All or Nothing

You win some and you lose some in cycling. In the crit I tried to get a break away with 8 laps to go. I ended up working to hard and burned a lot of energy, only to be caught with 3 laps to go.

I tried to quickly recover while staying up in the front as close as possible. With one and a half laps to go my buddy went to try and give me a lead out. We got a small gap, but unfortunately it was a little early. At 3/4 of a lap I came around his wheel, but saw some people closing in. With the finish line in sight I got caught by 4 riders on the same team. They came around and I didn't have much left to compete with them. But that is the life of cycling!

This is me getting caught and passed right before the finish line.

GC plans for the 10th

I talked to Dave up camping sat about riding down south (suncrest loop) on the 3rd, but I didn't know at that time that Mindy's family was coming up for a visit. So, I was thinking the 10th might be a better option. Daren and Tanner, what is your MTB schedule look like? Would the 10 work for you two? Dave hows the 10th look for you? If the 10th works let me know cause Doug will be up at Bub's by then. Which leads me back to the 3rd. I was hoping to get a GC ride in, but I'm not sure when, where, or what time will work for everyone on a holiday weekend. I would love to go early (6am), but I know that doesn't work for everybody else. I just know the day will be crazy with family plans so I was thinking the earlier the better.

So close

I had a goal this past week of completing 300 miles, but I came up a few miles short (8). The hot head wind on sat killed my desire to go the distance, but I don't think I could have gone another 10 miles (tired legs) anyway. I'm amazed at how the top rides can ride so hard day after day. Well, after the ride we headed up to Pineview to soak the legs and have an early fathers days with my pops. The water felt great and all in all it was a great day.

Where is this Global Warming?

Mindy, Adam and I went on an early morning ride today at 6 am. I was frozen in the first mile and am not sure I've been colder on a ride. When the sun came up as we rode north, the new snow from last night was pretty impressive--for November. It's the middle of June and we have had 15 out of 17 days this month with rain. Our foot hills look like Brady's in Oregan. Please I want some heat to complain about! Betty and I have been doing alittle hiking. This was up Indian Trail the other morning. Very beautiful and alot of fun.

I some how got an infected middle finger, probably smashed it on a bike. It was killing me for three days. The throbbing made it impossible to hold the handlebar in any position. I was going through Plain City a couple of days ago and rode through an intersection with a car waiting for me. All of a sudden the guy flips me off real irritated like and says same to you. I turned to go after him, then realize my only comfortable hand position may have been taken incorrectly.

I did poke around the nail and got a pint of puss out, and it is feeling much better. Ride Safe

Cold

Is it not summer? June 17th (Ryan's 36th B-Day) and at 6 am it was 42 outside. I thought it would warm up, so I only had a jacket and summer gloves (mistake). Mindy and Doug had on a few more layer than me (legs), but we all turned into Otter-pops. You know it is cold when the cows still had frost on their backside. So after thirty miles it warmed up to a blistering 56, but by then I was so cold it didn't matter. Nothing better than riding when you can't feel your hands or feet. Oh wait, I love the cold pains that shoot up your arms and legs after each bump too. June riding weather in Utah-If you ride after 9 am this week you battle the 30+mph headwind, and if you ride early you freeze. I'm not sure which I'd rather ride in so I've been doing both (go 2-a-days). At least I get most of next week off to help at girls camp (Oh boy).

Oh Yeah!

Ethan loves to take his tricycle to the crits and ride them up and down the sidewalk. He races in the kiddie kilo after my race.

Jeremy let me borrow his Carbones for the last two crits. I love the hum they make.

I have some big news - Utah and Colorado will be joining the Pac-10. OK, so it isn't Texax, but it will be nice to see Utah red once in a while. But some cycling big news is that I won my first Twilight Crit!

It wasn't as big of a group - maybe 35 this week. The race went out very fast. We dropped a lot of riders in the first 4 laps. I was working a lot off the front and felt pretty good. With 6 laps to go my friend, who was right in front of me, took off. I got on his wheel, along with another guy. The guy was from the biggest team in the field. Fortunately he wasn't their strongest rider. One other guy bridged the gap after one lap, so there were four of us. Having the one guy from Lifecycle in the group allowed us to get a substantial lead. His team wouldn't work with the main group, so we got about half a lap on the field. We were working pretty hard in the four man rotation. With 3/4 of a lap to go I broke off, knowing I couldn't out sprint two of the guys in a final sprint. The gamble paid off and I held them off for the win. I finished about 10-15 yards ahead of the next rider. I won a free pizza for my efforts! It was a good day at the races.

2-a-day Report

Bub, the new tape is very white and very clean. And I must admit that I did at one time think of adding white tape to complete the white look on my bike. However, I couldn't do it because it doesn't stay white. So I went with black tape, but did you notice the new RED TIRES. They look fast!!!!


By the end of last week my legs were very tired. So when the weather was bad on Sat I took the day off and watched the world cup (US was lucky to tie). I only got 229 miles last week (short of my goal by 71), but I didn't ride on Sat and I didn't do a 2-a-day on Tues. New week and I think I can make it to 300 this week. I had two good rides today already and I'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Holding up the blog

Sutt has definitely been holding up the blog. My blogging has been at a bare minimal. There is so much to talk about in the world of cycling: the Landis accussations, to Contador not riding well, and team Radio Shack. But I think I will stick to something I am more comfortable with - Me!

The new white wraps came out and the bike is ready to go. A few weeks ago I rode the Eugene Roubaix. It is a 55 mile course with a 2 mile section on a gravel road. I felt fine throughout the race. There were about 65 people in my category, making it a tight fit. I ended up a little behind going into the gravel, but made up some ground and finished 9th.

The crits started last week, but I got really sick and wasn't able to go. I felt a lot better this week and got out there to try. There were 53 people out for the local crit! Crazy! There was a good head wind on the back side and it was raining. Sounds like a great time, huh? It actually was pretty fun to be out and riding in a bike group. We averaged 26 miles per hour. I got in a bad spot in the final corner but passed a few people for a 5th place finish.

I just can't wait for the rain to stop. It has been a long rainy spring! Sutt and Doug, I am going to have to start pounding the pavement to catch up to your miles.

Two-a-days

Remember those good old days of Football and struggling to finish two or three practices a days (I guess it made us better athletes). Well, I now have an old man bike riding version of two-a-days. It starts with a 30 mile ride on the Tandem with Mindy (before she heads to work) and then around noon another 30 with Russ (Doug joins in on which ever group ride he wants). My hope is this will get me back on track, because Doug was hurting me about a month ago. It was all I could do to stay on his wheel after about 15 miles, but with my new riding plan I hope to drop a few pounds and increase my power. I'll tell you what the tandem definitely gives my muscles a deeper workout. I guess we'll see how long I last on this crazy two-a-day riding plan.

Cold, but fun

Can't breathThe water was glass

My finger tips and toes turned white.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to try out the new ski. The water was COLD, but I loved the new ski. It is very responsive and took me a few hard falls to get the hang of it, but then it was AWESOME. Daren, you can come ski on it anytime. We need to do a group ride and then take the boat out. Now, that would be a great day!!

Sat fun

Noah in his new kit.Mindy loves the butt pic (he has long arms)

He is all smiles and all loves to talk all the time on the tandem

My new soon to be summer love

The new boots have a heel lockout (easy to get on and off)

The ski is a Conelly Concept (last years Demo ski, but it looks great and I hope to tell you how great it skies tomorrow) Thanks MOM and DAD!!!! (Graduation Present)

Yesterday I went for a ride with Noah into my parents. When we arrived my Dad asked him if he was tired. He said,"No I don't pedal". I on the other hand was a bit tired. A 17 mile ride that takes almost an hour feels like a hard 25 when the guy on back just goes for a ride, but I still love it. Now I just wish he would stop asking so many questions and pedal.

The myth, the man, the legend!

I am dedicating my first blog in a while to the myth, the man, the legend – Doug Cottle. As the oldest living member of the GC Connection, and one of the strongest, we owe a lot to this founding member. None of us would be where we are today if it weren’t for Doug and his motivation and generosity. There are so many of us that he has reached and/or helped in some way or another. I don’t think I have met a more generous man!

Aside from his generosity he is the second most competitive person I know, second only the GC man himself, Gordon Cottle. At sixty years today there is not a person he cannot out ride on the GC Connection. He is so competitive that he will never turn away from a challenge, even if it means crashing on a difficult mountain bike descent, pushing himself up the steepest hill, or riding and finishing 6 Lotoja’s.

There are so many fond memories of Doug, but I wanted to share one with you. Before the 2006 Lotoja I was talking with Doug and he told me about an injury that he had on his leg. I don’t remember the details as to why or how it happened, but Doug had a broken leg! And he wanted to continue and ride the 206 mile Lotoja. I thought there was no way he could ride such a grueling race with a fracture on his bone. As I flew into town I became even more concerned as I saw Doug limp along and finally got to see the mound of swelling that was on his shin. I asked if he was up to the race and he said he was.

I didn’t sleep much before the race, still worried about the old man. But in the morning he was more determined than ever. My mom pulled me aside and said, “You better watch out for your dad! Make sure he comes back alright.” Throughout the long ride Doug never once said, “I don’t think I can do this!” He continued to push on with his face focusing on one pedal stroke at a time. Doug didn’t talk much through the race, probably because his jaw was locked shut with determination, but he made it! He has such determination!

Thanks Pop for all the memories! Happy 60th birthday! You keep us young by your determination and love of others. You are the heart and soul of the GC Connection. Miss you and wish I was there to celebrate. In your words…. Ride safe!

Cross is never over

Welcome to our Rocky Mountain CX Course. This is the 25 tree weave with 6 curbs to bunny hops. This is the side hill weave, that long grass makes this tough.

The old guy finishing the trees.

Adam on his new cx bike looking smooth.

Tight turn practice.

Adam over the barriers.

We even have a sand pit to mess you up.

Our course is 1.3 miles long and our fastest hot lap today was 5:24. It has been a blast. We have to watch for kids and school buses some, but not bad. It is really a tough lap with the long grass being a killer. We then do a technique lap and Adam and I have decided we can't remount without a hop, sorry Daren. The weather has really made it seem like cross season.

Hope you are are well and getting in some riding. I've tried the facebook thing and am not that sold. Hopefully we can make a few more regular posts.

Doug

Out of Shape

Well, this winter I hit the weights hard and I achieved my goal of 235 (1RM) bench, 255 (1RM) decline, and Squat of 315. I put on 8lbs of muscle, but I also had to have minor surgery to repair an umbilical hernia last month. Not sure on which lift it occurred, but it put me out a few week. Now that I'm cleared again by the doctor I have decided to quit lifting upper body altogether. I still lift the legs (extensions, curls, push press), but I'm lifting low weight and med intensity with no squats. I thought lifting would help me in the crits and cross next year, but all it did was put me back a few months.

In cycling news I have a new love of commuting thanks to the cross bike. I ride the cross bike to work on Tue, Thur, and any bad weather days. Then during my prep I hit the field around the school for 40 min of fun. I go in and out of the trees, between gates, up and down the ten yard ditch, and just play around on my own cross trail. It has been a lot of fun playing around like a kid again on the bike. My hope now is to get ready for the Ogden crits that start next month in an effort to compete with Doug.

The Wall & Silver Falls

Long time, no post, so I am going to update on my not-so bike racing life. I guess the blog is a reflection of my competitive racing, which is non-exsistant at this time. This Saturday I had to put aside my bike, and a great hilly race in Corvallis, while Avery competed in the Oregon Battle of the Books competition. Her team made it to the top 8. After we went to hike the Silver Falls, which is about 20 minutes from Salem. I got to carry Ethan around in the backpack and Liam and Ethan both up the big hill. That was my nice Saturday ride.

Two weeks ago I got to ride with the Saturday group. We did a hard 70 miles. I was feeling really good, pulling in the front, climbing the hills well. But that all changed mile 60. As I was riding along I realized I was rocking out to Pink Floyd - The Wall and thought how ironic that song is right now, because I feel like I am running into a wall. Funny how those things happen. I had no energy and could barely pedal. Luckily, we were on our way home and most of the group turned one way and I was with two other guys for the last little bit. They quickly left me and I struggled home alone for the last 8 miles. It was sure nice to get out though. The rain has been bad this spring and I am excited for it to stop.

St. George FInally!

Daren in our pre race ride. Notice the beautiful back drop. Daren raced great with a strong 5th place finish. All the skiing seemed to be good cross training. New kit looks good. Tanner I'm racing Pro now I don't need hands. T had a great start and was with Burke (the eventual winner) on the first raven climb. He had been sick all week and it caught up with him on the 4th lap with a bad case of the squirts, and dehydrationI got off fast and was first starting up the climb, but got worked as the better climbers came by. I was humbled and realized I have alot of work to do to race better.

I think the blogging nation has died. No one even comments. Is anyone out there. I don't want to enter the facebook game. We got the Sutt's tandem all done. There new one weighted out at 27.8 lbs. The old tandem was about 40 lbs. so the Sutt's should be a climbing machine. I'm trying to rebuild the old one for the farmer Peterson's. Ride Safe. Doug

Sutt's new rides

Mindy and Adams new bonding machine. We were able to work a deal at Co-motion in Eugene and are in the process of building it up. Watch out for the Sutt's now as this is a light, sweet machine.

Adam's new solo ride. Watch out for the Sutt. Alot of bike shifting this off season. The Cottle trio are on our way to St. George this morning to test out our mountain bike skills. Hopefully it will be a good race tomorrow with some better weather. Race report to follow. Ride Safe.

Don't Call PETA

I was in Oregon a few weeks ago visiting Brady, Brooke and their new baby. After riding with Brady to his school I was riding home along Eugene's beautiful river parkway when it happened. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a squirrel dart out and into my 404 Zipp. I thought I was going to go down, but he hit the hi profile rim and slide up into the spokes turning at 20 mpr, to be shot back the same way he entered. I was suprised that I felt so little. I stopped and looked back and mister squirrel was not in great shape. I went back to find his head in the wrong position, but still alive. I found a big stick and put it out of its bad way. I then found the reason for its irrational behavior.Ride safe and watch out for critters.
Doug

decapitated squirrels and new baby

I could never imagine how tired I am from baby number four. It really isn't him that is wearing me out, even though getting up every two hours is a pain (especially for Brooke), it is the two year old. Ethan is not used to having another younger one around and very needy and clingy. But I am getting by with my riding. I hope someday to have legs like that picture!

I am surprised that Doug has not told his decapitated squirrel story yet. It is very entertaining and I don't want to steal his thunder. But I will entice you a little...It involves a pair of Zipp wheels and a squirrel darting across the bike path. You will have to wait for further details of the story.