Check Your XX Rear Derailleur Cable!

Chris had some issues today. His rear derailleur cable broke.

So we came home and checked mine. It is being held together by two strands. 

It looks like the derailleur cable is being cut/worn by the guide. If you are running this set-up, I would suggest checking it. Just an FYI.

And Again

We met up with the gang again in PC. Apparently word got out about what a great time we had because there was a much bigger group--two to three times. The pace was quicker too. I did not mind the faster pace but it was a bit harder to keep up. I spent a lot more time in the 170 bpm range. I have to say I was a bit intimidated.

Our plan was to start at Deer Valley again but take a more direct route to Park City Mountain Resort and ride the portion of the PCPP from PCMR to the Canyons. So Duff, Adam, Trevor, Matt, Chris and I splintered off after a couple of hours and met Aaron at PCMR. I thought the pace might then slow a bit, but it stayed pretty quick.We rode the new bypassed portion of Mid-Mountain. It was rough, but not that bad. I am sure I will be singing a different tune in September though when more miles and hours have been spent suffering in the saddle.

While the stats seemed similar for ride time and distance for this weekend, it felt much harder in the moment. I was still feeling pretty good at the end though.

Notables:
1. Aaron brought Mark with him. It was great to see Mark on a bike again.
2. My condolences to Dan whose frame broke (chain stay severed at the BB) about an hour into the ride. He then had to walk his bike out and wait for a ride back to UC. A moment of silence for him please.
3. Aaron rode a recovery pace to that I even I could ride with him.

 Photo by Adam

 Photo by Kevin Day

Escaping the Heat

It has been warm lately. I would not say too hot but definitely warm. In an effort to avoid the heat, we spent the weekend riding higher in the mountains. On Saturday, we accepted the invitation from Aaron to do a long training ride in Park City. We picked up Adam on the way and joined him and a group of guys to ride portions of the PCPP race.
We started at Deer Valley. Aaron rolled up as we were getting ready. He had started at Round Valley a couple of hours earlier. While there were a couple of groups, Chris and I primarily rode with Aaron, Aaron, Duff, Ryan, and Adam. Zac met up with us at a couple of different points. Not being that familiar with the trails in PC, I can't elaborate on where we rode, but we spent close to seven hours out on the trails. Not all of that was riding though. The guys tended to get chatty. I would indulge them in their conversations for a bit, but then tried to move them along. I would say between five plus hours or so was actually riding. We had a couple of flat tires, stops for water and food, and regroupings. They were really great about waiting for me as I tended to be the limiting factor. Hopefully, I did not hold them up too much.

Good, But Not Good Enough

I found my "fast". Unfortunately, my fast is not nearly as fast as my competitor's fast. I can't complain though.
Today was the Utah State Championships at Solitude. My experiences there have been jaded, but improving. It was a good one today. Our group was pretty big considering; I think we had eight or so. My goal was to push--stand up, ride hard and not worry about blowing up. Essentially stop riding like a pansy.
We rode lots over the holiday weekend, but I still partook of the opportunity to have a "one speed Wednesday". The course was tough on a single speed, but fun. I think this helped. I commuted a bit on Thursday and tried to ride easy. And then yesterday just went out for a short hour with a couple of 30's intervals. This is essentially what Aaron has been recommending all summer and it seems to work. That Peak Fitness and Performance may be on to something.
So taking off at the start, I went out harder than normal and stayed pretty close with the top girls. Kathy was leading out, Kelsey, and Zephanie Blasi (I think that is her name) were in the rears. I passed Zephanie on the first lap and was close to Kelsey. I kept telling myself, "Push!", "Ride hard". I could see Kathy on the entire first climb which is a good sign; though I think she may not have felt as good as normal. I descended well and was right behind Kelsey. Then on the second lap Zephanie came out of no where and dropped us. I continued to ride close to Kelsey. She would get some distance on the climb and I would catch on the descent. I thought I might be able to get her on our third lap. She must have felt better going down hill on the final lap though because I did not see her until the very end and she was out of reach.
While I would have loved to be on the podium, I cannot complain about my race. I felt good and went fast. But when faster people show up, I get bumped. The thing about fourth place is the pink ribbon. Ugh! And then to add insult to it, in the ICUP 4th place gets the tweet chair. I hate the tweety chair--no offense Ed. Spin Cycle sponsored the race and I ended up with a gift certificate. I got a bunch of Pro Bars. I can't wait to try them out.
I also scored some Rooster's Root Beer from Kelsey and Brandon. I am stoked to try it. I believe it was a "Thank you" for alerting Kelsey she was off the course at Jackson. They have been incredibly gracious about that.
And to make things even better, Chris had a good race. He has been struggling since Hurricane. I am so excited for him. I hope it continues. 
And here are some photos from Snowbird last week. (Thanks Brad. The color is amazing.)

 

Superfly for Sale

Sold: Gary Fisher Superfly

Asking price $2000  $1750

(photo not spec'ed as being sold)

• Small (15.5) G2 Carbon Fiber Frame 2008
• 2009 Rock Shock Reba Fork w/ remote lockout
• Sram 9 Speed drive train
• X.O Trigger Shifters
• X.9 Rear Derailleur
• XTR Front Derailleur
• Truvativ Stylo Cranks (2009) set up 2x9 with 22 and 32 chain rings
• PG 990 cassette
• Avid Ultimate Brakes
• Bontrager RXL ACC seat post 400 mm
• Bontrager RXL 80 mm stem
• Bontrager RXL Inform Saddle 154
• Bontrager RXL 29” wheels tubeless
• Stans Crow on rear and Bontrager XDX on front
• Bontrager RXXXL OS flat handlebar 

Seven Seconds

Seven seconds was the time lapse between first and third in my category yesterday. Seven seconds. Unfortunately for me, I was number three being taken on the line again. This time by a different Erica. She turned herself inside out to do it, so she totally deserved it. I admire that quality. Sarah rode a strong race taking the lead from the get go. I rode fairly strong, but I never felt really fast. Maybe I have not fully recovered from the training block we put in. Chris wants to do 15 hours this week. With another race this weekend, I am not sure I can do it.
My brother Jac came down from Rexburg for the weekend and he made it to the race. This is his third time. I really enjoy it when he comes and not just because he is willing to do hand ups. He is just a really fun kid. Okay, so he is not really a kid anymore, but as the youngest I always think of him that way. He said he got some photos so I will post them once available. And thanks Jac.