Sundance Spinners

Was not sure how my hand was going to hold up race day. Took a 45 minute spin with a few 10 second efforts on Friday night, no problem, pavement is different.

I picked Caveman up around 7:30 and we headed south. We were engrossed in conversation and missed the exit, so we had to backtrack a bit. Registered about oh, 9 am, parked it and got a sweet 10 minute warm up in.

We had about 20 at the start, close to 350 overall racers, so much for participation flagging when we hit the ski resort courses.

Ed started us after the single speeders, drat. Chris B took off from the start, I got on his wheel, hoping to get past as many SSers as possible before we hit single track, alas we did not get past many, I think Jack was in 3rd at this point. We had little trouble getting around a bunch of SSers on one track and we crested the top, Chris 1, me 2, Jack 3, I think. I was descending poorly, due to my crash Wednesday and halfway down Brad and Sam were on my wheel, Sam got around me and Brad stayed back there till we started climbing the Pavement, I settled in a bit on lap 2, Jack got around me towards the top and put a gap on me, Halfway down the descent on lap 2 I let Henneman around me and I tried to follow his wheel, this seemed to snap me out of my bad descending for the day. When we hit pavement I motored past him. Halfway up the climb, I could see I was pulling Jack back, we were dealing with lapped traffic though. On the double track towards the top, I went around him and tried a small acceleration, small was right.  The last descent we had some traffic issues, mostly no problem, but one guy would not let us past, Racer, me,Jack and Paz were piled up behind him, all having a gap between us until we came upon him, finally he let us by, I was glad Jack made it by as well, cause I did not want that to be our race. 

I motored on up the pavement and came in with a 14 second advantage over Jack, for 4th, again, 3 weeks in a row on the tweety chair and a pink ribbon.

Lap times

34:27

36:18

35:27

consistency is good, I wish I woulda got a decent warm up in though.

Sunday was 2 hours on Flying Dog with Fred P and Brian H, who I ran into in the parking lot, we got hammered in a cold lighting full down pour in the last 15 minutes of our ride, other than that it was awesome, wait, that was awesome as well.

Rewind to yesterday

Break Room Dialogue

Alisa (co worker) : So Bob, how often do you crash?
Bob: Rarely, I try not to over do the downhills, most of my crashes are stupid and slow speed, like last Tuesday pre-riding the Draper race course.
Alisa: Hmm

Fast Forward to about 6:45'ish, Round Valley, Top of the race loop, in about 2nd to last place in expert A group, first lap, starting the DH, Right Hand sweeping, rocky loose turn.

Front wheel disappears, left hand crunches on something, handlebar jabs into my hip, right leg grinds up on rocks, bike goes into brush. I jump up, to get outta anyone's way, start trying to relax and check tio see if hand is broken, i hang out about 5-10 minutes, then ride down and DNF and clean up.

Today my hand is sore, I feel like someone punched me in the hip and i got some good trail rash.

I blame Alisa.

Stan Crane Memorial 2009

I spent a lot of time in the 2 weeks prior to the race riding the course, mostly to dial in the Ghost Falls DH. Also because the trails are so dang fun. I actually almost went 3 weeks off the road bike. Boffeli said something like, welcome to the right way.

So first I want to thank Ed, Sue all the volunteers for their long day of smiles and good attitude. Then I want to thank Ken Murdoch, he is one of the reasons the trail system in Draper is what it is and will be what it is for years to come, He was out there at 4am checking conditions and rallying his troops to remark and man the course when it needed to be changed to protect the trails.

So Lyna and I show up to the venue at 6:45, Keating tells us 1 hour delay, I'm like, well, ok, no problem, then I send out a team email and a txt message for as many as I could. Then the course changed once and then twice and I was glad, cause we gotta protect the trails. Then the new course was all sandy soil and would hold up even if it rained again. Ed also decided to do 2 waves, which was a great thing, but meant Experts and Pro's would not go off till after 1, 5 hours after the planned start. Of well Whitney Pogue made some awesome oatmeal rasberry snacks, which helped keep me Carbed up. I got in a 2nd warm up 2 hours after the first and we started a bit after 1. 3 seven mile laps were on tap.

Ribonucleic got the hole shot with me on his wheel under the tunnel, I then went the front and got passed by Chris B and BK on the first short double track. I got to the rolling single track and let up a bit to recover from the start effort and Sam got by me, the 1 mile double track down hill seemed to take and eternity, into a head wind, Tim W got by me here, the 1 mile double track climb with a tail wind was a god send, and my best race section all 3 laps. Ribonucleic was on my wheel a bit up the first time, but I kicked in a small attack and separated myself. Tim was still close ahead but we were already catching other categories, making it difficult to close the gap n singletrack.

On lap 2 up the double track climb I was right on Tim's wheel going into the singletrack and we got separated a bit here. Finally on lap 3, on the first doubletrack section, I was passing utmtb.com Mikey and he said Go Bob!! This foiled my evil, sit on Tim's wheel unannounced plan' and I had to attack, I put in a bout a 30 second big ring effort and passed as many other categories as I could, hoping to pull back the top 3, alas, I came in 4th. Good news was that I charged on the last lap, instead of fading.

The course was fun, although I want to race the planned course. The post race BBQ was good and fellowship as always was good.

Congrats to cavey on his second win.

Everytime I was climbing, I ws thinking of Stan. I wish the Pillings coulda been there, stupid immigration laws.

Hammerfest at the Holler

I love this race course, it is hard, real hard, dizzy hypoxia inducing hard.


Ooh, I am sure that everyone knows my race strategy now that they will all start beating me. (kidding)

We had about 15+ at the start, I went hard, uh, yeah, really, and went into the short singletrack first.

Chris B passed me and Jack D was on my wheel. We started opening up a gap on the group with Chris about 10 seconds up and Tim WHite about 10 secs behind Jack and I, Chris had a skipped gear and Jack and I went around him, soon after he caught us again. Jack and I dropped off the top together and I saw Tim W go down on a hi speed corner while he was trying to catch us, at the lap Chris was 20 seconds up and Jack was 5 or so up on me. We had a very large gap at this point on the group. Chris and Jack started extending their gap on me, so I settled in and hped for the best. I started passing lots of 19-29'ers and 30-39'ers and just kept chugging, the course makes it easy to see well behind you and I saw no one in my group coming. I held it together on the 3rd lap with very little let down compared to previous races, I was cathcing Ryan K from Kuhll and used that as a carrot, he was using it as a rabbit. A bit before the single track climb at the top a Kuhl rider on a single speed motored past me and I noticed his tag showed he was in my category, crazy, I could not hold his wheel and in the end I finished 4th, still happy, the corner has been turned as expected.

I hit the Draper course again today, met up with team Shannifer and Brian in the middle of their 5.5 hour ride to show them around, that course is a blast!

'Group RIde'

We handed out Team Revolution Peak Fastener Kits at the shop last night, plan was to then do a jaunt up to the Temple Quarry trail and back. Ty and Ryan were planning on riding corner canyon and no one besides BZ and I showed up to ride so BZ and I decide to go with the corner canyon option. Ryan was going to meet us at the EQ center at 7, Ty went home to get changed and get his Scalpel. He shows back up at the shop at 6:35. I estimated around 45 minutes easy pace to teh EQ, well Ty had other plans, it took us about 21 minutes to get to the eq. Ty led from the shop to 123000 south on 700 east, we averaged about 29mph in that stretch. Then we climbed clarks (heckled some teamates building the beginings of a new trail) Then climbed halfway up Jacobs ladder and descened that and ghost falls, checking out, but not riding the wall (part of the Icup course) We then made it back to the EQ and BZ< Ty and I had to ride back to the shop, BZ started the attacks on 1300 east, and Ty followed, I just tried to hang on, then I made an attack on Pioneer road and just prayed to get caught soon. Ty and BZ then just pulled my old ass in the rest of the way.

I was gonna hit the mid week race tonight, but not now, got a good enough workout in last night.

stealing from the rich

Sherwood Hills was on the old course, as the snow had melted away, good times.  I showed up at 9 am to support Revolutions lone beginner and to hang out with Ryan et al.

Ty, Kelly, Greg, Jeremy, Justin and I went out and did a lap of the course for a warmup. It was in good shape. And the weather was in the mid 50's to 60's perfect for racing.

I think there were around 12 or so expert 40+ at the start line, we hit the start loop at a good clip and I am on the front, Tim comes around me a bit later then halfway through the first lap BK is with us, we have a gap on the group, at least I think we did.  BK comes around me on the last short up before the single track DH, Tim comes around me on the dirt road dh and we put a gap on BK, he then just motors past us on the start of the climb, I try to keep Tim in site. On lap 2 I let off the gas a bit as I wanted to hold some reserves (ha) Tim was about 30-45 seconds ahead of me here. Halfway through lap 3 I see the under armor wearing guy, but I gap him in the single track, He motors past me on the climb to the lap spot, I am now in survival mode. Halfway through lap 4 DC catches and passes me pretty much exactly where he did last year, I am in the 22-32 and suffering.  Several of the 30-39 racers I passed passed me back like I was standing still.

Lap times (main lap not including start loop or finish twisties)

23

24:30

26

28+

The lap has no place to hide or recover. Around 500 feet of climbing in  less than 2 miles, then most of the descending is broken up between short hi speed double track and pedally twisty single track and the false flat down hill.  I was good until about 1:10 into the race, that is when my HR and speed took a dive and I was in survival mode.

Right on track.

BK is a mutant, I won't even mention what he ate not 45 minutes before our start.

I did a 3 hour ride from home to shoreline from zoo to city creek, up to the antennas and home, got a real good sunburn, worked in the yard and now I am blown, oh and 1-800flowers failed, my mom did not get her flowers, crap.

In other news the Solitude Mid week series will be back, Wednesdays this year, first 4 races at Round Valley area starting May 27th, last 6 at the 'Tude.  The website will be updated soon.

I still don't have any more news on the Labor Day weekend endurance race, as soon as I do, I'll let ya know.

Ouch

Intervals, the doctor says they are boring and dumb, he may be right, did two 10 minute pushes tonight and tasted blood, got dizzy and overheated, ran into Mikey as he was heading down from Big Mt.

Tailgated a group of Ski/Utah and Visit Salt Lake riders up most of EMi before I hit the first effort.

My power tap hub is loose, way to loose to be riding for 2+ hours.

All the while Lyna and Nathan were building a fence in my backyard, guess I should go make dinner.

And Go.........

Woke up this am, checked the doppler and saw the big green blob covering most of Utah. Told my self, it will be ok and laid down for another 30 minutes. @ 7:45 BZ calls and asks if i am still in, I say of course, he asks what I am doing, I say making waffles, he asks where, I say at home, he asks when I plan on leaving, I say oh @ 8:30. He says, um the race is at 10, I say I know..... oh shit. 50 minute drive and not quite ready, well Lyna helps me rally and I am out the door by 8:05.

It was raining, driving past Draper on I-15 was dry, Keating texts me to say Wet and Sloppy, heading west of Lehi it is dumping rain, like tropical island down pour, The car in front of me is close to hydroplaning, I see Ty headed the other direction, he calls and said they may delay, shorten or postpone till Sunday(unlikely). I keep going, about a mile from the venue the clouds are higher, and lighter, but still raining. About 9:30 word comes down that we will do one lap on a 5ish mile course starting at 11, then it stops raining, at 10:30 it changes to same lap counts as regular race but on the 4-5 mile course. I warm up a bit on the trainer and just chill a bit, cause who knows what will happen in these conditions.

We start ON time, heck half the expert 30-39 group misses their start. There are about 10 of us 40+ experts. I line up on the second row, to stay on a good line, off the start the guy in front can't get in his pedal and then spins out in mud, so i am in last, I find a line on the right side and motor to the front halfway up the first short climb. A bit later I understand Sam and Dr X are on my wheel and we have a large gap on the field. Sam gets past me around halfway through the first lap, I just keep going at my pace, The first 2/3rds of the course were fine, climb@ 300 feet in 1.5 miles then descend. Most of the descent was fast, flowy and tacky, but there were 2 sections at the end that were bad, a flat 1/8 mile bog down and a puddle ridden slick 1/4 mile. I cleaned all of it though. first lap 3.16 miles, @14 minutes. Rich C was about 20-30 seconds back from me, Sam was about 20-30 ahead. Halfway through lap 2 we are already catching beginners, sam is on the side of the trail with a flat. I have caught all but the top 3 30-39'rs. Second time through the bog was brutal, lappers walking in the middle, but I cleaned it again. Lap 3 may have been my fastest, i burned all my matches on the climb and cleaned the bog easily (it had firmed some) the puddly section was rough, Blaney was taking lappers out in front of me and I was laughing so hard I almost ate it.

Came through with my first 2009 win in about 45:30. I need more 45 minute races this time of year.

Lots of flat tires today, weird, then post race, the sun came out, and it warmed up, figures. Lots of regulars where scared away by the weather. Don't really blame em, except for all the CX'ers, chickens.

Pictures when I get em, they should be good.