Dave Harris commented today on the mind game that is Endurance racing. He points out that blogs have had an effect on how a racer prepares for these events. He is right. I think other rider's blogs effect both our physical and mental preparation for a race. I read up on what certain people are doing, and I can get a picture of where they are at with thier fitness. In turn I can get an idea of where I am compared to the level they are at. It would be an interesting study to look at race results compared to what people post on thier blog before a race.

Blogs are an interesting part of our culture. There is no denying the effect they can have. Remember election season 2004? Blogs played a huge part in the campaigning of both Presedential candidates. In fact, I think both candidates had blogs of thier own. The cycling blogosphere is growing rapidly. Especially it seems, in the endurance world. I guess that all day, lung suffering, leg draining, soul searching rides are something people like sharing stories about. When I think about it, there is not one epic ride or race that I have done that did not give birth to a good story.

In the coming posts I would like to share some of those stories. I guess you could call this the first Epic Riding series. Perhaps I have been overly influenced by this guy and the multiple series that he has been posting.


Now the questions is....where to begin.

So the last couple of days have been perfect. 60 degrees, no clouds, no wind. It made for a very nice 4.5 hour road ride yesterday. Forcast shows rain coming later in the week, so I need to enjoy this while I can. This week I should be recieving my new Maxxis Ignitor 29" tires. I am excited to give them a go. I have read many many good reports on them.

Speaking of gear, I recently recieved a prototype Wingnut 3.0X pack. This pack is slightly larger than the current Hyper 3.0. I have only had limited opportunity to use it, but my initial impressions are that this is a very nice pack. It fits well, loads up nicely, and it rides light on my back. I am using a 3rd party 3.0L bladder, and it fits with plenty of room to spare. Something I really like about the pack, is that even with the bladder full the pack can be loaded easily. Unlike other packs where the bladder infringes on the storage space. The wingpockets are very handy. I love being able to access gear without taking the pack off, twisitng it around, or getting someone else to unzip and rummage for me.

In the near future I will be really putting the pack through its paces on some long mountain rides in Moab. I will get a more accurate picture of the full potential of the pack in those situations. A big thanks to Scott at Wingnut for the opportunity to test his pack.

Some other gear that has been on my mind, include:

Princeton Tec Corona
Nite Hawk Emitter
Garmin Forerunner 301

So many great pieces of gear....to bad money does not grow on trees.

Once in a while I tend to wax philosophical. Today is one of those times.

There comes a point when being a successful endurance racer requires more. More time in the saddle. More planning. More racing. Or perhaps it requires less. Fewer late nights, fewer exceptions to the "no dessert" rule, fewer days that you right off as "rest days".

It comes as a sort of wake up call when I realize that I am at one of those times. Interestingly enough, it seems to happen after a race, when I am broke down and tired. I tend to see things clearly. I am motivated. The first time it happened was on my drive home from the 2005 Brianhead Epic 100. I had a horrible day on the bike. I was out of shape. I had spent far to many nights staying up late. I ate a lot of crappy foods. But I had convinced myself that I was still in good racing shape, that the year was going well, and that I should be able to show up to the Epic and set a PR on the course. Instead I got leveled. I was torn apart, chewed up, and spit out in a dirty wrecked lump.

On the drive home I decided it was time to make some changes. I starting getting more sleep, I fixed my diet, and I started focusing on riding my bike fast and furious. I sold the EX 9 and bought a GF 29er hardtail. It was a time of cleansing and renewal for me. The day after the epic was also the day I started this blog.

10 weeks later I stood atop the solo podium at the 24 Hours of Soldier Hollow. It wasn't the biggest race, but for me it was a completion of the renewal period. I was stronger on the bike than I had been in over a year. The things I left behind in order to become a better racer were long forgotten.

The last couple of days I have been going through a similar, but lesser, time of realization. My training has been good this winter. I have been good about keeping my rest and nutrition appropriate. I am on track to meet my goals in 2006. But I started to think a bit more about things I can do better that will make a difference down the road. They are small things, but they are still things I will have to give up. I know that soon they to will be long forgotten.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that the sacrifices we make do not seem like difficult things when it all comes together. I can honestly say that some of the greatest moments in my life have come on a bike. Excluding my wedding day, and the birthdays of our 3 kids of course!

Riding a bike is a beautiful thing. In the end that is what it all comes down to. Riding your bike. So ride it. Ride it well, and ride it often. For whatever reason you do it, keep doing it. Ride to race, ride to commute, or just ride for the sake of riding.

First things first. 24OP was a great time. The weather was perfect, the course was in good shape, and the racing was fast and furious.

My teammates rode hard fast laps, and we were rewarded with a 2nd place podium spot in the 5 Person Open (age 200+) class. To Chris, KC, Paul, and Boris....Thank You!.

We arrived at the race venue Friday evening, just before sunset. We got our tents up, fine tuned our bikes, and settled in as black clouds loomed on the horizon. There was flashbacks to last years race when rain pounded the course all night long. Shortly after sunset the rains came. But this time the rain gods were merciful, and wetted the course with a perfect amount of moisture. I awoke Saturday morning to a clear sky and the smell of fresh rain on the desert. It was a fitting way to start the dawn of the 2006 race season.

Noon arrived, the shotgun went off and the lead racers were off and running. Some were off and walking. The race, and the race season was officially underway. Paul was our lead rider, and despite the tight singletrack, and the deadly cacti that tried to prevent any passing, was able to turn a very solid 1:05 lap, setting our team up very nicely for the afternoon battle for early positions.

Chris followed Paul with a sub 1 hour lap, and from there we were rolling. We got our first standings check around 4PM, we were holding 2nd place by about 30 minutes, and were down on the leaders by about 15 minutes. As the night fell we had gained some ground on the elusive lead team, closing the gap to 7 minutes by midnight. Our encroachment must have startled them because over the next couple of laps they gained those minutes back. However we had a solid lead over the third place team, and our focus moved toward holding 2nd, while still pursuing the leaders.

The sun rose on a beautiful desert horizon, and quickly warmed up the temperatures. It was a sign of things to come, for just as we thought we had a lock on 2nd, we were reminded that anything can and usually does happen in 24 Hour racing. Like the temperatures, the racing was about to heat up.

Chris went out at 7:20 AM. He had been our fastest rider, and we fully expected another solid lap from him at this time. When 8:20 rolled around we started watching for him on the fast single track descent that curled its way through camp. 8:30, then 8:40, then 8:50...no Chris. Finally at 9:10 we spotted him coming down the last stretch. A few minutes later when he returned to camp he explained what happened. 4 flat tires. His initial flat tire was unable to be repaired because the nozzle on the valve stem broke off inside his compressed air adapter.

He was out of air, and out of tubes. So he started asking for tubes and air as riders passed him. He got a couple tubes, 26ers that he was able to stretch around his 29er rim, but as soon as he'd get them inflated something would go wrong and air would fizzle out. Finally on his 4th try he got the tire inflated and sped around the rest of the loop. To whomever dropped tubes and air to Chris, thanks...you saved our podium spot.

Our hold on 2nd had shrunk to just 6 minutes. KC went out and put in a clutch 1:10 lap, and I followed that up with a 1:06. Boris set out at 11:30 as the 4 of us waited in the start/finish area for our pursuers to arrive. KC and I had upped the 6 minute lead to 13 minutes. As long as Boris rode a clean lap we knew that 2nd place was ours. It was with a sigh of relief that we cheered Boris into the final single track as he cranked out a 1:10 lap to clinch the spot on the podium.

We greeted the Russian back to our camp with cheers and congrats all around. We were very excited that 5 of us from snowy Utah had some "get up and go" in our legs and lungs in February. I can say that I have not felt as strong on the bike as I did this early in the season since...well...never. Perhaps the time in the basement, at the gym, and out in the cold is coming to fruition. I hope that the good vibes in my legs are a precursor of things to come later this summer.

To the promoters of the race, thanks for a great weekend. The course was fun and fast, and it was an interesting challenge to be dodging cactus rather than rocks or trees. I hope to return to the Senoran desert many more times for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.

Celebrating our good showing with a good dinner. LtoR: Boris, KC, Chris, Paul

A race recap will be posted Monday night after I return home. If you are going to OP look for the Mad Dog Cycles team. Drop by and say hello. Good luck to anyone heading to this, or any other race this weekend. Let's get it started!

Tomorrow evening I will head out to Tucson for the OP race. Of course I have mentioned that in several recent posts, so you may already know that. It is snowing outside. After a couple weeks of decent riding weather we are back to Winter. The forcast is calling for rain on Sunday in the Tucson area. It would be really kind of Mother Nature to hold that rain off until Monday. After Monday, it can rain for days and days in Arizona. I suppose that if the rain does hit us it will only make for better pictures, race recaps, crash stories, and as Dave mentions, a possible curse complex for the OP race promoter.

Tonight I need to get everything packed. Packing is never that much fun, but it is one of those things that has to be taken care of. I know one of these days, as I gather all the crap I need to take to 24 hour races that I will hit the road, and realize 3 hours from my house that I did not put the bike on the rack. Which reminds me that I need to install a flat bar, and some bar ends on my bike this evening. I want to see how it feels compared to the riser I have been running.

If you are an endurance racer, be sure and join in the conversation at Guitar Ted's blog about the history and the future of endurance racing. It is an interesting topic to speculate on, especially because right now endurance racing seems to be on the very edge of breaking out into a big money member of the racing family. Most events can be considered grassroots in that they are not sanctioned by any "governing body". Such an organization could be a good thing (an official world championships) and it could be a bad thing. I'd hate to see the relaxed atmosphere of most 24 hour events be replaced with the high stress points-mongering that you get at certain road and mountain races.

Regardless of any emergence of an organized governing body I believe there will be more and more races like the KTR. If the interest in the race is any indicator of the number of participants that will be at the line on May 13 then that race can expect to see 2-3 times the number of racers this year, compared to last.

There is no doubt that endurance racing is getting bigger and bigger. I am interested to see what G-Ted and fellow racers have to say on this topic. I am also interested to see how things play out in the next couple of years. Will 24 hour events see more and more people attending them, or will the no-hype, low entry fee, self supported epics grab some of the "market share"? What would an organization such as "The International Endurance Race Commitee" (or some other similar named group, preferably with a easily remembered acronym) do to the sport? Or, perhaps all this is crazy talk, and Enduro races are destined to be a fringe genre, only appealing to nutters who find pleasure in pain and suffering. Thoughts?

I had an easy spin tonight on the road bike with Keith. The last few rides I have felt pretty good. I think the stairmaster, the weight room, the trainer in the basement and all the cold outdoor rides are starting to pay off. I hope so. This weekend in Tucson will be a good indicator where my fitness level is. I am looking forward to the rush of racing, and the intensity that comes with it. I am glad to be on a 5 man team, but I am having twinges of envy when I think about those who are flying solo. No worries though. This upcoming season will provide many long hours of self-inflicted suffering on the bike. I can't wait.

Speaking of suffering. Guitar Ted recently posted a series discussing different handlebars. His posts got me thinking (dang it!) about my current set up. I run a standard carbon riser bar with Oury grips. The setup works fine, but it is very limited on hand positions. I think that having a few options as to where to rest my hands would go a long way in arm and upper body comfort. The Jones H-bar looks interesting, but costs a lot. I stumbled on to this MTBR thread with a picture of a Titec made H-Bar alternative. It is affordable, and might be a nice bar to try out. A simple change in hand position could lead to less suffering. And less suffering is a good thing.

The Trans Iowa boys need to install one of these for riders to refill at.
Keith heads down the road

Yesterday I had a "Utah Adventure". I did 50 miles in the morning on my road bike. But after that the "Utah" part of the adventure started. First it was a trip to Cabelas. That place has at least 2000 taxidermied animals, from elk to deer to moose to lions tigers and bears. There is a live fish aquarium, a shooting range and a grill where you can get meat from many of the types of animals on the walls. Oh, and there is also merchandise for sale.

After the Cabela's store, it was off to a Utah Blaze game. Arena Footbal is like Nascar, Pro Wresting and Hockey all thrown together to create a strange breed of football. It was pretty fun to watch. Final score, NY 84 Utah 81. New York scored a touchdown on every possesion they had. Utah nearly matched that. For some of you Mid westerners you might remember Ohio State Alumn Joe Germaine. He is the starting QB for the Blaze.

Anyway, that was my Saturday. This coming week will be focused on getting ready to head to Tucson for the first real racing action of 2006. I am looking forward to that.

Last night I did some nice intesity work on the stairmaster, followed by some weights. I saw a guy at the gym in a flesh colored speedo. Yeah. I hope to never see that again. Ever.

It was good, however, to get back to the gym and soak in the sensory overload of 15 TV's, Music blasting, tons of people on treadmills, elipticals and other hampster machines. It breaks up the mundane basement walls that I have been looking at latley. I am pretty certain I have used up most, if not all of my indooor training reservers. Hopefulley this afternoon I can get out on a ride. I need to get my lights out and cycle them a bit to get them ready for Old Pueblo. So perhaps some night rides are in order.

Our Mad Dog Cycles Team sponsors are almost finalized. Local Businesses include:

Mad Dog Cycles

4 Life Research

Summit Satellite

Stonehaven Dentistry

Signs By Tomorrow

Ishii Design

Sundance Resort

Industry Sponsors Include:

PowerBar

Maxxis Tires

Tifosi

Trek

Jeff Kerkove Posted today about using anti-oxidant drinks during racing and recovery. I have been using a drink called Riovida for the last year in my training. I have seen and felt the results of using this on a regular basis. There is some real merit to using this type of supplement. This year I plan on using it during events as well. Riovida is made by one of our 2006 Sponsors, 4Life Research. The best part about this drink? It tastes really good.

If you've been following my blog for the last few weeks then you know I have been researching different hydration packs. Well I now have a Wingnut pack on its way to me. I am going to have the privelage of helping Scott at Wingnut test one of his new packs. It is being called the 3.0X for now, and it is a pack that is slightly bigger in volume than the current Hyper 3.0 model. I am very excited to try out this pack. A big thanks to Scott for including me in his testing process. When I recieve the pack, look for pictures and details here.

"To the most beautiful moment in life, better than a deed, better than a memory, the moment... of anticipation!"
-Jacques the Bowler, The Simpsons

When I first began racing I would get so nervous the night before an event that I would have trouble eating and sleeping. It would all come to a head as I sat at the startline, my heart beating in my throat, the tension tight in my arms, waiting for the word... "go."

I feel a shade of that today. I am not having trouble sleeping, and certainly not having trouble eating. But the excitment, the anticipation that soon the temperatures will be warmer, the snow will be gone and the winter clothes will be packed away is mounting. Soon the sun will hang in the sky longer and sleeping in on Saturday will be a wintery memory.

"I will see you again...but not yet. Not yet!"
-Jubu, Gladiator

For now, it is still cold. There are yet more days in the basment on the trainer, or days at the gym on the stairmaster. But not so down deep I can hear the dirt under my tires and my chain whirring. I can feel the sweat sting my eyes and the ache in my legs that hours upon hours in the saddle will bring. I can feel the tension of the start line in the air and hear, faintly, the word "go".


But not yet. Not yet.

Saturday I had a nice ride through the valley on my road bike. I got just over 3 hours of saddle time. I met up with Chris and KC for a couple of those hours. The weather was decent although toward the evening the temps started to drop. This coming week the forcast calls for clear skies, but cold temps.

I have been thinking about different ways to gather ride data. There are power meters, HR monitors, speedometers, altimeters and odometers. The question is, what is the very best data to record? What computers are out there that do what? Is storing data at all just hype and overkill? Currently I keep a fairly basic training log. Miles (road bike only), HR data, calories, distance and speed. There are certain things that would be very cool to have handy. Such as fastest lap on every race course you've ever ridden, or longest climb in a single ride, or most altitude gained over a week long period, or average HR over a year.

Numbers like this could lead to better training, or they could just be interesting to go back and look at 3 years from now. Or 20 years from now. Each year I have a perception of how well I am doing. I look at training hours and race results and how I am feeling. This is a non-scientific approach. I just think to myself something like "well this week you rode for 12 hours, and you are feeling good, last week you placed 3rd in the XC race, you are having a good year so far..." I'd like to get more precise than that. What I mean is, I'd like to have data from years past, compare the numbers with what I am currently doing and track my fitness level/progress.

What kind of numbers do you record? Does it seem to benefit in the long run? What numbers have proven more useful than others? Do you keep numbers? Divulge your secrets!

This week has been all about taking it nice and easy. I guess you could call it a recovery week. I have just been doing slow spins on the trainer, or in today's case, I got outdoors on the 29er. My teeth hurt. An 8:30AM dentist appointment is never a good way to begin the day. Once the numbness wore off, the dull ache set in.

I am having serious gear lust over this. If it preforms as advertised, then it may be the end all of HR monitors/Cycling computers. It is not available yet, but when it is I will be keeping my ear to the ground for user reviews, feedback, etc.

Speaking of data, I was speaking of data wasn't I? Take a look at what Dave Harris has been up to. I am not going to pretend to understand what it means, but I do know that it translates to him enforcing a lot of pain on his competitors out on the trail. What ever it is you are doing Dave, keep on doing it.

GTed and Mr.24 are out on the town gravel this weekend mapping out the course for TI V2.0. That race will be a suffer fest any way you think of it. 300+ miles, the possibility of peanut buttery gravel, rain, snow, wind, stray cows and farmers. Not to mention guys like Mike Curiak dropping the hurt mallet on the field. One of these days I need to line it up there and find out if the Iowa corn is all it is cracked up to be.

There are 6 more weeks of winter according to Punxutawney Phil. Winter will probably last all year in PA if the Steelers lose on Sunday. I did my senior film theory paper on Groundhog Day. I think I may watch that film tonight while I spin the time away on the trainer. It would make sense to do so. Afterall, each day riding in the basement is the same as the last.

The weather this week has been wet and cold. I am getting weary of being wet and cold. But, if this summer I expect to actually compete in the races I have scheduled, then I have to not be tired of being wet and cold, or suck it up and learn to love the unfinished walls of my basement.

There is a saving grace. In less than 3 weeks I will be in sunny (let's hope so anyway, I have read about last year's OP race) and warm Tucson, AZ raging around Old Pueblo with 4 buddies at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. I am looking forward to riding on a team, and just putting down the hammer for a few laps. But I know I will feel a twinge of guilt/jealousy/relief/insertanotheremotionhere when I encounter the Solo riders. There is nothing quite like a 24 hour solo ride.

I went to the grocery store today. There is a full fledged sports drink war going on over there. And I hardly dare mention these. Is meat meant to be consumed like that?