Autumn Shows How Beautiful It Is To Let Things Go

"The Fall riding season forces one to STOP to take a picture or two. 

For some, that's all they want to do." - Big Man

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting 

and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz

With the amount of moisture this season, the Fall colors were more vibrant than last year and made for many great picture opportunities. Even the native wild life wanted to get in on the action. As you hang up the shorts and pull out the long pants, remember that there is never bad weather, just bad gear and as long as it's dry, KEEP RIDING!

However, some do have a temperature tolerance and when it gets below 23 degrees they start yelling,  OMAHA, OMAHA, which means they want to call an audible and change the route. Last Saturday, Big Man was determined to Color the Canyons and had planned an EPIC, three canyon ride, Big Cottonwood, Millcreek, and Emigration, going part way up the first two canyons. The group started out with six riders and ended with one. Big Man was finally able to drink from his frozen water bottle as he started to ride the third canyon and when all was said and done, YES, it was an EPIC ride. (Has anyone seen the frozen popsicles, Prez and KOT?)

YIPPY SKIPPY 

 

You know it's a little chilly when your water bottle freezes 

and there are icicles in the creek

 Some of the best colors are found 

in your own back and front yards

LOTOJA - 2019

The 2019 season finale is once again in the history books. All the training, climbing, singing, chatter and new kits paid BIG dividends for many. There were a couple of PCRs that had to bow out last minute, which created a MAJOR void in the pace-line. However, those that did ride found stronger, better looking riders to help them endure 200+ miles, 3 states, in 1 day. (Read More) Two of the seasoned riders, Dr. V (19 yrs) and Prez (7 yrs), thought they should lead the 60+ yr. old riders to Preston, ID and as you will see below were picked up by the local news. Big Man was quick to text everyone when he saw this picture wondering, who did the photo-shop. He didn't remember Prez pulling AT ALL!

KOT and Mr. T were part a three man relay and are still confused why their time was slower than Prez's, who rode the whole 200+ miles by himself??? It was a first experience for Mr. T and he chose wisely to ride LEG 5, which is the prettiest and easiest leg, from Apline to Teton Village. How are you part of a relay of three and only have to ride one leg????  He was requested several times to keep the pace below 20 mph. You would have thought he was in a race.

The younger legs, Mighty Morgan and Big Wake Nelson never stopped to say hi to the "geezers", but they sure had nice NEW kits. Those young guys are always trying to make a fashion statement.

Big Man requested in advance to STOP and take a picture on the Snake River bridge as they came into Teton Village, which was SPECTACULAR. However, the NEW guy, Mr. T, thought he would give a lesson to a few on how to clean a vacuum. Let's just say, it was good he had extra energy or he might have gotten lost.

As the four geezers approached the finish line, Big Man had a dress rehearsal to make sure everyone was in their proper place, with the proper arm lifted to make for a FANTASTIC FINISH!

YIPPY SKIPPY

Remember, it's not how fast you start, but how strong you finish!

 "How do you like our NEW kits?"

 Need we say anything more?

"The key to a good vacuum is to clean it often"

 Two Best Pics of the Day

 FANTASTIC FINISH

Recovery Beverages are a MUST!

Just a little light reading for some of you 
for next year's guide 

to a successful pre-race morning... :-)

The Hills Are Alive

July is finally here along with the HEAT, which gives all of us a good reason to ride the canyons we are so fortunate to have close by. When Brigham Young saw this valley for the first time and said, "This Is The Right Place", was he talking to all of us bike addicts, mountain and road?  YES!

Since the last post there have been many highlights:

• Prez finally found his WAY
• There was a Moose Moment
• Big Man continues to sing, "The Hills Are Alive"
• Black Knight came out of retirement to prove he hasn't lost his touch in winning the downhill stages of the Peoa Loop. (However, he's much slower on the uphill stages)
• GQ has a new kit and is looking good as ever
• Sexy Legs has a new pony that Big Man wants to lick, it looks SOO delicious 
• Mr. T has committed to ride in a relay for LOTOJA, if you call riding the last leg from Alpine 1/3, on a three person team
• MBA/DQ continues to prove that KOM is his last name (for now) and has introduced a NEW Wednesday 5:30AM, meet at the Zoo and ride to little or BIGl. This week 13 showed up.. SWEET! 
• KOT now knows what they meant when they said, "these mountains will make you cry"  Crusher in the Tushar
• Queen of Wrap goes to Kansas and learns the hard way, that the roads are really not flat    Dirty Kanza ("way harder than LOTOJA")

Hope all of you will continue to ride SAFE and ENJOY the beautiful Utah canyons. They are SPECTACULAR!

YIPPY SKIPPY

 Always be recruiting for the PCRs

 

 GQ is getting faster in making repairs 

He has a flat every time he rides with Big Man

Some days you finish your ride and swear you're getting younger, and then there are those days you wonder can I do this again. 

The answer is "YES, KEEP RIDING" 

Explore, Dream, Discover

Saturday rides for the PCRs are all about "ADVENTURECISE", and last week's route, sponsored by MBA, lived up to this motto.

• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.- Mark Twain
•  Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul – Jaime Lyn Beatty
•  We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. – Jawaharla Nehru
• Adventure is worthwhile in itself – Amelia Earhart
•  Life is an adventure, it’s not a package tour – Eckhart Tolle
•  If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be top priority – Richard Branson

Pick any of the above quotes and make them apart of your DNA. There was one rider that was NOT going to miss out on this adventurecise, even though he forgot his cleats. So like a true trooper, Prez. rode 70 miles in his fancy blue sneakers. There were times when he fell behind the pace-line, but he was bound and determined to ride to the finish line and retrieve the fritters that he had ordered from a NOT too happy cashier. Some people just wake-up on the wrong side of the bed. 

MBA learned that "sponsoring" a route is totally different than "leading" a route and decided to ride solo for a period of time, while the rest of the group tried to figure out where the leader had gone. Leading these riders is always a challenge when their are squirrels in sight. 

YIPPY SKIPPY

 Let the ADVENTURECISE begin

 "What, you don't like my BLUE shoes with my RED outfit?"

 Squirrel, Squirrel, Squirrel

 Could we PLEASE get a group shot? 

Bald Mtn, it might be until July

 What kind of birds are these?

This is WHY we take a few minutes to get out of the city... :-)

Where's Prez. Hale when you need him??