Keweenaw chain drive is June 18th. It is the beginning of the part of the year in which I intent to focus on XC type riding. It is also the same weekend as trans-wisconsin.
I had a ton of fun last year doing long rides. I have been thinking about when to tour/ride etc. this year while also trying to accomplish my goals of keeping my job and riding fast in a variety of disciplines.
The time I spent up at Wolverine Lodge in Ironwood was also pretty good and a perfect way to refocus myself toward the change in pace within my year of riding (endurance to xc). They have some awesome group rides up there and plenty of cool places to ride too.
So- What if I can find a ride with someone up to the Chain Drive, race, then adventure back home. I could spend some time on the upper, upper pensinsula camping, maybe spend a night in a hotel in Houghton and ride their trails, take 2 days to get back down to Ironwood, spend a couple days in Ironwood at the Wolverine Lodge, ride through Cable (Cheq 100 course basically in reverse?), then hightail it the rest of the way over to the Mississippi and on down to Red Wing and finally home. Can I fit all that into 7 or 8 days? Or would it be worth the effort to stretch it to 10 or 11 days if that meant I could ride up there on the way to the race?
I know that would be the right way to cap off the endurance portion of my year. I'd then rest a week, train a bit and start my main XC season the same week I did last year at the Eau Clair WORS race.
Want to come with?
EDIT- I took the week off previous to this. I'll be starting off on this trip after either the Wausaw WORS race of the Dirty Benjamin. Will have the 11th-27th free. Should be fun.
1.20.2011
1.17.2011
Dubuque Dyersville Durango
edit- sorry this thing got so long!
Almost got the mini stuck in a snowdrift at Royal's grave on the way down, glad we were able to push it out! Turns out his gravestone is completely under the snow anyways. Still glad I stopped by. Once we did get moving again we got to Dubuque just in time to check into our hotel and head to race headquarters for the Winter Riding Seminar. I definitely heard some things which will influence my future plans/purchases. Also, news about the trail conditions and weather reports. Heard it was going to be mostly rideable on a cx bike and the wheels started turning... if it was that icey my 29er might be an ADVANTAGE over the Fatbikes. How much of an equipment advantage would it take for me to maybe even BEAT the fast guys on their Fatbikes? Dinner at Tony Romas, some football and then a glass of champagne before bed (well, for me anyways. Kelly and Laura wound up at some bar with a door man, got themselves on "the list", and got into all sorts of trouble while I slept).
Sunday morning came fast. Pre-race meeting and more information on the course. Going to start out hard on private land, hilly, soft etc.. Then hit the Heritage Trail for most of the rest. Knew I'd lose contact with the Fatbikes early. Hoped my skinny tires would be enough of an advantage later to reel them back in. Knew that I'd have to ride smart and efficiently early. Trying to keep up with the Fatbikes in the deep stuff would render my advantage? later totally moot because I'd be in a coma.
Neutral lead-out ended and the first section of trail was rideable on my bike! Remembered running most of it last year and felt this was a good omen even if it was beyond bumpy. Lance Andre, Cody Larson and Ben Shockey flew by me after a bit but I settled into a pace that I could handle. It was obvious that the volume of the 26x3.7 tires was helping them absorb the bumps. We had a brief smooth/firm section after going under the underpass and I was quickly able to close the gap. Looked back for the first (and only) time and we already had at least a 2 or 3 minute lead on the field.
Settled into my own pace and slowly watched the Pugsleys pull away from me over the next 75-90 minutes. By the last couple miles on those early trails I was walking hundreds of yards of trail that the others had ridden, much of it on slight uphill grades. I was happy with my bike setup though and honestly surprised by how much of the trail I WAS able to ride. I really enjoyed the route. It was gonzo; up, down, along this road, across a random field, through a parking lot, school, shopping mall etc. etc., technical descending, barely rideable climbs, tons of vertical. Would be the route you'd take from Dubuque to the Heritage Trail if you had a motor on your bike and huge balls, must be nice...
Crazy fast descent down a level B road. Didn't use brakes, knew the guys in front were "out there" at that point. Slipped on ice and wrapped myself up pretty good. Back on and still descending at 25+ and finally out and onto the Heritage Trail. Told myself it was "Suck 'em up time" (my grandpa's way of saying it was time to get the momentum, come from behind and destroy your competition... usually used when he was beating me at H.O.R.S.E.). Got the average up over 13 the rest of the way to Dyersville. Flying along in the big ring toward the end, "suck 'em up time, suck 'em up time". Lance and Cody were already coming down the trail TOWARD ME before I even got to the turn off for the checkpoint! Plus they were riding in a Fat paceline. Started my watch so I'd know how far back I was, but even then I knew it was likely useless.
PUlled into checkpoint- Ben's bike still here. He's on his way out. Gatorade, no time to find a faucet and make perpetuem. No time to pee. Go. Couple miles of pavement. Almost closed the gap. Kept on it on the trail. Started seeing other racers going "out" still. With each one the trail got worse. Ben started slipping away as I struggled in the rutted drifts. I cursed the other skinny tired riders. Reminded myself I bought a road bike instead of Mukluk and that it was the right choice. Ate a frozen nutroll. Finally made it back to where we'd joined the trail on the way out and therefore past where any other skinny tired bikes had ridden. Back into the big ring. Ben's orange jacket! 1 one thousand etc., 185 seconds back. An hr later, orange jacket! 180 seconds. Damn. Conversation with myself, "15 or 20 miles left. You need to ride your own race now and save something in the tank", "ok".
Back pain- stem flipped low and heavy backpack, what was I thinking? 4 miles to Durango checkpoint. cool ski area on the right, beautiful rock walls all around me. ORANGE JACKET, FASTER! Big ring again. Ben was leaving the checkpoint as I pulled in. Took too long at checkpoint. 10 miles to go with the last 4 being paved. Knew I would have an advantage on the pavement, but he'd have a huge advantage on that first section of bumpy trail, which would now be our last section. I would have to get there before him or with him to have a chance of pulling off third (and more importantly? beating my friend). Pushed hard and got down to about 120 counts back. Actually started telling myself that "Ben was tired, Ben wasn't ready to ride this far" etc.. We left the main trail again and I just wallowed. Wanted to keep pushing but I was done. He again had at least 3 minutes on me and I was riding./weaving at about 4 miles an hr through an ice covered driving range that he'd probably flown straight across.
Another goal (actually my only goal for the race) was still in my reach- to finish! and I had time yet to finish it comfortably before sunset. Had a quick siesta under the overpass with some perpetuem washed down by a shot of Patron. I'd brought the bottle with expecting a 10+ hr slog with good company. It was to be a celebration of finishing and was to be shared with whomever I'd shared the suffering with... but this would do. This thing had become a different animal than what I'd expected, but it was still worth celebrating. Puttered the rest of the way in, carried my bike up the stairs and signed in for a 6 hr 40 minute? (or so) finish.
Cody had beaten me by an hr, Lance by just 10 minutes less. Those guys are crazy fast. Ben is a badass for his whole ride. He could have slowed down and ridden with me the second half but he's too competitive (or hates me?)... wouldn't want it otherwise. Plus the way he finished it off I didn't deserve that anyways, he was stronger. I hope he was still chasing Lance and Cody to the end. Impressed and humbled by how all three of those guys ahead of me rode. Frank Hassler was next to finish after me, glad to see him do well. Bob Gritman from Rochester also had good race on his 29er, particularly for a first try in something like this. Awesome to see him out there. Lots of great efforts from everyone. It's not like its easier to go slower and have to ride in the dark and cold. The last person to finish this race IS the toughest. Woman finisher near the end! Laura and Kelly lost a bit at the casino, but had fun. Awards. What bar should we go to? Is there really a bar called "mason dixon"?
No lights on at the bar- barmaid says she's going across the street. No bar across the street? "Just go in that door and go downstairs"... Amazing Irish Pub in the basement, crazy locals everywhere. Some sort of combination of winking insurance salesman, burlesque, blues brothers, fishnets, ugly sweater party and an "Irish" bartender who wound up taking his dress shirt off and just wearing argyle vest. Good company in the form of the guys "from Milltown" (Cody L and his girlfriend, Ben O, Curtis and Ben W). A few good games of billiards with Ben W, a few too many dark beers... switched to Strongbow. Back to the hotel around 2:30.
Pretty good weekend.
If you are considering this race, do it! It's about as approachable as "winter" trail racing gets (well, other than the Dickie Scramble, right?). More importantly it's run perfectly. Everything is properly organized. Everything is thought of beforehand. The volunteers are where they need to be and doing what they need to do with a smile. The course is beautiful. Lance does it right.
Sorry I don't have any pictures, I was busy. Check out the Triple D website for quite a few. I may add some here later.
Ben's Blog- http://theshockstar.blogspot.com/
Triple D- http://tripledrace.blogspot.com/
Lots more blogs over at the Triple D site- I'm guessing a lot of people have a lot of different write-ups, could be interesting to read.
Almost got the mini stuck in a snowdrift at Royal's grave on the way down, glad we were able to push it out! Turns out his gravestone is completely under the snow anyways. Still glad I stopped by. Once we did get moving again we got to Dubuque just in time to check into our hotel and head to race headquarters for the Winter Riding Seminar. I definitely heard some things which will influence my future plans/purchases. Also, news about the trail conditions and weather reports. Heard it was going to be mostly rideable on a cx bike and the wheels started turning... if it was that icey my 29er might be an ADVANTAGE over the Fatbikes. How much of an equipment advantage would it take for me to maybe even BEAT the fast guys on their Fatbikes? Dinner at Tony Romas, some football and then a glass of champagne before bed (well, for me anyways. Kelly and Laura wound up at some bar with a door man, got themselves on "the list", and got into all sorts of trouble while I slept).
Sunday morning came fast. Pre-race meeting and more information on the course. Going to start out hard on private land, hilly, soft etc.. Then hit the Heritage Trail for most of the rest. Knew I'd lose contact with the Fatbikes early. Hoped my skinny tires would be enough of an advantage later to reel them back in. Knew that I'd have to ride smart and efficiently early. Trying to keep up with the Fatbikes in the deep stuff would render my advantage? later totally moot because I'd be in a coma.
Neutral lead-out ended and the first section of trail was rideable on my bike! Remembered running most of it last year and felt this was a good omen even if it was beyond bumpy. Lance Andre, Cody Larson and Ben Shockey flew by me after a bit but I settled into a pace that I could handle. It was obvious that the volume of the 26x3.7 tires was helping them absorb the bumps. We had a brief smooth/firm section after going under the underpass and I was quickly able to close the gap. Looked back for the first (and only) time and we already had at least a 2 or 3 minute lead on the field.
Settled into my own pace and slowly watched the Pugsleys pull away from me over the next 75-90 minutes. By the last couple miles on those early trails I was walking hundreds of yards of trail that the others had ridden, much of it on slight uphill grades. I was happy with my bike setup though and honestly surprised by how much of the trail I WAS able to ride. I really enjoyed the route. It was gonzo; up, down, along this road, across a random field, through a parking lot, school, shopping mall etc. etc., technical descending, barely rideable climbs, tons of vertical. Would be the route you'd take from Dubuque to the Heritage Trail if you had a motor on your bike and huge balls, must be nice...
Crazy fast descent down a level B road. Didn't use brakes, knew the guys in front were "out there" at that point. Slipped on ice and wrapped myself up pretty good. Back on and still descending at 25+ and finally out and onto the Heritage Trail. Told myself it was "Suck 'em up time" (my grandpa's way of saying it was time to get the momentum, come from behind and destroy your competition... usually used when he was beating me at H.O.R.S.E.). Got the average up over 13 the rest of the way to Dyersville. Flying along in the big ring toward the end, "suck 'em up time, suck 'em up time". Lance and Cody were already coming down the trail TOWARD ME before I even got to the turn off for the checkpoint! Plus they were riding in a Fat paceline. Started my watch so I'd know how far back I was, but even then I knew it was likely useless.
PUlled into checkpoint- Ben's bike still here. He's on his way out. Gatorade, no time to find a faucet and make perpetuem. No time to pee. Go. Couple miles of pavement. Almost closed the gap. Kept on it on the trail. Started seeing other racers going "out" still. With each one the trail got worse. Ben started slipping away as I struggled in the rutted drifts. I cursed the other skinny tired riders. Reminded myself I bought a road bike instead of Mukluk and that it was the right choice. Ate a frozen nutroll. Finally made it back to where we'd joined the trail on the way out and therefore past where any other skinny tired bikes had ridden. Back into the big ring. Ben's orange jacket! 1 one thousand etc., 185 seconds back. An hr later, orange jacket! 180 seconds. Damn. Conversation with myself, "15 or 20 miles left. You need to ride your own race now and save something in the tank", "ok".
Back pain- stem flipped low and heavy backpack, what was I thinking? 4 miles to Durango checkpoint. cool ski area on the right, beautiful rock walls all around me. ORANGE JACKET, FASTER! Big ring again. Ben was leaving the checkpoint as I pulled in. Took too long at checkpoint. 10 miles to go with the last 4 being paved. Knew I would have an advantage on the pavement, but he'd have a huge advantage on that first section of bumpy trail, which would now be our last section. I would have to get there before him or with him to have a chance of pulling off third (and more importantly? beating my friend). Pushed hard and got down to about 120 counts back. Actually started telling myself that "Ben was tired, Ben wasn't ready to ride this far" etc.. We left the main trail again and I just wallowed. Wanted to keep pushing but I was done. He again had at least 3 minutes on me and I was riding./weaving at about 4 miles an hr through an ice covered driving range that he'd probably flown straight across.
Another goal (actually my only goal for the race) was still in my reach- to finish! and I had time yet to finish it comfortably before sunset. Had a quick siesta under the overpass with some perpetuem washed down by a shot of Patron. I'd brought the bottle with expecting a 10+ hr slog with good company. It was to be a celebration of finishing and was to be shared with whomever I'd shared the suffering with... but this would do. This thing had become a different animal than what I'd expected, but it was still worth celebrating. Puttered the rest of the way in, carried my bike up the stairs and signed in for a 6 hr 40 minute? (or so) finish.
Cody had beaten me by an hr, Lance by just 10 minutes less. Those guys are crazy fast. Ben is a badass for his whole ride. He could have slowed down and ridden with me the second half but he's too competitive (or hates me?)... wouldn't want it otherwise. Plus the way he finished it off I didn't deserve that anyways, he was stronger. I hope he was still chasing Lance and Cody to the end. Impressed and humbled by how all three of those guys ahead of me rode. Frank Hassler was next to finish after me, glad to see him do well. Bob Gritman from Rochester also had good race on his 29er, particularly for a first try in something like this. Awesome to see him out there. Lots of great efforts from everyone. It's not like its easier to go slower and have to ride in the dark and cold. The last person to finish this race IS the toughest. Woman finisher near the end! Laura and Kelly lost a bit at the casino, but had fun. Awards. What bar should we go to? Is there really a bar called "mason dixon"?
No lights on at the bar- barmaid says she's going across the street. No bar across the street? "Just go in that door and go downstairs"... Amazing Irish Pub in the basement, crazy locals everywhere. Some sort of combination of winking insurance salesman, burlesque, blues brothers, fishnets, ugly sweater party and an "Irish" bartender who wound up taking his dress shirt off and just wearing argyle vest. Good company in the form of the guys "from Milltown" (Cody L and his girlfriend, Ben O, Curtis and Ben W). A few good games of billiards with Ben W, a few too many dark beers... switched to Strongbow. Back to the hotel around 2:30.
Pretty good weekend.
If you are considering this race, do it! It's about as approachable as "winter" trail racing gets (well, other than the Dickie Scramble, right?). More importantly it's run perfectly. Everything is properly organized. Everything is thought of beforehand. The volunteers are where they need to be and doing what they need to do with a smile. The course is beautiful. Lance does it right.
Sorry I don't have any pictures, I was busy. Check out the Triple D website for quite a few. I may add some here later.
Ben's Blog- http://theshockstar.blogspot.com/
Triple D- http://tripledrace.blogspot.com/
Lots more blogs over at the Triple D site- I'm guessing a lot of people have a lot of different write-ups, could be interesting to read.
1.13.2011
Today's ride on the Dickie Scramble course
I decided I needed one more tune-up/gear test ride prior to Triple D. Why not the Dickie Scramble course... I've been telling people it will be decently easy and it's the best choice I have around here for riding my Mamasita without getting it all salty.
Since Sundays 2.5 hr ride we've picked up a couple inches of snow and had some decent wind. I was curious to see how that stuff would effect the conditions. The weather was looking similar to the temperature and wind speed that is currently forecasted for Triple D too, perfect to test equipment/clothing!
Left the trailhead at 2pm. Right away noticed conditions were a bit tougher than Sunday. Things were rideable, but generally I was riding in 1 or 2 gears easier than I had on Sunday. Snapped a few pictures showing the beauty of the trail, figuring they would be helpful to promote the race.
note that the 2nd one shows my bike on the edge of the trail which we will be riding and that the trail behind the bike is snowmobile only and NOT where we will ride.
The trail started out highly packed. Later it alternated between windblown and windblown. I saw some other skinny tire tracks prior to Douglas and some Pugsley tracks after. The Pugsley hadn't had a lot of trouble, but clearly had done some wandering to find the best track. I was always able to soldier on, but some sections were definitely challenging. Around 3/4s of the way out to Pine Island I looked down at my watch and realized it was almost 4. In order to beat the sunset I would have had to turn around approximately 20 minutes earlier. Whatever! I would continue. If the conditions were like this on the 12th I'd have made everyone ride the trail in the race, how could I not finish this thing off?
The return trip was more challenging that I'd expected. There are basically no real hills on the Douglas Trail, but loosely packed snow has a tendency to show you where they are... Even the slightest change in grade can mean the difference between the totally efficient and almost straight track vs. walking.
The sun was totally gone by the time I got to the "6 mile remaining" mark. It became harder to ride. Sections that would have been easy with light were no longer so easy. I wondered why I hadn't brought a light. I thought a lot about "Point Break", (surfing is the source, man) Going zen might have helped some, but it was hard to tell.
Somewhere I snapped this-
Pounded the two slimfasts I had with me, turned and...
Which changed my whole outlook. That minor act of defiance pushed any doubts out of my mind. Screw it, I was going to ride 5 or 6 miles of bumpy, snowy, slippery shit in the dark.
Passed a couple walking their dogs near the finish, "rider back" was followed by a scream and a fall. I rode by and smiled to myself.
Todays stats- 4.25 hrs, 25 miles, on pace for about a 12 hr Triple D. Feeling humble.
Since Sundays 2.5 hr ride we've picked up a couple inches of snow and had some decent wind. I was curious to see how that stuff would effect the conditions. The weather was looking similar to the temperature and wind speed that is currently forecasted for Triple D too, perfect to test equipment/clothing!
Left the trailhead at 2pm. Right away noticed conditions were a bit tougher than Sunday. Things were rideable, but generally I was riding in 1 or 2 gears easier than I had on Sunday. Snapped a few pictures showing the beauty of the trail, figuring they would be helpful to promote the race.
note that the 2nd one shows my bike on the edge of the trail which we will be riding and that the trail behind the bike is snowmobile only and NOT where we will ride.
The trail started out highly packed. Later it alternated between windblown and windblown. I saw some other skinny tire tracks prior to Douglas and some Pugsley tracks after. The Pugsley hadn't had a lot of trouble, but clearly had done some wandering to find the best track. I was always able to soldier on, but some sections were definitely challenging. Around 3/4s of the way out to Pine Island I looked down at my watch and realized it was almost 4. In order to beat the sunset I would have had to turn around approximately 20 minutes earlier. Whatever! I would continue. If the conditions were like this on the 12th I'd have made everyone ride the trail in the race, how could I not finish this thing off?
The return trip was more challenging that I'd expected. There are basically no real hills on the Douglas Trail, but loosely packed snow has a tendency to show you where they are... Even the slightest change in grade can mean the difference between the totally efficient and almost straight track vs. walking.
The sun was totally gone by the time I got to the "6 mile remaining" mark. It became harder to ride. Sections that would have been easy with light were no longer so easy. I wondered why I hadn't brought a light. I thought a lot about "Point Break", (surfing is the source, man) Going zen might have helped some, but it was hard to tell.
Somewhere I snapped this-
Pounded the two slimfasts I had with me, turned and...
Which changed my whole outlook. That minor act of defiance pushed any doubts out of my mind. Screw it, I was going to ride 5 or 6 miles of bumpy, snowy, slippery shit in the dark.
Passed a couple walking their dogs near the finish, "rider back" was followed by a scream and a fall. I rode by and smiled to myself.
Todays stats- 4.25 hrs, 25 miles, on pace for about a 12 hr Triple D. Feeling humble.
1.10.2011
this bear can wait
I'm not really feeling the same. I'm sort of second guessing my plans for next year. Dreaming about just riding places. I can remember how badly I wanted to go fast in XC races etc. later in the year and how I spent part of the summer wishing I'd moved in that direction earlier... but now I'm not so sure. Part of me just wants to use all my PTO and money to go "bikepacking" 2 or 3 times for as long as I can. One thing is for sure- I'm excited about riding.
1.09.2011
1.07.2011
least epic century ever
Wasn't even a "real" century... just a metric. Intention was to go for a 4 or 5 hr ride in the am, but was too lazy to get up before noon. New plan was made to go for a 3 or 4 hr gravel ride. Possibly down to Chatfield and back. Wednesday night I had offered to give one of the guys from CORP a 32t bashguard for the cost of shipping (figured I didn't need it anymore). I had intended to ship it on whenever I went to the post office otherwise, but received an email from him that he really would appreciate getting it ASAP. So plan C... ride to the post office and mail that out.
HARD pace on the way down there. Kept the average up around 15.5 despite the snow covered trails and gravel. Again, felt lazy (weird)... so just looped home after sending it along. Total mileage 33.
At home I ate and showered, played with dogs, rested an hr. Back on the bike with 2 hrs before I had to be into work. Rode about every bit of "plowed" trail in Rochester and half of it twice. In the end it was basically all the way to Binkie's North, back down past the Post Office again (near Moffit's house) and then back to Downtown. Another 21 miles.
Four hrs of work and then back out for the return leg home. Noticed I was close to the metric century mark and figured I'd add the necessary mile or two to my commute to get it done.
All in all yesterday was fairly representative of my winter so far... very few individual rides longer than 2 hrs, but a lot of days with 2 or 3 shorter rides and a good number of hrs. Depending on exactly how you count things I've been on somewhere between 45 and 50 rides since December 1st.
12.28.2010
Triple D
Just got word from the boss and it looks like I'll be hitting Dubuque with an entourage. No matter how the race goes, and I'll be decidedly at the mercy of the weather rocking 2.25 tires, the entire weekend should be a great time. I've got a great start on the requisite beard.
No posts the lasts few weeks. Been getting out on the bike quite a bit though. Think I have around 300 miles on the Nokians and somewhere less than that (but north of 240) on the nexus hub. I don't really try to keep track of mileage so much this time of year instead relying on keeping track of hours- it's depressing averaging 9 or 11 or 13 mph or whatever the conditions allow. I even deliberately covered my computer up with my bar mitts. I have been making almost every commute by bike and I have stretched a lot of those commutes out to 2 or 3 hours. I feel good riding- Knee feels better now with the gears, ice/snow covered roads and paths have been pushing and improving my handling skills, and generally things are good. I've even hit the trainer for 7 or 8 hrs (I've got the Mamasita on there for now).
Motivation has been high. EXTREMELY happy with the current setup on the Kona. It is perfect winter bike for mixed conditions and is simply enjoyable to ride. It's fun on gravel, fun on snow, fun jumping off curbs, fun riding up steps and comfortable for hours on end. Was worth the 'cost' of keeping the frame (rather than selling on ebay) and the other new bits I added just for the motivation it's given me. Nothing else I own or have owned would have worked as well this winter than this bike.
Christmas has come and gone. Good times seeing the family and some friends. I think I did ok with the gift giving, it seems people were happy. I was lucky enough to get some nice bike stuff which I'll probably post more about as I get it installed.
First snowy single track race is on the 9th. Hoping to get some others from Rochester to make the trip with me. Figuring I'd better go to get a feel for the Mamasita before Triple D. Also plan on making a few snowmo trail rides too (but it sucks that I'll feel compelled to drive to the trailhead in order to do so. I've been trying hard to avoid the car).
Somewhat related- I will end the year with almost exactly 90 commutes totalling 1200 miles. Next year I hope to get up in the 130-140 range. I think commuting is good for my riding and my spirits in ways that are hard to measure.
No posts the lasts few weeks. Been getting out on the bike quite a bit though. Think I have around 300 miles on the Nokians and somewhere less than that (but north of 240) on the nexus hub. I don't really try to keep track of mileage so much this time of year instead relying on keeping track of hours- it's depressing averaging 9 or 11 or 13 mph or whatever the conditions allow. I even deliberately covered my computer up with my bar mitts. I have been making almost every commute by bike and I have stretched a lot of those commutes out to 2 or 3 hours. I feel good riding- Knee feels better now with the gears, ice/snow covered roads and paths have been pushing and improving my handling skills, and generally things are good. I've even hit the trainer for 7 or 8 hrs (I've got the Mamasita on there for now).
Motivation has been high. EXTREMELY happy with the current setup on the Kona. It is perfect winter bike for mixed conditions and is simply enjoyable to ride. It's fun on gravel, fun on snow, fun jumping off curbs, fun riding up steps and comfortable for hours on end. Was worth the 'cost' of keeping the frame (rather than selling on ebay) and the other new bits I added just for the motivation it's given me. Nothing else I own or have owned would have worked as well this winter than this bike.
Christmas has come and gone. Good times seeing the family and some friends. I think I did ok with the gift giving, it seems people were happy. I was lucky enough to get some nice bike stuff which I'll probably post more about as I get it installed.
First snowy single track race is on the 9th. Hoping to get some others from Rochester to make the trip with me. Figuring I'd better go to get a feel for the Mamasita before Triple D. Also plan on making a few snowmo trail rides too (but it sucks that I'll feel compelled to drive to the trailhead in order to do so. I've been trying hard to avoid the car).
Somewhat related- I will end the year with almost exactly 90 commutes totalling 1200 miles. Next year I hope to get up in the 130-140 range. I think commuting is good for my riding and my spirits in ways that are hard to measure.
12.14.2010
cup o dirt
1/6- 63 miles on Douglas Trail
1/14- 62 miles on 2009 Almanzo course
1/21- 106 miles to Mystery Cave
2/11- 107 2009 Almanzo to St. Charles, explore, return
2/14- 63 miles to Byron, Spring Valley
2/17- 65 miles soft snow, to St. Charles
2/28?- CIRREM 65
3/12- Spring Training Decorah metric
3/13- STD century- HARD, end of first ever 20+ hr week
3/18- gravel metric (fixed)
3/26- metric to Spring Valley (fixed)
3/27- century, part of a 157 mile ride
4/11?- Ragnarok, only made a metric, fell hard!
4/18- metric
4/24- BALLS day 1, 104 miles
4/25- BALLS 65 miles
4/29- 103 mile gravel ride s of Spring Valley
5/9- Sandwich 50, broke bike/two laps on cruiser! also rode to bars later, metric
5/15- Almanzo- fast for me at 5:45!
5/22- Cheq 100, beyond lost 107 miles
5/29- rode to Elroy, WI 177 miles (dm and dc)
5/30- 67 miles, end at wi dells
6/5- dirty kanza (130ish miles completed)
6/10- rode to Milltown Cycles (110 miles)
6/18 trans-wisconsin 155 miles
6/19- 115 miles
6/20- 83 miles
6/21- 70 miles (ended in Ironwood, so DNF! spent rest of time off there and copper harbor)
6/24- 65 miles on SS around Ironwood
7/27- 151 miles- to Stillwater with Skogen, back to Hastings
7/31- Wausau 24 (team) I got 80 miles in
focused almost solely on XC races for a couple months here...
10/2- heck of the north- 80 miles (very sore back- replaced bike after this)
10/23- 118? miles at Night Nonsense (supposed to only be 90)
10/31- 82 miles at Dirt Bag
that was the end of my "season" so far as I look at things.
now-
11/14- 70 miles, group ride, bw3s etc., pretty easy/slow
11/29- Rode to Royal Wilders grave- 70ish miles
Will likely pick up a few more before the end of the year here as I'm riding more again now.
22 metrics and 15 centuries thus far!
This challenge really motivated me for a large part of the year. Hopefully I can add 3 or 4 more metrics before the end of the year. Now looking back two things really hit me- I sure changed bikes/builds a lot and wow am I ever glad I went on every one of those rides. Looking like I'll have the time tomorrow to try for another!
1/14- 62 miles on 2009 Almanzo course
1/21- 106 miles to Mystery Cave
2/11- 107 2009 Almanzo to St. Charles, explore, return
2/14- 63 miles to Byron, Spring Valley
2/17- 65 miles soft snow, to St. Charles
2/28?- CIRREM 65
3/12- Spring Training Decorah metric
3/13- STD century- HARD, end of first ever 20+ hr week
3/18- gravel metric (fixed)
3/26- metric to Spring Valley (fixed)
3/27- century, part of a 157 mile ride
4/11?- Ragnarok, only made a metric, fell hard!
4/18- metric
4/24- BALLS day 1, 104 miles
4/25- BALLS 65 miles
4/29- 103 mile gravel ride s of Spring Valley
5/9- Sandwich 50, broke bike/two laps on cruiser! also rode to bars later, metric
5/15- Almanzo- fast for me at 5:45!
5/22- Cheq 100, beyond lost 107 miles
5/29- rode to Elroy, WI 177 miles (dm and dc)
5/30- 67 miles, end at wi dells
6/5- dirty kanza (130ish miles completed)
6/10- rode to Milltown Cycles (110 miles)
6/18 trans-wisconsin 155 miles
6/19- 115 miles
6/20- 83 miles
6/21- 70 miles (ended in Ironwood, so DNF! spent rest of time off there and copper harbor)
6/24- 65 miles on SS around Ironwood
7/27- 151 miles- to Stillwater with Skogen, back to Hastings
7/31- Wausau 24 (team) I got 80 miles in
focused almost solely on XC races for a couple months here...
10/2- heck of the north- 80 miles (very sore back- replaced bike after this)
10/23- 118? miles at Night Nonsense (supposed to only be 90)
10/31- 82 miles at Dirt Bag
that was the end of my "season" so far as I look at things.
now-
11/14- 70 miles, group ride, bw3s etc., pretty easy/slow
11/29- Rode to Royal Wilders grave- 70ish miles
Will likely pick up a few more before the end of the year here as I'm riding more again now.
22 metrics and 15 centuries thus far!
This challenge really motivated me for a large part of the year. Hopefully I can add 3 or 4 more metrics before the end of the year. Now looking back two things really hit me- I sure changed bikes/builds a lot and wow am I ever glad I went on every one of those rides. Looking like I'll have the time tomorrow to try for another!
thanks!
Thanks for the nexus 7 speed internal hub Laura! You got it from Ron for Christmas but let me install it right away. It is making a huge difference. It has allowed me to ride and commute without knee pain no matter what the conditions and weather.
I must also thank myself for the amazing roast. It was a good idea to put it in the crock pot prior to leaving for work. It hit the spot a few minutes ago after I finally got home.
I've been doing a decent job of getting in some hours on the bike and have really enjoying battling the elements. Can't wait for the next ride.
I still intend to do some write-up about jinglecross when I have time- it was crucial that Adam let me crash at his place down there!
I will also tabulate my FAILED "cup o' dirt" challenge. I didn't ride a metric and a full century each month. In fact, I think I realized that would have been an endeavor at odds with my racing goals for a couple of months. I do believe I met my goals for total number of dirty metrics and dirty centuries (plus rode way more paved centuries than I would have anticipated) but in the end I feel like I failed. Hopefully I can find time to tally things up tomorrow while I'm at work as that's where I keep all my ride info.
I must also thank myself for the amazing roast. It was a good idea to put it in the crock pot prior to leaving for work. It hit the spot a few minutes ago after I finally got home.
I've been doing a decent job of getting in some hours on the bike and have really enjoying battling the elements. Can't wait for the next ride.
I still intend to do some write-up about jinglecross when I have time- it was crucial that Adam let me crash at his place down there!
I will also tabulate my FAILED "cup o' dirt" challenge. I didn't ride a metric and a full century each month. In fact, I think I realized that would have been an endeavor at odds with my racing goals for a couple of months. I do believe I met my goals for total number of dirty metrics and dirty centuries (plus rode way more paved centuries than I would have anticipated) but in the end I feel like I failed. Hopefully I can find time to tally things up tomorrow while I'm at work as that's where I keep all my ride info.
12.05.2010
got a bit bored
18" mamasita- magic gearing 38x20, 36x18, 34x16
58cm jake the snake- 40x19, 38x17, 36x15
why would I want SS specific bikes? Seriously, 36x18 offroad on a 29er and 38x17 with 700x40s for gravel are both perfect for the majority of situations for me AND both bikes offer the opportunity to step a bit up or down from there too.
scary that I've got so many chainrings and cogs.
58cm jake the snake- 40x19, 38x17, 36x15
why would I want SS specific bikes? Seriously, 36x18 offroad on a 29er and 38x17 with 700x40s for gravel are both perfect for the majority of situations for me AND both bikes offer the opportunity to step a bit up or down from there too.
scary that I've got so many chainrings and cogs.
12.02.2010
Royal 162
It's 2011 for me.
Today was a special day for us (Jake and I). We made a pilgrimage of sorts to the grave of Mr. Royal Wilder. Big brother to the one and only Almanzo, pioneer and literary figure. His namesake race will be the sort that separates and we figured it was right and prudent to seek his blessing prior to making preparations.
Initially it was a challenge how to approach him. After all, we had no idea if he'd ever ridden a bicycle and surely would never have envisioned his current role. We sought some sort of common ground; a gift which would be salient to both his life (1847-1925) as well as our current endeavors. Without much luck toward such ends we simply saddled up and rode. All the while hoping that the answer would become clearer as the time approached. A solid plan when you consider things so often do when viewed through the timeless lens that is hours upon hours on gravel, fixed.
The wind and sun kicked up and kicked the clouds out around noon. As the temperatures soared into the low 20s we found ourselves approaching without a clearing of the mind. Finally, as though a veil was pulled, we hit 151st avenue and the clouds within lifted. We were approaching it all wrong. We would go before Royal and ask for his support. Nothing more, nothing less. Who had we thought that we were such that we thought he needed something from us. It was only me wanting. He has rested peacefully for years. It was I who had the traveling left to do. It was I who would kneel before him and ask for his blessing with no apologies, no false pretenses.
We collected a few bits of gravel from where His race would be won or lost. These would be our offering, our monument and hopefully our salvation.
Only time will tell from here.
Ride stats- 74 miles, 6 hrs including stops, hr 141 average.
11.22.2010
potluck
Been eating and drinking a lot. Tried to get "double pounded" Saturday at Glynner's... (2 lbs of beef, 1/2 lb bacon, plenty of cheese and fries) fail! Did succeed in eating quite a bit of it, still rode my bike on the potluck ride, still found room for a few drinks. Potluck ride was incredible- looking forward to next year already.
Otherwise I sent $ in for all 3 days of jinglecrossrock. A daily cat 3 race and Saturday/Sunday SS races in the AM. Been rocking the Viner on a few practice rides. Made about 5 laps of Eastwood on it last week. After I was starting to feel real good about my handling skills and the bike I decided to try to really lay one down and time it. Turns out the CX bike isn't quite as fast as the 29er! as it was only just under 37 minutes. Tons of fun though. Fell a few times and rode over some obstacles and skinnies without breaking the Zipps. Probably shouldn't really be riding trails on them with skinny tires a whole ton.
On a related note I beat the HELL out of the Kona this past weekend... rode it up some stairs, off a few drops etc. etc. and it's no worse for the wear. There is something uber fun about skinny tires and aggressive riding, or is it just that it's the end of a long year?
I'm pulling the plug on the Marin as a 69er SS rigid. Going to set it up as more of a "trail" bike and abuse the hell out of it. Will be 1x9 with xt/xtr bits and a Marzocchi 130mm 26" front fork. It worked really well the way I had it, but it was serving a purpose I didn't have. Plus, I was really starting to miss my old Jamis freeride/trail/beater bike. 130mm will be a lot of travel for a frame originally designed for much less, but the angles won't be far from where they are now with the 29" wheel out front.
Next update will probably be my thoughts on Jinglecross.
Otherwise I sent $ in for all 3 days of jinglecrossrock. A daily cat 3 race and Saturday/Sunday SS races in the AM. Been rocking the Viner on a few practice rides. Made about 5 laps of Eastwood on it last week. After I was starting to feel real good about my handling skills and the bike I decided to try to really lay one down and time it. Turns out the CX bike isn't quite as fast as the 29er! as it was only just under 37 minutes. Tons of fun though. Fell a few times and rode over some obstacles and skinnies without breaking the Zipps. Probably shouldn't really be riding trails on them with skinny tires a whole ton.
On a related note I beat the HELL out of the Kona this past weekend... rode it up some stairs, off a few drops etc. etc. and it's no worse for the wear. There is something uber fun about skinny tires and aggressive riding, or is it just that it's the end of a long year?
I'm pulling the plug on the Marin as a 69er SS rigid. Going to set it up as more of a "trail" bike and abuse the hell out of it. Will be 1x9 with xt/xtr bits and a Marzocchi 130mm 26" front fork. It worked really well the way I had it, but it was serving a purpose I didn't have. Plus, I was really starting to miss my old Jamis freeride/trail/beater bike. 130mm will be a lot of travel for a frame originally designed for much less, but the angles won't be far from where they are now with the 29" wheel out front.
Next update will probably be my thoughts on Jinglecross.
11.16.2010
mist
Found a new way to get out of my neighborhood yesterday. Sort of a deer path that drops down the back way to the highway. It was a bit muddy on the way to work, but totally rideable even fixed (this was, of course, going downhill).
Left work last night at 1:30. Mist. Visibility under 50 yards. Entire commute felt like there should be a headless horseman chasing me. I don't often get spooked anymore riding in the dark but it was creepy enough out that I observed the fact that I 'could' have been spooked. Was very careful crossing the freeway, then hard right through the hole in the fence and around the back of the Appliance Smart. Hit the, now frosted/frozen solid, deerpath and almost immediately hit the red line. Half way up and I was surrounded by the mist and trees and breathing so loud that I didn't hear the wind or any cracking of the wood that must have occured because a pretty good sized limb fell out of a tree right behind me...
Next time I'm on the Stairway to Heaven I'll try to remember how I felt right then.
This am I got out on the road bike with the REAL Design wheels on it. Sort of sucked because the roads were very wet from the mist that has continued to stick around, but they did what they should have done. Didn't notice any major flaws or really any major strengths. They should work for my needs.
I mounted my IRD tires up on the Zipps and put them on the Viner. If it dries out a bit I'll take it out for a gravel ride or two this weekend. Not sure if I'm going to Indiana Thanksgiving weekend to race in the Turkey Gobbler (or whatever it's called), but if I am, and i want to, this is the setup.
also, these showed up. Hoping to do some work with them to make them really fit right. I will need to take up extra volume (my feet are so low volume that this is true with ANY shoe) and also plan to do the heat molding thing with the footbeds and the uppers. Luckily I can do this using the Bauer hockey skate oven at my family's store.
Left work last night at 1:30. Mist. Visibility under 50 yards. Entire commute felt like there should be a headless horseman chasing me. I don't often get spooked anymore riding in the dark but it was creepy enough out that I observed the fact that I 'could' have been spooked. Was very careful crossing the freeway, then hard right through the hole in the fence and around the back of the Appliance Smart. Hit the, now frosted/frozen solid, deerpath and almost immediately hit the red line. Half way up and I was surrounded by the mist and trees and breathing so loud that I didn't hear the wind or any cracking of the wood that must have occured because a pretty good sized limb fell out of a tree right behind me...
Next time I'm on the Stairway to Heaven I'll try to remember how I felt right then.
This am I got out on the road bike with the REAL Design wheels on it. Sort of sucked because the roads were very wet from the mist that has continued to stick around, but they did what they should have done. Didn't notice any major flaws or really any major strengths. They should work for my needs.
I mounted my IRD tires up on the Zipps and put them on the Viner. If it dries out a bit I'll take it out for a gravel ride or two this weekend. Not sure if I'm going to Indiana Thanksgiving weekend to race in the Turkey Gobbler (or whatever it's called), but if I am, and i want to, this is the setup.
also, these showed up. Hoping to do some work with them to make them really fit right. I will need to take up extra volume (my feet are so low volume that this is true with ANY shoe) and also plan to do the heat molding thing with the footbeds and the uppers. Luckily I can do this using the Bauer hockey skate oven at my family's store.
11.14.2010
fall=gear season
Been selling and buying- figure this is a good time of year to do it. Prices should be good for used stuff this time of year, right?
No longer have-
mavic ksyrium es wheels
tubular cx/gravel wheels (the ambrosios on dt240s)
velocity p35 wheelset
racing ralph 2.4s
the 1978 raleigh competition gs with lots of 70s campy
salsa woodchipper bars (sold one set, still have the other if you want it...)
lots of other smaller items-
new stuff-
dt240 disc hub/zipp 404 wheelset. Not sure what to say about these, pretty sure I really do plan to throw some 1.8s/1.9s on them, maybe wider? and ride offroad at times. They will certainly by fun on the road. I liked the price and think they are cool...
did get out for a couple brief rides on them already. One on the road and one on the mountain bike (with cx tires). Early reviews are good.
REAL designs supersonic 40 wheelset. These were so cheap on ebay that I had to do it. They will be my day to day wheels on the road bike until I mess them up. They are 'cheap' (claimed retail was 1k), light (1600g range), and use odd spokes... it will suck if they turn out to be unreliable, but they are currently in great shape and the tires on them cost as much as I paid. I still have my ultegra/mavic open pro wheelset to fall back on if these do fail me. I'm tempted to take the yellow stickers off. First ride will be tomorrow, expecting good things-
control tech carbon road bars and bontrager xxx lite carbon stem (separate purchases, but obviously go together). Have been on the Viner CX bike since right before the Night Nonsense- couldn't be happier. 12 degree stem allows me to slam the bars for cx racing and get it up where it will be comfortable for 8+ hr days with no other changes. Bars/stem feel very solid handling wise and the ergonomics is working well for me... hands don't go numb, back doesn't hurt, I'm happy! Never really said too much about that Viner frame either, which is also obviously new! It's good enough that I'm putting it in the category of "it works, I like it and I own it" alongside the Mamasita and the 585. Don't expect a lot of changes so far as frames from me in the next year or two unless something breaks.
In addition to those changes I've also picked up a bunch of tires...
specialized 1.9 borough cx
2 kenda klimax's
2 maxxis aspen 2.1s
bontrager xr 1.8 front
700x35 ird crossfires (1 white and 1 blue for the viner)
I'll be testing the tires on various wheel combinations as the weather allows. I plan to make the Zipp's work tubeless- although possibly only for cx season. Just need to cut up some tubes to make valves.
Since the weather has been crap the last few days and may well continue to be crap I'll probably end up riding the Kona winter fixie abomination as detailed in my last post... works for me (although I'd like at least a chance to ride the REAL design wheels and the Zipps on dry gravel at some point before winter)
sorry for the long post
No longer have-
mavic ksyrium es wheels
tubular cx/gravel wheels (the ambrosios on dt240s)
velocity p35 wheelset
racing ralph 2.4s
the 1978 raleigh competition gs with lots of 70s campy
salsa woodchipper bars (sold one set, still have the other if you want it...)
lots of other smaller items-
new stuff-
dt240 disc hub/zipp 404 wheelset. Not sure what to say about these, pretty sure I really do plan to throw some 1.8s/1.9s on them, maybe wider? and ride offroad at times. They will certainly by fun on the road. I liked the price and think they are cool...
did get out for a couple brief rides on them already. One on the road and one on the mountain bike (with cx tires). Early reviews are good.
REAL designs supersonic 40 wheelset. These were so cheap on ebay that I had to do it. They will be my day to day wheels on the road bike until I mess them up. They are 'cheap' (claimed retail was 1k), light (1600g range), and use odd spokes... it will suck if they turn out to be unreliable, but they are currently in great shape and the tires on them cost as much as I paid. I still have my ultegra/mavic open pro wheelset to fall back on if these do fail me. I'm tempted to take the yellow stickers off. First ride will be tomorrow, expecting good things-
control tech carbon road bars and bontrager xxx lite carbon stem (separate purchases, but obviously go together). Have been on the Viner CX bike since right before the Night Nonsense- couldn't be happier. 12 degree stem allows me to slam the bars for cx racing and get it up where it will be comfortable for 8+ hr days with no other changes. Bars/stem feel very solid handling wise and the ergonomics is working well for me... hands don't go numb, back doesn't hurt, I'm happy! Never really said too much about that Viner frame either, which is also obviously new! It's good enough that I'm putting it in the category of "it works, I like it and I own it" alongside the Mamasita and the 585. Don't expect a lot of changes so far as frames from me in the next year or two unless something breaks.
In addition to those changes I've also picked up a bunch of tires...
specialized 1.9 borough cx
2 kenda klimax's
2 maxxis aspen 2.1s
bontrager xr 1.8 front
700x35 ird crossfires (1 white and 1 blue for the viner)
I'll be testing the tires on various wheel combinations as the weather allows. I plan to make the Zipp's work tubeless- although possibly only for cx season. Just need to cut up some tubes to make valves.
Since the weather has been crap the last few days and may well continue to be crap I'll probably end up riding the Kona winter fixie abomination as detailed in my last post... works for me (although I'd like at least a chance to ride the REAL design wheels and the Zipps on dry gravel at some point before winter)
sorry for the long post
BALLS Preparation
http://ballsride.blogspot.com/
Is awesome. So awesome that I've decided to dedicate the next 4 months to training in order to maximize my experience at BALLS. Countless days and thousands of miles worth of gravels lie ahead.
However, before I can begin I knew I would have to build the perfect bike-
Now that THAT is out of the way... I plan to ride a lot.
If you are reading this and aren't planning on doing BALLS, you should change your mind. It's a party, it's a camping trip, it's a group ride, it's in Wisconsin (land of amazing bars, food, beer and singletrack), and YOU will have fun. The locals over there are great and they simply "get" it. This is the perfect combination of difficulty and fun- a dirty century that everyone can enjoy. It's guaranteed that you will have fun at this ride. You might say that you are against paying to ride your bike- you won't be... you're paying for the beautiful cabin and the shower at the end of day one. You might say you can't ride 100 miles- well, you can... there are NO hills. You might say that it sounds too easy... then ride faster (or drink more E&J- I'll have plenty). You might say that you are doing Trans-Iowa instead... good luck and have fun! I will follow your progress via the internet from my cabin, or from around the campfire.
Oh ya MN guys- Friday is Blue Mounds ride day... so assuming Blue Mounds is open, take Friday off as well and expect to ride 30+ miles of singletrack Friday to push the 3 day total over 200.
Is awesome. So awesome that I've decided to dedicate the next 4 months to training in order to maximize my experience at BALLS. Countless days and thousands of miles worth of gravels lie ahead.
However, before I can begin I knew I would have to build the perfect bike-
Now that THAT is out of the way... I plan to ride a lot.
If you are reading this and aren't planning on doing BALLS, you should change your mind. It's a party, it's a camping trip, it's a group ride, it's in Wisconsin (land of amazing bars, food, beer and singletrack), and YOU will have fun. The locals over there are great and they simply "get" it. This is the perfect combination of difficulty and fun- a dirty century that everyone can enjoy. It's guaranteed that you will have fun at this ride. You might say that you are against paying to ride your bike- you won't be... you're paying for the beautiful cabin and the shower at the end of day one. You might say you can't ride 100 miles- well, you can... there are NO hills. You might say that it sounds too easy... then ride faster (or drink more E&J- I'll have plenty). You might say that you are doing Trans-Iowa instead... good luck and have fun! I will follow your progress via the internet from my cabin, or from around the campfire.
Oh ya MN guys- Friday is Blue Mounds ride day... so assuming Blue Mounds is open, take Friday off as well and expect to ride 30+ miles of singletrack Friday to push the 3 day total over 200.
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