"It's A Conundrum"

Great Video from Matt and UTCX.  I'm on at 2:19 and 8:38 if you want to skip ahead.

UTCX #3, Fort Buenaventura, 2011

Mud.  Puddles.  Mud puddles.  Deep sand by the river.  Peanut butter.  Yesterday was a fine day for a cyclocross race.  Or two, for those who like to pile it on, beat a dead horse, or kick a man when he's down.  I must be one of those.

I did the Masters 45+ race first.  After the first three turns I was in second place and there I stayed for the rest of the race.  When you are in that type of position you are truly only racing yourself.  Darren Cottle was slowly pulling away in front of me and I could hear and see Doctor Cross (Darrell Davis) and The Claw (Jeff Clawson) duking it out behind me.  Just past the middle of the race I backed off, knowing I was not going to win, and knowing I was going to finish in second place.  That's not a good place to be mentally.  With one lap to go I shook off my complacency and went hard to finish with a pretty good gap between me and Doctor Cross.

The Singlespeed race was next.  I had only a few minutes to drink some water, eat a Powerbar, make a futile attempt to clean my chain (waste of time, see pic below), and then line up at the start.  I knew I would not be racing at the front.  I was cooked, and there was a pro and some really fast dudes in the race.  Darren Cottle, who had just beaten me in the previous race, was there too.  My goal was to ride just above threshold instead of just below my max.  It made me a smoother rider.  I was better through the technical sections.  I was able to ride through the deep sand on nearly every lap.  In my previous race I had to run through the sand nearly every lap.  Where did I finish?  Right behind Cottle, just like before.

Yup

Song In My Head

	Cross Canadian Ragweed - Jenny .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Snow?

Tonight: Rain and snow. Snow level 5900 feet lowering to 5300 feet after midnight . Low around 31.

Here Comes Winter

Now it's cross season!

UTCX1 - Utah State Fairpark from Grizzly Adam on Vimeo.

Sunday's UTCX Race Picture And Report

This report is for Jimbo, because it seems I can no longer reply to comments on my own blog.  Blogger?

I think my face says it all.  I dug about as deep a hole as I've ever dug.  I may not have been the fastest man in the race, but I was absolutely the most determined.

Lap 1, Stayed near the front
Lap 2, Wanted to quit as I drifted back
Lap 3 to 5, Sucked it up and went back to the front, making up time each lap by doing a near power slide into a technical-gravel-to-sand-left-turn-downhill-off-camber-by-the-Jordon-River-back-up-off-camber-right-turn-into-gravel section
Lap 6, took the lead before the above mentioned technical section and then sprinted out of the next 6 turns for the win.

GW

It's my blog, but it's not always about me.  Here's Greg flying in New Mexico.  I just love this picture.  South Boundary Trail?  Will this trail be covered in snow on Thanksgiving Day?  We'll find out.

First Time For First

I had a pretty good weekend, especially for an old guy on a singlespeed bicycle with a herniated disc and several other ailments.  I finished third on Saturday and first on Sunday.  It was my first win ever at a UTCX event.  Notice that the two guys in front of me on Saturday (affectionately referred to by the 45+ field as "McCottle") did not race on Sunday.  I'll try to get some pictures from the races posted soon.

Just Took The Plunge

My racing buddy Tim S. explained it all to me.  I have a defective gene.  Below is a copy of my receipt:

2 x Same Day Extra Race

SKU: extrarace
Category: Singlespeed Men

1 x 8 Race Pass
SKU: 8pass
First Name: Robert
Last Name: Hamlin
Age: 46
Email: hamlinr@hotmail.com
Phone Number: 4357641990
Team: Joyride Bikes
Category: Masters 45+
Number Plate: 2 number plates

Stuff To Write About

As of today, at this moment, I plan on doing the Utah Cyclocross races this weekend.  Really.  I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to do it.  Why?  Turns out the question is reductio ad absurdum.  This guy has a pretty good (absurd) explanation:

http://grizzlyadam.net/2011/09/ode-cyclocross.html

I set up Patty and Lupine with a shuttle to do Stump Hollow yesterday.  Her are some pictures.  That's Bear Lake in the background to the left.

Pushing Lupine's bike up the Peter Sinks Road.  I think she may be a downhiller some day.  She is only happy going down hill.

My mountain bike daughter and her Bernese Mountain bike dog.

The colors are here.  Fall is here.  Cross season...is here.

On My Bike

What has the world come to?  I rode the mountain bike for nearly 3 hours today.  Yesterday I did some hot cross laps, and on Tuesday I was on the mountain bike with the fastest dude in the valley, David C.  If this keeps up I may get into race shape.  Too bad I'm nearly crippled from back pain.  Well, not really crippled, more like hobbled on occasion.

I did a long hike with Lupine and her class today.  The colors are coming, the colors are coming!

More Fun

Lupine is going to a friend's house today after school.  I did not want her bike left at school so we needed alternative transportation this morning.  Looks like her legs are finally long enough to ride the tandem.

Riding For Fun

The proof is in the pictures.  I've got the big tires and the little gear on the bike.  It's now a fun bike.



Not much clearance.

I finally took the time to finish my first trailer.  It works.  I went to Pet Smart for dog food and cat food.  This is 40 pounds of dry food and 2 pounds of free canned food.  There is a lot I need to change before production begins.

The tow arm needs a redesign.  I'm thinking galvanised conduit that is super easy to bend.  Bent aluminum is ugly.

There are things I've done right, like the hitch and the wheel/axle/dropout design.

The Leaning Tree

Have you ever observed a leaning tree over a long period of time?  You just know as you watch the rains fall and the winds blow that some day the tree's going to lean past the tipping point and fall to a premature death.  I'm starting to lean.  I may even have reached my tipping point.

I've changed the main picture below the title on this blog.  Today I'm going to take off the 46x20 cyclocross racing gear on my bike and put on a 44x22.  Then I'll remove the tubular wheel set and put on my old WTB Mutanoraptor 700x44 tires that I've had for years (they have not been on the bike since my White Rim in a day ride back in November 2008).  Then, I'm going up.  Way up.  Way back.  Way long.  I'm going to ride to the hike.  When the hike is done I'll ride home from the hike.  Then I'll see if I feel like putting the cross racing gear and wheels back on the bike.

Still Off The Bike

List me on IR
I'm just not motivated
My back really hurts

It just seems too much
Every weekend for three months
Money, gas, and time

Sounds like I will bail
If clouds linger in my mind
My outlook may change

I just need to ride
And ride just because it's fun
Forget cyclocross

Lack Of Content

Went to Montana
I've been off the bike for days
No, I'm not content


Cross workout today
Running out of time to train
First race in two weeks

Hyde Park ride last night
Felt real strong and fast because
Pace never too high

Cyclocross practice
Today, no place to hide, draft
All will know I'm slow

Fairgrounds, 6:30
I'll have a great course set up
Have to buy flagging

No Use To Cry About It

I dried my tears and started riding my bicycle again.  Our experience last week trying to become foster/adoptive parents left me with a broken heart and mixed emotions, emotions strong enough that I did not even want to ride.  I'm not one to give up easily on anything.  It's a strength and a weakness.  So, I am trying to comprehend that there are challenges and people that may be beyond my abilities.  That's a hard lesson for me, and Patty is helping me to learn it.  The bottom line is this:  The child we were working with will probably get residential treatment and Professional Parents.  Like most things in life, we may need more training.  For now we will keep Lupine safe and our family the way it is.

It's funny, but the theme of never giving up and needing more training went through my head for nearly six hours yesterday.  I rode the geared cyclocross bike from home to Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Left Hand Fork all the way to the Bear Lake Summit.  I survived.  I hiked several miles, broke a spoke, tried to share the road/trail with hundreds of motorized recreation assholes (I'm not kidding about their numbers or demeanor), and ran out of food and water.  Left Hand Fork turned into a rock-boulder strewn hike after Herd Hollow (who knew).  I did know that it was Labor Day weekend and the mountains would be slap full of people and their machines.  I did the route anyway.  Stupid.  The good news is that I'm just a little bit physically stronger than I am stupid.  I don't give up easily on anything.

I do need to say a few things about ATVs, RVs, motorcycles, diesel trucks, toy haulers, and motor homes.  This is my blog.  These are my opinions.  So, Vickie, and anyone else who has anything to do with this type of motorized recreation, stop reading now.  Did you stop?  You were warned.  There were thousands of people in the mountains yesterday, all driving things with motors.  I only saw one person other than myself using their muscles to propel themselves.  He was six years old.  On more than a dozen occasions yesterday my life was endangered.  Riding far to the right, people in trucks, jeeps, and ATVs continually took their half of the road from my side, and without slowing down headed right for me.  I think motorized recreation is unhealthy and unethical.  Our public lands are being over-run and abused.  Quiet self-propelled recreation has become impossible.  In general, people who drive big diesel trucks, motor homes, ATVs, and motorcycles on public lands are selfish, self-righteous, oblivious, polluting, unthinking, natural resource-destroying, shortsighted, carbon-spewing assholes.  There.  I've said it.  What will they do when the fossil fuel is gone?  They may have to learn to walk again.