We headed to In & Out for Lunch and while leaving saw Mr. Hales going in who told us he rode Gooseberry and the road was dry. Oh well.
Somewhere around mile marker 35 heading up towards Cedar City the engine just gave out, came back, gave out, So Erika and I were burning up the breakdown lane at 45mph till the Ranch Exit and MM36.
I called Steve Hales to see if he could pick Erika up, he did. I then called Danny, good friend, rider, racer, and boarding house for pro's who also happens to be a mechanic. He told me to try and make it back to St G and otherwise he would come get me. I made it to right before the Leeds exit before it started acting up again, so I took the frontage road to Quail Creek and then Telegraph to Danny and Kim's house. We went for a drive to show Danny what was up and then rode our bikes to a neighbors house for dinner.
We woke up early on Monday and headed over to Danny's work and hooked the computer up to the car and figured out the problem. VTEC has a screen, that was clogged and when the cam was trying to switch, the oil pressure didn't change so the computer shut the engine down.
So he cleaned it out, changed the oil and put in a good oil filter and new air filter, we tested it all again and it was all good to go (Element and other VTEC engine owners, use good Oil Filters)So I went to get some lunch and headed over to Prospector and Church Rocks for a bonus desert ride.
The Zaskar on Church Rocks
Bad self portrait
I then drove home, this view in Utah county about 45 miles from home always seems unreal to me.
So, really, the whole experience further illustrates what Bike racing REALLY means to me. Community. The Community that is there for each other, has fun and helps each other when needed. Yes, we all want to go faster and win, but the question I have for you is whether or not the community is more important?
8 comments:
Bummer. But sounds like a nice ride on Monday.
Crazy, my car broke down on the way back from Paradise Canyon in SG. I wasn't so fortunate though - the transmission is dead. It was quite the adventure trying to get the family home.
if i saw you stuck on the side of the road i wouldnt have stopped. or if in a race you needed my bottle, because i never use it i wouldnt give it up, i would dump into the dirt and watch you eat mud.
Fox, I drink your mudshake.
I completely agree about the community! You make some amazing friends riding. My car breakdown/ give away St George experience recently also proved how great the cycling community is.
Bike racers are gay.
I piss in the milk of your community.
OK, not really. Having never won a bike race, the good part about finishing is hanging out with my fellow racers after.
I think this car breaking down scheme is a fantastic way to gain extra days out of town. "Sorry boss my car is broke, I gotta play, er.. work from St. George today!"
And I agree 100% about the community.
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