BYU vs. Utah football game follow up analysis

Whether your a fan or not, and regardless of the side you have chosen, you'll enjoy this clip

My neighbor's daughter

I haven't posted much lately.  I have been mainly watching my diet, working out at the gym, and trying to deal with a tough real estate economy. 

Things were thrown into perspective today as I joined the Bishop (ecclesiastical leader of our neighborhood) at the hospital to try to console my neighbor and his family.  Life can dish out some unexpected curveballs.

Here is the article from the daily herald.

Woman in critical condition after morning accident on I-15   Daily Herald
The woman involved in a serious accident on Interstate 15 near 800 North Tuesday morning is not likely to survive, officials have reported.

Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Cameron Roden said the family of the woman is currently weighing the decision to take the victim off of life support. Roden said Amanda Clifford, 20, of Lindon, was traveling southbound on the freeway just after 8 a.m., heading to school at Utah Valley University, when she was cut off during the early morning commute. Clifford lost control of her vehicle and swerved to the right, then to the left in front of a semi-trailer. The truck hit the Clifford's Honda on the driver's door.
Clifford was the only occupant of the vehicle and was transported by helicopter to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

The freeway was closed for about 15 minutes while the chopper landed to transport the woman, and Interstate 15 remained closed down to one lane following the accident while officers conducted their investigation. The highway was closed down to the HOV lane until approximately 9 a.m., and only two lanes were open until the road was cleared around noon.

Roden said officials so far have no information on the car that cut Clifford off and are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the incident.

Amanda did pass away.  Her brain swelled to where there was no blood flow to the brain.  There was nothing that the doctors and nurses could do.  

I can't imagine the emotions that the Cliffords are dealing with.  I am grateful that I can return home, hug my kids and tell them how much I love them.  

One last note, I was very impressed with two therapists at the hospital whose jobs are to interact with the family and help console and consult with them.  Their badges say social worker, but they are trained therapists.  I believe they may have one of the most difficult jobs in the world--knowing what to say someone through these tragedies is a difficult thing.  

New Wheelset?

I am getting ready to buy a wheelset for my SS Niner One.  

I am looking at the Reynolds and American Classic but can't decide.  If you have an opinion, let me know or if I should look at another wheelset, please recommend.

Ghetto Tubeless

I converted my monocog 29er to tubeless.  I took a 26" tube and used it as the liner for my 29er rims.  I used Stan's instead of bontrager super juice as the sealant.  The process was extremely easy and clean following the videos which I have posted below.  The real test will be if it continues to hold air and a see how it does on a few rides.  

Cost: 1 Quart Stan's sealant, $29 (it doesn't take a full quart - I just wanted extra)

26" tube (if you don't have one already) $3

I would have posted some pics, but these videos are better than any photos that I could take.  

Part 1

The video suggests a metal tire lever--my plastic ones worked just fine.

Part 2

Its been a while

Yah, its been a while since I posted.  I've been doing some riding but not as much as I should.  I think there is a direct correlation between my posts and my fitness level.  I have been working on some bike projects.

I took my trek liquid, which has UST rims, and put on some panaracer fireproXC UST tires.  Then, with the help of some bontrager super juice, successfully inlated them.  They have held air for a week now.  

The next project will be to convert the 29er rims on the monocog.  I was talking to a guy at mad dog who told me that they don't use stan's.  They use a ghetto way for the rim strips--they will take a 26" tube, cut it down the middle and put it on the 29 rim as the rim strip.  Some trimming on the edges is necessary, but he said it works great.  I'm going to give it a try.

I have been doing some night rides on the BST.  The first few nights I only had a handle bar light that barely lit the trail.  Last night I rode with a head lamp.  It helped a ton.  The only downside was that the headlamp slipped off my helped and whipped down onto the crown of my nose.  It hurt, but I didn't think much about it.  This morning I looked in the mirror and I look like a racoon - I'm black and blue around my eyes.

I ordered the lighting set up that Kanyon Kris has been experimenting with.  I am anxious to use it.  The weather has been phenomenal.  3 years ago, I was skiing on halloween at Brighton in waist deep powder.  This year, I plan on golfing and biking on halloween.

I've been quietly accumulating some biking parts for my next project.

SHHHHHHHH

Uno

The Moots Uno.  One sweet looking ride.

No, I haven't bought one - I'm just dreaming and drooling.  29 Ti SS.

Saturday Ride

I was expecting a big snowstorm on Saturday, or at least some rain.  By Saturday afternoon, I couldn't handle the chores any longer and had to go for a quick SS ride.

I went up to the dry canyon parking lot, across the BST to the aquaduct road, up betty's, over to dry canyon and back home.  Not a soul on the trails.

Fun quick ride.

I hope to be able to ride Mud Springs up AF canyon this week.  

Tibble Fork via Pine Hollow loop

I had a nice ride on Wednesday.  I decided to avoid the alpine loop traffic and do a mtn. bike ride.  I parked at tibble fork res. and went up the pavement to Pine Hollow.  I tried my best to ride the uphill on my SS, but ended up walking some sections.  

I had never been down to tibble fork from 157 before.  What an awesome downhill.  It has a bit of everything - banked turns, technical rock and root sections, a few mud holes, sharp hairpins, etc.  It was a bit rough on a fully rigid SS, but not too bad.

The above photo is from the meadow half way down the tibble fork trail.

Red Bull Rampage

Check out some of the highlights of the red bull rampage that happened last weekend.

More videos & photos here

Fat Cyclist Jersey

My fat cyclist jerseys came in the mail today.  

I had bought a couple extra as gifts for some friends. They thought it was funny, but soon appreciated the underlying goal.

The jerseys look sweet.

Fall Colors on the Alpine Loop

I rode the loop today with some friends, Chris and Phil, from the neighborhood.  This is the first time this year that they have ridden the loop.  It was actually Chris' first time on his new Fezzari road bike.  The pace was easy, but we made it over the top.

I had a rock slash the sidewall of my tire on the way up to Sundance.  I changed the tube and it flatted in the Sundance parking lot.  Luckily I had some cash and bought some tubes at Sundance and a sidewall patch.  Problem solved.

The temp was perfect.  The biggest problem was the traffic on the road.  Tons of cars looking at the fall colors.

The leaves on the AF side are more stunning than the Provo side.  Great time to ride the loop.

The credit for these photos goes to Phil.  My camera phone doesn't come close to producing this kind of quality.  I need to start carrying a small dig camera with me.

The effects of altitude

On Saturday, an old friend came by.  He was visiting from Houston.  We decided to do an easy mountain bike ride.  I put him on my hardtail and I rode my SS up south fork/big springs hollow. My friend is in excellent shape.  He regularly runs and bikes but he does it at 20 ft. above see level--not 6,000 ft. above.  As we started up the trail, he decided that he needed to keep pace with my single speed.  Shortly thereafter, he was bent over sucking wind.  He struggled, but made it the whole way. 

It made me think about leadville 100 - Does the elevation starting at 10,200' hit you that hard?  I know that the alpine loop reaches over 8,000', but is that sufficient altitude training?  BTW, leadville will be on August 15, 2009.  Entries must be in by Jan. 31 (Zach - put it on your calendar).  

Another visit up Betty's

Today I did the same ride as my last post except I continued further on the aquaduct road to trail 33--It may have a name, but I don't know it.  It leads you up to the altar just like betty does. 

I was amazed at the temperature today.  It was hot and baking on the aquaduct road.

After dropping down into intersection with dry canyon, I noticed a new sign since I rode this trail on Tuesday.  Maybe an eagle scout project?? 

The sign said that the trail to curly springs also continued to battle creek.  Is this correct?  

I have never gone beyond curly springs.  Does it really go across the face of baldy into battle creek?  

SS on the brain

I've had my new 29er single speed for less than a week now.  I have made a ride on it everyday (except sunday) and am absolutely loving it.  I'm still learning and conditioning myself to more effectively ride, but I love the challenge.  The SS forces me to push myself and do the rides at a faster speed.  The ride on 29's is different--I feel like I carry momentum over obstacles better than the 26's.  

Yesterday I rode the same route that Kanyon Kris outlined--Water tank road/BST, to Betty's, left at the altar to Betty's lament, down Dry Canyon, and back to the Water tank's on the BST.  What a great ride.  I admit, I had a couple of spots where I had to dismount and push.  Maybe next time I'll carry better speed and make it up those spots. 

I keep debating whether to stick with a rigid fork or find a shock.  The more I ride, the more I'm leaning towards sticking with the rigid.  My only complaint with my bike so far is the massive creaking when I stand and pedal.  The chain ring bolts were loose, and I thought that would solve the problem, but it didn't.  I'm trying to eliminate all possible culprits, i.e. pedals, chainring, cranks, etc. before tearing into the BB.

While all I think about is my next ride on the SS, I want to ride the alpine loop a few more times with this perfect riding weather.  

My new ride

Friday, my new (used) bike showed up.  I bought a used Redline monocog 29er.  I decided to see what this singlespeed 29er sub-culture is all about.  As you can see in the picture, it is a fully rigid frame, and yes, that is a pink chain.  I am secure enough in my manliness to have a pink chain.  This is by no means a top of the line bike--compared to my other bikes, this is quite inexpensive.  I'm sure that if I love the SS 29er movement, I will upgrade to a niner bike or something along those lines.

I took the bike out for a ride on Saturday.  I rode 

from my home up to dry canyon parking lot, across the BST to water tank's and up into Provo canyon.  I had a really good time.  It was hard and challenging.  I liked the feel of the 29 wheels.  I felt like I had a total body workout after my ride--my abs, arms, and back muscles were sore.  I have a greater appreciation of what a front shock truly absorbs after riding this rigid fork.  I am seriously considering getting something a little more forgiving.

The bike has what I consider some fat tires-WTB 2.3's.  The brakes are avid mechanical's (I would prefer some juicy's.  The gear set up is 32 x 20.  

I'm itching to get out for another ride on Monday.  

On a side note, my wife blew a gasket when she found out I shaved my legs for LOTOJA.  She had forbade me to shave my legs.  We'll, two weeks after the fact, she finally noticed.  As I said before, I am secure in my manliness.

Disgusted and Disgruntled

I'm fed up with all the crap that is going in the economy.

• Stock market downward spiral.  The SEC needs to wake up and do something about these short sellers who are smashing the financial sector.  The fear and anxiety they have created will continue to drive the markets down.  Most of America is sitting around in shock right now as their retirement accounts have dropped 30-40% and wondering if they should cash out.  
• Bank Auditors.  There are 36 auditors sitting in the bank that I use right now.  They are making life miserable for me and every other person who has borrowed from the bank.  I had a conversation with a VP of a different bank yesterday and he told me that 90% of the bank's actions and decisions are driven by these auditors.  Bottom line - I know the auditors are doing their jobs, but long term, quality borrowers/bank customers are being thrown under the bus.  I don't think this market is going to turn around until these auditors allow the banks to start making loans again.
• Bailouts. I'm ticked off at the bailout for AIG.  I believe that it had to happen--it would have been catastrophic without a bailout, but I don't like the federal reserve messing around with these bailouts.  
• Politics. Lets get this election over with.  This country needs to have some stability starting at the top.

People are motivated and act out of greed or fear.  In less than one year, the pendulum has completely swung from greed all the way to fear.

On a lighter note, I rode the alpine loop this afternoon--Provo side.  The leaves are absolutely beautiful.  What a great time of year to ride.

My legs felt rusty.  It felt good to climb again and open up the lungs.  An afternoon rainstorm had just come through so I was extra cautious on the way down.

My new bike is on its way!! More details & pics to come. Get out and ride.  It's to nice not to be riding.

Gel Bot Review

I tried the Gel Bot on the first 25 miles of LOTOJA.  Here are my thoughts.

The concept is a good concept--A bottle that holds/dispenses water and gel. I paid $15.99 for the bottle at Mad Dog.  It was pretty simple to fill the gel dispenser.

What I liked about the bottle:

• I'm still trying to think of something nice to say.

What I didn't like:

• The bottle quickly transfered a plastic taste to my water.  Take a cue from Camelbak and use a better plastic.
• In order to get the gel out, you have to squeeze and suck on the bottle. The gel does not come out easily--you have to suck hard.  I have a hard enough time breathing while I ride. Sucking makes it even harder to breathe.  Gel Bot needs to modify or redesign the valve that holds the gel in.  
• I put honeystingers in the gel part.  I assume this would hold true for any gel, but in cold weather and with the cold water in the bottle, the gels thicken up and make it even harder to get it out.
• FYI, the bottle is not dishwasher safe.  My bottle now has a serious deformity.  

In summary, the concept is good, the execution needs some work.  I would save your money or buy a camelback podium bottle.

I did some time in the gym today. Nothing too heavy, but just enough to loosen up the legs from LOTOJA.  I had such a good time on LOTOJA, I'm already starting to look for my next big event.  My buddy suggested the death valley marathon in February.  I'd rather find a biking event.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  

LOTOJA wrap up

I wanted to share a brief recap of my LOTOJA experience.  I rode in the "fun ride" category which I thought was an oxymoron.  It was nice to start at 6 am as the first group out.  The first 25 miles had a lot of accordian action as the field was nervous and it was still dark.  The peloton even made a wrong turn at one point.

Strawberry, the first of the three climbs, was not as bad as I had imagined.  I felt alright going over the top.  The Cat 1's, which started at 6:25, caught me half way up strawberry.  

Geneva, the second climb, was significantly shorter than strawberry, but steeper at the end.  I rode within my limits and grinded out the last bit to the summit.

Salt River, the final climb, is famous for the last 2 miles.  The gradient is almost 7%.  Up to the last two miles, it was relatively easy.  I felt good on Salt River and even surprised myself on the last two miles.  

The headwind from Afton to Alpine Junction was there.  I rode with some good groups.

All the LOTOJA literature states that there is a tailwind up the snake river to Jackson.  Not on Saturday.  The headwind continued all the way to Jackson.  It may sound insignificant, but it was a mental challenge for me.

I felt good until mile 185.  Then I gutted out the last 21.

LOTOJA has the best stocked neutral feed zones that I have ever seen.  They even had swedish fish and gummy bears.  The tour of PC could take note of what an aid station should have. Plenty of water, gatorade, and red bulls.

I thought the climbs would be the most difficult.  It ended up that the flat riding was actually harder for me.  I wanted to kill some of the idiot riders that would crank up the pace 5-8 mph as soon as they got on the front of the paceline.  Not only would this drop the guy who just finished pulling, but it would put gaps in the paceline.  

My finish time was 11h 30m.  According to my garmin, my riding time was 10h 51m, with 39 minutes paused/feedzone time.  I placed 22nd in the fun ride category out of 370. 

I took my time in the feedzones.  I wonder how different I would have felt if I had been quicker in the feedzones or even rode through them just taking on handup items.

24 hours after the finish, I feel relatively good.  My legs aren't overly sore.  My knees are about the only thing that still hurts.  My internal plumbing is finally sorting out all the energy food that I ate--it keeps me going through the race, but afterwards, it has my intestines in knots.

My parents did support for me and they did an awesome job.  I am grateful for the time they gave up to come and help.

My sister Kara also finished even though her support crew couldn't find her for part of the race. Congratulations.

Lotoja

It's done.

11 h 30 m

More details later.

Sent from my iPhone

Bring on the pain

Tomorrow is LOTOJA!! Everybody asks if I'm ready--I feel ready.  I know it is going to be painful. I'm not sure what a reasonable goal is--I will be happy to finish.  If I had to pick a number, I would be thrilled to finish in 12 hours.

I picked up some supplies at Mad Dog yesterday.  The nice lady who helped me had done LOTOJA six times. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those who can continually accomplish things like that.

I'm not changing a whole lot about my bike or what I eat, but I did pick up a Gel Bot.  The bottle provides an internal gel container.  You have the option of taking a drink or a shot of gel.

The cost was $16.  I can already tell that the plastic bottle is one of those that you don't want to put your water in too early before your ride or it will quickly start tasting like the plastic bottle. 

I will use the Gel Bot on LOTOJA and see how it works.

I replaced the tires on my bike.  I like ride Maxxis Courchevels for races.  I also ride the Maxxis fly tubes.  I have to admit that I haven't tried a lot of different tires, but I sure to like the Courchevels.

Good luck to all riding LOTOJA.  

Kris, by the way, LOTOJA called and asked if you would come volunteer on the security detail for the race.  They have a t-shirt and a window sticker for you. ;)

Family bike ride

As the weather cleared on this labor day, my three oldest kids and I went out for a bike ride at the local school. This was the first time that my two oldest had ridden a bike by themselves (without training wheels).  I was so happy. I am passionate about cycling and had felt like a slacker that my kids hadn't learned how to ride yet.  

Check out the sweet Electra 8 Ball bike that my kids are riding.  I love the big fat tires on the cruiser.

I made a trip earlier in the day to the Pearl Izumi outlet.  I needed a new pair of bib shorts to replace the ones I ripped up in a wreck earlier in the summer. It was a mistake to go on Labor Day as it was a zoo, but mission accomplished.

8 Days to LOTOJA

I'm wrapping my final rides before I begin to taper for LOTOJA.  Wednesday I rode from Francis up the Mirror Lake highway up to Bald Mtn. Pass.  On the return I continued up the river road to complete the 100 miles. It was one of those days where I just didn't feel right.  I sure hope that I feel better at LOTOJA.

If you are one of the few who look at the blog regularly, you have probably seen a pic like this before.  This is the summit of Bald Mtn. Pass.  This has become one of my favorites rides.  The scenery is awesome, the road is in fairly good shape, the traffic is not too heavy during the week, and there is usually a tail wind pushing you up to the summit (unless you come up from evanston).  

Two of my kids somehow have contracted giardia.  The doc thinks it may have come from Utah lake. Wherever it came from, my poor kids have it coming out from both ends and my wife is at the end of her rope cleaning up the mess.

 

Product Reviews

I have been a fan of the eload heat for a few months.  I decided to try their recovery drink.  After my 50 miler today, I mixed up 8 oz.  It was horrible.  Whey protein with orange flavoring is a bad combo.  The search for a decent recovery drink will continue.

I thought I would mention some of the products that I have recently been trying.

The first product is sports legs.  I had a few sample packs and gave them a try on the tour of Utah and some training rides.  They didn't upset my stomach.  The only catch is that you have to remember to take them an hour before the ride--I'm not sure what would happen if you didn't.  I will continue to use them in different combination with other supplements.

The other thing I tried on the tour of Utah was putting down a packet of real salt.  I had some sample packs.  I'm sure it didn't enhance my performance other than helping prevent cramps.

During my ride on

 the tour of Utah, here is what I ate on the bike and what I ate at the support vehicle.  In order to stay properly hydrated, 

I would try to finish two waterbottles ever 25 plus or minus miles.

Pre-Race:

Banana

Yogurt

Water

Bike:

Jelly Belly sport beans - watermelon and orange

Honey stinger gels

Water

eLoad Heat Endurance drink

Truck:

Gatorade

Peanut Butter Jelly

Watermelon

Coke

Red Bull (this was for snowbird climb)

Chocolate Milk (at the finish--sorry Todd, I love the stuff)

One more week to train hard and then taper for LOTOJA.  I feel prepared and am  anxious to get the race done.  Hopefully there isn't any of the white stuff on Sept. 6

Restoring Bridal Veil Falls

A plan was announced today to rebuild the bridal veil tram and other new features.

refreshthefalls.com

They new owners also announced that for $90 you can have some ownership in the falls.  I'm curious what $90 actually gets me.  A rock? 

Tour of Utah / 300 Warriors Report

300 "civilians" were given the opportunity to ride the 4th stage of the Tour of Utah.  We were given a four hour head start over the professionals.  If you want to see the course, click here.  Here is the description of the stage. 

The Queen Stage of the Tour of Utah is a brute; 14,778 feet of climbing in 99 miles. Riders will see five KOM’s on their way to the finish at beautiful Snowbird Ski Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Along the way they will tackle the tough climb past Sundance ski resort, up and over the Alpine loop into American Fork Canyon.


Saturday, August 16th
Park City to Snowbird
Course: 4 Climbs - Mountain Top Finish
Length: 98.1 miles, 159 kms
Climbing: 14,778 ft., 4,504 meters


I left right at 6 am with the first group out.  It was cold but I dressed appropriately.  Some toe warmers would be the only thing I would have next time.  We made good time out to Francis.  The group split up on the climb south of the Jordanelle.  I worked with smaller groups all the way through Midway and down Provo Canyon.  Over the Alpine Loop, I went slower than most--I knew I had to ride at a comfortable pace or I wouldn't have a chance of making the climb up snowbird.  I felt good over the loop and over suncrest.  I have never gone down the salt lake side of suncrest--wow was it fast.  I did ok to the mouth of little cottonwood canyon.  Some of the hills on Wasatch Blvd were annoying, they weren't extremely steep or long--they were annoying because Snowbird climb was coming up.  

I have never rode a bike up snowbird.  I knew it was steep, but holy cow, what a beast of a hill--especially after 93 miles.  It took me a while to drag myself to the top, but I did it.  I know your not supposed to use a MP3 player, but I had to turn on some tunes to get my mind off of the climb.  I was nowhere near the fastest, but I wasn't last.  

It was nice having my own support vehicle rather than relying on an aid station.  As a result, I ate well and had no problems with any cramps.  

I hurried and got down from Snowbird prior to the road closure.  I was at the mouth of the canyon when the professionals came flying by.  I was shocked how big the lead group was starting the snowbird hill climb.  I thought there would have been a small breakaway.

It was a tough but fun ride.  I thought it was awesome that 300 of us got the chance to ride in the Tour of Utah.  I was impressed with how many people were up little cottonwood to watch the professionals. 

Scouting LOTOJA

I spent the weekend at Bear Lake at a family reunion.  We had an awesome time.

I took the opportunity to drive part of the LOTOJA course.  There are three major peaks on the course--Strawberry, Geneva, and Salt River Pass.  I didn't drive strawberry, but I did go up Geneva, and Salt River.  There isn't anything too steep, except at the summit's of Geneva and Salt River.  There is a section of Geneva that is under construction.  It looks questionable if it will be paved within the next three weeks--otherwise, it will be hard pack dirt road.  On the descent of Geneva, the shoulder of the road has a lot of gravel on it.  The final two miles of Salt River looks tough.  It is long and straight so you see it all in front of you.  The road then turns to the left and you still have more to go to the summit. Other than the summit's, the road is a gradual climb.  Any climb has a flat or downhill section immediately following it.

I went for a ride this morning and did the provo side of the alpine loop.  It was a beautiful morning and an enjoyable ride.  I am getting burned out on some of these long - 4+ hour rides.  I am looking forward to riding for fun again.  

I got a call yesterday from a friend who was going to be my support vehicle this Saturday.  He backed out on me.  Now I'm scrambling to find another support driver.

 

New Gear & Gadgets

I took a quick ride up the alpine loop today.  It was the first time back on the bike since the Tour of PC.  I have to admit, my rear end was still a bit sore.  I had intentions to ride up to Snowbird, but I ran out of time and had to do something close.

I was sporting some new gear and gadgets.

1. My new edge 705.  It works awesome, except for the syncing issues that I am having.  My 305 had a sweet autostart feature.  I cannot find this on my 705.  Drop me a note if you know how to turn this on in the 705.  

2. New Giordana bib shorts.  After my wreck a couple of weeks ago, I bought some new bibs.  I'm still a fan of the Pearl Izumi's over these Giordanas.

3. New Descente base layer.  I can't tell if it is any better or worse than the pearl izumi base layers that I wear.  

4. Rasberry Hammergel.  It tasted ok, but nowhere as good as a honeystinger.  Until I find something that significantly enhances my performance, or tastes better than a honeystinger, I am sticking to the honey and jelly beans--Do I sound like yogi the bear?

I keep reading about all of the Leadville 100 riders.  I wish them all luck and hope they all return with sweet belt buckles.

I am planning on a final large ride on Friday in preparation for the Tour of Utah.  Sunday, I plan on driving the mountain passes of the LOTOJA course.  

Tour de Pain (Park City)

Saturday I rode the Tour de Park City.  I'll try to summarize to keep it short.

My start time was at 6 am with the "fun-ride" group.  I stayed the night at the newpark hotel.  My alarm didn't go off at 5:15.  I rolled out of bed at 6:38.  I was ticked off and hurried to the start line.  I decided to still do the super century 170 mile.  I took off with the cat 4/5's at 7:11 am.

Things I learned from the race.

1. Don't try to keep up the pace with the cat 4/5's if that isn't your normal pace.  As Phil Liggett says so well, I was the elastic band that eventually snapped partway between coalville and evanston.  

2. I will never complain about poor road conditions. Five miles of dirt road helps put things in perspective.

3. Choose the right wheels.  I rode on my Reynolds wheels that are deep dish carbon rims.  The wind from Evanston to Kamas was relentless.  I should have stuck to my Mavic's. 

4. Do a better job rationing water.  There was supposed to be an aid station every 25 miles.  I rationed my water to mile 100, but no aid station.  Finally it showed up at mile 105.  That may not seem like a big deal, but with the brutal headwind, there were a lot of ticked off riders.

5. Always carry money or credit card.  Since I was riding tubular wheels, I took off my bag that is normally under my saddle.  Inside I have some money for emergencies.  As a result, I found myself staring at a convenience store at mile 105 dreaming of a pepsi and no money.

6. Don't forget the chamois cream.  If I had been up at 5:15 am, I would have had time to eat, drink, and wipe on some cream.  In my rush to get on the road, I missed all of the above.

7. PB&J's never tasted so good.  Enough said.

8. Cramps.  I started cramping at miles 85.  They got so bad I had to stop twice.  I rode through them and they would subside for a while.

9. It's a mental game.  I went through a whole spectrum of feelings through the ride.  I wanted to quit so many times.  I found myself listing all of my excuses why I should quit.  For me, the only thing that worked was focusing on the race as 25 mile increments and thinking that the summit was only 125 miles and I could do that.

This was by far the hardest ride I have ever done.  I heard several comments that this was a lot tougher than LOTOJA.  That made me feel better.  The head wind was draining.  Several ambulances were running up and down the route.  

My left knee was killing me at mile 110 to the end.  I have never had knee problems before and this was a painful surprise.  It is hard to think about another race in two weeks and then LOTOJA two weeks after that.  

The Tour de Park City was not a "fun-ride".  I would classify more like a necessary evil.  I'm sure I'll feel different in a few days as the soreness subsides and the pain memories are not so vivid.

It was eventually going to happen

I took off my mavics and put my Reynolds on the bike. The weight savings was significant. My bike weighs 15.38 lbs including my garmin unit.

I wanted to see how these wheels climbed and descended. I took off for a long ride on Wednesday in the middle of the day. I left from my house and went up the alpine loop Provo side. The heat of the day was taking it out of me. I wanted to get in a big ride because I was driving to Seattle the next day.

As I was coming around the last sweeping right hand hairpin turn just above Sundance, I wrecked. I was taking it easy and not pushing the speed. As I was coming around the curve, a car was coming up and cutting in close to the inside of the turn. Being a bit startled, I jerked in towards the shoulder. Somehow in doing so, my bike slid out from under me and I was on the ground. I was no longer traveling in a nice arc, but I was now sliding in a straight line towards the car. The rear wheel of the car was coming right towards me. I thought I was going to get hit and I was sure my bike would be run over. Amazingly the car missed me and the bike. As I skidded to a stop in front of the barrier on the other side of the road, I jumped up, being juiced up on adrenaline. I took an assessment of the damage. My right but cheek was now hamburger. My right tricep was road rash. The chamois pad saved me from a lot more damage. The lady driving the SUV stopped and offered a ride to the bottom. I declined, straightened the crooked brake hood, hopped on my bike and started down the hill. A few things became very clear - Every spot that where I had road rash now stung as the cool wind hit them. My bike was functioning fine except for the ripped up bar tape--no big deal.

I road down to Timpanogos park showing off my bloodied cheeks to everyone that I passed. By the time I got to the park, I decided to stop the misery and have my friend pick me up and give me a ride home. The adrenaline had worn off and I was feeling the pain. The fun was only just beginning. Scrubbing out the dirt and gravel was an incredible experience. That night was one of the worst nights of sleep I had ever had. Any movement I made hurt.

The next day was the drive to Seattle. In summary, it was long, painful, and I had a ton of puss oozing through the gauze pads. Changing the dressings has been a joy, re-inflicting pain on myself over and over.

Seattle has been nice, but I am in doubt about the Tour of Park City on Aug. 2.

In the doghouse

Friday night was spent at the Father's & Sons campout with my two boys.  We had a fun time.  It is always a lot of work and effort, but it means a lot to my boys.  We went fishing and caught several fish.  My oldest son (8), learned how to cast (let me clarify--it was with a spinning rod.  True casting will come later with a fly rod.  The spinning rod thing is only temporary).

My brother Zach, who lives in Pittsburgh attending dental school, was in town for a class reunion.  He stopped by Saturday afternoon.  It was nice to see him and visit with him. 

Saturday night I went on a ride up the loop on Provo side.  Very few bikers, but a ton of traffic. As a result,  I took it a little slower on the way down.  It felt good to open up the lungs and to wake up the legs again.  These vacations make it hard to maintain a healthy diet and regular bike rides.

Before my ride on Saturday, my wife told me that she and her friend (who was visiting from Eugene Oregon) wanted to go to the mall.  I said no problem.  As soon as I started my ride, I totally forgot.  As I pulled in at 8:45 pm, she quickly let me know that I was in the doghouse.  I had totally spaced it.  I'm still trying to dig out of my hole.... I think it is going to take some time.

Back in the saddle

No one was killed.  No serious injuries. No fights broke out. We even had a good time.  This is the order that I go through to judge a successful Varsity Scout high adventure.

We spent the last four days at flaming gorge boating on the dam and rafting the river.  I floated the "A" section of the river three times.  The caddis hatch just before dark was incredible.  The boys went down in rafts and inflatable kayaks while I was in my pontoon boat fly fishing all the way.  What a gorgeous place. 

While I was gone, I had racer's fix my bottom bracket.  I hope to get out on a ride shortly to see if the creaking sound is gone. I am down to crunch time for my training and events.  The tour of Park City is coming up quick.  

I am a huge fan of the Tour de France.  I have to say, what a disappointment to hear of Ricco and others who have been caught doping.  

IKEA and some ramblings

Friday, I rode from my home in Lindon, up Provo Canyon, over the loop, down AF side, and back to my home.  It was the perfect time to ride.  Sundance had some delicous smells drifting across the road--Bacon being the dominant smell.  It was almost a 40 mile ride.  Lots of roadies out enjoying the ride.  At the summit of the loop, I met a guy who has just opened a bike shop in Saratoga Springs--Epic Riding.  Nice guy. He carries Giant and Scott.  He also shared some good tips for LOTOJA.

Friday night I went with my family to IKEA.  What a mistake.  Talk about a place packed

 with things that your wife thinks she needs and you know better.  Luckily we escaped with only a few pieces.  The cashier asked if we had seen the car that ran into the building.  So on the way out we took a look.  I have no idea how it happened, but there was some serious damage to what appeared to be a new SUV.

I rode Saturday with my friend Matt.  We left from his house in Cedar Hills and went up the loop AF side.  I can't believe how many cyclists were going up the road-train after train.  We rode with a bunch of guys including one rider decked out in fat cyclist apparel on a ferrazi bike.  

I rode the majority of the ride with two guys who were putting down a good pace.  One was on a litespeed and the other on a specialized.  I'm so bad with names, I already forgot their names.  The guy on the litespeed put the hammer down right after the last hairpin turn.  I worked hard to keep up with him.  

My friend Matt came rolling in shortly thereafter.  We did take note of the orange lamborghini cruising around the loop.

Monday I'm heading out to the green river to do some fly fishing.  We'll see how much fishing gets done--the Varsity Scouts are coming along.