Night time is the right time

Hiker Dodging

Bill, Shelby, Dave, Marni and I hit Centennial Cone yesterday. It was beautiful out there. Blue skies, green everywhere and flowers blooming all over. There was one small problem. Apparently JeffCo screwed up on their brochure and ended up listing yesterday as both a hiker and biker day on the alternate use schedule. Of course we didn't figure this out until after we explained it to the 4th hiker of the day. How come we were overly nice to everyone all day yet the many (but not all) of the hikers wanted to be jerks about it? Obviously we weren't trying to steal "their day" and the offical brochure said we could ride. The alternate use schedule is a great idea and I'm all for it but having not ridden there in 4 months I didn't remember who had odd days and who had even days so we just went off the brochures available at the trailhead, not realizing they were printed wrong...

Nevertheless we enjoyed the ride and the views. Hope you like the pictures!
Marni climbing back up at the start when we thought we were wrong.
Shelby following along.
Blue skys and green grass.
Climb to to the sky.
Bill says "Don't mind if I do!"
Whee!
Sweet turns!
Monocog stopping to pose for a picture.
Seriously what could be better than this picture?
The happy couple lounges on a rock.
Dave rolls along. Look at that scenery.
Marni kicking butt on a small tech section while Monocog cheers her on.
A new trail can gradually narrow too. All you Cone haters feel free to stay away. More for us!
Wild flowers in bloom. Yellow, orange, blue, green and purple everywhere!

Hidden in Broad Moonlight

I leave behind an almost empty house with the pup wishing he could come along. It's late but the streets are filled with sounds of graduation parties scattered on each block. Not eager to end up under the wheels of an overexcited graduate's car I make haste off the pavement.
Darkness is my friend tonight. An exploratory journey with new lighting, freshly mounted tires and a test of my body. Spinning only one gear leaves plenty of time for fiddling with my new toy. I ride otherwise free of distraction. Not even tools or a water bottle accompany me on the journey. I don't need an excuse to end up too far from home.
A lap of the dirt jumps leaves me confident all equipment is satisfactory for venturing further so I duck from one trail to another towards my true destination. Some are intended for riding and walking, others are merely created by animals tromping from one place to another, both biped and quad-"paw'd". Across another short segment of blacktop and I disappear past a gate. My lights still give me away but no one is looking. The parking lot, often overflowing during the day, is empty. It's just me and the inhabitants of a small piece of land.
Spring has been wet this year and what is a wide and monochromatic dirt trail most of the year is full of color. The trail is now narrowed by growth with seeds and vegetation finding a way into the crevices of my shoes and bike to be spread to new ground.
The sounds civilization are gone, replaced by that of fresh tires rolling, the wind passing my ears and animals occasionally scurrying out of the way. It's just me and them out here and I'm happy to be passing through. Powerful muscles make the terrain vary quickly and my new artificial sun is more than adequate for the task, urging me to pedal faster. My own little private singletrack is waiting beyond one more gate.

The lake laps the shore quietly as I pass in and out of turns. I stop for pictures. I take another lap.
The vegetation here has grown even more over the now faint trail and though I can ride it from memory, I instead I imagine I'm "out there". Out there where cars and other people are miles away instead of only a few thousand yards. Still the dirt is just slightly tacky and the sharp knobs of a fresh tire taunt me to round each bend faster and faster. I look at my watch.
It's time to start heading back but not before I take another lap. This time no camera, no destractions. Just a hot lap, pushing, turning, sliding, watching the world fly by.
Out the gate and back up a climb. My legs still tell me it's effortless riding but how could it not be? While I ascend I watch an electrical storm rage over the city but it has already been here. While it rages I watch and make the best of the calm, perfect conditions left in it's wake. I pause at the top, hopeful to capture an image of the dramatic storm on my camera but it's not to be. I must have used up all that luck just being out here tonight. I fly down the fastest descent but at the bottom I turn up for one more lap. I can't resist. The rigid bike bounces around on the babyheads but speed keeps me upright easily. Once more at a summit I take the nearly non existant singletrack down for the final time, passing a temporary watering hole, before dead ending into the creek and climbing back up to the main trail. One last gate and out the empty parking lot back to blacktop. I wait for a car to pass before crossing. Pavement, concrete, dirt and gravel all in small bits lead me home. I open the door and she greets me from bed. Before long I'm sleeping. Was it all a dream? The dirt on a new tire in the morning reveals the answer.

Go another round

I made one more trip today to REI for a few more goodies, then home to the batcave to tweek the actual and the spreadsheets of gear, food, and other details. Lighting is LED based in duplicate, the HID is gone for good. Too heavy and having it not work 60 seconds before the start of the Rim Ride was really the final nail in the coffin. Water treatment has recieved a step up in speed and cool factor but reliable backup remains on hand. I currently own a small disposable fortune in Energizer Lithium batteries. Size AA and AAA, over a pound worth to power my lights and GPS out there.

Marni is out at a bachlorette party tonight so I'm going to take Cogsworth for a night spin on some dirt and then get to bed. Tomorrow I think Bill, Shelby, Dave, Marni and maybe more of the gang are going to hit up Centennial Cone for more dirt action. Wish my dad was here to join in the fun on his newfound love aka his GF Rig. Well that's all for now. I'm sure there will be more updates and I'm enjoying the long weekend.

Update

I pulled the back end of the Fuel apart at lunch and dug the other broken swingarm out of the basement. 2 identical cracks in 2 identical swingarms, ouch. Hopefully the 3rd time is the charm otherwise I'll be moving in another direction in some form or another.

I've talked to a lot of people today, from my friends to my teammates to the guys down at Bicycle Village and to the Trek rep. To my friends a huge thanks, especially to those of you offering to give up your swingarm even if it meant you taking a different and less fun bike on an upcoming trip. That means a lot and I really appreciate it Scott. To my teammate Doug who is going to let me use the swingarm off his Fuel which luckily isn't currently in use, thanks a million. I'll pick it up on Sunday when you get back and I should be back in business by Sunday night. To the guys at BV and the Trek rep, thanks for taking the time to talk with me and looking into the situation so fast. I'm bummed that I can't have a warrenty swingarm in time but if there isn't one available to ship then there's not much we can do about that. The discussion we had on the topic was prompt and professional and I think in the end we'll have an outcome we're all happy with.

As for the rest of the day I got a little bit of riding in on the road bike and spent the afternoon cleaning Monocog from his post TransIowa neglected state. It's been weird not riding single at all so now I'm back in business again. Oh yea I got out of work at 2pm which is why I could get a few things done. The Monocog is converted back to the 2x2 with a 36x20 and a 40x16 and with no SS races in sight for a while I think that's how it will stay for now. The 2x2 is so practical without the SS's main drawback of being spun out on the road getting to the trailhead. I don't like driving when I can avoid it. 40x16 works great on the road and 36x20 is my prefered all around gear. One of my Racing Ralphs went on the back in place of the Kenda Klimax Lites. It's getting worn but I hate to throw away a tire until it's dead so it will live it's last days on Cogsworth. The 517 rim is also on it's last legs. The rim is starting to crack around several eyelets so it looks like Larry at Mountain High will be building me up some new wheels soon. That guy is the man and well worth calling for a wheel build or just parts. Big thanks to him too for getting a couple Schwalbe tires out to me ASAP.

As for tonight, Marni and I are headed out to celebrate her finishing up another great year of teaching and then it's probably more couch and movie time. We are both looking really forward to the long weekend. That's all for now. I got a picture to add but I'll have to download it from the camera later. Now I'm hungry :)

Oops I did it again...

You know George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV? Well picture me saying them. Last night I found the swingarm of the Fuel crack again. Same bat time, same bat channel. Exact same place as last time and this one definitely hasn't been crashed on. Looks like I'll have a phone into the dealer first thing this morning and see what I can come up with. Otherwise I'm going to have to get more creative. Funny how there aren't that many shipping days left at this point. SOB.Yea it looks just like that (again) but this swingarm is black this time.

CCTT #7 Report: How to win without showing up...

Tonight I rode home from work in the pouring rain to find Marni with the E backed half into the garage and half loaded with our stuff for racing the CCTT series. I have to admit 6 time trials on the past 6 Wednesday's plus a full early season of endurance racing left the legs a little tired today. It's about an hour drive down to the course so I called the ACA hotline before we left and the machine said tonight's race was cancelled. Well that settles it. I was sitting in 6th place in the Sr 4 Men out of 70+ riders and was going to show up tonight to defend my position if I had to. Well I didn't have to so I guess that means I'll finish the CCTT series in 6th place this year which is somewhat mind boggling to me considering the focus of my riding. I'll admit that I usually love time trialing but it does clash a little bit with racing a mountain bike in units of hours and not minutes. Now the TT bike will return to the basement for a bit until I hash out second half of the season schedule. Perhaps it will return for a road ominum or two later this season or maybe just an attempted smash of my 100 mile PR time.

So with no race to attend Marni and I went to an after work function at her school. We got to hold Julie's newborn baby while we were there too which I know Marni liked. She was very cute in her little pink outfit and the pink hat that Marni had knitted her. After we got home I put some time in riding and it brought a smile to my face so that was a very good thing. We also watched some of the American Idol finals (it's still on while I'm typing) and then we'll be off to early bed again. Lots of rest is a big part of my plan this week if I'm going to be ready for this.

On that note I'll throw up a few more KTR finish pictures from Sportsman. Enjoy!

A couple pictures

Not a whole lot of time to post the KTR story yet or the decisions I'm wrestling with but I liked these pictures and I wanted to post them up. Marni wrote a great blog yesterday so read that and enjoy all the pictures. Spring has sprung down here and it's as green as I can ever remember it. Thanks to Dave too for the first picture. Other than that work is busy and I'm tired and resting my sleepy bones.
Edit: Woohoo one more of the finish line wheelie :)

Hola, me llamo Adam...

KTR finished. What else can I say? The day went off despite a hitch and we all got our beautiful ride in the desert. I don't think I've had such a day on the bike. The usual highs and lows were there. The last two climbs saw me shelled but never thinking of quiting. Tears finally came descending the penultimate climb and were welcome as the last 2 big races have left no way for that to happen. My mind is so strong right now but I think I need to be careful not to let it push my body too far. There is a breaking point somewhere and I'm not sure I want to find it.

The details will come later as I'm excited to tell some of the stories from the trail. I think I came in 7th, 15:20 worth of riding time. Even more fun than that was rolling into a full parking lot at 11pm authorites and all, then suiting up and riding 142 miles and 15k+ elevation with some of the best people I've ever and never met.

As for the title...well if you were standing at the start of Mary's Loop on Friday May 18th, 2007 just before midnight I'm sure you understand :)

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again...

Well I'm home for a brief lunch to make sure everything is all set and the packing is done. Dave Nice, Marni, Turbo and I are headed out for Fruita after work. The boss man even let me out nice and early today so we can get on the road with no hassles. We'll be home on Sunday so there should be a brief update then if not before. Hopefully we can save the drama for your mama and just focus on riding our "junk pedal bikes."

Still thinking about DH holding it down out there. My chance is fast approaching...

All I wanna do...

What I want to do is ride my bicycle. I want to ride the Kokopelli Trail from Fruita to Moab in one push, preferably with others who feel what I feel. If it's 1 friend or 50 others who think like me I don't care. I want to let all of this and more soak into my brain:Photo credits to Adam.

I'm hoping that this doesn't derail my ride. Call it a race, call it a ride, call it 142 perfect miles in the desert to see beauty and find myself. I just want to ride without fear of being hassled or stopped or arrested. The Fuel is ready, bags are packed and we leave tomorrow after work. Outcome to be determined.

Turn 'em and burn 'em

Just a quick post, I should be in bed. The time trial went well tonight for Marni and I plus the rest of the gang. Marni dug deep and almost bested her PR from last week despite windier conditions. She really suffered to ride well and is improving greatly as a racer. I found the zone again, at least on the back half of the course, and really gave it my all to that deep focused cross eyed point. Took a while for the legs to warm up after the Sun/Mon beating but the 24:47 was good enough for 8th place. I'm holding onto 6th place in the series for the 4's with only 1 race to go. Right now if the last race goes well I will get to drop my 12th place from when I pulled my pedal on the really short day. All my finishes will be top 8 then and that will make it almost impossible for 7th to catch me. Even if I flat out next race or bomb totally I think I'll still hold onto 6th and definitely 7th. I said I didn't care about where I placed in the series this year and despite starting the power work late (read: time trial number 1 was the first hard effort of the year) and with TransIowa and KTR right in the middle of the series, I'm pretty pleased with the results. Maybe next year I'll get a new TT bike and train for the shorter stuff? Okay probably not but you never know.In other more interesting news, DH left for his adventure today. Good luck buddy, can't wait to hear the stories before my own trip. Almost time to do some riding in the desert myself. See all you other crackheads there.

Just what I needed

I know I promised a TT update but plans changed. The gang was discussing carpool and hotel options for KTR yesterday afternoon when Sportsman asked if I was going riding. I need a good fun outside ride so I headed home after work, put a cage on the road bike and rode out the door to meet him just up the road from my house.

We rode down from Westy to Golden, climbed Lookout in somewhat of an obscene time considering we talked up until the last minute or two of the climb and then looked out from where we had come from. Big. Dark. Clouds. Jackets and knee warmers went on and we tried a couple methods of skirting the storm. While back in Golden and hiding from the hail under some lady's tree and then in her garage as she graciously let us in, we realized we didn't dodge it very well. Eventually the hail subsided and we rode in the driving wind and rain for the majority of an hour back home. It was a little chilly and we were soaked to the bone but Scott did show me a new route to avoid the busy streets which was awsome.

Back at home I jumped in a warm shower and put on dry clothes. Marni had just finished her ride and had a big meal almost done so we ate and parked it on the couch for the rest of the night. Of course not before I finished off the last of the "Surf and Turf" Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. Yum!

Edit: Here's an elevation profile of yesterday's ride. I finally got the GPS cable for my Geko that Mr.Nice gave me. I'm in trouble now. The GPS was fun before but uploading tracks and downloading rides is really cool!

Busy Busy

Okay this marks an attempt to get back to my daily blogging. It's good for me and hopefully you all enjoy reading it! Either way things have been pretty crazy since after TransIowa. I've been recovering physically and mentally although really that's pretty complete.

My attention has turned to the next two big races, the Kokopelli Trail Race followed by the focus of much of my effort and stress, the Grand Loop Race. I've been buying supplies, testing gear and riding with full packs and a loaded bike for much of the year. Now the race is getting close and a safe finish is my goal. I'll say the same is true for the KTR this coming weekend, something I've been dying to participate in for a while now. While I've ridden parts of the Kokopelli, I've never got to ride it all straight through and I'm looking foward to a long beautiful day in the saddle immensely. Nothing like a midnight start and a sunrise while racing to blow your mind. I won't say I'm planning a totally light weight strategy because I'm not, but I am planning something similar to one I've used previously with good success. We'll see if the weather doesn't try to negate it either. That's all I'm saying for now. See all you other desert nuts on Friday night in Fruita!

I also got my new kit for the Feedback Sports Racing team which is great. Full zip jerserys and comfy shorts by Giordana is just what I've been needing. Plus Marni is probably planning to steal my long sleeve jersey when I'm not wearing it. No more multi-holed CU Tri gear for me but Marni did replace my ratty knee warmers and the signature red is still coming at ya. Hey it makes me real easy to pickout in a crowd :)

Okay tomorrow's blog will be a huge time trial update as the past 3 races have been great for our little group and last week I finally set a new PR on the course. Nothing as huge as Marni's 3 minute smash but at almost 26mph I'll take any gains I can get without buying speed. Not that I'm opposed to that if Louis Garneau or Giro wants to send me a TT helmet...

Thought of the night. How many pounds of gear and food would you need to survive for 360 miles in the desert without resupplying anything but water? M

TransIowa V3: A big bump in the road

Where to begin? This post has been much delayed, partially because I've been taking care of things on the home front and partially because I have a hard time remembering all the experiences and emotions of the event. Putting them down into electronic ink is even more difficult than just remembering them but I also enjoy the experience. It's also time to continue the day to day life of this blog so I need to close this chapter and move forward.

My TransIowa story all started in 2006, the year of the rainout. No I wasn't in attendance but I was watching intently while Dave Nice slogged it out with all the other starters only to have the entire field skunked by muddy B road after muddy B road. Marni and I joked how rediculous the race was despite the fact that I nearly took someone's spot several weeks prior. However inside I longed for my name to be on the very short list of finishers .

Months passed by and my riding and racing continued to progress. I logged mile after mile throughout the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, learning quite a few hard lessons along the way. I raced, I trained, I succeeded and I failed. There were days of manic triumphs and pretty crushing implosions as I willed my body and more importantly my mind into shape to not only ride endurance events but also race them. I set an agressive schedule at the beginning of the season and I was intent on seeing it through but there was doubt in the back of my mind if I'd be ready. TransIowa was a big test that would mold my final decisions on several races coming up.

All too soon the training was done and I was tapering and full of nerves. My 300 mile binge weekend went smoothly and left me feeling powerful and ready but it would still be the longest ride of my life. Thursday morning Marni and I had our weekly breakfast date a day early. She had to work late so I took the bus to the airport after work to catch my flight. Luckily my bike and a bag of stuff that couldn't travel on the plane was already headed to Iowa with Mike and Dave in Mike's VW van. Thursday night I arrived in Rochester, MN and slept at the airport hotel for the night. The morning saw me wake up at my usual work time but I rolled back over and managed to sleep in for a while, watching bad TV on and off. Just before the free breakfast closed I walked down for some waffles and an apple and then went back to shower, shave and get ready to head off to Iowa. After a quick taxi back to the airport I picked up my rental car and cruised the countryside towards Decorah. My timing was perfect and I arrived in Decorah shortly after Dave and Mike. I met them at the hotel and we all got settled in. We were all hungry so we grabbed lunch from a tasty little coffee shop/deli and then preped the bikes. The Yazoo boys rolled in as well as David Pals and we all gabbed a bit while making sure the bikes were ready for a shakedown ride. I did have one rather intestesting conversation with a nice older gentleman who noticed half a dozen of us riding around the parking lot and talking.

Old guy: "Is there a bicycle convention going on?"
Me: "No we have a bike race tomorrow"
OG: "Oh! I hope you don't have to go up any hills"
Me: "Well we might have to go up a few hills"
OG: "How far is the race?"
Me: "330 miles"
OG: Stunned silence. "How many weeks ya got?"
Me: "Well we have 34 hours to finish"
OG: "What? Say that again..."
Me: "Yea we have 34 hours to ride 330 miles on gravel roads"
OG: More stunned silence and disbelief. I think a bug might have landed in his open mouth.

Apparently he was in disbelief following our conversation and he tried again with one of the Yazoo boys only to get the same answer. Soon after the parking lot conversation Dave, Mike and I did a little gravel road recon from the starting line and found great conditions. My week of worrying about the weather and course conditions seemed to be unfounded but I was happy to be wrong. We circled back by the hotel and grabbed Mike's brother Matt and headed over to Mabe's for our dinner in the basement. I ate nervously and talked with many fellow bloggers and other racers before heading down the street to T-Bock's for G-Ted's pre-race meeting. Although 98 were still on the starting list at that point, only 64 would collect their bags and take the staring line at 4am. Still a big number gearing up for an unsupported 330 mile race.

After the meeting the Becks, Dave and I all headed back to the hotel for final preparations and to attempt sleep. I was comfortable on the cushy thermarest but sleep didn't come easily and I slept on and off until around 2:30am. I opened a card from Marni while I waited for my alarm to sound at 3am and the rest of the group to wake up. Once everyone was moving I ate quickly, sunscreened, got dressed and called Marni. It was hard to start without her there but I couldn't wait to tell her I finished and it was still great to hear her voice for a few minutes. All too soon we rolled out from the hotel towards the starting line and stopped when we reached Mark's blinking hazard lights and dozen's of bikers bliking taillights. I said good luck to the hotel crew and moved to the front of the group while they hung towards the back. I talked to Brian Hannon who I rode with earlier this year and admired his Erikson while waiting for the start.

Then just like that Mark got in his little blue Civic, honked the horn and we were off! Brian and Ira quickly took off up the road and my effort level was pretty reasonable so I just followed. Immediately we gapped the field and I had to work my spin to keep up with those two on any downhill section. Then as I was beginning to ditch my earband and unzip my jacket we had our first issue. The cue sheets were already disagreeing with our computers and we weren't sure if we missed a turn. While Brian, Ira and I circled on the hill discussing our options a decent sized chase group caught up. Eventually we all proceeded forward, still on course, and the group picked up the pace once again. There were only 1 or 2 other singlespeeds in the group so when everyone finally began to settle into smaller groups, I let Joe K ride off up the road with team Polska riders figuring I'd see him again. I had decided against trying to spin my 40x18 at 27mph any longer and set my own pace through the pre dawn roads. It was really fun winding up and down the hills by myself in the night, passing cows, some early rising farmers on their quads and just generally feeling the temperature swings riding up and down the river valleys. Looking back during a nature break I could see a train of lights, red and white, bobbing and twisting along. It really was a sight to see and I was almost sad I hadn't brought my camera along. But if it didn't fit into my jersery pockets, seatbag or tiny map case then it didn't come along.

Sometime later daylight came upon us. It must have been between 5:30am and 6:00am but at that point time didn't really register much. I just knew I was going to be riding for a long while, hoping to refill some water at towns and make haste to the checkpoint at 132 miles into the course. I had Ensure Plus in one of my bottles and that was going to give me all the calories I needed without stopping early on. So I rode along at a decent clip. Sometimes solo, sometimes accompanied by other riders. One young triathlete on a cross bike who dashed ahead when I made a wrong turn passing through a town. Then with EnduroSnob, Cory and Saris guy for a while when I got back on track again. We talked for a while about everything you'd imagine bikers talk about and I stayed at the front up most of the climbs. This group lasted all the way until the first town but I merely needed to refill bottles and there was a line at the checkout so I used the bathroom sink and got on my way.

Not long out of town I barely escaped the first disaster. The sun was up now and I was hot so I wanted to ditch my jacket. I took it off at the gas station and stuffed it in my pocket. Unfortunately my pockets were quite full and despite stuffing it in as far as I could it fell out while I was riding. By some miracle I turned around 50 yards after it fell out and there is was, my orange jacket surrounded by grey gravel in the middle of the road. I quickly circled back to pick it up and stuffed it up the front of my jersey, not willing to risk losing it, and the ear warmer in the chest pocket, again. It would be a cold and uncomfortable night without those things, especially in the valleys.

The next few hours passed quickly. I met up with Scott C and a rider on a Cannondale 29er and we rode on and off. I was feeling great and was covering ground at a pretty incredible rate given my effort level. Popping cliff blocks and endurolytes was all I really focused on. Somewhere along the way both the other riders dropped off the pace or stopped at towns and I kept moving. The final ride into the checkpoint was solo and perhaps that was a good thing. I was on time to reach the checkpoint by 1pm despite fueling up on some gatorade and a grilled ham and cheese at a gas station until I looked down and noticed my rear tire. Uh oh. Squishy city. I looked at it closely and determined that it was leaking out a hole in the sidewall. The stan's seemed to be sealing it up though so I just added some air after a brief deliberation and continued onto the checkpoint.

A couple miles later I reached the start of the nature trail and the checkpoint. I was definitely continuing on so they gave me the cue sheets and I reloaded and reorganized my gear. I rode back up to the gas station and refilled on candy and gatorade plus filled my bottles to the top. I was hoping not to stop again for a while but I didn't know the hardest part of the course was coming up next. After the gas station I rolled back down to the nature trail, eating an ice cream cone and yelling to a rider behind me who almost made a wrong turn. That rider would turn out to be Joe who I would ride with much of the end of the race. I cruised along the nature trail at an easy pace, eating my ice cream, assessing my tire situation and regrouping my mind for the next 200 miles. La Porte city was big and I just cruised through, now facing a headwind that the nature trail had sheltered me from. I was all by myself and the miles ahead of me were exposed windy and lonely. My tire began leaking air faster and faster and I wasted time messing with it. During one stop after a B road I ate, took some Endurolytes, lubed my chain and put more air in the tire. I looked back and I looked forward. I was in the middle of nowhere with no one anywhere to be seen. It was windy and hot. My only choice though was to keep going so I packed up and did just that but inside I longed for a little company. It had been a loney few hours with no one to ride with and only myself to figure out a few mileage/cue sheet discrepencies.

I was determined now to make it to the next town where I could sit down at a gas station, eat something real and fix my flat tire. Besides between worrying about my very squishy tire and out running multiple farm dogs the miles passed without too much thinking. Plus I could always see a couple different tire tracks in the gravel telling me that I was going the way everyone else was going at least. Rolling into Traer I wanted pizza. Probably more than I ever wanted pizza before. I don't know why but I almost stopped a great looking pizza joint along the road. Instead I pushed onto the gas station that had hot pizza, cold gatorade, more candy and a nice place to sit down and fix my bike. I grabbed my supplies, dug out my cell phone and called Marni while I fixed my tire. It was good to listen to her talk while I fixed it. It kept my mind off things for just a couple minutes. I didn't have much to say other than I was doing good and other than this flat I was happy. While I fixed and talked Joe and Brian showed up. Brian ate an entire jar of pickles and Joe resupplied as well. Brian was also on a singlespeed so when he took off before me I felt a newfound motivation to chase back. Joe and I packed up a few minutes later and rolled off in lazy pursuit of Brian.

Somehow the group of 3 all came together. We discussed where we thought we were and what direction we were headed. I had no clue so I mostly listened but no one was totally sure. Either way we just had to keep going as there were many many miles to go. The pace of two singlespeeders together was a little different than Joe's geared pace and after regrouping a couple times we ended up splitting. Brian and I rolled on happily talking and riding at a fast pace towards whereever our next resupply would be. The sun was setting soon and as we hit a short pavement section into the next town we turned on the taillights for safety. I can't remember what town we rolled into but I was quite happy about it. GTed was standing there checking on us and I ate some chicken and more blue gatorade. I called Marni again and told her that I was more than 200 miles into the race and had "only 200 kilometers" to go. We both laughed at how rediculous that statement was but I was cheerful and she was happy to have me check in again. Brian finished his sandwich and we rolled out pretty quickly onto gravel once again. Mark did a really amazing job with this course. We rarely rode on pavement for more than 0.5mile at a time and that was really fun. Sure the gravel pounded your body more but that's what makes this event unique.

Night was now upon us and that brought a whole new dimension to the race. First we came upon a road closed sign that led Brian and I off the road onto a very chopped up piece of land. No flat tires or crashes though and for that we were both thankful. Plus my tire seemed to be holding air just fine after the fix and I eventually stopped worry about it. The gravel here seemed much chunkier than earlier in the day so we constantly were searching for a smooth line but at least that helped pass the time too. I was still feeling really great and the further I rode feeling that way just compounded the feeling. I was determined to keep pressing on as hard and fast as I could until I hit another low moment and Brian seemed to be doing fine as well. Then we came to another blinking "Road Closed" sign. I wasn't prepared for what was next and as we rolled down the road slowly my headlight illuminated the impasse.

I imagine the water looked much like this picture taken at dawn but when we crossed the first of these things it was the middle of the night. With no idea where we were or how to detour around it we decided that everyone else probably went through it as well. I couldn't tell how deep it was so I got off my bike and carried it through the water. The water was cold but the night air was still pretty warm, cooling off slowly from the high of low 80s earlier in the day. On the other side I waited for Brian and rung out my socks, happy that I'd chosen my Smartwools even more now.

From there we rode on picking up the pace again towards Janesville, unknowingly our last resupply of the race, 85 miles from the finish. We never saw Joe's lights behind us but while we refueled at the gas station, chips, coffee and more candy, he caught up to us. One of the Polska riders was there waiting to be picked up and he let us know that we were now 5th, 6th and 7th on the road with one singlespeeder ahead of us. Joe was feeling better now and we rolled out of Janesville with our eyes set on Hawkeye thinking that would be our final stop, 39 miles from the finish. The group of three rode strong as there was always one or two riders feeling good. My Starbucks Doubleshot perked me up and I was still riding high and not sleepy yet. Brian started to get more and more quiet as we rode but I kept us clicking off the milestones. We had under 100 miles to go, then 90 then 80. We had ridden 400kilometers. Then we had less than 70 miles to go. Joe and I were pushing the pace with me secretly hoping the singlespeeder up the road, Joe K, would start to come back. By the time we hit another washed out road river crossing, Brian was at his low point. He'd been caughing and having trouble breathing for a while and wanted to stop. Before we left, the whole group took a small break eating jerky, pointing out our position on the cue sheets to Brian and making sure he had enough food and electrolytes. He sat down for a second, composing himself and eating. I told him that we were making awesome time up to this point and that he could take a nap for several hours, ride slowly and still finish. Then Joe and I said our goodbye's and headed off up the road for Hawkeye, another hour and change away.

We chased hard now with just the two of us although every speed felt the same. It felt like I was flying whether we were going 13mph or 23mph. We both appreciated the short turn sections and the longer 5-6 mile stretches began to seem pretty long. For a while we didn't talk much, just swapped turns pulling up the hills and looking for the best lines in the gravel. We rolled through some intermediate town with no services but held out hope for Hawkeye. By the time we were rolling into the Hawkeye city limits everything was dark and my spirits deflated a bit. What I wanted was a coffee and some thing hot to eat. What we found was a baseball field with a water fountain and a trash can. With no other options we stopped at the baseball field. I emptied my pockets of all unnecessary trash, my 2 extra water bottles and ate a cliff bar from Joe. From here finishing was merely a formality. I could tell the next little while was going to begin to test me as I got sleepy and ready to be finished but no matter what I was going to make it.

We rolled out faster than I wanted to but we both knew the fastest way to be done was to keep on pedaling as hard as we could. By now Joe was stronger than me it seemed and most of the time I just followed his lead. Now and then I would do my turn pushing the pace but for the most part I just hung on not wanting to ride alone yet. It got cold with our wet feet from the water crossings but overall I was warm enough. The predawn valleys and hills again alternated from warm to cool as the miles slowly ticked by. As the sun rose neither one of us was paying much attention to the cue sheets and we started up a hill questioning if we had missed a turn. Not wanting to ride miles off course we backtracked a mile to the street signs and determined that, yes we were on course. Now we were onto the 2nd to last cue sheet and with the last one being only 2 lines, this felt like the end. The sun rose and I was a big mix of emotions. Nothing I had to eat or drink sounded good anymore but I didn't care. I could pedal the rest of the way on empty. Joe was riding strong and I didn't want to hold him up any longer. As we reached Middle Ossam road, the last "long" stretch on the cue sheets I let the gap grow big enough to tell him to go on without me.

Now I was alone. I knew I would finish and I was thrilled. I wanted to call Marni and cry but I decided to keep moving. I hadn't seen anyone but Joe for hours but I was not about to give up my second place position by stopping. I pedaled on through the now hilly terrain. Tucking to 35mph on the downhills and coasting up the backside then standing and gritting it out over the top of each one. Turn by turn the miles disappeared slowly. The sun was up and a few random cars waved to me. I must have looked like death pedaling along for the last 26+ hours but I gave a weak wave back anyway. Mark made us push up several rediciulously steep hills at the end but I gritted my teeth and climbed them all. I hadn't walked a hill yet and I wasn't going to start now. Then I made the penultimate turn onto pavement. I coasted along, no one ahead or behind me in sight. From looking ahead on the cue sheets we knew the last turn was up a hill to finish in the cemetary. I watched the tenths of a mile click off and made the last turn. I gritted my teeth up the first half, gained speed on the false flat and powered up the last hill, mouth gapping the whole time. I could see the finish and then I was there.

I got off my bike and let it fall to the ground. Joe was there as well as 2 volunteers manning the finish. I gave them my number and name and let my 6th overall and 2nd place SS finish try to sink in. I sat in the grass and called Marni and we celebrated together 900 miles apart. I told her I was shelled and I was but other than the food thing which could have been rectified in any town, I could have kept going forever. I kept thinking about the rediculousness of having ridden 1/10th of my 2007 mileage in one push and doing my first double and triple centuries. Then GTed showed up and I thanked him for the adventure. Joe's wife showed up with breakfast sandwiches and I inhaled several, joking with Joe about bacon as that was our topic of conversation for many miles of the early morning. Yes we were motivated by the thought of bacon wrapped bacon.

Joe and his wife were nice enough to drive me the couple miles back to my hotel. I knocked on the window to find Dave and Matt there. They let me in, took my bike and gave me the shower. They congratulated me but I was moving in a fog. I showered and I think I took a nap for a short while. Matt went to the finish line to wait for Mike who was still out on course and Dave and I went to Mabe's for pizza. After the pizza and subsequent ice cream with some other TI participants we wandered over to the awards ceremony. Gted gave me an arm full of stuff and everyone cheered for all the finishers. 24 people slogged it out 330+ miles to finish TransIowa v3. There were lots of smiles and congrats handed out. Short versions of the war story were retold and the beer flowed for most. I still had to drive back to the airport so Dave and I headed back to the hotel after a while to pack my things and send me on my way. Fueled by more tea, candy and eventually 2 hot dogs and a milk shake I made it back to Rochester.

I thought this was the end of the story and I really wish it was. Unfortunately my plane was late getting to Rochester so I missed my flight out of Chicago. Despite running between gates on 330 mile legs and standing in 2 separate standby lines I never got a flight home on Sunday night. Marni and I were both upset but there was nothing that could be done. Even more all the food at the airport was now closed as it was 11pm and I was starving. I wondered across the street via tunnels to the Hilton and enjoyed a $50 dinner by myself. After several frustrating tram rides I made it back to terminal 3 only to find every security gate locked and closed for the night. Defeated I found the nearest chair and tired from being awake the last 45 hours I slept there until morning. 6 donuts and some coffee later I made it on a flight home to dinner and was never so happy to have Marni pick me up. We spent the rest of the day together, mostly sleeping.

This my friends is where my 2007 TransIowa tale ends. Will there be a TIv4 for me? Maybe if one is held. I'd like to mess around at the very front of the race with gears and a cross bike but right now it's too far out to say. We did have pretty perfect weather this year and that will be hard to beat in another running. What I can say is that I had a great time getting to meet and ride with everyone. I can't possibly thank everyone enough for the experience but hopefully you all know how I feel.

There are more really good pictures here and here. I didn't get any pictures during the race but these guys took some shots well worth thumbing through. Maybe you can find the one of me wheelie'ing across that sweet old bridge?

I also have to thank my family. First my wife for believing in me and supporting me through all the miles of training and racing. Even standing at the finishline of unsupported races just to see me finish despite the fact that you couldn't help me at all during the day. Marni I couldn't do any of this without your support. Also my dad I have to thank for getting me the best TransIowa computer ever made. The navigation function, while neither of us realized it before the race, was invaluable to my route finding. Also to my mom and sister and Marni's dad and mom for continually checking on Ride424.com for updates and cheering me on from St.Louis and Denver. Marni's dad Jim even got up in the middle of the night to keep checking for updates and listening for the announcement of my finish. Finally to everyone out there in my physical life plus blogger and MTBR land who have left such nice comments on my blog in support and congratuations this year. I really appreciate it from all of you guys and gals.

Finally I have to thank Mark and Jeff for putting on TransIowa this year. It was a great event that must have taken hours upon hours of hard work to put together, all for free. That's right they didn't charge a cent for entry. This event was an amazing experience for me guys and for a lot of other riders as well so thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work.

TransIowa v3: Complete!