Top Ten Reasons I Like To Ride My Bike Alone

10. I don't like to talk.

9. I can enjoy the ride, mountains, air, freedom more when I go alone.

8. I can get my training done better. Don't have to worry about going too short or too long when riding with someone else.

7. I really can't stand somebody else complaining. Mostly about climbing a hill or going over a rock.

6. The ride is more peaceful so I can actually think about something.

5. I can go whereever I want, whenever I want, and however I want.

4. When I go alone, I feel like I own the whole place.

3. I can talk to myself about my goals, life, and even say the 'f' word.

2. I don't have to stop so much. I can just keep riding, even though I am taking breaks when I am alone, I don't have to talk, I can breathe.

1. I go on a ride mostly to get away from people. That's the whole point.

Well, that's it. Ever since I have starting riding bikes who knows when? I have always liked to ride alone. I'm just better and more myself when I go on a ride by myself. No worries, no communicating, and just going for a ride. Could be just around the block or 50 miles, I'd rather go alone. So all the rides I been going with you, I did enjoy it and I do like to go on rides with you sometimes, maybe only 5% of all of my rides, then I am o.k. with it. So, don't make this post make you feel discouraged. I am just trying to be myself and I am happier when I am myself. So, I like to ride a bike alone, well probably anything too, work, sitting in my room, or watching tv, I'd rather do it alone, no matter what it is I guess.

Indian Summer Riding

The last 2 weeks I have been doing some sheer riding. I wanted to get as much riding I can get before it gets cold and snow. I'll still ride in the next month or so, hope so, if the weather will cooperate, you know, I don't really care because I can still go up and go snowshoeing or something. Anyways, I try to get some exercise no matter how I do it. It all depends on the weather outside. The last week and a half the weather has been very decent and wouldn't want to miss the opportunity.
I've been catching up some riding on Black Hill, Black Hill needed my attention because I haven't ridden up there since April or May(starting late May or early June, the skeeters get really bad and the place gets deathly hot), so, the Black Hill area is really great for the fall weather, probably the best weather because it never blows or storm that much in the fall time. It's really great.
Sorry I don't have pictures this time because I didn't want to waste time being some 'tour biker' taking pictures and being an idiot. I wanted to keep going and ride a lot without taking stupid pictures. I was having too much fun and didn't even think about anything else.
The best part of all of my rides was the "Broken Saddle Climb" on Black Hill, which is the most daring, gruelsome climbing I ever did around here. It's steep, not just short steep, but steep from the bottom of Black Hill to the very top. It's about 25-30 minutes long and the trail never levels out, maybe a couple parts but don't last long, maybe 20 seconds. Anyways, it's one of my best climbs, it's all singletrack, and sandy in most parts. The top is the worst, it just gets steeper and steeper and I just about die on that part but it's very rewarding when I get to the top and then go on a fun downhill on the other side. The climb is all VO2 max all the way baby!
Most of my rides were on Black Hill but I did go on the Flume Trail once which was last Friday and there is mud at the top. I could still ride on it but it's only maybe 50 feet of it. Everything else on the trail was great. Loved the singletrack climb up at the mouth of New Canyon until to the top where the Flume starts. Great downhill too. That is where I spent most of the summer though.
Well, this may be the last of the 'no arm warmers/jacket' weather until next spring, I think.

Black Hill singletrack riding

All the pictures are in riding order(the route I usually go on):

This part is now I call the "Broken Saddle Climb" because this where I broke my bike saddle just climbing up on this sandy trail. I just heard one of the rails snap.

I went on a good ride today and was very happy to do so, I remember as soon as I got on the first part of the singletrack on the ride, I thought, "man, I love this, I love this" That is when I knew I was born to mountain bike, especially on stuff like this. I kept thinking this all the way climbing to the top of the hill, I say around a 1,300 vertical feet climb, don't know, wish I had a gps. I did have a bike computer and I logged in 8 miles for like 52 minutes. It was a tough climb mostly. Glad I had that Western Family apple sauce before I left because that stuff gives me a kick, no need for a gel. After all that rain and snow, the sand was really packed down so it was a little easier to climb up. Speaking of sand, on the sandy part of the trail, I was just pedaling sitting down, going up hill, I heard a snap, then I checked my saddle and saw that one of my railings was broken in half. I hope the warranty will cover it because I didn't wreck breaking it. I didn't do anything to it, just pedaled and biked around and all the sudden, it broke, or maybe I am so heavy or something.

I kept going up anyway because the saddle was still holding up with the other rail, the weather was perfect and I knew this is where I wanted to be at this moment, all alone, no one around, in the middle of no where(maybe a town 5 miles away, lol), so I felt pretty good too. Pretty good for having the stomach flu during 3 days before, I tells you, I'd rather be suffering up a climb than be home from work with a stomach bugger. Well, maybe anybody would, but maybe I'd rather be suffering a climb than being at work, there we go, that's more like it. I don't know, I like my job though but I still rather suffer on a climb than working.

The downhill on the other side of the hill was a blast, short but still a blast. I remember I got cold and it was 67 degrees, probably because I am still sick from the stomach flu. Well, it was really fun and I hope to do some more riding up there before it snows then after that, I will be riding it again in March, after the snow melts and dries up.

Sovereign Singletrack Ride

I did this bad ass ride last weekend and was one of my funnest rides I ever had in a long time. I haven't ridden in the Moab area for like 12 years and I thought I NEEDED to go ride down there sometime. A friend around here that used to live in Moab told me about this trail and said that it is like the best mountain bike trail in Moab. It is shared with motor bikes and I saw quite of few motor bikers and also mountain bikers alike. I liked it how it was technical and had plenty of slick rock and dirt/sand mixed. The weather was nice to me this time and it couldn't be better, there was no wind and the temperature was really nice.

Some fun ridin' sand.

Slick rock

Sign

On the map below, I went on the blue markings which is the Sovereign Singletrack. I went northbound which is the harder way(all uphill). I am kind of glad I went that way because I can do better on the climbing than the downhill on technical trails. I thought I was going to do the out and back but after I went to the other parking lot on Dalton Wells Road, I was worn out because it so technical. I was going to go back to the Willow Springs Road trailhead by going on the pipeline road but I couldn't find it. I did ride on the Sovereign ATV Trail for a while to find it then I turned back and called my ride to pick me up at the Dalton Wells Road. This trail was great and I would definitely go do it again next time I go to Moab. Next time I will camp there in the sand and that will make the trip more exciting.

This is a video of some girl riding on the trail I got from utahmountainbiking.com. I think I know this Kellie and does look like the Kellie I am thinking. If she is the one I know, she is in a different mountain bike team now.

Old mountain bike equals urban bike...

For a long time, I have been thinking about buying a cheap bike for a riding around town(urban bike). I saw a few for like $350 but I was hestitant about the parts on them and I saw one at Mad Dog Cycles for about a $1,000 which was too nice, a singlespeed with a quiet rubber chain, had an insulated coffee cup(hot chocolate for me because I am a mormon), was very light, and had very good parts on it but I thought it was too pricey for me for an urban bike.

Instead I thought of a very affordable, recycleable way. Rebuild my old, old bike! This bike was unriddenable since 2005 and was sitting in the basement that long. It is a 2000 Klein Attitude, I wouldn't sell it because the parts were all worn out and bad. It needed a new wheelset, new crankset, new bottom bracket, new everything. So I got on online and looked for the cheapest parts I could get that would suit for the bike. I went to nashbar.com, blueskycycling, and cambriabike.com. This is what I have got:

wheelset: $70

crankset: $40

wider handlebars: $30

white handlebar grips: $9

isis bottombracket: $15

crank bolts: $5

cassette: $35

slick tires: $10 each

tubes: $5 each

one inner cable: $4

v-brake pads: $6 a pair

chain: $25

After figuring out and waiting for the parts arrive(used the cheapest shipping charges), it took three weeks to build finally ride out on the streets. I got mostly the sale items and still saved a lot of money plus I don't have to say goodbye to my old bike! It is perfect for just riding around the roads because the fork leaks when I take it out on the trails. It feels like a new bike again. I can just use it when I don't feel like putting on my cycling shoes and cycling clothes and gear. Just to go out ride with my dogs on Witch's Knoll and up the paved Canyon Road. I also have a bicycle one wheeled trailer I can hook on to go down and get groceries sometime.

Park City Bunk Beds/Entertainment System Project

We are finally finished with the Park City project. It was bunk beds and an entertainment system thing in the same room in a condo at Empire Canyon in Deer Valley resort. It was a lot of work and my boss did most of the work. I just helped out. The hardest part of this project was transporting everything up on the 4th floor in a large building with condos(thank goodness for elevators). The elevator was nice and dandy except we couldn't fit the 4'X8' panels in it so we took about four trips carrying those sheets(about 4 big sheets) up the stairs and they barely fit all around. The hardest part was climbing up four floors, we did take a 3 minute break halfway up each time.

Ya, at first everything was in pieces and I had no clue what the whole room would look like or what everything was set to be when it was done. I did look at some plans but it looks way better in real life. The bunk beds and entertainment system is all a cherry wood species with a dark stain to match all the moldings, cabinets, etc. in the condo. Looks very nice. I guess I've overheard that the bunk beds alone are $7,500 but I don't know how much the entertainment thingy thing cost and I don't even want to know. It was a lot of fun building and wood finishing the whole system in the shop and installing everything. I guess I have to admit working in Park City is pretty fun especially in the off season when no one is there. Wish I had my bike though, I could have ridden a little bit on the trails close to there after we were done each day.

My 2011 Mountain Bike Race Schedule

For the races in 2011 next year, there will be 11 instead of 13. They took out two of them, Jackson Hole and The Canyons races. I still need to do 7 of them to meet my race team requirements for next year.
This year has been great and I am hoping for a better one next year!

March: #1 St. George
April: #2 Hurricane
May: #3 Five Mile Pass/Lehi
#4 Sundance Resort
#5 Soldier Hollow/Heber
#6 Draper
June: #7 Deer Valley Resort
#8 Sherwood Hills/Logan
July: #9 Snowbird Resort
#10 Solitude Resort
#11 Snowbasin Resort
Aug: none
Sept: Endurance Race- 12 Hours of Sundance*

*I'll spend the whole year thinking about whether to do the 12 Hrs of Sundance or not. Also if I can get in a team doing it.