End of Quarter Blues

Sometimes work just gets in the way of ride time. Instead of looking at the fall leaves and single track, I get to look at this all day....

It will all be over tonight. Soon I can get back on my bike and ride again.

It's Not Just The Tax Benefits

One of the benefits of having kids is right to carry a package of wet wipes where ever I go (and not look like a creep). I keep a package in my truck at all times. They are magic. Spill something on my shirt? A wet wipe can take it out. Got messy hands from that maple bar? No problem. Grab a wet wipe. Go on a night ride, get back at 1:30am, and too tired for a shower? No problem. Grab a handful of wipes and wipe down the legs and arms and crawl into clean bed.

Without kids I would have never discovered the wet wipes. I am forever hooked.

Changing the subject....Mueller Park in Bountiful is one of the best night rides around. Very long climb which means a very long donwhill. All single track in the thick trees. And they have a Denny's that stays open all night about 3 miles from the trail head.

French Toast Slam with eggs over medium. Mmmmm.

The Mistress

check out the orange Chris King hubs

My new singlespeed is built up. Thanks to the Revolution team for their help!

I wanted to wait until I got it a little dirty before I posted a pic. Kind of like when I was a kid with new white tennis shoes. I was always embarrassed to wear them until they had some dirt and scuff marks on them.

It has exactly one ride on it. Enough to know I that I really, really like it. Something about the Niner geometry that just feels right. I'm running a 34x20 for the rest of the season but might go back to the 32x20 eventually.


I met Tony, Jon, and Trent yesterday after work to test it out. The ideal testing grounds needed to include both the Jacob's downhill and the Clark's climb. We went up and down Jacobs, down Ghost, up the new rock/stair section, and then up Clarks.

It's light and fast. Enough said.

I messed up

My grand plan to go off the Diet Coke was silly and stupid. After taking a full week off the juice, I started to put on the lbs. I don't know if it was a result of my increased snacking to fight off the cravings or if I put my body into shock. Whatever it was, it had to stop. I'm back on the juice and feeling much more like my old self (despite the extra 3 lbs I'm carrying around).

Good Times

Years ago, Rachelle and I lived in Arizona. We were young. Had a good job. No kids yet. We had just bought our first house and a new car. Life was good.

One day during lunch, I was driving back to work in my new car with an ice cold Coke in my lap. Totally zoned out and listening to music. All of a sudden, I was blinded by a flash of light. One of those automatic speed limit machines had just tagged me speeding and it took my picture.

Several weeks later, I got a letter in the mail which included a ticket and a photo of me. I wish I could find that picture. It's the funniest thing. I had a huge smile on my face. Just happy to be alive with my Coke, music, and new car. Totally clueless that I was about to get a speeding ticket.

Last night, I loaded up the truck with my MTB and gear and had set off to meet the group for a night ride up AF canyon. I didn't have a Coke (although, I'm back on the DC wagon), I was listenting to some tunes, and feeling good. Totatlly clueless that I was about to get a speeding ticket. As I came down the south side of Suncrest, I was clocked doing 58 MPH in a 40 zone. Yep. I got a ticket.

I didn't get mad. How could I? I was about to spend the next 3 hours riding my bike at night on some of the best single track in the World.

Since I have a "biking slush fund account" and since this was on my way to a ride, It means I'll be cutting a check to the city of Highland instead of getting that nice new carbon bar.

Note: I took a shower when I got home this time.

My Dirty Secret

Last night after attempting to get the kids in bed (They were all in bed but not even close to being asleep), I went out for a night ride with Tony, Sam, and Aaron. A night ride in the early fall is hard to beat. We rode in Corner Canyon and climbed up the Ghost trail from the EQ and dropped down Clarks and then over to the Scout Bridge. If you haven't ridden through the burn area, you need to. It's like riding on the Moon.

I made it back home by 11:30ish. I was pretty tired and didn't feel much like a shower. So I rinsed off my bald head in the sink to rid myself of the helmet stink and then threw on some pajama bottoms (to keep the dirt from getting on the sheets), and crawled into bed.

I don't know if Rachelle notices when I skip the shower and go straight to bed but we are one of those couples who have sides. So really, it shouldn't matter to her. If I'm fine with sleeping in my own filth. The extra 10 min of sleep is worth it.

Update: Still not a drop of Diet Coke but I have a feeling this weekend will change things. I don't want to live past the age of 70 anyway.

Status Report

It's been five days since I've had a Diet Coke. Here are a few observations:

1) The time I most crave a DC is after a mtb ride.

2) It's much easier to keep my mind off of it while at work.

3) Sunday is the hardest day to not drink

4) I really don't feel any different.

I wanted to go several days without to clean out the body. I have no intention of giving it up for good. I have several road trip/bike trips planned over the next few months (Rachelle, we need to talk). I can't imagine Fall Moab or Fruita without a DC. That would be blasphemous. And my friends would probably not speak to me.

If you see me with a DC in my hand, please don't get me the stink eye. It's all good. I passed my own personal test to see if I could do without. Turns out, I can. But I really do like a DC every now and then. Maybe just not as much.

Cold Turkey

As I sat in the LAX airport last night, my brother called. We got to talking and he mentioned he is off the Diet Coke. He inspired me to give it a go. Today is the first day without any Diet Coke. I have a very large bottle of Tylenol extra strength on my desk to get me through the next few days.

May your thoughts and prayers be with me as I go through this difficult time in my life. I hope to see you on the other side. Maybe we can share stories over a nice tall glass of chocolate milk.

New Bike

It's on order (along with a nice new Stan's ZTR 355 / Chris King wheel set) and should be built up and ready to ride by mid Sept.  All single speed all the time now for me.  

I'm sticking with some squish up front and will be stealing parts from my Rig to complete the build.  

I've already picked out which pillows I can sell on ebay in order to pay for a new carbon bar or maybe a motorcycle chain (I broke the chain on my Rig this week.  That's 2 broken chains in 2 months).  

Jamie's Nap

Only a few minutes into the descent of last night's night ride, Jamie decided to pull off the trail and lay down for a nap. He swears that he "crashed" but we all think he wanted to sleep for a few minutes.

Jamie needs to learn how to clear away the bushes before he naps. When he awoke, he was covered in thorns and in the worst possible spot. Especially before a 20 minute downhill.

Photo taken by Dug

He pleaded with the group (Dug, Tony, Sam, Jon L., Brad P., and me) to help pull these out, but we weren't about to fall for his trick.

We celebrated the success of the ride with some breakfast at Village Inn. We all ordered large quantities of food except for Brad P. (the only Pro rider in the group). Brad kept it to a slice of pie and a cup of hot chocolate. I guess that's why Brad is the Pro.

Cycling- The New Golf Part II

Have you ever been talking to someone, having a pleasant conversation and then all of a sudden the person you're talking to starts practicing his golf swing? AS YOU ARE TALKING TO HIM? Do you find that offensive like me?

What do you do when that happens?

Would it be acceptable to go get my mountain bike from my truck and roll over to his cube and start practicing my track stand? No. It would not be appropriate. So why do golfers feel like it's acceptable to start swinging?

I hate golf. HATE it.