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.

"We are not 18 anymore."

I guess I talked to another long time fellow biker friend that got me into racing years ago just a few days ago. He is here in town for Christmas and I went to go visit him. We were talking a lot about our bike adventures and how we are doing on our own races and such. I did tell him I had a bad year this year and told him I still rode quite a bit to stay in shape and I am already out of shape anyway. He said, "We are not 18 anymore."
Those words made think hard for the last few days and I really thought hard.
So, I am not 18 anymore, that really got me down a lot and it sucks. First of all, I was thinking about my bike riding when I was 18, the first thing that came in my mind was the rides I used to do to go up the Canyon Road climb. 5,500 vertical feet and I did it less than 2 hours. How did the heck did I do that? I really wish I can do that still, I can't even climb 5,000 feet right now, just half of that so far....in an hour and a half. That's slow. Well, at least I am still riding though, better than sitting on the couch.
I also remember how I was Super Man, really. I used to ride 6 days a week and go for 2-4 hours a day after school or after a construction job in the summer. Yes, that's too much, for a kid that age. But I was flyin', really flyin'. I got to the point that I was just not panting anymore on these rides, I like breathing normal on a steep climb. That was awesome. I was totally in amazing shape. And I raced in the Expert class in the mountain bike races, and now I am down to beginner or Clydesdale.
Well, right now, I just realize that it's good that I am still doing it and riding all over the place but not as much though. That's ok, I am just grateful that I am still enjoying the sport I like. It's fun and it's good exercise.

Hurricane Fun

The day after Thanksgiving, since it's warm outside, I've decided to do a day trip down to St. George, UT. Actually Hurricane, UT, I didn't go to St. George at all. I left like around 8:30 in the morning and got there about 11:30, ate something, and got riding by noon. I did the 21 mile loop of Hurricane Loop just above Hurricane. Not a very technical trail but on the Hurricane rim was a little more technical. This was the first time I tried this trail and I really enjoyed it. I loved the distance because I wanted to go for a long ride. I loved all the fast turns and quite a bit of climbing, 2,000 feet of total elevation gain. This was mostly high speed desert singletrack. It was very warm of 65 degrees. The first part of it, I wore just warm warmers, it was nice and sunny also. I did the trail in 2 and half hours and then went home. I did stop and eat at the Little Wonder Cafe in Richfield and had spaghetti and meatballs on the way home. Love their food!
Wish I could have stayed another day in St. George! Now it's cold here at home, and have to get a Christmas tree with everybody else in the snow today.

Running!

Well. I've decided to give this winter with a running system going on this time. I don't want to bike and decided that snowshoe hiking up hills wore me out last winter that ruined my bike season this year. So, running shouldn't kill me this winter, I hope so. I am on day 3 on a running program now. I am doing a from a no run to a 30 minute run in ten weeks. This program shouldn't kill me, according to an article from a bike magazine from Europe. Yes, an European cycling training magazine I bought like a while ago. I love the magazine, so much information. Anyway, this program is especially designed for cyclists that don't run at all and will get you running. By ten weeks, I hope to run a run for 30 minutes without stopping injury free and no muscles and tendons soreness afterwards. It starts with a run with 2 minute running intervals with a minute walk in between and do ten of them. Then 2nd run should be six 3 minute intervals, then five 4 minute intervals and so on. I am on the third run and it's not so bad doing this program thing, still some sore tendons but better than killing or injuring myself.
The reason why I am trying to take it easy because pretty much in the last 15 years, all I ever did was bike. Running is still the same muscles as biking but it is the way you are extending the muscles is different. So the muscles are pain free, it's the ligaments and tendons feel way different!
I ordered some running shoes and I ordered like 3 different shoes because the ones that came this week are too narrow and got to take them back. Then kept changing my mind after the second pair. I hope the 3rd pair fits and they are the kinds I want, they are the motion control kinds and are good for the over-pronation kind of feet(flat feet). I have flat feet and I shouldn't get the springing kind of ones or that will kill my feet(thank goodness for the internet and research). A doctor told me a couple years ago that I have flat feet and have been wearing Superfeet insoles ever since and never had problems.
Well, I hope for a good injury free running winter. The picture above is the picture of the road I have and will run all season long. It is called Witch's Knoll and is right by where I live, so I just run from my house and it is like a 3.5-4 mile out and back. Happy running!