Happy Anniversary Ashleigh!

My tough little Ashleigh and I have had a lot of great adventures over the last 3 years. Here's to many more adventures to come!

One Month of Commuting by Bike.

I came in just under my goal of 200 miles in August. I know, I know, 200 miles isn't that much, but I wanted to do it all commuting. I got in about 195 this month. Pretty good, considering that school didn't start until the middle of the month. My commute to school is just over 10 miles round trip.



I can also ride around Tempe Lake to get a few more miles in if I have the time. Over the summer I was putting in about 25 hours a month on the saddle, not including my 5 minute ride to the shop everyday. Getting half that in without even making an effort to go on a ride is pretty nice. And riding a bike sure beats finding parking and a long walk.

The bad part is I've been riding my heaviest bike - a steel single speed Lemond - about 5 pounds heavier than my mountain bike. I haven't even sat on my mountain bike this month. We're going to fix that this weekend though...

Update

So, it's been almost a month since we moved to Arizona. Doesn't seem like it, but it has. Not much action on the biking side, although I have put a bunch of commuting miles in. I went out on the road bike once on the hottest, flattest ride ever, only 200 feet of elevation in 25 miles. Plus I broke a spoke, although I have no idea how. No mountain bike rides yet, but we are headed up to explore Sedona over Labor Day Weekend. It's gotten cooler this week, which means it's been in the low hundreds instead of the low 110s.

I got caught up in a monsoon storm the other night just as I started my ride home. Thank goodness for a waterproof Chrome messenger bag. Everything inside stayed nice and dry. Everything else was soaked. It was fun riding in rain that wasn't cold though. Fun to be soaking wet, being able to splash in puddles knowing they weren't freezing and stuff. Skid through wet corners and stuff, ya know.

I think the rain hit home: it's been way too long since I've been on dirt.

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th.

Called It

After watching Lance suffer through le Tour, I predicted this. It's too bad some people won't do a race if they aren't sure they can win.

Anyway, look at this!

Arizona

We made it here. Although the darn federales sure tried to keep us out. It's funny that they wouldn't let us in with our moving truck while on the other side of the state... Anyway, apparently young college students with a moving trailer pose a major national security threat and are not allowed to cross the Hoover Dam. Unless they are willing to unpack the trailer, allow all the boxes to be inspected, and repack the trailer first. Needless to say, we turned around and took the long way.

It was really nice here Sunday- a high of about 85. Since then it's been a hot 110 degrees, which is fine and makes our 74 degree air conditioned home seem cold.

Pictures coming soon of the one car garage (read 5 bike garage). Sweet.

Bike Lust

My appreciation for 29ers runs pretty deep. That's all I've ridden for a few years. But then Felt announces this:

2011 Felt Virtue LTD. I'm in love with that Yellow over carbon. After suffering through 70 miles of rough rigid riding in Breckenridge, I think this might just be the ticket. I think I've probably stared at this picture for 15 minutes today.

Race Report - Breck 68

At the start

Finishing Round 1

Round 2: What? 30 more miles?

I'll keep it short and sweet, and just say that if you haven't done this race, and if it's not on your future race calendar, it needs to be. This is one of the best run, most fun, hardest races out there. Dan said it well: it's full of ups and downs. And the ups and downs are both amazing. A 10 mile singletrack climb right of the gate, with some of the most scenic views you'll never notice coz you're trying so hard to keep the wheels turning. A fun "BMX track" descent with a bunch of rollers you can pop off of or manual through. More singletrack on the awesome Colorado Trail. Some of the biggest berms to bring you in to start your next lap. More singletrack. More climbs. More descents. If 8200' of climbing in 70 miles isn't enough, you can go for the 13000' in 100 miles option. All on the most beautiful high altitude singletrack out there.

I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face the entire race, even through my patent pending 4th hour funk that hits me at every endurance race. The part where I could barely turn the pedals, or even walk up the 15-18% grade 1 mile climb.

I bested my last years time by 35 minutes. I think this single speed thing helps me ride faster. Gearing for the last 12 mile 3-5% climb helped me push through the entire course, although I'm sick of running these huge gears. I'm putting a 22t on for the rest of forever. Some suspension might be a good idea, too. Anybody interested in a fat-tire road bike? I have one for sale.

It was great having Ashleigh there halfway through to shove some shot blocks in my pockets and swap my bottles out. Unfortunately, she missed my finish because she was taking care of our good friend Larry, who went all Paul Bunyan on a tree - with his shoulder. A few broken ribs and a shattered scapula means that the tree probably won. Hopefully he'll have a speedy recovery. Between Larry, Jay, and Rick, I think Ashleigh is glad I'm on my way to law school.

With cycling taking the backseat for the next three years, it was great to end the season the way it started: with a great result at an endurance race.

Race stats:

49 shot blocks

8 bottles of carborocket and/or water

4 redbull shots (magic)

1 redbull sugarfree

13 new verses to Lady Gaga songs (which I'm sure are make total sense)

1 slow speed "I can totally ride this even though I've been riding 50 miles and can't feel my hands" endo onto a railroad tie.

71.4 smile inducing miles

1 potty break

34x20 max gear ratio

34x20 avg. gear ratio

Home, showered, and back for awards in 45 minutes. Now that's fast!

I finished on the podium.

Breckenridge

A few months ago, I was applying to law school as part of my application, I submitted a personal statement. I wrote about a certain race I did last year (It's about 1000 words, you don't have to read it:

When I was in first grade, I started riding my bicycle alongside my dad as he would run. We would usually go five or six miles five times a week. Sometimes I would get tired, and my dad would give me pushes to motivate me and keep me going. These rides, which at the time seemed forever long, helped teach me to get to the finish line. I couldn't stop or quit on these rides, I had to keep going. Stopping far from home was pointless; I would have had to keep riding to get home anyway. My dad would be disappointed if I quit as well, and I didn't want to disappoint him. So I pushed through, and rode through any pain until I reached home. This is how I learned to love riding bicycles, and learned to experience the joy and sense of accomplishment that can be found by pushing through to the finish.

Fast forward a few years, and I still love cycling, and that feeling that comes at the end of a long, difficult challenge. I’ve felt it numerous times in cycling, school, and service. I felt it after my semester long econometrics research project. I felt it every night after the 14-16 hour days I put in with a volunteer dental group that I translated for and assisted in the Dominican Republic. I felt it this summer as I completed the Breckenridge 70, a 70 mile mountain bike race in high-altitude Colorado.

I have been competing in cycling events since 2000, but the Breckenridge 70 was unlike any other I had ever participated in. It was three times longer and had four times as much climbing as any other race I had done. I had to train harder and prepare better than I had for any race I had done previously. Having no idea of course conditions, other than a rough elevation profile, made it particularly difficult to plan for. I had to alter my training schedule by putting in longer rides than I would have for shorter races, and adding additional training to my already busy racing schedule. I also missed several races I had hoped to do in order to spend more time training for this race.

Preparing for the race also necessitated several changes to my equipment. I made small tweaks and upgrades to my bike during the regular racing season. I treated a few of these races as experiment sessions. I tried different tires and found a good tire that wouldn't flat or tear in rocky conditions and was still very light. I experimented with gearing setups, trying to find an optimal range of gear ratios that was still as minimal as possible. I tested different parts and found ones that were both light and durable. I experimented with different modes of calorie consumption, as consuming 200-300 calories per hour and not get sick to my stomach while riding proved difficult for me. I felt that I had taken every step possible to ensure my success.

As race time closed in, I felt that my equipment was ready, and my fitness was acceptable. I was in great shape, but apprehensive about the distance and my overall endurance. The first 15 miles of the race were amazing, which I expected due to my good short distance fitness. However, about 20 miles in I really started suffering. My body was not happy. Nonetheless, I discovered that my mind was totally ready for the suffering. I was able to stay mentally fresh almost the entire race and keep my body going through all of the tough climbs, no matter how much my legs hurt. My body fell apart, but my mind stayed strong and helped my body to keep going. I had no mechanical issues, so my mind only had to focus on my body pressing forward. When my stomach could no longer handle solid foods, I was able to rely solely on energy gels and liquids. My preparation was paying off.

Upon finishing the race, I knew that I had just obtained a major victory. I didn't make the podium, not even for my age group, but I did have a stellar first endurance race. On top of that, my mind had been able to stay strong when everything was telling me to stop or take it easy. Being able to push on when it got tough, when my legs thought it was impossible, made for the most joyful day that I've experienced on a bike. The months of pushing though training, good preparation, and the mental and physical suffering I endured throughout the race was so rewarding in the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that it brought. That feeling was a result of the pain I experienced in reaching my goal—pushing through the difficult hours of the event, the long days and weeks of training, and the discipline and sacrifice necessary to accomplish my goal. The Breckenridge 70 taught me an important lesson: I can accomplish things that require pain, sacrifice, and discipline, and when I do, it leads me to want to undertake even larger challenges—just to taste the victory.

The funny thing about it is that the race is actually called the Breckenridge 68, but it ended up being 72 miles so I started calling it the 70. Oops, my bad. Didn't realize I made that error in the statement until now. Anyway, the race is pretty rad, and apparently some of the schools liked what I had to say because they let me in. (My LSAT definitely had nothing to do with it ;) ).

Anyway, this race is happening this Saturday. And I'm stoked. I'll be riding rigid SS instead of a geared Superfly this year, which I think will make me faster. Plus I'm in better shape, which might help as well. Two days to go and I've got that butterfly nervous excitement feeling. Can't wait to go race bikes!!!

PS. I am retiring (for 3 years - Lance, Farve and Michael Jordan style) from racing bikes after this race. So if you want to race me one last time, you better change you plans and come out to this race!

A Mechanic's Wife

So, I started swapping parts this morning on Ashleigh's commuter (bar, stem, etc.) because it is on it's way out the door. I left it halfway done, totally forgetting that she'd want it for school as well as a ride to 7 peaks she had planned. She sent me a text asking if she should take her mountain bike (no) or what? I told her to drop the seat on my commuter and use it. She didn't like that too much so she decided to put the bike back together. Put the stem and baron , fixed the brake levers and cables back up and rode off. I got home and her bike was gone, and let me tell ya, I was pretty impressed. She was pretty proud of herself too. She should be, she did a fine job. Best of all, she did it all right too! Headset adjustment and everything. Nice job Ash!

Wednesday Night Worlds v.9

Woah it was a good one today. I really struggled the first two laps today, after my brief break from riding the legs felt pretty low on power. Any time it started getting steep (which was twice) my legs would start complaining. Luckily it's a pretty flat course so I was mostly okay. Brandon, Stuart, Kenny and I grouped up towards the end of the second lap; Brandon came by along with my second wind. We both attacked each other and put some distance on the other two. We traded places back and forth the next two laps and really worked off each other. I got in front of him whenever I could coz he was filming and I wanted to be the star! Brandon and I really fed off each other. I'm sure we cruised a lot faster than we would have on our own. I know that I descended much better with him on my back than I did the first two laps.

3 races in 2 days is a lot...

Last Wednesday was the Deer Valley Pedalfest, which is one of my favorite courses of the year, as well as one of the most painful. Aside from Little Stick, which is the most brutal climb anywhere in the world, it is full of fun, fast, sweeping singletrack. We ended up racing in 45 degree weather that was on the verge of a thunderstorm the entire evening. It was cold but the course was perfect: dry without dust. Although I rode around for 20 minutes before the race, I didn't get warmed up and really struggled up the first climb. It was amazing how much easier it was the second time, even though I was getting worn out. I ended up chasing for a rider for 3rd most of the race, I caught him well after I thought it was too late, but ended up taking the place by 5 seconds. There was a rider in our category that is on the Bahati Foundation team, so all of us singlespeeders can take consolation in the fact that we raced a rider who earns a salary. The local pros can too, as the entire Cannondale Factory team showed up, including Jeremiah Bishop, and the current world XC marathon champion.

The next night Dan and I headed up to the Soldier Hollow race where we took 3rd and 4th, and then jumped in our car right after finishing to get to the night ride. We knew we wouldn't have a chance here, because we didn't know the trails. We kept up for part of the climb before we each "got lost." Or is that "got tired?" We were both pretty cooked but had a blast riding with the Draper crew.

I was intent on taking Friday off but Dan talked me into a "recovery ride" up to Sundance. We did take it pretty easy, and the recovery came in the form of s'mores bars at the deli.

Saturday we rode the Nebo loop. This was the best ride of the week for me. It was a blast riding all day long and not getting tired. I've said it before, but the real payoff of all that winter riding is more being able to do epic rides without worrying about making it than performing well in races.
15 hours of riding this week, including 3.5 of racing (at 1 hour race pace!) I guess that fried chicken won't hurt too much....right?

Dilemma

The Deer Valley ICUP race got rescheduled for this Wednesday evening at six. Which is great, racing on Saturday would have been miserable. There is only one problem, there's another race Wednesday. And it's weekday worlds. And now I don't know which one to go to. There are a few pros and cons for each race. At the ICUP race I get to race in the single speed category, which means I don't get dropped on the downhills as much, since we all have to coast. It's at a course we only get to race once a year. And, it's like all prestigious, or something. The weekday race has it's advantages too. It's at Soldier Hollow this week, a course that tends to suit me. It's low key and fun, and even if someone crashes into you and messes up your race, it's "just a Wednesday nighter." It's also a lot cheaper. Like 30 bucks. On top of that, Mark declared it double points week to try and attract us it over the ICUP. Not that it matters, since I'll miss the second half of the season anyway, but I'm doing pretty well in points, which is kind of cool. Missing it would drop my pointage by quite a bit. Big deal right?

So, I'm like 50/50 right now. Which would you do? Which are you doing?

Pre-Race Mentality

A race postponement is always bad for me, especially when it's weather related. I've usually spent the last few hours getting psyched up for a race, and then all the sudden I'm wondering whether the race will happen or not. Every change in the weather makes me more or less prepared for the starting gun. Luckily today, the race was postponed to another day, because by the time the anticipated start rolled around, I was mentally prepared for a nice drive down Provo Canyon, not for a sprint up Little Stick. Man I sure felt bad for those marathoners. A 5:30 AM start and pouring rain did not look like any fun at all. See you on Wednesday night. 6PM. Fortunately (or not), the single speed category didn't get cut down on distance.

Motor Dope

Yeah, coz if anybody needs some extra wattage, it's Cancellara:




This is like a conspiracy theory gone wrong.

Best Ride Ever.

I got 80 minutes on the bike last week (Not including the Thursday Night Race - 2:20 total) So to make up for that, I did this:

I've ridden Hobble Creek a lot over the last few years. I've always gone up Left Fork because that's where everyone rode when I started. Right Fork is a lot better. Nice road, no houses, much more serene. About 9 miles from the bottom of the canyon the road turns to dirt, and turns up. Pat told me I could take this road all the way to Diamond Fork, and he was right. Awesome ride. The dirt section is 7.75 miles long, and the road is so smooth right now that it didn't even phase my ultralight road tires. It's about 3.5 miles up at 8-10% and the rest is downhill. Then it hits Diamond Fork road for 15 miles of smooth fun descending. Get on Highway 6 for 5 miles and it's 13 miles back to Provo. Check the stats below: Laps 2,3, and 4 were on the dirt. Suh-weet.



Cascade from the backside


Pretty up there


Smooth dirt road


It was muddy like this for about 50 yards at the top. The mud was dry enough that it didn't pack up on the bike.

Even found some red rock back there. It's called Red Ledges.

NOT racing bikes

With the last two Wednesday Night World's races being postponed to Thursdays, I've been too torched for racing twice as much two days later. So I've skipped the last two ICUP races. I know, I know, they were two of the races I wanted to target this year, but the Wednesday (err, Thursday) nighters are so fun and sometimes you just got to take the weekend off from racing bikes.

Last week, I put in a bunch of hours on the road bike instead of racing at Sundance, which was good. No regrets.

This week I was on the bubble all Friday about racing Soldier Hollow. The course suits me well and I wasn't too sore from Thursday. By 10 PM I had decided to race but allowed myself a weather-related opt-out. Well, it rained all night and I hardly slept, and when I did I dreamed a dream that I often have. It's not a great dream and doesn't get me too excited to ride my bike. By morning I was out. Rumors of a snow-line and course change confirmed the decision. I didn't want to spend $40 racing the lower hills that I race all summer on for $12.

Instead of racing we cleaned house and in the PM met up with my dad to go shoot some guns. We don't get out for this very often (Ash has never gone with us, so it's been at least 2.5 years) but it's always fun when we do. Usually an uncle and some cousins show up, but today it was just my dad, Ash, and me. It was nice because it meant we all got to shoot a lot and not wait for each other. Reload and shoot.

After teaching Ashleigh how to load a gun and all that good stuff we set her up on a rifle. After a few clips on that she got ready to shoot my dad's .22 pistol. Her first three shots were dead on. Then she looked at us and was like "how do I aim on this one?" Ummm..... I think you have it figured out....It was her first time shooting guns ever and she totally outshot me on the rifle and the handgun.

Luckily we brought a shotgun and some clay pigeons too. I'm used to shooting with one or two other people at the same clay pigeon so shooting fast has always been a priority, otherwise someone else gets the shot. Today we only had one shooter so I was able to take my time and shoot well. I only missed one out of about 20 birds and even got a couple of them twice, just for fun. My dad was laughing because I was shooting so well and it was nice to make up for getting outshot with the other guns.

It was a fun afternoon, it was great to get out and do something I enjoy but don't get to do very often. And I shot a lot better than I could have raced. And it makes me feel pretty good having such a sharpshooter of a wife too!!!


I don't know how she shot that handgun so well with her eyes closed...






Hit and....

Hit!

(The proof is in the zoom)




???

Photo Dump

These have been sitting on my phone for a while and I finally figured how to get them off faster than emailing myself each one individually:



Our 2008 Subaru has been through a lot. That ticker past 50k a long time ago. (It just passed 60). The first pic is deer damage that happened 7-8 months ago.



My BMX bike had Dura-Ace cranks on it for a while, and clearances were tight.


Racer's will fix your broken Superfly. Trust us, we've fixed a few...we've got a rack reserved for the darn things.



This couch used to be in the back at Racer's a few years ago. We threw it out when we found out it was infested with mice. Somehow, it ended up at the local laundromat.



It's been a chilly, wet spring, but at least it's not this bad.



We built up a Superfly for a client that had scored it from the GF Pro Team. It's Heather Irminger old bike. I'd stare at those fork decals for days. This bike was the first we built up with XX. Now everyone rides that stuff.



Ash on the way to one of our few snow days. We definitely didn't get enough snowboarding in this year.



I rode as much of the Alpine Loop (Provo Canyon side) as I could last week. It was pretty rad, I had to use some of my cyclocross skills for the fallen trees and stuff. Made it less than a mile away from the top. Soon we'll be able to ride the whole thing. Sweet.

Wednesday Night Worlds

So, I used to run in high school and stuff. I was decent. I ran cross country in the fall and track in the spring. I was competitive in CC but track was where I came alive. I was much better (relative to others) at the 800m and 1600m than I was at a 3000m CC race.

That said, I'm kind of the same way on the bike. Which is why Wednesday Night Worlds is the greatest race series ever. The races are never over an hour, and that's a lot shorter than an hour and a half, or two hours, or six, or twelve...

The courses are sweet too: Soldier Hollow is a fast, relatively flat course that you rarely need brakes on. At Sundance you're always going up or down, and the it's a good mix of quick and technical.
I first started racing bikes at this series clear back in 2001, I was like 17 or so. Venues and organizers have changed but the racing is always fast, furious, and fun. This has to be the most relaxed racing scene ever. Also, racing is cheap, and you almost always get more out of the raffle than your entry fee. For more info check out www.weeklyraceseries.com

If YOU come, Dan might even break out his old Nike sweatshirt...

Better a saddle rail than a collarbone.

5 Mile Pass. Not one of my favorite races.

Last year, I had 3 flat tires. I finished my 2nd lap when the leaders of my category were finishing their race. I had the slowest time of anyone, including the pros (who did more laps than me).

This year started out better - with dry dirt, but went south quickly. About 15 minutes into the race, I took a wrong turn. Didn't realize it for far to long. This put me pretty far back and I started playing catch-up. Took a few turns in the wash to fast and took a big spill. Bike landed upside down, dislodging my GPS (after crushing it, I'm sure), broke my saddle rail, and we'll find out soon if anything else. My bike sure felt squirrely the rest of the race. The next 15 minutes I was an emotional wreck, and it showed in my riding. I'd get angry, ride hard for a few minutes, then get frustrated and sit up. I finished my first lap and had a nice chat with Stu as I exchanged bottles, which helped me get my focus back on. I had a good 2nd lap, and worked my way up to 4th.

Here's what I learned:

-Don't wake up at 5:30 and drive 3 hours before a race. At least not without some prerace pickmeup.
-Trim those bars. I hit Rick, one of the pro ladies, and a ton of trees with my bars. I either need to cut them down or learn to ride a bike.
-Gearing. My gear coach is two for two in helping me pick a good gear. However, it's always a very painful one. If you don't like the hurt, don't take his advice!
-Suspension. I'm beginning to see the merits of a suspended fork.
-Fitness. All you need is one good, 50 mile, 5000 vertical foot ride per week to stay fast. (And some intervals, a winter's worth of base work, and of course, some recovery).
-It took me a while, and a talk with my wife to realize this, but broken bikes are better than broken bones.
-Don't go the wrong way. Duh.