Trans Rockies Race Blog

My good friend Vaughan Mealey and I have ridden together since we were 11 and we are now 40. Vaughan works as a realter for Remax and both of us lead active lives but our level of fitness has depleted over the years. This past year we made a commitment to make fitness and living passionately a priority and we decided to jump in with both feet and do the hardest race right out of the gate. Vaughan not only has to balance a career in real estate, but also an active family of  5 and I was privileged to have him be apart of  this journey. He is an inspiration, a great realtor and and even better friend. Our plan was to race the race in 2010 and be ready to win. Unfortunately Vaughan suffered an injury during the training and required surgery which will take him out of the race this year. He is helping me train and a good friend named Dave Hart will take his place to get us across the finish line and raise the funds we need. Dave and I met last year when he helped take 40 peddle bikes from Calgary to an orphanage in Mexico called Rancho Santa Marta. It is an orphanage that takes disabled mexican children off the streets. Dave was incredibly positive and supportive and willingly gave his time and efforts to help the orphans. We pre-ran a great deal of the Baja 1000 course in the process and spent some time getting to know one another…I remember laughing…a lot! Dave creates an atmosphere of fun wherever he goes and I know that no matter what happens out there, we will come out of it smiling like we had the time of our lives…and chances are that is exactly what will have happened. Thanks, Dave…I can hardly wait to race with you as a teammate.

To learn more visit: http://www.transrockies.com

Smilin Dave

Dave and Janna

team finish

we got 4th that day...sort of

Daring Dave

The finish...Day 7...we took 17th overall that day

My daily mud lunch

Dave and I training

at the top...training

daretodream-1

August 24th

Post race stress disorder…haha. I miss the race already. Its funny, you forget all the suffering and only remember the fun and the feeling of doing something great. It was pure focus, pure fun and like nothing I have ever done. I have seen the benefits of the process of training and diet. It allowed me to see what was possible when you really took on living for a purpose and being mindful of that goal and how you live your everyday life. Realizing that you need to be responsible for every moment and every aspect in your life, every thing that happens is because of what you do and what you think. So think positive thoughts and focus on what you can do each moment that is in line with your goal…think to yourself…does this potatoe chip put me closer to my goal or further away…the answer will come and you get to choose. You are always where you are at because of what you thought and did…remember that! That being said, watch what you eat, research and come up with your own views but do it mindfully…don’t believe what a corporation will tell you…they want your money not your health. Eat lots of plants…I did the entire race on vegetables so you can to, and manage your stress by doing things that you love that keep your mind in harmony     ( free from the constant mind chatter that keeps your body in high gear). Having a quiet mind will give you the peace of mind to create, heal, be patient and most importantly..love!

August 14th

Last day excitement! We woke again to rain and were wondering if we were going to get a break today. It wasn’t as cold and todays stage was shorter and at lower elevation. There is also less climbing…yea! We were unsure about pacing and as they unleashed us we felt strong and kept up with the leaders as best as possible. We worked together drafting once we got to the highway section and Dave actually took turns pushing one of the female riders who was struggling. He knew her from previous racing. As the field began to stretch out we realized we were riding with some good company. The riders around us were strong and fast and we decided to let it all hang out. We were 20 minutes out of 23rd place which seemed insurmountable but we weren’t going to leave anything on the trail. The riders behind us were 1 hour back so we had time to risk some aggresive riding. We hiked a lot of stairs and were in a long line of riders carrying our bikes over unridable sections but then came the down hills. True to past form we passed most of them on some doulble black diamond runs that had some big rock drops. I almost went down when a rider decided to get off right at a big drop. I rode it directly at her and went  right into her; I  somehow managed to avoid falling which would have sent us both sliding down the rocks…my hands sweat just thinking about that moment. At the bottom it was just Dave and I hooting and Hollering…we love the downhills! The track levelled off and we rode single track with a group from the North Shore of Vancouver. There were 4 of them and they were incredibly strong. They had tree trunk legs and were very fit riders. We rode behind them for a while because they were going to hard to pass but then they had to hold up to wait for one of their riders. It was our chance….we rode as hard as we could from that point on…it was like the home stretch only we still had 20km to go. I didn’t know if I could keep this up and the riding was really rooty and slick. It was hard and fun. Our goal was to keep those guys behind us. Dave exclaimed…hey I know this trail and we are almost in Canmore…lets pick it up…OK if you say so. We came into Canmore really pushing but when I looked at my GPS we still had 10km to go. They routed us up and around the Nordic center, a trail system that Dave Knew well. He was shouting encouragement up the hills as he knew it was where I was exploding inside. Thanks to Ashley and Jack of Aerobic power Haus we knew what were the difficult heart rate zones for me and Dave. My heart rate monitor was broken but his was working and I don’t even want to know how high or how long we were in my red zone…those climbs hurt! With each hill we crested there was an equivalent downhill, which was my recovery. Only very technical recovery. The neat thing I have noticed is that I can recover in half the time that I used to. We were all alone for a while until we saw riders ahead…shall we, Dave says…yep !, lets get em. We found something else that day…a new limit for pushing our bodies…and I found that I do have a competitive side. I have always just been satisfied with finishing but today, I didn’t want to leave any doubt that I could have done better and Dave was the perfect guy to help me with this, His racing background trains you to strive for more…we did. The group that we had caught turned out to be a pack of riders who were following the female team who had the leaders jersey! Dave stormed by them and waited for me to do the same. Yahoo, another downhill…our forte…we ripped past the entire group and came up on another pair. We came up so fast on them they just got off the trail and let us pass…they yelled have fun. We entered the town of Canmore, crossed the bridge to loads of cheering, and came up to the final stretch..we could see the finish and I started to laugh…and I peddled as hard as I could…we were flying! We had hoped to raise the Childrens Wish Banner as we crossed but this moment was all ours and we were moving too fast…we just might have made up the difference that we needed to move into 23rd….an unbelievable feat for 2 unlikely riders, a downhiller and a non biker…haha. The euforia was incredible and what we endured and pushed through would shape us forever. We can walk tall and proud and know that we passed every test that the trans-rockies, mother nature, and ultimately our own minds could throw at us. We never gave in, we never stopped moving and we never doubted we were going to make it. And what’s more…we did it with style. Other riders went through the same terrain yet they had a completely different experience. We saw people dejected and angry, complaining about their circumstances and ultimately suffering through the event. Dave and I avoided this thinking and made top ten lists, talked about our wives ( we were much faster when these conversations arose…haha) and our upcoming baja 1000 adventure. We chatted with every rider we came across, offered help to every rider who was stopped or down and we even challenged each other to pick up garbage from the riders who had passed before us. The highlight that we will talk about forever will be helping the camera man( our new friend Glen) get his motorbike out of the mud. We stopped racing for 10 minutes to help a fellow dirtbiker and we never felt better.

As for the race, we finished the final stage in an incredible 3 hours 18 minutes in 17th position overall. Did we make up the 20 minutes???  Not quite! We had made up 19 minutes and 30 seconds but we were 30 seconds short of 23rd place. If the race was longer I think we could have broken the top 20 as we were getting stronger with each day. Not bad for a couple of rookies competing against the pros who do this for a living…and as for that 30 seconds to a better finish…I wouldn’t give up a single experience to get that back. Dave and Darin,   24th in the toughest mountain bike race on the Continent!!!  We had climbed Mount Everest Twice in 36 hours and 46 minutes!!!

Wade and Kirk rode the last day together and ripped in to a 10 overall finish for the stage. Man they are fast. They are unclassified due to the last three days that Kirk was unable ride which means they finish but without a ranking. Wade slogged through all those days that we did, but all by himself. Talk about heart! He even went over the Cox hill summit…the mountain that most of the field was diverted around because it was too dangerous. Their calculations would have put them around the 12th place if Kirk was able to ride all the stages but we’ll never know how great they could have done had Kirks Knee held out. Great effort you guys…it was great to have you riding for us. Your true Champions!

The good News/bad news…they offered us a spot for next years race at half price…will I be clean by then…dare to dream!

August 13th

Today we lead the entire field of the trans rockies for over an hour and came in third overall…read on to find out how…

Raining and 5 degrees greeted Dave in the restroom this morning.  That’s where he started the day and it wasn’t to brush his teeth…After several Imodium and some food we headed out into the storm. We were popsicles within about 10 minutes. The next 3 hours were taxing to say the least. I couldn’t shift with my hands as they were useless (cold to the bone)so we were using the palm of our hands to shift…it wasn’t ideal. I couldn’t feel any part of my body…only hurt. It was a low point for both of us and the silver lining was difficult to find. We made it to the first checkpoint and were faced with a decision. They were turning people to the road instead of on the Jumping pound/Cox loop. We didn’t know what that meant race wise but it would cut out 10km and eliminate the alpine which was apparently around zero and incredibly windy…and then there was a huge downhill in the rocks. We choose to take the road and take an undetermined time penalty…we were just too taxed and I am so thankful for the decision. Ten minutes later we heard they shut down the course and were rerouting the entire field. Later in the shower I asked a pro what it was like( he finished just ahead of us) He said it was retarded( his words). He peed on his hands at the summit before he descended…it was that bad. The wind was blowing the riders off the single track and the helicopter was circling overhead like a vulture waiting for riders to go down. We rode the gravel road in the rain and the wind for 15km to checkpoint 2 where they had a tent set up with an emergency ready propane heater. We went in and baked for about 10 minutes before carrying on. The warmth charged us and we started to pass the people that had went on ahead of us. It got lonely as there seemed to be no one else to pass. It opened up and we started to think about the warm showers and as we weere at a lower elevation at that point we could make better time…better air and warmer! As we rounded a corner we saw one of the Kona teams support people…he seemed very suprised to see us. His question wasn’t how are you like we expected but…did you ride the entire course? We answered no we got rerouted and he seemed relieved. It was then that we realized we were at the head of the entire field…the leaders hadn’t even come in yet. With 600 meters to go we heard yelling from behind. The Kona team had caught us and as I pushed my bike up the last climb, they peddled by Dave and I like we were kids on the highway and disappeared around the bend. We heard cheering and realized we were almost done…yahoo! When we finally crossed the line at 4 hours 30 minutes, we went right to the shower…brrrr. We still are not sure where we stand but we are glad this stage is over.( right now were in 3rd …hahaha) We were looking forward to it the most because of the downhill but it would have really hurt and we might have DNF’ed like many others. There were truckloads of bikes brought in trucks, which meant people gave up. It took everything for us to stay in the game and I remembered words my wife had spoke long ago when faced with a difficult time….and this to, shall pass…and it did! Funny thing is, as soon as it’s over you seem to forget all the pain and suffering, and all that is left is the amazing experience.

August 12, 2010

Today was supposable the recovery day but it was really tough. My heart rate was the same but it seemed tougher to make power at that heart rate…weird. No real crazy events but our luck continues.  Just as we reached the check point it started to rain so we hung out under the tent and ate and visited. The other racers raced on by in the rain…it poured for 5 minutes and stopped abruptly…we carried on. We raced with the 80 plus leaders for a great part of the race. They were great guys and kept us motivated…and we pushed ourselves to keep up.  I got some great footage of one of them going over the bars into a mud bog.

We are spent today!!! Just as we crossed the finish line…the black clouds rolled in and it hailed, rained and turned very cold!…we are the luckiest team and Karma continues to shine on us where ever we go…we even found the brake clip in the gravel that popped off the bike…needle…haystack…my buddy Corey would be proud!  Kelly and the kids came to visit today and it has made all the difference. I needed my batteries charged…I can continue!! …. The highlight for me was riding the biggest downhill with a cookie in my mouth…I couldn’t stop to eat it but it was too good to just drop…and downhill’s are our forte… One other thing…our teammate Wade pushed today to finish 10th…Incredible in such a field…great job Wade! Kirk is going to try and start again tomorrow. He didn’t finish again today and Kelly our Massage therapist is going to try and free his IT band from its demons. Keep your fingers crossed. We also got a great donation from a banker in the Dominican Republic named Carlos Guillermo. Thank you so much Carlos…you make a big difference. Lots of people are taking cards and are inspired to give…awesome!

August 11, 2010

What an awesome day!  With lots of ups and downs of course!  It was supposed to be a recovery day but it turned into one of the most difficult days.

It all started with a dead stop bottleneck at km 2.  We stood still for 10 minutes while riders funneled into the single track.  It was semi-rolling and we were trapped behind many riders who couldn’t ride some difficult sections.  We were patient!  When the downhill came, we passed a ton…it is truly our forte!  Then came the climb…not our forte.  It was another hike a bike for about 2 hours….up!

Our strategy was simple.  Work our butts off to get to the top ahead of less aggressive riders and then race down.  It worked with one tragic blip.  We came across our teammates Kirk and Wade at about km 20.  Kirks IT band (on his knee) was done!  He could not continue.  It was a sad moment for the team but we took it in stride.  Wade kept going to get as much time as possible behind them as their team of 2 would be penalized for Kirk not finishing.  He pressed on and came in under 5 hours despite a broken derailer (he ran for 12 km to the road before eliminating the derailer entirely and continued on with only 1 gear).  Kirk retreated back to the last checkpoint and hopes to be good to go tomorrow.  As Dave and I finally crested the last up we had only 20 km to go, mostly downhill we were told.  We started pushing and were making up tons of time on the more fit riders who had beat us to the top.  Then around the next corner the race changed.  Imagine 10 km of cow trampled muskeg…this was the trail.  Sometimes it was almost up to our knees.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  We decided to have as much fun as we could and we stormed every puddle and tried to ride through everything.  It was slightly downhill so if you threw caution to the wind you could attack what looked like certain “over the bars” with reckless abandon.  Which is exactly what we did…laughing all the way.

We were having so much fun that we started passing everyone.  My guess is 10-15 teams fell to us today.  I hope they all made it…some were pretty dejected at their circumstances.  The mind is a powerful thing!

We even had time to rescue one of the support riders on a WR450.  He had his bike buried in 3 feet of mud.  Dave and I had both practiced this in the past and knew the protocol for heavy bike extraction.   We had him out in about 5 minutes and never lost a spot!

The last great event before crossing the finish was Dave crossing the sheep river.  We were doing so well we thought, let’s give er to the finish.  We came upon about 6 riders tentatively testing the water at the edge and Dave plunged right in.  It was about 50 feet across and flowing strongly.  The water was to his chest and his bike was floating beside him…awesome!  Somehow he managed to keep his footing.  I went upstream and passed 3 riders crossing the river!

We took turns drafting to the finish (after one last climb…of course).  Dave is a machine and has a ton of heart.  Today could have gone so much differently without us staying positive and focusing on the fun.  His head is as strong as his heart.  I can’t remember feeling so alive yet so tired at the same time.  Nap time.  Can’t wait for tomorrow!

August 10th

Today was crazy!  We rode rolling gravel for 40 km.  We made it to the second aid station in 2 hours and 15 minutes. And then the single track climb began.  We climbed 2350 meters straight up.  90% of it was hiking and some we even had to carry our bikes.  We crossed 3 rivers that were knee deep.  Then we travelled an incredibly technical downhill that most people walked.  Dave and I rode it!  We passed lots of riders!  Prior to that we had worked very hard … in the 150 – 160 heart beat zone.  We could put many riders behind us because the crowds were so slow on the downhill.

We finished 30th today which is awesome!  Kelly Schwab has been amazing and our team is still going because of him.  I don’t know if he knows the impact he has.

I miss my family and will not be able to contact them tonight.  I love you honey.  Give the kids a big hug and save one for yourself.  You are the reason I succeed.

August 9th pm

Todays start was a mass start at 9am.  After we all got packed up and organized, we headed down to the start line, which turned out to be 8:45. When I got to the start line I realized that my rear brake was not working.  I quickly visited Jay, who had helped us fix Wade’s bike yesterday.  As Jay was working on my bike, I did Ron’s silly walk routine to warm up.  Soon many mechanics had joined in doing the ministry of silly walks routine from Monty Python.  It was great comedy.  Huge thanks to Jay for getting my bike ready for me 60 seconds before the race started.

I joined the race start and the 30 km climb began.  It was a gruelling 3 hours… straight up… sometimes up to a 12% grade.  When we got to the top the fun downhill began.  Dave and I passed many of the fit riders who had out-climbed us on the up-hill.  Dave rode sections of the course, that the course designer said were unrideable.  His antics made the highlight reel after supper (as film crews where positioned throughout the course).

We came into Hosmer and started the 39 km rolling hills ride into Sparwood.  We had enough to sprint to the finish for fun.  It was an awesome day!!  It was 70 km long, 7000 feet of elevation gain, and it took us 5 hours and 44 minutes.  We now dropped to 39th.  Kirk and Wade moved up to 15th…. great job guys.

Tomorrow’s ride …. almost identical to today except for all in the alpine.  Can’t wait but must sleep….


August 9th am

I believe we are sitting around 29th out of 47 but that includes all the pros  you cant fathom how fast they are). Wade and Target are 35 minutes ahead of us and should increase that today…they are strong riders.  They are in 19th place.

Mother nature can be nurturing or harsh…just like real moms. Either way its out of love and there to teach you something. I wonder what I am going to learn about myself today. Thanks to Kelly Schwab who arrived last night, I can at least move today. The night was interesting as I couldn’t turn my brain off. I was riding in my sleep! I tried Holosnyc meditation and that helped. I entertained thoughts of I CAN’T DO THAT AGAIN TODAY…haha. The mud really made that 30 km feel like more. Today is 70 km…2300 meters of elevation and will truly prove what were made of. I keep going back to my landmark training that allows me to identify those thoughts and get right to the heart of them. They are FEAR…false events appearing real….they are only thoughts. It was amazing what my mind was trying to pull last night. All the things that have taken me out of things in the past crossed my mind…it took a lot of awareness to keep the voices at bay and stay commited. As a result I didn’t sleep much but I feel suprisingly rested and am having an Ashley Meyers breakfast…oatmeal, berries, chocolate chips and protein powder. It is raining slightly and is very humid…I wonder what I will wear today. Hey Britt, the shorts and shirts were really comfortable and we got a tonne of compliments…great job!

August 8th…3 pm

OK Game off…just got of the mountain and it was incredible. Dave was a machine and I kept up …running a lot mind you. It was the most mud I have every been in. Our bikes were about 50 lbs about 2 km in. It rained right up until the finish and then the sun came out. I ran into some cramping as my electrolites may have been down. It was an amazing section and would have been quite fast if not for the 4 inches of mud. We made it and followed Ashleys advice and had shakes and now we are resting…I will type more when the cramping goes away…haha….EPIC!

August 8

It rained!…all night…still raining….which makes it wasy to pick out an outfit for the day…let the games begin! Yahoo!

August 7th…evening

Craziest story…as we were riding today to check everything over and do last minute tuning we broke one of the shock linkages on the frame, on off all bikes, an Opus. It was a race ending break and we were in Fernie, night before the race, on a Saturday, at 4:30. When we got back to the house and all got on our phones at once. We called every welding shop without any luck. Then we headed down to Fernie to look at some bike shops that might be able to suggest something. We asked several shops what they could do and if they could sell us frame…no frames! Then we started looking at bikes to the tune of $5000!!! Yikes what to do? Then we started calling bike shops in Calgary…nothing. When we got back to the car there was a couple looking at the injured bike on the roof rack. We didn’t know then but we were speaking to our first angel of the race. You see, Michelle not only had the same bike, but it had the exact part that my teammate, Wade, needed. As we continued to chat, it turned out the Michelle was willing to lend us the part…what are the odds…to find the exact person willing to help out….the moment you have almost thrown in the towel…in a town the has never even heard of an Opus…and have them looking at the bike the moment you return from come back to the car from a 1 hour shopping trip….and have them say…hey I’ve got the same bike…you can use mine if you like? As it stands right now we are all fixed(Michelle brought us the part at the riders meeting 1 hour later…amazing) and we are heading to bed. The race hasn’t even begun and the challenges are hitting us full on. A huge thank you to Michelle and Gary for making our race possible…you’ll never know the difference you have made and we are eternally grateful! I don’t believe it was chance that brought us together and I know we’ll be meeting again soon…lots of love…Darin

August 7th

Registration day…yahoo. A big thankyou to Jungle Jim for the opportunity to be on the show. Incredible to be on a show with such inspirational people. Simon Whitfield is an amazing athlete and I hope I can find the kind of determination and grit that he embodies. He was hopping into the lake right after the show…Keep up the good work Simon, your an inspiration! Lindon Rush is also an amazing character and I wish him luck. I know he is committed to making a difference to kids as well. Thanks again Jim…I was a bit anxious but now I am just pumped for the race to start.

August 6th

Finally got to Fernie…its raining…hard…really hard. The good news is I can tell the weather is changing…my shoulder hurts…haha. Excited about tomorrows show with Jim Hunter and I just watched the video of the time trial section for Sunday. Go to the transrockies website and click on the link…we’re on our way up!!!! Can’t wait!

August 5th

Please excuse the hiatis, I have been travelling home and resting. I rode for an hour today and everything is starting to loosen up…yahoo. I am excited to get going but thankful for the tapering week as I needed it to heal. I got the jerseys from Primal yesterday and they are amazing. I highly recommend them again! We’ll be stylin’. Thanks to Chad and Stylo renovations and log homes for providing them as well as all the decaling for the truck and trailer. Check out their log homes….they are amazing. It is going to make a big difference and my plan is to have a huge fundraiser where we will make the shirts avalaible to the public to raise even more money. I am also excited about talking with Jim Hunter on the Fan 960 on Saturday morning between 9 and 9:30. Give a listen…we may have some even crazier ideas to raise money for the foundation. I’d best get packin…this has taken a huge amount of time and preparation and my family has had to be extremely flexible in their loss of daddy and husband time. I want to acknowledge them for their sacrifice. My family is awesome…I love you.

August 2nd

My hand and shoulder were too sore to ride this am. I’m pretty sure I seperated whats left of my shoulder and may have broken my wrist. I went to the field and did Ron Jarretts portable leg workout. I found that my back hadn’t escaped injury either…I did lots of Cat cows to stretch it out and am feeling better. I have arranged for a cti wrist brace and have stocked up on ice for the shoulder. Apparently it will take my mind off of the 55,000 feet of elevation. Its my secret weapon. No one else will have such a good distraction. Another up side is my friend Vaughan picked up the jerseys for me today. Thanks to Chad of Stylo group we will be able to get the word out there about the project through some awesome shirts that Britt of Primal Wear designed and made for us. They were awesome and gave us 20% off as well as donating a big chunk to childrens wish. I highly recommend them for your jersey needs. Britt is also a good resource for whole food recipes. Thanks to all who have put their efforts to my cause. The kids at the Childrens Hospital are going to be tickled when they get to live a dream. Isn’t giving fun?

August 1st

Everyday I entertain thoughts of fear and doubt but as I listened to As A Man Thinkieth today on my ride, I was reminded that we are what we think about. I have come so far in my training and I did 2 hours and 40 km today up and down the mountain and it was easy…with one exception, I crashed. Stupid mistake. I changed a flat this morning and after my brake wasn’t working properly…it needed to bled for some reason. While I was climbing a big hill I decided to distract myself by doing wheelies up the hill. On one particularly good long one I started to go over backwards, which normally isn’t a big deal. Today, however, as I reached for the rear brake to correct it went right to the bar. I hit pretty hard on the pavement and landed on my elbow and wrist. It is super swollen and sore this am. I hope I haven’t broken it. Luckily my shoulder is already seperated and is only slightly buggered…rats. I am icing! I know this will not stop me and I am lucky that I have a week to heal…and have learned a lesson about maintenance…don’t let it slide…even on an easy ride…hey that rhymes…haha…..have a great day.

July 28th

Sorry for the layoff…no internet in Horsefly lake. I have ridin 2 three hour rides in my e3 and e4 zones and have ran a ten km trail run. I ride and run at 6 am so I can still have fun with the family. Boating and adventuring is nice here in Horsefly and we saw a lightning strike cause a forest fire. It was an instant fire and we called forestry and they monitored it by satalite and came and put it out in the am…pretty crazy. I am a bit worried about bears in the am but I carry bear flares and extra food to throw at them if their hungry…haha. I hope they like hammer gels and cliff bars better than me. Last big ride is tomorrow…getting excited.

July 25

Just got back from 2.5 hours of climbing and less than 30 minutes of downhill. The Scott Genius is a really great bike for this type of riding.( Thankyou Ken D of Scott Fame) The ups are getting easier for me and I am making sure to keep up with the Vega sport drink and electrolite pills. I didn’t cramp like I did on Cox hill 2 weeks ago. ( after 3 hours of climbing, it got a bit cool on the top and when I stood up to desend my legs started yelling at me…I can’t remember their exact words but if your mom has ever used THAT tone of voice when you forgot to do something important, it was kind of like that followed by the spanking…luckily I flatted twice on the downhill and had a few moments to put in some more Vega…I jogged the last 2 km)….you learn from the spankings I guess but if your friend tells you about the consequences prior to….maybe you can learn from his spanking…remember to hydrate and don’t forget the electrolites…trust me!…( oh ya and remember to write it down somewhere so you don’t have to get the same spanking over and over again…this note is for the 40 and over crowd or the ADD challenged…or both as the case may be)

July 25th Riding in Cache Creek in the am…its awfully hot here…getting up at 5 to beat the heat …lots of climbing nearby…cant wait

July 24th

I have been focussing on long slow rides keeping my heart rate under 140…its so hard to keep it that low. I am feeling stronger and am climbing well. I have made all the hill climbs in the hood where I live which is a drastic difference from when I started…little girls were at the top cheering me on a month or two ago.

Todays ride was in the Shuswap as I am on a family vacation. I rode for 10 minutes and then ran into an old friend Named Mike Miln who has a cabin on the water. I hadn’t seen him for over 15 years and I didn’t realize how much of an influence he had had in my life in the past. Years ago we had been involved in a serious accident together and both of us almost died…200 foot cliff…It was incredibly healthy for me to see him doing so well and share with him about how my life has changed since the old days. You see it was me who was driving that night…he borrowed my angel that night…I have a few good ones who saved me a lot when I was young and reckless. I just hope they aren’t all wore out as I head into the mountains next week. It was great to see you this morning Mike and thanks for all you taught me back then, you were a great influence on me and you inspired me to be a better person( and rider)…and sorry for almost killing you…I think of that night often and am most happy about us both getting a second chance…we really are making the best of it aren’t we??….Lots of Love, Darin…ps…as a result todays ride was a bust…but sometimes riding isn’t everything!

July 7th

Ran 10 km this am after a weekend of riding. I rode 3 three hour rides this weekend; one each day. Sunday was in Bragg Creek. We did Ridgeback to Moose Mountain and then on to Numa with the finish being Sulfer springs loop…we got lots of rain and hail and the trail was a bit greasy…fun stuff. It as 30 km and 1500 meters of elevation….I was a bit stiff on my run today! I need to remember electrolytes for the future!…also just found out that gels are for 2-3 hours days. I need a different fuel for longer stuff…good lesson! Thanks to Chris and Brian for taking me out…it takes a community to raise a biker( or something like that…haha)