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Thursday, August 18, 2022
Monday, August 15, 2022
4 Peaks Gran Fondo 2022
Tim, Dave, Jeff, and Kelly at the 4 Peaks gran Fondo
The 4 Peaks Gran Fondo is always a tough day and a lot of fun. Eighty miles (a little longer than our version of the Pocatello ride) with 7000 feet of climbing. Heat is often a factor, but mild temperatures prevailed this year. Not included in this photo are Jake Parkinson and Nephi who were also there and riding fast. We are still waiting for the 2022 results to be posted. In light of the fact that the only timed portion in the four climbs, there is a significant incentive to go easy in between, or as Jeff likes to say, there is no prize for winning the transitions.
Bike BBQ 2022
Bike BBQ Monday, Sept 12th
6 p.m.
Dave and Dawn Anderson home 324 S. 3rd E.
Please bring a side dish, salad, or dessert.
Invite your family. Invite your friends.
Live Music with David Peck and Thorz Hammer
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Return of Jay P's Gravel Pursuit for 2022
Jay Petervary has a long history of organizing innovative bicycle events in Southeast Idaho. Jeff and I were pretty excited about the return of the Gravel Pursuit, in distances of 30, 60, and 120 miles, after an absence of several years.
We opted for the 60 mile option. Rounding a corner at about ten miles, I hit a rock resulting in significant damage to the sidewall of my rear tire. Things did not go well in a long improvised repair, but miraculously, it held to the finish.
The original Gravel Pursuit was a fairly traditional bike race on mostly good gravel roads and some pavement. The new Gravel Pursuit is significantly less conventional with Jeep roads, long steep hike-a-bike, singletrack, traverse through a marsh, and 4000 feet of climbing in the pebbly black sand that proliferates on Island Park roads late season.
Props to Jay P on some epic and imaginative route finding, even if you have ridden quite a bit in Island Park, significant sections of the new route will almost certainly be unfamiliar to you. The course got mixed reviews from most of the people we talked to. People liked its epic nature, but regretted their choice of bicycle. I get the idea that a good rider can ride any bike anywhere typified by the story of a road pro riding the Crusher on 23 mm road tires, but that does not change the fact that a mountain bike would have been a better match for the majority of riders in the middle part of the course.
As always Jay P's support was outstanding. I had a commitment in Boise afterward, so we were not able to stay for the potato bar. Jeff started the day stronger than me and that gap only widened over the course of the day. Nevertheless, he cheerfully dragged me all the way to the finish.
My takeaways from the new course are these. Think of it as more of an adventure ride than a gravel race. Strongly consider riding a mountain bike.
Monday, July 11, 2022
Thursday, July 7, 2022
Friday, June 17, 2022
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
From Bruce--Phil Gaimon's Eleven New Rules for Cyclists
A fine video. I was unable to embed it. You will have to follow the link.
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Pocatello, Chick-a-Saw, Post-Pandemic Bike
Jeff, Tim, and I did our traditional Pocatello Four Peaks Ride today. This is one of my favorite rides anywhere. Scenic, tough, and fun--just over 70 miles with 7200 feet of climbing. Today was one of the best ever with uncharacteristically cool, mild weather. The 4-Peaks Gran Fondo (August 13th) visits the same climbs in a different order. It is almost guaranteed to be hot.
Two weeks from today, June 18th, we are planning on another favorite, the Chick-a-Saw ride in Island Park, This is a tough, climbing-heavy gravel ride that climbs to the top of the Chick Creek Road and the top of Sawtell Peak. Please reach out to me or Jeff if you are interested and we will help coordinate transportation and logistics.
Most of the locals have seen my new Checkpoint. For the time being, I am mostly using it on the road with the option to convert for gravel use at some point in the future. I had been waiting a while for trek to offer an SLR Checkpoint frame. Joe ordered the frame the minute it was released to dealers. The color choice seemed pretty obvious to me. I was not wild about either of the two stock builds offered by Trek. Instead, we did it the hard way. Starting with a bare frame would not be a big deal in the absence of the current supply chain issues but things got complicated. A big thanks to Joe and Austin for their work on the bike. It took all of us six months or so scavenging parts to assemble the bike.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
From Jay P: Gravel Pursuit Returns for 2022
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Best and the Bravest
Just two guys at the TNR tonight, John and Bruce. Current temperature is 33 degrees with 15 mph wind gusts and additional snow threatening.
Friday, March 25, 2022
Rexburg Interchanges
Today I spoke with Rosemary Curtin after submitting a question online regarding the accommodations for cyclists at these new "Double Diamond" interchanges. Details about the shoulder width should be forthcoming, but if you'd like to participate in the discussion or just review the plans here's the info:
The Idaho Transportation Department is making plans to improve safety and decrease delays at the US-20/University Blvd. and US-20/SH-33 interchanges (Exits 332 and 333) in Rexburg. Please join us to learn more about ITD’s final design plans and give input.
IN PERSON: March 30 | 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.Madison High School
(2300 University Blvd., Rexburg)
Drop in any time between 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. ITD will be on hand to discuss design plans and answer questions.ONLINE: March 28 – April 4
Videos and digital materials will be available online for participants to learn more.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
TNR Cancelled for Tonight
It's ugly out there. Let's hope we can start the season in style one week from tonight.
Monday, March 7, 2022
Sunday, February 27, 2022
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