Sunday, July 5, 2009

BreckEpic - Stage 1 Results

So I've waited 6 months for the BreckEpic and it's finally here... I can't believe it, all the hard work, the countless hours of training & preparation have all come down to this week. 6 days of back to back racing. I've never done a stage race so I'm anxious to see how I do over the course of this week.

Today was the prologue or the opening stage of the race. This was to be a 9 mile - 3,000' climb. The problem with today (in everyone's opinion) was the fact that the stage didn't start until 3PM... which here in Colorado is the prime thunderstorm window. True to form, the storms started at about 1:30PM, some lightening, fog and sheets of rain coming down.

I got staged to leave the timing tent at 3:44:30, each rider (or pair of riders) left at 30 second intervals en route to the 12,000' level on Mt Baldy. My friends and I arrived at Carter Park at about 2:45 in the cold rain. We were geared up for the worst.

Just before I started the climb, the rain quit, the sun came out and it got nice. By the time I topped out about 49 minutes later the rain had just started again... we really got lucky with the weather!

Unknown to us, the race director made the wise decision to cut the race short and stop it at about 11,100' on Baldy and keep people below tree line and hopefully out of harms way. We didn't know about this change until we were within about 1/4 mile of the revised finish line.

My friends Mike and Tim are racing as a team and pulled off 2nd place in the Men's Duo - 80+. The 80+ means that the sum of their ages is greater than 80.

I managed to secure 6th place out of 13 riders in Men's Solo 40+ but 2 of the riders Did Not Finish (DNF) so it looks like we are down to 11 in my field already. This showing isn't great against my competition but this short format doesn't suit my strengths of going long so I'm hopeful that through the week that I'll hang in there long enough to pick up a spot or two. This is a tough field of guys so I'm now hopeful that I can survive to Friday.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words

So it has often been said that a picture is worth a 1,000 words... I got a kick out of my most recent bike maintenance episode and thought of how funny things in my life really are. I have to laugh at myself.











The photo below is of the worn out Continental Tire, they named it the Slash. I have ridden this tire to the point that I think I've gotten my moneys worth out of it, it's become a racing slick with nobbies on the edges. For contrast the new Slash...













So I retired the old Slash, mounted a new Slash and had a (little) Slash... life really is funny.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Mt. Evans... Hill Climb

I've been wanting to do the Mount Evans ride for a long time and I've never driven up this way but I finally decided to go get some altitude training and get a good hill climb in on Mt. Evans. This mountain boasts the highest paved auto road in the nation. The parking lot at the top is at 14,130'. I started at the ranger station which is about 14 miles below. According to my altimeter I climbed about 3,500' over about 14 miles.





I used this ride to get some light power work in but my legs were feeling it from the day prior so I didn't push really hard (big gears). What I did do to keep this a bit more challenging was to ride my 575 mountain bike which weighs about 30#. It has nice 2.3" fat, nobie tires on it so I let out as much air as I dared to give me the greatest rolling resistance as I headed up the hill.



Now anyone who knows me or who follows this blog will know that I'm all about a challenge... so armed with my 575 with semi flat tires, I started up the hill with the intent of catching and passing road bike riders. My other goal was not to let anyone catch me or pass me.

I caught several roadies about 1/2 way to the summit. I got a kick out of one guy's reaction as I slowly passed him... we both said good morning and hello and as he got a look at my trusty 575... I heard him mudder... 'A mountain bike???!!!, you have to be kidding me!!!'.


It took me almost 2 hours to make the summit and about 45 minutes to come down. The road was covered with snow in spots up top and it was wicked windy and bitter cold, I'd guess it to be right around freezing. I didn't stay long up top, just long enough to take a couple of quick photos, put on a jacket and head down the hill to toward a pizza at Beajeaus in Idaho Springs!

If you are ever in the area, bring your bike... or just drive to the summit, it's worth the views!

Crosier Mountain - Climb and Descent

I'm now 2 full weeks out from the ERock race and I'm feeling pretty good, I feel like I'm recovered to about 85% of normal. Chad and I met in Loveland and head up towards Estes Park but we turn off towards Drake to do a ride on Crosier Mountain. Chad is familiar with this ride and has hiked it numerous times. This is my first time on this one.


As Chad described this ride I was a bit concerned that I'd have the legs and lungs for it. This thing is a very steep climb with little or no rest spots and it is quite technical. As we head up the trail I am reminded how Chad doesn't exaggerate, this is hard but I find myself having a ton of fun. The technical sections are very challenging but I'm clearing a lot of them and feeling very good about myself. Chad, always the technical guru is having an equally fun time.


The top of the climb is mostly unrideable so we carry and push our bikes up the last 1/2 mile so that we can get the super technical downhill on the way out. After checking out the views of Longs Peak and Estes Park we head down to the trail intersection and continue down a different trail than we came up. Chad hasn't ridden this one but he has hiked it and it in his words would be 'wicked technical'... again no overstatement.


We have a great time working our way down the trail, it's slow, requires balance, strength and stamina. Chad had one crash that I'm not luck enough to witness and a small tree took the brunt of his fall. After about 5 minutes and swallowing hard several times Chad is back on his bike and we are on our way again.


The total ride was only about 13 miles but the vertical gain and decent was a good solid work out. We can both feel it in our upper bodies, wrestling these bikes around takes it's toll. I am very surprised that I feel really good, I'm a bit worked in the legs but overall am pleased with how the body is doing.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Rest & Recovery... A long, slow road

Everyone knows what it feels like to over do it. We have all been sore from doing something in excess or something that we hadn't worked our way into. You know what it feels like... your muscles are sore, they ache and you are stiff. Typically you are sore for about 3 - 4 days, the second day is the worst and you improve a lot on day 3 and are back to 'normal' within about 4 days total.

Well, endurance athletes are no different than anyone else but we train our bodies to be able to go for very long periods of time and to recover from that and be able to do it all over again within a few days or even over night. What I'm referring to is the day to day recovery that we experience when we are training. What is very different is the fatigue and muscle tissue damage that occurs after a race effort like the 24 Hours of ERock.

I'm not sure that I can explain what it feels like to go through a recovery after a huge race like this one but I'll attempt to give you an idea of the ordeal that all of us go through. Immediately after finishing the race I drink a 'recovery drink'. This drink isn't a cold beer but it is a special blend of protein, electrolites and carbohydrates. The idea is that your body is most receptive to this perfect mix of nutrients within 30 minutes of stopping the activity. The body will use the protein to rebuild damaged muscle and the carbohydrates will help replenish the liver and cell glycogen stores.

I use the recovery drink after nearly every ride of any intensity or duration. I look forward to it and I can tell you that it is one of the best things that I have ever discovered to help improve day over day performance. After this race, I headed home to shower and eat and then to get some much needed sleep. Dinner consisted of 2 cans of plain tuna, pasta with a bit of cheese and garlic sprinkled on it along with some fruit. I like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, they are easy to eat and have lots of good stuff in them to help the body recover.

You may think that I'd have slept from 930pm until noon. I didn't and was up at 06oo after a fitful nights sleep. The body is still so amped up and isn't ready to shut down and rest properly. I'm careful to keep hydrating with plain water and I make a HUGE omelet type thing with broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, salsa, cheese and what ever else I can find to throw into it. I basically ate a full 12" skillet full of food and washed it down with about 1/2 gallon of coffee.

I then attempt to do my normal stretches which would take me about 15-20 minutes. I lay on the floor and it takes me 1.5 hrs to get this simple task done. I'm exhausted. At about 0930 I start eating again and I never really stop all day, it's a constant parade back and forth to the fridge and pantry.

According to my heart rate monitor I had burned about 16,000 calories during the race. I know that this is pretty accurate. I also know that I took in about 7 - 8,000 calories during the race. You can't replace calorie for calorie what you burn during exercise because you will bloat like a dead rodent on a hot road. Your body can only take about 1/3 of the calories that it is burning. The good news is that even the most fit athletes with the least amount of body fat still have fat reserves to go staggering distances so long as they are getting the supporting nutrition that will allow them to burn the fat and not canalize muscle tissue.

I'm sore but it isn't that 'normal' over use sore that I described above. It is a deep rooted fatigue and soreness that you can feel in your bones and in every fiber, ligament and joint. It isn't a debilitating soreness just a terrible fatigue.

So Sunday was basically a wasted day of eating and laying on the floor staring off into space. I did manage to unload my truck of most of the race gear and get things a bit sorted out and into the wash. I would normally do a 'recovery' ride which is simply a very low intensity spin while monitoring heart rate below 125 bpm but I opted not to do this and just to completely rest.

I head into see Dr Joel at Well Within Chiropractic for an adjustment and a post race battle damage assessment. I also had scheduled a massage of 1.5 hours with Alysia at Time to Heal Therapies. The outstanding work that these folks do makes my body be able to tolerate what my brain tries to force it to do. The massage really helps flush the body of all sorts of waste that has accumulated in it. The knots that she worked out were amazing and quite painful but I feel way better after they are both done with me.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all days off the bike. Each day I feel less bad and more like myself. The interesting thing is that I keep eating like mad. Every hour or so I'm eating something else. I always feel full but never satisfied, I can not get enough food into my system to satisfy my hunger.

Finally on Thursday I get back on the road bike for a 2 hour spin, low intensity, recovery. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all spent with about 2 hours on the bike trying to get the blood flowing but not tax the system in any way. I took Tuesday off. By now I'm feeling like I'm about to go mad from the lack of intense riding. I feel way better and am anxious to see just how well (or poorly) I've recovered.

So, on Wednesday I head out on the road bike for a 2:15 minute 'tempo' ride. This means that I'm aggressively pushing the bike but I'm not trying to power up hills at all, I keep the gearing low (easy) and keep the spin speed up. I ride about 46 miles and went through town twice but still averaged over 20 mph. I can feel the work in my legs and I'm concerned that I've done too much too soon.

Thursday I feel pretty good and I go out and basically repeat what I just did on Wednesday but I average about 18 mph (this was on purpose). Friday was another recovery ride of a bit over an hour, I feel like I'm back to about 85% of normal. I don't have the full leg strength it will take several more days to get that back to 100%.

During training I use heart rate on the bike as an indicator of exertion. I'm pretty good at managing heart rate and I've done this long enough that I can pretty much feel what range I'm in without looking at the HRM. The other key use for the heart rate monitor is to use it to measure recovery. I do this early in the morning before I get out of bed. My normal, fully rested, resting heart rate will range somewhere in the 42 bpm range. If your body is working to fight off a cold or some illness or to recover from exertion the heart rate will be higher.

On Friday morning my resting heart rate is 60bpm!! This was terrible but I was able to use the data to guide me to only do a light recovery ride this day.

So in summary, it took me 2 weeks to get back to about 85% of my normal bike strenght. I've eaten everything in sight, tried to sleep properly, stay hydrated and allow my body to recover it self from a 24 hour effort.

The next test of my 2 weeks of recovery will be Friday and Saturday, I've got some big climbs planned... stay tuned.

Monday, June 8, 2009

2009 - 24 Hours of ERock - Solo Race



First an apology... I have not done this race wrap-up nearly as quickly as I had hoped and I know that I've disappointed a lot of folks by not getting it done sooner... the reasons are numerous but the lack of a product is still the same.



The 2009 - 24 Hours of ERock mountain bike race is now in the books. The race started on Friday June 5 at 1830 and finished at 1830 on Saturday. All week and the weeks proceeding we had periodic heavy rain and severe weather. Everyone was relieved when the forecasted weather for the race was supposed to be good.
I set up my pit area at about 1300 on Friday afternoon. I was able to secure the same spot as last year which is conveniently located immediately next to the timing tent and just off the course. The course is a 'nothing spectacular' course. It starts on the old state road which is a mix of sand, and hard packed sand, it climbs 500' total and descends back to the start/finish. Each lap is 8.25 miles long and it is considered to be nontechnical (meaning no obstacles to negotiate or difficult climbs or descents).

I will say that the views are really tremendous, Pikes Peak being fully covered in snow against the green grass and trees is truly inspiring. Additionally, the wild flowers were in full bloom... really something to see.

This year would be different for me as I would have a crew to support me. Last year I was entirely on my own, it made a difficult race even more so. Chad his wife Kim, their two girls Leslie and Lynn along with Beth (Chad's sister) came from Fort Collins to support me. I have often said that solo racing is best done as a team and this proved to be true even more so this year.
The crew's job is to manage the affairs in the pit area. It is a wildly boring job of hurry up and wait followed by managing the rider and bike as he comes into the pit. Getting the rider to tell you what he needs can be very challenging especially as the hours drag on, the miles add up and exhaustion sets in. This is a statement of the obvious but the crew really must think for the rider, anticipate his needs and be ready for any issue no matter how trivial.

In addition to providing the rider with water, fuel, bike maintenance, clothing changes etc they gather and report valuable information on the number of laps turned, position of leading and challenging riders. They also gather very important information on what the other riders look like, are they fresh, worked, surviving, highly motivated etc. All of this plays into how the rider responds to the challenges on the course. The crew plays a critical roll in strategizing how the rider should respond, or not on the course.

The weather at the start of the race was great, probably around 70F with the typical breeze from the south. Breeze in this sense means a wind of (I'm guessing) probably 10-15 miles per hour. The air in Colorado is typically very dry and this day was no exception, I think that I could feel the moisture being pulled out of me. My lips were constantly dry, cracked and painful.

So my strategy was the same this year... start last, be consistent, ride my own race and never ever stop. I did sit down 3 times during the race, all 3 times were to make quick clothing changes of fresh socks and shorts and to remove leg warmers. Also, with the problems that I've had with my back over the last week I knew that if I stopped and cooled down even a little bit that I risked the back seizing up.

This point cannot be over emphasized, this latest back issue was terrible. Dr. Joel at Well Within Chiropractic had worked on me every day except Thursday this week. We also worked with Alysia from Time To Heal Therapies to help sort out the knotted mess created by my misalignment, over use and old trauma issues. Between Dr. Joel and Alysia they were able to get me pushed, pulled and rubbed back into shape enough to at least get me to the start line. After that I would be on my own except that Dr. Joel put himself on call for me should I need his assistance, he would come to the race with his portable table and do what he could to make my body go as long as possible.

Again, it takes a team to get a single racer to the start line and Dr. Joel and Alysia, I cannot overstate how much I appreciate your unwavering commitment, jumping through hoops and moving schedules around to accommodate me... simply saying thank you is just so inadequate.

After the race Dr. Joel made the comment that he didn't think that I'd ever make it to the start line. I know that the fact that I did make it to the start is a combination of his hard work and experience with my issues, me being in excellent condition, trying to get good rest, eating right and being very careful to ride no more than absolutely necessary during the few days prior to the start.

I had some personal goals this year... I eluded to having them in an earlier blog but would not state them to anyone before or during the race. First I wanted to match my performance from last year of 30 laps, second I wanted to make 33 laps and last but not least I wanted to win... decisively. I had sliced and diced last years data and I knew where I needed to improve. I knew what had worked in the past and from the experience of last year I felt like I knew how the race would go. These 24 hour solo races are so grueling that I must have very simple things to help keep me focused on the outcome. I had calculated what my average speed would need to be in order to turn 33 laps, I accounted for some time in the pit area and hoped that I would be able to hold it all together and come out OK. This simple data was affixed to my handle bars where I could focus on it and never wonder if I was thinking clearly... hey, its simple and that works for me.

The start of any race is always exciting and this one is no exception, I get really amped up and it's hard not to go as hard as possible. Self control is paramount, but it is really hard to have that will power when the gun goes off and the dust starts to fly.

So the first 8 hours went pretty well, I was fairly consistent on lap times although my first couple of laps were WAY too fast and my heart rate was WAY too high. Chad made such a huge difference in making sure that I had every little detail attended to. He had my lights ready to go at dusk, food, water clothing etc. It helps that he is a fellow racer and my 18 Hrs of Fruita team mate. Chad knows what is needed and when. It also helps that we have known each other for 21 years... he can read me and my body language and demeanor very well, we have been in some pretty difficult and challenging places together.

Chad had everything laid out for me for the next 5 or 6 hours and he headed off to get some sleep at my place in Castle Rock with his family. These hours between about 0200 and 0700 are the most difficult for me and probably for most people. Our bodies want to be sleeping, we don't want to be awake and certainly don't want to be pedaling a bike. This is where experience pays off, I knew that I'd be fighting the night demons so I came armed with a thermos of hot coffee, 2 bottles of Coke and an array of other food that I could never eat in a shorter race.

As soon as I started to feel that horrible pull of sleep deprivation and fatigue I started drinking a cup of coffee at each pit stop and I was careful to keep taking my endurolites, fuel and plenty of water.

The worst time for me is between about 0230 and 0700, if you have ever stood guard duty in the military, worked night shift or been up for extended periods of time you know the feeling. I'll have to say that this was the worst sleep fatigue that I'd ever felt in a race. I was having to dig really, really deep to keep moving forward. I'd concocted all sorts of things in my head to motivate me, I'm pretty good at forcing myself to keep going but I had to talk REALLY mean to myself for several hours to make this happen.

I thought that I was going to fall asleep on the bike on the fast decent and careen off into the weeds and crash. What a struggle! At exactly 0430 I began to hear the birds chirping, I thought that this was a good sign and I knew that if I could hold on for another hour that it would start to get light and I'd probably survive these lows.

The next HUGE help came from an angelic figure who materialized out of the darkness and refilled my thermos of coffee, thanks nkr, I owe you ;-) At about 0600 I was feeling like I was totally out of gas so I pulled out the secret weapon in the form of a sweet, syrupy, fizzy Coke. I'd never tried a Coke during a race but I thought that I needed some sugar and caffeine and this would hopefully do the trick. I learned this 'trick' from some super athletes who do these races and it works for them so I gave it a go as well.

Somewhere around 0700 Beth showed up in the pit area. What a welcome sight to have a smiling friendly face to help keep me motivated, fueled and moving forward. With daylight on us the long shadows were becoming shorter and everyone was feeling the surge of energy from the sun. The 1/4 bottle of Coke had kicked in and I knew that I'd overcome the demons of the night.

Before Chad left me around midnight he had told me that I was running in 3rd place, this had been very helpful, a morale booster for sure and a nice benchmark. Beth started to feed me information in the morning on where I was in the mix. Beth reported that I was in first place. At about 0500 I'd completed 16 laps, one better than last year for the same elapsed time.

I had been really worried about another rider from last year who was here again this year. He is young and very strong, I figured that he would give me a run for my money since I had beat him in the very last hour of the race last year. I was disappointed to learn that he was struggling this year, some sort of knee issue. I hate to see another athlete in bad shape like he was but this is racing and some times you are on your game an others you are off, it depends on a lot of things that are beyond your control.

As the hours kept dragging on my target average speed that was affixed to the bar became my point of fixation. I was able to keep focused on it and watch my average speed on my odometer and keep spinning the cranks. At some point I had entered my 'pain cave'... this is the mental place that I go to help me keep the nagging painful distractions from bothering me any more than possible. My pain cave was now full but it was working for me. My left hand had gone numb at some point, I couldn't get it to come back. I knew that I'd pinched the nerve in the wrist again. The special Ergon bar grips were working but not well enough to keep this nagging and very disturbing condition from occurring again.

The 'normal' aches and pains of a long race were starting to become issues. The left knee was bothering me again. It feels like someone has a screwdriver under the knee cap and is trying to pry it up like the lid on a paint can... that screw driver felt huge and I felt it at ever pedal stoke. My back was also bothering me but not as much as I'd expected... I very rarely got out of the saddle to stretch the legs because I didn't want to aggravate the back anymore than necessary.

Chad and Beth were outstanding... I'd come into the pit with 3 or 4 things that I'd need or want and then as soon as I stopped I couldn't recall any of them, it was like hitting a hard reset on my brain. They would run through their check list and they would get it sorted out. They were particularly good about making me drink all the water in my bottle before sending me out with a fresh one. They both know that dehydration is the first killer of performance so they kept me well hydrated when I couldn't think to do it on my own. They were also very good about pushing me to make sure that I was getting enough calories, it's a fine line to question the rider and get accurate answers but they were good at it and persistent.

Somewhere in the afternoon my crew told me that I was running in first by 2 but probably 3 laps... they couldn't be sure because it all depends on timing of when we entered and left the timing tent and how far back the second place rider was as well as when the results had been posted. I place a huge amount of pressure on myself but I felt that pressure subside a bit and I knew that I'd just have to be consistent and now could focus on meeting my lap goal rather than just focus on winning.

The afternoon winds began to really scream out of the south, in fact they were blowing so hard that I had to gear down to pedal down the slight incline on the last mile or so of the road... The pit tents were getting thrashed, many of them were taken down. Our pit tent was damaged in the fray so it had to be retired to the dump after the race. In the past I would have complained about the wind, but now I realize that everyone is dealing with the same thing so I just keep your head down, stay in the Pain Cave and keep hammering.

I came into the pit area at roughly lap 28 or 29 and was greeted by Dr. Joel, his wife and their two kids. I was so glad to see them, it is so awesome to have such great friends that take time from their day to come out and support me. Thanks guys! Your being there made a huge difference to me!!

I could now see the end of the race nearing. I was trying desperately to calculate how many laps I could turn given my state of exhaustion and given the time that I had left. I could see that there was no way that I could hit 33 laps but if I could hold it all together I could probably get 32. I had set the solo male course record last year of 30 laps and I was determined to reset it again this year.




When the end of the race finally came I had completed 32 laps in 23 hrs and 40 minutes... 264 miles total and I had 20 minutes left to spare. I'd beat the 2nd place rider by 3 laps. One would probably think that I'd be elated and over joyed at winning. Quite the opposite, it is actually very anti-climactic. There are no cheering crowds, no real excitement just a huge sense of relief that it was over. I shook hands with the second place rider, what a great guy Andy Fox is... a real class act and an incredible athlete.

I have a great friend and fellow racer who will be mad that I mention this but I found that I was disappointed with my performance in that I didn't meet my goal of 33 laps. I know that it sounds ridiculous and even as I write this I want to delete it and keep it to myself but I also want to make a point. The point is that had I spent just 1 minutes less on average in the pit area each lap it would have resulted in giving me an extra 52 minutes (20 mins + 32 mins lost in the pits) that I could have had to do another lap to meet my goal. Seconds and a handful of minutes do count when it comes to being able to meet your goals.

One of the single funniest and most succinct statements about this race and about the results were made by another racer who I talked with just after the finish. He was on a team and was waiting at the finish line for his teammate. He asked me how many laps I'd done, and in my exhausted haze I said that I thought it was about 32... he stared at me in disbelief and in a very dead pan voice said 'That's retarded'. We all got a good laugh but he is probably right.

So thanks again to everyone for your support!! PowerQuip, I couldn't do it without you. To my customers and friends for being supportive and encouraging even while shaking your heads and asking me 'why?'. To Dr Joel, and the staff at Well Within Chiropractic... without you this would NOT have been possible, you know it and I know it... thank you so much. To Alysia at Time to Heal Therapies for the great massage work.




A very special thanks to Chad, Kim, Beth and the kids for spending your whole weekend supporting my effort to win this race again. Solo racing IS best done as a team, thanks to everyone!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Gut Check

I've just had a real gut check. All of us are human, frail and subject to illness and injury. It doesn't matter how fit or unfit we are there is always a risk of injury or illness. Somethings could potentially be prevented, others can't.

I've had some great training rides this last week. Big ring climbing, excellent descending, road and mountain rides. I've spent time riding with people who are very talented and gifted athletes. To be able to swing a leg over the bike and to ride the same trails and roads with these folks is a great privilege to me.

My first gut check came when my friend and I were witness to a terrible auto accident that we think left someone dead. My friend's statement was so simple and clear... you never know, life is too short...

So the second gut check came this morning after my normal routine of getting coffee & breakfast and some light stretching. While I was sitting at my desk my lower right side of my back started to spasm and seized up. If you have had back problems you know what I'm talking about, it's the kind of pain that is absolutely debilitating. It takes your breath and won't allow you to sit, stand or walk, you are kind of frozen in place unable to move.

All I could think of is the 24 Hour Solo on Friday this week. I called Dr. Joel at Well Within Chiropractic, he got me in before he opened for his afternoon sessions. He carefully worked on me and gave me instructions of icing etc. I'll see him again tomorrow so I'm hopeful that he can get straightened out before Friday. If anyone can help me, it is Well Within Chiropractic. Thanks again to Dr. Joel and his excellent staff! I'll see you tomorrow.

Life is Short... Enjoy the Ride

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Count Down to the 24Hours of Erock Solo Race

It is Sunday morning May 31st and I am counting down to the start of the 24 Hours of ERock on Friday June 5th. The race will start at 18:30 on Friday and end at 18:30 on Saturday evening. I'll be riding this race solo again this year.

I have high expectations of myself for this race. I am also feeling the pressure of knowing that there are many interested people who will be watching and waiting to see the results of my efforts. Quite frankly I am a little nervous, I had great difficulty during last years race especially over night with the worst abdominal cramps that I've ever experienced on a bike. This course while beautiful and has views of Pikes Peak and the front range gets boring as you continue to turn more and more 8.25 mile laps.

Endurance racing is not only physical it also relies heavily on the mental toughness and commitment to pushing through difficult periods of pain, suffering and feelings of self doubt. I cannot tell anyone why any of us do these races I suppose, in part, that it is a sense of accomplishment of doing something that most people won't even consider. There is also an endorphin high that comes with participating in these long events.

Here are answers to some questions that I get asked frequently:

Why would you do something like this?
Answer: I can't easily answer that question... see above.

Doesn't your butt get sore?
Answer: It can and it will however with sufficient training you build up a tolerance to long hours in the saddle. Clothing selection plays a significant roll in how well or poorly the body tolerates the hours in the saddle. We all use special cycling shorts which have a built in pad that greatly helps in transporting moisture (sweat) away from the skin and helps cushion the sit bones of the pelvis from the saddle.

Do you ever stop? Do you get breaks?
Answer: This race is run through a pit area each 8.25 mile lap. I'll stop after each lap hopefully just for a few seconds to get another water bottle and more fuel. A racer may stop as much as they like but any time spent stopped is wasted. My strategy is 'never stop' which means I'll spend as little time as possible stationary. A slow lap is better than no lap.

What do you eat?
Answer: I'll use a blend of liquid fuel and electrolyte supplements from Hammer Nutrition. As the race progresses I will use some solid food like bananas, bagels, fruit, pretzels, sliced turkey, etc. I don't eat much solid food but it tastes good as the race progresses and helps me feel more satisfied than the liquid fuel does.

When do you eat?
I eat (or as we say, 'fuel') on the bike. I have small bottles called flasks which have my premixed liquid fuel in it. I'll also grab solid fuel like part of a bagel in my jersey pocket and eat it on the course.

Do you have a crew to support you?
Answer: My definition of a crew is a person or people who can think for you when you are in the pits. They will fix issues with the bike, tell you lap positions, help make strategy decisions, make sure you are eating and drinking and generally help you get back out on the course faster. Asking someone to give up essentially 1/2 of their weekend, stay up all night and sit around for 23 hours with little to do while they spend 1 hour actually 'working' is tough to do.

So for this race officially no however, the Well Within Chiropractic team of Dr Joel and his wife will be there for some time. I do have a friend(s) who are fellow racers who will check in on me from time to time. It is really nice to see a familiar face and a warm friendly smile when I enter my pit area.

What are the other racers like?
Answer: Mountain bike racers and riders are notoriously friendly and helpful. Often we are encouraging each other on the course. We will give out tubes when someone has a flat, tools, advice and help when another racer needs it. I can't tell you how nice it is to get passed by another rider who simply says 'Good job! Keep hammering!!'.

What happens if it rains?
Answer: It's a mixed bag, you race in the same conditions as everyone else. As I've written about in other blog entries, typically you just keep on riding. However, some races can get cancelled or delayed etc. I've had races stopped prematurely due to heavy rain, hail and lightening. The best you can do is be prepared for every type of weather and condition possible. This means everything from the bike setup to clothing choices.

Will you ride the same bike for the whole race?
Answer: Hopefully yes but this year I am very fortunate to have my Yeti 575 as a back up to my new full Carbon Yeti. I'll stage the 575 in my pit so if I have a problem with the Carbon bike I'll simply switch to the heavier bike.

How do you pace yourself?
Answer: I study the course, look at previous race results, look at my previous performance and make a call as to what I want my average time to be. Pacing is very difficult especially during the first couple of laps. I naturally want to go out hard but that expends too much energy so I have to go out slow and remain steady and consistent in my effort. I will also start at the very back of the pack during the race start which helps me keep a better pace.

How well do you expect to do during this years race?
Answer: I have some goals and expectations but they are personal for now and I won't discuss them until the race is done the dust settles.

I'll continue to answer questions as they come in...

Thanks again for everyone's support and encouragement. Thanks especially to the Well Within Chiropractic team of professionals, with out your skill and commitment I would never be able to toe the start line and perform at the level that I am capable of. Thanks to my partners at PowerQuip who support me and my customers with every aspect of our business. I am eternally greatful for the support of everyone for my riding and racing.

Life is Short... Enjoy the Ride