Snow Bike Singletrack

 

Chris and I rode again today in the Lyon Creek/Moody Creek area. We took a little side trip to Windy Ridge where I completely lost my sense of direction. At one point, I told Chris we were riding toward the northwest.  He believed we were riding due south so we checked the compass function of my watch which indeed showed that we were riding directly south. I was a little shaken up when I could not rotate my mental map to match that reality.

We were able to ride most of Hawley Gulch on a frozen snowmobile track. We were eventually forced to turn around at the spot (second picture) where the snowmobile had gotten stuck and turned around as well. Last week, no single snowmobile track was frozen enough to be rideable. As I have commented previously, the perfect snow ride is largely dependent on conditions and a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

GCN Ten Riders to Watch at Cross Worlds

From Kellen 20 problems Only Modern Roadies Have - BikeRadar

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/20-problems-only-modern-roadies-h
ave-43414/

Lance's BBC Interview. I Would Probably Cheat Again.

Say what you want about Lance fatigue, but this remains the dominant cycling story of our era. The link to the story below contains an eleven minute video clip.

A 30-minute documentary, Lance Armstrong: The Road Ahead, will be broadcast on BBC News at 20:30 GMT on Thursday, 29 January, and again over the following days on that channel and BBC World News. An extended edit of Dan Roan's interview will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.

Photo copyright AFP/BBC

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/30981609

 

From Jeff: A Useful Snow Bike Link: Fremont County Snowmobile Grooming Report

One thing I have learned about riding the fat bike in snow: Conditions
matter. The experience is much better when you are not fighting a soft base
or a rough surface. Here is a tool to help keep track of local conditions.
http://fcsnowtrails.blogspot.com

Fat Bike Moody

  

Conditions for fat bike riding were excellent today, maybe almost perfect. On Thursday, I rode on the Cave Falls Road. The base was firm, but the surface was rough, like riding on frozen mud. It was really not that much fun. Earlier today, Chris, Tony, and I went for a ride in the Moody area starting at the end of the pavement near Lyon Creek. Like Cave Falls, the base was very solid, but unlike Cave Falls, the Lyon Creek Road had been recently groomed for snowmobiles and the surface was very smooth. In addition, the spur trails were fairly consolidated with surprisingly good traction for climbing. We were able to ride up on the ridge between Lyon Creek and Moody Creek in a couple of places and descend on a series of rollers and whoop-de-dos.

About a mile in, we came upon two college girls in a Honda CRV, stuck deep. Without a shovel and wearing skirts with bare legs and casual shoes, they were poorly prepared for the situation. Although Chris reports they had toilet paper and peaches in the back seat. We made our best effort to push the car to no real avail. Chris and Tony, were quick to realize that the only way to free the car was to jack up the corners and fill the holes where the wheels had been spinning. We used broken branches from some deadfall to provide traction and within fifteen minutes or so rescued the car, turned it around, and sent its owners on their way. We saw plenty of snowmobilers later on, but none when it would have been helpful to us.

For much of the morning we rode through freezing fog which formed a solid ice layer on our glasses and required periodic removal. We had considered riding back up toward Morgan Summit at the intersection of the Lyon Creek Road and the Kelly Canyon Road, but there was no grooming from the intersection to the west so we continued for some distance east, with the grooming presumably continuing all the way to Newdale.

Snow conditions by their very nature are dynamic and variable. And I think more than a few fat bike rides end up being kind of a battle, but today we got lucky.

  

From Kellen: Top Ten Devious Ways To Beat Your Mates

 

From Kellen: Hauling Hay, Dodging Snow -- Utahn Committed to Bike Commute

 

http://www.sltrib.com/news/2085618-155/hauling-hay-dodging-snow-utahn

Shifted. A Mountain Bike Film.

So I have to admit, I have not watched the entire video, but I do know it is a very popular and well made film.

Forgotten Dirt: MTB Expedition to Afghanistan

I believe this is an extended version of the same film that will be featured in the first night (Thursday Feb 5th in Idaho Falls)) of this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Snowball Special Fat Bike Race. Jan. 31, Sun Valley

http://colleenquindlen.wix.com/snowballfatbike

Jay P’s Second Time Around- Vengeance & Victory | Rebecca Rusch

http://www.rebeccarusch.com/jay-ps-second-time-around-vengeance-victory/

Queen of Pain Rebecca Rusch Joins Niner Bikes

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/01/20/queen-of-pain-rebecca-rusch-joins-niner-bikes/

Global Fat Bike Summit This Weekend in Jackson

http://fatbikesummit.com/

GCN: Top Ten Things Banned by the UCI

 

Thereabouts The Movie

Some time ago, maybe a year, I posted a story from Tate about the Morton brothers, Lachlan and Gus. Many of you will remember Lachlan Morton from his spectacular win at Mt. Nebo in the 2013 Tour of Utah. Disillusioned with the life of a European-based professional riding for Garmin-Sharp, Lachlan left the professional peleton and along with his older brother Gus, also a former professional cyclist, rode across the Outback of their native Australia in an attempt to reconnect with something meaningful in cycling. Here is a link to the Thereabouts website which tells the story of the journey with an abundance of quality content including blogs and photos.

http://www.thereabouts.com.au/

The current print edition of VeloNews (February 2015) retells the story of the Morton brothers that you may have read previously on the website. There are two very positive new developments. Both brothers will be racing domestically in the U.S. for the Jelly-Belly Maxxis team in 2015. They feel like this is a better fit than a European-based program. The other good news is that a film of the Thereabouts ride across the Outback has been released. I have not seen it yet, but based on the very positive response it has received, I feel fortunate to be able to embed it here. As soon as someone is able to watch this, hopefully you can give us some feedback for Jeff's Roller Video Reviews.

Thereabouts #1 from Thatisgus on Vimeo.

Full Replay Elite Women's and Men's Cross Nationals

There is still a substantial amount of controversy surrounding the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships due primarily to the 24 hour delay in running the races scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/01/news/usa-cycling-addresses-concerns-wake-2015-cross-nationals_358292

As a result, many people who might have watched the live broadcast were unable to do so.  The Elite Women's and Men's Races are embedded below. You can watch replay of many other divisions and age groups at www.behindthebarriers.tv

Can Compression Clothing Enhance Your Workout? NYT

Photo copyright Chris Richards/newyorktimes.com

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/can-compression-clothing-enhance-your-workout/?hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

 

Another Fat Bike Adventure

 

I promise not to write a blog post every time I go for a fat bike ride, but it is still a pretty new thing for me and I have some random fat-bike-related thoughts, so please bear with me. This morning, I drove up to Bear Gulch with the intention of riding the Yellowstone Branch Trail along Warm River. There had been a substantial amount of snowmobile traffic southbound toward the Warm River Campground, but no traffic to speak of northbound so the trail was not really rideable beyond Bear Gulch.

Instead, I turned off on Forest Service Road 367 (also known as Wood Road 1) which had about two inches of fresh snow on a consolidated base. I turned east on Road 154 to Warm River Springs and then returned following Road 154 north and west to connect with Road 150 and eventually the Scenic Byway to return to Bear Gulch. Running late for an appointment, I opted to bypass the side trip to Upper Mesa Falls.

One thing that continues to make an impression on me about fat bikes is the very wide handlebar (about 30 inches). It is necessary to produce the leverage needed to control a fat tire rolling downhill through varying snow conditions. Going downhill on a fat bike is pretty amazing. Going uphill on a fat bike in snow, as you may imagine, is pretty heavy work. Fat bikes have some very low gears and I think it is likely most riders will use every one of them.

A standard recommendation for fat tire pressure is 5-15 psi.  At Kelly Canyon, on a less consolidated base, we were near the low end of that range. I was able to ride today at about 10 psi. There is a substantial amount of work involved in riding a fat bike even in relatively good snow conditions. I have not used a computer or a Garmin with my fat bike, so this number is a very rough estimate. I am guessing that it takes about the same amount of effort to sustain a 10-12 mph pace on a fat bike that it would take to go 18-20 mph on a road bike. Maybe someone can validate that estimate with an objective measurement.

While Rexburg languished today in fog, areas north of Saint Anthony had mild temperatures and the kind of bright sun that makes snow look like crushed diamonds. Fat bikes have an unusual relationship with snowmobiles. We rely on them to make our trails, but the two user groups are not 100% compatible due to differences in speed and various other issues. Weekday mornings are probably the best time to ride fat bikes in the Bear Gulch area. I did not encounter any snowmobiles until I was in the parking lot loading up after the ride.

 

Follow This Link to the Live CX Nationals Coverage

Please disregard the previous link!

http://velonews.competitor.com/live-2

 

Tate Starts 2015 on the Podium

From Tate: Today was my first race of the season. It was a fun and painfully fast season opening crit in St. George, Utah. Due to the time of the year the number in attendance was fairly low but the talent was extremely high. Every single person in the field was more than capable of victory. I tried early in the race to get away in the break but was a marked man and seemed to bring a half dozen people along with me every time I attacked. When the bell lap came around I did everything in my power to stay at the head of the race. I was able to finish with a solid 3rd place. Attached are a few photos of the race.

Heavy Rain in Austin Forces Elite Championships to be Rescheduled for Monday

Given the heavy damage that has occurred to the course, organizers are scrambling to put together a new course at the same venue. You can read details at Cyclocross Magazine, VeloNews and elsewhere. The links that we posted previously on the blog should still work to watch the races.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/01/news/u-s-cyclocross-nationals-delayed-notice_357775

http://www.cxmagazine.com/breaking-2015-austin-cyclocross-national-championships-sunday-races-postponed

Updated schedule CST:

3:20 pm

Cyclo-cross Female Elite/U23 19+ Pro/Cat 1/2/3

40 min

4:25 pm

Cyclo-cross Male Elite 23+ Pro/Cat 1/2

60 min

 

Fat Bike Prologue

Today a few of the locals went out to preview Kelly Canyon's Fat Bike Loop.  Cobe, Dave, Tony and I started from the Kelly Canyon Ski Area Parking lot, and made our way up the canyon along a freshly groomed track.  Kelly's staff has obviously put a lot of effort into creating a nice multi-use trail that is usable by both classic and skate nordic skiers, snowshoers, and us fat bikers*. 

For those familiar with the Buckskin-Morgan ridge trail, the groomed trail by necessity turns back west to go along the ridge further north along the Forest Service 218 spur rather than following the mountain bike single track that comes out onto the road at the summit.  Once the west-bound leg of the loop joins back up with the Buckskin-Morgan ridge trail you're in familiar territory until you reach the new south-bound downhill trail Kelly's crew has cut back down to the resort.  Parts of this sketchy little leg are featured in the video below.

If mountain biking is one standard deviation removed from road biking then fat biking is a couple of standard deviations beyond that; well into exceptional territory.  And it's different in ways both unexpected and undeniably fun.  Fat biking reminds me that fun doesn't have to be fast.  It also begs the cyclist to consider cultivating an entirely new skill set that has more in common with backcountry skiing and snowmobiling that it does road riding.  

Here's looking forward to a brand new way to get around our beautiful country in the winter, and to keeping in good cycling shape without having to crank away on a set of rollers or trainer.  My first impression of fat biking can be summed up in two words: phat fun!

*this description works well for most of us both ways

Live Coverage of 2015 Cross Nationals

Cyclocross fans have never had it so good. You should be able to watch the Behind the Barriers live coverage of tomorrow’s finals races directly through the video link embedded below. If that fails, follow this link: http://live.behindthebarriers.tv/2015-nationals

The schedule for coverage is as follows. Note all times are Central Standard Time.

10:00 Pre-Game Show for Junior Men 17-18 & U23 Men

10:40 Junior 17-18 Race Start

11:40 U23 Men Race Start

2:15 Pre-Game Show for Elite Women & Elite Men

2:45 Elite Women Race Start

3:45 Elite Men Race Start

 

Crusher Registration Update

When we first did the Crusher a couple of years ago, I believe the registration was capped at 300. That number has gradually increased. For 2015, the cap is set at 600. Since registration opened last night 413 people have registered with 187 slots remaining. After the initial rush, registration will probably slow down a little now, but I expect the cap to be reached fairly soon. Daniel and Kellen are among the first-timers.

Cyclingnews.com Previews Cross Nationals

Women’s favorite Katie Compton. Photo copyright Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-cyclo-cross-national-championships-2015/preview

 

Crusher Registration Opens One Hour From Now

I just got a text from Daniel Griffin reminding me that Crusher in the Tushar registration opens at 7 p.m. tonight. Had it not been for Daniel, I might have missed it. In the past, it has taken a handful of days to fill up, but you do not have unlimited time to make the decision. The Crusher is epic, but the suffering is real. http://tusharcrusher.com/

https://tusharcrusher.athlete360.com/

NYT: Older Cyclists Defy Effects of Aging

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/how-exercise-keeps-us-young/?hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

GCN: How to Fix Creaking Cranks or BB

Some of you will remember my battle last summer with a persistent drivetrain creak on my cross bike. In addition to this excellent video, GCN also has a how-to video on saddle/seatpost creaking and front end creaking.

Cyclocross Nationals Course Preview

The US National Cyclocross Championships begin tomorrow at Zilker Park in Austin Texas with numerous age groups and divisions and culminate with the championship races for the Elite Men and Elite Women Sunday afternoon. The POV footage of the course preview before it is set up reminds me of doing a similar preview ride at the Nature Park or Pioneer Park in Victor.

EKZ Cross POV Video. Starts Mild, Gets Wild.

EKZ CrossTour Eschenbach - Onboard Camera from EKZ CrossTour on Vimeo.

Asthma Rife Among Elite Athletes, The Guardian

According to this article, about 70% of the British National Swim Team and about 1/3 of Team Sky suffers from some form of asthma, typically exercise induced, as demonstrated by physical examination. There has been some speculation in the past that cyclists tended to report asthma at high levels to gain access to inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids, both of which have some potential to improve athletic performance. Common bronchodilators like albuterol inhalers no longer require a therapeutic use exemption and according to Dr. John Dickinson, the primary researcher cited in the article, a surprising number of professional cyclists carry an albuterol inhaler in their jersey pocket. Based on my own very unscientific observations, I would speculate that the number of cyclists who suffer from some wheezing or a tight asthmatic cough after a cyclocross race in cold weather would be well above the numbers cited for Team Sky.

Paula Radcliffe, who has had asthma all her life, leads the women's elite runners at the start of the New York Marathon in 2008.

Photograph: Jason Decrow/AP/theguardian.com

 http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/28/asthma-elite-athletes-study-swimmers-cyclist-eid

Peter Sagan Loads His Bike/Top Ten Descenders of All Time

VeloNews today recognized Peter Sagan as the 9th best descender of all time based on his exceptional bike handling skills acquired in years as a BMX racer and shown in the video below. Here is a link to the VeloNews article.  http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/06/lists/velo-list-top-10-descenders-time_332654

I was able to guess the number one pretty easily (hint: his nickname is Il Falco), but I was surprised by a couple of the guys on the list.