Cold Weather Riding

Soft trails with snow on the horizon

Trying to make the most of the available time, I've been out on the mountain bike several times this week.  A couple later evening rides with a pretty nice early morning ride in the mix.  With temps in the low 40's. and always a chance for precip - cold weather gear is in order: Helmet cover, long finger gloves, and a good rainproof jacket.  With temps above 30°, warmer socks with shorts are still pretty good.  The rain has really made the trails soft and responsive - not too muddy and certainly not twitchy.  Still, an occasional blanket of thick leaves may hide rocks and stumps that can catch you off guard.

The season on these trails locally may be getting short, as this picture from this afternoon shows snow only a couple hundred feet above this location, with heavier snow not too far above that.  The forecast for tonight puts snow a few hundred feet below this point.  It likely means there will be no ride over Ben Lomond this year, but I suspect we'll have a few more weeks on the lower trails - hard to say.  What is for sure, I'll make the most of the time before I have to start riding down on the Shore Line Trail.

Something about the Autumn that takes me back.  I used to look forward to this time of year. I used to spend a lot of my fall in the field hunting - anything.  The colder, the better.  A good day didn't involve much, if any shooting, but rather just being in the field early and taking it all in. Being out with my yellow lab, literally for hours on end - it just beat just about everything. Even in the summer months, I'd like to carry my 9-pound, ultra-precision rifle (unloaded), take my dog, and hike from our house up to Ben Lomond peak.  Going up a back trail, we'd generally not run into anyone 'till about a mile from the peak.  The scope on my rifle provided great optics to spot wildlife a long way out.  All the times I did that little hike, I don't think I ever loaded a single bullet into the gun.  It just provided a great conditioning ballast and fantastic optics.  My lab has been dead for nearly twenty years.  I think I fired my last round through that gun last year - from a box of bullets I reloaded in 1997.  Shooting once a year, typically at a fence post 500 yards away - not a lot of bullets being used. I just don't get out much anymore - thus the bike.  I cover a lot more terrain, a lot faster, but it's not the same...........................

A lot to do before the snow flies and the first heavy frost.  Until then, enjoy the changing of the season.  Maybe another month and it'll be time to register for some spring mountain bike races.  Probably a good time to head south for a couple of days.

Click here for a little "Young Blood"

Ride HARD!

Off the bike for too long

Back home

After that ride to Porcupine two weeks ago, it seems there was just one more thing after the next.  Finally, last Wednesday morning, I headed for Michigan.  What started out as a busy week ended even busier.  Basically something like 60 hours between Wednesday and Saturday night - getting home just after midnight.  So much for burning some vacation............

Commitments and weather have kept me grounded until tonight.  Taking what I could get, I rode over to the horse corral trail and went part way up the back side toward Ben Lomond.  The trail was pretty rocky and washed from the  1 1/2" of rain last night so I couldn't make very good time. I should have gone for something a little more familiar.  Still, I wasn't really up for a hard ride and should have known better.  Riding the spin bike this morning was more of a strain than usual.  I guess that's what ten days off will do to you.  You lose it a lot faster than you can get it back - it a vicious thing.

More rain forecast tonight, but maybe I can get out tomorrow afternoon for a longer ride.  I could use the break from work  - and everything else for that matter.  I really don't have any confidence on my mountain bike anymore.  It's to the point that some of the technical stuff is more effort than fun, in fact, kind of tenuous.  I've gotta fix that before snow flies.

The leaves have all but turned, but not from the cold.  It's just so dry, the colors are not what they usually are this time of year.  Still, pretty darn nice just to be out and about.

Give me a couple days.  I'll come up with something................better.  The season is a changin'.

Try a little Steve Morse Click here for Ghost Wind

Suck it up! Ride HARD!

Long Distance Dirt...........

Porcupine

I love the dirt.  I was born to ride in the dirt.  It's just like everything else - just ain't good at it.  Still, there is something about riding my mountain bike that makes almost everything...........alright.

This past week was way busy.  Work, work, work commitments, and more work.  Getting ready for a busy trip out to Michigan, and its gonna be busy until then.  With time for only one ride this week I took a few liberties and decided on a long ride I'd never done before - but always wanted to do just the same.  Tuesday night I spent a few hours going through the fleet of mountain bikes; tuning, adjusting and adding racing sealant in the tubeless tires.  So Wednesday was prime for a 40 mile trip to Porcupine reservoir and back.  3600 feet of climbing and roughly 2500 calories - an effort.

Porcupine is in the next valley to the north, across the Avon-Liberty divide.  I usually ride to the top of the divide road early in the spring before the gate opens, but not when I have a broken ankle - like this year.  Needless to say, the ride to the top was kind of nice - just to say I was back.  From there it's another 8 miles down what is called South Canyon, and into Avon proper.  To the top of the dam is just a shade over 19 miles.  The last 7 miles (or so) is on rough oil, but still pretty good.  The last mile to the top is steep, rough, rutted dirt, but still a service road.  A beautiful ride this time of year - for sure!

A couple minutes to snap some picts and back on the road home.  Not sure what to expect, I called a friend that lives in Avon to see if I could swing by for some water - if needed.  I left home with one bottle in the cage and a 74-ounce hydration pack on my back.  At the turnaround, I still had more than half the bottle with Zipfiz and 3/4's the hydration pack.  Still, I stopped by his house to chat for a minute - kind of hoping he'd want to hop on for the climb home (the guy is a machine).  No luck, as he was committed to a soccer practice with the kiddos.  Riding home alone gets kind of old, but when you have the entire South Canyon to yourself.............well, you kind of forget about everything else.  It was the break I really needed and it was fantastic.  Making pretty good time, I consciously decided to push the bike for a while, simply to just take more time.  If you could put this in a bottle, it'd be against the law to sell it.

Rides like this make it all worth the effort to get and stay in shape.  Later that night, I was online looking at the rides I'd really like to do this winter and spring.  At the top of the list is "True Grit" - the race I busted my ankle getting ready for (bad grammar).  True Grit is far more technical, but about as long time wise and distance - unless I'm stupid enough to think I can bag 100 dirt miles in March.  Who knows................whoa, what am I thinking?  It's stuff like this that gets me into trouble.  We'll if I'm gonna act stupid, let's try to get into Leadville - again.  Man, I'd love to ride Leadville, but then again, I'd fight the toughest kid in the school just to say he kicked my butt.  What is with me?  Forget about it, Leadville is next to impossible to get into by lottery alone.  Still......... I'd do it in a second!

I've only got two days this week before I jet off to Michigan.  I've got to ship all my gear tomorrow and take care of a few loose ends.  A meeting Tuesday morning and a little thing with my daughter that evening.  I need to get a solid ride in before I leave Wednesday morning.  I scheduled this as tight as possible, getting home way late Saturday night just so I can sleep in my own bed.  I hate hotels.  With 12 -18 hour days scheduled all week, doing some fairly detailed and difficult tasks, I'll be scorched come Sunday morning.  Better get a long ride in before I leave.

A few things to tie up with the Porpoise, but for the most part, we're already looking at next year for something bigger, maybe way big.  We'll see.

Don't ask me why, but this link seems to fit the mood after 40 miles in the dirt.

You Can Still Rock in America - click here

Ride HARD!

LOTOJA 2018 Ride Summary

Apprehension and Expectations

The day after I broke my ankle, the ortho-doc told me I may be able to ride in September, but it wouldn't be my fastest time - if I could ride.  Undeterred, I was determined to ride and shoot for a good time.  Ha!  Riding is one thing, but conditions on a 200-mile ride/ race can change enough over the course of the day so many times, it's completely a crap-shoot.

Arrival and Start

Don't ask why, but somehow things got a little confusing on our way up to Logan.  When we arrived at Center Street, it was very congested.  So, we just stopped right off to the side of the road and threw the gear and bike out.  A quick pic and I was loaded and rolling toward Federal Avenue.  As I got to the queue, I could see my group in the starting area, getting ready to go.  With a couple minutes to spare, I got in without any time to really think about what was happening.  The count-off and start, and then we were on our way.  100 feet into the event and on to First North, we all could feel raindrops - argh!.  All the same, we're on our way.

Logan to Montpelier

The first five or so miles out 10th West to 2800 North, back to 91 is a rolling neutral.  They hold us back to under 20 MPH.  Our group had two motor-marshalls (race officials) for some reason.  One of them kept sweeping us from the roadside all the way back in the neutral to move over the fog line (emergency lane).  Fifty-five guys, riding two abreast makes this kind of dangerous.  By the time we got past Smithfield, it was getting ridiculous.  All the other riders we complaining between each other, but nobody would say anything to the cycle-nazi.  Finally, after a couple guys nearly crashed when dodging some garbage on the far outside edge, I stopped they official and told him he was going to kill someone.  Being on the roadside of the line, he told me to get over, at which point I told him it wasn't going to happen, and we were supposed to be in the lane of traffic.  He rolled back and disappeared.  I was sure he was writing down my frame number for either a penalty or disqualification.  A little while later, he came back through, but not quite as determined to push us off the road.   Through all of this, our speed into Preston was a little slow, but the rain wasn't a factor - until we got through Preston.

At the turn up to the first climb (Strawberry/Immigration), the group quickly split.  I stayed with the main body for maybe five miles but got dropped at maybe MP7, or 8.  Still, I was able to get onto some other groups up to the steep parts at MP12-ish.  As usual, over the false summit, I was able to get some pretty good speed but had a nasty headwind.  By this time, I was seeing groups that had started six and twelve minutes behind me.  Passing the neutral feed zone, I was passing a bunch of people that had passed me in the climb.  By this time, I was seeing the fastest Cat-5s, that started almost 45 minutes later.  Usually, I can get on a good group heading down through Liberty, but not this year.  I hooked onto a couple groups, but let them go, as they were way too fast for me.  I rolled into the Montpelier feed zone alone, but not too far off my target time.  I wasn't feeling too bad, rather pretty good for the two climbs ahead.

Geneva, Salt River Pass to Afton

Up Montpelier canyon, I had been fuelling (feeding) right on schedule.  I was only in the feed zone for a few minutes and felt like I had good legs under me.  Given the congestion at the feed zone, I planned to stop about six miles up the canyon to take care of some business.  Other than that, I wasn't stopping until Afton - 47 miles away.  Geneva summit was pretty much what I'd expected, but still, no good groups going down into Geneva.  A crosswind from the south was welcome, as this would be my tail-wind to KoM.  Most of this stretch was again by myself, occasionally hooking on to small groups that were still too fast.  Past the watering neutral, I really felt like I had the legs to climb, just not too fast.  Just before the KoM start, I felt very confident and kept pushing straight into the timed section.  This is four miles, with 1,064 feet of elevation - nothing I'm not used to.  The first couple miles I was passing pretty much everyone.  The last mile or so, I was getting passed by two, or three for everyone I'd pass.  Still, I was feeling okay and confident - just not super fast.  Up until about five miles before KoM we had cloud cover.  Now it was direct sunlight and getting a tad warm.  About halfway up, I was doing the full "Batman" trying to keep cool.  With no intention to stop at the neutral feed zone at the top, I took a hand-up water bottle and rolled through.  I still had to stop as I needed to zip up my jersey.  I won't risk riding with no-hands at a point like that.  There is too much to lose and stopping takes about ten seconds.  Off the top, I was still feeling pretty fresh and my overall time wasn't too bad.  The last straightaway before the bottom, I hit top speed for the day at 50.7 MPH - not as fast as last year.  The ride through Smoot and into Afton was fast with a tailwind.  Not many groups.  The ones I did find were either too slow or too fast.  The time to Afton was about 35 behind schedule for the entire day.  With a tailwind to Alpine, maybe I could make up some time.  Wishful thinking.

Afton to Alpine

The few minutes I was in the feed zone at Afton was all it took to shift the tailwind to gusting side/headwinds.  Normally I can get through this little 34 mile stretch in less than 90 minutes and as fast as just over one hour - not this year.  At about Thayne, I was nearly out of water - and that has never happened before.  My support tracked me down and gave me a fresh bottle that got me into Alpine - cooked and with a brewing problem in my right leg.  By the feed zone, I was cooked and hurting where I've never hurt before.  At this point I was done looking at a good time, now just getting the finish.

Along this stretch, I had to really get my mind straight and put everything into perspective.  Normally I can fly through this little stretch, but this time I was starting to have considerable self-doubt.  Quitting wasn't an option, but dogging also couldn't happen either.

Alpine, Hoe Back and the Finish

Going up the canyon, I started to feel the ankle.  This was causing the IT band in that same leg to burn - making it hard to pedal. I could feel the time slipping away as I let groups pass me.  I had to regularly stand to pedal with the IT band and ankle not cooperating.  I've made it a rule to skip all the neutral fed zones, but this year I decided to stop at Hoe Back for some quick caffeine.  Turns out, they didn't have what I needed and I spent ten minutes there for no reason.  Worse yet, I let about 30 riders get ahead of me - the only ones I had been riding with since Montpelier.  Worse yet, I had a solid headwind from about five miles before Hoe Back going in.  This was to be problematic (not a Ronco product).

Just passed the roundabout at Hoe Back, it was a stiff,, occasionally gusting headwind all the way to the finish.  The last hill into the Jackson Valley proved to be harder than usual with the wind.  Getting across the highway and heading west, I was totally wasted.  Somewhere along the way, I took my last Gue for the day, expecting to find a small can of Coke at the bike trail - no luck.  Instead, I stopped just long enough to let a really good group get by me - again.  At this point, my ankle and IT band were competing for attention.  I was having to stand - regularly.

At Wilson and off the bike path, I only had seven miles to go.  I had never been in such bad shape this late in the day.  Still, I held my own with nobody passing me, but I wasn't passing anyone else either.  At the 4 KM mark, I usually gear up for a big push for the last 3 miles - not this time.  I didn't fade, but I couldn't "mash" the pedals either.  I finished with a little dignity and a ton of frustration.

Post Ride and the Assessment (second guessing)

Getting back to the truck I checked my phone and saw the donation totals that came in through the day.  Truth is, having the message on my shoulders and knowing what everyone else had done to this point, kept me going.  Stopping was never an option, but I need that to push through what I thought was pain.  Putting it into perspective, I felt pretty stupid and lucky.  Still, I was not happy.  How many times do I have to do this to prove the same thing year after year? The ride over to Driggs, Idaho gave me time to think about a lot of things.  Who am I kidding....................

The next morning at the awards ceremony, I was still a little ticked about my ride.  I only stopped long enough to read the time sheets, making sure I wasn't DQ'd - I wasn't.  After talking to the Huntsman rep, I realized my time didn't matter - at all.  As a group (the Porpoise) we did really well, but HHH as a whole was down.  There were also a ton of folks that DNF'd (did not finish).  The wind played a big part.  There was a three-man breakaway that got ahead of the headwind, took a tailwind and smashed the course record.  After all was said and done, finishing when I did wasn't that bad after all.  Still, I was dead last in my group, but it also appears there were a bunch of DNF's.  My bike time to actual time was about 50 minutes off, with more than an hour from my target.  I lost most of that in the last 65 miles, where I had hoped to make it up.

While sitting in the park in Randolf Sunday afternoon, it kind of reconciled - I did what I set out to do.  I was told I was lucky to even be riding and my time wouldn't be my fastest. So.....what's the big deal.  Maybe I could have shaved a little more time off the finish and not finished last in my group, but that is how it turned out.  The Porpoise was a success and I'm grateful for that.  Fortunately, my time didn't bear on the effort of the Porpoise.  I was already thinking about what we can do next year.  Will I ever learn..................

Now I'm looking forward to a couple months on the mountain bike and considering some off-season stuff in the dirt.

Stick around.  There's still a lot to do............................

Ride HARD!

What a Response!

What an awesome weekend

Okay, I'll detail the race in the next couple of days.  More importantly, the "Porpoise" really took off!  That's what this is really all about, The race is just what it is.  The purpose is to fight for those who cannot - and boy did you ever show up!

After getting back to the truck at Teton Village last night, I decided to take a quick look at the overall response.  I was hoping for a mere 100+ additional page views, to actually see more than 200 - with more this morning.  Add to that the donations that were coming in while I was already on the road - it was exactly what I personally needed at exactly the right time.  More on that with the ride detail later.

Donations

How about my sisters!  They know all too well why we do this type of thing, and they showed up in force - again.  Every year they are involved in the "porpoise".  And of course, mom decided to jump in as well.  You can pretty much figure out where I get it from.  I'm pretty lucky, and I, well................they're a bunch of good eggs in my book.  Thanks, you guys!

Of course, there is Jennifer.  A chip right off the old block and I mean that in the most sincere way.  I've got to be honest.  It took me a couple minutes to register Jennifer from Jenny (it was 04:00 race morning).  Man, I'm getting old, but not too old to express to you how grateful I am that you and your mother are supporting the effort.  This type of surprise just before leaving for the race really set the tone and ignited my drive.  Thank you so much.

But wait.  Dave and his crew also made a pitch, that I caught wind of while well into the race.  Dave is a real go-to guy and knows how to do...........pretty much everything.  I need to get him on the bike and have him drag me over those hills.  On second thought, he'll hurt me.  He's a lot tougher than I.  Another thing I owe you for.  Thanks, man!

Brett; I've been racking my brains over this since last night.  If you had any idea my state of mind when I saw this email last night..........well, you get it.  It was literally as I got my phone back when I got into the truck - after taking a helluva beating.  You, sir, are spot on.  Never forget your best friend.  A special part of what you have become is directly attributed to him, as demonstrated by your willingness to jump into the fight.  And fight, well that's just what we do as a result. Obrigado!

To all of you that stopped by and took the time to make a difference in somebody else's day; you are all heroes.  It all has to start somewhere with someone, and this weekend was just that - a start for someone that needed a little help.  

Normally, I'd drop a link here for your enjoyment.  Tonight.........I'll leave it up to you.

We put this one in the books for Hadley and all of our friends.  Let's take a break for a day or two.

Soft Pedal.......................

A Plea for Hope

6/1440....................

Time: Irrevocable, non-refundable. You are granted 1440 minutes every day.  How you spend it is generally up to you.  Once gone, you can't get it back.

The Challenge

I ask two things of you - now that you are here: First, pass this blog and specific effort on to two more people immediately - like NOW!.  Second - give 6 minutes of you to something, or somebody - TODAY!.  If you can't think of something you can do for someone else, spend 6 minutes passing this effort along to ten people.  Buy a cup of something for that guy in need.  Help a mother in the parking lot. Donate old clothes to a charity.  Whatever it is, just do something to put aside any differences and give somebody the gift of hope - it's only 6 minutes.  If you can help the Porpoise great, if not great still - just give a little bit.

The Goal

The goal I extend to everyone is to effect enough change to drive 100 page views, thus 600 minutes.  By Sunday night, we should have more than 2,735 page views.  That is a lot of hope.

Here's why

Tomorrow I will ride because I can.  More so, I will ride in memory of Hadley and in tribute to her family.  I asked them to write on my jersey, of which you can see above.  On my shoulders all day, it will be there, and it is an honor.  # HADLEYMYHERO - "Ride Hard for those who are fighting - and in Memory of those who's fight is finished".

If you have the guts, or just want to know why, follow this link to the final post of 2017. Click Here for Final Post 2017  If not, just make a difference.  Seriously - it's your turn to be a hero.

Pain

We are born into this life with pain, but we endure.  Give a little to help someone else endure.  It's what makes us all great in the end.

Click Here and Smile - Supertramp

Please - help.

Ride HARD!

Checked in

A day to go

This afternoon was the check-in for everything down south (Kaysville).  It was already hitting home this morning as I was awake at 03:30.  Some minor calf cramps from last night's ride were easily remedied with some pickle juice.  A crappy afternoon at work kind of took my mind off everything until I got down to Bikers Edge, then it really set in.  This is for real, and ready or not, we start at 06:27 Saturday.

Weather forecast looks a tad warm, with temps possibly in the high forties at the start.  I'll decide when we get out of the truck whether or not to use arm warmers.  Last minute road condition updates indicate significant construction on the course.  The radios guys have passed some info back regarding chip seal in Riverdale, up to the summit.  I may want to air down to 110 PSI, rather than keep the tires at 120 max.  Still, the 25s will fair a bit better than the 23s.

I spent about two hours cleaning and lubing the bike tonight.  Running the DT Swiss wheelset, with the RXLs in the truck for a backup.  I need to take the bike into the shop in the morning for a chain check.  This chain should have less than 2,000 miles, but I better make sure it's good.  A smaller wedge bag under the seat with only one tube and two shots.  The shifters seem to index well, with a little light lube in the levers and shifters.  I think the bike is ready for another epic day.

Pretty nervous this go around.  Getting tense in the shoulders again.  A little better rest tonight, a nap later in the morning, and a little more protein and some lite carbs tomorrow night should set me up.  The feed bags will be a bit more simple this year than in the past.  Drinks...........still thinking that through.  I've got to avoid the bonk at all cost......well at most practical cost.  I know these guys will make an early jump, which means I need to be patient.  Going anaerobic early will cost me in the end.  In fact, I should avoid getting into transition at all, unless it is within the last 5 miles.  The question is then; how will I manage a respectable time if I don't occasionally pin it?  I've got to be patient and smart - something I'm generally not known for.

Eight years ago I was pretty nervous.  I was probably 15 pounds heavier and really couldn't stay in groups.  Riding up to Logan I heard an old favorite on the local station that kind of helped clear my mind.  That morning was anything but hot, As I wore a jacket, leg warmers, long finger gloves, and ear warmers.  Rolling through Preston just before 07:00 that day, it was 28°.  I had ice on my stache.  It was cool all day, but I finished -  just not fast.

Swing back tomorrow afternoon.  We're almost there..............

The old favorite - Too Hot to Handle

Rest up!