Breck Epic Stage 5 - Wheeler Trail

Fuggin A! I feel like i have been beaten by a bag of baseballs. Today hurt all over. It started, of course, with a little warm up.

Innocent enough, eh? The legs were feeling a bit weak on the way to the start. Today's start was time trial style in groups of 10. The groups were based on the previous day's finishing times. A number of the people in the group were familiar since i have been ding donging back and forth with them for the entire race and finishing with similar times. At go time, it was straight climbing up Breckenridge Peak 9. It was primarily single track so there were roots and rocks to negotiate. After 3 miles of climbing, we came to a turn that took us briefly up a gravel service type road which was not at a devastating pitch leading us To Wheeler Pass and 12,000+ ft. The road of coursed ended too quickly and turned to Jeep/ATV road. Just grinding till about 4.5 miles when the terrain forced folk off the bike and the b(h)iking began. This is after climbing about 1,000 ft of elevation

One does jump on the bike briefly and get about 50 ft before it is just too much. As you can see there is a string until a bit of a summit. Trudge, trudge, and on it goes until some more nice sites.

Such a teaser since we were able to jump on the bike and ride a bit on top until forced off the bike and back to climbing. Eventually the summit was topped and there was bacon to be had. A shining beacon in the dark times. We made it over the first of the 12,000 ft passes. The descent was rocky, sketchy, scary, and brutal. There were many spots that i stepped off the bike since I wanted to see my kids another day. This trail took us back into rooty and rocky trees at about 10,600 ft and then we got to climbing again. Up, off the bike, just hiking and pushing the bike until that second effing peak was slain. Hating on it, yo. After cresting that peeg, i had to start walking down because the trail was way above my skill level. Walking the bike down what was just walked up was a curb stomp to the day. Getting off the bike to negotiate big, rocky terrain and getting on until the next obstruction. Eventually the descent, once again, is just a white knuckle session on the rear brakes with light taps on the front for a brief second that there is nothing to negotiate. This lasted a number of miles and the arms were just hammered into mush. Bam! Rock, rock, rock, root, root, root, rock...relentless. The second aid station was finally reached at mile 14 or so...3 hours into the race. I got a water bottle filled with the magic powder and headed out. 9 miles to go. Went flying thru some more bouncy down hill and after a mile, looked for my bottle and Poof! it had disappeared. Rats! I did have water in the Camelback so that was fortunate. The trail was rooty and traversed the mountain back to Breckenridge. There were some ups and downs but the end was always in sight and when that finishing line was crossed, i felt utterly destroyed. Still do. The ride was only 23 miles but there was 5200+ feet of climbing stuffed into that...and descending! Oof! Gonna get a compression session on the legs and then take some hot tub time. Word!

Tomorrow is the last stage so bring it and then I will cross the XC stage race off the list. This race has really sucked the competitive desire out. Me just want to chill, grow older and get phat! Oh, and fish, fishing is all good with me.

Breck Epic Stage 4 - Aqueduct

Yesterday was a rough stage...coming out of it, my legs were tight and weak feeling. I fed on some pasta, went to sleep and hoped for the best. Woke up with the legs pretty stiff and went thru the morning routine. During the warm up, the legs loosened up a bit but they were still not feeling the strongest. At the line, talking with other riders, they seemed to be doing well. I was a bit worried and at go time,

i just tried to ease into the climbing....ease into climbing...yeah, right. So we started in town and climbed into a rhythm and just kept pace with the people. My head was sick of climbing and the legs were not into it but they were responding. The first climb was crested into a bombing downhill only to begin climbing again. This climb is called Vomit Hill for a good reason. The beginning of it was not ride-able for me so it was a hike-a-bike section. Everyone was hiking that long section. It was not relenting either. After the impossible to ride section, it was more of a slow, deceptively crushing ascent that led to some more off bike time for me. I was hoping off the bike when the going got rough figuring that i was tired already and still had a couple more stages to go.

Eventually topped that beach and descended to another climb only to descent to another climb. Those did flow and had a few rough patches but logging miles felt good. Next up was the big climb of the day that starts within sight of Keystone. This one was 2000 ft of vertical in 5 miles. It started out primarily on a gravel road at a pitch where I could keep pedaling. Eventually it turned to Jeep trail where it angled up a bit but was still ride-able. I was able to grunt to the top in about 75 minutes of steady work. The trail wound around the top for a bit and then the descent...I gotta say, that has been the most exciting descent of the race. The trails had great flow and fast, no brake sections that put the life into me. After that, it was more climbing where i had to jump off the bike a few times. From the top, it was roughly the same descent that was done yesterday. Familiar sections are a bonus. All in all, it was around 40 miles with 7000 ft of climbing...or so

At the end, i was feeling better than i was in the morning. I definitely felt better than yesterday. My post race routine starts when i get back and get my recovery drink on...Some Vega stuff that tastes fine and does what it needs to do. I get my food on too and then it is a bit of a rest. After that, i make my way to the registration tent and stop by the Elevated Legs tent where i get my compression type massage going on. It is like getting your blood pressure taken on the legs on and off for 20 min or so. This is supposed to help the circulation and i believe it has helped. I have also stopped by the SRAM tent for some support. They hooked me up yesterday by installing some new brake pads, tightening up the headset and locking down the rear dropout so my chain would not fall off. Today they took care of a pin that was falling out of the Time pedal...hopefully that pedal allows me to clip in tomorrow. I will let you know tomorrow in that post...To Be Continued...

Breck Epic Stage 3 - The Circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot

Halfway done with the Breck Epic and the legs are telling me that they want to be done. The alarm goes off at 6:00 am and so i can get the drop bags full up with needed supplies. A couple stages have 3 stations that they will bring a designated bag but generally it is two. I have been packing them up with a couple bottles with some carb powder which will be filled with water when at the aid station. On the first stage and this third stage i packed rain gear but fortunately, no rain. On stage 2, i packed no gear and Poof! sleet and rain. I am gonna pack it so it doesn't rain going forward. I may just have that power. In any case, i then take the drop bags to the designated spot and head back for some oatmeal and pb toast breakfast. Come 7:45, i'm kitted up and out the door to warm up the legs. This morning needed some warming but they were feeling alright. At 8:30 am, the race is on.

Today's stage took us to the highest point in the Breck Epic, 12,000 ft. As normal the climbing begins right away out of town. This time id ducked into single track after a few miles and i fortunately made it through the bottle neck fairly quick. The climbing kept going on and on but it was handled. I was making good time until the next ascent...which is where everyone had the time stop. This is the major climb of the day but i would say it was more of a 1000 ft ascending hike. The trail was rough and the breathing was rougher. Here is a pic of only halfway up.

That was a long slough above the tree line. Payback for that was a super sketchy downhill that lead to some good stuff. As the downhill waned, the uphill started again. Another long climb along some jeep trail that folks were driving up to check the view at the top. It was a nice view, i admit but after that climbing, i wasn't gonna loiter. I had to stop a few times on that climb to catch the breath for 20 seconds. The downhill after that though was so rocky, rooty, sketchy, and full of fear! I am not much of an enduro/downhill guy so i gotta say, there was much fear out there. It was so bumpy, my chain was through off once. After that, the momentum was gone and i fell down a couple times. i wasn't going fast so that does cause it somewhat. One of the falls bashed my seat into my leg. Ouch! Gotta sore spot there still so that will have to get worked out on the mountain tomorrow. I was so happy when that descent was done that the next batch of uphill was a welcomed safe zone. My legs didn't like it though. I had to pause a couple times to breathe and a couple times to hike a bit. Once crested, the trail went down, up a little, and down and up a little and eventually to the finish. It ended up being around 32 miles or so and 6500 ft of climbing...Oof!

Breck Epic Stage 2 - The Colorado Trail

Post day 2 feelings are much better than after yesterdays stage. The legs responded well today and they feel good...for now. The day started in town and as the norm to string out the masses, climbing is first on the agenda. This was not so bad but what really strung it out for me was a brief downhill section. The single can't keep up to geared bikes on the road so coast i did with a couple of other single speeds. The climbing then began in earnest on a gravel road. Before too long it was onto the sketchy jeep trails and that was where the grunts began. The crowd and the rocks made for a climb not conducive to utilizing momentum so there were a few spots where i had to hike briefly to get past roots or rocks. Very little time spent on the feet though so that encouraged me. The trail leveled out for a short break and then began to climb again. Made it up that and a super sketchy descent with baby head rocks all over. Survived that and took in some single track.

I was feeling pretty good still and keeping a good pace and then my chain fell off. Rats. Gotta stop and get that back on which is a bit frustrating when the rhythm get thrown off. get that on with the quickness and got going again. Rolling on and the chain fell off 4 more times so i found some shade and took the tools out. Got that tightened up, took a few pix

Got to climbing after that and it went up and up and up to 11,200 ft. Stopped twice briefly to catch my breath but predominantly road that beast. Getting near the top, it started to rain a bit. That was incentive to get off that dang mountain!! By the time i reached the descent, it was sleeting. Fricken cold Yo! Was going down a bit to fast at one point and bounced into the side of the trail and went down. Wasn't too bad but got a scratch on the forehead. Helmets save much recovery time FTW!. Got back on it and it was raining and sleeting and the trail was getting full of water. Descended through more sketchy parts and the trail was a little halfpipe of death. Caught the side of it and fell again. This was a bit rougher on the knee but all the parts were there and the bike survived. Got back on and rode it off. The rest of the way had a little climb and downhill through the trees and then a longer climb up a logging road. After that it was the descent to the finish.

Today took just over 4.5 hours while yesterday took just over 4 hours. It surprised me that this stage took longer since i felt that i was moving steady since there was little time off the bike...outside of repairs. There was around 5000 feet of climbing over the 37 mile course. Hopefully the sleep will come willfully tonight since me thinks tomorrow will be a big day.

Breck Epic Stage 1 - Pennsylvania Creek on the Singlespeed

Finally logged miles at the Breck Epic and it was as tough as expected and as awesome as well! To get a bit warmed up before the 8:30 am start, i got on the bike about 45 minutes earlier. I road to the start and then climbed up the race course on the road. All was feeling good and right when the announcer stated that there was 20 minutes to the race start, my pedal fell off. Doh! WTF, right? A quick decision was made and i made for the condo and busted out the slick park took pedal wrench and got that beast back on there with the quickness. It was then a dash to the end of the line up. No biggie being at the back. My goals for this race are to finish each day and hopefully represent MN on the lowlander singlespeeder front.

The start was just outside of town and after the Go!, there was a neutral roll out for .5 miles on our first climb. It wasn't too bad climbing on the road for the first couple miles. It was just crowded as the 350 or so riders observed the yellow line rule. I met another singlespeeder who had done time in Minneapolis and said he was on a 32x19. Looking back, i don't know how he could do each day at that gear. It looked like he was on a 29er so...i will track him down and ask if he is switching to a 20. At the 2 mile mark, it was into the single track. As to be expected, this led to some stop and go along the trail. Fortunately it wasn't for a ridiculously long time but that first taste of Breckenridge single track was sweet. It didn't take long to get to more climbing. This is when the trail started to put on the curb stomp. The trails up were often full-o-rocks and long! Climbing, climb, hop off and hike-a-bike, climb, hop off...until the top for some thrilling downhill action which often led to more climbs. The climbs were not solo either. There were always other folks that i was ding-donging with going up the hills and down. I would make some space on the downhill and singletrack but going up, my hiking often pushed me backwards. I can't blame not maintaining momentum on the other folks climbing in easier gears as an excuse, fitness above all is the issue but that elevation added a bit as well as the desire not to blow my wad on the first day. There be plenty of up and down time to be had. In any case, the first 14 miles had a number of crushing climbs.

The first feed zone was at mile 14 and i had some snax and a water bottle with EFS mix in it to switch out. Usually i carry everything on board but not knowing how my body would react got me over-planning. The volunteers were great and i made it through real fast. There was some nice single track, sketchy downhill speeds, and hike-a-bike sections until the next feed zone at mile 20. Those 6 miles went relatively fast so that felt good. From there, more climbing, hiking, white-knuckle descending, stream crossing, single track goodness, roots, rocks and then there were only 4 miles to go. the trail spilled out to a rad briefly and back into some single track climbs up a bunch of berms and then down a whole mountainside of them until the end in Breckenridge where the wife, kids, and mother-in-law were waiting.

The altitude put the hurt on me but as the trail descended back toward Breckenridge, i started feeling better. Those last 5 miles or so went well so hopefully the legs recover and after another day, i will not have as much difficulty at 11,000 ft. The stage was dusty in parts and i picked up some WD-40 dry chain lube yesterday and it worked well...so hopefully i get a check in the mail for the plug. In any case, the stage was about 35 miles with around 5100 ft of climbing. As always i tried to keep the carbs coming in but came up a little short on my goals during the race...i am not including the bfast of oatmeal and pb bagel. I will mix the energy drink a bit thinner but carry two on board between each aid station. Gonna crack this carbo load gorilla.

Prelude for the Breck Epic

Tomorrow is the day...I will be embarking on one of those bucket list things. For the last 7 years or so, my racing has been leaning toward the endurance. Many of those exploits have been documented on this blog or on an outdated team blog. From 100 mile gravel races to 100 mile mountain bike races to 380 mile gravel races and now, to a 6 day mountain bike stage race. The Breck Epic takes place in Breckenridge, Colorado and is the start and finish of 6 days of racing up different routes. The distance each day range from 30 - 45 miles with total elevation changes each day between 4800 ft and 8100 ft of climbing. Now that sounds like an adventure that will stick with a person forever.

I was first intrigued when I was talking at the Maah Daah Hey in 2014 with Tommy E. about his exploits on the Heavy Pedal Tour. From what he was describing, the beauty, challenge, terrain, and organization all got me slobbering like Pavlov's dog. I got to looking into it right after returning from North Dakota. I found out they had a singlespeed class and i was in!!! I registered and got to letting my fitness go something fierce. Last year's CX season was plagued with a foot issue so laying off that and getting past Thanksgiving, i was ready to start with some training time.

I don't have the know to get myself ready for a day after day climbing fest based at 9500 ft and only going up. Continental divide you say, over it many times. Recovery and the lungs were what put the fear into me. I made the jump and got a coach. Shout out to Coach Fiona Lockhart!! Since the beginning of December, i have been riding longer on the weekends and shorter sessions for 3 days during the week. I have sprinkled some racing in there too and the results have been as good as they have ever been which is not so bad since I be all old and isht. Werd! Also a shout out to the family for putting up with my time spent on the bike. Much Love Y'all!

Speaking of the bike, my Ti Kona Raijin frame got bent outta shape at the end of June. There were some gremlins at work there. So a mad dash to get a new singlespeed frame was on. A week and a half before i was to leave, Gene O. got me hooked up with an aluminum Santa Cruz Highball 29'er and Chuck C. came up with the scandium Kona Big Unit. That Highball got those cartoon hearts popping up all over me so parts got switched and i got to riding. Really dug the new whip. Rode it around on some town trails and for the marathon class at a Minnesota Mountain Bike Series race. The riding was outta sight and I'm stoked to put it to the test. I am rolling a 2.4 Maxxis Ardet in the front on a RockShox SID something and a Continental XKing 2.2 on the rear hardtail. The Raceface Turbine cranks are set up with a 32 chainring connected to a 21 tooth Surly cog in the back. I brought a 20 and a 22 so as the race progresses, i figure on switching if needed. The hubs are DT Swiss 240s hubs are laced to Stans ZTR Crest rims for a tubeless ride. I picked the 21 because of the climbing and elevation and figured the 22 would be a bit too spinny for the most part.

So the bike, the training, the road trip to get here, the registration is all done and now it comes down to putting some items in the drop bags. I will be wearing a camelback for water and carrying a water bottle on the bike filed with energy drink. There are generally two aid stations for the drop bags so i will have another water bottle in each bag. I figure on filling up on water at each station to top off the camelback. I will also include a couple Honey Stinger waffles and an Enervitine cheer pack in each bag for the win. Some extra clothes with be stashed too. Oh, a tube will be in each bag....just in case.

As for what i forgot at home...i fricken forgot my Garmin so no nifty garmin files will be loaded and logged. Shucks! I will try to post each day of how everything went and all those impressions. Stay Tuned!

Maah Daah Hey 100

For the last couple of years I have wanted to take up the challenge of doing the Maah Daah Hey 100 in a day. Ripping through the North Dakota badlands in the August sun definitely sounds like a challenge. This year I got it on the calendar early...like right after they opened registration. Since the race is in August, I would be rocking the single speed. The gears were taken off the day after the Royal 162 but the carbon niner fork remained. The decision was to ride it rigid but the gearing was still unknown. I got to asking around, did some research on the interwebs, and came up with a plan. Since i rock the 38 in the front, i did some math and decided a 22 in the back should work out well for the climbs and distance. 38x22 was a go and the last thing was tires. To aid in some suspension, i went with a 2.4 in the front. A little extra cushion to absorb some of the pushin' is a great help before too long.

So the bike is in order and we got up to the CCC campground on Thursday evening in time to set up the tent and crack a beer before gazing at the moon. On Friday, we got a taste of the trail. We met up with Chris Skogen and the Rochester posse. The singletrack started right from the campground and we were in it. The first couple miles are flowy and then the climbing begins. A series of switchbacks made for a good climb. Only one of them was a bit of trouble because of erosion but the gear was fine to make the climb. At the top, the trail provided an amazing view of the the badlands. Amazing was all i can say. The trail made for some great recovery and dodging the fresh cow pies made for even more excitement. We got about 5 miles in or so and turned around. A taste was had and the rest of the day was for prepping and relaxing.

Just before 7:00 am I was lined up in the campground with about 100 others who were either in for doing the 100 solo or part of a team. I got to talking with a few other single speeders and there was a 32x18 and a 32x20 represented. Having another with virtually the same gearing, 32x20, gave me some confidence that is was the right choice. When the gun went off, i got off to a leisurely pace. There were many miles to go and i always feel better when starting slow and get into the rhythm. During the first couple miles, i past a few people who were going at a bit slower pace than i wanted and when we got to the switchbacks, i was able to keep up or jump off and briefly jog since the pace was too slow for me to continue momentum in the climb. The guy behind me said i was doing fine so i didn't pull over and stayed with it. The top came quickly and i was feeling good and riding with Ben Oney and Alex Oenes. That was a pleasure. The trail was nice, the air was cool, the legs felt great and a good time was had. I kept in my comfort zone and was having a good ride. I held a few of the cow gates for some people and in turn, they held them for me as we continued to roll. The gates were along the trail at times to make it through the fencing. I was often hopping of my bike to open them to make sure they did not come crashing down on my back wheel. There were a number of climbs and arroyo crossings. Some of those crossings were forced dismounts since the entrance was really unrideable, for many reasons like steep or erosion. The sights were awesome though and the field was thinned out considerably.

I rolled into the first checkpoint at 25 miles and was happy to hear that i was second single speeder through. I was around the 20th person and the first single speed was 3rd...that blew me away and i was wondering how that would hold up as the sun got higher. It was already starting to bring some heat but it really wasn't too bad. I refilled my water, got the mix together for the bottles and changed out some snacks. For hydration i had on a Camelbak for water and two large bottles with drink mix. For food, i was eating on some Honey Stinger waffles and checkpoint banana provisions. I left the checkpoint with Ben and i was feeling good. We rode together for a while but at some point, i rode away. I didn't feel like i was hammering or anything but my pace was matching my enthusiasm. The legs felt good and i did too. More ups and downs and the Little Missouri was crossed. I was warned about little rocks and sand that will get in the shoe so after the river, I made the climb to the second checkpoint at the 50 mile mark where a pair of dry socks awaited.

The sun was getting to be unforgiving like Clint Eastwood so hydration was essential. I found my drop bag and realized that it was the bag i wanted at the 3rd checkpoint. There goes a bit of my food/caffeine/light carrying strategy. I got to mixing up the water bottles, ate some chips, changed socks and took off. After 300 yards, i realized i didn't refill my Camelbak so i turned around and got that water on. I know the second 50 was a bit more manageable than the first but I was already 5.5 hours in the race and this next stretch was full of more sun...there was on little bits of shade from a tree here or there along this trail. The sun is really the hardest element on this trail and the full afternoon was upon me. For the next couple hours, I could feel my core temp rising. Around the 65 mile mark, i started taking it real easy on the climbs and walking some to try to cool down. I would take a couple breaths in the bits of shade that would sparingly come by. My pace was grinding to nearly a halt but I really wanted to stave off heat exhaustion. Around mile 70 or so, a fellow single speeder caught me and we rode a bit together. On a climb, i scampered away which allowed me to arrive in checkpoint 3 first. We were there together and i drank a coke and was looking forward to the final push. I tried to eat a bag of chips but was not able to finish it...that should have been a sign, but i was beginning to feel a bit recovered so i took off.

This final section was predominantly a drop in elevation but there were plenty of little climbs to put some hurt on this guy with a heated core. I made it well for 6 or 7 miles but the going got tough. On what was unknown to me, I pulled up on the last of the longer climbs of the section. I found some shade to sit a spell and get rid of my dizziness and take in some electrolytes.

As i sat there, the fellow singlespeeder from checkpoint 3 passed. In time, a woman on a single passed me too. Then a guy muscling up with a fatbike. At this point, i was probly sitting there for 20-30 minutes. I got on the bike and made my way to a road crossing at mile 90 where i know folks would be. At the crossing, i doused myself with some water and sat a spell again in the shade. My 13 hour finishing goal was fading fast but i was confident i would finish...that was the true goal. After i took off from there, i saw no one until mile 101. It was another single speeded. Apparently the guy who was killing it in the beginning race faded and was trickling in. That invigorated me and the final downhill descent to the pavement and the ride to the finish line was all good. I rolled in with a time just under 13.5 hours and the 3rd single. The top male and female single speeds past me as i sat in the shade. Much respect to them for handling the heat better than i...fo sho! When looking at the results of the race, i saw that i was slated in the Open category and was 15th...I'll take it despite registering and riding single.

A lot of people thought i was crazy to ride the trail fully rigid. There were times when the cattle hoof prints made for some bumpy terrain, especially on the descents. My wrists were fine after the race and the next day driving back, they were AOK. Come Monday when i started typing on the computer though, that they got to hurting. Typing is rough on the wrists and i think i am gonna strike it rich by inventing some suspension for keyboard usage. I'll include the quickstarter campaign when i get the prototype up and running. All in all though, the gearing was right on. No hills were too steep to climb, i could set a good pace and stick to it, but the failure was salt intake. Next time i do something like this, i am bringing chicken stock and not messing around anymore. The end was at a campground where the needed shower was so good. The only issue though was the lack of eating choices. They were all a few blocks away in town and missing the shuttle back to the campground did not sound like a pleasant way to spend the evening. I do recommend putting this race on the to do list. It is amazing terrain and very well organized. The volunteers were so friendly and helpful. Kudos to Nick for the event and would consider doing it again...but i hope to have a little better heat management skills by then. Below is the fine stats provided by Garmin