Racing Fun!!!!!!!

Daren cresting and ready to fly down.

T making the final crest. Great fun.

Daren killing the climb back!

Daren enjoying the cross winds trying to get back to the lead group. Good job Mr. Canyons.

Daren about to crest the steep part.

T enjoying his 1st climb of the day.

Chrispy leading out the 1,2's on the 1st climb

I enjoyed a great day of racing yesterday as I watched Daren and T suffer. It really is humbling to watch everyone working so hard. Even the pro 1,2's have the suffer face on. DH is the only one smiling, he always does. I rode up from Morgan to E. Canyon and back down after the race so I got a good work out. The wind up in that place is brutal! Even down hill it is hard. One part of me wanted to be in the cave but another part of me was quite happy to watch and enjoy. I guess I'm getting old. Here are some pictures of the event.

We have been riding hard and enjoying all my fellow riders. Sutt and Mind's tandem looks great after the paint job, gloss black. We are having a pro put it together so it should be done on Wed. So when you see the black streak go by you will know it was the Sutt's.

Brady sorry for the conflict. Oh well, there will always be another race, some time, maybe? There is always Lotoja to pull for, life doesn't get much better.

Russ really can ride. With his leg brace on he looks alittle out of place on a bike, but better there than a horse! I'm looking forward to some time on the rode with he and Sutt. Retired life is AOK!

We all love and miss big K with us, but have faith for the future. We think of you each time out. It isn't bad starting at the bottom and Chase lane though. Have a great week and ride safe.

Doug

Bitter/Sweet

By this time last year I had ridden in five different races, this year - one. Two of the Eugene races were moved this year to Sunday. I was pretty disappointed by that. Today was the Eugene Roubaix. It is a 52 mile road race that is 10 minutes from my house. Unfortunately, I was unable to race because our ward had it's temple trip in Portland. I was in charge of taking the youth to do baptisms for the dead. It was great for the youth and very enjoyable. But it still didn't make the fact that I was missing the only Eugene road race on a Saturday any easier. Driving home from Portland I saw about 30 bikes on top of cars, it was salt in the wound.

East Canyon

Another week, another couple of races. It's Saturday night and my legs are pretty worked. I mowed the lawn and did some yard work after the race today and I'm feeling it. The one benefit of the cold, wet spring is that I haven't had to do yard work. Unfortunately, I won't be able to delay it forever. Maybe I could hire Doug.

T and I both did RMR this week. There were big groups, we went fast, did lots of circles and finished in the pack of our respective groups. I actually tired in the sprint and still missed the top ten. Tanner is a little uncomfortable racing in fast in a big group, but is getting the hang of it. The highlight of RMR for me the last few weeks has been the ride over to RMR from work with Chris via Salt Air. It makes for a very good 2.5 hours of training.

Today was the East Canyon road race. It is one of the few true road races I do each year. I always struggle on the first climb, but I like the race anyway. I raced 45+ and Tanner did his first cat 5 race. Tanner did great for 45 miles and was with the lead group of about 12. However, he got gaped in the cross winds, chased hard and blew up about 10 miles out. He finished, but didn't look so good.

I managed to be the last guy dropped from the lead group on the opening climb. It is stupid to let happen, but I was giving it my all. I spent the next 2 hours chasing at first with 2 other guys and later about 10 or so more. I managed to get away with a couple guys on the climb out of Hennifer and held on to finish somewhere around 12th (I didn't stick around for results). The race was more like a MTB race because I was pretty much full gas the entire race. Good practice for next week and actually fun.

Doug was there giving support and took some pictures. It's always nice to see a friendly face when you are suffering. The team did well with Dave and Chris finishing 1-2 in the Pro 1-2 race. They did the same thing Wed at DMV and Chris won RMR Tues. The team is on a roll and riding together very well.

One other note, I was finally able to get some Easton AC90 Aero wheels a few weeks ago. I got to tell you, they rock. One of the best bike toys I've been able to secure. I can't wait to glue some knobbies on them for cross.

Bob, there were a bunch of MTB racers at East Canyon today. You should have been there. You're a climber.

Another Week

Another week has gone by with some good and bad. I was busy early in the week with meetings at work, but it mellowed out later. Tanner and I raced DMV on Wed in the cold. I haven't raced a DMV in a while due to conflicts on Weds. I know it's hard, but you kind of forget how hard. I suffered like a dog the first 15 minutes, but managed to hang on to the main chase group. I got a little better and gave KWilde a bit of a leadout for the sprint for 7th. He got it and I managed to hang on for 10th.

Tanner started at the back with a couple of other "C" riders and got gaped on the 2nd lap as we started down the hill. He rode the rest of the race alone getting within a few seconds of my group on the hill and then gaped again on the downhill. 130 pounds doesn't go great downhill into the wind. He finished about 40 seconds behind me and won the C's. I was proud of his effort and he never gave up. He'll be really good on the DMV course with some experience.

I did a good ride with Doug, Adam and Russ Saturday morning. I met them in Centerville and rode downwind to Roy. Not a bad way to ride. The new Easton wheels were flying and almost felt like cheating with a cross tail wind. In the afternoon, Tanner and I gave Alta one last shot on their last Saturday. It was surprisingly fun and strange to ski in 55 degree weather. It was also strange to basically be alone on the mountain at times. It was a good end to a very good ski year.

Skiing the crud.



T's self portrait.

Me and T suffering at DMV.





The bad news of the week was Kim's health report. His sobering news puts bike riding and other activities into perspective. Not being able to ride hard or race would be difficult to take. However, overall health and quality of life is more important. I'm sure Kim will tackle these challenges with the same tenacity he brings to everything. You are in our thoughts and prayers big guy.

61st!

Yes, I got 61st on my race yesterday, but I worked harder for it than any other race I have ever done. The weather was absolutely beautiful, 70's without a cloud in the sky. I drove out to Corvallis for the Kings Valley road race, which is a few minutes out of the city and surrounded by trees. It is a great course, hills and headwind. It just wasn't my day for racing. I didn't pre-register because Brooke had something that morning and I didn't know if we could get a babysitter, but last year I showed up and was able register. This year I got there and it was full! It had a 75 person limit and was full. I drove all the way up there and was pretty disappointed. I asked someone if I could ride with the 3's and they didn't know. I asked around until finally someone said, "fine, but go quick." I road down and quickly got in with the 3's. My first race with the three's.

The course is 3 laps for a total of 54 miles. I didn't get much chance to warm-up and up the first hill my chain pops off. The guy behind me pushed me for a minute while I kept spinning until my chain came on. 3/4 into the first lap I got a flat! I change the tire quickly and took off to try and catch up. My friend McKenzie, who kicked my butt last year in the 4's until he upgraded, was waiting for me. He had to go to the bathroom and wanted a challenge. He is pretty impressive. We took off, with me pulling the hills and him pulling the flats. I would break him every once in a while, but he pulled 2/3 the time. I was barely hanging on.

We tried to catch them for a lap and a half, around 25 miles, but were never able to catch them. We came within 30 yards on a climb, but were so tired on the downward they got 100 yards away. I road as hard as I ever did to catch them, but we were unable to get back on. So with 1/2 a lap to go we called it good, and I finished an amazing 61st! Not bad for my first race as a 3. I don't think I will upgrade any time soon.

Cholla

Doug, Tanner and I made the quick trip to St. George for the Cholla Challenge in Hurricane. Last year was hot and miserable but this year the weather was ideal, mid 70's and little wind. They changed the course this year to run the opposite direction from the past and added a new sandy, soft section. The changes turned a pretty good course into kind of a mess. It had no real flow and a bunch of slow slogs through sand and gravel. However, other than the course it was a good race and a nice time in the warm sun.

Tanner continued his solid racing and remarkable improvement. He won the 16 - 18 Expert against some good competition. He beat the kid who has dominated their age group the last few years for the first time. When Tanner passed him on the last climb, he was more than a bit surprised and couldn't respond. Tanner rode in for a comfortable win. It's really amazing to see Tanner's improvement over the last year and I'm very proud. It's going to be a lot of fun watching him this year.

Doug raced in the 57+ and was much more competitive to finish 4th. He's getting the hang of riding a mountain bike and for the first time really felt like he was racing. He's also made dramatic improvements and I'm glad he's continued to give it a go.

I had a solid race to finish 2nd in the 40+ Expert. I had a good start and led for a while but fell to 4th by the end of the first of three laps. However, the top 4 were all within a minute of each other and I could see everyone so I remained motivated. I got by Brad Keyes (only because he was on a single speed on a course that's impossible to gear for) mid lap and Bob near the end of the lap. I could see Fred Porter up a head and slowly closed to within about 15 seconds half way through the last lap. I thought I was going to catch him, but he saw me and increased the gap on the last climb. At that point, I knew I wasn't going to catch him and lost motivation the last couple of miles to finish a little over a minute back.

I was pretty happy with my fitness and my ability to ride at or above threshold the entire race. However, I didn't have any top end to pull back Brad on the last lap. It was fun to be in the mix and have a good result. I have to enjoy these races before we get to the climbing courses and I really suffer.

The team had a good day overall with Michelle dominating the women's expert and Rico taking 5th in the pro. Also, Dave won the first stage in the Triple Valley Stage Race in a sprint finish after Chrispy was in a two man break for 60 miles.

All in all, a very good trip with good company.

Jersey update

We got the final design approved and ready to roll. We got all the orders submitted today, so it is really going to happen. I'm so happy with the out come and everyone is really excited. The ladies are really coming through and should be very impressive together in the Little Red Riding Hood. Adam and Mindi's new (old part of the family) tandem has been stripped with a little help from the local bike shop, and I'm taking it to the paint shop today. Adam just couldn't deal with a purple Trek. It will now be a black frame with Specialized stickers. It will be Specialized only tandem. We are going to have to get Russ to use his mountain bike to rope those little doggies. As long as I'm along in Lotoja its not Russ we are worried about holding us back. Daren, T and I are going down South to race in the dirt. It should be fun, if racing at max heart rate for two hours is fun. Good company and warmer temps. I'm so sick of cold. I'm mowing my lawn in the snow yesterday, trying to ignore my frosty fingers.

Ride safe, Doug

Down But Not Out

I should be back in action in a few weeks. So not to crush everyones hopes for a faster LOTOJA. You will have to spend another year waiting for me. Oh, wait you guys didn't do that anyway last year, so it shouldn't be much different. Race on boys! Just kidding, once I can I will get my butt in gear so you guys don't have to wait. Peace out.

"I'm out!" for a little bit anyway.

Due to a small horse riding accident, I am temporarily out of commission on the bike. I have a 2nd degree tear in my MCL. No surgery required, just time and loving care. It has been a week and I am officially going crazy. FYI, "SPECIAL K" rode like 8-10 miles on Saturday. Said he had no numbing, but he can tell he is way out of shape. That's all for now, peace out.

Hell of the North

Tanner and I braved the wind and cold, but no rain, Saturday at the Hell of the North race. It is a 5 mile rectangle with one of the long sides of the rectangle on dirt. It was hard. Somehow I decided racing 35+ with Steve and Mitch would be a good Idea. It was for about half the race.

Mitch and The Hornet went off in the first minute and built a solid early lead. All Steve and I had to do was cover the attacks. All was good and the group had dwindled to 9 chasers until the 4th lap when my legs decided to stop working and I let a small gap open on the dirt. Game over. I almost got back on with the Hornet and his teammate after they flatted and I hitched a ride. However, I couldn't hold them so I rode the last 3 laps alone to finish 11th. I still struggle to respond to all the accelerations of road racing. I'm doing OK then all the sudden the lights go out and I'm done. I do much better with the steady efforts of MTB and Cross. I guess that's why road racing is just training for me. I still had fun and got to mix it up with some fast guys. Mitch and Steve battled to the end and finished 6th and 8th I think.

Tanner had a much better time of it. He and 2 other strong juniors, Ski Utah teammates, rode together for the entire race. They attacked Tanner a few times, but decided to wait until the end. Tanner was smart and didn't go the front and just followed. The attack of the strongest kid , Chase Pinkham, shed his teammate on the last dirt section and he and Tanner sprinted for the win. Chase beat him by a couple of bike lengths, but Tanner did well. Chase is a solid cat 3 and a very strong finisher. It was good to see Tanner do well in his first road race. He's going to race cat 5's at East Canyon and should do really well.

Kevin Wilde on our team did very well in his first road race to solo to a 2nd place finish in the 5's. Good job Kev.



My last lap was pretty painful and lonely.

Mitch and the Hornet on front

Me before the lights went out.

Tanner and his friends.

T coming into the finish.

The tune up, and the weather

Well it's been 5 months since I rode something other than a stationary or spin bike...and it looks like I have to wait a few more days. I took my bike in for a tune up on Tuesday, got it back yesterday, and was hoping to ride that afternoon, since we had no wind and it was above 35 degrees: two meteorological events that rarely coincide in Laramie, even in the summer. By the time I got home that afternoon, to my chagrin, it was snowing, and it is still snowing today.
So, I'm off to the gym to have my time with the spin bike once again....oh well, I guess I can hope for next week...or next month.

gc connection jersey

let me know what you think. Suggestions welcome.

Bubba

Trip to Utah

I had a great trip to Utah, but was a little bummed that I didn't get to race with everyone on Saturday. It was nice to get some rides in with Doug, the man can still move. I even saw A.T. before he shaved, looks better with the goatie. I ended up playing more basketball than riding. Thursday & Friday we had a double header, then Saturday we played for 3rd place. We would have won, but the first game we only had 4 guys (but still only lost by 5). The team we lost too ended up winning.

I did manage to discover a great pre-ride warm-up - Guitar Hero. It is pretty fun! Doug wasn't much into it, but it got me pumped up before our ride. Doug and I had a run in with a student driver on South Weber Highway. He pulled out in front of us and I had to slow down from 24-25 mph to 18 so we wouldn't run into him. He finally pulled over to the center so we, yes bike riders, could go by him. The funny thing is the speed limit was 35 mph. So Doug and I road in front of him for a few miles, until he got enough courage to speed up. I got a good laugh out of it.

Circles in the cold

Well, winter doesn't want to give up just yet and I'm getting tired of riding in the cold. I'm grateful for the snow pack and the water we'll have this summer. However, a little spring would be nice.

I raced RMR in the oval last night and actually had fun. As always, it was fast and hard. My garmin recorded 49 laps in 36 minutes. Pretty much full gas all but a few laps. I got in one move that had a chance, but only lasted a couple of laps. As I was trying to recover, the winning break went. I pulled the chase a couple of times and just about dropped myself. Nothing like blowing up and watching about 50 guys roll by one at a time praying that there's at least one more coming to get onto. I did manage to get back on and recovered enough to battle for position at the end only to finish my traditional 2oth or so.

T and I are racing Hell of the North Saturday. If it doesn't rain, should be a good time. Steve Warsocki convinced me that he and I should race in the 35+ so we can race with Mitch. I don't think the 45's are any slower, so it shouldn't be a big deal. I can struggle to hang on in either group. (Bob, I'm with you buddy!) With any luck, I can help get Steve or Mitch in a good position.