Chasqui Cycling!

What a great spring we had for the Chasqui runners. Ragnar SoCal was an amazing race and I feel that the Chasquis were more unified than ever in their training during the months leading up to the event. It was so great seeing everybody post their training runs in anticipation of what was one of the hardest Ragnars to date. What has been even more inspiring is seeing the workout updates of McKay and Belinda, who continue to go out and pound pavement, retaining the superior form gained at Ragnar SoCal.

Let us not be deceived, however, into thinking that Macca and Bel are the only ones out there sweating it out as we get into the summer months.

Enter Chasqui Cycling.

While training for Ragnar SoCal, I knew that once that race was over, I was going to go on running hiatus in hopes that the absence of the jostling and impact would allow my body to heal up. I would then start training for Ragnar LV some time in late August/early September. Between now and then, I planned to get serious on the bike, but I had no idea I'd get as deep into it as I currently am. I'm loving it.

A small handful of what could be considered "epic" cycling events have popped onto the calendar, that will require lots of training (and hopefully weight loss) if they are going to be anything but pure suffering.

The first event is on June 11-12 and is called Rockwell Relay. It is a 4-person cycling relay race that begins in Moab, UT, and travels through national parks such as Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase, Bryce Canyon and Zion before ending in St. George the following day. In all, it is a total of 515 miles and 27,000 feet of climbing, topping out at a maximum elevation of 10,630 feet above sea level. Needless to say, this is going to be a beautiful ride. And painful. Representing the Chasquis at Rockwell will be familiar faces Warren and yours truly, along with a new face, Anthony McMullin, one of Janel's cousins who was competitive in the youth cycling circuit in another life. And of course, our flagship rider for this race will be Chasqui Weintzy, who will be tackling 10,000 feet of climbing all on his own. Yeesh!!

A similar event on the docket is called Saints to Sinners Bike Relay and will take place at the end of July and take a team of 5 cycling Chasquis on a relay from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. This team will be comprised of myself, Warren, Nick, Weintzy and Scott Clark, one of my best friends growing up. This race will take us down a circuit of the 68, 28, 89 and 9 highways in Utah, and around Lake Mead for a finish in Henderson. Total mileage: 517 miles Total elevation gain: 29,000 feet

There are also some century rides out there that have peaked my interest: of course, the Viva Bike Vegas Ride in October, and perhaps the Desperado Dual in Panguitch in August. I am also interested in the Lighthouse Century in the Morro Bay area in late September.

It would be rad to have a handful of us at these rides, so if anyone is interested, let me know!

And of course, what good is a group of Chasquis if they are not unified by the threads they wear? Behold, the Chasqui Cycling kits that are currently in development:
Sweet, right? Hopefully these will be finished in the next couple of months so that we can start reppin' on the streets!

No matter what you're doing, running, riding, swimming - keep doing it and keep having a blast at it, and remembering that you do it because you CAN.

I'm thinking a Chasqui BBQ is in order this summer at my place. What do ya'll think?