Speaking of watching the change of seasons...

The air is cool, the leaves dry and crumbling, the dirt wet, and the days shorter. Fall is in full bloom, and the distinct sky and clouds against the colorful mountains are a nice reminder of that fact. The trails are still on good shape, and hopefully will be all the way to Thanksgiving. One year on Thanksgiving Day I rode up at Big Springs, it would be nice to do so again this year.

I have been enjoying the little things out on my rides lately. The colorful leaves on the trees and the dry crackly ones on the ground. The grass, greener than it was last week thanks to the rain. The clouds seem to pop against the sky these days, bringing a new depth to the horizon. The evening light is perfect this time of year, making even mundane landscapes look like post card material.

It is a time of decompression for me. And it's a nice change from years past. This year I am not training, and tapering, and stressing about a solo 24 hours of Moab. This year, I am simply enjoying the Fall, and the small window of wonderful riding it brings. There will be other days to train, and to analyze, to plan and to strategize. But today, and for the next many tomorrows, I am going to simply enjoy watching the season change.

The Sundance 12 Hour race went well. I rode relaxed, and just tried to keep things consistent. I took a lunch break about mid-day, and I fell a lap back to the guys I was riding with. I was tired and needed to rest, so I took a rest. After my break I felt reall good, and was excited to be out on the bike again. I set to work trying to make up lost ground. But that is when the rains came. It started raining, and it came fast and hard. Within a few minutes of the storm hitting, the trails were slick and the mud thick. I rolled into the start finish area cold, wet and slimy.

The race had been ended.

It was a good move to end it when they did. The rain got worse, and the conditions more and more dangerous. We still managed to get 9 hours worth of good racing in. The field was not big, but it was competitive. And the course was one of the best variations of the Sundance singletrack I have done. It was a nice way to end a long, long solo season.

So now I am just getting some rest, and re-charging the batteries for the 24 Hours of Moab. I am looking at that event as a season ending party. I want to get out on course and take some photos, harass the solo riders, and just take in the spectacle. Oh yeah, and every few hours I will go hammer out a lap on my SS.

I have been lazy this week. There are a couple reasons for that. One, my wife is out of town and I am playing Mr. Mom. Which has put the skids on any riding I had planned, or hoped to somehow be able to squeeze in. Normally this would have left me in a panic in the days leading up to a race. But this weekend is more about fun, than it will be about goals. execution, pacing, and all that technical speak. I just want to go and ride my bike all day.

The other reason is that... well I guess it just feels nice to be lazy.

So I am nice and relaxed heading into the event. Which, I will also be riding with out support. Nobody is available, so I will simply fill my own bottles and lube my own chain. That should ensure that I don't get to insane, and start blowing through pit stops like I so often do when all I need to do is swap bottles as I ride on through. Who do I think I am when I do that? Floyd Landis? Who knew that at the end of 2007 I would be able to say that he and I have the same number of Yellow jerseys.

What a shame.

Back to the subject at hand... Sundance Resort sits snuggly at the base of Mount Timpanogos. Jeff will remember Timpanogos as the mountain we climbed, then circumnavigated, in the Wasatch Classic. The small ski resort is home to Robert Redford, and once, a long time ago, a cool indy film festival took place there, and even bore its name. Somehow that movement became a silly Hollywood trend, just something to be seen at.

But still the resort itself is quiet and quaint. The trails on the mountain are every bit as good as the more popular spots up the road in Park City. The difference is that Park City boasts many, many, many more miles of ridable trail. But somehow, despite riding Sundance an innumerable amount of times, I never tire of the loops. In many ways it is a home course, a place I have roots that dig deep. I did my first real XC race there, and there I met some of the riders I still ride with regularly. I learned to ski at Sundance, and even took my engagement photos there.

I think this post got a bit nostalgic. Ah well.

Sometimes the lights all shinin on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip its been.

-Truckin'

2007 has been nothing short of a long strange trip. There has been a lot of great rides, and a lot of hard knocks. But I have enjoyed the summer, and all that came with it.

And now, as Fall descends on the Wasatch Front and the leaves start to turn and crumble, I turn to one last hurrah. A final solo endeavor to capstone the year of desert miles, high alpine climbs and endless switchback descents.

This Saturday I will race in the 12 Hours of Sundance, on some of my very favorite trails in Utah. The idea of a solo 12 in cool temps and shaded singletrack is very appealing. And to be honest, I don't think I have the will power to resist another chance to push the envelope.

So here's to one last blowout, one last sufferfest, and one last chance to end up with an IV stuck in my arm....

Three blue stars, set o'er the hill.
Call them back; you never will.
All these trials, soon be dead.
We all need something built to last.

-Built to Last

Got up to the Ridge Trail today with Keith and also with renowned photographer Willie Holdman. Willie has taken some of the most spectacular images of the Wasatch mountains, and his work is known worldwide. I had no idea he was a mountain biker, and it turns out, he's a pretty strong one as well. Give that guy a race plate!

Anyway, with the Fall colors starting to pop, and some nice clouds this afternoon, we were trigger happy with my little digital camera. Is anything better than Fall riding in the alpine?































See...? I told you we were trigger happy!

It is hard to know just exactly how to describe my experience at the VT125. I felt strong throughout the race, and really tried to push the pace. But underneath the typical "race" stuff, was a fantastic day of riding in a setting that left me both exhausted and awe-inspired.

What stands out right now about the day was the rich variety of experiences....

The traverse across the Colorado Trail was terrifying, and yet so much fun that despite riding it sloppy and clumsily, I was smiling through it all.

While climbing up to Hancock Townsite, I was repeatedly taking a closer look at the white tipped pines, over and over convinced that the white tips were actually snow. Of course it wasn't snow, but the cold morning and the frost on the ground wanted me to believe otherwise.

As I climbed, my feet froze, and my beard became slushy. But as I rose in altitude, so did the sun. In front of me a red light blinked, and behind me a white one bobbed. Other riders, making their way up the mountain. The sky turned from black, to a deep purple, and then, almost suddenly, it was light. I climbed the Alpine Tunnel rail grade, picking my way over the rotted rail ties and through the puddles of summer run off, and as I did so, I simply felt alive.

I felt incredible going up the Alpine grade. All my senses were being assaulted with the beauty that surrounded me. The fresh mountain air filled my lungs, so cold it almost quenched my thirst. The sun, creeping over the surrounding peaks, the trail, doing it's best to pull me back down the mountain... it was surreal, and thrilling.

Eventually I was faced with a hard choice. Continue on, or turn back and end the day.

I stood trailside, on the Monarch Crest, a storm rolling in rapidly, and waffled back and forth. Eventually my indecision gave way to decision, and I made the conservative choice. I turned back, and returned to the aid station a few miles back. It was clear that to finish the beast was going to take much, much longer than I had anticipated. And it was probably going to keep volunteers on the course longer than needed.

So I turned around.

I would have loved to have been able to finish the race. But I had an incredible day in the saddle regardless. I pushed my body and mind to new places, I saw and experienced things I had yet to see and experience. It was the highlight of my season, and a ride I will not soon forget.

I rode a bit over 70 miles, before pulling the plug. I felt great, had an amazing time, rode strong...and still I did not have enough juice to finish. I am amazed at the colossal effort everyone put in. I was totally fried after 13 hours...and still had 70 MORE miles to ride.

The best part about the VT125? The way the amazing views distract you from the pain of climbing for hours and hours and hours.... :)

A big thank you to Tom and all the folks at Absolute Bikes that made this happen. It was fantastic!

More words later, for now, pictures:

Ready to roll...
Dawn at Hancock Townsite
Sunrise on the Alpine Rail Grade
Views from the Alpine Tunnel
Tom Purvis works his way up the Continental Divide
Another rider high above on the CDT
All smiles!
Singletrack over the Continental Divide
High above the Alpine Tunnel
Later in the day, Old Monarch Pass
The Monarch Crest Trail

I have been a man of few words lately. I just have not had much to say. I took some time off, and then did a mini-block of training to get ready for the VT125. I am excited about the VT for several reasons, foremost among them is the chance to ride some terra-incognita. I am going blind into this event, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

That's not to say I have not spent some time looking over the course overview that Tom has put together, but it can only do so much to educate me on the miles and miles I will be rolling over this weekend.

Another reason I am excited about the VT is the roster. Several familiar faces will be on hand, and several others who I have wanted to get to know and ride with will also be there. I am as stoked for the post ride BBQ as I am for the ride itself. That is a strong group of riders, and should make for a fantastic day in the saddle.

I Had a good ride with Keith, Chris and KC, and Derek yesterday. We climbed up to Camel Pass, and then tacked on a bit of singletrack at the end of the day.