Tony's Report on the Boise Xterra

You saw the sweet picture a couple of days ago.  Here is Tony's report from the race.

     Here is another thing to put on your bucket list ……the Les Bois Xterra.

     The Boise Xterra event (Les Bois Xterra) became an official Xterra triathlon this year. Last year, organizers in Boise did a trial run to assess the interest level for the race. Since it turned out positive, the Boise Xterra became an official race of the Xterra series. We are lucky to have a nearby Xterra event. Participants can choose either the Short Course or the Long Course. The short courses are a good way to try out an off-road triathlon. The long courses are the ones that racers can accumulate points towards an invitation to the National Xterra Championship and then possibly the World Xterra Championship.

      The picture was taken in a section of the course riddled with football sized rocks, moments before I crashed in a rock pile. The second lap was less eventful. At least three of the pro racers were running their bikes through this section.

      A general observation about off-road triathlons verses road triathlons is that off-road folks are a little more relaxed and not wound so tight. This is similar to mountain biking verses road biking.

Tony

I Tip My Cap to Leonard Zinn

And I thought the Crusher was hard; trying doing it twice, in one day, for your birthday!

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/commentary/a-case-for-suffering-zinn-and-the-art-of-connection_296745

Tony Perkins at the Boise Xterra

                               Among Rexburg cyclists, Tony pretty much wrote the book on mountain bike racing.  Here he is at the Boise Xterra yesterday.

The Greatest Moment of the 2013 Tour. Nairo Quintana wins stage 20, Scores A Triple

 

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/news/nairo-quintana-wins-stage-20-chris-froome-defends-yellow_296117

 

Two Indicted for Threatening USADA Chief Travis Tygart

Two men have been indicted for making threats against Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, over the Lance Armstrong case. The Associated Press is reporting that one man in Florida and another in Utah face charges that they made threats against Tygart via interstate communication.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/indicted-threatening-tygart-19715396

 

 

Local Races. A Message from Tate

Hey Dave there are a few great local races coming up next week all within a few miles from rexburg. We should get as many people out to support this race if we want then to support us for the cube. 

 

http://targheehillclimb.athlete360.com/

 

https://www.bikereg.com/Net/midsummer

 

Please spread the word to the rest of the guys. I'm planning on doing the hill climb for sure and if someone is willing to carpool with me to park city I'd be game to go to that too.

Cheers,
Tate Litchfield 

2013 Tour of Utah Tour Tracker. A Very Cool Smart Phone App

 

2013 Tour of Utah Tour Tracker powered by Adobe

http://appshopper.com/sports/tour-of-utah-adobe-tour-tracker-2011

Most of you have probably had the experience that I have of being pretty disappointed by stupid smart phone apps.  If you are interested in following the Tour of Utah, you will not be disappointed by this one. I used it last year and downloaded the 2013 version this year.  It has detailed course information with maps, profiles, and start times.  (If anyone is planning to be in Salt Lake City on Friday August 9th, don't miss the Circuit Race around the Capital at 5:30 p.m.)  And as if you need one more thing to keep you from working, you can watch every stage live online or on your phone.   

From Slate.com: Why BMW Drivers Are Jerks to Cyclists

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/a_fine_whine/2013/07/bmw_drivers_and_cyclists_the_war_between_the_luxury_cars_and_bicycles.html

Crusher in the Tushar: Jeff's Top Ten Lists

Almost immediately after finishing the race my brain began negotiating the pros and cons of such an infernal affair.  Why in the world would I want to do such a thing?  Here follows my top ten reasons (in Late Night Style):

Reasons I Hated the Crusher

• 10  - Leg Cramps, everywhere, like all the muscles in my legs wanted to vie for the position of "most likely to sabotage Jeff's race"
• 9    - The "20 miles to go sign".  AKA "abandon all hope, ye who enter here" sign before the Col d' Crush.
• 8    - Headwind from Junction to Circleville.  Wind belongs in Idaho.  On training rides.  Not in races.  Period.
• 7    - Looking at the pro time postings.  Guess I'm just that slow.
• 6    - The "1 mile to go sign".  It was most certainly placed 5 miles out.
• 5    - Plastic bags that don't open on rough gravel roads.  Only alternative - bite through plastic bag, eat contents and spit out plastic.  Oh, and keep riding.  And don't cramp.
• 4    - The hot, dusty, and strangely steep section from the end of the road north of Circleville back to UT153 (I imagined Scotty yelling something about the core overheating)
• 3    - Caught behind a vehicle convoy on final descent.  Dude, you threw off my groove.
• 2    - 12% grade 500 meters to the finish.  Seriously?  Hire a decent road grader.
• 1    - The "Col d' Crush".  I'd psyched myself to take on this bad boy like a nerdy school kid convincing himself that he too could run through a brick wall just like Harry Potter.  Reality hurts.  Badly.

Reasons I Loved the Crusher

• 10  - Beaver Utah - surprisingly nice little town with Super Nice People (aka race supporters)
• 9    - The kid who handed up the Coke to me at Feed Station 5.  He was so excited to do the hand-up it made me feel like Mean Joe Green
• 8    - Great scenery on the first ascent.  The scent of pine lulled me along like a lamb to the...
• 7    - Great support.  Dawn in the Team Car and all the local volunteers along the way - high five!
• 6    - The Gilly Suit Guy cash hand-up.  "Get paid to play" he said!
• 5    - My TRP disc brakes.  They saved my life on the descent of the Col d' Crush.  Literally.
• 4    - Every last stretch of level or negative grade.  Thank you Nature for creating downhills that for a moment make me feel fast.
• 3    -  My Kelson RAD Bike (you'd think the thing was built for this race...)
• 2    - Great friends to ride with.  It wouldn't have happened without them.
• 1    - Finishing, finishing, and yup you guessed it finishing the C*R*U*S*H*I*N*G thing!

All in all this happened to be a superbly run race, and made the pain and suffering less memorable than it otherwise would have been.  And like childbirth, I'm sure as time goes on, I'll begin to consider doing it again!

A Report From the Crusher

     The third annual Crusher in the Tushar is now history.  Rexburg and Kelson were represented by Tate, Jeff, Brian, Ryan, Tim, and me.  We finished in that order.  Brian’s new RAD bikes performed admirably.  Tate struggled with some mechanical issues including a broken seat rail, but still finished eighth in his class.  All in all, it was a fairly successful day for the local guys, but I think it is pretty safe to say that we were all guilty of underestimating the brutal difficulty of the event.  You climb 4000 feet, mostly on good gravel roads through a pine forest.  That brings you to a ridge overlooking the Piute Valley and a descent unlike anything I have ever seen anywhere.  You drop 4000+ feet through an endless series of high-speed washboard switchbacks, make a loop in the valley, ride back up the switchbacks, veer right and continue climbing to the Eagle Point Ski Resort.  In all, there is 10,400 feet of climbing and 6000 feet of descending.  The ride is epic in every way, the scenery spectacular, and the pain off the scale.

     Levi Leipheimer won the pro event with a course record of four hours and six minutes.  If you ever wondered why he gets paid to race a bicycle and you don’t, that’s pretty much the whole story right there.  At the finish, Ryan spoke to Bryson Perry, two-time winner of the Leadville Trail 100.  Bryson told Ryan that he considers the Crusher to be much harder than Leadville.  The more rational part of my mind is reminding me that the Crusher was a pretty terrible experience in a lot of ways and that one time is enough for a lifetime.  Another part of my brain is thinking about gearing my bike lower and planning for next year.

 

 

VeloNews Commentary: Is Chris Froome just too good to be true?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/news/commentary-is-chris-froome-just-too-good-to-be-true_295224

 

Two teenage boys are being hailed as heroes after they chased a car carrying a kidnapped girl -- on their bicycles

Anyone who has been checking the blog realizes that it has been a very long since I have posted anything.  Here is the explanation:  During the month of July every minute of my spare time seems to be committed to two things; riding and watching the Tour.  I have included the link below only because it is a modestly interesting story involving bicycles.  I will post a report of the Crusher very shortly.  I am just waiting to get a couple of pictures.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/15/justice/pennsylvania-teen-heroes/index.html?hpt=hp_t2