Tour of Utah – Stage 4 Photos
16 August, 2008
There was no way I was going to miss today’s queen stage. Stage 4 is a real doozy. Over 14,000 feet of climbing, and 4 beastly climbs, including a mountaintop finish at Snowbird. I decided to ride to the top of the Alpine Loop and watch from there.
A couple of observations at this point: 1) There was a stiff headwind as I headed east into Provo Canyon. This would have given the riders a big boost as they came down the canyon from Park City. Regardless, they arrived at the expected time, right around 12:10. 2) Other than the potential for a head wind as they make their way up Traverse Ridge into Draper, the weather today was gorgeous. If any of you reading this happened to be in Alpine today as they started the climb, I’d be interested to hear if the wind became a factor in the race (please leave a comment).
The first rider and winner of the Alpine Loop K.O.M. looked to be the ever-aggressive Michael Creed, of Team Rock Racing, but that is only a guess from the brief moment I saw him. I didn’t time his lead, but it must have been at least two minutes. He would have maintained this to the bottom of the loop in American Fork. If, in fact there was a headwind as he started up Traverse, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that his lead had evaporated.
Creed, still looking fresh, was the first to reach the Alpine Loop K.O.M.
Creed had about a two minute advantage on the next group of around 20 riders led by Team Garmin/Chipotle, including yellow jersey Blake Caldwell. Caldwell was well protected by his teammates, Tom Danielson, Danny Pate, and Will Frischkorn. Not terrible company if you ask me.
I don’t have any results yet. For some reason, CyclingNews and the Tour of Utah website only post results the day following each stage. All I can say for now is that racing conditions were perfect, and Creed seemed to be moving really well. Garmin/Chipotle was most likely biding it’s time until they reached the foot of the final climb to Snowbird. That would be a terrific spot to watch next year.
Oh, and one final thing. Say what you will about Michael Ball and Rock Racing, but that man is one cool hombre who is passionate about cycling and his team. I, for one, hope to see a bigger lineup for Rock Racing in 2009.
The man himself, in fine style as always. Check out this recent interview with Michael Ball from PezCyclingNews (http://pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6200&status=True)
Friday Photo
15 August, 2008
Starting today, I think it would be a great idea to post a weekly picture of a different part of Utah Valley that can be uniquely experienced by bike (hopefully I can keep up and show different pictures each week).
Today’s picture is the view from my backyard, just as I hopped on my bike for the morning commute.
Brought to you by cycling in Utah Valley. Have a terrific weekend.
U.S. versus Denmark
13 August, 2008
The summer Olympics are here, so friendly contests of sport are occurring every day. There’s one competition the U.S. is losing miserably though. Regardless of your political views, I think most Americans agree that the USA’s energy policy needs to be addressed. Whether or not you agree with Thomas Friedman, his recent op-ed points out some big differences in the energy policies of the U.S. and Denmark, and how they have shaped their respective economies and societies.
It’s always amazing to me how powerful the forces of supply and demand are. For example, we started to see demand for gasoline fall as prices soared this summer. A welcome side effect of the increase was a surge in bike commuting. I can’t quote any numbers right now, but I live on a street that is used extensively by bike commuters. The number of cyclists that pass my front window during breakfast has easily doubled since last year. Brad, and others who work at local bike shops, can attest that they’re moving bikes quicker than ever.
The resurgence of the bicycle, if you want to call it that, is terrific, but I wonder about the best way to make it endure. Is the path to cycling infrastructure paved with government invervention? Or, is there another alternative? What do you think?
Tour of Utah
13 August, 2008
The Tour of Utah starts today. See if you can make it to a stage and cheer on the riders. I’m most excited to see Team Garmin/Chipotle. With riders like Tom Danielson, Danny Pate, and Will Frischkorn, it should be a terrific race.
Stage 1:
Utah Sports Commission Road Race; 101.8 miles, flat to rolling terrain starting and finishing in Nephi, UT.
Start Time: 10am
Stage 2:
University Health Care Road Race; 84.6 miles, four climbs, beginning in historic downtown Ogden and ending in Salt Lake.
Start Time: 11am
Stage 3:
Salt Lake Downtown Criterium; 90 minutes of a 1-mile circuit in downtown Salt Lake City.
Start Time: 7pm
Stage 4:
Park City to Snowbird; the Queen stage, 98.1 miles with five climbs and a mountain top finish.
Start Time: 10am
Stage 5:
KJZZ Time Trial; a 12-mile out and back race against the clock in Tooele.
Start Time: 10am
The Future of the Suburb
12 August, 2008
Lawrence C. Levy, executive director of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY:
The energy price crisis, which is battering suburbia harder than other areas because of its dependence on the car, has hastened a trend toward building higher rise housing in village downtowns near commuter rail lines — aka “transit oriented development.”
The units are more affordable because builders can acquire land in depressed village downtowns more cheaply than in other areas and because they are usually allowed to build more units per acre. The affordable apartments in hipper, walkable urban-style neighborhoods become a magnet for young, well educated workers that many suburbs have been losing. Independent elderly couples, who no longer need or want a big single family house, also are drawn to these cheaper, more interesting neighborhoods.
This explanation is a response to a question posed on the Freakonomics blog, “What will U.S. suburbs look like in 40 years?” Several other viewpoints are also presented. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, if it does at all, in Utah.
I discovered this article after several discussions with my wife concerning a possible move for our family into a more urban, downtown area. Also, have a look at Brad’s post, A Heavy Load, for more on the cost impact of living in suburbs compared to downtown.
Frontrunner is coming south!
11 August, 2008
While in reality preliminary work has been going on for some time, construction will officially begin tomorrow on Frontrunner South, extending commuter rail from Salt Lake City to Provo. This has been a long time coming and I for one am very excited. Time to start saving for a folding bike! Hopefully nothing delays the construction. I understand that UVU is being difficult when it comes to the station for Orem. They seem to be very lacking in vision over there when it comes to getting their students and employees to campus. Go UTA! Lets get more transit to Utah County!
The Summer of the Bicycle – Utah Valley Style
4 August, 2008
All my Christmases came at once this weekend. How? My grandparents have kept a 1970′s Schwinn Breeze in nearly perfect shape in their garage for the past 30 some odd years. In all, the bike probably has been ridden about 10 miles. It was made and purchased in Chicago, Illinois. All the parts are original. They sold me the bike for $1.30 (it’s kind of a long story how we settled on this price…needless to say, I made out like a bandit).
I wrote 10 miles, but it is probably closer to 11 now because my wife (pictured at right) took the breeze for several spins around the yard yesterday. The most interesting comment she made was how comfortable it felt. Notice how she is not bent over. She’s not wearing fancy bike clothes. She’s wearing what she wore all day. And having a blast riding her bike.
Have a look at what Brad wrote yesterday and think about how glorious it could be to ride in style and comfort.
The Summer of the Bicycle
4 August, 2008
Sorry for the Drought. It was a crazy weekend for me. So, here is the beginning and the end of the post that I started the other night and am now just getting a chance to finish. Thanks for sticking around.
High gas prices and warm weather have brought them out. In some places it is not all that unusual. It has been a common event for the past twenty or thirty years or more. In others, it is new. It is fresh. It is even a bit of an oddity. What is it you ask? It is the bicycle. And not just any new bicycle. It is an old fashioned bicycle such as ridden by the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, or by your grandmother who may or may not be much like the aforementioned witch. Anyway, it is the high heel, flowing dress or skirt, hand bag and cell phone in hand, and helmetless head. (Did I really write that? Helmetless? Don’t flame me okay. It isn’t all that bad.) It is classy, elegant, and perhaps coming to a city much closer to you than you think. In this case, it is Washington DC, but it was New York not to long ago. Give them a read. Then wander over to Copenhagen Cycle Chic and see what it could be come should conditions ripen. Enjoy!
