I'm a bit tired and sore.

But not as sore as Mark.

I think I have ridden about 12 of the last 14 days, 2 of those days were CX races, the rest were MTB rides on the Shoreline up by the U and one MTB jaunt in Corner Canyon yesterday.

The CX race on the 19th at Wheeler was a bit rough on me, took 8th in a strong field. I just didn't have any pop in my legs. Feeling like the fumes of the MTB season had finally disappeared. I did get the debut the new super hero suit though. Plus it was muddy, which is always good fun. I remain 3rd in the SS standings, but expect that will disappear by the end of the season (2 races left)

Wednesday night we went to Pie Night at a Canadian friends, mmmm Pie, it was good. Thursday Lyna and I both got out on the shoreline, i rode with Erik H for a bit, then with Lyna, before I went home and started our small thanksgiving dinner. MMMMM turkey.

Saturday was Clammy Cross down Merkin Fark way. Team was kind enough to 'sponsor' the series in a small way. I headed down early to set up the team tent, and proceeded to snap 2 pieces of the frame. Yay me.

photo credit - Flahute

The course was a fun one, Parking lot start, short service road to woods, downed log crossing, steep pitch, up a cart path, high speed singletrack traverse, with hidden rocks, followed by a highspeed singletrack descent with more hidden rocks, multiple 180's in the grass, then back into the woods for the BMX section. Back onto the grass for a few straightaways the intermittent 5 barrier section (seriously Josh, WTF is up with your brutal barrier ideas. 5 in a row...... the 5th one being far enough away to make one wonder if getting back on the bike was worth it (it was) and at Friday night lights i had to dismount 33 times) Ok, other than that. I love d the course.

I lined up on the 2nd row. Cause I don't want to get in anyone's way. I proceed to be almost last going into the dirt. At the top of the climb, I am in about 5th or 6th, I stay in that spot till the end of lap one when i move up to 2nd. On the 2nd climb, Chris gets by me and Stewart, Rick and Rich are close behind me. I start gaining on Stewart on every section but the climb and he pulls away on the climb. On lap 4, I think, I get past him on the grass before the barriers, he comes by me again on the climb, next time in the grass before the barriers, I go past him and gap him, next thing I see him in the pit pumping up his tire. Chris is about a minute ahead the rest of the race, he was crushing the climb. Rich hovers between 20-40 seconds behind me, making up time on the climb, but, i gained time on the other sections. Ended up 2nd, which was unexpected, but damn it hurt, a lot. We did 9 laps, which took me about 66 minutes. Chris probably took 60. Lyna did not have much fun in the race, time for some time off the bike for her. Sunday E-Pow, Kathy, Chris, Mark, Alex, Ahmi, sally and I hit the CC trails, from the EQ to potato hill, out Annes, out to the air park and back, Awesome trail conditions, a bit of packed snow in sections on annes, no mud at all. Good times.

Golf Course CX

The week post 24/5 Hour races are brutal, whether you raced or supported, you are blown and have about 8 tons of shit to unpack, wash and organize. Lyna and I got through that as best we could. Friday am was a meeting up PC way in regards to 2012 RaceUSCS races.

Friday afternoon I got in a short spin on the Shoreline, which I though might be the last of the season.

Saturdays forecast was looking a bit rough. Not only that, but racing SS on a CX course with a 175 foot climb with 8%+ grades makes one wonder whether or not they should change the rear cog out for a bigger one, well, that is too much like work and the 2010 version I was able to make the climbs, so up to Ogden I went.

When I arrived the wind was whipping and some rain was falling. I set up the team tent and went and spoke with Matt and Greyson, who informed me that contrary to their intent, the climb was routed straight up the fairway, which meant 10%+ grades.

I went out and rode a lap on my geared bike, the climb was ride-able on it. I expected it wouldn't be on the SS. Also, the course was getting sloppier and sloppier, mmmm, fun.

I ended up without much of a Warm up, too much socializing. Oh well, I got to the start right on time, got my call up and proceeded to flub getting into the pedals. I was off the back from the gun, luckily (for the time being) my gearing helped me get back to the front 5 before the climb.

The Climb, wow, talk about a selection maker. I was able to ride about halfway up the steep part, and then I ran/walked to where i would remount.

The thing was, I don't know if it would of been faster to dismount sooner, and then the remount area was confusing, as the grass was soaked and soft and getting back up to speed was difficult, and then there was one more short, steep section to ride over. Suffice it to say, that if you were geared in such a way that you could ride all of the climb, you won. Joe was, and Did.

The photo is me, doing it wrong up the BITCH somewhere in the middle of the race.

This section about 2.3rd's of the way into the course was tricky, muddy with potholes and ruts.

Here I am, with the winner, on lap 1.

Oddly enough, I stayed upright the whole race. I may have been to conservative, but on the bike is significantly faster than on your ass. I think maybe if I wouldn't of flubbed the start, I may have been able to be 4th or 5th, putting people on the ropes early can change things in the end. It did for me, I was on the ropes early and dug way too deep to come off, which hurt me on the last few laps.

By the Time Lyna raced it was snowing and sticking, making it a different type of slippery, she fell victim to the evil slip and slide on lap one, losing several places as a result. She rode her MTB, which was good on the climb, but maybe not so good everywhere else, 6's in the end.

We both finished 7th. And had fun.

Sunday, after some laziness and a costco trip, I headed out on the Hardtail for a recon mission on the shoreline. the Zoo climb, all the way up to roller coaster were firm, with 1 sloppy section.

So there is dry dirt available for a bit more. YAY!!!!!!

Hurkin, Laverkin

This past weekend, I spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Desert southwest of Virgin, Utah. In the shadow of Gooseberry Mesa and Zion. I arrived early to set up the Team base camp for the 25 hours of Frog Hollow. The pups came down with me, along with a few thousand pounds of tents, tables, stoves, heaters and food. I got the camp partially complete and went off on a ride of the course. Same course as the 6 hour race giggly fun. The temps were in the high 60's and it was a bit windy, a front was moving in. After teh ride, I got some more of the camp put together and went ino hurkin for alame dinner, back to camp for bedtime.

Friday, I woke up, temps were a bit cooler, in the 50's, but the wind was whipping. Went back into hurkin for a great breakfast and then hung out with Quentin and DJ at Over the Edge for a bit. Went back and finished putting the camp together and went out for another ride on course. Ty, Brooke and Drew showed up, along with Chad and Stacey, so we went for yet another lap on the course. Too much fun. The wind was still blowing. Lyna and Sally and Ellen and Ste[phanie and Leslie and Whitney all showed up as well, several of us went into Hurkin for mexican, came back to camp (half of the teams stayed in motels or homes the night before the race) About 11pm it started raining and the wind was still howling.

BTW, i was not racing, I was supporting, 2 4 women teams and a Duo male team.

I woke up around 7:30, the rain stopped for about an hour, the temps dropped to the low 40's, the wind picked up and then around 9 it started snowing. The race started at 10 and it was looking bad. Miraculously at 9:30 the clouds started to break and at 9:45 the snow stopped falling and the race was on. Very little mud on the racers coming in from the first lap, the course was pure hero dirt.

the rest of the day was spent shepherding racers to and from transition, heckling racers, hanging out in the tent. The wind was brutal, even though the temps were in the low 50's the wind made it freezing out of the tent and the riders had to climb into the wind. Chad and I went out and did a lap with Ty in the afternoon, boy was it cold.

Ty and Drew gradually built a lead in the Duo male category. The 2 Revolution ladies teams were pretty close (they were the only womens teams) sometime in the afternoon, disaster struck for the Knobby Knymphs, Jennie double flatted and needed a teammate to come out to rescue her, losing 40 minutes in the process. So the Fast & Dirty girls had a large lead.

Finally as night fell, the wind died to nothing and even though the temps dropped, it seemed much warmer. I helped everyone with their lights and other needs, Lyna flatted on her first night lap, but still pulled a 1:30 time, even with going through 2 Co2s and having some light malfunctions.

Ty and Drew were stilling hammering it out and growing their lead. Chad did a night lap with Drew and I took 2 four hour naps, separated by an hour.

I got up Sunday am around 7, checked in to be sure everyone was ok and Drew was getting ready to go out on his last lap (23rd for the team) and asked if I wanted to ride it with him, I said sure, and thought I had an hour to get ready, had some pancakes and coffee, went to change and got back to the tent and Ty was back, So I went out to chase Drew down, I had to go XC pace to catch him on the dirt road leading to the Hurricane Rim bathroom. We rode the lap out and I decided to go out on Ty's last lap with him as well.

Meanwhile, the Fast & Dirty Girls had a 3 lap 'cushion' and after Sally went out on her 5th lap, no one really wanted to go out a gain, Leslie was filling sick, Whitney was blown and Lyna was sleepy, however, Lyna, being stubborn as she is went out for her 6th and the teams 20th lap. She went out 15 minutes before Ty and I and we saw her a few times in the distance a few times toward the middle of the lap, but she pulled away at the end and finished around 15 minutes before Ty did.

Ty made it in at a bout 1 minute to 10am, meaning, they could of gone out for a 25thlap, however, 24 was their goal and they had a 3 lap cushion, so they called it for the W, The Fast & Dirty Girls got the W as well.

We teamed up to break camp in record time, Hung out for the podium and headed home.

Great weekend in the Desert. Fun and inspiring. Awesome to see Dave Byers crush it for 20 laps and 2nd place. Always great to see the Southern Utah peeps, Kim and Danny, DJ and Quentin, Cim and Bryce, Lynda and Dave, Fixie and all others.

The Frog Hollow race had over 250 participants, which, I believe is as many as the 'National Championship' 24 hour race back in October. They also had more out of State participants than that 'Championship' race. USAC what's up with that?!?!?!?

oooh, photos found.

Be thankful I didn't buy the high resolution versions.