No-Nonsense Gravel Road Race

I will write my story later this week. Here is a link to Guitar Ted's write up to keep you entertained until I get mine typed.

In a nut shell:
I was in the lead group at mile 10.
Mile 15 we had gone 3 miles out of our way missing a turn.
Missed another turn at mile 20.
Three other riding companions.

Race turned into a ride the last 60 miles

90 mile ride turned into 111 finished at 4:35 AM
Felt great but suffered on the hills early
Great time, great event great night...really.
Would to it again in a hearbeat.

Late Season Motivation

Around this time of year getting motivated to ride becomes tough. There are no races in sight to train for, the days are getting shorter and I have ridden the same roads more times then I care to count. Each day is a mental jousting match as I try to come up with excuses not to ride. Here are a few tricks I use to keep the motivation level high.

At the beginning of each year I set a mileage goal then brake the yearly goal to weekly goals and try to hit those miles each week. This lets me know if I am on track to reach the goal. Towards the end of the year I track how many miles I need to average each day to make the goal. This helps motivated me for a while. This years goal was 13,000 the same as last year. It has not been a good year in keeping with the weekly goals. I was ahead of schedule early then for some reason as the weather got nice my miles declined. Crewing for RAAM gave me two weeks off the bike and really set me behind the eight ball. A really good July closed the gap but not enough. Now it will be a struggle to reach the goal my the end of the year. I have to average 34 miles per day for the rest of the year. Come November and December that is going to be tough. The graph below shows my actual year to date running weekly average compared to the goal. I like to track the average week to reduce the peaks and valleys.

A new motivation this year has been riding my cyclo-cross bike on gravel roads. I purchased the bike in early April for the Trans Iowa gravel road race. Since that time I have ridden over 1200 miles on that bike. This fall I have ventured out at least twice a week in search of new roads to ride. In Muscatine county there must be 3 miles of gravel for every 1 mile of paved roads. On the longer rides I just head out into the wind following the roads to wherever they lead me. I know my way around the area well enough to know about where I will end just not sure the route that will take me there. Even pre-riding a group ride from the bike shop there are many more options of how to get there.

Gravel road riding is picking up steam in the Midwest. Each year new events are added to an already long list of gravel road ride/races. http://www.gravelgrindernews.com/ is a great sight for information. Many of these event are low key and have no entry fee. There are some riders that are completing for the win but many riders are just riding for the enjoyment. I am planning just such a race on Saturday October 24th call the Night Nonsense 100. The race is 100 miles of gravel and dirt roads around the Iowa City area. The unique aspect of this race is that is starts at 8:00 PM. 100 miles of gravel in the dark for some reason sounds like a blast. I love to ride at night and I love to ride gravel, perfect. Some of my friends might think I have lost my marbles again or that my cassette is a few teeth shy of a cluster. That is because, like my 8 year old nephew who does not like any new foods until he tries it, they have never tried this format. If they did they would be hooked like I am.

The third form of motivation is getting on the scale and see my weight increase. The equation, calories consumed must be less then or equal to calories burned only leaves two choices. I love food too much to reduce the intake as the riding reduces. Therefor I need to keep riding.

Do you have a mountain bike hanging in your garage that you are not sure where to ride. Find a gravel road and just start riding and see where it takes you. There is a huge network of roads with little traffic that will rejuvenate you and give you a good reason to get out and ride this fall. Who knows you might be the next person lining up at a gravel road race. Try it you’ll like it.

Iowa 24 hour Race

The annual Ultra Midwest 24 was held Labor Day weekend outside of Port Byron Illinois. Four of the last five years I have competed in this exceptionally run event put on by the Ultra Midwest (Big Dogs) group led by Dave Parker and Joe Jamison. The race includes 6,12 and 24 hour options on lightly travelled roads in western Illinois.

As the race started the 50 participants, which included 11-24 hour, 28-12 hour and 11-6 hour entrants, were clad in tights and long sleeves to combat the crisp 6:30 AM temperatures. This would provide a nice break from the oppressive heat the area has experienced over the summer. All riders start together with the 24 hour riders separating themselves from the others in the first couple miles. The 24 hour ride is non-drafting while the other two races allow drafting.

The route: This years route consisted of a new, flat as a pancake, 60 mile long loop, an intermediate 19.6 mile loop, and a short 8 mile loop. The 60 mile loop closes at 2:00 PM for the 12 and 24 hour rides so each rider completes as many laps as you can before the cut-off. You then proceed to the intermediate loop. The intermediate loop closes at 5:00 PM or AM depending on which race you have entered. After 5:00 riders finish on the short loop. The 6 hour group completes one long loop before riding the intermediate and short loops as needed.

The Game Plan: The last three times I have entered the 24 hour race my mileage has been 300, 408 and then 431. The 300 mile total I stopped at midnight the other two I rode all night. The goal for this year was 450 miles. To accomplish this total I would have to average 19.2 on the bike and only be off the bike for 30 minutes total. This was a pretty lofty goal but one I thought was attainable. With my wife Connie as head crew member and son Chris and his girl-friend Chelsey helping during the daylight hours the limited time off the bike was not going to be a problem. They do a great job of keeping me fed and watered. Going in I had a great pacing and nutrition strategy that I was very confident success was attainable.

 

Blustery Day as Pooh would put it: The forecast for the day was cool and breezy with winds out the west-north-west at 15-20. This was going to make the long loops a little tougher with the last 20 miles each lap going west and north. Even though the route was flat, I mean really flat, ,the biggest hill between mile 5 and 55 was an overpass, the road surfaces were rough. By the third time around the expansion cracks felt like a jackhammer hitting your rear, arms and feet each time you crossed them. During this stretch I opted for a few sanity breaks just to rest my jarred body. I was extremely glad to make it back to the school to start the intermediate loops. Even though the wind was still blowing the hardest head wind stretch was only 4 miles.

Off the big loops as last: I started the intermediate loops at 3:50. Total miles ridden was 180 in 9:50 with an  average on the bike of 19.6 mph. Time off the bike had totaled 7 minutes. The goal was to ride 13 of the intermediate loops in the next 14 hours. I would have to keep the pace around 19 mph on the bike and limit my stops to 1-2 minutes per lap. I was feeling good and settled in to the task at hand. Riding, eating and drinking was all I had to do. At 7:15 I was off the bike for 5 minutes while put on tights, arm warmers, reflective vest, head-light and tail light. Putting the tights on took the longest. I still had my light shoe covers on from the chilly morning start hoping that would save time as the temperatures dropped. While I was getting dressed Chris put on the lights, Connie refilled my bottles and bento box and I ate a fresh off the grill hamburger. The last three times I have done this event my crew has grilled as the sun set. This was the first year I was able to partake in the cuisine. It went down really well.

Reality Check: Thing were going pretty well until the lap around midnight. I was on pace to finish with about 435. The early wind had dashed any hopes for 450. I had lapped the second place rider (Paul Carpenter) at 11:00 PM which put me 20 miles ahead. Paul is the RAAM rider I did support for this year plus we have compete against each other several time so we are pretty familiar with each other. I slowed for breif chat as I made the pass. This gave me a little boost but by 12:30 AM I was starting to hurt. The energy level was great, I had not cramped (which is a first for this race), my stomach felt fine but my rear, arms, neck, back and shoulders were stiff and sore. This was making it very uncomfortable to be on the bike. I was stretching a lot and sitting up trying, in vain to find a way to relief the aching muscles. I headed back out at 1:00 after an 8 minutes stop. During this long stop I started to get chilly as the temperatures had dropped back into the mid-fifties. I really could have used a longer break but knew I would be shivering if I did. That lap took 1:27 minutes to complete as I rolled in at 2:27 AM. During that lap I had shut down and knew my night was going to end early. I could not fathom 4 more hours on that infernal machine.

Stats: 356.3 miles in 20 hours. 38 total minutes off the bike. 18.4 average speed. First in my age group second overall. Here is the link to the complete results.

Food and Drink:
7- 20 oz Perpetuams @ 280 cal each

4 - Ensures

1-20 oz Gaterade

2-20 oz Sobe's

14 chocolate chip cookies

12 power gels

Cheese Stick

2 Chicken Salad Sandwich

5 pringles

Beef Jerky

3 Pasta shells stuffed with chicken salad

2 dill pickles

Grilled Hamburger

Orange

Banana

2 cups of chicken broth

A big thanks to Connie, Chris and Chelsey for keeping me moving and to Dave and Joe, there wives and the other volunteers who made this a great event. I will give my body a break from the super long riding for a while and just enjoy the fall season before making plans for next years adventures.

2000+ miles July

The goal for July was to get into the top 5 on the Big Dog standings for the month.  I was number 5 last year for July.  With the miles from RAGBRAI and the ride out July is usually my biggest month.  With the 600K brevet in early July and RAGBRAI starting clear up in Sioux City I knew I had a chance to get to 2000 miles for the month.  The month ended at 2042 miles and was enough miles to earn me the top spot of the Big Dogs for the month for the first time ever.  Of course first place and fifth get the same prize but it did help build a good base for Labor Day’s 24 hour ride.

The Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

Bill Harper (he did not get the memo), Joe Mann, Mike Doyle (Doyley) and Bill Ford (Wiford)

2010 marked the 5th time I have ridden out to RAGBRAI.  Mike Doyle has also completed this journey 5 times with Bill Ford riding his fourth.  The reason the ride is called The Pee Wee’s big adventure is because unlike the original move title there is more then one PeeWee on this adventure.  Joining us this year was Bill Harper.  The route this year took us to over-nights in Little Amana, Boone and Ida Grove.  This is close to the 2006 route that saw RAGBRAI start in Sergeant Bluff just south of Sioux City. This year, unlike 2006, we opted for an extra half day to keep the daily miles a little lower.  2006 miles were 175, 130, 55 and 2010 was 70, 135, 100 and 55.  This picture sums up how the ride went. I was always changing my flat tires and Mike was always peeing.  We had a great time.  Thursday’s 130 miles day from Little Amana to Boone was very challenging with the heat, headwinds and rolling hills.  The lunch stop at Marshalltown for monster sub-sandwiches had at least one of us second guessing that decision with the heat and 60 miles of riding to go.  While the weather in Muscatine was very rainy we never got a drop.  Friday leaving Boone looked ominous but no rain materialized.  Saturday was very hilly and we were glad to finally make it to Sioux City.  Once in Sioux City Mike, Bill and Bill headed for home and left me with seven more days of riding.

RAGBRAI 2010

2010 marked the 19th year in a row that Connie and I have done RAGBRAI.  This year was one of the most enjoyable. (No, neither one of us were at the Cartersville party) Most of the camp-sights were good, the weather was better then expected for July in Iowa and the riding was pretty easy.  We started with a couple pretty hard days, a long day on Thursday, a little rain on Friday then the toughest climb RAGBRAI has ever taken us on, Potter’s Hill as part of Saturday’s ride into Dubuque.

All in all it was an un-eventful RAGBRAI year.  That is not a bad thing considering the years we have spent the night in the gyms, riding in the rain, sweating in the tents…..  I will take un-eventful any day.

600K Brevet 7/17 - 18

Saturday July 17th Ultra-Midwest (Big Dog's) hosted an RUSA sanctioned 600K brevet. The route was an extremely hilly out and back to Viroqua Wisconsin. Three of us headed out of Le Claire Iowa at 6:00 AM treated to a gorgeous Iowa sunrise. Whenever I start these long rides my mind immediately thinks about how long it will be before I am finished. The stretch goal was 24 hours with a more realistic goal of 26 hours.

The forecast was for hot, humid and possible storms during the night. The cue sheet showed limited re-fill and re-fuel stops along the route with even fewer chances for stops after the sun went down. Most of the forecast was correct as temperatures and humidity climbed quickly as the serious climbing started shortly after Savanah Illinois and north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border at a town called Apple River Illinios.

I made pretty good time, and pulled away from my riding companions by the 50 mile mark. I rolled into the turn around at 6:30 pm. Despite the heat and many climbs I was feeling pretty good considering I had just ridden 192.6 miles. 20 minutes later I was back on the road. In the first 12 1/2 hours I drank 480 ounces of liquid and still felt like I was a little dehydrated.

As the sun set I got a chance to use my Schmidt Dyno hub for the first time with my road bike. Descending is always a little scary at night especially if you are not familiar with the roads. There were more then a couple "nerve-racking" 40 mph downhills but with this light I was able to go down the hill like it was daylight. The Busch & Muller Lumitec Fly LED light only requires that you be going 1.5 mph for the light to be full brightness. This came in very handy as most of the 40 mph downhills were followed by 5 mph uphills.

By 5:00 am as the sun was rising my energy level was sinking. I staggered into Sabula around 5:30 with very little energy and motivation, not to mention I was getting sleepy. A quick 10 minute nap at the picnic table and a can of Mountain Dew provide a little energy to get me back on the road. The next 50 miles were pretty tough going. The wind had picked up slightly out of the south west (the direction I was going) and the rolling hills are endless.

I finally made it to Le Clarie at 9:50 am completely wiped out but satisfied that I had pushed through some pretty rough times and finished the ride.

Drinks:
19- 24 ounce bottles
3- 70 ounce camelbacks
66 ounces of Misc

Food:
12 fig newtons, 3 servings of Powerbar Gels, Turkey and ham Sandwich, Turkey Salad sandwich, Egg Salad Sandwich, 2 Salted Nutrolls, 2 Granola Bars, 3 servings of Hammer Perpetuam (280 calories), rice Krispy Bar, Slice of Pizza, Strawberry/Blueberry fruit cup, Ham and Cheese McMuffin. 46 S-Caps (about 400 mg of sodium).

RAAM 2010 comes to an end for Paul

Paul Carpenter's 2010 RAAM attempt came to an end 10 miles east of El Dorado Kansas at mile 1612 of the race. We had a great day yesterday covering 330 miles in 22 hours to try to make up some time before we get to the time cut-off at the Mississippi River. The cut-off is 3:00 pm Eastern time on Thursday. This morning Roger, Sam and myself headed out at 7:15 and right away we could tell that it was not going to be our day. After 7 miles Paul pulled over and could not even get clipped out of his peddles due to knee problems. A 15 minute break and some ice did nothing for the pain. We got him back on the bike for a few miles of alone time on the course before loading him into the van and going back to El Dorado.
Paul is very pleased with his accomplishments and is not disappointed with his effort. We probably pushed a little far yesterday but that was needed as a last ditch effort to be an official finisher.

Catching Up

It has been a few days since I updated other then a quick call to my wife.

We had a long day through the Rockies with Paul riding 218 miles that included three passes over 9500 feet with Wolf creek pass being the tallest at 10,800. This pass is where Des Moines cyclist Bob Breedlove was killed during RAAM. We managed to dodge the heavy rains over the passes and got him into South Fork, Alamosa and La Veta. The climb to La Veta was harder then it looked and really took it out of him. He rolled into Trinidad at 1:30 am and was shot. 3 and 1/2 hours sleep later we had him on the road and it was not a pretty sight.
Our average speed heading towards Kim was about 12-13. This was slightly downhill section and we figured we would move along pretty good. Paul was really struggling and it took quite a bit to keep him moving down the road. We bribed him with candy and gum, gave him some short breaks and even took a nap in Kim but nothing was working. Shortly after Kim it was decided that we would stop at Springfeild CO, just short of the TS in Walsh and get 8 hours of sleep before pushing on early in the morning. This decision was going to put us behind the time schedule cut-off but there is no "official" cut-off until Maryland so we would have to push harder after the long break but that would be better then the alternatives. It was our last ditch effort to finish this race. The sleep did him wonders as he headed out this morning as a new man. We were 12 hours behind schedule and we cannot afford another long break and still finish the race.

Hopefully now that we are out of the mountains we can get more updates in a timely fashion.