The Big Year

Michelle and I were married at the end of 2011 and we love playing in the outdoors. 2012 is the year of new adventures in our home. So far we’ve been lucky enough to explore Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon and we have plans to visit Yosemite, ride Slickrock, and see Old Faithful before the year ends.  

When we were ring shopping for Michelle there was only one ring that I liked enough to get her, and that ring took every last penny from my savings. When Michelle realized that, she surprised me with a Trek Superfly. I love that bike and I love mountain biking. I'm going to participate in my first sprint triathlon and mountain biking race this year. It's not like I plan on winning, but as long as I don't finish last it'll be a success.

In February, Matt (bro-in-law) and I took our bikes to St. George to get the biking season started. We rode Bear Claw Poppy and it was awesome. The first ride of the season is always great. Flying down the hill on your bike is addicting, and when you haven’t had it for a while you forget how great it is. I finished the week with two rides on BCP, then I returned to the snow covered trails in Ogden. But those rides left me anxious for my trip back to St. George in two weeks. 

Two weeks... I needed to tune up the bike, pick up some quick links and upgrade my helmet. Check, check and check. I was ready to go. So I hit the trail at 5:30 and it was beautiful. 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I peddled 4 miles to the top of BCP and was ready for the reward of the down hill. I survived the drop zone and splashed through the wash, now it was just fast rolling hills all the way to trailhead. I was on the final mile of the ride and the fastest mile of the ride. Gearing up to hit the last few jumps before the ride was finished when...

X-rays

Road Rash

Broken

Missed the landing. I broke my wrist, forearm, and elbow. Separated my shoulder. Broke my new helmet and damaged my pride a little bit. Lucky for me it wasn't worse. It's still going to be a "Big Year" , but it's just going to start out a little slower than I planned.