I have finally tracked down some photos from my adventures in Central America. Over the next little while I will be posting a random picture or two for your viewing pleasure. It will be better than reading about how the weather sucks, and that I am cranky trying to adjust to a new diet (more on that later). Trust me.

So, here is a picture, that I did NOT take, from my trip to Central America in September. It was shot by crew member Justin Andrews.

"But wait, Adam, didn't you say you were down there shooting a film?"

Ah, you want footage do you? Well here is a short promo I cut together. Music comes from the soundtrack to The Mission.

Birds on the Rio Grijalva, Mexico

You may have seen this, as it is being linked around, but I could not resist posting it here. Does any image capture the agony and the ecstacy of endurance racing like this photo? Read the race report here.

It is the time of year when things are pretty slow on the training front. I am just regrouping after a long season, getting ready to rinse and repeat. I have a new training plan just about ready to go for this winter. I got the idea this for it this evening when I took my kids to the local pumpkin patch. It is pretty intense, and should elevate my racing to "the next level". Click for a sneak preview. Speaking of training plan's...I think I found Dicky's secret off season guide.

I dusted off the road bike this afternoon. I think the last time I rode it was....pre E100. It has been a bit cold this week here, but today the sun was out.

There was a fair bit of goofing off over last weekend. Here is some proof:

As you have probably noticed, I changed the look of the blog. Let me know what you think!

Granny Gear posted results at last. They also address several of the issues that came up during and after the race. It appears that they are now better prepared for any situation that comes along similar to last weekend.

A few days ago I called a Dave Harris, Nat Ross, Josh Tostado podium. I got the names right, but not the order. Really though, the race could have gone any direction had it had the chance to pan out. 5 or 6 guys were riding very strong. And don't forget...I had 'em all right where I wanted 'em! Ha!

I am in the process of tracking down some photos from the race, and I also have a bit of video footage I am going to throw together. Things were just to chaotic to get any shots during the real muddy madness, but we did get enough to convey the overall setting of the race. Look for those coming in the next day or two.

In the meantime enjoy this photo from Cycling News. I really like this image.

Photo by Xavier Fane

Moab...still no official word from Granny Gear. The aftermath of the race is defining the event, and that is not something I think Laird wants. People were in high spirits, caught up in the excitment of the weather made carnage on Saturday and Sunday. But now, with so many different scenerios being tossed around, silence from GG, and more and more time passing, those high spirits are turning into high tempers.

People want closure...and results when they race. I can feel the pain the lead teams must be dealing with. Did we win? Did our last laps count? How did the stggered start times work exactly?

Laird Knight is a good guy, and a very good race promoter. But right now he owes his racers an apology, an explanation, and some results!

Here a couple shots lifted from Moab Action Shots

The word about this year's 24 Hours of Moab is starting to spread. The story this year is muddy. Literaly and figuratively. As of Monday morning no "official" results have been posted. There seems to be some rather disgruntled participants. Overall the event was really pretty disaterous, but none the less in the words of Nick Martin, "it is what it is".

I went to sleep Friday night under a crystal clear sky. Millions of stars overhead blinked down on me, with what I see now as a mocking smile. From the vantage point of space, they must have seen the heavy dark clouds slowly moving toward the sea of happy campers, waiting anxiously for the coming day of racing.

By morning those clouds had settled in over the area, and were dropping a steady, if misty rain. By noon the rain was more substantial and the mud below was even more so. It was thick, sticky, slimy and plentiful. Dave used the word biblical. I would agree. In fact, I'd say plague on Egypt kinda of biblical.

The race started and I couldn't help but laugh as I ran through the muck for the Le Mans start. Mud was flying every where as we made our way back to the bike racks. The service road was a mess, filled with ruts, small streams, and tons of that same icky mud. Eventually however I made it through the muck and to the rocky segment of the course. Here the trail conditions were much better. As the course climbed higher the ground was drier. Most of the sand had a nice line through it, and some sections of the course I had never seen more ridable.

All was going to plan for the first 3 laps. Well, nearly to plan. My pit stops were longer than planned because I had to take the time each lap to get my drivetrain cleaned up. I am still lamenting the fact that I had just one bike. Hopefully this winter that is something I can remedy. Anyway, I was riding at an easy, stress free pace. I was drinking and eating according to schedule and felt fresh as a daisy 6 hours in.

The rain started coming down hard around 6PM. I was in dry clothes, had just had a cup of hot water, and put the lights on my bike. I was ready to go rock the mud and rain and have a blast doing it. Fate had other plans for me. The rain was falling very steady, and turned the first 4 miles of the course into a flood plane. The water was pouring down the rocky ledges like waterfalls. Any low point was filling quickly with standing, or swiflty moving water. Rocky descents were sketchy and unnerving as disc brakes groaned and squeaked. Within about 20 minutes my chain was starting to suck into my chain rings if I put any torque on the cranks. Any short climb (and there a million of them) I encountered was now a short hike-a-bike. Several times I had to slowly work the chain out of my crankset, wipe it down as best I could and keep moving.

I kept telling myself that this was going to be a key opportunity. I was out in this mess, and I knew for a fact that several solo riders were not. Yeah, I'd have an extra slow evening lap, but it would make a difference come morning. So I kept pressing on. Eventually the sun dropped and the night came. I was on the backside of the course, when I became engulfed in a clammy fog. In the distance I could hear coyotes howling. My chain sucked into the frame once again, and this time for good. I worked on it for a long while, but could not get it untangled. Standing still in the fog and rain made me cold, so I would walk a little bit, try and work the chain free, walk some more and repeat. Eventually I gave up on the chain, the lap, the race, the sport and everything else in life.

I trudged up the long (I never thought it that long before) climb out from the CamelBak water station, passed the empty EMS tent ( I think every EMS crew was pretty busy at this point) and to a point where I could finally coast/scoot the bike. That is when I got word that the course was closed.

I was thrilled. The last 30 or 40 minutes I had spent arguing with myself about why I should, or should not try to continue onward. I was as angry as I have ever been in a race. I did not want to drop out, I wanted to keep racing. But the course was miserable, my bike was destroyed, and I was soaking wet. The closure ended the argument. I clocked in that horrible lap, and was told it would not count. Angry again, I set off to get warm and dry.

The solo race never got started again. I think now the final lap I did will be counted. That is cool. I had a few opprtunity's to cash in and get motored off the trail on that lap, but I slugged it out so I could keep racing. I don't think anyone left the race feeling really good about how things worked out. Laird is getting flak from some folks, but honestly he did what he could. It was a good move to get racers off the course when he did. It was getting dangerous, and mountain biking at night, in the desert, is no place to be during flash flood conditions.

As usual, my sister did a great job with my support. She kept the dry clothes handy, the hot drinks close by and even hitched a ride on a motorcycle to come find me on my ill-fated 4 hour odyssey. She found me about a mile before the finish line, put a coat on me, and got back to camp to get warm dry things ready.

It was a race to remember, but not one to repeat. At some point it all went from epic to ridiculous. The confusion of the finish adds to the ladder, but Laird should be praised for keeping a cool head as he calmly figured out the best option for everyone. Not everyone is happy, but when does that ever happen?

Already I am thinking about the 2007 version of this race. 2005 left unfinished business, and 2006 did not provide the opportunity to...well...finish it. For now though I will focus my thoughts on cleaning my bike, and resting up for another long Utah winter.

Everything is ready. Time to go. The solo field is filling up. Tinker, Nat Ross, Dave Harris, and a cast of many others will be battling it out. Look for Lynda to put the hammer down in the 10 person women's field as well. All signs point to a great weekend of racing.

My goals you ask? Simple. Keep the pit stops fast, pace myself consistently, eat smart, eat often and have a lot of fun along the way.

Real time results will be linked on this page.

I will have my laptop down there, hopefully I can pick up the GG wireless signal and have my crew post up details of the race.

Moab, Utah is named after the Land of Moab, which anciently was a kingdom in what is now the country of Jordan. Moab, Utah is aptly named. In 2004 I had the opportunity to travel in the Middle East. We spent a fair amount of time in the area known anciently as Moab. I was impressed at the similarities I encountered. The most noticable difference was the sheer size of the Moab region in Jordan. For how awe-inspiring Moab, Utah is, it's middle eastern namesake is even more so.

Historically Moab was constanlty at war with neighboring Israel. Epic battles were fought in this daunting desert. Perhaps we are paying homage to those battles, as we fight our own, less costly and more friendly war in the form of a 24 hour bike race this weekend. Or perhaps it is just a bike race...

Regardless, we will be in the shadow of the real Moab, surrounded by rocks, cliffs and sand with a striking likeness to the original. In every aspect, Moab, Utah is a wonderful imitation.

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the desert. For some reason the deserts of Utah have a certain romantic draw for me. They are both stark and dramatic, empty, yet never barren. They can be deadly cold or fatally hot. They look simple from afar, but a closer inspection reveals an unending labrynth of canyons, washes, caves, and cliffs. Moab sits in a unique spot, where high alpine mountains sit isolated and surrounded by a sieging desert. Yet they combine to create a picture not seen in many places in the world. The Kokopelli Trail traverses over both of these stark differences as it climbs into the high mountains, only to plunge into the cauldron of the low desert.

My 2006 season began, and will end in the desert. And while I have not been back to it since the KTR, my heart has never been far from it. For every inch of beauty that the Alpine singletrack contains, there are acres of mystery in the desert. I don't know what the draw is, or where it came from. But as a kid I loved no place like I loved Mesa Verde. Perhaps the Anasazi still dwell in the cliff walls and roam the high mesa tops. Or, more accuratly, perhaps we just follow in thier footsteps. Carving a life, or at least a ride, out of an area much of the world passes off as a wasteland.

Whatever the reason, I am excited to breathe in the cool fall air of the Utah desert once again. I look forward to fighting the sand in the shadow of the rockies. While this upcoming race only offers an opportunity to see a small circle of this desert, it still holds a certain magic. Hundreds of like-minded people can conjure up the ingredients for a long strange trip. When it happens in the desert, that strangeness is only magnified.

So here is to the sand, the sagebrush, the rock ledges and dry stream beds. Here is to the first star of night, and first light of morning. Here is to all those who are making the fall pilgrimage to the desert mecca of Moab. May you find what you are looking for.

Chris Holley, White Rim Trail, February 2006

It just keeps coming down. The mountains are covered in a white fog. I can only guess that the higher elevations are getting snow. The time to get up and enjoy the high singletrack may be passed for this year. If it isn't snowy, it will probably be soft and gooey. I can't complain too much though. This summer I was able to enjoy the high country riding more than any previous year. Now, the desert beckons me back....

Soveriegn Trail, Moab, January 2006.

I am slowly getting my race legs back. At least it feels that way. Next weekend will be the proof. The solo roster is filling up. Lots of names that I recognize, and several that I don't. As always, it will be a highly competitive race. This coming weekend should provide some interesting racing as well. The "World$" are taking place down in Georgia, and there will be plenty of big guns down there duking it out. all of them of course trying to knock Chris Eatough off his throne. If I were Stuart Dorland (and thank goodnes I am not) I'd be praying for a Eatough 7-peat. I could see him getting knocked off, and then saying "allright, it is time to move on to new events..." Once he is not there for everyone to chase will the event still draw a crowd? Who knows. I am just in a speculative mood tonight.

And speaking of speculating...I see Dave Harris, Nat Ross and Josh Tostado filling the podium spots at Moab. Perhaps even in that order. Nick Martin is a dark horse. He can ride like the wind, and has proven his durabilty in the dual class. How that all transfers into a 24 Hour solo is yet to be seen. Allthough I expect he will rip it up in true Nick Martin fashion, so seeing him on the podium, or closeto it will come as no surprise. Fred Wilkinson is always a contender as well. Add Dejay Birch in the mix on his SS and the solo field is going to rockin'.

The 24 Hours of Moab is as much an end to the race season as it is a beginning to the offseason. And offseason for me means looking forward to winter Moab trips. The white rim will be seeing alot of my tire tread this year. As will the desert half of the KT. St. George will be home for a few weekends as well. As long and cold as the winter here can be, there is something to be said for the type of riding I do that part of the year. Whether I am bundled up and hitting the road up here, or enjoying the pseudo winter of the south, it is a different mind set, absent of the direct pressure of upcoming races. Instead rides are filled with daydreams of hot summer days, early morning starts, and pinning the number on once again. And as usual, the summer will come, and then go, and the cycle repeats itself. Life moves quickly when you look at it in terms of training and racing.

Let's hope I can move as quickly next Saturday.

I returned hom from the sweltering heat of Central America just in time to catch the last bit of Fall in Utah. It really is the best time of year for exploring the Wasatch singletrack. I felt truly back at home on Saturday when I hit the trails again.