We're on for a Race (or ride) - Official Word

Significant Modifications

Brent and his crew have really been working things out.  As a result, the official word is "GO".  What it means is a change in the overall starting and opening time between groups.  Normally the earliest start time is 06:00, with a new group every 3 minutes, putting the last group out at roughly 07:30.  That's 90 minutes at the opening.  This year they are starting at 04:50, with 5 minutes between groups.  The last group will still clear at 07:30, but this puts the total open time at 170 minutes.  There are other modifications to feed zones, finish line(s) (yes that was plural) and award/post event stuff. All things said, it will be different - for sure. I mean, starting anytime before 06:30 on a clear day that time of year will require lights (and patience).  Start talking about the race volunteers, radio crews, services and so on, their day has become considerably more difficult - on several fronts.  Feed zones will have to open earlier, traffic direction will be out longer..........you get the picture.  Then consider the race dynamic.  Likely smaller groups, longer periods between trains and bigger gaps in "no mans land".  There is a lot to consider.

Training

This year has been a struggle.  Road miles have just not been good.  Stacking miles is not efficient, but you need a solid base from which to build.  Looking at purely hours, I have a lot on the dirt, and even on the spin-bike.  These are no substitute for time on the road bike.  Add to that just flat out poor quality road miles, and well...........this is a problem.  At this point the 3 -4 hour "empty tank" endurance should be established.  Two road rides this week proved otherwise.  Sure, conditions weren't the best - in fact pretty crappy, but still......   It's hard not to get nervous, like literally panic at times, but I have enough experience to know what to do. And again, lets not forget about the mental part of this thing.  It is important to get strong rides, that instill confidence as well as the physical aspects.  We'll figure it out.

Monday night was hell climbing Trappers.  Strong, gusting blasts all the way up.  So hard it was hard to stay on the road.  Too dangerous to go back down, so I had to finish the climb for safety reasons.  From there, I had to call for a bailout - AGAIN!

Tuesday was on the dirt, followed by a session of weight bearing.  Wednesday was a 50 mile tempo ride that started a little fast.  Around the 100 minute mark I was feeling gassed.  Then, it got into my head.  Needless to say confidence was lost.  I whimpered into the garage like I'd been beat.  It was pretty dark, I felt sick (the bonk) and pretty much demoralized.  

Last night I hit the dirt again.  I was smart enough to wait until the sun was behind the mountain, and riding with a specific tempo.  It was the usual, up to the overlook, starting in Cutler.  I felt pretty good about the overall climb.  It was starting to get dark when I snapped this pic and sent it out .  Taking the north trail down, like I've done a million times this year, I was getting a little ahead of myself when I crashed.  Yup, picking gravel out of my knees and scrubbing dirt out of my legs and arms.  Wasn't too bad, but it was a stupid mistake.  By the time I got in the garage I was feeling a little stiff, but more so angry.  Having a 03:30 alarm set, I did the customary wound fix and parked it for the night.  Early morning on a job site I felt like I'd taken a few hits.  12 hours in the extreme heat of the day, on a very stressful project, made things more noticeable.  The job went well, but I'm severely dehydrated.  Cramping in my hands and other obvious effects are not what I need to finish the week.  I know better than to "crow" about what I have planned, as that seems to doom the effort before it begins.  

Fundraising

Talking to my contacts at Huntsman, they've seen a huge lag in fundraising overall.  The feeling is everyone is holding back to see if it's a go.  Yes, I know that feeling as well.  Okay, we're going, so I guess we need to get moving on the "Porpoise".  If you've made it this far, please refer a friend.  Enough page views seems to get us over the top every year.  

Whatever your reason for stopping by - thanks.  Stick around.  There is a lot coming.  And who doesn't need a worthy distraction right now?

Finally: We lost the "Green Manilishi" last week.  You know; "Oh Well" (you'll have to find it back in one of my way older posts).

Click here - The Late and Great Peter Green leading the Bluesbreakers

Ride HARD!

The Grind Starts

Stringing things together

Still no official word from the Race Director, but The Jackson Hole Times ran an article last weekend saying LOTOJA is still a go.  Brent (the Race Director) will make an official announcement in one week.When you consider all of the jurisdictions, municipalities, and permits required, one can only image the work he's putting in to make this happen.  He has a great staff and they know what they are doing.  Still, it's hard to say what to expect.  With positive cases still higher than our State Governor wants, I'd say all bets are off - either way.

Mixing it up

Combinations of indoor spinning, dirt riding, hill intervals and weight bearing intervals are the current course.  The spinning is truly important as this helps mechanics.  Poor mechanics adds up over a 200 mile ride, and can make the difference between finishing and failing.  Hill intervals are hard and boring.  Still, it conditions the mind to overcome the discomfort of the grind.  I still do the half-mile spoke bender right near by, as it is steeper than anything else you can ride around these parts - without a ton of traffic.  I typically will hit this in the evening, just after the sun has gone behind the mountain.  From there I can get a solid ten repeating intervals in.  Kind of the equivalent of riding North Ogden Divide back and fort, with steeper climbs and higher overall elevation.  Of course if I want to peg my heart rate, I hit the dirt.  New connectors have made the ride home a little more fun, as well as provide a little more grind than before.  I've added some weight bearing stuff again this year, much as I've done during the winter to train for mountain bike races.  I've only got about seven weeks, and no organized centuries this year.  I'll have to make things work anyway.  A lot depends on the announcement next Saturday.

New Trails and Features

The pic above shows one of the features being added to a new connector.  That is probably a 7' drop, with a 12' gap.  Add to it, the approach angle, and that is going to be gnarly.  The added trail is spreading the riders out over larger areas, but it is still getting pretty busy.  My private little trail network is getting quite popular.  A ride to the overlook is still a grind and will work you as hard as you may otherwise want.  Outside of doing open road sprints, this is the only place I can peg my heart rate.  By the time I get around the top of the "ball cap", the sweat is pouring out of my helmet.  I can't tell you how many times I've done this same old ride this year, but it is a known quantity and yet a good burn.  Better yet, all of these rides are literally right out of my garage.

Stay tuned and rub that lucky rabbits foot.  We could use a little break this year.  What a ..........mess.

This was the B-side to the single "My love", 1972 - from "Red Rose Speedway". It was never listed, or released as part of the album, and only got a little air-play on some early FM stations - late night.  This was one of their "college shows" they did (at the Hague), trying to "sharpen the edges".

Click here for "The Mess" Live, 1972 - Wings

Ride HARD!

A Delicate Balance

Minor injuries that can become game changers....

Our little trek last Saturday left me a little beat up.  The Cutler trail is considerably steeper than the North Ogden Divide trail.  As such, it works you pretty good going up and coming down.  Still, I've done this countless times, but for whatever reason this time left me a little tight after 24 hours.  I decided to take Monday off form all things training and attempted a moderately paced tempo ride this evening.  Throw in some smoke from a local wild land fire and it was less then a good idea.  Fighting the wind all the way home (not unusual for evening rides this time of year), I was starting to smoke my left knee.  Before I "bent" anything else, I called for a bailout - 3 miles from home.

As much as I want to push through, I've learned the hard way about not listening to the machine.  An extra 20 minutes, with 500 feet of climbing and the wonderful "welcome to North Fork" headwind, can make the difference between having to sit out the rest of the week, and simple changes to a routine.  I should have been smart enough to have done more of a recovery ride than any kind of a tempo ride.  I'll have to make some adjustments to my plan for the next few days, but somehow I also need to stay on my road bike.  It still doesn't feel natural quite yet.  In a matter of only a couple more weeks, Ill need to start looking at all day rides, over tall elevations, with heat.  This is no time to get hurt.

The above pic is from our hike Saturday.  The guy you can barely see through the brush is cranking a 29er, clipped in, on his way to the top.  Kill'n it!  It gets very loose and rocky immediately after this point.

Set backs happen.  And of course, that always takes me to a comfort food - or next best thing.  461 has aged well, and is it smooth.

Click here for Mainline Florida. Man '74 was good....

Ride HARD!

A change of View.........

A trek to the top

It seemed like a good idea to do something a little different.  Not getting a ton of road miles and spending most of my time on the dirt has made for less than effective training.  Never mind the garbage that seems to have enveloped most all of us these days.  A few of us (fam) got out early and took the seldom used Cutler trail up to Ben Lomond - a literal hike. (See my post from October 2017 as well).

The Broad Shoulders

Ben Lomond was named by early settlers in the Ogden area (Montgomerys), as it reminded them of a mountain of the same name in their homeland of Scotland.  That mountain rises above Loc Lomond, which also has an island called the Black Island.  As a result, the steep dark outcropping that is directly below our mountain to the east is called "The Black Mountain" (often referred to as "Blacks Mountain").  With the exception of the Unita range, all the mountains in Utah run virtually South-North.  That is except Ben Lomond.  "Ol' Ben" juts out and takes a stand East-West, before heading back toward Willard Peak.  As such, the "broad shoulders" can be seen far to the south as weather permits.  It is known as the original mountain featured in Paramount Pictures opening credits, as William W. Hodkinson (the founder of Paramount) was originally from Ogden.  A lot to be said, but for now, this is my home.  I've lived on both sides of this mountain my entire life.  For the past 33+ years, I have marveled at the majesty of the Rocky peak and the beauty of the Black Mountain, from my home.  

I've ridden this thing on my mountain bike and even dragged one to the top just for the money shot (again, see Oct 2017).  We encountered several bikers yesterday coming up from the recently re-opened North Ogden Divide trail head.  Apparently at least one of them ditched the bike for the last mile up to the top.

It doesn't define me, but it certainly centers me.  I love this hike/bike ride.  I highly recommend it, but do it when it is not hot, and no chance of inclement weather.  You'll be glad you did.  From the North Ogden Divide trail head, it is a pretty good walk - maybe 8 miles one way.  Cutler is not quite as long, but it is considerably steeper.  You can also dive to Willard Basin and cut it two a few, much easier miles one way.  Put it on you list anyway.

Welcome to my backyard.

Donations

Huntsman support is down this years, as you can imagine.  That said, we are still seeing some donations roll in.  Thanks to the absolutely awesome Deboer family for supporting the Porpoise this year.  Also, thanks to the "old man" that go me into this in the first place.  He and his family are back supporting the Porpoise again.  I still can't keep up with him. You guys are what makes it happen.  Obrigado!

We'll see what the next couple of weeks may bring.  Holding out hope for good things.

Not sure why, but here's one that takes us all back.

Click Here for the Bellamy Brothers

Ride HARD!

It's been a month...........

Finally, back on the road bike....

It really took a while, but I finally got the road bike back out.  I usually take an early morning ride on Independence Day, that is to say, when I don't have scheduled power outages to support.  Normally I get out around 6:00, so I can get past all the parades and community events. This year was very different.  Traffic got busy just after 08:00, so I resorted to catching the "pathway" part way back from Huntsville - that costs time and is a bit risky.  When I got back to the house, I felt almost sick from riding on an empty stomach and pushing a little harder.  Just about right.

Truth is, I was quite apprehensive about getting on the road bike again.  It's been one full month, and I just couldn't bring myself to get back on.  I've been riding the heck out of my mountain bike, and actually taking some time to enjoy all the local trails.  I don't drag my mountain bike behind a truck, I just ride straight out of the garage - and it is always good riding.  I know this area well and have been all around it most of my life. When I first moved into the area more than 33 years ago, I would ride my first mountain bike around the service roads with my yellow lab.  There were no single track trails, and people would look at my as if I were from another planet. Now there are new trails being developed regularly.  There is a constant stream of mountain bikes pouring in and out of the area.  I typically go out later in the evening when most people have already left.  Yesterday I went about mid day when it was a little warmer.  Still a spectacle; wearing the collared and long sleeve flannel shirt, old duck Carharts (and riding shorts underneath) with the old reliable wool socks.  Yep, I'm that guy.  But I'm also the guy that knows the area and the history better than most.  So when I got to the overlook yesterday, I too a little time to listen to all the bustling from the campgrounds. The fact that I (or anyone for that matter) can ride to these places is nothing to take for granted.  Sure, there are still horses and the occasional trail runner, or hiker.  Still, it is something to just take in when you can.  Lately, the escape and the chance to reflect has been good.

What's to come?

Pretty much every major race/ride has been scrubbed for the year.  Laramie cancelled a couple weeks ago, due to some State and local regulations.  It makes me wonder if LOTOJA will survive, as it only takes one municipality or State to close it down.  The Cache Grand Fondo (or Jane as we call it) is still planning on limited starts next Saturday. With the increase of Covid cases state wide, I suspect, they'll be pressured to fold as well.  There is also the inaugural Iron Lung Scheduled in a couple weeks out of Huntsville.  I suppose it is being looked at closely as well.  I suspect if either of them get the ax, everything including LOTOJA will be a write-off for the year.  Meanwhile, we have to prepare as though we are a go in September - for what its worth.

Still a job to do.............

It was good to be on the road again.

Click here for a little tribute to Glen. Great to see Randy with the boys.....

Ride HARD anyway!