While some people choose to eat during lunch, I prefer to ride on the nearby singletrack trails in Draper, Utah. With the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Oak Hollow, Corner Canyon and Clarks Trails all within a mile of my office, it’s the perfect lunchtime snack… on singletrack, that is.
A few weeks ago, a friend keyed me in on the Clark’s Trail Time Trial. There’s a section of the trail that’s used as a self-timed time trial for those willing to partake in the fun. While I’m no XC racer, I thought I’d give it a go.
Having ridden the trail several times untimed, I had high hopes for myself since I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time. After back-to-back summers of moving (to AZ in 2006 and back to UT in 2007), I’ve been riding consistently and have actually shed nearly 20 lbs. from my all-time-high of 195 lbs. while in Arizona.
My first timed run was done on the Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 70 that I’ve ridden over the past couple of weeks. I thought it would be decent enough for a first attempt. My time… 17:40. Yeah, not so fast. Well, today, I hit it with the new Niner RIP 9 that I just received for testing purposes. My time… 14:50! Definitely a significant improvement, but lots of room still before I break the 13:00 mark, which is my current goal.
I thought I pushed myself pretty hard, so I’m going to have to step things up on subsequent rides. The Clark’s TT is a cool motivator and a fun way to push yourself to ride faster and harder–something I tend not to do so much. I typically plug uphill at my own pace so I can enjoy the down, but this has been a fun challenge. Head on out to Clark’s Trail and test yourself. Or, find a local climb and start doing the same thing.
More Info: Visit the Clark’s Time Trail Blog
The first flakes are falling in the Wasatch. Finally. From new
Just today I hit Clark’s on the new Ellsworth Evolve 29-er that I’ve got in the stable. I did shave some time off, but not as much as I’d like to have. I came in at 14:27. Next stop, sub-14!