Alex Grant

Coming full circle in Chile

Published:

April 17, 16:17,

Updated:

April 17, 16:30

By:

Alex Grant

A good time in South America despite some bad luck

It was May 2001. I was 21 years old, sitting on a plane in Atlanta, about to embark on the first international flight. It was my first international adventure for that matter. The plane was bound for Santiago, Chile, and from there I would travel to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso for a three-month study abroad program. All I had was clothes and my snowboard. What I did not have was any idea of what to expect.

I had traveled all over the US with my family, but before this trip, my only out of country experience had been a few road trips to Montreal from Vermont. I was both nervous and excited, and the whole experience was amazing. I learned a lot, made some great friends, saw some beautiful places, and changed my perspective a little bit. In the past 10 years I have been fortunate enough to visit more countries and have enjoyed every one of them, but I don’t think any trip has had that same kind of impact on me.

In early February, Tinker (Juarez) and I were invited to travel to Chile to compete in the Copa Quaker Cannondale in Nevados de Chillan on March 17. It was late notice, but it only took the two of us about 24 hours to shuffle things around on our schedules. We were going!

I was excited to visit again and get to experience some of the mountain bike culture. We spent a day in Santiago sampling the trails with local ripper and ex-pro downhiller Felipe Vasquez, and Tinker even got some fishing in. From Santiago, we traveled to Chillan and then up to the race site at Nevados de Chillan. That was an additional six hours on a bus, and after the long flight to get there we were a little wrecked, but luckily the hotel had a natural volcanic thermal pool to work the kinks out.

By Saturday afternoon, we were ready to race, though by the time the 4:00 pm start rolled around we may have been ready for a siesta instead! I am not used to starting so late but as soon as the gun went off it was pinned. I got a good start and went in to the first downhill in about fourth or fifth place. I held those positions through the first couple laps and then about halfway through I cut my sidewall on a sharp volcanic rock.

I snowboarded on the same mountain in 2001 and broke my snowboard on a volcanic rock; I think it's a curse! I threw a tube in and got going again, chasing back up to sixth or seventh eventually only to flat again on the last lap. I had to run all the rocky sections and lost a few more spots, eventually finishing ninth or 10th. Some days you just don't have luck on your side, but you have to take those when they come and look forward to the next one.

Tinker rode a consistent race without any problems and ended up seventh or eighth, beating up on guys half his age!

Before flying home, I even had time to visit some old friends in Vina del Mar for an evening, it was great to go back.

Next up: Sea Otter and the Whiskey 50.

Thanks for reading.

Old and new in Italy

Published:

March 16, 19:08,

Updated:

March 16, 14:32

By:

Alex Grant

A surprise first short track podium

After recently returning from Cannondale MTB Team Camp in Finale Ligure Italy, I am still stuck with a sense of age. It truly is the old world, and while out in the hills that we rode though, I got a sense that time was standing still and that the land had seen so much and watched so many generations, even civilizations, come and go.

I have been to Europe before, and been to Italy, but for some reason this struck me more this trip. Maybe it was how we saw the area that did it - rather than a tourist destination or city, we were on our bikes riding through tiny villages, through people’s backyards, through olive farms, over stone bridges that were clearly centuries old. Once in a while, we would be riding some singletrack and I'd forget where we were, only to come upon a broken down old stone building, wall, or bridge. We hit some singletracks that lead to what seemed like old cobbled walking paths, super steep and rough, and I tried not to become lost in thoughts of who walked down them before us as we flew down at high speed.

I'm not sure why I was so struck with the history and beauty of the area; perhaps it was the contrast of riding some of the most progressive and innovative bikes from Cannondale on these old paths. We were testing a new Lefty that continues to push the envelope of suspension technology on paths and roads that were walked and ridden on horseback centuries ago.

We had some of the most progressive modern mountain bikers staying in an old-church-turned-hotel. Eighteen-year-old juniors Keegan Swenson and Taylor Smith were riding with Tinker Juarez, one of the pioneers of the sport. OK, ok, I'll get off the contrast theme...

All told Italy was a great trip, and once back in Salt Lake I was quickly changing gears and getting re-adjusted to winter. Sammi and I hit Solitude for a morning to try to pick up the scraps from some storms that came through while I was gone but we were a little too late. We got a few powder turns though so I can't complain.

I might as well have left my Flash 29 in the bag because I didn't hit dirt again until arriving in Southern California for US Pro XCT # 2 at Bonelli Park a week later. The first race is always such an unknown and it seems like I still never know exactly how the legs will be. I think most racers will agree, and it doesn't take long after the gun goes off until you know. As a whole, the weekend went better than expected for me and I managed a top 10 in cross country, super D and short track with 8th, 6th and 5th respectively. That was also my first short track podium, never would have predicted it that weekend.

The young guns were firing in the heated junior race as well with Keegan taking the win and Taylor just outside the top 10.

As I write this, I am on a plane to Chile with Tinker for the Copa Cannondale this weekend. Check back for a report next month, the season is on!

Thanks for reading.

The off season and laying the foundations for 2012

Published:

January 30, 04:50,

Updated:

January 31, 15:01

By:

Alex Grant

Lack of snow opens up some nicer riding

January in Utah would normally lend itself to stories of great backcountry skiing, snowboarding, and cross country skiing. This year has been dry and mild, with a relative lack of snow, and the riding has been a lot better than the snow sports. Since we did finally get snow a week ago, the avalanche danger has been through the roof. It has been better to try out the snow biking.

I made it down to St. George, Utah for New Year’s weekend and got out for some good mountain bike rides. Before that I had taken some time off in December post-La Ruta and Utah cyclo-cross, and it was just nice to get the legs turning again.

Since then I have been putting in some miles on the road bike around Salt Lake. I have an old Cannondale Super Six set up with fenders, old parts, and an SRM. It’s the perfect winter training machine. Amazingly, we were even riding dirt in the foothills over a couple weekends. Does this mean I will be faster in the spring? Not sure, but I’ve been having fun riding!

In other related news, I am stoked to confirm that I will be racing for Cannondale Factory Racing (CFR) again in 2012. Once again, I will have no excuses in the equipment department and won’t be able to blame any personal shortcomings on my bike.

This year you will be able to find CFR riders all over the word at all types of events. We’ll have Jeremiah Bishop and the European CFR squad gunning for the London Olympics, Tinker Juarez and myself racing a variety of endurance and cross country events around the country, and new additions Keegan Swenson and Taylor Smith dicing in the junior category at World Cups and nationals.

Every year it seems like the number of races increases, and there are so many to choose from. The calendar fills up, and there may be four or five events to choose from on any one weekend. This makes planning a season very challenging, but I guess it’s good to have a lot of choices: it means you can be picky! I try to hit the high profile events, some classics, try some new events and formats, while hopefully racing events that are suited to my strengths as a rider. It can be challenging to fit it all in, but I have bucket list and just try to check one event off that list each year. This year that may be to race a World Cup as I have the UCI points to line up at Windham. Regardless of how I finish, I think it would be an awesome experience to race a World Cup.

Besides that, I could recount joys of filing taxes as a first year business owner, but I’ll spare you!

February looks busy, kicking off with a long weekend training camp called Camp Lynda hosted by Lynda Wallenfels and Dave Harris in St. George and wrapping up with

Cannondale Factory Racing team camp. Stay tuned…

Thanks for reading.

The beauty and brutality of La Ruta

Published:

December 5, 2011, 20:45,

Updated:

December 5, 2011, 21:08

By:

Alex Grant

Recounting one of the toughest races on the planet

Pura Vida

That's the national motto or slogan of Costa Rica. While it translates literally to "pure life," they use it so widely that it's come to have a timeless quality that transcends meaning. It's a greeting, a goodbye, and a response. Maybe it's overused, but I like it - it really is an expression of the Costa Rican culture and their outlook on life. It's a culture that places a great emphasis on family, friends, nature, and enjoying the fact that we are alive.

For that reason I have come to love visiting Costa Rica and look forward to going down to La Ruta de los Conquistadores each year, despite my knowledge of how brutally hard the race is. I know that regardless of how the race goes, I will be able to experience the culture and natural beauty of the country and hopefully take a little bit of that home with me when I return to the States. I can't speak for other countries but it seems like American culture is so focused on growth, doing more, doing it faster, and with less, that people's lives become a blur of time. It's refreshing to visit a small town in Costa Rica and see the simple life some people lead.

That said, the first item of business on the trip this year was the race. Ben Sonntag and I had great luck and great form down there in 2010, pulling off an upset one-two finish. We knew that it would be difficult to defend our positions from 2010, but we were ready for the challenge. La Ruta is a unique race that requires good form, good luck, and depends on a lot of external factors. One of those is the competition, and it was top notch this year.

Sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes you are the nail. This year we were the nail. One hour in to stage, 1 Ben crashed in Carara National Park and broke his handlebar, having to run many kilometers to the next checkpoint. As for myself, I was giving it my all to stay with the lead group in the jungle hiking sections and began to notice cramps in my legs… after only two hours of racing. That was not encouraging, as I knew that I still had four hours to go. I had to back off the pace, but the cramps never went away, and I was almost completely locked up by the finish. Though, somehow, I found the energy to outsprint Federico Ramirez for fifth. I am not sure why I cramped up like I did, but I had barely recovered from them by stage 4.

By the time the race hit the beach in Limon after four days of racing, I finished seventh overall and Ben was eighth. Congrats to Todd Wells who took an impressive win in his first ever La Ruta and became the first American to win the race. Well done.

Also thanks to Cannondale for the great support, and to Javier and Daniel for all the help at the race this year and last. We couldn't have done it without you guys!

Check out the videos below that were made by Cannondale's Matt Ohran who followed the race on a moto to film.

Thanks for reading!

Cannondale Scalpel outfitted and ready for La Ruta

Published:

October 30, 2011, 16:43,

Updated:

October 30, 2011, 17:09

By:

Alex Grant

2010 runner-up gives a tour of his rig for this coming week's racing

La Ruta de los Conquistadores is unlike any other bike race, and therefore requires some specific equipment choices. Not only is the race itself unique, each stage is different from the others. It's a real puzzle to put together the right setup, but I think I've found what works for me.

I'll just be bringing the one bike and hopefully not swapping any parts out besides brake pads as I think this bike will be good for every scenario La Ruta will throw at us: from 30 percent grade climbs, to jungle mud hiking, to the 8,000-foot descent off of the Irazu Volcano, to the 30km of railroad tracks we ride on day 4!

Frame: Cannondale Scalpel Team high modulus carbon, size large. 80mm rear travel, Rock Shox monarch rear shock. The frame is the building block of the bike and when you start with one of the lightest and stiffest full suspension frames in the industry, it's hard to go wrong. The Scalpel climbs like a hardtail but is amazingly forgiving and plush on the downhill. That will be key to staying fresh and hopefully help to avoid flat tires. The mud clearance is also excellent on the Scalpel which may come in to play.

Fork: Cannondale Lefty Speed Carbon XLR 100mm travel with remote hydro lockout. The Lefty is amazingly light and stiff, and this one weighs in at about 2.5 lbs! That weight savings goes a long way. It also is ideal for muddy conditions as the mud clearance is unparalleled by any other fork.

Wheels: Stan's Notubes ZTR Podium MMX rear, ZTR Race front. Stan's wheels contribute to the light setup and the patented BST (Bead Socket Technology) really locks in the bead. One thing people overlook with Stan's is the lower rim height which changes the contact point if you rim out on something and helps to mitigate flat tires.

Tires: Continental Race King 2.0 Protection. This is one of the dilemmas of La Ruta. I choose to go narrow for the mud clearance and paved climbing, but sturdy on the sidewalls for extra protection. These aren't the lightest tires but are super fast rolling and sturdy. I really hope I didn't just jinx myself...

Crankset: Cannondale Hollowgram cranks on an SRM spider. Running the SRM is a small weight penalty but its been so helpful to me this season, especially with pacing during endurance races. Paired with the Cannondale cranks, it's still one of the lightest cranksets out there. I'll be using the 39/26 tooth rings. The 26 will be nice up the steep grades, and a 39-11 gear should get me through the flats.

Cassette: SRAM XX. This was a last-minute change due to mud shedding. I find with the XX cassette that mud falls in to the open space in the middle of the cassette and stays out of the teeth. I'll run the 11-36 tooth cassette for La Ruta.

Chain: SRAM PC 1091. Threw it on when I put the new cassette on.

Shifters/Derailleurs: Shimano XTR. I have been thrilled with the shifting of the new XTR stuff this year.

Brakes: Shimano XTR. The stopping power and feel of the new XTR brakes is amazing. It will be nice to have coming off the Irazu volcano. I will be using the pads with the radiating aluminum fins which will be great for cooling the brake system down, as well as have the added benefit of keeping mud from falling in the top of my brake caliper.

Pedals: This is another La Ruta specific change. I switched to Shimano XTR pedals this spring once I started working for them. I ran them all year with great success but for La Ruta, I had to go with Crank Brothers Egg Beaters simply because of how they function in the mud. You can clip in with a big glob of mud on your shoe. This is key with the amount of times we are off and on the bike in the mud.

Seatpost/Handlebar: PRO XCR carbon

Saddle: PRO Turnix Carbon rail

Grips: ESI chunky foam.

Total bike weight as pictured: 20.4 lbs.

Three wins in a row in Park City

Published:

October 11, 2011, 20:22,

Updated:

October 11, 2011, 20:34

By:

Alex Grant

One big day of racing and a wedding

The last time I checked in I was fresh off Leadville and gearing up for the Park City Point 2 Point. The Point 2 Point went well for me, and I was able to put together a great ride without missing out on any of the festivities surrounding my friend Kyle and Thea's wedding. Congrats guys, and thanks for scheduling the wedding at a time and place that allowed me to race the P2P! It was a pretty packed couple of days, here's how it went.

After a small bachelor/bachelorette celebration in downtown Salt Lake on Thursday night, I made it to bed by about midnight. I was up early on Friday to get a jump on work and start to get my ducks in line for the race and wedding. I rode up to work via a slight detour to get in a good 45-minute ride, no intensity, just a steady ride. I worked for about 5-6 hours and rallied home early to get my truck and headed to Wolf Creek for the rehearsal. I was glad to be able to scope out the venue because I knew the next day was going to be tight. After the rehearsal, I skipped the dinner and party to get home and pack. I had to be all ready for the race and the wedding, plus the night and next morning as we were staying in a condo at Wolf Creek, near Eden, Utah.

Saturday's alarm came pretty early, and I was up at about 4:30 am. I threw breakfast, OJ, and coffee down the hatch, laid out my tux and change of clothes for Sammi to grab later and headed out. My friend Ty supported and fed me at the race, so I met up with him and we headed to Park City. The race went well for me, it was cold at the start so I sat back in the group and slowly moved towards the front over the first hour. Once the race heated up a bit, I found myself in a group with Josh Tostado and Tinker Juarez. We rode together most of the morning and it was an awesome time, riding fast and having fun.

Eventually, Tinker and I shed Josh, and it was just the two of us at mile 50. In 2010, the race came down to the last 20 miles and it looked like the same scenario for 2011. I had more in the tank at the end than Tinker and got away for the win. I was super happy to defend my title and make it three in a row!

Without a lot of time to spare, I pushed Jay and Shannon (the promoters) to do a quick podium, and about 40 minutes after finishing, Sammi and I were on the road to the wedding. It was 2:45 and the wedding started at 4:30. The GPS said 1.5 hours. "Uh oh."

It was close, but I made it to the condo at 4:00, ran in to the house with my tux and jumped in the shower. By 4:15, I was dressed and ready for the ceremony. It was a great wedding, and I didn't even mind standing in the 90-degree sun in a black tux. I guess after riding all day you won't get too hot just standing there. I did chug most of the supply of water available to the wedding party.

The night wasn't over yet and it was 1:00 am before my head finally hit the pillow. I'd been up for 21 hours. I knew I would be useless on Sunday, and I was. But it was so worth it, great day.

Two weeks later, I traveled to Bend, Oregon for the US Marathon Nationals, I had a good (not great, nod bad) day and managed sixth. The riding in Bend is awesome, and it turned out to be a great trip.

Up next - La Ruta!

Thanks for reading.