Malad

malad

We spent Saturday in Malad, Idaho, looking at land and the whole area. I have posted some pictures of a lot that we really like and the views that surround it. We are looking into it very seriously and may make an offer on a lot right away!

Post Thanksgiving

Had a nice thanksgiving weekend. We did dinner at Steph's Dad's and dessert at Steph's Mom's. It was nice and relaxing.
We have been talking alot lately about where we are going to live in the future. We have a lease on our home thru March and though we love Farmington, we don't know if we will renew it or relocate. My employment/income situation has a lot to do with that. I am working towards a home office arrangement. That would really open up the options as to where we could live. I'll keep you posted. The leading candidates at the moment are Hatch, Utah; Cedar City, Utah; and Morgan/Porterville, Utah.
Another motivation is to be near George Wythe College and further educational opportunities. I feel compelled to continue my education and become involved in statesmanship and mentoring projects.
We got a great new toy the other day. Over the holiday I took Kessie part way up Farmington canyon and on a big ride around town. It has been really fun. I can see doing some longer rides this next summer with a kid in tow.
I have been riding the trainer a bit, playing Ultimate Frisbee and joined an indoor soccer team. I got out for a group ride on Thanksgiving morning with the Route Veloce boys and it was nice. I am not at the top of my game, but I am fitter than I thought. We have hockey practice tomorrow night, followed by a indoor game. It should be a lot of fun!

Update

Fall is in full swing. We celebrated the big pagan festival the other night and gorged on candy. Good times. I am rethinking my view of Halloween. I think the family is going to dinner and a movie next year.
I just got a sweet minoura mag trainer off of craigslist, so I guess I won't have any excuse on staying fit.
We checked out the cross race at the Fairgrounds last night and it looks really cool. I'm gonna try and race out their in the next 2 weeks.
November gets me thinking about recommitting to my fitness improvement. I am so not at a a place right now to follow a really structured training plan. I wanna have fun, not freeze to death doing 5 hours on the road.
I am thinking about creating and office work out video, featuring cubicle friendly exercises and stealth training techniques.
Who wouldn't want to pay $50 for a DVD about how to work out in your cubicle with out breaking a sweat?

In other news, Kade started his hockey lesson's last week. He also bought himself some skates. This is the real deal! It will be fun to watch his skills progress. Now if they could just hurry up and finish the S. D. Rec Center!! The Ice Sheet is cool, but it's a long way away.

Kannon has taken the Alien thing to a whole new level lately. He bought an alien costume for Halloween and has now watched, listened too and read 3 different versions of The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells and the Mercury Theater.

Kessie and I went milking together this morning. She is such a peach. I'm waking her at 6:00 a.m. to go out into the cold and dark and milk a stinky cow and she is as chipper as can be. Her reading is coming along really well.

Kolby is thawing out from the trick-or-treating. In my rush to get out the door, he went out into the 30 degree weather wearing nothing but a very thin batman costume. He was chilly! One quick trip around the block and back home!

Klara was excited about all the candy. She is still eating it. She is a total daddies girl. It is awesome! She will hardly let me set her down when I get home in the evening.

Steph has been having more digestive woes as of late. She is going to see an iridologist next week to see what they he can tell her. The poor girl! It has been so frustrating for her to be sick so often in the past few months. It is killing me to see her so ill. Please join me in praying for her.

Essay:Do you know me?

Do you know me?
You have seen me at the races. I ride that couple year old bike, and have that somewhat obscure jersey. I race with you. Sometimes I mess-up, pick the wrong line, pick the wrong tactic etc. But do you really know me. When you look at me do you see me as I really am? Am I a great father, a loving husband, stellar employee, or struggling business owner?
Or have you turned me into an object? Are you going to yell at me in the race, or stare me down before? Are you going to turn your back on me as you sit with your team mates?

Do you know the price that I have paid to be here? Have I overcome physical or emotional challenges? Have I been up at 5 in the morning so that I can ride before I go to work to provide for my family? Do I ride to work when I am hungry because I can’t afford the gas in the car or the fancy energy food in my pocket? Am I struggling to come back to form after serving others in a distant place for 2 years? Am I a student working my way through college?

We would all do well to look within ourselves and think about the way we look at others.
We are all comrades. We have a passion for the same thing. The bike, the effort, the rush. Do I deserve respect for just showing up?

Viva Las Vegas

Going away for the weekend to a bike race, vacation, or business trip used to be so simple.
Add 5 kids into the mix, going to 4 different homes and things get a lot more complicated. As ever, Steph has done a tremendous job of making the necessary arrangements. We leave Sunday morning and will be staying at a really nice hotel and helping with a convention being put on by my company. We will have some down time in the evenings to relax as well, and then fly home on Tuesday. This marks the second plane flight for Steph. Bosie was the first, 3 yrs. ago.
The boys and I went out for 45 minutes between conference sessions and it was a blast. Nobody got upset and we even did a little how to fix a flat clinic on the road.

It's gonna be a Girl!

Steph and I went to get an Ultrasound of our developing baby this week and found out the sex. It is cool to think that we will be balanced out with three boys and three girls.

I finally got one of my summer projects done and repaired the Lawn mower. That was cool. I have been so frustrated with trying to balance family life, training and projects.
I have started to tear in to my van again, working to pull the heads and have some work done on them. Another couple of weeks to go there. Steph will be really excited to have a car again!

Kade will be coming with us to the priesthood session of G. C. for the first time tomorrow. He is excited and so am I! It is a little freaky to mark the passage of time with him. If he chooses to go to college before his mission, we may only have him at home full time for another 5-6 years!!!! We better get crackin' and do a better job with him!

It's funny how I started this blog after reading a bunch of biker blogs, and now I don't feel like writing much about bikes. Riding is what I do for fun, not who I am. (Although after 15 years of riding I have to keep reminding myself of that) It is really easy to get ego and self worth wrapped up in accomplishment. I am still working on that.

Books I am reading-The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, The E-Myth revisited, Thomas Jefferson Education(updated version), Alma 52......,
Things I am listening to-80's mix cassette Trent gave me for my 13th birthday, Red hot chili peppers, Kirby Heybourne.

Close Call

So I am riding to work in the rain this morning. Anyone who lives in Davis County and has ridden into SLC knows how Beck Street can be a little sketchy. I was riding the as far over to the shoulder as possible at about 6:45 a.m. and it was raining. Suddenly a passing car swerves to miss me (not paying attention) and starts to slide on the wet pavement. The poor gal fights for control and I am shouting to myself "hold on, you can do it" She narrowly misses being hit by the car next to her as she does a 180 right in front of them. No collisions, nobody hurt, just scared the crap out of several people. Makes me think about what would happen if a car hit me from behind at 45 mph? I gotta re-up the life insurance policy. That was direct devine intervention. I am truly blessed and she was too.

Farmington Race

Here is a picture from the Farmington Race back in July. The photo was taken by Mathew's mother Valja Lerdahl. Kannon won his age group as did Mathew and Kade road a great race as well. Maybe a UCA race next year?

Post Lotoja

Had to make a hard decision and pull the plug on my LotoJa in Montpelier. Had a casual ride to 3/4 of the way up mink creek, then it hurt real bad. Came over strawberry 1 minute down, hit Montpelier 4 minutes down. I had no reserves in the tank. Legs heavy and not recovering at all. Being in bed for a few days really kicked my backside more than I had hoped. There's always next year.

I found out upon my return that is was not Gardia but in fact a thing called campylobacter, a nasty food born bug that cause diarrhea, fever, cramping, muscle soreness etc. The nurse was really concerned and said the antibiotic they had given me was not effective on this stuff, so I get to take some more drugs and talk to the health department! Whoopee!!

We had a great time with the Bleaks in Jackson. They were generous enough to drive, provide support, and not act too disappointed when I chose to stop. They are awesome friends.

We are discussing doing the Ogden Downtown Crit on the 23rd and/or the Al Butler memorial on the 3oth. Also having some serious thoughts about getting a tandem. More to come on that.

Now it is time to buckle down and fix the van's, trail run, go camping, hiking and family bike riding and have some fall fun. What a great time of year!!

LOTOJA

Hit the Anti-biotics hard, rested, getting better. I am game on for Lotoja. I went out for an hour last night and I am doing alright. I had another flat last night, so it is for sure time for new tires. That's 4 flats in 6 rides!

Steph and the Bleaks are excited to do the feeds and cheer for me! I am excited to be able to plan a good race after the way that I felt over the weekend.

Kade attended the South Davis Liber Academy for the first time today. It is a 1 day per week cooperative put together by homeschooling parents to teach our kids. He is such a good kid. He was given some assignments to have done and he really rose to the occasion and got it done.

Check back for an update post Lotoja. That's when the real fun begins. Fix the van(s), projects around the house, go camping, ride with my boys..................................

Gardia Part II and Farmington

So, Friday night I wake up sicker than I have ever been. Fall asleep at three, up at six. I feel normal so, I shower, shave the legs and am on the bike. Nate P. hands me my backside on the training ride. I come home, do a few projects, go see "cars" with the family. After that Steph and I go to a party with some friends and you guessed it, I get really sick. Steph packs up my sorry self and drives me back home, where I spend Sunday and Monday in Bed. Monday night I get some antibiotics cause we think it's gardia. Tuesday I stay home from work. Here I sit on wednesday getting ready to flog myself on Saturday at Lotoja. My wife thinks I am crazy, but she loves me.

So there's this whole racing scene and community in Utah. I have kind of followed from the sidelines for a while do to my life style etc. There are a lot of races that I would love to do, and many that would be really cool to win.
In July I lined up for a little race in Farmington. It is a very casual 15 minute race in the heart of town. I would love to help it grow into a UCA race next year. Anyway, the Higley bro's and I duke it out, and I end up winning. The point of the story is, I have sooooo many people compliment me on that win it is crazy. People see my wife or parents and say, "Hey, tell Tyler congrats on the win!" etc. To them it could be the G.C. at the TofU. If I won the tour de gap, sugarhouse crit, hell of the North, and about any other race you can think of, they would have no clue. So, the Farmington Bike race is Bomb!

Update

I did an epic ride on Saturday with Gardner Brown and a couple of other guys. We drove to the Zoo, and then rode emigration, big mountain, east canyon, henefer, echo, wanship, brown's canyon, park city, and then back to Salt Lake. It was a tough ride, with a bit of rain and warmers on the whole day. I felt ok, but also realize that I am a bit tired and need to take a few easy days.
I am excited to say that I will be connecting with the Bikers Edge club/Team for LotoJa. I am going to pick up their kit this evening. Perhaps Nate and I can employ a bit of team tactics.

Steph is getting back to strength from the gardia deal, but unfortunately she took a spill on the stairs and injured her shoulder. She is kinda with out the use of that arm now so it has been tough for her. She is such an amazing woman, to watch how well she deals with adversity. It would be nice if she could have a break for a little while though.

We are getting the baby sitters all set-up so that we can focus on having fun over the Lotoja weekend. The kids should have a good time while we are gone as well.

It is getting so dark in the mornings! I really relish the days in June and July when it is light enough to ride by 5:30 or 6:00. I am not sure when I will train after lotoja. Perhaps it is time to start thinking about the trainer, and some alternative winter sports activism?

Road riding is so nice because it is right out your front door, and free once you get the right stuff. Perhaps some trail running or snow shoeing would be cool. If anyone actually reads this, I would love any comments.

Crit Cancelled and The Weekend

I was really bummed to hear that the Bikers Edge crit was cancelled last Friday. Apparently concern over too few riders per registered. Hello! Friday night, big money, crowds, etc. Assured to have a full field.
I did 70 miles with the Route Veloce boys on Saturday a.m. It was a good test of the legs and lungs after the down time with the illness. Riding with a large group is either great, or it sucks. We spent alot of time waiting for flats and mechanical problems. It was great to get out and push the pace with Cal and Dan and all. Those boys are strong.
I felt good all things considered. The form is coming on for LotoJa. I need one or two more big rides, and some consistant week days and I will be good.
I have been thinking alot about getting involved in Ice Hockey this winter with Kade. As much as I love riding in the cold, snow, rain etc. I need a good off season activity. I may play indoor soccer with some guys from work as well.
We watched the movie Hook on Saturday night and I was struck by the line that Peter Bannings wife says to him, something like "your kids are growing up right infront of you, and your missing it!" September will include lots of rides with the kids.

Bikers Edge Crit

I am pumped to do my first "real" race of the year tommorrow night. I did a few RMR's in the very early spring, but have not done any real races aside from the Utah Summer Games and the Farmington City race. Both where cool, but I am excited to race with the big boys. It is a bummer that this cold would come now, but I am getting better and will just have to trust the fitness I have developed thus far.
I love hawaiians! I faxed my entry for the Ogden race to the promoter in Hawaii. At the bottom where it asked for payment info, I wrote a note asking about working at the race in exchange for an enrty, as the budget is a bit tight right now. A really nice gal called me back and just said, " come on up and we'll take care of you" that is just cool. She does not know how that has made my day.
My poor wife has been so sick! We learned that she was expecting number 6 a few weeks ago, and unbeknownst to us, about the same time she contracted Giardia(sp?) from a mountain lake. She just got the diagnosis and is starting a course of Anti-biotics. I am so glad that she could get some relief!
The kids are excited for the race as well. They will ride in the kids race just before. Every Servoss kid that can ride will be in that race!! Fun, Fun!

Being sick and training with a family

I have a nasty chest cold right now. It comes at a bummer of a time as I am really excited for the Bikers Edge Crit in Ogden this Friday. I am taking it easy, slamming the Vitamin C and echinacea.

Training to race with so many responsibilities is a challenge. The only way I can really pull it off is with what I have dubbed "Stealth Training" It goes like this; any time spent training while your wife is asleep does not count against you. ie; 6 hr ride on Saturday, starting at 5:00 a.m., when my wife get's up at 8:00 a.m., it only counts as a 3 hr ride. Anytime spent training while you are supposed to be at work doesn't count either. So training for me is 5 am rides, commuting to work and the occasional evening ride.

My big event for the year will be LotoJa. I am blessed to have a free entry from last year, and we've got a condo booked in Jackson for a few nights. The kids are staying home so after the 10 hr slog on Saturday, it should be relaxing.

I was reading the bio's on the TofU teams and realized that most of the really fast guys in Utah are older than me.......so theirs hope for me yet.

Big Prop's to Nate Page for scoring the big V at Snowbird. I remember when he was just a pup!

You know you are getting old when you remember vividly doubling-up on races when you where a junior (junior and cat.3 or 1-2's) and being old enough to do the same as a Master. I might go get a triple chain ring and a helmet mirror.

First Blog

I am a day late and a dollar short to this blogging thing. I've read enough of other people's that I felt it was time to contribute. I am thinking of writing about my adventures in bicycle racing and training, and the in's and out's of being a husband and father. Please bare with me as I get things up and running.