Saturday, March 26, 2011

1st Annual Team Firestorm Bike Ride

This morning was the 1st annual Team Firestorm bike ride in memory of our friend, Ben Jacobsen. This day was chosen, not because of the fine weather, but because it was his birthday. I have to say, as the snow was falling yesterday, I was definitely having second thoughts about participating - not just because of the cold, but more because of my lack of skills in riding my bike through snow and ice. (Those are tiny little wheels to balance on in the best of conditions, if you ask me.) But this morning, I thought it didn't look too bad and decided to go for it. (Shawn was, of course, in no matter the weather.)
Thanks to Shawn's participation in Lotoja in 2005 (lovingly referred to as SNOWTOJA around here), and his declaration afterwards that he would never again ride his bike and be that cold, he and I were both well outfitted and the cold morning temperatures (34 degrees)weren't a big problem. Here we are getting ready to leave the house.

This is before the ride at the base of Emigration Canyon. All the participants and supporters gathered here before starting off. Ben's wife, Allison, is on the bench saying a few words to everyone who came.
Everyone talking and trying to get warm (and convince ourselves that this was, in fact, a good idea.) ( James Ransom and Rob Boyden)
(Me, Gordy Jacobsen, James R.)
And, we're off.
That's me. Obviously still early in the ride when I was still within Shawn's camera view. He dropped me pretty soon after this. (Seriously, sometimes I get so tired of always seeing him pull away from me. It happens in running, swimming, and clearly, biking.)
Fortunately, we both made it to the top. As you can see, it was still pretty cold and snowy. There were a few icy spots on the road, but we navigated them safely.
Some of the other riders at the top with us. (I think there ended up being about 77 riders, so it was an awesome turnout and it was a lot of fun to ride with all of these people who have a connection to Ben.)
Writing down our times from the base of the canyon to the top. Mine was 40 minutes, which for the first ride of the season, I guess was alright. Shawn's was a couple minutes faster, but it's really most important to note that I beat my brother, Rob, by a good 7 minutes or so. (Sorry, Rob, I couldn't resist.)
It was beautiful up there.
Some photo ops after the race. (Shawn and Me.)
Rob, Katie Boyden, Shawn and me.
Same crew with Clark Burbidge thrown into the mix.
All in all, it was a great, fun ride and I was so glad that I decided to do it despite the cold. Happy Birthday Ben! I hope it made you smile to see us all there today.

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