2015 Almanzo 100

My pre-race packing routine normally consists of collecting items I will need in a bag two nights before the race.  This time tested strategy allows me to add items I may have forgotten as I think of them through the next couple days.  I was following the same pattern for the 2015 Almanzo 100.  I had my helmet and pump laid out in the garage and smaller items placed in a duffle bag in a spare bedroom.  To complete my work week, I planned to finish a few items for “the man”  in the morning through a couple hours in the afternoon of the Friday we were to travel to the race.  Everything was going according to plan, except I was fielding several requests for work which were unexpected and in addition to what I planned to get done for my work day.  When it came time for us to start driving, I threw  things into the car in a rush.  I had the feeling I was forgetting something.  About an hour away from home I realized I had forgotten a PB and honey sandwich I planned to eat at mile 40.  Not a big deal to forget the sandwich, I can grab a doughnut at breakfast and put it in my jersey.  However, this set my brain on full paranoia mode and I began to worry I had forgotten my helmet, which lead to the fear I had forgotten my entire bike duffle bag.  My support crew (wife) was able to spot my helmet in the heap of bike items I had hastily placed in the trunk, however she could not see the bike duffle bag. 

We finally stopped driving at the two hour mark to take inventory of the trunk.  As I was getting out of the car I discovered I had dropped an M&M between my legs and was grinding it into my khaki shorts producing a nice dark brown smear.  To further brighten my day, I confirmed I had forgotten the sandwich and the bike duffle.  I had no kit, no shoes, no electronics, no eyewear, but I did have a bike, helmet and food (except the sandwich).  There was no bike shop in the area, so no opportunity to buy these items before the race.  I quickly contacted a friend who was driving up the morning of the race and asked her if she could break into my house and bring my bike duffle to the race.  She was concerned enough for my pre-race sleep that she dropped what she was doing to go search for the bag and sandwich.  She was successful in the mission, problem solved.  Now, despite looking like I had lost control of my bowels, I was able to relax a bit.

The forecast for the Spring Valley area indicated a high temperature of 78°, but there was a 40% chance of a stray thunderstorm after 2:00 PM (0% chance before 2:00 PM).  Since the race started at 9:00 AM, I calculated I should only be about two hours from the finish by 2:00.  In warm temperatures rain is more of a nuisance as there is little chance of hypothermia.  The wind was also predicted to be from the south, which was good news as the course direction of travel is mostly north the last 30 miles.  I checked the forecast again at breakfast and it had not changed.  We checked out of the hotel and drove the 15 minutes to Spring Valley to meet our friends and fellow racers from the Newton area.  As we were arriving in Spring Valley, I noticed a few drops of something on the windshield.  A quick check of the radar indicated there were showers in the area.  By 8:00 it was sprinkling heavily.

This picture was taken out the car windshield shortly after 8:00 AM.

As luck would have it, we arrived at the designated meeting location at the same time as the friend who was transporting my bike duffle.  I was able to get the bag and quickly kit up.  In 15 minutes the rain had ceased, but the damage was done to the gravel roads.  I knew there would be some slop on the surface, but not enough to affect my overall race speed.

For the rest of the story, please read the Power Tap entry here:

 

http://www.powertap.com/post/blog-15-almanzo-100-lessons-from-two-years-of-gravel-racing 

 

The finish line with myself, Matt, Shawna and Jim.

Best Laid Plans…

Best Laid Plans…

Most races I contest are high intensity, high stress events, but the Renegade Gent’s is low stress, in fact it is my most laid back race all year.  This race is a coming-out party from the hours of dreadful time spent on the trainer through the winter.  The rules are unique; a team of five must stay together from start to finish on the 63.5 miles of nearly flat gravel roads.  The race organizers attempt to start the fastest teams first, separating each team by 2 minutes.  This allows every team to finish on the same clock, regardless of when they started.  Our team started as the 42^nd slowest team (the first team to start is considered to be the slowest) out of 64 teams (320 total racers).

We always say we are going to have fun at this event; it is hardly even a race.  We are far from the fastest, but are not the slowest team.  Despite our declaration of non-race intent, our pace is always too fast at first.  Mentally we all tally every team we pass and which passes us.  Predictably, we do the same thing every year; it must be something in our DNA makeup.

When my phone rang at 6:53 AM on the Saturday morning of race day, I knew it could not be good news.  I was completing my last few tasks to get prepared for the race before we departed at 7:45 AM for the 1 hour drive to Slater.  It was Jim on the phone and he was telling me he had been riding the commode since 3:45 AM.  His words were carefully chosen to convince me he was not faking it and he may not be very fast on the bike.  Jim is one of the toughest guys I know, and I was sure he was not backing down because he had the sniffles.  It was clear to me, he was in no shape to be on a bike, so I assured him we did not expect him to race.  I am still amazed at the relief I could hear in his voice as he began to realize I was not going to ask him to race with “intestinal issues.”  Even before I hung up the wheels in my brain were turning to develop a backup plan.  Where would I find someone who could be ready to ride a bike on gravel for the next 5 hours?  I had about 30 minutes to convince someone how fun a 63.5 mile bike race on gravel would be in 40+ degree temps.  After two unsuccessful attempts, I gave up.  It was looking like we would be starting with four and thus be un-scored in the race.  We decided to go do the event rather than riding around Newton because at least we would see some new scenery.

It is difficult to spend quality time on the bike in the Spring in Iowa.  First it is too cold.  When the temperature finally climbs above freezing, the wind will not stop blowing.  We brave poor conditions to enjoy being off the trainer, but can’t spend enough time on the bike to get in the miles we need to be in top form until closer to the end of May.  None of us felt like we were fit enough to contest a race, but in early April in Iowa everyone is in the same shape.

Shawna had been having flat tire issues with her gravel bike (4 flats this season already).  The shop made some repairs and asked her to maintain the minimum air pressure in both tires (50 psi).  Within the first mile of the race she told us she could not stay on the road because she was bouncing so much from the high pressure in her tires.  We stopped to deflate her tires a bit so she would not feel every piece of gravel.  It was the only thing to do to get her through a day on the bike on gravel.  It was in the mid-40s at the start and because we had not warmed up yet from the exercise, our noses were running.  Luckily I was up-wind because the wind blew something out of Shawna’s nose while I was deflating her front tire.  Being the gentleman I am, I tried not to embarrass her by making a big deal of the incident (until now).

As usual the team was strong through the first 27 miles to the checkpoint.  We adjusted our pace a couple times to accommodate periods when teammates were having difficulty and stopped a couple times to make sure Shawna ingested calories.  Trevor made a comment about the pace being high as we were leaving the checkpoint.  We dialed back the pace but I could tell he was no longer having fun.  At about mile 40 he shared he was having stomach issues and his thighs were beginning to cramp.  By mile 43 he was cramping up on every hill.  It was obvious he was going to be in big time pain to finish the race because we were facing several miles of headwinds.  I didn’t want to suggest to Trevor he was not capable of finishing the race, but I didn’t want to see him suffer to the end.  Luckily, Trevor was happy to entertain the option of heading directly back to the start.  Using our phones, we were able to find a 7 mile route back to the start / finish.  Since we were already disqualified from only having 4 at the start; we could not get more disqualified by finishing with only 3.  We also observed several other teams riding with fewer than 5 racers.

The three of us took turns at the front and made our way to the finish over the last 20 miles.  The wind was out of the SW and the route seemed to include over 40 miles of either southerly or westerly direction.  Actually, there was a nice section of several miles near the end where we traveled east with the tailwind.  To make sure we were well aware of our sorry fitness, the last half mile to the finish was south into the headwind.

What was the main take-away from this race, you may be asking?  In bike racing, just like in life, you need to have a goal, create a plan for reaching the goal and work the plan to turn the goal into reality.  There is a high likelihood you will encounter things which require you to adjust your plan.  There is no shame in these adjustment(s) as long as you keep sight of the finish line.  We all made it to the finish line on Saturday.  I am sure Trevor will be stronger than me very soon.  When this happens, and I cramp, I hope he politely helps me adjust my plan so I can finish.

Happy riding, keep your eye on the goal.

The team of 4 at the start.  We miss Jim!

 

An action photo of our team on the road.

Humble Beginnings

I ask myself, who would enjoy reading my babble, what will I possibly say others will find interesting?  Will it be funny where I intend it to be funny or funny in an uncomfortable fashion?  Basically, why should I create a blog?  All great questions.

Who

I embark on this blog journey in the most humble spirit.  I am fairly certain most internet surfers are not interested in my musings.  My life is not extremely interesting.  Even my best stories tend to put people to sleep.  I have a day job helping companies manage Information Technology infrastructure projects.  I have a house and a couple cars to maintain.  I hold volunteer board-level positions in three different non-profit organizations.  I share these facts so you will understand, I don’t have a tremendous amount of free time to work out or ride my bike.  I am an average Joe (I also know some spectacular Joes) with, at best, average physiological talents.

What

I decided to go on the blog journey this year to share a few of my best stories.  I plan to post mostly race reports for the handful of races I contest this year.  Don’t expect to read about my battle in the front pack and how I was able to sprint free at the end to win the race.  My competition is myself.  At my age I am happy to finish the race without going into cardiac arrest.  I will however, battle to near death to contest a race or sprint against my riding partners.  Speaking of riding partners, I proudly call myself a member of the Wrecked'em Racing team.  Say it out loud.

Data

I have been training with a PowerTap hub since 2006.  After careful analysis of the data, and comparison to other athletes, I have determined I don’t really have a strength.  Please don’t conclude I am good at everything, quite the opposite.  I am somewhat analytical and receive considerable satisfaction from processing and analyzing the data from each ride and race (analytical is very different from anal, though some would say I am anal as well, I like to think I am prepared).  From the numbers I can usually determine the changes I need to make for the next attempt.  Often it is pace, many times it is nutrition and / or hydration.  I have made every mistake known to woman (men are still making up new mistakes).

Equipment

My race bike of choice is a Trek Fuel.  I race this bike in all off-road races as well as gravel grinders.  I have considered getting a gravel specific bike, but I have not found the right bike which is both light (lighter than my Fuel) and inexpensive.  I ride a Trek Madone on the road where I spend 90+% of my training time.

Races

I plan to contest the following races in 2015:

Date                      Race                                             Notes
                Apr. 4                    Renegade Gent’s Race              5 person team – 65 miles of fun

May 16                 Almanzo 100                               A - race

June 27                 Lutsen 99er                                 A - race

Aug. 8                   24 hrs of Cumming                     2 person team – defending 2^nd place in 2014

Sept. 19                Chequamegon 40                       A - race

Oct. 10                  Perry 101                                      B - race

Oct. 24                  Buffalo 105                                   I organize this race and ride for fun 

Cup O’ Dirt

I was reminded this year about another “interesting competition” called the Cup O’ Dirt challenge.  You can read the details here: http://cupodirtchallenge.com/  I wavered on paying $25.00 for a coffee mug, since I don’t drink coffee.  Ultimately, I decided $25.00 would buy a souvenir to add to my trophy case containing belt buckles, bottle openers, bun warmers, flimsy finisher medals, plastic trophies and one wooden shoe.  As you can see from my race schedule, I plan to complete five dirty hundies with the races I enter.  I will likely complete one additional 100 mile gravel grinder for training to get the six I need to complete the challenge.  One of the bonus items you receive from the challenge is a postcard type picture to use as a spoke card or to submit for your next snail mail race entry.  I looked at the picture on the card and quickly noticed it was the Wrecked’em team from the Perry 101.  I have included a picture of the extensive contents of my “welcome packet” below.

Big Thank You

I want to publically thank those who help me on my bike journeys.  First is my wonderful wife who has chased me across miles of countryside and stood at the side of a trail or road for countless hours to provide much needed nutrition and hydration.  I also am very grateful to the team at Iowa Bike and Fitness in Pella for the help with gear and advice.  I also need to thank the folks from PowerTap http://www.powertap.com/.  They have been gracious enough to include me on their grass roots team.  I am a believer in their great products and will be sharing tips on how I use them. 

So there you have it, initial thoughts on my bike racing for 2015.  I plan to post race reports for each race I enter to share some of the interesting or funny events along the way to the finish line (of life and bike racing).  If you are still reading at this point, thank you.  Until next post, keep riding.