I will be in Virginia for a few days visiting the in-laws.

In the meantime, I highly suggest using the Great Divide Race to occupy your mind. Incredible stuff coming out of that one.

Some Aaron Teasdale photos from the the first day or two.

The Leaderboard

Jon Hurley crossing a washed out road. Photo from Aaron Teasdale

Bob captured my sentiment well...


The 12 Hours of Endurance started well. The laps were ticking by, feeling easy and fast.

By midday I was feeling immortal, just motoring along. Heart Rate was spot on, perceived effort was good, stomach felt great.

Around 3:30-4:00 I started feeling some stomach discomfort, and by 4:30 I was a dead man riding...and walking.

By 5:30 I was in the Urgent Care with an IV dripping into my arm.

I am feeling good now though. I have had a few emails asking if I was still alive, and the answer is yes. I am doing just fine. Thanks for the concern.

What happened? I am still trying to figure that out exactly. I think I was just short on electrolytes, and it threw the balance in my system off. Stomach stopped working, and my body stopped absorbing the fluids I was ingesting. Or, as described on the Nuun website, I think I had (mild) hyponatremia.

hyponatremia - what is it?

we hear a lot about drinking more water being good for us but the increasing reports of hyponatremia showcase the fact that water is not always enough, especially when being consumed in large quantities over short periods of time. hyponatremia is the long word for low concentration of sodium in the blood and can occur from over hydrating with plain water. doing this, especially during exercise can deplete essential electrolytes from the body, causing disorientation, illness and in rare cases, death. for athletes, effects are generally seen in longer (and hotter) races since that’s when the levels of water intake are likely to be high.

Lots and lots of positives though coming from the day. I will elaborate on them later.

As usual, people came and dropped the hammer out there Saturday. The duo teams were fighting from the gun, the solo's fought hard all day, and team riders from all groups were pushing the limits.

If anything stands out it is the great work that so many first timers did. Bill Dark, Lyna Saffell, Brad Pilling, Rich Abbot...all attacking there first solo attempt, and all made it look, well not easy, but they rode incredibly strong, inspiring rides.

Brad Mullen trained his tail off for this race. He executed a text book ride. He set a P.R. and looked fresh as a daisy doing it.

Congrats to everyone!

EDIT: There is some silver lining. I ended up 3rd SSer in the solo class. I'll take it!

Maybe the Grand Loop and the Great Divide are doing the talking. Or perhaps it is the new toy I got, in the form of National Geographic TOPO, maybe it is both...but the imagination is running rampant, and so are the possibilities of what can be done on a bicycle.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Right now it is time to focus on the task at hand.

The E12.

Right now it is all systems go. I feel hungry and ready to race. I am confident I have a good plan in place, and a good means of executing that plan. The order of the day will be forward progress. Always forward. If you are standing still, you are moving backwards...

Or as the great historian, politician and writer, B.H. Roberts put it, "Progress or Perish."

I put some new parts on the Ramble Tamble to get it ready for this Saturday. A beefy Panaracer Rampage will take the hits up front, while a speedy Maxxis Crossmark will keep things moving forward from the rear. A new Salsa 32T front chainring, new chain, carbon riser bar and team green Ergon GE1's all round out the new accessories. I also ditched the heavy duty 29er tubes in favor of a Stan's tubeless kit.

The bike feels lighter, faster and well..lighter and faster.

New Maxxis Crossmark in the rear
Ergon GE1's
Panaracer Rampage up front...the bulldozer

My hit counter recently ticked over 101,000 hits. I realize other sites get a lot more hits, but I thought this was a cool milestone. So, thanks for reading everybody!

Sometimes people sort of laugh when I tell them I have a blog. The conversation goes about like this:

"You have a blog? What do write about?"

"Mostly mountain bike racing."

"What is there to write about?"

"Lots of stuff. Training, nutrition, strategies, gear, race reports, stories, news..."

"Oh." Looking bored.

I think I would keep this blog going if nobody read it. I enjoy writing, and this is an easy outlet. The truth is, when I first started this site I was not sure what I would write about. As my riding and writing has evolved, I feel like I have found a good voice, my voice, when it comes to endurance racing.

I have realized, mainly through trying to express my thoughts here, that nothing is better than experiencing the great "out there". Sometimes the out there is literal--new trails and territory. Other times it is internal--new mental and physical limits, new confidences, new memories.

I have met a ton of cool people through this blog. The enduro community is an extended network of bike and web nerds. It is a really cool thing to meet someone for the first time, and yet feel like you know that person. It happens multiple times each year, and is one of the most valuable perks to living life on the WWW.

So again, thanks for reading. Hopefully over the next 100,000 hits I can keep things interesting here, as I continue this amazing journey of endurance mountain biking.

I got out and scouted a bit for the Wasatch Classic route Saturday. I wanted to connect the dots from the start, all the way to Battle Creek Canyon. There is a some very nice singletrack that traverses the front of Big Baldy, and then plunges down through thick trees into Battle Creek. Some portions of the trail are just fantastic.

Once you get to Battle Creek, then the only way up to Timpanooke Road is a huge climb. One I have yet to do. But this is the mountains, and sometimes the only way to get from here to there is to go up. Straight up.

Right now V.1 of the route is done. I think on the map it looks pretty good. Incredibly difficult, but doable. There are a few spots I need to scout before I finalize them, but the general direction and locations of each section are not going to change too much I don't think.

Thoughts, comments?


As of right now, the route is 137 miles, with 25.7k of climbing.

The Wasatch Classic route is taking shape. I've been staring at the computer screen, flying over topo maps, importing old GPS tracks, and drawing beta routes for hours. It is a ton of fun!

Here is a little sneak peak at what I am considering for the "southern half" of the route. For reference, this section of the route starts in Heber City, and finishes at the start/finish area of the entire ride--Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon, going in a clockwise direction.


67 miles, nearly 12k of climbing.

We're bobbing on the surface
and the shadow glides below
They say she feels my heartbeat
Oh..But how I'll never know

That it's the ocean flowing in our veins
Oh..That it's the salt that's in our tears
Oh..'Cause we could have come so very far
Oh..In at least as many years!

Take the highway through the Great Divide

I'm building you a pyramid
With limestone blocks so large
I drag them from the mountain top
You'll need a two car garage

And it's the ocean flowing in our veins
Oh..That it's the salt that's in our tears
Oh..Cause we could have come so very far
Oh..In at least as many years

Take the highway through the Great Divide

Cause it's the ocean flowing in our veins
Oh..That it's the salt that's in our tears
Oh..Cause we could have come so very far
Oh..In at least as many years

Take the highway through the Great Divide

-Trey Anastasio-




Follow the action here.

Chris Fox interviewed me for his "100 interviews" feature. I have to say it is one of the coolest things I've seen a blogger do. He has interviewed a ton of local racers and it is all good reading.

So go check out Sly Fox News to see how I answered his questions.

Tonight at the Sundance XC weekly series race, I won a gift basket in the raffle with crackers and beef sausage in it. Nice.

The Denver Post is running an article about self supported bike racing. It is a good read, and I think accurately describes the state of this growing niche. It also showcases the "logic" that the BLM likes to use. I could go on about my feelings toward the BLM, but it just gets depressing.

Jason Blevins, the reporter who wrote the article has written several stories about endurance racing. I have spoken to him on the phone, and in person. He is a cool guy, who gets out and rides his bike, skis, snowboards, etc. It is nice to have an outdoor reporter who actually enjoys the outdoors. He was fun to talk to, and it was cool having him at the start line of the KTR. He showed up to cover the race, and got a nice bonus story from the drama with the BLM.

On the flip side of this, is the Forest Service. They are much more accommodating about these rides. The requirements for a permit are succinct and clear. Have more than 75 people (racers and spectators) coming to your event? If so then you need a permit, which can be obtained inside of a week. Instead of the convoluted 6 month process that the BLM requires.

Ah well, in the end, just ride the bike.

I am hungry. And not for food. I am starved for a quality enduro effort. It's been too long. Old Pueblo went well for me, but the Rim Ride was ended early due to mechanicals, and the KTR was just...odd.

Last year the E12 left me empty and frustrated. And so, it is fitting that this year it has the opportunity to satisfy a dire need. The danger in all this, is that something goes wrong, and then the slippery slope of mental and physical burnout starts presenting itself.

Rest assured though, my mind is in a good place right now. And I think my legs are too.

I feel excited and even somewhat restless about competing again. It is a feeling I haven't had about a race for quite a while. And so, I am going to harness these good vibes and channel them into the pedals on the 23rd. In the meantime it is business as usual.

Getting smoked at the DV Pedalfest

In the morning I will race once again at the ICUP XC series. I am having fun mashing the SS in those short races. But the enduro bug is biting again. Luckily just 2 weeks from now I will line up at the E12. I have done this race twice before, and so this year to add a little twist, I will be racing solo on my SS. Yep, my first SS endurance race. What have I done...!

But enough about me. Right now the reading is just too good from the GLers. Dave Harris and Stefan G both have their ride reports up. It's odd...last year reading the race reports convinced me never to do this race. Ever. But this year, I feel a tinge of jealousy, a small desire to give'er in '08. I will have to wait and see where that small desire leads me.

In the meantime, go read the stories!

A photo from the GL that Stefan took.

The trails I rode on Saturday, in the heat and dust, are covered in snow today. Actually, it is a good thing. The snow pack was so light this year, that many streams and rivers were running lower than normal. Maybe this late season dusting will help. It has been raining in the valley off and on since the wee hours this morning. Everything but the calendar suggests it is late October.

But alas, I bore you with talk of the weather.

The internet is a funny beast. Over the last few days there has been sufficient drama to keep me glued to the screen, hitting refresh while comfortably in my chair, enjoying the real, and imagined, suffering of others.

The real suffering? The Grand Loop. 7 started, 3 have finished, 3 have dropped out, and one hearty soul by the name of Dave Kirk is still out there. Read the play by play from the race here. It is inspiring to say the least. Especially given the overall public state of "our sport". And by that I mean cycling in general. It's a sad affair really. As soon as Lance creates interest from the slothful American masses, doping scandals extinguish it. I realize that doping scandals are nothing new in cycling. But when cycling is new to Average Joe, then any garbage that comes along, is also new.

What does the armchair sports fan think nowadays? I'd be enraged at all the cheating and lying going on in all the major sports. Luckily, I have an outlet, which is ironically, riding my bike. In the end I don't really care anymore about Barry Bonds and his life of lying, or whether Floyd is guilty or innocent. After a good ride all I care about is getting food, drink and out of my chamois.

Ah..I have digressed.

The imagined suffering I mentioned above?

I say "imagined" because I can only imagine what goes through the continually clouded mind of one Stuart Dorland. At this point, it is just comedic entertainment. A diversion from doping stories is a story about a guy who is just a dope. If you read this Stuart, Stop posting on MTBR! It gains you nothing but ilk and ire!

On second thought, I do enjoy the soap opera drama of your repeated finger pointing. And the false handle (Weekendwarrior) was just pure genius man!

Perhaps I have digressed again. But I had to comment on what I suppose can be called the sublime and the ridiculous. And they both came from MTBR. From the Grand Loop reports, to Dorland (again) sparring with racers, the scope of (un)intelligent human output reaches new heights every time I log onto this here inr'et thingy.

Behold, the wit and wisdom of the public forum! No wonder Rome fell.

I took the long way home from the Sundance XC today.

Click the Album...

Timpanogos Perimeter

The Grand Loop riders will roll out in just under 4 hours. Good luck boys! That race holds an interesting place in my mind, it is something I am both drawn to, but also repulsed by. I don't think I will ever line up for it, but that isn't stopping me from being prepared to do so at some point...

I had hoped to be down on the GL route this weekend, prowling around the course with my cameras, but my real job has gotten heavy on the busy side. So no dice.

Tomorrow I will race at the Sundance ICUP XC, and then afterward head up to the high country, for some Wasatch Classic route blazing. The idea will be to ride the Ridge Trail to Timpanooke campground, from there around the front side of Mount Timpanogos, and then down Battle Creek Canyon to home.

If all checks out the way I think it will, that stretch will make up a nice portion of the middle of the route. From there its some nice singletrack on the BST, over to Provo Canyon, up the BST to Squaw Peak road, and then over to Hobble Creek Canyon via Camel Pass. Or some variance of that. I might try and include Big Springs to Rock Canyon to Camel Pass instead of Squaw Peak road.

Confused? I guess only the locals are following this...

The KMC is looming. I would really like to get down there for that one. New territory is always magnetic. But logistics need to be worked out. Hopefully in the next few days I will know one way or the other.

At any rate, June is here, which means races are abounding. The high country is opening up, and the days are long and longer. It all adds up to big epic rides. It's my favorite time of year, when the possibilities seem limitless and the singletrack endless.

Viva le endless summer!