Endurance Racing. Its for freaks and sickos, right? We will see which one I am this Saturday. I registered for the Granogue Singlespeed Endurance class for this upcoming weekend and I have no idea what I am in for. Im not scared, just a strange combination of anxious, nervous, and a little overwhelmed. As I started asking around to the local gurus and scanning the interwebs for advice it is really sinking in that I know absolutely nothing about endurance racing. Nothing.

What I am gleaning is that endurance racing is a balancing act in every aspect of what it is. You must push your body as far as it will go without running into the wall. That means taking in the right amount of fuel, fluids, and salts without causing gastric distress. That means riding hard enough to be competitive, but not so hard that you blow up. That means choosing equipment that is light enough to not act like a boat anchor, but that is robust enough that you don’t get mechanicals. Tires must be fast yet tough and good in any condition. Your pit area must have the right food, fluids, tools, and spare equipment in it. Your head must be able to stay calm and focused no matter what happens. Your emotions must not overtake your judgment.

The only thing that will tell you where your balance point is is experience, so that’s what Im looking for in doing this. Most of the other guys in my class are expert/elite levels, so I fully expect a DFL finish, but because of that I don’t have to balance the ‘competative’ part as closely so it gives me some breathing room. I can experiment and see what works and what doesn’t without having pressure on myself to perform. It’s a good place to start.

I chose Granogue for a reason- the course is less technical than my normal rides. The race format is laps, so if something goes horribly wrong I can stop. Fatmarc puts on a great show so my pit crew (thanks Mom and Dad!) should hopefully not be completely bored all morning. The race is 4 hours +1 lap. All of this adds up to a good venue to give this a try, so hopefully it will give me a good indication if this kind of thing is for me or not. One way or another it’s a new experience to put into my bag of tricks so hopefully it’s a good one.

Potty Pose 

Back when I got back into mountain biking my friend Tomas (who re-introduced me to riding) decided to take me out to the American Standard ride in Jim Thorpe. That day, I rode my heart out and basically died- the thing I remember most was the guy who asked ‘What, do you not like him?’ to my friend when we told him this was my first real ride back.  I vaguely remember severely cramping legs, barely being able to walk, and having Tomas drive us home because I couldn’t work the clutch in my car I was that toasted. Because of that, I have always used the Standard as a gauge to measure my fitness against. When Rudy posted the ‘I gotta go to the potty’ ride on bikevmb.com, there was no question, I was in. It was time to test where I was at relative to summer 1999, as well as last year when he made it out from Sweden to visit.

A little wet in the lot but the trails were perfect

A group of ten strong assembled at the lot on top of Broad Mountain, and despite the grey sky and puddles in the lot, we were ready to go. Some in the group had ridden together before, others were new so no one really had an idea of how this would all work out. I was especially curious, not only for the group, but also because I was riding the monkey on some tough trails for only the second time I have ridden it. I had some good karma, though, my son had come up with the perfect name for the monkey- George, as in Curious George!  Now I just need to find a yellow helmet...(FWIW, Terry Miller came in second with Caludia so he gets the tires, bars, and stickers)

We started out on part of the Broad Mountain loop to avoid just riding the road down and even though Rudy was bent on getting us soaked to start the ride by taking us through the swamp, the only real casualty was Rudy’s tire. After putting a new tube in and managing to install the tire backwards we were closing in on the singletrack.

Rudy 'I never get flats' Muto changing his tube

The storms the night before left the trail a little tacky, but not soft. Even with questionable ‘legal’ status, this trail remains a classic and was obviously worn in from frequent riding. The majority of the trail was clear of blowdowns, and the puddles were limited to the jeep roads that always seem to have puddles. Weather was a little cool, but once we really got going everyone warmed up nicely so it felt great to be in the woods. The ferns are just starting to poke through the duff, and the leaves were just beginning to show on the trees.  Early on, though, we lost John due to a broken frame- bummer!

We rode the classic loop as well as our fearless leader could read the map, I cleaned the creek crossing (only person to do it!) and every climb except one. Legs were strong, bike was dialed, and the group was good.

All in all, I felt really good out there today. I was a bit skeptical running fully rigid, but the only time I really noticed it was when I was just sitting and pedaling. Whenever I was standing on it, I just let the bike dance under me and let the tubeless tires soak up as much as possible. I only felt one rim hit too on the front wheel due to a tombstone-rock, but after checking the rim everything was still good as new. Josh at SVB builds a good wheel!

As far as where I am compared to the past? I am stronger than I have ever been and more comfortable on two wheels than I have ever been. I took a full two days off the bike prior to this ride, and only tooled around with my son yesterday to loosen up a bit. Vegan Rob was right- rest is the key and now I think I am going to follow the ‘block’ training pattern he recommended for me. If I can feel this strong on race day, I think my results will only improve. Thanks for the ride Rudy! See everyone Tuesday at Bear Creek for the opening STXC!

Full Album-

Ride fast, take chances-

/Dan

 

Following the clothing theme of this week, I thought I would share a mail I just sent to my folks who wanted to be more active in the colder months, but werent sure how to dress. This topic comes up every year as the weather shifts from warm to cold and vice-versa. So here it is-

Bottom line here is its about 
moisture control- keeping it away from your skin is key so your base 
layer is your most important piece. You will likely need one for both 
hot as well as cool conditions. I like the stuff from Craft best, but 
Under Armor works well too. Dont go too heavy with your 'cool' base 
unless you want to also do a mid-temp piece as well because it will 
limit your options to dress for the weather. Your second needs to be 
something that wicks moisture away as well, so choose something with 
wicking technology. My brands of choice here are Craft, Sugoi, and Louis 
Garneau. For all-year layering, you will need both a short sleeve piece 
and a long-sleeve piece. The long-sleeve piece can be used as an outer 
layer on days where it is borderline between short/long sleeve weather 
with the short sleeve underneath it. Next you will want a thermal layer 
of some sort. I like wool- preferably merino. There is a company called 
Portland Cyclewear with the best prices on these pieces, and even though 
there is a rear pocket, these are 'casual' enough to wear on their own. 
If you can find something cheaper elsewhere let me know about it, but 
this piece is a go-to piece for me. I can wear it with my cool base on 
borderline days, or with my warm base on cooler days, or it can be used 
as a mid-layer on really cold days. This piece is key after your base 
layer. Next piece would be a heavy thermal layer like a fleece vest. I 
prefer fleece with wind-protection at least on the front panel. Look for 
things like Gore Windstopper or similar- there is a range of this kind 
of thing on the market. I have also found that this layer is best served 
as a vest because it is more flexible in terms of latering and 
conditions than a full jacket. Your final layer should be a shell- 
preferably breathable/waterproof and convertible to a vest.  For your 
legs, the rules are similar, but I rarely go more than 3 layers. Usually 
a base of lycra shorts for cycling or those under-armor briefs you got 
me for christmas, then a thermal if necessary, and finally a 
windproof/water resistant breathable top layer. Summer is just wicking 
shorts. If you want to get specific conditions leggings, look to Craft 
or Sugoi- they both have a broad range of pants and tights. I also like 
knickers for transitional weather but thats just me. Hopefully this 
helps you out.

 Ride fast- take chances-

/Dan