Wow. The Tour just got silly. All the doping in pro sports is getting so lame. All the doping accusations are getting old. This latest cycling scandal has the potential to be huge. I wonder if riders will just sit down again like they did in '98?

I think I can honestly say that Saturday's performance, while disapointing, was not something I need to get to worked up over. I appreciate the comments and emails I have recieved, as well as the words of encouragment that people said to me during the event. Thanks for the morale boost :D

After the race I went and spoke with a friend of mine who was riding in his first solo endurance race. He was totally cooked, but he was smililng ear to ear despite the fact that he was still cramping and hurting. He had surpassed his goal by two full laps, and was thrilled with how the day turned out. He said to me that there were times when he "really had to look inward" to be able to keep pressing forward. I was proud of him for his race, and knew that he had experienced the true beauty of endurance racing. Brad, great race, you should be proud of what you accomplished!

These events are a lot of fun. I love the competition, the sustained effort, the fine balance between success and failure...but for me the great part, is how these events test every aspect of our person. Our physical, emotional, and mental faculties are all brought together in an effort and battle against themselves. To have control over each of those things is an amazing and admirable trait.

All is well right now. I am not dwelling on Saturday, nor I am obssesed with how to fix what happened. I know what I am capable of on a bike, and I am looking forward to the next chance I have to show myself just what that is. I think Dave Harris said it best, he said "you are a victim of your own enthusiam, we've all been there". For some reason I took that as a great compliment.

Here's to future rides, future races, and many more good days on the bike!

Check out E12 photos here

Empty. That is all I feel right now. And it is not the empty of having spent all your energy and strength. All was going well until about 6 hours into the race. I sat down in the pits feeling "not quite right" and I didn't get up again. Physically I was fine. Mentally, I was toast. For the first time in my life, racing was pointless. It hurts just to write those words.

I am going to take a little time off, to get my mind and body rested and regrouped. I will be back with a smile on my face and fire in the legs for the E50.

The day was not a total loss. I got to meet a lot of great people that I have had contact with through this blog. I shared pit areas with Chris Plesko. He rode an impressive race on his singlespeed, and his wife Marni pulled double duty in the pits for the both of us. Thanks! The racing went on without me, and it unfolded into a classic with Dave Harris dropping the hammer on the field late in the day, finishing with a record 14 laps. Lynda scorched the race putting in 13 laps to finish 4th overall, and 1st in the Women's solo. My training/riding pals Chris Holley and his wife K.C. took the Duo field, putting in 14 impressive laps.

I am feeling pretty frustrated, disappointed, and embarrassed right now. There is nothing worse than watching the race go on and not be able to be a part of it. Well, I guess there is one thing worse. And that is watching the race going on, and having no good reason not to be a part of it.... Being mentally tough is something I have always prided myself on. Saturday I was the mental equivalent of a wet noodle. I went into a dark place that I had no clue how to get out of. It was a darkness I hope never to experience again.

With a surge in work, and trying to get everything ready for tomorrow, I have been buried. But things are calming down now, my stuff is organized for the race, and I am feeling pretty good. Temps are going to be HOT! and I think they will play a big role in this race. I will have no shortage of electrolytes, and cold towels.

Check back Sunday some time for a recap.

Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend. Seems to be a multitude of 12 Hours races tomorrow. Also, be sure to check out the various GDR blogs over the next few weeks. 2500 lonely, self-supported miles from Canada to Mexico. Now that is epic! Good luck to all involved.

This week I am just lying low. Getting good rest, good food, and not thinking to much about Saturday. It looks like the Lumberjack took a toll on the field, knocking out maybe as many as half of the riders? Ouch.

I may be adding a race to the schedule. Things are looking good for being able to ride the Laramie Enduro on July 29th. I need to work out a few details, and then I will know for sure. Not much else is happening right now. I have enjoyed reading race reports from various blogs.

I am going to get in a nice easy spin today, and then it is food list time for the E12.

We had a good ride today. 8655 feet of elevation gain over 56 miles. The climbing topped out at just about 9000'. We were rewarded with big views of Mount Timpanogos, Heber Valley and other parts of the Wasatch Back. After today's effort, I think I can say that it is "all systems go" for next week. In the coming days I will get a nice taper going, get the bike cleaned and ready to rock, and gather up all the stuff I will need in the pit. First thing I need to find for the pit area is a support person...hmmmm.

Anyway, enjoy some images from todays big ride in the Wasatch Backcountry.

On November 29th I wrote the following:

"It is days like today that make me long for the long hot days of July. Waking up before sunrise, hitting the trail while the crisp mountain air still bites at your lungs, and setting off on a 6 hour epic...yeah, those are the days that keep me coming back to the stairmaster and the weights."

This coming Saturday is going to offer up just an opportunity. We have a big day planned in the Wasatch Backcountry. I look forward to these rides as much as any event or race. They give the chance to explore new terrain, new boundaries and new limits. They are workouts, but they are also a time to get reacquainted with the mountains. Racing is wonderful, but it is done with such focus, such tunnel vision, that the spectacle of your surroundings can get lost in a blur of lap times and number plates. I will put that stuff off for another week. Saturday will be a tough workout, but it will be the calm before the coming storm.

Today was a good ride. Here is the proof:

I cranked up the Alpine Loop again today. It has been to hard to resist its quiet beckon. I live closer to the Provo Canyon side, but I love going up the American Fork Canyon route. The climb is longer by about 4 miles, and it provides big fat views of the Wasatch Back.

I think my favorite ride of any kind, dirt, road, singletrack...whatever, is a long sustained climb. There is something about the constant effort, the rythm, the cadence, and the satisfaction of hours of pedaling being rewarded with views like this.

Yesterday I mentioned my lack of switchback skillz. Well this photo almost perfectly portrays my downhill woes at Deer Vally. You see the people lined up behind me itching to get by. Take a closer look at my face. You can see the quiet humiliation ;)

With that in mind, I think tomorrow will be a dirt ride. Perhaps South Fork, or maybe The Ridge...yes, The Ridge would be nice. AF Canyon by road today, by dirt tomorrow...hmm I like the sound of that.

The recent rain put the course in great shape. Sticky, but not muddy. The race started fast. My group shot out of the gate and up the long steep opening climb. I let them go, not wanting to repeat last weeks early pop. Over the course of the climb I pulled a couple guys back, and hit the single track in 4th place. The next 3 laps were spent trying to get back onto the lead group. I was feeling incredible on the climbs, so I hammered them througout the race.

The course had enough tough climbing that I was able to bridge the gaps, catching a couple guys late in the race to finish 2nd. I was banking on the hot start causing the early leaders to pop, and eventually they did, all but the winner anyway. In hindsight I should have made my push a bit earlier, but I am not complaining. It was a great race, and I felt as good as I have all year.

Bob and a couple 30-39ers, including my teammate Tim, came by me on the opening lap, and I worked hard to stick thier wheels. It was painful, but instead of blowing up, I was able to hang on through the nice twisty climbs. They rode away on the downhill, which was driving me nuts all day. I am going to have to improve my switcback skills if I expect to do anything in the E100 series.

And speaking of that series, throughout yesterdays race, and actually during the last week's worth of training, the numbers 13, 5.5 and 11 have been dominating my thoughts. They are becoming the heart and focus of my 2006 efforts. What do these numbers mean? Well, they are my finishing goals for each of the 3 events. 13 laps in the E12, 5.5 hours in the E50, and 11 hours in the E100.

These numbers are very ambitious for me. Perhaps even unrealistic. But I am going to work toward them none the less. I believe that if I ride nearly perfect races, I can achieve them. Working toward them will make me a better racer, and that showed even in the DV XC race yesterday.

Between torrential down pours today we managed to take the kids to the local stop of the traveling carnival. As per tradition, the carnie attracted the very best of the local redneck population. I think it attracts people from miles and miles away. Well, the kids enjoyed a few of the little rides, and I enjoyed watching local skater kids flip the hair out of thier faces every 3 seconds, and adjust the oh-so-tight jeans that they must have borrowed from thier younger sisters. Are the terrible fashions of the 80s making a comeback amongst the teens? I felt like I was in a Guns-N-Roses music video with all the bandanas and pegged jeans.


The kids rockin' the moto ride
There is comfort in knowing that there is a difference in carnivals
Moments later the rains came down hard, we made it to the car just in time
'Nuff said. Eminem Gits-R-Done!

Tomorrow I will be rockin' the Deer Valley ICUP race. Hopefully the weather clears up. There is a nasty lighting storm going on outside right now. Word on the street is that the DV trails are in excellent condition after the rain today. Guess I'll know for sure in the morning.

I wonder if this storm is slamming the folks out at Steamboat?

The Brown Santa brougt me a Wingnut Assault today. The pack is just what I hoped. The small, low profile design sits flat against the back and is hardly noticed while riding. I loaded it up with 50 oz. of water, a 29er tube, a multi-tool and a CO2 cartridge, and hit the trails for 2.5 hours.

This will be my pack of choice for the upcoming E12. The bladder looks like it can be easily and quickly refilled. The pack is small enough that side pockets on the jersey are still usable. The Assault has the same mesh straps, complete with flask pouch and whistle, as the other Wingnut packs. The back of the pack is also mesh, which makes for lighter weight, and more air flow.

The Assault will be a superb lap and supported hundie race pack. I am looking forward to using it more over the next few weeks as I get everything dialed in for the 24th.

The Wingnut Assault in red

The bladder is easily refilled while still in the pack

On a side note, I also tried out these Fuel Belt bottles today. They are 10 oz. bottles that fit easily in a jersey pocket. There are also 7 oz. versions available. These are perfect for carrying along some extra liquids, whithout the hassle of dirty frame mounted bottles. Yeah, I am on a crusade against dirty frame mounted bottles ;) They also fit well in the wingpockets on the Hyper 2.5. Thanks to Dave from Driggs for tipping me off on these.

Fuel Belt 10 oz. bottles

Today I rode the guantlet. It is a ride that consists of riding the Alpine Loop, South Fork, and Squaw Peak. I rode up the American Fork side of the Alpine Loop. It was a long, glorius day of climbing in the mountains. The only downer was that a nasty storm moved in just before I topped out the final climb up Squaw Peak, and started spitting lightning all over the place. I turned around and went down about a mile from the top. In the end I got about 54 miles and 4 hours done. I climbed 6200 feet in 26 miles of up. I felt really good the entire day, except for my feet burning up. My road shoes are to narrow.

All in all a great day in the saddle, and a long day that was really needed.

Sweet!! Too bad I am married. ;)
American Fork Canyon and the road below
Provo Canyon Rail Trail
Squaw Peak Road and the coming storm
Elevation chart for "The Guantlet

I went up to Park City this evening with a bunch of Mad Dog team members and rode the ICUP Deer Valley course. Boris joined us, and was sure to point out any E100 terrain that we covered.

The course is in good shape, and for some reason seems more fun this year. A big nasty climb, followed by a big nasty descent has been removed, due to a 5 start multi-bizillion dallor hotel being built. It will cut about 15 minutes off the lap. The weather wanted to be bad, but it could not quite muster enough to rain, but toward theend of our ride it did get pretty windy.

The loop has a lot of short steep climbs, and also some longer sustained ones. It is filled with switchbacks, roots, rocks, and tons of trees. It is classic alpine singletrack, and is why the E100 is growing to legendary status. This saturday will give just a small taste of what the series will offer.

Course goes counter-clockwise

I am not a sprinter. Today's 19 mile roller coaster at Sundance was a sprint. Our group (Exp. 19-29) started with the pros. Why? I don't know. But it was fun pretending I was in thier league as we lined up for the start. Chucky Gibson, Bart Gillespie, Eric Jones and a bunch of other local legends all showed up for one of the biggest Pro fields this year in the ICUP. I also got to see my old friends and riding buddies Chris and Kathy Sherwin. I havn't seen them in a long time. They are hard to keep up with while Kathy travels the globe riding the World Cup and NORBA circuits. She is riding really well right now.

So anyway, we go out with the pros, I find the wheel of Dave Welch who has been destroying the Expert 19-29 group all year long. I stick him for a while, but he gets a small gap as we jockey with some of the lagging pros before the dirt road squeezed us into the single track. Half a lap later I pop, crack, blow up...pick your term...I was in the red. I had to back it off a bit and try to recover. I managed to hold off a few of the charging field for a few more minutes, but soon I had to let them go.

Later, on the tight singletrack descent I crashed into a metal trail marking pole. Yeah. There happened to be a teenage kid there volunteering as a course marshall. He looked as surprised as I did after I smacked it. In the 15 seconds it took me to get back going about 15 people passed me. So lap 1 I was like a circus monkey out there.

I never was able to latch back on to the leaders of my group, but over laps 2 and 3 I managed to pull a few straglers back, and hold them off for a 7th place finish. I would have liked to have finished better, obviously, but alls you can do is alls you can do. I had a lot of fun, and was pleased at how I was able to recover from the initial hot start and stupid pole incident.

By lap 3 I was feeling strong. Funny how that works. I was just getting ready to rock and roll and the race was over. But I used the day as a chance to push my heart rate, work on my techy switchback singletrack skillz, and test a couple of new techniques with my in-race nutrition. I ditched the bottles, which was a good move, because the course was dusty and hot and would have made for, well, hot and dusty liquids. I went with my old CamelBack, and in principle it was a good idea, but it was horribly uncomfortable. My Wingnut Assault is en-route, so my small CB had to do the trick. The 2.5, while larger, would have been more comfy then what I was wearing. Anyway, I had cold clean water on a course that would have made bottles a nuisance.

I also flavored some plain PowerGel with this and it worked really well. I think I had to much RioVida though, it was a bit sweet, and to liquidy.

Overall it was a good day. It would be easy to get frusterated with the result, but I have to remember that I use these XC races as a chance to get a workout done in a competitive environment. I finished well enough to score a few team points, and got to catch up with a lot of people I havn't seen since last year. So the day was a success. I will be penciling in a few extra interval workouts though for the coming weeks. I want to top off that high end reserve so I can call on it when needed on the 24th.

Next week the ICUP heads to Deer Valley for some serious pain. I will be there though, the XC course will incorporate some of the E100 route, and I will need all the recon for that race that I can get.

So...Sundance has been the theme this week. I went and rode the course again with Tim, Chris and KC. Those 3 by the way all did very well in Durango last week at the Iron Horse. My legs are feeling good, bike is running well, it is all systems go at this point.

I am getting excited about the upcoming 12 Hour race. It will be an opportunity to race with a few bloggers I have wanted to meet, and an opportunity to see how the "post-KTR" vibes translate on the trail. What am I talking about? Well the KTR was a big confidence booster for me. I learned alot about my limits, and how to push them. I know I could have been faster that day had I raced smarter in the early going, and been mentally tougher inthe miles between Westwater and Rabbit Valley. Oh well, live and learn, and come back the next time better....and faster.

There will be some amazingly fast guys at the E12, but I am feeling confident that I can be competitive. And wether I can or not, I plan on riding my butt off. I want to use the race as an opportunity to "take it up a notch."

Here are some cryptic numbers that relate to the E100 series. If you have done the series, then they will probably make sense, and you will see that they are quite ambitious.

13, 5.5, 11

Good luck to everyone at the Mohican 100, The Grand Loop, and any other race you might find yourself lining it up at it this weekend.