Archive for April, 2009

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East Canyon

Posted in Races, Road on April 26, 2009 by VH1

First of all HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Holly, 13 years of marital bliss (April 25th)! Have you ever had the dream where you are trying to run, but the legs won’t move?  Saturday I raced the East Canyon road race and lived this dream.  At the base  of the last climb I missed the move and chased the breakaway, in no man’s land, for the next 14 miles!  I would have given up the chase, but the group stayed a mere 100-300 yards out front teasing me. I was completely redlined, and couldn’t reel them in.  I felt like the kid who missed the bus and tried to chase it down while it drove away.  I definitely learned a few things during this race.

1. Never attack during a pee break

2. Always stay in the first 15 riders.  This is especially true as a climb approaches.

3. No matter how good the legs feel, one guy CAN’T reel in the pack!


Oh well there is always next week. Here is the data and route from the East Canyon road race east-canyonjpeg

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Crazy times @ RMR

Posted in Races with tags on April 22, 2009 by VH1

What do deer ready to attack, a water tanker, and lap counters that skip laps have in common?  Answer: they were all present at the RMR last night.  First the water tanker.  As we were lining up to start the race a water tanker pulls up and while straddling the course starts filling up its 10000 gallon tank.  Keep in mind 70 racers are watching this spectacle in disbelief.  After a half hour his tank was full and he moves out of the way.  The announcer brings us to the line the second time and we all notice that a herd of deer are making their way near the back straight away.  The announcer mentions that we are not to hit the deer if they make their way on the track. Okay note to self; do not try to run over a deer.  The race finally begins and the first lap is “neutral”.  I say “neutral” because I lost about 20 spots on this lap.  I thought you weren’t supposed to push the pace while in a neutral start?  On the back stretch at the apex of a 90 degree turn the water tanker lost a few hundred gallons making this turn really dicey.  Luckily no one I saw went down here, but it could have easily been a disaster.  Even with this craziness the race was a blast!  It was serious interval training with all the braking and hammering on the tight corners. With 3 laps to go I got in a break with 4 other guys.  The annoucer yells 3 laps to go.  Steve A. pulled the entire lap and did a great job.  Lap 2 to go was fast and furious.  As we approached the end of this lap there was yet another surge as 3 of the break tried to get free.  I stayed on their wheel getting ready to unleash on the final lap.  Turns out that surge was the finish and they (officials) skipped a lap.  Some of the break away heard the bell others did not.  I was one of those that did not.  I ended up getting 4th.  Oh well I guess I left a little in the tank for East Canyon this weekend. Here is the data and route rmr-3jpeg

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The name game

Posted in Mtn. Bike with tags on April 21, 2009 by VH1

I woke up this morning and found this in my inbox:


Hello everyone,
The trails committee is presenting the “preferred use trails”
presentation to the city council next week and it was suggested during
the last meeting that we name the bike trail.
I’m officially accepting suggestions if you have any.  I DO NOT want
to have my name attached to this trail and the trail committee seems
to agree with that.  I think they decided after “Clark’s” trail that
they wouldn’t do that anymore.  Other than that guideline, it’s pretty
much fair game.

Because this will be a  “preferred biking” trail, I would suggest that
we at least attempt to put some play on words, or cycling phrases in
the name so that other user groups will think “bike trail” when they
hear the name.  I’d probably stay clear of any names that have
connotations of extreme, high speed, death defying, gnarly,
decapitating, limb severing, etc,  for obvious reasons.

To help you get an idea of the trail to help with name suggestions, I
would refer you back to some of the earlier e-mails describing our
goals for the trail.  If you don’t have those still, I would
paraphrase it this way:
It will be a very curvy, twisty, flowing single track trail with some
medium speed sections, but mostly will wind it’s way down the mtn in a
way that will minimize speed and maximize enjoyment.   We’ll use the
natural terrain to create some berms, jumps, drop-offs etc.  It will
start at the top of the canyon near Clark’s trail and wind it’s way
down to the Silica pit, and will be one-way for bikes.  (Foot traffic
will be allowed but it will be a preferred use bike trail.)

I’d love to have this work as a “group brainstorming” exercise, so
please “reply to all” so that we can use suggestions to build-on or
combine names.
So, put on your thinking caps and let us hear your suggestions. Thanks, Jamie Pogue tibiker@mac.com


Let’s help Jamie out with this request.

Here are my initial entries:

1.  Glue Factory-No horse would go on that trail

2. Meatball-I just love this name. When the wife asks where i am riding I can just say meatball.  Who can say no to that?

3. Excuse Chamois-Get it, play on words for excuse me.

4. Flying Squirrel-This is the name for the old ghost

5. Spare Tire-bikingish, yet references being fat

6.Wynonna Judd-She is very curvy, twisted and single

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Sweet Saturday

Posted in Road on April 20, 2009 by VH1

Finally weather warm enough that earmuffs and a parka aren’t necessary!  Rode up AF canyon in the afternoon and made it a little past the Pine Hollow gate before hitting snow.  If this weather holds the road should be clear in the next week?  I was wearing the MASHer jersey from Salt Cycling and Frank (Ghengis) and the Flying Ute chased me down in hopes of seeing a famous face.  Sorry to disappoint you guys.  Frank, good luck this week (his wife is ready to deliver any day). Rick you need more of those jerseys out on the street.  As I was climbing the south-side I past Jamie and Brad KeyesJdub, Zeph, Riessen, Ty, great times boys.  Banks you gotta step it up bro, less than 5 months to Leadville (i guess getting crazy in Vegas counts as training).  I forgot to turn my garmin on for a bit of the AF climb, and lost about 3 miles and 600 feet of elevation. (they were coming down) and saw 2 sharp riders a few hundred yards behind them.  Assuming they were buddies of mine I gave them the double bird salute.  Sorry Whit and Tasha!  I promise I didn’t mean any harm. Here is the route and data from the ride on Saturdayaf-alpinejpeg

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Power test #2

Posted in Training on April 18, 2009 by VH1

Here are the numbers for power test number 2:

Sam – 2nd test
Avg Watts – 362
Max Watts – 536
Avg Speed – 27.0 MPH
Max Speed – 31.2
Avg Cadence – 93
Max Cadence – 107
Avg HR – 162
Max HR – 175
Distance covered – 8.992
OUCH THAT HURT

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Shot in the arm

Posted in Training on April 17, 2009 by VH1

I went in for a few vaccines yesterday and have a question;  has anyone had a testosterone, i mean tetanus shot lately?  I don’t remember them hurting in the past, but this one is really sore.

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Jacob’s-Ghost

Posted in Mtn. Bike on April 14, 2009 by VH1

Yesterday I rode up from the Suncrest saddle to the top of Jacob’s ladder.  On the way up there were 2 hike a bikes through snow but overall I was surprised at how dry it was.  The downhill started out with a couple hundred yards of snow, you could ride around it and then it was clear to just before the turnoff to the new singletrack where the snow was up to my knees.  The new singletrack was smooth and tacky.  I then hooked into Ghost and it was in great shape.  In fact, it was in such good shape that I got my hopes up  for Clarks being open.  It wasn’t so I took the singletrack over to the golf course and rode the north side of Suncrest home.  That thing is a beast without gears.  This rain should hopefully have the snow melted off the trails and ready to ride after a couple days of sun. Here is the route and data for the ride jacob-ghostjpeg

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Catch the Carrot

Posted in Road on April 8, 2009 by VH1

Carrots are something I love and hate.  I love to CHASE carrots and HATE to be the carrot.  What is a carrot you ask?  Well it is simply someone who is more than 300 yards in front of you, on the road, and riding the same style bike.  So if you are on a road bike, you can’t count a mtn. biker as a carrot.  However if you are on a mtn. bike and catch a roadie that does qualify.  Living at the top of Suncrest, each ride ends with a nasty climb and depending on the day you are killing yourself to stay away or killing yourself to make the catch.  What is more satisfying?

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Suicide at RMR

Posted in Races on April 8, 2009 by VH1

After racing on an outside velodrome for 22 minutes at around 26 mph in a tight pack of newbies, constantly dodging wheels, handlebars, mullets, etc.., a scary thought entered my mind.  “This crit is going to end in a bunch sprint and bodies will be scattered the entire length of the course from a single wreck”.  This freaked my out!  Phat Pat then made a move and I followed.  We held the entire pack off for a solid 6 minutes, but the 18mph headwind eventually broke us down.  The move was pure suicide, but is there really a better way to win? Here is the data from yesterday’s race. Sorry the HR monitor ran out of batteries.  This was one race I really wished it was working.rmr-2jpeg

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I am not Belgian

Posted in Races on April 6, 2009 by VH1

Paris-Roubaix (French Translation=really hard, dirty and bumpy one day race in France) is the true “Hell of the North”, but look how much fun these guys had during the SLC version this past Saturdayhellofthenorth

and here is another one   mark1

Some might call me soft, but when Adam sent me a text that it was too cold and snowy to ride (It was a white out blizzard in Suncrest) I didn’t argue.  I simply slid back into bed for a few more hours of shut eye.  I am not Belgian and HATE the cold! Mark and Pat big props to you for manning up and racing.  Pat even bigger props to you for testing out the “Belgian Knee Warmers” aka embrocation.  Maybe that is the real reason you won?


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