31. May 2008 by admin.

On Wednesday, May 28, I got a mass email from Dave Hachey, the guy currently running the local cycling club (Idaho Cycling Enthusiasts, http://www.idahocycling.com/) reminding all the club members that the first Scout Mountain Hill Climb was going to take place that evening at 6:30 pm. I was excited about this because I actually had the time to participate in this event! Yeah, my life’s been pretty busy lately… somehow that never changes very often, either.

I dashed home early from work, donned my cycling clothes, stretched, and headed off to Scout Mountain on my road racing bicycle. I thought to myself that most of the racers would probably drive to the event, since it is a few miles south of town, but I always enjoy cycling to an event if I can. Cycling is just fun, whether you are racing, cruising, shopping around town, commuting to work, or trail riding. Also, I knew that I sure as heck wasn’t going to set any records, this being my first cycling season, so getting to the starting line fresh probably wasn’t going to help much. I probably shouldn’t even bother participating in races, but I think they are fun and they are a heck of a good workout. And in a small town like Pocatello, everyone is encouraged to participate as much as possible in community activities, since activities like this are lucky to have a handful of participants.

Rain was predicted for the evening, and this actually made it more exciting since it would be interested to see how things turned with the weather. While cycling to the starting point, it began to steadily rain, but the temperature was high enough that it wasn’t very bothersome at all. After getting to the Cherry Springs parking lot near Scout Mountain, I saw a few familiar faces, put my name on the race list, got my number pinned to my jersey, and continued warming up by riding along the roads around the starting point, even though the 8 or so miles I cycled to get to the race was plenty of warm-up time! While dawdling around waiting for the race to start, I noticed that I was the only one with a “granny gear” (the #3 small chain-ring) on my bike. I really don’t mind showing my naivety, so I exclaimed to another contestant, “wow, I think I’m the only one here with a granny gear!” and he replied, “yes… just remember not to use it!” I gulped.

Soon, the lady coordinating the race (Smitty Faure was her name I believe), began taking the roll call and then the first contestant was off, and then the next and the next in 1 minute increments or so. I was the 4th person off, and later on I was really glad of this since if I had been one of the last people to go, I would have held up the race coordinators waiting for my slow ass to finish After starting, I kept a pretty grueling pace (for me, anyway) and was determined not to let the guy behind me overtake me… even though I knew it was probably going to happen.

Next, a couple of the racers behind me had overtaken me, including the 60-something guy with the big, white chops-style beard… yeah, that guy is seriously hardcore. Soon, I was seriously getting exhausted… about midway, actually. I was alternating from shifting-up-stand-up to shift-down-pedal-fast… this is my own method of working both aerobic and anaerobic systems without fatiguing either… even though both were pretty danged fatigued by now. And at the same time I was pretty proud of myself: I was in the best condition of my life and I knew I was doing something that a year ago I couldn’t do. So I trudged on…. More cyclists passed me, each of them saying something like “good job” or “hey” briefly. By this time, I didn’t really care, I only wanted to finish this torturous race! I had ridden this road before at much slower pace, so I had an idea of how much further I had to go.

Soon, I could hear the folks at the finish line and then they were in sight! I gave it one last push, crossed the line, laid my bike down, and walked around catching my breath. After a few gulps of water, I put on my windbreaker and headed down the long and winding road off to home. All I could think of was a nice hot shower and eating the equivalent of a full-size cow. On the way home, Sam Krieg hollered at me from the passenger side of a car: “Wow, you’re a tough guy, want to warm your hands by my heater?” Hehe, Sam’s a funny guy.

The next day, the results showed that I made 21st place out of the 23 contestants and I had finished with a time of about 36 minutes. Yayz! The course was 5.1 miles with a 1500 ft elevation gain. Whew.

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30. May 2008 by admin.

Here’s the flyer and email from the folks at Idaho State University who organized this event.

Subject: Critical Mass Ride this Evening

Hey everybody!

You guys pumped for our first ride of the season?

We’ll be meeting up in the parking lot where the farmers market is held; between main and the tracks, behind the Old
Town Pocatello building, just north of Scott’s. You know where I mean.

At 5:30ish we’ll take off, route yet to be determined. I’d like for us to be visible but not pissing people off (our first time out anyway).

I found the Idaho laws about bicycling; they’re a posted item on the Event. In short:
If on sidewalk, yield to pedestrians
If on street, ride as close to the right side as you can safely, vehicles can overtake you.
Riding two abreast is fine but don’t take up more than one lane and only fill a lane if you’re not holding up traffic.
When approaching a stop sign, slow down. If the coast is clear blow through it!
When approaching a red light, come to a stop. If it’s clear you can proceed.

Ride like a flock of birds. Get separated, catch up, rinse and repeat. Have fun. Don’t get hit by a car.

After you’ve worked up a thirst, you’re welcome to join a bunch of us at Goody’s for Drinking Liberally this evening.

ALSO: spread the word! Drag your friends along. Invite some of your facebook friends to the group right now… After all, we need a CRITICAL MASS!

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11. May 2008 by admin.

The company I work for sent me to Roanoke, Virginia for two weeks to work on some new projects.  I met a co-worker of mine there who lent me his Trek Navigator comfort bike for the weekend since he was headed off on some business.  He also suggested a few good areas around Roanoke for trail riding and gave me a few maps and pamphlets.  This business trip wasn’t going to be completely dull for me after all!  Previously, I had packed some cycling shorts and a polyester sports shirt hoping to land an opportunity to rent a bike somewhere for the weekend, so this was a super deal for me.

I got up Saturday morning, flipped through the maps and pamphlets and decided to explore the trails around Cravin’s Cove Reservoir on the northwest end of town.  Water plus thick forest is always a great idea for some scenic riding.  The bicycle, however, needed it’s very-dry chain oiled, brakes adjusted, and its high stem pushed out and down for a more mountain bike riding position.  After a quick check of Google Maps, I set out for Cardinal Bicycle shop since it was closest to my inn and had some good reviews.  When I got there I bought a foldable set of Allen wrenches and a bike mechanic there let me spray the chain and rear dérailleur down with oil.  After about 40 minutes of adjusting and pumping up the tires, the bike was ready for riding.

I took a gallon of Gatorade and some granola bars and took off for Cravin’s Cove with the bike in the back of my rental car.  After a few track-backs and turn-arounds, I found the road leading out to the reservoir.  The Cove requires a $2 dollar day pass for out-of-towners and then you park near the trail-head of the trail system.  I strapped my camera onto my handlebars and put my 32 ounce water bottle in the cage; I didn’t really want to buy a camel-back or backpack since I was only going to be using the bike for one day, so I was stuck with this meager supply of beverage.  However, I soon found out this was just about the right amount for the shady trail I was to be riding on.

I started pedaling out into the forest and it was like stepping into the realm of a fairy tale.  The trees and ferns were vibrant green, the air was filled with the sound of a hundred different kinds of birds and the fragrance of dampness and sweet smelling plants.  The trail was marked on the map as a “beginners trail” so it was wide with only a few steep parts; then again, the region was only hilly with no really steep or large mountains like I was used to in the Pocatello area.  All the trails here were shady due to the density of the forest trees which was yet another stark difference to the treeless desert paths of the majority of Idaho.  After about 4 miles or so, my water bottle was two-thirds empty so I thought I’d better head back.  Being the foolish adventurer that I am, I decided to try out an intermediate trail that led back in the general direction of where my car was parked, or so I thought.  Navigation in treeless Idaho is much easier than in real forests, just in case you didn’t know

Going down the intermediate trail felt a lot like the City Creek trail of Pocatello, except the City Creek trail is tougher.  There was some roots to go over on this single-track trail, twists and turns, a log to hop over (I dismounted and pushed my bike over… I’ve never learned how to bunny hop ;-p), and a stream to splash through, which I relished!  After a mile of this trail, I thought “hmm, ok, I’d better play it safe and head back the way I came.  I know what is behind me, I do not know what lies ahead of me on this trail.”  So I raced back to the car at top speed, which was exhilarating.  Not a bad ride at all.  The next time I come out to Roanoke, I’ll bring a backpack so I can carry more hydration and really give this trail system a good exploring!  Enjoy the photo gallery!

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