Racing Weekend

Well, I didn't actually do any racing, but this past weekend was the Dakota 50 in Spearfish, SD.  I grew up in the area and started my adult riding career getting lost in the Black Hills on my 1991 Schwinn Impact.  It was tons of fun to wander around the area and do some riding again.  I think the last time I rode a bike out there was 1999.  Crazy different, and crazy fun.

My friend Matt and I left Friday afternoon and cruised all the way out to Spearfish.  Camp for me was super easy to set up as I decided since it was so nice of weather to sleep sans tent.  This would continue for the next 2 nights, as well.  Our friends Dan and Jessica and their friends Nate and Annie were already there.  We had a couple of beers and turned in quite early.  There was riding to do.

Monk, our great riding companion

Saturday morning we leisurely awoke and headed out to do some pre-riding of some sections of the course.  I had chosen to ride my Surly 1X1 as I am not the biggest fan of the multi-speed mountain bikes I own.  We left the parking lot and coasted downhill for the first 10 minutes.  As we rolled into what would be the 4th rest stop on Sunday, the trail went almost straight up.  I was actually very surprised how much of the trail I could ride.  There were only a couple of times when I decided to walk.  Most of the time was absolutely incredible.  It has been a very long time since I have ridden point to point trails like that.  The views were gorgeous and riding such a variety of terrain rejuvenated my interest in mountain biking.  

We ended up the morning ride with a super fast fire road downhill and small gravel road ride back to the car.  It was definitely time for lunch.  We cruised back to Spearfish to eat at a small BBQ place that ended up being closed.  So instead went around the corner and had a couple beers, some great food, and charged my phone at the Chophouse.  I would recommend this place to anyone in the Spearfish area.  

Matt and I were not quite done riding for the day, so we headed back up to the Big Hill trail system.  It turns out we rode another small section of the race course and then veered off for some of the fastest riding of the day.  The uphills were not nearly as steep, and it was a nice way to finish off the day.  Being from the area, I biked over to a friend's house for dinner.  Home cooking is very nice when camping.  I was expecting people to go to bed early that night, but was very surprised that there was absolutely no motion when I returned to camp at 10 PM.

Matt, hanging loose

Sunday morning came very early with a 7:15 start.  Jessica and I traveled around to the different rest stops throughout the day.  Nobody had the times they were hoping for, but it seemed that everyone had a good time.  It was definitely a great event and the racing thing is certainly infectious.  I don't know that I will actually ever sign up for it, but it would be top on the list if I do any sort of ATB race.  We hung out for a long time after, but only one of our group won anything.  Sunday night was a great time of hanging out and recounting riding.  People were a little tired for some reason and we did have a long day of travel in store for Monday, so bedtime was around 9 PM.  Earlier than I can remember in a long time.

Dan finishing amongst fans

Monday was mostly uneventful.  Matt and I had breakfast with my parents and took the back roads home.  It added a little time to the drive, but certainly was more interesting than interstate.  The trouble with driving that distance with a couple bike junkies in the car is that various plans were made and dreamed about involving mountain biking, touring and all sorts of travel with bikes. 

It appears I need a little more vacation time...and a pay raise.

Century's

I have been lucky to have had a couple of great rides over the past couple weeks. After a full week of work on the road for the MS TRAM, I snuck down to Iowa to take part in the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. This is a 100 mile gravel ride leaving from south of Waterloo and making a BAL out of some of the best roads I have ridden. There was a little heat, but nothing too unmanageable. My biggest mistake was missing a small patch of shoulder with the sunscreen. I felt really good all day, managed my food intake, kept my water at an appropriate level and had an absolute blast. This was definitely one of the best century rides I have done.



Then this past weekend was the 8th annual Tour de Loren, an urban century around the twin cities here in MN. One of my customers hosts this ride and we had a good crew that started out at 21 riders. I alternate how I ride this one and this happened to be a racing year. I went all out, brandishing our team jersey and even shaving my legs. I bribed another rider with bacon at the start so I didn't have to ride the entire day without some help. Again, I felt good the entire day with the exception of our 3rd stage after lunch. And even though I wasn't the strongest rider in the group, I had a great ride. I pushed myself hard and enjoyed my road bike. Something I don't do often enough.



This weekend I am opting out of riding. I still have some house to paint, so that will occupy my weekend. Hopefully I can finish it up and be back in the saddle next weekend.

Pleasant afternoon

I really enjoy having a weekday off from work. It is a great time to run errands and do those things that are virtually impossible working 10 hour days. I sent off my dad's day gift this morning, a little late, but the card will get there in time. I stopped at the big red circle to pick up a few essentials and decided that I have no idea what I am going to make for dinner. It is a great day here in the twin cities. Just warm enough to perspire when you stop riding. Not hot enough to boil your blood whilst riding.

After lunch, I decided to spend some quality time in the garden. We have let a few of the flower beds grow out of hand so I reigned in the weeds and laid down the rest of the mulch we had on hand. With our rose bush starting to bloom, the back yard shaped up quite nicely. There is still a bunch of work to do in the vegetable garden, but I don't trust my eyes to pull the right plants. That can wait till tomorrow.

Now it is wait for the rain to come in. The Nature Valley bike race is in town this weekend and I was thinking of heading down to the Minneapolis criterium, but with the threat of rain, I think I may skip it and work on bikes instead. After coming home from the MS 150 last weekend, I just threw everything into the basement and it is still a fright. Time to clean and clear out some inventory. We need some more space in the garage. I hauled a bunch of waste from it earlier this year and there is promise of being able to use it more effectively. Just like in the garden, I have to think of it in small steps or it is way too overwhelming.

Overdue Bike Work

I am pretty easy on my bikes and am fortunate to not have to do that much work on them. I also try to do a little at a time to keep the big projects at a minimum. That is tricky when riding through winter in Minnesota, or attempting something like Trans Iowa. One, not so big. The other, quite large.

I developed a Rice Krispies effect when I switched my winter/spring commuter to a fixed cog after the ice pack melted. It has quieted some, but has been very persistent. I decided to make use of our fancy parts washer at work and clean up some parts and replace some others. At least make sure most of the salt was off the most important of parts.

WOW! I have done it before, but I failed to remember just how nice a new drive-train can feel. Replacing the chain that was stretched off the chart and fancy new cog was just what that bike needed. If I hadn't had to replace a busted shut off valve in my basement, I would have just kept riding. One project checked off the list.

That brings me to my Cross Check which has been sitting untouched since my failure in Iowa. I have been a bit busy at work and every day off has been filled with personal situations that have left me no time to take care of it. Well today finally allowed me a window for cleaning. Mother Nature decided to help out by raining while I was washing. Just that much less water I had to purchase to clean away the mud and debris. I think I have some pictures here from last year as well, and I bet in a few years I won't be able to tell the difference. I have the same setup and my bike came back looking almost the same. A little less cornstalk jammed in the brakes this year.

The first part of the cleaning process is finished. Knocking all the mud off is the easy part. Now I have to set aside some serious time to overhaul her. Or maybe I should just start using her for commuting without doing all that work. A little lube here and there should keep the noises down, and anything else that may be wrong should be righted by riding. Ride more is a hard philosophy to argue with.


<---------- Before...............After--------->

Finished

My Trans Iowa was the most disappointing one yet. Everything, besides the lack of training, leading up to the ride was going just right. I had the right amount of nerves, I ate like crazy leading up to Saturday, and I even snagged a fair amount of sleep Friday night.

Saturday morning I was still trying to decide exactly the clothing I wanted to wear and I ended up being very comfortable with two layers of wool and my vest. The fog was super thick as I made the short trek to Broad St to wait for the start. I chatted with some other riders, trying to keep warm and not think about what lay ahead. My nerves really ramped up when we lined up, so much so that I was shaking (maybe that was the chilly morning air). With the blast of the handlebar, we were off.

There was a looong line of riders weaving through the streets, I think we started 74. I was riding single speed so I knew I wanted to be toward the back of the pack. I did indeed end up with only one rider behind me. We pedaled maybe 1/4 mile through Grinnell and seeing the riders around me, I began to wonder if I should jockey for position a bit. Knowing that there were 72 riders in front of me, I decided it would be ok to sit back for a while. A final right turn and we hit the gravel. Mark and Dave took off (as far as I know) and we were all on our own.

The roads were in really good condition. I was thinking that it was going to be super muddy, but it turned out to be soupy in spots, but actually very good riding. I stayed in back for maybe 30 minutes and then my legs were ready to spin my regular rpms. I started to pass a few people to try to find a gap in the group. I was feeling ambitious and I wanted to keep my feet moving so I just let them go. I was also trying to start out strong to make sure I made the first checkpoint. Somewhere around mile 12, we all were strung out and hit the first b road.

B roads can be great fun but in my TI experiences, they suck. With all the moisture, the dirt turns into this amazing sticky goo that clogs your bike instantly if you let the tyres touch it. With 50+ riders through already, I was following the trail with everyone else. We hiked the mile or so and ended up on a blacktop road on the other side. After some quick cleaning to make sure my wheels turned and I had somewhat functional brakes, we crossed the highway and continued up the little riser and stopped. 50 some lights were coming back toward us. I wish I could have taken a picture, but my mind was racing, trying to figure out what we were going to do.

The leaders decided to take the highway, so everyone followed. Mob mentality. We raced (I actually felt like I was racing at this point) down the road and took a left that took us back to being on course. On we rode and the field spread out again and I was soon riding by myself. There was something very liberating about riding completely by myself. I didn't have to adjust my riding to match anyone else. But around mile 24, things started to go wrong. I had been riding for a couple hours, hiked the b road, made it back to where I knew my computer was 3 miles extra, and I started to tire. The sun was coming up and with it, the wind started to howl.

My first TI was insane. I have never experienced wind that fierce before or after. But what it taught me, is that there is no hiding from the wind in Iowa. This year was no different. With the sun, came the wind right into my face. And the temperature dropped. I can't prove it, but I swear it was colder with the sun up. The wind and my lack of eating properly, took their toll. I didn't feel like I was bonking, but climbing those hills, and there were some monsters, I was becoming weaker and weaker each time. There was even one point I stopped and walked a hill. I just couldn't keep turning the pedals. Somewhere down the road, maybe mile 32 or so, I stopped again and pulled out a bagel and a Gu packet. I wolfed down half the bagel and pushed on. Amazingly I started to feel a little better, but the wind was still killing me. I was desperate, so I ate the Gu (my first ever!). Mile 40 something we made a turn and were actually riding WITH the wind!

Unfortunately, the wrong turn, the lack of nutrition and the wind combined to make my time too long. About 4 miles from the checkpoint I ran into a rider heading the opposite direction. I had just nearly missed a turn and with the markers I knew I was going the right direction. Turns out, I knew him and he turned around and we rode into Baxter together. My computer said I was about 6 minutes shy of the cutoff time. Not the way I wanted this ride to go. But it is what it is.

I decided that I am finished riding single speed for this event. Yep, that should make everything better.

Come On!!

This is what we had to deal with this morning:


What do we have to do to get a break around here?

Time to Change

Trans Iowa is what, 4 days away? Plenty of time to keep changing things around. I have been running some Bontrager Dry X 29X1.75 tyres for the last few weeks, thinking that the smaller size would fit my full fenders. After some riding with Ken, off the fenders came. This past weekend, I went out for some riding and scared myself silly with how slow I was going. That really made the gears in my head, think about the gears on my bike.

So I decided to switch back to what I rode last year. I moved the XR-1 29X2.1 tyres back onto the hoops and switched to my trusted 42X22 setup. I decided that if the wet does happen (if?), my bike was solid last year. I am hoping that the weather will cooperate just a bit more and allow me to ride this stupid event.


With all that done, I am also doing some last minute change to my custom basket bag. My bag man (also my neighbor), agreed to move my cue sheet clasps to make them (hopefully) more useable. I am glad I used the months of lead time to do so much work and research.