tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69368534518218361552023-06-20T07:32:54.819-05:00PedalConstantlya cyclist who's almost always out classed... but there anyway.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-11170872809776051122014-08-13T19:42:00.000-05:002014-08-13T19:42:04.835-05:00The Dirty Kanza 2014 (and really late blog) edition <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Way back in January, I went on a long ride after riding too
short for too long, and hurt myself. I don’t actually think I did it then, but
I do think it was something that I picked up from my 2013 Dirty Kanza,
something from the deep dark night of survival and grinding just to finish. If
you know what an IT band is, you know how annoying it can be and how much it
can slow you down. I had a good case of itis, and it was doing it’s best to hamper
my mood and athleticism. I tried to do 10 miles. It hurt. I worked up to 20
miles. It hurt. Finally the therapy, my more normal training regiment at the
gym, and a bit of determination got me above 30 miles pain free. 8 weeks away
from the DK. Crap. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Libby and I had been planning since 2013’s Dirty Kanza, how
could we go faster? What could we skip? What could I drop? Did I have to have
that extra bag? Did I have to have two liters of water? I had told a few
friends that I wanted to Race the Sun, something that seemed daunting
considering my 20 hour 46 minute finish. Libby and I made it a secondary goal.
My first goal was to ride in before they stopped selling beer at allegedly 10pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ramped up my training as hard as I could
stand. I went to spin classes as often as I could. I rode as long as I could. I
even caught the road group for a 80-mile flogging, and amazingly kept up.
Finally about two weeks from the race, I managed to squeak out 94 miles, with
almost all of my setup, in a little over six and a half hours. It seemed
plausible that I could just maybe reach two goals, if everything held together.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday morning, somewhere before six, I lined up to start
the 2014 Dirty Kanza. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sad that only
two of us would return for another 203 miles of gravel,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roger Williams and myself. He had trained incredibly
hard, I was a bit envious of that. I knew I could get this done, the question
would be how long would it take me. I lined up in the 14 hour group. I elbowed my
way into the middle of the pack, noticeing there were even less flat bar bikes
than the few I saw last year. I think I was one of a very few running a full
frame bag and flats bars. I got a few odd looks for sure, but I was happy with
my El Mariachi. I had swapped to Vee 12’s for tires, limited my tools, and
limited my water to 1.5 liters. I had two apples, a banana, a peanut butter and
banana burrito, some candy, nuts, and one emergency goo. I thought about
fenders, but thankfully it hadn’t rained in two days. If I didn’t have what I
needed I would be walking or looking for a SAG Jeep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jim Cummings began to count down the minutes to the start
and I snapped some quick pictures. Libby gave me a kiss and a hug for luck, I hoped
I would see her soon in Madison. With the final seconds ticking off, we were
away. I had a basic strategy, I knew that the pack could drag me for quite some
time, maybe even to the first hills. I planned on riding hard enough to keep up
and to give my legs time to warm up after a week off. Also, a big pack sucks a
lot of air. I found that we were moving fast and the Vee 12’s were rolling
easy. So far, so good. I looked around as the fog hung low over the fields, and
Kansas revealed her early morning beauty. The hills and valleys just poked
through the thick fog. The sun crawled just high enough that everything was
shrouded in golden light. Seek out photographs of this, it is one of the most
beautiful sights I have ever seen. I am happy that many photographers took the
chance to capture it and us, because I wasn’t going to stop for a photograph. I
had work to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode fast, keeping a
fairly high speed average and trying to keep tight to any groups in front of
me. This is the point where I should probably apologize to these guys, who all
looked fresh and rode well. I didn’t contribute much but some advice and cheery
good mornings, and hung on for dear life. The first climbs seemed to come to me
a lot faster than I remembered; maybe I was just too caught up in the moment
last year. My legs were behaving, but 20 miles of chasing caused them to feel a
bit of a burn. I throttled back, focusing on climbing and navigation. Everyone e
had let up some, so I really didn’t feel like I was loosing to much by switching
to being<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more conservative. The cows
were roaming their pens and at some points being held back by volunteers. I
didn’t know this would be foreshadowing. I ate an apple somewhere after the
pens, and worked down my burrito. I remembered to drink water, which Libby had
spiked with Nuun (fruit punch for breakfast!). As we made some of the final
turns into Madison, I noticed the breeze had picked up, almost directly out of
the south east. Things were looking really nice for a great KLUNK. I looked
down to discover I had dropped the chain off my front derailleur, for the
second time in less than 24 hours. This almost never happens, unless I put on a
new chain. Coincidentally I did that about two days prior. I rolled to a stop
and pulled out the tiny screwdriver I kept for adjustments, incidentally go buy
a Townie bike tool, Tom’s driver is darn good. 1/8<sup>th</sup> of a turn later
and a chain reset and I was back on the bike. Pedaling away, trying to get back
on top of my speed and to catch up with the group I had been tailing. Chuck
Reinbolt had just passed, nicely asking if I needed help, and I couldn’t have a
100 miler outrun me just yet. I rode reasonably and managed to find him before
the final split. It was a little past this the bike wash caught us again, not
being as deep or swift as the year previously. Madison was near, and I wanted
dry socks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I was in Madison, I rolled across the timer and found
Libby, she had managed to find almost the same spot as last year, simplifying
the things I had to think about as I left the confused color parking direction
lady in the dust. Libby threw socks at me, stole my shoes to dry them, and
restocked the bike in about five minutes flat. I now firmly regretted leaving
the brand new tube of Chamois Butter in the campground bathroom, as my saddle
interface was already starting to complain. Libby did an amazing job reloading
me, even the 50oz waterbag into my frame pack, I couldn’t ask for more. As I
jumped back on my bike I asked her what time it was, surprisingly it was only
now 9:40. All things were possible as I charged up the ridiculously steep hill
out of town. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Somewhere on the climb out of Madison, which has to be at
least 3 miles up, one of the guys from one of the Nordic countries asked me
where he was. I replied, fighting off the urge to quote Field of Dreams. I knew
this leg was the hardest leg, thank you 2013, but I was excited to have the
wind at my back this time. Turning west, when it was flat, it was pretty easy
to roll at a fast clip. I was trying to give it everything I could, just
slightly uncomfortably. I was still worried about my leg getting too tight and
causing me problems. Climbing Texaco Hill, I was feeling good, though I noticed
it was hot. Not like melting paint hot, but with the wind at your back,
everything felt like it was just baking you. I ate another PB & Banana
wrap. Shortly afterward I decided that was a horrible idea. My stomach began to
feel as if I had parked a log in it. I tried an apple, which tasted good, but
did little to loosen the nutty logjam now parked in my middle. Hmm… maybe a bit
more water and some electrolytes? Nope. Since that wasn’t working I focused on
pedaling and eating what I could. I felt like the whole affair was dragging me
down. Right about Battle Creek Road, I remembered that Libby had loaded some
Ginger candies into my gas tank bag. Instructions had been to take one if my
stomach was upset. Well it had definitely become upset and I felt like crap. I
peeled one and popped it in. That was a sharp taste I wasn’t ready for. I
pedaled a bit more and discovered that I felt better, I even felt like I had
some energy! What was in those things? I figured a sip of water would help it
go down a bit more. Much to my surprise, I didn’t have any water left. Seven
miles out and not a drop of water on me. I started rummaging through what was
left of my supplies to find anything with moisture in it… and discovered my
last apple. It was a large juicy fruit, larger than I normally like, but full
of sugary water. I tried to draw it out over at least a mile or so, but it’s
savory appleness went down easy and quenched the thirst. By the time I turned
into Cassoday, I was ready for water again. I might have been able to drink an
Olympic pool. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I found Libby pretty easily, and wheeled to a stop behind
the adventure car. Libby must have seen how I felt, because she started feeding
me frosty ginger ale and pickles before I could tell her about my lack of water
and cramps. She focused on reloading me while I ate and drank everything she
put in front of me. I stretched, and it’s hard for me to describe how this felt
here, take my word for it – it was marvelous. Libby gave me an extra large
water bottle to shove in my jersey and kicked me out after about ten minutes. I
started to feel a bit better and relaxed into the not terribly hard but grind
happy middle. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Leg three takes you into the open pastures between Cassoday
and Cottonwood Falls. It’s pretty, and somewhat flatter, definitely lush and
green. Or it would be after ten miles of straight, blinding white, gravel to
get to the turn into the pastures. I felt I was moving well, I still
occasionally caught people, and really hadn’t been passed in a while. I felt
okay, and as long as the music held out I ‘d be able to plug my way through the
10 miles. No sooner than Hells Bells could play, my trusty iPod died. Four
miles into a 50 mile leg. Damnit. Oh well, time to reflect on my thoughts and
the sound of the breeze blasting past my head. I climbed, I descended, I
pedaled along. It was a good section, though I almost got hit by a cow or 12. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Cottonwood Falls almost seemed to come quickly, or perhaps
it was just the heat baking my brain. There seemed to be extra turns in
Cottonwood, almost seemingly to get us to enjoy the sights of the town park. I
really wasn’t in a sightseeing mood. As Libby restocked me, and dunked really
frigging cold things over my head, I heard that the winners had finished,
crushing the course time at just over 10 hours. It hurt my head and my legs to
think too hard about that, I filed it away for later. It was time to start the
best part, the final leg.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the previous DK, I had said there was nothing really of
note in the final leg, partially because it was pitch black when I did it and
partially because of pain and weariness. I had light; I had vigor; I had a
chance (or so I was telling myself) of finishing before the sun hit the ground.
My stomach still didn’t like me much, and my rear had checked out long ago, but
my legs felt good enough to go forward and I had a goal within my sights.
Pedal, pedal, pedal. Somewhere in the middle I was comparing my speed, my
average, and how much further I had to go. I was certain it was bad math, I was
certain I was ignoring that the moving time on my bike did not include the
stops at waypoints, and I was certain it didn’t matter. I was charging to the
sun. It didn’t matter that the sun was setting to my left in a beautiful sunset.
It didn’t matter that I probably wasn’t actually going to get a plaque. I was
on target for my goal of 14 hours, 42 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My sun was still in the sky and damnit I was going to beat it. Right
about this point I realized though, I didn’t bring a light to read my map.
SHIT. Now I really had to try to beat the sun, or at least ride through as much
of the complicated course as I could before navigating by braille. Fueled by Libby’s
turkey wraps I only thought forward. I ate my fruit and I choked down my peanuts
and superheated M&M’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing was
happy anymore, but I moved. At one point my legs complained loudly enough to
make it past my mental block, including a cramp that made me squeal. If you’ve
ever had both inner groin muscles lock up at the same time, you know this
noise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to pretend it didn’t
happen. As afternoon wore deep into dusk, the fallout of cyclists started to
get heavier. I started to come across cyclists who couldn’t go any further.
They hid under trees, they sprawled on bridges, they simply decided to stop.
They seemed to respond okay when I asked if they were okay, but didn’t move
much. I didn’t dare stop to ask why they had paused so close to the end, but
there is a point where you simply cannot push forward any longer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I take this moment to share when things began to get a
little weird. Well not so much weird as deeply memorable. The first was
actually in the third leg, but I couldn’t find a smooth way to bring it up. As I
rode past a farm, a very nice lady had camped a lawnchair in her front lawn,
creating an oasis for herself and others. She had drug her garden hose as far
as it would reach and erected a sign, “Free Cokes and Water.” The sign by
itself was incredibly sweet, but the sight made me laugh. A cyclist had pulled
into the mini-oasis to take her up on that offer, and had not apparently not
made it far from his bike. He was sprawled out, face to the sky, and the lady
was quite happily spraying him with water from the garden hose. He seemed to be
enjoying it immensely. She looked up and smiled, cheerily offering water. I
realized too late I should have stopped to top off. (I ran out just after that)
I had stolen Libby’s iPod and was listening to her selection of Pop. She had shyly
given it to me, warning me that the music may not be my cup of tea, but after
four hours of gravel, Kelly Clarkson never sounded so good. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, Radioactive came on at just the right
point, and between singing to my handlebars I started to cry. I don’t really
know why, but it seemed right at the time. Somewhere in the dark (remember I
forgot the map light), my stomach turned against my hydration. I craved water,
pure clean water. Somewhere near Americus an entire family, perhaps extended
family including a few friends too, had set up their very own handup station. I
came down a hill and was greeted by cowbells and children running through the
road handing out bottles of water. They had two out front, and two behind, if
the first child missed, surely the second would tackle you off your bicycle and
force you to accept their kindness. I probably need to go back and apologize to
the little girl who gave me the most incredible Ozarka water I’ve ever tasted.
I might have snatched it from her hand at full tilt. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Americus was a highlight last year, because I almost stopped
at the pub, and I was sad to find it closed. Nevertheless, Emporia was close
and I could almost hear it. Yes it was dark, yes I had come to face the
inevitable that I would not get a plaque, but I was still under my goal. With
whatever I had left, I turned onto Merchant? and cranked up the hill through
campus as hard as I could. I remembered a childhood memory of visiting my
grandmother, who lived just off the street, but kept on. At the very top, I
stopped. Why you might ask? Because of a red light. It seems I couldn’t
willingly run it, though I thought about it, because of traffic and setting a
bad example for the cyclists that were nowhere to be found. Minutes (which felt
like hours) ticked away. Finally I had the signal and sprinted for whatever was
left. Down commercial full bore over the timer and almost straight into Jim
Cummings. I have flat spots in my tires from my skidding halt, but it felt so
incredibly good to cross that line. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did it. I finished
in 16, hours, 4 minutes. I will always deduct the four minutes as “that damn
red light penalty” so we’ll just call it 16 hours even among friends. I crossed
the line just in time to be handed a pint glass, and for them to close the bar.
Someone needs to extend that liquor license a bit longer. I improved my time
from 2013 by four hours, 42 minutes. Libby planned and pitted me like a pro,
keeping my non-moving time to 30 minutes, I had a few minor stops for
mechanical gremlins. She lone cut two hours out of my time by not letting me
get comfortable anywhere but the saddle. I owe myself though, I also road two
and a half hours faster. A year of riding when I could, staying healthy as I
could, and fiddling really helped overcome what I originally felt I wasn’t
prepared for. I’ve heard people joke, that you can do the DK with limited
training. I wouldn’t advise it, I got incredibly lucky. My pit crew knew what
to do when, and kept me going. She’s amazing, she really is. I’m generally not
too worse for wear, although I can still feel the muscles in my legs complain
when I ride. My butt has recovered enough to sit in a saddle and on hard
surfaces, but the dents are still there. I only have one blister, right in my
palm, where the cheap and overly padded gloves disagreed with the ergonomic
grips. I expect to do a breakdown of my bike and gear soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pedal Constantly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-51953779996910727942014-01-03T16:20:00.003-06:002014-01-03T16:20:59.996-06:00It's time to start anew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">It was just a few days ago that the LMBC kicked off the New Year with the NYD ride. As usual, the weather was anything but predictable. It was a balmy 21 degrees as we gathered our mountain bikes at the trailhead. This tradition from long ago dictated we ride the trail; snow, ice, rain, or hangover. There's no way to ignore tradition after all.</span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
It had snowed a bit, and had definitely been cold. I figured I would see some leftover snow and probably a lot of frozen dirt and sand. I hadn't counted on it being just warm enough to pull oceans of water out of the dirt, before it froze again. This ice was everywhere, the fast lines, the slow lines, even the trees seemed to be oozing it. It didn't matter though, we had to ride nevertheless. It's said that we fell at least 12 times that day, out of 50 or so people I wouldn't trust someone who didn't fall. I pedaled my bike out from under me. I saw a friend fall while standing dismounted. I heard thuds and whacks, followed by laughter. It wasn't a fast lap of the trail. It was the kind of ride that defines how much you love your bike. The kind of ride where cyclists laugh and play, where they concentrate on being loose. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
It was the perfect start to the year.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-2690402241671555162013-08-28T21:38:00.003-05:002013-08-28T21:38:13.309-05:00On the road again... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I’m sitting in the airport again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s been like this ever since the DK. The Monday after the
race I found myself at the airport heading to Washington, D.C. for a conference
covering one of my passions, that my employer has been gracious enough to
support. But it meant recovery started with a three-hour flight followed by
“road food” and standing for hours while talking about what I’m doing and what
we should be doing. Why rest when you can keep going right? Some of the folks
from the club did a bit better, they went directly to the multi-hundred mile
Ride Across Kansas, the following Monday. I’m not sure I could have handled
sitting in the saddle that soon again. It didn’t hurt, but hard benches were
not friendly to areas people often only see in passing. Since then I’ve been on
a couple other trips, but mostly I’ve been catching up on life, which seemingly
was on hold in the month before the DK. My rental had to be rehabbed, cars had
to be fixed, children hugged and played with, and I had missed my wife dearly.
I think I have been riding a couple times a week. I’ve been trying to keep my
spin classes up, for my own work time sanity if nothing else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve serviced the El Mariachi, finding that a
lot of parts have been just fine. I did manage to kill the bottom bracket; The
BB-51 is the first complaint I’ve had about that magnificent bike. This is one
of a handful of parts I have noticed that Mother Salsa skimped on to get the
margin right on the bike. I foresee these upgrades making for some good writing
in the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve been on some new trails, some beat me some, have been
like old friends. I keep riding the Lawrence River Trail, just because I have
so much fun there. Most people think that it’s pretty tame, but just about any
time you get complacent on this trail, you usually hit tree. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s summer’s nearly done now, but that means that the
riding gets a lot more pleasant on the plains. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-13377841645630042672013-07-25T21:14:00.001-05:002013-07-25T21:14:41.510-05:00The Dirty Kanza 200 - 4 - Bringing it home....<div class="MsoNormal">
This may be shocking, but the final leg is mostly a black
blur to me. Dave and I made good progress, pedaling as fast as we could stand.
We climbed when the road tilted up, and descended as the road tilted down.
There were far fewer turns in this segment; so long straight lines were leading
us north, around the top of Emporia. We picked up some other riders, and rode
in a group for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhere in the
middle the group began to slow, savoring the company and what had become a
fantastic night. I on the other hand had places to be. I wanted my pint glass,
hopefully full, and was not going to slow down. My butt had checked out,
sitting and pedaling wasn’t fun anymore. The inside of my knee would complain
if I stopped pedaling and stood to relieve the pressure on my butt. I found
myself not quite knowing how to relieve the pain, but pedaling without stop
seemed to help. The glow of Emporia beckoned me. Seeing the lights of the town
grow helped my spirits. I checked the map as often as I could, ticking the
miles down. Due to minor turns to find checkpoints, I had a couple extra miles
on my computer, forcing me to do a bit of extra math at every turn. It was a
welcome diversion to keep my occupied. I was catching riders, even if it was by
surprise. I knew where I was going and didn't need to stop to consult my map. I
quickly passed through Americus, marked nearly as badly as Cottonwood Falls,
but hoping the blinking lights in the distance were right I passed on. I did
see the bar in town open, the sole business still operating, and I almost
stopped for a pint. An open bar meant I wasn’t out of time yet, but it was time
to go as fast as I could. I had settled into a solitary dance, standing
pedaling, sitting, swearing, and pedaling some more. I was ready to be off the
bike for sure. After what seemed like hours I finally found my last right turn.
Hitting mile 201 was a sweet right turn, and a straight uphill through the ESU
campus and into downtown. I’d like to apologize to everyone in Emporia, I ran
all of your red lights and stop signs in a sprint (or what was left of one)
into downtown. There were some people in front of me, and I was determined to
catch at least one of them sleeping. After 20 hours of racing, it was totally
worth it. I crossed the line at 2:45 AM, Sunday after riding 206 miles in 20
hours, 45 minutes. I wasn’t the last man; I collected my pint glass; and
promptly handed my bike and glass to L. She handed me back a Jimmy John’s
sandwich, which was amazing. The same people who had met me at stop three had
stayed until the wee hours to see me in. It was the best finish I could have
hoped for. After some sleepy conversation, everyone filtered off showers and
sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later that day…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
L and I slept long into the morning, unfortunately missing
the awards ceremony and breakfast. I had really looked forward to that, but the
sleep was so marvelous that I didn’t care. I am still-hunting for a shirt for
L, it is her prize for providing me the best support anyone could have asked
for. My Salsa el Mariachi performed flawlessly. No mechanicals, and a smooth
steel ride for 20 some odd hours. I had been riding the Geax Saguaro’s for months
beforehand, and they were tough enough to not flat once. I have already decided
to ride the Dirty Kanza again, now I just have to decide if I want the
half-pint or another full pint. I may lighten the bike or experiment with the
setup over the next year, or I may just go full expedition again and ride it
the way it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-44290055612929041242013-07-25T21:13:00.002-05:002013-07-25T21:56:42.062-05:00The Dirty Kanza 200 - 3 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was alone. I would learn that over half of the
participants had dropped by this point. The wind, mechanicals, or the wall had
claimed them. The headphones and random music hastily loaded on my iPod were my
company. I had initially looked forward to the eastern section of the third leg
thinking a wind at my back would be nice. The map didn’t show that it was a
climb to the east, for what looked like ten miles. I watched storm clouds
gather and blow away. The clouds gave me some shade, but were busy to some far
off place. East wasn’t the respite I had been looking forward to; it was a slog
forward and upward. Somewhere at the top of the final hill on the damned
eastern leg I was startled to look down into a valley and see my turn. It
looked steep. It looked fast. The gravel looked… loose. These thoughts crossed
my mind as I barreled down the hill, I clung to the handlebars and stretched my
achy knees. I didn’t dare flick my eyes away from the gravel, for fear a
pothole or rock would send me crashing to the Earth brutally. It would be my
first and last grin for a little while, the speedo said I did somewhere near 41mph.
While I reflected on this, I would turn into the pasture and oil fields. It was
time to fight northwest again. This would surely be the roughest road, I was
thankful for my oversized mountain bike tires. While climbing a hill with a
cinderblock building on the side I met Dave. Dave would prove to be a great
companion for the next 40 miles or so, we had similar enough pace that we could
tow each other along nicely. We talked about many topics, some as simple as
sandwiches, others as complex as taxes. Sometimes he just talked, it was nice
to hear his voice instead of the wind. There were more hills, but they had
become normal to me now. As the dusk settled on the prairie the hills seemed to
turn purple in the light. God, it was beautiful out here. We were rolling
comfortably, and a bit quicker, but I was still trying to keep close tabs on
the map. I didn’t expect things to have been as well marked as they were, but I
was still paranoid we might miss a turn. I was nearly right in my fears at the
Rock Creek Road turn, where so many elites had gone wrong so far off course.
Always follow the map they said, and you’re less likely to get lost. Cotton
Wood falls was close, meaning 20 miles or so, and it was getting dark. The
terrain was smoothing out as the sun set into the hills, the wind had also fallen
silent. We were rolling in the dark on smooth clean roads now, which may sound
easy, until you find that the checkpoint is hidden behind a store on the other
side of town, down the highway some. Not the best for those tired cyclists now
dragging up the rear. Dave and I had to stop and ask someone if they had seen a
bunch of bikes ride by. Fortunately for us they had. We had found the final
checkpoint in just four hours fifty-three minutes. Another checkpoint, but this
reload had a surprise. The rest of my club members from the Lawrence Mountain
Bike Club had come from their finishes to cheer me on. It was nice seeing them
and talking briefly. L had talked to my boys asking them if they wanted to make
me a sign. The artistic result is one of my favorite mementos from the race. Thirty-three
minutes later Dave found me and we set off into the darkness again. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-14985569205447078342013-07-25T21:12:00.003-05:002013-07-25T21:12:53.647-05:00The Dirty Kanza 200 - 2 "hey who turned on the wind?"
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Back on the bike and climbing the disturbingly steep hill
out of Madison, two boys, not much older than my own, congratulated me. They
offered high fives for a reward and good luck. I wouldn’t even make it two more
blocks before turning west, and face first into the wall of wind that would
push me backward for the remainder of the day. I tried swearing at it, but it
no one could hear over the roar. The forecasters said up to 20mph, I think they
were off by ten. I consulted my map to see where I could have any relief, but
it looked like I was riding mostly west, with very short tacks to the south.
This leg was going to take a while. Because I had been such a lead ass in
Madison, I was now riding toward the middle back of the pack (or perhaps the
back) and there were few people to draft of share the duties of cutting of the
wind. I could catch riders, but would always outpace them climbing. The game of
long uphill climbs had also begun to set in. Riders now faced the wind
struggling uphill and down. This leg would mark the first time I gave mental or
physical aid to a rider. I can’t remember his name, but he had already begun to
struggle with cramps. I slowed and offered my draft. He said he had been with a
group, but had dropped out when his legs started to complain. I pulled him for
the longest five miles of my life, the howling wind can be thanked for that.
Finally we reached a turn to the south, and with that he pulled around me. He
asked me to hang on his wheel and took off. I tried, I really did, but my legs
needed a snack and I needed a moment to roll. I don’t know where he went after
that, aside from over the next hill, but I hope he finished well. I would only
get two miles to the south, god that was short, before I was into the wind
again. Ugh. I found myself locked in a grind, each pedal stroke felt just like
the last. Each blast of the wind made me grimace. I took solace in eating, drinking,
and looking around often. The rolling hills were beautiful and it had become a
perfect Kansas day. Somewhere on Battle Creek Road I found some riders of
similar disposition to me, one had blown a spoke and surprisingly was from
Tonganoxie. The other, Bobby, was cursing the wind as much as I had been. We took
comfort in our common enemy and would work as a threesome, sometimes five-some
depending who we caught or caught us, against the wind and the hills. Right
about this time I saw what had to be Texaco Hill, and it looked like two miles
of up. I set my gears and my mind to spinning. I knew sooner or later I would
make it to the top. I ignored the wind, I ignored thirst, and I climbed. I
climbed some more, and when I thought I surely had run out of hill, I climbed a
little further. Whew, at the apex of the hill I offered myself a reward, a
brief stop to look back and take a photograph of a now limitless valley view.
The kid from Tonganoxie and Bobby would come by a few minutes later, noting
that everyone did that. Well, it was still my moment. Back on the cranks, I
found myself in pursuit again. I would chase the kid from Tongie and Bobby up
and down countless hills. They had warned me about the rollers going into
Cassoday, but I had thought it would be just like what I had seen so far. Yeah,
not quite. The two rollers, I would hear everyone talk about later, were two half-mile
climbs, that seem to go up so steeply that you would fall off your bike if you
leaned back much past upright. These terrible twins burned your legs, forced
you to pull from deep inside, and made you pray for even the briefest of
respite from the wind. I saw more than one cyclist dismount and walk, I
considered it, but I would have fallen over long before getting my clips clear
of the pedals. Standing, spinning, grunting, it all happened in hopes of
climbing the hills in front of me. Finally when I came to the top, I was
rewarded with another view and big gust of wind. Eh, might as well keep moving.
Cassoday waits. Right about this time I had my one unfortunate event, a bee
landed on my saddle to hitch a ride. I didn’t know this until I sat down and it
stung me. I swore, swerved, and a stopped to crush the offending bug. After
this little circus, I lost track of a lot of things, but soon found myself on
pavement again. As I rolled down the hill into town, the kid from Tongie joined
me again. His rear wheel now looked like a Pringle thanks to his broken spoke.
He told me he was out, unable to go any further. I asked him to save me a beer
in Emporia. I rolled to the checkpoint and had to turn around. Someone had
cruelly put the rest stop back up the last hill. L looked worried, It had taken
me five hours fifteen minutes to slog through the wind. I promptly sat down and
enjoyed a Coke and some food. As L reloaded me, the support crews looked for
Jason; he was later than I was. I hadn’t seen him since the first leg, where he
blasted past me easily, so I thought he was ahead of me. When he came in, he
didn’t look tired but very calmly sat down and called his day. I still don’t
know if it was the call of the beer, the howl of the wind, or some unseen ache
that made one of the strongest cyclists from our group quit. I couldn’t ask, I
had sat too long again, fifty-five minutes this time. I told L that this leg
would have a brief east ride, and then a very long ride directly into the wind.
It would take me a while, but I would get there. A kiss and off I went.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6936853451821836155.post-91464248160023615262013-07-25T21:11:00.002-05:002013-07-25T21:11:44.050-05:00The Dirty Kanza 200 - A start.<div class="MsoNormal">
I found myself standing in front of the Granada in not yet sunny
downtown Emporia, KS, with a thousand other cyclists. After a brief pit stop, I
saw Dan Hughes. He looked like it was any other day; he was ready for a normal
ride in the countryside. We wished each other luck; as he wandered off to find
a spot to start. I walked past the front of the pack, the leaders and those who
could not stand to see saddles before them, these men and women looked hard.
The atmosphere around them did not seem to sink in, the rest of us mortals were
enjoying the pre-adventure buzz. The lead pack was ready to push as hard as
they could, as long as they could, until there was nothing left. This might be
a good point to note my friend Roger, in the front of the pack; First wheel
dead center. My good morning fist bump wasn’t really noticed, he had apparently
set his mind to the task at hand. A quick picture and I shuffled off so he
could concentrate on his fight. The beautiful L and I began to look around for
Lawrence Mountain Bike Club members. I hoped they were under the time I hoped to
come across the finish line many hours from now. Chuck, Craig, and Rod
appeared, and we all relaxed under the veil of a 16-hour finish. Chuck fired
off mass start advice; perhaps fueled by the nutrient Goo. He advised me to
watch for pile-ups, it wouldn’t take much to cause a heap of cyclists early on.
Either way, I figured I had fat tires and would just ride over any heaps of
cycle and lycra, should they crash in front of me. It’s not nice, but I had no
intent of falling down in Emporia. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
last check of everything and the spectators began to shuffle out of the way. It
was time to take that first pedal stroke. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At the stroke of six, nearly 1,000 cyclists rolled forward
en mass, dutifully following their police escort down Commercial Street to the
edge of town. I wouldn’t say we were going fast, but it was definitely the
leader’s pace, something I didn’t expect to hold for long. I did notice a few
confused faces as the pack rolled through stoplights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we turned onto gravel, the group bunched
up again. I had to track stand to keep from mowing over a few smaller rigs. On
the gravel the pace lines extended for what seemed like two miles. It was early
and the riders consumed the gravel. We were now moving fast, much faster than
the pace I had mentally set, but it was calm, the road felt like it was going
downhill, and 500 bikes were sucking me along. Eh, roll with it I thought. I
figured everyone would calm down. I figured the club would drop off the speed
and go back to conserving energy looking for the long finish. I was using the wrong
math. After ten fast miles, I decided I would not be able to hold this pace
forever and I dropped off to race against myself. Now this isn't to say that I
dropped all the way to the back, pulling the rear. I was still passing people
without much effort and I still rolled fast and comfortably. My big tires, wide
range of gears, and comfort atop my bike allowed me to take crappier lines, out
climb, and out descend a lot of lightly laden bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I owe someone at Salsa a Christmas card for
the el Mariachi. I was drafting people when I could, trying to make friends,
and trying to pick out a group that could run to the end. Strangely most people
seemed really irritated that a dude in a mountain bike jersey had ran them down
carrying at least twice as much crap as they seemed to be. Eh, probably all in
my head. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The miles were turning over quickly, and with the ticker the
landscape thinned of the marks of civilization. One climb would be followed by
a descent, one turn followed by a climb. How dry the gravel looked surprised
me; most of Kansas had received five inches of rain over the last four days,
and I was expected flooded roads. No time like the present to eat my words, so
imagine my surprise when right about mile 17, a nice climb and a left hand turn
revealed a ¼ mile mud bog. Guess it had rained here after all. The cross guys
were dismounting and tiptoeing around the edges of the pits, I thought, I could
just skirt across a ridge and roll the bike over the crust. Yeah, not so much.
I quickly accumulated enough mud in the fork that I couldn’t roll the bike. A
drag or two later and I was back on solid(ish) ground, quickly pulling wads of
mud off my frame to free the wheels and shifters. Mental note, just follow the
little bikes. I rode a few hundred yards, and had to dismount again to skirt an
equally deep bog. Another muck clean and off we went, throwing flint and mud
everywhere. I’m sorry if you were behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would have chance to clear more of my tires after a brief climb, and
the first of many big downhill sections. We had reached Teapot Mound Road, the
first of the stunning valley views we would have over the next 200 miles. Climbing
turns and sweeping downhills defined the roads now. Cows were now freely
roaming, and more than once I would rocket down a hill, just to see a small
water crossing at the foot of the hill. If I was lucky I got to see someone
ride through; If not, I pulled back on the bars and hoped for the best. I
started to feel the remote feeling of the open range. I was losing my self in
my thoughts when I woke up suddenly. A woman in a cut off t-shirt standing by
the one of the rescue Jeeps told me I had to dismount. I asked why, slowing to
hear her answer, the next water crossing was under water. Actually, a river had
sprung up in the middle of the course, fueled by a week of rain. As I heaved my
bike onto my shoulder, I briefly regretted carrying all of my gear on a steel
bike. 200 feet later, with extra wet feet, I was done with the race’s big water
crossing. Climbing the mud soaked hill, I passed several riders who had stopped
to mend a tube or dry their feet. I didn’t want to stop, so I elected to push
on until I could make the first stop in Madison. I hoped my shoes would drain
enough to put dry socks in them. The riding was fast and the weather was
perfect. I didn’t realize that the wind had picked up, but I knew I as moving
faster than anticipated. Maybe I just felt really good? Suddenly, almost too
soon, pavement appeared and I raced into Madison hot behind a pack of riders. I
cruised into the heart of town to check in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had my second map! It was time to find L and reload fuel and water. L
looked startled when I had appeared in just three hours thirty minutes. I
didn’t believe it myself. While she set to drying my shoes and reloading my
gear I enjoyed an egg sandwich and some chocolate milk. I didn’t realize it
until too late, that I had been sitting for 45 minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06336134214586194549noreply@blogger.com0