a BLOG about NOTHING

Group shot at the top of Gold Bar Rim in Moab, Utah

2008 was the first year I joined the guys for their annual Fall Moab trip. It was everything I imagined it to be and more.  I will not do it justice by telling my side of the story so you can follow a few links below of others that wrote, posted pictures or video about the trip.  The nights were cold, there was some good company and riding and even search & rescue were called.

Dug

Rick

Brad

I love this time of year.  The trees in the canyon turn to their fall colors and it makes some of the most beautiful scenery the state offers.   I also love, that my wife Jaynann likes to get out for rides.  In fact, she is a much better biker than I am.  Today we went up corner canyon and got lost for a few hours.  Here we are going up Clarks Trail:

My wife started riding her bike again this year. She is very athletic and I never questioned whether she could do it or not, it was more of a question of desire. It has always been her dream that we could go out and ride together so there was a lot of motivation to get back on since I was enjoying it so much. It did not take very long for her to catch the fever. She now gets up early and heads out with sisters and her friends for rides. She comes home happy and excited about biking. In fact, it’s pretty much all we talk about at home now. She recently did a 100 mile charity ride. You can read about it here. I recently completed 100 miles and it was one of the hardest things I have done. She went out with very little training and did the same thing. I’m not a competitive person, but she keeps trumping my accomplishments.

So this is the year of the Jaynann. She is going to go hard, have fun and ride as much as she can. For her reward we are going to upgrade her mountain bike. It’s a sweet ride and we can’t wait to get it. I am a tinsy bit jealous that she’s getting such a nice ride. Not that her IBIS is a bad bike, it just needs to be updated. In fact, when she got it 10 years ago, it was top of the line. Anyone interested in the frame?

Brad just got a couple of Vassago frames for his family. And I really liked what I saw so we are going to get Jaynann the Vassago Bandersnatch. Check it out..

Like I said, I am a little jealous but my bike should do until I crack my Jamis frame again. I love that Jay is back into biking. It makes it that much easier for me to get out and ride.

We usually get together as a family on Sunday nights to celebrate birthdays or just hang out. Most of us ride in the family, so biking is a common topic talked about at the dinner table. I would not be surprised if the first question was “how was the ride?” instead of “what have you been up to?” It also poses as a planning session for the week so we can coordinate schedules to ride together. We went to Dugs Sunday night and I knew it was going to come up. I have not been on my bike for a few weeks and I was hoping I could get out and suffer alone. I feel like I could use one or two rides to get back into it. That plan did not work and we are headed out tomorrow morning early.
After work, I started thinking about the ride tomorrow morning and how hard its going to be. So I started trying to come up with ways to get prepared. Somewhere in my new strategy session I convinced myself that I could make a difference within 12 hours and I would not feel any effects of a two week vacation. Here are a few things I am going to try:

Fluids- I opted for a glass of water instead of Diet Coke at dinner.

Food- I passed on the late night bowl of ice cream. I eased up on dinner and did not polish the plate. Instead I tried to eat just enough before I stuffed myself.

Manscaping- I did a little manscaping on the legs to make me feel like a biker. They are silky smooth.

Sleep- My goal is to be in bed by 11p instead of 12a or later.

So those are the four things I am banking on that will help me tomorrow morning. I know that the guys I am riding with really don’t care how slow I am, but its all mental for me and I hate to slow anyone up. Will it work? I doubt it.

I hate when I can’t get out on my bike. I knew what the weather forecast was calling for since Sunday and the two days that would have been perfect are gone. And here is what the weather looks like the next few days

It looks like it is going to clear on Sunday in time for the Intermountain Cup Race on Monday. But by that time I will be on the road to California for a family reunion until June 2nd. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to go see family. We don’t get together very often, so this time around it is special since all of us will be there. The only thing bumming me out is last year when I went home my goal was to not lose the strength I had built during the spring and summer. I was not fast at all, but I was away from biking for several years and started feeling comfortable on my bike again. Once I got out to Merced there was not much to do. I brought a road bike hoping that I would use it to ride the flats in the Central Valley. But instead of doing that, I opted to eat, sit and then eat some more. I really didn’t do anything that would constitute as exercise. By the time I got back, I was not as dedicated to biking as I was before the vacation.

So what am I going to do different this year? Nothing. I have accepted who I am. I know I am going to stop at every In N Out Burger starting in Nevada. I know I will eat a lot and not exercise. So all the folks along I-80 working at In N Out Burger be ready with a #2 and a chocolate shake. To go please.

I remember on Christmas Eve getting very little sleep because I was so excited about getting up early and celebrating Christmas. The anticipation and anxiety of Christmas used to keep me awake for hours and my parents were kind enough to put up with me crawling out of bed every ten minutes asking, “is it time to open presents yet?”

I grew out of that a few years ago. By now I thought I’d be mature enough to go to bed in any situation but I have noticed that I get really crappy sleep when there is an activity the next day. It could be at 4 pm and I would still get worked up the night before. It happened to me last night because we are riding this afternoon. I was in bed at eleven and I was staring at the ceiling for 30 minutes then found an excuse to get out of bed. I didn’t want to watch TV. So I wandered around the house trying to find something to do. I thought about cleaning the garage or doing the dishes, but I gave in and decided to watch TV. Two hours later I roll into bed completely frustrated because I know I’m going to be tired the next day. Once I am in bed I feel like I wake up every 20 minutes checking the clock to see if its time to get up. I finally string together a few hours of sleep and end up waking up 20 minutes earlier than I need to. It’s so maddening!  I don’t know what to do. I feel like a kid again except this time I am saying, “is it time to ride yet?”

A few weeks ago I talked to Dug about doing RAWROD (I believe it stands for riding around white rim in one day) and he said I should try to get out 3-4 times a week and I would be good to go.  The weather got in my way of getting out that many times.  I did my best, but I knew I was in no shape to get on a bike and ride for 100 miles. I had my doubts and was very close to bailing on the trip altogether. I probably could have found a million excuses but never came up with a really good one. The night before, when I was scrambling around trying to find a bike, Dug texted me and said “if not now, when?”

The night before the ride I realized a few things. I realized that the Honda Ridgeline is not a wimpy truck but in fact Elden’s machine is the ultimate biking vehicle. I realized that I was screwed and that I was surrounded by some excellent bikers. I realized that Kenny is one of the nicest guys in the world by putting on RAWROD voluntarily. I realized that I like beer brats. I learned that I am not the only one that snores and that if you need something, like a sleeping bag you wake somebody up. Sorry Botched. I realized that waking up at 6 am in cold temperatures before a big ride is a good excuse not to ride. It was cold.

Crazy things go through the mind when you are on your bike alone in the desert. Delirium sets in and interesting conversations begin. Within the first ten miles I started this conversation with the trail. It was the same conversation Clubber Lang had about Rocky Balboa in Rocky III.  “Do you hate Sleepy? I don’t hate him, I pity the fool. What is your prediction for this ride? My prediction? PAIN.” This conversation played through my mind for the next 90 miles! I could not shake it, so I accepted it. I was going to be in pain the rest of the day.

I remember that after the first stop I was feeling pretty good. I know it was only 27 miles to the first stop, but I had never been on a bike that long before and I was pretty proud of myself. In fact, I tried to run a marathon a few years ago and did not finish. I figured that getting through this ride makes up for it and I will never have to redeem myself and run another marathon. But after the first stop I started feeling my legs go. I could tell that I was going to cramp up because I could feel the twitch in my leg every time I put a little pressure on the pedals. So for the next 30 miles to lunch all I was thinking was “I should have ordered the foot long cold-cut combo, why did I only get the six-inch?” At that point I was completely cooked. I had plenty of opportunities to throw in the towel but honestly it never really crossed my mind that I would not finish. I was determined. Apparently I did not look determined. I know I sweat a lot but I must have looked quite salty.  I could actually feel the salt caked on my face.

So, to my surprise I made it to lunch. I was thinking “sweet, I’m done”. But as soon as I rolled up, Dug and Brad were waiting with supplies to keep me going. Within 10 minutes I ate two pickles, a can of chicken noodle and stars, Tums, beef jerky, my puny 6″ cold cut combo, trail mix, water, carborocket, and Diet Coke.

After lunch, I felt pretty good. I knew it was going to be a long day but the rest of the trail was two miles of gradual climbing followed by two miles rolling downhill. At the time it felt like I was always climbing. I had the iPod in and tried to find a rhythm that wouldn’t cause cramping.  After a few hours I noticed a huge climb ahead of me. I thought that there was no way I was going to make it up. I was already cramping but I figured I had to try every climb. I went up the first little section and felt pretty good, but then I turned the corner and it got very steep. I was in trouble. Before I could click out of my pedals both legs locked up straight. I fell over with both feet still clipped in. Luckily the sag wagon was right behind me. Someone jumped out of the truck and rushed over to me. I was pretty much out of it, blinded by the pain of all of my leg muscles cramping up. He handed me something and said “eat this”. I’m not sure what it was and at the time I probably would have accepted pooh sticks, but whatever it was, it seemed to help. He continued to try to get my legs to bend and finally he was able get them out of the locked position. He threw my bike in the back of the truck and said “get in”. I thought about it for a millisecond and quickly took him up on the offer.

It was hot, but because of exhaustion I still had my long sleeve jersey on after 85 miles. I got to the top of Hardscrabble and I heard Brad yell out, “Dug we need to pin Sleepy down and get that long sleeve jersey off.”  I figured I would waste needed energy fighting them off, so I dropped my bike and stripped down.

  I don’t remember very much after this point. It was a blur. I do remember the last ten miles were the longest miles of the ride. I kept thinking we were getting close to the last climb. I started to lose hope because I could feel my legs going again. We finally made it to the bottom of the switchbacks and I fell over again with cramps. This time it was right in the middle of the road and I scrambled a few times to get out of the way of some vehicles. Dug decided he was ready to go and he went. I watched him go up and it nearly made me puke. It looked steep. After I watched him for a few minutes, I decided it was now or never.So I slowly began my climb and learned it was much steeper than it looked. So about ¾ of the way up I decided I needed to walk.  I went around a switchback and heard Brad yelling and pointing out that there were only two more switchbacks to go. I had made the decision to walk the rest, but after seeing him at the top I decided to jump back on the bike. I slowly made my way to the top and quickly forgot about all the pain during the ride. I was happy.

As much as I hated the ride, I loved it. During the ride, I said I would never do it again, but when I got to the top I was ready to do it all over. So, when is the next big ride? I’m ready.

Last Saturday I was going to head out for a quick ride with a neighbor. I was getting all the gear set up and just about to load the bikes into the truck when something felt weird. I was not sure what it was, but I thought it might be the bike adjusting to the new 22t rear cog. So I rode up and down the street to see if it would work itself out. It didn’t so I started looking around and sure enough I noticed a giant crack in my frame. It was a sad day, at least for an hour before I got it to Infinite Cycles.

They immediately said that I need to stop riding so hard. I told them it was not the rough riding but more of a fat man on a little bike. Luckily Jamis warranties their frames for life. The guys at Infinite are working to get it back to me in time for White Rim this weekend. They don’t put a tip jar out, but if they had one I would put all my stripper 1s in as a thank you.

I hope I get the 29er back in time because I went out today on the old Gary Fisher Big Sur and it did not feel right. I was out of control and was out of my game. Fun bike, but I don’t think I can ever go away from the rigid suspension or the 29inch wheels.

***By the way, I tried the double tap on the helmet as a greeting, and I got a blank stare and a double take. It is going to be my bike greeting from now on.

I love my bike. I bought it at the beginning of last season and fell in love with it at the parking lot of Infinite Cycles. To be honest, I probably could have picked up any bike and loved it but I fell for this because it was on sale for $800. But here she is in her full glory:

It’s a singlespeed and I probably should be on something geared, but I can’t afford it. I went on a ride up Provo Canyon and blew up on the first climb and decided I was tired of grinding the gear I had. So I wimped out today and bought a 22t rear freewheel. I went over to Racers and he hooked me up on the spot. It’s large and looks out of place. I don’t think I’ll turn into Superman and climb faster but hopefully it allows me to climb for a longer period of time.