Keeping Secrets

I did not train tonight; and I did nothing special last night either.  I'm keeping my Tebow Package under wraps until game day, September 29.

The Steps

One hundred and six
Sprinting up, facing the east
The steps, eight repeats

No desire to go
I wanted to go to bed
Another loser

Feel the deep anger
The fight, the strength, the purpose
And just hit the steps

So I gave it all
No backing off at the top
One hundred percent

Things Going On

Where do I start?  It was a long day in the shop.  Caroline has a new road bike.  Annora has a new cross bike.  I rode for 4.5 hours this morning from town up Jardine, up Cowley, and back home.  I did Tabata intervals last night; I could only do 2 sets.  Tabata is Japanese for puke.  I did 6 hot laps at the fairgrounds on Thursday and went to Porqupine with Tim S. via Paradise on Wednesday.  It's always good to go through Paradise.  On Tuesday I did short hill repeats.  I may just be ready for cross season.  Here is the UTCX schedule, first race is September 29:

http://utcx.net/schedule

Before UTCX there is race in Montpeiller, ID that I am looking forward to, 90 miles of dirt road.

And last but not least, here is Greg's new 29er:

DBT

"I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning.  Now I tolerate him all day long."

What Do You Think Of This?

Beirdneau

Last week I finally did the Beirdneau loop.  I went up Green Canyon to the wilderness boundary and strapped my bicycle to a set of shoulder straps from a military field pack, and hiked up through the wilderness to the ridge-line that separates Green Canyon and Logan Canyon.  I have looked at that ridge for years, and studied it on the topo maps, saying, "that ridge is not wilderness, and I bet it's a great trail to ride."  Well, no, it's not great to ride, unless you are on a trials or freeride bike.  The trail is pretty rough.  And yes, I did it on the fixed gear cross bike.  The hike up Green to the ridge is more than 5 miles and took several hours.  Once on the ridge and out of the wilderness,  I hiked about half of the 12 miles back to the saddle above Wind Cave.  Total ride/hike time was nearly 6 hours.  I also made substantial forward progress on half-a-dozen occasions by flying through the air over the bars, which was actually much faster than walking.  The trail was hard to follow and disappeared several times.  It was strange to stand at 9000 feet looking at Green Canyon on my right, Logan Canyon on my left, town straight ahead, and actually feel a little lost.  While side-hilling it on the steep slopes of Beirdneau, carrying the bicycle through sagebrush with bloody shins, I could not find the missing trail for the life of me.  It was, however, an incredibly beautiful place.  I had always wanted to hike up to the top of Green Canyon to the base of Mt. Elmer and bag Beirdneau Peak.  It has everything you would expect from high country wilderness in mid August:  lupine and paintbrush in bloom, complete solitude, sub-alpine fir, hawks, and wind-sculpted limber pine.  No, I did not take a camera.

La Cadena Se Tuerce

A young man walked into the shop on Saturday with his mountain bike.  "I need one of these," he said as he pointed to his cassette.  "How much?"  It was obvious another bike shop had told him such a thing.  I told him perhaps not, and asked him what the problem was.  His Spanish was much better than his English, and the converse is true for me.  He moved his arms in a circle and then did a fast half circle and made a clunk sound.  A look of enlightenment came over my face.  I put his bike on the stand.  I put the chain checker on the chain.  "It looks good," I said.  "Buena," he said.  "Cadena," I said, pointing to the chain, and he confirmed the translation.  I pointed to the cassette.  Nuevo?  Si.  I spun the cranks and shifted.  Two turns of the adjusting barrel on the rear derailleur and the bicycle shifted like butter.  Fixed I said, and away he went out the door.

Four minutes later he was back, spinning his arms and making the clunk sound.  I put the bike back on the stand.  He had been in the big ring and smallest cog.  Hmm.  I spun the cranks backwards and carefully watched the chain move over the smallest cog, and there it was, a slight twist in a single link.  "No my friend, you do not need a new cassette or a new chain.  La cadena se tuerce."  I grabbed the chain tool, removed the link, put the chain back together, and out the door he went.  He never came back.

My 8 Week Program

It has begun.  Last night I hit the stairs.  Last Tuesday I did 4.5 hours up Card and down Spring.  Saturday I rode up both Birch and Smithfield Canyons.  Cyclocross season may go well after all.

Only 6 repeats
Sprinting up Old Main Hill stairs
But, 10 is the goal

I will try to ride again today, some moderate base miles.  Then on Thursday I'll set up a course for hot laps.  Anyone want to join me?

I Almost Forgot The Shop News

Robert Hamlin Bicycles will be open this week, Wednesday through Saturday afternoons.  The 2012 Redline Conquests are here.  I have a size run, 52 through 58 to fit most (5'3" to 6'2").  Forget the $1399 msrp.  How does $1099 sound?  That's $300 in your pocket and a fine machine between your legs.  These are really great off-the-shelf bicycles.  They can do anything and have a ton of utility.  You can do a cross race, tour, commute, or put on some road tires and fly.

Back In Utah

I know.  I never post.  When I do, they're boring and sad.  I don't ride much of late (it has been two weeks) and I don't have any good shop stories.  I've been on the road so much I have motion sickness.  It seems I have too many jobs.  I've been in Montana and I'm going back on Sunday.  I usually start training for cyclocross season about now, but that may be on the back burner for a while.  I am going to ride today at some point.  I also need to assemble a bicycle or two.  My Montana report was due July 31.  I need to look at 50,000 more pictures.  And enter expenses from two businesses.  And wash the dishes and cook a meal.  And water the trees.  And...

And Again Today

Headed there soon...

Robert Hamlin Bicycles Will Be Open Today 1-5...

...with a coffee break in the middle.

At Long Last, A Post

I've been busy.  Too busy.  Montana, Florida, and points in between.  I really can't remember it all and the rides I've done.  Here is an attempt, working backwards in my mind:

• Four hours at San Felasco with  Peter and Chad
• Last Thursday with the Gainesville crew, on the new Weasel Way
• Etoniah State Forest where I saw a huge bear up close and personal
• A 60 mile 97 degree fixed gear flap from Jax to the lake house
• A downtown Jax ride over the no costa to Cassatt Ave. and back to Sans Souci with a stop in Avondale for a Jamison shot with Chad P.
• A Thursday ride in Gainesville
• A ride in Montana
• A ride in Idaho
• That's it.  I can't remember any others, but there were quite a few in Utah since the previous post.

I'm back at work today in the shop.  I may ride tonight with the Hyde Park geezers.

Today's Ride

Patty and I finally pedaled up Birch Creek.  Like all the other local trails I've warned you about, don't go up Birch Creek either.  It's no good.

Found It

One of the many (at least four or five) readers of this blog requested this photo.  I found it finally.  It's quite artistic, taken from the top of the Dirty Head Road between Weston and Clarkston, looking back into Utah.  I have to get back up there soon, but it's been so hot and dry that I may have to wait for fall.

Father's Day 2012

Only in the Rockies can you sled down a mountain in shorts and t-shirts on Father's Day.

Saddle Time

I've been on the bike as of late.  Yesterday I climbed the forest service roads from Right Hand Fork to Mt. Logan.  Wednesday I did a road ride to Newton.  Tuesday I did the fast group road ride to Hardware Ranch.  Sunday I rode Portage Canyon.  Saturday I rode Green Canyon with Cody Man and on Friday I did the same ride with Paul.  I plan on doing a light spin today.  That would make seven out of eight days on the bike.  Wow.  When Patty and Lupine return from California my priorities will change.  Or, I could just keep going and get back into racing shape.  Sherwood Hills is on June 30th.  Yep.  I'm already signed up.

Washakie

I did a little recon ride on Sunday over in the Malad Valley.  I rode through Washakie, Portage, and up Portage Canyon.  Strange, strange, strange.  Washakie is a tiny little ghost town/Shoshoni Indian Reservation/old Mormon-Indian Farm.  Follow the link to read the history (go to the end to find out what happened).  In short, Brigham Young tried to get the Shoshoni to become farmers as early as 1854.  Washakie was founded in 1881.  I'm here to tell you, it was a piss-poor choice for the location of a farming community.  Like most reservations, it was in the middle of nowhere, had little good land, and little water.  In Portage I had to ask a 17 year-old girl pushing her baby in a stroller, "Where am I?"  "Portage," she said, but she never looked at me and did not stop walking.  Yeah, I know.  I'm really scary looking.

Only In Logan

After work on Wednesday, Cody Man and I sat in the back yard and had a beer.  Or two.  Yes, it was two.  At 8 PM it was time to get some food for dinner.  Patty had been asking about dinner for over an hour.  I sprinted to the Panda Express for three orders of string bean chicken.

My deposit for the day was still deep in my front left pocket, cash from the sale of a wheel-set to Hyrum C.  At the register I dug deep into the same pocket for some loose change.  When I got home the cash deposit was gone.  Yesterday I called Mr. Panda.  "High, I know this is going to sound strange, but did anyone find a large wad of cash on your floor last night?"  As strange as it sounds, yes they did.  A four year old boy picked it up and gave it to his mother who gave it to the woman running the register, Ms. Maria Angeles, who gave it to her manager.  Tonight I got my money back.  Only in Logan.  At the Panda Express tonight there was a young couple.  They looked like teenagers, but they had six children all under the age of seven.

Only in Logan, where everyone is trained to turn in large wads of cash dropped by long haired beer buzzed liberals who complain about the Mormons.  Well, I'm not going to complain for a long time.  Yes, Greg W., I keep the money in my front left pocket, mostly, not in the Klean Kanteen next to the four year-old vodka under the sink.

And now for a ride report:  last weekend I rode from home to Bear Lake via Preston and Ovid, ID, on Wednesday I finally rode the new single-track in Providence Canyon (it's no good, don't go there) where there was more than an inch of fresh snow on the upper bridge, and today I did Green Canyon with Paul V. in my jeans on the Pake C'Mute with no helmet, one brake, and one gear.  I may never ride a mountain bike again.

I Confess

Mother forgive me
It's been days since my last ride
I've been real busy