Colossal Cave Race

After his week up in Flagstaff, Tyler finally came home last Saturday. The Edwards were kind enough to drive him down. Since I did not see him for a week, I could swear that he grew an inch since I last saw him! We relaxed at the house for about an hour, loaded up the Element and then headed down to Tucson for the Colossal Cave road race.

The race was a 9 mile course for the Junior men 12 and under. The races started off with a long decent, followed by some rollers and finished off with a good climb up to the finish. Tyler was able to jump out with the lead group of junior riders from the start. He put some space between him and the rest of the field when he reached the climb up to the finish line. Ty rode stong up the hill to take 1st place! His buddy, Zach ,was close behind him to take 2nd place for Red Rock Racing. Those 2 boys are becoming a great 1 - 2 punch!!

This weekend it is time to switch from the road to the dirt and we will be racing in the MBAA event out at the White Tanks. Corey will be coming down for the weekend and he will be racing in the El Tour de Phoenix. Busy weekend, again!

Time Trial, Uncle Corey and Black Beauty

Last weekend, Tyler and his buddy Zack competed in the AZ Time Trial #3. Tyler was very excited to try his new aero bars that we put on his bike this week. It was a 20K fairly flat course with a headwind going out and a much need tailwind coming back. This was Zack’s 1st time trail and Tyler’s 2nd. Zack put in a great ride and took 1st in the juniors 10-12. Tyler came in 2nd place right behind his buddy. A great 1 – 2 punch! Our cycling team, Red Rock Racing, started a blog last week. It is an open blog for all team members to post articles and it should be interesting!!





Tyler headed up to Flagstaff with the Edwards on Sunday. He is going to be spending the week with his Uncle Corey and hanging out with Zack. They plan on doing some road riding in Sedona and maybe sledding or skiing. I have already heard some great stories from Corey and I am sure there will be a whole lot more before it is all over.

I went for a hike on the Peralta Trail on Sunday afternoon with my buddy, “Rocket Rob”. It had been raining on and off all day in the valley and it looked like we might get a little wet. The rain ended up staying away and we had a great hike - awesome views and great exercise. We started a little late in the day and had to turn back before we got up to the saddle. The last 20 minutes of our hike back to the car was in the dark. Good thing we turned back when we did. We are planning on heading back out there before it gets too hot to do the complete hike.



I got my new Trek frame last night!!! Yea, me! It looks soooo sweet - Basic Black. I am going to take my new baby out on her maiden voyage tonight.

Test Ride, Flagstaff & Coffee

We put on Tyler's aero handlebars on his road bike earlier this week. It took me a while to figure out how to get those darn things on! Ty decided to do a little test ride with his new bars yesterday. The "test ride" turned into a 25 mile ride for him. Wow! I do not know too many 12 year-olds that will do a 25 mile ride all by themselves. Good job Ty! His goal for this year is to place in the top 3 in the US MTB Championships. If he keeps up rides like this, he will have no problem reaching his goal!

Ty is going to race in the AZ #3 Time Trail this Saturday. His buddy, Zack, is also coming down and racing in the TT. It should be fun!

After the race, we are heading up to Flagstaff to see Corey and play in the snow. Hopefully, it is not all melted by the time we get there. The weather man says another snow storm is coming in this weekend. WOHOO! Tyler is going to stay up in Flagstaff for a few days next week and hang with his Uncle Corey and Zack. I hope they do not drive each other crazy! :-)

Late for the Train has made a special 100% organic roast for our bike team - Red Rock Racing Roast. We are selling the coffee for $8 a bag to help raise $$ for the team. Awesome coffee at an awesome price! If you would like a bag or two, shoot me an email.

That's all I got today!

Rain, Snow, Unicycle Kid & The Ice Bath

After 145+ days without "official" rain, we get a great storm of rain and SNOW in the valley. AWESOME! The mountains surrounding the valley are covered with snow. Something that I have never seen in my 20 years in the valley. We ended up canceling our ride on the new trails on Saturday due to the rain. But, that is OK with me. We needed the rain more than we needed to ride.

Ty got up 1st thing Sun AM and started on the unicycle again. It was freezing cold out at 6AM, but he was out there teaching himself how to ride that darn thing. He can ride it about 30-40 feet now! He is one determined kid!

I still am waiting on my new frame from Trek. Hopefully it will be in this week! I ordered it in flat black with white decals - not real flashy but, very sharp looking. Sunday afternoon, I jumped on my singlespeed and hit the Desert Classic Trail at South Mountain. My legs felt very sluggish and weak the whole ride. So, I decided to give one of Dara's Ice Baths a try.

I filled the tub with cold water and poured in 3 bags of ice. I put my feet and and screamed like a small child for about 5 minutes. I am surprised my neighbors did not call the Police on me. I tried to sit down into the freezing water for about 15 minutes to no avail. I gave up on it and took a nice hot shower. I know - I am a whimp! I decided to give in another try and ran out and picked up 3 more bags of ice (this ice bath thing is starting to get expensive). I fill the tub with cold water, but do not add the ice yet. I get into the tub and get used to the cold water, then I start pouring in the ice. Yea, me! I was able to stay in the icy bath for about 12 minutes. I got out and took a nice long hot shower again. My legs felt like wet noodles the rest of the night. We will see how they feel for tonight's ride.

No races next weekend that we are planning on doing. We might head up to Flagstaff to play in the snow before it is all gone. My brother has talked me into doing the Eipic Rides Whiskey 25 this year. I do not think I am quite man enough for the 50 yet!

Unicycle, Ice Baths & The Commute Back

Tyler decided to use his gift card from the Hungry Dog Crit and some $$ that Grandpa gave him for his birthday to buy a unicycle. Just what we need... another bike. He practiced on that thing all afternoon and is starting to get the hang of it. I love to see that kind of determination in him. I tried it a few times and almost broke my neck. I am sure that you will see Ty riding it on the trails before too long. That kid has more talent than anyone that I know. I wonder where he gets it? (Yes, proud Papa boasting a bit about his son)

Dara Marks wrote a great article on her blog about ice baths. I had never heard about using an ice bath to help in recovery. Very interesting. I will have to give it a try.

My bike commute back into work yesterday was a bit rough. I woke up and my body was saying "NO, BIKE RIDE TODAY, PLEASE!" But, one of the benefits of leaving your car at the office is that you have no choice but to ride. So, I told my body tough turkey... we have no choice but to ride in today. So, I rolled out of bed and had a cup of the Late for the Train coffee. It was so smooth and just what I needed to get me going.

I rolled out of my house and it was quite a cold morning. After about 3 minutes, the wind was cutting right through me. So, I pulled over and put on another jacket that I had in my backpack. My legs, lower back, arms, neck and taint are all hurting like a son of a gun. I keep telling myself to roll on and things will get better. So, I get 20 minutes down the road and I am starting to feel better when I hear that dreaded hiss sound that all cyclists hate to hear. Crap, a flat! I change the flat and air it up and guess what, I hear that lovely sound again! So, I take the tire off again and find that I pinched the tube when I was changing the first flat. I do not have another tube on me, but luckily I packed a patch kit. I get one of the tubes patched and very carefully put the tube and tire back on the rim. I have 1 CO2 cartridge left and I am praying that this tube holds. Based on my morning so far, I am not very optimistic at this point. Fortunately, the tube held air and I am back rolling again. Things are looking up!

I get another 20 minutes down the road and now I am starting to get hot from the extra jacket and I can feel myself sweating. I pull over again and take off the extra jacket. Now that I am all sweaty, the wind is cutting through my body again and I feel like a popcicle. I am not a happy camper. I keep rolling for a few more miles and then I hear a "ting". I thought that I ran over a piece of metal of some sort and I am praying that I do not have another flat. Fortunately no flat, but a spoke on my front wheel broke. That wheel hates me today!! I stop again, wrap the broken spoke around another, open my brake levers all the way and get rolling with a very wobbly wheel. UGH!

At this point, I am just dying to get off my bike. My body hurts, my attititude sucks and I am hating my bike!! I still have about a hour to go until I get to the office and "I want my Mommy!" Believe me, I thought about calling someone to come pick me up and take me away from this hell of a ride. Who knew that a simple 25 mile bike commute to work could feel like an epic ride?

The next 5 miles rolled by without incident. I am now riding on the frontage road next to the 101 freeway and I look over at the 101 that I usually drive every AM. I see that the traffic is backed up bumper to bumper for miles. I start to get a good feeling inside. I am doing something that is good for my body and the environment. Today, I am not part of that nasty congestion or adding to that brown cloud above the valley. My whole attitude takes a 180 degree turn.

I finally arrive at my office and I am feeling great. I have a big smile on my face and I am so glad that I rode in on this day. Not everyday on the bike is all peaches and cream. But, everyday that I spend on my bike is very rewarding in some way or the other. I think sometimes I forget that.

My ride stats:

Miles: 25.5
Ride Time: 1hr 48mins
Total Trip Time: 2hrs 40mins
Avg Speed: 14.3 mph
Calories Burned: 2020

Time for bed. We are heading out tomorrow AM to ride a new trail with some friends of ours and weather man is telling us that there is a 90% chance of rain. WOOHOO!!

Rain, Bike Commute, Hooky & The Off-Road to Athens

WE GOT RAIN!! Even-though the Valley's official rain gauge did not record any rainfall. Finally after about 141 days without, we had some pretty good sprinkles. We sure could use a whole lot more.

I rode home from work today and it was a great ride. I found a better route and it only took me 1 hour and 55 minutes total time. Not too bad considering it takes me about an hour to drive it with traffic. I would much rather be on the bike than stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Tomorrow AM I am heading out at 6:30am to ride in to the office.

Here are my ride stats from today...

Miles: 25.85
Ride Time: 1hr 46min
Avg Speed: 14.5 mph
Calories Burned: 1700

Ty got a chance to play hooky from school this afternoon and go to a Spring Training game. His Grandma, Great-Great Uncle Bill and Jigs are in town and they kidnapped him from school and took him to the White Sox vs. Angles game. Ty's relatives are a great influence on him! :-)

If you are into cycling, you have to see the Off-road to Athens! It is the best MTB video/movie that I have ever seen. The movie covers 8 of the top U.S. Pro MTB racers and their quest to represent the U.S.A. in the 2004 Olympic Games. You can purchase the DVD on-line or catch it in the theater on the film tour. It will be playing in Flagstaff, AZ on March 12th (see http://www.flagstaffmountainfilms.com/modules/films/column.php?columnID=4 for details).

That is all for today. Today's ride wore me out and I need some sleep!

SS Ride & Hungry Dog Crit

OK, I am tired of referring to myself in the 3rd person. It seemed like a good idea at first, but after further review... not! So, from here on in I will no longer refer to myself as "Dad". Yea, me!

Another great weekend! Saturday we did a little singlespeed ride at the Pemberton Trail with the gang from www.mtbaz.net. Tyler left his helmet in Grandma's car last week and we forgot to get it for the ride. Of course, we did not figure it out until Grandma called us to remind us about the helmet as we pull into the trailhead parking lot. Luckily, Chris had an extra helmet for Ty to borrow. Thanks, Chris!! There was about 17 riders in the group that hit the trails. This was Tyler's 1st long ride on a singlespeed. He rode as if he had been doing it for years.

Sunday was the Hungry Dog Crit and I planned on making it my first Crit race. The night before, I had a tough time sleeping. I guess I was a little too excited about the race. But, I woke up feeling good and ready to race. When we arrived at the venue, my stomach had other ideas. Thank goodness a port-a-john was near by. After several trips to the can, I decided it was not my day to race. I think it was the beans that I ate the night before - bad call on my part. Yes... I whimped out! Just call me Alice.


Tyler, on the other hand, did not whimp out. He went off in a group of 12 junior riders in the 18 and under category. Off the start, two of the older kids jumped off the front and were gone. Tyler and his buddy, Stephen, leaped into the 3rd and 4th spots and pulled away from the main group. The two of them continued to work together and lapped main field. About half way through the race, they announced a $50 Gift Card to Paragon Cyclery prime. That was enough to get Tyler out of the saddle and sprint for the prime win. He beat Steven to the line to grab the prize. Now, what to buy??? Tyler hung on to take 3rd place in the Juniors and 1st in the "young juniors".

For some more pictures, go HERE.

24 Hours in The Old Pueblo Video & This Weekend

While browsing www.drunkcyclist.com today, we found this link to some great videos from the '05 and '06 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.

http://www.vladfoto.com/main.php Click Index and then Video. A couple of great video clips that give you a good feel for what the event is like.

Tomorrow AM we are doing a Singlespeed ride with the www.mtbaz.net group out at the Pemberton Trail. It should be a lot fun after the Estrella Race. Pemberton is a great trail for singlespeeds. Sunday is the Hungry Dog Crit - will Dad whimp out or will he actually race in this one? Stay tuned!

It is About Time!!

Ok, we are finally going to start updating our blog weekely again. Here we go again.

A lot has been going on in 2006 already. Ty has raced in 7 MTB and road races so far - MBAA MTB races at McDowell and Estrella; McDowell Crit; Valley of the Sun TT, Road Race and Crit; and the Sun Devil Crit. We have the Hungry Dog Crit this coming weekend. Wow! Dad even raced last weekend on his Singlespeed in the Rockcrusher category. (Talk about an oxymoron!)

Dad discovered a dent/crack in the down-tube of his Trek Fuel last week before the race. He took in into Landis Cyclery to see if Trek would cover it under warranty. No go. They said that it was due to "rider error" or "mis-use". UGH! Riding in AZ can qualify as "mis-use". How many times has a rock poped up from your front tire and hit the bottom bracket or something out here in the desert? They did offer to replace the frame for a very good discount. All in all, things worked out pretty well. Dad will end up with a new frame with a full warranty for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Gotta luv Trek!

Grandpa and Uncle Corey were out for a visit last weekend. They were in town for the race and to celebrate February's Birthdays. Tyler turned 12 on the 12th. Corey turned 35 on the 13th and Grandpa turned 59 on the 22nd. We are going to have to ride extra hard to get rid of all that B-day cake!

Tyler was the only one of us to take a podium spot by taking 5th place in the 13-14 category at Estrella. Dad came in around 11th in the Rockcrushers and Corey placed 14th in the 19-39 Expert class. Our buddy, Dan, was also in town and he was able to reach his goal by finishing in the Expert class. Check out Dan's Blog for a great story on his weekend.

Complete results can be found at http://www.mbaa.net/content/download.php?id=257406,10,1

Estrella is one brutial course! Our teeth are still chattering from the races!!!