4 Canyons of fun in 1 or 80 Miles of Nowhere

First off, for those of you that don't care about biking, here is is picture of chips and salsa. Eventually they went to the bathroom all over this blanket.

In years past, around this time of year, i round up a few people with nothing to do on that particular saturday and ride little cottonwood, big cottonwood, Millcreek and Emigration canyons in one day. This year i was looking for something a little bit different. With the twins apparently sticking around for good, I didn't want to stray too far from home, in case Megan needed help breastfeeding or something.

I decided to do Little cottonwood, then little cottonwood, then little cottonwood until i couldn't do it again. I sent out an invite hoping for a few people to come but knowing that most were either racing or out of town or are just anti-climbing at this point in the season. In all honesty, there was only one person i did not want to come and in the end, he was the only one that did come. Truthfully i was really glad he did come but seriously, gain a little weight already.

I got to the mouth at 6:01 and the Robot was not there yet. I texted him and told him that i was going to start without him because he would be catching me before too long anyway. Sure enough, after about 20 minutes he caught me, we exchanged a few words and he kept going. I got to the top a couple minutes after him. We turned around and came back down.This Time the fashionista was waiting and with the distance from his car in the parking lot to the road as a warm up, we started up again. The weather was pleasant, the traffic was minimal and my legs felt ok since i never got into the red zone actually trying to keep up with the Robot. I just rode at a comfortable pace and did my thing. It is interesting that i like it when people do these climbs with me but in reality, we see each other at the top and the bottom and that is about it.

To the top and turn aroun

d and back to the bottom. Megan met me and gave me some fresh bottles and we turned around and started back up. The forecast was calling for rain and although that would have felt good on the way up, Little Cottonwood is not fun descending in the rain with carbon rims. We got a few sprinkles but nothing that amounted to anything.

When i started from my house at 5:45, the temp was around 65. At this point in the day it was gradually climbing closer to the predicted 95.

After the 3rd time up for the Robot and i and the second time for the fashionista, he decided that twice was enough fun for one day and he went home and left the Robot and i to continue on without him.

On the fourth time up, my knees were starting to feel it. I was nearing the top of the 4th time up when the Robot came down and met me and told me he had had enough fun and was going home. I decided that 4 was enough as well and when i got to the top, drank most of the rest of what was in my bottles and turned for the descent back home. Interestingly enough, your legs can recover quite a bit in a 15 minute descent so when i got to the bottom i turned around and started up for number 5.

i was feeling ok for this point in the ride, but the problem now was that i was all out of my drink except about an inch worth of warm sports drink in one bottle. If i had thought at the top of the last trip up that i would be going up again, i would have stopped at snowbird and refilled but i did not.

14:27 into my 5th time up and 6:32 into my ride, i checked the temperature on my computer. The temp coming off the asphalt was reading 100 degrees and i had no drink left. I turned around and went home to see if megan needed any help with the twins. She didn't.

Fatigue, boredom, weather, accident, knees, fuel.

I wondered what would be my limiter on this day and in the end it turned out to be the temperature and lack of planning on my part.

3rd annual, 4 Canyons of Fun

Every summer i like to spend a long Saturday with friends climbing the 4 major canyons in the salt lake valley.

Last Saturday was the day for this years fun filled event.

Seven of us met at the mouth of little cottonwood canyon at 6 am.

Temperatures started out nice and cool and we started climbing.

Little cottonwood was recently repaved, so it was nice and smooth going up and really fast coming down.

Big cottonwood was fine and a guy with a broken chain at storm mountain provided a short break while we helped him get fixed and rolling again.

The second half of Millcreek was painful and demoralizing as usual. I can never tell when the canyon is actually going to end.

Emigration Canyon was just hot.

This year was slower than years past and was much more painful for several reasons.

My fitness isn't where it has been in years past. I had an 11-28 cassette and found myself looking for another gear.

As i climbed up little cottonwood canyon, i couldn't help but think about the first time i climbed little cottonwood on my bike. The Doctor dragged me up it.

I remember riding on the shoulder and in the gravel, hoping that i would get a flat so i could stop pedaling for a few minutes. I was cursing him the whole ride.

You see, the Doctor was the one that got me into cycling.

We have ridden more miles together than i care to remember. Some mornings we meet up, say "where do you want to go", ride for 90 minutes without saying another word except "goodbye" and other mornings, we would talk for the whole ride.

I have always envied his aggressive, attacking style of racing. Something that i have never been able to do. He is acting the same way with his recovery.

It will be a little while before me and the Doctor are able to ride together again.

With his attitude, i don't think it will be too long.

He is so positive and ready to get on with life and not dwell on the fact that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and had his leg amputated. He considers himself extremely lucky to be where he is.

Until he is able to get on a bike again, i am expecting him to follow us in a car on our group training rides passing out homemade cookies. I am a little worried since it was his right leg that was amputated, so he will need to learn to drive with his left foot. I figure i will probably get bumped from behind a few times for the first little while until he gets the hang of driving again.
Luckily he got rid of his car with a manual transmission a few months ago.

As we climbed Millcreek canyon, i hadn't thought much about it until we rounded the corner and came upon Log Haven, where Luke and Bunny had their wedding reception. The rest of the ride, I stopped thinking about the Doctor's stump, and thought about Bunny, Luke and the Girls.
I am a very shallow person that doesn't think much, but 7+ hours on a bike gives you some time to ponder a few things.

Life, death, loved ones, health, mercury in retrograde, legs, family, God, chocolate milk, pain, charity.

I couldn't help but realize that I am extremely blessed.

At the end of Emigration, instead of riding home, I headed to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to see the Doctor. He was positive and a lot more coherent than the night before. He had gotten over his urge to punch the anesthesiologist in the face because the epidural didn't work.
He ended up leaving the hospital to go home Sunday morning.

Zach just started riding a bike this year and he did all 4 canyons. That was pretty impressive. As impressive as Zach's ride was, the most impressive ride to me on Saturday was Parker.

This kid only rode the first 2 canyons but watch the video and see his sweet bike.