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.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
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...
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