Christmas Time!

Ok, the requests are starting to come in. "What do you want for Christmas?" Well, there is still plenty to choose from on my Birthday list. But, here is some additional items for you to choose from.

I always enjoy a good Probar. They pack over 300 calories and are good to have around if I get busy and don't have time for lunch or breakfast on the way to some early morning skiing. Here is a link. PROBAR. I like the Koka Moka best.

I am also in need of some new water bottles. Over the last few years I have migrated to the camelback podium bottles.  You can get these bad boys at your local bike shop or at your local REI store. I prefer any color except black. Either the 20 oz. bottle or the larger 25 oz.

Just like pretty much everyone I know, my fuel of choice is Carborocket. Now, its pretty much the best ever endurance fluids you can get. I could use a replenishing of both the standard carborocket as well as the Half evil 333. All flavors are pretty good. You can either order direct from Carborocket or your local bike shop. If you're ordering online, you may as well toss a pair of socks into the cart. Not only do I like those socks but he used the word "rad" in the description. I'm sold.

To further aid me in my snow evaluation, I could use one of these as well as one of these.

I could always use a new pair of cycling gloves. Ergon makes the best grips around and they just started selling gloves. I would venture to guess they make pretty good gloves as well. Size Large. Ergon-bike

You can never have too much Stans tire sealant in your garage. It seems you always run out just when you need it most. Stans no tubes tire sealant

Like alot of guys my age training tends to take a back seat. Stuff gets in the way time is crunched etc. Lynda has a pretty good following of her training plans. You could always hook me up with a training plan for the "time crunched" forever midpack racer. They start at $50. LWCOACHING

Back to the socks. I follow a pro endurance racer named Sonya Looney. She is pretty much a bad ass on the bike and I enjoy her posts. She wears some pretty cool socks and I want some of these. I know they are pink. I don't care. I want them.

Speaking of clothing. Twin Six makes the best cycling T-shirts etc around. You could choose pretty much any of their T-shirts and I would be happy. Twinsix.com

You could also get a gift card to one of my favorite outdoor retailers. Backcountry.com

One more item. A harness for my Avalanche Beacon. BCAACCESS.

So far this season, our snowpack is looking rather bleak. How bout some snow? Hello? Is this thing on?

Hearding Cats

Hearding Cats, my guess is kind of like trying to teach a 5 year old to ski. I like to pretend I have patience but its clear to me now. I don't. I may seem calm and jovial on the outside but inside I'm boiling! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME???? I have to alter my expectations. If she's having fun, thats all that matters. Right? I sent Dug (who's on a blog hiatus) a txt asking if he had any tips. His response? Put em in ski school and go skiing while they are learning. For some reason I knew that was going to be his response. Problem is, ski school costs money and I have very little extra of that floating around right now. Maybe sign her up for a few 1/2 day lessons for 50 bucks at Solitude. Thats about the best price I have found so far.

All I know, its she is having fun. So long as I don't make too many rules! I made that mistake while trying to get her to listen to me while teaching her how to swim. I ruined it for her. She didn't want to go with me anymore because I had too many "swimming rules". Well, that made me feel like shit so I am trying to keep it light and fresh. If she's having fun and she is  making a little bit, even just a smudge of progress its a good thing. Here's a little video from our outing to Alta Sunday for their "free after 3" thing. Its a pretty sweet deal. Enjoy.

Turkey Day Ride 2011

As things turned out I was able to carve a little time away in the morning for a ride. We had planned to meet at Lambert at 8:00 with Justin and Brannen. Tanner was gonna come but he showed at 10:00 and we were all done. He must have missed the memo? Or, maybe he was busy making pies or rolling out dough for some rolls. Banks couldn't make it because he was downtown or some bullshit. He said he was with us in spirit but I didn't feel it. The only spirit I felt was pure joy. Sorry evil but the joy shut you out.

It was a popular place for a ride as we saw many people out. Conditions were great. It wasn't cold and the trails were not muddy. Brannen has twins coming in February so, I probably won't see him again till next year. 6 boys! Holy crap!

Without further ado, here is the video. My battery died after about 5 minutes of rolling film. Bummer. Oh well, enough to put together a video. Hope your Thanksgiving was as good as ours!

Birthday wish list

 I am posting a few items that you could get me for my Birthday. Did I mention its coming up? Its on Tuesday November 29th as it falls on every year. See below for a few choice gift items.

I need a new helmet. I do have one, it does have a little crack that I found a month ago. They say your supposed to replace your helmet once you have crashed on it because they say it compromises the integrity of the helmet. Not sure I believe that, sounds like a conspiracy to me. But, just encase its true here is a link to a new brain bucket.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_522173_-1_202695_10000_

My cycling knee warmers are getting worn out. I mean, I have only had them for 8 years. They still work but they are getting some holes in them.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_511951_-1_202151_10000_202511




My GPS has started to die on me. I can't keep it on my handlebars because the battery jiggles loose and it turns off. I can still use it, I just have to put it in my pocket. Not very convenient to look at. GPS is an important gadget. Check it out.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product2_10053_10052_516234_-1

Well, you all know how much I love riding bikes. I think I would love a Cross bike. One that I can ride on the road in the winter with some knobby tires and go on some dirt roads as well as some trails. It would also give me the opportunity to race Cyclocross. Something I have been wanting to do for a few years now.

http://www.cannondale.com/2012/bikes/road/cyclocross/caadx/2012-caadx-5-105-21567

How about some Jazz tickets? I bet you could get em pretty cheap right now?



I could also use some lighter weight ski pants.

http://www.backcountry.com/patagonia-snowshot-pant-mens



That should give you enough variety to choose from I think? If you need some other ideas just give me a shout. I am sure I can find some other things.

Last year we were skiing some pretty good snow at this time. Is it too much to ask for some more?

Some "me" time!

Search engines should have fun with that one. Anyways, a week ago I cruised up to Park City to ride some single track before the snow covers the trails up until June. I couldn't talk anyone into playing hooky with me (even though its my day off) so I went up solo. I took alot of footage that day. The video doesn't do it justice though. The leaves were completely gone in some spots and totally radical in others. I broke the video into 2 sections. I couldn't edit it all into one. So without further delayed gratification, enjoy!

Chasin Banks!

Banks and I partook in some Corner Canyon Monday night. Here I am chasin him. He left my legs out there on the side of the trail somewhere. Enjoy.

Ever had a close encounter?

No, not with an alien. I'm talking about a close encounter with an animal while riding. Even been hit by a bird while night riding? I have. Ever ran over a snake? I have. Ever had a deer or similar large animal run across the trail in front of you? I have. Not to be confused with Bear Bait. Ever been slammed into by a huge buck while riding singletrack in Africa? Didn't think so. This dude has. Watch this.

Is there anybody out there?

I snuck in a ride this morning before the downpour started. I had time this morning and I figured if I tried to wait until after work there was a good chance I wouldn't get the ride in. I was right. I saw a total of 5 people. 1 runner, 2 hikers and 2 bikers. I pretty much had Corner Canyon to myself. My current favorite trail is Ann's. I really, really like the downhill. I am also really liking the Rush trail but Ann's is pure money in either direction.

I mounted the camera on the seatpost today to try something new. It worked ok. I liked how the footage came out but the camera gets in the way even while standing. Total no-go if pedaling is required. Nonetheless the trails were sweet and the crowds were non existent. Great way to start the day. I love riding. Seriously, if you don't ride a bike, why the hell not?

Learning Curve

Try # 2 was a little more successful. Rotated the lens and presto, no skinny video. Although, I wouldn't mind a little slimming affect these days. Here's a little video of Upper Rush. Still working on my editing skills. Its a work in progress. Enjoy a little "roll the bones". Really loving the new Rush additions this year.

First timer

I got this fancy helmet cam off backcountry.com last week. I have always wanted one and when they dropped the price in half, I couldn't pass it up. Here is my first attempt. Im a rookie at this, hopefully I get better. Cam position seems good, footage came out skinny when I rotated it. Nonetheless, here is my first video. Its a shorty. Basically the downhill section from Clarks to Canyon Hollow. Enjoy.


Untitled from Nate Kingdon on Vimeo.

Underwear Model

This kid has some pretty sweet moves! But, whats with the underwear? Calvin Klein might be in his future, if he can turn that mini keg into a 6 pack.

Different perspective

So, this year I took a different perspective for one of the hardest endurance races in the country. The Park City Point 2 Point. About 80 miles, 14,000 vertical with over 90% singletrack. One amazing day. I was a spectator. I finally decided that I didn't have the miles in my legs nor the mental capacity to suffer like I did last year. I puss'd out. But, I wanted to be a part of this great race. So, I threw an email out to the Draper crew to see how I could best be used. I landed on heading up to the TG water station to hand up some Otter pops, refill water bottles, pump up tires, tighten up pedal cleats etc. Basically whatever was needed with the exception of shammy cream. Thankfully I didn't have any requests for that.

This water station was at mile 37 or about half way into the day. Everyone that came through there had a smile on their face. Why shouldn't they? I mean, the worst part of the day was coming up. But still, all smiles. It was awesome to be there and help.

Otter Pop handups. Frozen sugary goodness. 

After this I cruised over to PCMR. I told banks that I would ride the last section from PCMR to The Canyons. Banks and Gordon rolled into the aid station right around 3:30 just in time to make the cut off. Much like I did last year. They rested there for a few minutes then we started up Spiro. It started out with 3 of us. We caught up to J. Thomas about half way up and Lyna caught up behind us just about the turn off to MMT.

Heres J.Thomas and Banks grinding up Spiro

Banks cussing Spiro

Banks focused on the job at hand

Gordon at the Colony stop. He had just about had enough. Dude separated his shoulder months ago and still rides. Crazy mofo. 

Ready to rip some downhill

1 more climb after this

Sun setting

The difference of riding this section fresh and riding it after 60 miles is staggering. I remembered crawling up Spiro last year. Walking at times. I remember dreading the MMT Re-route (which has been re-routed again this year, much better. Still rough as hell but much better). Last years re-route just about sent me over the edge. I remembered how emotional I was during this section, crawling, walking, front wheel going all over the place. I watched Brandon, Gordon, Justin and Lyna all suffer. They battled the demons that kept pulling their wheels every which way but straight. The amount of effort that went into each pedal stroke. The devotion, hard work, stubbornness, tenacity etc. It took it all. Just keep pedaling. Don't apologize to me because you have to walk for a minute. I don't care. I am just here to help any way I can. No apologies. I. dont. give. a. shit. We tredged on, they could smell the finish line. Hell, we could hear it. We reached the final climb, that punch in the balls. You can see the finish area, you can hear the music, you can almost smell the food. Then you turn right back up the mountain. Now, while we were on our way here the consensus was that we were going to walk this section. Do you think they walked? No, they didn't. Sure there were a few moments that we walked. I think this was one of the faster sections that we rode. The pedals kept turning. Determination was running at an all time high. Then, we caught Beth. We asked Beth how she was, she was worn down, beaten. No doubt she had spent the majority of the last 4 hours alone. Being alone is a dangerous thing. Your mind messes with you. Doubt creeps in. What am I doing, am I the only one out here? Did I pack my waterproof matches?

We passed Beth, told her she was getting close and that she was almost there. We stopped a few minutes later to re-group. Lyna caught up, not far behind was Beth. We waited. Beth rolled up, she was on the rivet. Then the rivet blew off. She broke down. Pure raw emotion. I have been there. I was there 1 year ago. She had the hardest day ever on a bike. As all of us. (well, not me but im telling the story) The PCPP is one of the hardest races in the entire country. The pure fact that you toe the line to start puts you in a class all its own. To finish? Well, there is not much that can compare to the feeling. We all supported Beth, told her it wasn't much more uphill and then its all downhill to the finish. We kept her close. By this time it was getting dark. We didn't care, we all wanted to roll into the finish area as a group. We took our time coming down the last decent, regrouped a few times along the way. We rolled onto the pavement, regrouped and made our way to the finish area.  As we rolled into the finish area the crowd went crazy. Deep anticipation of our arrival had been building for the last hour. Brandon, Gordon, and Justins wife and kids were all waiting for them with bated breath. The crew from Draper, Riessen, Bright, Tyler who all had awesome races and finished stronger than last year were all waiting. Bob, Lyna's husband was waiting, gave her a big hug and a kiss. Camera's were flickering, crowd cheering it was amazing. Beth let it all out there on the trail. She gave us all hugs. I think she will look back and think, damn that was awesome that I finished!

I was pretty pumped just to be a part of this race in any way I could. I was even more pumped that it turned into an Epic day. Not necessarily an Epic day in terms of miles that I had ridden, but Epic in the sense of the experience.

Different perspective, same result. I crossed the finish line with an amazing group of people. I was elated and felt amazing. So, here's a tip, just pick a group, ride the last 22 miles and you will be touched. No need to suffer all day.

Truthfully though, there is a deep sense of satisfaction when you cross something like that off the list. Well done riders, and thank you for the experience.

Suitcase of Courage

As Phil Ligget said in a previous stage of this years Tour de France about French rider Thomas Voeckler, "he's digging deep in his suitcase of courage right now". This quote rang home for me. I love how Voeckler races. He puts it all on the line, everyday. He rides hard until he cant anymore. I need to take a page out of Voecklers book.

Anyways, its been over a week since the PC50 race so I figured I better get a little report up. It was a shitty race for me. End of story.

Ok, I started out pretty easy but, on this course easy was not really a walk in the park. The first half of the race held about 6000 vert with another 2000 in the last half. Survive the first half and your golden.

I was in a group with Banks, Bright, JThomas, and others for the first 10 miles or so. I watched Banks and DT ride away from me shortly after the aid station at mile 8. Bright caught me around mile 15 as I was pulled over for a rest. Day was not starting out how I envisioned it. I was in for a long sufferfest. Can't put my finger on it. I had a decent breakfast, had CR half evil at half strength in my camelback and a bottle of water. I had eaten 3 GU's and a honey stinger waffle in the first 3 hours or so and after that, I just couldn't take anything in. Stomach was angry. I crawled my way to the 23 mile aid station, took a rest, drank a coke and some water. Refilled my camelback with regular CR tasted it and whoa, it wasn't going to fly, not today. I dumped it and filled it up with water. I figured I would go as long as I could. I thought it wouldn't be long until I was seein stars since I wasn't able to take in any calories. I was pretty pissed to because I started the race and specifically said I am going to stay on top of calories. I started out pretty good but, somethin just wasn't sitting well.

My stomach quite cramping around mile 30ish. I tried to eat a bar and promptly spit it out. I decided water would be my sole source of fuel for the day. Yay me! MMT re-route is the devil. That trail nearly killed me last fall in P2P and it nearly did it again. If I wasn't able to pedal, I walked. I didn't give a shit. I was like the honey badger but less aggressive. I was too far into the sufferfest to NOT finish that fucker. I thought about it though. I wanted to. But, I didn't let the demons of self doubt overtake me. So, I got that goin for me.

I was finally rewarded with a long 7 mileish downhill all the way to the finish. Man, it was rippin. I wish I had more energy on that section because there was some sweet 1 track there. I think I am narrowing it down to the GU'S. I think I can handle those in moderation throughout the day but need to take in other things as well. I made the mistake of goin straight GU'S for the first half. Idiot. Next race will be done sans GU. If I need to stop to eat a nutroll or somethin, Im going to. Better than blowin up and riding with those stomach issues. Its just not fun. I enjoy the suffer but not like that.

Few observations:
The volunteers rocked! Bent over backwards for people. This has been well documented.
MMT Reroute is the devil.
There was a huge amount of moose shit on MMT Reroute. Like pile after pile. If it was chocolate I would think someone was leaving me a crumb trail.
Riding with no energy is not my idea of a good day
Mentally, I feel like I overcame a lot
No more GU
Having the crew from Suncrest all hanging around for my sorry ass at the finish was pretty damn awesome. Seriously, thanks. It meant alot.
Riding and suffering with strangers is way better than suffering alone.
Suffering alone is a very, very dark place.
600 calories is not enough for a 50 mile race
Dunking your head in ice cold run-off feels amazing. I did this no less than 4 times.

I think I had dug a hole with the training and not sleeping very well prior to the race. With a newborn at home, its tough to do it all. I think I was fatigued before I even lined up. Took me a week and a half to recover. I went out for a ride last week and just felt SLOW. No pop, just really, really tired. I put the bike away and tried to rest. I went out today and I am feeling much better. Sleep is good.

I hope to take alot away from this. Including riding like Thomas Voeckler. Dude just rides his ass off until he can't. Much respect. He's a badass. Hope he holds on for a podium spot this year.

Jdub kicked mean ass in this race. As did his better half Annie. She rocked her first endurance race after suffering a few mechanical mishaps. Banks, finished that mofo and got this monkey off his back. We all knew you could do it. You're riding strong this year. Excited to see you roll across the line at P2P. Bright rolled that mofo after hackin up a lung the week before and boozin it on the cruise the week before that. Bright, if you would stop makin out with strangers on the cruise ship, you wouldn't get sick. DT rocked it as well, even with those sticks he calls legs. Good shit man, you got any meat on you? Seriously, if I am ever stranded somewhere and have to resort to cannabalism, I don't want to be stranded with you. Seamons kicked some mean ass after his training this year has basically been a few rides and some runs on the streets of China. Im guessin here but, he has been in China more than Utah it seems.

If I left someone out, I am sorry. You kicked ass as well. Good job. Thats all for now.

Oh, no pictures, I swear I saw someone taking pictures on the trail. Apparently, I was hallucinating. Sorry, this was a long post.

Happy 4th!

I enjoyed a ride in CC this morning. I couldn't make the PC50 pre-ride and CC fit the time. When I got home, Hannah wanted to go out and ride her bike. She's gettin good.

Cardiac Arrest and Suicidal Squirrels

Instead of the called for intervals today I opted for a TT of Clarks. I hate that climb. I have to say, there is no way I could have gone any faster. By the time I reached the little sign towards the top I thought I was going to kill over. I felt fast, well fast for me.  My gps battery was dead so I had to rely on my strava app. I have tested it out and it seems to be pretty accurate. All in all, I was extremely happy with the results. I am also happy to report that I didn't go into Cardiac Arrest. I did however taste blood. I think a TT of Clarks is a good replacement for 5x3 minute intervals. Right? I was pleased with my result. I guess intervals do help.

Once I regained consciousness I rolled down Brocks to Canyon Hollow. Only saw a handful of riders out in the trail. I cruised up Ghost then came back down. On my way back to the EQ Center a squirrel darted out from the bushes and well, didn't quite make it across the trail before I rolled him or her. Heard a Squeek or a grunt. Oops, sorry bout that. Usually its a snake or a lizard that can't escape. First for me.

Im tryin to get a hall pass from Lindy as well as work to do the PC50 on July 9. Not sure if I can work that out or not. Im hopeful.

Our little addition is settling in nicely. She is an eater though! I guess thats good. She has been doing pretty well at night. She sleeps in pretty good chunks, only problem is when those chunks are is still unpredictable. I'll take it though. Hannah was up every few hours like clockwork.

Just a moving tip

Just a tip for the  next time you move. If you move to an area that is still stuck in the 80's aka still has a dude hangin on the back of the garbage truck that stops and actually dumps your garbage this would be ok.

But, since we don't have that here anymore, these people are in for a surprise when they come home to find out that they still have to break down 50 more boxes. Glad its not windy today, those boxes would just be in a neighbors yard.

The new Rim Trail

Made it over to the Draper Rim Trail this morning. This is going to be a great addition to the trail system if Corner Canyon. I rode it  up from Potato Hill to the DH intersection. Must of had some kind of work release goin on today. Saw about 8 kids all with bright orange hats on clearin roots from the trail. Thanks! 

I added some intensity rides this week since imi short on time to ride since we just had another baby a week ago. I must say, my legs feel it. It will be interesting to see if I have any different/better results over the next while. Time will tell. I hope I get somethin out of it. 

Chicks dig scars!

The sprocket monster took a chunk outta me today. The dirt was good though.

S. Suncrest

South Suncrest Time Trial done.

photo taken another day

I felt o.k. Im still shakin off this head cold. I am also about 9 lbs heavier too.  Nice tail wind for most of it, some crosswinds, and one spot of a headwind. That part sucked.

Time was 22:16. about 30 seconds slower than my fastest time last year. I think that was in late June/ early July. So, I guess I feel ok about it. It hurt though, as it should.

TURN IT ON!

In an effort to blog about something other than backcountry skiing or cycling I was thinking of some childhood memories. I thought they would make good blog stories. So, today I bring you the story of the Swamp Cooler.

I am sure many of you if not all of you grew up in a house that used a Swamp Cooler as its main source of Air Conditioning. In Utah, it worked pretty well 75% of the time. If it was Humid it didn't work so well. Some draw backs were sometimes your food would get stale from the extra humidity, loud, really cold right by the vent and not so cold further away, gettin it up and going. This post will focus on the last one. 

You see, at my house growing up, I had 3 older siblings. The closest of which was 4 years older than I. This basically meant that as soon as I was old enough to take on certain tasks, they were immediately passed down. Enter the Swamp Cooler. I cant remember exactly how old I was when I took this task on but Im guessing maybe 9 or so. The time would come to get the coolers up and running at some point in May usually. 

My dad would get a bucket, a screwdriver and a wrench. It didn't matter what kind of wrench either. My dad would get the ladder out, carry his bucket with his screwdriver and his wrench in it with the hose in the other hand. Now, to this day I have no idea first hand what went on up there I just have my reflections of being at the bottom. That is inside working the controls of the unit. Water was going everywhere my dad made his way up to the roof while I waited patiently at the vent where the controls were. Our controls were old school. You had pump, a hi and a low along with off of course. 

And it begins. My dad would start yelling. OK TURN IT ON! Im seriously laughing while I type this. I would turn the pump on. OK TURN IT OFF! BANG BANG BANG. I am not sure if this is what the wrench was used for or the screwdriver. OK TURN IT ON AGAIN! I could hear water running, BANG BANG BANG. TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF! OK, JUST WAIT A MINUTE! We didn't have Itouch's or any of that cool stuff to kill time. I just sat there, waiting for my next instructions. OK! TURN THE FAN ON LOW! click, click, TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF! In a slightly panic voice. BANG BANG BANG! This would go on for what seemed like hours, realistically probably 20 minutes. Luckily for me, we had 2 swamp coolers. All in all it took maybe an hour or so. Every year, those coolers cranked up and kept our house coolish. I got to the point where I could figure out if we opened the hall closet it increased the airflow into the bedrooms. Awesome. I miss those days. Any time I bring up Swamp Coolers at a family function we all start laughing. Its a good time. TURN IT ON!!! We are so spoiled nowadays. 

Enough

Ok, enough is enough. This wacky Spring has left my waistline in a more round shape than I would like. Yes, I will blame it on the Spring weather. Not going to blame it on candy, cake, ice cream, cupcakes, chocolate, fast food etc. Its the Spring weather and Im stickin to it!

But, enough already! My mid-section looks the same now as it did back in January. Plump. Now, I am sorry Lindy (my wife) I know I am not supposed to talk about my weight or being fat with a pregnant lady in the house but I cant take it anymore. Aside from PCPP (which Im not even sure I will ride this year) and the Draper ICUP, I don't have any events to train for with the exception of a newborn baby due in June. Im worthless.

So, I am going to make an attempt at droppin this weight. I have about 8 lbs I would like to get rid of. Theres more there to lose but 8 would get me down to where I was last Spring. I was pretty happy with 172. There it is, I have atleast 1 month left maybe more before baby Betty gets here. Thats long enough right?

How am I going to do it? Well, for starters I will but cutting out the aforementioned things that I am not going to blame my plumpness on. I will also ride my bike as much as possible, drink more water etc. There is also some new 1 track bein cut in Draper. Although that 1 track won't help immediately but every time I drive home I will be able to see it. That will motivate me.

Balloons and the Human Sign

Most of you know I work in the Construction Industry, more specifically New Homes. I have been doing this for over 10 years now and over the years I have ran across some interesting characters. I have worked in Springville, West Jordan, Layton, Syracuse, Murray, South SL, Sandy. Each city has its own sign ordinances. Some cities we can put signs up, others we cant. Its kind of a pain in the ass.

In Syracuse, they wouldn't allow offsite signs or weekend directionals. So, we had a giant 6-8 ft A Frame sign that was out in this field that we had to knock down to lay flat each night and put back up each morning. Sounds easy enough except when theres a foot of snow in the field and the sign now weighs 2x as much. Oh, we also got to use balloons. The builder I worked for at the time (national builder jackass's) had these gigantic balloons. We blew them up in the model stuffed them in our car and drove out to put them on the sign. Problem was, the static in the car would cause the balloons to pop. Did I mention these balloons were gigantic? I remember the first time one of these balloons popped in my car. Thought I had been shot at, needless to say I had to make a run to get some new underwear. This was a daily ritual. I think those popping balloons took years off my life.

In Springville, we couldn't even do the above. So, we hired a human sign. Some dude or lady would come to my model on the weekends pick up our giant hand held sign drive out to the corner of the busy street and hold/wave the sign. This brought out some interesting people. I was just going through some old pictures and found these.

You see, they had no idea how big the sign was and they came unprepared to drive the 4 blocks out to the main street. I can't tell you how many times I found the sign propped up against the car and them napping inside. Easy job I suppose. Stand on the street, hold a sign, wave at people, listen to some tunes? No, tough and tiring job, must take a nap. There was the pale skinned dude who came to be my sign in the hot summer month of July. No, he didnt have sunblock and after a day in the sun holding the sign he came back and had the worst sunburn. I am pretty sure the 40 bucks he made that day was not worth it. 

There have been several others, but these pictures made me laugh and it brought back some memories. 

Dogs & Dirt

Some of you may follow me on Twitter, and some of you don't do Twitter. If you don't do Twitter, why not? Anyways, I was short on time yesterday but I wanted to get a ride in. It was blue skies and sunny and I thought it would be a great day. Like I said, I was short on time so a quick road ride would do the trick. It was a bit chilly, colder than I expected it to be. Rolling down south suncrest was cold! I threw in some intervals just to spice things up a bit. Damn, those hurt. Anyways, as I was rolling back home down Eagle Crest I saw out of the corner of my eye something running towards me. My first thought was, Oh shit! Its the Cougar! (there has been a few cougar spottings in our neighborhood over the last few weeks) then I realized it was not a Cougar, it was someones black and white dog, running towards me prepared to help me make a skin donation to the roads of Suncrest. Luckily, I saw it soon enough, swerved a little to the left, I was able to unclip and kick the bastard in the teeth. One swift kick and it stopped and went back home. Why do people leave their dogs unsecured? I had some good advice via facebook from KK. "BTW, K. Fisher taught me the property dog kicking technique. Don't swing your foot, lift it up and drive it down on top of the dog's head. It keeps you in better balance (so you the kick doesn't crash you) and pushes the dog's head into the ground which stops them better" 


Best advice I had from that little exchange. Everyone else just felt bad for the dog. Dog wanted to take a bite out of me! I had fears of eatin it, leaving my skin on the asphalt, then getting eaten. I used to get chased by dogs all the time when we lived out in Herriman, its been awhile. It will be interesting to see if that dog chases me again, thats assuming its left unattended again. 

junction of Ghost/Canyon

Today, I opted for the safety of CC. HAHAHA, Safety? Some will say, theres Cougars etc roaming around there. This is probably true, but usually want as much to do with me as I do them. That is, we want to leave each other alone. Hopefully. Dirt was in great shape, all trails are good with the exception of Clarks and Rush. I heard a few people tweeting draper "when are you going to open Clarks?" Haven't heard a response. Got in about 15 miles, did jacobs, canyon hollow x2, and ghost x2. It was a great morning. Seems that Tuesdays are always windy. What the hell? 


Saw the same Utah Mountain Biking dude there this morning as I did last Tuesday. He keeps to himself as he gets ready, once we part ways I never see him again. Don't know who he is but, Hey! How's it goin? 

Mojo

Im usually off on Fridays but this week I had a switch and took Thursday off instead. I think it worked out great. I got in a quick dirt ride after work wednesday night then met Lindy and Hannah for dinner. Thursday morning I dropped Hannah off at school, cruised over to CC and rode for a few hours until it was time to get Hannah. The dirt was good. The temps were just about right, it was a little windy but beggars can't be choosers right?

I have been having trouble with my left lately with it holding air. I pump it up and within a half hour it loses half the pressure. I was bummed with this yesterday when I noticed it on the climbs. I have to say, I didn't notice it on the downhill. Never bottomed out once. I felt really good on the downhill. You know how once in awhile the stars align and you have a great smooth flow on the DH? Thats how it was. Some have that all the time, some never get it, and others once in awhile. Im hoping I can have that feeling more often because its like sex. There, I said it. Lets face it, riding bikes downhill lasts longer. Right?

Now its cold and sort of trying to snow. I'd rather it snow than rain. Snow seems to be better on the trails and it keeps people from going out. Hoping to ramp up the riding here soon while I still have some time before baby #2 gets here in June!

Commute

So, I have settled into my new work location and I am finding that I quite enjoy being closer to home. My new community is behind the Home depot on State in Sandy. Its a 15 minute drive or about an hour bike ride. Or longer depending on the route you take.

Yesterday I rode home. A little over 10 miles, just under an hour and close to 2000 vert. Not a bad commute. I was hoping the weather would hold for me to ride back to work on my mtn bike via Corner Canyon. It did hold, and it was the best commute I have had in a long time. I dropped down Potato Hill, across the BST trail, down the silica trail, up canyon hollow, up ghost, down ghost, down canyon hollow, out lower cc and through the streets of Draper. If I had more time I would have rolled out towards Scout bridge and out that way. I think that will be a good way for me to get some riding in that I maybe would not get. I won't be able to do it everyday but I think once a week at a minimum.

All in favor of a commute via bike say I. I!

I also wore the new Revolution Team kit. First time with bibs. A little different, holds me together a little more, fresh material, a little audio slit in the back. Very nice! Oh, and the plaid rocks too!

Commute via CC

Oh S&^%!

This last few weeks has been a bit wet here in the 801. With the several new inches of snow that has fallen in the mountains I decided, why fight it.

I haven't been skiing a whole lot in the last month. Since I committed to the epic fail that is also known as True Grit 50, I tried to spend more time on the bike in preparation. Since then I have been on the bike a few times but the weather has not been ideal for riding. It has been more ideal for skiing however.

The last 2 weeks I have spent transitioning to a job that I have had for 7 years to a brand new job. Same gig, just with a new builder. One that is emerging from this craphole downturn and ready to rock and roll. I am also ready to rock and roll after 3 years of picking myself up off the mat each day to roll into work and get my teeth kicked in again. The time had come to make a move.

So, with all of that going on plus a new kid on the way and trying to get  room finished in the basement recreation has taken a back seat a little bit. With the new snow I was searching for someone to ski with Friday. Steve came through for a late afternoon meeting. We needed something fairly quick since Steve had a hot date with his wife that night so Mill D North fit the bill. It dumped on us pretty much the whole time. The wind was mostly calm and the snow was piling up. It was fairly dense below 8000 ft but above 8000 it was much lighter. We spent an afternoon in the mountains with new snow. Thats a good way to spend an afternoon.

The real excitement came on the way down the canyon. Steve was driving his Subaru and the road was slick. It looked as if it warmed up a bit melted some snow then got cold again and froze it. Steve made a maneuver to pass an Aerostar mini van, immediately after we hit some ice. We could see people up ahead on the road and I knew there were some cars off the road. As we got closer, we started sliding. Steve downshifted, still sliding, he finally stepped on the gas just in time, we fishtailed a few times almost taking the dude out that was walking across the road. I was trying to decide if I should brace myself or jump out. Luckily, Steve has trained in defensive driving and we made it. We immediately stopped to watch the Aerostar blast into the cars. That never happened though. They must have seen us fishtail and slowed way down. We are such dicks, stopping to watch some carnage.

Steve got us home like a champ. We always say, live to ski another day. We usually just mean don't take unnecessary risks while in the backcountry. I guess it can apply to the drive as well. Steve assured me that I was covered with several airbags. I wasn't worried.

Good times. Thanks Steve.

The Nail

Some days you're the hammer, some days you're the nail. Today was the latter. Not that I am the Hammer very often. Its actually a very, very rare day. But its been awhile since I was hammered like I was today. I knew within the first 5 minutes that todays ride was going to hurt. Then we rolled up on Rick and his superhuman strength and freshly shaved legs. Yep, I said it. Either the pace ticked up or someone let the air out of my tires. I struggled, my heart rate was higher than it should have been and to make matters worse, my garmin died so I had to rely on the blood coming out of my ears and my heart about to beat out of my chest to tell me that I was about to die.

This is what it felt like. Pedaling a fat ass around CC.

I hope its a long time until I feel like that again. I had no pop, felt tired and my HR was hi. Boo! The ride was still fun though even though I suffered.

Thanks guys, I needed a good ass whoopin. Time to get my shit together.

Mud and Rain

Many of you know already that I traveled to St. George to participate in the inaugural Grit 50 Epic Race. We were all watching the weather wondering to ourselves and outloud, hope it holds! Even the morning of the race, I checked the report, mid 60's 20% chance of rain, partly cloudy. I can live with that kind of weather. As I drove in from Hurkin to St. George, I could see dark clouds out west and south. Sometimes its hard to tell just how ominous things look from a distance and sometimes those clouds never drop rain. This was not one of those times.

this is after riding 2 miles on a wet road. It helped clean off some of the mud

 There was a pretty big crew from SLC and lots from the Hoood. Jdub, Banks, Seamons, DT, Gordo on his virgin race voyage, Grizzly, D. Bagley and many others. We were all excited because this race links together some of the best desert singletrack around. Technical, fun course. Banks and I had pre-rode the first half of the race earlier in the month and I knew it was going to be tough but had no idea what was on the horizon.

But not all of it

Race started at 9:00 a.m. I enjoy that start time much better than the 6:00 or 7:00 a.m start time. I can get up have a good breakfast and not feel rushed. It was cold but not unbearable at the start. mid 40's. I had arm and knee warmers and had my windbreaker vest on with a cap under my helmet. I think I dressed about perfect for the day, a rain jacket would have been nice but not sure it would have helped much. After about a half hour of racing it started to rain. It was a steady drizzle that pretty much wouldn't stop until about an hour after the race. Sometimes it let up only to follow it with some extra heavy downpour. The first half of the race was great. I felt good, was never cold, trails were in pretty decent shape. Most of the first half is over slickrock and pretty technical terrain, there were puddles around and the rain made some of the sections extra tricky but it was all good. I kept thinking the rain would end, the sun would come out and it would be a marvelous day. Well, that thought would come crashing down as we started the Stucki Springs climb. We got into a decent pace going up the first half of Stucki, then it seemed that it got really cold. All of our hands were going numb and we could barely feel our hands. I kept saying it felt like my suspension wasn't working and my wrists were getting pretty sore. We were all together on the climb, me, jdub, banks and Gordo. Gordo blew off the front out on a mission, we didnt see him again until the finish area. Once we got to the top of Stucki, we stopped to shake out our legs and hands knowing that the decent was only going to make matters worse. We looked at each other and I think I said out loud. "What the fuck are we doing out here" At that point we all laughed and laughed. What else could you do. We were cold, wet, muddy. I have never been that wet on a bike before. Seriously, we couldn't have been more wet if we stepped into a shower fully clothed.

CRAWLINGSPIDER.COM

The first part of the downhill was good. A little slippery but not treacherous. Then we encountered the mud bog. There were people and bikes everywhere, trying to figure out how to lug there 25 lb mtn bike that quickly became a 50 lb bike covered in thick goo, wheels wouldnt roll, there wasnt any shifting going on. It was an unreal scene. We just laughed and said the F word alot. It made me feel better. We crawled our way out litterally, some parts we were able to ride, some parts we had to walk, we eventually rolled up on a volunteer who happened to be on the phone with the race promoter. He said they were pullin the plug. They were going to start pulling everyone off the course due to treacherous conditions, some even were treated with hypothermia.

CRAWLINGSPIDER.COM

We opted to continue down the road that eventually led us back to the start of the dirt and on to the main road back to the finish. Not sure how we ended up there but we did. We were cold, dirty and shivering. People were huddled around a propane heater, some with blankets, I even spotted a dude with a space blanket on. Shivering uncontrollably. Low 40's and pissing rain are not great conditions for a long mtn bike race. It truly was Epic, and Grit to say the least. I have never participated in a Cross race but have watched them. Those were perfet cross conditions. 50 minute race full speed and done. Instead we spent 4+ hours in it we were done just in a different way.

CRAWLINGSPIDER.COM

After all is said and done, I felt pretty good during the race. Only one spot of bother was on the climb to Stucki and I think that had more to do with the cold than anything else. It was a great day and a ton of fun. If it weren't for my riding buddies, I would feel entirely different. We all made an effort to try to stay together the best we could. I couldn't imagine spending that much time in those conditions by myself, that would have been torture. Instead, we had good friends, and one hell of an adventure that we will never forget. Some rides are epic because of a distance that you rode, some rides are epic for the things you overcame. This ride was epic on many counts, weather, trail conditions, bike conditions etc. One hell of a ride.

Thanks for the photo Mrs. White!

DT looks cold! Brrrrrr

Huddling around the heater. I don't think the heater was working. I saw flame but it was still cold.

The fellas, all were able to muster a smile. Thanks again Annie. 

You can check out Jdubs write up here.

Can't wait to go down next year. It can't possibly rain like that 2 years in a row can it?

Thanks fellas!

Oh, I almost forgot! The worst thing that was a result of riding in the rain for 5 hours in the cold? My right nipple got worked. In an effort to get some comments, I am going to prostitute my right nipple. For those of you that are afraid, stop here. My right nipple got rubbed completely raw. Everytime I shower it hurts. I have to shower with my hand over my nipple. Stupid little thing. Enjoy!

The Beginning

Behold my hand me down Green Schwinn. This baby was 20 years old by the time I got my hands on it. My first real taste of Joy and Freedom came with my feet placed firmly on those black pedals. Riding a bike brings me joy that only a few other things have been able to replicate. Looking forward to Spring.

Got out for a little Heathen Road Ride yesterday with evilbanks. Fitting partner for a heathen ride. It was a little breezy up top here but was nice and calm down in Alpine. We got in about 20 miles. Can't wait for the next ride.

Sprung!

No, not the Sir-Mix-Alot song although it is a good song. Spring has sprung in the Wasatch, err atleast for now. Birds were chirping, sun was shining, singletrack drying. Yesterday was a great day! I was debating a road ride or a mtn bike ride. I saw that someone said that the lower CC trails were all dry and rideable so I opted for the mtn bike ride. Sure enough, trails were dry with the exception of a few muddy spots here and there. Temps were warm, warm enough to ride in shorts and short sleeves. It was nice to be on the bike again. My ass took a real pounding last Sunday down south. 5 hours + on technical one track for the first mtn bike outing of the year sure did leave its mark. But, well worth it.

Dry one track

Shadows with a little snow

One of my favs

obligatory photo of me, its my blog afterall

So, while it looks like Spring for a few days, it looks like there might be some wet weather heading our way, I guess I'll bust out the ski's.