Boulder Cycling Group

I rode up Four Mile Canyon last night. I didn't take the right at the Y that heads up to Gold Hill because the weather was spitting and looked to be even worse up high. This road turns to dirt almost immediately after the split, but the lower four miles is beautiful new pavement.

I rode west for about ten miles (from Boulder Canyon) to where I intersected the Switzerland Trail. I turned left here and followed this route on the Sugarloaf Mountain Road. This road is a bit rocky and wouldn't be recommended on a road bike. I was a little concerned about pinch-flatting here as my tires were a bit low (40 psi) and I had no tools at all with me. Stupid. But I made the top and continued on the dirt road down steeply to the summit of Sugarloaf Road (paved). I cruised down this and then Boulder Canyon back to town. Nothing is that steep on this route but I don't think I saw a single car for 10+ miles. That was pleasant.

Probably did 25+ miles and 3000+ vertical feet, all at a pretty casual pace.

This time I went with Jeff at 6 a.m. I spotted him 3.5 minutes and gave chase. Also, I put on my TT bars for this. I was doing well at the top of the Wall, getting there in 5:48 (159 bpm), but I got to the end of the BSR TT course at 16:36 (153 bpm - but this is at the end of a downhill). I was 16-flat the last time I did this. How'd I lose so much time?

I passed Jeff going up the hill on 93 and got him early enough and fast enough that I didn't think he could come back on my on the high speed descent. I was wrong about that . He surprised me by flying by on the downhill. I was spun out (hit 47 mph for my max speed), so I coasted to the turn and then passed him back early on highway 170.

I got to the bottom of the Hump in 31:30 (150 bpm, but this is after a downhill and then a flat section, I hit 166 on this lap). This was more than a minute ahead of my previous time and I knew I'd PR at that point, but I now wanted to break 37 minutes. I did, finishing in 36:40 (148 bpm, once again at the bottom of a hill. I need to take different splits. I hit 168 climbing the Hump, though).

This averages out to be 21.3 mph.

This was a new road for me. I was at the bike path and Folsom at 5:53 and waited until 6:05 p.m. before I headed out. I was supposed to meet Stefan here, but he was apparently running late. I rode the bike path to Boulder Canyon, then up the road to Four Mile Canyon. After a brief stop to pee, I headed up the canyon, over the first crest, down and turned left on Logan Mill Road for the first time ever.

I really liked this climb and didn't find it too bad. Only a few of times did I have to stand and only twice did I think it was really steep and had to be careful of not slipping my back tire. I rode up, always taking the path indicated by the signs that said, "Bike route". I got to the top and then descended the other side, apparently now on Arkansas Mt. Road. I took that down to Meadow Mt. Road (all this is dirt) and that led to Sugarloaf Road (now back on pavement). I turned left (downhill) and followed that down to Boulder Canyon and that back to the bike path and back to work. This is a STELLAR ride! I'm going to incorporate this route into a Tour de Boulder stage.

Logan Mill must not be the super steep road that I had been hearing about. Maybe Lick Skillet is the super tough one. Logan Mill only took me 22-23 minutes going easy. Easier than Linden Road, I think. What's Lick Skillet like? Is that out of Sunshine Canyon?

In quest for more dirt riding!

Bill

I rode the Morgul-Bismark course this evening around 6 p.m. I had just bought a used pair of Sidi mt. biking shoes and installed some Crank Brother's Eggbeater pedals on my road bike (temporarily, until I get my cross bike) to test out my shoes. I figured I'd push the pace on the loop as Jeff McCoy had been timing himself regularly on this course.

This is a 13-mile loop with about 1200 feet of climbing. The entire course is either up or down and goes over the Hump, the Wall, and the Feed Hill besides some other rises. I went pretty hard earlier this year, but only barely broke 41 minutes. Conditions on this course are key. You need to have a calm day for a fast time. Today I definitely had some wind, but it didn't seem too bad. I was really motivated to break 40 minutes.

I started at Coalton and McCaslin and made the top of the Wall in under 8 minutes. I continued to the end of the Boulder Stage Race TT course in 16 minutes (My start was not at the TT start). I turned north on 93, climbed to the summit, sped down at high speed and made the turn onto 170 at 21 minutes. I hit the start of the BSR TT course at 33 minutes and then finished my loop in 37:57.

I am quite satisfied with this result, but I know I can beat it. I measured my effort pretty well and didn't go that deep on the earlier climbs. Of course going deeper might have resulted in a slower time. I'd like to do it again with my TT bars and maybe chasing Jeff. Maybe I'll try it this Tuesday morning...

Bill

After the great success of last week, we decided to do it again. Kim, Julie, and Nanci came up from Highlands Ranch. Locally we had John Miller, CEO of our consulting firm, Jeff McCoy and his out of town friend Marty, Brian and Vicki Hunter, Steve Z, Rob Karman, myself, Michelle Hsu and two of her work friends. Plus we picked up Brent Popadich at the mouth of Shadow Canyon. Vicki threw her chain on the approach to Sunshine Canyon and Brian helped her out. Steve said he saw them chasing lower down, but we never met up with them again.

The group immediately strung out with Nanci putting her stamp on the females once again. At the front was Brent and Rob. Brent was riding a single-speed bike with a 53-18 gearing! This is astounding. He is a former pro-triathlete and is sickeningly strong. He dropped everyone repeatedly, circling to let Rob catch up and then dropping him again.

I rode at the back with Kim, Julie, and Steve. Julie was on her inaugural ride on her new LeMond Vittorie. After awhile, I attacked this group and tried to bridge up to the leaders. I first caught and went by Michelle, then I caught Jeff, a bit ahead was Marty and one of Michelle's friends. I went by strong and figured Marty would latch on, but he had overcooked himself a bit on the bottom. Michelle's friend (Brian, I think) came along for a bit before I gapped him. Next I got John Miller and Nanci. Up ahead was Rob and Brent and I worked hard to catch Rob, who was gapped by this point. I held Rob's wheel for a bit, but I was hurting and dropped a bit behind.

At the top of the crest marking the 2/3's point in the climb, I turned and descended all the way back to Kim, Julie, and Steve. They were stopped, attending to Julie and her bike. Apparently Julie had thrown her chain and then, unable to get her foot out of her pedal, toppled over onto her hip. She's tough and wasn't concerned about herself, but was quite disappointed to have already scratched her new ride.

Julie shrugged it off and remounted. We rode together as a foursome to the top where some of the others were waiting. The four of us were joined by Brent and Nanci for the descent. Nanci, an incredibly climber, doesn't have enough to really descend. She's tiny, former Olympic gymnast (1984), and made up for her slow descending speed by performing handstands on her bike.

Sure, Brent's a strong climber, but the real prestige is in descending and we all dropped Brent on the descent. This puny 18-tooth rear cog was no match for our 12's. We regrouped at the bottom of the canyon after a fast, fun descent. I attacked hard on the small climb on the descent, but Steve was ready for it and responded, yet again, with just enough power to put me in my place: behind him.

A leisurely ride back on the bike path in perfect weather completed the ride. We did about 20 miles, 2300 vertical feet or so.

Bill

The first lunch-time chick ride was a huge success with six babes taking part and four guys to ogle, I mean, ride with them. My sister Kumi came up from Highlands Ranch with her friends Julie and Nancy. Brook sent ex-pro Sabrina as her proxy. Brian Hunter came and brought his wife Vicki. Michelle showed up. Jason and Steve Z completed the peloton.

We rode easy north on the bike path to 47th to Jay to 36 to Lee Hill, groupo compatto, picking up Jason Fraze along the way. As we crossed Broadway and started up Lee Hill, the line got strung out. Steve Z. led the lower section as I described the horrors to come. These chicks seem to be very insensitive to length of the hill, the biggest factor for someone like me, but have much respect for the grade of the hill. I consider Lee Hill a moderate hill because it isn't very long and is broken into two pretty short sections. That said, this hill is pretty dang steep in spots.

Nancy, the biking ringer from the south, goes around Steve to take the lead before the left turn at Old Stage. I follow her wheel, plotting my attack, but as she turns onto the steepest section, I crack so badly that I turn around and head back down to get some more momentum. Nancy, Jason, and Sabrina are now tete de course, with the rest strung out behind. I descend to Kumi to give her some encouragement and apparently my motivational speech works wonders, as he immediately picks up the pace, catches Brian, Vicki, Julie, and Steve, dropping them all. Clearly she doesn't need me as her lieutenant and I descended once again to check on Julie. Brian and Vicki, teammates, are staying together. Steve Z is hovering wherever the view is best. I pace Julie back up to Kumi and Steve joins us for a group of four chasing the three leaders, with Michelle between us and Brian and Vicki the lantern rouge.

I crack near the top of the first hill and have to descend once again, before Brian and Vicki encourage me to latch onto the back of their group. I go over this first rise in last place. The descent is short and sweet and the climbing begins again. I alternate between pacing Kumi, Julie, and Vicki, giving Brian a rest from these duties. Steve Z alternates pacing them as well and we six stick together and top out the second climb to see the four leaders waiting for us. Nancy has distinguished herself as the Queen of the Mountains, dropping everyone but Jason.

Here Michelle bids farewell and starts back down the way we came. The rest of us go over the top and down to Left Hand Canyon, which we follow down to Old Stage. I'm last at the bottom of Old Stage, but determine to make a showing on this hill. I leave Kumi and bridge up to and past everyone, the last group being Steve, Jason, and Sabrina. I go by hard, hoping to discourage anyone from latching on, but Jason gives chase. The steep section of this hill is only a little more than 3 minutes and Jason has never bested me on a climb, though I know he is way strong now and beat me by a minute up Sunshine, though it wasn't head to head, in the Boulder Stage Race.

I keep an eye on him and I'm holding a 40-foot gap. We blow by four or five other riders. At one point I stretch out my lead a bit and hope that Jason has given up. Alas, he has not. Looking back one time, I veer off the road into the dirt. By the time I'm back on, Jason is on my wheel and I'm redlined. I ease slightly, preparing for one last all-out assault, but I need to be closer to the top. A bit later, Jason touches wheels with me and I think he's grabbed my seat post, for my bike nearly comes to a stop. I figure he's playing around, but then he attacks me. I've lost momentum and I'm hurting bad, so I just sit up and spin to the top as he opens a huge lead. He was definitely stronger. I couldn't have given that effort. I was going to wait until we were within 30 seconds and given it a try.

I topped out and descended to ride the last bit with Kumi. Nancy won the climb for the chicks again, chasing down and dropping Sabrina. Julie gapped Kumi, riding it mostly solo, and I finished the climb with Kumi, Brian, Vicki, and Jason since he descended as well.

We rode easily, but swiftly back to Jay and then headed south on 47th. I'm on the front with Julie and she's chattering away non-stop. She's so much like Kumi. I whisper to her, "Julie, I'm going to blast off the front here in a second, as we always sprint this overpass. Grab Steve's jersey if he comes after me." I blast off with a sneak attack, though from the front. I give it everything I've got, but Steve is on me, even with me, then past me. He only twenty feet in front, but I can't close it down. Jason is caught off guard, so I hold on for second...out of two. :-)

A great ride in perfect 70-degree weather. 25 miles, 2200 vertical feet. One Cat. II climb and one Cat. IV climb. One sprint. Six chicks. Six more than normal and we were missing at least two (Noel and Laurie!). A good time was had my all and I think there was interest in doing it again next week. I'm thinking Linden Road next time. We need to work these girls up to a Big Five hill, though they might think Sunshine is easier than Lee Hill. We'll do Magnolia when they start to feel cocky!

Bill