Spiro-Mid Mountain-Wasatch Crest-Mid Mountain-Spiro Loop

I think I have a new favorite ride, and it is a killer. I thought I was going to die. By mile 25 I was spent, but it was all worth it. I guess this means I need to work on my riding physique. I guess riding 3 weeks after I broke my elbow in Moab may have had something to do with it, but the 3000+ vertical climb may have also. Hopefully Bill will send me the GPS maps so I can post a picture of our epic ride.

We start at the Park City resort parking lot and get onto the Spiro trail. Shortly thereafter you veer off onto the Mid Mountain trail. About 6 miles in you are at the top of Puke Hill and riding the Wasatch Crest. You join the crest at Scotts Pass. I was feeling really good, I had cleaned Puke Hill after 6 miles of brutal 1st gear grindage. Then it is pure Wasatch Crest bliss for about 10 miles. At the top of Millcreek Canyon you veer back towards the Canyons. This section is some of the finest single-track I have ever ridden. At about mile 20 You are at the Mid Mountain Lodge and it is time to refill the hydration pack. The next 5.5 miles you regain about 600 feet of elevation. It is mostly a middle-ring affair, but I had bonked. At about 24 miles I puked. The last 5 miles are all downhill rejoining the Mid Mountain and Spiro trails we had been on 6 hours earlier.

Needless to say I was spent when I got home. I think I made three mistakes. I didn’t eat a hearty enough breakfast, I didn’t drink enough water, and I didn’t bring a good lunch to eat. My legs and lungs felt strong, but my stomach was sick. This is a must re-visit ride. Maybe I can get someone to go with me on Monday!

Ulrich and Basso are out

If you are into cycling like I am (I like to watch road racing and race mountain bikes) this is a big deal. For the next three weeks I will be waking up early so I can watch the Tour De France. This morning came a major shock. The 2007 tour will start without the top five riders from the 2005 Tour, with 13 in all evicted from the race., all without any real “proof” of doping. Basically they are all guilty by association. They were all on a list of riders who had visited Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Tour organizers had a meeting and the team managers agreed that anyone on the list was immediately pulled from the tour. This means that the two biggest riders picked to win this years tour are out. With Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich out the Tour is literally wide open. This really gives guys like Floyd Landis, David Zabriskie (a local Utahan), Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, and my favorite to win George Hincapie. I like nothing more than to see the American Boys with the Tour. This is bitter sweet. I have a ton of respect for Ullrich and Basso, and a win by one of the American boys will always be cast under the doping shadow.

Today’s time trial in Strasburg France (a beautiful French city built in medieval style) was a blast to watch and came down to the wire. When it came time for Floyd Landis to start he was no where to be found. His name and start were called and the timer started. A full six seconds were lost. Because if this he finished in 9th. Without this he would have been in third. George Hincapie looked poised to win the Time Trial but petered out in the last 100 yards to finish 2nd, only 73 tenths of a second off Thor Hushovd’s 8:17:00. Coming in third was local boy wonder Dave Zabiskie.

All in all it was an exciting start to the Tour. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of the doping scandal. I personally feel like the cycling world are a bit like Nazi’s when it comes to their anti-doping regulations, but then again I want my riders to be au-natural, and if this is what it takes…