Annual July 24th Wasatch Crest

Yes, another year has come and gone and it was time to go back to the mountain. The OLD MAN was left alone to smell the flowers as the YOUNG LEGS bolted down the mountain. Let's hope we can do this for many more years to come.... :-)

 "Hey, you guys are killing me"

 

I'm KING OF THE HILL

 

 STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS

 

HEAD DUNKING A MUST!

 

 End of the trail

 

 



Wolf Creek Summit and BEYOND!

This week's blog is being posted under official protest:

 

1. - Since when do we start changing the names of the riders that were given under inspiration by the BIG MAN. (Fast Man??? COME ON,  maybe Fast Little Man, but remember he LOST the last stage against the BIG MAN)

 

2. Sean, whatever your last name is... (picking up strangers is kinda scary, he might have had a squirt gun) Don't believe everything they said about the BIG MAN. (I would have at least gotten your last name, email and invited you to dinner)

 

3. Riding to the top TWICE... What's that all about?? I remember when Bruner had problems and we made him ride Trax home. (Man, I leave for one ride and you all turn SOFT on me)

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Brothers (meant in the biblical sense; you know, Cain and Abel (you can read all about it in Genesis chapter 4): where one is willing to kill the other, just to come out on top) of the Bike:

                Yesterday was another adventure.  We lost the Big Man (where’s Woody?), and we picked up two new riders: Sean (we never got his last name) and Chris Nelson.  During the entire ride Sean and Chris heard stories about the Big Man (there are so many that it would take thousands of miles to tell a fraction of them).  They listened to so many that at the conclusion of the ride they said they felt like they have known him all their lives.  Brothers of this clan know that if you do not show up to protect yourself you will be thrown under the bus many times, and if you do show up, well, it will only likely happen a few times.

                The route was chosen by the Fast Man (fka Small Man).  We larger people should never let smaller, and hence, faster people chose the route.  They invariably select hills because they have less weight to lug up them.  Our first goal was to conquer Wolf Creek Pass.  Shortly after commencing this odyssey we had the first casualty (some argue whether it really was).  Hale was stung on the lip by a bee. (click on link to see another fellow PCR that got stung on the lip and she didn't CRY.. :'( )  His lip began to swell to the point he could barely talk.  The group rode on, concluding that the risk of him going into anaphylactic shock was worth the peace and quiet they enjoyed from his temporary verbal incapacitation.

                Then a miracle occurred on the second climb--Weber Canyon.  As we were making our assent, just 5 minutes from the summit Nelson’s tube gave out.  He claims that it was a defective valve stem, but some of us older folks think it was contrived excuse for his inability to keep up with most of us.  Whatever the case, he was left behind--no surprise.  When we came back, about ten minutes later, we found him still wrestling with the tire, leaving some us to wonder whether he graduated from the same school of bike mechanics as Jensen, or if it was a further ruse to buy him more time during which he could rest.  Glauser, using his business analytical skills organized a circle to watch the young lad (by comparison to the average age of the group) attempt the repair, offering words of encouragement.  Then the supernatural event occurred.  Bruner, who has enough energy to shame the Energizer-Bunny, suggested that the entire group accompany Nelson BACK UP the mountain we just come down.  Somehow he was able to persuade the group to do so.  Now I do not know how many times this group has left my dying carcass to rot in the hot summer sun to be the target of ravenous vultures, but the band of brothers did not want Nelson to feel left out.  I think that the Fast Man agreed only because he had ascended 4,950 feet, and being an accountant who likes round numbers, wanted to hit 5,000 feet.  Brian Lloyd suggested it could only be one of the two following causes: (1) they like Nelson or (2) Wood was not there.  I tend to think this rare moment of togetherness was caused by Wood’s absence.  Wood where were you when I needed you?

 

Chris Nelson, pictures are only taken ONCE.... SORRY!

 

 

Why Do We Do These Rides?

Two loyal PCR riders did a breakaway today in the 2011 Huntsman jerseys, in honor of the ever-so-absent Brother Lloyd.  The 8 am start time was because Mike and Kim just need a little more beauty sleep than other PCRs.(note video) Stage one was home to Hennifer non-stop, then up the Echo Canyon bridge and on to Wanship...for the Mary shuttle home.  We rode squirt gun free for around 80 miles, 5100 ft of climbing and no one nearly died of heat exhaustion afterward (Brother Wood). As always, the Professor pulled Briggs' sorry butt up and down and everywhere (except around the Hennifer Loop, which only Mike rode while Briggs found a chair and a coke).
 

Hazard Alert!!! back side of Big Mountain has been gravel resurfaced and they haven't swept the final gravel off yet...so be really careful.

 

 Eating and Drinking is KEY

 

Dear Band (I use term in an elastic sense, as in a loose association of people, rather than a tightly knit group) of Brothers:
 

            The Corps of PCR, that group of members that is consistent, if nothing else, took off at the regularly scheduled Saturday time, 6:00 a.m. (Scott Lloyd, that is Ante Meridiem, or before noon, or more commonly known as the morning; have you ever seen it?) on a mundane ride (so atypical of the Big Man, who planned it).  It was supposed to be a flat ride to Draper, then around the Point of the Mountain, to the entrance of American Fork Canyon, not up it, and then back the same hideous route--weaving through traffic, inhaling dust and exhaust, staring at countless guardrails and tract housing.  The rest of the members of PCR left on their ride at a more urbane hour, after they rolled out of bed at a leisurely pace, drank their orange juice, ate their fancy granola, brushed their teeth, groomed their hair, said good-bye to their sweeties, and were inspected by the Generalissimo of Fashion (you get the picture of this pampered group).  It was unusually warm when the hard--bitten PCR warriors began their ride, a harbinger of things to come.  As our group passed by the site of the last week’s accident, the most sensitive of its members carefully pointed out the height of the curb and how well it was marked, to the member (who shall go unnamed) who hit it last week--such brotherly love is one of the many reasons that member rides with this group (again, I emphasize that what I mean by “group” is people with a general common goal: to ride bikes and get home in as few pieces as possible).
 

As we approached Draper City we witnessed the preparations for that fair city’s celebration of Pioneer Days.  It inspired a member of our group (who shall remain unnamed) to depart from our time-honor tradition of following “the plan”.  I do not know whether it was the heat, being caught up in the pioneering spirit exuded by the citizens of Draper, or just plain stupidity, but we were talked into going up over Traverse Mountain, up to the top of American Fork Canyon, and back up over Traverse Mountain in the blazing hot sun.  Craig’s electronic contraption measured the temperature at 108 degrees as we summited Traverse Mountain a second time, but it felt a lot hotter!  By the time we hit 60^th South, the heat got to the Big Man.  He folded like a cheap Italian suit!  When we were within 20 blocks of home his tire went flat (I think it was contrived to give him some rest).  By then he was delirious from heat exhaustion.  He changed his tire in record time--45 minutes!  For fifteen minutes he labored to replace the tube.  Once it was ready to be inflated he realized that the stem was too short, the tube could not be inflated.  By now he was incoherent.  But his brothers could not distinguish his state of delirium from his normal condition, so they let him change the tire a second time.  The fact that it took the Big Man so many times and so long to change his tire should have signaled to the other members that he was in distress.  It is a good thing that the Big Man’s career path was not to serve in a NASCAR pit crew; that is, of course, unless his team’s goal was to come in dead last!  Eventually he made it home to his sweet wife, who rushed to his aid, driving over garden tools to save her man from what seemed to be peril.  It was a million dollar experience we would not even pay a nickel to repeat!  We missed the pampered PCR members, who had their chauffeur pick them up at the appointed time and return them to the safety of their estates.  Several morals to be learned from this experience are that not only must you keep your rubber side down, but inflated was well, and never roll your wheels up-hill in the blazing hot sun!

 

 What GREAT scenery!!

 

"Suncrest, twice in one day..... REALLY??? What are you thinking??"

 

Mr. T's Helpful Riding Tips 

3 Canyons, 85 miles, 9,000 feet, in ONE DAY!

Yesterday's ride for the PCRs was a test of endurance as some crazy person thought it would be a good idea to ride BIG COTTONWOOD, MILLCREEK and EMIGRATION, all in one day. WHAT,  ARE YOU CRAZY!  The ride started for some at 5:30am, which required riding with a light. "Follow the light and it will guide you"..... NOT! Hale, the only one with a light decided to jump a curb to cut off Wood in Holladay, but forgot to JUMP. Let's just say the words that followed will not be something he will be using over the pulpit. After a few minor adjustments to a bent frame and derailer, the ride continued. (There should be some good color on Hale's body in a couple of days... OUCH)

The early morning PCRs were met at the mouth of the first climb by LIGHTNING LEGS, Mike Dunn, who gets the BEST DRESSED OUTFIT for the day. (Note, how he coordinates his outfit with his bike) We all met at the top for a quick pit stop, treats, and of course pictures.

The second canyon, Millcreek, was a true test for Wood as you will see below. "No man is an island, NO MAN SHOULD RIDE ALONE"  The ride down was a busy one with traffic and as riders came out of the canyon the constant POWER being exserted those far by Dr. J. was just too much for his bike chain and it BLEW UP. However, our shuttle service was ready to help. (Mary, you're the BEST!)

The last canyon proved to be a test for Craig Armstrong Burner, as we stopped at Mike's tennis camp to get some water and on his exit to get back on the road, stopped for a car and couldn't get the shoe out the pedal. Golfers, tennis players, drivers were all running to his rescue.... ARE YOU OK? ARE YOU OK?  While the PCRs were wondering "WHAT IS HE DOING??"  Professor Glauser, after helping Dr. J. get home safe, made a mad dash to catch the group and as he always does, passed them on the last switch back to the top of little mountain.  WHAT AN ANIMAL!

Bottom Line, let's wait a while before we do this ride again... MAYBE NEVER... :-)

Late editorial....... The new guest writer didn't know there was a deadline, but I think I have found my new ghost writer in LITTLE man!  Enjoy

It is only under duress that I contribute to this blog (since it not aligned with my personality or skill-set) however, Mr. Wood insisted and I have reluctantly acquiesced and provide this memorialization of the 3-canyons ride.  Perhaps the best way to contribute to this week’s blog is with a couple of riddles: 
 

#1 What is orange and red, with a bright light, extremely intelligent /articulate, and has memory equal to supercomputer, but doesn’t respect basic laws of physics. (Answer:  Bro. Hale)
 

The ride this week started with a little rain and much anxiety about the arduous task assigned to us for the day (by Mr Hale) which turned out to be approximately 85 miles and 9,000 ft of climbing (both numbers rounded up slightly to make us feel better about the soreness that we are currently feeling).  There were two different start times and the early group made their way thru the dark comforted in the wonderful glow of Bro Hale’s wonderful light.  Shortly however, it was clear that others on the ride were benefiting more from SH’s bright light (clue #1) than he was since,  he managed to run head first into a 8inch curb in the holiday area.  After seeing the distortion in headsets, wheels, and rear detailers, not to mention scraps, contusions, and damaged egos, we were quite amazed when Mr. Hale twisted bike parts back into shape, dusted himself off and got back on the bike and ended up coming out the other side of this most difficult day (Congrats SH – who definitely earned the strong man of the day award). 
 

For Steve et al., I provide a summary and reminder of Newton’s basic laws of physics:

First law:
This law is often simplified into the sentence "A particle will continue at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force."
Second law:
The net force on a particle is proportional to the time rate of change of its linear momentum: F = d (mv) / dt.[3][4][5][6][7] Momentum mv is the product of mass and velocity. Force and momentum are vector quantities and the resultant force is found from all the forces present by vector addition. This law is often stated as "F = ma: the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration."
Third law:
Whenever a particle A exerts a force on another particle B, B simultaneously exerts a force on A with the same magnitude in the opposite direction. The strong form of the law further postulates that these two forces act along the same line. This law is often simplified into the sentence "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction."     

 

After this precarious start to the day, we settled into the normal routine of our Saturday rides with SW (aka – Big Man) telling stories.  However these stories were more frequent today because the 9000 feet of continual climbing and the resultant slower pace, kept many of us in closer proximity to one another than normal. 



Which gets me to riddle #2 What happens if there is a dog barking at your back door, and your wife is yelling at you to come to the front door.  After many minutes and miles of climbing, one extremely wise biking companion who will remain anonymous suggested the following:  (Answer:  Attend to your wife, your dog will love you unconditionally)
 

We continued on and summited Big Cottonwood, Millcreek, and Emigration (8,900 feet – wow).   We had one accident and one mechanical (sorry Bruce), but overall it was an extremely long but enjoyable day in the saddle with friends, who enjoyed sweating, comparing aches and pains, talking, and in the end solving some of life’s more perplexing questions (e.g. riddle #2).  Our Saturday rides continue to highlight how unique we are, but how these individual talents / differences make us collectively much better than we would ever be alone.    In the end, there were multiple “3 peaks” merit badges awarded, but somehow this accomplishment seems less important than the laughs, stories, and time spent with wonderful friends.
 

Little man

Anyone DEAD yet?

 Little Mountain - For some, TOO tired and in TOO much PAIN to SMILE

 

 

 

 

Happy July 4th

This holiday weekend provided a couple of days to get out and do some fun riding. It's getting HOT. 6-7 days, in a row in the 100s. Therefore, requiring an earlier department or ride to the mountains as you will see from this week's post.

Romney & Wood, both bachelors this week, went on a ride that Mr. T. had NOT been on and as YOUNG MEN do, had TOO much fun.

Some of the PCRs continued their LOTOJA training and rode 96 miles. (a few had to ride an extra 4 miles to get to the 100 mark). The Black Knight, after rescuing the bonking rider, had a major break away as he ROCKETED to the Wyoming border. WOW!.... and there was an ALL OUT sprint to the final stage finish line, which displayed the powerful burst of speed that is still available in some of these OLD GUYS!  (Oxygen and IVs were administered to the winner)

 

 96-100 miles, NOT BAD for a bunch of OLD GUYS... :-)

 

Our shuttle service SAVED THE DAY..... THANKS