The ULCER

For those of you who don't know, I bought a new road bike right at the end of May. I've been thinking about getting one for a while, but finally took the plunge. I found a great deal in the classifieds on ksl.com (beats Craig's List locally hands down.) The bike is a Specialized S-Works Roubaix.

I've been riding two to three times a week with an eye on riding in the Utah Lake Century Epic Ride (ULCER.) This is a 110 mile ride around Utah Lake starting and ending at Thanksgiving Point.

Leading up to the ride I had been going longer and longer distances. My longest ride was a 70 miler the week before the ULCER. I did some rides with Brent Estes (next door neighbor and bishop) and Adam Whitefield - both of whom were also riding in the ULCER. The ride was August 6th (happy anniversary, mom and dad.)




Brent and Derek before the ride



ULCER 2011 route going clockwise around the lake

The ride went pretty well, all things considered. At about the 45 mile mark, I blew out a tire. This wasn't just the normal innertube blowout. Both my innertube and tire blew out. I had a spare tube, but not a spare tire. Just after the blowout, when I was thinking that my ride was over, a nice lady stopped to help. Her name was Wendy. She was around 60 and her husband was riding in the ULCER. She volunteered to drive me to a bike shop to buy a new tire. John Reese, who I was also riding with, volunteered to put up some cash for the tire. I had forgotten my wallet. So with the aid of these Good Samaratins, I was able to continue the ride. Thank John and Wendy!

At around mile 65, Adam started to feel sick ("bonking" or "hitting the wall".) We rode slowly with him for several miles until he got his second wind. We finished strong, but our time wasn't great.

I was pretty tired and a little sore after the ride, but I felt pretty good for having done it. That's the farthest I have ever ridden in one day. It is a fun accomplishment.

The following link is to the professional photos taken of me during the race.

http://www.zazoosh.com/events/searchPhotos/456?evtId=456&query=1586&x=20&y=9

Looking forward to it again next year. Anyone care to join me?