We’re down in St George again for Christmas  with Heather’s mom, sister and niece. This time we brought a better bike to ride. We shipped Heather’s old Javelin ahead of us and plan to leave it here so we always have a bike to ride when we come and visit. The only thing we brought with us on the plane was a PowerTap wheel and a trainer. Even though this is southern Utah, it can still be chilly. Besides, Heather really likes her trainer when it comes to her workouts.

Since the forecast for the week is unseasonably cold and today is supposed to be the warmest of the lot, I decided to do the old Gunlock Reservoir RR course from the old Chum’s Classic Stage Race. This is the same ride I did last Christmas. Like last year, I was gasping a for air as the elevation is higher than Boise. But my legs felt good and I kept the pressure on the entire ride with a couple forays into VO2 territory on the hills.

While it only was in the 40’s F it was still nice to be on the road. It looked like I wasn’t the only one getting a good ride today; I passed a bunch of riders going the other direction on the Gunlock road. It’s also nice to be with family on the holidays. Heather’s mother always decorates her house so festively during the holidays. Then of course, there’s our niece who’s always entertaining and very photogenic!