Ok, I'll do it this time...

For a long time, like in the past few years, I've always planned to go down to Bryce Canyon or Brian Head to do some trails I really wanted to do but never got the chance to but don't ever know why. This year, I will make that goal again. I'm going to do it! They are just short trails but I really want to do them. I've never seen Bryce Canyon and there's a chance this summer. I've been to Brian Head before many times on my bike but wanted to do these trails I haven't done for a long time. Here's the four trails I really want to do and my goal is to at least to do two of them!

Thunder Mountain Trail, Bryce Canyon, UT

Cassidy-Lossee Loop, Bryce Canyon, UT(world class!)

Lowder Ponds Loop, Brian Head, UT

Scout Camp Loop, Brian Head, UT
(I have done this trail many times at the bike races years ago, but want to do it again)

Well, I was just checking out maps and trails in some cool mountain biking website and pretty sure these are the trails I really want to do this summer. Brian Head is the least favorite. I don't really have much interest in Park City, UT riding in any other areas close to that this year. I will still ride there for bike races and such, and I want to do some Southern Utah high plateaus kind of riding this year. There are less crowds in southern Utah and they do look like great trails to do for a change.

Atomic ride in St. George

On the morning of January 28th, it was a brittle cold of 9 degrees here in Ephraim. I wasn't worried about it because I was heading down south to ride bikes! My mom and I headed down to St. George on my Subaru with our heated seats and listened to book on tape all the way down. After 3 hours or so, we were down there and it was nice of 54 degrees, I couldn't wait to do some riding and I started on the Santa Clara trailhead and rode a good 3 hours.

First, I did the Connector trail that climbed up the Barrel Roll trailhead because the road is not a very fun road to ride on for a car. After 1.5 miles, I was ready to roll! I did Sidewinder, Barrel Roll, then all the Rim trails. Rim Reaper, Rim Rambler, Rim Rock, and Rim Runner.

....Top of Sidewinder(my favorite climb!)

....technical section of Barrel Roll

Rim Rock....

The Connector, Sidewinder, and Barrel Roll took me an hour and a half and all the Rim trails took me another hour. So total miles: 19.30 miles and total time: 2.5 hours

I had a real blast and so far this was my favorite ride in St. George! My mom stole my car while I was on my ride and took a walk in the nice weather, and also read a book. We ate at Applebees in Cedar City on the way home and continued to listen the book on tape. She said she enjoys the drive down and to be in the warm weather. I enjoyed riding by bike around and we were all happy. What a great day trip!

2012 ICUP/USCS/UCA Mountain Bike Race Schedule

2012 is here and time to start a new year! This year, I plan to do a few races. Hope I can because last year turned out to be a nightmare. I was burned out by spring last year which ruined my season and ended up doing only 2 races. This year, I tried not to ride as hard in the winter and take it easy. The only hard rides I did this off season was the 3 St. George trips but none of any kind of training at home. I feel better now and hope I can finish good this season. Here's my race schedule for this year for mostly ICUP and 2 USCS and 1 UCA races I might want to do. I won't do them all but I want to do at least 4 or 5 of them this year or maybe more would be good. I signed up to be in the Mad Dog Cycles Race Team again this year and signed up for a 3 race commitment. My race schedule:

March 3-Green Valley, St. George, UT
April 7-Green Valley, St. George, UT
April 28-Lambert Park, Alpine, UT (USCS)
May 5-Five Mile Pass, Lehi, UT
May 12-Sundance Resort
May 19-Soldier Hollow, Heber City, UT
May 28-Draper, UT
June 9-Deer Valley Resort(UCA)
June 23-Round Valley, Park City, UT (USCS)
June 30-Sherwood Hills, Logan, UT
July 7-Snowbird Resort
July 28-Solitude Resort
August 4-Snowbasin Resort

Here's to a good season, hope I can do at least 3!

January Joke

Is this a January joke? Holy cow, never thought in this world I would see some dust in Ephraim, UT in the middle of January. Yesterday, I went up to Black Hill Wildlife Management Area to do some mountain biking. Amazingly, this dry winter made this place unusual. I have ridden my mountain bike on these trails in February like 4 or 5 years ago but never in January. I had a blast though. Logged in 8.75 miles in 55 minutes. The trails were fun but not as fun as some trails I have been riding on in St. George this winter but heck, they are right in my backyard. There were a few spots with snow and mud on the north slopes but ridable.

I guess they have officially called these trails "trails" since a group of motorbikers made them in the past few years and the state put signs up. I don't know if mountain bikers are allowed on them though. Since motorbikers are riding on some mountain bike trails which mountain bikers made in other places around here, I guess I could. Got to share!

St. George Addiction

....top of Rim Runner with Stucki Springs down below.









Went back, definitely. Since I am not doing much work this month because construction work is always slow during the winter. So, I am not going to sit on my butt and do nothing. It's cold in Ephraim and warm in St. George, I went to St. George to bike. This time I've decided to do the Rim Rock trail series. The 7 miles of trails consist of Rim Reaper, Rim Rambler, Rim Runner, and Rim Rock, plus the connector trail. They are all in the Santa Clara Desert Preserve which was a pretty area. Distance: 13.5 miles Time: 1.5 hours Lot's of climbing!




....the trails are on top of this mesa on the left, view from Stucki Springs trail down below on the day after.








......Rim Reaper start.

.....Rim Rambler

The next day, I decided to finish off my biking trip by riding on Stucki Springs/Snakepit Loop again, this time I did it backwards. This direction has way more climbing but I needed it! What a blast, I am still thinking about it right now and I am also worn out. Stucki Springs: Miles-19.25 Time-2 hours.







Map of the Rim Rock Trails....

St. George Blast

....top of Sindwinder Trail in the Santa Clara Preserve

On a cold day of December 30th....not! I went down to St. George, UT where it was really warm and nice. So, I went and did some solid mountain biking on some trails I have never done. The first day I did the Sidewinder Trail climb, Barrel Roll Loop, and Precipice. Sidewinder was all switch backs all the way to the top of a hill with a good view at the top. Then I went ahead and did Barrel Roll, so fun and technical, lot's of drops and also good climbing. Total miles: 11.25 Time: 1.5 hours

Barrel Roll....

Stucki Springs Trail has been around for a long time and it is well over-used. I did this and Snakepit the next day. This was my first time on Stucki Springs and I thought it was a fun, fast speed, roller coaster ride. I was trying to look for Snakepit Trail but I couldn't find it, they didn't put up signs for this trail yet. So, I did the whole Stucki Springs Loop then found Snakepit Rim and Snakepit and the south side of Stucki Springs Loop. I went ahead and did Snakepit Rim and Snakepit and they were a blast. Total miles: 19.25 miles. Time: 2 hours. One more thing, I thought I saw a 5 year old on a bike with training wheels going down the 3 Fingers of Death section on Bear Claw Poppy Trail. Is it true?....or was I seeing things? I don't know but that kid was brave.

Snakepit Trail....

What a great weekend and a great ending for 2011! I would go back again soon and try some more new trails.