Dawn to Dusk Mountain Bike Race

Things I learned from my first endurance Race

1.     Dress in layers. 

2.     Drafting works, but makes people uncomfortable.

3.     Tech sections that are fun on the first lap are misery on the last.

4.     The Bee Gees is the best music to have in your playlist.

5.     A 50-mile ride does not prepare you for a 100-mile ride. 

I can’t really tell you why I signed up for the Dawn to Dusk race.  I don’t even remember where I heard about it.   For some reason I thought riding my bike for 9 hours would be a worthwhile experience.  This kind of thinking has gotten me in trouble before.  I once thought that in order to kayak class V+ rivers, I just had to attempt a class V+ river.  That mistake almost killed me.  It seems some lessons are not easily learned. 

I really have no business racing.  I’m overweight, under skilled, and have much more important things to do (like study for the bar exam or play with my kids).  However, I am prone to restlessness and need a good challenge to keep me inspired.  Maybe that is why I signed up for the race.  Maybe it was the challenge to see if I could do something I shouldn’t be doing.  Either way, with a $100 PayPal charge and a few clicks of the mouse I was committed. 

To prepare for the race, I decided to ride my bike as much as possible during the day and research endurance racing on the web at night.  Slowly I started logging more miles on Strava.  I did a 24, 30, and 50-mile ride.  I also purchased a spin bike and began following the Sufferfest videos provided by Strava to premium members.  The Sufferfest videos are actually a fun way to sweat through a spin session.  They are mostly high intensity interval training (HIIT), and get you sweating in a hurry. 

A couple pictures from my training rides

During my training, I suffered two injuries.  One was a bruised or cracked rib.  I never had it x-rayed so I don’t know which it was.  The second was a laceration on my left elbow that required 4 stitches.  In the end, these were minor setbacks that had little affect on my race day performance.  I’ve participated in a number of dangerous sports, but mountain biking has provided me the most injuries to date.  I guess you have to pay to play.  

Moments before the stitches came out

At night I poured over websites like MTBR, Pink bike, Playing With Gravity, and Pfun with Pflug to find inspiration and advice.  Later, I read a ton of articles by Joe Friel, one of the race industries leading authorities on training.  Finally, I purchased the book The TimeCrunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael.  These resources gave me the intellectual foundation I needed to survive a long race.  A week before the race I watched a YouTube video of Rebecca Rusch.  Her tips on race day nutrition were a lifesaver and ultimately led to me completing my race without one muscle cramp.  I did suffer some menstrual cramps, but that was more a result of my genetic disposition. 

The day before the race was its own mini marathon.  I dropped Max off at school in the morning.  Then, I picked up my bike from Mick Wolf and Certified Bicycle Repair, who did a masterful job tuning it up for the race.  Next, I loaded up my gear and drove to Fountain Hills (2 hours) to drop it off at the race site.  I set up my EZUP tent and organized my 10 x 10 space.  Then, I changed into my MTB costume and rode a practice lap on the course.  I wanted to make sure that they race organizers had not re-routed anything.  Luckily the course was as I remembered and all was well in the world.  After my pre-ride, I registered for the race.  After waiting in line for 30 minutes, I was issued my race number and given my swag bag.  At Dawn to Dusk each participator gets their name silk screened onto the race shirt.  It’s a small touch, but a nice one.   After registering, I drove back up to Payson to attend my church’s Christmas Party.  The little kids put on a nativity program and Max played one of the farm animals.  He was super cute and made a mighty fine cow.  After the party was over, I got the kids to bed, kissed my wife goodnight, and drove back down to Fountain Hills.  Sleep came quickly, as I snuggled into my little Xbox for the night. 

 Dusk to Dawn Registration 

 The Xbox booth

 My accommodations for the night

Mr. Max dressed as a cow.

The morning of the race I woke up at 5 AM and hit the snooze button on my iPad every 10 minutes until 5:30 AM.  Once I found the courage to leave my sleeping bag, I began making preparations for the race.  I split my 12 water bottles into two groups.  Group A got distilled water; Group B got water with GU electrolytes.  On the table I laid out my box of GU gels, 5 Hour Energy drinks and Honey Stinger proteinbars.  For breakfast I forced myself to eat two cold pancakes my wife had prepared the day before and a banana.  Additionally, I drank a liter or water and ingested the day’s first GU gel. 

As the sun started to come up, I switched into my bib and jersey.  It was then that I realized I was under dressed.  This mistake would haunt me throughout the race.  I figured that once I started pedaling I would warm up, however I was dead wrong. 

Once at the starting line, I chatted with a 60 yr. old man who was competing in the race for the 4^th time.  He gave me some sound advice and wished me luck.  Once the horn rang out, I began the 2-mile road ride back to the staging area.  It was exciting to see the different types of riders take off from the starting line.  The solo riders tended to hang back a bit while the team riders sprinted out in front.  Determined not to let the excitement get the better of me, I settled into my normal pace and found myself in the middle of the pack. 

The first lap was interesting to say the least.  Riders were excited and many were really gunning to maintain a fast pace.  Everyone was respectful and in my 9+ hours of racing I didn’t witness one rude exchange.  It was during my first lap that I encountered a phenomenon that I had never experienced before . . . drafting.   Riding in a pack, I my front wheel was just inches from the rider in front of me.  It wasn’t that I was purposely trying to take advantage of the other riders; rather we were just riding in a tight group.  By the time I reached the end of the 1^st lap, I felt fresh and curious.  I looked down at my iPhone and saw that I had beaten my best time on the Pemberton loop.  Interesting. 

Lap two went just as well as the first loop.  My legs felt strong and I was able to maintain a strong pace.  After lap 2, I stopped at the staging area and exchanged by water bottles and restocked my GU gels.  Lap 3 came and went without issue, and then it happened.  As I began the climb of lap four, I felt like the air had been let out of my rear tire.  I even stopped to check the pressure to make sure my tubeless wheels were doing their job.  Everything checked out and the tires were fine.  That meant my legs were getting tired.  Bummer. 

I read on the web somewhere that you don’t want your longest ride to come during a race.  The reason being is it messes with you physiologically.  Sure enough, it was happening.  The first three laps had gone great, but I had completed three laps during my training rides.  It wasn’t until I crossed over into the unknown did everything feel harder. I managed to complete the 4^th lap and as I pulled into the staging area, I decided to take a significant break. 

Back at my tent, I ate a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich.  I threw on my heavy Patagonia jacket and Zion Cycles beanie and settled into my camp chair.  Sitting there my body wanted to take a nap but my mind kept telling me to keep going.  The older gentleman at the start of the race had warned me to not stop riding.  He said, “The longer you are off your bike, the harder it is to get back on.”  True to form, the longer I sat in my camp chair, the less enthusiastic I was to get back on my bike.  After 15 minutes, I forced myself up and resumed the busy work or changing out water bottles and GU packets.  I said goodbye to my comfortable chair and said hello to my rock hard Cannondale saddle. 

Lap 5 went well.  I was tired, but moving at a steady pace.  The short rest had reinvigorated me (to a degree) and I was feeling better then the 4^th lap.  One thing I noticed was that the tech sections that I looked forward to on the first few laps were getting harder and harder to ride.  Due to fatigue in my arms and legs, I really had to concentrate to find a smooth line.  As I saw several other riders lose concentration and crash, I was terrified the same outcome would befall me.  As fatigue set in, I once again made it through the downhill section and back into the staging area. 

As I rounded the chicane, I decided not to stop at my tent.  I knew if I stopped my race would be over.  Instead I continued back into the desert for what would be my last lap.  By now 8 hours of racing with nothing more then a jersey on had wreaked havoc on my respiratory system.   My breathing was heavy and I was coughing constantly.  Even though I was pedaling hard, I was cold.  The sweat of the afternoon had wet my jersey and as the sun went down, I felt my temperature drop further and further. 

The hardest part of the last lap was dealing with the race teams.  While the solo riders fought to maintain a decent pace, those racing in 4 man teams were fresh and powerful.  By now I was riding rather slow and it was tough to constantly pull to the side as riders who had just had 3 hours off, blew by.  It was at the top of the last lap that I saw the most heinous crash I have ever witnessed.  While attempting to stay on my bike for the last downhill section, a team rider flashed by me.  By now I was used to such  pass and didn’t give it much thought.  However, as I rounded a corner, I noticed cholla cactus scattered along the trail.  “That’s weird,” I thought.  Then I saw him, the same rider that had passed me moments earlier was literally covered from head to two in the eel like arms of a cholla cactus.  He looked dazed and bewildered.  I wanted badly to stop, but reasoned, A) There was nothing I could do to help him.  B) The sun was going down and the race crew would be doing a sweep of the course in less than an hour.  Feeling like a real dick, I continued by and didn’t even stop.  Sitting here now, I still feel bad about it. 

 Imagine being covered in these babies.  Not cool. 

After leaving the fallen warrior I continued down the trail and back into the staging area.  Crossing the finish line for the 6^th time, I looked down at my iPhone and a feeling of dread set in.  The odometer on Strava read 94 miles.   In order to reach my goal of 100 miles I would have to ride 6 more miles.  Uggggggg.  At that moment I did what any reasonable person would do.  I opened up iTunes and started playing my BeeGees playlist.  I grew up on the Bee Gees and to this day, their music always lifts my spirits.  Pedaling along the last few miles, the sounds of “Tragedy," “If I Can’t Have You" and “Jive Talkin” lifted my spirits.  At one point I felt very emotional and thought I was going to cry.  I was just a mile or two from reaching the goals I had set for myself months ago.  Once I reached the 3-mile mark, I turned around and headed back to the staging area.  I crossed the finish line again only this time I was going the wrong way.   The spectators standing nearby gave me curious looks, but I didn’t care.  I had reached my goal and pedaled over 100 miles. 

A screen shot from my iPhone

I returned to my car and decided it was best to stay on my feet.  I quickly changed out of my riding costume and into some warm jeans and a fleece jacket.   I managed to fit all of my gear back into my Xbox.  Just before leaving, I stopped by the Chipotle stand.  Chipotle had sponsored the event and as a result had decided to give all the participants free tacos.  After 9 hours of GU gels, those were by far the best tacos I have ever eaten.  Thoroughly exhausted, I drove back up to Payson, took a long hot shower, and passed out minutes later. 

Here is a short video of the race.  I documented my setup and the first lap of the race.  Enjoy. 

Dawn to Dusk from Arthur Evan on Vimeo.

T200 in the Snow

Beautiful Rim Country

T200 is a semi-secret trail located near Payson.  Legend has it,  a group of mountain bikers decided to drag their shovels through the ground until a trail appeared.  That's all I know, and that's all I want to know.  As a result, Payson now has a 6.8 mile loop just minutes from town.  The trail is a combination of twisty single track, technical moves over granite rock, and modest amounts of climbing and descending.

On this particular evening I was greeted with a small amount of snow covering the trial.  I have never ridden in the snow, so the experience was a part nerve-racking part exciting.  T200 has a way of biting back if you push it too hard, so I decided to take it nice and slow.  Riding in the snow was not all that difficult, the key was to keep the tires moving and not break too hard.

Payson is famous for its evening sky, and this evening was another example of how the setting sun likes to dance off of the mountains.  I took a few pictures with the iPhone 5s, but they really don't do it much justice.

If you're ever in Payson, be sure to visit our local bike shop.  Once there, buy yourself some gels and chain lube and they will be happy to give you directions to the T200 trial.  In the mean time, enjoy the photos and short video.



T200 with a little snow. from Arthur Evan on Vimeo.

The Unexpected Field Trip to South Mountain

On Thursday, I was notified that my AZ Bar Strategies class was canceled.  Excited to have two unexpected hours of daylight, I raced in our minivan from Downtown Phoenix to South Mountain.  South Mountain is known for its rocky terrain, which makes both the assents and descents exciting.  After a quick change into my MTB costume, I began my climb of the Javelina Trail.  Javelina is a short trail (roughly 2 miles), but it has some challenging sections and a bit of exposure.  From the top of Javelina, I continued up the Mormon Trail.  Since I was running out of daylight and needing to get back to school, I turned around at the National junction and bombed back down to the car.  The results were a rather quick yet fullfilling ride.




Mountain Biking Down the Mormon and Javelina trails on South Mountain from Arthur Evan on Vimeo.

Back to Horton Creek

It's the day after Thanksgiving. I woke up this morning feeling the affects of too much turkey and pie. My wife was kind enough to take the kids for the morning and give me a pretty big window to go ride.  I decided to except her kindness and head back up to Horton Creek.

The trail was pretty wet from the recent snow, but luckily it was not muddy.  I was able to putter up the trail on my Firebird without too much effort.  Once at the top I strapped on my new 661 pressure suit and full face helmet.  Why all the DH gear you ask?  Well in the last month I have broken (or bruised) my ribs and put a sizable gash in my elbow that required stitches.  I'm just 2 weeks away from a 12 hour race and I really don't want to get hurt again.  I'm not saying the added protection will prevent me from getting injured, but it can only help.  Safety first right?

 Love my Pivot Firebird

 A little snow but no mud

Is this Horton Creek or the Redbull Rampage?  

The decent was fast and fun.  I didn't break any Strava records, but I wasn't really trying to either.  I just wanted to flow on my Firebird and enjoy the nearly 7 inches of travel.  I've been so focused on riding my SS that I nearly forgot how fun it is to ride a full suspension bike.  Jumping the rollers and crashing through the rocky sections had me grinning from ear to ear.  The hour of climbing it took to experience the 20 minutes of downhill was well worth the effort.

I made a quick GoPro video of my ride.  I hate GoPro videos, but given my limited time, it was the best I could do.  Maybe one day I can get the crew from Payson to come up and we'll shoot a proper video.  That said. . . Enjoy.





Horton Creek Near Payson, AZ from Arthur Evan on Vimeo.

50 Miles

In preparation for riding in the Dawn to Dust race, I decided to ride 50 miles to see how it felt.  Prognosis:  It wasn't that bad.  I plan to ride over 100 miles during the race.  I'm excited for the challenge.  Just a couple weeks ago my longest ride was 22 miles.  Crazy!

This is going to hurt

Recently, we received our first winter storm here in Payson. Just days before Thanksgiving I decided to sneak in a lunchtime ride on the T200 trail.  I ride this trail 2-3 times a week and I thought I knew it well.  Although the ground was wet, the granite surface did a great job of wicking the recent moisture.  After changing out of my lawyer costume into my mountain bike costume, I pedaled off into the forest.

I rode the downhill well and even got a PR on Strava for the DH section.  Go me.  Just before you get to the T200 loop there is a couple of gullies you must ride through.  I crested the top of a small roller where I was faced with a quick decent into a stream bed full of small rocks.  Generally, I let go of the breaks, hit the rocks with speed and momentum, and then power up the next roller.  Today when I hit the rocks, my front tire was deflected into a large boulder and I was sent over the handlebars and into the creek bed.  The fall hurt like hell, but after a quick self assessment, I decided I was okay and continued my ride.

When I returned to the car I took off my long sleeve jersey and discovered my sleeve was covered in blood.  I knew I had hit my elbow, but didn't think it was hat bad.  I used some distilled water I had in the car and cleaned the wound.  I then placed two baby wipes over the "scratch" to stop the bleeding. When I returned to the office I placed a large bandage on the wound and didn't think about it again.

That night,  after feeding and putting the kids to bed I decided to show my wife my new bike injury.  I thought I was just being cute until I saw the look on her face.  She said to me, "That looks terrible, you need to go to the hospital."  I disagreed but upon her insistence, I called some of my more experienced friends to get their opinion.  After talking to my friend Hans, I was convinced I should go to the hospital.

At the ER, I was well taken care of.  They cleaned me up, x-rayed me, and gave me 4 stitches.  Now, a few days removed from the injury, I am a little sore but otherwise fine.  However, you can bet I'm going to start wearing my elbow pads for awhile.  At least until I forget all about the injury and I feel invincible again.

 Just a flesh wound

 My version of proper medical care

Waiting for the seamstress to fix me up

Horton Creek

Today, I rode with the Payson ride group.  We met at a convenient store in Star Valley, where we loaded up on drinks and snacks.  Afterwards, we piled into Matt's truck and drove up Hwy 260 towards the Mogollon Rim.  In the truck, Matt asked if I had ever ridden the Horton Creek Trail.  I told him that I had not, but that I had heard a lot about it.  In fact, the day before the ride I asked Mick whether I should take my SS or my Firebird.  Mick suggested the Firebird and I'm glad he did.

We drove about 25 minuted up towards the trail head.  The higher we climbed up the rode, the more the scenery transformed into lush forest.  Fall is quickly changing into winter here, but there remains smalls bursts of orange, red, and yellow leaves on the trees.  At the trailhead, we changed into our riding gear and prepared for our assent. Soon, we made our way onto the dirt trail covered in fall leaves and pine needles.  Paralleling the trail is Horton Creek.  The water in the creek comes from a natural spring that spills small amounts of water into the creek bed throughout the year.   Riding up the trail with the sound of running water and rustling trees is a pleasant experience.  It made me glad I had left my headphones at home.

The trail itself is mostly dirt and rock, with the occasional tree root.  It was a welcome site after riding so much in the desert.  The trail winds through the forest at a steady incline.  There are a few sets of switchbacks that test your lungs, but overall the climb is managable.  After three miles or so, the trail gets steep for one last pitch, where it terminates into the Highline Trail.  At the top, there is a nice flat area near the creek where we caught our breath, drank our water, and prepared for the decent back to the truck.

The decent was thrill ride filled with technical rock gardens, root jumps, and pine tree slaloms.   The boys kept a nice fast pace and did a good job showing me the lines.  I did go over the bars on a slow steep section, but it was a low impact fall that didn't leave a scratch.  Once back at the truck, I was all smiles.  I felt like someone had let me in on a fantastic secret.  I had no idea we had such fun trails near Payson.  Horton Creek is one trail I can't wait to ride again and hope to ride often.  I'm not sure if the winter weather will a make riding up there unpleasant, but I can't wait to find out.

Strava Data.

 Trees- a nice break from desert riding.

Matt contemplating riding his bike over the creek.

The Chipotle Dawn to Dusk 12-hour Race

It is official, I have signed up for the Chipotle Dawn to Dusk mountain bike race.  This will be the first in a series of "firsts" for me.  It will be my first time doing a race over 17 miles, it will be my first time riding over 25 miles, it will be my first time riding longer then 4 hours, and it will be my first time wearing spandex.

The race takes place on the Pemberton trail in the McDowell Mountain Park.  The trail is a 16 mile loop, in the desert near Fountain Hills.  The rules of the race are simple; the person who completes the most laps in 12 hours wins.  In preparation for the race, I have set two goals.  First, I will ride the race on my single speed.  Second, I want to ride over 100 miles (7 laps).

This race is going to hurt and its going to hurt a lot, but I can't wait.  I'm hoping that in the process of training for Dawn to Dusk, I will learn more about nutrition, training regimens, and how to suffer well.    If nothing else, it will give me a good excuse for getting in better shape and getting lots of saddle time.

I'll try to post some of my training here on the blog.  I already did a test ride of the Pemberton Trail, and learned that I need a higher gear on the SS.  I was spinning too much in the flat sections of the course, and my laps were too slow.  I have since switched from a 32x21 to a 34x20 setup.  This week I plan on doing three laps or 48 miles. Not only do I want to test my legs, but I also want to test my nutrition plan.  I've been researching endurance racing online, and I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to keep my body fueled during the race.  These longer rides will help me test my plan and make adjustments as needed.

Wish me luck.

Strava Data from my First loops on Pemberton

12 hours on this trail can't be too bad.  Right?

Some of last years participants 

Lots of spandex 

What is the head angle on that glock?

I grew up in Payson, but I have not lived in the area since 1996.  Needless to say, 18 years in CA will change a person's views on the world.  I only bring this up, because this week as I was riding on Trail 200, I spotted another mountain biker.  Although I am aware that Payson has a fairly active group of mountain bikers, this was my first time seeing one out in the wild.  As we pulled closer to one another, I noticed what appeared to be a GoPro chest mount on the approaching rider.  However, to my surprise, the other mountain biker was carrying a chest holster for a handgun.  In AZ it is legal to carry a weapon on your person in public, as long as the weapon isn't concealed.  I was aware of the law, but after being in CA for so long I had forgotten.  In CA, such an act would get you arrested.  In AZ, its apparently no big deal.

I made small talk with the heat packing biker, and never made mention of his "little friend."  After we said our goodbyes I was left thinking about the encounter.  What surprised me, was that I was asking all the wrong questions in my head.  I wasn't asking "why was that guy caring a gun?" or "what is out here that he felt he needed a gun to protect himself?"  No, no, no.  The first question to enter my mind was, "why would he want to carry around all that extra weight?"  I guess even an old Payson boy still has a lot of things to get used to.  

Diamond in the Rough

My entire childhood I lived in the shadows of a beautiful mountain that we call Diamond Point.  The mountain is littered with off road trails that hunters, off-road vehicles, and hikers have explored for years.  I myself have explored many of these trails with my brothers on our 4-wheelers.  There is one trail/road in particular that we have made countless trips on.  The trail/road is called Lion Springs Road.  It is so named because there is a natural spring that seeps a small stream of water into the creek bed year round.

As a child, I didn't ride mountain bikes, so the thought of exploring Diamond Point on a bike never crossed my mind.  We had "quads" why would we ride a bike?  Recently, I thought it would be fun to change things up and take my new Pivot Firebird out for a spin on Lion Springs road.  The experience ended up being more challenging then I imagined.


I left my dad's house at 9 A.M. and rode Pinon street down to a connector trail that parallels the highway.  After a short time, I was at the bottom of Lion Springs Road. I began my journey up the sandy trail as it traversed creek beds, granite hills, and pine tree outcroppings.  The trail climbs steadily, but I rarely felt like I was climbing anything of consequence.  The trail stays low and is often buried deep in a washed out creek bed.  Then all at once, it lifted out of the forest and I found myself on a scenic plateau with views of the entire mountain range.

I continued to climb virtually straight up Diamond Point Mountain until I was being stared down by a menacing steep pitch that I knew was unridable.  After a short internal debate, I decided to continue to the top with my bike.  I figured that there might be a trail at the top of the mountain that I would want to explore, so I might as well bring my bike.  Part of me also thought I might be able to ride the Firebird back down the steep section.  However, not everything you see in the Red Bull Rampage contest is possible for us mere mortals.

The view from the bottom of the last pitch

With that I threw the Firebird on my back and began the hike-a-bike up to the summit of Diamond Point.  The trail was was mixture of loose rock, sand and sun baked dirt.  I had to delicately dance around cactus while plowing through manzanita branches.  It was difficult climbing, but the view improved dramatically with each step.  Finally, I crested the top of the mountain side and took in the spoils.  From the top, the view of "Rim Country" was spectacular.

I love this creepy tree sticking out of the mountain side

 I could see Payson, Granite Dells, and the Matazal Mountains in one clear frame.  I snapped a few pictures on my iPhone and then proceeded to explore the mesa atop Diamond Point Mountain.  Unfortunatel, the road I found was a little too rock strewn for comfortable riding and I ended up snapping not only a spoke, but also my chain.

 Repair Time

Broken Chain Links

After a few minutes of fussing with the chain breaker, I was able to convert the Firebird into a single speed and continue on with my journey.  After the repair, I abandoned any thoughts of exploration and decided to tuck tail and ride home.  I made a couple of vain attempts at riding down the steep trail, but it proved to be too loose and too steep for my skill level.  Once I reached a more ridable section of trail, I was able to slowly make my way back down Lion Springs Road and return safely home.  It was a fun adventure that put a new twist on some old familiar trails.

 The Firebird standing proud after the repair job

 Look close and you can see the trial I just climbed

 The Diamond Point Fire Tower in the distance

Time to head back down

A Panorama of the entire area.  Beautiful.

The Phoenix Loop and Training

Mick owns the local bike shop here in Payson, Bicycle Adventurers.  He recently turned me on to the Strava iPhone app.  All I knew about Strava was that it has caused a big firestorm in the MTB community, because some riders are failing to use proper trail etiquette while attempting to become the King of the Mountain (KOM).  Nevertheless, I downloaded the app and began using it a few days before the Fire on the Rim Race.  Strava really helped me prepare for the race, and as a result I beat my time from the previous year by almost an hour.

Lately, I have been using Strava to explore new trails, get faster on old trails, and track my progress in general.  There is a loop here in Payson called the Phoenix loop.  It is part of Trail 200, which is a user built trail just south of town.  The Phoenix Loop is exactly two miles long and climbs about 500 feet. The trail is semi technical and a lot of fun. The first time I explored the trail, it took me about 45 minutes.    Once I learned the lines I started to race myself using Strava.

After a few days, I broke into the top 10 on the leader-board and today I sit at #8.  My friend Matt Sopeland is KOM for the Phoenix Loop, as well as most trails in Rim Country.  His time is 14:42.  My best time is 20:06.  I'd like to tell you that I'm so much slower because I am riding a single speed, but the reality is that I'm just not in the best of shape, and Matt is an amazing rider.  Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to fixing the problem, so with that, I have began training.

 My goals are simple, I want to get fit and become a stronger rider.  I'm not looking for KOM's, but I do hope to see steady improvement.  My first goal is to complete the Phoenix Loop in under 19 minutes.  In order to accomplish this goal, my first objective will be to get better at climbing.  I have yet to complete the Phoenix Loop without pushing a few sections.  Typically, I get halfway through the climb, my heart rate blows up, and I end up pushing.  I just never seem to have the lungs to get me to the top.  I know its only 500 feet, but there is some exciting single track leading into the climb.

I recently created a training schedule that I hope will help me improve my endurance.  The schedule includes a lot of intervals and a lot of climbing.  The plan does not necessarily involve riding long distances, rather I'll be riding short sections at 85-95% effort.  I plan to ride 5 days this week and then race myself on the Phoenix Loop at the the end of the week.  Again, I'm just pushing myself with the ultimate goal of getting in better shape and improving my overall riding ability.  I'll post the results here if and when I start to see some improvement.

The Phoenix Loop

The Leader-board

Southern Utah 2013

Last year my friend Jeff invited me on a mountain bike trip to Southern Utah.  Simply put, the trip was amazing.  When Jeff invited me again this year, I jumped at the chance to ride the slick rocks of southern Utah.   I left Payson, AZ on Thursday October 2nd and drove 6 hours up to Gooseberry Mesa.  The drive took me through some beautiful country including Flagstaff, Jacob's Lake and the strange town of Colorado City.

After arriving, I was greeted with strong winds from the north and cooler temperatures then expected.  Despite the high winds, I quickly changed into my riding gear and hopped on the Single Speed.  I was a little hesitant to ride the SS at Gooseberry.  The trails at Gooseberry are fairly technical and the lack of suspension made me nervous.  To my surprise, the SS was a joy to ride.  Having a stiff gear available at all times paid off on many occasions.  I was able to power over the various sections and the 29er wheels allowed me to take hits without too much discomfort.

Riding Gooseberry is a unique experience that cannot be duplicated.  You never really climb or descend.  Instead, you roll along the trail tackling rocky obstacles and following the white dots spray painted on the rocks.  Although you do not ride a long distance, the miles you cover are difficult and quickly sap your energy.

Jeff, Julie, and I rode the South Rim Trail Thursday evening.  Julie had a freak accident that sent her down hard into the rocky ground.  She was not injured, but the fall ended her ride for the day.  She decided to peel off the trail and rode the White Trail back to the truck.  Jeff and I continued on and had fun chasing each other.

The next day the rest of the San Diego crew arrived and we all rode Gooseberry again.  Peter, Mark, Alan, Gerry from San Diego and Pat and Annie from Fresno.  I decided I wanted to ride platform pedals on my SS instead of my Crankbrothers Mallets.  Just before our ride I swapped pedals and began to warm up for the ride.  Jeff wanted to explore the new trail that splits off of the Windmill trailhead.  The trail was a mixture of dirt and rock and had the same feel as Little Creek.  We rode several miles before my left pedal loosened.  I thought I had bent the axel decided to keep riding.  I tried to continue on, but within a mile or so, the pedal would no longer stay in the crank arm.  At that point, I turned around and limped back to the trail head.  Jeff was able to wrangle a tourist into giving me a ride back to my car.  The tourist was very nice and even fed me some fresh veggies.  Later in the day, I took the bike to Zion Cycles. The owner of the bike shop was wonderful and replaced the crank arm on the spot and had me back up and running in 30 minutes.

On Saturday we decided to ride out at Little Creek.  I again opted for the SS but quickly realized it may have been the wrong choice.  The bike handled the terrain just fine, but the rough riding was hard on my body.  Luckily for me, the gearing on my SS was spot on and I was able to climb almost all of the features.  We rode the entire Little Creek loop in the counter clockwise direction and accumulated a total of 15 miles of total riding.  15 very technical, rocky, and sometimes sketchy miles.

On the way back to the hotel, Mark's car was involved in a collision with an ATV.  The accident resulted in a broken tie rod, which forced Mark to have his car towed off of the mesa.  We eventually made it back to the hotel happy that everyone was safe and uninjured.  We ended the day barbecuing tri-tip and pork loin.  A great meal to cap off a great ride.

Sunday we again returned to Gooseberry and rode the Hidden Canyon, YellowTrail, South Rim and North Rim.  This time I took out the Pivot Firebird.  I've had the Firebird for a little over a week but have not had any quality time in the saddle.  After hours of exploring the Gooseberry trails, the Firebird and I bonded, and I started to really get in sync with the bike.  Having the extra travel made the riding much more comfortable.  The Firebird begs to be ridden hard and it ate up all of the technical descents.

Late Sunday afternoon we drove over to the Jem Trail.  Pat and I raced down the 8+ miles of buff downhill single track.  Again the Firebird killed it.  Pat is very strong and fast.  He held a solid lead on me until we reached some technical sections.  That was where the Firebird shined.  I was able to just let go of the breaks and let the suspension suck up whatever the trail threw at it.  The ride was fast and thrilling and both Pat and I loved every minute of it.

On Monday, I said goodbye to my California friends and began the 6 hour drive home.  I decided to stop off in Sedona for a bit of red rock sweetness.  I parked at the Bike and Bean and rode Sim Shady, Templeton, Highline Waterfalls, and the Baldwin trail.  The ride was only 13 miles, but after 4 days of hard riding, I was spent.  I drove home that night tired and sore.  I laid down to watch some Monday night football and was sound asleep minutes later.

This year's trip to Utah was amazing.  Like last year, I left Utah feeling that I was a better rider then when I arrived. With the trip behind me it is time to focus back on school and get ready for midterms.  Thanks again to Jeff, Julie, and the entire CA crew for inviting me on the trip.  It was unforgettable.