doctor free bike racing

Forget watching The Tour tomorrow and come up to Solitude and watch a real bike race with real athletes. You won't find any phony Barry Bonds wannabe bike racers up there, no wondering who is sauced and who isn't. Since when did you need a "team doctor" for bike racing. I have been racing for years without a doctor, if you fall off and get a scrape then stitch it up or find someone who can, you don't need a hematoligist. If you get sick then rest and the body will mend, if want to know how to train then figure it out or read some books or hire a coach, you don't need a doctor or a pharmacist or a veterinarian. You know what they learn in medical school, how to manipulate the body and disease using medication and surgery. Bike racers seldom need that. I know I am preaching to the choir here but this is ridiculous. Fortunately for us watching all these lame cheats kill the sport that feeds them does not make riding and racing any less fun. I plan to have a ripping good time with my friends tomorrow pushing my doctor free body to the limits, hope you do the same.
Looks like the rains coming just in time, long live tachy trails!

VIEWS

So today is are 3 year anniversary's but since Rosie and Eva went back up to the cabin at bear lake we celebrated early and spent Sunday night at Snowbird and did some uphill only hiking (took the tram down), eating, and pool lounging. I am going to get a little sloppy here just for a minute and thank Rosie for being the best wife and mother anyone could dream off. She does it all and absolutely makes me better at everything I do.
Check the views.

Looking Southeast across Mineral Basin towards the Heber Valley

looking West across gad valley and into SLC

Looking South you can see Sundance and the back of Cascade


Check out the dust devil roasting these girls at the top of the tram

into the eye of the funnel


Speaking of views I just got back from sharing mine at the Salt Lake County Community Council meeting where their seemed to be a large and receptive turnout for the trails in Emigration Canyon. Now I am no public speaker and probably sounded like a nervous idiot but I at least shared my informed opinion as a resident of the canyon, an avid trail user, and an experienced trail builder. It was interesting that not one resident of emigration oaks that is opposed to the mid mountain North slope trail was present or willing to speak up, I guess its hard to say "I don't want trails on public land anywhere around my house" without sounding like a selfish moron. I then enjoyed a nice ride home with Bob and he even had an opportunity to test out a few of the compound trails on his roadbike.

Anyway, If your looking for a deal on Gatorade the 32oz bottles are on sale at Dans for 59 cents/each. I picked up 60 bottles so when CRIBS is filmed at my house I can pack my fridge full of one beverage and look as foolish as all those rappers. You know they just lease all those fancy "whips" the day of filming.

Critical

Dear Friends, Trail Lovers, and Outdoor Enthusiasts everywhere,

THIS IS IT!!! Tomorrow between 4:15 and 4:30 pm there will be a public hearing regarding the Emigration Canyon Trails Master Plan and THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!

TIME: The public hearing will get underway as early as 4:15 and as late as 4:30 pm. Please try to get there as early as possible!

PLACE: Salt Lake County Complex, 2100 S. State Street, North Building, first floor in County Council chambers. There is free parking on the east side of the north building.

MEETING FORMAT: The plan will be briefly introduced by County Parks and Recreation personnel and then the microphone will be open to the public. Each speaker has 3 minutes only!

THE HEART OF THE MATTER
The Emigration Canyon Trails Master Plan will help to lay the ground work for more and better trails in Salt Lake County. This plan is at risk of being gutted over the objections of a very, very small group of private property owners in the canyon who do not want trail users on the PUBLIC LAND behind their homes. Their concerns about safety and privacy are valid, however the reasons they give are not. Trail users are not irresponsible, fire-starting, partying criminals bent on destroying the value and serenity of Emigration Canyon neighborhoods! Tell the council who you are and why you want to see this trail plan approved!

WHAT IS AT STAKE
Salt Lake County trail users need more and better trails, but more importantly, we need to preserve our right to access public land. Future access to public lands of Emigration Canyon should not be decided by a small group of private property owners lucky enough to live in the canyon. The decision regarding the Emigration trails plan will affect other trail decisions in the county for years to come. If we do not speak up for preserving access to open space and public lands in the canyon, it is likely private property owners living adjacent to public lands will make those decisions for us in the future. Don't let this happen!!!

PLEASE COME AND SPEAK UP!!!

If you absolutely can not make it please contact the Salt Lake County Council and Mayor Corroon and share your views.

Racefree Saturday

It has been weeks since I have had a weekend without a mountain bike race and yesterdays 100 mile climbing group ride was exactly what I was looking for. Someone must have forgot to tell Jones about the raceless weekend. We had a great group including: racing to the donut counter Jones, scouting tour of utah Sager, little Blake from Austin, bigger Blake burnin off the Dallas haze, Kday I climb faster after 4 hrs, and sore right arm from wielding a chainsaw Bart. We hooked up with beardless Rog and Bryan the fastest guy that doesn't train, in Alpine and then came across bearded old Sam Wolf atop the alpine loop. I tried to get Foxy to go with us but he is saving his fury for Storman's group over the same route today, lookout for Sly's new silver bullet.
Enjoyed a evening BBQ at Blakes new Digs (Training compound #1) and witnessed Sly protein loading on a pound of organic burger, that should get him to the alpine loop and back. We had to leave early to put Eva to bed, we need some more friends with children, hint hint!
Check the pics by the official ride photographer at Jasonsager.com.

Emigration trails master plan meeting

Below is the letter announcing the public hearing for the trails plan in emigration canyon, if you have any kind of interest in trails please show your support at the county building this Tuesday, June 27th. Details below.

Dear Friends, 6/21/06
The public hearing on the Emigration Canyon Trails Master Plan is just around the corner! Please make some time in your busy schedule to attend this very important event. The comments that get made to the SL County Council next Tuesday, June 27th, will have a far reaching impact likely affecting trail development in this county for years to come.
As you craft you statements here are a few things to remember:

--Keep it positive! Talk about the benefits and opportunities this trail system could bring to our community, our families, our future.
--Try to avoid attacking the short sighted and selfish few who don't want trails in the canyon.
--Keep it simple. Stick to two or three or main points and present them in a clear and concise manner.
--Be gracious! Thank the council for hearing you and ask that they continue to support trails and open space planning.

Important:Please do not boo, holler, or applaud those making comments. It irritates the council and slows the entire process down.

I will try to speak first and will likely ask for a show of hands of those in the room who support trails, so it will be important to have as many of you there at the start of the hearing as possible.
Right now they are telling me that we will get rolling on the topic of the trail plan at approximately 4:30 pm. PLEASE TRY TO BE THERE ON TIME!!! If you can't get there by 4:30 come as soon as you can. If there is a scheduling change for the start of the public hearing I will notify you immediately.
It has been a long, long haul getting to this point. Your thoughtful comments and presence at the public hearing next week will make THE difference in seeing a positive outcome to this process.
Hope to see you all there!
Sarah

Dangerous

Eva climbing oversize wood timberframe stairs!

My pet bees on the timber above the garage door!

Fathers day present (Echo 23cc straight shaft)!

my lunch was stolen

So today I meet Rosie an Eva at sunnyside park for lunch, I brought my normal sandwich and fruit. I ate half of it before Rosie left and I rode my bike down to contender for a minute. I stashed the remainder of my lunch at the foot of the tree we were eating at to pick up on my way back to work. I returned and found no lunch, the only thing I can figure is the maintanance guys that were eating lunch nearby saw my big bag of cut up melon and snagged it. I have been getting a lot done the last few days. Monday I poured the concrete pad for the shed with some help from an intern at work and Phil the finisher, it looks great. Check out the cyclocross pit boots putting in some mid summer time.


Today I hit the bike again and felt pretty good considering the manual labor. I climbed home from work at a pretty good rate and then took a short spin up freeze creek, its getting way overgrown and really slows the trail down. This evening I got some more work done on the compound trail.
First weekend in a while with no race so I am looking to get a long road ride in on Saturday, maybe down to AF canyon for some alpine loop action followed by a little BBQ action. Foxy told me storman and crew may be headin that way, fox, jones and sager maybe in and I am sure rog and bry will meet us in alpine. blake, ty, art? anyone else in?

joyride at sherwood hills and beyond

IC#9 Joyride through sherwood hills resort:
Another perfect day in Utah for bike racing. The late start made for a relaxing morning and drive. Warm up lap with Jones revealed nearly perfect dirt conditions and a lot of great singletrack. I was also happy to find the legs feeling better than they have in a while. My energy levels have been on the up an up and my nodes/glands in my neck don't hurt anymore. The shoulders and neck have nearly healed and I felt ready to race. Anyway, The race started with one of the most impressive holeshots I have ever seen. BZ instantly had 100m on the field and it took us nearly the entire parade loop to bring him back. We hit the first little climb and Jones and I were at the front, I decided to gas it a little and string things out through the 1 track, it worked well and we were free to ride our own pace together for the rest of the race. For the next 5 laps we were not more than 20 ft from each other and it was nice to enjoy a little mid race chit chat. On the last climb toward the finish we raced it out and I happened to be feeling good and hit the finnish a few seconds up. It's funny, if the finnish would have been 2 laps earlier our order would have switched as I was barely holding EJ's wheel up that same climb. Susy also brought home another impressive win for the Raleigh family in the pro babes class.

The best fathers day ever:
After the race we headed to our family cabin at Bear Lake for the remainder of the weekend. We stopped in Garden City and at at the harbor View restaurant for some authentic southern food, the Gumbo was amazing. the restaurant restroom just happened to have shower in it and I snuck a quick one, dinner is always better after a shower.
Our friends Heidi and Adam joined us with little Richard and Adam and I were treated to the best fathers day breakfast ever- blueberry pancakes with whipcream, melon, the works.
Adam and I headed out for a high alpine ride in the mountains above the lake and found snow, crazy long climbs, descents, and plenty of deadfall hopping. We finished the ride at the beach with the fam's for some swimming.

Looking North off the cabin deck


Eva's first swim in Bear Lake

no where to hide

Been practicing to and from work all week and I think I am getting better. Tomorrow I will know for sure as it is impossible to hide in a mtn bike race, I guess thats why I like mtn and cross, you always know where you stand. And I guess thats why we only have 10-20 pro guys line up at the IC mtn races and utah cyclocross while the local I/II road races get 3-4x that, I guess cyclists don't always like to know where they stand. On the other hand when your not feeling that hot the "gray area" in a road race is kinda nice.
After the Logan race were going to the family cabin up at Beat Lake to play in the water, maybe I will ride around the lake.
Have a great weekend and happy fathers day!

"off the wall"

Why do I like building trails?

Is it the solitude, the smell of the earth, the upper body workout, the instant gratification of seeing a nice berm come together, imagining Eva learning the art of shredding at the age of 3, using a chainsaw, yea probably so! But I also think it takes me back to a time when life was simple and I spent my days at the "flats" building doubles, whoops, table tops, and chillin with the BMX gang. I wore red "off the wall" lowtop vans before they were retro and my primary worries were how to get Adam out of daily piano practice and what slurpee flavors 7/11 had on tap.

Today I rode some trails (millcreek) and then built some trails (in my yard). I was inspired!

Here's a quick fix for anyone itchin for onetrack on a weekday, all handmade of course!








In the future this trail will quench my thirst for shredding the nar when I really don't have the time. Let me know if you want to get back to your roots and I'll put you to work!

wild kingdom

Here is a list of the wildlife I saw yesterday on a short hike and trail ride:
1 bull moose
4 deer
2 grouse
2 lizards
1 toad
2 snakes
2 redtail hawkes
6+ quail
1 cottontail rabit
1 mouse
ground squirll
chipmunk
multiple other birds including hummingbird, finch, sparrows, woodpecker, and others.

Its amazing what you see if your not just looking at your front tire. Speaking of wildlife, the other day Rosie was sitting on the deck when a badger rumbled out of the trees into the yard and scared her to death. I personally have seen a badger whip a large dog, no contest.

Knocked out 2 projects that have been calling my name:
1. Installed the toilet in the guest bathroom.

2. completed some top secret reconnaissance work in the canyon just north of emigration. Found a pond being rebuilt for the june sucker, an overgrown trail, and some amazing views into the canyon. The descent into burr fork was a steep loamy shoot that I am now am challenged to ride up and clean, no dabs!

Today my concrete pad project fell through as my go to guy got sick. Tomorrow no VA work so I hope to get in a little ride and maybe work on the single track around the house.

Deer Valley

Pulled Rosie and Eva out of bed this morning for the early (9am) Deer Valley Race. Turned out to be a great day for bike racing with the recent downpours leaving the soil on the DH near perfect. Today was a great example of why you should keep plugging away in a race. I felt stiff and slow while warming, started and felt much the same. The first time down the DH I could have been mistaken for a roadie that rides in circles in a parking lot, I was all over the place. Finally settled into a rhythm with Alex helping me get my flow back on the descent. We rode 2 laps together and the climbing was comfortable. On the 3rd lap are pace slowed and I was itching to get by him on a one track climb when out of nowhere his tires starts hissing, bummer. So then I turned it on for the remainder of the lap and the finishing circuit up littlestick. By this time I could see Jones and made a little push up the last climb to Finnish 40 seconds down in 2nd place. The last 20 minutes I felt like myself again. Unfortunately, while passing a lapper I was crashed upon and landed on my bum shoulder, it's not going to heal if I keep crashing.

After the race the real fun began (for Rosie) as we hit up the sales at the outlet stores.
She is trying to spend all my hard earned winnings on "great deals". We hit up Go Sushi again with the Heckmann's and made a Home Depot run to round out the evening.
Now the moon is nearly full.

Eva and friend Richard cheesin for the camera Rosie caught the little bull moose trying to sneak across the road by our house

pictures random

Not much going on here, just trying to recover from spearing a tree with my head. Here is some pics from the last few days, you will notice no cycling shots as I have been using most of my energy for healing. Plan to do a test ride tomorrow, if all goes well I plan to race DV this weekend. I spoke with Raleigh today about the new cross bikes and am pumped for the new design, hope to have some ready buy July sometime.

Eva and Rosie burnin up the slide!
Little Eva and big Richie enjoy a summer float!
BFF ( best friends forever), Rosie's crew!
The blonde on the left is available, drop me a line for her number.

one armed chain gang

I wrote somthing up yesterday and tried to post some pics of little Eva but the it blew up so I will try again.

Recuparation days:
Sunday- black and blue all over, I have to turn my whole body to look around because my neck will hardly move. Easy ride after church with Rosie and Eva in the trailer down to grandma's, the riding seems to help loosen things up.

Monday- No riding to work as I am barely able to crawl out of bed, 2nd day is always the worst. My neck is feeling better but my right shoulder and trunk are worked over. Did an easy spin at lunch in hopes of loosening up a little more and then after work we donned the orange vests for canyon cleanup and scoured emigration canyon road for trash. For a guy using only one arm and a 9 month old straped to his chest I picked up alot of trash. The turnout for canyon cleanup was pretty weak considering the number of people of who live in and enjoy the canyon. Saw a ton of cyclists enjoying a nice evening spin including stupid bike bob. Its funny how most of the trash picked up was beer cans, not pop cans but but cheap beer like naturl light, did not find one fresca can. I wonder if their is some kind of correlation between those that litter and beverage choice?

Tuesday- Back on the bike to work and feeling a little better although my right shoulder is still not moving well. Salmon and corn on the grill with some friends while the sun sets put the day to rest. If I continue to improve at this rate I will be ready to race again by the weekend.

Sorry no pics, I have some good ones of Eva at the pool but was unable to post them. Props to sly for winning the alley cat 666.

Sundance- I took a beating, literally!

Although I woke up this morning unable to move my head and neck and feeling like I had been hit by a gas-guzzling SUV, I am very fortunate.
Yesterday was a beautifully day for a bike race and the Sundance venue is tough to top. We had a solid field of 19 pro's to do battle on the 4 lap 28 mile 4500 vertical feet of serpentine 1 track. The start was pretty quick up the pave road with Ali and his bumpin tunes leading the charge. Near the top of the first short climb it was obvious that EJ was going to spend the day by himself at the front. I felt ok but really enjoyed Ali's tune selection today so I was happy to follow him for a while. Once we got to the back climb I made a move and bridged up to Spanring and we completed the first lap about 45 seconds down on Jones. I slowly pulled away from Spanring on the paved climb and then my beating began. On a banked switchback I was in a normal 2 wheel slide when out of no where my wheels hooked up and I slammed the ground on the high side, no scrapes but I hit hard. I got going again pretty slow and let TS by while I tried to find my rhythm. I bridged up to him on the next climb and again followed him down the descent until the near fatal blow. We had just passed some lappers and were barreling through the meadow back into the trees when I find myself Supermaning off the trail headfirst into a large aspen, the only thing I saw was a rock kick off TS's rearwheel which I must of hit. The impact embedded dirt everywhere including my teeth and ears, I layed in the brush assessing the damage and praying that everything would move on commad. In my world of physical therapy spinal cord injuries are all to real and this is exactly how a high cervical injury occurs, a head first impact without time to get your hands in front of you. It's ironic that I am currently reading Christopher Reeves biography It's Still Me, and this is exactly what happened to him but on a horse. The lappers came upon me and pulled me out of the weeds, they were freaking out wanting to call the ambulance, I was able calm them down and told them I think I am ok I just need some time to regroup. My head and neck hurt and I new I would be feeling this for a while but I was elated to be able to move and get on my bike, I new I would not be able to catch back up to race for 2nd but I figured I had some time to play with and I could probably cruise around and maintain my position. So the next couple laps I rode conservatively monitoring the pace behind me so I could dispense my effort accordingly. I must admit I wanted to pull over and bag it but I was halfway done and talked myself into plugging away, I hate racing so defensively but it was that or spectate. The Raleigh faired pretty well with only the Reba lockout sheared off and some scratches on the bar and fork.
It's crazy to think this exact situation could have easily landed me in the ICU with a completely changed life ahead, not just for me but for my entire family and social network. I don't know if you call it luck or what but it scared me. What I can't figure out is why bike racers and most athletes in general are able to get back up and ride the same trail at nearly the same speed right after coming very close to severe injury, it happens all the time.
So I ended up 3rd but more importantlyI came away with a greater appreciation for the delicate nature of life and the fine line we often walk.

my drill is bigger than your drill

This morning I got the concrete slab prepped and ready to pour, this Mikita hammer drill goes through concrete like warm butter, I even punched a hole through the foundation wall to run some electrical. I know what your thinking, the racers cycles T goes well with the urban camo shorts.
Despite continuing to struggle with some marginal form I am planning to hit the Sundance race tomorrow, the trails are just to fun and maybe my legs will sense the nostalgia and find some pep for one of my favorites.
Uncle fox gave Eva a new lady bug helmet, good thing her head is not this big yet and yes she has it on backwards.

training for the family man

Just polished off another PBJ, I pretty much pack the same lunch everyday to work. Normaly a sandwich, a couple pieces of fruit, (apple, orange, grapes, green pear) carrots, yogurt, and maybe a cookie. I usually have my sandwich pretty much gone by noon as I employ my own working man's solid "drip" system and spread my packed lunch throughout my work day. I have found this to improve my metabolism and minimize the hungries. As I age this will become even more important. I have been taking it fairly easy the last couple days but yesterday's ride home was a little more than I expected. I meet Rosie at the doctors office downtown for Eva's 9 month check up, 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. She brought the trailer for Eva and I towed her home so Rosie could spend some time with a friend. 1800 vertical later I was home and only had to stop a couple times to retrieve a tossed binkee. I kept the pace pretty easy but still managed to catch some roadie that wanted to race a mountain bike pulling a kiddy trailer up the canyon, fortunately I turned up to the house before he got embarrassed. I found pulling the trailer great practice for smoothing out the pedal stroke, while climbing you must pedal circles or the trailer will bob like crazy, it is even better practice for standing. So if you notice a buttery smooth cadence I owe it all to pulling Eva in the trailer.
In the future I hope to expand on my "solid drip" program for the 40hr working stiff type cyclist as well as exploring the idea of training with a trailer. Maybe I can even workout a deal with Chariot. What I should do is write a book, The Family Man's Guide to Bike Racing: Training for those with to much on their plate. I could cash in and then have no need for my own advice.