Is it the END ???

Well I think that Mountain Biking 09 is officially over in Northern Utah. I am holding out hope that we may get some warm days that will let me ride out on the road, but I think the hills may have seen the end of their days until spring. The light and fluffy stuff that Utah is well known for has officially arrived.

I couldn’t have picked a better end to my season than I had. I was able to spend my last days riding with the famed Lunch Crew in the hills above and around Timp Park. My only regret is that it came to an end with this storm. I look forward to riding again with them in the spring.

I have made it know that Corner Canyon is a Mountain Bike mini Mecca. I now think the same of the Timp Park trails. However, the two places are very different.

Draper has trails that are so smooth that you would swear you were on pavement. Clarks and Ghost are some of the smoothest singletrack trails that I have ever been on. You can really focus on you peddle stroke and cadence on those trails, and doesn’t take much effort to keep the bike pointed in the right direction. You can just pick a gear and go for it. The climbs from the parking lot are long enough that if you are looking for a solid 30-40 min cardio workout you can find it there. Then there is the beauty of Corner Canyon. It is amazing to have a place like that so close to the valley. You have the waterfall and the streams. There are the thick trees and shrubs that line every trail. The jagged cliffs and rock outcroppings of Jacobs Ladder bring balance to all the green of the trees. All of this brings joy to riding in that canyon.

Timp Park is different in many ways. The trails for the most part are narrow, steep, and can tend to be very rocky. You really have to work at it to just stay on the trail. I found my self spinning out many times on the climbs some of those trails. Climbing Franks is almost impossible for me. I am not use to climbing on loose rocky trails that require you pick your lines every two or three inches. However, I found that the more time I spent on those trails the more accustomed to that sort of riding I became. I enjoy the techy aspect of getting up those steep loose trails. My balance and skills are put to the test. I think that there are more options to pick from than that of Corner Canyon. The trails are shorter but there are many more of them. Draper has made an effort recently to increase their trail selection however. So in the coming years they may become equal in their selection of trails.

I have this theory that if one were to spend their time training between Corner Canyon and Timp Park one would become a much better biker. Each place offers enough variety to work on all of ones necessary bike skills. I can’t wait for spring to come to try my theory out.

So for now all I have to do is wait it out until my return to these and other trails here in the great state called Utah.



Snowshoeing anyone?


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Zen and the Art of Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving I took the family to St George for the long weekend. I brought the bike along to keep me busy. Here is a recap of what I did.


Friday

I went to Green Valley hoping to make two loops around the I Cup Race loop. I wanted to compare my times to last years race. I like all the different variety that the small 6 mile loop has to offer. The first gulch that you head up looks like something out of a western movie. The second gulch has probably some of the most technical climbing in the entire ICUP series. Big ledges that you have to get up and over, and there are a few spots that you really don’t know where you are headed. The 29rs are defiantly king on this loop.


I was making pretty good time until my front tire got a huge hole on the first downhill. I didn’t stop, hoping that the Stan’s would fill the hole. Eventually the air in my front was to low to press on. I stopped and put more air in it still hoping that it would seal. The hole was just too big and I had to give up and put a tube in. My hopes of shattering my last years lap time quickly faded.

My problems didn’t end with the blown front tire. I also had my heel come out of my shoe when I had to hop off to make it up a ledge. I have never had that happen before. Then after the second climb I missed the faint single track bringing you to the downhill. I ended up going up the jeep road for about 6 min before I realized my error.

When I got back to the start of the loop I decided that I had enough fun for the day and left after only doing one loop.


Saturday

I started out by trying to reclaim my dignity by going for another loop around the race course. I wasn't into the ride more than 2 min when I heard my rear tire spiting Stan’s. I couldn't believe it. Not again, and this time I was even on a dirt road. There are some seriously sharp rocks in St George. I just kept rolling hoping that the Stan’s would seal the hole, as luck would have it, the Stan’s did its job. That stuff is the wonder drug. The remainder of the loop went with out anymore issues. I mean really, how many problems can one have in a 30 min loop?

When I finished the loop, I took Keith’s suggestion and tried out the Zen Trail. I like that trail name. Makes you sound hip when you say it. The Zen Trail, aaaahhh.

After the jeep road climb to the top the fun starts immediately. The trail is a mixture of techy slickrock and classic desert singletrack. The trail winds back and forth at the top of a cliffy ridge over looking the Bear Claw Poppy Trail. There were only a handful of areas that were short hike-a-bikes. I was surprised by this; I thought for sure I was going to be pushing the bike quite a bit. The rock outcroppings up there are pretty killer. It’s almost like you are taking a spin through some ride at Disneyland.

I really enjoyed the techy aspects of this trail. This is a must do on everybody's Bucket List of St George rides. It's on my top 5 for the area now. The trail reminded me of how much I enjoy riding slickrock. I think a trip to Moab needs to be scheduled soon.

After I dropped back to the valley floor I took the jeep road back to the truck. I had to hurry back so we could take the kiddos to Pirate Island Pizza. The return on the slickrock did look like it would be pretty fun though, given you had the time.

Remember how I mentioned before how sharp the rock is in St George? I got a little to close to one of those cool outcroppings of rock and tore a big hole in my shorts. (See attached photo)

It was great to escape the cold of the North for a few days. Riding a bike in the 60s for two days in a row, who could complain about that?
























Ooops

Playing in Orem

I am kind of a newbie when it comes to the Timp Park Trail system. On Tuesday, I headed down there to try out the widely publicized and highly acclaimed Dry Canyon Loop. I went for the up Betty to Betty Lament to Area 51 and then Dry option. The Timp Trails website was a great help for my route planning. The trails are all pretty straight forward. I did pretty good navigating on my own until I got to the top of Lament. I had to use one Lifeline up there and Phone a Friend. Thanks Keith for the tips. I ran into a large group of deer hunters on horse back on Betty. The first guy was on his cell phone talking away. I guess even cowboys even have cell phones these days. The funny thing was that 5 min past the deer hunters I saw this big beautiful two point deer standing just to the side of the trail. He just stood there looking at me ride by. Bambie was lucky that the cowboy had a cell phone that day.

The downhill through Dry is fast and fun. I am sorry to say that I did not "Smoke The Pipe" on my first run in the canyon. I didn't really want to get too "Stoned" being that I was there alone. I will go for it next time I'm up there with a friend. At the end of Dry I missed the left to the BST and ended up going into that huge flight of stairs a little too fast. They are more intense than they look. I made it down them with out any disarray, but only just. I was happy that I was on a FS at the speed that I hit them. Next time I go left, or go slow. I didn't set any land speed records that day. I just had fun exploring trails for the first time. I won't be posting my time on the Wall of Shame just yet. Give me a week, or so, then it will be there in all its glory.

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Thanksgiving 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

So says the Subway employee...

I am a big fan of Subway. They are pretty tasty, and a healthy option (at least that is what they say on Biggest Loser). Yesterday for lunch I treated myself to a Roast Beef foot long. While I was giving my list of veggies to the Subway worker she turns to her co-worker and says, "You know who makes good sandwiches? GANDOLFO'S." The lady next to me in line turns to me and comments "So says the Subway employee".

New Faces. New Trails

There has been a great deal of "blog buzz" talking about some great lunch meetings that have been taking place in Orem. I headed down there today to take a look at these meetings first hand. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with some of Utah County’s Finest. Those who were in attendance at today’s meeting were as follows: Keith, Adam, Miles, and I. They took me on a grand tour of some of the trails in the Timp Foothills system. Up to this point, I have had limited exposure on these trails. We started out climbing up the Fire Road, which was a real treat. Then it was a fast and fun romp down thru the Race Course. Up Dragons Back we went next, which I have done before. After that came all the new stuff for me. We went up Franks and then down across Canyon Connector (not sure on that name). Then we took Bettys down to the Rollercoaster and out to the road. Conditions were great today. It wasn't to cold and the trails were in great shape . There is something to be said about riding a trail for the first time. The same can be said of riding with new faces. Words like refreshing, exciting and fun come to mind. After the ride was over, err I mean at the close of our meeting, my only thoughts were that I want to come here again.


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Snowbound

I went to see what trails in Corner Canyon are still in good shape to ride today. I started out with the new Canyon Hollow Trail. There is snow right at the very beginning of this trail. Even with the snow, the trail can be ridden. However it is very slick, and hard to make your way. I couldn’t get even close to my top climbing speed. I did enjoy the challenge however. I was dressed a little light for the occasion. I was only in bike shorts, long sleeve dry fit and a jersey. I was wishing that I had my tights on at least. Not that it was real cold but just the whole riding above snow in shorts made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

After I spun and slid up and down Canyon Hollow I came to the conclusion that Clarks was most likely out. With the grade of Clarks being much greater than that of Canyon Hollow, I am certain that the climb up that would be a mess. So then I thought that I would give the trail that people refer to as the “Wall” a try. This trail is a South facing trail so it had much less snow. Not much at all really. I made it up this trail with little difficulty. There was the odd patch of mud here and there, but all in all it was nice. When I got to the bottom of Ghost there was the snow again. Much less than Canyon Hollow though. I made the climb up to the top quickly and with little effort. Somewhere along the way my bike got so muddy that it was having serious gear issues. I basically ended up with a single speed.

All in all Corner Canyon still has ridding available to those who want to brave snow and mud. I think that Clarks might be shot until spring. The trails won’t last much longer though. I think that the 2009 biking season is almost over for my favorite trail system.

Here is a video of my adventure. This was shot from a Blackberry so it sucks. There is a point where there is a horrible sound. No, I wasn’t being chased by some animal. My phone just got a text and it was on vibrate.