I have no idea how long Jamie has been been dreaming and scheming and planning and bribing and flagging in order to get his trail started in Corner Canyon but its been a long time. Saturday a dozen of us left our bikes in the garage and put on jeans and t-shirts instead of lycra and began working on the soon to be named, future flagship trail in Draper. If you think the trails are awesome now, just you wait.

Jamie taking the very first Polaski swing with Daren narrowly escaping a lost toe.

Jamie and Ken, the 2 trail bosses responsible for making it all happen. Thanks!

I was amazed how much we actually got done in such a short amount of time. Numbers make all the difference.

Here’s the section we worked on before we got started.

And after only a few hours.

I can only imagine how far we would have got if we had 2 dozen workers. I’ll try to get info posted well in advance if anyone is interested in joining us next time and with the amount of trail planned there will be plenty of next time.

If you want to get on the email list so you know exactly when and where next time shoot Jamie an email at tibiker@mac.com

It’s 25 servings big to be exact.  Of course it’s the new formula that is loaded with all-day staying power and wrapped up nice and tight in a sexy resealable zip pouch.

Order online here with discreet credit card billing or put on your shades and pick it up locally at Racer’s, Revolution or SLC Bicycle.  I just stocked their shelves.  Tomorrow I’m hitting the streets to sign up some new dealers.

Make sure and try the new Tropical Orange or LemonLime.  Drink up!

After getting snowed out in January I’ve decided Fall is going to be the new time of year for the Gooseberry Epic.  September 26th to be exact.  Get it on your calendar now!

The route is mapped and it’s harder than you would think.  Kenny claims it to be “epic”.  Only 68.8 miles but over 9,000 feet of climbing.  Plan on 7-9 hours, 6-7 hours if you are feeling really fast and 9+ hours  if you are poking along.

The only awkward section, and by awkward I mean no trail or road of any kind even though the topo map shows one, is from the hay barn to the tumbleweed gate.  It’s only about a mile or so of tumbleweeds and cow pasture but totally rideable.

The rest of the loop includes everything that’s great about Gooseberry Mesa starting with the North Rim to the Yellow Trail and then the South Rim and Hidden Canyon .  It’s then off through Apple Valley and the foothills of Little Creek Mesa to eventually join up with Gould’s Trail and the Hurricane Rim Trail.  If you’ve made it that far there is some new single track East of Jem Trail that will take you towards the bottom of the “Death Hike”.   You will then cross a bridge and have a little recovery road spin of about 6-7 miles before starting the hardest most epic part of the day, the Scenic Bi-way climb from Rockville back up to the mesa.

Totally self supported and unmarked so bring your GPS or someone that has one and is willing to be responsible for you.  If you are alone and don’t have a GPS you will get lost.

Start time will be 7:30a.m. from the windmill.  You’ll need 180 ounces + of liquid and about 3200 calories so plan accordingly.

I do have a GPX file that I can email you or you can wait until I figure out how to post it here.

Questions?

First off, major props to CarboRocket imbibers Monavie-Cannondale rider Bart Gillespie and Gary Fisher-Subaru rider  KC Holley for winning the Men’s and Women’s Pro-class at Deer Valley on Saturday.  Nice work!

And now on to the race that’s forever burned into my memory and my quads.  When I pre-rode the course I barely made it up the initial climb without walking.  Little Stick, the name of the ski run we had to climb at the beginning of each lap, should be re-named Shit Stick, cause that’s how it made me feel.  My plan was to swap to an easier gear than the 34×20 I was running but saw Rick running the same and decided I needed to man up.  Hey, I only have to do it 3 times, I’ll walk if I have to and still be going as fast as anyone pedaling.  Maybe.

My plan was to ride as hard as I effin could from the get go and never let up.  It worked pretty well as Chris B. and I took turns leading for the first two laps.  And then Shit Stick got stuck in my spokes and forced me off the bike to walk about 25 yards on the last lap and Chris got ahead of me by 50 yards or so and stayed there til the finish.  I finished 30 seconds back good for 2nd.  I’ve said it before but ‘ll take 2nd to Chris any day, the dude can pedal.

Picture by Tweety Bob’s better half Lyna.

There was a great turnout despite all the rain and once the race got started the clouds went away and we had sunshine and blue skies.  Turned out to be perfect conditions.  Everyone showed up including a few foreigners like Dave who came all the way down from the Jackson Hole area.

Hardest race of the year so far with thoughts of gears and suspension dancing in my head the entire time.  Someday…

Its become evident to me that once someone tries CarboRocket they then want it in large quantities hence, the new 25-38 (3 or 2 scoops) serving pouches arriving ANY DAY NOW.  Really. In the meantime I will continue doling out the single single serving packs to whet your appetite and convert newbies to the addiction.

I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve agonized over how to package the single serve portions.  The first question was how many? 24, 20, 18, 15, 13, 12, 10 or 5 to a pack?  The next question was how to pack them?  Boxes, pouches, shelf friendly or hang tab friendly?

I think we are onto something.  I say “we” because this process has involved a lot of heads, shoulders, knees and toes.  Here is the first mock-up:

Want to put it on the shelf? Check.  Want to hang it? Check.  Want to try one of each flavor before committing the big bucks to the large pouch?  Check.  Just need a few in your jersey pocket for that long ride?  Check.

The new 5-serving variety pack will be out soon but I promise not until after all the flavors are out and available in the big multi serve pouch.  Which will be ANY DAY NOW.  I Promise!

What do you think of the black?

How can some of you say that there is no resurrection ye of futile faith for after 276 days the Yotavan was surely resurrected.

Amen.

Since I have spent countless hours riding and enjoying the great trails here in Corner Canyon I thought it was way past time for me to give back a little. Trust me when I say little I mean little. If you had to compare the amount of hours I’ve spent enjoying the trails here to the amount of trailwork hours I’ve done it would be a ratio of 1,455:1. If anybody keeps track I now have 2.5 hours of trailwork in Corner Canyon under my belt.  I know, pathetic.

Off we go.  Jamie, Karl, John and myself heading into the jungle.

It felt like Corcovado and I thought we were going to have wild boars chasing us at any moment.

Some day soon you will be riding your bike through this stuff but without all the stuff.  Thank Jamie for it.  BTW, When Jamie says to wear pants to help flag the trail you should listen.  I’m slightly oppositional defiant and wore shorts, big mistake as my legs are still bleeding from all the scrapes and punctures.

Seriously, this is how it’s done;  you ride your imaginary bike down the imaginary trail and hopefully, it feels “right”.  Does it feel swoopy?  Does it feel fast?  Does it feel too tight?  Jamie totally nails the switchback and proclaims it just right.

I am a trail rider not a trail blazer unless you consider creative ways to spend your children’s college fund “trail blazing”.  Jamie is the trail blazer and if you want in on the action and fun and bleeding shins you can contact him at tibiker@mac.com to get on the volunteer list. Do it!  Don’t be pathetic like me.

# 7 in the 12 race Intermountain Cup series, Sundance now marks the spot on the calendar where one can see the end of the mountain bike race season. It left me feeling a little melancholy if not a little slow or maybe everyone else is hitting their stride and just getting faster.

This picture shows the only time of the race where I would be in the lead, the first 100 yards.

I quickly fell back to about 5th before hitting the tight single track where I lost sight of Chris and wouldn’t see him again until the finish.

Trying to pass became the the theme of the day and I think having a good passing strategy would have payed off big time. My strategy went something like this, I approach a racer in front of me and ride their wheel for a minute making sure they know I’m there and most would just pull over. If my riding their wheel didn’t communicate the fact that I’d like to get by then I would say in the most polite way imaginable, “whenever you’re comfortable can I get by?” I think I erred on the polite side of things.

Then there was racer “X” who after riding his wheel for 10 minutes and asking repeatedly in the most polite way imaginable if I could get by, I even made it clear I wasn’t in his class, finally says to me, “take it if you can.” What? Really? OK, dickhead. I didn’t call him that or say anything but muscled around him in a corner nearly taking both of us down.

Why? I don’t get it. Every single other racer I passed, and there were dozens and dozens of course because I’m speedy you know, went out of their way to let me by. I guess I shouldn’t complain since I only had one problem but that one dickhead really pissed me off.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot because I got all worked up again writing about it but I ended up 3rd running a 34×21.

Relax and soak in the view.  I can’t stop looking at this picture.

It’s done.  Thanks in no small part to Brian and Brent Price.  I’m speechless.  How about another view.

It’s huge.  24 x 24.  Go lay those dimensions out in your back yard to get a perspective.  Enormous.  I think I’m going deck camping.

In other news it’s Tasha’s birthday today or is for another hour anyway.  Happy 39 baby! I  Love you.  Hey, let’s go camping.

Someone asked me before the race how I thought I would do.  I said, “I have no expectations.”  I am such a MOFOing liar!  Of course I had expectations, I wanted to win.   I kept telling myself that I had no expectations in order to calm myself and enter into a Zen state of mind that I like to be in before the start of any race.  It’s the state of mind that does not do or think or stress or care.  It just is.  I can get there pretty easy and like to stay there for the start and part of the first lap of a race.  I sometimes have a hard time getting back to the race.  On Monday the water crossing woke me to the fact that I was in nearly last place.  Screw Zen, I gotta pedal.

Base camp.  With an extra 4  hours of waiting due to weather and course changes I was glad to have the shade.   I also went through 10 gallons of CarboRocket.

My favorite Carborocket addict.

Alex,  I know you have to say Monavie but I know what’s really in your bottle.   Your secret is safe with me.

2-live crew.

The man, the myth, the legend.  Ken the Draper trails mastermind.

1st place finish for newest CarboRocket addict, Senor Stark.

Way to rock it Tasha, you’ll get them next time.

1st, 3rd and 2nd respectively.  Nice work girls!

Rick, your gloves are white not camouflage.

I must say the new Vassago team shorts look really good even with the over color coordination I have going on.  Thanks Vassago!

I’ll take 2nd to Chris any day.  The dude was on fire and could not be denied, congrats!  Bob, you are looking way too comfortable in the tweetie chair.

Thanks to team Revolution for the killer cheese burger after the race and all the ICUP volunteers for putting on a great race.