Farewell old freezer, farewell...

Well, that's it. The 60 something year old freezer ended it's life(almost, we actually ended it's life). The old ugly green freezer left the basement and went to the dump on August 10, 2010. It was in the exact same spot since the house has been built something like 33 years ago and was in grandparents house before that. Grandma and grandpa Barlow bought this freezer when dad was a little kid and it's been working ever since. It still works today but the lid fell off a few months ago. It's just impossible to fix the lid(door). But the motor works just as dandy! I have a lot of memories of the freezer, it always had ice cream in it, also otter pops, frozen pizza, meats, etc. It was so nice to be in the basement watching tv during the summer months and walk like 10 steps into the laundry room and grab a ice cream bar from the freezer. The freezer kept the bar frozen, nice, and good. Well, I thought about this freezer today and it made me sad for some reason. Freezer, you fed me good and I will miss you.

2010 Rock The Canyons video...

ICUP finale at The Canyons...

This was the last race of the season this year and it was a great one except the part where Ryan ran over my front wheel. This course is the same trail as last year but we did it backwards this year, this time it was a lot easier I thought. It was shorter than I thought too, they were going to have it longer like go up the service road some more then go back down on the right side of the road but they decided not to do that for safety reasons. So we just took the service road up to Ambush and climbed on Ambush then went down on Rob's and Rosebud's Heaven. It was an all right course but short. On the starting of the downhill on Rob's, a few professional riders passed me then like the third guy wanted to pass me was in my class, I heard him say something behind me and I thought he said, "move over". So I immediately moved over because I thought he was another guy in the Pro class. So I moved over and then ran into an aspen sticking out over the trail a little bit. My shoulder hit it so hard, well my hand first, then I swung way over the other side of the trail and did a soft landing(thank goodness for some crash landing techniques from the bike magazine), but worst of all my bike was still on the trail and it was Ryan that ran over my front wheel and tacoed it. I immediately got back on my bike and finished the race. At the finish line, he said he was sorry but I was just glad he didn't run over me. I guess that's what racing's all about, broken parts. I am hoping my wheel will get fixed tomorrow, at least the rim will hold off for the rest of the season then I could ask for a new rim for Christmas or something. Well, I had fun and finished 5th again.

Snowbasin Bash

Now this race, I thought I did good because I really tried this time and had one of the funnest races in my career. Before starting, I warmed up for 45 minutes or so and I felt pretty good and was ready to roll. I got my heart rate up and started really good. I passed Aaron, Ryan, and another guy on the service road at the starting of the race but I couldn't catch up with Greg, nobody can. So I held on 2nd place on the singletrack like during the first 30 minutes, about halfway of the race then Ryan and Aaron passed me right where the half loop splits. Then I tried to keep up with them but I was more like 2-3 minutes behind them at the end. At the top, I saw Ladd and I was going to catch up with him and I did at the last part of the climb. He did start 3 minutes earlier than I did so I was pleased to catch up with him. On the fun downhill, Ladd and I literally tried to pass this guy that was in front of him, the guy was going slower but trying to pass somebody going downhill is somewhat impossible. But we never did pass him at all. At the finish after a dusty downhill, I never felt so tired and thirsty because I ran out of water at the top and I didn't slurp down a gel during the race, I should have though. It's really hard to get in the jersey pocket with all the singletrack riding and grab a gel and eat it. I need to sometime just slow down for a few seconds and do that so I can have energy for the remaining of the race. It was a hot, dusty, rocky race and I loved it! There were not really major steep climbing, just a fun middle chain ring twisty singletrack climb. Everybody else liked it and I hope they will have it again next year. I actually stayed and got a 5th place ribbon!

Saturday morning Pioneer Trail bike ride...

After a bad race last week, I was more careful what I ate before I rode on my rides all week this week(I threw up a lot at the Solitude race). I rode a lot on my road bike to work and back and logged in 60 miles(3 days this week). I was able to squeeze in a hard mountain bike ride Wednesday afternoon after work and did 2 laps of the Flume Trail, in 100 degree temperature. I did feel a little dizzy after that ride but I did well. Then this morning, I wanted to do a long hard ride from my house and up Ephraim Canyon and go down the Pioneer and Flume trails. For sure I would go early in the morning when it's cool. I don't want to die of heat stroke or something. Also, I was more careful what I ate this morning because I wanted to do a full ride. When I started about 7:30, I slurped up a Power Gel and ate a half of a banana, then later in the ride I ate a Clif bar. I felt way better I was more relaxed during the climb. I took the new uphill singletrack until Major's Flat then rode up the canyon road until the Pioneer Trail turnoff. It took me an hour and 30 minutes from my house. The Endurolytes I took before and during the ride really helped me keep going(electrolyte pills). Worth taking, and kept my energy going, also slurping another Power Gel after one hour kept me crankin' up. At the top, I was really happy to make it up, it was a great climb.

Going down the Pioneer Trail today was the first time I rode it this year. I could have done it earlier in the year but I had all those races almost every weekend. Anyways, going down the Pioneer Trail, I was really amazed in the conditions, it was really packed down and smooth. I was amazed how many people went down it this year. Really great bike trail and my bridges I built about 10 years ago are still up! It was a nice trail and I am planning to do it again next week! I love the trail! Then I finished the ride on the Flume trail and I logged in 16 miles today. So I got about 29 miles of mountain biking this week.

Solitude; DNF race...

Me after throwing up...
I thought about it in the past few days after the race, this is actually my first race in my 40 race career, that I did not finish. At the first of the race, I kind of felt fine and was going all right, I was staying in 3rd place and slowly catching up the first 2 guys in my class for a while. But then after a few minutes, my stomach was so nervous that I couldn't pedal, I couldn't feel the circulation in my legs and arms. I never felt that way before, maybe before a long time ago though. But I knew something was wrong. So I barely pedaled up this steep hill climb for about a half mile, with a nervous stomach and all but it felt really weird. Then at the end of the service road, where the singletrack started, I literally stopped and felt like throwing up, like big time. So I just threw up like I had a flu or something and I was throwing up cheerios, bagel, orange juice, and water. I threw up like 5 or 6 times, like a lot I remember. All the racers that were behind me passed by and asked me if I was ok, I said, ya I'm fine. I felt better and wasn't so nervous anymore but I didn't have enough energy to finish the race, maybe just do one lap. So I decided to finish the lap(it was a two lap race) and take it easy and let everybody passed by. There was a lot of climbing left to do and so I had a fun first lap race. I enjoyed the downhill and stuff. Now that was the most worst race I ever experienced and I wish I would have felt better, I wish I know what it is why I threw up. Could be the Cheerios, because I am not used to riding with Cheerios, maybe too much orange juice because I remember I drank more orange juice than I usually do. Could be just bad food. I don't know but next time, I got to take my own food and eat the breakfast I usually eat before a ride. Not motel food.

At the bird 2010!

This race at Snowbird was an excellent race except I crashed everywhere on the singletrack but I still finished. Still I didn't good as last year, 3 minutes slower. I was expecting a better time than last year but I guess it didn't turn out good. I was just going all over the place and I needed more practice on that same course, it was pretty technical.

I decided to do the Clydesdale class on this and planning on it for the rest of the season, you have to be 220 pounds in this class and I am barely 220 pounds. This class usually goes about 3-4 more miles than the beginner and there are some pretty strong riders in this class.

I had a good start and held in 3rd place during the whole first lap then I wrecked and just didn't have it anymore so 2 other guys in my class passed me on the 2nd lap. I ended up in 5th place out of six. I would have felt better if I got 3rd though, I kept thinking in the last few days, "maybe I should have pushed harder, I would have stayed in 3rd", but I guess I also got thinking that I should still feel good about myself and give myself a pat on the back for finishing the race and had a blast doing it.