A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Congratulations Shae on another win!

Ride to Nowhere is Dirt Debut for New Fuel

I have had this bike for a while now, but I have not had a great opportunity to take it out for a trail ride. This morning, I drove to Pocatello with a general plan to ride the Chinese Peak-Blackrock Trail System from the trailhead on Buckskin Road to the top of Chinese Peak. The trail began to climb almost immediately on a rutted two-track. It was not long before the climb became leg-breakingly steep and I was pushing the bike more than riding. I suffered through a mile or so and jumped off on a trail to the south which looked significantly more rideable. It eventually dead-ended at a fence line and I improvised for a while on poor quality singletrack, cow trails, and pure bushwhacking. Eventually, I ended up at the Chinese Peak trailhead (pictured) at the east end of Barton Road. This is the most direct access to Chinese Peak on a good gravel road.

One of two things happened early on, I don’t know which. Either I got off route, or the ride was more difficult than I had anticipated. I did not love the pointless ride that I went on, but it did provide one thing--a range of conditions to demo the new bike. I probably can’t add much to the published reviews of the new Fuel EX beyond validating what has already been reported. It climbs well, floats over small to mid-sized bumps, and is very stable at speed with no significant negatives.

Returning to the trailhead by way of American Road, I met a young man, shirtless, running fast. I was a little nostalgic for a moment. As a student in Pocatello 35 years ago, American Road was one of my running staples. In those days, it was unpaved, and I believe unnamed, high above any development on Pocatello’s Southeast Bench.

Spring Trail Cleanup Saturday at Eagle Park

Saturday April 27^th 9 a.m. to noon. All help will be welcome. Bring shovels,  rakes, wheelbarrows, etc. Organizer is Eric Issacson. His website is freearenas.com

 

From Dan: Amstel Gold Race 2019 [LAST 25 KM]

This.Is.Incredible. A finish that is already legendary. I cannot embed the video, but it is absolutely worth it to follow the link.
https://tiz-cycling.racing/videos/amstel-gold-race-2019-last-25-km/

Congratulations to Shae Griffin on Winning Women's Cat-3 at Bob's Breakout Road Race in Boise

These pictures tell a story:

Shae in the chase group,

Catching the leader,

Winning the sprint!

Joe Hill & Scott Hurst Support the TNR Good Weather or Bad--Early Season Report

The 2019 season of the Tuesday Night Ride began on March 19^th. Since then we have had three cancellations or near cancellations due to bad weather. Joe and Scott have been there regardless, riding through the icy rain and setting a standard for the rest of us.

It has been a while since I have generated any original content for the blog. One reason is that I have just returned from a Southern Utah backpacking trip. It felt like late winter when I left Rexburg and spring when I returned. Yesterday and today were the first days I have ridden with bare arms and legs. Cars crashed from the glare of my white skin. Last Sunday, I was able to get a glimmer of data to check the results of Paris-Roubaix. I will not reveal the outcome, but I will make a couple of comments. I am pleased with the results because I like the winner and feel he deserves the win. I have been looking forward to watching race footage on the NBC Sports app (formerly NBC Sports Gold). I have been a subscriber since the beginning of the service and appreciate a lot of things about it (especially the UCI Cyclocross and the commercial-free Tour coverage) but I hate it so much. If I have not watched for a few days, or even if I have, I have to log-in and revalidate my account with a secret code. It feels like that has happened ten thousand times. This morning it did not work at all, not the first time that has happened. And the app is glitchy under the best of conditions.  Dear NBC Sports:  If you read the Rexburg Cycling Blog would you please fix the endless validation issues so that I can recommend your service to our readers?

With regard to the Rexburg Cycling Blog and Facebook page, we always welcome your contributions including race and ride reports, event announcements, product review and commentary, and cycling culture in general. I did a little preview today of the ride that I hope to do Tuesday night—Egin Lakes to Warm Slough. It is 33 miles from my house, a little shorter from Sled Shed—a good early season ride, and fairly doable even with wind from the south since it does not have many sustained south-bound sections.

As recreation keeps booming near Moab, feds look to limit dispersed camping at biking hot spot - The Salt Lake Tribune

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2019/04/04/recreation-keeps-booming/

Weather Cancellation of the TNR

It is 46 degrees and raining with a 70% chance of the rain continuing hour to hour. Professionals cannot choose to not ride in bad weather, but we can. If you decide to go out anyway dress for bad weather, be safe.

The Dirt: McElveen hopes White Rim record ignites FKT craze in MTB – VeloNews.com

https://www.velonews.com/2019/04/news/the-dirt-mcelveen-hopes-white-rim-record-ignites-fkt-craze-in-mtb_491950