Tour de Donut

Saturday Jolene and I did the Tour de Donut on a tandem we borrowed from Elden. It was a perfect summer morning.

Here we are trying out the tandem.



Yes, we were in donut costumes.

We had company - meet the zombies.



The donuts ready for battle.



On the first lap I ate 6 donuts, Jolene 3. Second lap I ate 4, Jolene 1. Those last donuts didn't go down easy.



More putting around on the cruiser tandem. Fun bike. We wished we had higher gears but it was OK riding mellow and chatting along the way.



Dressing down.



Fun event. The recovery was slow but glad to say I will be able to eat donuts again.


Thursday after work I went exploring in Corner Canyon. Shammy told me about a new trail that was being cut that branches off the new Draper Rim trail on the east side of the tunnel. It's freshly dozer cut and rough. Sadly the dozer was still working so I had to turn around. I'm sure it's all cut now.



I went up Draper Rim then up the DH trail to get to Eagle Crest. The grass is tall. Seemed nice at first, then I felt a sting on my shins. I'm now fully aware why grass leaves are called blades. Like thousands of tiny razors.



I finished off with a run down Rush and poached the new extension. It was soft and loose, not really worth riding but it was cool to see what the trail will be. Looks good.


Saturday evening after the Tour I got out on the foothill trails for a ride. It was eerily quiet for a Saturday. Only encountered a pair of horses and one other bike. With the sun low in the west I had lots of shade. A good, peaceful ride.

Summer Cramming

The days of Summer are ticking down for the kids - they start school next week. So it's time to cram.


Friday - Cascade Springs

Friday after work we drove over to Cascade Springs. It's been a few years since our last visit. We had fun roaming the boardwalks and trails looking at the springs, fish, flowers and other plants.





After driving around we found a spot with a fire ring and had a cookout.



I show the kids how to perfectly toast a marshmallow.



Then breakout the ukulele for one clumsy song.




Saturday AM - Mountain Bike AF Canyon

Jolene and I did a moderate mountain bike ride up American Fork Canyon. Start at the summit, out Ridge, down Mud Springs, up Tibble, down Joy then back up to the car.

I've come down Tibble several times, but I think this is my first time going up. Some steep pitches and tough obstacles. No, I didn't make this one.



At the 4-way we met Sally and Cat and rode with them back to the summit.

The weather and trails were near perfect. Only annoyance was all the motorcycles on Tibble.


Saturday PM - Family Reunion

Had a good time seeing all the aunts, uncles and cousins at the family reunion in Riverton.

When we parked my kids spotted this dead bat stuck to the car. We hit it last night after the cookout. Actually, it hit us as it was chasing a flying bug. Ironic timing with Alex's excellent bat post on Thursday.




Sunday - Tour of Utah

I drove up to Suncrest to watch the racers come over the summit. Fun little party up there. Saw Mark, dug, Rick, Sleepy, Jon J.

First came a small break, then another, then the peloton.



Now I'm off to a salmon dinner with the in-laws (they just got back from an Alaskan fishing trip).

Can we get one more month of Summer? Augustember? Come on politicians, get on it.


News Flash (Flood)

The White Rim road dropping down to Mineral Bottom was washed out in several places. Strong storms Thursday produced heavy rainfall and floods in Canyonlands. I first heard about this on UtahMountainBiking.com (Rumor is spreading that the storm story is a smoke screen with the real cause being trundling.)

Tour of Utah 2010 Stage 2 Start

I didn't have time to go watch the finish of Stage 2 of the Tour of Utah at the top of Mount Nebo so I settled for watching the start at Thanksgiving Point, which isn't far from work.

Walking to the start the Xango van drove by tossing out freebies. I scored some socks.



The dignitaries rolled out, including Bob Roll (in the yellow helmet).



The racers look WAY too casual at the start.



And they're off.



They did two laps around a small circuit before heading south for Mount Nebo.





The weather has turned ugly since the start. Raining hard here at work (Bluffdale). Reports of strong wind gusts hitting the racers. And this photo taken from the caravan doesn't look good:

24 Hours Of Moab

When I arrived at Mad Dog base camp, Jolene was still out on her pre-ride. I talked to some of the folks at camp, ate lunch, then wandered around the booths and HQ.

When Jolene came in she was a little concerned. We expected a mostly flat course with sand being the biggest obstacle. Not so. The first 5 miles featured a lot of broken rock and ups and downs with tricky technical challenges. After that it is mostly flat, hard pack with sporadic sand traps to keep it interesting.

Saturday I went out and rode the course before the race started. I was also surprised how tough the course was. I walked many technical spots. The last 2/3 of the course were easier going, but I cutoff the loop beyond Prostitute Bluff because I didn't want to miss the the start. I made it just in time. Check out the costumed dude who sprinted for all he was worth to lead the run. (Reminded me of Wez from The Road Warrior.)



That start was quite the spectacle. The runners churned up a big cloud of dust. The poor runners in the middle and rear must have been choking on it.

After the start it got quiet. But an hour later in came the lead group and Chris Holley was in it. Thereafter riders kept streaming past camp which was on the edge of the road leading to the finish.

At evening we were treated to a nice sunset.



Jolene and I retired to the van but we didn't sleep much. At 1 AM we got up and got ready. At 1:45 we set out. Jolene hasn't done much night riding so I rode the night lap with her.

Riding the course at night was familiar yet strange. Everything looked different but recognizable. Surprisingly I rode a few of the technical spots I had walked during the day. I liked the night lap but Jolene not so much. She doesn't see well in the dark and she'd crashed in the sand on her 1st lap so she was tentative.

With 3 miles to go we could see the lights of the encampment. But as we went down in a depression I lost sight of it, got turned around and didn't recognize it went we crested the rise at the west end. It felt good to be done.

We ate some soup (both of us had been hungry since half way into the lap) then went to bed and got some sleep.

In the morning we ate some breakfast, talked, sent racers out, watched racers go by and welcomed them back after a lap.

This group cheered, waved the flag and had music going as they escorted their racer in.


Dorothy came in at 10:30 AM and it was time for Jolene's last lap. I was a little worried about her. She doesn't do much endurance stuff and I wondered if her fatigue would cause her to crash or just be too tired to enjoy the last lap. So I was glad to see a smile on her face when she came in.



The Great Dames had a good time racing and came in 2nd.



All in all it was a good experience. I can see that doing this would be fun, but I was happy with my for-fun laps and spectating. Given a choice I'd rather be riding some of the incredible trails in Moab, but this event is good for variety.

Rant: I was disappointed to see all the garbage on the trail as the race wore on. Especially after the technical stuff where it flattened out the ground was heavily littered with empty gel pouches. Come on mountain bikers, we're better than that. On a positive note, I was pleased to see everyone at camp Mad Dog cleaning up the campsite before leaving.

The Vuelta Stage 17 Thriller

Last night I watched the last 45 thrilling minutes of Stage 17 of the Vuelta.

A 5-man break was out 6 km from the start of this flat stage. As usual the peloton was drilling it near the end to reel them in. The peloton was hitting speeds over 70 km/h (43 mph) and was eroding the gap fast.

The break faltered 5 km from the finish as they jockeyed to avoid the lead and looked over their shoulders for the charging peloton. Finally Maaskant took charge and shot off the front. Then Roux made a huge bridge up to Maaskant, rested for a while on his wheel, then took the lead.

With 3 km to go the peloton was bearing down under 30 seconds away and Roux was giving the pedals everything he had left. At the last turn the peloton was right there but Roux took the win by only a few meters.

It was one of the most exciting sports moments I've seen. You could feel the impending doom as the massive peloton charged forward, closer and closer to Roux. At a left turn through a round-about you could see Roux exit with the peloton right behind him entering the round-about (see the video below). Jolene and I were both physically tense as we watched. And how sweet it was when Roux crossed the line.

This video recap is pretty good, but cuts out too much. If you have this stage recorded, go watch the last 30 minutes or more to get the full impact.

Bonus

I saw this sticker mentioned on the UMB forum - not a bad idea:



There are two other stickers to chose from.

LOTOJA Transfer Clamp-Down

I've expressed my bewilderment at the continued popularity of LoToJa despite its high cost (this year it's $180), no transfer policy, and heavy-handed control and enforcement.

To be fair, the route is scenic and tough, and the organizers and volunteers put on a good event. I must also acknowledge the marketing skill which keeps LoToJa as the most recognized ride/race in the state.

But evidently the LoToJa folks are still unhappy about transfers, despite previous steps to curtail the activity (showing ID at check-in, wrist bands, etc.). This year riders/racers must receive a stamp on their left calf and have it visible at the start and throughout the race. Here it is straight from the event guidlelines under "all cyclists":

20. Cyclists must have a frame number on their bicycle, wear a timing chip on their ankle, and receive an official LOTOJA body stamp on their left calf before they will be allowed to start and participate in LOTOJA. These items must be worn/visible throughout the day until arrival at the finish. Event personnel and course marshals will be located at the start and throughout the course to remove participants without these three items.

In a KanyonKris exclusive, I present the LoToJa leg stamp:



You better have your mark of the beast or it's off to the gulag for you. OK, I'm exagertaing for effect, but come on, really, a stamp? If I didn't find this so funny, I'd find it sad and insulting.

Wouldn't it be better if the LoToJa organizers spent their energy handling transfers instead of enforcing a bad policy? Either they are really entrenched in the mindset of no transfers, or they count on racers dropping out.

I don't understand why cyclist keep flocking to LoToJa. Surely these draconian policies are a turn-off. I guess the allure of LoToJa is stronger than the risk of losing $180 that you have to ante up months before the event and hope you don't get injured, have to work or attend a wedding/birth/funeral, etc.

Fellow cyclists, there are other double centuries. Right here in Utah we have the Desperado Duel run by a cycling club, fully supported and it costs less than half of LoToJa. I did STP and enjoyed it - and they handle transfers even with 9000 riders.

I just don't get it.

P.S. I find it amusing that my rants are the top results when you search Google for lotoja sticker and lotoja transfers.

Alpine Loop: Tour Of Utah And Mountain Biking

Saturday Jolene and I went up American Fork Canyon to mountain bike and watch the Tour of Utah.

We parked at the Timpooneke trail head and started up the trail. When we finished climbing Pine Hollow and arrived at the Ridge trail it looked like we wouldn't have enough time to go out the Ridge and down and up Deer Creek South Fork, so we took the Ridge trail back to the Alpine Loop summit. It was a nice ride, but the trails are getting dusty from the Summer heat, and the fun, rocky descent on the Ridge trail was tough to go up.

We arrived at the summit. Spectators were already gathered there to see who got the king of the mountain points. We decided to watch at the Cascade Springs turn-off like last year so we took the trail down.

We visited with some other spectators and soon the lead police and tour cars came through. They were giving out swag and I scored a cowbell (good thing because I forgot to bring mine) and two $1 bills (I also picked up a discarded water bottle after the race went by).

2006 cowbell on the left, 2009 on the right.




JE came by in a media car and announced Burke had gone off the front. A few minutes later the lead group came by, evidently Burke was caught. I missed getting a photo of the lead group; here are some photos:









After the racers went by we rode down Deer Creek South Fork. I haven't gone down this trail in a long time - it was a blast.

Then we rode up to the Ridge trail. This trail is a gas to come down, but it had been a long time since I climbed it. The grade isn't that bad and I enjoyed the climb.

Then we came back on the Ridge trail and down Pine Hollow. I enjoyed going the opposite direction that I usually ride these trails. They felt familiar, yet new.







After the ride we used our two dollars to buy us a big watermelon icee. It tasted sooo good.

Lacking Full Throttle

The 2nd Full Throttle race in Round Valley yesterday. Nice evening. 20+ more racers this time. Mark was on the single speed, Andy said his legs were blown from a big road ride the day before - I thought I had a chance. Talked with Travis, hadn't seen him in a while.

I started a little faster, but couldn't hold Andy's wheel. I caught a few people on the little hill, but was still well back. Riders bunched up to make the hairpin turn onto the single track. I passed some riders on the mellow climb and a few more on the switchbacked climb, but I was alarmed at the lack of punch in my legs. I could see Andy one switchback ahead, but couldn't gain on him. Mark was gone. I descended OK.

Second lap I made a few more passes but never saw Andy. I struggled up the switchbacked climb and let a few racers get by me. I had some power for the start of each little climb but would fade badly as it progressed. I was gaining on a guy on the descent, but didn't catch him before the finish.

I didn't like feeling off for this race. Not sure if I was still recovering from the Tri, or should have been on the bike more the last few days, or shouldn't have done the pre-ride lap, or just had a bad day. And I got skunked again in the raffle. The highlight of the day was picking up the 2009 Park City trail map. I jest.

Even if I would have done well, I was already feeling done with racing. Maybe I'll do one more at Solitude so I can really suffer. The mountain trails are opening up and I'd much rather ride them than race.

I got out with Jolene two days ago for her first real (albeit short) ride on her road bike (we bought a week ago). It still feels weird to her but she's quickly getting the hang of it.

Full Throttle Round Valley & Big Boy Big Wheels

This year the Full Throttle Midweek Mountain Bike Series added Round Valley as the venue for the first 4 races, then it moves back home to Solitude. I've never mountain biked Round Valley so I decided to race, figuring if nothing else I'll get to ride some new single-track.

After changing clothes and registering I warmed up a bit and got in line by Andy who gave me a good idea what the course would be like - thanks! Mark N. and Mark A. were two rows up.

I did my usual slow start up the gravel road. Nearing the end of the road section I looked back and discovered I was dead last. My pride kicked in and I passed two riders before the single-track started. I passed a few more riders on this flat-ish section then settled in behind a racer going my speed.

At the switchbacked climb I was surprised to see Mark N. up ahead. He went out so fast I thought he must be having a good day and I'd never see him again. We sat on his wheel for a while and then passed him when there was room.

We climbed over the top and then hit the swoopy, mostly banked downhill. It was good single-track, but the combo of my lack of downhill boldness and not knowing the trail meant I was cautious and slow. The rider in front of me opened up a gap. Half way down I gained some confidence and started gaining on him.

We passed the lap junction and now back on the flat-ish section I slowly caught him and hung on his wheel. I needed a rest. At the switchbacked climb I decided I better pass and hope I could open up a good gap up the climb because he did better on the downhill on the first lap. It worked, but that push hurt.

I did better on the downhill on the 2nd lap. I'm still a wimp, but I took the corners faster and pedaled hard out of each one. I was sure he was going to catch me. I almost blew past the left trail fork. I kept the speed up and headed down from the lap junction. Blew the first sharp corner and almost the 2nd. Finally I could see the finish and gave one last push.

Mark A. was there. He had a pretty good race and finished 4th.

Mark N. rolled in and explained how his fast start had taken it's toll and he'd blown up. Done that, not fun.

After the race I chatted with other riders and hung around for the prizes (didn't win anything this time). Loaded the bike in the car and headed for home via Heber and Provo Canyon.

But that's not the end of the story.



Elden (Fat Cyclist) recently organized a 100 mile ride to nowhere. One of the participants, Ryan, is an old friend of Elden's and just for fun he rode his Trek Mod (a Big Wheel for big kids) for the final lap. Intrigued I read Ryan's blog post and commented about a video I found on YouTube posted the day before of some guys riding down Squaw Peak Road on Mods. He knew the guys in the video, and informed me they were having a group Mod ride tonight and they'd set me up with a Mod if I wanted to give it a try. So tempting, but I'd committed to the Full Throttle race.

But on my way down Provo Canyon I saw a truck with a big trailer and I was sure it was the Mod riders. So I flipped around and pulled along side.

"Is this the Mod ride?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Are you Kris?"

"Yes."

"I'm Ryan."

"Have a good ride guys."

And they were off up the road. Must have been more than 10 people piled in the truck. I'll bet they had a good time.

Here's the video I mentioned. At 10 minutes it's kind of long, but it's worth watching the whole thing to get the flow of the ride. Some highlights to watch for: lots of drifting, a battery added to the back for extra weight, a few blown corners, oncoming cars and cyclists, 360 spin, banking up high on a dirt sidehill, blowing a rear tire near the end. It looks way fun and reminds me of MarioKart.



This just in - another video. Shot in high def. (Saw it on Ryan's blog.)

Cycling Holiday

Yesterday morning (Memorial Day) I mountain biked the Bonneville Shoreline trail (BST) with some neighbors. It was a beautiful morning and the trail was damp and tacky with only a few puddles from the nearly non-stop rain from the night before. This wet Spring is keeping the foothills lush and green.

(Note: these 3 photos taken with the new digital camera.)







Afterward I changed shorts, got on my road bike, and rode from my home in Orem up over Suncrest and down to the venue for the Draper ICup race. My legs were far from fresh, but I timed myself anyway for a south Suncrest TT. My hamstrings were twinging with cramps so I didn't dare push hard, but still had a better-than-expected time of 25:02. Having 3 "carrots" (other riders up ahead of me) to pass helped.

When I arrived at the equestrian center (start/finish of the race) Jolene had already finished. The start had been delayed an hour, then delayed more as they rerouted the course to avoid the upper, muddy trails. She started around 11 am and had a pretty good race. She took 6th.


The stream was running pretty high.



We hung out and talked to people. It was sunny and not too hot, and a good vibe with everyone enjoying the day.

I met Andy H. to look at Rhonda's old road bike for Jolene. At first it seemed a bit too small, but Ryan K. (works at Revolution) watched Jolene ride it and said the fit is pretty close. So we bought it. When I got home I swapped in the original, slightly longer stem, raised and slid back the seat, and it fits her pretty good now. It still feels weird to her, but road bikes take time to get used to, especially coming from a mountain bike. I'm looking forward to some road rides together with Jolene. Thanks to Andy for working with us to see and test ride the bike.

2005 Schwinn FastBack Pro - Full Ultegra, Aluminum frame with carbon seat & chain stays, Rolf Patent wheels (full specs here).

Giro Killer

Photo: Graham Watson, from Velo News

If you ask me, Danilo "The Killer" Di Luca has been the star of the Giro d’Italia. He's in good form, hungry and is racing smart.

He's held the maglia rosa (pink jersey of the overall race leader - like the yellow jersey of the Tour de France) for 5 stages after winning it by coming in 2nd to Menchov in the short but tough climbing Stage 5. Being the leader adds stress, but Di Luca seems to be handling it well. He's used his team wisely and hasn't wasted energy fending off false attacks or chasing non-threats. But he's not boring - he's got fire.

Yesterday's Stage 10 was a classic. I watched the evening coverage on Universal Sports (digital broadcast TV channel 5.2 in my area, also available on some cable and satellite TV). It was a long 262 km (163 mile) course over 3 categorized climbs. Six and a half grueling hours on the bike.

Stefano Garzelli went off on a solo break before the first major climb (dreams of Fausto Coppi glory?) and stayed in the lead until caught by Giovanni Visconti and Andriy Grivko of ISD after they managed a long bridge up to him with 20 km to go. It looked like the 3 breakaway riders would make it stick, but the peloton ramped up to an amazing speed and closed the gap before breaking into several packs up the last climb. Di Luca was in the lead group of very capable riders like Menchov, Sastre and Arroyo when he put the hammer down with 3 km to go and rode hard to the finish to take the stage win (see photo above).

Watching Di Luca take that stage was exciting and impressive. He timed his move right and rode strong. He didn't need to take the stage to remain the race leader, but the win and time bonus increased his lead and makes a strong statement. And it was just plain gutsy and cool.

I'm glad Universal is covering the Giro, but as usual it's a mixed bag. The commercial are lame and in big blocks (thankfully I have a DVR to deal with this). The announcers are green and frequently babble on about silly things, but I give them some slack because they're obviously trying to reach out to the non-cycling-fans. And they focus on Lance too much, but they're just appealing to national pride and the only cyclist name many Americans know. The camera work is very good with lots of helicopter and motorcycle shots that give a good feel for the race. The views of the Italian countryside are stunning - makes me want to go there.

Along that line, the Giro appears to be a good race to spectate - way fewer fans than the Tour de France, awesome scenery, and good racing. The announcers noted that the Giro is much less controlled than the Tour de France with fans being able to mix with the racers much more freely. The Devil (or very good look-a-like) made an appearance. Put simply, the Giro is a great race.

So thanks, Killer, for making this 100th anniversary Giro already one to remember.

Frozen Hog 2009

LEGSHAVE Challenge update: Dontations keep trickling in and I'm starting to get nervous that extending the deadline was a mistake. The goal is only $156 away? If you want to make me shave my legs, donate now.

Jolene and I helped out with the Frozen Hog again this year. I was happy to be a cog in the Utah Mountain Biking race machine (I was parking and lap director, Jolene helped with registration and pulling tags). It was great to see so many friends and acquaintances.

Unfortunately the hoped-for overnight freeze didn't occur so the course had a lot of mushy snow and mud. But most racers had a good attitude and made the best of it.

We took a few photos.

I took some video with my new(ish) Flip Mino and put together a little video to give you an idea what it was like:

Crashing At DMV

Today was the last DMV crit of the season. I've wanted to try DMV so I drove over after work.

I got in a few practice laps before the A Flight started. Man, that hill makes it tough. They were going fast at first, but half way through the race the "West Valley Wall" was taking it's toll and the speed had dropped noticeably, but they were still going hard. A young guy (Conner?) broke off the front about mid-way through the race and stayed out front to take the win.

Coming up the hill


... around top parking lot


... and down the hill.


A few more warm up laps and then we lined up and went. The first lap is neutral but I was already dismayed at the speed. It didn't help that the B's and C's were together. I took my place at the back and stayed with a gal, but a gap opened in front of her and I waited too long to bridge. But that just hastened the inevitable as I just was not fast or comfortable with all the turns. And I wasn't punching up the hill as fast as the others either.

Then on lap 2 I was rounding the final upper lot turn before heading down the hill when I caught my left pedal and was catapulted over the right side. There was an alarming moment when I was airborn, then I landed hard on my right side and slid a ways. Some of the A flight guys were sitting nearby on the curb and came to my rescue. They told me to just lay still for a while, and I obeyed. After a minute or so all the systems checks came in and I was pretty sure I wasn't seriously injured. I stood up and felt OK. I was glad I didn't break a bone or dislocate my shoulder or have some other painful injury. A couple of guys had looked over my bike and said it seemed fine. I had some nice patches of road rash on my right side and a gouge in my left shin, but it didn't hurt too bad so I got on the bike and waited for the pack to come around.



I rolled out and slid in at the back. I hung on a guy for a while but got dropped. Adrenaline not withstanding, I'd lost some of my nerve, especially for the corners. I motored along for four laps, each time mashing up that hill until I was panting at the top. Then down on bottom part of the course I heard a weird ticking sound. I assumed that the bike had some minor problem from the crash and I'd just ride it out. But it got louder and then a BANG, pssssssss - the rear tire blew. For me today it was 2 strikes and yer out. I walked the bike back to the car, packed up.

I did notice that my helmet was cracked. I remember my head getting whiplashed when I hit the ground and hearing the helmet grinding. And as I lay there regaining my senses I thought how cool it was that my head felt perfectly fine, thanks to the helmet. Looks like it's time to buy a new one.



Not surprisingly, as I drove I stiffening up and starting to ache and hurt. My right ribcage is sore and my right arm hurts some to move. I got home and showered, scrubbing all the road rashed spots and discovered that the rash on my hip and shoulder were deeper and larger that the others even through my shorts and jersey. Smeared on some neosporin and put bandages over the abrasions. I'll bet I'm going to stiff and sore tomorrow.

Well, good to have my first road crash over with, I guess.