Chris & KC's Day of Fun (Mostly)

Chris and I have been married for ten years today. We have changed a lot from the day we said "I do". It has been good though.
To celebrate we took the day off and did the things we enjoy doing. Keep in mind, we are simple people. We slept in until about 6:30 am and started the day off with a quick gift exchange as we got ready. We headed out on the road bikes to do the Nebo Loop. Chris did not wander too far ahead or behind me. We stopped at the Utah Lake look out as we normally do and chatted with some real bikers. Then we were off again. It seemed to go up and down forever on top today. My legs were happy to descend--they were really achy.
We got the normal chocolate covered chocolate doughnut at the gas station at the mouth of the canyon in Nephi. It was de-lish-ous! The wind seemed to push us through Mona. Then it turned on us. Chris pulled most of the way.
We had a small incident outside of Santaquin. You know how vehicles will pull onto the road from the left as you are riding by. It freaks you out because you have no idea what they are thinking or if they have seen you. So you go on the defensive. Well, that is what happened. This truck was pulling onto the road just as we were going by. Chris was in front of me. I was watching the truck closely to see what it was doing. Chris slowed down and I did not realize it. I looked up and he was right there. My front wheel must have touched his back and I went down. It happened so fast. I lost my balance, I skidded on my left foot, and down I went on my left side again. I slid a bit, but really I am unscathed. A little road rash on my arm. It always amazes me how protective spandex is.
Chris was "ticked" to say the least. The truck driver must have seen what happened in her mirrors and turned around to ensure we were okay. Chris went up to meet her and ripped into the driver--this lady. She started crying as she was obviously upset by the situation. He softened a bit and ended up educating her. I heard him tell her that she needs to treat cyclist as vehicles and she would never pull out like that if a car was approaching. She kept apologizing. She drove to where I was, apologized, made sure I was okay, asked if she could do anything. We said we were close to home and fine. She left. Chris then told me I needed to cry more to get out of things. He could not berate her when she was visibly upset--crying.
We made it home safely, showered, went into town for some food at a favorite, hung out, came home and watched video. It was a practically perfect day.
Thanks Chief. I love you and look forward to at least another ten years.

Taming the Tetons 2009.

We did the Jackson ICUP race this weekend. I raced my Gary Fisher Hi-Fi and it was good. I finally figured out how to ride it. Pre-riding still had me apprehensive, but the race flowed. Last year I got bounced all over the course and ended up going down on every lap. This years was smooth. They did remove some of the rockier sections which probably helped.
Chris had issues again. I felt badly. He finally felt good on the bike which he was stoked about. Then he DNF'd due to a mechanical. This time he ended up with a stick in his rear mechanism. He pulled it out, pedaled a couple times and sheared his derailleur hanger off. He attempted to make it into a single speed but apparently that does not work--it does not stay in a gear.
Luckily we had most of what was needed to fix it. So we were still able to ride more after the race. We found a really cool section of trail. Aaron, who commuted with us, had ridden in the area previously. It was great. We rode for around three hours with Keith, Tim, and Dave Dean. Then Aaron, Chris and I went out for another couple of hours. A good little bit of Leadville training.

Cheaters never prosper

I cheated last night and did not keep with the "one speed Wednesday" adage. I had a good reason though. I planned on riding my toy bike on Saturday. Chris, in his wisdom, suggested that I do a "practice" race on the bike before debuting it at the ICUP series. I have ridden it, but race pace is much different.
It did not go so well. I had two laps to do last night at Sundance--a course I know very well. I flew off the bike on the first lap just before turning the corner to the exposed side of Archie's Loop. Yes, I realize there is nothing there that should have made this happen. Keith was right behind me and said that I caught a rock with my front tire which took it out from under me and I was air born. I love physics. Several guys got past me as I collected myself. I went into a couple of corners with too much speed and almost overshot them. The brakes work well, but the tires are low volume requiring more inflation.
On the road climb, I saw Chris waiting for me. He had some mechanical issues with his pedal that required him to swap it out mid race. He rode behind me for the second lap. I had no intention of telling him I went down. When he asked how I was I said good because I felt good in my legs and lungs. He had a front seat for my second incident. I cleared the climbs and was feeling much more smooth. On the descent there is a section called the rock drop. It is not that bad and can ride it normally. The second time down though again my front wheel slid out. Down I went.
I like the bike, but I am swapping the front tire. I just need something with more grip. Apparently, I don't have the skills to ride skinnier tires up front on little wheels. And maybe I should keep to one speed Wednesdays.

Yesterday was Solitude. As I lined up, there was no one else in my category around. I did not anticipate a big group as it was nationals this weekend. The individuals from the groups in front and behind me started to tease me about not having any competition. I was tempted to ask Ed if I could go with either the group ahead or behind me. I knew if I did not leave with a group it would be harder to race. Luckily though Roxanne showed up on the line. I was really grateful.
I raced hard and did well. I did not descend as well as I did during Wednesday preride, but then again I was pretty exhausted from racing up to the top. I struggled through a couple of rocky sections having to put a food down which was frustrating. The course was a lot of fun though.
It was a hot race. And before the race, it was apparent that I was not as hydrated as I probably should have been. I did attempt to remedy this, but still on my first lap I got a bit apprehensive. I started downing the CarboRocket. No more issues the rest of the race.

Just got a hand up. Thank you Robin.

Coming through the start finish area

Chris getting a hand up and apparently asking for more (it was a hot one)

Chris coming through the start finish

Chris had a mechanical--he broke his chain. During the fix, he dropped half his quick link and could not find it. So a quick fix turned into a much longer one. He was able to climb back into 5th place though.

After the race and podiums, we went on a ride. We have not done much Leadville training and are starting to get a bit nervous about it. So Chris planned a post-race ride for us up the canyon. We are not familiar with the area and talked Karl into showing us around. (We are better at mountain biking than orienteering.) We got all packed up with camelbacks and everything (lots of food) and started up the road. I was in a spot of bother--I did NOT feel good. My legs started to come around as we ascended a dirt rode--puke hill or something. At the top of the dirt road, we assessed the situation. I agreed to traverse the ridge for a bit as long as it was rolling. I did not want to do a big descent and have to climb back up. (I can be such a wimp sometimes.) After some rolling single track, Karl told us this was where the fun started. Although he had attempted to tell us a couple of times, it finally dawned on us that descending with him would put us just a couple of miles below Solitude. With this understanding, we decided to carry on as opposed to going back the way we came. It was a fun down hill section; much better than "bombing the fire road".
I did not enjoy the climb back up to the car so much, but it was worth it. I was excited to make it back though. And as our reward...Mi Ranchito. Delish. Thank you "Desmondo".

Pictures from SnowBird---

Photos by Lyna Saffell. Thank you.

I have been struggling to figure out how to get this posted. It is from Deer Valley.

The Snowbird ICUP race course was in great shape today. The new single track that was added is delightful. I loved it.
I was a bit surprised at who was there today. Last year, I raced--well, really just rode--the course by myself. No one else showed up. I honestly did not expect many to show. I knew Erika had done a pre-ride so I assumed she would be there and she was. Kenda was represented by both Kathy and Heather. Sarah from Roaring Mouse also showed up. On the start line, I figured I would be racing for fourth place.
So we took off and, of course, Kenda took the quick lead. Sarah was not far behind. Coming out of the first single track, there was a small gap between the Kenda girls and Sarah who had a small gap on me. As we went through the new single track climb I thought I might be picking up some time. I rode the loosed dirt descent pretty smooth and the single track descent was a blast. I continued to make up time. Going through the start finish I was right behind her. I was content for the time being keeping pace. Entering the single track again I was still feeling good-- nice and smooth. Sarah bobbled and I was able to pass her. Now I was nervous about her catching me. So I pushed and pushed.
It started to drizzle some. My glasses don't seem to handle rain so well. They get steamed up, spotted and muddy. It can be difficult to see. This puts me in a conundrum--loose the glasses which will impair my sight as they are prescription or ride with impaired 20/20 vision. Because they are prescription I prefer to not hook them on my jersey or slide them in a pocket. I would rather they not fall, get scratched or otherwise damaged permenantly impairing my vision. I kept them on. It was difficult to see the trail though. On the final single track portion I had two guys right behind me. My pedal hit a rock and there was another big rock in front of me. My bike jumps off the trail. I thinking that I am in big trouble. I was able to keep from falling further down the side of the mountain. The two guys get by--which is good because I was looking for some place to let them pass--they ask if I am okay. And comment that it was a good save. I am relieved that it did not go much, much worse. Exiting the single track, I toss my glasses to Bart who is spectating and ride the final lap without them. (Thanks again Bart.) I think it was a good choice.
I was able to keep third place. (Ahh...I heart CarboRocket!) I was so nervous about getting caught. I was also apprehensive as there has not been a race for a bit. My first two laps felt good; the last one was a struggle, but that is racing. Solitude next week--ugh!
Hopefully, I will get some pictures.

We got up early to ride Nebo this morning. The hope was to avoid traffic and it worked. We rolled out a little after 5 am with Tim. I did not feel so good on the climb. I actually felt better and better as we rode. It was a humid morning which made my glasses fog up relentlessly. The views were amazing today though when I would kept them to un-fog.
Chris and I both had the day off, so it made sense to do something like this. I knew we would want to avoid Provo as this is their big celebration weekend. Chris made me nervous yesterday though. He has not been feeling good on the bike for a while. I called him on my way back from Ride Like a Girl and he said he may not be up to it. My heart sunk. I thought about doing it solo, but was not sure I dared. He decided that he would start it and see how he felt. If it was another bad day, he would turn around. He apparently felt better, thankfully.
We finished in 4:50 ride time (this included kodak moments, but not major stops) and approximately 5:20 total time. I wish we had an opportunity to ride it more often, but we try to avoid traffic as much as possible.
As we approached the Koholowo turn off I thought about how much I would like to ride my bike to girl camp sometime. I would need to hike in some though because there is a couple of miles on a gravely dirt road. That poses a small problem. Then I came up with lyrics to express this sung to the tune of "These boots are made for walking" chorus. (I was in choir in high school to ensure I had lunch with my friends.)
These boots aren't made for walking.
That's just not what they do.
These boots aren't made for walking.
They'll ride right up to you.
Obviously boots in this scenario are referring to my bike shoes. That is just how my mind works when Chris rides off and leaves me alone.

An early morning view towards the summit

The clouds were so cool looking

A rock formation across from our bathroom break

One last look from the road to Nephi