Other than a little bit of time spent on the trainer and one brief ride outside this last week was spent relaxing and recovering. I had a bit of a cold to fight off as well during the end of the week. All in all it was nice and I feel rested and ready to get back to work.
The Arrowhead 135 starts in about 6 hrs. I'm really looking forward to seeing how various riders do up there. Good luck to all. It's too bad we don't have a good way to follow along with the progress. I can't wait to hear Farrow's embellished description of what goes down.
Raced at Hillside today! Beautiful conditions for winter riding. They did a great job of grooming after our slushfest last week and conditions ever since have been cold making for near perfect winter conditions today. That coupled with the "rest week" on the way in and I had high expectations for the my own performance in the race. I had to resort to listening to npr on the way up in order to keep the adrenaline in check as early as 90-120 minutes before race time. I listened to "speaking of faith" from 10-11.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
Glad I did! The acumen fund
http://www.acumenfund.org/
which I had never heard about before is a fascinating idea. I'm pretty negative about most charities but this one seems like a very good idea (at least at face value- I will research it some more later)
Back on topic-
So, I was super pumped up for the race! Interestingly, there were even more of the 'fast guys' there than normal (I suppose due to the Pugsley class just being an exhibition race this week) Then...
I fell during the prologue and went to the back of the 12? man expert field, struggled with passing people and struggled with my own frustration at having put myself way in the back. Eventually I did settle down and did pass my way up to 4th place by the end of the first lap. At that point I didn't know what place I was in, but I knew that the leaders were certainly well gone but I was hoping I could pick off a few more riders. Then I caught up to Rich on his Pugsley and he let me know that only 3 guys had gone by roughly half a lap earlier (good and bad news eh?). I was in a sort of 'no mans' land where I might not have a visible carrot up front to chase for a while (or maybe the rest of the race). I was slightly frustrated, but it wasn't long until things got exciting. Jeff Colbert had flatted earlier in the race and was out behind me and gaining fast! I had become the carrot. I could see the LCR Jersey back there chasing me down(I was running my mouth a bit online with them earlier in the week...). I knew my strength would lie in hammering up the climbs and that I needed to limit my mistakes by maybe not pushing too hard on the downhills. Over the next 3/4 of a lap the battle was on... there were some spots where I struggled, but I was able to clean it up for all of sections 1 and 2 (the last half lap of the race) and even though he was close behind me parts of the time I was able to stay ahead. That second lap was incredibly fun! And I felt great about holding it together "clean" while still putting it down pretty good for that last half lap. In the end I sprinted hard to take 4th by 1 second. We were about 12 minutes behind Brendan Moore, 7 minutes out of 2nd and only 3 minutes out of third.
Thanks to Rich, all of LCR and all the guys who work on that awesome trail up there! Winter riding on a trail like that just can't be beat.
maybe someone will post a picture or two that I can steal for ya'll
1.31.2010
1.28.2010
resting
haven't done crap since Hillside! All these animals are finally starting to get along though and get their shit together.
Happy birthday to my little sister!
Happy birthday to my little sister!
1.27.2010
brother update and Hillside. plus bikes-
http://ryanwilsonsrecovery.blogspot.com/
Brother started a blog about his recovery. He can no longer make fun of me for having a blog.
I think things are going as well as possible on his end.
I raced at Hillside last Sunday (sort of)...
The temperatures were soaring and the rain was coming down all weekend here in Rochester, but despite weather reports to the contrary the Hillside crew was maintaining that the course was rideable. I'm not up for backing down to challenges(at least until they kick my ass) so I loaded up the Infiniti, no Corey this week- congrats on the new job, and got on my way bright and early Sunday am.
As soon as I arrived at Hillside I could tell something was wrong- lots of long faces and debate about whether or not the race would be on. I put the racing ralph's on the Mamasita with super low PSIs and hit the first section of trail as a test- absolute failure. I couldn't make it more than 20 or 30 feet. However, I knew that section had already been ravaged by countless skinny tire folk and could see potential in the conditions. I figured that following 10 pugsleys would likely make it possible to ride most of the course. I also figured I was willing to take my chances on leading the pack into the single track (I have always been able to sprint/start fast and get ahead, even in races where I don't belong up there at all). Rich cancelled the race... but only for the skinny tire guys, the fatties would still ride.
Of course all 10 or 12 of us with skinny tire bikes had driven from somewhere and wanted in on the action so a hasty pact was made. We would wait until the fatties were out of site and then hit course ourselves. It wouldn't be a 'race' per se- but we all wanted to at least try out the conditions before packing it in.
The start-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6TOaDH3oY
I let the fellow who was ahead of me there lead out down the entire gravel section of the prologue and into the single track. The conditions were tough but rideable. I was super excited that we would be abl to at least do some riding!
5 minutes? in I realized that I was all alone other than the two Pugsleys that I had passed. The other skinny tired guys were out on the road cheering me on! The trail was barely rideable, but now I felt like I was "in" the race with the Pugsleys and the other skinny tire dudes were certainly in favor of me continuing. I had no choice. Things went well all the way through section 1, 2 and 3. I wasn't going to pass all the Pugsleys or anything, but I was having a respectable ride certainly. Here's a picture-
I was concentrating so hard on staying up and keeping some momentum that I didn't even notice the picture being taken, who the people were or the snowmen...
Section IV came and it brought problems. Due to the way we had started the race (half-assed) I had not brought any food or water... but I felt OK so far as that stuff goes. What was doing me in was EVEN SOFTER snow. In section IV I felt like I was walking/running more than 85% of the time. It was so bad that I had to run some downhills. The dogged Pugsley tracks I had been following (I was gauging my success by whether or not any of them had been forced to run the same sections I was) had turned into 10,000 footprints. It was basically hell. I got through it with visions of flying through I and II again- they'd be double packed now and even better than before. I crossed the road with one lap completed at 1:58 elapsed time and realized it was just as mushy and deteriorated as IV had been.
I called it a day. Was the right call. I could have finished but shouldn't have been willing to risk any more possible damage to the knee, nor was there anything to gain by running another 4 miles.
Brendan Moore was winning the full 1.5 lap race by 10 or 11 minutes right about when I called it quits. That was some impressive riding! I can't really compare anyone elses performance out there to my own. So no new motivation or feelings of success, I was just the guy on skinny tires who didn't feel like quitting, likely because he had driven an hr further than anyone else to be there.
Bike situation-
El Santo- sold on ebay for $960 (but I kept the race x lites). Awesome deal, plenty of profit.
Monocog- removed rear brake, tomicog continues to work awesome. This thing is goingn to be commuter only, it's just too trucklike for cross country.
marin- sold the wheels that were on it along with the El Santo so as to keep the rxls. Will be running some mavic 223 rims laced to wtb hubs that Eric gave me. Also swapped to the setback titec post on it and a wtb speed V saddle.
mamasita- bolt is fixed! is now sram attack gripshift with xtr front and rear derailleurs. Lowered the stem/bars as much as possible- worked well at Hillside. will have Stans Crest rims soon.
blacksheep (gravel bike)- tubeset is here and all the parts are here... just a waiting game now. more on this later
Brother started a blog about his recovery. He can no longer make fun of me for having a blog.
I think things are going as well as possible on his end.
I raced at Hillside last Sunday (sort of)...
The temperatures were soaring and the rain was coming down all weekend here in Rochester, but despite weather reports to the contrary the Hillside crew was maintaining that the course was rideable. I'm not up for backing down to challenges(at least until they kick my ass) so I loaded up the Infiniti, no Corey this week- congrats on the new job, and got on my way bright and early Sunday am.
As soon as I arrived at Hillside I could tell something was wrong- lots of long faces and debate about whether or not the race would be on. I put the racing ralph's on the Mamasita with super low PSIs and hit the first section of trail as a test- absolute failure. I couldn't make it more than 20 or 30 feet. However, I knew that section had already been ravaged by countless skinny tire folk and could see potential in the conditions. I figured that following 10 pugsleys would likely make it possible to ride most of the course. I also figured I was willing to take my chances on leading the pack into the single track (I have always been able to sprint/start fast and get ahead, even in races where I don't belong up there at all). Rich cancelled the race... but only for the skinny tire guys, the fatties would still ride.
Of course all 10 or 12 of us with skinny tire bikes had driven from somewhere and wanted in on the action so a hasty pact was made. We would wait until the fatties were out of site and then hit course ourselves. It wouldn't be a 'race' per se- but we all wanted to at least try out the conditions before packing it in.
The start-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6TOaDH3oY
I let the fellow who was ahead of me there lead out down the entire gravel section of the prologue and into the single track. The conditions were tough but rideable. I was super excited that we would be abl to at least do some riding!
5 minutes? in I realized that I was all alone other than the two Pugsleys that I had passed. The other skinny tired guys were out on the road cheering me on! The trail was barely rideable, but now I felt like I was "in" the race with the Pugsleys and the other skinny tire dudes were certainly in favor of me continuing. I had no choice. Things went well all the way through section 1, 2 and 3. I wasn't going to pass all the Pugsleys or anything, but I was having a respectable ride certainly. Here's a picture-
I was concentrating so hard on staying up and keeping some momentum that I didn't even notice the picture being taken, who the people were or the snowmen...
Section IV came and it brought problems. Due to the way we had started the race (half-assed) I had not brought any food or water... but I felt OK so far as that stuff goes. What was doing me in was EVEN SOFTER snow. In section IV I felt like I was walking/running more than 85% of the time. It was so bad that I had to run some downhills. The dogged Pugsley tracks I had been following (I was gauging my success by whether or not any of them had been forced to run the same sections I was) had turned into 10,000 footprints. It was basically hell. I got through it with visions of flying through I and II again- they'd be double packed now and even better than before. I crossed the road with one lap completed at 1:58 elapsed time and realized it was just as mushy and deteriorated as IV had been.
I called it a day. Was the right call. I could have finished but shouldn't have been willing to risk any more possible damage to the knee, nor was there anything to gain by running another 4 miles.
Brendan Moore was winning the full 1.5 lap race by 10 or 11 minutes right about when I called it quits. That was some impressive riding! I can't really compare anyone elses performance out there to my own. So no new motivation or feelings of success, I was just the guy on skinny tires who didn't feel like quitting, likely because he had driven an hr further than anyone else to be there.
Bike situation-
El Santo- sold on ebay for $960 (but I kept the race x lites). Awesome deal, plenty of profit.
Monocog- removed rear brake, tomicog continues to work awesome. This thing is goingn to be commuter only, it's just too trucklike for cross country.
marin- sold the wheels that were on it along with the El Santo so as to keep the rxls. Will be running some mavic 223 rims laced to wtb hubs that Eric gave me. Also swapped to the setback titec post on it and a wtb speed V saddle.
mamasita- bolt is fixed! is now sram attack gripshift with xtr front and rear derailleurs. Lowered the stem/bars as much as possible- worked well at Hillside. will have Stans Crest rims soon.
blacksheep (gravel bike)- tubeset is here and all the parts are here... just a waiting game now. more on this later
1.21.2010
111 miles
sorry about the picture quality and lean- I was heavy into the pain cave at that point (more below)
Got on the road at 7:40 this morning. The weather report was calling for temperatures in the high 20s, 17-22 mph winds and plenty of freezing rain. I believe there was also a winter weather advisory and a travel advisory on that was a carry over from last night. All in all it was almost ideal January conditions for the Nokians on gravel. Things had iced over a bit and the road was relatively fast. Was able to maintain a 13.6 mph average for the first 30 miles or so despite often quartering into the wind.
Then I made a mistake reading my "Gentleman's ride" cue cards (backwards in freezing rain mind you) and rather than coming into Spring Valley at around mile 36 I just pressed on. The conditions at that point were atrocious. It was to the point of often having to ride with my left eye closed and my head down or else deal with the freezing rain snappers going directly into my eye. At one point in that stretch I was even startled by a dog, tapped the brakes and went straight into a baseball slide. Anyways- somehow I rode on for about 45 minutes before recognizing my mistake when I hit a dead end and stopped long enough to check the mileage (47 miles). I was in uncharted territory both on my cue cards and so far as where I'd ever ridden before...
Decided I would never be able to finish the full course within the constraints of daylight if I traced my steps back. The only possible solution was to press on and try to find a back way onto the course (perhaps near Chatfield). To that end I somehow only continued due south. Eventually finding myself in very hilly country around Forestville State Park. I checked out the "mystery cave" and snapped these-
The "mystery cave" was pretty lame, in the winter anyways. That was the happiest I would look for a long time...
Having never been to the "mystery cave" before I still thought that I was somewhere near Chatfield and attempted to press on (choosing turns that would take my further to my east). However, none of those turns actually went east or anywhere near Chatfield. By 2pm or so I had been out for 6 hrs non-stop with nothing but inadequate amounts of hammer gel and sports drink, and I continued to have no idea where I was (kept trying to turn and get the wind at my back). Somewhere near here...
I decided to call my Dad for help with directions. No phone. Full on bonk, no food left, no phone, lost, 66 miles on clock. I ate everything I had and pressed on.
Somehow found my way back to Spring Valley (talk about a mystery cave... mystery cave of pain and detachment) at about 3:30 pm with 84 miles on the clock. Subway city! It was like getting a mushroom in mario. Rode the rest of the way home as "big Drew".
totals-
111 miles
8:40 of actual pedaling
10hr elapsed time
1 fall
1 trucker who stopped to see if I needed help- then almost got stuck himself on the ice...
2 kids at the Subway who made the mistake of asking how long I'd been out (should have seen their faces)
40 minutes (approximately) longer than the official hrs of daylight that I was out
40? wrong turns
Hoping things go a bit easier in February... I knew this was my last chance to get this done for this month.
A big part of what kept me going today was thinking about my brother and his situation. He has been an inspiration to me with regards to trying to give cycling a serious shot- if my brother can get in good shape and compete at such a high level why can't I? (same goes my sister with her soccer and for the stories my Dad tells from both his own and my mom's younger days). In a way it has provided me with a level or reassurance that all this effort will probably not be for nothing. I've lived vicariously through his successes, used them as motivation and felt a bit jealous that I never put that much effort into anything... I see cycling as something that I can try to put that much effort into now and am only more motivated because of my failure to do so in the past (with skiing). I don't regret my decisions, but see nothing wrong with using them to motivate now either.
Anyways, with him hurt and facing the prospect of months or rehabilitation and potential hard times/self questioning... I'm hoping/dreaming that maybe I can help support him in the same way that he has helped me. I know he doesn't need it, but in a way I feel like I owe it to him. It's going to take some fast riding to impress him...
1.20.2010
freezing rain? knees
Took Thursday off entirely this week. Will consider a long ride tomorrow, but the weather report is calling for freezing rain to continue throughout tonight and well into tomorrow. Might get ugly out there. Might be worth it.
My brother got a bumped around by some grippy snow during a training run and tore his ACL. Not much use in being negative about it, I believe he has already begun making plans for his recovery (staying in Utah this summer to be with the training staff etc.). He's done an excellent job of getting in shape for ski racing over the last many years and he will be able to conquer this with the same work ethic. I'm going to miss getting as many chances to see him/ride with him next summer, but so it goes. I will probably have to plan a couple trips out that way. Hopefully he can still redshirt for this year if he wants to. Please pull for him to make a complete recovery and for the rest of his team to have a strong year without him.
My brother got a bumped around by some grippy snow during a training run and tore his ACL. Not much use in being negative about it, I believe he has already begun making plans for his recovery (staying in Utah this summer to be with the training staff etc.). He's done an excellent job of getting in shape for ski racing over the last many years and he will be able to conquer this with the same work ethic. I'm going to miss getting as many chances to see him/ride with him next summer, but so it goes. I will probably have to plan a couple trips out that way. Hopefully he can still redshirt for this year if he wants to. Please pull for him to make a complete recovery and for the rest of his team to have a strong year without him.
1.19.2010
freaking sweet out there- but no camera
Got out today just cruising around trying to facilitate recovery and test equipment. Everything but the road is coated in white. The same trees and field I pass by all the time are completely different. What a good day to get outside.
by the way...
http://sandwich50.blogspot.com/
If you want to come and crash at my place let me know. Should be a fun time and a great opportunity to help us improve our local trails. If you only ride gravel/roads, you can handle it- rock your cx bike or whatever. If you are more of a technical only kind of person then hit the obstacles... old video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4tSWjUDQuY
by the way...
http://sandwich50.blogspot.com/
If you want to come and crash at my place let me know. Should be a fun time and a great opportunity to help us improve our local trails. If you only ride gravel/roads, you can handle it- rock your cx bike or whatever. If you are more of a technical only kind of person then hit the obstacles... old video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4tSWjUDQuY
1.17.2010
may have to take pto...
well, some other things called yesterday and the ride was called off after about 4.5 hrs. Conditions couldn't have been better though! Hope others got out and rode. I don't know if I will have a chance to actually complete a full 100 miles anytime before the end of the month unless I take PTO this Thursday and give it a go then.
More importantly, I rested today! and needed it. This first couple weeks of the year was a lot of riding and I'm glad I was able to get outside this time of year and push myself to the point where I'm obviously going to be getting stronger. A few more blocks like this and I should have a lot more power and endurance by the time CIRREM rolls around. In the end THAT is at least half of the reason why I'm out riding.
I put my El Santo on ebay. Hoping to use the money from that to finish paying for the gravel rig and eventually also towards a custom fat bike.
I took the RXL wheelset off of it first though- I plan to rebuild those hubs to some superlight 29er rims for race use and use on the gravel bike. I see some possible danger in having narrower rims on my bike for race day than all the time, but if I ride on them a lot I should be able to not have a problem. I guess, when I say "race" set I should really say "faster" 29er set. I wouldn't be surprised if my hope pro II/salsa delgado wheelset ends up spending a lot of time in an all-mountain like application in my fat bike.
sorry to disappoint anyone who was pulling for me to pull off the full Almanzo- hopefully next time.
More importantly, I rested today! and needed it. This first couple weeks of the year was a lot of riding and I'm glad I was able to get outside this time of year and push myself to the point where I'm obviously going to be getting stronger. A few more blocks like this and I should have a lot more power and endurance by the time CIRREM rolls around. In the end THAT is at least half of the reason why I'm out riding.
I put my El Santo on ebay. Hoping to use the money from that to finish paying for the gravel rig and eventually also towards a custom fat bike.
I took the RXL wheelset off of it first though- I plan to rebuild those hubs to some superlight 29er rims for race use and use on the gravel bike. I see some possible danger in having narrower rims on my bike for race day than all the time, but if I ride on them a lot I should be able to not have a problem. I guess, when I say "race" set I should really say "faster" 29er set. I wouldn't be surprised if my hope pro II/salsa delgado wheelset ends up spending a lot of time in an all-mountain like application in my fat bike.
sorry to disappoint anyone who was pulling for me to pull off the full Almanzo- hopefully next time.
1.15.2010
half of what this is all about
The morning is to dawn bright and sunny with 20+ temperatures. The Mamasita is prepped; complete with the Nokians, DESERVE THEM EH?, park tools frame pump, nashbar frame bag, front and rear blinkies, banjo brothers map holder etc.. I'm slightly inebriated (but under control and ready to turn in for the night). Plan to be up with plenty of time to greet the sunrise. Tomorrow should be a celebration of all the nobel, artsy, emotional, beautiful, life-changing reasons we all love to ride. At the least it will be a long ride fueled by plenty of interesting sites, challenging climbs and heavy metal in the earphones. Tomorrow there is no "plan B", Laura will be out of town ferrying dogs again, but I can't see quitting either.
For the record- the other "half"... well, if you don't know... you don't know me
For the record- the other "half"... well, if you don't know... you don't know me
1.14.2010
big ride today and what I'm reading
Got out the door 45 minutes later than planned this morning and not quite feeling "right". I think all the junk I ate last night at the work potluck just wasn't cutting it. Glad I got going when I did though because after just 5 or 6 miles I felt strong and decided to try to complete the entire ride I had planned (It was going to be tight time-wise because I wanted to meet my mom for a late lunch). Things were solidly downwind initially and virtually flew, for winter riding, out the first 20 miles. I was a bit cold and went a few miles out of the way over to St. Charles and Casey's for a pit stop. Then it was more downwind out to whatever random intersection (see picture) is 28 miles from home (I was at mile 35 at that point due to reroute). I was expecting quite a grind on the way back with the wind and all, and the first 7 miles or so did not disappoint. However, I continued to make good time (13.5 mph average or so) and it never got quite as hard or grinding as expected. Made it home in just over 4.5 hrs right at 63.0 miles. Felt very strong on the last few climbs. Really liking riding fixed too.
On that note one of the Arrowhead 135 racers, Mr. Tri, has asked to borrow my tomicog as a 'last resort'. I'm impressed by the level of attention to detail and thought that must have gone into realizing that might be helpful/important.
Reading-
I finished "where men win glory" last week, thanks to Mr. Farrow for recommending it. His story is not what I was expected and despite the tragedy I found it both motivating and uplifting.
Currently I'm working on "we might as well win" (johan bruyneel). Which is inspiring as well, albeit in a completely different way. Not sure I needed more motivation when it comes to training, but Johan's description of his stage win on page 22 or so is all I would ever need.
1.13.2010
to the checkpoint
preparations made, work shuffled, to the rock wall checkpoint in the am on the fixocog (I'm guessing 35 miles on the out leg following the Almanzo course backwards and then 30 on the way back coming more direct). Shall be leaving at 8 and will bring the camera. Pictures will be limited to pre-ordained "feeding" stops though. Now if I do something quite different you will have to hold me accountable!
For what it's worth I spun 75 minutes on the trainer on Tuesday am and then took today completely off (I figure I'm going to get plenty of hrs the next 3 days- shooting for a "full", a metric and a 2 hr recovery ride in the middle)
I also made this nice google calendar with the events I already know about and am either in or considering on it. Hope it's viewable if you just click-
http://www.google.com/calendar/render?hl=en&tab=wc&pli=1
For what it's worth I spun 75 minutes on the trainer on Tuesday am and then took today completely off (I figure I'm going to get plenty of hrs the next 3 days- shooting for a "full", a metric and a 2 hr recovery ride in the middle)
I also made this nice google calendar with the events I already know about and am either in or considering on it. Hope it's viewable if you just click-
http://www.google.com/calendar/render?hl=en&tab=wc&pli=1
1.12.2010
Got Bolt will travel (I will ride 100 miles, I will ride 100 miles, singing)
Found a steel bolt from a Shimano crankset that will fit. Will install it tonight with loctite. Huge thanks to Bicycle Sports for helping me out. Also, thanks to Eric for volunteering to look into a custom bolt solution even though it turned out to not be necessary. He was all about going the extra mile and machining something etc.!
I plan to go on a medium ride tomorrow and a long ride (maybe 60+ miles) on the fixocog Thursday. I've got a customized schedule again this week to suit my training needs. I should also be able to get in another short ride Friday early in the day such that I can rest up for...
Full ALMANZO course Saturday on the Mamasita. Have been watching the weather and it looks great! I have yet to decide if I will try to 'race' it at all and get it done on a timeline or if I will just take my time and putz around. I think there is plenty of daylight, warmer temperatures and major advantage rocking the 21 lb bike that it shouldn't be an issue. If you've read this far (anyone? bueller? bueller?) you're more than welcome to join me. Heck- if you actually read this junk and EVER want to do something similar to this, you aren't really slow or really fast compared to me, and you'd like to tackle something like this... well, anytime!
On a not so related note- we are now officially a foster home for small dogs. We will be getting two "min pins" Sunday and keeping them until they find homes. If you know anyone interested please pass the word on. Will get some pictures when they get here.
I'm tempted to do a "DBD" style write-up of my past year (see their blogs), but there isn't too much to say. I was so new and so far from where I want to go that it all seems pointless now. I'm as fast now on the fixocog with horrible weather and slow tires and roads as I was on my s-works road bike not so long ago. Despite that, I will say that I had a great time at the Afton 2-4 in the 8 hr division and was proud of finishing 10 laps, was beyond pleased with finally putting it all together in xc at maplelag and finishing 2nd overall for the weekend in comp, and probably even more proud of staying with the "group" until it broke apart in the heck of the north. I look forward to making those acheivements look silly... someday. Too bad I didn't start that process last weekend (told you I was only 30% over it).
-Drew
I plan to go on a medium ride tomorrow and a long ride (maybe 60+ miles) on the fixocog Thursday. I've got a customized schedule again this week to suit my training needs. I should also be able to get in another short ride Friday early in the day such that I can rest up for...
Full ALMANZO course Saturday on the Mamasita. Have been watching the weather and it looks great! I have yet to decide if I will try to 'race' it at all and get it done on a timeline or if I will just take my time and putz around. I think there is plenty of daylight, warmer temperatures and major advantage rocking the 21 lb bike that it shouldn't be an issue. If you've read this far (anyone? bueller? bueller?) you're more than welcome to join me. Heck- if you actually read this junk and EVER want to do something similar to this, you aren't really slow or really fast compared to me, and you'd like to tackle something like this... well, anytime!
On a not so related note- we are now officially a foster home for small dogs. We will be getting two "min pins" Sunday and keeping them until they find homes. If you know anyone interested please pass the word on. Will get some pictures when they get here.
I'm tempted to do a "DBD" style write-up of my past year (see their blogs), but there isn't too much to say. I was so new and so far from where I want to go that it all seems pointless now. I'm as fast now on the fixocog with horrible weather and slow tires and roads as I was on my s-works road bike not so long ago. Despite that, I will say that I had a great time at the Afton 2-4 in the 8 hr division and was proud of finishing 10 laps, was beyond pleased with finally putting it all together in xc at maplelag and finishing 2nd overall for the weekend in comp, and probably even more proud of staying with the "group" until it broke apart in the heck of the north. I look forward to making those acheivements look silly... someday. Too bad I didn't start that process last weekend (told you I was only 30% over it).
-Drew
1.11.2010
brother-
this is an awesome picture- I haven't heard how he did yet today. I believe it was his first college race as a Ute (although he has been in many and won some too, I bet it will feel different when it counts for the team).
More on him-
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=22&a=425632
may need a password- shoot! Details his choice of school rather than joining the national team. makes him sound admirable (he is), doesn't mention me. I'll try to get a transcript of it up here sometime. Will likely be posting more updates on his racing now that the season has started. Hopefully he stays in good enough biking shape to kick my butt! so as we can go pretty fast as a "duo" in some WEMS.
redeamation
2.5 hrs, 35.6 miles of windy, slippery, snow covered almanzo course on the fixocog. By far the hardest I've ridden for that long since the 'Heck'. Feel good about it, I'd say I feel 30% closer to moving on from Saturday.
Of note- Friday and Sunday I spun 40-50% effort for 30 minutes on the trainer followed by 20 minutes of targeted stretching. That seems to be really helping me feel fresh the next day.
Can't wait for a fun week at work... starts in 2 hrs.
Of note- Friday and Sunday I spun 40-50% effort for 30 minutes on the trainer followed by 20 minutes of targeted stretching. That seems to be really helping me feel fresh the next day.
Can't wait for a fun week at work... starts in 2 hrs.
1.10.2010
what happened... triple D
This probably won't read a lot like most write-ups of this event.
I learned a lot...
Lance Andre is a great guy and a strong rider. I greatly appreciate that he let me in the race with little warning (Friday night). The race was well run, organized and well thought-out. I do question whether or not the "groomer" incident(s) weren't part of his master plan though. I'm also glad he didn't include me in his post race wrap-up... motivation is good, I don't blame him for assuming I was going to fall away... (just kidding Lance- a DNF is a DNF and is not worthy of any consideration). All of the others involved in the race were knowledgeable, kind and generally seemed to really want to be there. I was forced to take advantage of the sag system and got a ride quickly and it was as pleasent as possible with my state of mind.
Likewise, the other racers were all kind and interesting. Everyone was awesome. It was nice to get to check out other's equipment choices and see a wide range of stuff that worked and some that didn't. It will be valuable to me into the future (particularly when it comes time to get a real snow bike setup). I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that an awesome race like this would bring out good people, but I'd hate to not make note of it.
I've been doing something right training wise... I can drop everything Friday night at 6pm and get all my stuff together and find a hotel and get enough rest and find a perkins and find the start and get registered and be ready to go and it can all be totally last minute and crazy, I've got the clothing side of things down within the realm of a "day" race, I can run a mile in deep/soft snow while controlling my effort and heartrate without putting myself "under" (and without destroying my knee), I can mentally adapt and stay positive even when the conditions change drastically for the worse, I can follow my plan for feeding, my 29er setup with the racing ralphs can compete with anything, I can maintain good even power output for 3 hrs (enough to win in 6+?)...
...sadly, I didn't get the chance to REALLY determine any of those things. Things were going as well as, or better than, I had visualized over and over again on the drive down, but it's all meaningless without having to grind it out at the end. I was still at the stage of just trying to set things up, follow my plan and give myself a chance. I'll be driven by the desire to prove that where I was, and thought I was going, wasn't an accident or fluke.
The "recap"-
crank loose at start- tightened it with borrowed allen (thanks man- whoever you were). Should have sensed trouble, but pushed it out of my mind.
easy roll out through town on pavement. pace got pushed just a little bit, I knew it was more than most really wanted because it was starting to tax me. I should have known to get all the way to front before the snow.
we hit the snow covered hiking trail (1 mile without snowmobile trails covered in snow) and I was pleased to be able to ride enough of it to get clear of the main field before I started running. I tried to settle into a reasonable pace that I could maintain a full mile, but couldn't help worrying about my knee. This section really separated the field out, which was genious by the organizers- I love the cruelty.
Finally, reached the real trail to find awesome, firm conditions. Snowmobile trails have seldom felt so fast to me on a bike. Spent the next 90 minutes following the trail in the snow of the one non-pug in front of me (Dennis Grelk flew by on his Pug about 45 minutes in, but then stayed just in site riding with the other ride up front). Stopped at 90 minute mark to get some nutrition and Lance Andre, Ben Shockey and someone else? caught up. I felt energized after having a drink and getting some calories, the trail was in great shape and I decided to put down a decent pace (left that group and got out "in the middle" on my own again.
groomer! groomer came by and I forced a smile and continued. I took solace in the tracks of the two before me, I knew I had an advantage because I could see where they faltered (and probe the other side of the trail). I focused on keeping things simple, organized and efficient. Lance caught up, but didn't ride away. Some sections were better for each of us, but we stayed basically together for 30 or 45 minutes. We caught the other non-pug (wish I knew his name?). His tires weren't as effective as mine, he dropped a bit back.
I dropped my chain, I dropped my chain again, I dropped my crankarm... (CRAP- THAT'S WHY I DROPPED MY CHAIN) I was 3 hrs in and 24.76 miles. I was no where near done. I laid down and considered throwing the jettisoned crankarm far into the field to my right. Realized I couldn't afford to do so. No one came, no one came, I realized I'd been riding better than I had realized. Still no one came. I called my parents, called Laura, whined, felt like crying. Finally, a Pugsley floated by. I walked into the nearest town and waited for the 'sag' to come get me.
Ordered an amber bock and a diet coke, my check card was declined! Ha- what beautiful symmetry. Used all my money on bike parts and they broke and now I'm sitting in a bar in the middle of no where feeling broke.
As I sit here now I am realizing it was an awesome day. What could I have possibly done that would have been more fun? I WILL be back next year! Wish someone would have told me how cool this race was... my number will be added to the wall in the garage with pride and the memory will be with me forever (all the more so because it was a 'failure')
edit-
crankset is 2008 raceface deus xc
problem was a stripped bolt (aluminum) which threads into the spindle... I otherwise enjoy the crankset and think it was a good value. I'm hoping that changing to a steel or Ti bolt will take care of the problem, as I honestly don't think I can choose to afford something 'better' without giving up some other things I want to do). I wonder how much the cold played into the issue. I'm thinking the temperature changes recently were what led to it's initially loosening up (prior to race the bike had been inside/outside at my house, hotel and at the start). When I tightened it at the start it was still somewhat warm from being inside and then as it cooled while riding... disaster. It's a lesson worth learning- I hadn't ridden that bike much yet this winter because I've been training on the Monocog. I should have tested it like the rest of my equipment or left it at home.
I did also email raceface warranty to see what they will say.
I learned a lot...
Lance Andre is a great guy and a strong rider. I greatly appreciate that he let me in the race with little warning (Friday night). The race was well run, organized and well thought-out. I do question whether or not the "groomer" incident(s) weren't part of his master plan though. I'm also glad he didn't include me in his post race wrap-up... motivation is good, I don't blame him for assuming I was going to fall away... (just kidding Lance- a DNF is a DNF and is not worthy of any consideration). All of the others involved in the race were knowledgeable, kind and generally seemed to really want to be there. I was forced to take advantage of the sag system and got a ride quickly and it was as pleasent as possible with my state of mind.
Likewise, the other racers were all kind and interesting. Everyone was awesome. It was nice to get to check out other's equipment choices and see a wide range of stuff that worked and some that didn't. It will be valuable to me into the future (particularly when it comes time to get a real snow bike setup). I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that an awesome race like this would bring out good people, but I'd hate to not make note of it.
I've been doing something right training wise... I can drop everything Friday night at 6pm and get all my stuff together and find a hotel and get enough rest and find a perkins and find the start and get registered and be ready to go and it can all be totally last minute and crazy, I've got the clothing side of things down within the realm of a "day" race, I can run a mile in deep/soft snow while controlling my effort and heartrate without putting myself "under" (and without destroying my knee), I can mentally adapt and stay positive even when the conditions change drastically for the worse, I can follow my plan for feeding, my 29er setup with the racing ralphs can compete with anything, I can maintain good even power output for 3 hrs (enough to win in 6+?)...
...sadly, I didn't get the chance to REALLY determine any of those things. Things were going as well as, or better than, I had visualized over and over again on the drive down, but it's all meaningless without having to grind it out at the end. I was still at the stage of just trying to set things up, follow my plan and give myself a chance. I'll be driven by the desire to prove that where I was, and thought I was going, wasn't an accident or fluke.
The "recap"-
crank loose at start- tightened it with borrowed allen (thanks man- whoever you were). Should have sensed trouble, but pushed it out of my mind.
easy roll out through town on pavement. pace got pushed just a little bit, I knew it was more than most really wanted because it was starting to tax me. I should have known to get all the way to front before the snow.
we hit the snow covered hiking trail (1 mile without snowmobile trails covered in snow) and I was pleased to be able to ride enough of it to get clear of the main field before I started running. I tried to settle into a reasonable pace that I could maintain a full mile, but couldn't help worrying about my knee. This section really separated the field out, which was genious by the organizers- I love the cruelty.
Finally, reached the real trail to find awesome, firm conditions. Snowmobile trails have seldom felt so fast to me on a bike. Spent the next 90 minutes following the trail in the snow of the one non-pug in front of me (Dennis Grelk flew by on his Pug about 45 minutes in, but then stayed just in site riding with the other ride up front). Stopped at 90 minute mark to get some nutrition and Lance Andre, Ben Shockey and someone else? caught up. I felt energized after having a drink and getting some calories, the trail was in great shape and I decided to put down a decent pace (left that group and got out "in the middle" on my own again.
groomer! groomer came by and I forced a smile and continued. I took solace in the tracks of the two before me, I knew I had an advantage because I could see where they faltered (and probe the other side of the trail). I focused on keeping things simple, organized and efficient. Lance caught up, but didn't ride away. Some sections were better for each of us, but we stayed basically together for 30 or 45 minutes. We caught the other non-pug (wish I knew his name?). His tires weren't as effective as mine, he dropped a bit back.
I dropped my chain, I dropped my chain again, I dropped my crankarm... (CRAP- THAT'S WHY I DROPPED MY CHAIN) I was 3 hrs in and 24.76 miles. I was no where near done. I laid down and considered throwing the jettisoned crankarm far into the field to my right. Realized I couldn't afford to do so. No one came, no one came, I realized I'd been riding better than I had realized. Still no one came. I called my parents, called Laura, whined, felt like crying. Finally, a Pugsley floated by. I walked into the nearest town and waited for the 'sag' to come get me.
Ordered an amber bock and a diet coke, my check card was declined! Ha- what beautiful symmetry. Used all my money on bike parts and they broke and now I'm sitting in a bar in the middle of no where feeling broke.
As I sit here now I am realizing it was an awesome day. What could I have possibly done that would have been more fun? I WILL be back next year! Wish someone would have told me how cool this race was... my number will be added to the wall in the garage with pride and the memory will be with me forever (all the more so because it was a 'failure')
edit-
crankset is 2008 raceface deus xc
problem was a stripped bolt (aluminum) which threads into the spindle... I otherwise enjoy the crankset and think it was a good value. I'm hoping that changing to a steel or Ti bolt will take care of the problem, as I honestly don't think I can choose to afford something 'better' without giving up some other things I want to do). I wonder how much the cold played into the issue. I'm thinking the temperature changes recently were what led to it's initially loosening up (prior to race the bike had been inside/outside at my house, hotel and at the start). When I tightened it at the start it was still somewhat warm from being inside and then as it cooled while riding... disaster. It's a lesson worth learning- I hadn't ridden that bike much yet this winter because I've been training on the Monocog. I should have tested it like the rest of my equipment or left it at home.
I did also email raceface warranty to see what they will say.
dk200
still working on coming to grips with yesterday- working on crankset modification (ti bolt to replace aluminum?) or replacement, decided not to ride outside today (instead ferrying some shelter dogs from iowa to owatonna). however, im sure that preparing and training for dirty kanza will do me a whole lot of good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
