Myself and fast Eddie were the only sisters to show up for this quasi gravel road race. Where was the leaning tower of sauber? Did they run out of sauber bars??? Eddie and I can only riddle it must be so!
A number of training buddies showed up regardless of the threat of rain, Kudos to them! My take on the rain was bring it on! Let the rain slow down the whiners and posers! HA! For some odd reason rain makes my legs move faster, can't figure that out. I just go with it until they quit on me, then push a little more.
The ride was epic, terrible, and memorable. Highlights like the sand dunes from hell, the rollers that trick the eyes and punish the legs, and the sweet rain. The sand slowed my pace of almost 20 mph to a screeching halt. Clydesdale's, sand, and 35c slicks don't make a good marriage. I pushed through just the same. It sucked at the time, but leaves you feel all bright and shiny you made it through only to catch back up with those who rolled through the dunes faster than you. You can't drop me that easy! Double ha suckers.
Stopped at the Wren and met up with Tommy G. He was rolling 2"ers and was warming up with some tea. Grabbed a coffee and energy bar and we hit the last sixteen miles. The legs complained about the cool down, so big Tom and I took turns drafting each other. Once we warmed up we caught some cling on's which sucks. They held on for awhile, one midget taking a two minute turn....fail. After that I got my second wind and dropped the hammer. We lost the cling ons and rolled into town under the pouring rain.
Stuck around for some swag and to hear Joe's experience riding the Great Divide Race. Good day all in all.
Next year we riddle the sisters into showing up......
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The weather man deserves a beating....
Qpete and I threw on the winter garb and headed out for another Sogan Valley beat down. Chance of scattered showers, no big deal. A little rain keeps dust off the bike.
Q led us on a adventure up and down the hills, meandering this way and that. We discussed former beat downs, and beat downs to come. We both came to the conclusion that Tower and the gang were hiding indoors, they don't like getting wet. Or, making their bikes too dirty, ruins their image.....HA!
Then the drizzle came, who cares. Pedaling to the sound of rain drops has a certain tranquil quality to it. The both of us were engulfed into the rhythmic sound of rain bouncing off everything. So we pedaled on, and on. We joked about being cold and wet, and pedaled on and on. Races aren't always raced on sunny days, so shut out the rain and pedal on. Finish your loop, conquer the elements, and when you find him beat the weather man.
In what other profession can someone be wrong so often? These clowns were claiming at 0600 we wouldn't be getting any rain. And even if they were wrong it would be a slight drizzle that would last for a ten to fifteen minutes and move on. These deush nuggets should have their gonads wrapped in barbed wire then hung from a tree and let the kiddie's play pinata with them. I digress..or something...
One of the great things about rain is it puts all the fair weather riders indoors. You won't see a roadie struggling through the rain and wind to put in those long miles. You won't see some candy ass riding a carbon fiber machine with 23c's slogging through the gravel road mess of Goodhue County. And we thank the rain for that.
Q led us on a adventure up and down the hills, meandering this way and that. We discussed former beat downs, and beat downs to come. We both came to the conclusion that Tower and the gang were hiding indoors, they don't like getting wet. Or, making their bikes too dirty, ruins their image.....HA!
Then the drizzle came, who cares. Pedaling to the sound of rain drops has a certain tranquil quality to it. The both of us were engulfed into the rhythmic sound of rain bouncing off everything. So we pedaled on, and on. We joked about being cold and wet, and pedaled on and on. Races aren't always raced on sunny days, so shut out the rain and pedal on. Finish your loop, conquer the elements, and when you find him beat the weather man.
In what other profession can someone be wrong so often? These clowns were claiming at 0600 we wouldn't be getting any rain. And even if they were wrong it would be a slight drizzle that would last for a ten to fifteen minutes and move on. These deush nuggets should have their gonads wrapped in barbed wire then hung from a tree and let the kiddie's play pinata with them. I digress..or something...
One of the great things about rain is it puts all the fair weather riders indoors. You won't see a roadie struggling through the rain and wind to put in those long miles. You won't see some candy ass riding a carbon fiber machine with 23c's slogging through the gravel road mess of Goodhue County. And we thank the rain for that.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Cannon Fallings
The last few weekends I have been training in the Cannon Valley gravel roads with Qpete and the Old Man. We grumble up the hills and scream down the other side, that's the fun of it.
Just when the Old Man and I thought Qpete was our new buddy, he show's up on a mountain bike and brags about his 200+ helment, that he has left at home WTF?? Are we not worthy of you best garb? Are we unworthy of your Ti bike? Can't we be friends Qpetey boy? Didn't we acknowledge you even with your gay porn arm warmers? Enough about that!
If you not down with the gravel, shut it! Where else can you ride 50-75 miles with out running into a single car? Gravel is where it at, at least until single track is open. :-)
Just when the Old Man and I thought Qpete was our new buddy, he show's up on a mountain bike and brags about his 200+ helment, that he has left at home WTF?? Are we not worthy of you best garb? Are we unworthy of your Ti bike? Can't we be friends Qpetey boy? Didn't we acknowledge you even with your gay porn arm warmers? Enough about that!
If you not down with the gravel, shut it! Where else can you ride 50-75 miles with out running into a single car? Gravel is where it at, at least until single track is open. :-)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Springering this way and that.......
Did you get out yesterday? Did you look out yonder and start with your list of reasons why you couldn't ride you bike? Too wet, didn't know how to dress? Not sure who else is riding today? Pansy! Man up or sell your bike!
Days like yesterday were made to climb the hills your forgot, and forge on to new ones. It hurts more, your slower, and your wondering why you didn't train harder over the winter. Too bad. The sun shines the leg pump, the bike moves forward. Quit thinking about the pain and focus on what counts. Endurance isn't built over the minds eye view of pain, it's built on telling it to shut it's mouth I have 100 miles to ride!
So here's to spring! Where the promises you kept over the winter died by the weigh side in December, and your legs are paying for it. You know the cure, you know what it takes. Now get off your a$$ and make it happen. No one can make it better for you, and why would you want them to?
Days like yesterday were made to climb the hills your forgot, and forge on to new ones. It hurts more, your slower, and your wondering why you didn't train harder over the winter. Too bad. The sun shines the leg pump, the bike moves forward. Quit thinking about the pain and focus on what counts. Endurance isn't built over the minds eye view of pain, it's built on telling it to shut it's mouth I have 100 miles to ride!
So here's to spring! Where the promises you kept over the winter died by the weigh side in December, and your legs are paying for it. You know the cure, you know what it takes. Now get off your a$$ and make it happen. No one can make it better for you, and why would you want them to?
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Crriem, the gravel road race slushie minus the cherry flavor.
CRIREM.... as I read the description before signing up it seemed to relate the first year of the Ragnarok, which I missed. It was shorter in distance, but the conditions seem to lend themselves to complete insanity. Gravel road ice, or gravel road slop....both?? Drew, Dave, Tim and I decided to sign up. New gravel, new people, sounds fun.
The morning started in the single digits in a small town south of Des Moises, at a Tap none the less. Cumming Tap is a the kind of Tap I had frequented a number of times in my younger days. Cheap food, cheap beer, and very colorful people who don't give a shit about how much their jeans cost. Perfect to say the least. The start and finish would be the front door of the Tap, what more of a incentive do we need to return?
The town was inundated with Lycra wearing gravel road rode riding nuts. A town normally populated with maybe fifty people had 112 smiling faces ready to put themselves through sixty miles of smiles. Their was a roar of anticipation at the start, but isn't there always at a race start? The Weather Channel said the day was going to play out like a nightmare. The race start would be cold, and warm up to the mid thirties. Ice then slush, could it be true?
The roll out was uneventful, we were paced by a local to the first bridge on the course that looked like a strong wind could blow it over. To make matters worse, it was a wooden bridge with slates opened just wide enough to suck your tire in and end your race prematurely. Hope you been practicing your skinny riding skills, on ice to boot! To be honest it wasn't as bad as it sounds, but if this was the start, what the hell was the rest of the course like?
The first five miles were covered with snow and ice and there were frequent and anticipated falls all over the place. I played it safe and watch the carnage from a far. Timmy had his bike knocked out from underneath him so I stopped to lend a hand. Luckily is was a easy fix, and Timmy was on his way....way faster than I.
If you think all of Iowa is flat, your dead wrong. This was no Ragnarok, but it had it's challenging climbs to say the least. Especially when you add ice and snow to the climbs. The first thirty miles was cold, icy, and somewhat predicable. The second half of the race was going to be anything but. I didn't really prepare properly for this race, so suffering was expected. My body didn't disappoint. Leg cramps, tired legs, heavy breathing....and so it goes.
Why don't we quit when were suffering? When your legs cramp, why don't we call in the troops to save us? Because it's part of the experience. You have to suffer, you have to doubt yourself....then prove to yourself all over again that you can over come the pain and suffering to finish something you started. With that in mind, I will continue.
At the half way point was a check in of smiling women asking us dumb questions like are you cold, it it slick out there? Maybe it was small talk because they were bored, either way I didn't want to hear it. On the bright side they had water and snacks, for that I was grateful and Thanked them. You see, your mind doesn't remember the first race of the previous year, it remembers the last. When you were in better shape and could ride sixty miles with one water bottle and a energy bar.....I wasn't in this kind of shape. I depleted my water bottles in the first twenty miles of the ride and had consumed three of the four bars I had. In short, I was a idiot. I should have brought more of both.
Before the half way mark I had been playing tag with two other riders, Trevor and Joe. I would ride ahead, then fall back and they would catch me. If you have done long distance races you know how it goes. Trevor rode up to me around mile thirty five or forty and said we should all ride together, riding solo sucks. I couldn't argue with that. We chatted about each others lives bikes and other races to keep our minds of the thawing gravel. The three of us were now riding either on pavement like gravel, or slushie slop gravel with ice mixed in for good measure. As the sun kept warming the gravel as our speed slowed, and the climbs became almost unbearable. But remember, I am not in the best shape. Trevor mentioned we should walk the longer climbs to conserve energy, sounds good to me.
So we slogged on, slowly climbing this hill walking the next. None of us not willing to quit, not even speaking of it. Around mile 50 two wonderful ladies left any riders that needed it a jug of water to fill their bottles. This was a huge turning point for me. They generously filled our bottles after all of us drained them to ensure the rest of the trip we would be properly hydrated. I put down three bottle of water at this stop and then filled both bottles to the brim. It couldn't have been ten minutes later I was feeling great. Cramps gone, smile back, and the thought of walking another hill far behind me. I told Trevor and Joe, I was feeling it and rode ahead. I wanted to finish the last thirteen miles strong. I soon rode up to another rider, Troy who had taken advantage of the ladies generous stop but wasn't benefiting from it. He said he would like to pace behind me and I was fine with that.
The last six or seven miles had numerous Twists and turns and you had to keep your mind strong or you would be adding bonus miles to your ride. Something I didn't wish to do, and neither did Troy. Luckily for the both of us 90% of the last miles were hard packed gravel you could open up your stead on. And so we did, it was nice to see twenty plus on the odometer after slugging through the slush for so long. Ironically as we crested a hill I saw a couple riders I knew well. Trevor and Joe had gotten lost and were riding down the road we were riding up. Turn around boys I yelled, and so we were now four.
As we turned on the last couple of roads I said lets make it a race and sprint the last few miles. The four us thought that sounded good, and off we went. Luck was on my side for this part of the course. The rest of the guys had a 44 as their biggest ring, while I had a fifty. Hammer down, smile on, ignoring the sore legs we unleashed what we had left. I finished a good 1/8 of a mile ahead of them all not caring the least that I won, but that I finished strong. I waited for them all at the front of the door of the Tap and we walked in together. Slaps on the back, hand shakes, smiles all around.
That's how to finish a race, with new friends in tow.
The morning started in the single digits in a small town south of Des Moises, at a Tap none the less. Cumming Tap is a the kind of Tap I had frequented a number of times in my younger days. Cheap food, cheap beer, and very colorful people who don't give a shit about how much their jeans cost. Perfect to say the least. The start and finish would be the front door of the Tap, what more of a incentive do we need to return?
The town was inundated with Lycra wearing gravel road rode riding nuts. A town normally populated with maybe fifty people had 112 smiling faces ready to put themselves through sixty miles of smiles. Their was a roar of anticipation at the start, but isn't there always at a race start? The Weather Channel said the day was going to play out like a nightmare. The race start would be cold, and warm up to the mid thirties. Ice then slush, could it be true?
The roll out was uneventful, we were paced by a local to the first bridge on the course that looked like a strong wind could blow it over. To make matters worse, it was a wooden bridge with slates opened just wide enough to suck your tire in and end your race prematurely. Hope you been practicing your skinny riding skills, on ice to boot! To be honest it wasn't as bad as it sounds, but if this was the start, what the hell was the rest of the course like?
The first five miles were covered with snow and ice and there were frequent and anticipated falls all over the place. I played it safe and watch the carnage from a far. Timmy had his bike knocked out from underneath him so I stopped to lend a hand. Luckily is was a easy fix, and Timmy was on his way....way faster than I.
If you think all of Iowa is flat, your dead wrong. This was no Ragnarok, but it had it's challenging climbs to say the least. Especially when you add ice and snow to the climbs. The first thirty miles was cold, icy, and somewhat predicable. The second half of the race was going to be anything but. I didn't really prepare properly for this race, so suffering was expected. My body didn't disappoint. Leg cramps, tired legs, heavy breathing....and so it goes.
Why don't we quit when were suffering? When your legs cramp, why don't we call in the troops to save us? Because it's part of the experience. You have to suffer, you have to doubt yourself....then prove to yourself all over again that you can over come the pain and suffering to finish something you started. With that in mind, I will continue.
At the half way point was a check in of smiling women asking us dumb questions like are you cold, it it slick out there? Maybe it was small talk because they were bored, either way I didn't want to hear it. On the bright side they had water and snacks, for that I was grateful and Thanked them. You see, your mind doesn't remember the first race of the previous year, it remembers the last. When you were in better shape and could ride sixty miles with one water bottle and a energy bar.....I wasn't in this kind of shape. I depleted my water bottles in the first twenty miles of the ride and had consumed three of the four bars I had. In short, I was a idiot. I should have brought more of both.
Before the half way mark I had been playing tag with two other riders, Trevor and Joe. I would ride ahead, then fall back and they would catch me. If you have done long distance races you know how it goes. Trevor rode up to me around mile thirty five or forty and said we should all ride together, riding solo sucks. I couldn't argue with that. We chatted about each others lives bikes and other races to keep our minds of the thawing gravel. The three of us were now riding either on pavement like gravel, or slushie slop gravel with ice mixed in for good measure. As the sun kept warming the gravel as our speed slowed, and the climbs became almost unbearable. But remember, I am not in the best shape. Trevor mentioned we should walk the longer climbs to conserve energy, sounds good to me.
So we slogged on, slowly climbing this hill walking the next. None of us not willing to quit, not even speaking of it. Around mile 50 two wonderful ladies left any riders that needed it a jug of water to fill their bottles. This was a huge turning point for me. They generously filled our bottles after all of us drained them to ensure the rest of the trip we would be properly hydrated. I put down three bottle of water at this stop and then filled both bottles to the brim. It couldn't have been ten minutes later I was feeling great. Cramps gone, smile back, and the thought of walking another hill far behind me. I told Trevor and Joe, I was feeling it and rode ahead. I wanted to finish the last thirteen miles strong. I soon rode up to another rider, Troy who had taken advantage of the ladies generous stop but wasn't benefiting from it. He said he would like to pace behind me and I was fine with that.
The last six or seven miles had numerous Twists and turns and you had to keep your mind strong or you would be adding bonus miles to your ride. Something I didn't wish to do, and neither did Troy. Luckily for the both of us 90% of the last miles were hard packed gravel you could open up your stead on. And so we did, it was nice to see twenty plus on the odometer after slugging through the slush for so long. Ironically as we crested a hill I saw a couple riders I knew well. Trevor and Joe had gotten lost and were riding down the road we were riding up. Turn around boys I yelled, and so we were now four.
As we turned on the last couple of roads I said lets make it a race and sprint the last few miles. The four us thought that sounded good, and off we went. Luck was on my side for this part of the course. The rest of the guys had a 44 as their biggest ring, while I had a fifty. Hammer down, smile on, ignoring the sore legs we unleashed what we had left. I finished a good 1/8 of a mile ahead of them all not caring the least that I won, but that I finished strong. I waited for them all at the front of the door of the Tap and we walked in together. Slaps on the back, hand shakes, smiles all around.
That's how to finish a race, with new friends in tow.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Riding this way and that.....
It's that time of year we all yearn for a fat tire bike. As much as I would like one, I just haven't found one that I think will live up to all it's hype when hauling my big bones about the woods or shoreline. But yesterday that may have changed.
Freewheel had a pretty awesome Winter Bike Demo yesterday, while most of their offerings were typical there was one stand out. Salsa was there with the Mukluk 2,3, and the new Ti version...yawn. But then to my surprise a couple of guys from Surly were there not just with Pugsly by but two Moon Landers. As if that wasn't lucky enough their normally short dudes that man their booths were thrown askew by a newer Surly dude the same height is wee me. He was generous enough to all me to hit a couple of laps with his personal Moon Landers on a obstacle course set up by Freewheel for a fat bike race and demo. What a treat!
To be honest I didn't have a lot of faith in the bike. I agree with most people who say the Pug dives into the turns instead of flowing into it them. This makes taking tight turns at Theo a real pain as you are always mentally measuring what kind of turn you going to get away with before hitting that wall of unpacked snow. This annoying geometry actually works well with the Moon Lander. The bike does indeed still steer quickly and dive a bit in turns, but with the Moon Lander's huge foot print it fits the bill perfectly. I enjoyed throwing the beast around log obstacles and riding over rollers on the course. It corners fast and allowing you to get the big beast through it's turns predictably. It's like riding a 29er for the first time, it takes more effort to get the beast rolling. But once it's rolling watch out, you are in store for some great times and unstoppable momentum.
As far as the looks of the Moon Lander is concerned the metal flake paint is a cool when set against the white back drop of Minnesota's winter wonder land. In the bike shop it looks kind of cheesy, but nest to the snow the blings! Will I be purchasing one this year, probably not. But will I be next year, it's in the front running for sure. The one big issue on the bike is the crappy offerings of tires called the Big Fat Larry's. But alas the dude from Surly has assured me they will have better tire choices next year for the Moon Lander. In short, get out and ride one and see if this fat bike lives up to your expectations.
Freewheel had a pretty awesome Winter Bike Demo yesterday, while most of their offerings were typical there was one stand out. Salsa was there with the Mukluk 2,3, and the new Ti version...yawn. But then to my surprise a couple of guys from Surly were there not just with Pugsly by but two Moon Landers. As if that wasn't lucky enough their normally short dudes that man their booths were thrown askew by a newer Surly dude the same height is wee me. He was generous enough to all me to hit a couple of laps with his personal Moon Landers on a obstacle course set up by Freewheel for a fat bike race and demo. What a treat!
To be honest I didn't have a lot of faith in the bike. I agree with most people who say the Pug dives into the turns instead of flowing into it them. This makes taking tight turns at Theo a real pain as you are always mentally measuring what kind of turn you going to get away with before hitting that wall of unpacked snow. This annoying geometry actually works well with the Moon Lander. The bike does indeed still steer quickly and dive a bit in turns, but with the Moon Lander's huge foot print it fits the bill perfectly. I enjoyed throwing the beast around log obstacles and riding over rollers on the course. It corners fast and allowing you to get the big beast through it's turns predictably. It's like riding a 29er for the first time, it takes more effort to get the beast rolling. But once it's rolling watch out, you are in store for some great times and unstoppable momentum.
As far as the looks of the Moon Lander is concerned the metal flake paint is a cool when set against the white back drop of Minnesota's winter wonder land. In the bike shop it looks kind of cheesy, but nest to the snow the blings! Will I be purchasing one this year, probably not. But will I be next year, it's in the front running for sure. The one big issue on the bike is the crappy offerings of tires called the Big Fat Larry's. But alas the dude from Surly has assured me they will have better tire choices next year for the Moon Lander. In short, get out and ride one and see if this fat bike lives up to your expectations.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Ramblings of a fat cyclist....
I love to race/ride all my bikes, and yes I am a true Clydesdale! Not some elongated punk with 10% body fat that just made the 200+ mark by drinking 20oz of water before a race. I started racing in part because a bunch of skinny punks would smirk at me when mentioning I was thinking about trying the race scene one of these days. Their is nothing more satifing than passing a skinny dork on a endurance race with that same smirk knowing I am going to finish, and your going to call your mom or wife to come get your ass.
Race season is just about wrapped up, so my ramblings will probably be about dealing with idiots in the gym. Come back now and again, I hope you laugh and nod your head with agreement.
Race season is just about wrapped up, so my ramblings will probably be about dealing with idiots in the gym. Come back now and again, I hope you laugh and nod your head with agreement.
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