Yes, I still have a blog...

But who cares.

I was super excited about this years Park City Point to Point.  I know the trails as well as most, I know I can go hard for hours (12 hours of Mesa Verder for example) and I had a chance at doing well in my age cat and exceeding my 2010 result. Alas, work and family through a wrench in the plan.  The parents 50th anniversary was a blast, and work is required for now, so be it.   Sold my entry to Hansen.

On to supporting Lyna in her 2nd attempt at the race. SHe was looking to exceed her time from 2011 and was prepared.

I told Boffeli that i was not going to be able to volunteer this year, since i wanted to help Lyna. So Friday afternoon i went out to ride the spiro/ham/armstrong climb on the course then headed up to shadow lake via powerline and noticed the rains had hosed course markings (later found out the person remarking that section was walking down the service road above shadow lake with 2 flats) SO I proceded to use deadfall to close off trail not being used, making rock arrows/ etc... and descended CMG doing the same. The course marker added flags and chalk arrows later.

Drove over to the canyons for registration and hung out with the gang, got to talk to Jill for a bit, good to see her healing.

I ended up answering a lot of questions and found my name of the volunteer list, as an alternate.... oh well.

Saturday morning arrived, Deluge, drive up parleys. hurricane like. Race delayed at least an hour. In the end they started at 8:15 with the round valley 12 miles removed.

I took the PCMR drop bags to the feed zone, then ice up to the DV silver lake zone. Hung out and helped direct traffic and get racers food. Lyna came through looking strong, we got her fueled up, drive train de mudded and on her way.

We then heard about some racers off course, before TG, I had an idea where it was, ended up being correct, even though the course was well marked, a lot of people missed a super hard right, and missed @ 3 miles of the course. Boffeli went up to the section and added more markings.....

I then headed down to PCMR and helped track the first 20 riders in to the feedzone. Then I helped other riders get fueled up. We kept checking the radar, a cell was moving out way, although it looked like it may miss, at @3 it hit us, we saw it up the mountain a bit before, @ 15 minutes later the lightning and hail came. Lyna was still not down, Her and Brandon and a few others had just started dropping down from Shadow Lake when it hit. @6 miles of descending in Hail and Lightning,  her and Brandon Hunkered down in low spots a few times as the electricity was flying. I was worried sick,  at the same time the race was called for anyone that had not left PCMR yet, well before the official cut off, for safety, lots of people who had already headed back up the last 21 mile section had turned back as well.

Finally Lyna made it down, I got her wrapped in a few jackets and Boffeli wrapped her in a tarp, i got the truck warmed up and then got her to it and changed. she was, at first glad to be warm, but then bummed to be done. She was on target to beat the cut off by @ an hour, before having to take shelter and crawl down the hill.  I am just glad she is safe and grateful for Brandon's help.

Lots of positives from the day, smiles, super helpful volunteers and spectators, gracious racers in light of difficult circumstances with the weather some course confusion.   We have a great community full of amazing, giving people.

I, however, am very disappointed with the way some racers handled the adversity.  I am also disappointed in the amount of trash left on the trail.

Oh yeah, I helped Boffeli clear the course between PCMR and the canyons today....

So much for not volunteering.

That is the thing, the people complaining and making a big to do over small things have a mentality that they are owed something, entitled.... I think maybe they should get off their asses and give back. It is not all about them.  Even when I have won my age category in the past. It is meaningless and arbitrary, as my friend Jason White said so eloquently...

The only guy/gal winning is the one crossing the line in the Pro field on a given day (yes, that excludes masters, ... fields handicapped by an age categorization, expert classes, etc...). Every other race going on that day is handicapped, by a fairly arbitrary line drawn in the sand (35 yrs old, Cat 2, Expert, whatever you want to name a class) in an attempt to organize the rest of racers, hobbyists, etc... All well and good. ... Unless your winning the Pro/A/Elite race, your simply the least handicapped racer in a handicapped field that day. ...congrats on your being the tallest of the 7 dwarfs. ......but cycling in general has a comical amount of people that take themselves way too seriously

 Amen Brother, Amen