Epic Riding - Epic Writing

March 2006 - Posts

• Off to the Races

  Tomorrow morning I am heading out to St. George for the the Cholla Challenge. I have been chomping at the bit the last few weeks getting ready to compete. Saturday should be a good indicator of where I am with my fitness, but also it will just be a lot of fun to hammer for a couple hours with friends. The X-Cal is ready to go. I have new Maxxis 29" Ignitors installed, a new TruVativ flat bar and Ergon grips. It is clean, shiny and ready to rock and roll. All dressed up and ready to roll New Maxxis kicks Ergon grips and new flat bar equals comfort for the long haul In other news, Dicky, I am afraid that my 3 year old son is a ninja. He attacked me recently decked out in black, dual wielding plastic chopsticks. I suppose it is a case of "like father, like son" since I have never even swung a leg over a singlespeed. [link] Posted Mar 31 2006, 04:42 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Looking Foward

  The last couple of days have had a strange duality to them. I still feel an empty pit in my stomach. I still am haunted by the events that transpired Saturday. But I am also happy to be alive and well. I am happy I was able to ride around the block last night with my 5 year old daughter. I am happy that I was able to get out and enjoy the sunshine on a 2 hour mountain bike ride. The ride was a good diversion, but I caught myself several times looking out over the valley to where the accident occured. Funeral Services will be held at the Park City Community Church, 4501 No. HWY 224, ( behind the Park City Nursery ) at 11:00am on Thursday, March 30th. Members of the cycling community are encouraged to participate in a group ride to Main St. following the services. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Bill Corliss Bicycle Advocacy Fund. An account in Bill's name has been set up at Frontier Bank, 1245 Deer Valley Drive, Park City, Utah 84060. Bill's Obituary can be found here. Ride hard, ride fast, and most important...ride safe. [link] Posted Mar 28 2006, 06:04 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• At a Loss

  Saturday was supposed to be one of those great cycling days. The weather was great, the legs were snappy and we had a solid group of riders heading out. It all went sour just 15 minutes after we left the parking lot in Lehi, UT. Bill Corliss clipped the wheel in front of him and fell beneath a passing vehicle. He was killed instantly. Cycling has always been a life affirming activity for me. It is something I do to enjoy my environment, my friends and my physical abilities. It is an activity that renews the mind and body, the spirit and soul. It is a sport that is supposed to give life, not take it. We stood in shock and disbelief at the scene before us. A sheet now covered Bill. We were helpless to do anything but cope with our own feelings and emotions. Boris was sitting on the side of the road sobbing, I put my arm around him, and not knowing what to say, I remained silent. I still can't believe what happened. The imagery shooting through my mind seems unreal, or sureal. It doesn't feel a part of any memory, but rather something from an unwanted fear or nightmare. Selfishly my thoughts turned to my wife and three kids. The horror of the reality that this could have been any of us in the group sunk in. I felt an odd sense of empty relief that it would not be my family receiving this horrible news. I felt ashamed feeling this way, at that moment. I knew that in Park City there was a wife and a son that were about to experience the worst of human emotion and grief. Training and racing are important to me. But they can't hold the wheel of my family. Not even for a moment. I have been hugging my wife and kids a little more often, and a little tighter today. I am still haunted with dark thoughts about things that could have been yesterday. The nature of the accident could have taken multiple riders down. We were grateful that was not the case. But we mourn for Bill and his family. Later in the day a storm rolled into the Wasatch Front. The bright skies turned dark and heavy as the warm temperatures dropped. It was a dark ending to a dark day. I will forever be connected to the riders in that pace line Saturday morning. Some were long time friends, others, inlcuding Bill Corliss, were people I had just met. We stood speechless with one another on State Road 68 realizing that for long time, if not forever, each time we got on our bikes we would think of this day. [link] Posted Mar 26 2006, 10:52 PM by alisonbee with 1 comment(s)

• Running on Empty

  I set out yesterday for what was going to be a 3-4 hour road ride. After 90 minutes I was cooked. So I packed it in and went home. Tomorrow there is a 90 mile group ride heading out at 9:45AM. It should be good times, assuming I have the legs to get me around the loop. It looks like Team Dicky will be heading out this way for The E100 in August. I can't imagine doing that race on a rigid single speed. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend in AZ, AR and any where else you may be lining it up! [link] Posted Mar 24 2006, 03:34 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Light Thinking

  I am still thinking a lot about lights. I am happy so far with the doubleshot, I have not had an opportunity to get out with it, but the set up is nice, the beam is bright, and it is not a super heavy package. The bar mount is a weak spot, it doesn't fit very well on OS bars, and with the way mine is set up, the shifters get in the way. Not a huge deal since the doubleshot will spend most of its time on my head. I am toying with the idea of selling my HID set up. I have a Niterider Blowtorch 2.0 with a spare battery. It includes a bar mount and fast charger. The burn time is about 4 hours. Email me or leave a comment if you are interested. Does this make sense to anyone? [link] Posted Mar 23 2006, 02:32 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Wide Open Spaces

  The scheduled rain was running late. We didn't hang around to see if it would show. We arrived in Moab Friday morning and were ready to ride within the hour. My plans to scout the Kokopelli Trail were thwarted by previous wet days. All reports indicated the the La Sal section of the trail was unridable. So Friday we rode the Sovereign Trail, and Gemini Bridges. The weather held out and we enjoyed a great precursor to our White Rim tour that would follow on Saturday. Because of the recent rain in the area, the Shafer Climb on the White Rim route was closed. This altered our plans somewhat and after some discussion we decided that an out and back style ride would have to do. This would give us the opportunity to shorten the ride should the need arise. Saturday morning arrived, and to our delight, the sun was shinging and the skies were clear. We parked the car on Potash road, underneath the massive wall of Amasa Back and set out on our epic day. The wide open spaces of south eastern Utah are some of my favorite places in the world. Canyonlands National Park provides a great opprtunity for open air exploration. The White Rim winds its way along the top of canyon walls and through oceans of sage brush, all the while snaking along in the shadow of rock formations that seem to defy physics in thier balance and structure. In these wide open spaces the wind blows, and Saturday was no exception. We fought strong headwinds most of the "out" section of the ride. As we crept over a short, but steep pass the wind whipped into our faces, stining exposed skin with blowing dust, trying almost succesfully to blow our bikes to the ground. We pressed on admiring the vast landscape and enjoying the windy silence of the desert. One of the reasons I enjoy these remote areas is the feeling of isolation. There is a respite from the every day taskmastering that rides near home don't supply. Despite the tireing nature of thesetype of rides, I always return feeling refreshed and renewed. There is good therapy in desert isolation. We wove our way through the canyon country keeping a close eye on the dark clouds that seemed to be trying sneaking up on us, catch us off guard, and drop a days worth of rain on our heads. They never did though. The most we got was a few isolated drops. The headwind that we cursed all morning became a godsend in the afternoon. We were riding the opposite direction and we began the "back" part of our trip. The miles flew by as we enjoyed the gentle push from the wind. 8.5 hours and 80 miles after we left the car, we arrived back to it. We were tired, but happy. It was a great day on the bike and a reminder of how good an epic day can be. That evening we talked about our good day over some decent Mexican food. Ever wanting to have another epic day in the saddle, our thoughts and conversations turned to returning to the White Rim....sooner rather than later. [link] Posted Mar 21 2006, 12:01 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• White Rim Photos

  [link] Posted Mar 19 2006, 08:33 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Braving the Storm

  A few of us from the Mad Dog Cycles team are heading to Moab in the morning. I will be doing some Kokopelli Trail scouting on Friday, then on Saturday we are planning on riding the White Rim. The weather could scuttle some, or all of our plans. We shall see. If all goes well I should have some great photos and a weekend's worth of epic tales. The great light debate is over. I finally made my choice. I ordered one of these. When I recieve it I will post my impressions. It should make a great primary light for the KTR, and a worthy companion to my HID system for 24 Hour round and rounds. So, until Sunday, happy trails! P.S. Only 1 day into the NCAA tourney and my bracket is already looking pretty sad. [link] Posted Mar 17 2006, 05:56 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• A World Apart

  24 Hour$ of Adrenalin announced the date for the "solo world championships". The venue is Conyers, GA. Which I found ironic, since it seemed that last year when 24HoA was there Stuart was reported to have burned some bridges with the locals. But it gets better. The date? October 7th. The 24 Hoursof Moab is October 14th. 24 HoA has put every top solo rider in a tough spot. Many top riders already have Moab on the schedule. Will they change that now in light of the "worlds"? [link] Posted Mar 15 2006, 03:02 PM by alisonbee with 1 comment(s)

• Still Frozen

  Today the sun came out. I had planned on going to the gym, but when I saw the bright sunny evening I scrapped those plans and hit the road. I was able to squeeze in a good 1.5 hour ride before dark. Like Saturday's ride though, it was cold. My poor toes were screaming with pain as they thawed out afterward. The average temperature on the ride was 33ºF. I am really hoping for good weather in Moab this weekend. [link] Posted Mar 14 2006, 03:36 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Frozen

  The snow was delayed enough to get out this afternoon for nearly 3 hours. But it is was cold. Like late December cold. By the time I stumbled into the house I could not feel my toes. Much of the ride had a healthy headwind screaming in my face. Despite the cold and wind though, my legs felt really good. They are cooked right now though. Time for Recover-Ease to go to work. A look at the MotionBased.com ride summary. [link] Posted Mar 12 2006, 04:14 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Reading the Tea Leaves

  Endurance races last long enough that your body will give you clues as to how it is going to be feeling in the coming hours. It is an important skill to learn to read these signs. I failed horribly at this during the 2005 24 Hours of Moab. The above photo was taken on my last full day lap at Moab. At the time of the photo I was feeling very good. I was on pace to meet my goals, and was very excited about the coming night. 2 laps later I was puking. I had become dehydrated. I had done a very poor job of replacing electrolytes. Take a look at a detail of the image: The arm warmers are white with salty sweat. That is not normal for me 6 hours into an event. I should have seen that, and known immediatley what it meant. I could have prevented the puke fest, and continued on through the night. Instead I was balled up in pain in my sleeping bag. Everyone's body is different. If you can learn the language your body speaks, it can go a long way in preventing future bonks. [link] Posted Mar 11 2006, 05:05 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Randomonium

  The snow is melting. But more is supposed to fall tomorrow. If it doesn't fall, then in the afternoon I will be heading out on a nice road ride. If it is snowing, well then it will be back to the gym. Dave Harris is divulging secrets. He has posted three very detailed 24 Hour race related articles. They are designed for someone looking to do thier first solo 24, but I think they are a nice read for anyone. It is always good to see what works for other people. It seems that the search for the ideal strategy for food, lighting, bikes, clothing and pit stops is an ever ongoing endeavor. I installed my new flat bar and my Ergon grips. The flat bar is quite a bit more narrow than the riser I had, but it is a throw back to what I am really used to. I think the new bar, with the Ergon's will be a nice comfy set up for the long haul. If the weather would cooperate I could get some trail time in to get a better idea. OK, time to do some Ab work on the big rubber ball my wife does pilates on. [link] Posted Mar 11 2006, 04:17 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Merry Christmas?

  I awoke this morning to snow falling. I get home from work and there is a package waiting for me containg a new flat bar and a pair of these. I also recieved a box this week with a Wingnut Gear Hyper 2.5 inside. My first impressions are that the 2.5 is going to be along with me for a lot of miles this year. It is very impressive. I thought for a moment that Christmas had returned. I learned recently that I will be a part of Team Recover-Ease. I have been using the product in my workouts for the last few weeks and I am enjoying the results. I will be handing out samples at the events I ride in this year, so make sure and grab a few packets from me. I updated my sidebar. I took a page out of Jeff's book and installed a new menu. Now if I can just find an image rotator script that I can understand, I will be able to show off multiple headers. For now though the scripts and instructions make my head spin. And speaking of spinning....I hit up 2 spin classes this week. I will admit that I actually enjoyed them (gasp!). They are a great way to get in some high intesity workouts. I think I will continue going 2-3 times a week for the next 6-8 weeks. Snow is forcasted for the next 3 days. Remember that bit about winter coming back and taking one last big bite? Well it appears that it has happened once again. It will probably not be the last time either. Allright I'm out. Gotta get some rest. [link] Posted Mar 10 2006, 05:13 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• It all Started With...

  ...this little student film I did in 2001 at the 24 Hours of Moab. Doing the film was my first introduction to 24 Hour racing. Needless to say I became very interested in this type of racing. Keep in mind when you watch the film that I was a student :D It runs 16 minutes so it may take a minute to load. Hope you enjoy! [link] Posted Mar 09 2006, 12:52 AM by alisonbee with no comments