Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The 7-N MTB Trail



 
Thanks to everyone who came to work on the trail tonight (Scott Wood, Scott Hurst, Randy, Charles, Dan, Chris, Jeremy, and Taylor). The trail is a project of Mike Cole (pictured with Randy) who also worked extensively on the Sidewinder Trail. We were able to make reasonable progress tonight in large part due to the wet weather which has softened the ground substantially. It has not however made it any easier to remove sagebrush. Building these trails is a labor of love for Mike. I hope we are able to help him again at some point in the future.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Cycling West Report on 2014 Rebecca's Private Idaho

(Photo copyright: LindaGuerrettePhotography.com/cyclingwest.com)
(Photo copyright: LindaGuerrettePhotography.com/cyclingwest.com)
 

Please Help Get the Word Out for Trailbuilding Tuesday Night

Most of you are aware of our plans to help with some MTB trail building near Heise on Tuesday. However, in spite of our distribution list, blog, and Facebook page, it is still sometimes a struggle to get the word out to everyone as evidenced by the number of people who showed up at 6 p.m. for the TNR last week instead of 5:30. At some point, communication comes down to word of mouth, so if you can help spread this message I would be grateful.

Scott Wood and I will be departing from Sticks and Stones at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. We hope that is when most people will be able to start since it will give us an extra hour of daylight. Tony and/or Chris will be departing with a second group at 5:30 p.m.  It will be helpful to have things like shovels, rakes, and work gloves. I will plan to post some pictures afterwards.                                   

Saturday, September 27, 2014

UTCX Season Opener

Here are some gorgeous photos of Brian and Kelton from the first UTCX race of 2014 in West Valley City earlier today. Congratulations to Kelton who finished just off the podium of the Men’s C race. Thanks to Heather for the photos. As you can see from the images, it was a slippery, muddy day. The race was delayed for an hour when the local police tried to shut it down due to damage to the grass. From the looks of things, someone has some restoration work to do.



 

A Brief (Second Hand) Recap of the AMA Challenge

Although I was preregistered for the AMA Challenge, when my alarm went off, I took one look at the weather and went back to bed. At least nine other Rexburg TNR cyclists did the right thing and showed up to ride. (This may not be a complete list: Kellen, Dan, Shea, Tony, Chris, Joe, Charles, Brian, Justin). Conditions were too bad for anyone to complete the century. Kellen says it is the wettest he has ever been in his life. I am not sure how to interpret that coming from a water skier. Almost everyone suffered from flat tires due to the combination of water and grit.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Preparing for the Cube

 
Weston and I spent a couple of hours working at the Nature Park today getting things cleaned up for the Cube. Kellen wanted to be there as well, but we could not coordinate our schedules. Things are looking good for the Cube. As I said earlier, the new course draws heavily from Tate’s courses, but there are a few new elements in the mix. Tony has completed the official map, but we have decided not to publish it for the time being. We would like people to have a few surprises on race day. I will say this for the record: There are no sucker punches or booby traps in the course. We hope it will be fun and challenging, but our goal has been to make the entire thing rideable for beginners as well as more experienced riders.

Follow Up to the Yogurt Post

I want to mention one other very good Greek Yogurt that we have tried; Zoi. It is very creamy, higher in fat and calories than most Greek yogurts. When Dawn heard I had written a post on yogurt, she said she thought that was pretty desperate. Nevertheless, it was modestly interesting to me and it turns out to other people as well. I discovered there are a few Noosa Yoghurt fans out there.

When I was in Broulim’s today, I found two flavors of Noosa Yoghurt in stock, lemon and tart cherry. We taste tested these and like the previous flavors, the two new flavors set an absolute gold standard for yogurt.  Broulim’s price is $2.79, which I suspect is a little high, but if you were ever tempted to indulge a little in premium yogurt, Noosa is the one to try.

Excellent Recap of Voigt's Hour Record Attempt

“Jens Voigt doesn’t normally ride in velodromes, because he doesn’t like to lap himself”

Cycling News TV: 10 Riders to Watch in the World Championship Road Race

 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Cyclocross Magazine Article on Rider-Owned Noosa Team

Noosa Yoghurt


I had never really paid much attention to Noosa Yoghurt (their spelling) prior to Crossvegas. Noosa is the primary sponsor of Meredith Miller who won the very dramatic women's elite race at Crossvegas. That got my attention. I asked Dawn to shop for some Noosa Yoghurt.  She did not find any in Rexburg but found some at Smith's in Idaho Falls.

Noosa advertises itself as a premium quality "Australian style" yogurt. It is more expensive than most brands (about $2) and is sold in 8 oz. containers. This is how it compares nutritionally to a couple of its competitors:


 

Noosa

Yoplait (traditional)

Chobani (Greek)

package size

8 oz.

6 oz.

5.3 oz

calories

290

170

120

fat

13 gm

1.5 gm

0 gm

sugar

23 gm

26 gm

15 gm

protein

17 gm

5 gm

12 gm

 

Last Night after the Tuesday ride, we decided to do a taste test on a cup of blueberry Noosa Yoghurt. It is rich, thick, and very creamy. It is delicious and a more than a little evocative of eating fruit stirred in cream cheese.

So which yogurt should you buy?  On a budget, buy the very palatable Yoplait when it is on sale 10 cups for five dollars. In terms of nutrition, specifically low sugar and high protein, the Chobani is probably the winner. Although, I have to say I am not that impressed by most Greek yogurt, Chobani included (a gelatinous glob of yogurt is some vaguely watery fluid). An exception among Greek yogurts is Greek Gods, a very creamy high fat Greek yogurt which markets itself as an alternative to ice cream. If you want really good tasting yogurt, Noosa is your best bet.  *Note, I have edited this post since its original publication. I had some Zoi yogurt at home which I remembered in error as being Greek Gods, but I think the two are pretty comparable. Since this was posted originally, we have tried most of the Noosa flavors. It is the best.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Luckiest Cyclist in Russia Cheats Death Twice

 

Skills, Drills, Hot Laps. Wed Sept, Wed Oct 1

This will be at Brian's house. Who else do you know who has their own cyclocross course? The fun will start about 5:30 and go until 7:30 or so. Consider this your wavier: If you ride the course, you do so at your own risk. We do not anticipate injuries, but you will be responsible for your own. Let me know if you need any additional information.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Trebon Out with Multiple Rib and Vertebrae Fractures

I have often repeated the conventional wisdom that a cyclist is unlikely to sustain a serious injury in a cyclocross race due to the slower speeds and softer surfaces than a criterium for instance. Here is a reminder that you are forced to sign that wavier for a reason.

Bozeman CX Race October 4th

Several of us are looking pretty seriously at doing the UTCX race in Ogden on October 4th. Please talk to me if you are interested. Also on October 4th, this looks like another good option for the day. The MSU Race in Bozeman (like Crosstoberfest in Hailey on October 17th and 18th) is a USA Cycling sanctioned event.


Come join us the Gallatin Regional Park for the revival of the annual MSU cyclocross race. Held October 4th we are excited to present an exciting challenging course, a positive atmosphere and a great time to be had for all. We hope to see many there.

Where: Gallatin Regional Park, Oak Street Parking lot, Bozeman.

When: Racing begins 12:00. Registration 2 hours before.

Cat 4/5, Juniors: 12:00, 45 min

Women's 1/2/3, Masters B: 1:00, 45 min

Cat 1/2/3, Masters A: 2:00, 60 min

-promoter reserves right to combine and alter fields




Sunday, September 21, 2014

Route Update for the AMA Challenge

As you know from Dawn’s post, we drove through the road construction on the Ashton Pass yesterday and it is a real mess.  The AMA Challenge has been forced to make some course adjustments.

Ultimate Challenge (100 Miles) - Ultimate Challenge 100 Miles - Ride the whole ride twice (two laps), Start at Ashton City Park ride east on ID 47/Mesa Falls Scenic Byway down through Bear Gulch turn around at North Hatchery Butte RD, ride down to the Upper Mesa Falls (if you insist on getting exactly 100 miles, if you are tired skip the falls) back down through Bear Gulch then enjoy the gradual descent into Ashton turn around and do it again! Click the map for detailed instructions.

Full Challenge (50 Miles) - Start at Ashton City Park ride east on ID 47/Mesa Falls Scenic Byway through Bear Gulch turn around at North Hatchery Butte RD, ride down to the Upper Mesa Falls..if you insist on getting exactly 50 miles (if you are tired skip the falls), back down through Bear Gulch then enjoy the gradual descent into Ashton. Click the map for detailed instructions.

http://www.amachallenge.org/

 

 

From Dawn: MTB the Rendezvous Ski Trails


In the town of West Yellowstone Montana, the Rendezvous Ski Trail System provides over 35 kilometers of great skate ski trails in the winter.  These same carefully groomed trails through the forests adjacent to town offer non-technical bike trails for summer riding. It's a fun ride on a warm afternoon like yesterday, when Dave and I took the highway through Island Park and past Henry's Lake where the aspen groves are aflame in seasonal golds and reds.
When we arrived, we were the only car in the parking lot, probably because these trails are better known to skiers than cyclists. The trail never opens up much out of dense lodgepole pine, so it's quite sheltered from wind as you grind over grassy hillocks and past glistening clusters of mushrooms.  Since this trail is not a technical single-track, it would be a good family ride for older kids who can power up the many rolling rises.  The trail features lots of ups and downs--but a lot of fun, swooping descents. There are signs marking the trail at certain junctions, but know that you are likely to repeat a loop more than once, as we did when we got confused by all the overlapping trails.  (Editor's note: there are some trail options in the summer that are not generally groomed in the winter). Still, you are never far from a road that leads back to town.
Finish your ride with a stop at the very small and very homey Free Heel and Wheel, a little bike and ski shop with a coffee shop and bakery.  They have a great selection of cool outdoor gear and clothing and some killer homemade chocolate chunk cookies. What better way to spend a late season afternoon?   
 

Friday, September 19, 2014

TNR Time Shift/Cube Preview Sept 23/Trail Building Sept 30

Due to the shortening days, the start time for the Tuesday Night Rides will be shifting to 5:30 p.m. beginning this coming Tuesday, September 23rd.  Yesterday, Tom Anderson and I went over to the Nature Park and did a ride through in anticipation of this year’s event. We have a working plan in place for the new course which draws heavily from Tate’s course last year. I think it is a good course which utilizes the features of the Nature Park pretty well. If anyone would like to preview the new course and offer some feedback, I would invite you to bring your cross bike to the TNR this week. The route I am proposing for Tuesday is a fairly direct Menan loop (west to Mother Hibbard’s, south to Bear World, Menan-Lorenzo Highway west to Menan, north between the buttes, east on Highway 33/Main Street with a side trip to the Nature Park).

As many of you know, Scott Wood has identified an opportunity to help leave a local legacy in the construction of a new mountain bike trail. See an (abridged) version of our correspondence below. For those of you familiar with the area, the new trail is just north of the 7-N Ranch (a little past Heise Rock). We have looked at a several dates for this project. A Saturday would be ideal, but we have too many conflicts with races and cycling events. We are planning to do this on Tuesday September 30th. I am planning to be at Sticks and Stones along with Scott at 4:30. I will bring the Trooper, so I can transport four additional people and quite a few tools. Scott’s plan is to depart at 4:30 with as many people as possible and for the rest to follow at 5:30. We have a limited amout of daylight so the early departure is preferable for those who can make it. In addition to Scott’s list, remember to bring work gloves and a flashlight or headlamp. If we can mobilize a big group of people, we can accomplish a lot in one evening.

I am aware of the difficulties in keeping the distribution list up to date and I realize that not all of the local cyclists read the Rexburg Cycling blog or Kellen’s Rexburg Cycling Facebook page, so I am appealing to everyone who gets this message to help spread it by forwarding the email and directing people to the blog and Facebook page as well as the old standby word-of-mouth.                 Dave

I went out to the place yesterday and rode the portion of the trail Mike has worked on and it is great.  He was thrilled with the prospect of people coming to help.  Tell people to bring rakes, shovels or any other digging tool.  Mike has a lot of tools out there.  The earlier we leave the better to give us as much time as possible before it gets dark.  Perhaps we could have two groups go out – I could meet with a group at Sticks and Stones at 4:30 then the rest could come at 5:30.  If people wanted to bring their bikes to ride the part of the trail which is completed I am sure he would not mind – he wants as much input as he can get.  If you think we could get more people by waiting until the 30th that would be fine too.  Let me know what you think. Thanks for your support for this, Scott

 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Compressor-Inflator for Home Bike Shop

 
Ever since I got my Road Tubeless wheelset, I have wanted an air compressor. If you have ever tried to mount tubeless tires with a hand pump, you know what I am talking about. There is plenty of advice online about selection of an inflator. There are not a lot to choose from and the Park Tool inflator is the gold standard. Things got a little more complicated with the compressor. There is really no information online to aid in the selection of a home compressor specific for bicycle use. I made one mistake and almost made a bigger one. Based on that, I think this is a story that merits retelling if it can help someone else avoid the same mistakes.
I asked Dawn to buy me a compressor for my birthday. I selected a portable 3 gallon 135 psi Craftsman compressor from the Sears store. The 135 psi rating was prominent on the packaging and that seemed like plenty of pressure for bike tires. Then I got the thing home. It was a piece of crap. It vibrated all over the floor with a noise like demons being tortured. It struggled to maintain 80 psi. I took it back to the Sears store for a refund. They explained that the 135 psi rating referred to the maximum pressure capacity of the tank and made no guarantee that the compressor would produce that pressure..
By happenstance, I met one of the salesmen from Sunroc building materials. He told me to come over to their store and he would help me pick out a compressor that would get the job done. I went to Sunroc later that afternoon, but prior to that I went online and identified the Dewalt 2.5 gallon 200 psi compressor that I ultimately purchased. Sunroc did not have the Dewalt compressor in stock, but it was available through their corporate distributor. I suggested we order it, but the Sunroc guy said it would be grossly inadequate and would not produce the 110psi that I needed for a road tire. He showed me a couple of different 3 hp industrial type compressors. I think this guy was 100% well intentioned but the compressors he wanted to sell were fairly expensive and they were huge. They would be fine in a big farm shop, but cumbersome in a garage or basement bike shop. Nevertheless, this guy spoke with some authority and had me convinced that the smaller compressors would be inadequate. I was ready to buy the big compressor, but I forced myself to control my impatience and get a second opinion. It was like the Simpsons episode in which Moe buys a massive navy surplus deep fat fryer and boasts to Homer that it will flash fry a buffalo in seven seconds. Homer complains: “But I want it now!”
I talked to Brian, Ryan, and Joe who all had some experience with compressed air. They advised me not to buy the big compressor. Ryan took my inflator home and tried it with a compressor similar to the Dewalt compressor. It worked great. Based on Ryan’s recommendation, I bought the compressor. I set it up this morning. The new compressor is compact, quiet, and powerful. It produces a constant 200 psi, but you can regulate the output lower. I have the output set at 110 psi. The Park Tools inflator is easy to use and easy to modulate. I have filled a number of road and mountain tires this morning to test it out. This is not really something that most cyclists need at home. It is a probably a necessity in a busy retail shop, but a luxury for most home shops.
One final thought. As I am typing this, I am watching Voigt’s hour record attempt on a second screen. Go Jens!

From Kellen: Link to Live Video of Jens Voigt Hour Record Attempt. Two Hours from Right Now.

Photo copyright VeloNews.com
I have been pretty excited about Voigt’s hour record attempt, but had it not been for a reminder from Kellen, I probably would have missed the live coverage. Skeptics can dismiss this as a publicity stunt, but as far as I am concerned, Jens Voigt is the real deal, the professional’s professional who has raced fearlessly throughout his career.  I think the hour record is a great farewell gift to his fans. You can watch the coverage here: http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/hour_record/
It includes the playlist he will be listening to which features plenty of eighties metal.

Monday, September 15, 2014

"Unacceptable by Any Standard of Decency" Faux-Nude Team Kit of Colombian Women's Team

American Shelley Olds won the elite women's Giro della Toscana in Italy this weekend, but most of the talk is about the kit of Team Bogota Humana. Seeing is believing, and I guess you have to see this to believe it.

The Monster Lives (?)

Here is what I can report with regard to the Bear Lake Monster Cross:  Still no communication from the organization. Their web site is still down. No updates to their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/bearlakemonstercross  But, they have activated their registration page. http://www.imathlete.com/events/EventOverview.aspx?fEID=15200  Taken in totality, it still seems pretty sketchy, but it was huge fun last year.

Friday, September 12, 2014

$20 Million Impact from Tour of Utah

I am a huge fan of the Tour of Utah.  As the dust has settled on the 2014 ToU, the numbers are impressive. This year's event set new records in attendance and followers on Tour Tracker. The VeloNews story is here: http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/09/news/tour-utah-generates-20-million-economic-impact_345500

UTCX 2014 Schedule

As many of you know, the UTCX races are big, fun, well-organized events. However, this year, we have more local options than ever before with seven cross races in SE Idaho (3 in Victor, 1 in Rexburg, 2 in Idaho Falls, 1 in Pocatello). It has never been easier to find a cyclocross race. While primarily a spectator sport in Europe, American cyclocross is primarily a participant sport. No other form of bicycle racing is so fun and so accessible to cyclists with a wide range of experience and skill levels. The UTCX schedule includes 12 races starting in about 2 weeks and continuing into early December.

2014 UTCX Schedule

Schedule is tentative and may change.

09/27/2014  Race #1  Big Cottonwood Regional Park

10/04/2014  Race #2  Fort Buenaventura

10/11/2014  Race #3  New SLC Park

10/18/2014  Race #4  Weber County Fairgrounds

10/25/2014  Race #5  Big Cottonwood Regional Park

11/01/2014  Race #6  New SLC Park

11/07/2014  Race #7  RMR (Friday Night Under Lights)

11/08/2014  Race #8  Barnes Park

11/15/2014  Race #9  Utah State Fair Park

11/22/2014  Race #10  The Fort or Weber County

11/29/2014  Race #11  Barnes ParK 

12/06/2014  Race #12  Draper (Hopefully on the new cross course they are building)

http://www.utahbikeracing.com/utcx-series-info

From Kellen: Update on the AMA Challenge

I talked to the race director and this race will happend regardless of weather and road construction, they will have a pace car driving up the hill. I am going to do the race and would love to have a decent size showing from the Rexburg/TNR. Let me know if you are planning on doing the race. I have room for 3 more as well as room for your bike/gear if you need a ride.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Bear Lake Monster Cross Defunct (?)

It is with some sadness that I post this message. Blog readers may recall my enthusiasm for and glowing report on the inaugural Bear Lake Monster Cross last year. I have had a hotel reservation in Montpelier for months and the 2014 Monster Cross has been highlighted on my calendar since a date was announced early in the season. According to Jared Eborn, the organizer, the plan would go like this: In spite of some glitches and confusion with the original event, BLMC would be back for 2014 better than ever. The participants in the first Monster Cross would be given free entry for 2014.
With the date for 2014 only a couple of weeks away, I have had no emails and zero communication from the organizer. Their web site which has not been updated in months now only comes up with an error message. The registration link was never active. Their Facebook page links to the error message. I guess there is still a chance that they will throw something together at the last minute, but I feel like at this point it will be too little too late. Most of you know from long experience that quality events do not just happen. They require a substantial amount of planning and promotion. I think the Monster Cross is an event with huge potential and I hope it is able to become viable in the future.
For local cyclists, there are alternatives for Monster Cross weekend. Saturday September 27th is the ADA Challenge in Ashton. Sunday the 28th is the Kross Kickoff in Victor.
 

Crossvegas Final 2 Laps

I watched the women’s race live last night and it was outstanding. This is the best video I could find of the men’s race. If anyone finds a better video or full length, let me know.  update: I guess I need to clarify that a little. I am looking for video in a format I can embed. You can watch the full content of both the men's and women's races at Behind the Barriers.  They have a total of about three hours of coverage there and the parts I have watched are excellent. http://live.behindthebarriers.tv/crossvegas

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

Rebecca's Private Idaho: Letter from Rebecca Rusch


All photos courtesy of Red Bull/Rebecca’s Private Idaho
Well, you sure know how to put a smile on a girl's face.
     The finish line is a city street once more, town's a whole lot quieter, and I'm almost sleeping through the night again. Thanks to all of you, Rebecca's Private Idaho had a sophomore run that far exceeded my own expectations. The course conditions, the light on the mountains, the smells, the grandeur, and so so many smiling riders: it all conspired to redraw my idea of a perfect day. As much as I'd like to think that came from planning and hard work, I know that most of it came from good people, on and off the bike, who pushed through the grind to exceed their own limits and simply have the best possible time a person can have. Again, my deep deep thanks to you all for this gift.
     I'd love to spend this whole space talking about what this weekend meant to me, what it taught me, and how it feels to be honored, humbled, excited, worried, and exalted all at once, but this is a newsletter, not a therapy couch. There are a few key points to make and we're already behind in planning for 2015, so I'll not waste any more time talking about this glow that seems to surround me and the fact that my feet still haven't touched the ground a week later
Read the rest of the letter here and see event photos here: http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=fde0bba0fffb80628e0df7465&id=4c840240f8&e=3900c02020
 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

From Weston: Link to Live Crossvegas coverage.

Image copyright Behind the Barriers TV
Crossvegas is only three days away and we have a dog in the fight, so you will not want to miss it. Best of luck to Tate who will be riding in the pro class. He will be wearing the dark blue Allegiant Air team kit with hi-vis yellow trim and riding his light blue Kelson bike. You can watch the race here: http://www.behindthebarriers.tv/events/clif-bar-crossvegas-live/

Saturday, September 6, 2014

At The Finish

This morning, I drove over to Driggs, Victor, and Jackson to distribute posters for the Cube and to talk up the event at the local bike shops. I timed my trip to arrive at Teton Village in time for the end of Lotoja. Weather conditions were ideal today with mild temperatures and favorable winds. As a result, lots of people posted outstanding finishing times. For the most part, the people I talked to finished pretty happy. I tried to get a picture of all the local finishers and friends. I saw Jeff’s cousin Dan among the early finishers, but I was not able to talk to him or get a photo.
Every finisher has a story to tell. If any of you would like to tell us about your day at Lotoja in more detail or send additional photos, you know that nothing makes me happier than content for the blog. Congratulations to all of today’s finishers. Competing in Lotoja at an elite level is phenomenal and finishing at any speed is a huge accomplishment. It is pretty tough for non-cyclists to put Lotoja in context. For many people, their closest point of comparison is a marathon. But, this is really not a great comparison, the old apples to oranges thing. There is nothing easy about running a marathon, but as someone who has finished a few Lotoja’s and run a fair number of marathons, my opinion is that Lotoja is significantly harder.
There was a lot of pressure on Clinton today as the reigning champion. Sadly, he picked up a thumb tack in his tire between Salt River Pass and Afton. No one in the race is better than Clinton at chasing back after a mechanical. Last year, he had a flat in the final kilometers and came back for the win. This time, he spent almost five minutes waiting for the wheel car. At that point, the lead group was long gone and the only thing left to do was to ride a 100 mile time trial to the finish.
The incident with the tacks concerns me quite a bit because I do not believe it was an accident for several reasons. One of the other Cat I riders picked up a thumb tack in the same area. How many times have you run over a thumb tack riding out on the open road? Additionally, there is precedent for this thing happening at Lotoja. There is some speculation that this is an act of vandalism perpetrated by locals who do not like the race.









 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Kids: Don't Try This at Home

 

Photo Paint of Clinton's 2013 Lotoja Victory

2013 Pro 1-2 Finish
Image copyright Lotoja/Epic Events
If you have visited the Lotoja website lately, you have seen the new artwork and illustrations. The graphics are a digital paint-over of iconic photographs, most of which have been featured on the website previously. I do not know the details of the process used to produce this effect, but I think the images it produces are pretty cool.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Countdown to Lotoja

If you live in Southeastern Idaho, most of your neighbors have heard of two bicycle races: The Tour de France and Lotoja.  They probably have a pretty good idea you have not ridden the Tour, but everyone wants to know if you have ridden Lotoja. I am choosing the word “ridden” intentionally because Lotoja is a big heterogeneous event that is a lot of different things to different people. A handful of cyclists race Lotoja at a truly elite level and a large number ride it as pure survival with a thousand others at every possible point in the spectrum between the two.
 
With Lotoja fast approaching, I want to extend wishes for a safe and successful ride to all of the locals participating in this year’s event. If I fail to mention you here, send me your information, and I will be happy to give a shout-out on the blog. These are the 2014 Lotoja riders that I am aware of: Steve, Weston, Bruce, Boyd, Kyle, Bart, and Cobe, as well as Team Ride relay (Brian, Justin, Tyler, Kelsey, and Christian).
I checked in with Tate and Clinton today. I always tell them that we will consider them locals for life. Tate is focused pretty heavily on cyclocross, particularly the upcoming CrossVegas. Clint has a very strong team and is highly motivated to defend his crown as reigning Lotoja champion. I would not bet against him.
Best of luck to you all!

Quintana's Vuelta Crash

As you may know, Nairo Quintana entered the today’s ITT clinging to a 2 second GC lead over Alberto Contador. Following the crash, Quintana was able to remount a replacement bicycle and ride to the stage finish, losing over three minutes to Contador in the process. Details here: http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/09/news/quintana-blames-brakes-crash-vows-help-valverde_343651
 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Rebecca's Private Idaho




 
I went fishing with my father in Copper Basin a time or two in the early nineties. I drove the Trooper over Trail Creek Pass in 1995, after riding the White Knob Challenge MTB race in Mackay. I had not planned on crashing that day, so naturally I did not pack a first-aid kit. After the race, we went to Mackay’s single grocery store and bought most of their supply of Telfa Pads and gauze wraps.  I paid for a shower at a local RV camp to scrub out the gravel. That night, we camped on Trail Creek Pass and drove down into Ketchum the next morning. I have always had a vague plan to go back. Although almost twenty years have passed, I had not returned to Copper Basin or Trail Creek Pass until yesterday.
If you are unfamiliar with the geography, Trail Creek Pass is a long mostly unpaved connection between the Big Lost River Valley (Mackay) on the east and the Wood River Valley (Ketchum) on the West. Copper Basin is a high mountain valley near the east end of Trail Creek Pass.
In just a couple of years, Rebecca’s Private Idaho has become a pretty big deal. It is Idaho’s premier gravel racing event, essentially our version of the Crusher. There are a lot of parallels between Rebecca’s and the Crusher. I do not know Rebecca Rusch personally, but if you have met her even in passing it is obvious that she is a real force of nature. Her vision and boundless energy set the tone for the event. Like Burke Swindlehurst, organizer of the Crusher, she has industry connections and understands how to organize and put on a top quality event. Participation has grown from 150 or so last year to about 350 this year.
This year’s Upper Valley participants included me, Brian, Ryan, Tim, Bart, and Cobe. The weather was cool all day long and road conditions were unusually good due to recent rains. We all managed to finish in less than six hours probably due in large part to the favorable conditions. Congratulations to Cobe on a well deserved age-group victory with a time of 5 hours and 43 minutes. Dawn came along for the trip and found some fine singletrack while she was waiting for us to come in.
One of the reasons to pay the registration for an event like Rebecca’s or the Crusher is to provide the logistical support for an epic ride in the absolute middle of nowhere. It would be very tough to ride this route without external support. The quality of the Rebecca’s support was very good with bottle hand-ups (water tasted like a decaying rubber hose), bananas, and various Gu products. I had a couple of packs of Gu Chomps in Watermelon flavor which reminded me of on me of one of those really weird kids candies, and one packet of Salted Carmel Gu Gel which I would totally eat over ice cream. The best thing I grabbed at a feed zone was a couple of boiled red potatoes. I did not take the time to really analyze them, but they appeared to be coated with olive oil and rosemary and heavily salted.
When other cyclists ask about an event like this the questions generally fall into two basic categories: 1. Was it fun? 2. How hard was it?  It was lots of fun with great scenery and a really adventurous feel. In terms of difficulty, as far as I am concerned it was plenty hard. If you push the pace a little, you are guaranteed of some suffering. Rebecca’s lacks the soul-crushing agony of the Col du Crush, but it is longer than the Crusher and the climb up Trail Creek Pass is impressive in its own right. I did not meet anyone at the end who said it was OK, but I wish it could have been harder.

A postscript: As the day has gone on, I feel like I should have commented more on the scenery of RPI. On some level, when you go to an event like this in the Mountain West, spectacular scenery is almost a given. On that account, Rebecca's does not disappoint. Here are some images from their website.

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Tate's KOM at Hoover Dam

 
Tate took this picture a couple of days ago after a ride to Hoover Dam. I understand he set a Strava KOM in the process.