Two down,

two to go ...

Yesterday we (La Candienne and I) returned to Millcreek canyon.

Second (in ascending order of difficulty) of the four Salt Lake Valley canyon climbs. It has some steep spots, steeper than Emigration for sure, but relenting and forgiving in other sections. If we continue the hit parade with Big Cottonwood and the diabolical Little Cottonwood canyons, well forget about relenting. Maybe we'll table the mountain climbing for now and work on some open road endurance for a few weeks.

Here are the numbers, if you care to crunch them:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88201437

Basically the same ride as the Rockwell Relay Training ride a month earlier:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81090560

We just added 15 miles on the return trip and about 500 more feet of climb. We were gone the same 5 1/2 hours though, if that makes Swedish Wife feel any better about it.

As you can see from the photo, the snow has melted and though the gate (and the road) is technically closed, we could clearly continue onward and upward but on this particular day we are only budgeted (mainly by calories we've brought with us) for 70 miles, though we stretched it out past that. La Canadienne appears semi-cooked already, 3500 feet of climb will do that to you. Ask her again after we've covered the 7 mile descent back to Wasatch blvd. She'll have more spring in her cranks then ... and she'll say: "sure, let's do 75". By the time we get home we will both feel thoroughly done in and I will have to dig deep to finish mowing the lawn (that I neglected after our Saturday ride) and the kitchen ... well it will have to wait until one of us gets our third wind.

Later in the afternoon Rodzilla will invite me back out to do Suncrest with him which makes me chuckle ruefully and respond: "Can't, I'm cooked." and mean it genuinely. We're getting in some really good training rides and La Canadienne continues to impress me with her strength and stamina, to the point that more than one person has mentioned that in the event that the Legend of Ivan* remains just that, she can step in as the fourth rider on the Relay. Probably true, but as I've pointed out as often as it's brought up, it's a man trip. So unless she picks up a Y chromosome and ditches an X on her next training ride, it's not happening. Who knows though, maybe if we love the Relay we'll all do it again next year. A men's team and a ladies' team perhaps?

Talk/blog soon,

(im)deebers ... she's La Canadienne

*Tomorrow's ride in lieu of Nebo loop will feature the entire cast of Team Sons of Perdition (I know, I know, I'm doubting it too but that's what I've been told). Watch for blog evidence (or lack thereof) soon. We hope to do Suncrest and then the Alpine loop until we get to the snow and then back. The ladies have been invited as well. Should be a good ride, good time with BBQ afterward to replace all the calories we lost. Happy Memorial Day Weekend and psuedo-official start of Summer.