The Drill.............

More Changes & Long Rides

The routine is pretty straightforward at this point.  Long rides Monday and Thursday from here on out.  Up at 04:00. Work on the bike at 05:00.  Standard breakfast (2 eggs, an apple and chocolate milk) by 05:45.  Put the gear together and shove off at best light.  By this time it's still a little dark, so a tail flasher is always a must.  The first key point is the State Road Shed at SR 39, MP 22.  Anything later than 50 minutes is too slow.  Next key point is "The Spring", near MP 35.  This needs to be under 2 hours.  The real mark is Ant Flat Road, MP 36 - that should be just a shade +/- 2 hours, then choke down a banana.  Within the next few minutes, I'm in the small ring (front gear), as it gets pretty steep heading to the snowmobile parking lot.  From there it's up past Marriott's and MP 40, with only 3 more miles to Little Monte.  At MP 43 (Little Monte), I can spring back into the big ring, but still have a climb to MP 44.  Depending on the day, I may stay in the big ring, but generally, if I'm under 3 hours.  On top, there are the rollers (the shoulders of Monte).  Just past MP 44, from Weber County to Cache County.  Around MP 45-ish, from Cache County to Rich County.  By this point it's all big ring, hitting 30 MPH occasionally.  Just before MP 48, Monte Cristo Camp Ground and Guard Station.  At MP 49, the commitment to continue has been made.  Off the pass and heading for the dugway, let the brakes go and get low.  Into the canyon, start looking for MP 55 - just past it is the east side snow gate.  By the time MP 60 rolls around, there is some serious pedaling.  A cattle gate at MP 60, with another at MP 62 kind of makes a mess of things. By MP 63, its all about going in with a little authority.  Just before MP 68, SR 39 ends, and so does that part of the suffering.  After a quick refuel and maybe an unholy Snickers bar, do it all in reverse.

Today I was running a new wheelset;  DT Swiss, 1450.......... not that it means anything to anyone else but me.  The system was a little tight pretty much all the way over.  The freehub was unusually quiet.  After the 45 minute descent off the west side, it was screaming like a Stuka dive bomber - the way it's supposed to.  Add to this the constant headwinds today and call it a tough ride.  Key times were off, but not by much.  The new wheelset is not as aero as my RXL's, but way stable at higher speeds.  They're also pretty lite, which allows them to spin up fast, just not hold the kinetic energy.  Running through Ant Flat on the return always is tricky with the side wind, but not with these wheels.  By MP 28 (Red Cliff) it was too windy to consider a full ride back to the Home-20.  It was only a matter of doing 112 or doing 115 miles.  Just about MP 25 (still out of cell range), I picked up a grabber-screw in my back tire - yeah, no kidding!  After surviving that near disaster, I was just about out of South Fork Canyon when some knucklehead dang near hit me.  At that point, I can take a hint.  Head for Huntsville, call it 112 miles and call for a bail-out.

This will be the same thing for the next two weeks.  Next Saturday I'll have to add the Cache Valley Century.  A key tune-up ride for me, as it will be the only time I get to ride with fast groups before race day.  I'll have to play that week a little by ear, as to not "overcook".

I've still got a couple "Udder Balm" things to distribute.  This past week I sent some to several far away and enchanted lands.  Right now there are well over 300 distributed, in Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, Nevada, Montana, Washington, and Idaho.  Of course, there are a bunch scattered throughout the "Beehive" (Utah).  Looking at the page views, it appears there is some traction.  Looking at the donations, I'd say it is looking pretty good.  HHH over all is kind of struggling, but we'll pull it together - I'm sure.

Thanks to all of you who are carrying this effort.  It is humbling and truly remarkable.

For now, I'm a little hurt, tired and sore.  This is a throwback to my post from last year, August 16.  You want to know why I do this, read either my 2017 Year-end post, or August 16, 2017.  My pain is nothing........................

Song Bird

Ride HARD!