Bike Commuter SLC

Alec Eiffel

2011-03-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

I heard this song once on the radio in 1995 and finally decided to google for the artists.

I also recently figured out who did this song.

Anyway, if you enjoy these half as much as I do, I've enjoyed them twice as much as you.

The Four Hour Body

2011-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

I recall when first seeing the book entitled The Four Hour Body thinking that this was yet another book catering to those looking for shortcuts to health and fitness, something akin to 7 minute abs.

After reading an interview with the author in Wired magazine, I decided to pick up a copy, and have definitely found the read both entertaining and inspirational.

The inspirational part was the author's approach to fitness and health, namely acquiring knowledge related to the subject, then designing and conducting experiments to determine what is effective. Regardless of whether you agree with any of the conclusions the author presents, this approach is something that can be applied to many items in our day to day lives.

Xmas Lights 2010

2010-11-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

Click Here To Watch The Video

Baseball

2010-08-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

The Limits of Gatorskin Puncture Protection

2010-08-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Game #2

2010-05-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

First goal.

Racing Nightfall

2010-05-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Trying to get home from the DLD crit before dark... didn't make it, but had the full complement of blinky lights with me...

First Mountain Bike Commute of 2010

2010-05-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Pics from May 6 ride from downtown to the U of U (shortcut route).

May Day

2010-05-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the spring riding in the Wasatch. The joys of putting on a minimal kit...

The sunny spring views...

Nice dry roads...

And arriving home refreshed and rejuvinated.

Zeppelin

2010-05-05T09:16:00.001-07:00

Maybe this is a sign of losing it, but via additions to the emusic.com
catalog I've been reaquainted with led zeppelin... And digging it.

Soccer game #1

2010-04-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

Quote of the day - "I think my testicle is ok"

Much better than the old frap.

2010-04-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Rolly polly bugs

2010-04-16T17:51:00.001-07:00

Wrenching

2010-04-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

First Trail Ride of the Year

2010-04-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Not the first dirt of the year, which has been experienced on the road, but the first trail ride of the year. Unfortunately the cross bike is still apart, so I took the monster truck/29er out on a nice recovery ride.

No. 144

2010-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

2 Hours of Freedom

2010-04-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

Had an opportunity to get out for a rare ride on a sunny weekend day.

Hell of the North

2010-04-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cancellara kills it again... caught Boonen napping. Road racing is tough - the price of admission is some pretty serious training, after which simple mistakes can send you off the back. I experienced this first hand at our local Hell of the North Salt lake, where a momentary lapse in concentration cost me a wheel, after which I was gapped and resigned to the stragglers. Put in a pretty big effort for me, so the fitness is coming, but race savvy continues to be hard won.

New Kit

2010-03-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

I love getting the new season's kit... it's the embodiment of the promise of a new year of racing, with the hopes that a winter's hard training will elevate my abilities, or at least delay the inevitable decline of years beyond prime,

Ride Between the Rain Drops

2010-03-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Managed to squeak in a commute and a lunch ride with just a little bit of rain and sleet, with the stormiest parts of the day in between rides.

Email post (test)

2010-03-25T19:43:00.001-07:00

I have never liked Bob Seger's music. Same for Bruce Springsteen.

Sent from my iPhone

First ride to the summit of little peak this year

2010-03-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Still a little chilly up top...

Quote of the Year Candidate

2010-03-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

"You are not the tour elite". --Race official, putting the C-flite race in the local training criterium series into perspective.

No. 136

2010-03-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hoops McGee

2010-03-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

Skills and drills... skills and drills...

Also, check out the vertical leap.

USA vs Canada Gold Medal Game

2010-02-28T16:33:00.001-08:00

Proper positioning relative to the video screen is the key here.

How I Discovered A Missing Brake Cable Donut

2010-02-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

WTF?

Stop

??????

Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting... Ting...

Argggggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stop

Ah ha! I forgot to put the donut on the new brake cable... grrrrrrrrr...

No. 132

2010-02-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

Drama in the Morning

2010-02-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing like riding to work in a snow storm...

This photo was copied from La Gazzetta Deci Bici, a wonderful blog containing many great images.

Lunch Ride One Week After Groundhog's Day

2010-02-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

I do some of my best thinking on the bike... worked up a solution to a vexing work problem during the ride. Celebrated such with a couple photos.

Short Term Gain vs Long Term Pain

2010-02-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

For those extended days in the saddle (especially indoors) a generous helping of chamois creme on the nethers is essential.

Turning the jar around, however, I gotta wonder about the longer term consequences using this for main-taint-nance.

I think I'll look for something with natural ingredients (DZNuts? Mad Alchemy?)

Rule 41

2010-02-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

According to the Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist:

"Naked black ALL CARBON water bottle cages (manufactured by ELITE CAGES) shall be used on ALL BIKES. Exceptions include: i) Special edition 24k gold cages, acceptable in certain cases such as photo shoots, prologues or where colour coordination dictates (e.g. gold cage with Olympic gold/white team kit)."

In the spirit of the rule, and in conjunction with a killer deal on Bonktown, I sought to bring my bike into compliance, albeit with Cutter cages instead of ELITE. Still, the results speak for themselves: carbon cages belong on carbon bikes.

Groundhog's Day Ride

2010-02-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

As if I needed an excuse to get out for a ride at lunch...

Danger Boy - Part 1

2010-01-29T13:16:00.001-08:00

P1170003, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Ever notice how your hoppity-hop is 4 times the fun when you place it on an unstable surface at a height equal to or greater than your own?

Good Advice from Mad Alchemy

2010-01-29T13:08:00.001-08:00

P1170015, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Good tip - if you put warming ointment on children, make sure it's out of reach on them, or they might rub it off. Also good advice about not swallowing it - make sure you spit it out when rinsing.

Seriously, this is great embrocation - hard to top a day involving generous amounts of cross racing, Mad Alchemy, and mud.

Top Three Things About Riding the Trainer in the Winter

2010-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

A Fist Full of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Autograph Time with Louie Vito

2010-01-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Stumbled into this completely at random...

Lunch Ride

2010-01-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

With temps above freezing for the first day in ages it was time to bust out of the office at lunch time...

In Praise of the Winter Bike

2010-01-16T08:51:00.000-08:00

Presenting the hereto unsung hero the winter bike. The amount of abuse wet winter streets can disk out is astonishing. The mechanical havoc, the inescapable grit.

I will need to have a word with my bike mechanic about keeping the bike pro clean.

Belgian Badass in a Box

2010-01-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

This Friday was almost like spring, what with the temperatures soaring into the low 30s. Giving in to spring fever it was time for a ride in the sun. With a minimal amount of gear (long sleeve base layer, long sleeve jersey, winter jacket, bibs a,d short sleeved jersey, winter tights over embrocation, wool socks, overshoes, glove liners, winter gloves, lobster over gloves, fleece hat)...

It was time to grab the bike and ride.

After, it was time to BBQ.

Take Down, or Toddler One Boy Zero

2010-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

2010 Commute #1

2010-01-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

10 degrees in the am, a murky 26 during the training ride at lunch, and dark on the ride home. At least the roads were clear, and it still beats the trainer.

Last Chance CX

2010-01-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Started the new year off right with a cross race in the snow, the perfect chance to mix together low skills and low fitness into a potpourri of hurt.

I did manage to finish third, and not to be outdone, the boy ended up second in his race, which featured as much running as riding by the participants.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

First a plug for the new project...

With the new year, it's time to get with the program again... time to shape up. No more of this:

And time to cut back on this...

Consumer Warning

2009-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

File this under "You can't make this stuff up."

My son invited me to play the Wii Extreme Challenge game, which has some games related to arguably extreme sports street luge, base jumping, rock climbing, and so on. There's also Double-Dutch jump roping.

Yeah, that sounds pretty extreme I thought to myself, thinking I would humor him. My initial efforts were lacking, as my character was getting thoroughly trounced in the game. No problem... it's go time... here's where I put the two-foot vertical leap to into play.

A word to the wise - check your ceiling configuration prior to doing any jumping in the basement.

The boy was remarkably calm in the face of his bleeding father rolling on the floor, and offered helpful advice on how the staunch the bleeding and how to know if stiches are in order.

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-12-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

This hits pretty close to home. Of course my license does not say pro, and I replaced the cables on my road bike -- not my cross bike -- during the thanksgiving break.

Cyclocross Season Wrap Up

2009-12-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ok - so much for blogging as the season went. This was more a reflection of a hectic life than lack of inspiration - work has been insanely busy lately, as we've departed the mothership and are now a startup.

My season was up and down - never felt like a had a really great race, with work stress messing with me. Interestingly enough, I ended up 3rd overall in the race series.

The best part of the series was watching Conor's progress - every ride he got a little more skilled, and a little tougher.

Some random musings on the season...

First of all, I discovered to my horror that I had actually workout my race wheels. I took them into the shop for a pre-season bearing overhaul, and they refused to fix them citing safety concerns. Fortunately I was the recipient of an early birthday present.

Conor has already learned the art of mental warfare, here intimidating the competition by flexing his guns.

Here he is gunning for the finish in Heber on a fine October day.

Here's the result of the best race I've had at Weber - out of 5 races there, I was completely shelled 3 times, flatted out once, and crashed twice.

Here I get the pro treatment by my number 1 supporter:

Conor riding in the state championship at Heber:

The run up was of mountain proportions for the Jrs.

Finally, nothing like a freezing race in a snowstorm with a good crash or two as a rite of passage for a new cyclocrosser.

UT CX #1

2009-10-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

I thought I would prepare for this year's cyclocross season a little differently. About a month out from the first race, instead of starting a solid training block, I decided to spend 9 days off the bike, throwing in some international business travel.

All kidding aside, a trip to London is not to be missed, especially if there's an expense account associated with it. There's tons of things to see and do in the city, and as I'd covered a lot of ground last year, I took a geek side trip to Greenwich. I am guessing not everyone gets worked up about seeing old nautical instruments at the Maritime Museum, and John Harrison's chronometers at the Royal Observatory.

If having one's snapshot taken at the International Meridian is not the height of geekdom...

Then resetting the GPS coordinates on your phone must be.

By the way, you might want to draw the shades, as they discovered Uranus with this...

After returning from London, I of course hit the bike with several high intensity workouts. Not satisfied with feeling flat and tired, I went out to Wheeler farm with Mike G. and Tyler F. for some hot laps on the cross bike. Not content with being completely smoked by these guys, I decided to smack my head into one tree, and crash into another tree. I'm not sure how I scraped my back but I do remember lying stunned on my back for a bit trying to work out if I had managed to kill myself in a particularly stupid way. Luckily I got off easy with some mild abrasions on the back and a chainring puncture on the back of my knee (again, no idea how that happened).

Anyway, towards the end of the next week the legs were coming back, and the power numbers were looking like I was getting my form back.

Unfortunately I came down with a substantial cold which ended up with a nasty sinus infection the week before the first race. Not sure how this could come about given a strict athlete's diet, involving precisely measuring out how much bacon goes on my nachos.

So while I felt like hell come Saturday, I decided I would go on out to the first cross race just to pick up the number and get back into the routine. And while it was all I could do to avoid getting DFL, I have to admit it was super fun - even if I couldn't hang with the gang for more than the first lap.

BTW Conor did his first cross race, riding with the nine and under crew. Apparently he did quite well.

Conor: "What place did you get, daddy"?

Daddy: "I don't know... 12th"?

Conor: "You got 17th. I got 3rd place, daddy."

Salute to Engineers

2009-07-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

We are engineers. The kind of men (and women) who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel out of metal and brawn. The kind of men (and women) who sent 3 brave souls perched on top of rocket to the moon and back... because we could.

So here's to the space program's glory days!

Precious Childhood Memory #17

2009-06-11T20:39:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid my dad used to take me to minor league baseball games. In Portland, that meant attending Beaver games.

One highlight of going to Beaver games in Portland in the 70's was a little thing called 10-cent beer night. You would not believe the freaks that crawled out of the woodwork to purchase entry to the game, and the game took a back seat to the drunken hijinks that ensued in the bleachers.

One one such occasion, the rowdy crowd was apparently getting on the nerves of Mr. Baseball. Mr. Baseball was an old coot who wore a red blazer and a red batting helment with a beaver statue mounted to the visor, who would stoll through the crowd handing out game schedules.

On this occasion, a teenage hot dog vendor somehow offended Mr. Baseball, who grabbed said vendor and proceeded to bitch-slap him. This then escalated into a drunken hippy punching out Mr. Baseball, who was lucky to skulk away before the whole thing escalated into a mini riot.

Ah, Memories!

Sugar House Crit

2009-05-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

I did the Sugarhouse crit today. This is a criterium held in Sugarhouse Park - the park is closed off to cars, giving full use of the road to the race. The course features hills, sweeping turns, and high speeds.

I was reluctant to do it, thinking why shell out 30 bucks to get chewed up and spit out the back to form a one man autobus. However, I've been wanting to try this race for a couple years now, so decided to go for it.

As it turned out, it was a good decision. I was able to stay with the group, and finished with lead group (but need to work on the sprint). The speeds were high, there were thrills and spills (nothing like riding with 50 other cat 5s in a 40mpd descent). Good times.

Public Service Announcement

2009-05-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Working It

2009-04-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Now that some signs that spring is here (though wetter than normal), it's time to start working it on the bike. This past week featured trails dry enough to finally commute to work on. Here's a snap from the first trail commute of the year, on the 29er.

Between mountain biking and dabbling in crit racing (more like a crit beat down), I'm feeling a bit worked.

I'm not the only one in the family working hard though, as 2008 has been pushing a large load preparing the legs for walking.

Of course, when pushing the body, it's important not to neglect recovery.

Earth Day 2009

2009-04-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Easter Tradition

2009-04-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Easter - be ye Christian or pagen, there's something special about this holiday and the return of spring. For us, Easter is a change to enjoy the new spring as a family, indulge in candy, hunt for eggs, and witness the queen of the classics, Paris - Roubaix.

In Salt Lake we get ready the first week in April with our own version of the race, a circuit race with 5 mile laps featuring 1.75 miles/lap of gravel and dirt, or was the case last week, mud. I don't recall having been as dirty after any of the cross races as I was after the hell of the north salt lake, which featured wet/muddy roads, a stiff wind, 40 degree temps, and biting snow and rain. I think my bike may be clean again sometime in June.

This year's Paris - Roubaix was another classic race, with the lead group torn apart by crashes on the pave, with Tom Boonen getting it done the third time in his career... classic.

Magnificent

2009-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

I bought the new U2 album on a whim, and I gotta say I am enjoying a lot more than I thought I would. Our newest addition is really digging it... 9 months old and he's got perfect rhythm.

Perspective

2009-03-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

Before you go and get all excited...

Try to keep it in perspective...

The Knack

2009-03-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Must be hereditary...

I'm afraid he's got... the knack.

Medieval Times

2009-03-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Gather 'round and let me tell you a story of the old ways, where trees were felled, cut into pulp, mixed with water, and dried into sheets. Where words were then printed onto the sheets of paper, which were then bound together and transported through the land.

That was the old way, where night stands looked like this...

Of course, as the old ways faded into obsolescence, fewer resources were consumed, and now our night stands look like this...

Indeed, prior to the Kindle 2 it was Medieval Times.

I was fortunate to receive a kindle 2 from my wife for my birthday, a gift truly worth the 3 month delay from Amazon, and only rivaled by the xmas gift I received from my son ( a do it yourself pine-scent car air freshener - no lie!).

February 2009 Commute Roundup

2009-03-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

I got 16 commutes in during February, making it a total for the year of 28 commutes by bike.

Keep Hope Alive

2009-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Budget cuts, lay offs, credit crisis, plunging stock markets, bank nationalism, government activism... at last, something to give us all hope...

Crawling - Version 3.0, Version 1.0

2009-02-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

Some things never change.

Cool Website

2009-02-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

For those of you who ever listen to music and wonder "how did they make that sound?", check out Guitar Geek and it's Rig Database. Enter the name of a musician or look them up by band name, and see a diagram of their rig.

Seeing this reminds me of a youthful indiscretion that may have involved cashing in the college fund's worth of savings bonds, riding the bus to Portland Music, then humping what felt like 100 lbs of Fender amp miles from the bus stop back home - the need to rock cannot be denied. Scored a band slot on the basis of having that large amp...

Rock on.

New Tradition

2009-02-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

With the emergency Christmas temporarily postponed with the passage of an economic stimulus plan, I was feeling a little short changed in the holiday department - president's day definitely took a beating after the Bush 43 presidency.

After some reflection, however, said "Why the hell not have a good time on president's day"?

We celebrated with a BBQ on a beautiful February day here in the Wasatch front (behind the Zion curtain).

Plus, there's nothing better than chilling on the deck with a nice cold one.

Zero Tolerance

2009-02-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Things were getting bad - total lawlessness in the house. When a man can't enjoy some fresh spinach without anarchy prevailing, it's time to crack down.

The trouble with zero tolerance policies is they tend to be inflexible. Still, if we give in now, what's the use of having a policy?

Random Stuff from the Weekend

2009-02-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

Too much going on these days to put together a coherent blog posting, but here's a sample from the nice breather this three day weekend provided.

In no particular order...

The baby is getting his crawl on - between his focused demeanor and his new found mobility, he's into everything.
Starting to get ramped up for the season - Hell of the North Salt Lake is less than 50 days away. I spent six hours on the trainer this weekend - couple of Sergio Leonne westerns, some Robot Chicken, and the live Muse DVD helped pass the time. Need to figure out what group to race with - 45+, Masters 35+ B, ??? Same with the mountain bike - age group or open single speed division - so many way to taste bitter, bitter defeat.
Watched a couple movies - Shaun of the Dead and On the Waterfront - both classics in their own way - one with zombies, one with Brando.
Marshalled the whole family down south and ran the Ikea maze, only to forget the dimensions of the narrow space we're looking to fill with a shelf unit.
Tapped some Bushmill's 10 year single malt my sweet thang gave me for Valentine's day.
Started the 2008 tax return.
Rode several laps around the block with the older kids - both have figured out via observation that cold, snow, and dark are no impediment to riding a bike.

Stimulus and Other Infographics

2009-02-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

I thought this graphic from creditloan.com was interesting (click on the image to see it in its entirety):

And this infographic from from the Economist daily charts was plain astonishing:

January Commute Summary

2009-02-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Between some work obligations requiring that I drive, some icy weather, and other things messing with my schedule, I was only able to get in 12 commutes. Nothing really stands out, other than it being pretty cold, at least in the mornings. I'm at the point where 35+ degrees can be comfortable.

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T10:00:00.001-08:00

Exit Bush 43

2009-01-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

Finally the end of 8 years of Bush... hard to know what to say, but consider the 5.6 trillion dollar ten year surplus he inherited coming into office, and the 6 trillion dollar ten year deficit he left us with. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Bush.

Riding home, I spied the genius owner of this truck removing the wit and wisdom he had proudly displayed on the back of his truck. It was sweet watching him do this under cover of darkness on a sub 30 degree afternoon.

MLK Day

2009-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

UPS WTF?

2009-01-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

I guess UPS uses a different calendar than the rest of us... this was not what I envisioned when forking over for the two-day shipping. At least the package got to visit Louisville KY before returning to California, where it took a breather before it embarked on a saunter to the Pacific Northwest.


Tracking Detail

Your package has been delivered.
 
Tracking Number:
1Z 64W 127 02 3991 819 9
Type:
Package
Status:
Delivered
Delivered On:
12/31/2008 3:32 P.M.
Location:
FRONT DOOR
Delivered To:
WEST LINN, OR, US 
 
Shipped/Billed On:
12/20/2008
Service:
2ND DAY AIR
Weight:
9.00 Lbs

Package Progress
Location
Date
Local Time
Description
TUALATIN,
OR, US
12/31/2008
3:32 P.M.
DELIVERY

12/31/2008
4:39 A.M.
OUT FOR DELIVERY

12/31/2008
3:44 A.M.
DESTINATION SCAN
TUALATIN,
OR, US
12/29/2008
8:00 A.M.
ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

12/29/2008
1:26 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN
PORTLAND,
OR, US
12/28/2008
8:08 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN
WEST SACRAMENTO,
CA, US
12/22/2008
6:30 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN
MATHER,
CA, US
12/22/2008
6:00 A.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN
MATHER,
CA, US
12/21/2008
5:57 P.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US
12/21/2008
3:57 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

12/21/2008
9:51 A.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN
SALT LAKE CITY,
UT, US
12/21/2008
5:14 A.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN
SALT LAKE CITY,
UT, US
12/20/2008
9:58 P.M.
ARRIVAL SCAN

12/20/2008
8:55 P.M.
DEPARTURE SCAN

12/20/2008
7:16 P.M.
ORIGIN SCAN

12/20/2008
5:32 P.M.
PICKUP SCAN
US
12/20/2008
8:05 P.M.
BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Starting the New Year Right

2009-01-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

First thing I did this morning was to get my sorry self out to my 25 degree garage to do a field test on the trainer. Given a lot of my workouts will be on the trainer in January and February, I wanted to establish a power baseline on the trainer, especially as I cannot seem to maintain the same power levels on the trainer as I can outside (must be a character flaw).

Anyway, the numbers ended up being a lot better than I'd anticipated, which is good as I've got some big goals for the year.

Listen Up, People.

2008-12-24T15:43:00.001-08:00

Now that I'm 6 months old, things are going to change around here...

6 month stats: 19 lbs 13 ozs (p80), 27.25" (p75), 47cm head circ. (p95).

People's Republic of Park City

2008-12-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Socialism appears to be alive and well in Park City, where the people expect the city to clean up after their comrade-doggies.

Fido needs to poop? Bring him to the people's park. The only thing missing is some Gulag time for the owners where the only meat served is reputed to be lucky if consumed at new years.

Peace out.

Ice Breaker

2008-12-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

Winter in the 801 can be challenging to those who wish to ride year round. While a mountain bike is good choice for slick roads, there are few things as annoying as riding a single speed mountain bike on the road when it's geared for the mountains. To get ready for hard core winter riding, I re-geared my bike, going with a 44 up front and a 19 on the back.

After gearing is taken care of, tires are important. I've running a single studded tire up front works pretty well in the Wasatch. The Nokian I run has some deep grooves for clearing snow, with some studs that provide a decent bite on ice.

At this point, I think the bike is ready to roll.

Book Cataloging the Mac Way

2008-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

My wife has long desired to have a catalog of all the books we've accumulated over the years. There have been a few attempts to create one, such as writing titles and authors on paper, then entering the information into spreadsheets, i.e. bear skins and stone knifes.

Recently, she showed me something called Library Thing, which improves the situation somewhat in that you can peruse amazon and indicate which items are in your personal collection. Better for sure, but still labor intensive.

Fortunately, a better solution exists for Mac users - Delicious Library

To catalog books, simple use the iSight camera built into the MacBook to scan your books barcode, and it's entered into your catalog. With goodies such as export to the iPhone or iWeb, it combines ease of use with accessibility.

Time to Put Up the Lights

2008-12-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

Family man... with your Christmas lights already up. You're such a man when you're putting up your Christmas lights. First on the block. Family man.

Out With a Wimper

2008-12-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

My cross season ended in disappointment -- I was forced to miss the last race of the series, double points and all, due to illness. I've raced the week before with a cold that had me running on half a lung, and ended up coming down with an intestinal virus that kept me out of work three days and left me in too sad a shape to contemplate starting the race.

As a result, I ended up slipping a place in the overall standings, with Lew Rollins moving into 4th place by a mere 5 points.

Now, before you weep for me, keep the following in mind:

On those occasions where I have finished ahead of Lew, it was not by substantial margins. My dreams are haunted by the sound of his free wheel...
On those occasions where he's beat me, it's been by a pretty substantial margin.
Lew likes to warm up prior to the Master's 45+ by killing it in the 55+ race where he demonstrates his national championship form by passing 50 or 60 guys in the C field who had a one minute head start.
Lew's an retired marine, who would have came out and raced missing a limb, and certainly would not let a little liquid $%#* stop him.

So, if you believe in a just world, then it's hard to argue with the way things turned out. Here's wishing Lew a repeat victory at National's again this year!

The Element of Luck

2008-11-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday's ride at the state championship left me pondering the element of luck in 'cross racing. I had a decent start and was in the second group after the first lap, feeling good. On the second or third lap, though, I flatted and ended up having to soft pedal a very long stretch, losing at six or seven places prior to even reaching the pit and changing wheels. While obviously not in the running for a good result, I charged hard out of the pit thinking with some hard riding I could at least avoid finishing DFL.

While bemoaning my luck at the end of the race, truth be told I've been extremely lucky in avoiding mechanicals while racing. I can count on one hand how many times I've flatted in races over the last 5 or 6 cross seasons, which is very fortunate (that or I run my tires at too high a pressure).

While luck can play into results, though, there are bigger factors. The first is riding smart. I should have realized my tire was going flat when instead of railing turns as in warm up and the first few laps, I was blowing my lines, and that perception my brakes were dragging should have told me I had tire problems. By the time I had figured out my tire was going flat, I had passed the pit and had a long slow ride ahead before my next chance to change wheels.

After leaving the pit, I was riding too aggressively, and somehow ended up stacking it pretty good going over a log. I'm not sure if I was on the bike or on foot, but somehow I went down hard giving myself a little whiplash in the process (I think it was a mild version of the "scorpion". Anyway, I was lying on the ground and someone was yelling "you're ok," so I jumped up and kept riding. Savvier riding could have prevented all of this.

Ultimately, though, the biggest influencing factor in a good finish in a cross race is being a strong rider. The top four guys on the day are all incredibly strong riders who race a lot and have paid their dues several times over. The fact the strongest, hardest working riders end up doing well in the sport is one part of it's appeal.

So really I have no complaints - I learned a couple things, rode as hard as I could, and kept fighting to the end. Considering the big picture, having the resources, health, and opportunity to race makes me very lucky indeed.

101 Uses

2008-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

With apologies to Sager for ripping off a great idea and not doing it nearly as well...

I've acquired a pair of highly coveted Church of the Big Ring socks, and in addition to the extra 20 watts they'll add to my ride (if that's per leg hello podium), they have numerous other uses as well.

Like nurturing babies...

Throwing down...

Staying hydrated...

Rallying through the hood...

Getting ready for Fox's cash handout during the race (but not with real money)...

Surfing the web...

What's He Thinking?

2008-11-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

The boy spends a lot of time...

... staring at the ceiling.

What do suppose he's thinking about?

Innovator's Hall of Fame

2008-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to salute the person who invented Foie Gras. Not content to eat the liver of a naturally lean goose or duck, this person was inspired enough to force feed the animal to produce the right culinary qualities, i.e. fatty liver. Now that's thinking outside the box.

My one experience eating said delight was on the flight out of a third world country. Air France puts on quite the spread in business class, and it was a meal I savored to say the least.

Bon Appetit!

On a Roll

2008-11-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

I've been on a roll the last week. First, I survived the first round of layoffs at the company. A lot of good folks lost their jobs (roughly 3% of the employees). Unfortunately another round of layoffs is slated for Q1 2009.

Next, I did a solid job in my MSE Portfolio presentation 1. There are 3 presentations associated with the portfolio at certain points in the software development life cycle. Getting through number 1 is a significant milestone, as now I've established some momentum and have a shot at finishing. The MSE Portfolio is the only thing standing between me and my degree.

Finally, to cap off the week, a very solid ride in the local cross series - 2nd place in the 45+ open race. The race was intense - rode with the leaders at the start, saw #1 and #2 get a gap when someone blocked the rest of the field with a crash. I went back and forth with #3 for a long time, and eventually we reeled in #2. Just as we caught him I had a lapper get stuck between me and #2 and #3 on the single track - the lapper ended up not being able to ride a section and I was force to dismount and run. As luck would have it the other guys were stuck behind someone, so I ran behind them for a while until I could remount. Winded from the run, they opened a gap, but after #3 crashed hard I got on the wheel of #2 and got my wind. I sat on his wheel for half of the last lap - he made a hard move with a half lap to go, and I chased steady but not hard as I knew I would catch him on the sharp turn in front of the run up. I caught him, passed him on foot, remounted and was in front going into the single track. I road smooth on the technical sections, punched it hard in the open, and opened a 15 second gap by the finish.

Cross Season 2008

2008-11-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

So far it's been a great cyclocross season -- I'm riding with an awesome team, and the season has included some new race venues, and some creative new takes on some older venues.

Last weekend was a double header, with the first race of the weekend at Rocky Mountain Raceway. I was loathe to come out and do it, as the old course had a ton of pavement, which for me usually means getting spanked by the roadies.

This year, however, was completely different. The first thing I noticed pulling in to the parking lot were the rocks.

They were large, layered deep, and there were a lot of them...

Riding through the gravel was an exercise suitable for a Zen monk, as you had to let go of any expectations of what the bike would do, relax, and turn the pedals over. Luckly, the reward of suffering the rocks was going through the moto course, complete with bermed turns, whoop-dee-dos, and an over-under section.

While initially terrifying at speed in traffic, it turned out to be one of the funnest race courses we've done. I ended up taking 5th place in the race.

The next day was at Wheeler farm, which typically features longs laps, broken up with some hairpin turns, single track sections, some short steep climbs, and the closest thing we have to a run up in Utah. I usually have a decent ride at wheeler, and given I often have a strong day the second day in a double weekend, I was hoping for a good ride. I was not disappointed, getting third place in the race, which is my first podium finish ever in the series -- I'd retire at this point if it wasn't so damn fun win or lose.

The team I am riding with (RMCC/Cyclesmith) currently leads the series team points. I've had several top 5 finishes this year, but the team has been riding so strong that it's a stretch to be one of the top 7 guys contributing points to the cause. All in all a good problem to have.

View from the Golden Gallery

2008-10-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken from the Golden Gallery atop Saint Paul's Cathedral in London, taken on a clear day, which made the 537 steps to the gallery worth while.

First of all, there's a construction boom going on in London. In this picture can you spot the building the locals call the Gherkin?

Some more of the cityscape.

Here's a view looking towards the South Bank showing the Millennium Bridge, with the massive Tate Modern in the background.

More views...

Happily the railing looked sturdy.

More images...

It Begins Tomorrow

2008-10-03T08:24:00.001-07:00

The Utah Cyclocross Series starts tomorrow. So far all indications are for favorable weather with a 90% chance of rain!

Traitor's Gate

2008-09-28T11:08:00.001-07:00

P9210070, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Here's the door you use to enter your home when returning from a week's visit to London after leaving your spouse home alone with 3 small children.

London Calling

2008-09-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

View Larger Map

Coast to Coast

2008-09-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Travel is down this year... everyone's trying to keep expenses down. After spending a few days on the west coast earlier this summer, I was fortunate enough to visit the east coast, attending the Gartner BPM conference in the Washington DC area.

The conference was held at the Gaylord National. Having stayed at Gaylord properties in Dallas and now in the DC area, I am amazed at the scale of the properties.

Here's a few photos of the inside of the property from the balcony of my room.

Some shots from the outside, and of the surrounding area...

Notice the Resemblance?

2008-09-14T20:35:00.001-07:00

Notice the resemblance between this...

P9050044, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

And this?

Smile, Mister!

2008-08-25T21:04:00.001-07:00

P8160085, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Commute #116

2008-08-25T21:00:00.001-07:00

P8250001, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Nice panoramic view from the top of dry creek. No, this never gets old.

Public Service Announcement

2008-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

From BikeSnobNYC

Downhill

2008-08-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

downhill
Originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr

My friend Rick got a new helmet camera the other day - here's a few minutes of footage set to music. I had hoped to do more with the clips, but found the updated version of iMovie has had the user interface badly damaged -- it's obvious the development team has no idea how mac software should look and feel.

The Long Ride

2008-08-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

With cyclocross season coming up fast, it's time to put in some base miles. One staple of the base period is the Sunday morning ride - while most are still snug in their beds I'm on the road at first light.

Even though it's early, there's still traffic to contend with.

Yes - it's pie plate hating geese, looking for unwary cyclists who run pie plates on their back wheels. Fortunately, I am not guilty of this transgression and was unharmed.

After getting through traffic, I was on my way to Salt Air.

The ride, along a frontage road, offers a nice long stretch to spin, with of scenery.

With the early start, it was just me and my shadow out for the ride.

After some spinning, I reached Salt Air. Now, when I was in India, I got a lot of crap from the locals about not going to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Well, feast your eyes on this - no need to see some old hotel or whatever when I've got this in my backyard!

I must have become disoriented, because on the way home somehow I ended up south of the border.

San Francisco

2008-08-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

I got to spend 3 days in San Francisco attending training at MuleSource. While there, I took the opportunity to stretch the legs and walk along the waterfront, which is great territory for taking some pictures due to the scale of it all.

Here's the one half way decent panoramic shot I was able to stitch together...

I would have made more attempts, but after my experience on the shoreline trail with the big spider, I was unnerved by the sight of this:

I would take large weapon to defeat such a spider...

I'm out of jokes now - here are a few more photos - all in all a nice day for a walk on the waterfront.

Finally, a hill to rival the hill I ride home from work every day (more on that later).

Utah Loves This Guy

2008-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Cross Commute (Commute #86)

2008-07-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

With the installation of the in-line brake levers and some calculations showing the low gear on my cross bike in the neighborhood of my single speed set up, I decided to ride the shoreline trail to work. I was nervous about being able to negotiate the rocky trail and the descent into city creek on the skinny tires, but it turned out to be pretty fun, and less punishing than I thought it would be sans suspension fork and fat tires.