Winter Gear

I finally broke down and bought some winter riding gear. Neoprene shoe covers and winter cycling gloves. I'm tired of not riding outside. I think I can deal with the cold as long as it's dry.

Check it out....

Specialized Radiant Glove - has a thick liner and then a shell.

Specialized Neoprene Shoe Covers (black not red)

I went for a test ride yesterday in Draper Corner Canyone area. I didn't realize the jeep trail in Draper was ridable until i heard Jamie and Tony talking about it during the Squaw Peak ride.

Now I just need to find something to protect my man parts for the downhill.

Kenny's 2nd Annual New Year's Day Squaw Peak Ride

A few days ago, the email came from Kenny with the invite to his 2nd Annual New Years Day Squaw Peak Ride. Kenny is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. So when Kenny plans a ride, people show up. Forget that it was Jan 1st, it was 10 degrees outside, and we just had a significant snow storm earlier in the week. Despite all that, there must have been 25 people at the trail head as we pulled up.

I had my doubts as I opened the car door. It was cold, we were in the shade, and it was still pretty early (10am). I knew there was going to a lot of snow on the road. After a few minutes, we were off and riding. My fingers were numb and the water in my bottle was already frozen. It didn't take long for the riders to settle in at their own pace. It was going to be a suffer fest and everyone knew it.

These rides always turn into a race but the crazy thing is, it makes no sense to get to the top first because we always wait for everyone to take a group photo. The longer the wait at the top, the colder it gets.

About half way up the climb, my fingers warmed up and I actually started to sweat.

Riding was tricky. There was a jeep track in the snow but if you got out of the track it was soft and deep. It was a lot like riding on rollers. You had about 12" of track to ride in and it was slippery.

I'm not sure anyone made the climb without putting a foot down or hiking sections of the road. Especially the last pitch. It got really steep and loose.

After the most of the people made it to the top, we took a group photo (see more pics over at Brad's site at http://www.bradkeyes.wordpress.com/)

After the photo, most of us were anxious to get down. The downhill was sketchy. Arond every corner there was someone doing an endo or tipping over sideways into the snow.

It was a good training ride and much more fun than riding inside.

Rugged Mountain Chick

I married a RMC (Rugged Mountain Chick).

Some guys love it when their wife gets all dolled up for a night out on the town. But I really love it when my wife throws on a pack, puts her hair in a pony tail, and heads into the mountains. I took this pic of Rachelle during a recent ski tour up Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Rachelle has some lungs and legs and can really motor up the mountain. We were able to catch several groups on the climb. I was so proud.

We skied some deep, light powder and had an entire valley to ourselves.

My Favorite Pics from 07

As the year comes to a close, I thought I would post a few pics from some of my favorite rides of the 2007 season.

I like this picture of Dug taken minutes before the ICUP Draper Race. Dug is on a rigid single speed that weighs about 30 lbs while wearing green knickers, a Fat Cyclist jersey, and nursing a 44oz Diet Coke. I would have loved to see the faces of the riders he passed who had gears and a full lycra team kit.

Could this pic be any cooler?

This was also at the Draper race. It was the debut of the orange Fat Cyclist jersey and the debut of my new Niner Air 9.

Here is a pic of Dug's bike after finishing the Deseret Rampage race in St. George. This was the first race of the season. Just days before the race, Dug converted his wheels to tubeless. It didn't work out well for him. After several flats, Dug had had enough and finished the last lap on just his rim. As he carried his bike accross the finish line, it looked just like this. We all got a good laugh but were impressed that he finished the race and even beat some of the guys in the single speed class despite the mechanicals.

Here is a pic of one of many night rides we did this year. Thursday night rides were especially great because after the ride we would all meet at the Village Inn for a midnight breakfast.

About 50 of us at Kenny's annual RAWROD (Ride Around White Rim in One Day). 108 miles around the White Rim trail near Moab in one day. This year, I rode my single speed and about died. Can you find Waldo in this pic?

My first trip to Fruita, CO. with eleven of my friends. Two days of new rides with great weather. We hooked up with some locals who showed us the good stuff. I'll be back in 2008.

Rachelle and me at the finish of the Leadville 100 race. I was completely cooked after finishing in 9:30. In Dug's recap of the race, he claimed that I was so tired I didn't even recognize my wife at the finish. I was so glad to see Rachelle and grateful she came out to watch and crew.

Justin, Joey, Sam, and me at the start line of the Lotoja race. We finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th in our start group. 206 miles with 3 big climbs in the first 100 miles.

I hope 2008 will be as good.

Signs

During the winter I stop thinking about cycling for a bit and spend as much time as I can in the backcountry. It's great cross training and a lot like mountain biking. Usually a hard effort to get to the top followed by a short but very very good downhill.

I was able to get a couple of days in over the Holiday break and got lucky with some really good snow conditions.

I saw the avalanche report this morning which mentioned that the 2nd fatality by avalanche this season (in Utah) occured on Christmas Day. This time it was a snowmobile accident.


Conditions are still a bit sketchy on the good lines and it's bold to attempt to ski these but some people can't help themselves. Maybe we need more signs like this at the more popular trailheads. This was taken by a local photographer at the top of 9,990 peak at the Canyons ski resort. It seems more people die at 9,990 every year than any other location. It's crazy so many people with no knowledge of the snow conditions or who lack the right gear ignore these signs and go anyway.

Grizzly Gulch

Dug took this pic of me and Sam at one of the high ridge lines above Grizzly Gulch in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday morning. The avalanch danger was on the high side so we decided to play it safe and ski a more mellow shot in Grizzly.

The group had a few equipment delays in the parking lot, so I ended up getting a head start and breaking trail the entire way. With a good amount of fresh snow, it was a nice workout for me. I had some time to hang out at the top of the climb and watch the ski patrol from Solitude set off some charges in the Honeycomb Canyon cliff area. I've always thought doing the early morning ski patrol thing would be a fun job. Maybe after I retire from my real job I can get a job doing that.

After days like today, I start to forget about my rollers or spin classes. I would much rather spend my workout outside in the mountains.

Sit-Ups in Lycra....Not a Good Look

Do you know what's worse than a fat gut? A skinny guy with a soft stomach. I don't want to be a skinny guy with a soft gut. Cycling may give you toned arms and strong legs but it does nothing for your core. At least, it's done nothing for my core. Not even the single speed seems to help. So last night, after my session on the rollers. I decided to add a few reps of sit-ups.

Have you ever done sit-ups while wearing lycra shorts and no shirt? It's not a good look. Not a good luck for anyone. Don't do it. It's worth removing your cycling shorts and putting on some regular shorts before starting your sit-ups.

There, I said it. I feel much better now.