I've been doing longer and harder tandem rides with Mike lately. We got a newer tandem (only 11 years old) that is smoother to ride. I got some biking shorts with a padded chamois seat that was obviously designed by a woman for women. Thank you Pearl Izumi! And thank you Ebay for having them at a great price. Another product-that-must-have-been-designed-by-a-woman is Chamois Butter. This is crucial for women who are riding a bike for longer than 20 minutes. Remember, it goes on you and on the chamois seat. Enough said.
So Mike has helped me prepare for harder rides, and he knows when I am ready to take on the tough ones. July 2 we did "High Grade". The name says it all. It is long and steep. We planned a loop from our house that would go up a couple of climbs and in and out of some canyons before we got to High Grade Road. Then after we got to the summit of High Grade we would continue on to Evergreen and then down the canyon back to our house. 55 miles, ending on 15 miles of downhill. The hardest part would be over once we got to the top of High Grade.
A "friend" of Mike's told him to take an alternate road after High Grade that would get us to Evergreen with less traffic to deal with, so we planned on that.
High Grade was tough, but I was ready and hung in there. Mike was patient, and we made it to the top. We rested a bit and refueled. I felt good and was glad the hard part was over. We headed down the other side and made good time to get to the alternate road. Once we turned onto Blue Creek, I started feeling awful. I struggled to keep pedaling fast, I felt like we were pedaling through glue. I thought I was going to exhale a lung. After a while I gasped, "I have to stop. Something is wrong." I thought I was having a heart attack or some delayed reaction to a long climb.
We pulled over and I noticed Mike was gasping too. He said, "This is a 12% grade hill. That is why it is so hard. I didn't know this was a steep hill."
12 percent! I thought the hard climb was over. I was not mentally prepared for another steep climb after High Grade (which only has short sections that steep).
What kind of "friend" would suggest an alternate road like that?
He is off my "I think I will make some cookies and give some to our friends" list.
Anyway, we rested, braced ourselves, and made it up that hill. After a few more miles of rollers, we got to the downhill stretch home. Everyone passes the tandem on the uphill, but no one passes us on the downhill. It is long, stable and fast going downhill.
2 days later we rode up to Echo Lake over Juniper Pass at almost 12,000 feet. It was gorgeous.
Tomorrow we start the Temple to Temple Ride. We will leave from the Provo Temple at 7 a.m. on the tandem. 80 miles, 6 temples and maybe 6 hours later, after crossing Utah Valley and Salt Lake Valley, and climbing over into Draper, we will arrive at the Salt Lake Temple. After that I will drive the support car, and others will join us for hours or days or a week until we get to Billings.
Wave if you see us. We'll be the ones wearing the cool jerseys and enjoying the roller coaster ride.
Showing posts with label Salt Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salt Lake. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Temple to Temple to Temple to Temple...
Mike likes bikes.
No, this is not a quote from a Dr. Suess book.
Mike loves riding his road bike, and our tandem. He loves having a long ride to look forward to. He has ridden the Lotoja (210 miles in one day) several times. He rides the Triple Bypass (126 miles, 3 mountain passes) every year. But his favorite ride to train for is whatever epic ride he is planning and arranging at the moment.
Two years ago he and 2 friends, Mike and Mark planned a week long ride from the Denver Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. I drove the support vehicle. I designed their "Temple to Temple" jerseys, and those became conversation starters wherever we stopped. Our dog Sam was a great cheering section. Mike has been looking forward to another epic ride since then. So Mike, Mike and Mark have been planning another Temple to Temple ride for July. This time they will take a week to ride from the Logan Utah Temple to the Billings Montana Temple, by way of Jackson, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.
Sounds pretty straight forward.
I don't think so.
My sister will be in Utah visiting from Australia, in July, the week before the Temple to Temple. We will be there for some family events. So Mike thought, "Hey, why not ride from the Salt Lake Temple to the Logan Temple on Saturday?" Then he remembered we will be staying at my mom's house in Provo. So he thought, "Hey, why not ride from Provo Temple to the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, and stop by each of the temples in between on the way?"
Hey, why not?
So the Temple to Temple has turned into the Temple to Temple to Temple to Temple...
Then I started training to ride a century on the tandem with Mike. And I thought, "Hey, why not ride the tandem on that first day? We could support ourselves. After that I can drive the support vehicle."
So we have been planning the route to ride from the Provo Temple to the Mount Timpanogas Temple to the Draper Temple to the Oquirrh Temple to the Jordan River Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. Many of these have some significance for us.
Then Mike thought, "Hey, there are many places in between the temples that are meaningful to us. Why not plan the route so we go by some of those?"
Why not?
And why not invite any family and friends who might be in Utah to join us for any part of the ride?
So here is the basic plan:
Friday, July 15th we will leave on the tandem from the Provo Temple at 7 a.m. We will follow surface roads to the temples I mentioned above. We will be taking a less direct route between the Jordan River and Salt Lake Temples. We will go by Dad's grave to invite him along, go by parks and grandparents houses that were a big part of childhood, maybe swing by the "This is the Place"monument before coasting down to the Salt Lake Temple.
Then on Saturday Mike will leave from the Salt Lake Temple ride to the Bountiful Temple, then along the bench through our Farmington neighborhood, then through Layton past the historic house we restored, up past the Ogden Temple, then the Brigham City Temple construction site and past the place where Mike was born, through gorgeous Sardine Canyon to the Logan Temple.
You are welcome to join us, or wave at us or cheer us on. We will be posting updates. If you want more specific details, message me on facebook (Jody England Hansen) and I will put you on the email blast.
Why are we doing this ride?
There is a wonderful freedom when you are on a bike. You can go almost anywhere, and see things in more detail. It is slower than driving, but not too slow. It is quiet, and easy to talk with others. I especially like the connection that you can have with the people and creatures around you, as well as an awareness of where you are. I have so many ancestors and family who walked through or lived in these places. Riding through them is another way to experience a bond with heritage that helped make me.
Hey, why not?
No, this is not a quote from a Dr. Suess book.
Mike loves riding his road bike, and our tandem. He loves having a long ride to look forward to. He has ridden the Lotoja (210 miles in one day) several times. He rides the Triple Bypass (126 miles, 3 mountain passes) every year. But his favorite ride to train for is whatever epic ride he is planning and arranging at the moment.
Two years ago he and 2 friends, Mike and Mark planned a week long ride from the Denver Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. I drove the support vehicle. I designed their "Temple to Temple" jerseys, and those became conversation starters wherever we stopped. Our dog Sam was a great cheering section. Mike has been looking forward to another epic ride since then. So Mike, Mike and Mark have been planning another Temple to Temple ride for July. This time they will take a week to ride from the Logan Utah Temple to the Billings Montana Temple, by way of Jackson, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.
Sounds pretty straight forward.
I don't think so.
My sister will be in Utah visiting from Australia, in July, the week before the Temple to Temple. We will be there for some family events. So Mike thought, "Hey, why not ride from the Salt Lake Temple to the Logan Temple on Saturday?" Then he remembered we will be staying at my mom's house in Provo. So he thought, "Hey, why not ride from Provo Temple to the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, and stop by each of the temples in between on the way?"
Hey, why not?
So the Temple to Temple has turned into the Temple to Temple to Temple to Temple...
Then I started training to ride a century on the tandem with Mike. And I thought, "Hey, why not ride the tandem on that first day? We could support ourselves. After that I can drive the support vehicle."
So we have been planning the route to ride from the Provo Temple to the Mount Timpanogas Temple to the Draper Temple to the Oquirrh Temple to the Jordan River Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. Many of these have some significance for us.
Then Mike thought, "Hey, there are many places in between the temples that are meaningful to us. Why not plan the route so we go by some of those?"
Why not?
And why not invite any family and friends who might be in Utah to join us for any part of the ride?
So here is the basic plan:
Friday, July 15th we will leave on the tandem from the Provo Temple at 7 a.m. We will follow surface roads to the temples I mentioned above. We will be taking a less direct route between the Jordan River and Salt Lake Temples. We will go by Dad's grave to invite him along, go by parks and grandparents houses that were a big part of childhood, maybe swing by the "This is the Place"monument before coasting down to the Salt Lake Temple.
Then on Saturday Mike will leave from the Salt Lake Temple ride to the Bountiful Temple, then along the bench through our Farmington neighborhood, then through Layton past the historic house we restored, up past the Ogden Temple, then the Brigham City Temple construction site and past the place where Mike was born, through gorgeous Sardine Canyon to the Logan Temple.
You are welcome to join us, or wave at us or cheer us on. We will be posting updates. If you want more specific details, message me on facebook (Jody England Hansen) and I will put you on the email blast.
Why are we doing this ride?
There is a wonderful freedom when you are on a bike. You can go almost anywhere, and see things in more detail. It is slower than driving, but not too slow. It is quiet, and easy to talk with others. I especially like the connection that you can have with the people and creatures around you, as well as an awareness of where you are. I have so many ancestors and family who walked through or lived in these places. Riding through them is another way to experience a bond with heritage that helped make me.
Hey, why not?
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