Sunday, July 14, 2013

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
 
 

 
 

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