This is a very exciting time of year for me. Two great races going on, the 1st Trans Am Bike Race which is coming to the end of its first week and The Tour Divide. I will be spending probably too much time as a Blue Dot watcher this year...
Business in the front, party in the back
Tour Divide 2014 features some familiar names this year Jefe Branham, Alex Harris, and Max Morris are among my favourites. Jefe claims to be aiming for a 14 day finish! Several racers out for redemption after being forced out in previous years. Sarah Caylor is at the top of that list for me. She struggled through the snow and rain, and blizzards in 2012, had nav issues and an unfortunate bear spray to the face accident that year. I am really looking forward to seeing her finish this year.
So many racers accomplish so much just finishing this monster. Though I think that all racers should be racing each other and the clock if they are taking part in the grand depart, there is a second race inside every one out there. They are racing to push themselves. Usually it is yourself that is the hardest person to beat.
You must keep smiling and expect for everything to not go as planned. Have fun in the rain, the wind, the mud, the sandy washboard roads and smile through the cold, the wet and the heat. If Montana doesn't chew you up and spit you out then you often have a great chance at finishing, so always focus on the day and the mile ahead. If the weather is bad this year, accept the days where you miles are low you will get faster and stronger and more sure in your mind. Push through and have a blast. When it gets hard, stop look around at where you are, realise how lucky you are and laugh. Laugh hard, because you did this to yourself :) and you love it.
The racers in the mid pack and even the 'red caboose', the ones who take a few minutes to look around, take a picture or two between the pain, stop to talk and smell the roses are some of my favourites. These guys and gals are the dreamers, the doctors,the barristas, the teachers, the lawyers, the students, the mail carriers, the lab techs, the unemployed, the dads, the moms, the husbands and the wives. They are us. They have decided to go after this, to live a dream. They are inspiring and that is as life should be. I think we are going to get some great stories out of this years race.
Here is a video of my 2013 Finish
Blackburn
Friday, 13 June 2014
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Pay it Forward - Inspire Unkowingly
I was reading a fellow Blackburn Rangers post on Blackburn's website and she was talking about the encounter she had with a family on route and she was explaining her trip down the Pacific Coast Highway. She commented on the kid staring up at her in amazement as she told them of her adventure, and that she remembers being that kid hearing a similar story when she was younger.
We are not the first, we are not the last but we can inspire others as we have been inspired. I remember the story of Terry Fox and his incredible attempt to run across the country with one leg. I never met him, he never knew my name or imagined that he would give me a perspective that made me dream more, but he did. He just did it. When the sickness ended his trip, and ultimately his life, his journey did not seem unfulfilled to me. He did what he set out to do and he gave it everything. He is one of my heroes. The perspective that gave me as a child is a world of endless possibilities. People were actually doing things that others deemed impossible and I always wanted to be part of that world. It took a while but I conquered one of my own impossibles and now I see things in the world I dreamt of as a kid.
At a point on the route in Colorado where the route meets the mighty Colorado river I stopped in at a white water rafting outfit to find some lunch. No real food to be found except for the sandwiches that were made for the paid participants that had returned for their lunch break. I settled for 3 ice cream sandwiches, a bag of chips, a couple chocolate bars, a large bag of skittles, Coke, water and Gatorade and prayed that someone would not be too hungry and there may be a sandwich left on the tray when they were all done! No Luck. As I sat on the porch, I noticed a dad and son checking over my bike that was leaned up against the fence in the shade. Dad had his finger out pointing to all of the bags and explaining what he though might be in each one, as the son stood slightly bent over with both hands on his knees taking in his dad's knowledge. As he looked over at me I wasn't sure which he thought was better the bike or my lunch. I headed over and we discussed the bike, the race and my lunch choices and I could see the wheels turning in this boys head. I took off shortly after our conversation and with a wave goodbye I had to smile to myself and wonder if I will be unknowingly following this kids blue dot one day. I hope so.
I hope I can leave a legacy to my kids that will lead them to inspire others unkowingly.
We are not the first, we are not the last but we can inspire others as we have been inspired. I remember the story of Terry Fox and his incredible attempt to run across the country with one leg. I never met him, he never knew my name or imagined that he would give me a perspective that made me dream more, but he did. He just did it. When the sickness ended his trip, and ultimately his life, his journey did not seem unfulfilled to me. He did what he set out to do and he gave it everything. He is one of my heroes. The perspective that gave me as a child is a world of endless possibilities. People were actually doing things that others deemed impossible and I always wanted to be part of that world. It took a while but I conquered one of my own impossibles and now I see things in the world I dreamt of as a kid. At a point on the route in Colorado where the route meets the mighty Colorado river I stopped in at a white water rafting outfit to find some lunch. No real food to be found except for the sandwiches that were made for the paid participants that had returned for their lunch break. I settled for 3 ice cream sandwiches, a bag of chips, a couple chocolate bars, a large bag of skittles, Coke, water and Gatorade and prayed that someone would not be too hungry and there may be a sandwich left on the tray when they were all done! No Luck. As I sat on the porch, I noticed a dad and son checking over my bike that was leaned up against the fence in the shade. Dad had his finger out pointing to all of the bags and explaining what he though might be in each one, as the son stood slightly bent over with both hands on his knees taking in his dad's knowledge. As he looked over at me I wasn't sure which he thought was better the bike or my lunch. I headed over and we discussed the bike, the race and my lunch choices and I could see the wheels turning in this boys head. I took off shortly after our conversation and with a wave goodbye I had to smile to myself and wonder if I will be unknowingly following this kids blue dot one day. I hope so.
I hope I can leave a legacy to my kids that will lead them to inspire others unkowingly.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Events - Whiskey Off Road
It has been a long and painful winter so looking ahead always brightens my spirits. There is only so many hours one can do on a trainer without losing their mind. If you are looking for some fun in April, follow the links.
http://www.epicrides.com/index.php?contentCat=6
Friday, 28 February 2014
Bikepacking - What to bring for cold an wet riding.
Scott Thigpen, this is for you....
As I am preparing to thaw out from this incredibly cold winter, I have been unpacking the gear I have been storing and starting to get out on the bike. I regret my decision not to purchase a fat bike this year since it would have been the best season in years for it. If I wait for the warm weather I may not be out for another month! As I write this, we sit at a bomby -13 degrees Celsius which is about as cold as I can handle with this system.
I hate over dressing. I hate being cold. And I hate carrying things that take up space, weight or things that I have to remember to pack each time I stop somewhere. The K.I.S.S theory applies here. The Keep It Simple Stupid, not the if you paint your face and stick out your tounge you will make a rock band theory. So to solve this I layer. Obvious to many, but I still see many people bundled too tight and carrying too much gear, or complaining about not wearing enough. Or worse people having to stop every 15 min to readjust gear regulate temperature.
I want to be a little chilly for the first 10 minutes or so. I start with my merino long sleeve base layer, wool arm bands and a t-shirt or jersey. Giro winter riding gloves and my Under Armour balaclava. When I start getting too warm I pull the balaclava down as a scarf to keep my throat warm as to try to help with the post cold weather ride sore throat. I sometimes carry thin glove covers for rain and terrible wind, because they take up . no room and carry a huge net benefit. Comfortable hands is a huge priority for me. Next I use my North Face lightweight rain jacket. Whilevriding, this works to keep the wind out and the heat in and as I heat up, I use the pit zips to vent. On my legs I use light weight wool socks, Shimano GoreTex shoes, bike shorts and my Patagonia rain pants with full length zipper. The rain pants were a last minute purchase in Banff before TD 2013 and are one of my favourite pieces of gear now. They pack up about the size of a coffee cup, have some stretch in them, tight ankles and full length sealed zippers on each leg. Great for cold and rainy. I carry a small down jacket (which doubles as a fantastic pillow) and put it on if I have to stop, but when riding I am very comfortable. Using the rain gear really helps keep heat in and the windchill out. I also carry fleece leg warmers that I wear instead of the rainpants in warmer temps, or with when its really cold. I am actually going to switch these out for shorter wool knee covers. This system kept me warm and dry on the Divide. With the option of arm bands and zipper I can regulate my temp on the fly pretty easily. I think the key component is wool. If I do start to sweat and get the chills then I keep riding to stay warm or use the down jacket to make sure I keep warm if wet.
When I wasn't using the Gore Tex shoes, which I didn't on the divide since they would have been awful in the hot weather and too heavy, I have used Gore Tex socks and/or plastic bags. When I knew I would be on the bike for a while I put the plastic bags right over the shoes and clipped in through the plastic. On hike a bike sections, shoe covers become a pain and get trashed. They also become one more thing to pack and remember every time you are stopped. Not worth it. Plastic garbage bags are a great thing to carry for emergencies. Cut arm holes and wear over your core to keep the heat in.
If I ever get really cold I try to keep moving whenever possible.
As I am preparing to thaw out from this incredibly cold winter, I have been unpacking the gear I have been storing and starting to get out on the bike. I regret my decision not to purchase a fat bike this year since it would have been the best season in years for it. If I wait for the warm weather I may not be out for another month! As I write this, we sit at a bomby -13 degrees Celsius which is about as cold as I can handle with this system.
I hate over dressing. I hate being cold. And I hate carrying things that take up space, weight or things that I have to remember to pack each time I stop somewhere. The K.I.S.S theory applies here. The Keep It Simple Stupid, not the if you paint your face and stick out your tounge you will make a rock band theory. So to solve this I layer. Obvious to many, but I still see many people bundled too tight and carrying too much gear, or complaining about not wearing enough. Or worse people having to stop every 15 min to readjust gear regulate temperature. I want to be a little chilly for the first 10 minutes or so. I start with my merino long sleeve base layer, wool arm bands and a t-shirt or jersey. Giro winter riding gloves and my Under Armour balaclava. When I start getting too warm I pull the balaclava down as a scarf to keep my throat warm as to try to help with the post cold weather ride sore throat. I sometimes carry thin glove covers for rain and terrible wind, because they take up . no room and carry a huge net benefit. Comfortable hands is a huge priority for me. Next I use my North Face lightweight rain jacket. Whilevriding, this works to keep the wind out and the heat in and as I heat up, I use the pit zips to vent. On my legs I use light weight wool socks, Shimano GoreTex shoes, bike shorts and my Patagonia rain pants with full length zipper. The rain pants were a last minute purchase in Banff before TD 2013 and are one of my favourite pieces of gear now. They pack up about the size of a coffee cup, have some stretch in them, tight ankles and full length sealed zippers on each leg. Great for cold and rainy. I carry a small down jacket (which doubles as a fantastic pillow) and put it on if I have to stop, but when riding I am very comfortable. Using the rain gear really helps keep heat in and the windchill out. I also carry fleece leg warmers that I wear instead of the rainpants in warmer temps, or with when its really cold. I am actually going to switch these out for shorter wool knee covers. This system kept me warm and dry on the Divide. With the option of arm bands and zipper I can regulate my temp on the fly pretty easily. I think the key component is wool. If I do start to sweat and get the chills then I keep riding to stay warm or use the down jacket to make sure I keep warm if wet.
When I wasn't using the Gore Tex shoes, which I didn't on the divide since they would have been awful in the hot weather and too heavy, I have used Gore Tex socks and/or plastic bags. When I knew I would be on the bike for a while I put the plastic bags right over the shoes and clipped in through the plastic. On hike a bike sections, shoe covers become a pain and get trashed. They also become one more thing to pack and remember every time you are stopped. Not worth it. Plastic garbage bags are a great thing to carry for emergencies. Cut arm holes and wear over your core to keep the heat in.
If I ever get really cold I try to keep moving whenever possible.
Monday, 30 December 2013
Bikepacking - 20 Lessons I've learned from the trail
In no particular order....
1. Beef Jerky in trail mix isn't an awesome idea
2. Don't ride with someone who would rather be on a conference call
3. Make Friends. Lots and lots of friends
4. Don't sleep in wet or damp bike shorts
5. Even if you are racing, take the time to see, touch, listen, smell, and feel. The world is an incredible place and we are lucky to be out there.
6. Every mile you push and suffer through now is one you won't have to struggle with later.
7. The sun will rise and the sun will set.
8. When you feel discouraged with the length of the race or your tour, try to focus on the day. When the distance of the day seems impossible, focus on the next town. When the next town seems too far away, only think about the mile ahead. If that mile is creating pain and misery, focus on your next pedal rotation. If that fails, take a look around, realize how lucky you are and pay attention to each breath you take. Every breath, every pedal stroke, every mile, every town, every day are all equal parts of the whole. Keep moving, if only one breath at a time.
9. I quite strongly dislike New Mexico's sheep dogs, or stray dogs for that matter
10. Lower your tire pressure before taking on the sandy rail trails. Yes Idaho, I am talking to you.
11. Teenagers in Helena don't take kindly to men in spandex
12. Pack light whether you are racing or touring, the lighter the better.
13. Mike Hall may not really be human.
14. Wherever you are riding, leave the route better than how you found it.
15. You will need chain links and extra shoe screws, derailleur hanger, tire repair items, a scaled down first aid kit, a Leatherman, and Sour Patch Kids
16. Duct tape can hold parts of your frame together
17. Age, gender, sexual orientation, race, occupation, religion, marital status, income level, educational background DO NOT MATTER when your riding bikes together, sharing stories and loving the journey. It's pretty awesome when you share a passion with people you may not otherwise have had the chance to meet.
18. Payphones don't exist anymore so bring a cell phone. Just try to avoid certain phone providers that have terrible coverage. Not to mention names but if your phone company rhymes with
T-Smobile find another company. I have a phone for sale if anyone is interested.
19. Bikepacking becomes part of your DNA
20. Limits only define where you have been, not how far you can go.
.
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1. Beef Jerky in trail mix isn't an awesome idea2. Don't ride with someone who would rather be on a conference call
3. Make Friends. Lots and lots of friends
4. Don't sleep in wet or damp bike shorts
5. Even if you are racing, take the time to see, touch, listen, smell, and feel. The world is an incredible place and we are lucky to be out there.
6. Every mile you push and suffer through now is one you won't have to struggle with later.
7. The sun will rise and the sun will set.
9. I quite strongly dislike New Mexico's sheep dogs, or stray dogs for that matter
10. Lower your tire pressure before taking on the sandy rail trails. Yes Idaho, I am talking to you.
11. Teenagers in Helena don't take kindly to men in spandex
12. Pack light whether you are racing or touring, the lighter the better.
13. Mike Hall may not really be human.
14. Wherever you are riding, leave the route better than how you found it.
15. You will need chain links and extra shoe screws, derailleur hanger, tire repair items, a scaled down first aid kit, a Leatherman, and Sour Patch Kids
16. Duct tape can hold parts of your frame together
17. Age, gender, sexual orientation, race, occupation, religion, marital status, income level, educational background DO NOT MATTER when your riding bikes together, sharing stories and loving the journey. It's pretty awesome when you share a passion with people you may not otherwise have had the chance to meet.18. Payphones don't exist anymore so bring a cell phone. Just try to avoid certain phone providers that have terrible coverage. Not to mention names but if your phone company rhymes with
T-Smobile find another company. I have a phone for sale if anyone is interested.
19. Bikepacking becomes part of your DNA
20. Limits only define where you have been, not how far you can go.
.
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Tour Divide - Why
Cool Video just put out from ACA.
I have been trying to answer the question `Why` when talking about my Tour Divide experience. I am not a pro. Not racing to win. I am competitive by nature and I think that helped me to push when I was out there for sure. But what I usually will tell you is`Why not` or `Because its there` or I would tell you I loved the adventure and find it thrilling knowing I am attempting something most people wouldn`t even consider. Or that I need to live my dreams before its too late. All of those answers are very true. However for me the reason was bigger. For me, failing in 2012 was an important part of the `Get back up and fight` process. For me, there is much more to the answer that I really don`t understand. I think for myself I need to answer the question more completely or risk losing the answer completely. So if you don`t like hearing about grown men crying look away now. I feel a little weird about putting this out there so sorry for the sap, but this was a significant moment in time for me. I promise to do my best to never speak of crying again. Please destroy after reading....(or just skip to the next post)
Below are my thoughts from that day in June 2013- Somewhere between Atlantic City and Rawlings...
I had tears streaming down my face. Tough to hold back today. Spent a lot of time crying over the last few years about things I felt I had no control over. I was the cause of my own troubles I am sure but the solutions were beyond me. I shed tears of hopelessness, tears based on fear, more based on the dwindling ability I had to keep secure the things I loved. I wet my cheeks over thoughts of increasing my life insurance policy as a way out. I had days that many would consider trouble free but the tears would still come. It was never a wail, or a sob, or a breakdown, or an obnoxious dramatic sort of cry, but a slow release of mind numbing pain I could not control. Many nights I layed awake in a panic when I should have been sleeping, and many days I spent sleeping when I should have been working. I tried the pills, I tried the talk but still something was missing. I lost faith in family, lost hope in the future and lost part of my soul in the process. You can lose a lot of things, money, friends, loved ones, your keys, but when you lose hope, that is about as close as you can get to the end. Today as I cried, my tears mixed with the dusty air to draw mud lines down my face that I smudged with my hand accidentally to create warrior lines when I wiped my tears. Today when I cried it was different. It wasn't a wail, or a sob, or a breakdown, or a sniffling or an obnoxious dramatic sort of cry, in fact if I kept my glasses on, if anyone else was there they may not have noticed my emotion at all. These tears were making way for part of my soul to return. My eyes would fill up and slowly leak down and I could feel the pounding force of an uncontrollable joy soaking in through my skin as the tears dried in the baking hot sun. I was thirsty, hungry, tired, cycle computer read 114 degrees and I didn't see a cloud in the sky. I had ridden 100 miles through the deserted section of the route that I feared the most with 50 more to go that day but for the first time in a long time I had found hope. Right there, where I least expected it. Hope met me there in the desert landscape of the Great Basin on the Great Divide holding on to another piece of my soul and smiling. This was the first time in two years I knew I was going to make it. The route had chewed me up and spit me out in 2012, and up to this point in 2013 I held on to large amounts of doubt. At this moment though, with more than 1400 miles left I just knew I was going to pull this off. The feeling of hope was so foreign to me. It was overwhelming really and the tears of hope just rolled down my face and I let them. I lifted my head to the sky with my eyes wide open and whispered "This is what I came for" and I smiled and rolled on.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Tour Divide - 'Rope a Dope' the Sleep Monster
How do you fight the "sleep monster" on an 18+ hour riding day? Take a nap. 15-20 minute naps were my key to success. I always felt better in the hours after a power nap than I did when I fought it. Don't sleep to long though or you may feel worse or sleep through. On my best days (140-150 miles)the power nap helped me defeat the monster. On my short 90ish mile days the sleep monster won.
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