Thursday, August 13, 2020
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Fish Creek Ride Saturday
Jeff and I have been talking about a Fish Creek ride Saturday. The general plan is for departure from Rexburg at 7 a.m. with the ride starting from Warm River no later than 8 a.m. Depending on the level of interest we are planning on two different finishes. Gravel to pavement or all pavement. You can RSVP to me and/or Jeff separately. Please indicate your preference for pavement to gravel or all pavement.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Saturday, August 8, 2020
2020 4 Peaks Gran Fondo - Coronavirus Edition
This year's edition of the 4 Peaks Gran Fondo was unique and enjoyable. Unique in respect to the logistics of dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and keeping everyone safe.
The Rexburg contingent consisted of Dave, John, Austin and me. We were able to sign up in the days preceding the race for a "start slot", which was a nice feature that allowed for groups of no more than 10 people at a time to work through the packet pickup area and staged for the start. We wore masks in this area and appreciated the support staff continuing to wear masks at all the locations throughout the ride.
We rolled out from the Inkom City Park right about 7AM at some surprising bracing temps (48° F according to my Garmin) and headed toward our first of the four peaks - Crystal Summit.
Though we've been around this particular block before several times, we always appreciate the good signage and the folks directing traffic at intersections to help keep us safe and on route. After pacing ourselves up the start of the Mink Creek climb, Austin took a little flyer off the front and we didn’t see him again until the end, having finished a little more than 3 minutes ahead of us.
The climb was pleasant and the vegetation much more lush and green than is usual this late in the season. Oftentimes, this is the last of the four peaks we visit on our trips to Pocatello, so I appreciated the cool air on the ascent, the support at the top (including Port-a-potties), as well as my vest on the descent.
All four of us turned the corner towards Scout Mountain together, and again paced things well together for the initial part of the climb before Dave let the younger bucks go off the front to push each other around the wooded windy road to the top. At the summit Dave's pacing paid off as he looked less worse for wear than the rest of us.
With a few bananas in our bellies we made a cautious and again somewhat chilly downhill run (should have kept my arm warmers on) to the bottom of the mountain and eventually out the mouth of the canyon and then on the backroads to Inkom. We made a little pit stop at the cars to refuel and reload for the final two peaks, and while there Austin got his first taste of a Hot Shot to cool down his overactive muscles. (I assume this is about as much fun as watching someone down their first shot of whisky 😃)
With guts already roiling at the prospects of what was yet to come we worked our way south to the bottom of the Pebble Creek climb. After many attempts at this beast, I've decided the only way this could really be made easier is with an eAssist. While that may be in my future, I'm left to ponder my own personal Yogi Berra-ism about cycling: the slower you go, the slower you go. As opposed to last year's climb, this year the sun seemed a bit less scorching on on the steepest pitches, and by the time we reached the switchbacks, my vision wasn’t entirely obscured by sweat streaking down my glasses.
Austin and I paced each other to the summit while Dave and John worked their way to the top in individual style. We enjoyed a little stretch in the shade and refilled our bottles before pointing our steeds back down the slope, with the third peak comfortably beneath our belts.
Again turning the corner up another canyon, we found ourselves with a slight headwind working up towards Hoot Owl before breaking off to the Buckskin climb proper. Last year we'd enjoyed a bit of a hot tailwind in this section, but anticipating our final return along the same roads we weren't sad anticipating not having to fight a headwind on our way back home.
Dave got his second wind on the final climb, and the rest of us tried our best to match his enthusiasm as we made our way up, down, around and then back up to the top of Buckskin. More fluids, food and a little bit of rest refreshed us enough to see us the rest of the way home. It's mostly downhill, but with a few rolling inclines, I was grateful my fellows who paced me up and over the tarmac to the finish.
We were met at the finish line by appropriately masked volunteers handing out chocolate milk and medals to weary but smiling riders. Final result: 4 Peaks Gran Fondo: 4 ⭐️ - Coronavirus: 0
As in years previous - we enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow cyclists, the excellent organization centered on keeping us safe, and all the wonderful volunteers who went our of their way to pamper us. And a special "hats off" to a white pickup truck full of cheering folks who leapfrogged us up climbs for the last part of the day - we enjoyed their support!
The Rexburg contingent consisted of Dave, John, Austin and me. We were able to sign up in the days preceding the race for a "start slot", which was a nice feature that allowed for groups of no more than 10 people at a time to work through the packet pickup area and staged for the start. We wore masks in this area and appreciated the support staff continuing to wear masks at all the locations throughout the ride.
We rolled out from the Inkom City Park right about 7AM at some surprising bracing temps (48° F according to my Garmin) and headed toward our first of the four peaks - Crystal Summit.
Though we've been around this particular block before several times, we always appreciate the good signage and the folks directing traffic at intersections to help keep us safe and on route. After pacing ourselves up the start of the Mink Creek climb, Austin took a little flyer off the front and we didn’t see him again until the end, having finished a little more than 3 minutes ahead of us.
The climb was pleasant and the vegetation much more lush and green than is usual this late in the season. Oftentimes, this is the last of the four peaks we visit on our trips to Pocatello, so I appreciated the cool air on the ascent, the support at the top (including Port-a-potties), as well as my vest on the descent.
All four of us turned the corner towards Scout Mountain together, and again paced things well together for the initial part of the climb before Dave let the younger bucks go off the front to push each other around the wooded windy road to the top. At the summit Dave's pacing paid off as he looked less worse for wear than the rest of us.
With a few bananas in our bellies we made a cautious and again somewhat chilly downhill run (should have kept my arm warmers on) to the bottom of the mountain and eventually out the mouth of the canyon and then on the backroads to Inkom. We made a little pit stop at the cars to refuel and reload for the final two peaks, and while there Austin got his first taste of a Hot Shot to cool down his overactive muscles. (I assume this is about as much fun as watching someone down their first shot of whisky 😃)
With guts already roiling at the prospects of what was yet to come we worked our way south to the bottom of the Pebble Creek climb. After many attempts at this beast, I've decided the only way this could really be made easier is with an eAssist. While that may be in my future, I'm left to ponder my own personal Yogi Berra-ism about cycling: the slower you go, the slower you go. As opposed to last year's climb, this year the sun seemed a bit less scorching on on the steepest pitches, and by the time we reached the switchbacks, my vision wasn’t entirely obscured by sweat streaking down my glasses.
Austin and I paced each other to the summit while Dave and John worked their way to the top in individual style. We enjoyed a little stretch in the shade and refilled our bottles before pointing our steeds back down the slope, with the third peak comfortably beneath our belts.
Again turning the corner up another canyon, we found ourselves with a slight headwind working up towards Hoot Owl before breaking off to the Buckskin climb proper. Last year we'd enjoyed a bit of a hot tailwind in this section, but anticipating our final return along the same roads we weren't sad anticipating not having to fight a headwind on our way back home.
As in years previous - we enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow cyclists, the excellent organization centered on keeping us safe, and all the wonderful volunteers who went our of their way to pamper us. And a special "hats off" to a white pickup truck full of cheering folks who leapfrogged us up climbs for the last part of the day - we enjoyed their support!
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