DCCrossings

Photos

2011-03-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

I acquired a new camera a few weeks ago to inspire me to become a better photographer. I'm a complete novice but want to learn. Since I never get around to posting on this blog, I decided I'd try to post a few pictures every week or so. We'll see how motivated I stay. So far, all my pictures have been out skiing, so that's what you're going to get for a while.

Sunrise shadows - Pioneer Mtns Idaho

Sunrise over ski tracks - Pioneer Mtns Idaho

Tim White hiking - Pioneer Mtns Idaho

Cobb Peak - Pioneer Mtns Idaho

Tanner Cottle - Tanner's Gulch LCC

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

I got my period urge to write a blog post. A successful cross season is in the books and it's time for some skiing. I've made it out a couple of times on skate skis to remind me I still suck, but I still like it. However, any thoughts of being good enough to have fun racing are still in the distant future.

I have been out on a number of good backcountry tours and got the year off to a good start with Tim and Mike on New Year's Day. They guided me around all day on this route.

The highlight was conditions allowed us to ski the Hallway Couloir. This was my first difficult to find, true chute and it was great fun. A real confidence builder. If you look close, you can see our tracks.

Here's Mike then Tim in the chute.

Surprisingly, the best snow of the day was the exit out from Cardiff peak. All in all a fantastic way to begin the new year. Looking forward to more to come. Tanner's work and school schedule will now allow some touring with his dad, so it will just get better.

Compatibility Issues

2010-12-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last week,Mark and I were hiking on Flagstaff around sunset when the wind chill was -35. I have issues keeping my fingers warm and was complaining a bit. Mark said something like: "Have you noticed two of your favorite activities, skiing and cyclocross, take place in the cold. You might want to rethink your what you like to do." Good point. A week after our outing, I've lost a layer of skin off the end of my nose and the ends of my fingers are still numb. However, I still raced Saturday, twice as a matter of fact, in very cold conditions.

The smart thing would be to avoid putting myself in positions that exploit my weakness to cold. But here's the rub, I really love cyclocross, backcountry and skate skiing. Therefore, I'll put up with occasional numb extremities, shaking uncontrollably before and after cold, wet races and sending stupid money on clothing to keep me warm. All this in an attempt to overcome my basic incompatibility with the cold. And you know what, I'll keep doing it because the payoff is more than worth the discomfort. If you're reading this, you probably understand.

Tanner's a Vampire and Cross News

2010-11-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

We're had our suspicions for years, but Adam's picture confirms the truth. Look closely, under race stress, Tanner's vampire fangs are showing. This explains a lot. No wonder a few years ago he suddenly started dropping me like a rock on all climbs. Superhuman strength has to come from somewhere.

In other news, it's time for cross racers to turn their thoughts to Bend Oregon and Cross Nationals. Mark, Doug and I will be making the trek this year with a trailer filled with the goods. (Sadly the Vampire has finals at the same week.) We'll have room to haul some additional bikes and equipment. The haul fees will be a lot cheaper than the airlines, so let me know if you're interested.

The compound will be bigger, better and heated this year. Hopefully, we'll be able to set up next to the Church of the Big Ring crew again. Any Utah racers are welcome to use the facilities for warm up and hanging out.

The stairs will be back again this year.

Never enough bikes around. Can't wait. But before the big dance, the State Championships should be good this week at a new venue with solid potential. Might even be winter like conditions. One can always hope.

Winning

2010-10-30T20:37:00.003-06:00

Not surprisingly, I've been thinking some about winning the last few weeks. Winning with frequency is a new concept to me. Prior to this cross season, here's the list of my cycling wins. Don't worry, it won't take long to read.

1 ICUP beginner class win (my first bike race).
2 ICUP 40+ Expert wins in 2006 (small field with no fast guys in both cases).
1 ICUP 40+ Expert win in 2007 with a legitimate field.
1 UTCX 35+ A win in 2007 in my best race ever.
1 UTCX 45+ win in 2008 (raced 35+ the rest of the season).
1 Expert 35+ downhill win in the early 2000's (raced two other DH's and crashed out of both).

I've had a couple veteran class heat wins on a cruiser BMX bike when the kids were dabbling with BMX, but no main event wins. I raced one NORBA National veteran dual salon event and won a couple heats but crashed out of the semis (was the end of my brief gravity racing career). That was my complete list of wins after many years and hundreds of races. I've never come particularly close to a win on a road bike and probably never will.

Each of these prior wins was a pretty big deal to me because I knew winning was a rarity. With this history, I'm not sure what to make of my streak of cross wins this year. I'm the first to point out that there's a couple 45+ guys racing 35+ that are consistently faster than me. However, being off the front of a good group of 45+ cross racers is still really cool and strange at the same time.

I've always considered myself a "slow, fast guy". In other words, I've been fast enough to race in the fast guy categories but never fast enough to consistently be at the front. So why do I, and for that matter most racers, race? It's certainly not for the winning. For me, racing has always been a battle with myself. A race was measured by my internal effort gage. If I gave it my best effort, the race was a success regardless of placing. In addition, I've always been a doer not a watcher. Participating in challenging things has always appealed to me.

Internal battles and personal challenges still motivate me, but over the years it's the MTB and Cross racing community that keeps bringing me back. I've been fortunate to become friends with a diverse and interesting group of people I would never have encountered in my "normal" life. I'm a better and more well rounded person because of it.

So, finally racing my age group and focusing my limited training exclusively on cross season has led to some wins this year. I'm very much enjoying it and will do my best to win some more. However, if I never win another bike race, I'll still show up for events because it's become part of who I am. When people ask if I ride bikes or if I'm a cyclist, I always respond with "I'm a bike racer".

A blog post

2010-10-25T22:43:00.001-06:00

It snowed today so a blog post is in order. The summer was filled with riding, racing, hiking, family, work and all around good times. The fall has been off to a good start with training, racing, hiking family, work and all around good times. There appears to be a pattern here. I'm sure the winter will bring skiing, hiking, family, work, XC ski racing (maybe) and all around good times. I can't wait.

I must say cross racing has been particularly good so far. Finally making the jump to my age group has proved fruitful with a few trips to the top step of the podium. Can't complain about that. Winning the same day as my big brother was cool as well. However, the best part of cross season so far has been watching friends try cross for the first time and getting completely hooked. It can't be explained, just experienced.

On a final note, this summer I discovered yet another way to to hurt myself while looking like a dork. It's called roller skiing. Road rash is remarkably similar whether inflicted by a fall from a road bike, mountain bike, cross bike or roller skis. Who knew?

Tour of the Corn

2010-04-10T15:55:00.001-06:00

Rather and racing my road bike at the Tour of the Depot today, I convinced Adam, Kendall and Jason to join me for the Tour of the Corn. Our objective was the huge natural half pipe on Lone Peak's south side. We've all looked at it for years and today we skiied it. We made good time to the ridge and enjoyed the long ski down. The snow was a little firm on top, but really nice corn on the rest. Here's a few pictures from the outing.

We spend some quality time on dirt.

The firm snow allowed skinning straight up.

Box Elder looming in the background.

It a big, open bowl with great views.

The fnal push to the ridge.

Jason enjoying lunch, twitter and the views.

Lots and lots of turns to be had on the way down.

Adam

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

Good couple of Days

2010-04-04T10:33:00.000-06:00

Friday was a day off work for me due to Good Friday (it was a VERY good friday). It started early with a dawn patrol in what turned out to be nearly perfect conditions. Doug and Mark have documented the epic sking, but here's a few more pictures just for confirmation.

Mike and Mark heading up

Face shots were the order of the day

I'm getting the goods

Mike

Is it vain to keep looking at your tracks?

After the skiing, I headed south to meet up with Tanner for a quick lap on the ICUP Hurricane course. I didn't race Hurricane last year and the course was changed from 2008. The changes make the course into one of my new favorites. Good, technical desert riding. I was reminded yet again that there's no where else I'd rather live. Epic powder in the morning, classic desert riding in the afternoon.

I had no idea what the race would hold for me. 3.5 hours of hking and sking beginning at 6 am the day prior to a race probably isn't on any coach's training plan. However, it turned out to be a good plan for me. I ended up with my best MTB result in a couple years. Go figure.

Today, I'm home for Easter with my all my children. I'll take more weekends like this.

Skiing Timpanogos

2010-03-20T22:28:00.003-06:00

Skiing my first really big line today inspired a blog post. When I started backcountry skiing this season, I wasn't really looking to do anything big. However, my confidence has grown to the point that Kendall was able to convince me to join him and his buddy Ben on a trip to the Timpanogos ridgeline without too much trouble.

We started early from Aspen Grove with the intention of heading up Primrose Cirque, up the year-round snowfield then on to the South Summit of Timp. We would check out conditions and determine if we could safely ski the west side from either the South Summit or the saddle.

Ben looking up the Primrose Cirque before dawn.

Sunrise over the Unitas.

The Cirque at first light.

We were able to skin most of Primrose but had to boot the last few hundred feet of vert.

Kendall and Ben on the Skins.

Kendall booting the last bit.

The day was spectacular and the views breathtaking throughout.

LCC peaks in the distance.

The South Summit was the objective for the day.

Once on the Timp ridge line we headed up toward the Sought Summit. I was starting to get a little vertigo and cold while checking out the rock hard snow up top and the visually intimidating line we'd have to ski. Kendall was coming up to me from behind and saw from the look on my face I was starting to freak out a little. Fortunately, he quickly suggested that skiing from the top was too sketchy and we headed back to the saddle from a few hundred feet short of the summit. Kendall and Ben made it easy to streer away from anything I was not ready to tackle.

Here's Kendall checking out the line we skied.

Once we were back to the saddle and I had my skis on, I became much more relaxed and got excited about heading down. We did a controlled ski off the face on firm but pretty grippy snow. I was able to relax enough to enjoy the trip down.

Check out the 10 to 20 foot high marking from a recent avalanche flow down the gully.

Once off the main run, we exited out the gully to the Dry Canyon trailhead. Sometime in the last week, a large slide ripped down the gully leaving marks way up each side. Eventually, we came to the large and deep depris field. It would have been impressive to watch and fatal to ride. We made it down the gully a long way and only had to hike 15 minutes on the snowless trail.

A little bit of dirt skiing was required at times.

So here's our line. It's dead center of this photo.

Here's the GPS file from the up.

And the down.

The happy camper near the end of the journey.

I'm really happy I made the trip and that conditions allowed skiing the west face. I had to deal with some fears, but made it out willing to attempt more adventures in the future. A good friend like Kendall makes the experience that much better.

PS, Kendall will have more pictures on his site soon (see link above).

Defeat Conceded

2010-01-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have no shortage of things I would like to do or become. From a young age, I have often daydreamed about being something I'm not. Often, these daydreams are about some athletic achievement, but sometimes they they expand into other areas of interest. I have always secretly (well, if you know me, not so secretly) wanted to be a musician. I was blessed, or cursed depending on your perspective, with just enough musical talent to know I really like music, but not enough to be proficient without a great deal of hard work. I just never was quite motivated enough to put in the time to get really good. However, to this day I wish I could play like Dave Weckl, Carter Beauford or Neil Peart for at least a few hours.

After a failed attempt at piano lessons in elementary school (my parents gave into my constant whining about practicing) I moved to the drums in junior high. I joined the junior high band and took some lessons at school. In an act of pure parental love, my parents used some of their scarce cash to buy me a used drum kit. Then in an even bigger act of parental love, they let me play them in the house. (In case you're wondering, I am in fact the youngest child and I was spoiled. I have no problem with this fact.) Over time, the sad little kit became a sad big kit as I brought home some drums the junior high was going to toss. I dreamed of a big-hair, 70's rock band kit with more drums and cymbals than you could use.

Once I moved from home, the drum kit was passed onto one of my nephews never to be seen again by me. My desire to be a drummer lay dormant, just under the surface, for many years. It was awakened about 8 years ago when a new family moved into our neighborhood. This neighbor turned out to be a legitimate professional drummer. He had played in Vegas for years and toured with several big names. He converted his 3 car garage into the drummer's Disneyland. It contained at least 10 drum kits and every piece of percussion you can image. I quickly worked my way into his good graces and was taking lessons not long after.

In addition to teaching drum lessons, my neighbor was also a Tama drum dealer. Since I'm a hopeless gear guy and I'm incapable of passing up a deal, I acquired an electronic drum set. The plan was to play the electronic set with headphones to keep the noise down in the house. This lasted about a year. At the time, we were finishing our basement so I convinced the family that an insulated, sound dampened room in the basement would make a full acoustic drum kit tolerable. Somehow they bought the idea and the electronic kit was sold and replaced by the real thing.

Of course the kit couldn't remain small, so it grew to this over time:

Predictably, my zeal for practice began the wane and in a few years I was hardly playing the drums at all. As our bike collection grew, I decided most of the bikes would be better kept in the house than in the garage. So, the drum room became the bike storage room and the "Pit of Despair" as The Resource User likes to call the indoor trainer set up. I needed more space in the room, but since I still harbored illusions of becoming a drummer the drum kit was downsized rather than eliminated. The result was this:

With the addition of backcountry and XC ski gear the last two years, the drum room was completely transformed into the bike/ski room and the drums were just in the way. Given that I had played the drums a total of about an hour during the last year, I listed them for sale on KSL last week. In my final concession that I would not become a drummer, I sold the kit Friday and it's gone. So after 30+ years, the dream is officially dead. A rational decision, but a sad one none the less.

Office Jokesters

2010-01-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

I've never been much of an office pratical joker. I think it's because of my general aversion to getting into trouble. However, I work with some real Pros. Our head Sales and Marketing guy at the Mothership has been out of town so much the last month that the Pros decided he no longer needed office space. They took it upon themselves get rid of the space for him.

The before picture:

In process:

The finished product:

I missed the discovery when Sales Guy made it back to the office today. However, there was hidden camera footage I'm sure I'll get to see sometime.

Now That's Customer Service

2010-01-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

In October, I sent a note to USA Cycling's event coordinator regarding team parking at Cross Nationals in Bend. I didn't hear anything until I received this Friday:

From: Tom Vinson [mailto:tvinson@usacycling.org]

Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 9:09 PM

To: Daren G. Cottle

Subject: Re: Cross Nationals Team Parking

USA Cycling will be closed on Monday 18 Jan in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Will be back in the office on Tuesday. Will be checking email thru the weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Tom

On Oct 25, 2009, at 2:08 PM, Daren G. Cottle wrote:

Hi,

I can’t seem to find any information on reserving a team parking spot for cross nationals in Bend. I’ve looked through the websites and Sportsbase on line and don’t see anything. Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Daren Cottle

Porcupine / Specialized Racing

Glad see my e-mail is still in the hopper and that Tom will be checking e-mail though the weekend. Maybe I'll get a reply by 2010 Nationals.

The sad part is I've never been a USA Cycling basher. However, it the last week they've become an easy target. Is improvement coming anytime soon? I hope so but think not.

Doing What I Should

2010-01-16T09:02:00.007-07:00

I picked up a good old fashioned head cold a few days ago. (I'm sure the fine air quality has had nothing to do with that.) Head colds always present a dilemma for me. I feel tired and have a ton of congestion, but I'm not completely wiped out. Accordingly, I have a constant battle with myself over how much or how little I should be doing.

I know the smart thing to do is to just rest and get fully recovered before attempting anything physical. However, 47 years of living with myself has taught me I'm completely incapable of doing nothing. It's a fundamental part of my makeup and usually serves me well. As The Resource User likes to say, "You're always ridiculously productive, knock it off". However, when it get sick, this personality trait is a huge problem.

So here's the options I have before me this morning:

Two offers for ski touring.
Two different Canyon team group rides.
The Bash winter Tri at Soldier Hollow.
A nice XC skate session at Mt. Dell out of the bad air.
Knocking off some of the projects around the house The Lifegiver has for me. (As an aside, my daughter made T-shirts a year ago with the following names on them: mine - "Fun Enabler", JoAnn's - "Life Giver", and Tanner's - "Resource User".)
Go to Snowbasin with my brother and watch the Dew Tour.
Begin working on the 8 bikes in my basement the Resource User and I ride that are crying for some love.
Prepare tomorrow's Sunday School lesson I was asked to teach late last night when the regular teacher had an emergency come up.
Organize my workbench/bike shop in the garage.
And finally, lie around all day reading, watching TV, wringing my hands over not doing anything productive and resting.

At this point, I've convinced myself the last option is my choice for the day. We'll see how long it lasts. At least the crappy valley weather makes the choice a bit easier. If the weather were nice in the valley, I'm sure failure to rest would be certain.

Validated by Steve Johnson

2010-01-13T18:27:00.003-07:00

In case you think I made up the whole Cyclocross Nationals trip, check out what I received in the mail a couple of days ago.

That's right, a genuine certificate of participation signed by Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling and local race hero.

It's gratifying to know that USA Cycling sent this suitable for framing certification to all 2,000 participants. It was mailed in a full sized envelope with a cardboard backing to ensure it received no damage. What a great use of entry and licence fee revenue.

I'm sure Trebon's disappointment of a 2nd place finish was tempered by his certificate of participation. Page will likely display his next to his World Championship silver medal.

What a great day to be a member of USA Cycling and a cyclocross racer!

Ski Touring

2010-01-10T17:08:00.006-07:00

For both of you that read this blog, I decided to post something. I may even post more than a couple times a month, but I'll make no promises.

For many months, backcountry ski touring has been on my mind. I now have 5 tours under my belt including a dawn patrol up Day's Fork and a long tour from Big Cottonwood to Millcreek. Here's some observations from a newbie:

I had pretty high expectations for BC Skiing and those expectations have been more than met. Combining a solid workout with skiing, touring and solitude is hard to beat.
I heard many describe BC Skiing as mountain biking on skis. That's a pretty good description. If you're only into going downhill, you can go to a resort and ride lifts with skis and an MTB. If you like going up and traveling in the mountains, XC MTB and BC Skiing are the ticket.
You better like hiking because it's about 90% hiking and 10% skiing.
I have learned what "survival skiing" is on a couple of the exits out to the road.
You can still have lots of fun skiing slopes of 30 degrees or less.
I'm taking a level 1 avy course in March. Since I'm a bit of a control freak, completely relying on others to judge the safety of a slope is way out of my comfort zone.
With experience and knowledge, you can accurately judge the danger on steeper slopes. Bart and Alex lead Tanner and me down a couple 35 - 40 degree slopes yesterday that were very solid and fun.
Without an incline-o-meter and some experience, we tend to over-estimate the steepness of slopes. Many resort slopes that people described as 40+, are more like mid to lower 30's.
Like MTB and Cross, the best thing about BC Skiing is the people. I've been out with old friends and already made many new friends. I've enjoyed them all.
Like bike racers, BC skiers like to blog. I've been lucky enough to ski with Bart, Alex, Mark, Dug and Rick already.
As you would expect, climbing ability on a bike carries over to skis. Bart, Alex, Rick and Tanner are way faster going up than me.
The Wasatch is amazing. In a crappy snow year, I've skied in good snow each time I've been out. In addition, yesterday we didn't see another person from the time we hit the trail in Big Cottonwood to when we reached the cabins in Porter Fork in Millcreek almost 7 hours later. On a Saturday. Amazing.
My desire to ski in a resort is fading more with each outing. I can only see myself standing in line on epic powder days with high avalanche danger.

Tanner and I made it out with Bart and Alex yesterday for a long day of fun and challenge. Even though I was worked last night and I'm a little sore today, it was worth it. We started at the Spruces in Big Cottonwood, went up Mill D and over to Reynolds for a couple laps. Then down Watson and back up to Gobblers Knob. From there, 3,000 vertical down to Millcreek road.

Some pictures:

Alex and Bart make it look easy.

Over-look into Alexander Basin.

A little scrambling was required.

Got to lay some nice tracks.

Bart took pictures.

Alex took pictures.

It was cloudy all day, but we did get a break to enjoy the view off Reynolds.

Yes, skinning up is hard work.

Thanks to all who have held me and Tanner enter this enticing new world.

Ski Tour #1

2009-12-27T14:58:00.004-07:00

Well, after months of anticipation and buying lots of gear, Tanner and I made it out for our first back country tour. It was all I'd hoped for and I'm hooked. We sent some quality time in Bear Trap in BCC. We found some nice, creamy snow on some fun, low angle slopes. Can't wait to get back at it.

Big thanks to Kendall for being our tour guide and answering all our stupid questions. We learned to get skins off without taking skis off from the start. Now there's only about a hundred more tricks to learn.

Kendall and Tanner heading up for lap #2.

I'll take the view.

Kendall and Tanner with Raymond and Gobbler's Knob in the background.

Christmas has been great with the family all together. Too bad it ends too soon.

Bend Pictures

2009-12-16T21:23:00.007-07:00

Here's some pictures from Cross Nationals. Unlike my wife, you don't have to look at all we took.

More people than I've ever seen at a bike race.

Eric ripping it in the Elite race about ready to pass the She/Man.

Even the top dogs suffer in cross.

Tanner getting dirty.

John Burton and Tanner on the icy stairs.

Must be a cross race if the Fox is in uniform.

The Doctor made the ice look easy.

I actually managed to pass someone on the 23 steps of pain.

I managed to not fall in a tricky section for a change.

Depending on the temp, this hill was easily ridable or icy with no chance in traffic.

The Utah Compound.

Big Brother on the podium.

Tanner on the stairs yet again.

Days Inn in Burns OR. minus 12 outside, 45 inside.

Art, Trisha, Doug and Kelly taking it all in as Eric warms up to race the with the big boys.

Bend #4

2009-12-12T21:31:00.004-07:00

Day 4 of Cross Nationals had the best racing so far. The Utah crew came away with 3 more podiums with Ali, Eric and John Burton and some other solid results.

Tanner raced hard but had some bad luck. Three riders got off the front and Tanner was in the next group of 5 or 6 for the first few laps. He was feeling good but crashed pretty hard in a slick section. He crashed yet again and lost a bunch of positions but hung on to finish 14th. After the race, we discovered one of his rear brake pads was fully engaged on the rim after the 2nd crash. So he basically rode the 2nd half of the race with his brakes on. It was muddy enough that he just thought it was some mud making noise so he didn't get a bike change. Another learning experience for us. John Burton,, who won a number of UTCX single speed races this year, had a great ride to finish 5th. It's a bummer Tanner didn't have some better luck or we could have had two Utah Juniors high up. I was proud of Tanner's effort and was a nervous wreck during the race. It's much worse watching your kid than doing your own race. I'm not sure I could take it all the time. Even with bad luck he had two top 15 finishes in National Championship races this year.

Ali put on a great show in the best race of the day. He was off the front for a few laps then with a group of 3 and then 4. The group included 2 former National Champs and a top Elite racer. In the end, Jonathan Baker and Justin Robinson got by Ali who held off Brandon Dwight for 3rd. A great race and a great effort. Bo Pitkin was equally impressive turning his 108 call up spot into a 17th place finish.

Eric had a super race as well. He was solidly in the top 5 for the first half of the race then flatted coming down a steep off-camber hill. He rode the falt for about a minute to the pits and lost a number of places. After a bike change, he chased back to 5th and held off former National Champ Ryan Leech to make the podium.

Dr. Cross, got things rolling with a 22nd in the 50 - 54 this morning followed by Art and Jon G breaking the top 20 in the 40 - 45 with Art having bad luck as well. Matt Ohran finished in the top half as did Mike Kracht after starting near the back of 150+ guys. Kelly Glen was just ahead of Mike when he flatted and had to run about half a lap.

The crowds were larger and louder today and the weather warmer. The slick ice softened up to a thin layer of mud making the course much faster. Another good day to be at the races.

We're on the road tomorrow as soon as the Elite men's race is over. I'm looking forward to getting home but not looking forward to the ride.

Bend #3

2009-12-11T21:37:00.002-07:00

Today didn't go as well as yesterday for the Cottle crew. The only race on tap was my 45 - 49 National Championship race. After killing time all day waiting for my 3:30 start time, I was called up 37th and started on the 5th row. Exactly the same spot as yesterday. There was "only" about 115 starters today. As expected, the big hitters were all present and accounted for today and the pace was wicked fast. I was hoping for a top 25 finish but it would be a challenge since everyone ahead of me was a Cat 1 fast guy.

The first few laps went fairly well and I was in the mid to high 20's. Just like yesterday, the course was fast in some sections and super icy in others. With some cloud cover, it was basically dark most of my race and the temperature dropped the whole race making it icier each lap.

I actually liked the slippery conditions and kept it upright through all the difficult sections. Ironically, I managed to hit the deck on the pavement. Coming into the finish with 3 laps to go, there was gaps between all of us so you could relax a little on the pavement. As I crossed the finish line I was on the right side of the road up against the fencing. For some reason, the only guy near me tried to pass in between me and fence when he had the whole road open on the other side. There wasn't room for the pass and we both ended up in the fence and on the ground in the fastest section of the course. I wasn't hurt too bad and got going again but had to change bikes. By then I dropped back to the mid 40's and didn't get really going again until the last lap. I did finish strong to get back some places.

All in all, I'm happy with the effort and how I rode. Without the crash, I could have challenged for a top 25 and I felt good both days. I probably had the best form of the season, so I can't complain about that. Even though the Nationals races are harder than anything I do all year, I love the atmosphere and the large fields full of the best competition. Just a little slip and you lose 2 or 3 positions. If you make a solid move through a difficult section, you pass 2 or 3 guys. Having large crowds yelling for you and giving a big cheer if you ride a difficult section is a blast.

On a more positive note, Kris Walker repeated as the 45 - 49 women's National Champion in a photo finish. Very cool and another podium for the Utah related crew. Tomorrow, Tanner races the 17-18 Juniors in the morning and Eric has the 30 - 34 in the late afternoon darkness. Just about all the other Utah crew including Ali, Art, Dr. X, Kelly, Krafty and Bo race as well. I'm looking forward to sending 8 hours just watching. The forecast is calling for snow and/or freezing rain so it should be interesting.

I've got a bunch of pictures I'll post at some point when I'm not as tired.

Bend #2

2009-12-10T21:48:00.002-07:00

Pretty good day for the Cottle's at Cross Nationals today. Doug had the National Championship race in the 60 - 64 and made the podium with a hard fought 5th! He was a stud and it was cool to watch. He made a pass late in the final lap to make the podium. He made his little brother proud with a huge effort. He rode well in tricky conditions and gave Utah it's first but hopefully not last podium.

Tanner was 6th in the under 30 "B" race. He didn't really push it hard because he was just practicing for Saturday's Junior race. He got a good feel for the course, road all the slick, icy stuff well and had a good time.

I raced the 40+ "B" race and it was crazy. They did a random number call up based on the last digit of your bib number. With 141 starters, the luck of the draw played into the results. I was the 3rd group called up and was on the 5 row of 8 riders. Kelly Glen was not so lucky and was the next to last group called up so he started back about 12 rows. However, he rode very well and passed about a 100 guys to finish 37th.

The race went well for me and I managed to move up to finish 10th. I had a good battle with the guy who lined up next to me the entire race. It was really fun and a pretty hard effort. The conditions were very difficult for my group. We started at 3:30 and the sun went below the horizon with about 15 minutes to go. The temps dropped and the course turned into an ice rink in many sections. At the same time it turned more icy, we started working through lappers. It was more than a little scary in some sections. I heard there were 4 ambulances called in to cart off those unfortunate to hit the deck hard. I managed to keep it upright but had many close calls.

Most of the locals are now here and our base camps are close to each other. Bob Walker was doing well in the 55 - 59 until a guy put him hard enough into the fence to break the post. He toughed it out a finish, but it was really unfortunate.

More fun on tap for tomorrow. I'm the only one of our crew with a race with my 45 - 49 group starting at 3:30 again. Should be another ice rink at the end only with a lot faster guys. If I go as good as I did today, I have a chance to move up a little from my 5th row start position.

Bend #1

2009-12-09T22:13:00.002-07:00

We made it to Bend for Cross Nationals without any trouble. It was almost like cheating after our drive to Kansas the last two years. No stress and or near death experiences.

We've got a pretty sweet set up here in Bend. We're sharing a condo with some of the Utah crew that's about a mile from the race venue. We were also able to stake out a prime spot for our warmup compound. We only had 9 bikes this year in the trailer. Again, much less stress.

The course is interesting and not what I expected from watching the video posted on line. It's in a pretty small area and the lap is relatively short, probably in the 7 minute range for em in today's conditions. There's lots of turns and twists and tricky sections. There's a staircase with about 20 steps build out of wood that is pretty sketchy with the snow and ice. There's about 2 - 3 inches of snow on most of the course and with temperatures below freezing, it's not going anywhere for a few days. They did clear the snow from the grass section so it's pretty open.

With no super fast, power sections the course is all I could hope for. However, with the snow, ice and tight turns, passing will be difficult. With my start positions 4 or 5 rows back, it will be next to impossible to to make a big move up. Things will come to a complete stop in many spots on the first lap. With the Cat 4's at the back of a 150+ Masters fields and a fairly short lap, guys will be getting lapped quickly. That sucks. The organizers should be required to make a long lap so racers at the back that made the effort to get here can actually make it most of the race.

Tanner, Kelly and I have the "B" race tomorrow and Doug has the 60 - 64 National Championship race. Lots to report on then.

Coming to an End

2009-12-03T21:48:00.002-07:00

The cross season's just about over. A week from now, I'll be done. The season hasn't turned out like I wanted, but it's still been good to hang out with the best group of people in cycling. About this time of the season, I'm reminded that cross races are just plain hard. With my injuries and sickness this year, an hour at full gas has been a challenge. Even though I haven't been going as fast as I should, the suffering is on track.

The highlight of the season has been the growth of the Utah cross scene. It's great to see significant increases in the number of racers and the level of competition. It's not just one or two categories, the increases have been across the board. The Cottle family (other than me) has had a good year with Doug and Tanner making big improvements. Ali, Eric and Alex have stepped up their game so that Bart has to have a good day to win. It's good for everyone.

Bend should be a good time. Looks like we'll be racing in mud or snow. The Utah contingent should be strong with Ali, Eric, Art, Tanner, Doug and others having solid shots at the podium or the Jersey. I love the atmosphere of the Cross Nationals and like watching the racing as much as actually racing. I can't wait.

Hopefully, there will be snow when we get back. I've got lots of new backcountry ski gear screaming to be used.

Doug's a Champ

2009-11-22T17:08:00.002-07:00

I'd pretty much sworn off blog posts. It's not that I don't like blogs or posting. I just don't seem to make the time. With all that goes on in normal life, writing a blog post seems to fall to the bottom of the list. Maybe I'll get inspired to write more often, maybe I won't. I compose many posts in my mind, but the execution is lacking.

The Utah Cyclocross State Championships were yesterday. We had plans of Cottle domination. Doug got it rolling and help off Dirk for the 55+ win. Not bad for his first season in the pain cave. He's gotten faster each week and could make some noise at Nationals.

The smiling Champion post race.

I got off to a good start in the 45+ and held a good gap for a couple laps. Steve Briley bridged to me and we worked together for a lap of so. Then I followed my '09 pattern of race mistakes and hit the ground in a low speed corner. I got tangled in the bike and Steve was gone. The funny part is I actually thought I had won for a minute. Steve's brother was racing the 35+ B in the same kit, on the same bike and is about the same size (kind of like me and Doug). When I got going after the fall, I could see who I thought was Steve ahead of me. I caught and passed him in a couple of laps and thought it was all good. Too bad it was Steve's brother. However, no excuses. Steve was going really well and I'm not sure I could have beaten him. I gave it my best effort and I'm happy with that.

It would have been nice to win though. Doug's son Brady did his first cross race of the year in Eugene and won the 30+ Masters. 3 Cottle wins would have been cool.

The State Cross swan song for Porcupine / Specialized turned out OK. A win from Doug, 2nd from Eric and me, top ten for Zane and just out of top ten for Tanner isn't a bad last championships. We need to send the team out in style at Nationals. Podiums for Eric, Doug and Tanner are not out of the question.

Here's my good start, not so good finish.

Tanner's plan was to work on a strong start to practice for Nationals. He got off the line well and hung in with the first chase group for a while. A flat, non-technical, fast, power course is not well suited to the boy but he managed a solid 12th.

I decided to give the 35+ race a go as well. I soon learned that my body doesn't respond well to a 2nd race, particularly with 3 hours in between. I was off the back early and eating lots of humble pie. Darrell and I had an epic battle of guys who raced the 45+ race earlier in the day and were hoping to not get lapped by Art. I did get lapped by 5 A's. Disappointing, I wanted to make it the entire season without getting lapped. However, I took the view that the race was a nice 60 minute threshold interval and gave it all I had.

Overall, the quality and quantity of racers has gone way up this year. Last year, in the 45's I just rolled off the front and rode alone for 45 minutes. This year, 5 guys were all pretty close and a guy I've never met, Briley, won. I talked with him after and he's a fireman with my neighbor and a good guy. He's doing OK for his first year of cross.

I'm also a big fan of the race venues Matt and Jon have been able to line up the last two years. They each their strengths and weaknesses, but I'd have to say Heber is my least favorite. Bumpy grass isn't that much fun and I'm not a fan of 180's right into closely spaced barriers. I think barriers should have some speed to them so that some skill pays a dividend. When everyone basically has to stop before the barriers, everyone pretty much goes the same slow speed through them.

Finally, it's official, I'm going to join the Revolution MTB crew next season (I know my decision on a team for next year has been keeping you up at night). I'm pretty excited actually. I'm buddies with many of the riders and the shop is a 5 minute ride from my house. Thanks Bob.

Tanner and Eric will be racing with Kuhl next year and Doug's weighing a couple invites from teams. Other than the 1/2's that went to Canyon, the other guys are undecided on next year. However it turns out, it will be strange to have all of us in different colors. Porculized has been a good gig.

One more thing. JoAnn has found a new hobby. Her friend has some horses in Dimple Dell that need to be ridden frequently. She's ridden the one below a few times now and loves it. Her friend says she's a natural. Must be all the country music she listens to.

Just Call me Crash

2009-11-04T20:59:00.003-07:00

It's been quite a year for me. I was pretty much sick all summer and now I can't keep from crashing in cross. Saturday, I was in good position in the first chase group when I decided to see how far I could slide across the gravel. Turns out I made it about 30 feet. The good news is my injured wrist made it out OK. The bad news is my knee was bruised and sprained. I've been hobbling around all week and not doing much riding. Just when I was able to stop icing my wrist, I'm now icing my knee. After six weeks, I'm getting immune to cold.

I do think I'll be able to race Saturday. If my knee improves, I might even race the 45+ as well as the 35+. I've been planning to do a race with my big bro all year, but it just hasn't worked out.

I finally got my skins cut for my backcountry skis. I'm getting very excited to give it a go. I've been reading about avalanches all summer and realize I don't know jack. Thinking about the risk is a bit overwhelming, but I'm eager to learn. Fortunately, a number of knowledgeable backcountry skier have offered to teach me the ropes.

I finally signed up for Facebook this week. I generally avoid texting and social networking but so many of the cycling community are on Facebook, I decided to join in. Now if I just need to figure out how to use it. Looks like it could be a colossal time waster if you let it.

A highlight of this last weekend was an explosion in our pantry. A friend of JoAnn's gave her a jar with homemade apple pie filling in it. The idea is you just add the filling to a pie crust and you have a pie. A few days ago, Tanner and I heard this strange sound coming from the pantry but didn't investigate. Saturday night JoAnn heard a bang in the pantry and opened the door to discover the apple filling had been fermenting and the pressure blew the lid off the jar and the filling all over the pantry. A nice trick or treat surprise.

Bike Transport to Nationals

2009-10-28T13:25:00.002-06:00

The Porucpine / Specialized crew (Eric, Doug, Tanner and I) will have some room to transport bikes to Cross Nationals again this year. First come, first serve at $50 per bike. I'll be arriving Wed afternoon or evening and leaving after the Elite race on Sunday. Let me or Eric know.

Daren

Daper Down Pour

2009-10-25T17:58:00.004-06:00

All is right in the Cross world for me again. My wrist allowed me to race after two weeks of no racing, it rained for Tanner and my race and I suffered as much as any race I've done. Life is good.

Doug had another solid outing with a very close 2nd in the 55+ and a good start in the 45+ before destroying a tire and running for half a lap to the pits.

Tanner and I always have fun warming up. It's was nice and dry prior to the start, however, I was riding through hail down to the start line. Felt like Belgium.

Tanner had his best race with a solid 8th in the A's. The run up felt like a walk up for me by the end.

Bryson decided to see if his helmet would work as a sled down the muddy hill. Apparently, it didn't work out so well.

Like father like son.

The pain face took a while to go away post race. I couldn't form words for several minutes.

The wet conditions were very cross-like. However it added a new level of nervousness to my race. My taped up wrist felt good while riding but a crash would have been very bad. Therefore, I was a little freaked out each time down the muddy hill and was very conservative. Fortunately, I managed to keep it upright.

On a less positive note, the Porcupine / Specialized team is gone for 2010. It's been a great run with great guys. Things just weren't lining up for next year, so I'm soon to be out of the team manager business. With the help of Eric and Glen, we almost pulled it off, but in the end it didn't happen. Maybe we'll be able to put something together for 2011. In the meantime, I'm not sure what I'll do for next year. Maybe I'll join the Brother's Glen Team Black. Tanner has something lined up so he'll racing on a different team than Dad for the first time. For me, I'm not going to worry about for awhile. There's too much cross racing left to do in the red skinsuit.

In all seriousness, thanks to all who have sponsored and race with Porcupine / Specialized. It was a great four years with lots of wins and lots of memories.

More Cross Racing

2009-10-19T19:59:00.005-06:00

Here's some random pictures of guys in red from Saturday's cross race in Heber and one picture for which I have no explanation.

Looks like I'm a go for this week's race in Draper. The wrist is feeling better and I'm completely impatient. Sprinting from a start puts the most pressure on my wrist so I might be the last guy up the hill the first time, but at least I'll be out there. Getting dropped on hills is something I'm pretty good at anyway.

I'll be re-opening the gluing factory in the basement this week. My Dugust mud tires were glued last year and I thought they'd be OK for another year. However, at least 3 people I know have rolled tires with year old glue this season, so I'll be pulling them off and regluing. As I was reminded today, the last thing I need is to roll a tire and crash on my hurt wrist.

Brother Doug was the family hero Saturday. He raced the 55+ and 45+ back to back with solid results in both. He's making me feel like a slacker. Maybe I'll try the double when I'm back to full strength. It would be cool to be in the same race with my big brother.

Finally, Eric and Ali put on a great show Saturday. Watching it unfold was a lot of fun. It turned out to be the most exciting finish to a cross race I've ever seen. Good stuff from two good guys.

More Watching

2009-10-16T20:58:00.004-06:00

I got to watch the cross races last week. It was kind of fun to watch all the guys I normally battle. It's a much different perspective than actually in the race. Everyone went hard and was suffering as it should be. It's much easier to watch. However, it's also very frustrating.

Looks like the frustration will continue for another week. My wrist is coming along really well and is close to race worthy. I've been riding and it's holding up fine. If I could eliminate the risk of crashing and re-injuring it, I'd race tomorrow. However, I can't eliminate the risk so I'll give it another week. Doing intervals rather than racing is not much fun. At least the weather's been nice for road racing.

Speaking of frustration, registering for Nationals was a mess. I feel bad for Dirk that it all blew up on him, but I was among the unhappy campers. I eventually got in, but not nearly as fast as I hoped. Looks like I'll be racing some locals in the 40+ B race. For those of us who have no realistic chance in our Master's age group race, the B race is a blast. Kelly will be on the front row and will give me a good target to come after. Should be a great time.

Congrats to Chase for making it to the big time next year with Trek-Livestrong. He's had a great year and deserves to race with the big boys. I wish him the best.

Waiting

2009-10-09T20:24:00.002-06:00

I'm killing time until registration opens for Cyclocross Nationals in an hour and a half. I've done well in the registration race the last two years. I've gotten a 2nd row call up both years for my age group race and a 1st row for the B race last year. This year, I won't be 2nd row because the call up is based on race category (cat 1, cat 2, etc) and order of registration. Since I'm a cat 2 in cross, I'll be behind all the cat 1's. The change in the procedure is probably good. The guys with a chance to win are all probably cat 1's and should be up front.

I've also spent plenty of time waiting in doctor's office waiting rooms this week. I've been to an insta-care, an orthopedic surgeon, an MRI facility (I was sent to the wrong place) and the hospital (the correct place). The orthopedic surgeon's office had the best magazines.

In this process, I've had x-rays at two different offices and a CT scan. Most of this was precautionary because there's so many small bones in the wrist and the surgeon wanted to make sure there were no chips floating around. (I also think he was hoping to find something to remove surgically.) In the end, the process shows what's good and bad with our health care system. I was able to get high quality care quickly. I also ran up a substantial bill that me and my insurance company will be paying. Had I not had good insurance, it would have been a much different story.

In the end, the news was good on the wrist. There was a chip, but it remained attached to the bone. It appears that the chip won't cause problems, but only time will tell. So, I get a brace instead of a cast and just have to wait for the soft tissue to heal. I just have to take is slowly and do only as much as my wrist will take. At this point, my guess is I'll will miss 2 to 4 races. Probably the best outcome I could hope for. I was able to ride the cross bike on the road today, so I'm a much happier guy than a few days ago.

I'll be ringing a mean cowbell tomorrow.

Good and Not So Good

2009-10-04T18:45:00.004-06:00

The 1st Utah Cross race is in the books. For the Cottle's, it was a day of good and not so good.

First, the good:

The turn our for the races was great and nearly all the fast racers were present and accounted for.
In only his 2nd cross race, my brother Doug won the 55+. Doug, Tanner and I have now all won at least one UTCX race. I'm sure Doug has more wins in him. Good job bro.
Tanner had a solid first race with the A's to finish 11th. He held his own and had a good time. He'll get better as he gains more race experience and gets better at tatics. For now, he just likes to go as hard as he can all the time, even if that means doing way too much work on the front of a group. However, I'd rather he be aggressive than just following wheels.
Eric had a great start to the season with a 2nd to Bart.
For the first time all year, I felt really good in a race and finished 6th in probably the best 35+ field in UTCX history. I was in a good battle for 4th through about 8th early then was with John Iltis the rest of the way. We worked well together then raced each other the last lap or so. He gaped me going into the infield the last time and I just couldn't get back to him. It was very hard, but super fun with John. It was a relief to be able to ride hard again.
After months of waiting, we were able to put the red skinsuits to proper use.

It's hard to miss us this year.

I have the required cross pain face on.

Now the not so good. In warm ups, I successfully bunny hopped the log on the South end of the course using an aggressive line on the far inside of the corner. I filed that fact away without any real plan to take the line during the race. The log is at it's highest on that line and the angle difficult. Here's a picture of Tanner running the log on this line during the race: (Ali, notice the socks.)

In the race, I got a good start and was in the top 3 coming into the log for the first time. For some unknown reason, I took the aggressive inside line and went for the bunny hop. As they say, "I missed it by that much" and performed a very stylist endo. I was up quickly and lost only a few spots and didn't think much of it. However, after the race my wrist began to hurt and was pretty uncomfortable by the time we made it home. No problem I thought, a little ice and Ibuprofen and I'll be good tomorrow.

Unfortunately, this morning brought a very swollen wrist that didn't want to move. A visit to Instacare this afternoon revealed a fracture to one of the small bones in my wrist. I need to visit an Ortho Doc to confirm, but it looks like anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks in a cast once the swelling goes down.

Not exactly the way I wanted to end a great day at the races. Hopefully, I'll be on the short end of the recovery timetable and only miss a few races. Looks like the trainer will be my friend for the foreseeable future.

I also re-learned what I've know for a long time. Planning what you're going to ride or not ride in a cross race and sticking to it is a good idea. Maybe ski season will not have the misadventures of the MTB and Cross season. I hope so.

It's Almost Here

2009-09-29T21:45:00.003-06:00

Only a few more days and we get to do this:

I'm a little jealous of the locals who have been racing the GP's in Washington and Wisconsin. Congrats to Ali and the others on some solid results.

The training's been going well and I should be able to go hard. Maybe not fast, but hard. Chrispy's been helping me get ready and for the first time all year, I feel good.

I'm thinking of doing a few doubles early in the season. With the new schedule, I can race 45+ early then the 35+ A later. Sounds like some serious suffering but fun in a twisted way. Could pay off in the long run. I'll like give it a try this week and see how it goes. Is that completely crazy?

Might even be some rain with weekend. At least cooler temps will be nice.

September

2009-09-06T20:50:00.006-06:00

I haven't exactly been a blogging machine lately. Just can't seem to channel my energy to the keyboard in the evening after working with one all day. Apparently, a few friends continue to check for updates, so I'll continue to put something up from time to time.

September is a great time of year. The weather is nice and hardly any racing for me so there's time for fun rides and hikes. It's also time for most of my thoughts to turn to this:

And this:

The "Pit of Despair" as Tanner likes to call the basement is up and running. After finally putting together a few weeks of solid riding without getting sick, threshold intervals are once again on the agenda. As much as I complain to Chrispy about the computrainer, it is the most efficient way to get some quality work in. However, I learned a trick from TeamRico to make the Pit a little less desperate. Do your warm up and cool down outside and only the intervals inside. With my mediocre engine, I have to put in some quality training time to keep the fast guys in sight. As usual, my goal each race this year will be to avoid getting lapped by Bart or Ali. With Tanner racing the A's this year, I'll have watch for him as well.

Speaking of fast guys, the Cross bar will continue to go up in the 801 (or 435) this year. The old guys will be growing in numbers and quality this season. Guys like Sam, John Iltis, Rich C, Kelly Glen, Ohran, Greg and especially the good Cross Doctor have stepped it up this summer and will be flying. McKone is also planning on a full cross schedule along with the rest of regular crew. Should be a good time getting beat up by all these guys each week.

Porcupine / Specialized will be back with a solid crew this cross season. We've already made reservations for Nationals in Bend and will likely have a couple of trailers to transport Utah bikes for paying customers. We've been waiting all year to break out the skinsuits we designed with cross in mind (OK, the guys have been using them in TT's all year so they won't be a surprise but they are still cool).

I watched a bunch of the Tour of Utah this year. I sat by the start house for the TT and watched all the riders roll out. All the local riders seemed to appreciate the word of encouragement from a familiar face. Captain America got the loudest cheer as he rolled out. I enjoyed watching him do some intervals in the final crit in preparation for his National Championship TT ride.

Tanner and Keegan won the Park City Point to Point relay yesterday. I got to support rather than ride (I'm still permanently scared from my solo E100 a few years ago). I enjoyed the day and watching lots of friends put in impressive rides. Maybe I'll get inspired next year to give it a go.

The race seem to go off well and was a big step up from the E100, even in the first year. The event was low-key, but well organized with lots of prizes and actual cash for the open divisions. The division winners each received this nice 3 season tent:

Tanner and Keegan were impressive as usual. Bod and I were lamenting that their combined age was not even close to his age and 14 years less than mine. They are both probably thought of as strange, skinny kids in High School when in reality they are better at their sport than anyone in their school. If they had the same talent in football, they'd be BMOC for sure.

Small guys who go really fast.

Off to hike in Big Cottonwood with my daughters tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. They are home from Utah State for the Holiday and it makes the family complete. As the kids get older, I treasure the times we're all together. It's the payoff for all the years of parenting.

Finally, the backcountry ski gear is complete. The skins came in this week. All I need now is to cut them to size, get my boots thermoformed and wait for the snow. Maybe a little cross racing in between.

Good luck to the family GCConnection crew at LotoJa this week. I've done it a couple of times but it never quite took hold of me. Family is the most important thing in my life so if it's important to them, it's important to me. I'll be thinking of you all day.

Having Fun

2009-08-19T21:50:00.003-06:00

Life's been pretty good lately. I'm finally feeling good enough to get in some quality training. Here's actually hope for the cross season. I did Clark's a couple of times with Mark the other day and bettered my time from last year both times up. It's a great time of the year to ride a bike.

Made to the TOU opening TT yesterday. Those guys are fast. The local fast Cat 1's held their own, but it puts its in perspective how fast the pro really are. Got to see a Kelly guy take dismount at about 35 mph right in front of us. Did not look like fun. Today, Chase Pinkam was very impressive making it in with the second group. Should be lots of fun this weekend at the races.

I figured I put in a picture of JoAnn, the most tolerant wife in the world.

We made it up Logan Canyon for some Camping last Friday. A fire is always a good thing.

Tanner looking all Lumber-Jacky.

We got rained on all night. Fortunately, we were in the new super-cool Easton XI2 tent. The production version will be available at retail next spring. Chris has done a great job with these and our new trekking poles.

Saturday, Tanner will be riding the Snowbird Hill Climb. The boy could do some serious damage.

4.5

2009-08-09T19:56:00.002-06:00

I made it out with the GC Connection crew yesterday for the first time in a while. It was a good time with Doug, Kim, Adam, Mindi, Russell, Tanner and Kim's friend Rick. We did Emigration and Big Mountain from Centerville. Just under 4.5 hours in total and 5,800 vertical on the Garmin. Here's the sad part, it was the longest ride of the year for me, by a wide margin. And I've been struggling to go fast in races, go figure.

The weather was October like. A vest and arm warmers were required on the way down off Big Mountain. I like it. If only if would stay this way for the next two months.

With no local racing, there were lots of racers in the canyons. We saw the Canyon Crew, a big group from the South end of the valley including Bryson, a bunch of Contender guys, Mike and the Porcupine Club Crew and also Fox motorpacing Norm. Lots of smiles and unusual friendliness, riders were almost MTB-like. Must have been the lack of oppressive heat.

Susan's Battle Over

2009-08-05T21:52:00.003-06:00

I just read Fatty's wife Susan died tonight. Like many others, she fought a long, valiant battle with cancer. She and Elden were able to inspire many to help fight cancer by donating to cancer research. Elden's willingness to share their very personal battle caused many, including me, to be a little more grateful for the blessings in our lives. I've never officially met Fatty, but we have many friends in common and in the odd world of blogs, I feel like I know him. My heart goes out to him and his family tonight.

Like Fatty, so many people deal with extremely difficult challenges with resolve and dignity. It makes my constant whining about not riding a bike as fast as I would like sound pretty weak. I am truly lucky in my life and resolve to show more gratitude and kindness. Life's to short and uncertain to do otherwise.

Long over-due update

2009-07-26T20:29:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I just haven't been motivated to spend the time writing. From scanning other blogs, I'm not alone. Maybe the heat has sucked the motivation out of all of us.

Here's some pictures from some recent highlights.

The whole family went to Granby Colorado for MTB Nationals. We had a great time together hanging out at the races. JoAnn and I spent lots of time sitting in the sun.

This was the high point of my race, the start. I could feel the congestion and head-cold coming on for days and my race lasted one lap. The course was long and hard so if you weren't on your game, you were just in the way. I wish I'd have felt good because long, hard courses are usually good for me.

Here's Tanner going up the start hill on his last lap. It was like Little Stick, only steeper and shorter. Tanner had a very good race to finish 11th in the 17 - 18 Cat 1. He got as high as 7th but faded a bit the last two laps. The juniors are FAST and T was very competitive. He's looking forward to next year already and was happy with how things turned out.

The locals did well. Robbie Squire had a super ride to finish a close 2nd in the US 23, Alex Grant was a solid 15th in the Pro, Keegan Swenson was 3rd in the 15 - 16 Cat 1, Kevin was 7th in the 25 - 29 Cat 1, and the ageless Tom Noaker was 2nd in the 60 - 64 Cat 1. Tom almost pulled off the 3 National Titles in 3 decades. He won Nationals in the 40 - 44 and 50 -55 previously.

Tanner in the feed zone.

The DH guys are super skilled and very brave. The course had multiple 20+ foot gaps and three in a row that were 30, 35 and 40 footers. Check out this video.

The girls were looking as Diva as ever in Colorado.

Before we left, Erin continued her long tradition of creative cakes for Tanner's birthday. It is an S-Works carbon hardtail.

Doug and I hiked Phiefferhorn on Saturday. It was a good diversion from the bike and some good brotherly bonding. I still can't imagine how Jared skied this chute. A picture doesn't do it justice.

I'm on the top of the world.

We dropped off Phief to Maybird lake. It was a little more exciting than we bargained for but we made it out alive.

I couldn't help but imagine ski lines. The pile of backcountry ski gear at my house is growing. I've been studying "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" by Bruce Tremper and it's sobering. There's so much to learn and the consequences of a major mistake are huge. I thought I knew a little about reading avalanche terrain, but I know nothing.

I managed to get my motorcycle hung up on a semi-cliff in American Fork a few weeks ago. It was a long ordeal complete with cell phone batteries dying, Glen, JoAnn and Tanner searching in the dark, the moto nearly sliding into the abyss multiple time and a happy ending. Probably a blog post for another day.

I've taken a full week off the bike and hope my heath will let me start training for cross. We'll see. So far this year, the race season has been pretty much a bust for me. It's good I can race vicariously through Tanner.

I'll try to post more frequently than every 3 weeks but I won't promise.

Crash'n

2009-07-05T16:35:00.002-06:00

After his recent crashes, I've been teasing Tanner a bit because I just don't crash on my MTB bike. In fact, I've only taken one hard crash in the last 15 years and that was around 10 years ago in the semi's of a NORBA National 35+ dual slalom (my first and last dual slalom adventure).

Well that all changed today. I took a nice high-speed dismount in American Fork. Glen, Chris Bingham, Tanner and I were having a great time dodging moto's on AF's beautiful trails. (Side note. Not sure when or why the AF single track was opened to motorcycles. Nearly all the trails are now fair game to motorcycles but fortunately not 4-wheelers. The moto guy in me likes the prospect of riding single track on the WRR. However, I'm just not sure AF is the place for this. The trails are already rutted in places and rougher.) Glen and I chased three KTM's off 157 down to South Fork and stayed on their tail the whole way. They were kind of surprised to see us right with them at the bottom.

Unfortunately on that descent, Chris caught a pedal and went down fairly hard. He somehow avoided injury but his frame was cracked. We made our way back to 157 and were getting ready to drop down to our cars at Dutch Hollow. One of the KTM's dropped in before us and Glen said, "come on Daren, let's catch him". A few minutes later, I came around a steep corner very fast, caught a pedal on a big rock and was quickly on my face sliding into some rocks and trees. The trees kept me from launching into a ravine with lots of sharp rocks.

After the initial shock of hitting the ground wore off, I was able to figure out all my limbs were attached and no bones were broken. Glen was quickly back up the trail to see if I was alive. He said it sounded really bad. In the end, I was able to ride away with some scrapes on my face, a scraped, bruised knee and a bruised rib. Considering the speed and the terrain, I'll smile and take it.

The worst part of the deal is Tanner is now giving me crap about crashing instead of the other way around. Hopefully, I won't have another one for a long time.

More MTB

2009-07-03T11:47:00.002-06:00

I'm on a pretty good roll with the mountain bike. Tanner and I got out in the dirt this morning in Draper. Up toward Shoreline then up Clarks to Jacobs Ladder, down Jacobs and Ghost Falls, back up North Ghost Falls and the new trail then back down Clarks. 15 miles of good fun.

Tomorrow it's on to American Fork for a long one with Glen. I haven't been in AF this year, so I'm looking forward to it. The holiday crowd will be much smaller on the AF trails.

With all the good dirt riding lately, I think I've ridden my road bike no more than twice in the few weeks. I'm strangely missing it a bit. However, it will have to wait. Too much fun to had on the MTB.

We're down to two weeks until MTB Nationals. I have zero expectations due to my lack of race fitness (a TT effort up Clarks today confirmed my lack of speed) but it will be fun watching Tanner battle in the 17-18 Cat 1. The whole family is going so it should be a good time.

Pretty quiet around the house this weekend. The girls stayed up north to go to Jackson with some friends. We'll probably take in some fireworks but that's about it. My big project is to change the tires on the moto. I pick up some more aggressive knobbies and 16 inch tire levers. I'm sure it will be a couple of hours of frustration but I want to give it a try.

The Tour kicks off tomorrow. Not sure if I'm excited or not. I'll probably warm up to it as it gets going. I'm hoping for a Contador / Armstrong battle. That would be fun. Hopefully, DZ will have a shot at winning the opening TT. However, Contador will likely win the TT. It seems more than odd to me that a guy who was a pure climber a few years ago can now beat the strong men on flat TT's.

Have a great Holiday weekend.

Hey, a blog update

2009-06-30T20:43:00.004-06:00

Summer's finally here and lots of good stuff going on. I have these great ideas for blog posts, but don't seem to make the time to write them. Maybe someday I'll get more dedicated. However, here's some highlights from the last week.

Tanner and I made it up the upper Millcreek with the road closed and had the place to ourselves. Pretty cool.

I made it out to Draper to help build the initial section of Jamie's trail. My abs are still sore but it was rewarding to see a trail take shape. I'll be back for more work. You should join me. This section of trail will likely be the best descent in the Corner.

Got to hang out with Brad. That's always good. The hat made it through the trail work OK.

Some of the team have been able to spend the last three days acting as tour guides for Specialized's 2010 product line global press launch. The big S brought in about 75 journalists to hear about the bikes and play on them. Here's our small group of 60 + unloading on Guardsman Pass.

The altitude made Puke Hill live up to its name.

Here's trail boss Glen giving last minute instructions to our group of 41 today. We got in about 34 miles with 2,000 up and 7,000 feet down. Good stats.

The rental box van had some pricey cargo. On Saturday, we had another level stacked on top. No bikes were hurt in the making of this picture.

Here's the MTB compound at Snowbird. There's another one just like it in the upper parking lot for road bikes. Dealers come in the next couple of weeks to do more of the same. They will be there during the Snowbird ICUP race. We make get a few out of town fast guys giving the race a go.

It was a pretty unique opportunity to ride with guys from around the world and some celebrities. I got to send some quality ride and discussion time with Ned. Also, I tried to follow Hunter and Berrecloth down Mill D and Millcreek, life threatening but fun. I realized today I was riding in between a world champion gold and bronze medalist for a time. I doubt I'll get to do that again. I also got to catch up with a couple of good guys from my time at Specialized I haven't seen for a time.

It's interesting how we just take for granted the quality of trails and scenery we have here. To a person, everyone was incredibly impressed. These are people who have ridden all over the world and could not get over the quality and quantity of our trail system. I was directing traffic near the bottom of the Desolation to Mill D trail and got to hear "This is awesome" in about 8 languages. The smiles were very large. A number of the guys said it was if not the best, one of the best trails they've ever ridden. A group of German journalists went back up today for more pictures for a feature in their magazine.

Even with all the visitors, the quote of the weekend came from a local. On our way down the closed road in upper Millcreek down to Pipeline, a guy riding up yelled at us because we were spread too far across the road and came close to him. Later, as we were gathered in the parking lot at Rattlesnake Gulch the same guy pulled his minivan over to apologize for swearing and to lecture us about how to ride. His final words were "I hate to pull rank on you, but I've been riding bikes for 16 years and have ridden all over the country so I know what I'm talking about". Too bad he didn't realize he was talking to a world champion and riders from 10 countries. We said thanks and managed to hold the laughter until he left.

One final note. While the out of towners struggled with the altitude, they had some serious skills. The Euros can descend with speed and style. I got out of my XC racing conservative DH mode and let it rip following these guys. What a blast. The 2010 S-Works Stumpy I rode today wasn't bad either.

Cold, Wet Fun

2009-06-21T19:17:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the Glen Adams Epic Father's Day ride. Tanner's been calling it the GLEPIC all week and was pretty excited about going. He's heard my GLEPIC stories, but has never actually been on one. It turned out to be epic, just not as long as planned.

This was the view from the Car as we started. We decided the weather would get better. It didn't.

Here I am contemplating the line I didn't ride. Leif the downhiller took this line at speed on an Enduro. It was impressive.

Here's Glen on the line I did ride.

Rather than riding the Crest (by the way, it's in good shape with only a few snow patches left) to Millcreek and dropping into Park City, we decided to drop to Desolation Lake to get off the mountain. At this point, it was about 35 and raining hard. Everyone is smiling but me. I'm the skinny old guy shivering uncontrollably. The Las Vegas Jim's were loving it, even with the adverse weather. One flew in just for the day to do the ride.

The ride down to Mill D was in running water and slick conditions. By the bottom, my fingers no longer worked. You'd think we would have been complaining and regretting doing the ride. It was just the opposite. Everyone had these big grins (the white teeth showed up great against the muddy faces) and crazed looks in their eyes.

Fortunately, Rosie (not sure if that's a real name or nickname) from Specialized had the SBCU 15 passenger van with 15 bike racks to get us warm and take us back to Guardsman.

While the ride was only an hour and a half, the conditions made it feel as epic as a 4 hour big climbing day. Good times with good guys.

Eric was coming up Millcreek to meet us on the Crest. Apparently, a kitty made him change his mind.

I couldn't help but wonder about the High Unitas road race. If the same weather system was on Baldy, it must have been ugly. Hopefully, everyone made it OK.

I seem to have turned a bit of a corner with my health. I've been able to put in some efforts this week without putting myself down for a week afterward. I was able to do a respectable time up Temple Quarry Wednesday. My fitness still has a long way to go, but there's hope.

Today has been a great Father's Day. I've had pleasant memories of my Dad and all my children around me. Life is certainly good.

Selective Memory

2009-06-16T21:32:00.003-06:00

Depending on your point of view, bike racers are blessed or cursed with extreme selective memory. Take Saturday for example. My congestion and general fatigue was finally on the rebound so I was looking forward to racing at one of my favorite venues in nearly ideal conditions.

I started conservatively (at least as conservatively as possible on the Little Stick climb) at the back of the group with a plan to work my way up to mid-pack. Unfortunately, my body didn't sign up for this plan and I spent the entire race at the back suffering in a big way.

The last lap was not "I'm hurting but racing guys" kind of suffering. No, it was "I'm all alone, going to die before I make it back to the car" kind of suffering. I was sure my entire body was going to cramp a couple of times and I was going just fast enough to keep from tipping over on the climbs. It was the last two hours of the E100 kind of suffering. Without encouragement from my wife and the good Doctor, I would have bailed after two laps.

After a good start and a building a solid lead, Tanner and a similar last lap experience.

Near the end of the 2nd lap, he moved off the trail into the grass to pass a lapper and hit an unseen rock resulting in a hard face-plant. He moved his lower front teeth, chipped his upper front teeth, cut his lip and bruised some ribs. He gamely carried on but due to the crash effects and his lack of eating and drinking during the race, he bonked hard on the last climb. He was passed by the guy in 2nd and lost 3 minutes in a short distance but hung on to 2nd.

Needless to say, we weren't a pretty sight after the race. Me wondering around cross-eyed and incoherent and Tanner with an ice bag on his bloody lip. The entire last lap I kept thinking things like "why do I race and do this to myself?"; "this is stupid, I'm never racing again"; "I'm way too old for this kind of self-inflicted pain"; and "I actually paid money to do this".

Normal, sane people would remember these painful experiences and move on to something else. However, after a couple of hours and some food, Tanner and I were talking like this: "You know, that really wasn't so bad." "If I'd have eaten more, I could have won even with my crash." "I really suffered, but I think this is a turning point and I'll get competitive after a few solid weeks of riding." "Man, the single track descent was really fun." "Snowbird should be a good race for me."

I had decided that I'm not racing any crits until I feel better. Instead, I plan to do more bike commuting to get some base fitness back. So today, I rode to work but spent all day debating with myself if I should race RMR on the way home. I even threw my crit plate in my commuter bag. Why? It's a sickness. How can the painful memories go away so fast? I settled on taking the long way home, but it was close.

Tomorrow, I'll be lining up at Round Valley and will probably be suffering at the back again. However, I remember the good results from last year's series and I'm sure I have it in me somewhere. Why not, I'm a bike racer and that's all I'm capable of remembering.

Resting

2009-06-07T20:40:00.004-06:00

I'm now on my 4th day off the bike in an attempt to get healthy. So far, I'm not sure of the result. I plan to take at least one more day off before I give riding a try. I guess we'll see at that point. I've also started using a Neti pot to cleanse my sinuses (a very weird feeling to say the least) and eating local honey. Seems everyone has a home remedy and I'm giving a few of them a try.

I did make it out Saturday for a ride on the moto. I went up Mineral Fork in Big Cottonwood. I was really nice. The trail is technically challenging and the scenery spectacular. I manage to keep it upright and do no damage to the bike or me. This is the kind of ride I had in mind when I purchased the dual sport bike. The ride was lots of fun and just an hour and 15 minutes door to door.

Lots of rocks and some water thrown in to keep things interesting.

Things are very green.

It will be a few more weeks before the trail's clear to the top. But I did make it to the old mine.

The view down the canyon.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning out the garage and making a trip to the DI and landfill. By not riding the last two Saturdays, I've gotten a normal years worth of projects done. Once I do get better, I've built up some goodwill on the honey-do list.

The other benefit of not riding is I've avoided the rash of crashes among family and buddies. I'm not sure crits sound like a good idea anymore.

Non-racer

2009-06-01T21:48:00.004-06:00

I'm now a couple of days into my second round of antibiotics for sinus infection. I still feel about 75% of normal, so very little riding and no racing since the Draper ICUP. If seems my spring / summer racing season just isn't meant to be this year. I have an appointment with an Adult ENT Doc in a few weeks to see if I can get things figured out. In the meantime, riding and racing is a day to day thing. Today, no riding. Tomorrow, maybe. Once I do get back to racing, I'll have no fitness, so I'll be roaming the back of the pack. Worse things will happen.

Things like yard work. Since I'm totally incapable of just resting, I spent all day Saturday working in the yard. I felt much worse than if I'd raced. Tanner told me a while ago that I'm "annoyingly productive all the time". He's right. It's a sickness. I have long mental lists of things to get done and I just can't sit around. I begin to feel guilty that I'm wasting time. Since most of my free time is spent riding or racing, my current mental to do list is very long. Therefore, no rest. And I wonder why I never seem to get over being sick.

Here's some evidence that my sore back is legitimate.

All of this...

Came from trimming all the bushes..

cleaning out the overgrown flower bed...

thinning out the Honeysuckle...

and weeding the garden.

Our washer and dryer of 20+ years finally died so we went 10 days waiting for the new ones to arrive. T and I go through a lot of cycling clothes, even when I'm not riding much.

I've also been shopping end of winter closeouts hard and have accumulated this. I guess you'd say I'm now committed to backcountry skiing next winter. I was please to discover Voile is a customer of ours at Easton and located here in the valley. It's nice to pick up your skis from the factory. Backcontry.com has become a black hole that sucks all my money. I've discovered the retail storefront where you can try stuff on for size. It's also less than 15 minutes from my office. Not good.

I might be at the mid-week MTB race this week or I might not. We'll see how I feel Wednesday. Thankfully, no race this weekend. I'm not sure if I could have stayed away another Saturday, regardless of how I feel.

Draper Day

2009-05-26T20:56:00.002-06:00

Here's the short version of my Draper race. After weeks of congestion, a trip to the doctor, a course of antibiotics and a general lack of sleep, I couldn't go fast. What a surprise. The net result was my worst ICUP showing ever. The sad part is I actually gave it a good effort the entire race and did even lap times. There's just no go in the engine right now. It doesn't seem to matter if I take most of the week off or ride everyday, I just haven't been able to kick the illness. I'm on the verge of just bagging racing for a month or so. We'll see. I'll probably convince myself to line up at Sundance.

Ed did a good job of salvaging a difficult situation with the mud. Everyone seemed to take it in stride and the modified course was actually pretty good for a race. One of the cool things about MTB racing is there are just a bunch of good people involved. The whining would continue for weeks if yesterday was a road race.

Tanner was sick all week as well. He gave it a great effort and led the first lap, but his body said "no" and he faded to 6th. Kevin won his 2nd in a row in the 19 - 29 Expert and the team win streak is at 4. Tanner's young, he'll recover quickly, unlike his old Dad.

Proof that I did at least participate.

The girls were home for the Holiday weekend, so it was a family affair.

Must be pre-race because I'm smiling.

We got to hang out in the sun for a few hours. Probably the highlight of the day.

I really wanted to race the entire Solitude mid-week series this year. However, tomorrow doesn't seem to be in the cards. Maybe next week.

I learned Tim White in my group is an avid backcountry skier and got to talk skiing with him for a while. I've been accumulating gear on year-end close out sales so I'm sure I'll be doing some touring with him come winter. He's used to beating me up the hills on a bike so it won't be a problem on skies.

Motoing

2009-05-23T16:29:00.003-06:00

Since I bailed on racing today, Chris and I did a dual-sport ride on the Moto's. This is my first true dually ride since I got the machine last fall. I've been waiting for the snow to melt and a Saturday without racing. We headed up Skyline Drive and the Ridge trail from the "B" in Bountiful. I had a good time and I'm beginning to remember how to ride a motorcycle off road. The bike didn't disappoint. It's just what I had in mind, good gas mileage for commuting and lots of fun off road.

We made it nearly to Bountiful Peak before snow covered the road. I did about 80 miles door to door in three and a half hours. Chris did a bunch more miles by looping back to PC via Morgan. Good times.

A Losing Battle

2009-05-21T21:07:00.003-06:00

This should be one of the best times of the year. Temperatures are nice and the trails are opening up and looking good. The race schedule is in full swing and it's time to start going fast. I've finally moved the yard from "bike racer neglected" to merely "normal neglected". In a week or two, it should less than neglected. I got the vegetable garden planted and some plants are coming up. Things have calmed down at work so I can work normal hours and feel less stress. In short, life should be good.

Unfortunately, I'm losing the allergy and sinus infection battle. I actually resorted to a doctor visit Tuesday. I came away with antibiotics and I'm feeling a little better. However, not good enough to race both Saturday and Monday. Too bad, I really like the Sugarhouse crit and will miss racing with Glen. We haven't been able to race together yet this year. I just hope I'll feel good enough Monday to not finish last.

Yet, I still don't have much to complain about. As someone told me today, it's not like the outcome of our races will change the world. Racers have a weird sense of health. For most people, the difference between being 90% healthy and 100% healthy doesn't matter much. But for a racer, it's the difference between a good race and a day of suffering. With the fitness that comes from riding, our 90% is better than most people's 100%.

I did get to pre-ride the entire Draper course on Tuesday's ARMR ride. What a fun ride. I plan to enjoy it Monday.

Boise

2009-05-17T14:09:00.005-06:00

Tanner and I raced in Boise to get qualified for Nationals. We both accomplished that goal. However, our races were quite different.

This post-race picture pretty much sums up my day.

This one sums up Tanners.

The course was terrible for me and my allergies were in full force so I suffered like a dog for 2 hours to finish 8th in a pretty good 40+ Expert field. Tanner on the other hand crushed the Experts and a few pros to handily win. Hence my pained look and his smile.

The race was well run and it was kind of cool race where we didn't know anyone. However, the course was just plain awful. It was 85% double track / dirt road through cow-tracked, open pastures. It had no trees, long, long, steep climbs and steep short descents where you just tried to not crash. It was kind of like the "wall" on the Shoreline between Dry Creek and Bobsled, but for 23 miles. I'm not sure you could design a course that would be worse for my skill set. The only way to make it worse would be to race in 95 degree heat. Oh wait, the Knobbie Tire series final is on the same course in August so they've got that covered.

Enough complaining. On to the good stuff. The race was a mass start. They lined up the Pros on the front row, all Experts behind them, Sport next, then Beginners. There was some instruction then it was "riders ready, go". All 100 or so racers (looked like about 1/3 the turnout of an ICUP race) then battled up the first climb. The start was at the bottom of a paved 1/2 mile hill which turned into a 1.5 mile dirt road climb. Fortunately, the only single section of the course came at mile 5 so things were sorted out by then. Starting all together was kind of cool because you could race everyone. However, it just won't work on any of the venues we race here. The fields are too large and the single track too frequent (a good thing).

I was about mid-pack in the Experts on the first climb (I got to watch lots of guys pass me later) and could watch Tanner work his way up to the front (again, no trees on the course so you could see for miles). He quickly bridged to the leading 4 Pros and was actually on the leader's wheel over the top. He hung onto 2nd overall for most of the first hour and eventually faded a little to finish 5th overall and the top Expert. He was only 5 minutes off the winning Pro and had the winner concerned during the first climb. JoAnn overheard him say at the finish "I was worried the kid from Utah was going to kick my ass".

I said last week Tanner had to spot me 30 seconds per year difference in age. Therefore, he had to beat me by 15 minutes to actually "win". Well, he beat me by 15 and a half minutes. So much for that idea.

Tanner's quickly turning into one fast kid. Just 12 months ago, I could still beat him in ICUP events. Now I can stay with him for about 30 seconds. Up until about a week ago, I could always drop him on the downhill. Even that's gone now. While my ego is bruised a bit, I'm one proud Dad.

Tanner looking in control.

The mass start. We're in there somewhere.

Me coming out of the stream crossing, the only fun feature of the entire course.

JoAnn made the trip with us and the enjoyment factor went up a bunch. She patiently sat out in the sun and took pictures.

We looked at lots of this on the drive. That's pretty much what the race course looked like as well.

I've never picked up more bugs in my life.

I had to stop and do this every 100 miles or I couldn't see out.

While the course was less than ideal, the trip was worth it. I kind of like road-tripping and racing different events. Now we can start to plan our trip to Nationals in July.

Congrats to the Caveman for continuing the Porcupine / Specialized win streak in the 19 - 29 ICUP expert. Looked like there was a great turn out at Soldier Hollow. I think I was punished because I tried to skip out on the suffering.

Off to Idaho

2009-05-14T07:01:00.002-06:00

Soldier Hollow Hammerfest is usually the Soldier Hollow Sufferfest for me. This year I'm skipping it all together and heading to Idaho to race in Boise. Maybe the Idaho guys won't be as hard on me as the Utah crew. Bob's form seems to kick in at Soldier Hollow so I think I'll just duck him rather than get beat.

The race in Boise is a qualifying race for MTB Nationals. Tanner and I decided over the weekend to give the National Championships a go since his form is so good and Nationals are in Colorado this year. In order to race a Cat 1 National Championship, you have to qualify by scoring a top ten in a qualifying race. The closest qualifying race this year is in Boise this Saturday, so we're heading North. It will be interesting to see how good the field is. I'm secretly hoping that only 10 guys show up so I'll just have to finish to qualify.

In other exciting news, I'm going to the dentist this morning for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. I get to do it again next week. Now that's what I call a good time.

That Hurt

2009-05-10T14:49:00.003-06:00

Tanner and I raced at Sherwood Hills yesterday in ideal conditions. The temperature was cool and the trails were tacky. The turnout was the best since I've been racing at Sherwood and the racing was fast.

I haven't raced the MTB since St. George (because I'm apparently a road weenie) and I was quickly reminded how much it can hurt. Bob did a cyclocross start and we were all seeing stars a couple of minutes in. I couldn't hold the fast pace and settled into 7th. I rode consistent laps from that point and slowly worked my way 5th going into the last of 4 laps. With my allergies and congestion, I was deep in the pain cave at this point and was just going to do enough to hold my position. However, as I came out of the woods I could see Bob and that he was fading a bit, so of course I had to keep going hard. As I caught him on the twisty single track climb I think he said something like "I think I'm going to cry". If I could have formed words at that point, I would have said "me too". As it was, I could only concentrate on keeping moving and not tipping over. I managed to stay ahead of Bob to finish 4th. Given how I've felt this week, I'll take it.

Brad and Tim were long gone and a guy I don't know in tan under armor rode away from me half way through the race. He was struggling in the single track tree sections, but was flying everywhere else. He's definitely got a big engine.

About half way through the last lap, I remember thinking next week at Soldier Hollow is half hour longer and harder. It wasn't a motivating thought. I'm sure Bob will extract his revenge on the SH climbs.

Tanner had another outstanding day to win his second Expert 19 - 29 in a row. He attacked on the first hill and was gone. However, the finish ended up a lot closer than he would have liked. He was getting time checks to what he thought was 2nd and had a comfortable, nearly 2 minute lead. Accordingly, Tanner didn't push it too much on the last lap in order to avoid a big mistake. Turns out, that guy wasn't in 2nd and the actual 2nd place was gaining fast. He caught up to Tanner just as Tanner entered the finishing chute and they sprinted it out. Fortunately, Tanner was able to stay in front.

The 19 - 29 field lined up.

The Kuhl train started things off.

However, Tanner was first up the opening climb.

The finish was way too close for comfort.

The old guys lined up. Good job to sleeveless Brad on the win.

Tim had reason to smile. He was really fast yesterday.

Carl and I were able to smile early on. We had our normal battle for the first half of the race. Kelly Glen was with us as well. Good times with good guys.

Late in the race, no smiles, just the pain face.

Just when you think you are going OK, you often get a reality check. Mine came just before the start of my last lap. Alex Grant lapped me and went by like I was standing still. Next came Bart, then Burke. They were all impressively fast.

On the team front, congratulations to Dave for winning the 35+ State Crit Championship then finishing 4th in the Pro 1/2.

Others on the team were experiencing actual pain, not just effort induced suffering. Greg Freebairn went down hard in the 35+ race and broke his collarbone, a very bad thing for a chiropractor. Heal fast, buddy. At the St. George Tri, Aaron Jordin was flying along at 30 approaching an intersection when a course Marshall stepped out to tell him to turn (the turn wasn't not clearly marked). AJ braked, hit a slick piece of road and launched over the bars. Fortunately, no bones were broken, but he donated a lot of skin from his hands and back.

When I talk with non-cyclists about my racing, they nearly always say something like "oh, mountain bike racing must be really dangerous". In reality, the road is way more dangerous. In many years of riding and racing, my only significant injuries have some on the road. More reason to stick to the dirt.

Sick and tired

2009-05-06T22:05:00.002-06:00

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Did the ARMR ride with the boys last night and felt OK. However, I gave DMV a go tonight and only lasted 7 laps before I pulled the plug. The breathing deep wasn't going so well. Hopefully, things will improve by Saturday. I've had this for about 3 weeks and it getting very old.

We rode Bobsled last night. I haven't ridden it for about a year and a half and forgot how much fun it is. The top was had running water but the bottom was buff. The free-ride boys have been busy building stunts and jumps. I may have to borrow a Big Hit one day and get some air. I think the potential for an old guy to get seriously hurt is high enough to get the adrenalin flowing.

Dave won DMV again tonight. This time solo the last few laps. I'm not sure how he can pull off the win at DMV week after week. It's not like he sneaks up on anybody. He's wins about 75% of the time he races at DMV. It's like the Jazz pick and roll in Stockton and Malone's heyday. You knew it's coming, but there's not much you can do to stop it.

Finally, I was reminded tonight about how cool it is to just be out racing our bikes. There was a guy in the C or D flight tonight that clearly hadn't raced many times before. I watched him after I pulled the plug. He got dropped early but kept riding hard the entire race, alone. His wife and two little boys, about 4 and 6, were watching and yelling encouragement. The boys had no clue their Dad was no where near the front of the race. They just knew their Dad was racing his bike, was going really fast and is their hero. He was probably the biggest winner on the night. Pretty cool to watch and helped me remember why I do this. It's about participation more than results.

More Fatherly Boasting

2009-05-03T14:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a good day for my kids.

Erin

http://www.standard.net/live/news/171522/
http://www.standard.net/slideshows/2009%20Slideshows/USUgraduationspring/slideshow.html (picture # 8)

Tanner

Won the 19 - 29 Expert at the 5 Mile Pass cross/MTB race. He had the fastest expert time by a comfortable margin. (Sorry Bob, but the skinny 16 year old put 2 minutes on you.) He also just scored in the 92nd percentile nationally on the ACT.

Ashley

One of her art projects was prominently displayed in USU's fine arts building for finals week. She has the most creative talent in the family. She's also on the Dean's list again this semester.

A bunch of over-achievers I'm fortunate to call my own.

OK, I'll stop bragging and go back to regular boring posts about me starting tomorrow.

ARMR

2009-04-30T12:47:00.002-06:00

I did the Anti - RMR (ARMR) again this week. Tanner, Team Rico, Caveman, AJ, Greg and Zane Freebairn hit the dirt in Corner Canyon. We successfully avoided the rain and had a good time. I believe ARMR's will greatly out number RMR's for me this year. Good times with good friends.

I'm head congestion has moved to my chest and I have a full-on cold. I feel crappy and have been off the bike for a few days. I'll probably stay off until next week. Of course, this is just in time for good weather.

We're off tomorrow to Logan for Erin's graduation. I'm excited for her.

Tanner's racing 5-mile pass. Should be interesting to see how he does. He's going pretty good right now.

East Canyon and such

2009-04-26T18:00:00.003-06:00

Since I began racing years ago, I have started every event I signed up for. I'm not sure why, but I've never bailed on a race. I guess I figure if I signed up, I'm committed. I can also think of only four races I haven't finish. On two occasions, I was sick but gave the weekday crit a go only to get dropped and call it a day. At 5-mile pass years ago, I broke the linkage in my rear suspension and had to walk in and 3 years ago, I pulled out of LoToJa after 80 miles.

LoToJA was the last snow year and I was near hypothermia at Montpelier. I was having absolutely no fun by that time. We stopped and I retrieved some dry, heavy gloves from our support car. As I was getting back on my bike, I looked up at my nephew Adam and saw his thin, wet gloves. In a moment of clarity, I pulled off my dry gloves, handed them to Adam, got off my bike and called it a day. In 10 minutes, I was changed and eating a burger at Artic Circle. One of the better decisions I've ever made.

All of this is to point out I taking starting and finishing races seriously. Accordingly, it was a little strange that I spent most of the week convincing myself to: A) not start East Canyon if it was raining / snowing or B) turn around and head to back to the car if it started to get ugly during the race. I've had a cold all week and maybe that played into my thoughts. In any case, I wasn't exactly stoked to race.

The drive to the race didn't help. We rallied the Element across the muddy road from Jeremy and set up camp at East Canyon in the rain / hail.

I pretty much decided to drive a wheel car for Tanner's race when the clouds broke and it began to dry out. As it turned out, the weather during the race was fairly benign.

My race turned out better than my frame of mind. I felt OK and made it over the first climb with the lead group. With Canyon and Bountiful Mazda comprising 12 of the 16 or so in the group, it was pretty clear nothing was going to stay away. So we settled in for a parade lap out and back from Henifer. On the climb out of Henifer, it got hard, I got dropped and rode back to East Canyon with 5 other stragglers. We sprinted up the finish climb for 10th - 14th and with nothing left, I finished 13th. Probably about all I could hope for this week.

Tanner was the Cottle hero for the day. He finished 2nd in a strong Cat 4 field. He rode smart and got away with 2 others on the climb out of Henifer. The three of them worked hard to the finishing climb and Tanner just barely missed the win. He was very excited and built some road racing confidence. His time was faster than the Cat 3 winner, so they were going fast.

Saturday night, Chrispy and I went to Supercross and the U. Good times for sure. I wish I had that kind of skill on a moto. Makes me want to sell a bicycle and buy a full-on MX bike.

It was also really good people watching. Not exactly a bicycle race crowd.

It's been a while

2009-04-22T22:36:00.004-06:00

I've had many great blog ideas lately but just haven't got around to writing. I need about 3 more hours in the day. I've also forgotten my great ideas. Most of them come in the night while I'm not sleeping (something I do very well). However, since I'm old, I don't remember them in the morning. In another ten years, I'll be lucky to find my way home on rides. I'll need a GPS system with a homing mode to ever make it back.

So instead of something witty and insightful, you'll get some random thoughts and pictures.

I've pretty much decided to become a backcountry skier next season. I've already resisted buying some bike stuff to save money. I've been spending lots of time looking at the mountains for skiable lines. I have a spotting scope for bowhunting that gets more use on my front porch looking for tracks and avalanches. (The spotting scope's for sale, by the way. Should pay for bindings.) The good news is I have months to accumulate gear. The bad news is I have months to wait to use it.

I sat out DVM tonight. I have bit of a cold and I wanted to save whatever I have for East Canyon Saturday (unfortunately, there's not much to save). I must admit, watching is much more relaxing than racing. I didn't get crosseyed once and didn't want to throw up when it finished. A new experience at DMV for me. Glen's magical bike powers were on display once again (he's in this picture). In the parking lot on the last lap, Glen was in position to put the 45 year old's hurt on the main field of A's when someone slid out and went down in the South East corner. This guy took Nick, Sam and a couple others down. Glen was in the middle of it but somehow managed to unclip, step off the bike as it went down, run a couple steps into the grass and safely roll. He's got Chuck Norris like skills. It was worth the price of admission just to see that save.

Speaking of East Canyon, what's up with 70 + and sunny all week then cold and wet on Saturday? If it's really bad, I'm turning around on top of the first hill and heading back to the car. It's one thing to get cold and wet on a cross bike in December. That's somehow acceptable if not down right desirable. In April on a road bike, not so much.

Made it out to Draper with Tanner, AJ, Chrispy, Zane and Greg last night. A good time for sure. We rode Ghost Falls, Jacob's Ladder and some of Shoreline. As usual, I have the pain face on at the top of a climb. However, ripping the down (with some caution due to the number of folks on the trail) was well worth it. So much more fun than riding circles at RMR. Memo to self: more MTB, less RMR.

Here's Dave winning at DMV tonight. The guy is a machine. The last couple of years, I bet he's won more than half of the DMV's he's raced. Last year he won 6 or 7 in a row at one point. I know some people discount DMV because of small fields. However, DMV is HARD every week and you have to give it up to him for his domination.

Here's Tanner mixing it up at DMV tonight. He was aggressive and on the front a bunch. He just faded a bit the last 10 minutes to finish in the pack. Last year, he'd get dropped early, so this was a big improvement. He's be challenging for wins at DMV soon enough.

In other news, I'm no longer a fugitive. We live in a subdivision with a homeowners association and covenants. One such covenant is your Christmas lights must be off your house no later than March 31st. I was making a stand and refused to take mine down. However, fear of arrest and torture got the best of me and I took them down Saturday. (If you saw my neighbor the "Enforcer", you'd understand my fear of torture was real.) Who knows where my life of crime would have led. I'm sure shoplifting, gambling, ponzy schemes and of course drug abuse were not far away. With EPO, HGH and anything else I could get my hands on, Brad, Bob and Darrell would have been in serious trouble. However, they can continue to work me over on any hill with more than a 1% grade.

Yard work is finally calling my name. I managed to get in 2 hours the other night. Another 10 or so and I'll have the basic spring maintenance complete. Too bad it will be fall by the time I get it done. I just call it being efficient. This way I can completely skip over the summer and fall work. I'm beginning to lean heavily to zeroscaping the front. I hate my grass. It's ugly, uneven, takes too much water and is a weekly pain to mow. The weeds are far more determined than me. However, I do have to get my vegatable garden planted. I can't live without some fresh goodies in the summer and fall. Maybe I'll just make the entire back yard into a garden like Doug.

So much for a short post.

Killing Time

2009-04-16T18:51:00.003-06:00

I in my office killing time waiting for Erin's flight to arrive so I can pick her up. She's coming home a little early from DC to attend an awards ceremony at USU Saturday. She's nominated for Scholar of the Year and it's a black tie formal affair. Should be fun. It will be good to have her home.

I've been thinking about epic MTB rides lately. 15 years ago when I first started riding the dirt, Glen took me on many all-day adventures. The downside of racing is you just don't have time for getting lost in the mountains. I hope to change that a little this year.

My first big, all-day ride was with Glen and Skylere Bingham. Nothing like starting out with two former Pros. Guess who was off the back all day.

We started at Glen's house in Sandy and rode up Little Cottonwood to Alta. From there it was the summer road all the way to the top of Supreme. A 5,000 + climb out of the gate. From Supreme, we headed toward Brighton and got on Great Western. We dropped off the top of world to the South and eventually ended up at the top of American Fork. I seem to remember one hike a bike in there somewhere, but I was semi-coherent at the time. From there is was about an hour of sweet single track descending to Timble Fork. Down to Apline, over Hog's Hollow to Corner Canyon and back to Sandy to finish up the day. I remember something like 6 hours total time. A hard ride, I had a great time.

I've done that loop a couple more times with Glen but Great Western off the top is now open to ATV's and the trail was super-sketcky and not much fun the last time we went. However, maybe I'll give it a go again sometime.

Before I did this big loop, I didn't think something like that was possible. It opened my eyes to the limitless loops available on the Wasatch. Now, I'm disappointed if I don't get into at least two canyons when I'm able to make it up. Once again, I'm grateful to live in this remarkable place.

The next month + is the most frustrating for me in the mountains. Since I don't backcountry ski (yet), my ski season is done. However, we're a long while away from riding the high country. I guess that's what lower elevation trails are for.

Tooele Part II

2009-04-12T14:01:00.004-06:00

The rain held off for the circuit race and it was pretty uneventful. Tanner and my races were about the same. Lots of attacks, but the hill wasn't steep enough to split the group. In my case, this was good. In Tanner's case it was not good. I was able to comfortably hang on and pretty much avoided the front. Tanner drove the pace on the hill, but couldn't enough help to make it stick.

The finish was a slight downhill grade that resulted in a fast sprint finish. I was in very good position coming out of the last corner and gave it a go. However, my 50 x 12 wasn't close to enough gear. I spun out at 43 mph and finished 12th. Tanner was even more under geared. His junior 48 x 13 had him at about 150 rpm in the finish and kept him in 20th.

We had no crashes and a good time hanging out with our team and the Canyon Draper guys. Time well spent with my son.

Tanner in the Cat 4 group.

Me with the 45+. You can tell it's a Masters group because everyone has expensive carbon wheels.

Dave rocking the new team skinsuit on the TT bike. It seemed to be a hit and got lots of comments.

We even had the cool start ramp and countdown clock. A first for me and Tanner.

Makes you feel pro-like.

This is Tanner's wheel after RMR Tuesday in the oval. He managed to keep it upright after breaking two spokes in the rear D of the guy in front of him. Neither went down. A good show of riding by both.

Mid race update

2009-04-11T13:09:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting in the parking lot of a park in Tooele. On a whim, I searched for a wireless network and what do you know, I found one. We are killing time in between the TT and circuit race at the Tour of Depot. The rain has held off so far and the temperature has not been too bad.

The TT this morning was a 9 mile adventure with a couple mile climb and decent. Tanner did well in his first real TT effort. He finished 8th in the a good Cat 4 field and was only 1 minute off the winning time. He averaged a little over 25 mph on a course not suited for junior gearing. Tanner was completely spun out on the decent and could have gone a little faster.

I haven't been feeling so great the last few days and it showed. My goal was to not be last in the 45+ and I reached it with a few spots to spare. I held off Dirk who started 30 seconds behind me until the last 2K, which was better than expected. Too bad I completely blew the last K and lost at least 30 seconds. Tanner reached his goal of smoking the old man by finishing a minute 23 faster than me.

Well, there are now rain drops on the windshield of the Element. I sure hope it doesn't rain hard in a couple of hours.

Sam Keirge and Chase Pinkam finished 1-2 in the Pro 1 2 field only a second apart. They both averaged just over 29 mph. I'm not sure how you can do that. They play a game with which I'm not familiar.

Skiing, not racing

2009-04-05T17:35:00.002-06:00

Rather than bike race, Mark and I made the trek to Snowbasin Saturday. It was a good choice and lots of fun. I hadn't skied the Basin in years and we explored most of it. The only down side was Snowbasin missed the Little Cottonwood big dump. There was some powder up high, but not much down low. I guess you can't have everything. On a true powder day, Snowbasin would be epic. For a dedicated Alta skier, the other refreshing aspect of Snowbasin was no lift lines at all. We pretty much had the place to ourselves.

It was good to get to know Mark better and gain another cycling friend. He's quickly picking up skiing and will be shredding like Tanner soon enough.

Sounds like the new Cholla course was great. I'll get it next year, assuming it's not snowing like this year. Mark and I stopped at Hell of the North on the way home and saw a lap of the P12 and Cat 3 race. Epic is all I have to say. The cross racer in me was a little jealous. Good job to Ali and Darrell on full cross rigs and tires. 1st and 3rd say a lot for the conditions. Sohmy had a solid 2nd in the P12 for the team.

I signed up for the Saturday portion of Tour of the Depot next week. I've never done a TT other than a couple Salt Aire's. Given my lack of fitness and time on the TT bike, I could be embarrassingly slow. However, Tanner's going to go nuts if he doesn't get some racing in, so we'll be spending the day out West.

A Skier?

2009-04-01T18:59:00.003-06:00

I have skied for years, but I didn't considered myself a true skier. I enjoyed spending time in the mountains and liked the feeling of floating in powder, but I could kind of take it or leave it. However, over the last couple of years that has all changed. I now think I am officially a skier. Here's some of the evidence:

In the last 8 days, I've taken two days of vacation on short notice for no other reason than it snowed a lot in Little Cottonwood.
It's early April and I'm thinking about making turns rather than riding my bike.
I have a wax bench in my garage.
I bought an iron just to melt expensive wax.
I'm bummed Mt. Dell and Park City Golf courses are once again golf courses instead of hard, fast skating courses.
I can now actually ski difficult terrain rather than just get down it.
I'm starting to look at drops and little cliffs as opportunities rather than something to be avoided.
New ski equipment looks as cool, if not cooler, than the new S-works Epic to me.
Ski equipment takes up more storage space in my house than golf, camping and archery equipment.
Using my two free passes to Snowbasin this Saturday sounds much more fun than racing my favorite road race, Hell of the North. (Tanner's taking the ACT and can't go. Any takers for the other pass?)
I've watched "Steep" 6 or 7 times and felt true sorrow when I heard the news of Shane McConkey's death this week. I've come close to buying some K2 Coomba's because Doug Coombs inspired me and I'd like to help his family.
I used the last of my Alta Powder Card today and I'm already wishing it had more.
I really enjoy watching Tanner ski and marvel at the quick progression he's made. It also irritates that he's better than me and knows it.
At 46 years of age, there's not many physical activities that allow me to improve. Skiing is one of the few.

I'll be back to being a bike racer soon enough, but here's a couple of shots from today in the mean time.

On a different note, I get to brag a little more about my daughter Erin. I've mentioned she's the Valedictorian for the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science at USU this year. She and the 6 other Valedictorians made their pitches to speak at commencement today (Eric via teleconference from Sen. Bennett's office in DC). Erin was selected by the committee to be the student speaker at graduation. So it will be Sen. Bennett and Erin. Yep, I'm a proud papa.

Ovalized

2009-03-29T17:27:00.002-06:00

Darrell took the title I was planning to use for this post, but I survived the RMR oval. Not where I wanted to race my first crit of the year, but it will do. The oval in the B group is a bit of a gamble. The majority of the races I've done there have had at least one crash. Yesterday was no different. I heard the ugly sound behind me of someone breaking their collarbone.

The fun part of the oval is going fast. We averaged a little over 27 mph and I was able to mix it up on the front. I got off for a few laps a couple of times, but had no real chance to stay away. As usual, I'm wasn't fast enough in the bunch finish to score any points. I have top 15 B sprinter speed but not top ten. I did get in a good workout with 29 minutes above threshold HR. I was feeling more than worked on the ride home. I also avoided getting dizzy after doing 55 laps according to my Garmin.

It was good to see MK out for his first crit venture. He did well and made it to the front a number of times. It's always good to have fellow cross brethren around.

Looks like more good snow today. I have command performance meetings Monday and Tuesday so it looks like I'll miss it. To make matters worse, my neighbor gave me passes to Snowbasin. They will have to sit on my counter for a while.

ET and I are planning to make the trek south for the Cholla race if we can make it work with our families. I've always had good results in that race other than the time I nearly died from dehydration. The course is now supposed to be shorter with more up and down. Good news for Bob but not for me. Give me long and flat. If I don't go south, it will probably be Hell of the North. I still have some tubular cross tires mounted in case it's full-on mud.

A very good day

2009-03-25T13:15:00.002-06:00

My schedule finally allowed a morning off when the snow was good. A co-worker and I enjoyed 2 feet of new powder at Alta yesterday. Best powder day of the year for me. First tracks on High Rustler and Eagle's Nest. Always a good thing.

Now, if I can only figure out how to do it again Thursday or Friday. Too bad I haven't figured out how to get paid enough to just ski and ride. One can always dream.

Not what we planned

2009-03-22T19:37:00.002-06:00

I went to Ogden Saturday for a funeral rather than race RMR. Doug's Mother-in-Law died this week after an incredible life of 95 years. Doug and Betty both spoke at the service and were excellent. I've known Betty's mom pretty much all of my life since she lived so close to our house.

After the funeral and graveside service, we decided to do a family ride. Brady was home from Oregon for the funeral, so Brady, Adam, Doug, Tanner and I set out in the raging wind. We rode the parkway for a while with one flat at Fort B. Unfortunately, Doug pick up a goat-head as well that we didn't notice. Once we got onto the open road, Doug's softening front tire gave way halfway around a corner and down he went. I couldn't stop in time and plowed into him. Like any good brother, rather than land on the hard ground I landed on him. The result was a broken rib for Doug and some road rash. With Doug skillfully breaking my fall, I had no damage.

Betty came out and picked up Doug and we decided to ride on. We fought the wind for the last hour and it wasn't much fun. It felt harder than racing the crit. The company was good, but not the best ride I've had. Sometimes the best intentions don't workout.

Weekend in Snow

2009-03-16T19:30:00.003-06:00

I chose to make it a weekend in the snow.

Started by organizing the winter equipment in the garage with new shelving. It's now already to sit for 9 months.

Friday, we had a management meeting on the mountain. It's good to work for a company that makes snowshoes. We have to test them out from time to time. Thursday after work and Friday after the hike, I made it to White Pine for the last skate skiing of the year for me. I could finally ski 45 minutes at something other than threshold or above. There's hope for next season.

On Saturday, Tanner was rocking the Lumberjack flannel shirt. It was a fun day in the warm sun.

I broke out the skinny 8 year old Nordica's for the groomers. I had to throw some wax on and sand off the rust. They still make GS turns like a pro.

Bluehouse had a demo day in conjunction with the Powder Keg race (we just missed the awards and didn't get to talk with Bart). We hooked up with Kendall and I skied a few runs on the Districts (on the right). The waist is wider than the tips of the Nordicas. They are a super stable, big mountain ski that demand an aggressive skier. They make turning an optional activity on just about anything. Honestly, I'm not good enough to use their full potential. I ended the day on the 1080 Guns (on the left). Still probably my favorite ski.

Tanner talked me into jumping off the roof. It wasn't stylish, but I didn't hurt the house or me.

I'm am reminded again, that I have nothing but good choices. I'm extremely fortunate to live here, have the health and means to enjoy the mountains, have great family and friends to share them with and the most tolerant wife on earth.

Life presents difficult realities to deal with each day. Time in the mountains helps me keep it all in perspective and not just pull the covers over my head each morning.

Tanner and I have put off the 45 minutes of stress that is RMR long enough. We'll be out there Saturday helping Todd try to win. We actually have some B's on the team this year, so it should be more fun. The big question is, will Dave go undefeated this year?

What to do....

2009-03-11T21:08:00.002-06:00

Life in Utah makes for some difficult decisions this time of year. I'm completely undecided on what to do this Saturday. As usual, I over-think the options and make what should be a really fun day into a source of stress. Memo to me - lighten up and just do what sounds like the most fun.

So here's the choices: 1. White Pine has their locals appreciation day with free trail passes, lessons and lunch. The last big chance for a couple hours of getting humbled on skate skis. 2. Alpine skiing in the warm sun. We missed the powder days, but it could be a fun day of cruisers. 3. Ride out to RMR, race the crit and ride home. Good training while trying to avoid bodily harm. 4. A 50 mile or so road ride with my brother, brother-in-law and nephews. A little family bonding on the bike. 5. Take the MTB's out West for some thrashing. It's always good to get dirty. 6. Make a quick trip to Moab for fun on red rock. 7. Take the moto to Dell for high-speed fun. 8. Some combination of two or more of the above.

What do you think?

Almost 4 days now with no females in the house. Lots of Father / Son togetherness. We've managed to feed ourselves and make it to school and work. 3 and 1/2 days to go. Did I mention I really like my wife?

Rampaging

2009-03-09T22:30:00.003-06:00

For some reason, I wasn't too excited about making the trip down South and the drive through a white-out snow storm didn't help. I thought we were going to be in a 2 semi, 10 car pile up at one point. It's amazing there are not more crashes on the freeway. There are lots of really bad drivers when conditions get dicey.

We finally did make it to my neighbor's condo and I fell into bed. When I looked out the window in the morning to see blue sky and red rock, my mood improved dramatically. By the time we made to the venue and started talking with old friends, I was down right happy.

The race went much better than expected. I was a little faster than last year with much less time on the trainer, no structured workouts and taking up Nordic skiing. Darrell promised the Nega-Coach would work and he was right.

The front group was quickly out of sight and I had a good time duking it out with Tim, Carl, Red Rock Dave, Bob and Darrell. Bob was kind enough to pull is annual March last lap blow up, Carl was kind enough to flat on the last descent, and Tim was kind enough to cramp on the last climb so I got by all three. Darrell put the hurt on me on the last climbs and I didn't get back to him until the last corner. He was not kind enough to let me out sprint him. As we went into the chute, I decided 7th place was not worth putting the Doc into the barrier, but I thought about it. RMR was going on at the same time after all.

Tanner had some good and bad. He lead the first climb but crashed on the second descent pretty hard. He re-grouped enough to finish 5th in his first shot at the 19 - 19 Expert. He was a little disappointed, but happy to be able to put the hurt on guys on the climbs. He'll just get better. The old man was proud.

Some friends had good showings. Reed Topham was 4th in the 40 + Sport again, but took 5 minutes off last year's time. Nice job. I had to talk Mike Luper into racing Expert because he hadn't ridden an MTB in a couple years and only started riding with any regularity last year. He finished 4th in the a stacked 30 - 39 field and put something like 4 minutes on me. Remember you heard his name here first. The guy can motor.

I "borrowed" some photo's to show off the new kit design. It got lots of good reviews. I'm happy with how it turned out. Dave put it to good use by easily winning RMR in the oval. There's certainly more of that to come. He set a record for crit wins last year and he's looking for more.

Tanner without blood.

Tanner with blood.

I didn't get the arm warmers pulled up all the way for the picture.

Congrats to BK on his close 2nd (1st Utahn). He and Kenny showed once again that single speeders maybe crazy, but they sure go fast.

T and I have survived a day and a half without JoAnn. We're just taking it day by day. The first thing JoAnn said when she heard it's snowing was "You two better not skip work and school to go ski!". How could she think we'd do such a thing? The girls enjoyed 70 degree weather while hitting the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, Erin's desk in Kennedy's office and much more.

Heading South

2009-03-05T14:18:00.002-07:00

We're doing the quick trip to St. George for the first ICUP race. Leaving Friday after work and coming home Saturday night. More time in the car than on the bike. JoAnn and Ashley are leaving early Sunday for Washington to visit Erin so we have to get back.

I was hoping for 70 and sunny but looks like 50's and cloudy. Should be an interesting test. St. George is probably my favorite ICUP course because it's just fun to ride. However, my longer than normal break after cross season and general lack of motivation to train has me feeling less than confident. Dr. Cross tells me the Nega Coach method works, so we'll see. Sounds like the 40+ Expert group should be full of fast guys. The Vegas boys put the wood to us last year. Funny how no snow and warm temps all winter will do that.

The best part of the trip is seeing old race friends. That's what brings me back to MTB and cross races. If it weren't for the people, I'd have given up riding laps on the same courses each year long ago. You just don't get that feeling at crits or road races. I've been told the vibe is as good or better at XC ski races and triathlons. Someday I'll give both a try.

I am looking forward to watch Tanner from a distance. He's racing the big boys in the 19 - 29 Expert group as a 16 year old. I think he's going to surprise some people. He's had a good winter on the bike and is excited to race somebody. Unfortunately, I just received parts for his new bike today and won't have time to build it before we leave so he'll be on the old, sort of heavy hard tail. However, he's young and won't notice. You don't get to complain about your equipment until your a Master or you pay for it.

Next week should be lonely. Tanner and I ill be on our own with the girls in Washington. With any luck, we'll survive. The girls should have a great time. Through her work in Kennedy's office, Erin's been able to get them tickets to some good stuff. In Washington, it's who you know.

Twisted Throttle

2009-03-01T18:50:00.002-07:00

I resisted the temptation to get humbled at the last local skate ski race of the year or get thrashed on the team group ride by heading out to the West desert. After months of just riding on the road, I finally got my new WRR dirty. The Pietrzaks and I went out to Delle for some good old-fashioned redneck fun. There was no broken bones, broken equipment, spectacular crashes or stray gunshot wounds, so you'd have to call it a successful day.

I hadn't ridden a motorcycle in the dirt for a long time. It took a little time to get comfortable, but I was quickly reminded how much fun twisting the throttle can be. It's just the opposite of MTB riding for me. On the MTB, going down is the most fun, while on the moto, rallying up hills is the most fun. I had fun pulling little wheelies and hitting little jumps. However, I'm definitely a low to the ground kind of guy. I watched the motocross guys hitting the big jumps and it's way beyond my comfort zone. I can't even get up the nerve to jump a 15 foot gap.

The little Yamaha worked really good. It's just what I was hoping for: a bike I can ride to work and get 60 - 70 mpg but still be fun off road. For more serious trial ridding, it needs a little lower gearing and better tires, but it was surprisingly dirt worthy. I've always been a Honda guy, but Yamaha did this one right. Also, the drummer in me has to like a company that produces high quality motos and drums.

With the good weather, there was a pretty big crowd at Delle. It provides entertaining people watching. Moto and ATV guys are very different than the bike racing crowd. Let's just say most haven't spent much time working out. We was happy not to get hit by some drunk guy trying to see how high he could jump.

The forecast is for rain in St. George Saturday. Figures. I finally get a chance to go South and it's supposed to rain. I guess the good news is I can pretend it's a cross race. Maybe I'll pack the Tricross.

Math Test

2009-02-25T08:38:00.002-07:00

I got a good, hard ride in yesterday at lunch with the Specialized crew. It got me thinking about solving equations. See if you can work this one out.

Spring-like weather + group with some horsepower + ending the ride with a 25 mph tailwind + Daren on his single chain ring cross bike with a 42 x 11 big gear = ?

It doesn't take advanced calculus to figure out the answer is Daren got dropped. A gap opened ahead of me at 33 mph and I had no chance to close it. I enjoyed the ride anyway. It was the first ride with any real intensity since cross season. I have a feeling the MTB race next week could be ugly.

Baldy

2009-02-22T21:48:00.008-07:00

I've been a casual skier most of my life. However, Keeping up with Tanner the last few years has forced me to get better or stay home. For awhile, we've been wanting to ski Badly Chutes. It just never seems to be open when we're there. That all changed Saturday.

Tanner and I went on the Porcupine-Specialized / Canyon group ride in the morning. It was nice weather and a big group of about 30. Good times, but I was feeling my low-level cold so we turned for home after a couple hours. We got home around noon and Tanner's friend Brad sent a text saying "Baldy's open, get up here". So up we went.

There she is. A very pretty little bump.

After the 30 minute boot pack on tired legs, we were treated to spectacular views on a bluebird day.

Here's Brad and T with Superior in the background. (We hoped to not need the ski patrol sled.)

The initial drop in is a bit intimidating. Turns out, the intimidation is more visual than real. It was actually fun.

Brad smoothly ripped it.

There was still some soft snow. I failed picture taking and didn't get a good one of Tanner. However, he made the old man look, well old, and this picture did not do him Justice.

I was feeling a little wimpy for bailing on the Soldier Hollow skate race. However, after skate skiing and riding on Friday then riding and hiking/skiing on Saturday, I didn't feel as bad. I just need a little more practice on the skinny skis before my first public humiliation. Maybe next week. Sounds like conditions were perfect and I was happy to see Darrell had a good day. He deserves it.

The Academy Awards just ended. I just don't get why people get excited to watch self-adsorbed, pretentious millionaires congratulate year other on being just a little bit smarter, more compassionate, more talented, harder working and just plain better than the rest of us. Please. Most of these folks barely made it out of high school.

I'm looking forward to another busy week at work. I was hoping to get down South to ride before the St. George race, but it's not going to happen. I'm not complaining though. I'm grateful to have a job that keeps me busy and funds my play.

Finally, my back certainly feels all of its 46 years after a weekend like this one. Again, no real complaints here. It's not fractured like Eric's scapula. BMX will do that to you.

Evening at the Gym

2009-02-18T21:19:00.003-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting an entry. Life just gets busy and the blog takes a back seat.

In a sure sign I'm getting close to actually wanting to ride my bike again, I went to the gym tonight for a spin class. It was an act of temporary insanity, but sometimes you just have to get in a workout somehow. I did stay off my trainer in the basement, so it's still a small victory. I rode before and after the class for a total of 2 hours. I know, crazy.

I haven't done a spin class in years and it reminded me why. The sad fact is, I just don't socialize with others well. I'm there to get a workout, not visit or collectively cheer lead. The instructor was a jovial Brit who keep telling me my heart rate should be at 155 or 175 etc. Apparently, every one's heart rate should be the same in a spin class.

Tangent: Back in the day, I did a lot of spinning. I even had a home spinner for years. I learned under the expert tutelage of the Legend (Glen Adams) and actually enjoy a spin class done right. Unfortunately, I've never been to a spin class lead by anyone other than Glen that was done correctly. A spin class should be carefully planned and matched to music. The rider's cadence should match the beat of the music, either every beat or every other beat. You use the music to direct the effort. This takes some time and effort on the instructors part. The music is an integral part of the workout, not just background noise. I guess this message has been lost over the years. Too bad.

I was seated next to a chatty athlete tonight. The guy was pretty impressive though. Think Gardie Jackson but 3 inches taller and 40 pounds of muscle heavier. During our ride together, I learned: a. He's a pro water skier who just moved to Utah from Florida (not sure why a Pro water skier would make that move). b. He's training for a big tournament in Australia in a couple of weeks. c. He just bought a Fuji road bike that's too "soft". I think he meant it wasn't stiff enough. I think he's strong enough to flex most bikes. e. He asked me if it was easier to ride at altitude. I smiled and said "sure". f. He figured out I raced (being the only guy in a team kit was a give away) and asked if I raced internationally. Apparently, I looked really fast on a spin bike. Even though I general try to avoid any conversation with strangers at the gym, I kind of liked the guy.

Here's a few random items.
This was T on Saturday. The snow was great and the visibility was in fact that bad. Here he's dropping in Gun Sight. At least we think it was Gun Sight. We could really tell.

I skillfully avoided this tree in Supreme Bowl.

I kind of blew this picture, but this is Tanner landing a little cliff jump at the top of a chute in Supreme Bowl.

I'm now an official XC ski geek. I build this waxing bench over the weekend. I successfully waxed for the conditions Monday. In fact, my waxing skills are much better than my skiing skills. I'm getting a little frustrated. Chrispy worked me over for 16K without much trouble. It's teaching me humility.

The big question of the week is what to do Saturday? MTB, road bike, skate ski, skate ski race, Moto in the dirt? Difficult decisions.

I'm also a proud papa this week. Erin found out she's been chosen as the Valedictorian for the School of Humanities and Social Science at USU. She'll get to speak at graduation in May and is a finalist for the top scholar award. She must have good parents.

More Skating

2009-02-07T20:21:00.003-07:00

I getting more hooked on skate skiing each time I go. After skating hard today, I'm completely worked tonight and hurt in places I forgot I have. Yet, I still had a good time. Today reminded me of an MTB race, a even mixure of stuffing and fun.

I guess it's not hard to see the appeal for me. The cross over from cycling is a natural and I'm drawn to technical, gear-intensive sports. I certainly need another hobby that requires specialized equipment, tools, clothes and lots of maintenance. Apparently, cycling (Cross, MTB and road), motorcycles and target archery were not enough.

My buddy Ted gave me my first waxing lesson today and then we toured White Pine and the Farm. Waxing is eerily similar to gluing tubular tires. It is as much ritual as function. However, unlike tubulars, you have to wax every time the snow temperature changes. Ted showed me a brick of wax the size of of a match box that retails for $120. And I thought Dugas tires were bad.

I have officially jumped off the skating cliff. I bought the skis I've been trying (thanks Bart) and I'm ordering my own boots, poles and wax starter kit this weekend. I've been on borrowed boots and poles that don't quiet fit, so it's time to step up.

Oh yeah, one more thing XC skiing has going for it: Cowbells. I've been watching youtube clips from World Cup races and there's lots of cowbells in the crowd. When I eventually get up the courage to do a race, I'll bring cowbells.

Notice the smile on Ted's face and the grimace on mime. Expert vs Novice technique will do that to you. I also soon learned that fresh now is not a XC skier's friend. However, it was pretty.

Tanner came with us for his first venture on skate skis. After an hour, he was dropping me on hills in spite of no technique at all. A big engine and a strong desire to hurt the old man goes a long way. He had a good time, but is planning to stick to alpine skis.

We skied all of White Pine and The Farm today, and some of it twice. The GPS said 23.5 kilometers.

I have a couple weeks to decide about racing at SH. I wonder if my ego can handle gettin crushed?

Break Through

2009-02-04T22:00:00.003-07:00

I am officially no longer the slowest skate skier in the world. Yes, after 8 outings on the skinny, edgeless wonders, I passed multiple skiers tonight and stayed with my buddy and teacher Ted. OK, I mostly stayed with Ted when he didn't go really fast, but it's still a victory. I'm even considering entering a XC race. I need a good whopping now that I'm getting cocky.

United Belgians

2009-02-02T22:42:00.004-07:00

The Cottle boys made it up to Deer Valley on tickets I was given by a friend. A good time was had by all on the groomers. It's actually an impressive that DV can groom that much snow each day.

Check out the new ski clothes. I fit right in at DV. They would have kicked me out with the old snowmobile coat.

In a sign that world peace is possible, the Belgians actually rode as a team to score a gold and bronze at the World Championships yesterday. I was actually kind of disappointed. Watching them fight each other is more fun. I watch the men's and women's race on cycling.tv and it was good fun. Albert was impressive. Katie Compton put in a hero's effort but got worked by two roadies. The course was basically a dirt crit. Pretty much every course we raced this year was more technical. I guess cross season is now officially over.

I've managed to avoid the trainer and any semblance of actual training for another week. I got in a few rides outside, some Nordic and Alpine skiing and some core work. Maybe I'll get excited about getting back at it this week. Then again, maybe not. I think the first MTB race will be ugly as I get dropped by everyone. I can live with that. Cross season is still a long way away.

That's Better

2009-01-24T18:36:00.002-07:00

It was heavy and not particularly deep, but it was new and soft. I am a much happier person now after a good time on the mountain dodging trees.

(Side note, this picture was the last straw today. My jacket and pants are pushing 10 years old. As Tanner reminds my every time we go, my jacket is too big, looks dorky and is actually a snowmobile jacket. Well, no more. I went over to the Sports Authority's ski clearance and scored a killer deal on Mountain Hardware pants and a Salomon jacket. I've at least moved into the mid 2000's now.)

Winter Blahs

2009-01-22T21:48:00.002-07:00

Let's see: very busy at work, crappy air in the valley, not enough snow in the mountains, no motivation to ride the trainer, no motivation to go to the gym. Must be the mid-winter blahs. I think some sun and fun will cure me. Too bad, it will be some time for both.

It hasn't been all bad. I've made it out on skate skis 3 times in the last week, got to ride with Doug, Tanner and some of the Canyon crew last Saturday, I made it up to Snowbasin for the OR on-snow demo yesterday and I'll be at OR tomorrow. The Easton snowshoes have been well received and we should get better placement next season. However, outdoor retailers are suffering through a terrible winter so the mood is kind of somber at the show.

Erin made it to the inauguration and had a great time. She scored some tickets from Sen. Bennett's office and was relatively close. She said all the waiting in the cold and fighting crowds was worth it.

Now I just need to find the time to ride some dirt. A mountain bike or moto will do. I'm not particular.

Lack of Updates

2009-01-15T23:00:00.003-07:00

I've been a slacker on the blog front. I've been slammed at work since I got back from the trade show as well as busy with Porcupine team stuff. I've also tried to get back to working out some. Too much to do and not enough available time.

No camo bikes this year at the trade show. Too bad. There were lots of Bubba's standing in line for autographs of TV personalities, especially Lee and Tiffany (well, not so much for Lee). Country singers Blake Sheldon and Miranda Lambert where also wandering the show. Lambert had over-weight guys in camo stalking her. Kind of funny to watch.

I've been trying to get in some skate skiing this week, but so far no luck. Maybe tomorrow night. Somehow, I haven't made it to the gym this week as well. I think lack of motivation will do that to you. I think Saturday holds a long road ride for me. I've been off the road bike long enough that I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm sure a few road rides will cure me of that. I'll be longing for riding dirt again.

I have been able to ride the moto to work a couple of times this week. My need for speed has been satisfied. Nothing wakes you up in the morning like dodging cars on the freeway at 70 mph in 25 degree weather.

Finally, Erin officially became an intern in Ted Kennedy's office this week. She's been assigned to foreign relations and veteran's issues. Her main job is responding to mail from constituents. She's quickly learning that staffers make Washington go round. She gets one day a week to attend hearings, other events on the Hill or explore political landmarks. She was able to in for some of Hilary Clinton's confirmation hearing. I think I saw her arm in the background on TV. She's loving it so far.

Ashley's Birthday is Saturday so she's coming home for the weekend. She will be a 21 year old officaly adult. I'm looking forward to having her home for a couple of days.

Trade Show

2009-01-06T21:41:00.003-07:00

I'm off to the annual Archery Trade Association trade show in Indianapolis tomorrow through Saturday. 4 days of travel, lots of standing, walking and over-eating. I get to talk with lots of Bubbas and hear endless hunting stories. It is interesting to see all the new products and get a feel of how the industry is doing. Hunting tends to be a little recession resistant, but no one really has any clue how this year will turn out. Maybe I'll see more camo bikes this year. If so, I'll post some pictures. Last year, Pacific (GT, Schwinn and other brands) was showing a camo bike with a rack for your bow. I wonder if anyone bought one. Maybe Todd Wells picked one up before he moving to Specialized this week.

The good news is going out of town allows me to delay working out for another week. I'll probably feel guilty enough to venture into the hotel workout room at some point. However, 10 minutes on a Lifecycle will cure me of that desire. Last year, it was warm enough to run outside. Hopefully, it will be cold this year and I'll lose that desire as well. Does it sound like I needed a good break from training this year. I think so.

Busy Saturday

2009-01-04T13:21:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a busy day of fun. It started with a few laps at Alta. T and I decided to take advantage of the new snow and blue skies. So did every other skier in the valley. There were as many cars at Snowbird and Alta as I've ever seen. We looked down at Collins and Wildcat from the road to see HUGE lines. We were going to head back down the canyon but took a look at Albian Basin before we turned around. Surprisingly, no lines. So we spent a couple hours on Sugarloaf and Supreme. Thankfully, everyone stayed on the Collins side and we charged hard with no waiting.

We next headed over to Wheeler for the Last Call "not too serious" cross race. On the way over to Wheeler, we spotted this commuter riding a cross bike. I couldn't tell if he was a businessman, professor or book salesman. In any case, he looked fast.

To my surprise, he turned into Wheeler and joined our race before heading to work. Impressive.

Sadly, Blaze Rippington was unable to make the race this year due to injury. However, his long lost cousin from Tennessee, Bubba Rippington, made an appearance. Maybe they both will make it next year.

The course was packed snow with ice in spots. It was fun just trying to make it around the course without hitting the ground. Racing a cross bike without going deep in the pain cave was a refreshingly new experience.

After the race, we were off to RMR for the NASCAR themed Utah CX party. It was a good time and the costumes didn't disappoint. Tanner walked away with 3 cowbell awards: two silvers for his 2nd's in the State Championship and overall points and a cool Norwegian bell for Most Improved. Thanks again to Matt, Jon, Steve and crew for putting on the series. I had a great time and made more friends. Can't ask for more than that. There were over 750 individuals who did at least one race this year. How cool is that? 5 years ago, there probably weren't 750 people in the valley who knew what cyclocross is.

2008 in Review

2008-12-30T19:38:00.005-07:00

Bob inspired me to take a look back at 2008. Like Bob, I diligently track all my rides and races and can tell you my total miles, hours, results, etc. The short version is I trained a lot and raced about 50 times. I had some good races and some not so good races. The highlight for me was having Tanner with me at nearly every race.

Best ski season ever - 2007/2008.

Best ski day - Powder Mountain Jan 29th.

Best ICUP races - St. George and Hurricane. I love the warm in the winter.

Best flat of the year - Tanner's dimple on a family ride in Ogden.

Best weekday race series - Solitude. Got to race head to head with Tanner. I beat T by 2 minutes the first week and 8 weeks later, he beat me by 2 minutes. Watching his progress this year was a Dad's dream. I'm now the slow guy in the house.

Best coming-out party - Tanner's dominate win in the first UT Cross race. He put the wood to the B's and put a big target on his back for the rest of the season.

Best non-race ride of the year - the PC perimeter ride with the Porculized crew. T and I only did about half of the epic, but it was a memorable day.

Most fun at Cross Nationals - watching T battle back to a top 20 finish.

Nearly the most fun at Cross Nationals - watching Ali, Sam and Eric finish 2nd, 4th and 13th.

Favorite ritual - weekly loading 4 bikes, a tent, chairs, 2 sets of spare wheels, a trainer and other gear into the Element during cross season.

My best race of the year - finally winning the 45+ State Championship.

My biggest regret of the cycling year was my lack of rides with my extended family. My heavy race schedule just didn't allow many Saturday rides just for fun.

I really do have a life outside of cycling, but mostly limit this blog to cycling topics. However, 2008 reinforced again who fortunate I have such great family and friends and a job that allows me to finance my play. Life is good.

Looking forward to 2009, I'm going to take a different approach to cycling. I've been riding for 20 years and did my first race 10 years ago. For 5 or 6 years, I just did a few MTB races each year. A few years ago, I got "serious" about racing and began training and racing on the road. I decided two years ago to train hard and see what I could do. I began working with Dave Harward and didn't miss a workout for 2 years. The results have been steady improvement and satisfying race results. I've confirmed to myself that I don't have the natural engine to win many races, but I can be competitive.

The downside of "training" is I lost some of the simple joy of riding for riding's sake. By the end of the year, I was getting to the point of "having" to ride rather than "wanting" to ride. At the same time, Tanner's desire to race more seriously has grown. Therefore, I'm passing the training baton to Tanner and going back to just riding. I'll still ride as much and probably race as much. However, I'm planning to lose some structure, ride how I feel and base my race schedule on Tanner's. I won't be chasing series points and hope to do some different events. The only structured training I plan to do is for the Cross season with the goals of defending my State Championship and having a good race at Nationals. In short, I plan to follow the Dr. Cross Negacoach method. My basic nature really likes structure and checking off daily tasks, so this change in philosophy is not a small thing for me. We'll see how I do.

2008 Top Ten

2008-12-25T13:55:00.001-07:00

Since we procrastinated the mailing of Christmas Cards and letters, I'd thought I'd post it here. Merry Christmas.

Cottle Top Ten:
The top ten reasons 2008 was a memorable year for the Cottles.

10. Erin received an internship to work in a Washington DC Senate office in 2009.

9. Daren and Tanner successfully avoided Saturday chores by races bikes on 33 Saturdays and skiing on 10 more.

8. JoAnn began teaching rowdy 5 year olds at church because they needed someone to keep them in line. She instituted the magical motivational power of multicolored star stickers. 5 year olds will be on their best behavior to get a blue star.

7. Ashley continued to amaze all with her artistic prowess as she entered her 3nd year of Graphic Design studies at USU.

6. Tanner won many bike races and became one of Utah’s best junior Mountain Bike and Cyclocross racers. He also is officially faster than his dad.

5. Daren managed to finally win a Cyclocross State Championship. He benefited from being a “young guy” in the Masters 45+ category.

4. The Cottles had no major accidents, illnesses, property damage or permanent marks from their many activities.

3. We found a new dentist. A big deal for us due to Daren’s brother Doug selling his dental practice so he could find new ways to break bones in his retirement.

2. After 25 blissful years of marriage, Daren and JoAnn finally had a proper honeymoon on a beautiful, secluded beach.

1. The Cottles were reunited as a much-improved Erin returned home from her mission in Uruguay.

In 2009, may we all strive to behave well enough to earn a star on our foreheads.

Yes there is a Santa

2008-12-23T21:08:00.002-07:00

It's been a crazy few days in around our house. Tanner's ski theft woes have brought out the good in many people. His story was posted on TGR's forum by a good local and the offers of help came pouring in. It kind of took on a life of its own and became a little overwhelming to Tanner. He was uncomfortable being the center of so much attention from people he doesn't know, but he learned some great life lessons. He's learned some people are low-lifes but many, many more are caring, generous and empathetic to his plight. It is all going to work out for the best and some new powder skis are in his future.

One of things I love about working in the outdoor industry is it's filled with really good people. This fact has been reinforced the last couple of days. Next time you're looking for skis, please consider Bluehouse and K2. Both companies have some quality folks working for them.

On another topic, I made it back on the bike today. 10 days off is a long time for me and I was ready for some exercise. The trainer was almost fun, but not quite. I'm working hard to find ways to keep fit and avoid massive trainer time this year. I'm pretty sure snowshoeing, XC skiing and running are in my future this year.

I don't get it

2008-12-21T09:03:00.003-07:00

Tanner worked this summer to earn money to buy new powder skis. He put in a good effort and obsessed for weeks over which skis to purchase. He finally settled on K2 Pontoons and diligently shopped around for the best deal. The skis were purchased in the early fall and have been prominently displayed in his room ever since. Many hours have been spent admiring the mammoth skis as the excitement to use them built.

At long last, Alta had enough snow to break out the new boards Saturday. The conditions were not the greatest, but the skis were outstanding. Tanner couldn't stop smiling. I succumbed to the cold before noon and headed home but Tanner stayed on the mountain with a friend. In the early afternoon, they ducked into the upper lodge for a quick break and when they returned, the new skis were gone. Some lowlife had stolen them. While I know skis get stolen all the time, I still can't believe it happened to Tanner on the first day with his new skis.

After the initial sock and feelings of anger toward the thief wore off, I've had a sense of confusion and disappointment. I've tried to imagine how someone convinces themselves that walking off with someones expensive equipment is OK. I just can't understand it. Did someone steal them to sell them or to use them? Was he a bored, wealthy teenager looking for a thrill or a poor ski bum desperate for new equipment? Did he worry about getting caught or just knew how easy it would be? Does he feel any remorse? Does our culture of entitlement help people justify they deserve what others have? I don't know. All I do know is I have a really bummed out 16 year old.

Adding to my melancholy is the effects of 9 days of no exercise. I know a break is good for you, but I just feel worse each day. During this period, I've been very busy at work and have over-eaten at numerous holiday lunches and parties. I'm ready to get active again. That's probably the biggest benefit of a break. It makes me appreciate being active.

Nationals Wrap

2008-12-17T21:19:00.003-07:00

It's been kind of a blur since leaving KC Sunday afternoon. The drive was very windy and cold Sunday, but much better Monday. We made it home OK, but it was LONG. I've been swamped at work since my return and I just want to get caught up on sleep.

I have a ton of pictures, but I'm not up to posting any today. Maybe later. Here's some random thoughts about Nationals now that it's in the past.

I saw my first true fight during a cross race. During the first lap of the Elite race, a bunch of guys went down in a tight corner and got all tangled. Meyerson and Baker came up from the ground swinging. One good punch was landed. I also heard two guys went after Page's mechanic in the pits at the end of the race. Punches were landed there as well.
I've never seen the temperature drop faster in my life. In about 10 minutes, it went from 60 to 30. An hour later, it was in the low 20's. By the end of the Elite race, it was VERY cold. The big drop happened during the College Women's race. Most of the riders had no arm or knee warmers on. Many had no gloves. Lots of very cold girls.
Speaking of cold, we stopped in North Platte Nebraska Sunday night. When we got up Monday morning, it was -13 with a wind chill of -32. Not sure why anyone would live on the Great Plains.
Trebon is ridiculously fast when it's not muddy. He crushed the field. Not sure what Page was thinking. He waited way too long to make a move. Just like last year, Page looked like he was carrying the weight of the world.
Katie Compton just destroyed the women's field on a course that didn't really suit her. She, Gould and Loyld were about a half lap a head of 4th. All three were impressive on the downhill and clearly faster than the others.
Bart and Sam battled to the finish. While Trebon finished up his interview, Bart was attacking Sam into the final corner. Good to see them fight to the finish when they were not having great days.
Ali was rocking it again before he rolled a tire and broke his bar. He nursed it back to the pit, but lost a ton of time. The man knows how to peak for big races. He was on pace for another top 15 finish.
Mitchell recovered from Friday's off day and finished 4th in the College race.

All in all, a good trip and a memorable time. Sounds like Nationals will be in Oregon next year. Should like a better drive. Rico's retired from driving, but I think we'll try to be the team Utah transport again. Having a compound was worth all the effort.

Now, it's off the bike for awhile. I'm looking forward to skiing, snowshoeing, hiking and avoiding the indoor trainer for at least a few weeks.

Nationals Day 3

2008-12-13T19:37:00.009-07:00

Today made for some outstanding spectating at the bikes races. I love watching racers giving their all, regardless of what place they hold. The weather took a turn for warm and winding resulting in a tacky, fast course. The Utah/Idaho crew put on a great show.

I'll start with the ride of the day. Ali was officially 2nd in the 30 - 34 but won the Non-Full-Time-Pro national championship. He rode a really smart race working with another rider to stay away from Sam K, then attacked on the last lap to score the Silver. Very cool.

Here's Ali, Eric and Sam at the start.

Sam was a solid 4th and just missed the initial split of the front 3. He rode solo the rest of the race and almost closed to Ali.

Eric also had a nice ride to finish 13th. The course wasn't ideal for him, but he put in a great effort. I was proud of him.

Jon G had lousy start position, but worked his way up to finish 17th in the 40 - 45. He looked stronger as the race went on.

Art had an even worse start position, nearly the back row, and worked his way through the huge field to finish 22nd. Impressive.

Mitchell was feeling under the weather, but still managed 20th in the U23 race.

Richard Feldman from Idaho was a very close 2nd in the 40 - 45 group.

The hard-guy award goes to Bob Walker. He broke his chain just past the pit about half way through the race and ran the entire hill and decent to get another bike just in time to get passed by Ned Overand. That's bad luck.

I always have to stop and gawk at Trebon's mutant bike. No human should be able to ride this thing. If it stays dry (the big storm is forecast to hit sometime tomorrow afternoon), the big guy is the favorite. The course is all about power when dry. If it gets wet, I'll go with Johnson or Page. Bart's hoping for the storm to make things difficult. I think he'll do well either way.

I won't be able to post any more updates until we make it home. That could be Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday............ Only the big winter storm knows.

Oh and I have some "explanations" for my poor performance yesterday (I'd never make excuses). The first corner altercation did more damage to me than I thought. Last night I was really sore in my neck and back and I had a big headache from getting nailed in the head. The impact also knocked my rear wheel out of true so my brakes were rubbing the entire race. Add empty legs to the list and you get a finish of 55 out of 95 starters. I was considering giving up serious racing last night, but 24 hours has pulled me back from the ledge.

Nationals Day 2

2008-12-12T20:54:00.008-07:00

Well, day 2 is in the books and my cycling season is offically over. It ends with mixed feelings.

First, some great news. Chris Walker dominated the womens 45 - 49 race to the National Championship. She was impressive.

Second, some good news. Tanner road very strong to finish 18th in what the annoucers and cyclingnews called the best junior field in US cyclocross history. He struggled a bit with the speed of the start, but fought all race to work his way back to the top 20. I was a proud papa.

Finally, the not so good news. I had great legs yesterday and the worst legs of the year today. I got a great start off the line and was in the top ten into the first corner. That was the highlight. I was then taken out in the first corner and lost about 30 places before I got up and going. I quickly got back to the top 25 but then my legs stopped working. I spent the next 45 minutes watching countless guys pass my each time up the hill and couldn't do anything about it. At that point, my only goal was to avoid getting lapped by Tilford. I made it, but just barely. It's amazing the difference 24 hours can make.

However, all things considered, I'm not too disappointed. Yesterday was the most fun I had in a race this year and today I gave it all I had. It was cool just to be in the race. Also, the 45 - 49 group is crazy fast.

The hotel internet connection is very slow, so I only have the patience to post a few pictures.

The course was very muddy for Tanner's race. It rained over night and the track was like abode, mud with grass. It completely clogged bikes and made some of the hills unridable. The downhill sections were very slick. Kevin did a great job in the pit to give T a clean bike every lap. If you didn't change bikes, you could not finish. Your bike would just stopped working and weight about 35 pounds.

Tanner rode the slick stuff really well.

Here's Tanner's bikes at the finish waiting to get strayed off. Each has the mud of only one lap. Dugas Rihnos are really expensive tires but pretty much required today. You could tell watching the racers who had them and who didn't just by how much they were spinning out or not.

Dr. X made a showing and was going good until his heart rate problems resurfaced. Kind of a bummer. The course changed completely in the 3 hours from the end of Tanner's race to the start of the 45 - 49. It dried out and was soft but not muddy. My bike was pretty clean at the finish and no bike changes were required. However, the climb was very difficult due to the soft turf. There was no hiding. Either you had the power or you didn't. I didn't.

One of the two run-ups. While the course kicked my butt, it's the best cross venue I've been to. The course is challenging, fun and fair. Only a complete rider will win. The course is great for spectating with about 80% visiable from many vantage points. In addition, the facility nicely accomodates all the vehicles, team areas, etc. It's just too bad it is a 1,000 drive from home.

Tomorrow I get to watch the racing and work the pits. A bunch of Utah guys are racing so it should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Nationals Day 1

2008-12-11T19:16:00.008-07:00

We made it to KC in one piece. Other than the high winds of Wyoming, the biggest challenge was boredom. The winds were kind of crazy for the RV and trailer. I think Eric lost 10 years off his life expectancy.

The Utah compound at the race is a big improvement from last year. Having a place to change, warm up and hang out is a big advantage. There's also a bunch of cool bikes to look at.

It feels about 30 degrees warmer this year. No ice, snow or cutting wind. There was some snow on the ground a few days ago, so there's some moisture in the ground. The result is frozen and slick in the morning, get muddy as it gets warmer and drier a little late in the day. The course has some big elevation change and only a couple tricky spots. I like it.

Tanner was really good today in the under 30 B race. He went hard the first half of the race and was in 10th or 11th. He backed off the last two laps to save his legs for tomorrow but still finished 13th in a field of about 60. Kevin wasn't feeling too great and had to change bikes twice but managed 21st. I was debating how hard to go today but found myself in the top ten early in the race so I put in a good effort. I ended up 9th out of 102 and had a great time. I may pay for it tomorrow, but it was a lot of fun.

Tanner and I looked at this for 2 days.

I'm not sure Embassy Suites knew what they signed up for when they become the host hotel for a National Cross race.

We all took turns in the pits today.

I managed to race near the front the whole race.

Tanner at the start of his race.

Lou Rollins put in a strong defense of his 60 - 64 National Title from last year. His field was much bigger and faster than last year and he finished on the podium in 5th. Not bad for a guy who's only raced for 3 years.

Tomorrow should be fun racing with the big boys. Maybe I'll take out Tilford in the first corner.

Dry in Draper

2008-12-07T09:57:00.004-07:00

The dry Utah Cross series came to an end yesterday. I had exactly one race in the wet and cold. I'm not sure how I feel about that. The old guy in me kind of liked not being cold and no bike cleanup (I haven't washed my cross bikes in more than 3 weeks). However, the cross racer in me missed the technical and mental challenge of adverse conditions. We'll see what Mother Nature has to offer in Kansas next week. It could be anything.

Pretty good day at the races for us yesterday. My race was typical for this season. I was off to a good start, hung in the lead group of 4 for the first lap, got gaped and couldn't get back, then hang on for 5th. I went hard and was satisfied with the result. Our group was much faster this year. It was good to see Bo Pitkin and Rich move up from the B's. Bo put the hurt on me and finished just ahead of me, while Rich was coming up to me on the last few laps and made me dig deeper than I wanted.

Tanner animated the B race again but got worked over by 3 Cyclesmith guys, again. Tanner was in a no win situation. If he didn't set the pace, one attacked and he would have to chase. So, he decided to dictate the pace for nearly the entire race in an attempt to get rid of them. Unfortunately, they hung on and all three got around him on the finishing hill. That's racing.

Here's a couple pictures of T on the front.

This is evidence that I was actually ahead of Matt on the first lap.

The run-up completely blew me up every lap. (A quick aside. Craig Kidd, ahead of me in this picture, from Idaho can go downhill REALLY fast on a cross bike. I was on his wheel a couple of times on the technical descent and he was impressive.)

I finally got around to downloading pictures from last week's race at Wheeler. Here's some of Tanner.

Tanner getting ready to head out for a Thanksgiving ride.

Our Kansas grand adventure starts Tuesday. Rico was collecting bikes yesterday. There's a lot to do before we leave, but I'm excited to go. I'm much healthier this year and looking forward to mixing it up in a big field. I'll post some updates through out the week.

Busy

2008-12-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

Not much time to blog this week. My company's year end is November 30, so us finance / accounting types are cranking away on year end. I have a long list to complete before we leave for KC next Tuesday. Fortunately, I've still been able to squeeze in the necessary training rides. Last year, I got sick the week before Nationals and never recovered. This year is looking much better.

It is also the season for Christmas dinners and parties. I have one every night the next 4 days. It's going to get a little stressful getting everything ready to Nationals. Eric's handling all the hard work and we're ready to roll with the RV. Looks like we'll have most of the bikes for the UT contingent. If we crash, there will be lots of unhappy campers. The weather forecast looks pretty good for travel at this point. Keep your fingers crossed.

A quick reminder about garage security. My sister's garage was broken into in the middle of the night while they slept. The slimeballs broke into a car parked outside and used the opener to get in. Many bikes and all the Christmas presents purchased so far were taken. The insurance will be a pain because they want receipts or pictures. Get out in your garage and take pictures or video. It's moved up my to do list.

Only 3 races and the season's over.............

That was Hard

2008-11-29T17:29:00.002-07:00

Tanner and I seem destined to finish 6th at Wheeler this year. We both did it again today. The course was really fast and hard. Tanner got another great start and established the 6 man front group. Unfortunately, he went down a couple of times on the off-camber runup and was gaped off the lead 5. He gamely chased the rest of the race, but the course had too many fast sections for a solo rider to bridge to a good sized group. He was bummed, but put in a solid effort.

I was good off the line and followed Art and Matt into the first corners. Sam got around me and I could only hang about half a lap. I road solo for a while but Iltis, Mckone and Greg soon caught me and Iltis put the hurt on. Over the next couple of laps, Sam, McKone and I battled some, but then I had a spectacular washout near the pond. I fell hard on my upper back and after recovering a bit, road in alone for 6th. I dug deep and I'm feeling it tonight.

Art, Matt, Iltis, McKone, those guys can motor on the straights. It's impressive.

By the way, Cross is hard.

Thankful Indeed

2008-11-29T08:40:00.002-07:00

Having my girls home from College for the weekend.
The best wife in the world and celebrating 25 years of marriage this week.
Riding and racing with Tanner.
Children who consistently exceed my high expectations.
The greatest parents and siblings one could hope for.
No worries about having enough to eat or shelter from the cold.
A good job and good co-workers.
The health and means to ride bikes for pleasure.
The mountains.
Faith and hope.
More friends than one deserves.
Love and being loved.

Two Weeks

2008-11-25T20:50:00.002-07:00

Two weeks from now, we'll be on the road to KC for Cross Nationals. We'll be rolling in Rico's personal RV (just like Sven) and one car. Should be a great time. Caveman, Tanner, Rico and I will be representing Porcupine Specialized and Utah and enjoying all to cross craziness. However, before the journey begins, we have two more races in here. I'm happy they are both close to home and courses I like.

I did my second to last threshold interval workout of the year today at lunch. It was a bit of a struggle. I'm looking forward to a break from the bike after Nationals. Maybe there will finally be enough snow for good skiing by then.

Glen and I took the long way home Friday night on the moto's. We took a detour up the mountain to overlook the Bingham Copper Mine. It was the moto's first venture on some dirt. I haven't been on dirt with a moto for a number of years and I'm rusty. The dual sport tires are pretty sketchy in the dirt as well. Even so, I had a blast.

The only problem is I haven't figured out how to keep my hands warm yet. My fingers are still cold from today's commute. Getting about 66 mpg.

3 Golds and a Silver

2008-11-23T09:50:00.003-07:00

A great day at the races for the Cottles and Porcupine Specialized. The team came away with 3 State Championships and a 2nd. Eric was the hero of the day winning the Single Speed then doubling up to win the A's State Championship by finishing 2nd to Idaho Sam. Eric was due for a big day and it came in spades. I'm really happy for him.

After flatting out of the 45+ State Championship race in the first minute last year, I'd been thinking about this race for a year. It couldn't have gone better for me. I got the hole shot and lead the entire race. I got a gap in the first technical section and just TT'd after that. I had good legs and built a pretty good lead by the end. Unfortunately, the Claw fatted on the first lap, so we couldn't battle. I have no illusion that I'm the fastest guy in the state over 45 (McKone, Glen A, Chris B, etc. didn't line up for the race), but I'll take the win. It's definitely the biggest win of my modest cycling career and is the culmination of many years of slow, steady progress.

The 45+ raced at the same time as the Men's B's (we started a minute after) so I got to kind of watch Tanner. He finally got a great start and was on the front early. He and Tyler Fought established a gap in the first lap or so and were gone. T put in a huge effort and pulled pretty much the entire race. Tyle make a really good move on the last log crossing just before the finish to get by Tanner for the win. T was pleased with the effort and not too disappointed. It was fun listening to Bruce and Gardie announce the race so I could hear how Tanner was doing. It was pretty cool to be part of a father / son duo having a good day.

I was pretty worked after the 45+, so I took a pass on the 35+ race. It was kind of fun to watch the guys I do battle with each week. The effort from all the guys was impressive.

T and I got to do the post race interviews.

I did the winners salute for Bob. Too bad the picture didn't turn out.

T on the front all day.

Finally, off to a good start.

Eric on (well, actually off) his SS. He and Eric Flynn had an epic battle that went to the line.

Eric and Sam Kreig were off together after some crashes behind them

I owe Bob a picture of him on my blog. Here you go. Have fun in Hawaii.

Kevin's always stylish. He had another strong race to finish 7th.

MK, Greg and Darrell were together the last bit of the race. The Doc looked good all day.

Art and Matt had to work to keep Iltis from catching them on the last couple of laps. The Train got the win.

Just 3 more races. Two in Utah and then Nationals. I can't wait.

6th

2008-11-16T20:01:00.006-07:00

Another nice day for racing Saturday. Not true "cross" conditions, but I'm getting used to not having to clean my bike for hours and staying warm. Looks like we'll get more of the same this week.

The course was a classic Wheeler with all the features thrown in. Bart helped lay it out and had something for everyone. Tanner and I both finished a solid 6th place after battling in small groups for 5th - 7th. However, I started out with leaders but fell back a bit while Tanner was caught in a tangle at the start, was about 15th out of the gate (again) and worked his way back. He had a good battle with the brothers Glenn and just got nipped at the line for 5th by Kelly. Scott, Krachty and I had a good battle the last half of the race with Scott getting me just before the line.

The one sour note of the day was Dave's hard crash in the last lap that resulted in a broken clavicle. It's about the only thing that can keep the Hardman down.

I really enjoyed the competition and had pretty good legs. I would love to be just a hair faster to hang with Art and Matt the entire race, but I'm happy with how things are going. It makes me appreciate the times that I do make to the finish with them.

More pictures from a long day at the races.

Some of the crew waiting for the start.

T Man in the barriers.

Kelly just getting Tanner at the line.

Caveman had another solid result and an even better one today in Magna. Way to go Kevin!

After a year off from racing, Greg's slowly finding his form. (My back's looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.)

Dave going strong before his unplanned dismount.

Scott and I saw a lot of each other.

Ben's figuring out cross and getting better each race. When his skills catch up to his engine, we're in trouble. Dr. X was sporting the stylish DZ argyle leg warmers. Always good to have the Doc in the house.

More of Scott and me. This is just how we finished.

I'm looking forward to State Champs this week in Ogden. I'm planning to race the 45+ in the morning and then see if I have anything left for the 35+. I've never doubled at a cross race. I'm not sure it is a good idea.

Finally, good job to Eric and the Cutthroat crew for putting on an new race today. Sounds like it was a success.

Waving

2008-11-14T13:07:00.002-07:00

I've ridden the moto to work a few times now and I think I'm going to like it. My prior moto experience has all been off road, so riding on the road in traffic has taken some getting used to. However, my 20 years of road cycling has given me an awareness of cars that really helps. The most difficult thing to deal with so far has been getting over the feeling of being blown off the bike at highway speeds. Getting a road helmet without a visor has helped a bunch. I don't feel like my head's going to be ripped off any longer.

I'm noticing some slight differences between moto riders and cyclists. Waving is one of them. While most cyclists I approach coming in the opposite direction wave to you, every motorcyclist I've come across so far has waved. In addition, the method of waving is a little different. My natural cyclist wave is to take my left hand off the bars and wave above the bars. However, this apparently is not the proper moto wave. Every wave I've gotten so far is with the left hand below the bars. I'm going to need to practice.

On the cross front, I'm really looking forward to Wheeler tomorrow.

Heber Suffering

2008-11-09T19:50:00.003-07:00

Saturday at Heber, I was reminded yet again that riding at your limit for an hour seems to hurt more when you are battling for 6th or 7th than when you're battling for the win. I was happy with my effort, but just was a little off. The 35+ A group has gotten deeper and faster this year, so I have to be on a great day to smell the front. Still a good time on a great course.

Tanner was racing near the front again in the B race but a couple of small mistakes relegated him to 4th. He fully expects to win now and anything less than that is a bit disappointing for him. However, he's now a marked man and the other top guys work really hard to get away from him. He's going to have to earn his next win. There won't be any easy ones. The highlight of the day for me is still watching him race. It's good to be a Dad.

It was great to see MK get a solid 4th today. I think it was the change to the black skinsuit.

Sohmy rode well for a top 10 result.

Ali and Bart were off the front again.

Kevin superman'ed his way to a solid 8th for his best result of the season.

Team Rico didn't have his best day, but still finished 6th.

The course had really dried out by the time we raced, but the run up was still nice and slippery.

The lead 3 hit the run up early in the race.

Got to love cross, going hard and bleeding.

The horse race track was a mud bog for the earlier races but a nice tacky single track developed for the A's.

As always, the best part of cross is the people. The Porcupine Compound had Ali and Mona Vie for neighbors. I love the racing part of cross, but it's the people I see each week that keeps me coming back.

Dr X inspired me to offer some mid-season equipment observations. The Easton EC90 Areo have been a very good investment. They are light, stiff and have super smooth bearings. The Challenge Grifo tubulars have proven to be a very good all around tire. I've used them in all but one race with disappointment. I broke out the Dugas Rhinos for the Heber mud and they rule. I had to sell one of my children to afford them (no deals on these) but hopefully, they'll get me through muddy races for a few seasons. My backup wheels continue to be Mud2's on clinchers with Stan's rim strips. No problems at all with them. Stan's sealant is in all my tubulars and clinchers and many, many goat heads later, they all still hold air.

After years of internal debate, I went to a single chainring set up about 3 weeks ago. I'm sold. Removing any worries about chainring shifts in nice.

The S-Works Carbon Tricross is worth every penny. Light, solid, fast and comfortable. With the Easton wheels, SRAM force drive train, standard Avid shorty brakes and mid-level Egg Beater pedals, my 58cm checks in at 16.1 pounds on the digital scale. Throw on some road tires and it's the second best road bike I've ever had just behind my Tarmac.

Still trying to find the ultimate brake pads that will work well on carbon and aluminum. The first pair of cork pads I had lasted about 45 minutes in the muddy Draper race. I now have some Swiss Stops. They work much better but are a little grippe at times and too expensive.

I'm looking forward to Wheeler this week. A 5 minute drive to race is much better than an hour.

My Mid-life Crisis

2008-11-06T20:17:00.002-07:00

60 - 70 miles per gallon commuting starts tomorrow.

Questions Answered

2008-11-02T13:52:00.005-07:00

As I write, my cross brethren are racing in true cross weather. It's raining and the wind chill is 38. We got home from church a little while ago and I miss racing with my buddies. However, with my head cold, it's better I'm not out getting soaked and chilled to the bone.

With rare exceptions, I decided long ago not to ride or race on Sundays in order to spend the day with my family. This is my personal decision and I don't look negatively on anyone who does ride on Sundays. However, taking one weekend day off from the bike works well for me and helps keep a little balance in my life.

My RMR questions were answered. First, we did get to race on the Motocross track. It took me back to youth spent on BXM and Dirt Bikes and I had a blast. I think you either loved the course or hated it. Not much middle ground on this one. The BMX / motorcycle guys really liked it, the pure roadies hated it. The only part I didn't like was the section through the rock parking lot. It was like riding deep sand but with more serious consequences if you crashed. I would venture to say more than 75% of all racers hit the dirt or rocks at some point. I'm happy to report I kept it upright and came home without spilling any blood.

Second, my health was just OK. I had a pretty good first third of the race, but my power went away about half the way through and I SUFFERED the last 20 minutes. I usually try really hard to not get lapped by Bart. However, I was very happy to see him coming by me in what turned out to be my last lap. I battled Scott for 4th but bobbled in the rocks near the finish and ended up 5th. I'll take it. I still have congestion today but I'm no worse than Saturday, so I should be good to go this week.

Tanner had a rough day. He good only a so-so start but was 4th by the end of the first lap. He then got a puncture that sealed but not before the tire lost nearly all it's air. So he had to ride about a full lap on a flat before he could change bikes. I pumped up the tire and he change bikes again, but he'd fallen way back in the 50+ guy field. To his credit, he battled back to 17th and was doing the same lap times as the leader.

One benefit of Tanner and I riding at different times, is we can take lots of pictures. Here's some for you viewing pleasure.
Scott Allen, me and John McKone on the steep hill.

Eric flying through the tunnel.

T going into the rocks.

T on the run-up before the steep hill.

Tanner in the lava rock parking lot.

One of the table tops.

The banked corner after the steep downhill. You could fly through this.

Bob's smiling. There's no smiling in cross racing.

Matt got the win again today in my group. He's really going good right now.

Bob, this is the face you should have.

See, Dave's is even better.

Bart gets the $100 1st lap prime from Madam Fox.

Through the rollers. The second one was the cause of some unplanned dismounts.

The A's through the whoops on the 1st lap.

RMR Questions

2008-10-31T17:38:00.003-06:00

I have two big questions for RMR tomorrow. First, is my health. I've been under the weather this week and only did a little riding last night and today. Who knows how my body will respond to a hard effort. I could be recovered, rested and ready to rip or I could blow a lap in and go really slow. We'll see. I never know how good or bad my legs are until a lap or two in.

The second question is what will the course be like? Last year, the course was surprisingly fun. Team Rico and I broke off from the Specialized lunch ride today for some recon at RMR. Due to new structures and parked trailers and trucks, last year's exact course isn't possible. So, we'll see what Marek and the troops come up with. What would be really cool is to use part of the MX track. Hopefully, the streak of good courses will continue.

I guess the good news about missing Boulder is I didn't travel that far to wonder if I'm sick.

Boulder - Not

2008-10-28T21:27:00.003-06:00

I'm a detail oriented, analytical kind of guy. When it comes to races, I sweat the small stuff and try to be completely prepared. I register early, pre-plan all the logistics, get everything laid out well in advance and generally worry if I've forgotten anything important. Tanner and I decided some time ago that we were going to do at least one big out of state race prior to Nationals this year. We picked the Boulder weekend and have been all excited about it. There's no junior category for Tanner's age, so he was going to race in his adult category. He submitted an upgrade request to move to cat 3 for cross that was recently approved. Therefore, we was going to race in the big, fast cat 3 field.

Only one small problem. I just didn't get around to registering us until tonight. Turns out the cat 3 field limit has been reached for one of the two races and is closed. In addition, the races are ACA races not USA Cycling races, so you have to buy an ACA one day licence. The fine print in the registration states that all one day ACA licence holders will be staged at the back of the fields. Accordingly, we decided 7 hours of driving one way for Tanner to do one race from the back of a large field just wasn't worth the time and money. So much for being prepared all the time.

Know of any other good races outside of Utah? Portland doesn't work because it's the week before Nationals and we can't take that much time off from work and school in a two week period. Maybe something will come up.

I did my Redneck impersonation again yesterday. Made one last attempt at deer hunting with my bow. Check out my Redneck setup complete with camo bow, camo tripod and spotting scope. I had my camo hat on backward as I looked through the scope. It was impressive. It was a normal hunting experience for me. Looked at lots of animals, took some good pictures and no animals were harmed. I kind of like it best that way.

Fort B

2008-10-26T08:36:00.004-06:00

Another beautiful fall day at the races. While it wasn't "cross weather", I must admit I like it. No post race uncontrollable shivering, no spraying off clothes in the driveway when I get home and no 4 hour bike cleaning/repair. I'm sure we'll get plenty of that later, but for now, I'll take the warm and dry.

It was a good day at the races for the Cottles. The race course was another fast one and tactics played a role again. In fact, my average speed was faster than last week. Tanner drove the lead group of 7 in the B's most of the race. On the last lap, he took an aggressive line over a log while in the lead and managed to end up on the ground. He fought back to finish 6th in the sprint. It's goods times watching him race.

I had my best race of the year to finish 3rd. I made the lead group of 4 but got gaped in the last grass section just before the finish. I was able to drive the pace in the early laps and hang on later. It was fun to mix it up with the fast guys.

The best part of the race was JoAnn took the day off and came with us. She got to see both of her boys battling at the front of their races. All in all, a very good day.

Here's some of JoAnn's pictures. Not surprisingly, their mostly of me and Tanner.

More logs to bunny hop this week.

The B's had their biggest turn out yet with almost 60 riders.

T and I are off to Boulder next week. We're going to try mixing it up in a big race. Should be fun.