A Perfect 10

The Park City Perfect 10 on Saturday was the absolute best bike race I have ever participated in. The course was awesome, the weather was perfect and so was the atmosphere. The course was just over 6 miles, 99% singletrack with over 900 ft of climbing. It was a very technical course. The climb consisted of multiple loose rocky switchbacks and most of the descent was on the Deer Valley downhill MTB trails. This was my first endurance event and I didn't know what to expect so I started conservatively. I slow jogged the lemans start and rode the first climb with Rhonda, just taking things easy and scoping the scene. Nature called at the top of the climb so I pulled over and let Rhonda finish the lap without me. I hopped back on and got to the bottom finishing my first lap in around 50 mins riding at a very conservative pace. For the next few laps I picked up the pace and averaged around 40-45 mins of riding time per lap with around 5-15 mins of down time between each lap to refuel, stretch and take care of business. At the halfway point, around noon, I decided to revise my goal upward from 10 laps to 11 laps which would put me at around 70 miles with 10,000 ft of climbing. Nice even numbers. Starting my 7th lap my legs still had plenty of snap and I was feeling great. As I headed out of the pit area I noticed my rear tire was a little squishy so I topped it off figuring I had burped it a bit on the last hairball DH. About 2-3 miles up the climb it got squishy again and I recognized my real problem. I had been lazy and hadn't topped off my Stans fluid since May. I had a small puncture in my tire but no sealant to seal it. I had one CO2 with me so I decided to play it safe and throw a tube in. Near the top of the climb I hit a rock just right and pinch flatted my tube. Lovely. I knew Rhonda was somewhere behind me with another tube and a pump so I picked a nice rock to sit on and waited for her. She was a little farther behind than I thought so I ended up waiting 40 mins or so. I grabbed her tube and pump and got to work. It took me awhile to realize it but her tube also had a hole in it. About this time I decided the race gods were conspiring against me and my race was done. I hiked cross country across some ski runs and carried my bike back to the staging area. I got back around 4pm and could have knocked out a couple quick laps before the finish but my motivation level was nill by this time so I threw in the towel.

Rhonda tag teamed the event with Lyna. They killed it, hammering out 13 laps and over 80 miles in just over 10 hours and I bet they could have done more had time not expired.

The event was excellent, even with my problems it was the funnest race I have ever done and I will do it again. A big thanks to Carl from the shop for wrenching away all the problems that happen when you abuse a bike for 10 hours. Also a big thanks to Bob and Shannon for the physical and mental support throughout the event.

Not enough time on my hands

My prep going into to the PCPC10 has been less than optimal.

• Sunday night: Flying home from Michigan my flight was delayed and I didn't get to bed till 1AM.
• Monday night: Had to work late, got a quick ride in, ate a late dinner and got to bed late.
• Tues night: Wired from the Solitude race, got to bed late.
• Wed night: Had to work really late, was exhausted when I got home but got caught up watching a stupid show about the messiest home in America and barely got to bed on time.
• Last Night: Snuck in a quick little ride and then had to clean and do a few minor repairs on my bike. Did laundry, made dinner and started getting things together for Saturday. Got to bed late.
• Tonight: Will have to work a little late and then need to drive all the way to PC for registration. I also need to hit the grocery store and finish packing. I bet I'll get to bed late again.

The good news is a cold front is moving in today so temps for the race tomorrow should be perfect. A high of 81 in PC should make race temps in the mid 70's. It's going to be bloody cold (mid 40's) for the 7AM start but I'll warm up quick. I'm not real sure what to expect for the race but I'm setting a goal of averaging one lap per hour for a total of ten laps. 70 miles in ten hours sounds pretty reasonable especially since I'll be able to dig into my cooler for a fresh bottle every lap.

Solitude: Take III

Last week at the Solitude Tuesday night smackdown I decided to jump on the bandwagon and hit warp 5 out of the gate. It worked out pretty well. Sprinting from the gate eliminated the hassle of passing 10 people on the singletrack climb. I was actually able to run in 4th place for most of the race until a few people passed and gaped me on the second climb. I ended up with a personal best time and felt pretty good about my chances of breaking the 50 minute barrier sometime this year. Last night I had low expectations going in due to my long layoff and unfortunately I met my expectations. I felt OK on the opening sprint. Well, lets be realistic. I felt like crap and I hate sprinting from the gun. Why, oh why must everybody sprint like that at the start? Once we hit the singletrack I started running into problems. The heavy traffic from the ICUP race and the complete lack of any rain over the last month conspired to make the trail a loose dusty mess. Short little climbs I would normally attack out of the saddle were too loose and I lost traction and spun out. My favorite lines through the rock gardens were obliterated and the downhill became a fight for survival. Last week I didn't have to dismount once. This week I can remember seven times I had to hop off and push up a short pitch or remount after losing it in a rock garden. My favorite was washing out on the service road across the top as I was trying to figure out how a Canyon guy passed me like I was standing still. I was big ringing it for crying out loud! Where did that guy come from? The race wasn't a total loss. My time was only a minute or so slower than last week which is pretty good considering all the problems I had. Man that course needs some rain sometime soon.

6 days off

Hopped on my bike last night after six days off for the family vacay. I rode the lower half of Pipeline from my house with a couple hard efforts to try to shake out the funk. Everything went very slow. Climbing up the road my cadence was slow and I almost had to drop down to granny on the road climb up to Rattlesnake. Riding down the trail my timing was off and I blew wide on almost every corner, in slow motion of course. Tonights race could be interesting. I'm expecting a pretty poor result but doing the race should get everything flowing again so I'll be set for the PCP10 on saturday.

4th with The Fam

Independence day weekend spent with the family in Michigan was excellent. Five days of relaxing, going to the beach and eating my mom's excellent cooking has left me fat and happy. I also got to spend some quality time with my niece, Danielle. She is the cutest and smartest three year old on the planet hands down. She can do a brand new 25 piece puzzle in 5 minutes flat and says things like "Uncle Andy, would you like to join us for lunch?". Seriously, she's more well spoken at three than I am at thirty three.

Michigan

We've escaped from the heat and are hanging out in Michigan with the fam for a long weekend. Cool temps, home cooking and lazy days are calling my name.

I'm a Chicago song

My friend Steve who has been dominating his category in the ICUP this year has also been training for the Brian Head Epic this fall. The other day he sent me this email which I have posted without his permission to fulfill my own dubious blogging schemes.

"Hey Andy, I got my 7 hours in yesterday since you inspired me with your big ride. Heather and I spent 90 minutes at Trailside park riding the stunts and trails with our girls. Then they drove home and I rode from there to the mouth of Big Cottonwood canyon where I had left my car via mid-mountain, crest, and mill-d trails. 5.5 hours, 5300+ feet of climbing and one sore butt!"

Check that out! Little old me is an inspiration to a rider with actual skills. I was pretty proud of myself until I deciphered the actual meaning of his email. Once I translated it here is what he really meant to say.

"Hey Andy you pitiful excuse for a cyclist. Since you were able to drag your slow pathetic ass over the trails for 60 miles last Saturday I decided I needed to put you back in your place by showing you how a real man rides a bike. After working my mad trials skills for 90 minutes at the skills park I laid down some real watts and rode Mid Mountain, Crest and Mill D back into the valley. It was a wimpy little ride with only 5300+ ft of climbing in just over 5 hours. Basically a recovery ride. See ya eating my dust at the Tuesday Solitude Race"

Not so Chicago like any more am I?