- Bad Idea Racing - HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

I went to the Wilderness 101 with three goals:

1) Finish.

2) Don’t get hurt and screw up the Trans Rockies trip this week.

3) Drink beer.

Stabby and I hopped in the Dirty Little Box Friday at 6:00am for the “nine hour drive” that lasted over ten hours due to an exploding sulfur truck and ubiquitous gas and food signs that lead us into small villages miles from the interstate. We arrived in Coburn and registered in the most orderly manner that I could ever imagine. From there we drove the two miles to the Millheim Hotel (circa 1793AD or something like that), and when we eventually got there we checked in at the bar downstairs. The room was described as European, but Stabby and I agreed that they must have been refering to the Feudal period as it was as bare bones of a room as we had ever seen. We picked up some overpriced sub-par take out pasta from across the street and ate it on the balcony as we watched a Ford Escort (looking splendid with a “01″ duct taped to the doors) drive back and forth through town squawking it’s tires for entertainment. Sweet. We did some final prep stuff and got to bed relatively early.

The race started the next morning at 7:00am and I saw a huge field of single speeders. Dan Jansen, Matt Ferrari, Tim Dougherty, Mark Elasser, Gunnar Shogren, and a whole mess of others, possibly numbering into the thirties. When the race got under way the lead group went out at an easy pace so I hung with them as long as it was comfortable. I made sure I told anybody I spoke with early on about my intentions either as a pre-excuse for a poor performance, or to remind myself what I was supposed to be doing here. Once we hit the first real climb I fell off the back and watched a lot of SS’ers go with it. I ended up going back and forth with Mark “Elk” Elasser and Pete Buck in 6, 7, and 8th place. They would spin the flats faster than me, and I would catch them on the climbs all the way to Check Point 2. When we got to the first section of singletrack I let them play through so I could play it safe following someone else’s lead through the nasty singletrack. Of course I stopped like a moron right in front of them and in the process caused both of them some grief, but they didn’t seem to mind (too much).

At CP 2 Mark got away from me. I don’t think he needed to stop as he was carrying 124oz’s of water (I guess). When I finally started reeling him in on a climb I saw that I was passing Dan Jansen. I paused to see if he was OK, as I never see him on the course because he is usually busy beating me by couple of hours. He said he wasn’t feeling well, so I left him and continued chasing Mark. He got to the next singletrack downhill first and I made chase. It didn’t last too long as I ripped a hole in my new 2.5 UST Diesel on the nasty terrain. I made sure I took my time when I pulled over to fix it because I was in the kinda place where a misplaced tool would never be found. I discovered the spare tube that I strapped under my seat was a silly little ultra-lite piece of crap with nary the volume to fill a 2.5 tire. I placed the fragile tube in the tire with a Hammer gel wrapper boot, and I shed a small tear when I saw the missing chunk of metal in my new rim. I was passed repeatedly as I cautiously took to my business, and I inflated the tire with my CO2 to what felt like 20PSI. It was probably the most time I ever spent fixing a flat during a race, but I didn’t loose any tools or my overpriced UST valve stem. I took back to riding reminding myself that I was supposed to be taking it easy and not messing my bike up along with my body.

More climbing and gravel roads later I reached another singletrack downhill. I had given up hope of catching back up to Mark or Dan, and I descended carefully on the fragile stretched-out tube. It didn’t take long before the silly thing flatted again. Doh, I only brought one tube for a place like State College? Moron. I started the walk towards CP 3. I figured it was at least five or ten more miles away. I didn’t have a watch or bike computer, but I figured it didn’t matter how far it was. Unless I wanted to go old school, build a log cabin, and settle in the woods I needed to keep moving. I got a lot of offers for help as I walked my bike, but I refused a tube handup. It was my problem to deal with, and I didn’t want to leave someone else short on tubes. Finally someone pulled over and insisted I take his tube. He said he was quiting when he got to CP 3 anyways so it didn’t matter. I thanked him, but my hearrt sank a little when I looked at the tube and saw the writing on the (side) wall, “Super-lite”. It was better than nothing so I put it in and aired it up with the remaining CO2 left in the cartridge. It was maybe at 12PSI (if I had to guess), but at least I could ride CAREFULLY to CP 3.

When I got to CP 3 I saw that I was with the riders who treat aid stations like highway rest stops. I am used to riding with guys who fly through in less than a minute re-supplying and moving fast. These folks were sitting around eating cookies and drinking Coke. They seemed to be getting more for their money than the guys up front for sure. I swapped out my blown tube for a fresh one and procured a 16 gram CO2 so I would be safe till I got to CP 4 where I had my own back-ups in a drop bag. I also pumped up my tires to a “ping pong ball like” 40 PSI. I decided I would rather be beat to death than change another flat. I headed out to CP 4.

I remember so little about the course itself other than the gravel roads were relentlessly long and the singletrack was brutal. After riding for however long I made it to relative safety. My drop bag at CP 4 had my BIG 25 gram CO2 and my own tube. I took the opportunity to stick my jersey in my drop bag so I could ride shirtless. It was hot as hell and I just couldn’t see the point of wearing it any longer. I stuck some Pringles in my mouth and headed off towards CP 5.

It was somewhere after CP 4 when I realized that going slower meant that 100 miles was going to take a lot longer than usual. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that earlier, but now that I realized it I was pretty depressed. I dopitty-doped my way to CP 5 with very little recollection of anything that happened since CP 3. I rolled up on Dan J and realized that just maybe I could beat him. He was sick, but it would be a small victory none the less. He got out of there pretty quickly when I rolled in, and I made my chase as soon as I got some more Pringles and Heed. I finally caught him on a climb only to have his big 29″ wheels blow by me on the descent. I swear I never touched the brakes going down, but his weight combined with the big tires allowed him roll past me like I was standing still. Unngghhh. I was never able to make up the gap on the flat railroad bed that followed or the unrideable Fisherman’s Trail, and I finished behind him at 9hrs 53min. That was a long freaking day, but since I accomplished all of my goals (including goal number three) I am not complaining.

Somewhere out on the course:

I rode through two tunnels that were so dark I couldn’t see anything, seriously.

We descended something so steep the smell of brakes lingered in the air like I was behind a semi descending a 20 mile long 12% downgrade.

I punched myself in the stomach with my handlebars while WALKING my bike.

I rode across a bridge with railings that were about one inch further across than my bars were wide. I bounced between the two railings like a retarded pinball.

Dan Jansen pointed out that I still had my anti-chafe Band Aids on my nipples while I was riding the last 20 something miles shirtless.

I found out that passing a tandem on a single speed while riding in tight singletrack is like passing a semi on a winding country road in a Volkswagen. It can be done with a lot of planning and a certain amount of risk for everyone involved.

I had fun.

I’ll post some more about what all this means as far as the Ultra Series and with Stabby’s story tomorrow.

My blog got blown up again. I had the free blog for awhile, but I exceeded my “data transfer” of 250MB so I upgraded to the $25 package with 2GB of “data transfer”. While I am not exactly sure what all this means, I know 2GB is eight times more than 250MB. I think the whole Trans Rockies voting thing pushed my blog over the limit. Hopefully things will calm down, and my blog will go back to normal next month. No way am I paying $50 a year for this. Besides, I can still blog. I only loose the ability to post my own pics (which I rarely do).

I am leaving bright and early tomorrow for the Wilderness 101. I’m taking a camera, but I can’t post any pics till August 1st (Tuesday). I think I am going to run the Wingnut for hydration and gear hauling purposes, mostly because I am really curious about how much I will like it on the long haul. I may have no choice but to use a hydration pack for the E100 due to its extreme conditions. It will be the hottest, most arid, and longest (timewise) of all the hundies. The Wingnut will allow me to take the tube, CO2, and bottle off of my bike and keep all my gear on my back. This will make my bike aesthetically pleasing, and a pretty bike is a fast bike. My Dean Colonel SS looks really good when it is devoid of any unnecessary bulbous protrusions. I’d show you a pic, BUT I CAN’T. Stupid blog.

Oh yeah, am I ready for the Wilderness 101? My legs feel good, I currently don’t have any saddle sores, and my weight is around where I want it to be. My bike is rolling smoothly, and the Industry Nine wheels not only look fast, they are faaaaaaasssttttt. I am going to TR in a little over a week, so I am not so worried about the hundie series anymore as I have a much bigger fish to fry. It sounds like I am all set to enjoy this thing to its fullest. Did I mention the free beer at the finish line?

No shiny parts yet from Race Face. I’m getting a little antsy looking at the DHL tracking on their website. I really love when a shipper offers on-line tracking that only gives out enough information for you to know that you don’t have what you’re waiting for. In Transit? Really? Thank you, that’s so helpful. Why am I sweating the arrival of some the goodies? I am leaving for State College Friday at 6:00am. I’ll be packing and resting Thursday night. I am not comfortable with installing cranks and a bottom bracket the day before I hop on my bike for a 100 mile race. I glue my grips onto the bar and they take 12-24 hours to dry. When I get back Sunday I have to pick up my son from the airport. From that point I have four nights to pack/prepare for the Trans Rockies. My brain is so scattered I can’t even finish a Sudoku.

I spent last night wandering around my bike room looking for all the crap I need for a hundred mile race and a night of camping. I also put on my Wingnut Assault and wore it around the house for awhile. There are drawbacks to using it and there are drawbacks to using bottles and the Fanny Pack of Death. With the water bottles I know just how much fluid I am putting into my system, and it forces me to back off the pace once and awhile to drink. It also allows me to get most of the weight off my back and lets the wind blow right through my jersey to keep me cool. Water bottles are easier to fill when I am in a hurry, but they are susceptible to the mud and horse shit that will no doubt end up on the mouthpiece. The Wingnut on the other hand isn’t all that uncomfortable. It does allow me to carry more liquid (54oz VS 46oz), and it is easier to get a sip without thinking. It does tempt me to carry more gear (obviously that’s my problem), but it is soooo easy to get to stuff through the side zippers. The gel holder on the shoulder straps means no more jamming gels into my chamois. Here’s the stupid part, I feel more like a warrior with the Fanny Pack of Death. I am not sure why. Mike Tyson didn’t wear socks in his boxing shoes because he said he felt like a gladiator without them. Obviously great minds think alike, but disturbed and tortured minds are affected by the same stupid concepts. Mike used to live in rural Ohio just a few miles from where I spent my post-college years. I would ride past his house and see him outside screwing around on his four wheelers occasionally. What does that have to do with anything? Beats me. Maybe living in Ohio has a way of clouding the mind. I’m packing both options so I can sweat the decison for as long as possible.

As you can see, me and Iron Mike got a lot in common. We both like to wear black, we’re both overrated, and neither of us realizes when we should “stay down”. Me and Mike, seperated at birth.

I am on a carnival ride that won’t stop. There are people screaming, children vomitting, and Joe the carnie is laughing at my sad state of affairs. I am three days away from getting in the car for the 9+ hour drive to State College to do the Wilderness 101, and all I can worry about is the Trans Rockies. When will the parts get here? Will the cranks go on hassle free? Should I at least make a list of things to pack for Canada? Shouldn’t I be getting more sleep? Do I need to make a trip to retail establishment and buy something that makes me feel more prepared?

I let Josh know he is on his own to get ready this weekend. The TR trip is even creeping up on him. When I told him we were leaving in a week and a half he looked like I just told him his dog died and he won the lottery at the same time. I am doing my best to make sure Josh doesn’t have to make some of the mistakes I made last year. Whenever I lugged my 80lb duffel bag 100yards to my tent I would think about all the crap I brought that I didn’t need. Then as I dug into my bag I would regret not bringing things that would have been nice to have. I must have blacked out after the Trans Rockies because I can’t remember what exactly it was I wished I had, and what I wished I woulda brought. I’m sure it will all come back to me after the first day of racing.

I am staring off into space a lot more than usual. Unfortunately the answers are never floating in that space looking to be found.

These two guys (scroll down) completed the Trans Alps course on single speeds this year. That’s great. I don’t have to consider doing that race now. I was told it was mostly gravel roads with beautiful vistas. If I want vistas I’ll watch “The Sound of Music”. I want to ride trail, son.

“Could someone please help me find my keys? I think they flew outta my pocket while I was pointlessly spinning around.”

+

Josh the Wonderboy and I decided to have one more “training camp” before we set off for the Trans Rockies in two weeks. Our first training camp didn’t go smoothly so we decided to get a big mountain ride in our legs Saturday. We needed to test our rigged tensioning system on his doo doo brown Unit, so I wanted the conditions to be as stressful as possible. We decided we would do the infamous Curtis Creek road climb to the Heartbreak Ridge descent. We both had commitments at home later in the day so we planned to leave Charlotte at 5:00am.

I am not normally one to pick up on small nuances, but riding a rigid singlespeed does allow you to isolate things a little better than on a full sussy geared bike. Things like tire PSI and carbon bars can be scrutinized easily when there is less funny business going on. Where am I going with this? I have heard people talk about stiff wheels, but I never really understood what they were talking about. As a 125 lb rider I thought what difference could it possibly make? I came off a set of Hadley’s on 819’s so I wasn’t expecting to notice much of a difference.
What a difference there was. I could feel a definite change in the way the bike stayed true to course in the corners. It railed in comparison to my “old bike”. I thought stiffer would mean I would get the piss beat outta me in the rough stuff, but the wheels tracked nicely with little deflection. And acceleration? Oh yeah, it felt like somebody put a little motor somewhere on my bike without telling me. I don’t know if it was a lack of “spoke wind-up” or just the sligtly lighter wheels, but these things moved. If I stomped it on a climb they went up, up, up.
I wouldn’t normally gush about a product, but these things were that nice. I did have a little trouble getting two of my Chris King cogs to fit on the carrier. The tolerances were too tight and they just wouldn’t go on. I am gonna have to sort that out later. I did get one King on (luckily its my 20T which is going on with a 36T ring for the Trans Rockies), and my Boone and Endless cogs went on easier.
Why pink? I figured I’m only gonna live once so why not. I am usually a “black or nothing” kinda guy, but when I saw the pink hub/spoke combo at the NORBA race at Sugar I was sold. The sparkle and shine add 2.5 MPH on a flat and 1.3MPH on a 12% gradient climb. They can not be stopped.

Good things are coming my way. There are a bunch of bike parts somewhere out there in the etheral shipping wonderland headed my way. I am a bike part junkie and this overdose might be bad enough that my family will have to put me in a clinic. The trick will be finding time to get all the parts on when I am leaving for the Wilderness 101 next Friday and then back out the door a week later to go to Canada.

…etc

No way he’ll get all these parts on in time, eh?

Interesting TransRockies news: Keith Bontrager is on the start list again this year. I bumped into him last year at the TR and a few days later we ended up being roomies at the Single Speed World Championships in State College, PA (by total chance). I had the opportunity to tell him some REALLY embarassing stories about Josh the Wonderboy which had him in tears one night. I believe Keith expressed some interest (with some fearful reservations) in meeting Josh. I am hoping I get a chance to introduce him to the legend (Josh being the legend). I would go into detail about Josh’s adventures, but let’s just say it was a mix of bodily functions and social engagments and leave it at that. If you see me in the real world catch me after my sixth or seventh beer and I will tell you some tales. Paula Newby Fraser is also on the start list . She is an eight time winner of the Hawaiian Ironman race, and a certified badass. She does not yet know about Josh and his lack of social graces, but maybe we’ll bump into each other out on the course and I can fill her in.

Tomorrow is the ORAMM, and I won’t be there this year. I have done it two years in a row, and I have had my fill for awhile. I won the SS class back in ‘04, and I got second last year. The SS class only gives out a prize for first place so being first loser kinda sucked, especially after paying even more to do it ($65 in ‘04 and $80 in ‘05). It’s a fun race, but I don’t want to get burned out on it. Maybe next year if I am still alive after this summer’s beatdown I’ll return MacArthur style. Josh and I are gonna sneak out that way tomorrow morning and do the big nasty part of the course before the racer folks get out there. We gotta test our handywork out under real riding conditions instead of my front yard.

Two weeks to go,,,tick, tock, tick, tock

Josh and I put to solving his sliding dropout problem again last night. We think we have the proper combination of solutions to slay the doo-doo brown Unit’s demons.

“It’s good enough. it’s smart enough, and dog-gone it people like it.”

I emailed the Kona tech guys for help and there’s not much they could really do on such short notice. He did say “That won’t slip anymore!”. There you have it. Not a guarantee, but good vibrations from THE tech guy. What more could we want?

I am spending so much time getting ready for the Trans Rockies that I have been ignoring any preparations for the Wilderness 101. Usually by now I would have came up with a game plan and over-analyzed the entire race to death. I’m not gonna get my money’s worth if I don’t start stressing pretty soon. I think I am going to stick with the water bottles and the “fanny pack of death”. I love my Wingnut Assault, but I have a very hard time monitoring my H2O consumption when I can’t see how much I am drinking. I also really like to ride with nothing on my back if I can help it. I have no choice but to finish the Wilderness 101 as I have to complete a total of four races to be in the series. I only have one race completed and there are only three left. Easy math says I have to race in and complete all three. Looking at the overall results (which I dropped outta the very theoretical top five) there are only four or five of us actaully doing enough races to qualify. Dan Jansen is leading the series and has three races in the bag so all he has to do is put in a good showing at the last race to take it all. That leaves Tim Dougherty, Matt Ferrari, and myself fighting over his table scraps. I am not sure if last week’s winner at Breck is going to do the series or not, but after the Wilderness 101 we will have a good idea of just who’s in for the long haul.

Blah, blah, blah…nobody comes here for all that race talk, do they?

Josh’s sliding drops are still a cause for concern. He test rode it yesterday and didn’t exactly have a good time so we are going to be working on it tonight. Nothing like having a bike issue to sort out a few weeks before a major undertaking like the Trans Rockies.

Our flights are booked. We are getting into Calgary a day early so we can relax just a little bit. We’re also going to get our bikes together and ride down into the big city so we can be snubbed by the local messenger scene. There is always this awkward thing if an out of towner messenger tries to talk to a local.

Out of towner- “I’m a messenger from (insert random city here).

Local- “Oh…”

Out of towner- “Unnnhhh… nice meeting you.”

and that’s about how it goes. I can’t explain it, but it would be kinda like being a convenient store clerk and walking into a convenient store and telling the clerk you are a convenient store clerk. Yeh, who cares.

“Wow, so you’re a clerk in D.C. What’s that like? How much do you guys make? How many gallons of milk do you sell in a day? What’s it like dealing with all those coffee drinkers? Ever been robbed?”

See what I mean? It’s not that we are assholes, its just that we lack the social skills that would allow us to live as normal people in society. Josh and I probably won’t bother talking to the messengers in Calgary, but we will be looking at them. Funny thing is that if you bother them at work it will end in awkwardness. Bother them in a bar and you could walk out as penpals.

News of the hundie type:

I heard the Breckenridge 100 was a real killer last weekend. The results show only TWO single speed finishers, and Dan Jansen (current SS leader in the series) took a big hit in the points department. I doubt it will take him outta first by the end of the series, but it was a real shocker. I am starting to get my focus on the Wilderness 101. I don’t know if he’ll be at the Wilderness 101 since he already has three races under his belt and the series only requires four. Whether he is there or not I’ve been feeling pretty good about the race ever since we won the TR trip. I still care about the hundie series and I am still going to have fun doing it, but let’s face it I AM GOING BACK TO TRANS ROCKIES!!! How can I get all worked up over anything else right now?? I am so behind in my Trans Rockies smack talk with a couple folks I gotta put the hurtin on. When am I gonna find the time for that?

What’s that function?

So I can’t read so good. I talked to the Race Face guy yesterday and found out some stuff. I ASSUMED we were sleeping in an RV. We ain’t sleeping in no RV. I’m kinda happy about that. Part of the whole Trans Rockies experience is sleeping in a cold, wet, tent. If I don’t wake up feeling worse than I did when I went to bed what’s the point of flying all the way to Canada. Josh and I do have some concerns. If the RV is for support staff, equipment, and various stuff will there be room in the fridge for OUR beer? Who’s gonna carry our eighty pound gear bags to our tents? Are Race Face tattoos really necessary? Do they really have to go on our foreheads? Like I said before, I would sleep in a ditch to do the Trans Rockies again. We’ll also have to leave the sleeves on our jerseys. If you have ever ridden with us you would know most of our jerseys have no sleeves. Once again, no big deal. I am thankful that Race Face chose us to be in the contest, and I am thankful yinz voted for us. As a matter of fact we had over 46% of the vote so I guess I am gonna owe a lot of favors in the near future.

I am feeling the effects of sleep deprivation from last week’s tension and the foster puppy’s insistence on sleeping on my head. I am gonna stop here so I can get some more sleep. I get the feeling the next four weeks are gonna be pretty jam packed with stupidity and mayhem. Just so you know, I’m still as excited as a kid in a gun store.

“I’m sorry son. You gotta have a moustache to buy that fine piece of blue steel”

Bad Idea Training, that’s what. I found out we won the Race Face Ultimate XC Challenge at about 6:00am on Saturday. I got on the horn with Josh the Wonderboy right away and told him we’d better start doing something. He agreed it would be a good idea to do something, but he wasn’t sure what that something was. We decided to meet up at a local trail that’s about 6 miles long and do 2-4 laps. Josh showed up with his doo-doo brown Kona Unit and our friend The Big Worm also showed up for some local fun. We got about 100 yards into the ride when Josh’s chain popped off. Hmmmmm…. Josh has been having problems with the sliding drops on his poopy Unit since he got it.

Sample picture of a Kona sliding dropout.

It is an issue which has needed attention for some time, but The Wonderboy’s had a lot on his plate recently with the birth of his son and a household move. The sliding drops keep sliding while he is riding causing his chain to fall off. I had mentioned if we won the trip to the Trans Rockies we would have to resolve the problem. Well we won, and the problem needed to be adressed. We decided to call the day short and get his bike in working order. The Big Worm and I rode one lap while Josh went back to the car, put on his sandals, and RAN most of a loop. Gotta hand it to him. Life hands him lemons, and he throws the lemons back in life’s face.

After a stop at Home Depot and a convenient store we had all the necessary parts and beer needed to do the job. We did some work with a Dremel, some with a drill, a little attention with a sanding block, and added an eye-bolt to his bike. I wanted to take a picture of our finished work as I have never seen anybody handle the sliding drop issue quite the way we had, but the beers clouded my judgement and I forgot. If I can remember I’ll get a photo some time. Day one of Bad Idea Training Camp was in the history books and we were off and running. The problem was we were running more hilly-nilly rather than with direction and purpose.

Day two of Bad Idea Training Camp was almost as successful as day one. I wanted to wake up and ride one of my bikes before someone turned the heat up in Charlotte. Unfortunately we are currently fostering a puppy. What does that have to do with the “Price is Right” in China? He has been sleeping in our bed, crawling on our heads, crying when he needs to go out, and generally keeping us up at night. By us, I mean The Pie. She has been adressing his needs throughout the week, so I decided I would watch him Sunday morning and let her sleep. By the time she woke up it was 90 degrees outside. I grabbed my Colnago since it’s TDF time and I always get inspired to do one or two road rides this time of year, and headed out the door dressed in full roady flair. I rode over to The Booty Loop to just get in some miles. The problem with the 3 mile Booty Loop is that there are always riders out riding on it. Unless you can check your ego at the door you will end up chasing down somebody in front of you to just find out that there is somebody else in front of you. It never ends and if you are deeply in touch with your inner Viking you spend the whole day chasing down “breakaways”. This is definitely not the place to go ride after watching a stage of theTDF just hours beforehand. I ended up blowing myself up twenty miles into the ride, and I mean BLOWN UP. I had my heart rate pegged most of the time that I was out there which basically means I am a dumbass. I decided to peal off of the Booty and I rode over to Black Sheep Cycles to take a much needed pee break before heading home with 35 miles of road riding behind me. That’s not much training for a guy going to do the Trans Rockies in three weeks, but since I rode myself into the ground it’ll do.

Thanks again for all the votes. I keep going back to the Race Face home page so I can see “Team Bad Idea Racing’s” name in “lights”. I turn up the volume on my speakers so I can hear all the dramatic booming noises that accompany the images. It brings a smile to my face everytime (close to 50-60 times by now) I watch it. Thanks for making me smile. 

Oh yeah, the Trans Rockies has been OFFICIALLY added to my schedule over to the right.