Sunday, December 13, 2015
Global Fat Bike Day Wisconsin
Had another great ride down at GFBD WI in Manitowoc. Bigger crowd this year than last year and fun. For me it was cool to run into an old coworker from the place I worked years ago. Ended up riding and chatting with him most of the day. Not sure what else to say. I guess I'll end with fatbikes are awesome.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
First couple rides on the fatty w/HED's
No real pictures or anything fantastic, but I've gotten a couple rides in now with the HED wheels. I'm not in peak shape at the moment but I sure can tell a difference with the huge difference in rotational weight. The tires are also ending up with a wider, squarer profile than they were with the 65mm wheels (the HEDs are 88mm). I'm getting more self-steer at the same pressure from the Knard 3.8's, I don't like that but still working it out. I fix that by raising the front pressure a bit but then I'm not soaking up the little stuff with these giant tires like I feel like I'm supposed to. I'm settling in around 7-8psi on my gauge in the front and it seems to be fine. Part of it is getting used to the bike again after a summer on the Scalpel or the CAADX.
I'm looking to swap over to the Dillinger 5's soon as soon as it looks like I'll be dealing with ice/cold. If that never comes I will probably still swap but pull the studs out of the tires - at the moment I'm just avoiding that work and leaving the lighter knards on the bike.
I haven't weighed the full bike but I think I've lost about 240g/wheel just in rim, then rim strips/tape were another amount. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost in total 1.5# while I gained almost 2cm of width of rim.
I'm looking to swap over to the Dillinger 5's soon as soon as it looks like I'll be dealing with ice/cold. If that never comes I will probably still swap but pull the studs out of the tires - at the moment I'm just avoiding that work and leaving the lighter knards on the bike.
I haven't weighed the full bike but I think I've lost about 240g/wheel just in rim, then rim strips/tape were another amount. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost in total 1.5# while I gained almost 2cm of width of rim.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
New wheels for the fatty!
New wheels for the fatty. Yippee. I can't wait to get out and ride them more than the half mile quick test loop I did Friday night. Mounted these up on the borealis hubs I've got for my Yampa.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Iceman Cometh 2015
Next up was a trip to Michigan for the Iceman Cometh mtb race in/around Traverse City. I'd not done this one before but with it's size and how it looked like a good way to wrap up the mtb season I thought I should give it a shot. I signed up way back in February I think, it's been a long while.
The race is point to point which is probably how I prefer to ride when possible, I like it more than loops of the same trail over and over. The Mt. Borah Epic is similar in length to this one and I really enjoy that as well. This one is about 30mi and a lot of double track with a bit of singletrack mixed in. None of it is really difficult or technical compared to other stuff, the challenge is pushing hard and going as fast as you can. For me, with rides only about 1x a week this year it was going to just be how fast I can go without cramping up and slowing down.
I decided to head over early enough to pre ride the final parts of the course, that is where there is some singletrack, and also the finish loops all over the place and back on itself so it was nice to know where the actual line was. I ran into Ken, Mike, and Chuck when heading for my preride so I had some company.
After the preride I ended up figuring out where I was going to sleep for the night. I'd come with a tent, a sleeping bag, and that's about it. I figured at worst I'd just go to the national forest and get out somewhere and set up camp or even camp in the truck. I ended up slightly better being in a State Forest campground only about 2.5mi from the Rasho Rd parking lot. It was pretty much shut down for the season, I was one of only 3 people in camp. I set up the tent then went to pick up my packet and check out the expo. I grabbed firewood from a local place on the way back to camp.
Sleeping outside was great - I usually sleep pretty well when I camp. The fresh air helps, and the fact that it was pitch black by about 7-8pm meant I went to bed earlier than normal. It was cool, about 25-30 overnight but with my gear I was fine.
In the morning, I got up, went to the parking lot, geared up (in the warm truck), and then got on the shuttle to Kaskala. It was a short wait for the shuttle then a 45min or so ride. It worked out well to go this way as the truck now was at the finish so whenever I was done I could leave reasonably quickly (plan was to get home to GB that evening).
I was in wave 31, as you can imaine, starting with 30 waves of 150? riders ahead of you, many of which have done the race before means there were a lot of people to pass. I am not crazy fast but I definitely don't anticipate being in wave 31 for my start next year as the people who were year 2 and beyond that were in my wave were not people I ever saw after the start. I don't know how these people ride with all this gear on - jackets, hoodies, etc. I was pretty hot in just an under armor and jersey over it.
The course was very fun actually, double track for most with rolling hills. Not incredibly wide in most parts so while there were two tracks there was typically a "good" line and a "bad" one that was less traveled and usually covered in leaves. I'd get into those when it was time for a pass but there were times where there were stuff in the "bad" line that I'd choose to wait a bit before passing. I found that I was must faster down the hills than most people and that more often than not people were walking up all of the hills where I was able to ride them all minus one. The hill I didn't ride was due to a wall of 4-5 people wide walking up the hill so there was no way to keep riding it. I instantly cramped up when I got off the bike so it was excruciating to not be pedaling. This is typical and I just know that if I want to get rid of the cramps I need to be back on the bike and running a higher cadence than typical to get ride of them. That worked and I was back in business.
I ran my 1x10 setup with a 11-36 rear and 32t in the front. I felt like that gearing was good for where I was at but a few of the tough climbs I wanted a shorter gear. That's typically where I feel I am with the 11-36 in the back. Short rides I just muscle up the tough stuff but as rides get longer pushing that taller 32-36 granny gear wears my legs down more than I'd like. I will probably want/need to do something different before any longer stuff with big climbs.
I finished the race in a time under my goal of 3hrs, I was at 2:37. Lots of room to get faster but I was very happy with where I was at in the end given my training.
At the finish I felt great - bike worked amazingly well and while I was pretty spent I felt OK. I needed some cookies and I then headed back to the truck to get moving along towards home.
On my way home I stopped in Petoskey at Beards Brewery. An old rally buddy and his friend started a brewery a few years ago and I'd never checked it out. It was great, awesome brews, really good to catch up with Ben. I really recommend that anybody in the area heads over there.
The race is point to point which is probably how I prefer to ride when possible, I like it more than loops of the same trail over and over. The Mt. Borah Epic is similar in length to this one and I really enjoy that as well. This one is about 30mi and a lot of double track with a bit of singletrack mixed in. None of it is really difficult or technical compared to other stuff, the challenge is pushing hard and going as fast as you can. For me, with rides only about 1x a week this year it was going to just be how fast I can go without cramping up and slowing down.
I decided to head over early enough to pre ride the final parts of the course, that is where there is some singletrack, and also the finish loops all over the place and back on itself so it was nice to know where the actual line was. I ran into Ken, Mike, and Chuck when heading for my preride so I had some company.
After the preride I ended up figuring out where I was going to sleep for the night. I'd come with a tent, a sleeping bag, and that's about it. I figured at worst I'd just go to the national forest and get out somewhere and set up camp or even camp in the truck. I ended up slightly better being in a State Forest campground only about 2.5mi from the Rasho Rd parking lot. It was pretty much shut down for the season, I was one of only 3 people in camp. I set up the tent then went to pick up my packet and check out the expo. I grabbed firewood from a local place on the way back to camp.
Sleeping outside was great - I usually sleep pretty well when I camp. The fresh air helps, and the fact that it was pitch black by about 7-8pm meant I went to bed earlier than normal. It was cool, about 25-30 overnight but with my gear I was fine.
In the morning, I got up, went to the parking lot, geared up (in the warm truck), and then got on the shuttle to Kaskala. It was a short wait for the shuttle then a 45min or so ride. It worked out well to go this way as the truck now was at the finish so whenever I was done I could leave reasonably quickly (plan was to get home to GB that evening).
I was in wave 31, as you can imaine, starting with 30 waves of 150? riders ahead of you, many of which have done the race before means there were a lot of people to pass. I am not crazy fast but I definitely don't anticipate being in wave 31 for my start next year as the people who were year 2 and beyond that were in my wave were not people I ever saw after the start. I don't know how these people ride with all this gear on - jackets, hoodies, etc. I was pretty hot in just an under armor and jersey over it.
The course was very fun actually, double track for most with rolling hills. Not incredibly wide in most parts so while there were two tracks there was typically a "good" line and a "bad" one that was less traveled and usually covered in leaves. I'd get into those when it was time for a pass but there were times where there were stuff in the "bad" line that I'd choose to wait a bit before passing. I found that I was must faster down the hills than most people and that more often than not people were walking up all of the hills where I was able to ride them all minus one. The hill I didn't ride was due to a wall of 4-5 people wide walking up the hill so there was no way to keep riding it. I instantly cramped up when I got off the bike so it was excruciating to not be pedaling. This is typical and I just know that if I want to get rid of the cramps I need to be back on the bike and running a higher cadence than typical to get ride of them. That worked and I was back in business.
I ran my 1x10 setup with a 11-36 rear and 32t in the front. I felt like that gearing was good for where I was at but a few of the tough climbs I wanted a shorter gear. That's typically where I feel I am with the 11-36 in the back. Short rides I just muscle up the tough stuff but as rides get longer pushing that taller 32-36 granny gear wears my legs down more than I'd like. I will probably want/need to do something different before any longer stuff with big climbs.
I finished the race in a time under my goal of 3hrs, I was at 2:37. Lots of room to get faster but I was very happy with where I was at in the end given my training.
At the finish I felt great - bike worked amazingly well and while I was pretty spent I felt OK. I needed some cookies and I then headed back to the truck to get moving along towards home.
On my way home I stopped in Petoskey at Beards Brewery. An old rally buddy and his friend started a brewery a few years ago and I'd never checked it out. It was great, awesome brews, really good to catch up with Ben. I really recommend that anybody in the area heads over there.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Powertap customer service is awesome
Hey, just wanted to give a quick update - the power meter is working again. I had some issues on a ride a few weeks ago where it all the sudden just stopped working. I tried new batteries, then tried another set of new batteries.
Got ahold of customer service (who were awesome by the way), and they sent a new battery cradle. Tried it out yesterday and it worked. Fantastic!
Got ahold of customer service (who were awesome by the way), and they sent a new battery cradle. Tried it out yesterday and it worked. Fantastic!
Day trip to Marquette
I'm way overdue on writing this report up, but I wanted to get the pictures shared and also while I was at it just spew what I did. What I'm talking about actually happened on Oct 30th. It's been a heck of a year at work and I've not had much time to de-stress myself, so I decided that I'd take a vacation day and head somewhere to ride. I'd done this one other time this year when I did a trip to the kettles, but I figured on doing somewhere different. I considered Levis Mound but then did math and for only 15min more I could make it to Marquette. Sorry Levis, you'll have to wait for another trip.
I decided on a Friday, waited for weather forecast to come in, then made the trip. I loaded up for an early departure (5am I think) and headed up. Until it was light out it was a heck of a trip - tired, questioning what the heck I was doing, etc. Then, the sun came up as I was driving through the UP and I started to get happy. Leaves were still changing, it was a beatiful day (but cold), and it was going to be great.
For bike, I brought the scalpel. Loaded it up with a dropper post borrowed from DR, a Thomson. I am eyeing them up and happened to mention it to him, he was nice enough to let me borrow it. I loved it but more on that another time.
I chose to ride Marquette south for a few reasons - one is I haven't ridden there in summer, and two was it was the best spot I felt to ride all day, tire myself out, and then head home with a great variety of terrain to mess around with. I had ridden some of the trails in the winter during the 906 Polar Roll - actually quite a bit of it once I figured that out.
Trails I took were Carp Eh Diem, then Pioneer Loop, then did some Benson climbing to Eh Line and back up to Down Dogger. After that I took a quick break at the truck then did some of the blue loop. That was pretty challenging with the rocky terrain and being covered by leaves for most of the trail, but it was absolutely beautiful. I got a bit goofed up on the loop there but it was fun. I did the Grom loop too.
All in all, it was about 20mi, 2,300' of climbing. Great day and a good warmup for Iceman for my legs which have really not ridden more than 1x per week all summer long. I'm obviously not as fit as I have been in the past but I'm trying when I do ride to get longer rides in to keep endurance there.
I decided on a Friday, waited for weather forecast to come in, then made the trip. I loaded up for an early departure (5am I think) and headed up. Until it was light out it was a heck of a trip - tired, questioning what the heck I was doing, etc. Then, the sun came up as I was driving through the UP and I started to get happy. Leaves were still changing, it was a beatiful day (but cold), and it was going to be great.
For bike, I brought the scalpel. Loaded it up with a dropper post borrowed from DR, a Thomson. I am eyeing them up and happened to mention it to him, he was nice enough to let me borrow it. I loved it but more on that another time.
I chose to ride Marquette south for a few reasons - one is I haven't ridden there in summer, and two was it was the best spot I felt to ride all day, tire myself out, and then head home with a great variety of terrain to mess around with. I had ridden some of the trails in the winter during the 906 Polar Roll - actually quite a bit of it once I figured that out.
Trails I took were Carp Eh Diem, then Pioneer Loop, then did some Benson climbing to Eh Line and back up to Down Dogger. After that I took a quick break at the truck then did some of the blue loop. That was pretty challenging with the rocky terrain and being covered by leaves for most of the trail, but it was absolutely beautiful. I got a bit goofed up on the loop there but it was fun. I did the Grom loop too.
All in all, it was about 20mi, 2,300' of climbing. Great day and a good warmup for Iceman for my legs which have really not ridden more than 1x per week all summer long. I'm obviously not as fit as I have been in the past but I'm trying when I do ride to get longer rides in to keep endurance there.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Hibernator 100
I should have done a better job capturing pictures from Saturday's ride, but I was too busy just enjoying the day on the bike.
I rode the 100k version of the Hibernator 100, based out of Laona, WI. Small gravel grinder ride put on by some locals. It was friggin fantastic.
The route was all gravel/dirt, forest road type roads. I chose to ride the scalpel - I hemmed and hawwed back and forth between the caadx with 35c Sammy Slicks and the Scalpel in normal MTB setup (2.25 Ardent Front and 2.1 Racing Ralph rear). I'm glad I chose what I did as the gravel was not super packed for most of the course. It would've been quite doable on the caadx but would have required a bit more concentration and line choice. I wanted to just go and ride.
The scalpel is a great bike. It's light, obviously I would've preferred at least a hardtail but with the lockout on for both shocks it was fine. Plenty comfortable for the 61mi I ended up with an no issues keeping up for speeds I was wanting to go.
I think for my next ride like this though I'm going to put some wider tires on the caadx. I'm thinking something in the 40-42c range would be great, probably I'd set them up tubeless also. I've gotta do some research on what tire size could fit in to my frame and then within that size what tires to choose. I found myself missing the extra hand positions the woodchipper bars would give me and the efficiency of the cross bike versus the FS 29er would be helpful.
Next up my plan is to just get as much time on the bike as I can the next few weeks. Iceman is in about a month and I want to be able to hammer as hard as I can for the whole 30mi. I don't know how well it'll go being in one of the later waves (my first Iceman) but I'm going to give it my best shot. That'll be another one to wonder about bike choice but I'm 95% sure I'll end up on the scalpel again.
I rode the 100k version of the Hibernator 100, based out of Laona, WI. Small gravel grinder ride put on by some locals. It was friggin fantastic.
The route was all gravel/dirt, forest road type roads. I chose to ride the scalpel - I hemmed and hawwed back and forth between the caadx with 35c Sammy Slicks and the Scalpel in normal MTB setup (2.25 Ardent Front and 2.1 Racing Ralph rear). I'm glad I chose what I did as the gravel was not super packed for most of the course. It would've been quite doable on the caadx but would have required a bit more concentration and line choice. I wanted to just go and ride.
The scalpel is a great bike. It's light, obviously I would've preferred at least a hardtail but with the lockout on for both shocks it was fine. Plenty comfortable for the 61mi I ended up with an no issues keeping up for speeds I was wanting to go.
I think for my next ride like this though I'm going to put some wider tires on the caadx. I'm thinking something in the 40-42c range would be great, probably I'd set them up tubeless also. I've gotta do some research on what tire size could fit in to my frame and then within that size what tires to choose. I found myself missing the extra hand positions the woodchipper bars would give me and the efficiency of the cross bike versus the FS 29er would be helpful.
Next up my plan is to just get as much time on the bike as I can the next few weeks. Iceman is in about a month and I want to be able to hammer as hard as I can for the whole 30mi. I don't know how well it'll go being in one of the later waves (my first Iceman) but I'm going to give it my best shot. That'll be another one to wonder about bike choice but I'm 95% sure I'll end up on the scalpel again.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Riding as therapy
For any of you that I know closely, you know work has been tough lately. It's been rough and time has been scarce to ride at all. I have been lucky to get out one day a week lately and when I do get out it's a squeeze. I was able to do one Friday night urban ride with a couple buds a couple weeks ago, then on Saturday I was fortunate enough to have Kris watch the kids so I could go on a ride down at the John Muir trails.
I haven't ridden down there for years, I was trying to figure out how long it's been and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it's probably been 10 years.
The trails were great. I got up super early to get on the road in time to ride and then drive back before dinner. I rode blue loop first, then came back and grabbed the fatbike for a loop on Orange then on Red(Brown?). After that, I exchanged the fatbike for the scalpel again, headed down the road to the Emma Carlin connector trail and rode that up and back. There was a race going on at Carlin so I didn't go around those loops, I'll save that for another trip.
It was one of those days where it's humid enough it feels like it could storm at any minute, but never does. It was wet - sticky, and hot enough for me. I left the trails pretty tired but mentally refreshed after a couple real ass kicker weeks at work.
What I need to do is keep finding ways to carve out that time to ride as it definitely lets me clear my head up quite a bit. Short rides help, trail rides help, commuting helps, anything. What I find is that riding a bike just does that for me. I just need to find more time to make that work out for me.
I haven't ridden down there for years, I was trying to figure out how long it's been and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it's probably been 10 years.
The trails were great. I got up super early to get on the road in time to ride and then drive back before dinner. I rode blue loop first, then came back and grabbed the fatbike for a loop on Orange then on Red(Brown?). After that, I exchanged the fatbike for the scalpel again, headed down the road to the Emma Carlin connector trail and rode that up and back. There was a race going on at Carlin so I didn't go around those loops, I'll save that for another trip.
It was one of those days where it's humid enough it feels like it could storm at any minute, but never does. It was wet - sticky, and hot enough for me. I left the trails pretty tired but mentally refreshed after a couple real ass kicker weeks at work.
What I need to do is keep finding ways to carve out that time to ride as it definitely lets me clear my head up quite a bit. Short rides help, trail rides help, commuting helps, anything. What I find is that riding a bike just does that for me. I just need to find more time to make that work out for me.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Red Earth Classic 2015
So, the last race I did was the Red Earth Classic, up in Negaunee, MI on July 18th. I had signed up for the "Beast" 32mi race but ended up swapping mid-week the week prior to the 20mi "Loader" race. Two reasons - one is I haven't trained a ton, and two is my family vacation the week prior meant the family was going to be waiting for me to race. Instead of doing a race starting at noon that would take 3-4 hours I did one starting at 10 that took <2ish (can't remember my time already).
The race was great, the start was in the same park that I remember being around/near for the Ore2Shore start a couple years ago, and started immediately up a big hill of two-track dirt atv trail. Not enough roll-out to get the pack separated enough unfortunately but I guess that's how it goes. Basically, about 50% of the climing in the race came in the first 5 miles on two track that honestly was not too fun. Then we started alternating between singletrack and doubletrack for the remainder of the race.
My race went well, I was mid-pack as I'd expected but felt pretty good. I was happy to have gotten out there. I think the singletrack was fun, a bit tighter and not a ton of flowy sections like I'd hope for but it was mostly OK.
The race was great, the start was in the same park that I remember being around/near for the Ore2Shore start a couple years ago, and started immediately up a big hill of two-track dirt atv trail. Not enough roll-out to get the pack separated enough unfortunately but I guess that's how it goes. Basically, about 50% of the climing in the race came in the first 5 miles on two track that honestly was not too fun. Then we started alternating between singletrack and doubletrack for the remainder of the race.
My race went well, I was mid-pack as I'd expected but felt pretty good. I was happy to have gotten out there. I think the singletrack was fun, a bit tighter and not a ton of flowy sections like I'd hope for but it was mostly OK.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Wow, I forgot to post a Mt. Borah Epic race report
I'll get back to that a bit later, I have been in a riding lull recently with a good ride about once per week happening. Some have been able to be a hair longer but mostly they are short one loop type rides. I've been happy to see my speed coming up but my endurance has obviously suffered from a lack of total time on the bike.
Next race is the Red Earth Classic on July 18th.
So many things to prep and get ready, I need to get to work on the bike, get some rides in, and on top of that the week of the race I'm up in the UP for vacation. I hope to ride some up there but I will have to see what I can pull off.
Next race is the Red Earth Classic on July 18th.
So many things to prep and get ready, I need to get to work on the bike, get some rides in, and on top of that the week of the race I'm up in the UP for vacation. I hope to ride some up there but I will have to see what I can pull off.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Race week!
So while I haven't been riding much the rides I have had have been faster than my historical. I am geared up for a fun Mt. Borah Epic on Saturday and while I am not certain I'll feel great the whole race (I probably won't) I am really excited to get out and see if I can beat last year's time.
Last year I did the race after a week-long binge in Canada (annual guys fishing trip). This year for a few reasons I didn't go on that trip. Even though I havent' trained as much as last year I feel like I may be better off considering how out of sorts I was during that race.
Bike is prepped, tonight I pack to get the family going to Duluth tomorrow. I'll drive down to Cable and back on Saturday so we can spend the weekend with the family in Duluth. Should be fun!
Last year I did the race after a week-long binge in Canada (annual guys fishing trip). This year for a few reasons I didn't go on that trip. Even though I havent' trained as much as last year I feel like I may be better off considering how out of sorts I was during that race.
Bike is prepped, tonight I pack to get the family going to Duluth tomorrow. I'll drive down to Cable and back on Saturday so we can spend the weekend with the family in Duluth. Should be fun!
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Holy smokes, only 2.5 weeks until Mt. Borah Epic!
Time has really gotten away from me, I have not done the training I was hoping to do, it's been a struggle to even get out once a week although I've been maintaining that lately at least.
I did a ride Sat to/from the camp with 2 laps there. It felt good and was nearly 40mi total. Distance is coming easy, I'm feeling good, not crazy fast by any means but I do think I'm faster than I was last year at this time, maybe not able to maintain for long distance like I was but faster anyhow.
I am hoping to get some good rides here in the next couple weeks prior to the race, I know I'm not in peak shape but it will just be fun to get out to the CAMBA system and ride the trails a bit. I am looking forward to getting back out there. I am planning on doing the weekend from Duluth, we'll go there Friday then race Sat, then come back Sunday. I'm tempted to take Monday off so I can ride more in Duluth when I'm there or spend more time with family, we'll see how that goes.
I would say for Grandma's Marathon weekend June 20th when I'm Duluth I'll be for sure bringing the scalpel and hope to ride while I'm there. It will probably be a zoo on the trails but they are just so damn fun it's hard to skip an opportunity to ride up there. I should try out Mission Creek as I haven't been there yet.
I did a ride Sat to/from the camp with 2 laps there. It felt good and was nearly 40mi total. Distance is coming easy, I'm feeling good, not crazy fast by any means but I do think I'm faster than I was last year at this time, maybe not able to maintain for long distance like I was but faster anyhow.
I am hoping to get some good rides here in the next couple weeks prior to the race, I know I'm not in peak shape but it will just be fun to get out to the CAMBA system and ride the trails a bit. I am looking forward to getting back out there. I am planning on doing the weekend from Duluth, we'll go there Friday then race Sat, then come back Sunday. I'm tempted to take Monday off so I can ride more in Duluth when I'm there or spend more time with family, we'll see how that goes.
I would say for Grandma's Marathon weekend June 20th when I'm Duluth I'll be for sure bringing the scalpel and hope to ride while I'm there. It will probably be a zoo on the trails but they are just so damn fun it's hard to skip an opportunity to ride up there. I should try out Mission Creek as I haven't been there yet.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Finding time to ride and a couple longer ones
Work has been crazy busy lately, we're going through a startup after some construction and those times are always hard. That's meant two things - riding time is scarce and energy is low, but the NEED for riding is high.
I'm super lucky that Kris understands that, so I've been able to sneak away the last 2 weekends one of the days in the morning for a longer ride. Two weeks ago I went Sunday morning to the Refo Camp and did 3 laps for a good 30ish miles of riding. The last of the 3 laps was semi-with the Broken Spoke guys, although they were on lap 1 and I on lap 3 so I only hung with them for about a mile.
This weekend I did a fun ride, rode from the house to Baird Creek (about 10mi) then did a lap, then home. It was super fun and the miles came pretty easy. Riding through town on a Saturday morning is pretty fun as it's quiet and there is lots to look at as you ride through the different neighborhoods. Riding home the town had waken up a bit so I didn't go back on the same busy roads I'd gone on to get there. The lap at Baird was unremarkable, I just tried to push up the hills but rode easy on the rest, figured that'd give me a semi-interval workout while I was there. Those trails are really fun, I prefer them to the camp but they're harder to get to so I end up at Camp a bit more often.
A bit of rambling, but the 42t conversion is working well, with exception of the 16t cog that came with it. That thing doesn't shift nearly as well as the Sram cogs do, I'm going to see about getting a 16t from the shop to swap in there, then we'll be solid. The 42t seems to function very well, just a bit more driveline noise than I'm used to is all. I don't want to ever spend all day in that gear but it's nice to have when I need it. Also, I've been riding the scalpel on singletrack lately with the lockout on, seems like the way to go unless it's very rough, I prefer the tighter handling I get that way.
Forgot to mention, Noah and I rode in between those rides to a school think for his Kindergarten next year. We had a massive crash about a block from home, we were riding in the neighborhood road, then Noah just blindly veered over in front of me. I did what I could to stop, but hit him and ended up going over my bars in order to not crush him. I think fortunately I took the brunt of the injuries.
I'm super lucky that Kris understands that, so I've been able to sneak away the last 2 weekends one of the days in the morning for a longer ride. Two weeks ago I went Sunday morning to the Refo Camp and did 3 laps for a good 30ish miles of riding. The last of the 3 laps was semi-with the Broken Spoke guys, although they were on lap 1 and I on lap 3 so I only hung with them for about a mile.
This weekend I did a fun ride, rode from the house to Baird Creek (about 10mi) then did a lap, then home. It was super fun and the miles came pretty easy. Riding through town on a Saturday morning is pretty fun as it's quiet and there is lots to look at as you ride through the different neighborhoods. Riding home the town had waken up a bit so I didn't go back on the same busy roads I'd gone on to get there. The lap at Baird was unremarkable, I just tried to push up the hills but rode easy on the rest, figured that'd give me a semi-interval workout while I was there. Those trails are really fun, I prefer them to the camp but they're harder to get to so I end up at Camp a bit more often.
A bit of rambling, but the 42t conversion is working well, with exception of the 16t cog that came with it. That thing doesn't shift nearly as well as the Sram cogs do, I'm going to see about getting a 16t from the shop to swap in there, then we'll be solid. The 42t seems to function very well, just a bit more driveline noise than I'm used to is all. I don't want to ever spend all day in that gear but it's nice to have when I need it. Also, I've been riding the scalpel on singletrack lately with the lockout on, seems like the way to go unless it's very rough, I prefer the tighter handling I get that way.
Forgot to mention, Noah and I rode in between those rides to a school think for his Kindergarten next year. We had a massive crash about a block from home, we were riding in the neighborhood road, then Noah just blindly veered over in front of me. I did what I could to stop, but hit him and ended up going over my bars in order to not crush him. I think fortunately I took the brunt of the injuries.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Hot lap, sick, then another lap
Last week Wednesday I finally got the bike out on dirt singletrack. It felt like it's been just too long!
I took the fatbike as my scalpel needed some love. I went to the Reforestation Camp, it always dries out faster than Baird's and it's a good place to run some baseline laps and get out there. It helps that it's only 10min from my house vs. 20min for Baird's.
Anyhow, the fatbike has always been and is fun for singletrack and it was fun to get out with the tubeless setup on summer tires on the bike. I ended up setting my fastest lap time for the green loop that I've done ever. I was kind of surprised as I didn't think I was really going fast enough to do that. As I got further into the ride though I knew it was a quicker lap than most I run so I tried to keep the pace up. It was a 54:3x lap which is good but my goal I think for this year is to get <50min. I think that's achievable but I need to really focus to do that. It is good to have a goal.
To get the Scalpel ready, I had to remount tires with new Stan's. I also took the chance to change out my cassette setup. Late last year I went to 1x10 with a 32t front ring and a 11-36 in the rear. I upgraded now so I've got a 42t bailout gear and added a 16t inbetween the 13 and 19 (I think). The goal there is to extend the cassette range a bit. After riding the XX1 setup all winter on the fatbike I knew I wanted more range than what I had.
So, went out yesterday for the first ride I've done in a long time on the Scalpel. It's so different from the fully rigid fatbike and has major advantages in some areas, but at the same time does not have advantages in others. For these local trails the full suspension is a waste, I can say I think the fastest I'd be is on a hardtail 29er with something like a 80-100mm front fork. When riding the fatbike I feel the bumps more (they aren't brutal) but any time the trail is rough downhill with turns I feel I give up a lot of speed. Those are the faster ones on the scalpel but it's hard to beat efficiency of a full rigid setup and the grip of the fatbike is great.
My lap yesterday was only about 25 sec slower than my lap last week. I was not really trying to be fast at the start of the lap so it was surprising to be in that range. I for sure am feeling the benefits of riding the fatbike all winter and also the power class. My legs feel significantly stronger than they did last year.
I took the fatbike as my scalpel needed some love. I went to the Reforestation Camp, it always dries out faster than Baird's and it's a good place to run some baseline laps and get out there. It helps that it's only 10min from my house vs. 20min for Baird's.
Anyhow, the fatbike has always been and is fun for singletrack and it was fun to get out with the tubeless setup on summer tires on the bike. I ended up setting my fastest lap time for the green loop that I've done ever. I was kind of surprised as I didn't think I was really going fast enough to do that. As I got further into the ride though I knew it was a quicker lap than most I run so I tried to keep the pace up. It was a 54:3x lap which is good but my goal I think for this year is to get <50min. I think that's achievable but I need to really focus to do that. It is good to have a goal.
To get the Scalpel ready, I had to remount tires with new Stan's. I also took the chance to change out my cassette setup. Late last year I went to 1x10 with a 32t front ring and a 11-36 in the rear. I upgraded now so I've got a 42t bailout gear and added a 16t inbetween the 13 and 19 (I think). The goal there is to extend the cassette range a bit. After riding the XX1 setup all winter on the fatbike I knew I wanted more range than what I had.
So, went out yesterday for the first ride I've done in a long time on the Scalpel. It's so different from the fully rigid fatbike and has major advantages in some areas, but at the same time does not have advantages in others. For these local trails the full suspension is a waste, I can say I think the fastest I'd be is on a hardtail 29er with something like a 80-100mm front fork. When riding the fatbike I feel the bumps more (they aren't brutal) but any time the trail is rough downhill with turns I feel I give up a lot of speed. Those are the faster ones on the scalpel but it's hard to beat efficiency of a full rigid setup and the grip of the fatbike is great.
My lap yesterday was only about 25 sec slower than my lap last week. I was not really trying to be fast at the start of the lap so it was surprising to be in that range. I for sure am feeling the benefits of riding the fatbike all winter and also the power class. My legs feel significantly stronger than they did last year.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
First real good week of outside riding
Sunday I did a ride on the Mountain Bay Trail, out/back with about 1hr out and a bit over that back. Ended up at about 33ish miles on the caadx. I love the new bars.
Last night I went mountain biking at Reforestation Camp, set a new PR for the green loop on the yampa which I was pretty excited about. That bike is fun but it beats me up a lot. I've gotta get the Scalpel all tuned up and ready to go for a bit more speed/comfort. It looks like my work over winter has paid off a lot.
Last night I went mountain biking at Reforestation Camp, set a new PR for the green loop on the yampa which I was pretty excited about. That bike is fun but it beats me up a lot. I've gotta get the Scalpel all tuned up and ready to go for a bit more speed/comfort. It looks like my work over winter has paid off a lot.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
New bars for the caadx and Gravel River Road Ride Report
First off, I have been wanting to try some different bars on my caadx. It's not that the ones on there are a problem, it's just they're the stock ones, don't seem to be exactly what I want, and I never use the drops because of the position they put me in. I am still new to a road bike and not really sure I'm doing any of this right anyway, but I want to be comfortable on the bike and have as many hand positions as possible.
Enter the Salsa Woodchipper - I saw these on a few bikes here and there and thought about them. Took the plunge last week and ordered a set of the widest ones (46cm). Got them mounted up Thursday night in anticipation of a group ride Sat (more on that in a sec).
Figuring out exactly where to mount the levers was a bit of a guessing game but I ended up OK, and this is my first time doing tape. George had some of this tape around in red which is the color I'd wanted anyway - it's Zipp CX something and I really like it. A bit more all weather than other tapes I've seen and nice and grippy and comfy. After only one ride I recommend it.
I got a chance to try the setup out on the Gravel River Road Ride Saturday. This was an informal, free ride put on by a local rider. I think this is the 2nd year and I would say there were somewhere like 30-40 people. Weather was a bit cool at 35ish degrees and it turned out pretty windy later in the day. We rode out of a park and ride near Manitowoc, then north to Denmark through a few different roads, then back on the Gravel River Trail (old rail trail). That part was the best, just cruising along.
I have never ridden in a big group ride like this before, I was surprised at how much different it was riding in a pack for overall speed and efficiency. I do not really love it, I prefer long, solo or small groups to big groups still but it is nice to have company. Obviously there are all different speed/capability levels in a group this size so it was pretty spread out by the end.
The ride was a blast, Eric did an awesome job of setting it up and keeping it low key, friendly. I will look to do this type of ride again in the future for sure. Idealy it'll be gravel though for most of it. People say I should try to do the Bear 100 as it's kind of like that but all gravel and nice and low key. I'm going to have to see if I can stretch family schedules to allow for that.
I was pretty happy with the bars on their maiden voyage. I was able to use more different hand positions, still prefering to be on the hoods mostly, but the drop portion of the bars are way more usable for me and much more comfortable. I'd worked on the truck Friday and had bruised my palms a bit (long story), so my hands were hurting by the end of the ride but not terrible. I think the combo of extra hand positions and new bar tape helped a lot.
Hoping to get out on singletrack soon...
Enter the Salsa Woodchipper - I saw these on a few bikes here and there and thought about them. Took the plunge last week and ordered a set of the widest ones (46cm). Got them mounted up Thursday night in anticipation of a group ride Sat (more on that in a sec).
Figuring out exactly where to mount the levers was a bit of a guessing game but I ended up OK, and this is my first time doing tape. George had some of this tape around in red which is the color I'd wanted anyway - it's Zipp CX something and I really like it. A bit more all weather than other tapes I've seen and nice and grippy and comfy. After only one ride I recommend it.
I got a chance to try the setup out on the Gravel River Road Ride Saturday. This was an informal, free ride put on by a local rider. I think this is the 2nd year and I would say there were somewhere like 30-40 people. Weather was a bit cool at 35ish degrees and it turned out pretty windy later in the day. We rode out of a park and ride near Manitowoc, then north to Denmark through a few different roads, then back on the Gravel River Trail (old rail trail). That part was the best, just cruising along.
I have never ridden in a big group ride like this before, I was surprised at how much different it was riding in a pack for overall speed and efficiency. I do not really love it, I prefer long, solo or small groups to big groups still but it is nice to have company. Obviously there are all different speed/capability levels in a group this size so it was pretty spread out by the end.
The ride was a blast, Eric did an awesome job of setting it up and keeping it low key, friendly. I will look to do this type of ride again in the future for sure. Idealy it'll be gravel though for most of it. People say I should try to do the Bear 100 as it's kind of like that but all gravel and nice and low key. I'm going to have to see if I can stretch family schedules to allow for that.
I was pretty happy with the bars on their maiden voyage. I was able to use more different hand positions, still prefering to be on the hoods mostly, but the drop portion of the bars are way more usable for me and much more comfortable. I'd worked on the truck Friday and had bruised my palms a bit (long story), so my hands were hurting by the end of the ride but not terrible. I think the combo of extra hand positions and new bar tape helped a lot.
Hoping to get out on singletrack soon...
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Training mode
Now I'm onto the time with no more power class to keep me in line. I've got a schedule of races set this year that I need to keep in shape for, we'll see how much my training can do. I am thinking that 3-4x a week will be a good solid goal, adding on for any commuting I can do (hey, at least it's some base miles :) )
I'm now registered for:
Mt. Borah Epic
Red Earth Classic
Iceman Cometh
Planning on the Ore 2 Shore but I need to register, and probably have room for a few other rides here.
I'm looking now for some gravel 40-60mi rides this spring to do on the cx bike for fun. Maybe Cheesehead Roubaix or some others?
I'm now registered for:
Mt. Borah Epic
Red Earth Classic
Iceman Cometh
Planning on the Ore 2 Shore but I need to register, and probably have room for a few other rides here.
I'm looking now for some gravel 40-60mi rides this spring to do on the cx bike for fun. Maybe Cheesehead Roubaix or some others?
Friday, March 13, 2015
Fat Bike Birkie Report
Again I'm a bit delinquent for writing any sort of recap of the race I did, this time though I'm less than a week behind. It's been busy this week with a work trip to Chicago for some training.
The birkie was awesome. I knew from the day I got my fatbike, or even before I'd gotten my fatbike that I was 100% for sure doing this race, no matter what it took. I've skiied the birkie a couple times and I wanted to get back on the trail. For the people reading this, the race is similar but not 100% the same. The long race (47k) races out to OO on the Birkie trail then turns around and heads back to Telemark on the Birkie Classic Trail. The first thing you figure out is how relentless the hills are, it was very fun and very tough.
I have been training pretty hard with my power class but not been able to do a ton of other riding overall, so I knew I could push hard but was not expecting anything great. I was hoping for <3hrs but thought if I had a "good" race I could do 2:45 or less based on how other things have gone.
I lined up and started further up in the start grid than I would've in the past, I was towards the back of the "going for it" grid which was supposed to be 2:15-2:45. Figured I'd want to be up there to avoid getting stuck behind people aiming for slower times. I think where I lined up ended up being pretty good though I did not finish in <2:45.
The race was a blur of down one hill then up the next. Shift up 5 gears to get momentum down then try to hammer up the next hill, all while trying to not blow up. I so far this year have decided that while I'll use HR for training I am not going to pay attention to it while racing and just go on "feel". I don't want to artificially slow down because of a HR number flashing at me on the gps. I do still wear it because I like seeing what zones I was able to maintain and for how long.
I started out feeling pretty good, was doing gels and water here and there. I was not feeling incredibly strong though. About halfway through the race I ended up pacing fairly well with Ross from my team, that was fun to ride with him as I don't think we've ever ridden together before.
Race went fine, just pushing, eating gel, drinking water, but I ended up cramping pretty badly. Looking back I don't think I was getting enough hydration during the race. Going up steep prolonged hills was getting very painful and when I finally got off to walk up one about 5mi from the finish my left leg locked up. I got back on the bike at the top but the next couple miles were really bad until the cramps went away. From there I just tried to stay on the bike at high cadence, the cramps went away but I was not able to push any harder as the cramps returned then.
Course wise I think next year I could easily run a 4" tire for less rotating weight, it was nice and firm and even with warm conditions it was not bad. I just got in the rut and rode out as much as I could there as the track was nicely packed down and faster than if you were out of the rut.
Finish wise, I got in at 2:55, less than my goal but not as good as I'd really hoped I could do. I know there is some good room to improve for next year. It was fun to see/hang with the Broken Spoke guys before/after a bit but I headed home just about immediately so I could make it in time to see the kids before bed (I did make it).
The birkie was awesome. I knew from the day I got my fatbike, or even before I'd gotten my fatbike that I was 100% for sure doing this race, no matter what it took. I've skiied the birkie a couple times and I wanted to get back on the trail. For the people reading this, the race is similar but not 100% the same. The long race (47k) races out to OO on the Birkie trail then turns around and heads back to Telemark on the Birkie Classic Trail. The first thing you figure out is how relentless the hills are, it was very fun and very tough.
I have been training pretty hard with my power class but not been able to do a ton of other riding overall, so I knew I could push hard but was not expecting anything great. I was hoping for <3hrs but thought if I had a "good" race I could do 2:45 or less based on how other things have gone.
I lined up and started further up in the start grid than I would've in the past, I was towards the back of the "going for it" grid which was supposed to be 2:15-2:45. Figured I'd want to be up there to avoid getting stuck behind people aiming for slower times. I think where I lined up ended up being pretty good though I did not finish in <2:45.
The race was a blur of down one hill then up the next. Shift up 5 gears to get momentum down then try to hammer up the next hill, all while trying to not blow up. I so far this year have decided that while I'll use HR for training I am not going to pay attention to it while racing and just go on "feel". I don't want to artificially slow down because of a HR number flashing at me on the gps. I do still wear it because I like seeing what zones I was able to maintain and for how long.
I started out feeling pretty good, was doing gels and water here and there. I was not feeling incredibly strong though. About halfway through the race I ended up pacing fairly well with Ross from my team, that was fun to ride with him as I don't think we've ever ridden together before.
Race went fine, just pushing, eating gel, drinking water, but I ended up cramping pretty badly. Looking back I don't think I was getting enough hydration during the race. Going up steep prolonged hills was getting very painful and when I finally got off to walk up one about 5mi from the finish my left leg locked up. I got back on the bike at the top but the next couple miles were really bad until the cramps went away. From there I just tried to stay on the bike at high cadence, the cramps went away but I was not able to push any harder as the cramps returned then.
Course wise I think next year I could easily run a 4" tire for less rotating weight, it was nice and firm and even with warm conditions it was not bad. I just got in the rut and rode out as much as I could there as the track was nicely packed down and faster than if you were out of the rut.
Finish wise, I got in at 2:55, less than my goal but not as good as I'd really hoped I could do. I know there is some good room to improve for next year. It was fun to see/hang with the Broken Spoke guys before/after a bit but I headed home just about immediately so I could make it in time to see the kids before bed (I did make it).
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Forgot to do my race report - 906 Polar Roll, Marquette, MI, 2/21/15
I've just realized today I didn't do an update about the race. Forgot totally.
It was a blast, mostly. I got into Marquette lateish on Friday, but in time to pick up my packet. I'd given up beer for the week of the race so I didn't grab a beer at Blackrocks that night. It was hopping though. I drove over to my hotel - it was in Ishpeming so I was close to the race start. It was at the Wonderlands Inn. Not a fancy place but cheap and clean, got the job done. Just a quick review, it's the kind of place you can go for a mtb race or whatever, like one step up from a tent at a state park, but probably not where I'd take the wife/kids.
Anyhow, on to race day. Start was at 10am so there was plenty of time to relax in the morning and get set. I was one of just under 100 people doing the long race, I think just under 200 did the short. I got set at Ishpeming High School and settled in to my pre-race stuff. I don't have this all dialed in yet for fatbike races, but it worked out. What I really struggle with is what to wear (like a girl) and also what to bring to eat/drink. Also tire pressures is a struggle for me with my lack of experience on the fatty.
I settled in on what I'd call "lighter" gear as I figured I'd be pushing and the temps were in the high teens to low 20's for most of the race. I used my frame bag and had spare tube/tools/pump and a couple snacks, along with my water bottle. The bag worked flawlessly.
Race started - we were off following the Red Bull truck to the trail. Instantly I could tell I had too much pressure but I tried to fight through. Ended up stopping about 2mi in to drop pressure, then again a few miles later. I ended up riding with that amount of pressure the whole race until almost the finish. More on that later, but my starting point was 7psi front and 8psi rear. I think I ended much lower, like 5 or less front and 5-6 rear.
The trails were made up of two singletrack loops separated by some snowmobile trail (open for sleds). The first section of singletrack was the one by Ishpeming, I think called the SBT. It was fantastic, in pretty good shape overall. I loved the trails, really fun, groomed well, and except for the parts that I could tell were not the "normal" trail. People complained about the hills but I did not find them to be that bad.
The snowmobile trail (Heritage Trail I think) inbetween the two singletrack sections was fine - nothing really notable but still very gorgeous and a good ride. It was nice to get some speed in after the slower singletrack.
The second set of singletrack (the SBR) was pretty bad. The long course here overlapped with where the short course had already run so the trails were incredibly chewed up and soft. Anywhere there was an uphill, people had walked and that made it nearly impossible to keep pedaling. The majority of this loop was spent trying to maintain the bike in a 6" wide rut with 5" wide tires that had in general too much pressure to ride right. I didn't go lower as I didnt feel it would help much.
The culmination of crappy trail conditions was the section coming down near the last aid station, including the part along the ski hill. It was just so damn soft and with 20+ miles of fatigue it was very hard to stay on the bike with any sort of speed/grace. I made it through but much slower than I'd wanted to. The last section into town was easy and welcome considering the crap I'd been through. The "technical" line they set up was much too easy, I would've loved to see some real difficulty there.
I ended up finishing the course in about 4:45. I was bummed as I'd saved some energy for the second singletrack section so I could push but ended up not being able to use it due to the snow conditions. I felt good when I could pedal, the power class must be helping because hills were not so bad as I thought they would be. I was consistently reeling people in in the parts where I could pedal, I was only passed by one guy after a crash once we settled in to the race, other than that I was passing people.
Looking forward to the Fatbike Birkie this weekend, I have a few learnings. I'm going to go much lighter on the bike/gear and rely on aid stations a bit heavier. I will still carry a tube/tools/air and water, but other than that that will be in. I'm not expecting to finish first or anything but would like to continue to work my way up towards the earlier parts of the pack. Id say I like to finish in the top 1/3rd of the finishers, haven't really settled that yet though. I plan on grinding it out and really pushing hard, I want to give it all and see how well I can do.
It was a blast, mostly. I got into Marquette lateish on Friday, but in time to pick up my packet. I'd given up beer for the week of the race so I didn't grab a beer at Blackrocks that night. It was hopping though. I drove over to my hotel - it was in Ishpeming so I was close to the race start. It was at the Wonderlands Inn. Not a fancy place but cheap and clean, got the job done. Just a quick review, it's the kind of place you can go for a mtb race or whatever, like one step up from a tent at a state park, but probably not where I'd take the wife/kids.
Anyhow, on to race day. Start was at 10am so there was plenty of time to relax in the morning and get set. I was one of just under 100 people doing the long race, I think just under 200 did the short. I got set at Ishpeming High School and settled in to my pre-race stuff. I don't have this all dialed in yet for fatbike races, but it worked out. What I really struggle with is what to wear (like a girl) and also what to bring to eat/drink. Also tire pressures is a struggle for me with my lack of experience on the fatty.
I settled in on what I'd call "lighter" gear as I figured I'd be pushing and the temps were in the high teens to low 20's for most of the race. I used my frame bag and had spare tube/tools/pump and a couple snacks, along with my water bottle. The bag worked flawlessly.
Race started - we were off following the Red Bull truck to the trail. Instantly I could tell I had too much pressure but I tried to fight through. Ended up stopping about 2mi in to drop pressure, then again a few miles later. I ended up riding with that amount of pressure the whole race until almost the finish. More on that later, but my starting point was 7psi front and 8psi rear. I think I ended much lower, like 5 or less front and 5-6 rear.
The trails were made up of two singletrack loops separated by some snowmobile trail (open for sleds). The first section of singletrack was the one by Ishpeming, I think called the SBT. It was fantastic, in pretty good shape overall. I loved the trails, really fun, groomed well, and except for the parts that I could tell were not the "normal" trail. People complained about the hills but I did not find them to be that bad.
The snowmobile trail (Heritage Trail I think) inbetween the two singletrack sections was fine - nothing really notable but still very gorgeous and a good ride. It was nice to get some speed in after the slower singletrack.
The second set of singletrack (the SBR) was pretty bad. The long course here overlapped with where the short course had already run so the trails were incredibly chewed up and soft. Anywhere there was an uphill, people had walked and that made it nearly impossible to keep pedaling. The majority of this loop was spent trying to maintain the bike in a 6" wide rut with 5" wide tires that had in general too much pressure to ride right. I didn't go lower as I didnt feel it would help much.
The culmination of crappy trail conditions was the section coming down near the last aid station, including the part along the ski hill. It was just so damn soft and with 20+ miles of fatigue it was very hard to stay on the bike with any sort of speed/grace. I made it through but much slower than I'd wanted to. The last section into town was easy and welcome considering the crap I'd been through. The "technical" line they set up was much too easy, I would've loved to see some real difficulty there.
I ended up finishing the course in about 4:45. I was bummed as I'd saved some energy for the second singletrack section so I could push but ended up not being able to use it due to the snow conditions. I felt good when I could pedal, the power class must be helping because hills were not so bad as I thought they would be. I was consistently reeling people in in the parts where I could pedal, I was only passed by one guy after a crash once we settled in to the race, other than that I was passing people.
Looking forward to the Fatbike Birkie this weekend, I have a few learnings. I'm going to go much lighter on the bike/gear and rely on aid stations a bit heavier. I will still carry a tube/tools/air and water, but other than that that will be in. I'm not expecting to finish first or anything but would like to continue to work my way up towards the earlier parts of the pack. Id say I like to finish in the top 1/3rd of the finishers, haven't really settled that yet though. I plan on grinding it out and really pushing hard, I want to give it all and see how well I can do.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Nervous before the race
Monday's power class went well - no flats! It was a good hard workout which was nice.
I've not ridden this week (per normal scheduling conflicts), I have been getting ready for the race this weekend. I was pretty nervous yesterday but seem to be better now that I've packed a bit and have gear lined up. Normal to be nervous for the race a few days before. I have everything all packed and set now, weather is looking like it'll be good (15-18 and maybe some snow showers).
Here's how the packing came together last night:
Water I think I will run one big bottle in my jersey pocket, easy to get at and should stay warm enough there. There are aid stations along the way to refill at. For spares/tools I've got 2 tubes for spares (I thought about 1 but an extra is not heavy and I'd rather be able to fix a 2nd flat/tubeless issue and finish than DNF), one Big Air co2 canister and my mini pump, multitool.
As of now I think I will wear my bar mitts. I know my hands will be sweaty if I do that (they still sweat down to -5 in those). I also don't like them for singletrack and the race is about half singletrack. Game time decision there. I'm more thinking about the length of time I'll be out there and in hour 2-3+ when fatigue is setting in I don't want to worry about cold hands.
For food I'm doing my normal endurance stuff - powerbar prior to race, powergels during (strawberry banana), water. I will have a honey stinger waffle or two with me and I think I will bring a small bag of beef jerkey with me in case i want something more solid (that's a new one). I don't think I could stomach that in the hot summer but it really sounds good when it's cold out.
I've not ridden this week (per normal scheduling conflicts), I have been getting ready for the race this weekend. I was pretty nervous yesterday but seem to be better now that I've packed a bit and have gear lined up. Normal to be nervous for the race a few days before. I have everything all packed and set now, weather is looking like it'll be good (15-18 and maybe some snow showers).
Here's how the packing came together last night:
Water I think I will run one big bottle in my jersey pocket, easy to get at and should stay warm enough there. There are aid stations along the way to refill at. For spares/tools I've got 2 tubes for spares (I thought about 1 but an extra is not heavy and I'd rather be able to fix a 2nd flat/tubeless issue and finish than DNF), one Big Air co2 canister and my mini pump, multitool.
As of now I think I will wear my bar mitts. I know my hands will be sweaty if I do that (they still sweat down to -5 in those). I also don't like them for singletrack and the race is about half singletrack. Game time decision there. I'm more thinking about the length of time I'll be out there and in hour 2-3+ when fatigue is setting in I don't want to worry about cold hands.
For food I'm doing my normal endurance stuff - powerbar prior to race, powergels during (strawberry banana), water. I will have a honey stinger waffle or two with me and I think I will bring a small bag of beef jerkey with me in case i want something more solid (that's a new one). I don't think I could stomach that in the hot summer but it really sounds good when it's cold out.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Exploring Duck Creek
So yesterday's ride was kind of what I love about the fatbike. I did Disney on Ice with Aly in the afternoon then snuck out for a quick ride. Quick being 2hrs. Kris is awesome and watch the kids so I could go not after dark.
Friends have been talking about Duck Creek for a while, it's about 3mi from my house so I just hopped on the bike and rode there. It was cool. Great spot to do training and really a lot less flat/boring then I thought. Lots of curves in the river, lots to look at, great wind cover, generally snowmobile trails to follow, and some little jumps up/down the banks to play on too. I had a good time but really didn't explore a crazy amount of it. I wanted to ride from FF to Overland but came up a bit short of Overland Rd. Cole says west of Overland is even better so we'll see. I may load the bike up and drive there next time so I can maximize time on the river (it's probably 5mi away?). Maybe not though, it's fun to ride the roads too on this thing, it's just fun all over.
I'm excited for my race Saturday but at the same time not excited - 35mi on a fatbike could be as easy as 35mi on a mtb or could be absolute hell depending on weather. For example, I averaged about 7-8mph on the river yesterday on mostly snowmobile tracks, but I can ride the same if not slightly faster on singletrack here in town. On packed trails (non-singletrack) I could anticipate some averages up to 13-15mph. We'll see. I've been training a bit anyway and feel stronger than I did last year - less overall endurance but more power I think.
The other thing I have a bad feeling about for no good reason is my tubeless setup. I'm really hoping it holds up for the race, it's been good so far but I have not pushed it at race pace or that distance yet.
One thing I am certain of - if I keep this up it's going to be very fast come skinny tire mtb season. I'm already super excited to get out on the Scalpel and I'm probably about 2 months away. I think I will ride with the rear lockout engaged a lot this year.
On a semi-related note my ability to wheelie is much improved.
Friends have been talking about Duck Creek for a while, it's about 3mi from my house so I just hopped on the bike and rode there. It was cool. Great spot to do training and really a lot less flat/boring then I thought. Lots of curves in the river, lots to look at, great wind cover, generally snowmobile trails to follow, and some little jumps up/down the banks to play on too. I had a good time but really didn't explore a crazy amount of it. I wanted to ride from FF to Overland but came up a bit short of Overland Rd. Cole says west of Overland is even better so we'll see. I may load the bike up and drive there next time so I can maximize time on the river (it's probably 5mi away?). Maybe not though, it's fun to ride the roads too on this thing, it's just fun all over.
I'm excited for my race Saturday but at the same time not excited - 35mi on a fatbike could be as easy as 35mi on a mtb or could be absolute hell depending on weather. For example, I averaged about 7-8mph on the river yesterday on mostly snowmobile tracks, but I can ride the same if not slightly faster on singletrack here in town. On packed trails (non-singletrack) I could anticipate some averages up to 13-15mph. We'll see. I've been training a bit anyway and feel stronger than I did last year - less overall endurance but more power I think.
The other thing I have a bad feeling about for no good reason is my tubeless setup. I'm really hoping it holds up for the race, it's been good so far but I have not pushed it at race pace or that distance yet.
One thing I am certain of - if I keep this up it's going to be very fast come skinny tire mtb season. I'm already super excited to get out on the Scalpel and I'm probably about 2 months away. I think I will ride with the rear lockout engaged a lot this year.
On a semi-related note my ability to wheelie is much improved.
Monday, February 9, 2015
How the heck...
I have zero clue how, but I got not one, but two flats on the trainer at power class this week. Super disappointing to not be able to do the whole routine. I only did about 1/3-1/2 of it.
Sucked, I really look forward to the class and the feeling of utter exhaustion I get afterwards - I was feeling extremely good on the bike and just got the wind out of my sails. Suckage.
Sucked, I really look forward to the class and the feeling of utter exhaustion I get afterwards - I was feeling extremely good on the bike and just got the wind out of my sails. Suckage.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Another ride at Baird
Did 3hrs today at Baird. Prepping for the 906 Polar Roll in Marquette in 2 weeks. I needed to get out and really ride for a while, reasonably hard without stopping much. I did that pretty well. I figured doing singletrack for 3hrs will be better training than just riding on something flat - rail trail, river, etc.
Trails were in great shape, we could definitely use more snow but they are good. It is nice to have the studs (I've mentioned that before) and the bike handles really well. I was happy to get 25mi in. The race coming up is 35 miles but I'm not too worried about that, in reading the course description where there is some singletrack (maybe half?) there is enough snowmobile trail/road that the miles on average should be doable. Not looking to break any records but looking forward to pushing hard.
Trails were in great shape, we could definitely use more snow but they are good. It is nice to have the studs (I've mentioned that before) and the bike handles really well. I was happy to get 25mi in. The race coming up is 35 miles but I'm not too worried about that, in reading the course description where there is some singletrack (maybe half?) there is enough snowmobile trail/road that the miles on average should be doable. Not looking to break any records but looking forward to pushing hard.
Monday, February 2, 2015
If you're gonna shoot with the gopro, aim it right!
I got out for a fantastic ride on Saturday at Baird. Two full laps, it was great and the trails were in great shape. Snow everywhere but nice and grippy for the most part. The dillingers helped a lot and I'm very glad I got the studded version.
I shot the first lap with the gopro, I figured why not use it. Used the chest harness, but when I went to watch it last night I saw I had it aimed too low. It is a great view of the trail 5' in front of the bike but too much too close and not enough to see the upcoming trail, making it unwatchable. Guess I'll just have to do it again sometime!
I shot the first lap with the gopro, I figured why not use it. Used the chest harness, but when I went to watch it last night I saw I had it aimed too low. It is a great view of the trail 5' in front of the bike but too much too close and not enough to see the upcoming trail, making it unwatchable. Guess I'll just have to do it again sometime!
Monday, January 26, 2015
Slow to update, not much riding
So, not much to update. Power class continues. I love it.
Riding otherwise has been pretty thin, although I did ride to work one day last week. I hope to keep that up, it's pretty fun and a good way to actually get some miles in without disrupting family stuff too much.
I am going to try to train myself to start getting up a bit earlier. So far no commitments that means anything besides being up with the kids a bit more but we'll see.
Still trying to figure out what races I will hope to do this season. I really want to do something long and harder (more singletrack/elevation) but I am not sure it's the right timing with the family.
Riding otherwise has been pretty thin, although I did ride to work one day last week. I hope to keep that up, it's pretty fun and a good way to actually get some miles in without disrupting family stuff too much.
I am going to try to train myself to start getting up a bit earlier. So far no commitments that means anything besides being up with the kids a bit more but we'll see.
Still trying to figure out what races I will hope to do this season. I really want to do something long and harder (more singletrack/elevation) but I am not sure it's the right timing with the family.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Power class...
The only riding I got in last week was power class - just didn't end up coming together. Aly has a kidney infection and while she's on the mend it makes for some tough days for Kris and the kids.
Tonight I've got class again, should fun as usual. I really need to get out and ride otherwise, for many reasons - health, training, sanity.
Tonight I've got class again, should fun as usual. I really need to get out and ride otherwise, for many reasons - health, training, sanity.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Quick Fat Camp loop in the loose snow
Had one of those days where it was just nice to get out, even if it's just for a little bit. I did one loop at Fat Camp. Snow was really loose, I aired way down but still had poor traction.
I'm really struggling with keeping my head the right temp - in the snowboard helmet it is never cold but I'm sweating and I'd like to avoid that. I think I'll sweat no matter what though. I could wear my normal mtb helmet with a beanie under but I am just as sweaty in that. I'm honestly pretty tempted to drill some more holes in the snowboard helmet for better airflow. We'll see.
I can say, on singletrack I work pretty hard on the fatbike, I can easily dress the same as I do for 45 degrees outside as it's just a lot harder work and lower speed so there is a lot less evaporative cooling.
The Wolvhammer boots are insanely nice - I am super happy I bought them. Feet have yet to be cold and they are very comfortable.
For hands I've been wearing my summer gloves under my bar mitts from my old motorcycle, hands are usually sweaty with that setup. I could probably go no gloves but I don't do that even in the summer.
I'm really struggling with keeping my head the right temp - in the snowboard helmet it is never cold but I'm sweating and I'd like to avoid that. I think I'll sweat no matter what though. I could wear my normal mtb helmet with a beanie under but I am just as sweaty in that. I'm honestly pretty tempted to drill some more holes in the snowboard helmet for better airflow. We'll see.
I can say, on singletrack I work pretty hard on the fatbike, I can easily dress the same as I do for 45 degrees outside as it's just a lot harder work and lower speed so there is a lot less evaporative cooling.
The Wolvhammer boots are insanely nice - I am super happy I bought them. Feet have yet to be cold and they are very comfortable.
For hands I've been wearing my summer gloves under my bar mitts from my old motorcycle, hands are usually sweaty with that setup. I could probably go no gloves but I don't do that even in the summer.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Power class starts tonight
I'm excited for my power class to start - a bit not knowing what to expect but it should be good. I've been told to just push myself as hard as I can tonight as it's the FTP test so I'll get a better baseline if I can go hard tonight and I'll get more gains from the class if I can do it. Trying to eat really well and drink plenty of water today.
I did a 18mi out/back ride on the mountain bay trail Sat, no crazy pace or pushing really hard, just got out and rode. It felt great to be on the bike in fresh snow and get some miles in. I did 2hrs which wasn't long in the grand scheme of bike rides but is a long time for the kids who didn't want me to go biking. I am always trying to balance out kids, work, wife, and then myself. It's hard.
I did a 18mi out/back ride on the mountain bay trail Sat, no crazy pace or pushing really hard, just got out and rode. It felt great to be on the bike in fresh snow and get some miles in. I did 2hrs which wasn't long in the grand scheme of bike rides but is a long time for the kids who didn't want me to go biking. I am always trying to balance out kids, work, wife, and then myself. It's hard.
More Strava year end data
More year end data... this is from a Strava Annual Summary website - http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/annualSummary.php
Total distance traveled each year, by bike
| Distance (mi) | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 29 | 5 | 18 | 85 | 4 | 146 | ||
| Monocog | 38 | 26 | 64 | |||||
| Rental POS Jamis | 15 | 15 | ||||||
| Scalpel | 25 | 9 | 26 | 864 | 597 | 1,521 | ||
| Scalpel (Commute) | 18 | 18 | ||||||
| Scalpel (Trainer) | 7 | 7 | 15 | |||||
| Specialized RH | 32 | 32 | ||||||
| Specialized RH (Trainer) | 17 | 74 | 91 | |||||
| caadx | 390 | 390 | ||||||
| caadx (Commute) | 29 | 29 | ||||||
| caadx (Trainer) | 69 | 69 | ||||||
| cole's fattie | 33 | 33 | ||||||
| yampa | 160 | 18 | 178 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 37 | 5 | 44 | 1,045 | 1,423 | 18 | 2,602 |
2014 Highlights
| Ride | Run | Workout | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Activities | 98 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Total Distance (mi) | 1,418 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total Time (hrs) | 124:45:42 | 40:00 | 10:15:00 | |||
| Average Speed | 11.37 mi/hr | 9:31 min/mi | 0.00 mi/hr | |||
| Total Elevation (ft) | 43,070 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Segments | 553 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Longest Activity (mi) | 100 | 2 | 0 |
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