Epic Riding - Epic Writing

August 2006 - Posts

• The E100 Aftermath

  The true difficulty of this race continue to manifest itself. I have progressivley felt worse each day since I finsihed. This morning was no exception. Despite riding about 70% of the course before the race, and having a very good idea of what thi… Read Full Post Here Technorati Tags: Cycling Posted Aug 29 2006, 05:13 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• E100-Initial Thoughts

  Wow. Where to begin? The E100 was an epic day in the saddle. Lots of different emotions all framed around climbing, descending, rain, hail, wind, heat, flat tires, sore muscles, trees, high mountains, cli… Read Full Post Here Technorati Tags: Cycling Posted Aug 28 2006, 09:49 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Here We Go!

  Allright, the E100 is upon me. Last night I rode up on the ridge in what was my last real effort before the race. I will get a few short rides in to keep things loose, but what I got now, is what I got. I am excited about the race. 18,600 feet of… Read Full Post Here Technorati Tags: Cycling Posted Aug 23 2006, 02:20 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• Sneak Preview

  Below is Stage 4 in MotionBased. Click here for all the details of E100 Stage 4 Note: The actual distance of Stage 4 is closer to 17.5 miles, rather that the 16.3 tracked by my GPS. Stage 4 in itself is not to hard. However, when followed by Strage 2, and then the long arduous climb from the bottom of Stage 3, it will be a burner. I am anticiapting Stage 2 through the top of Stage 4 being the most difficult portions of the race. Race day may proce me wrong, but on paper those 50ish miles are the most daunting. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 21 2006, 04:16 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• More Stage Four

  I helped with marking stage 4 of the E100 again. I am very excited for the race. It will be a hurtfest, and I think thefield will be bigger than ever. It has all the ingredients for a classic endurance race. Here are afew pictures from the day. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 21 2006, 02:39 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• 13 of 25

  13 of 25. That is how many shots I missed in the biathalon last night. So I did 13 penalty laps. Ah well, it was a lot of fun. It's funny how a few missed targets will put the fast guys in the back of the pack. some of the Pro/Expert guys thast I can never hang with also missed a signifigant amount of targets, and so I was able to give a bit of a chase. I was a bit surprised at how many I missed. I am a pretty good shot, and I did well in the pre-race practice session, but during the race it was pretty much hit or miss...haha! The E100 is coming, and it is starting to dominate my thoughts. I am really looking forward to that race. I am trying to go into it with the same mindset as I did the KTR. I am going to set out and ride my race, execute my plan, and hopefully all that translates into a solid finish. The 24 Hours of Moab is creeping into the back of my mind. I should register soon. After the E100, and before Moab, I am in Mexico for 3 weeks. Who knows what will happen to my fitness, but I like to tell myself that it will be a well needed rest period. Although the trip is going to be alot of hardwork, so I won't get much rest. OK, I am out. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 17 2006, 03:45 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• On and On

  I managed to get out and dodge the rolling thunder storms to get a short ride in. It was a nice spin just after a small coudburst. the temps were cool, and the trails nice and wet. Perfect. Tomorrow's WEdnesday Night series race at Soldier hollow is a biathalon. It consists of a 1 mile loop, and then we jump off shoot 5 shots at a target on the Olympic biathalon range, and then ride a shortpenalty lap for every shot missed. It should be fun. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 16 2006, 03:26 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Reverse Angle

  Keith snapped this photo when we were up on the Loop. This is the photo I ended up with, which I also posted in yesterday's post. Keith had a race of his own yesterday. It was pretty funny being at the top as he nervously waited for the peleton as his wife rushed to hospital to deliver a baby. In the end it was a false alarm...but it made for an entertaining morning as he sped down the rail trail at 30mph. Read the details at his blog. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 14 2006, 02:57 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• More Tour

  The last couple of days have been busy. I spent Friday up at the OR show, and then that evening I watched the circuit race through downtown Salt Lake. The race was stage 5 of the Tour of Utah. Today I rode my bike with Keith up to the summit of the Alpine Loop ahead of the peleton riding the brutal Stage 6, the last of the Tour. Check full race results here. It was fun to see the race in the mountains. Overall I think the tour was a great success. It caught the attention of a lot of people that I think previously thought cycling, and cyclists were just another thing to get in the way of their H3's on a Tuesday morning commute. Maybe now they will slow down, move over, and wave instead of speeding up, reving the engine and flipping us off. Enjoy some photos from the last couple of days worth of racing: Stage 5 action in Downtown More of Stage 5 Eddie Odea, Bobke, and myself Lead group pushes over the Alpine Summit, Stage 6 Bib 51, Eric Wohlberg, of Symmetrics Cycling Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 13 2006, 03:32 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Outdoor Retail Show

  Wingnut Gear O.R. Booth Today was Day 1 of the Outdoor Retail Show. It is huge. Booths everywhere. Knives, backpacks, kayaks, tents, shoes, clothing, lights, food, water filters, hats, sunglasses, on and on....lots of interesting stuff. I had some time to wander around a bit, and saw some pretty cool things. Of particular note was Princeton Tec's new LED based bike lights. These are not like the current line of bike lights they have now. These are their foray into the nightriding scene...as in racing. There were 3 models. Each based off of a 3 watt LED. There was a single, double and triple, each with high, low and flash modes. The double and triple were very similar in design to Cateye's offerings. Quoted burn time on the triple (three 3 watt LEDs) was 6 hours constant output. Nice. They should be availabe in September. The price point was steep though, and the battery packs a bit bulky. However they looked like solid designs. I am interested in getting a closer look at them, and perhaps testing them out on some trails. Lots of folks stopped by our Wingnut booth. The packs are so unique and well designed that they can't help but turn heads. Even Camelbak showed up to take notes on the designs. Sorry guys...they are patented. Take your smug smiles elsewhere! I Got a chance to spend some good time with Eddie Odea. He is a dedicated, detail oriented guy, and I have to think that those traits really helped him to his impressive finish at the 24 Hour Nats. Scott from Wingnut is also a great guy. He is passionate about what he is doing, and has a niche in both the world of hydro packs, and in portable solar powered panels. In June at Primal Quest he built a tent that was completely solar powered. Inside there was a swamp cooler, lights, hot water...the works. All in all it was a good day. I am looking forward to spending another one up there tomorrow. Oh, and it looks like Dave and Lynda are 5 for 5. They could sweep the entire race! Incredible. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 11 2006, 04:17 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Slipping Away

  Summer just seems to be slipping away. Tomorrow I turn 29. In less than 3 weeks I will race the E100. Moab is looming....the time flies. Won't be long and we will all be in our winter routines again, longing for the dog days of summer to return. But, until then it is time to enjoy the remainder of the season. I hit the trails last night with Chris for a 2 hour night ride. Today I raced at Sundance in the Wed. Night series. My training seems to be coming together, and I am feeling pretty good right now. I am hoping ot go into the E100 as rested and ready as I was for the KTR back in May. Tomorrow is the Outdoor Retail Show. I will be up there helping Scott from Wingnut. Eddie O. is also in town. I am looking forward to meeting him, and hopefully we will get a chance to hit the local trails. I will have my camera at the show, so anyhting interesting or relevant i will try and get posted up here. The Tour of Utah is going well. Chris Wherry just put a2 spot on the field taking Tuesday's road race, and then today's TT. Race hits the mountains tomorrow. Should be interesting. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 10 2006, 03:29 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• The Tour of Utah

  The Tour of Utah started today. I caught the peleton early in the race when they passed about a mile from my house, then later with the family we watched the finish in Provo. It should be a good race. Lots of climbing, a TT and a circuit race. There is a good solid field of riders as well. Some local, some not. The locals had a good showing today, putting 2 or 3 guys in the top 10. Speaking of stage racing...Lynda and Dave are off to a great start in the TR. 2 stages, 2 victories. Lots of racing left to do, but right now it looks like they are right on plan. Is anyone surprised? Sounds like Dicky and The Wonderboy are also having a good time. I gotta do that race sometime in the future... Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 08 2006, 04:49 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• Pictures from Yesterday

  Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 06 2006, 10:28 PM by alisonbee with no comments

• High Country

  I finally got up into the high country today. Derek and I climbed up from Tibblefork Lake to the top of the Snobird and Alta ski resorts. We climbed up through Mineral Basin to get there. We topped out at over 10,500. It was an epic day, with tons of long steep climbs, and long steep descents. I had a nice OTB when I blew my front tire and landed on some sharp rocks. Nice. The ride was only 24 miles, but we managed 6,500 feet of climbing, and enjoyed some big views. It took us nearly 6 hours to complete. It was a perfect training ride for the upcoming E100. Exactly what my legs were craving. Blogger doesn't want to post pictures tonight, so i will try again on those tomorrow. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 06 2006, 03:35 AM by alisonbee with no comments

• A Year in the Books

  One year ago today I started this blog. It came as a result from my terrible Brianhead Epic performance. I wanted a way to stay focused and accountable. I wanted a place to "jot down" my thoughts, race recaps, and really just a spot I could recount my (mis)adventures on the bike. It has been a ton of fun, and I appreciate all of you that take a little time out your day to peruse my ramblings. It has also been a great time over the last year or so for me to read your blogs. I feel like I have friends spread out all over the country because of these blogs we keep up. Some of you I have had the priveledge of racing with, and the rest of you, I hope for that opportunity! Yesterday I had a good solid workout. I rode up in the Wasatch Back area for 3 hours, then followed that up with a 1 hour race at Soldier Hollow. The course was fun--tons of rollers and small burst climbs. It was a great interval workout, especially after 3 hours of saddle time before hand. Good luck to these enduro freaks, and also to these crazy kats at the upcoming TransRockies Challenge. What an epic event that will be. Something on my "whish list" for sure. This weekend I hope to do my best TR impersonation with a big ride up in the high country. That way I can pretend I am racing, and of course in those pretend races, I am always putting the wood to all the big names....Eatough, Tinker, Nat....yeah they can't hold my wheel in my delusional fake races. I mean, that is IF I were to have delusional fake races....I was speaking hypothetically...yeah....er....uh, I gotta go. Technorati Tags: Cycling [link] Posted Aug 03 2006, 03:56 PM by alisonbee with no comments