back on the northern BST and couldn't resist stopping to pick him for a quick picture. My 8 year old son loves snakes (and frogs, lizards, insects, spiders, etc.) and would have never forgiven me had I not taken a picture!

Saturday I hit the pavement for a road ride up American Fork Canyon via the north and south sides of Suncrest. I met up with Mark (my co-worker and recent transplant from Idaho) in Alpine for a full gas attempt to chase down the small group he had left to join up with me. Unfortunately I didn't have the legs to help him chase and it wasn't long after we began climbing American Fork Canyon that I completely exploded.

I continued slowly to the Tibble Fork junction where I flipped a U-turn and headed back home. The descent out the canyon and west on the Alpine Highway wasn't bad but as soon as I began climbing the south side of Suncrest I could tell I was in trouble. My legs were fried but I resisted the urge to call my wife and request a pick-up and slowly made my way up the climb. At the top I again contemplated an extraction but figured it was silly to stop at the top of a big hill so continued on. In Bluffdale I was again tempted to abort once the long descent finally ended but given that I only had a few miles to go at that point I talked myself into continuing. Arriving home after more than 4,300 feet of climbing over the course of 3.5 hours I was cooked!

Reality Check

2009-05-06T21:49:00.004-06:00

The Start. Next time I need to warm-up longer than 14 minutes and 57 seconds.

The view from the bridge. Looks easy right?

Ouch.

I did the Clark's TT this morning. Twice. Dang that hurts! It was also my first ride on the single speed this year and now my back is sore. I've been slacking on my core workouts this spring which hasn't been a big issue on the road bike or full suspension mountain bike. On a fully rigid single speed, however, the core plays a much larger role as I discovered today.

My times were ok. My first attempt was 14:04 and my second was 15:01. That's faster than my first go last year so given that I spent my winter skiing instead of riding I can't complain too much. Plus, I totally blew up on the first attempt, starting way too fast. By the time I reached the left hand bend at the top of the gully I was wasted and hanging on for dear life. I seriously wondered if I would make it up without stopping. Luckily I held on but man, having only 1-gear doesn't leave much margin for error!

I descended the dirt road to the top of Ghost Falls and took that and the Southern Trail back over to Clark's. Speaking of the latter trail I've got to say it pretty much sucked. Eroded along the stream and bulldozed at the bottom, it didn't have many redeeming characteristics. Next time I'll stick to Ghost all the way down.

On my second attempt up Clark's I paced myself better but didn't have much juice left in the legs so my plan to turn it on over the second half of the climb didn't amount to much more than survival. Also, I had to deal with 3 bikes descending Clark's and pass 1 other guy near the top. Finally (this is the last excuse I have) I should state that the trail is quite rough so once it smooths out I'm sure everybody will shave a few seconds off their current times.

Dry Creek to City Creek

2009-05-04T19:29:00.006-06:00

I read on the Utah Mountain Biking Trail Conditions forum that the Salt Lake BST was too muddy to ride in the vicinity of The Wall (aka Olympic Hill or Heart Attack Hill). That report was posted at 11:12 AM so Mark and I waited patiently until 3 PM to start our ride. We were pleasantly surprised to find that with the exception of a number of puddles, the trail was good to go. I should state for the record that I don't like riding in the mud, not even for a little bit, so when I say "good to go" I really mean it. The Wall was still a bit damp and the main track on the right-hand side did look soft, so we just rode up on the left side which doesn't see as much traffic (it's an old double track up the hill).

The front tire of my single speed has held air since I added more Stans last night. That previously flat tire had served as my excuse for not riding it thus far in 2009. Now that it's been repaired, I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't take it out for a spin at lunch this week. Mark made everything we rode today look easy on his single. Hopefully my fitness is up to the task!

Suncrest Time Trial

2009-05-01T15:43:00.002-06:00

My friend Mark (aka SkiBikeJunkie) just created a blog to track times for the climb up the north side of Suncrest. For all of you pure roadies who have yet to summon the courage to attempt the Clark's Time Trial on your road and/or cx bikes this should provide a nice alternative.

Visit the official blog here. Currently the top spot is held by a dirty mountain biker. Let that serve as motivation to get out and hit it hard!

Working Man

2009-04-30T21:23:00.004-06:00

It was bound to happen eventually.

After a relatively tranquil winter and early spring it now seems that as the temperature slowly increases so too does my workload. In fact, it is looking more and more like this summer will be one of the busiest in my company's relatively short history. Given the current state of the economy I view this as a very good thing. However, from a bike riding and, especially, a bike racing perspective, it is going to make consistent training difficult, if not impossible. Oh, and did I mention that my wife is due to give birth to our third child in June? Yes, life is about to get crazy.

So in an effort to prepare for my new cycling reality, I've been spending the majority of my chamois time either commuting or in the pursuit of the perfect lunch ride. With regards to the latter, I think the 45 minute (door-to-door) office to City Creek (via 3rd Ave and Memory Grove) to Terrace Hills to the office is one of the best. The road climb to City Creek is gradual and provides a nice warm-up for the suffering that comes as soon as you jump on the dirt at the mouth of the canyon. The pain continues until you top out just below the water towers at which point it's pretty much all downhill back to the office. In fact, I've ridden this section of trail so many times this spring that I can now ride all the switchbacks uphill much better than I can ride them downhill. Last fall the opposite was true. Funny what a simple change of direction can do.

Dry Creek to Bobsled is also a nice lunch ride but so far the Bobsled has been more of a river than a bike trail so that variation will need to wait another couple of weeks.

All of these 1 hour efforts should be good training for the Solitude series this summer. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself...

Clark's TT is Open for Business!

2009-04-27T21:14:00.004-06:00

Who will be the first to submit a time and assume the top position of 2009? Will the Top 10 of 2008 be able to repeat in 2009? Are you faster than last year? There's only one way to find out. It's time to get your TT on! Click here to see the updated site and submit a time.

Remember, this is a living list so don't be afraid to submit a time even if you know you can go faster. Send me what you have and when you beat it send me the new time and I'll update your ranking accordingly.

PS - If anybody has a GPS track or elevation profile of the official route I'd love to post that information on the Clark's TT blog.

Corner Canyon

2009-04-24T21:07:00.003-06:00

I rode Clarks and Jacobs Ladder for the first time this year today. Sweet! Both were in great shape which tells me it's time to update the Clark's Time Trial blog so it's ready to go for 2009. My thinking is to do the following:

1. Leave the 2008 Results so those who are interested can see historical times

2. Add a new section for 2009 Results

3. Add an All Time Top 10 to the sidebar

Initially the All Time Top 10 will be based on the results from 2008. However, as people submit 2009 times that qualify for the Top 10 I'll update both the 2009 and Top 10 results accordingly.

Here's a picture of the lower entrance to Clark's. Looks good doesn't it? Get your TT on!