Guts and Glory 12 Hour race

When I put the Guts and Glory 12 hour race on my schedule earlier this year it sounded fun. It’s a really cool grassroots race with no entry fee. It was being hosted this year by Josh De Boisblac, a friend of mine and Cat 1 bad ass. I was really excited to ride in this because the last two months have been very spotty for me training wise and I was eager to get some good miles in. I went to this race with my teammate Justin Calland. In the last 12 hour race out at Warda Justin and I were 2nd and 3rd so I knew he was up for a good suffer fest. Riding your bike for 12 hours off road is always hard, but the difficulty goes up considerably with the oppressive heat. I don’t know how hot it exactly was, but I estimate it was around 96-98 degrees all day and it felt super humid. There is little tree cover in comfort so the sun was hitting you almost the entire time.

The race started at 8:06 in the morning and it was already hot. I felt fresh because we had a great little hotel room in Kerrville and I had a good nights sleep and a great country breakfast. I was also on my new bike . Justin and I had a plan to ride together and just see how long we could go. Each lap was approximately 20 miles long and the trails are really fun to ride. We rode together for three full laps, which is close to 6 hours in the saddle. The heat was brutal. My legs felt great, but I kept getting the chills from being so hot. The heat was just sapping all my energy. After the 3rd lap Justin decided to take a break and cool off. He is currently leading the dirt remedy series of races and was keeping his mind on that. I decided to keep on going and rode half of my fourth lap listening to my ipod. Music really helps take your mind off things. That half lap I rode with music was refreshing. When I got back to the pit, I ran into my buddy Marshall Bell and rode the second half of my fourth lap with him. We were both cramping up a little from the heat, but we got it done. When I got back to the pits to restock my water and food Justin was eager to go. Justin, Marshall and I took off together. Justin was fresh and setting the pace. Marshall was having cramping issues and dropped off a little. As I took off on my fifth lap I was told that no one has ever completed six laps at comfort. I had a new goal at that point… set the record.

I felt okay starting my fifth lap and then all of the sudden the heat got to me. It is strange how it happens, but it just took away my drive. About 45 minutes into my fifth lap I was overheating. I kept thinking about the ice cold beer I saw everyone drinking each time I would come into the pits. At this point I was juggling the numbers and figuring out when I could stop and still keep the win. I was a full lap up on second place and time was running out for anyone to catch me thankfully. Luckily Justin was in second place and we could make it a 1-2 finish for team Cycle Progression. He is an awesome competitor and I was really excited to ride with him in this race. When I came into the pits at the end of lap 5 it was 6:40pm. I was cooked from the heat and decided it was time for a beer. It was a 10.5 hour day for me with about 100 miles of single track covered. I am guessing about 7500 -8000 feet of climbing .

The trophy is the coolest one I have ever seen. A local metal worker made it from steel found in local landmarks around Austin. The base plate is from the old Mueller airport terminal made in 1930, the rail road track was taken from some of the first used to connect trains into downtown Austin found near the old Café Mundi coffee shop and the twisted piece of steel is from the Driskill Hotel, made around 1860. It was used as reinforcement for the bank vault in the basement. I am really stoked to have this in my house :)

I had a blast doing this and I am really thankful to be part of such a cool community. Texas mountain bikers rock, and I look forward to more races and rides with all my friends (old and new)!

Peace.

Coop de Graw Austin Style.

My roommate Tom has been busy. We have been talking about having a backyard chicken coop for a long time, and a week or two ago he started building. It is amazing really how fast he was able to build it and how well he did it. I am a big egg eater. It is a great source of protein and lucky for me I have no cholesterol problems so the idea of walking out and getting my eggs from chickens I know is exciting. This coop is large enough for 10 chickens but we have decided to start out with 5, and give them free running time in the backyard to keep them as happy as possible. This coop has a rain collection system built on the back of it, and that will feed into an automatic watering machine keeping our little ladies hydrated and happy. Our end goal is to also use the water not only for our hens, but also to water the garden.

It turns out that having a coop in Austin is very popular and there are actual chicken coop tours. We plan on being part of this tour next year, once we have the coop established and running smooth. I am really looking forward to the first time we can walk outside and get an entire meal from what is growing in our backyard, that is what it is all about.

It's new bike time!

“New Bicycle”.

Two words that really get a guy like me excited. It’s not every day I get to piece together a bike from scratch with the exact components I want. I just had a chance to do this, and let me tell you it was worth the effort. Last week I finally ironed out all the hiccups in the new build and took the new Giant Anthem X 29er out for her maiden voyage. This marks a paradigm shift for me. I no longer own a 26 inch wheeled bicycle and I can honestly say I don’t miss it. I drank the Kool-Aid, and it was quite tasty.

I have not had a chance to name this bike, but it is coming. We are working through some personality and fit issues but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am already understanding the quirks and strange behaviors this bike is showing me. I believe riding a 29 inch wheel bike in the terrain that we live and race in is a big advantage. I am already seeing my fastest lap times on this new bike at a much lower perceived effort level than my other rides. This is going to be the bike I will race my next 24 hour race on. I will keep the carbon stumpy as a backup/single speed ride, but the Giant will be my go to bike for longer distance races. She comes in pretty light also, 23.8 pounds with pedals. I know they say “It’s not about the bike” and I believe them…. But let me tell you, having a bike like this sure makes things a lot more fun :)

I want to end this post with something my coach told me after I complained how tough the workout he assigned me was.....

"Sword blades are forged in the heat of an unforgiving furnace. You wanna be a sword, you got to take the heat".

Well…. I am ready. Let’s go.

Dirty Dozen 12 Hour Solo MTB Race

Last weekend I raced in my first 12 hour solo mountain bike race. This race was short compared to my usual 24 hour races but I think it may have turned out to be just as hard, if not harder. My 24 hour nemesis Greg "Caveman" Parham was there to defend his title and I knew he would be gunning for the win. On the start line I saw some familiar fast faces... Adrian Barron, last year's unofficial winner and all around bad ass was lined up to race along with fellow Cycle Progression rider Justin Calland who I knew could throw it down. Nathan "Wink" Winklemann was there, but I assumed he was doing the 6 hour race. I was wrong. Wink went on to win the race in solid fashion on a single speed no less.



The race was fun at the start and due to the cold icy weather started an hour late. The LeMan’s start kicked off at 9am with freezing weather and a strong south wind. It did not feel like the race was being held in Texas. There was snow all over the ground and some of the trail that was covered by the trees was entirely white and packed like dirt. The pace for the first couple of hours was fast. I saw Wink walking backwards with a broken bike right from the start and I could not find Greg on the course and figured he was in front of me. Justin was on my wheel talking to me the first couple of laps and that was nice to have a teammate and friend with me. I didn't realize it, but with Wink and Parham behind me (mechanical at the start) I was in the lead for the first 4 or 5 laps of the race. I knew Wink was behind me and I saw Greg was back in the pack so I took advantage of that situation and kept the pace hot.

Wink rode up to me after a while and I could see he was fit and gunning for the win. This was a different Wink than I encountered last October at the 24 Hours of Rocky Hill. We talked a bit but his pace was a bit much for me and I settled into my own race, now in second. I knew Greg and Justin were close behind and lucky for me Greg's wife Colleen would post times for him on a white board and I could see where we all were each lap. I was about 7 minutes up on Greg and another minute or so on Justin who was in fourth place. I saw that Greg was putting in HUGE efforts to close the gap and I started to see him through the trees. I knew it was bad when I felt a wheel behind me in the pasture section of the race and there he was waving at me with that familiar grin. This was lap 10 of the race.

Greg and I talked about the race and finished up lap 10 together. I could tell he was not feeling well, or something was wrong. I was not sure but I was thinking he had to really push hard to close the gap and that effort took a toll on him. It turns out his knee was the issue. We stuck together for lap 11 and lap 12 keeping each other company and talking as we rode through the trees. He told me he burnt all his matches and didn’t want to risk hurting his knee for what seemed like second place at best. He pulled the plug on lap 12 and told me to go on electing to fight another day. He was a classy competitor and continued to help me during the rest of my race and even found me a beer when the race was over. Thank you Greg and Colleen, you rock.

I was feeling good when I left Greg on lap 12 and decided to push on. I was riding a tempo pace keeping each lap within a minute of each other. I saw that Justin was riding a strong race and had picked up his pace on lap 12 and 13. Going out on my 14th lap I decided to pick the pace up and see how I felt. I felt good and made up 5 minutes on third place. At this point I had about a 15 minute buffer over Justin in third and knew we only had three laps left in the race so I was feeling safe. I also knew I could not catch Wink in first place and settled in for a 2nd place overall. I was happy about my result and rode my slowest lap of the race on lap 15 when I had light troubles and could not get the light to turn back on in the woods. It was pitch black and I could not see my hand in front of my face. I could not get my nightrider light cable plugged back into the battery until a racer stopped and gave me a light. I wish I knew who that guy was, I want to thank him. I could not get anyone to tell me how much time Justin made up on me, but I was hoping he did not make up the 15 minute gap. Justin did blast out some fast laps on lap 15, 16 and 17 to close the final gap to 9 minutes. I was really impressed with his effort, and I also knew this was his first 12 hour race also. I know we will all be seeing more of Justin around in the endurance race scene and I congratulate him on his awesome riding.



When I finished my 17th lap, I was ready for the race to be over and drink my first beer of the year. The quick pace in the beginning took its toll on me and I was worn out. When I rolled across the line after 11 hours and 24 minutes of racing I was excited to see my girlfriend and her son sitting under the canopy cheering with smiles on their faces and of all things a cheese plate sitting out ready for the picking. They are the best race support and I truly look forward to seeing them each lap as I come through to restock on food. The title of the race was 12 Hour Solo, but this is hardly a solo effort. I could never do this without the support of my friends and family and I honestly don’t think I want to. They not only pack up and come out to support me at the races, but also put up with my silly training schedule. This was a much needed confidence boost for my training and I am really looking forward to the 2011 season.

See you soon and stay tuned for more race updates!

Walnut Creek

Went out for a fun ride with some of my best buddies Shawn and Thad. Got a little video from that day. It was a good time, thank you Shawn for the video edits.

Big Wheels Keep on Rollin

I finally "Drank the Kool-Aid" and joined the 29er movement about a decade late. I got this bike a couple of weeks ago and have not really had much saddle time on it. I am really excited to dial it in and put it through the paces. The brief time I have spent on it, I am able to see some of the benefits to having a 29er. I am super stoked to take this bike out this coming weekend and ride with my good friends. I will most likely use this bike for shorter races and/or supplimental 24 hour bike. I can't even think of getting rid of my Giant, that bike is simply awesome. It is crazy how big the wheels look compared to my 26er.

Mellow Johnny's Classic Race Course

So.......

I finally signed up for a shorter XC race and I picked a good one. The Mellow Johnny's Classic was an awesome event to be part of. It was held at the Juan Pelota ranch, aka Lance's Ranch. My race started at 11am, and it was hovering around 90 degrees and 90% humidity. The pace of my group was out of control, everyone wanting to do good at this large venue. It was hilly, dusty, fast and a great learning experience for me... Not nearly the same pace as you would attach a 24hr. race. Half my field did not finish this 24 mile race due to the heat, crashing or flats. I am really looking forward to doing more races later this season, this left a very positive taste in my mouth and now I am hungry....