...is killing me. I *should* have my new 29er Thursday. My evening is all booked though. I should say that my wife's evening is booked, which means I'll have to stay home with the kiddies. That is fine. I like staying home with the kids. But on the first day that I have a new bike it may be a little "distracting". I wonder if I can put them in the back yard and do laps around the neighborhood...? Maybe I will go on a night ride. I need to get a couple in before next week. Isn't there some bike riding taboo about a virgin ride in the dark?

Regardless, check here for pictures of the new ride. Hopefully I have you all saying "shocks...pegs....LUCKY!"

Now on to important things. I put my PowerBar PowerGel in my water bottle today. It was awful. It tasted like some sort of bad banana smoothie that had been left in the sun. I like the idea of this though. The gels are to pasty, to sweet to consume in high volume on a long ride. This method could be a better way to get the stuff from them. So, what is the trick? 2 gels in a bottle? Eat them as intended from the pouch? Or...I could just go with what I have done in the past. That is carry a gel or two with me for "emergency bonk deflection", and use other things such as dried fruits, candy, and liquids liquids liquids to get my carb needs. I find that I am not to big on solids after a few hours on the bike. But I am planning on eating smaller quantities more often. Grab a bite of a bar here, a handful of dried apples there, and so on.

Eating during an endurance event can be a tricky game to master. Some rides I crave salts, some days sugars, others days, like this year's Brianhead Epic 100, well that day I craved nothing and it was the worst bonk of my life. In a lap format event, like a 24 Hour race, I recomend having a bit of everything. In the weeks leading up to the event test out foods that you want to have on hand. Find out what tastes good to you, what sits well in your stomach, etc.

Someday someone will invent a pill or a paste or a drink that is all things to all people, and that guy will be rich and famous. But in the meantime we have to do the work discovering what does and doesn't work for us during the long efforts on the bike.

...is pretty much how I felt today. I wanted to get in a ride, but the thought of another loop on the same route I do so often on the road bike was not encouraging. I had a nasty headache after work today as well. So I took the rest day and started making a checklist for next weekend's 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow. I was hoping the X-Cal would have arrived today, but no dice. In fact, it looks like it wont be arriving until Thursday.

So...do you ever go out for a ride, and get a sunburn, then the next day head out again and the sweat under the burned skin bubbles up and turns your arm into sort of that bubble packaging stuff that you liked to pop when you were a kid?

Yeah. Me neither.

Karl Etzel, founder of Ride424.com recently published an article on the subject of race fees. Specifically race fees and 24 hour events. It is a timely article given all the buzz going on in various cycling forums right now. I thought the article was well written, and brought up good points.

We all have different reasons that we race bikes. I love to compete. I love the thrill of lining up against other guys that have been out on the trails and roads with the soul purpose of beating me (and everyone else on the line). I love the friendships that evolve from this competition. In high school, when I played baseball, I'd sooner had punched my main rival in the face then talk to him about the game we just played. Not so in racing. More often than not I find myself talking and laughing about the race with guys that only minutes before I was busting my butt to try and defeat. I love the atmosphere. This is true of both one day events, such as the stellar Intermountain Cup which I have been racing for the last 4 years, and it is also true of 24 hour events. Really cool people race bikes, and when a lot of great people are in the same place at the same time and doing the same thing....good things happen.

These are the non-tangibles I consider part of the entry fee. However, I do think the cost for solo riders can and should come down. A solo racer should be required to pay about what every other individual is paying. In an event like The 24 Hours of Moab most people are paying between $125 and $140 to compete. Solo riders pay $330, Duo Pros pay $240. A reasonable fee for a solo (and a duo) would be in the $200 range. Now, I also realize that the Solo and the Duo Pro categories are the racers that are getting cash prizes, so I can understand the logic behind charging more. But like Jeff Kerkove said in the thread that got him banned--we dont need a lot of bells and whistles. I'd trade the midnight movies or live bands for a smaller race fee. After all, the people paying the fees--the racers--are not going to spend much time lounging around the start/finish area wondering when "All The Right Moves" is going to start.

In the end, this is a complex issue. Nobody wants to feel like they are getting worked over. Race organizers want to see a return on the time and money they spend to have an event. Racers don't want to see thier hard earned money go down the tube on a race that stinks. We need each other, racers and promoters, to survive. Without the other we are both obsolete. Those on both sides of the fence that don't grasp this concept are usually dispatched of quickly.

Thanks for reading. Ride Long, Ride Hard, Ride Fast.

I finally figured out how to use my own banner. Then I finally got around to designing one. So there it is in all it's glory. I also re-named the site. I figured a play on words would be cool. I really don't expect to ever write anything "epic" though. I mean I could launch in to something starting with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." but who needs that really?

In case you were wondering, which I am sure you all were, the mountain in the background of the banner is Mount Timpanogos which towers over the city I live in. Most of the riding I do is in someway connected with this mountain. The picture of me is from the 2002 24 Hours of Moab where the team I raced on took home the 5-person open title.


Thanks for reading...ride long, ride hard, ride fast!

It's two weeks until the 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow. This past week was a good one for training. I got the hours in that I set out to do. This upcoming week will be a one of testing. I will need to test my lights. I hope to get in at least 2 night rides with my NiteRider Blowtorch before the race rolls around. I will also be testing a couple new ideas I've had about food on the bike. I have a few items I want to incorporate into my in-race meals, so I will be seeing how my body reacts to those this week. I will also be testing, and tuning, and fine tuning my Gary Fisher X-Calibur once it arrives and is assembled.

As far as training goes...well it will be a semi-taper week. I will be doing some moderate efforts, most on the mountain bike, since I will need to get time in the new saddle. I plan on riding trails I know very well. Routes that I know how fast I ride when I hammer, and how fast I ride when I'm just riding to ride. It will be a week of maintaining the fitness I have now. (HA! assuming I have any)

Next week, the week of the race, will be a full taper. I will take it nice and easy as I spend each day gathering all the crap I will need for the race. My rides will consist of easy spins to keep the blood flowing. I will also use these spins to further adjust and tweak the new ride.

To everyone with races coming up in the next couple of weeks, good luck! Ride long, ride hard, ride fast!

Just Riding Along
Go Clipless
Guitar Ted
MonkeyTron

If you have not read the entire forum thread do so here

I surfed over to Jeff Kerkove's blog and read that he had been banned from any 24 Hour$ of Adrenalin event for 1 year. Including the upcoming World Championships. Why? Because he thinks race fees are getting out of control for endurance events, and said so in a message board at MTBR. What a joke. I don't think I've seen anything that ridiculous in my years of racing.

So a year of preparation, training, planning, and a few hundred dollars are thrown out the window because some race organizer thinks he is bigger than the game. Stuart Dorland should get together with Jean-Marie Leblanc. I'm sure they'd come up with all sorts of fun ways to screw over the very racers that make them relevant.

I've been really seriously considering making the move to a 29er hardtail. After my rear shock went kaputz on me last night, I decided it was time. So I ordered an '06 Gary Fisher X-Calibur. How could I resist that shine?!? I am going to swap out some parts off my fuel here and there, then sell it. I really have to say that I have not been this excited about a bike for a long time. The bike should be ready to hit the trails by next week. So I will post pics and first impressions then. In the meantime it looks like road rides for me...

So, we are cruising along the race course for the 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow and we come around a corner. What is waiting for us on the road? Yeah a freakin' COUGAR! This kind, not one of these It was taking its sweet time walking down the road, away from us thankfully. My first thought was, "is that thing gonna be sitting hungry in the trees when I am all alone on a lonely night lap?" So yeah, that got our blood flowing. Wish I had the camera with me, I've never actually seen one in the wild before.

Other than the man eating cat sighting, the course was pretty sweet. It is about 13 miles long, and consists of some nice moderate single track climbing, and then a hammer fest smooth dirt road climb, and then a somewhat sketchy double track descent. It is a course that fits my style, and I think I will be able to churn out a good number of laps. Let's just hope I don't end up like this!

So I went out with Keith, Tim, and Carson today on the road bikes. We decided to go up squaw peak road. 2 weeks ago I tried to set a personal best, and missed it by a minute or so. Today I went at it again. This time I set a new record....by one second! I felt really good the entire climb. I was able to just mash the pedals. Never had to take any time to recover or rest. Never mind the fact that Tim schooled me up the road.

So I was thinking, what was it that helped me go fast today? Was it the cooler temperatures? NAY! Was it the Pita Pit chicken crave I ate for lunch? NAY! Could it be that I am starting to peak? NAY! Or should I say NASAL! because it had to have been the SinuCleanse Nasal Wash System!!!

Seriously. OK, maybe not seriously. But I did give this thing a try last night because my sinuses have been driving me nuts. My mom pulls this genie bottle thingie out and insists that I give it a try. So I take it home and to the strange looks from my wife, I cleansed. I think I did it wrong, because it just felt like I went face down while wake boarding or something....you know tons of water up your nose. If only I had seen this first. Gross!!

Whatever it was, I felt really good going up the mountain today.

OH, and I just read Jeff Kerkove's blog, and I think that Boller dude could use the SinuCleanse Nasal Wash System? Make sure to use good soap on that leg Kerkove!

Pics of the upcoming '06 models.

Here and Here

The new x-cal and the new paragon look very sweet. They are only increasing my 29inch hardtail cravings.....

Local events on the horizon.

Aug. 27 The E 100 Park City, UT
Sept. 3 Mountain West Single Speed Championships Sundance, UT
Sept 10 The 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow Soldier Hollow, UT
Oct. 15 The 24 Hours of Moab Moab, UT

I have both the 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow, and the 24 Hours of Moab on my schedule. See my Moab teampage here.

It rained today, but not very much. I managed a light recovery spin, and the weather was perfect. It felt like October. My legs felt light and springy after feeling like lead pipes yesterday. This week I am planning on some good intense efforts before I start to taper for Soldier Hollow.

Went out this morning with Carson to explore the Wasatch Back. Our original intention was to to make our way to Soldier Hollow so we could pre-ride the race course for the upcoming 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow. After riding into Heber Valley, we realized that we had overshot Soldier Hollow, so we climbed back up to Cascade Springs road which dropped us into Soldier Hollow. But due to time, and the course being marked with invisible pink flags, we decided to connect back with Cascade Springs road and climb that all the way to the summit of the Alpine Loop, then descend back down American Fork canyon, where the truck was parked.

It was a great ride in some of Utah's best mountain country. I felt great pretty much the entire day, with light, snappy, happy legs. I was able to really push a good cadence while clipping up these insanley long climbs at my 24 hour race pace. I think we spent about 5.5 hours climbing today. Perfect endurance builder ascents. Not to steep, relativley smooth, and long long long. When all was said and done we were spinning the cranks for 7.5 hours. I'm ready for bed. So I think that is where I will go.

I said I wanted a house with a VIEW dangit!

Carson enjoying the first sight of the sun this morning.

Me enjoying the Wasatch Back.

...so I was told by a woman at the scene of a crash today. As I was driving up to the trailhead I came upon a cyclist lying in the road, surrounded by other people. I was going to get out and help, but just then an ambulence arrived on the scene. I never did find out what happened, but nobody seemed overly concerned so I am assuming the rider was not horribly injured. Judging by the apparel of the other riders with the crashed (helmets worn incorrectly, cotton T-shirts, capri pants and fanny packs) I'd guess that the narrow canyon road that is infamous for pot holes and gravel patches got the best of them.

After the 30 minute delay behind the paramedics, I finally reached the trailhead. Unfortunatley, the delay meant I had less time to ride. But I still managed to have some fun on some of the best single track around. I rode the trails in the South Fork of Provo Canyon.


Don't let this be you!


Gotta love single track!

...and more single track

and even more...this time through the meadow

You'd be right if you thought that the tall grass whips your legs as you ride by, leaving many many small welts...OUCH!

Pretty good ride today, but tomorrow should be an epic worth writing about. Stay Tuned.

Took today off of the bike. Went out easy yesterday. Going to get in 2-3 hours tomorrow, and then a big 6-7 hour mountain bike ride on Saturday.

I registered for the 24 Hours of Moab today. check out my teampage. I thought that since I registered today, I'd post what I wrote shortly after last year's race.

----2004 24 Hours of Moab Recap----

Well I completed the race. I finished 11 laps (165 miles) in 24 hrs 30 mins. I missed the goal of 13 only by 2 laps, but I realized pretty early on that 13 was a bit out my range. However I am pretty pleased with 11. I learned a lot about solo racing and what things I can do better to prepare, as well as things I can do better during the race. Overall it was a great time, and I am looking forward to doing more of these crazy all night slog fests.

Now for a race recap.

As per tradition, the race started with the le mans style run, where each teams lead riders all line up and when the guns goes off.....we all sprint out to a bush and then back to the long rows of bikes, find our bike, jump on and off we go with 500 of our closest friends out into the Moab desert. My plan was to take the run easy. No use going into the red in the first 2 minutes of a 24 hour race. So I set off at a moderate pace, made my way around the bush and got to my bike with still a lot of the field behind me. I had done the le mans run before, when I was on a 5 person open team, so I knew what to expect, but there will always be something completely strange about running through the desert with 500 people wearing helmets and spandex.

The first lap went smooth. I felt good as I battled my way though the rocks, sand and many other riders. The first lap of the 24 Hours of Moab is always a screaming fast mad house as each team, including Solo's try to get the jump on the competition. As I headed out on my second lap I think the euphoria and rush of the race started to fade, and the shock and overwhelming sense of "oh crap" started to set in. For about half the lap I was fightin leg cramps, which I have never gotten on a bike before, as well as a lightheadedness that any enurance athelete should be familiar with as one of the first signs of major bonkage. Luckily I rolled into camp and was able to get some food and drink in me, stretch out the legs and head out on my third and fourth laps feeling a lot better about what the next 18 hours would bring.

Something I never even thought about before the race, but found myself dealing with, was the fact that I was always being passed by other racers. I didnt realize that seeing the team riders blow by me would be such a difficult thing to cope with. My first instict of course was to try and chase down every rider that passed me...that would have been stupid and led to an early exit I think for me. It is just the racer instinct to beat everybody, whether they are in your class or not, so it took me some time to adjust to all these guys going by me at a pace that under normal circumstances I would have had no trouble keeping.

Into the night...

After my fourth lap I stopped for a quick dinner, and got the lights hooked up on my bike. Let me just say right now that my Nite Rider Blowtorch performed flawlessly. Lots of bright white light to help me pick my way through what is a very technical, and in many spots pretty dangerous course to ride. As the sun went down I dug in for the long and lonely night. Riding at night is an amazing thing. It's just you and a small pool of light in a sea of cold and dark. Even with 500 other riders out on the course, there were several times where there was nobody in sight. I would glance behind me only to see endless blackness, and in front of me was nothing but rock, sand and the familiar faint glow of the reflective course markings. The only sound was my own breath, and the click click of tires rolling over rock and sand. The quiet of these times would quickly and suddenly be swallowed up as a group of riders would come blazing by me, there breath heavy in the cold night air. Occasionally one would say something like "Way to go Solo, keep on rolling" and I would find that I could ride a little bit faster for the next few minutes.

I wasnt totaly without company at night. I rode large parts of a few laps with other Solo riders. We talked about our strategies, our goals, how we were feeling. We mostly talked in short sentences. We were tired and didnt have the energy to elaborate a lot. The company was good though, and I enjoyed spinning with guys who, in some cases were much better riders than me, some of them as far as 4 laps ahead, others as far as 4 laps behind. It really didnt matter.

Around 5AM the wind picked up. It was both a good and a bad thing. I knew it meant that the sun was getting ready to creep over the La Salle mountains and that within a couple of hours daylight would once again shed some light on this race. But the wind was cold. I was cold. I pulled into camp, drank some hot soup and warmed by the fire for few minutes. As I set off on another lap I felt good as I knew that before I finished it, the sun would rise and the long night would be over.

The final stretch....

I was pedaling up the final climb of the loop when the sun broke over the mountain. The climb is a 2 mile or so ascent up a gradual dirt road. Really its an easy climb. No rocks to hop over, no lines to pick, and no sand to hike through. It is one of my favorite parts of the course. It is the last bit of effort before the long and rewarding descent into camp. I felt particulary good at this moment. I heard my name called from behind. A friend, riding on a 5 Person open team came spinning up from behind. His team, along with the other 3 teams that were racing from the local shop race team, were all camped together where I was at. It was a great camp, with incredible support. He rolled up happy to see me, and eager to find out how the night had gone. Good, I told him, but I was really happy to see the sunlight at last. He remarked that it was a beautiful morning. It really was.

I was climbing up the same stretch of road when 12 Noon struck. The race was over. I knew now all I had to do was coast in to the start/finish area and clock out. I came through the camp area, and like the citezens greeting home war hero's, the many riders and support crew were lined up along the final stretch cheering for thier teamates, and anyone else who was finishing the race. I felt really good rolling through there as people cheered for the Solo guy. I was only 1 of 60 or so Solo riders. I didnt contend for the lead, I didnt have any screaming fast laps. Other Solo riders tore past me in the night....but I slogged on. I rode to the start/finish tent, logged out and realized that I had loved every minute of every lap. Yes, even the laps that I was cursing the ground I was hiking over, or even the sand that was filling my shoes.

As I said, I finished 11 laps. I see ways now that I could have been a bit faster. But I will save those things for next time. For now I am just going to enjoy the fact that my first 24 Hour Solo race is done, and hope that the feeling comes back in my palms and my toes.


Also, this entire race would have been impossible if it were not for my wife and my sister. They were there with whatever I needed, whenever I needed it. They get a gold star for thier efforts. Jeff from Mad Dog Cylces was also a champ, keeping my Fuel 100 rolling smooth for all 24 hours. And all the crew who were there to support the other Mad Dog Teams also get stars for thier encouragement and support. Although the category is listed as "Solo" there is no way anyone can do a race like this alone.

For complete Solo results click here I finished 20th.

---------

Ride got rained out big time today. Only managed about 40 minutes before the wind and rain came with a vengeance. I got soaked pretty good the last 20 minutes or so of the ride. Ah well, was fun racing home through the stinging rain.

Finally got back out on the mountain bike after 2 weeks of road training. I always feel like I'm riding a fat motorcycle that has perpetually flat tires when I get back on the mountain bike after a few days on the roadie. I just cruised easy tonight, up on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I rode the section I often ride, up the dirt road beyond the water tank and then up above the Provo Canyon race course. It was a nice cool evening, which made for a relaxing ride. Of course I made time to goof off with the camera while on the bike.


View of Utah Valley from some of the single track on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Utah lake is in the distance, home of the ULCER.


Mt. Timpanogos up ahead


Another self-portrait...



It looks like I'm going fast

This year I am riding the new Trek Fuel EX 9, and a 2004 Trek 2100.

I was really excited about getting the new EX 9 this year, and I have not been disapointed. It feels just like my old 2002 Trek Fuel 100 that I rode for 3 seasons, but it adds the comfort of longer travel. I have noticed a big difference when I am descending. I can roll over stuff much faster and with more confidence. I was worried that it would be a beast to haul up the climbs, and I was thrilled when I realized that it is very effecient on the uphills.

The road bike I've been riding for the last 2 season is the Trek 2100. This has been a great bike to just hammer out the miles on. It is light, responsive and comfortable all day long.

Trek Fuel EX 9
Trek 2100

Today was the UCLER, and it was a pretty good day in the saddle. I wanted to head out as early as possible, find a good group and stick with them as long as I could. I spent most of the day hammering in the big ring in groups of about 8-10 pushing 25+ mph. It ended up being a great day for my legs, as I was using them more than the lungs. I needed a good hard day pushing a big gear. After the 75 mile lunch stop I dropped the pace back a bit to let lunch settle in and to get the blood going again in the legs. I spent about 10 mins at the lunch stop eating pineapple and sipping cold water, which tasted much much better than the warm Powerade I had been living on for the previous 75 miles.

After 20-30 minutes of just going easy after lunch, remnants of the pre-lunch group I was in started reforming and we then finished the last 10 miles or so at a nice pace. So the purpose I went into the ride with (to get a good sustained, just hard enough to be uncomfortable, but not blowing up effort) was served really well I think. There were times where I had to dig deep to keep on the to the back of a group, or to cross a gap here and there. When those times came I was really happy when I crossed the gap and was able to stay on the wheels of the group, recover, and continue on.

Ride time was just under 5 hours.

Glad I came early for registration.
Ahhh the comfort of the back of a large fast moving group.
And the strange clown centerpiece at the lunch table...yeah.

Doing the ULCER tomorrow, should be fun, although I'd rather be in Evanston for the ICS Finals. Ah well, I'll try and snap some photos of the ULCER.

----------------------
The F Word Isn't So Bad
Eating the right fats, and avoiding the wrong ones, will make your heart stronger and your rides longer.
By Selene Yeager

Protein may be the diet du jour, but if you're in search of a real cycling boost, get fat. New evidence shows that the right kind of dietary fat not only fuels you on long rides, but also may help you lose weight, build muscle and recover faster. What's more, it's good for your heart, the engine that keeps those pistons pumping...read more

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Back To The Classics
Pozzato and Paolini leave France to Lance, win at Hamburg
By James Startt

Paris, France:

Everyone, it seems, is still talking about the Tour de France; but that doesn't stop the classics riders. Barely a week after Lance Armstrong won his seventh Tour before retiring, cyclists were in Hamburg, Germany, racing the first of the summertime classics that fill August's weekends...read more...

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Julich into fourth on ProTour rankings

Eneco Tour winner Bobby Julich (Team CSC) has moved up to fourth in the ProTour rankings with 130 points, 54 behind leader Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi). Julich, winner of the first ProTour race (Paris-Nice) has an outside chance of taking back the lead with the Tour of Germany and other ProTour stage race coming up, but Di Luca will no doubt be doing his best in the one day races. Second placed Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel, 139 pts) has retired and will obviously not challenge for any more points, while third placed Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile, 136 pts) is in the quieter part of his season...read more...

Well, I didnt beat my personal best today, but I did turn in a good time up Sqaw Peak Road. I was only +1:30 off my best time, which I wasnt to disapointed with. I felt pretty good most of the climb. There were a couple moments where I had to kind of kick myself into gear, but for the most part I was able to maintian a good even cadence and really push my HR. I was 90-95% of my max the entire time, so it was a nice half hour of burn baby burn. It was a good way to celebrate turning 28...I mean who wouldnt want to put themselves through pain and torture for a birthday?

On the way down I took some photos of Sqaw Peak Road, which is one of the most popular climbs for roadies and mountain racers alike in this area.

This is about half way up the climb. Looking down you can see the road winding around 3 mountains, and looking up you get a nice view of Mt. Timpanogos.

One of the many switchbacks on the climb.

OK, the final 300-400 meters of this climb are torture. The grade goes beserk, becoming about 15%. First you climb this section....

...then you hit this section which tops off at the look-out parking lot. For me, it is a granny gear, stand up, huff and puff and blow yourself up pain fest to get up these last two sections.



When I reached the top four smoking teens were snickering at me...probably thought it was funny that I had on spandex and was breathing hard enough to wake them from a drunken stupor. But what do I care....Sqaw Peak hammer fests always feel good when they are over.

The weather was sketchy, and I had a thumping headache so I bagged the ride and just took it easy tonight. Here are some random pics from past rides.

I went to Good Wood BBQ tonight to celebrate bot