Dutch Hollow

Jen, me & Jolene at the lookout for Heber Valley.

Trying to decide what to do this weekend. Option 1 go to Glenwild with the Bike Peddler group, option 2 AF Canyon--went with option 2 until I talked to Jen and she suggested Dutch Hollow. I have been wanting to check out this trail section for along, so of course I was in.

Dutch Hollow is in Midway not too far away, in fact it turns out it takes as long for me to go to AF Canyon as it does to go to Dutch Hollow. Not really knowing the trail system, we looked at the map in the parking area made some decisions and took off. Not knowing the trail system we learned very quickly many people do not go on the east side of the trail system. I think there were trails we rode that we were the only bikes to have graced the trial all year long.

We had a great time exploring and as we explored we explored right over to Aqueduct and Barrel Roll. There really are no words to describe Barrel Roll, other than pure fun. We went down and I could not stop laughing, it was better than being on a roller coaster. Of course at the bottom we knew we had to do this trail again, so we found another way to get to the trail. We ended up finding 4 different ways to this trail and ended up going down 4 times. Great ride for a Saturday.

Came across these guys on the trail with a broken chain. Jen pulled out the chain tool and went to work fixing the chain, as the guys looked on.

Jolene shows exactly why we went down this trial so much.

Nothing but smiles as I ride.

Jen going down Barrel Roll. The smile says it all.

I Pushed My Bike

Saturday I went on a great mountain bike ride. with Jen and Dale. The ride was ride up Mill Creek, take the Mid-Mountain Loop to Spiro, Thayne, Scotts Pass, and then down Wasatch Crest and Mill Creek back to the car. I was very excited for the ride and couldn't wait.

The ride started out with a few hitches, the first my 29er was in the shop so I had to ride my full suspension--thank goodness I had a bike to ride. The second hitch was my fs tried to shift by itself when I dropped my gears. Thank goodness Dale knew what to do. A quick adjustment of the cable and it quit automatic shifting. The third hitch, my body was not in a cooperative mood.

About a mile into the ride I started to have breathing problems, I became slightly asthmatic, and of course I did not bring my inhaler. I have been doing pretty good this year, in fact I have only had two issues this year so I felt pretty good about my breathing, so why bring my inhaler. Live and learn, it took a bit before I could breathe normally. I still need to keep that thing with me.

I wish I could say the only problem I had was my breathing, but no it became worse. I was a bit slow going up hill, but I attributed it to the bike. It turns out it was not the bike, but me. I seemed to not be able to turn the pedals like I normally do, and eventually around mile 18 my legs just quit working they did not want to turn. I got them to turn, but nowhere close to a good pace. Around mile 20 every little hill became the biggest, steepest incline I have ever taken on, and when I say little I mean little. I actually walked my bike on a couple of very small steeps. I was not happy with myself at all.

I really am not sure why my body quit working. Just a week and a half ago I mountain biked 26 miles and could have gone more, I felt great. This week I pushed my bike at mile 20 and by the time I got to puke hill, it was nothing but walking as three other riders went past. I wanted to think of excuses, but really there were none--it was a very humbling moment. I don't know why my body was so fatigued. Was a fuel problem, a heat problem, hydration or fatigue from lack of sleep? Whatever it was I am determined to go back and do this loop and not walk anything!

Once we reached the top of puke hill things went pretty well. I was out of water, but luckily Dale had water he could spare...thank goodness Dale was so prepared. Jen had to take off she had to be somewhere, since I was so slow today our ride went way longer than expected...way longer! From the top of puke hill things went pretty well. I had a blast going downhill on my full suspension bike. It has been a long time since I have ridden a full suspension bike and I forgot how well they absorb everything--it made going over the rocks a breeze. I also passed a few guys on the downhill--to me that was pretty cool since normally I do not pass going down. The entire ride we only saw a handfull of riders, very surprising on such a wonderful Saturday. I don't know how we got so lucky.

Of course by the time I got to the parking lot I was tired, so I did not continue on to do pipeline, but opted to ride in the car. When I got home I thought for sure I would be extremely sore the next day, but wouldn't you know it, no soreness what so ever, and I didn't feel fatigued, but I decided to rest anyway and not take any chances. Who knows maybe Saturday was just one of those days.
Flowers on the trail
Dale and Jen eating lunch.

Lookout at Mid-Mountain.

I Rode Rattle Snake Gulch!

I know it may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is huge. Last year I walked a good portion of Rattle Snake Gulch, so this year to be able to ride the whole thing is absolutely phenomenal to me.

Wednesday was a great day I met up with seven of my riding buddies to ride Wasatch Crest. We took the Wasatch Shuttle up to the start of the Silver Lake Trail. We got a great deal on the shuttle only $1 a person!
Drop off point for the shuttle--what a beautiful view.

The start of the trail is fun, but for some reason I was not riding it too well, I felt shaky and unsure, so I made sure everyone went in front of me. Eventually I made it to the bottom of the trail and the start of the climb. As I started the climb, I was thinking I must have remembered the climb incorrectly, because it was not that hard, but then I rounded the bend. Oh yeah, this climb is not over. I kept going and going and ended up passing a couple of the riders in our group. As I was going up, two riders in our group were going back down to climb it again (Ryan and Eric T). Now can I say I thought I was sick for liking climbs and such, but today doing that climb twice just seemed sick and wrong. By the time I got to the top I felt like I wanted to puke, yes I said it, puke--boy am I out of shape.
Top of puke hill.
At the top of the hill we waited for everyone and then took off down the trail. We had a little more climbing and then the flat. On the flat I was feeling good and my legs were starting to get warmed up and then there was a loud hissssssss. I quickly stopped, found the leak, and tipped by bike so it would seal up. Of course as luck would have it there was no more sealant left in my tire. It turned out my tire had a good tear on the side. Luckily Kerry had a boot and I had a tube so we sealed the tear and put a tube in and then got going. The good news is when we fixed my tire we discovered the front bearings were loose, so now I know why I was not riding so well.

Just as we got ready to go Stephen's brake pad fell out. While he fixed that I discovered my front brakes were not longer working. I kept trying to pump the brake to see if it was an air bubble and I could get it to move, but no luck. When ended up taking off after about 15 minutes or so of fixing tires and mechanicals with me having no front brake.

We rode the Crest all the way down Mill Creek and dropped into the parking lot. I chose to ride at the back, because of no brake and I didn't want to hold anyone up. Can I tell you this was a huge mistake. Have you ever ridden behind 7 other riders on a dusty trail. Two things happen, one you cannot see the trail and two you eat a lot of dust. Front brake or not riding in the back huge mistake. Also, riding down a trail really fast with no front brake, maybe is not the best idea. As we were going down riders were coming up. As long as the trail was wide, I was fine pulling over so they could ride and I could ride. However, at one point I was going down and the trail was narrow and not wide enough for two riders. All of the sudden Gordon stopped and yelled "rider up" all I could do was use my back brake and yell multiple times "I have no front brake, I have no front brake" as I tried to fish tail to a stop. Luckily the rider going up must have figured out I couldn't stop and he pulled over as I shot in between him and Gordon. Whew, that was a close one.

At the bottom of Mill Creek we took off down the road to catch the pipeline trail. This time I went near the front of the group and that's where I stayed until we reached Rattle Snake Gulch. Stephen was explaining to everyone how technical it was, I told them it was just plain yucky, which meant they would have a blast. I let everyone go in front, except for Gordon, he wanted to stay at the back, and then I went. Now remember I had no front brake, so I was gripping my back brake and just hoping for the best, and the best was what I got. I skidded the whole way down, but I made it!
Eric also got a flat apparently we can't go on group rides without multiple rides.

Todd turns off his cell phone.

Rock garden after the spine.

6 bikes in one truck not too bad of a feat.

Played All Night

Woke up Friday morning as usual to get ready for work. At 7 pm I met up with my friend Katie and her husband and we drove to Mount Pleasant for an all night softball game. I took Mandy with me to this tournament, she was so excited about the idea of staying up all night and watching mom play softball. I think she was probably the most excited about staying up all night.

The tournament was two pitch with our pitcher pitching to us. Great, because you know you are going to get great pitches. Different because the pitchers does nothing when the ball is hit, so you cover the field a little bit differently.

In the dugout

Our first game started at 9 pm--we won. We then had an 45 minute break before our next game. Mandy was so excited. She had already convinced Lloyd (Katie's husband) to buy her a snow cone. Played the next game at 10:50--we won. Now we had to wait to see when we would play again and how we were seeded.

Great spot to wait and hangout in between games. What you don't see are the tents in the background.

Once seeded this ended up to be the longest break we would have for the night, our next game wasn't until 1:20, so we had about an hour and a half to wait. This was perfect, I had time to get Mandy set up on a mat with a sleeping bag, get my sleeping bag and chair, get some food and get set up for the rest of the night. Once Mandy was set up on the sleeping bag I was hoping she would soon rest, and then turned out to be the case. Little by little she settled into the bag, and eventually she told me she wasn't tired, but her eyelids wanted to shut. Then she was out.

Mandy finally asleep.

We ended up playing games until 7:15 am in the morning, before we finally lost and were out of the tournament. For the most part it was pretty cold during night which kept me up all night long--well that and a diet coke I had at 5 am in the morning. This was the first all night softball for me. I am calling it preparation for 24 hours of Moab.

Ride Like a Girl - Ride

Went with Jolene yesterday for the monthly Ride Like a Girl Ride. We got to Mad Dog in Orem, and the only person there was KC. We visited for a bit while waiting to see if others would show up, but it turned out to be on me and Jolene this ride. After a little bit of discussion it was decided we would ride the BST over by bridal veil.

We started at the 800 North trailhead and rode up to the start of the trail. KC rode her single speed for this ride. It amazes me at what a lot of work the single speed takes, it also amazes me how KC can ride behind me on a trail and still keep going consistently even though I am not.

The first part of the trail I have been on, but it has been quite some time since I have ridden it. The second part of the trail I have not been on. KC led the way the new trail. It is a fun, quick simple trail until near the end where there are 3 tight switchbacks. Just prior to the swtichbacks KC stopped and described what we could expect from each switchback--I like it when people tell me about what to expect it makes the ride a little bit easier. The first switchback was a very steep left handed sharp turn. When I got to it, I stopped and thought no way. Luckily KC showed me and Jolene the right line, for the next time I go back. The next switchback was a right turn and I made it around with only a foot down! The final one was similar to the first but somewhat bermed. Unfortunately the bermed part did not take away my fear of spilling down the switchback, so I ended up getting off and walking...oh well, hopefully next time.

We ended the ride going to equestrian center and back to the trail head. Perfect night for a ride with the girls.

They Touched Many Lives

Last night was an unusual night for me--I went for a mountain bike ride. Not too unusual, but normally after a ride I come home I blog about it, check my email and facebook, but not last night, I was too tired. Next unusual thing I did was check my email and facebook the next morning before I went to work. I have never done this! Well, of course I found out that Susan had died yesterday, and although I only have met Elden very briefly, I have read his blog and laughed at his stories, sympathized over his struggles and now was sad from the latest post. It amazes me how someone I really do not know, and many of us do not know personally has touched my life, as well as so many others. My sympathies go out to Elden and his children through this time. Let us not forget to continue to donate to the Livestrong Foundation in Susan's honor and show our continued support inthe battle against cancer.

The Canyons

Mandy's 3rd place overall prize!

This race started out different than all of the rest. Usually our division starts near the back, but this time Ed started us at the first. It was pretty funny when we lined up in front of the pros, they were sure they were going to run us over, and of course they would if we were going on the same route, but our course had changed. Instead of doing a half and a full lap Ed had changed us to a full lap only. This meant we would be going up one way while the pros were going up a completely different way. It was actually very nerve racking being on the front line. Usually in the back we are joking around and visiting with each other, the front has a whole different feeling, much more pressure, less visiting and definitely less joking around.

Off the start I was not feeling too well. I was hot (like everyone else), dizzy and my stomach was not at it's best. Of course not feeling well did not stop me from starting out fairly strong, and in the front. As we went up the road I heard someone coming up behind me and knew it was Jolene. Not a few seconds later and we were riding side by side. As we were riding I mentioned I did not feel well, and Jolene told me I would feel better soon. She was right of course and she knows me. There is something that takes over and I forget about everything except riding.

Jolene and I rode up the road together and just before the turn into the single track I pulled behind her and told her to enter first. We rode up the singletrack together and pulled over together for a couple of the 16 year olds to pass. We did the same thing at Snowbird, pulling over together for people to pass. As we rode I would remember each switchback and how we needed to execute it. Eventually we came to the right hand switch back that you need to take very wide to get up. When we got to this switchback Jolene went wide but cut across, and didn't make it. By this time I was feeling good and took my chance to pass.

From this point on I brought my pace up and climbed. I don't know when it was Jolene and I became separated, but after a while I realized she was no longer behind me. This made for somewhat of a lonely ride and left me to many thoughts. Depending on how I was feeling I would think about the heat, my stomach, my favorite songs, other rides I have done--it's amazing what you end up thinking when you are riding by yourself. Eventually the climbing on the trail ended and I made it to the downhill.

I was ecstatic to reach the down hill. I had ridden the trail enough and felt I would be able to ride it at a good speed. This did not turn out to be the case. Instead I rode it like a sissy. I had a hard time negotiating the trail, I was getting bounced around and took turns much slower than I had a few days before. Somewhere on the lower loop Tiffany came up behind me and when we hit the up-down road near the end of the downhill she passed and I thought I would follow her line and do better, but this was not the case. I continued to ride poorly and only saw Tiffany for a short period of time.

While I as riding the downhill it finally dawned on me I hadn't seen Mandy yet! This was great, and I wondered if she had beat me to the finish line. It was not until the meadow part of the downhill at the hidden right hand switchback I saw Mandy. I passed her on the switchback and as I was riding I heard her call mom. I looked up, then behind me, slowed down and told her to follow me. We went along for a short time, and then I looked up and saw a red helmet at the top of the meadow. That meant only one thing Jolene was on her way down. I turned to Mandy and told her I had to go, and finished the last little part of the down and crossed the finish line. I then turned and watched as Mandy negotiated her way down the hill and crossed the finish line. Unfortunately she fell on the rocks on the final switchback and had to get cleaned up and bandaged by the paramedic, but the good news is she had fun and from what I heard did a great job with letting people pass.

I am a bit sad about this being the last Icup race of the season. It ended on a good note with me getting first at the race and first overall in my division. Mandy did great and got 3rd overall out of the girls in her division--she was a little sad she did not get recognized, but we made up for it with ice cream and the cute bracelets Dorothy sold for the Livestrong foundation. And although it is the end or Icup racing, it is not the end of riding and it leaves us with a lot to look forward to.

Coming up the road at the start.

Jolene and me riding side by side.

Good way to end the season.