Western Spirit Cycling

How bad can life be if you get paid to go ride some killer singletrack?  I ask myself that everyday.  I am actually pretty darn fortunate to work as a guide for Western Spirit Cycling Adventures — I go to spectacular riding venues and my guests are always happy to see me b/c they are on vacation, I cook for them and keep their beer cold!

My first trip of the season will be at the end of March in Tucson, AZ, on our Sonoran Desert Tour.  This will be my first time there, so I am learning the trip under the tutelage of veteran guides Scott and Rachel.  I’m told the riding will be super fun — a mix of loose, rocky terrain; a flume trail; some rolling climbs — just what the doctor ordered!  Hopefully there will also be some time to train for the Western Spirit Bikini Team.  However, great caution will be taken when riding between the saguaros and cholla.  Any loud exclamations of “ooopsie” will likely be coming from my mouth.

Highlighted on this tour are the AZ Trail, Fantasy Island, and the Link Trail.  These are some of the best trails in the region and will be sure to please all.  Nothing like swooping and zooming, rock hopping and kicking it.  So, if Clint Eastwood asked me do I feel lucky? my Magic 8 Ball and I would not hesitate to respond: without a doubt.

So, with the temps in Moab not much above freezing these days, we decided to go north for the day (like that was going to make things much warmer - ha!).  I haven’t been on my bike in town since early December, although a holiday visit to see Mom in Florida did inspire a few beach cruiser-type rides.  But, perhaps keeping out of the saddle for a bit is a good thing??

But, I digress, back to Jan. 1:  we went to Salt Lake City to see the Bodyworlds exhibit at the Leonardo Museum.  If you are interested in anatomy and physiology, then this is a pretty darn cool exhibit.  Using a process called plastination, bodies that have been donated to science are placed in a variety of athletic poses.  The skin has been removed so you can view the skeletal structure and soft tissue (don’t worry — not really a gross out factor). I was quite surprised to see what an Iliotibial band looks like — much wider than I imagined!  No wonder my IT band is achy!  Most of the bodies were posed as gymnasts, skiers and runners/walkers, but no cyclists.  I would have enjoyed seeing all the muscle groups I’m feeling when I’m on some killer singletrack like  Blackhawk Pass Trail on a Telluride to Durango trip or Surveyor’s Ridge Trail on a Mt Hood tour.

The theme of the exhibit was on the heart, hence there was a visual dedicated to Lance Armstrong, who has an extraordinarily large heart.  Holy guacamole — no wonder he kicks so much butt!  The good news for us mere mortals is that we can actually increase the size of our heart muscle through exercise.  I can’t wait until the temps rise again so I can get out and ride for more than an hour, and work on whipping that heart muscle back into shape.