Steamboat Stinger. sting or bee stung, twice...

Monday, 24 and 48hrs after racing - EVERYTHING hurts! attempt to walk, not happening. stand atop the stairs and wonder how in the worlds am i going to get down these. This brings back flashbacks to the second day of football practice each year. The most painful day of the year since your body hasnt done this in 9 months. My calves feel like someone is stabbing them with a narrow-wide chainring and my quads and gluts feel like they have torn completely off my femur and pelvis. This is bad, real bad, but what i get for running as much as i swam this week. none.
Rewind to Friday -
This was to be a big weekend for all....steamboat for WB and I, Leadville for Jekich and Douglass.
This weekend was our trip to steamboat for the Steamboat Stinger races. I was going to be doing the duo MTB with Marshall Miller on saturday and then WB and I were going to do the half marathon trail race on sunday.
http://www.honeystinger.com/steamboatstinger.html
Leading up to the race:
Friday - super nice day and our plans were to head up to steamboat as soon as we got things packed up. WB had to finish some charts so i took a quick spin up chimney with tom. As those of you who have ridden chimney there is only one way to ride chimney. 100%. Just no way to ride that sucker easily since its so technical and steep. This is why is has been named the "best trail on the front range" by none other than WB herself. Tom and I finish it out and i head home to just sit in the car for the next few hours to steamboat. 13 miles, 2000ft of climbing in.
Since WB needed to shake off the cob webs from doing charts all morning we planned to get a quick ride in in Steamboat when we arrived. Headed up to Howelsen hill to preride the half marathon course for a little recon. Very nice course, not quite as "fun" as chimney but very smooth with a great climb up and a super flowy decent. Another 13 miles and 1800ft of going up.
26 miles and 3800 ft of riding the day before a race is not unusual for me but i figured i am never guaranteed tomorrow, so I better make today count.  Last weekend i rode part of the cougar slayer course at 30 miles and 3K of going up the day before a solid finish at xterra snow mtn ranch.
who can pass up sunshine and singletrack? Not exactly a taper plan but it has worked, even though it causes some more suffering the following day.
Saturday - Duo MTB race.
Marshall and I decide i should do the first 25mi lap since he wanted to ride in the extreme heat. Turns out it gets hot up in steamboat as the elevation is quite a bit lower than most other mountain towns. 8am start so i head over with my crew, WB and Bailey after some coffee and a danish.
End up in the back of the pack because i didnt feel it was necessary to get to the venue 1 hour before the gun for a front row start. Start off with a solid rocky climb right out of the gate and immediately drop a chain about a half mile in to the race. put her back on and am pedaling again. After a tight singletrack section which totally bottlenecks the field you empty out on a gravel road which i then proceed to pass about 100 people in a mile. Dump into the next singletrack section and then get stuck behind some slower folk that clearly got to the start finish at 5am to secure a front starting position. I sit back and relax as its too tight to try and pass. Once it opens up again i pass about 40 more people. Now im at about mile 8 or 9 and am riding in a group that is much more my pace, although i had to catch them by this point.  Get to the first aid station at the top of the hill and See Dan and Adam from bikeparts/peak cycles jumping up and down in their kits yelling and passing off bottles and gels. Those dudes totally cracked me up but they were super enthusiastic which made me push a little on the next section. I settle in and crank away until i get stung, literally stung, by two bees. This is the honey stinger after all. Luckily im not allergic but am immediately fearful of Marshall who is and i debating telling the poor guy to not even go out on the lap. Luckily he told me he had brought two epi pens so that almost made me feel better. Everyone i talked to on the second half of the course mentioned how they had also gotten stung. This did not help regarding whether or not i was going to hold marshall and do a second lap myself or let him go out. while im thinking about all of this i go off course twice going too fast into corners. Eventually catch some of the pro women but they are doing the 50 mile race so i pass them even though i know they would be crushing me if they were only doing the 25 miler. I get to another aid station and they are giving out bacon and whiskey....of course im stopping at this one. Actually, never stopped but just rolled through grabbing a piece of bacon and 3 rapid fire shots of whiskey while pedaling. This is why i hate road biking.
Crush the last half of the course pretty easily but the decents were scary in spots with super tight sections and lots of switchbacks.
Starting to get real hot and am again thinking about telling marshal to not go out. Swing into the pits at 2:30 flat. I think that was good for something like 20 mins behind the 1st place guy and around 12th for the field for the duo category.
Pretty happy with this given my taper day the day before. Burned a few too many matches but once youre in race mode its tough to hold back for tomorrow. Find the beer tent and crush a few IPAs.
Immediately check in with the leadville crew. sign up for athlete tracking and let the cell phone blow up with splits for jekich and douglass. watch intently as the minutes tick by and find out they were almost riding together and both finished with some killer times. super pumped for them as i know how good that ones feels to check off your to-do list. cant wait to see those buckles fellas!
Sunday - 1/2 marathon trail race.
Ran this two years ago and pulled in an 8th overall and 3rd in AG but the field size was about a quarter of what it was today. Expected to hang in there and was hoping for a top 20 finish and to stay with WB as long as my legs would allow
Get there just a couple of minutes before the race starts and after a donut and coffee for breakfast. See Doug Melzer who is coming off the couch to rock a half marathon. He tells me hes moving to the back of the pack for the start as hes not expecting much. WB and I convince him to stay at the front with us so he does. Gun goes off and Melzer starts dropping 6min miles on the only flat section of the only course, hits the hills and continues to put a gap on WB and I and is running in 6th place. WB yells to me "what is melzer doing, sandbagger!" So we hit the hills and crank away. Melzer is crushing it. the dude hasnt run all summer and is about to keep pace with the lead pack of this half marathon. We keep climbing and now im suffering. Im only about 3 miles in and my legs feel like rubber. I knew i should have drank more beer to load up those glycogen stores. Keep hammering and WB and I trade off on the climbs, i am tempted to really fall back and just set cruise control but know id hate myself for it if i did. Get to the super steep top section Stairway to Heaven where the turn around is and only see 5 guys in front of me, no melzer!? Where did he go i think to myself....Only two things could have happened. 1. he got super ambitious and set off on the marathon course with those runners or he is in the woods inspecting the root systems. I crank the down the mountain in this super lush and flowy section. My legs, and lungs, start to come back to me but now we are really hammering downhill and im afraid my quads are going to explode. I know wb is only about 30 seconds behind me so i continue to crush it. Get to about mile 8 and my legs literally feel like they are about to fall off. This is certainly the farthest ive run all year since my last half marry in Pagosa last fall. I stay on the throttle though as i am intermittently catching the 5th place guy but he pulls away on me. I know doug and wb are right behind me too so i know i cant slack off much because they wont let me live that down. The last 2-3 miles on lupine  feel like 12 and the wheels are starting to fall off. i keep looking back every 30 seconds or so expecting to see wb and melzer but i only hear them. i push it to the finish and finish 1:42; besting my 1:45 two years earlier. 6th place overall, 3rd in AG. DGBG takes 6th, 7th, 8th place overall. WB obviously takes 1st female finisher by 11 minutes, i was 9 minutes out of the race winner, and melzer comes off the couch to put a hurt on me and the rest of the worker bees in steamboat this weekend. incredible. Immediately head to the beer tent but they tell me they arent serving yet because its only 9am so i wait 15 minutes until they do.
Just as the usa pro cycling challenge gets to steamboat we get the heck out of there. loaded with boxes of stinger gummies, waterbottles, t shirts and some really really sore legs.
If anyone is interested this is a fantastic weekend in steamboat each year. We will certainly be coming back for a 3rd tour next year.

Never waste a day, as no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Boy the things you think about when youre suffering on the bike....

Up next: Durango to Moab via San Juan Huts

Summer 2015 Race reports to date - couple of Xterras, Erock, Silver Rush and a couple from last season

Yup, things got busy and i forgot my computer password. Hate when that happens. Anyways, 3 days ago while reading all of the commentary from JB'ellows and diesel's race reports WB tells me ive been slacking for not keeping up my blogs after i did so well last season. This made me super angry because i know shes always right and two she called me a slacker. Game on!
So, after i quickly looked at all possible future races and my schedule for the rest of summer i quickly added as many races as i could, 1. So, here's the mid summer recap....
To get back to the basics of why i write these stupid things i do it for two reasons. 1. so when im 60 i can say...yeah i slay'd that. 2. to motivate those that are looking at racing or races ive done or to provide insight into my very strict and comprehensive race training regimen which includes beer and pizza. Ill also throw in a 3rd, which is just to keep the strava crew satisfied because you guys love details and data.
Quick recap:
End of last season
August: Xterra Buffalo Creek 3/20 AG 2:33; 213 competitors. 27th Overall. Swim - 130th overall Bike - 19th overall Run - 14th overall. Doggie paddle, HAMMER, HAMMER as we like to say around these parts

Cougar Slayer - unsanctioned underground 70 milefree mtb race from Nederland to Boulder. 7:30 but DNF - missed a turn up Arkansas mountain. Since this race is minimally supported you must use your own GPS for navigation and i unfortunately missed a turn with less than 10 miles to go. Definitely some of the gnarliest terrain ive ever raced. Kuddos to John and his buddies to find these ridiculous trails
September: Mountain Chile Cha Cha 1/2 marathon 3rd Overall 2nd AG 1:35. Ran with WB who was 1st overall F. This was our "honeymoon" so we figured we should make this sucker count. The green chile festival at the end was a huge bonus.

November: 25 Hrs Frogs Hollow, Hurricane, UT. 5 person coed: 3rd place. Team "Shot Skis"
Team members: Tom kirschling,  and some Utah ringers we purchased  -Chris Blike, Paul and Carly Uuohlt
Since this was near Halloween, costumes were required.

Febuary: Japan. Not a race, but one hell of a great trip

May: 18hrs Fruita - Team Might Need Stitches 7/28 teams 6 person coed

Colfax Marathon Team Relay:1st place Corporate relay 

Team members: WB, Sankoff, Kerry Mason, Bonnie Kaplan, K2

June: Erock Sunrise to Sunset MTB Race Team DGBG 3/29 Team Members: WB, Sankoff the Canadian Crusher/MTB Slay-er, Brian Jekich who activated sick call to race, K2

handpresso anyone?

July: 

Silver Rush 50 w/WB 6/24 in her AG, 180th overall. 12th overall female. 5:35. Longest ride shes ever done and absolutely crushed it. Fantastic weather and great crew who also rode it. Jekich again activated sick call for this

squirrel power

Xterra Beaver Creek Mountain Championships: 6/12 2:42. Faster than last year by 1 and a half minutes but with a much slower swim, faster bike and slightly quicker run. Only 2 minutes behind b-dogg.

Swim: 152/181; Bike 28/181; Run 28/181 = doggie paddle, HAMMER HAMMER

Felt like a celebrity as both Byyny and WB got Maui qualifying slots though. Basically team DGBG is taking over the world.

Xterra Snow Mountain Ranch

6th overall, 1st in AG, 3rd AGer overall. 2:00:42. 

Swim 17:52 (37/67) Bike 1:11 (5th/67) Run 29:09 (3rd/67) =  doggie paddle, HAMMER HAMMER

Since this was my most recent race and i can remember more of it than any of the others i will elaborate a bit more on it. 

Prerace: didnt decide to do the race until my alarm went off at 5:55 saturday morning, needed to be out the door by 6 to make it to the venue to register. Wasnt sure i even wanted to do the race since i knew my swimming was going to be horrendous. I have only swam once this year, XTERRA Beaver Creek, for which my swim was pathetic so i wasnt overly thrilled to go swim again. Plus, when you get out of the drink last, you have to then destroy yourself to catch everyone on the bike and run (see Breyers IM Boulder RR). Anyways, luckily WB tells me that if i get up and go ill be glad i did by noon and Tom was racing winter park that day so i figured i have no excuse to not get my but out of bed and go.

Swim: very cold water up at elevation. low 60's i would suspect. Immediately vagal and then panic as i cant catch my breath. Let the entire field go in front of me and then i try and settle in for my 1000 meter swim. Spend the entire swim thinking about how hard i have to crush the bike and run, this evokes even more anxiety and i again panic and forget how to breath while doggie paddling. apparently there are worse swimmers than me out there, until they beat me next year. 

T1: on par, ~1:30. anxious to get the heck out of there to destroy some singletrack

Bike: hammer with a side of hammer. feeling the 30 miles wb and i put up the day before in Nederland on the cougar slayer course. my typical taper. Manage to drink a bottle of water on the 14mi course. Pass everyone and learn at the end of the bike im in 6th place. 

T2: quick ~50 seconds but 2 people come in right behind me..thinking to myself just tie those damn laces and get the heck out of there to crush the run

Run: havent run in a week as i had a little plantar fasciitis. Set cruise control at 7:30's/mi and dont see anyone in front or behind the entire time. 

Overall - pretty happy with my bike and run as that is what i know how to do. Dont need a nutrition plan in a 2-3 hour race luckily. If i had to i would eat fig newtons, if someone offered me a beer on course i would drink it. Good reminder i need to swim in the off season and swim during the season. Maui goals for next year. 

Always have to love the dig deep sports races as they provide some delicious beer at the end. RD Paul Karlsson always sets up and interesting course that has you bush whacking through chest deep grass but with profiles that dont kill you with super long climbs on either the bike or runs. hopefully i can find my swim goggles in the next month or two to practice my swim.

 

Leadville 100 MTB 2014 Race Report

Leadville 100 2014 MTB (aka Race across the sky)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaG3OWyYdA4&list=PLu8HKxettt8oyKTV1zgerQWs5tYnTpg30

Disclaimer: this RR is intended to be an all inclusive RR, for those of you who dont know about the race. If youre already are in the know, then skip to page 2.

Setting: 100 mile mountain bike race in Leadville CO. Elevation between 10,000-12,500 feet. 95% jeep service road or highway, 5% singletrack.The granddaddy of mountain bike races.

What has made it so popular: Who wouldnt want to do a 100 mile race at 10,000 feet? Lance armstrong racing and winning has not hurt the popularity of this race surprisingly. The list of other doping winners has seemed to tarnish this race for the purists, but the leadville brand doesnt seem to care. I agree, it has definitely lost its mystique, but if you are a serious mountain biker, this has to be on your bucket list.

What youre after: Some race to finish, some race to win, some race just for the belt buckle…..12 hours or less and you get a finishers buckle, 9 hours or less and you get La Plata Grande...the big buckle!....ill let you guess what one was i was after.

Gettin in: Due to the popularity, getting into this race is not easy. And i guess thats a good thing. You can do one of 4 things to get in...1. be a pro, which i am not 2. pay a lot of money to buy your way in, for which i dont have, and 3. qualify (yup, this is me, the hard way..dammit) 4. Lottery - if youre from colorado forget the lottery, you wont get in. This race was developed to support the local economy of leadville, if youre not spending a night or two at the local hotel and dropping lots of money, youre not getting in.

I was able to secure a roll down qualifier spot at last years Silver Rush 50 in Leadville. Signed up a year ago, hoped i would still be able to ride a bike a year from then.

Fast forward 1 year….

Knowing the leadville was the A race of the season I had planned a couple of long races for the year,. 18hrs Fruita, PV derby 66mi, Breck 100. Turns out the A race should have been the breck 100. Loved that race. (See Breck 100 RR). The leadville had now become my B race.

Prior to this race I was lucky enough to have Breck 100 under my belt. I had a fairly strong finish there on a much more difficult course than Leadville so i was feeling pretty confident that i would at least finish leadville. This was much different than my mindset going into Breck, which was my first 100.

The week or two before the race i had planned a few longer rides. Did Copper triangle CCW with WB, a few 40+ milers in Breck, a few 3 or 4 lappers on Chimney gulch and lookout mountain. However, the race still snuck up on me, definitely had planned to do many more longer rides than i had done. Oh well.

Week of...took it relatively easy, ran a few days, rode a couple of short rides, low intensity. Two days before i went up to Leadville to preride the initial climb of St. Kevins, Sugarloaf, and the dreadful Powerline climb.

Gear selection: Need to go light, really really light. Since most of the course is jeep road or actual road, the lightest bike you can find is what you go with. Scott Scale Pro Carbon 29’er, 1x10. Biggest concern was what front chainring to run. Going with 34T up front..go big or go home. this could work out really well on the flats and downhills or could cause me to explode on the climbs. Definitely my biggest unknown. 24lbs total. Continental Xking tires, tubeless, carry 2 bottles, barends to help with the long climbs and to rotate hand positions over the long race.

Nutrition Plan: Learned a few things from Breck 100. 1. Eat until your jaw is tired of chewing, then eat some more. 2. drink A LOT, water, electrolyte drink, beer, just drink A LOT. should have to pee every 3ish hours.

LT 100 plan: 2 bottles per aid station (est 10 bottles total), endurolyte tabs as remembered, Probars, fig newtons, pringles. Easy...now lets see how well i stick that it.

Race day: slept well for 3ish hours, about 2 hours longer than i had for the breck 100. Feeling good. Coffee in and one of WB’s famous PB and J tortilla sandwiches and i am ready.

Get to the start and assume i am in the last corral. Assumed this based on the fact that when i registered a year ago with my qualifier ticket they said they would not accept prior years qualifying times for corral positions. This led me to think that i would be behind the 2000 other riders and have to work my way through a bunch of not so strong riders just to finish, and hopefully avoid any carnage in front of me. When we arrived, i found out that i was in fact in the 3rd starting corral. YAHTZEE!!! i think to myself. Now i have to totally turn my gameplan around. Instead of planning on a 9.5hr finish, i am now looking at going sub 9, if i can pull myself together...remember, big buckle on the line.

While standing there waiting for the temps to get above 35degrees, my lead crew member bailey is getting more attention than the pros. He gets more request to pet him, scratches behind the ears and little kids breakfast burritos, Also gets interviewed by NBC news i think. Apparently Lance is not the only celebrity in town today.

Now that i am not in the corral i expected, i am trying to quickly reassess my game plan.

Is my nutrition going to be enough now that i will be pushing the pace?

Is my gear ratio setup going to allow me to push the climbs, the flats, the downhills?

Do i even change my game plan and still just ride to finish vs ride to place sub 9?

Boom! ...and we’re off....buckle up kids!

Out:

The first few miles are all road, supposed to be an easy roll out but we are immediately doing 35mph. I am extremely uncomfortable riding elbow to elbow with 2000 other riders. We make it to St Kevins climb and we all slam on our brakes, total pile up. We luckily make it up the 3 mi climb without any major incidents. Head down the road again towards Sugarloaf. Thinking to myself, if i am hitting 40+mph, this is going to be a miserable climb back out of here at mile 90 later today. ugh. Hit Sugarloaf and the climb is much more mellow. Fall in with a group of riders and we chat about strategy. Remember, this is more of a race to finish, or finish in a specific time frame, not to podium. You start to strategize and work together right away. Conserve as much as you can.

Make it over sugarloaf and start the powerline descent. Suuuuper sketchy! 3.5 miles of ripping downhill with 2 feet deep rutted out sections. Just a taco’d tire waiting to happen.

Make it down successfully (ie alive, without tacos, tires still inflated.) and hit the pavement again towards twin lakes. Think to myself, this is where i thought i was sending my crew (WB and Bailey), where are they? Shoot i missed them!...i am out of water and have about 2 hours before twin lakes aid station. Think to myself, damn, i knew i should have stayed at the prerace meeting where they went over logistics. oh well, ill settle in and draft off some guys until i get to twin lakes aid station. Hopefully my crew will move on and head there.

Struggling with my 1x10 34T drivetrain. spinning out on the top end doing 30mph on the flats in the paceline.. Definitely wish i had gone 2x10 at this point. I am still hanging around but definitely at the end of the peloton. I will not be taking any pulls in this group.

Then, miraculously, i hit the aid station past Powerline, and WB and Bailey are there!! I feel like a miracle has happened. Make mental note to make sure i pay more attention to race details and logistics. Fill up on water and PB and J sandwich, and more fig newtons. . Head out towards twin lakes. Nothing too exciting in this stretch. Actually hit some of the only singletrack on course but it isnt much.

Hit twin lakes aid station and the crowd is going nuts! Like intoxicated, drinking PBR mimosas and wearing pink tutus nuts. I am feeling it. feeding off of it. Loving it!. See WB and lead crewman Bailey. they hook me up with some words of encouragement, water, bailey is licking the salt and dirt off my legs so i can go faster, more fig newtons. I actually think our 20 second pit stop included the conversation of:

Bailey: bark bark bark bark bark, lick lick lick lick lick

WB: what do you need?

me: i dont know, what do you have? (remember, i planned my own nutrition, i knew what she had. Is delirium already starting to set in? ut oh…)

WB: um…

me: water, fig newtons, more fig newtons

bailey: bark, bark, bark

Out of twin lakes, up columbine. This is where you start to separate. you are now 40+ miles in and climbing at avg 8% grade. Its getting hot, youre getting closer to the sun, 12,000ft and climbing. 8 miles worth of climbing. still climbing, get chicked. trying to chat with a few people to pass the time. Hit the final push. The pros are now ripping past you on the loose and rocky section. They are screaming as this is an out and back. You can see the top but it still seems like miles away. Get on and off your bike, a bit of hike a bike, a bit of riding at slowest pace ever, almost falling over. Coming about 1 inch from getting destroyed by faster riders who are now descending. NOT overly happy about this section. also at 12,500, no o2. Loose, rocky, still climbing.

Back:

Make it to the top, grab a little bit of water, head back down the hill. Pass about 1500 riders, similarly to how i was just passed by the pros and faster riders. Coming inches from crashing into other rides...and crashing off the ledge and off the side of the mountain. Not fun. See Blaze Cook on the decent a few miles behind. I yell his name and he gives me a grunt. I know what he is going through, i just did the same. 8 miles of screaming descent later and i am back at Twin lakes.   

Just at the end of the aid station and i see a huge mud puddle. See a few riders in front of me avoid it and go around. I jump directly into it and skim across it. They are mountain bikes, its ok if they get wet and dirty.. spin through and see Brian Jekich who is there crewing for his old man. I love it, the energy at Twin lakes is electric. Music, booze, naked 90 year olds...everything. See WB and lead crewman Bailey. Get the usual barks and refill on fig newtons. Im off.

Find a group of guys that we have been trading places with all day. Now about mile 65-70. We work together, form a paceline, take turns taking pulls. Make it to powerline aid station. I am cooked. Although we are working together we are WORKING it. Riding much faster than i would be if i was solo. We are clearly feeding off of each other. Straight killing it. I am now starting to reach into my reserves, which are quickly dwindling. We hit the pavement and are faced with a significant headwind. probably 15ish mph winds. I am struggling. Just working hard to keep a semi decent pace. Notice no one is passing me though so that is good. Then i look behind to see…..yup...you guessed it…. a 6 person deep paceline. You have got to be kidding me i am thinking. Ive got 5 or 6 guys behind me just hanging out drafting off of me for the last 10+miles, probably sipping espresso, peeling their bananas, taking naps, etc.  Again, i was hoping that others had the same plan to form a peleton and take turns pulling, but this wind and time in the race clearly had led these guys to forget that. I pull out and make the guy behind me take a pull. He thanks me for helping him out so much, he looks totally fresh, this really pissed me off. We are now at the end of this section and are at the bottom of powerline. The last tough climb, and possibly the hardest. 8% avg, runs of 20+ in spots, 2 foot deep rain rutts.

Now that i am not overly happy about the last section, i am determined to ride powerline. Unfortunately, no one rides powerline. except for the lead pros, maybe. 80 miles in and there is no way you usually have enough steam to ride powerline. Walking allows you to use different muscles and recover. I say %*^& that im riding this son of a B.

Start passing a few squirrels that had drafted off of me. Spectators are cheering me on, shocked that someone is riding it. One guys tells me he needs to take my picture since he hasnt seen anyone ride powerline all day. I am hurting though. Getting nauseous. want to bail, cant bail, just, keep, pedaling, dammit! Make it to the top of the first steep section where it gets flat and i pull over to collect a coke and mountain dew from some random spectator, who is about 85 years old who lugged all these coolers up the climb earlier in the day just to hand out to riders. incredible. I love him. Crush the dew, crush the coke, almost puke them both up. Manage to keep them down and keep pedaling up, but certainly completely cooked. Not sure if i can make it back, nevertheless under the 9 hour mark. Start analyzing my time and distance to go. Literally counting down the speed and miles i need to go to pull a sub 9. Start to see some guys off on the side of the trail, losing their fig newtons, or whatever they were eating.

Get to the top of Sugarloaf and start the descent. I have never been so excited to go down hill, until about 300 yrds in and the rocky descent is now jarring every bone in my body, only 3 more miles of downhill to go. fantastic.

Make it to the road and now start the ascent up to the top of St. Kevins on the road. Since we were descending at 40mph, on the out, i didnt make note of the distance of this BACK climb. It seems to never end, just grinding it out, its now really hot, all exposed.. pass a few guys. One guy clearly did less homework than i did as he asks me, 1. how much farther 2. what time is it. 3. what more of the course do we have to ride 4. is this the last climb?.

Finally make it to the top of Kevins and grab one last bottle of water. About 15 miles to go. Start the descent and all i can think about is what i will eat when i finish...a pizza?..2 pizzas?....prime rib...fig newtons...ok snap out of it!...ripping the descent back to the flats. Hit the bottom of sketchy Kevins descent and find a small group to finish with. We trade off on pulls and are just ripping the last few miles. We have successfully set our eyes on a sub 9 hour ride. The others start to pull back and relax, i reach deeper and get every last ounce of power out of my reserve...which has been empty since powerline climb.

Finish! 8:44. Big Buckle!!

Post race/reflection: feel pretty good. Legs are a bit wobbly. I see WB and Bailey there, they are excited the day is over. I ask for fig newtons and WB reminds me she doesnt have any more because i had eaten the whole box (yikes, that cant be good for your stomach, might pay for that later). Bailey is helping me clean up by licking all the dirt and sweat off my legs. Meet up with Jen and Jordan Anderson who give me some beers. Stick around and watch some people finish. See Blaze come across, he looks exhausted. The dude did an awesome job.

Big thanks to my crew, WB and Bailey. Without them out there it would have been a long empty ride with nothing to look forward to between aid stations. Having a crew at a race like this is a must. It totally helps with moral.

Big shout out to the Strava crew, you know who you are. Nothing beats checking in a few hours after a ride to see all of the positive comments and sometimes shenanigans that has occurred in the comments of everyones ride. Love it.

Lastly, I am glad to have done the LT100 and to be honest not sure i would do it again unless i was pacing someone else. I have my sub-9 hour time, big buckle. The race was definitely worth doing but i think mostly because the feel of it was not to win, or beat the guy next to you, but to achieve your own goal time. The course certainly has a lot left to be desired. This is why the Breck 100 race is more of an A race, it is a much much better course, and a lot smaller group of riders.

Next up: Xterra Buffalo Creek Aug 24, last race of the season for me.

Stay safe out there…

K2

Xterra Beaver Creek 2014

Xterra Beaver Creek

4th in AG (48th Overall finisher)
swim: 29;57
T1: 1:57
Bike: 1:25:21
T2: 1:25
Run: 45:14
2:43:52 total time

Breck 100 2014

Breck 100 MTB Race Report

Prologue: The Breckenridge 100 is considered to be one of the toughest 100 mile mountain biking events in the country. With nearly 13,000 feet of elevation gain, crossing the continental divide 3 times, and all the while being at altitude, surely makes it tough to argue otherwise. The course is a clover design so you dont ride any trail twice, and features include everything from the beautiful and lush Colorado Trail terrain, aspen lined singletrack from Boreas Pass to Como, to high alpine jeep road accents up Breckenridge's Peak 9 and crossing snow fields and scree fields on Wheeler trail. The base of the operation and central aid station is from Carter Park in downtown Breck, a location which provides easy access to most trails in and around Breck. Certainly a great spot to start any ride in and around Breck if you are there for a leisurely weekend ride.

Aside from 18 and 24hr races, this will be my first true 100 mile race. Since the Pro finishers usually come in somewhere between 9 and 10 hours, i was hoping for something between 11 and 12. Although i have ridden all of the 2nd lap, not knowing what type of power i could crank out on lap 1 and 3 left me pretty uncertain about what my time would look like. Plan was to ride slow, almost 24hr race slow, but settle into the pack around riders who appear to be at my ability. Planned to use the climb up to Wheeler to figure this out.

  

Steed selection: As previously stated, this ride will encompass everything Breck and the high country has to offer from sustained 10 mile climbs over 12,000 ft to ripping descents down buttery singletrack, plus or minus lots of rocks, roots, creek crossings, etc. Therefore, the 1x10 carbon hardtail is staying home, Specialized Epic, 2x10, full suspension it is. Weight fully loaded with saddlepack, 1 water bottle, extra tube taped to top tube: 29lbs (not light!). Week before i set her up with some fresh rubber, Stans, tighten everything down, new brake pads and a fresh bleed, good to go!

 

(post race pic, but didnt look much better before)

Nutrition Plan: I will refer to my prior RR's, since, i never have a nutrition plan. However, I did bring two water bottles, a box of Probar fuels, a snickers bar, turkey jerky, and fig newtons. With 2 Aid stations stocked per lap i figured i could make something work. I would stock my pockets at the beginning of each lap and refill as needed at the aid stations. Best nutrition plan ive ever thought up. 2 beers and a jalapeno burger and fries the night before and i am ready. Buckle Up!

Race day:  wake up at 4:45. Last time i saw 4:45 was 18hrs of fruita, probably going out for another lap when it was 30 degrees. Remembered coffee, kit, bike, arrive at Carter Park at 5am. Warm morning so get dressed, arm warmers and leave the jacket for lap 2 when the thunderstorms usually roll in. Eat some yogurt, PB and tortilla. Meet up with fellow green mountain rider Mike Franco, he comments on how muddy my bike looks, i tell him i sprayed her down 2 weeks ago just for the race. I had hoped that helped ease his anxiety but i dont think it did. It was true, my bike was a mess, got caught in the rain the night before on my shake down ride. It desperately needed a shower. Go time.

Loop 1: headed up to the top of the ski resort. If you have been to the top of Imperial lift, thats where we were headed, and even a bit higher to get up and over the pass. Was a long slog up. chatted with a lot of guys, even the 14yr who was likely to beat me. I asked him for his autograph. We will likely see him in the portugal olympics in 2016. rode with a guy on a fat bike, with front and rear derailleur shifters on the wrong sides because he rushed last minute gear changes. there were some CRAZY people out there. Started climbing over snow fields at the top of Breck but had the most incredible sights of the mountain as the sun was rising. felt like i was on another planet. Then i Fell just walking my bike because, well, we were at 13,000 feet and there was no oxygen. Descend into Frisco, very cold descent. HR was 50 at one point. think i had vagaled down and almost syncoped sending myself off the mountain. Take Peaks trail back to Breck, temps warming up. can finally feel my feet again.

28 miles, Time: 3:20(45mins behind winner); 3 Bottles of water in, handful of endurolytes tabs, 2 mini hammer bars and a honey stinger waffle; 

  

Loop 2: grab some more probars, rain jacket, water, relube chain. rolling. This loop you head out to little french flume to start, up Sallie barber mine, out to west ridge and then back through dredge boat trail. basically all classic colorado trail stuff. tough loose rocky climb up little french to start.. start to get passed by the 68 and 32miler guys.Feels good to know i am still beating most up the climbs when ive already got 30 miles under my belt. They are very encouraging when they see 100miler riders. I let them fly by me on the downhills, i catch them on the climbs. Garmin started to get cranky. it randomly went dark, started scrolling, but woke up again after i flicked it a few times. I think its sick of being abused. Make mental note to buy a new one asap. Make it around to the westridge climb, brutal. seems like it is longer than i remember. I have to pee, great sign! I must be staying hydrated. go through my two bottles just as the next aid station comes up. about 15 endurolytes and some more snacks and im off. Back is starting to hurt. Neck is starting to hurt. legs feel great. keep pedaling.  

34 miles, Time 4:02 (1 hr slower than leader, yikes), 4 bottles of water, lots of endurolytes, 4 waffles, 2 probars, package shot blocks. 

Loop 3: roll into Carter and see other fellow GM riders Matt Morgan and Jamie Henkel who rode the 32. He is already 6 beers deep and i am jealous. They passed me somewhere in loop two and all i saw was a blur, the dudes rip. Jamie helps me relube and refuel. also reminds me to take my bike before i run out of the pits towards boreas. I may be getting a bit delirious at this point. Sun is cranking, im warm, still peeing though. Head up indian creek/Boreas and start eating some jerky, its salty. down the fig newtons, drink a ton. Loose rocky climb up to the top of Boreas. Aid station girl is singing keesha or something like that. i grab a coke and some oranges. Ask her what on the table will make it feel like someone had not ripped out my spine, she hands me another coke. down the singletrack towards Como. Have to pee again, wait is that a yeti! Seriously think i saw a Yeti running through the woods. Or maybe it was Marlow pre-brazillian wax? chew a few more shot blocks. Rolling...that is until i crash hard on some loose wet roots after a stream crossing. I am covered in mud. Bike is OK, im...im back on my bike. Dump out into Como and some guy named Scott is there post ride, I ask him for a beer and he hands me a red bull. OK, so maybe not the same thing but he is clearly thinking more clearly than i am. I down it, make the turn and head back up Boreas. Some thunderstorms start to roll in and lighting is close. I pedal faster. Start to catch a few people i had been trading places with on the ups and downs. Try to chat with a few riders on the way up but most ignore me and tell me they have just vomitted, or are about to vomit. I keep pedaling. Finally make it to the top of Boreas and realize i am basically done. Just need to make it another 10 miles downhill to the finish. Hammer it down Boreas and then have to make a hard uphill turn on some singletrack. This riding was not what you would call elegant. I hesitate to even call it “biking” but i made it down the last short technical sections.  95 miles in and i am hurting. Enter carter park and hear LG congratulate the finishers. Think to myself, that was a long 12 hours on the bike. ouch.

36 miles, time 4:26 (1:15 slower than winner). 4 bottles of water, 1 red bull, shot blocks, very salty jerky, 10ish fig newtons, probar, coke, oranges.

Overall Time: 11:49, 5th in AG.  total ride time 11:18. A 11:22 or better would have gotten me a podium spot. Should certainly be able to make that time up next year but the way competition and race numbers are rising out here i will have to work hard. Winner finishes in 8:46 for his 7th B100 win. I am spent.

Post race: Head straight to the beer. grab an old chub and down it. post race spread is delicious, pulled pork, chicken, pizza, ziti, cookies, beer, beer. Change cloths and cheer on some finishers. See Phil, other GM rider cross who beat his previous B68 by over an hour. the dude is nutty.  

Things to do better next year: cut down at time spent at aid stations. Know i can push the climbs and what downhills i am comfortable with taking a few risks on now that i know loops 1 and 3. check shock pressure, my front was wayyyyy too stiff. 

Up next: Xterra beaver creek this Saturday, anyone else in? Leadville 100 Aug 9th. ?24hrs in Sage?

Big thanks to the usuals WB, Sanky, breyer, byyny, matty animal and the rest of the strava crew.. Franco - #honeybadger; Phil/Jamie/MM - ballers. 

Until next time….stay safe out there

k2

PV Derby RME 2014

K2 RME PV Derby Race Report 2014

So its been a while since my last race report, the last was probably the RME Indian Creek marathon race about a year ago. Since then ive only done about 16 other races, figured i was due.

RME PV Derby: located on a boy scout camp just outside of Elbert, CO, called the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, this would be a  22 mile loop, done in either a single, double, or triple loop variety, based upon how stupid you are. This is obviously closed most of the year to all except the boy scouts. Somehow someone found out about this place and the miles upon miles of super flowy singletrack. What i had heard prior to the event was that the course was super fast, flowy, a few technical sections, and only a few short burst climbs scattered throughout. This seemed perfect, a nice early season long ride to really see where my fitness was after a long winter of slaying pow and drinking bloody marys.

Of note, multi lap races are not my favorite, especially if its a short loop, as i tend to get real bored after a few laps. For this race, i was hoping it would be different, a long 22mi lap that should take about 2hrs would be ok as i would likely forget half of the course by the time i had to start my 2nd and 3rd loops. But we will see...

2 Days prior to race day: I figured i would bite the bullet and sign up, race registration closes at midnight so i waited to sign up at 23:49. Just in time! After the fiasco that was the Eagle Outside Fest Firebird 40k race course i did 2 weeks prior, i figured waiting until the last minute to ensure a ridable course was worth it. The only threats were a few afternoon thunderstorms each day that would only hopefully make a course that gets ridden one day per year even better.

1 day to Race/Race day-ish: work to 23:30, race is at 8am, 1 hour drive to the venue, 30 minutes to get self and bike ready, which means i better get the hell out of work on time and fall asleep immediately once i get home….01:30a (6.5hrs till go time) and i am just polishing off my 2nd Genesee Cream ale hoping it will put me to sleep since i am still gathering bike gear and clothing.

Race day: 4 hours of sleep, not bad. Look outside to bright sunny skies….%^&#! If it was dark and gloomy or rainy i was going to fall back asleep, oh well. guess ill do this. out the door with coffee in hand. I basically felt like i had already won just accomplishing that much so far.

*Nutrition plan: ha. downed a banana and a tortilla with almond butter while getting dressed at the venue. Looked around my car for food to pack in my jersey, didnt find any. Good thing they have 3 aid stations throughout the 22 miles with plenty of oranges, bananas, and hammer nutrition products. 1 water bottle, ok. Typical nutrition plan for me though really, probably even more thought out than usual so i figured i was good.

Start of race: think of the usual things….1. why am i here, my bed was so comfortable 2. should have just called in sick to work yesterday, went to wolfs going away party, drank 20 Pabsts and slept until noon today. 3. what will break on my bike to make me not have to ride all 66 miles 4. what will i eat when im finished, a whole pizza, chick fil a, a burrito the size of breyer (pre weight loss challenge), all of the above....so many thoughts running through my head. Boom - go!

Lap 1: settle in, back of the pack, historically i usually place in the middle of the field so no sense in dropping the hammer and blowing up like sankoff did on our run at North table mtn a few weeks ago. I set in behind some squirrels with $12k bikes who dont really know how to ride them. Seems ok for now as i ride their rear wheel, HR still in the 60’s so i am right where i want to be. 1.5miles in and we are cruising, hammering up a short little doubletrack climb and wham! cow patty and cow $hit all over my face from either my front wheel or the rider in front of me. I hadnt thought of this being one of my excuses to drop out and not finish the race but i thought long and hard about it for the next 20 yards while wiping it off my face. Think to myself...ok so this is how this is going to be, i hate open range. pass a few squirrels because they are riding better bikes than i am and they suck and settle in. Find aid station 1 and eye their nutrition but dont grab anything, the banana is still holding, or at least it would if you WB. About 10 miles in i get passed by 2 former pros from the 40-49 AG, think that this is ok since they only started 2 mins back and they are former pros. Try to stay with but start to feel the legs smoking, back off. Mile 20, the most technical part of the course, see a guy walking after he taco’d his tire. awesome. 1:42mins at the Start/finish, about what i predicted.

Lap 2: grabbed  2 gels and an extra bottle at the transition point. Also down a handful of Endurolytes, about 10ish id say.I think the bottle says the normal dose is 4 caps.  that should hold me. Figured id down a gel now and then another half way through. 2 bottles should get me through lap 2 although i had figured i was a bit down on hydration so i needed to pick that up. The one bottle idea was not good, glad they have bottles to take. as soon as i finish one gel i start to get hungry, the 2nd disappears as well.This isnt good. Quickly find myself all alone too, typical of a course this long. Am glad to see a rider here and there even though they arent in my AG.

Come upon one guy after about 15 miles of seeing no one, looks like a solid rider but he is not riding hard. I ask him how his race is going and our conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hey man, hows it going, beautiful day out here huh?

Him: not good, crashed a while back

Me: damn, that sucks, you hurt?

Him: yep, think i broke my wrist

Me: awesome, way to ride it out, be safe

Find a few others in my AG and try to pass them quickly without them seeing my marked calf, dont want them picking it up knowing they are losing a spot to me. Chat with a guy about Leadville 100 coming up, exchange training routes, discuss current strava segments and KOMs we are after, etc. I leave him as he eventually fell off.   Mile 35 clicks by and im hitting one of the very techy sections and suddenly feel like my rear tire is hitting each rock and root with no give. Look behind at my tire and its still inflated, but feels squishy. Oh well, i packed 2 tubes so if my sealant doesnt seal whatever it is ill change it quick. Love tubeless. Ride it out with no issues but definitely a little softer than i like it. Maybe ill check the psi at the transition, if i remember. Make it to aid station 2 and exchange bottles, grab some hammer chocolate protein bar thing. As i eat it its getting all over my face. Now i have a mixture of cow dung and chocolate on my face...cant wait to see the photographer on course, definitely buying that one. 1:50 lap 2, feel OK

Lap 3: If you make it to lap 3, youve basically won, or at least thats what i tell myself. I try to ride conservatively, not take too many risks, and just be around for the last lap. I often try to sabotage myself with my nutrition plans/life-work-training balance, but if you can make it to the last lap you are golden. I also know that by sitting back, just hanging around and riding MY race, i will be there in the end. No need to blow yourself up early. After All, a 20th place finish is the same as a 2nd place finish to me, all you get extra is another pair of socks, maybe a box of Hammer gels that i dont like, so really i dont care, just here to ride/race and enjoy the free beer at the end.

I take 1 bottle for the last lap, another handful of endurolytes, another hammer chocolate thing. forget to check my tire. Off we go. Down the chalky chocolate bar, still hungry, starting to catch up on fluids. The endurolytes are fake, likely just dried up weeds but figured i would take them for the hell of it. I need more veggies in my diet anyways. Catch 2 or 3 guys in my AG right away, havent seen them all race so they clearly busted out of the gate too fast or had mechanicals. From the looks on their faces they did not have mechanicals. One guy started screaming d/t cramps as soon as i past him. Try to pass them quickly and get ahead before they catch a 16th wind and want to put me on the defensive at the very end. Hang on, ride the last few miles conservatively, no risks, but then Wham again! 2 cows standing in the middle of the trail. OK this is not good. I have 2-3 AGer’s right behind me and i have to stop and deal with these damn cows. So what do i do? Scream SANKY at the top of my lungs….they run away but the earth was shaking, I almost had a marlow right there. I am clear to pass, for now.

Ride out the last few miles, back is killing me, legs are deciding whether or not to cramp up, im starving, weather starts to move it. Finish lap 3 in 1:56/5:30. Done!

Post race: limp to my car, pretty delirious at this point. need water bad. Find the beer tent, Ice cold Dales pale ale will do just fine. Stand there for a few minutes because i cant muster the effort to walk yet. Watch a few others finish and they do the same, i think to myself damn...he looks rough! But then remember i look just as beat up.

thunderstorms move in, really bad thunderstorms., I feel bad for the racers still out on course because there are A LOT of them. Having flashbacks to 24hrs of Enchanted forest, where WB ensured me it never rains in New Mexico, expect when im in town. It rained dumped for 10 straight hours. Figured i would just pack it up and head out, not worth staying to wait it out and wait for post race awards. Need to wash this chocolate/cow dung mess off my face before someone notices.

Final thoughts: solid race course, great event. Need to work on the nutrition plan a bit better for Breck 100 and Leadville 100. Still should have stayed in bed and drank 20 pabsts the night before. Turns out I placed 3rd/21, 8 minutes from 2nd and 20 mins from 1st.  would have gotten a podium shot and some hardware but oh well, i dont need any more apple/cinnamon gels that i think are gross anyways. The socks would have been cool though. *need nutrition plan: talk to byyny/breyer/sankoff, again. Next up: maybe a Vail Mtn games trail run next weekend or Xterra Curt Gowdy in a few weeks. And that entire large pizza of course.

~K2