December 2010

December 2010 has been the 3rd greatest snow accumulation December in history for the Salt Lake City, UT area. In other words: It has been a great start to the ski season.

The weather forecast looks promising for the next several days. I have 14 days of skiing in this year already, and am only working 4 more days for the rest of this month.

I'll be staying in SLC for the Holiday's......skiing is great here, so why leave? Besides, home is where you lay your head at night.......Snowbird is where I call home for now! Down the road of time? Well, who knows where I'll call home!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Cycling Season Recap

This past Spring, Summer, and Fall have been good as far as cycling goes. With today being much warmer than normal for December here in SLC, UT I felt much inclined to dust off the road bike and go pedal. Excuses aside, I didn't go today after all.

With warm temperatures, and 10 days of skiing already in the bag, today my thoughts turned to biking vs. powder faceshots. Oh how I wish I could ride!

Snow is in the 10 day forecast, so my thoughts may drift back to the "White Room" before long. As such, I'll hold off from reading the latest Bike & Mountain Bike Action Magazines that arrived last week and try to maintain the correct seasonal perspective and keep turning the pages of Powder Magazine instead!

The information below is tracking from April 1, 2010 to today for Road & Mountain events.

Bikes, Drivetrains, & Impressions

I recently completed the custom build of a 2011 Specialized Enduro S-Works frame. I decided to build the bike with specific products of interest. My build is similar to the spec bike made by Specialized. It's sweet: 2011 Specialized S-Works Enduro

The people at Specialized are awesome. I was missing a needed part for the headset. In a pinch & on a Friday late in the afternoon, I was able to go visit them at their warehouse in SLC and pick up the needed part.

Major shout out to Don of Customer Service at Specialized....he is smart, helpful, and super nice. Ironically, when I shook hands with him I recognized him from a conversation we had one evening on the trail. I remember it specifically because he was riding the bike I would soon be building. We talked about it, and he raved how awesome it is....turns out that he speaks the truth!

I will always ride products made by Specialized and have for many years. Their products are the best, they have always been helpful, and they stand behind their products 100%.

My build ended up very similar to this, but with a few key differences.

Everyone in the biking world has heard about Sram and how awesome they are. I've ridden on their products for over a year now, and was so impressed that I'd build the new frame with an entire set up of XO which is new for 2011. My initial impression is excellent. Strong breaking power, clean & swift shifting, and strong but lightweight parts.

The guys at Binghams Cyclery in Sandy, UT have suggested a few times that I should try a Sram 2x10 drivetrain. I wouldn't say that I was skeptical, but I'm not always a big fan to move away from what I've grown comfortable with in the typical 3x9 drive trains we all have ridden on for years. It works, it's reliable, and proven, right?

Let me be honest. I thought to myself that if I didn't like 2x10, I'd sell it off and go back to what I was comfortable with given years of riding. No big deal!

Well, the boys at Binghams Bicycles in Sandy, UT really know what they are talking about. The 2x10 set up is AWESOME! Lighter, faster, and the ratios make much better sense.

For the first couple of rides on the new build, I intentionally rode trails I have ridden many times. The idea behind doing so was to work out the gearing ratios, compare lap times, and dial in the suspension, and work out any other fit related kinks common to a new bike.

Yesterday, on the maiden voyage ride, I rode the Corner Canyon trails in Draper, UT. As I was climbing up Clarks Trail, I felt like I was a lot slower than normal. Once I crested out, and hit the lap button on my computer, I found it was the fastest time of the season.

Maybe it was because I was excited to ride a new bike. Maybe it was because I didn't ride the day before. Maybe it was because the gear ratios were better for me and as a result I could push a larger gear without noticing it as much compared to the 3x9 set up. Obviously there is plenty of room for discussion surrounding these ideas, but I think it was because of the 2x10 drivetrain primarily.

Today's splits showed the same improvement, and on a different trail system here in SLC.

The Crankbrothers Iodine wheels are great and a bit of a risky purchase. Spendy, $950 MSRP, and totally different than most wheels on the market. The wheels are super stiff, are quick to roll, & are true after a few downhill sessions on the Bobsled trail.

Many opinions surround these wheels, but my initial impression is a positive one. I read many reviews where people would complain/cheer about the hub noise. There is no secret, it's a loud hub. In fact, it's louder than I thought it would be. I suppose I will not notice it after a while, and when I do it will serve as a reminder to pedal.

Perhaps my riding buddies will get a pair of their own, or learn to ride faster to get ahead of the noise; either way, I like the wheels.

The 2011 Fox Talas 36 RLC fork is sick! Nothing more to say because years of quality products speak loud enough.

Lastly, I'd like to give a huge shout out of appreciation to Mike at Utah Mountain Biking for taking time on Friday evening to help complete the build. For any purchases you need, buy through him & support the website and the brick & mortar shop in Lehi, UT.

Mike, thanks for helping me out with the parts order and the build! Much appreciated buddy!

Mixed Weather of Emotion!

The weather is changing here in SLC. This weekend has been rainy, cold, and windy. All 3 combinations don't add up to very good riding weather. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings to the change in the weather. Yes, on one hand, I'm excited for the change because it means skiing is right around the corner. No, on the other hand, I'm not excited about it because it has made for a long weekend of being inside and NOT on the bike. The next few days do not look very promising either.

Early this year I made it a goal to ride at least 4 days per week until the fall when the weather change makes it difficult to ride. I'm proud to say I kept my goal. Between road and mountain, I did it. Some days I'd get home from work and would not want to ride because I was tired, bored, or something else. However, I stayed motivated by the goal which I set early in the year. For every ride I left the house feeling not up to it, I returned with fantastic feelings of accomplishment and was ALWAYS happy that I got a ride in.

This is the data from the year thus far for both road and mountain combined.....so those of you that are roadies that read this can think I'm slow; and the mountain bikers will think I'm pretty fast; regardless of what you like to ride, it makes little difference to me. Fast, slow, crash, jump, downhill, XC, dirt jumps, lift served......it's all good to me! I just like the feeling of riding regardless of what discipline.

When I'm not able to ride, I find myself scrambling for things to do. Of course there is always something to do, but I find myself feeling a bit out of place if the weather beats me to the punch and keeps the wheels from rolling. The weather this particular weekend has been a challenge. I've caught up on some sleep, done needed things around the house, caught up on errands, and a few other things which is good. However, I caught site of my mountain bike this afternoon and felt really bummed out that I haven't been riding since this past Friday. Yes, some might think that is silly because it has only been a couple of days but if you are one of these, then you just do not understand.

Riding is my way of dealing with life's challenges. I hope that I will always be able to ride my bike....it keeps me young in several ways! Some friendships are surrounded by the sport, others have been failed by it, but regardless it's something that I love!

Park City Dirt Jam-"It's gonna happen"!

Today was the Park City Dirt Jam. The weather this past week was a bit rainy and cold in Park City. However, with the help of a committed team of people the event was able take place.

I went up last night and helped Tate, Derick, & Bryce pump out standing water, push dirt around, and mash in the mud. My first thought last night upon arriving at the jumps was: "There is no way this is going to happen.". In fact, I said this to Tate, who had been working for his 3rd consecutive night and had already been working for 3 hours before I arrived. He simply replied without lifting the rake off the ground, "It's gonna happen".

I arrived at the dirt jumps early this morning. Tate & I started setting things up, hanging banners, & placing tarps along the entry way (still too muddy). A short time later, Derick and Bryce showed up with some plywood to place in the transition zones between the jumps. Shortly after that, several other friends, parents, pros, PC Employees, kids, and riders appeared.

It was amazing how many people grabbed shovels, rakes, brooms, plywood, and voluntarily helped prepare the jumps after the wet conditions. It was really cool to see how a free community event brings out the best in people. The feeling of determination was in the air! The weather wasn't going to prevent this event from taking place; "It's gonna happen".

The sponsors were in full force: Red Bull, Brother's Bikes, Bern, Park City Municiple Corp., Skullcandy, White Pine Touring, Mountain Trails, Haro Bikes, and several other businesses (sorry, I can't remember all of them because there were so many). Their generosity in providing SWAG to accomodate nearly all of the 200+ that were in attendance was impressive.

Local Pro who rides for Haro Bikes, Eric Porter, was there in full support of the effort just like the past several years.



Chris Van Dine, a Cannondale Factory Rider, was also on site. He was recovering from the participation at the Red Bull Rampage held last week. Check out the video's of him at: http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Chris-Van-Dine-at-Rampage-2010,3984/bturman,109

Thanks to the sponsers, employees, and everyone else who helped make this happen! "It happened", Tate, and it was awesome!

Super Sick Saturday's (SSS)

I wish that every day was like this Saturday. I woke up early and loaded the car and headed south to meet up with my buddy, Mike. We joined up and drove into American Fork Canyon. It was a cold start, but the ride was great. We had planned on riding a new trail in the area called Mill Canyon to Mud Springs:

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/trailguides/mud-mill-lp-tg.htm

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/50494052

The ride was awesome. We climbed right from the car which helped warm us up. Then, a little pressed for time, we descended down Tibble Fork Trail back to the car. Somewhere along the way, I broke a spoke on my rear wheel. No big deal, so on my way back home I stopped at Binghams Cyclery in Sandy, UT and they totally hooked me up, and quickly got me on my way.

So, I started driving home and I thought to myself: "Why am I going home...it's in the middle of the afternoon, and nothing is waiting for me at home." It was at that moment, instinct took over and I quickly made an illegal U-Turn, and headed to Corner Canyon for another ride.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/50494048

I wish everyday was as good as today was!

Tour of Utah

A few weeks ago, I was mountain biking in Park City with my brother and some other friends. While on the trail we met Morgan Schmitt. Turns out Morgan rides professionally for the United Health Care team. He is a very talented rider, and one of the nicest cyclist I have ever met. It was fun keeping track of his performance throughout the Tour of Utah. http://www.tourofutah.com/

Morgan himself:

This year's field was world class. George Hincapie was there, but crashed in the early stages and abandoned the race. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hincapie-in-first-phase-of-recovery-after-tour-of-utah-crash

Levi Leiphimer, the eventual winner of this years race, was also there. True to form following the Leadville 100 MTB race where he set a new course record, he won the "Toughest Stage Race in North America". http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/news/leipheimer-versus-the-world-at-tour-of-utah_134583

Taylor Phinney of the Trek/Livestrong Development team was also there. He is much bigger than many of the other riders.

Well, another year has come and gone. The Tour of Utah is just another reminder. Memories of Park City Main Street will remain vivid as an enjoyable venue to watch the Criterium. I captured some great photos, and enjoyed meeting up with an old friend from college.

Riding

Spring has been pretty good so far. Only a few days of rain, and a pretty good 10 day forecast coming up. Thus far, for April I averaged 3 days per week of riding. May was a little better at least up to this point. A few motivators that help include the following.


First I bought a new road bike.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45812&eid=4951&menuItemId=9257


My old bike is nice, but this one is super nice and I figured it was an okay gift to myself for tough times of past.

Second, I love riding with my new GPS. Garmin Edge 705 has some fantastic abilities and it's fun to connect to the website and keep track of all the statistics.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=160&pID=10885#

Lastly, I want to ride a century ride this summer. One I've considered in the past is the called the U.L.C.E.R. It's a ride around Utah Lake, and it would be fun to do. I've tried to recruite some friends, but at this point, I may go it alone. It is scheduled for August 7th this year.

Other motivators include some good friends that are fun to ride with, developing new friendships surrounded by riding, fitness, & mountain bike racing.

The most motivating of them all is: kicking Derick's, Tate's, Mike's, Scott's, Dennis', and the rest of the crews' butt AGAIN while riding up Puke Hill and the entire Wasatch Crest Trail.

SLC Supercross 2010

The AMA Supercross stopped in SLC for round 16 this past weekend. It was another fun Supercross experience. Hanging out with family and friends made this cold and wet Saturday evening memorable. The weather for the pits was cooperative, and as racing began, the weather turned to rain and didn't let up the entire night.

My nephews are well versed in Supercross. They know more of the riders than I do. I couldn't help but laugh when I asked Tragun who the riders were by their numbers.....he knew them and would correct me if I was wrong. Great times and fun memories!

http://www.supercross.com/race-results/ama-supercross-race-results/round-16-amafim-supercross-series-2010-salt-lake-may-1

Bike Trip & Zion NP (Spring 2010) plan

I will be venturing out on a solo mission as a weekend warrior to gain some introspection this spring. I've done many solo trips, and I always come back with a clear focus and renewed determination.

I'm putting together tentative plans for a mountain bike, and hiking trip in the Zion NP area of Southern Utah.

Bike Ride 1:

Bike Ride 2:

Bike Ride 3:


The plan is to ride in the morning and early evenings. I'll ride these trails a few times while I'm in the area. During the day, I'll do the scenic hikes in Zion NP and visit all the 'must see' sights that are easy to access from the road. I've never been to Zion NP, but from what I hear it is quite the place. I'll post pictures to prove the areas I visit.

Following this trip (since the main focus is to bike), I'll be coming back a couple weeks later and backpacking the West Rim in Zion NP. It will be a weekend trip, involving a commercial shuttle unless I'm lucky enough to hitch-hike a ride (or have a friend in the area to give me a lift to the trailhead).

I will post photographs along the way in Blogs to come.

This is only the beginning of the adventures that await me this summer. Others will include more biking, peak-bagging, backpacking, and whatever else I decide to do. This summer will be making up for lost time, and attaining adventure goals I've had for a couple of years. Should be fun!

Skiing, White Rim Trail, Life's challenges, and the unexpected

Okay, yeah I know, it's been a long time since I've posted. A lot of things have happened in the past several months, but only some of them are worth posting.

This winter has been the poorest snowfall year since I moved to Utah 7 winters ago. However, I'm still trying to make a dent in the number of days spent on the hill. I miss the days whereby I was skiing 100+ days a season. However, the cost of the "American Dream" limits the number of days I get to ski. So far this year, it's not been too many but I've made the best of what I've had.

New this year, I thought I would keep a log of the days I ski with the information recorded on my Suunto Wristop Computer (watch). Here is what I've done so far. Keep in mind I have about 5 to 6 more weeks of skiing at the resorts until places close for the winter; and most importantly and the highlight of the season, Snowbird with the Peart family is still ahead. I have the entire week off, and plan on skiing everyday!

I road the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands NP, Utah. It was a blast. Great company, and fun memories. I guess trips really are "once in a lifetime". Not because I can't do this trip again, but the company probably will not be the same given many reasons. Nonetheless, it was a great trip; one I'm happy I was able to participate in.

Someone once said, and as cliche' as it sounds, "The only thing that is certain in life is uncertainty". I have come to understand this more than any other time in my life. I suppose I'm okay with it, but to be honest, I just wish it wasn't this way.

However, I know the uncertainty in my life is what deepens my character as a person. I'm a good man, with tremendous talents, incredible kindness, and remarkable courtesy. Someday, people that once knew me will look back at life and recognize their mistakes.

As baseball players do, I too will stand in the batters box of life and continue to swing at the curveballs that life can throw. I'll go down swinging!

As Tom Petty sings, "It is Time to Move On".