Sunday, July 31, 2016

Teton Pass Hill Climb

Congratulations to Gabe (1st), Kellen (6th), Shea (2nd woman). We will post a photo when available.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Jay P's Gravel Pursuit September 24, 2016

The Gravel Pursuit is a great event with 60 and 120 mile options. If you don’t have a dedicated gravel bike, it could reasonably be ridden on a mountain bike.

http://gravelpursuit.com/racer-information/

 

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Boise Racing Highlights

Last weekend, Boise was host to two exciting cycling events, the popular Twilight Criterium and the lesser known Idaho State Criterium Championships. The Twilight Criterium was, as always, a thrilling spectacle – perfectly highlighted by a beautiful sunset, which reflected off the downtown buildings and lit up the Boise foothills. Tony and I enjoyed watching our friend Ben Cook, from team Cicada SLC, compete in the Men's 1/2/3 category and then stayed well into the evening watching the Pro's take the city corners at ridiculous speeds.

The following day Ben also competed in the Idaho State Criterium Championships, located at Hidden Valley, with an impressive 4th place finish overall. Equally impressive was Tony's very spontaneous decision to race in the Men's Master's 4/5 category. Riding a brand new saddle (literally put on 20 min before his start time), with no specific prep/training and with 20 + years between him and his last criterium race, Tony signed up and rolled to the line.

Not only did Tony stay with the pack, he also led out a couple riders, picked up a prime (box of Cliff bars), and took home the title of 2nd in the State in his category. I also overheard a fellow rider complementing Tony by saying that he "ripped his legs off" during the race – I'm assuming this is a good thing?

As a spectator it was a fun weekend and I congratulate both Ben and Tony on their success.





Wednesday, July 20, 2016

AAA "Tows" My Bike, Reminder of Upcoming Events

I have been a member of AAA, the automotive roadside service group, for a number years. I joined at a time when I was making fairly regular trips to Moab in the Trooper. If the old car were to break down on the White Rim or similarly distant location, the towing expense could have been astronomical. Remarkably, that has still never happened. In 24 years and a few gazillion on and off-road miles, the Trooper has never left me stranded. I wish the same were true for my bicycles.
A year or so ago, AAA began advertizing that their roadside assistance program covered bicycles. I was out this morning to ride the Rexburg-Kelly Canyon-Lyon Creek loop. I put on a new chain for the Crusher and cleaned and lubed it before my ride this morning. I was on the gravel section between Squires Dugway and Byrne Siding. In an instant through whatever combination of factors (chain not well serviced, careless shifting, whatever) about three links of the chain were badly damaged. I assessed the situation, coasted down the pavement from Byrne Siding and called AAA. The operator seemed a little puzzled by a call for service to a bicycle. I requested a ride back to town. She said she could not do that but offered to send a tow truck. I said: “Fine, send a tow truck.” Within 30 minutes or so, they sent a good old boy in a pickup truck who drove me back to town.
If you are interested in a century road ride Saturday, Greg and James will be riding the Drummond loop departing from the Junior High School at 5:30 a.m.


Please take note of these dates:

Monday, July 18, 2016

Trip to Torrey/Tour of Utah Stage 2

Rexburg Cycling has a trip planned, July 31st to August 2nd, to ride in Torrey Utah and to watch Stage 2 of the Tour of Utah. Assuming we reach a critical mass in numbers of participants, we will be offering round trip transportation for $75/person. Brian has some rooms reserved, so we can hook you up with accommodations on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tentative plan looks something like this:

·         Sunday July 13th: Depart Rexburg time TBD

·         Monday August 1st: Go on a bike ride, probably the Fish Lake Loop (90 miles or so with a lot of climbing) with options for a number of shorter loops

·         Tuesday August 2nd: A little spin in the morning, watch the Stage 2 on the Jumbotron with a finish on Main Street in Torrey, return to Rexburg late that night

If you are interested, you need to confirm with me and Kellen by one week from tomorrow Tuesday July 26th.                                                               Dave

 

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Fish Creek to Trail Creek Loop

Here's a little video of a trip Ryan and I took this weekend to prove that you can link Fish Creek to Warm River via Trail Creek.  However, I don't know in retrospect that I'd recommend it.  The most time consuming leg is along an abandoned logging road that hasn't seen use for probably 20 years, and in another 20 will be virtually unrecognizable.  While many of these back roads have had tank traps dug at the entrances, this route strangely was trap free until we were several miles back in.  The link-up was made possible via an official if virtually unmaintained USFS trail that fortunately for us was "marked" with stakes every tenth of a mile or so.  After making it to the Trail Creek Spring the trail became incrementally easier to follow.  On another day I'd love to come up with the mountain bikes and take this single track from the Warm River Hatchery over to the Moose Creek trail and back again.  But this route was probably won't be repeated.




Final Weekend to Register for the Greatest Ultimate Challenge Ever!

 

Ultimate Challenge

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Final Weekend to Register for the Greatest Ultimate Challenge Ever! This is your last chance to put you calves to the test on the same Stage 6 that the pros will race! Ride from Snowbasin Resort to Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort with pro-level nutrition and hydration stops, a timed final climb up to Snowbird and a front row seat to watch the pros cross the Stage 6 finish line. Registration closes on Sunday, July 17, 2016.http://www.rideultimatechallenge.com/registration/

 

 

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Congratulations to 2016 Crushers


I have often written about my conflicted feelings toward to the Crusher. I love everything about it except the things I hate-mostly the horrible pain. By the end of the Crusher, I feel absolutely destroyed. Every time. The scale of the Crusher is epic, the organization outstanding, the scenery spectacular, and the fun factor very high. But it comes at a cost. The image of Burke Swindlehurst as the Devil resonates with anyone who has ever ridden the Crusher.

In spite of relatively difficult conditions this year (hot, gravely) many of our local riders had outstanding finishing times. http://tusharcrusher.com/2016-results We were led by Gabe Klamer at 5:01 in the Pro/Open Men followed by Kellen who finished ahead of many of the Pro/Open with an outstanding time of 5:12 and a podium finish in the a very fast age group Men 20-29.

Kelson bikes occupied a prominent position in the DNA tent at sign in. Brian and Heather made some very impressive temporary tattoos for the locals with the Kelson logo superimposed over the profile of the State of Idaho. Brian's bike are well known and well regarded at the Crusher. I have never ridden there without someone complimenting my bike and expressing admiration for Brian's work.

We had a big group at the Crusher this year and I don't believe we have a single photo with everyone in it. If anyone wants to send a few additional photos, or to write down a few Crusher reflections, I would be happy to post them. We enjoyed traveling with Gabe and hanging out with Bart and his buddies including Mike Schjeldahl and Fahim Rahim.

The Crusher is notoriously hard on equipment and we broke a couple of bikes this year so not everyone finished, but we all came home uninjured and relatively happy. Joe drove the van both ways; into a fierce headwind on the way down and with a steady tailwind on the return. On the way down, we burned gas like the Space Shuttle and on the return we burned gas like a Prius.

I often comment on something that I ate at a race. I am a big fan of Salted Carmel Gu and I assumed I would like Salted Carmel Apple Gu Chews which as it turns out contain a truly noxious combination of chemicals.

So what are the people who just rode the Crusher 2016 talking about? Crusher 2017.















Thursday, July 7, 2016

Cyclocross Magazine: Interview: Crusher in the Tushar Race Director Burke Swindlehurst

Crusher in the Tushar Race Director Burke Swindlehurst. ©️ Ryan Houston

http://www.cxmagazine.com/interview-burke-swindlehurst-crusher-tushar-gravel-ride-race

 

Last call before price increase for Rebecca's Private Idaho! 


DON'T SUFFER FROM SUMMER FOMO
Did your 4th of July plans fall short compared to your friends? Has your boss been making you work weekends? Do you feel like summer is passing you by? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, Rebecca Rusch is here to help!
Join Rebecca and friends Labor Day weekend in Sun Valley for the last hurrah of summer. Bring your bikes, friends, and family for 50 or 100 miles of gravel riding fun in the stunning Pioneer Mountains!
Let your summer FOMO (fear of missing out) worries disappear, register now before prices increase July 15!
REGISTER FOR REBECCA'S PRIATE IDAHO
 
 

Friday, July 1, 2016

Betty Lou's PB&J, Fruit Bar, Nut Butter Roll/Nut Butter Filled Clif Bars

When it comes to energy foods designed for cycling or other outdoor activites, the best product is often the one that you can stand to consume after several hours on the bike. If you do not believe that, think about the first generation Power Bar (extruded resin) or Perpetum powder. I feel a little queasy even as I write that name. Betty Lou’s is an Oregon company which makes a variety of very good tasting energy prodcuts. Joe is doing a trial of three of these products at Sticks and Stones: PB&J Bar, Blueberry Fruit Bar (surprisingly like a slice of pie), and Peanut and Dark Chocolate Nut Butter Bar (texture like a nutty Clif Bar). If there is enough support for the Betty Lou’s bars locally, they are likely to become a regular inventory item at S&S.
The PB&J bar is obviously a knockoff of the Bonk Breaker Bar. I like the thick “jam” layer in the Betty Lou’s Bar, but prefer the bar portion of the Bonk Breaker which is softer and and more peanut-buttery. The Betty Lou’s is slightly smaller than a Bonk Breaker, but all of the Betty Lou’s products retail for about a dollar less (about $1.50).
After a wait of a couple of months, the Nut Butter Filled Clif Bars are finally available. I have tried two of the four flavors (Chocolate Peanut Butter, Coconut Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Hazelnut Butter) and they are amazing. The new bars are 1/3 smaller than Original Clif Bars, but the calorie count is about the same due to a very generous amount of nut butter filling. In my opinion, the delicious Nut Butter Filled Clif Bars represent the absolute pinnacle of the art and science in the development of energy bars.
 
 

From Bike Rumor: Phil Kmetz Rides World Cup DH Course on Walmart Huffy