11 hour drive to wait at the airport

I am sitting curbside at Logan international waiting for Janie coming in from Alabama. This airport has cool free wifi that works out in the parking structures. Burned a couple laps on the TT course today with Rog in the sunshine. Its fast and should be around 20 min or so. Its a fun course although the bald tubulars on the ball bearing like gravel are a little spooky. The drive down was not bad but I am not one for white line fever. Eva and Rosie went to the Phoenix zoo today and played with a stingray.

I will try to keep my tip series going while I am away but I don't think the taco stand across the street from the motel 6 in Mesa has free wi fi.

2. Spring: This time of year we get crazy swings in weather that throw our planned training out of wack. Don't sweat it. There is no such thing as a make or break work out, fitness takes months and years to build and will not be lost with a couple days off because of snow, if you have to ride for sanity sake go outside for 20-30 min and ride pretty hard, no trainers this time of year. Most competitive cyclists, myself included have a tendency to do to much without enough rest, those with families and full time jobs are even more at risk, a spring snowstorm is perfect forced recovery. This week I have had a couple 20-30 min rides/commutes with today's being the long ride of the week at 1 hour, I should be ready to go for the weekend of racing.

life dragging down your performance?

Where have I been? The days flying by like miles with a tailwind. I am now watching an epic spring storm pile up snow on my silky green grass.

Could not have picked a better time to head South. This weekend is the 1st NORBA national in AZ and I have mixed feelings. After the USADA debacle I was left with a sour taste in my mouth for USA CYCLING/UCI/USADA sanctioned racing and was not sure if I was going to be able to stomach paying a $150 clams for the license to participate. But, I have decided not to let there short comings robe me of the opportunity to raise my game and test myself against the best of the best. NORBA may not be perfect but in the USA they are the only game in town for high level XC racing. My decision was also strongly influenced by the fact that Rosie really wants to vacation on AZ.

Anyway, over the last couple weeks I have been asked a number of questions about juggling training, work, family, etc and have had a chance to think about the key elements to reaching ones potential. So I figured over the next some odd posts I would chime in with a few things I have learned over the years of racing with way to much on my plate.

1. Sleep. Absolutely the single most important thing you can do to improve performance. I am not talking about going to bed early the day before a big event, I am talking about night in and night out sleeping habits. Anyone can get away with staying up late before a race and a full time pro who can nap during the day and sleep in can get away with staying up late all the time but for a 40hr type worker consistently staying up late will always catch up to you. Sleep is tied to everything you do. For example, when we don't get enough sleep and are fatigued, we often blame it on lack of food (energy) and remedy the situation with added calories that are not needed. I could go on and on but won't.
I try to sleep from 9pm to 6am but when needed I have been known to hit the sheets earlier, ask Sly or Linde they have both been known to call while I snooze.

more to come, this series will mostly be made up of stuff we already know but don't always apply. It's as much a reminder for me as for you.
cheers

trail time

Broke out 110 for some trail riding in the yard, this inspired me to do some more trail building and now my shoulders are sore. I should have the complete loop around the house done sometime this year.



I figured on a Monday morning we would have the dirt to ourselves but with the great weather everyone else must have been thinking the same thing. Eva went to play at the neighbors and Rosie and I busted out a good time on the shoreline. I was big ringing everything just like fox!



back to work tomorrow.

round in circles

Hit up RMR today for the first time in a couple years. I used to do them all the time but then they got boring and and they don't really mix that well with dirt racing. But with the NORBA in AZ coming up in a couple weeks I figured I needed a little flat speed work and wanted to put the new systemsix through the paces and try out the tweaks I have made to my road position at full speed.

The race was fairly uneventful for a 1st of the year crit and I just followed guys around until it seemed the fast guys were going faster and then I went faster to catch them and we rode around in circles some more until the finish when we went faster, I did not quit go fast enough and ended up 2nd. I rode pretty conservative because my crit confidence was not real high, its not like an MTB race where I know how fast I can go for how long and just pin it. The position on the bike feels good and I actual think I might be beating the hip issue that has been plaguing me, only time will tell. After the race enjoyed a nice cruise with fox and bobby.

The rest of the day was spent with my girls, doesn't get better than that!

this Tuesday YOU can make a difference

So spring is on its way and so are more trails. Anyone that can make the SL County meeting on Tuesday should, we can't let the influential outspoken minority strong arm the county into changing the well researched and most usable Emigration Canyon Master Trail Plan.
Also I am hoping to do a road ride up emigration following the meeting if anyone is intreasted.

Dear Friends and trail lovers,

Although I have not received the final schedule I have just been told that the Salt Lake County Council will review, discuss, and hopefully approve the Emigration Canyon Trails Master Plan this coming Tuesday, March 13th! Discussion of the plan is scheduled for 1 pm and comments from the public will be taken at 4 pm.

PLEASE COME! Tuesday will be the final hurdle in an epic struggle to create a trail system in Emigration Canyon that could connect the BST with the Mormon Pioneer Trail. And YOU CAN HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

There is a chance they will postpone a final vote until the following week. Regardless, they need to see and hear from people who want more trails in Salt Lake County and who care about open space and public lands access at the fringes of our community. THAT MEANS YOU!!!!

Please plan on taking an hour or so out of your day on Tuesday and coming down to the SL County Complex. You will have three minutes to give your comments. If there are enough of us down there you might not have to speak at all!

The Council Chambers are located in the North Building on the first floor. There is plenty of free parking immediately to the east of the complex.

If you absolutely can not make it please ask the council to approve the Emigration Canyon Trails Master Plan and send your comments to:

rhoriuchi@slco.org, jwilson@slco.org, mcrockett@slco.org, jbradley@slco.org, jhatch@slco.org, mjensen@slco.org, dwilde@slco.org, mhendrickson@slco.org, jallen@slco.org

week after week

Just a normal week of commuting to work on the bike, it's so nice to ride to work in the light. As much as I like daylight savings I am not looking forward to the dark mornings next week, I guess it shouldn't last long. I saw the 1st morning rider of the year going up the canyon at 6:45am and guess what it was attorney jared, what a nut!Tuesday I was off work and got in a good 2 hour ski at mtn dell, it had just been groomed and for the 1st 1.5 hrs was really fast, then it got to warm and felt like skiing in peanut butter. I also finished the up stairs guest room window coverings and got all my wood and construction supplies cleaned out of the other 2 rooms. Moving all that heavy stuff down 2 flights of stairs wrecked my legs, this must be what fox felt like after his lava run. I have slowly been shoveling the 3ft of heavy snow off the back deck, I do about 10ft a day so I don't wreck myself.
The cyst in my netherlands continues to rear it's ugly face, I am getting one more injection in a couple weeks and if this doesn't finish it off then I will have to get it cut out and stiched up, that means weeks without saddle time. If it comes to it I will have it done in early April and hopefully be ready for action by May. Cross your fingers.

I am thinking about doing the MTB/skate TT up at white pine this Saturday but am not sure about the slick tubulars I currently have on the scalpel. Will see if I can get myself together for the 8 am start. To bad it's not a mass start race, then I could use my elbows on sager in the corners.

If your throwing down on the emigration oaks climb and need a quick rest or refuel don't be afraid to stop by.

another post without pictures, pathetic!

1/10 second

I have been lazy and busy, thus no posting.
The good old Utah MTB kick off in st george was a good time. Sager and I rode 4 laps not more than a few feet from each other except for when my front der. twisted and I had to stop to work on it. I put in a good effort to get back on the cajun train and we finished it out.It was fun riding with someone as we were able to chat throughout the race. I did well and was able to go reasonably fast but my legs did not have the snap for fast climbing. Sager nipped me at the finish as we both made an indecisive sprint through the chicane.

The Scalpel is hands down the best XC race bike made, the valving on the new lefty is perfect, and the carbon tubulars ride well. If I had to use my hard earned cash to buy a race bike, the scalpel would be it. I can't wait to see how fast it can go when I have it dialed and am feeling good.

sorry for no pics but I gotta run, go see the husla he has plenty of time for posting.

march one

I think I have commuted to work everyday this week in some kind of snowstorm, a couple of epic ones. Monday I got out on the skate skis again at Mtn Dell and I think we have more snow now than ever.
The annual 1st weekend in March ICUP race is coming up fast and I am excited to shred some dirt. We are working out a cool new title sponsor for our cannondale team but I can't spill the beans just yet, it's going to be good. I don't have much to jabber about at the moment and surely will see alot of you down in dixie.
Look outside it's snowing again!