Post-race bike photos

I forgot to post these last night. We have a really cool Macro lens that I don't take advantage of nearly enough.





Sharon snapped this one from the car as we left. I love the look of a course set with pumpkins.

What is Cyclocross?

For those of you out there that read posts about cyclocross and wonder what all the fuss is about, here are some videos that I found that will help illustrate what it is and why it is so addictive, while at the same time making you want to vomit.

Here is a definition of cyclocross that I used in an old post last year:

It's the least understood but most emphatically enjoyed faction of cycling. It's mud-bogging, sand-squirming, barrier-hopping, wet-grass-slipping, steep-pitch-scrambling fun.

It will make you want to puke. It will make you want to fall over. It will make you feel alive, and once your heart rate comes down, you'll want to do it again.

It's called Cyclocross, and it's like no other cycling discipline (but somewhat like all of them).

On to the videos.
Right-click and open this in a new window:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJkzC1JFrkw

Right-click and open this in a new window:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UTsv53qDTQ

This one is a little bit long and silly, but it starts to hit on why it is so addictive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_W8AsilPMM

Here is one taken at a local race in Seattle last season. I was racing that day, but I don't think you see me in the video.

Seattle Cyclocross - South Seatac from Jeff Evans on Vimeo.

Fun (but Rough) Weekend of Cyclocross

This weekend, we were very fortunate to have 2 races. On Tuesday, we found out the the idiotic City of Seattle revoked the permit for MFG to host the Saturday race at Lincoln Park. I'm not going to go off on a tirade here. Maybe I'll write up more details later. The important news is that, incredibly, MFG was able to find a new venue and pull off the race anyway.

Saturday I arrived early to Evergreen H.S./Lakewood Park for the "relocated" MFG Race #5. I got in plenty of warm-up and was at the headed to stage for the start with plenty of time to make sure I got a good starting position. That's about where the good news ends. As I finished up my last lap around the track, I felt my rear tire getting low. Not a good time for a flat. They were just starting the staging for my race. I had no time to get over to the pit area and grab my back-up wheel. Luckily, I was right next to the Cucina Fresca tent. My friend Brad rides for the Cucina Fresca team and I thought maybe someone there could help. Cole was there. I had not met him before, but he was really helpful. In seconds, he had the valve core out of my tubular tire and was pouring Stans sealant in. I was not confident that the Stans could seal it up immediately and handle a race, but at least it got me going. I made it to the start and still had a great position, right behind the front row.

I got a good start and was part of the front pack of riders. After heading down the straightaway of the track, the course hopped up over a low curb and onto to short section of pavement turning to the right before we hit the grass. I had pre-rode several times and was prepared for the turn. I started into the turn, and suddenly the rider in front of me came off his line and moved to the left. With no chance for any reaction, his rear wheel came across and hit my front. BAM! I was on the ground with riders toppling over me. OUCH. Quickly back up. Pain, but nothing too bad. Grab the bike. Handlebars are pointed off at a 45 degree angle. Jump to the front of the bike and pinch the wheel between my legs and try to hammer the bars back to straight. They are not budging. Ride to the pits, get a multi-tool and loosen my stem to adjust the bars. Tighten the bolts and get moving.

I am dead last in my start and the next group (age 45+) is already passing me. I push as hard as I can to try to catch back up to the back of my group. I'm actually going pretty well and getting past a lot of the 45+ field. I try to pass on a descent and go down in the mud at the bottom. No injuries, but frustrating as hell. Back on the bike, trying to make up more ground. About a half a lap later, my rear tire is going flat. AAARRRGGHHH! What else can go wrong!?

Nice to have tubulars. Certainly can't go fast, but at least I was able to ride the flat to the pits. More time lost changing my rear wheel. Now I am a lap down and just riding out of pride. For the first time this season, I did not finish on the same lap as the leaders. Stuck around to see some friends start their race, but then headed home to nurse my wounds.

Woke up sore Sunday morning, but at least there was the extra hour of sleep ;-) I had the night before to race, and I stuck with it. We managed to get the kids up and out and didn't even leave too late. Sunday's race was number 5 in the Seattle series. It was at Maris Farms, a family farm with petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin patch, etc. Figured it would be a fun venue for the kids. As we drove up, it was really cool to see the course - set with pumpkins, instead of yellow tape.

I was riding on my wheel with tubes and Hutchinson Bulldog tires. I was actually happy about that, because the one thing I didn't mention about Saturday's race was how miserable my Vittoria tires were in the mud. I splurged on my tubular wheels and didn't know what tires I wanted. I got lots of recommendations for Tufos that cost like $150 per tire. I decided to get some cheap Vittorias to get started with until I figured out what good tires I wanted to invest in. Big mistake.

Most of the course at Maris Farms was muddy. For the most part it was the more "mashed potato" consistency, and not the "slippery snot" type (except in the corn). The Bulldogs didn't really help much, because my tires got so clogged with mud that it was just mud on mud. In case you haven't ridden a bike in these conditions, that is not a good thing. Mud on mud trying to go uphill is like ice skating on butter knives.

Call it being fat and out of shape, recovering from a cold, tired and bruised from Saturday...what ever you want. I was slow on Sunday. Then I got even slower. I got to the top of one of the run-ups, and put my bike on the ground. It didn't roll. my rear tire was locked and dragging on the ground. I tried to free it, but the rear brakes were completely clogged with mud and grass. I gave up and shouldered my bike and resigned myself to running out the rest of the race. After a few minutes, I realized that I was going to drop dead trying to run the course. I stopped and went back to work on the rear brakes. After a couple minutes, I finally got the wheel spinning.

I started riding again, but there was no race left in me. I was tired, bummed, and ready to be done. Shortly after I crossed the finish line and headed out for another alp, I heard them announcing the leaders crossing the line with one lap to go. I knew that if they caught me, I would not finish on the same lap...again. I was proud of the fact that until the day before, I had been finishing pretty well in the races and always on the same lap. But for the first time, the really bad thoughts crept into my head. Wouldn't it be nice if they catch me, so that I can be done? I tried to push them out of my head, but I think it was too late. Sharon and Zach got a video of me right at this moment. You can hear them announcing the leaders coming through with one lap to go. It is pretty clear from the video that there is not much wind in my sails. Oh well, there's always next week.

I just dropped off my wheels at uBRDO to have some Challenge Fangos glued up. Word on the street is that they are the best mud tire that crosses over to dry conditions. For someone like me that only has one set of wheels, this is the ideal set-up for Northwest cyclocross, because we get a lot of mud. But as the first few races of season proved, we get our share of "California-cyclocross" conditions as well. My wheel will be ready Wednesday, and I'm looking forward to a better race out at Sprinker Park (where the infamous "Chicken-legs" and "Where's the Beef?" pictures were taken).



Here are pics and video from Maris Farms:


I can't remember, but I'm sure that's Joe yelling something horrible to motivate me

Even on a tough day, here's proof that I do actually pass people out there


The next one in the series didn't come out, but I got past a couple more on that descent.

Video:

This Week's Forecast - Milestones with a Sprinkling of Reality Check

The past week included a few milestones in my marathon training. I ran 20 miles for the first time. That is the longest I will run before the marathon. I also ran my standard Green Lake Outer Loop (3.2 miles) at an avg pace of 7:34/mile, which has been a goal for a while (not 7:34 exactly - I was shooting for 7:30, but it's close enough for me). And finally, I managed to run better than my target pace for the marathon on a "distance" run. I call "distance" anything that is noticeably longer than the usual 3-5 miles that I run and can easily maintain a fast pace on. Tonight I ran 6.2 miles (with some hills) at an avg pace of 8:43/mile.

The reality check part is that the avg pace for the 20-miler was 10:30. Now I don't try to push the pace on a day where I am running further than I have ever run, so I didn't expect a fast pace. On a day like that, the only goal is to complete the distance that I set out to run. Considering the weather and the fact that Sharon and I were running together, it is pretty amazing that we did complete it.

Another dose of reality came with tonight's run. I was running less than 8-minute pace for a while tonight, but still only netted out to 8:43 because of the hills, and a bit of fade at the end. I felt like I was going fast, and I was trying not to obsess about the numbers while I was running. It is just a bit disappointing when the numbers aren't what you expected. But I did run 20-miles on Friday and race my bike Sunday, so maybe I should cut myself a little slack...

I know that there will be all the other people and the adrenaline factor on race day. But...it is a big gap to fill.

Getting the first 20-miler under my belt has definitely helped. I feel much more confident about the marathon overall. I am just now finally honing in on the timing goal of under 4 hrs and realizing how hard it will be. I think I will try to push the pace a little harder on the next (and last) 20-miler. We'll see how it goes.

Ups and Downs

I never wrote anything about the Seattle Cyclocross series race #1. It was at Evergreen High School. It was a good race for me overall, but I had a horrible start. I thought that I was being really good by making it to the staging area 15 minutes before the race. I was dead last. I didn't realize how many people show up to the first race of the season and how eager everyone is. Completely different than the races later in the season. I raced well, but finished 43rd. Actually not bad considering that I was in the last row in a field of over 90 riders. For those of you challenged by math, it means I passed almost 50 people.

I missed race #2 in the series because I was down in Cannon Beach with the family.




Race #3 was this past Sunday at Silver Lake in Everett. The course was fun, but tough. I haven't felt that bad on the bike in a long time. After about 1.5 laps, I was toast. I really thought I was going to be dead last. But I guess others struggled as well, because I was somewhat surprised to see that I finished 48th out of 74 that started.

It was my first race on my new tubular wheels/tires. Not like me to go through the process of deciding to get tubulars and trying (and failing miserably) to glue them, and not write about it. I think I was embarassed about the failure. I had to bring them into the shop to have them save the day and get them mounted.

They are sweet, but I need to get used to them. I think I had a little too much air in them on Sunday. Looking forward to Steilacoom this Sunday, even though the run-up instills fear in my chicken legs.

MFG Race #3 - A Fun Race & A Good Cause

Yesterday was the Starbuck's Gran Prix, benefiting the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Last year, it was a stand-alone race, but this year it is part of the MFG series. After calling up the top 8 riders in the the class standings to the line for the race, they invited anyone who had a family member that was fighting cancer or a family member that is a cancer survivor. Let's just say that a lot of people moved toward the starting line. Thoughts of many people ran through my head, but most prominent was Becky. How bad can it hurt to push yourself to the limit on the bike for 30 minutes, compared to what others go through?

That was a rhetorical question. But, I will tell you that it does hurt quite a bit.

The race was at Lake Sammamish Park. It was a new venue for me. Not sure if the the Seattle series has been there in the past or not. A very flat, fast course. Not a great layout for me, as speed is not the strength of my cycling repertoire. What is? And it included a long stretch of deep sand beach. My plan was to cut down to the water's edge and ride in about an inch of water, where the ground is very firm and rideable. But on warm-up lap #2, they were taping off the water so that you could not ride it. I was worried that the long run through the sand carrying my bike was going to inflict serious damage. So I decided to ride the "detour", which was a thin strip of firm sand along a retaining wall further up the beach. The only problem was that it was a longer route. But I chose it because I felt that I would get through the sand in much better condition to immediately push in the upcoming flat section, and make up any ground that I lost. In hindsight, it wasn't a great choice because of issues getting stuck behind other riders and the fact that the nice firm sand got torn up pretty fast as people rode and ran through it.

I still don't know how I finished, because I had to leave to go to the airport to pick up my wife before they posted my the race results. As of this morning, they are still not posted online. But I felt that I raced hard and did push myself close to the limit. As I look back, there is always the feeling that I could have pushed just a little bit harder. Or at least I could have run the beach section, instead of trying to ride the detour. Oh well, life goes on.

Next week, I'll miss the MFG race on Saturday. Bummer, because I think I am actually doing pretty well in the overall standings. But hopefully, I will make it to the Seattle series race on Sunday, and try to redeem myself for the horrible start in the last race.

Here are some pics courtesy of Joe Martin - thanks, Joe.

I actually made it to staging on time and got a good position (2nd row, visible between front row guy in bright yellow and guy in black)

Riding a section of the beach

Chasing a wheel after the hairpin

Making up some ground on slower riders in the barriers

17 down...9 to go

Last time I ran, it was 12 miles, and the goal was to run below a 9-minute mile average. I'd like to run the marathon in less than 4 hours, and that is what it takes. I had run 12 or more miles a few times, so I thought it was time to try to push the pace. Not such great results.

I missed the goal of under 9-minute average. But just barely. The bad news was the pain in my achilles. Felt like something I had when I was training for my first 24-hour race. That required a week of rest and LOTS of Advil to recover. So I didn't run all week. I did race my bike on both Saturday and Sunday. And I did an interval workout on the trainer Wednesday night. I kept thinking about whether or not I would try to do my long run this week on Friday. It was supposed to be 18 miles. If I didn't do it, I'd have to rework the remainder of the marathon training schedule, and probably remove one of the 20-mile runs. No big deal, but I had to decide.

I chose to run. If my leg hurt, I would stop.

Well, we completed the run. It was only 17 miles, because of a slight miscalculation on the route. But it went well, and my legs feel pretty good as I write this. No pain in my achilles, and no other issues. I just pushed my longest run out by another 2 miles. Two more weeks and it will go out another 2 miles with my first 20-miler.

The training schedule I am following has me running 20 miles 3 times. I think I am going to make one of them 23. That way, in the marathon, I will only have an extra 3.2 miles to do. Somehow, that seems easier to swallow than 6.2 extra miles in uncharted waters. 3.2 is my standard Green Lake loop, so it sounds easy. We'll see...

Weekend of Cross

This weekend was a cross-fest. StarCrossed, the twilight event at Marymoor Park, that I missed last year, was Saturday afternoon/evening. On Sunday was race #2 in the MFG series, the RAD Racing GP. Both are UCI races, with the real pros racing at the end of the day. My plan was to stick around after my race at StarCrossed and watch the pros. Sharon and kids were coming on Sunday, so we'd have to leave long before the Elite races.

Saturday started off well...I should have known it was too good to be true. I got there over 2 hours before my start. I had plenty of time to pre-ride the course, and get a proper warm-up. That's about the end of the good news.

They had the start order as a random draw, and not based on registration order. I was one of the early registrants, so I expected a good starting position. But with the random draw, I got 45th. I was feeling good after my pre-ride laps and proper warm-up. I began passing people and trying to make up for my starting position. I had visions of grandeur after my surprising 12th place finish in the previous week's race.

Things were going pretty well, until I remounted my bike after one of the barriers and "burped" my rear tire. For those of you that are confused by the usage of the word "burp" here, I will explain. The tire does not have a tube. Sometimes, the sudden force of remounting the bike can cause the seal to break and allow air to escape. When it does, it makes a burping sound. Anyway, I burped my tire and it was very difficult to ride for the remainder of the lap, which was most of it. I watched as all of the people that I had passed went by me.

I finally arrived at the Pit Area and went to the neutral service tent. The guy there suggested he put a spare wheel that he had on my bike. I was thinking that we should just try putting air in my tire, but I figured that he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, things didn't go too smoothly. I had my back brakes pretty tight, so getting a wheel on and off is not easy. In addition, once we got the wheel on, his rim was wider than mine, so the brakes were rubbing. He did not know how to adjust my brakes. In hindsight, I should have just grabbed his tools and done it myself. As he was working on my bike, the race official in the Pit approached and informed me that I was being pulled from the race. Since this was a UCI sanctioned event, all lapped riders are pulled from the racecourse.

Many lessons learned. Going back to tubes, or investing in tubulars. Not sure which at this point.

Sunday did not go much better. Again, because this was a UCI sactioned event, you cannot enter the race course until the race has concluded. I entered the race course after the winner of the race before mine finished, and began pre-riding the course. I rode more than half of the course and then turned around and headed back to stage for my start. I would estimate that it was at least 5-6 minutes after the leaders finished when I started up the finishing straight to get to the start. According to the UCI official that berated me for "posing a significant safety issue", I rode straight up the middle of the race course into sprinting racers. My story is a little different. I may have ridden in the course, but in my defense, I asked which way to the start and was told by someone that I believe was part of the race organization that I could ride to the start because the course was clear. Also, I did not see any racers on the course. In hindsight, I do recall one rider, moving slowly along the opposite side of the road from me. She certainly was not sprinting. And I certainly was not posing any safety threat to her, or anyone else. I would guess that she was the last straggler out on the course coming in from the previous race. Now, I understand that there are rules. But these is also the truth, and a proper way of handling such a situation. Enough of that.

So according to the "kind" UCI official, he showed great restraint and did not disqualify me, but he did relegate me to the back of the pack. So instead of starting 12th, based on my previous week's finish, I started last (probably about 50th). Big bummer, because the race was at Steilacoom Park, which has a very long, steep run-up. The run-ups are still my weakest point in cyclocross. My little legs just can't carry all my weight uphill very fast. I was counting on a good start to put me in the lead pack. Then maybe I could still get a decent finishing spot, even considering all the people that would pass me on the 4 trips up the run-up. No such luck.

I actually managed to get past a lot of people on the starting straight. And a lot more on our way the 1st trip up the run-up. But each lap, I lost several places on the run-up, and fought hard to get them back on the rest of the course. I wish I knew where I was in the pack when we first hit the run-up. My guess is somewhere in the range of 20th. I finished in 27th, so at least I sort of held my ground.

After the race, I said to a friend, "I think a top 25 finish for me here would be like a top 10 anywhere else (because of the run-up)". So when I saw the results later, I couldn't really complain. Considering the start, and the fact that I think I got lapped last time I raced there, 27th is pretty good.

Fun weekend, even with the bumps in the road. I'm tired. Next week is race #1 in the Seattle Series. Looking forward to it.

Pictures:
StarCrossed
Rad Racing GP
(there's actually a couple of me, because Sharon was at the race Sunday)

Videos from both days:
(got a bunch of videos of some of the local riders I know, and some pros)
Click here for videos on Vimeo

The Results are in...

I finished 12th out of 37 racers that finished (+9 DNFs). My previous best finish was in the final race last year, where I finished 34th out of 47 finishers. I'd say the running is getting me in better shape. Can't wait for this weekend - StarCrossed and MFG #2.

I'm going to do my long run on Friday, so hopefully the legs will feel good for the races.

Uncharted Waters and the Frustration of Being Obsessed with Results (and slow).

Confused by the title of this post? You should be. It has been a long time since I posted anything and I am too lazy to write individual posts with subject matter relevant titles. Suffer.

Uncharted waters refers to two different activities that consume my thoughts and my time currently...running and cyclocross. I have never considered myself a runner, but I am now trying to become one. I don't have much of a choice, since I am not a quitter; and I have committed to run the Seattle Marathon. I ran 15 miles yesterday, which is further than I have ever run before. That's not really saying much, because when I ran 13 miles several weeks ago in my training, that was the furthest I had ever run. And a few weeks before that, when I ran 10 miles, that was the furthest I had ever run. In two weeks, when I run 18 miles, that will obviously be the furthest I have ever run. You get the idea. Hence the relevance of "uncharted waters".

The running has gotten me in better shape than I was from the training for my last 24-hour race. So I had high expectations for this cyclocross season. That was before I realized that most of the races are on Sundays, and on Saturdays I do my long runs for the marathon training. Now, I'm not sure what the season will turn out to be. Again, the uncharted waters. But after today's race, I think I'm feeling optimistic. I say "I think" because the results at the first MFG Series race are a mess, and I am not showing up as a finisher in the race. I think I did better than I ever have, but not sure I'll ever know.

It sucks to be so excited to see your result, only to find out that there are none (for you anyway). In addition, I forgot to start my fancy Garmin watch, so I can't even estimate my finishing place by my total elapsed time in the race. Hopefully, they will figure it out and I will find out how I finished, but it does not seem promising.

What I can say about the race is that I felt like I was racing and not just riding in the race. That is a change from past races, where after a certain number of laps (usually 1), I was just struggling to survive to the finish. Today was different. I started on the front line and pushed hard from the start. I managed to stay with the lead pack for a good portion of the first lap. I was only passed by one or two of the fastest 45+ racers on the final lap, and I lapped many of the slower racers on the course (that was a first).

So I'm excited, even without the results. But it sure would be nice to know for certain.

I stuck around for the 11:30 start (mine was at 9:30) and took pics of a bunch of people that I know who race cross - CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS

The other challenge as far as results go is my goal of finishing the marathon in under 4 hours. That works out to less than a 9-minute/mile average. Right now on my long training runs, I'm struggling to keep it under 10-minutes/mile average. I am doing speed workouts at 7-minute mile pace, but I have not yet been able to carry any of that over into my long training runs. We'll see how things are going after several more weeks of speed work and after I've done a few 20-mile runs.

Stay tuned.

A Change of Pace

My last post was about a great ride at Mt. Rainier. Since that day, I have only ridden my bike a couple times. I have not been idle though. I have turned my attention to running. I never really pictured myself as a runner. My wife has run 4 marathons and always talked about us running one together. My usual answer was something like, "in your dreams". I really believed that it was something I could not do. Two 24-hour mt. bike races later, I don't think there is much I can't do. The idea of an Ironman even slips into my mind every now and then. But I figure that I have to run a marathon first and see how that goes. I'll find out on November 29th this year - the Seattle Marathon. Sharon's wish is coming true.

So I'm working on becoming a runner and building my stamina. Since the beginning of July, I have run 14 times for a total of about 80 miles. That includes a 9.2 mile trail run this morning in Discovery Park and a 10.2 mile trail run at Cougar Mountain (#3 in the Cougar Mt. Trail Series put on by Seattle Running Company). Those are the two longest runs I have ever done. Previously, my longest would have been a little over 7 miles, when I ran the Bay to Breakers (I think in 1999).

The Cougar Mountain run was really hard. There was a lot of steep climbing and descending. Someone said that the total elevation gain was around 2000 feet. That sounded like a lot to me, but I am not familiar with common elevation gains for running. 2000 feet doesn't sound like much for a bike ride, but climbing is a bit tougher on your feet. Sharon and I have been doing some more trail runs since the Cougar Mt. run a few weeks ago, and I now have technology on my side. I just got a Garmin Forerunner 405. It is great so far, and I could write an entire post on just this topic. Maybe I will later.

The other night, we went for a trail run that seemed fairly easy. But everything seems easy after that Cougar run. The run was 5.5 miles and my Garmin said it included 1300 feet of climbing. I quickly realized that there was no way that the Cougar Mt. run had only 2000 feet of climbing. I have not had the chance to go back to Cougar and do the run with my Garmin, although I would like to. But thanks to Garmin's sweet online software and the community using it to post public data, I found some people that posted their data from the run. There is some discrepancy in the details - I am assuming due to loss of signal on some devices in the trees. But it appears that the true elevation gain was more in the 5750 - 6250 foot range.

If I ever get out there and repeat the run, I'll post the actual data that I record. I'll be back out there again in a little over a week for the last installment in the series. This one will be 13 miles, and I'm guessing even more elevation gain. My legs are burning just thinking about it.

The current goal this week is to get 35 miles in. That would match the goal of a mileage build-up plan that I looked at for marathon preparation. Before starting a true marathon training schedule, they recommend slowly building up your miles per week so that the training runs don't cause injury. If I can get 35 miles in (or close to it), I'll feel much better about starting the 17 week training plan. 17 weeks from August 1st is the Seattle Marathon. It's a long way to go, but I've gotten off to a good start.

Hopefully, I can find a balance between running and riding. I miss my bikes and had a lot of fun riding my cyclocross bike to Woodinville Wednesday night for the Thrilla. And my Garmin showed me that it is actually 58 miles, not 55 as I previously thought (with just under 5000 feet of climbing).

Mt. Rainier

I finally got down to Mt. Rainier for a ride (thanks to Joe M.). Managed to get out of the house with minimal complications involving wife and kids. For a change, I actually made it to the meeting place with plenty of time.

This was a fairly large Cascade Bike Club group ride, but we were sort of doing it as our own group. Joe and some friends, and myself, for a sub-group of 6. They are all faster than me and we were riding two summits for a total of 55 miles and 5800 feet of climbing, so I was ready for a beating.

I was also a bit worried about the weather. It can get cold on long mountain descents, but I don't like to carry a lot of extra gear. Especially when I am climbing all day. Thankfully, the weather was perfect - actually maybe even a bit too warm.

The first climb starts right from where we parked, just off the intersection of HWY 410 and Crystal Mountain Road. I tend to do better after getting a warm-up, so I got dropped pretty quickly by the group. After about 30 minutes of climbing, I started to feel better and picked up the pace. I even managed to reel in some of the slower riders from the main group that started about 5 minutes ahead of us.

I had planned to stop and take pictures all along the route, but I got caught up in riding and trying to keep up. I got to the top of Chinook pass, met up with Joe and the others, and had a quick break. Then we started back down the climb. Fun descent. Finally, I get a chance to lead! (I am a lot heavier that everyone that I ride with. Not a good thing when climbing, but when it comes to descending, I generally can lead the pack. Except when I get spooked and start hitting the brakes, like I did on the Sunrise descent.)

Left turn about 3/4 of the way down to head up to Sunrise Summit. This climb is definitely a bit tougher. My legs got pretty tired about halfway up and it was a bit of a struggle. But I was able to recover and push through the last few miles. The reward was well worth it. I did take a couple pictures from the Sunrise Summit (see below).

The descent down Sunrise was long, but fun. Then the really small pitch back up to the main road was painful. Funny how once your mind/legs think the climbing is done, even the smallest hill feels like a monumental effort.

Great day in the saddle. Thanks for the invite Joe.

What Have I Done!?

While Brad and Marja were here in Seattle for the week after my 24-hour race, we had Shannon over for dinner. Shannon is a friend from college that recently moved to Seattle. Shannon had to endure our boring talk about biking, since we are obsessed, and had just returned from my race. Thankfully, she was kind and even pretended to be interested. Later, she said that the conversation had inspired her to get going on some fitness goals of her own.

Fast forward a few weeks, and Shannon is over for dinner again after a walk around Greenlake with Sharon and the kids. As we eat our yummy food from Latona Pub, the talk turns to training goals. Shannon throws it out there that the Seattle Marathon is coming up in November. Shannon and Sharon are talking about doing the half-marathon. Before I know it, we have our hands in the middle of the table and we are making a pact. But I had to open my big mouth and say that if I am going to train for the marathon, then I have to do the full marathon. We had all had a couple beers, so I was hoping the pact would be forgotten or written off due to alchohol-induced bravery (stupidity). No such luck. 26.2 miles, here I come.

So I did some research. Assuming that you have a decent base fitness level, most marathon training regimens appear to be 18 weeks long. The Seattle Marathon is about 22 weeks out. No problem, right?

Sharon has run 4 marathons, and always wanted me to run one with her. I have always told her that I was not cut out to run a marathon. But my limits have been redefined through all of my training and completing two solo 24-hour races. I am excited about the new goal (and a little scared). But also, it feels a little weird to only be running half of it with Sharon and not the whole thing.

I guess Sharon has a new goal now...get back in full marathon form for next year... ;-)

24-hour Results

The results are finalized from the 24-hour race a couple weeks ago. It is confirmed that I finished in 6th place (out of 23) in the "Solo Male Under 40" class, with 16 laps (240 miles) completed in 25 hours 8 minutes 36 seconds. The rules of this race state that your last lap must start by 23:59:59, but there is no cut-off for when you must finish. That is why my total time is over 24 hours. I started my 16th lap at 23:22:21.

Overall, I am very happy with the results. The goal was to get 16 laps. When I first wrote it down, it scared me. That is 3 more laps (45 more miles) than last year...in the same amount of time. Although I analyzed the data and could see how to get there, it still just sounded tough.

The plan to get there was based on 3 main changes from last year:

1. minimize pit time
2. ride faster
3. no really slow laps (basically, even if I was suffering, I just had to keep pedaling through it)

We succeeded in all three. According to my pit crew, the longest pit was about 7 and-a-half minutes. That was for a clothes change and hot meal. Most pits were more in the 2 minute range.

I rode an average lap time of 1 hour 52 minutes last year. This year, my average lap time was 1 hour 33 minutes. That is almost 20 minutes faster per lap. I would account for at least 15 minutes of that 20 coming out of the riding time and not the pit time.

My slowest lap time this year was 1 hour 51 minutes (still faster than my average from last year). That was a lap that I changed clothes on, so probably 6-7 minutes are pit time. So I'll estimate the riding time at 1 hour 45 minutes. That is 35 minutes faster than my slowest time last year!

So overall, it was a huge success. But of course, I always think that I can do better. Talk about a challenge...if I do it again next year, I will have to ride over 3 minutes faster on every lap. There is no room to shave time out of the pit, as we were about as efficient as we can be. So I will have to be consistently faster on my laps and find about 40 extra minutes. Then I will be able to complete 17 laps. This year, depending on how long it took to complete the 17 laps, that would have been either 2nd or 3rd place. 2nd place finished with 17 laps in 24 hours 18 minutes. That is a little over 1 hour 25 and-a-half minute average.

Last year, the entire concept of being on the podium was not even in my mind. This year, my stretch goal that was in my mind was 17 laps. I knew that had a chance of putting me on the podium. Funny how much things can change in just a year. I still don't really consider myself a real bike racer. Not sure why. But somehow I know that I can podium at one of these races if I really put myself to it.

Will I (not podium, but "really put myself to it")? Not sure. It is a big burden on the family when I train for one of these races. We'll see.

For now, I'm actually enjoying just riding my bike and not worrying about how many miles I'm doing or how fast I'm riding. There's plenty of time to think about the 2010 race. Plus, there's Cyclocross season to start obsessing about ;-)

Here are my lap times from last year and this year:
(this year there was no pit stop on lap 1 & 2, last year just lap 1)

This Year Last Year
1. 1:12:33 1:19:58
2. 1:14:10 1:24:09
3. 1:18:27 1:31:02
4. 1:25:26 1:40:32
5. 1:25:36 1:52:27
6. 1:33:35 1:56:28
7. 1:32:17 1:58:22
8. 1:40:02 2:08:08
9. 1:41:40 2:16:12
10. 1:34:33 2:09:47
11. 1:48:25 2:20:46
12. 1:51:29 1:54:36
13. 1:39:40 1:53:35
14. 1:50:59 -
15. 1:33:22 -
16. 1:46:14 -

Round and Round...Again.

Once again, I must apologize for a long overdue post. I have many excuses, so let me list a few. There were timing issues at the race, so I was reluctant to post a race summary until I knew how things ended up. Also, my friends Brad and Marja that supported me, spent the week following the race with us in Seattle. And I was off of work that week. I think that should cover me, but I have more if anyone wants to hear.

First of all, the race was again a huge success this year. But only a small part of the credit is due to me. My wife Sharon deserves the lion's share of the credit for dealing with everything that goes along with me training for a 24-hour race (basically her being constantly left alone with our 3 kids while I am out on my bike training). And for dragging the whole family out again to cheer for me.

Another huge portion of the credit goes to Brad and Marja. This year, I think Marja gets a bit more than Brad (sorry Brad). Marja gave up her spot in line for her DeSalvo frame. Trust me, I do not underestimate the value of this gesture. Without her sacrifice, I would not have been riding my new custom-built frame and who knows how the race would have turned out. I really believe that the new bike was a big psychological advantage for me this year. I did pay for Marja's fork for her new DeSalvo cyclocross bike in return for her kindness. But as someone who waited very impatiently for my bike, I know that does not really ease the pain she is in right now.

Now we come to Brad. He is the reason I ever even got involved in this craziness. You might think that I would be cursing him and not thanking him. Actually, I owe him the greatest thanks of all. Not to sound overly dramatic, but my life has changed since the weekend 2 years ago that I went to Brad's 24-hour race in Monterey, Ca. I am 30 pounds lighter, and much more confident both on and off the bike. I know that I can push myself WAY beyond what I thought was possible. On top of all this, he makes sure I have everything that I need when I race, that my bike is in working order, and that I have the proper motivation.

Then there are many other people in the periphery that are important as well. People like Joe Martin, who organizes training rides and provides lots of encouragement.

And finally, there is me. I did work hard in preparing for this race. So I deserve a little credit. And I did work really hard to fight the nature of who I am and not think during the race. "Don't think...Focus!" was what Brad said to me every lap. I would start thinking...how do you focus without thinking? That would generally keep me busy long enough to distract me from the fact that I was going out on yet another lap around the 15 mile course. I was very successful in this endeavor to not think until about 6:00 AM. Then I asked for details on where I stood. Big mistake. I hold Brad partially responsible for actually listening to me and telling me what I asked for. (I can't wait to see the aftermath of this comment..if it's anything like his reaction when I asked in the timing tent if anyone could tell me how many laps I had done, it should be fun). The news that I still had 4 laps to do was not the light at the end of the tunnel I was looking for.

Enough praise, now for the race details. The race begins with a 'LeMans' start, which means everyone's bikes are lined up on racks and we run (about 600 yds) on foot to the bikes and then start riding. This helps to spread out the field so that it is not too much of a traffic jam on the course. The first lap is still a little hectic with everyone packed in, but it's not too bad. Sicne I am a solo racer, I am not too worried about running really fast to get to my bike. I did try a bit harder this year because I took it really slow last year and got caught in a lot of traffic.

Lap 1 was uneventful and felt pretty fast. We had planned in advance for me not to stop after Lap1. I had enough GU and food for 2 laps, so I just signaled to Brad that I needed both water bottles replaced and threw them on the ground as I approached our pit. I slowed and picked up new bottles as he jogged along side. Smooth transition and off on lap 2.

I won't bore you with a summary of each lap. I don't think I could tell you anything about most of them anyway. They all sort of blur together. Remember, I wasn't thinking out there...most of the time.

The highlights are as follows. Just about everything went smoothly through the first part of the race. At one point, Brad incorrectly informed me that the racer one place behind me was on my tail. So I "dropped the hammer" and the result was Lap #15 finished in 1hr 33min. But it is important to note that comparing lap times is difficult because of the varying time spent in the pit. The previous lap was 1hr 50min, but I think I changed clothes on that lap, so I may have had a 6-10min pit stop. But let me tell you, that 1hr 33min lap hurt, and it was A LOT faster than the previous. Then I learned that Brad had been misinformed due to the issues they were having in the timing tent and I was not actually in jeopardy of getting passed by the racer behind me. It was interesting to see what I could really do if I had to at that point in the race.

Bottom line is, I completed 16 laps for a total of 240 miles. That is 3 laps (or 45 miles) more than last year, in about the same elapsed time. That was the goal that was put down on paper. Put a check mark in box #1.

Another great highlight of the race was that Jacob and Zachary got to take part in the kids race. Sadly, I could not watch because I was busy racing myself. But they had a great time.

Post-race analysis:
Lap 1 was 1hr 12min. That is almost 8 minutes faster than last year on the same exact course. There are still ongoing issues with the results, but it appears that I averaged just under 1hr 34min per lap. The goal "on paper" for the race was 16 laps. I stated earlier that the race was a huge success. That is based on the fact that I achieved that goal. And I am happy, but...

There is always a "but..." In a 24-hour race, you cannot get ahead of yourself, too many things can happen. But I felt that barring any major castastrophes, I would be able to attain the goal of 16 laps. I am a much stronger rider than I was last year. With a season of cyclocross under my belt and all of the interval training that I did, I was certian I would be faster. With the experience from last year's race, I felt confident that I could push myself harder and fight the instinct to conserve for the hours ahead. Combined with Brad's plan for limiting the time spent in the pit, it seemed inevitible that I would find the extra time needed to get in 3 more laps than last year.

BUT, I was thinking about 17 laps. This would be enough to possibly put me on the podium. A lofty goal, but if there is one thing that I have learned through the process of training for and competing in bike races, it is to never sell yourself short. Anything is possible...if you make it happen. but you can't make it happen if you don't think you can do it. So I was dreaming of 17 laps and a spot on the podium. I even did the math. Since the Spokane race lets you start a lap as late as 23hrs 59min 59sec and finish it at any time, all I had to do was complete 16 laps within 23:59:59. Then I could take as long as I needed to get the 17th done. (This is what we think to make it sound easier, but in reality you never really let up on the last lap. If anything, you go faster because the end is in sight).

According to the race data, I completed my 15th lap at a total elapsed time of 23 hours 22 minutes. This only left 38 minutes to complete the 16th lap before the cutoff. I would need at least another 30 minutes to make it feasible. So I missed the chance for 17 laps by the margin of about 30 minutes, over the course of 23 hours 59 minutes. I have a hard time believing that I could not shave off 30 minutes at the current weight and fitness level today. So what would it take to shave off another hour+ to make 17 laps by the cutoff and complete a total of 18 laps if I am lighter and more fit in the future...?

Welcome to the inner workings of my deranged, bike-obsessed mind. Where will I be on Memorial Day 2010? Not sure yet, but you might try Riverside Park in Spokane...sorry Sharon.

Our Pit Area - well decorated with DeSalvos (Brad's & mine)

Pit and crew members Mattie & Phil (doggies)

Getting ready to ride (15 minutes before race)

Rolling pit stop after lap 1

Getting ready for the night

Yummy...Ramen Noodles. Reminds me of college.

Watermelon and Coke carried me through the last few laps

This is what it feels like to eat after 20 hours on the bike.

Inspiration for lap #15!

Final dismount! 16 laps completed.

Walking into the timing booth to turn in my transponder.

A real 24-hour racer has a crew just to take his shoes off!

1 Year later (look at last year's post for the same picture)

My awesome fans



Zach at the Kid's Race

The DeSalvo is Born

I am long overdue in posting anything at all, especially the news of the birth of my DeSalvo. I have been busy with work, kids, life, training, etc. Months ago, I decided to splurge and order a custom-built titanium mountain bike frame. Based on recommendations from some friends, I ordered it from Mike Desalvo (http://www.desalvocycles.com). He is a respected small-production bike builder out of Ashland, Oregon.

At several points, I questioned my decision to buy this bike. But many things helped solidify the decision as a good one. I think the most significant was a conversation I had with Mike about the measurements I provided him. In addition to the body measurements, I provided measurements of my current bikes. Mike asked me to double-check the "effective top tube" length of my current hardtail.

I should preface this by saying that I had been having some problems getting my old hardtail frame that I recently built up again to fit properly. I just never felt comfortable on it.

I re-measured the top tube and found the same result. Mike explained that he was currently building a bike for a pro racer named Barry Wicks. Barry is tall...about 6' 4". I am just a little under 6'. The bike Mike was building for Barry has the same effective top tube measurement as the bike I have been riding. Duh...no wonder why I can't get comfortable on it.

The hope was to have the bike in time to train on for a while before my 24-hour race next weekend. As it turned out, it looked like I would not get the bike in time. Thanks to Marja for some strange reason having a soft spot in her heart for me, and giving up her spot in line to me. She was 4 spots ahead of me in line, with her order for a custom-built titanium cyclocross frame. She kindly gave up her spot. Even with moving up 4 spots in line, the stress level started rising. 3 weeks out from my race, the bike still wasn't done.

But at least I had a picture from Mike's CAD program. I knew my bike at least existed in concept. Now, it just needed to come to life from these sad looking tubes of titanium.

(props to Marja for taking this photo while she was at Mike's shop for a personal fitting, and taunting me with it.. I would have done the same)

...but at least I was comforted by the fact that it existed in CAD on Mike's computer. Actually, not all that comforting.

On the 4th, he told me that he expected to finish my bike in the next 3-4 days. I tried very hard to wait patiently. On the 8th, I couldn't take it anymore and I called him. He responded that he had a hectic week , and he would finish my bike by the end of the week and ship it on Monday (the 11th). Stress level starting to rise...

On Monday, I had no word from Mike. Borderline losing my mind at this point...

Tuesday, Mike confirmed that it was shipping out, but via Fedex Ground, so no guarantee that it would make it to Seattle in one day. So possible looking at Thursday delivery - only 8 days before I leave for the race. Plenty of time ;-) Totally calm at this point...NOT.

Thankfully, it actually showed up on Wednesday...


...and by about 12:30am, it was built.


I rode it to work on Thursday and Friday. It was awesome, even though I only rode it on the road. Saturday was the inaugural trip onto the trails and it was even better.

I rode the Gilman Trail to St. Edwards and did a couple laps through St. Edwards and Big Finn Hill. I recorded the fastest lap I have ever done there. The bike is awesome. The combination of his design and a bike that fits, plus the lightweight and stiff titanium equals one killer, fun-to-ride bike. I can't wait to ride it for 24-hours straight!

Coolest (Wettest) 24 Hour Race

Global Biorhythms hosts a 24-hour race in Cool, CA called "The Coolest 24 Hours". This year it could have been called "The Wettest 24 Hours" or "The Muddiest 24 Hours". It is a great event that benefits an even better cause. For more details, you can visit their website: click here

I have attended the race for the last 2 years to support my friend Brad. This year, I almost didn't make it because of a friend's wedding on the same weekend. It is a long story, but in the end, the Swine Flu worked to Brad's favor. The wedding was in Mexico and was postponed at the last minute. So I was able to make it to Brad's race. I am really glad that I did, because I had made the commitment and felt horrible about potentially missing the race. I know he would have been in good hands with Pete, but that's not the only issue. I enjoy being there to manage him in the 24-hour races. Not everyone would consider staying up all night outside in a confined space tending to a lunatic willing to race his bike for 24-hours in the rain and mud. Call me crazy..but I enjoy it. I guess I'm a lunatic as well, because I'll be doing my 2nd 24-hour solo race in Spokane in a few weeks. Anyway, I'm really glad I made it and I think Pete and Brad are as well. It turned out to be quite hectic, and I think a bit too much for either one of us to handle alone.

Last year was hot and dry. Let's just say that this year was not. As we sat watching TV Friday night, Brad paused the show we were watching because he heard something outside. It was the sound of pounding rain. I could go on for a while about how hard it was raining, but it's not really necessary. Suffice it to say that it was raining heavily. And it kept up for a while. It was going to be messy out there.

I had come well-prepared - both for me and Brad. I brought a huge suitcase mainly filled with extra biking clothes for Brad, including all of my foul weather gear. Which I have a lot of since I live in Seattle and ride through the winter.

We arrived at the race later than planned...intentionally. We had already gotten a call asking us to stop and get hay for the ground in the pit because it was so muddy, it was hard to walk around. I thought it wasn't such a good idea to show up really early and have Brad sit around in the rain and mud for hours before the start. I think it was a good call.

Pete is The Man, and had our "compound" set up completely by the time we arrived. It consisted of 3 EZ-Ups in an L shape right at the exit from the course into the pit area. Translation - it was the ideal spot...secured because Pete showed up a day and a half earlier to help set up the race area. Thank you, Pete (the first of many).

4 people were racing out of this pit, so although 3 EZ-Ups may sound excessive, we needed the space. Brad was racing solo 24-hour, his girlfriend Marja was racing solo 8-hour, and friends Scott & Linda were racing 24-hour 2-person team.

Although we were missing the chilipepper lights decorating the pit, it was as well-stocked and furnished as a pit at a 24-hour race can possibly be. Pete has a sweet (and quiet) generator that powers lights, battery chargers, music, microwave, etc. We also had a propane heater going.
Lou (boyfriend of Linda) brought plenty of hay to put down on the ground to make the pit much easier to navigate. A large square of carpet in the EZ-Up with the heater made for a nice changing area (Thank you, Pete).

I busied myself getting things organized and laid out for the race. That basically means laying out an assortment of Gu, Fig Newtons, Rice Crispy Treats, bananas, drinks, etc. so that when Brad comes into the pit we can quickly get him what he needs and then back on the bike. All of a sudden, it was race time and they were off. The early laps were uneventful, and everyone seemed to be doing well. It rained most of the day (not forecasted), but the rain tapered off in the late afternoon, and it seemed like conditions might improve.

The mud wreaked havoc on brakes and other bike components. Everyone was looking for brake pads. Pete is the manager of a bike shop and does a lot of race support (aside form being a really nice guy, and being incredibly organized and prepared), so we had a lot of visitors coming in and asking for parts an/or help with repairs. We scavenged every brake pad we could out of Pete's supplies and off back-up bikes in the pit. Luckily, we managed to secure enough to survive the race. Twice, Brad came in and just said "no brakes" as he handed me his bike. "Pete", I would announce, "more brake pads please". Pete would quickly get to work on the bike, while I worked on feeding Brad and getting him changed into dry, clean clothes (Thank you, Pete).

For those of you that saw my post about my brake pad incident, you now see proof that it is possible to go through an entire brake pad in a day. Brad went through more than two sets during the race on one bike, and a set on his back-up bike. And he only rode the back-up for 2 laps! One of the other racers had a very similar incident to mine. He wore completely through the pad and the backing until the brake piston was rubbing on the rotor. Now I don't feel so bad ;-)

To make matters more hectic (or less, depending on how you look at it), the race was using an experimental timing system. It is a system that uses "chips" attached to the number plates whichcan be detected by sensors hanging above the start/finish. So a rider can just walk past the Start/Finish and have their lap time automatically recorded...theoretically. The system has evidentally not been tested in adverse weather conditions. I think that they were so excited about not having to keep manual timing that when the system completely failed, they were not really ready to handle it. I don't think we saw any data on the timing until about 6pm (after a 12:00 start). My comment starting this paragraph refers to the fact that one of the key tasks of the pit crew, other than keeping your rider on his bike for 24-hours, is to keep track of where he stands in the race and try to manage the lap and pit times as necessary to achieve the best results.

So on this day, that task was very easy. Just keep him riding as he was. Because we were completely in the dark as to where we stood in the race. And combined with the fact that we didn't even know if anyone could continue to ride for the full 24-hours in these conditions, just maintaining the status quo sounded brilliant.

For Marja, the timing task was a bit easier. She was going strong and handling the conditions amazingly well. After 3 laps, it was clear that she would either complete 4 or 5, depending on her time on lap 4. I realized that it was going to be very close, so we got prepped to get her in and out of the pit quickly. I ran out to the course to meet her and give her some encouragement for a quick transition. I had to wait longer than expected, and she was really pushing the envelope to get in the last lap. But based on the minimal info we had on the timing, we felt that she could win if she got the 5th lap in. We had to try. I ran along side her and encouraged her. I asked her if she could pull out a lap equal to the fastest one she had done earlier in the day. That is what she would need to complete the lap by 8:00. A lap finished at 8:00 and one second would not count. I can tell you from experience, it is very hard to send your rider out on a lap that might not count. But it was too close to turn away from the chance to win. And Marja was willing to go, so we sent her out right away.

I decided to walk out on the road to where it crosses the course to cheer Marja on in case she was losing hope of finishing in time. I was told it was a 10-minute walk. 25 minutes later, I arrived at the course. I walked to a good vantage point off the side of the trail looking down on the climb out of Knickerbocker Creek. After waiting for about 5-10 minutes, Marja appeared. No offense Marja, but she was not looking great. And based on my calculations, she was almost too late to make it back by 8:00. But I did not give up hope. I encouraged her the best I could and then waited for Brad, who I thought should be close behind. He showed up about 5 minutes later. I was at about the halfway point in the course, so I assumed that he would catch her. I told him that I was afraid that she wasn't going to make it in time, so he should do whatever he could to get her going when he caught up.

As it turned out, Marja must have really pushed hard for the rest of the lap, because Brad never caught her. Unfortunately, she did not make the 8:00 cutoff. But she took 2nd place for the 8-hour Women's class. Pretty impressive for her first 8-hour race. Sorry that I wasn't there for the awards to cheer for you, I had to go to the gas station to fill the gas can for the generator.

Aside from the brake issues and the many changes of clothes due to mud, rain, and cold, the race went on through the night fairly uneventfully. I managed to catch a 20 minute nap, which paid dividends later. Brad plodded on like the machine that he is, turning out consistent lap after consistent lap without complaints. By the "wee hours" it became clear that Brad had quite a gap on the closest competitor. We were not certain exactly what it was, since the data was old and seemingly unreliable. So it was hard to feel really comfortable, but it was starting to look like he was running away with the race. We did not tell Brad this. That's just information he does not need at that point in the race, especially if it is not absolutely reliable. The worst thing you can do to a 24-hour racer is tell him he is done and then take it back. It is absolutely devastating mentally.

Early Sunday morning they posted more recent data and we found out that Brad was 3 laps up on the 2nd place Single Speed racer. And it looked like the only racer in the whole race that was ahead of him was "Tinker" Juarez, racing in the geared-bike class. For those of you that don't know, Tinker is a 2-time olympian in mountain biking, has won just about every endurance race out there, and was inducted into the Mountian Biking Hall of Fame. Pretty impressive considering Brad is a parent of 2 children and has a day job. Tinker makes 6 figures just riding his bike.

In the end, Brad completed 12 laps and Tinker completed 14. No one else was even close.

Scott and Linda finished strong in the 2-person team race and took 2nd. They were just a few minutes off being able to get in one more lap and take first place. Somehow, we found the enregy to pack everything up and then survive the hour long wait for the awards ceremony. Brad collected his prize money and his "Balls of Fire" trophy (you'll have to ask Brad about that one). We headed for home, which was thankfully only 30 minutes away. Brad was out before we left the parking lot. I managed to stay awake long enough to get us home safely.

In retrospect, I am once again awed by Brad's performance. I remember the first time I crewed for him at Laguna Seca for the World Championships. That was a life-changing experience for me. Today I am just about as fit as I ever have been, and weigh over 30 pounds less than I did that weekend at Laguna Seca. I have since completed one 24-hour race myself, and am about to attempt my second...with much loftier goals this time. I do not think any of those achievements would have been made without the inspiration and motivation provided by Brad's accomplishments.

And once again, Brad has taken it to the next level. We all knew that he could win one of these races. I am so glad that I was there for it. I feel bad for my friends Gibu and Nicci, whose wedding had to be postponed, which allowed me to be in Cool last weekend. But at least something good has come of it. Last time I was at Brad's race just weeks before mine, it made me nervous. Maybe just a bit too much of a dose of reality so close to my race. But this time, it has just me that much more excited and determined. May 23rd can't come soon enough.

Now the only thing I'm worried about is my bike. I really splurged and ordered a custom built titanium frame. Last Wednesday, the builder told me he would be done in a few days. Now just yesterday, he told me he would be done in 3 or 4 days. It's cutting it just a bit too close. But I'm trying to stay positive.

Thanks Brad. Thanks Pete. Thanks Sharon (Pete's wife). Thanks Sharon (my wife), for putting up with all this craziness. Congratulations Marja.

I hope I can write something even close to this positive in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

Training Ride

I haven't been doing nearly as much long distance riding in my training for the 24-hour race this year. But I planned to do 100-miles on my mountain bike this past weekend. Thankfully, there were no disasters with kids or anything else, and I was able to get my ride in.

I left from my house in Seattle and rode to Woodinville. It is 18 miles to Red Hook Brewery. From there I set out to do 4 laps of the infamous Thrilla route. It is pretty boring, but actually a good training route. It is close to civilization (water, bathrooms, etc.) and it closely mimicks the experience in a 24-hour race (doing monotonous lap after lap).

It was a beautiful day to be out riding. It's been a long time since I saw the Olympics from the Pipeline Trail. Probably because I often ride it at night (for the weekly Wednesday night Thrilla ride), but also because of the cloudy, rainy weather we've been having. I rode almost the whole day in just shorts and a short-sleeve jersey. I only had to put on the arm warmers for the descents on the final lap.

I hear a lot about attitudes out on the bike, and I have written about my own experiences in this forum. But we often don't write about the positive experiences and people we run into. Sunday, I had the fortunate timing to come across another biker looking for a route into the Redmond Watershed. I told him to follow me as that is where I was headed. We started to chat. It turned out he lived in San Rafael, not far from my previous home in Novato.

I happened to share with Kevin what I was doing (which I don't always do). I'm glad I did, because he has been thinking about doing a 24-hour race, but never really thought he could do it. We got involved an in-depth conversation about the details of training for and surviving a solo 24-hour event. I shared just about everything I know on the subject. He said that he was really excited and inspired. Hopefully, he'll follow through and complete one as well. As long as I did get him in too much trouble with his wife for being out on his bike longer than planned.

Cheers Kevin! Hope all is well with the wife. You can definitely do it if you put your mind to it. And you really helped me get through my day yesterday - thanks.

And not to leave anyone out, I met up with another rider as I approached the final climb of the day. I don't even recall if I got his name (sorry - I was a bit tired). We chatted for a while before he branched off to take the single-track instead of Heart Attack Hill. Even that short time that we rode together really helped.

Ride summary:

Lap 1 was uneventful - 1hr 50min
Lap 2 had to stop to fix a cleat (luckily before the screws fell out - both were loose) - 1hr 55min
Lap 3 I met up with Kevin about 50min in and we rode together for a while - 1hr 50min
Lap 4 Kevin left, but someone else joined me for the home stretch - 1hr 58min

Total elapsed time from start to finish was 9hrs 21min, with about 27 minutes of stop time. Total time for the 4 laps was 8hrs 10min. Stop time included a shoe fix, eating stops, bathroom stop, and a quick chat with Kevin as we parted ways after he rode part of laps 3 and 4 with me.