The wifer surprised me a while back and purchased some of the pix taken by the BCBR photogs...here they be:
Showing posts with label BC Bike Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BC Bike Race. Show all posts
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
BC BIke Race Video
The BC Bike Race crew would do a video re-cap each day and as luck would have it, they captured me on Day 5 as I was fixing my broken chain - and they also included a quickie on their recap:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
BC Bike Race Recap
It has been a week since I got home from the epic of the BC Bike Race. As time moves on I keep soaking in the afterglow of an amazing event that took a tremendous amount of planning from the organizers. It was an expensive event but once you see all the planning and work that go into organizing something on this scale, you begin to wonder how they can even make money. I estimate that there might have been 1 worker/ volunteer per rider for everything that happened pre-race, race, and post race. A big tip of the chapeau to the organizers for doing such a bang up job!
The event was organized as a seven day stage race with everyone referring to Day1-7 as courses and races were talked about. Before all this, there was Day Zero where we checked in, picked up our bags that would server as our suitcases for the week and re-pack those bags with what we were going to need. We then had to drop our packed bags and bikes off so they could be transported over to where we going to spend the night. We got our race briefing where we schooled about bears and cougars...two types of bear: brown & black and what to do if you had an encounter. There were 2 types of cougars...1 was the mountain lion type and the other was often found in Whistler and could be ID'd with a small pox vaccination on the upper arm.
We all caught a ferry on Day Zero to Victoria island where we were then bused to Cumberland where Day 1 would take place the following morning. At this point there had been a lot of travel and everyone was anxious to get to base camp. This routine of ferries and buses would continue throughout the week. Often times it was rushing to get to the ferry terminal where we would sit and wait...then offload in a hurry to either catch a bus or get ready to ride. Give the scale of everything that had to go into planning, I realize that it really could not have happened any other way - to be able to keep 500 riders on track is a feat in itself so the minor annoyance for us racers to wait or be rushed to the start line was just that...a minor annoyance.
The first two days of the event left just about everyone a little rattled. We were thrown into the really technical trail fracas and seemed to be collectively unprepared for what was in store. I had a really low profile tire on the rear and the combo of having an almost 'slick' tire and rooty, rocky sections was enough to shake me up a little...notice I was shaken, but not stirred! I decided to swap out my rear tire and that did wonders for me the rest of the race. My head started to get more confident and I started to trust my tire and remember how to ride the gnar.
This was my first stage race and I learned a lot. I learned that you become mentally fatigued and impressionable over the week...The first two days had everyone wondering aloud whether or not the trail was going to remain the burly or whether things would relent. We clinged on to the hope that the descriptions of buttery smooth and loamy that were used during the race briefings the night prior to race day were the things of mountain bike lore and legend. Of course the organizers were playing us like a one string banjo and must have been chuckling inside as they knew the severity of the terrain.
My bonk day just happened to be on the longest and hottest race day. Everyone seemed to have 1 day along the way that they had to dig extra deep! Days 5 and 6 were the payoff days for having grunted through the prior 4 days. Those 2 days alone made the trip worthwhile.
My goal at the end of day 1 was to stay on the first page of results at the end of the race....My mechanicals and Day 4 bonk dropped me off the first page but I managed to climb back up onto the first page and finished 31st of 88 which I was pretty happy with.
The mechanics that supported us throughout the race were awesome! I still have questions regarding how much they (actually the shop) charged (arm and a leg, or maybe both legs) and the jury is still out on the pricing since I am still waiting on a detailed invoice showing what they worked on and replaced that ended up costing me over $1000 of work!!!! I guess they have a captive audience but their estimates must have either been way off when provided to me, or they made some mistakes. I will hold my final opinion until they can show me the nature of the work they did.
It was amazing to see just how much of an international flavor there was - it was really cool to meet people from all over the world. I look forward to going back to Canada and exploring more of those trails.
The event was organized as a seven day stage race with everyone referring to Day1-7 as courses and races were talked about. Before all this, there was Day Zero where we checked in, picked up our bags that would server as our suitcases for the week and re-pack those bags with what we were going to need. We then had to drop our packed bags and bikes off so they could be transported over to where we going to spend the night. We got our race briefing where we schooled about bears and cougars...two types of bear: brown & black and what to do if you had an encounter. There were 2 types of cougars...1 was the mountain lion type and the other was often found in Whistler and could be ID'd with a small pox vaccination on the upper arm.
We all caught a ferry on Day Zero to Victoria island where we were then bused to Cumberland where Day 1 would take place the following morning. At this point there had been a lot of travel and everyone was anxious to get to base camp. This routine of ferries and buses would continue throughout the week. Often times it was rushing to get to the ferry terminal where we would sit and wait...then offload in a hurry to either catch a bus or get ready to ride. Give the scale of everything that had to go into planning, I realize that it really could not have happened any other way - to be able to keep 500 riders on track is a feat in itself so the minor annoyance for us racers to wait or be rushed to the start line was just that...a minor annoyance.
The first two days of the event left just about everyone a little rattled. We were thrown into the really technical trail fracas and seemed to be collectively unprepared for what was in store. I had a really low profile tire on the rear and the combo of having an almost 'slick' tire and rooty, rocky sections was enough to shake me up a little...notice I was shaken, but not stirred! I decided to swap out my rear tire and that did wonders for me the rest of the race. My head started to get more confident and I started to trust my tire and remember how to ride the gnar.
This was my first stage race and I learned a lot. I learned that you become mentally fatigued and impressionable over the week...The first two days had everyone wondering aloud whether or not the trail was going to remain the burly or whether things would relent. We clinged on to the hope that the descriptions of buttery smooth and loamy that were used during the race briefings the night prior to race day were the things of mountain bike lore and legend. Of course the organizers were playing us like a one string banjo and must have been chuckling inside as they knew the severity of the terrain.
My bonk day just happened to be on the longest and hottest race day. Everyone seemed to have 1 day along the way that they had to dig extra deep! Days 5 and 6 were the payoff days for having grunted through the prior 4 days. Those 2 days alone made the trip worthwhile.
My goal at the end of day 1 was to stay on the first page of results at the end of the race....My mechanicals and Day 4 bonk dropped me off the first page but I managed to climb back up onto the first page and finished 31st of 88 which I was pretty happy with.
The mechanics that supported us throughout the race were awesome! I still have questions regarding how much they (actually the shop) charged (arm and a leg, or maybe both legs) and the jury is still out on the pricing since I am still waiting on a detailed invoice showing what they worked on and replaced that ended up costing me over $1000 of work!!!! I guess they have a captive audience but their estimates must have either been way off when provided to me, or they made some mistakes. I will hold my final opinion until they can show me the nature of the work they did.
It was amazing to see just how much of an international flavor there was - it was really cool to meet people from all over the world. I look forward to going back to Canada and exploring more of those trails.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
BC Bike Race Observations
- Facts - 500 riders, 21 countries represented
- Facts - 338 km of riding and just under 10,000 meters of climbing over the week!
- Open atmosphere - Everyone was very friendly (volunteers and riders). It was great to meet new people from all over the world every day
- Glad I did the event with Hersey! He once again re-affirmed why he is one tough dude...
- It was really cool to do this event with a friend and have someone to share the experience with.
- We hung out a lot with Scott and John from Calgary and got to know them over the course of the week
- After the mass craziness of the 'neutral start', things would flush out and you would somehow end up riding with the same circle of riders almost every day
- We ended up running into and hanging out with similar circles most of the time.
- Weather - we lucked out! There were a couple of sprinkles here and there but nothing that impacted the trails too much
- Awesome Organization! Something like this entails tons of planning for logistics and they did a great job of getting the riders and gear to where it needed to be
- Technical Terrain. The trails were much more difficult than I had anticipated. It took me a couple of days to get back into that mode of riding tekkie
- Caliber of Athletes. The caliber of riders there was very impressive - former olympians and olympic medalists
- Riding 7 days straight is physically demanding
- Riding 7 days straight is mentally demaning
- Everyone had at least 1 bad day where the legs just did not want to ride and the body fought you the whole way
- Food was generally pretty good
- Any mechanical work done by Obsession was spendy $$$$
- There was a fair amount of hurry up and wait...hurry to get somewhere and then you had to wait for an hour until the ferry loaded, etc...
- I would highly recommend this to others
- It is expensive once you include travel and meals
- Schwag was awesome - you get what you pay for : )
- Stage Racing is hard!
- It was an amazing and yet humbling experience.
- Race pace for 7 days toughens you up!
- Props to local riders - they are some bad ass riders who ride gnarly stuff
- It did not take long to look around and notice consequences of bad wrecks! broken teeth, lacerations, etc...
- I will definitely be going back to visit some of the places we rode - there are more trails to be ridden and more exploring to be had
- TONS of work went into these trails - ladders, berms, jumps...THANKS to the trail-builders!
- The towns we stayed in were very welcoming (with one of exception of a drunken dude in a bar who wanted to pick a fight)
- This might have just been the coolest thing I have done on a bike!
Friday, July 15, 2011
BC Bike Race Day 7
Somehow it was Day 7 of this event and in hindsight it had approached quickly, but trying to remember back to Day 1 or Day 2, it seemed like a lifetime ago! The fact that we had ridden so much and moved to different areas each night made it seem like much had transpired since the beginning of the race.
I woke up with a sore throat and not being able to breath well at all - The Day 7 finale was not being made easy as I was trying to fight being sick and losing the battle. It was time to suck it up and get through the day. Top on the list was to make it through the day without any wrecks...we had made it 6 days through tough terrain so I was on full alert to keep that streak going without any significant face plants!
Day 7 was the shortest day but certainly not a 'gimme' in any sense of the word. There were two steep climbs that really spread the field out.
The stage was around 28 km with anywhere between 800+ meters of climbing or 1400+ meters of climbing depending on what elevation profile you looked at....hmmmmm
There was some uncertainty for me as I now had a whole new drive train and was hoping that everything was tuned so that there was no gear skipping action going on - fortunately everything worked flawlessly.
The first climb was a very steep climb up a partially paved road - the downhill was a fast double track down which quickly deposited you into another punch climb which would lead to the crux and highlight of the day which was the Comfortably Numb trail. The descent on the CN trail was the most technical of the whole trip with rock riding at its best. You would grunt up short little ledges and then drop down rock faces and roots - this continued for miles as you zig zagged your way down the rock trail. The trail really stayed on rock the whole time until it kicked you out onto the road and you picked up another little trail towards the finish line.
The next trail kept you honest too with some shortie tekkie climbs and some fun descents which would eventually put back onto a road that you followed until the final home stretch.
At the finish line, they were handing our 'finisher belt buckles' and 'finisher t-shirts'. It was a long week of mental game playing, technical riding, and mechanical challenges but it all culminated in crossing under the finish line and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Day 7 and the BC Bike Race was now 'in the books'!
What an awesome week!
I woke up with a sore throat and not being able to breath well at all - The Day 7 finale was not being made easy as I was trying to fight being sick and losing the battle. It was time to suck it up and get through the day. Top on the list was to make it through the day without any wrecks...we had made it 6 days through tough terrain so I was on full alert to keep that streak going without any significant face plants!
Day 7 was the shortest day but certainly not a 'gimme' in any sense of the word. There were two steep climbs that really spread the field out.
There was some uncertainty for me as I now had a whole new drive train and was hoping that everything was tuned so that there was no gear skipping action going on - fortunately everything worked flawlessly.
The first climb was a very steep climb up a partially paved road - the downhill was a fast double track down which quickly deposited you into another punch climb which would lead to the crux and highlight of the day which was the Comfortably Numb trail. The descent on the CN trail was the most technical of the whole trip with rock riding at its best. You would grunt up short little ledges and then drop down rock faces and roots - this continued for miles as you zig zagged your way down the rock trail. The trail really stayed on rock the whole time until it kicked you out onto the road and you picked up another little trail towards the finish line.
The next trail kept you honest too with some shortie tekkie climbs and some fun descents which would eventually put back onto a road that you followed until the final home stretch.
At the finish line, they were handing our 'finisher belt buckles' and 'finisher t-shirts'. It was a long week of mental game playing, technical riding, and mechanical challenges but it all culminated in crossing under the finish line and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Day 7 and the BC Bike Race was now 'in the books'!
What an awesome week!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 6
The smile from Day 5 was imprinted on my mug by the time Day 6 rolled around.
I picked up my bike in the morning and there was a note on it from the mechanics to come see them (I had dropped the bike off so they could swap out the chain after I broke it on Day 5 - I was hoping it would be just the chain and not the whole drive train). When I got to their area, they proceeded to tell me that they had lost the order for the bike and therefore could not figure out what needed to be done and could not find anything that needed fixing so they did not do anything. I quickly reminded them it was the chain and they did a quick check to see if everything was in working order. They checked the bike out and said the chain was fine...bear in mind this was about an hour before the race so there was not much time to waste...I was skeptical because I had removed 3 links of chain the prior day when it broke and my history with chains is that once it goes the first time, it won't last much beyond the fix...not to mention I had removed a pin and had to re-insert it when putting my chain back together. They sent me on my way telling me the bike was fine - nothing like going into a 50 km ride with a LOT of climbing (chain under heavy load) and a shaky chain.
Day 6 was bound to be another difficult day because we were now in Squamish and the profile looked like there was a lot of climbing (over 1,600 meters in 50 km of riding) - we would not be disappointed!
Our base camp was at the rec center just north of town and had killer views of the area. We could see the Chief in the background and snow capped peaks all around us with some awesome waterfalls off in the distance. It was going to be a good day...well sort of....
On the first climb I noticed that my chain was skipping while in my favorite climbing gear...so I just skipped the gear and pedaled with a little faster cadence - if I just had to skip the 1 gear all day, it would not be a big deal.
We eventually peaked and got spit out onto some super fun and bermy singletrack that just wound its way down for about 200 meters of descent:
Once we hit the bottom of the hypnotic singletrack, we had another short & punchy climb. At this point I noticed that the skipping on my chain had now expanded to 3 problematic gears....no problem, I downshifted to my small ring up front and made sure to stay out of those problematic gears and pushed a high cadence in order not to put my chain under load. We peaked and then started the legendary Half Nelson descent. It is one of the funnest descents I have ever done on my bike - the euphoria was contagious as I heard the whoopin, hollerin', yeehaa'ing, woohoo'ing, etc as we all descended. Imagine a nice long descent with berms about 5 ft tall, with tight switchbacks, ladders, table top jumps....it was a real piece of work and deservedly earns all the accolades it gets!!! The trail builders must have take a small little CAT up there to move the dirt because it was buttery smooth!
Once we hit the descent, it was time to point the bike up-hill again. Along the way, we had amazing views of the Squamish area. Right before we hit Aid Station 2, there was this great little bridge where a really steep section of river cascaded into some rough water - I took a moment to take it all in and then kept the legs spinning.
All the buttery smoothness was in the past and it was time to buck up and ride some of the gnar gnar coming up. The remaining trails to the finish were just downright MEAN - very tekkie with tons of rooty and slippery sections that were steep up and steep down. There was a lot of dismounting for all. I made it through and started to realize my chain skipping problem was quickly expanding to ALL combinations of gears - there was no way around it and I was holding out hope that the chain would just last the remaining 10 km without crapping out on me...the race within a race was on....
The only gear that did not skip incessantly was my granny gear because it kept me at a really high cadence and did not put the drive train under much load. Unfortunately this meant that whoever was stuck behind me was stuck going the same speed for anything that resembled an up-hill.
Through some TLC, luck, and the fact that we were going mostly downhill at this point, I was magically able to finish the day without my chain busting again. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I rode my bike over to the bike mechanics where they would ultimately end up having to replace my whole drive train...all 3 rings up front, the cassette, the chain, and even the derailleur (it had no spring left). It would be a costly day - OUCH.
The Ouch would not really hurt until after I got back home and looked at the hit on the credit card...for the time being, it was time to bask in the afterglow of finishing another stage and getting closer to being able to complete the race with only 1 stage left to go.
Squamish topped Day 5 as my favorite day and it was setting up some BIG expectations for the last day of racing in Whistler. Day 5 and Day 6 really provided ear to ear grinning FUN and it seemed like the in your face butt kicking we all got at the beginning of the event was starting to subside with the enjoyment factor of the last two days....ohh sweet mtb nectar.
Common phrases heard throughout today:
"This is as close to sex as you can get"
"I have found mountain biking in heaven"
"They can build smooth trails!"
"One day closer to feeding the box" - explanation forthcoming in upcoming posts....
I picked up my bike in the morning and there was a note on it from the mechanics to come see them (I had dropped the bike off so they could swap out the chain after I broke it on Day 5 - I was hoping it would be just the chain and not the whole drive train). When I got to their area, they proceeded to tell me that they had lost the order for the bike and therefore could not figure out what needed to be done and could not find anything that needed fixing so they did not do anything. I quickly reminded them it was the chain and they did a quick check to see if everything was in working order. They checked the bike out and said the chain was fine...bear in mind this was about an hour before the race so there was not much time to waste...I was skeptical because I had removed 3 links of chain the prior day when it broke and my history with chains is that once it goes the first time, it won't last much beyond the fix...not to mention I had removed a pin and had to re-insert it when putting my chain back together. They sent me on my way telling me the bike was fine - nothing like going into a 50 km ride with a LOT of climbing (chain under heavy load) and a shaky chain.
Day 6 was bound to be another difficult day because we were now in Squamish and the profile looked like there was a lot of climbing (over 1,600 meters in 50 km of riding) - we would not be disappointed!
On the first climb I noticed that my chain was skipping while in my favorite climbing gear...so I just skipped the gear and pedaled with a little faster cadence - if I just had to skip the 1 gear all day, it would not be a big deal.
We eventually peaked and got spit out onto some super fun and bermy singletrack that just wound its way down for about 200 meters of descent:
Once we hit the descent, it was time to point the bike up-hill again. Along the way, we had amazing views of the Squamish area. Right before we hit Aid Station 2, there was this great little bridge where a really steep section of river cascaded into some rough water - I took a moment to take it all in and then kept the legs spinning.
All the buttery smoothness was in the past and it was time to buck up and ride some of the gnar gnar coming up. The remaining trails to the finish were just downright MEAN - very tekkie with tons of rooty and slippery sections that were steep up and steep down. There was a lot of dismounting for all. I made it through and started to realize my chain skipping problem was quickly expanding to ALL combinations of gears - there was no way around it and I was holding out hope that the chain would just last the remaining 10 km without crapping out on me...the race within a race was on....
The only gear that did not skip incessantly was my granny gear because it kept me at a really high cadence and did not put the drive train under much load. Unfortunately this meant that whoever was stuck behind me was stuck going the same speed for anything that resembled an up-hill.
Through some TLC, luck, and the fact that we were going mostly downhill at this point, I was magically able to finish the day without my chain busting again. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I rode my bike over to the bike mechanics where they would ultimately end up having to replace my whole drive train...all 3 rings up front, the cassette, the chain, and even the derailleur (it had no spring left). It would be a costly day - OUCH.
The Ouch would not really hurt until after I got back home and looked at the hit on the credit card...for the time being, it was time to bask in the afterglow of finishing another stage and getting closer to being able to complete the race with only 1 stage left to go.
Squamish topped Day 5 as my favorite day and it was setting up some BIG expectations for the last day of racing in Whistler. Day 5 and Day 6 really provided ear to ear grinning FUN and it seemed like the in your face butt kicking we all got at the beginning of the event was starting to subside with the enjoyment factor of the last two days....ohh sweet mtb nectar.
Common phrases heard throughout today:
"This is as close to sex as you can get"
"I have found mountain biking in heaven"
"They can build smooth trails!"
"One day closer to feeding the box" - explanation forthcoming in upcoming posts....
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 5
After a miserable day in the saddle on Day 4, I was curious as to whether the body would recover quickly enough to rebound for Day 5. The added challenge was that the field had a late finish on Day 4 (at around 6 for me) and then a quick turn around for a 9 a,m, start the following day - it was going to be interesting....I was just hoping I could mettle through it if the legs did not comply. The good news was the Day 5 was a shorter day distance-wise, although it packed a punch with over 1400 meters of elevation gain in the short 38 km.
The other potential good news was that we were hearing that Day 5 was going to be shortened due to part of the trail being wet and un-rideable. The reality was that they removed the trail portion but ended up adding a road section so that the stage actually ended up being 41km as opposed to the original 38 km.
The race start was a 6km lead-out on road which then turned into dirt road and then into some of the sweetest, smoothest, funnest singletrack I have ever been on. Day 5 was my favorite day of the race so far. It was just super fun and the legs had bounced back from the BONK the day before. Just before we hit the last climb of the day, I shifted into an easier gear to get up a hill and my chain froze! I immediately got off the bike and noticed that one of my chain links was bent!!! I moved my bike off the trail and went to work removing a link....3 removed links later, I had my chain back together and just prayed it would hold out until the end of the race and that it would not skip around too much.
At this point I had watched many a racer go by and I had a little adrenaline to start chasing down people again. I had lost about 15 minutes on the side of the trail fixing my chain and it was time to get moving. The video-grapher happened to stop while I was fixing my chain and prepped me with a couple of lines for the daily videos that they were making...of course I managed to flub the line so there goes any Hollywood aspirations...weah
It was good to get back on the bike and reel people in...I slowly caught and passed over 30 folks that had passed me while doing some trailside bike fixing...but my mind kept thinking that the hope of staying on the first page of the results were slipping away. The Day 4 BONK and the Day 5 trail maintenance were losing precious time and slipping down the results page...
I had heard that Day 5 was the payoff for the grueling Day 4 and I have to admit that in this case they were dead on. Day 5 provided a much needed attitude adjustment to where the riding put a big smile back on my face because it was just FUN!
We crossed so many ladder bridges - some of which were 12 ft up, others that were railed and bermed, others that were super skinny, yet others nice and big....just BIG BIG fun! There was a ton of work that went into these trails as I lost count of all the wooden ladders and bridges that we traversed. I kept thinking I should have mounted the Go Pro but I had tucked it away after Day 1...
At this point, there were 2 days left and the goal of finishing was getting tantalizing closer - thoughts would creep into my head of riding safely so as to not risk the possibility of not finishing....of course that never really happens because you get in the moment and dial it all in.
After the race, I took my bike to the mechanics so they could replace the chain and possible other drivetrain components if needed. They would work on it overnight and then my chain problem would be resolved for the morning start in Squamish for Day 6. Little did I know what was in store on Day 6. For now, it was time to bask in the glory of a phenomenal day of riding.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 4
This stage was looming in my mind before the race ever started...it was circled, pencilled & highlighted as a hard day. Not only was it a hard day, but the 2nd toughest day was not even close. This would be a 64km slog with over 2,000 meters of climbing. It was a point to point stage (no loops) from Earls Cove to Sechelt.
A day like this would be a tough day on its own, let alone as Day 4 of a stage race and the 4th straight day on of riding. To this point, the legs had managed keep up but it was only a question of time until the legs had a heavy and tired day...
It was a late start as we had to take buses and ferries to the start line. By the time we lined up, the mercury on the thermometer was steadily going up up up. The day included lots of climbing in exposed positions to the sun. This was going to be a long day.
Just about everyone I talked to had one bad day throughout the 7 day race. Mine just happened to be on the longest and hardest day. I knew what was in store on the very first climb when the legs would just not respond. This day kicked my butt! In many ways. this day reminded me of the Silver Rush 50 with lots of exposed climbing and difficult terrain. The temps were in the upper 80's and low 90's which also contributed to my suffer-fest of a day.
Most of the climbing was steep, much of it was un-rideable with hike a bike sections where you just watched the sweat dripping off you as you pushed your bike up steep inclines.
The peak right after Aid Station 2 provided some amazing views of the bays but I was in my only little world of pain while trying to keep the pedals moving. As usual, the riding was hard and the last long downhill was fast, but also technical with guess what? roots and rocks!! At this point my lower back was screaming at me and it was difficult to even enjoy the downhill. The day eventually ended but not without taking a heavy toll on the body. I felt really beat up after the stage and it took me a long time to recover throughout the evening.
As soon as I finished, I gulped down a bunch of liquids and food to try to help the body stay hydrated and fueled because there was a tough day of riding the next day too. There was a lot of sitting around and trying to re-fuel and not worry too much about just how miserable the body felt. I had dug into the reserves on day 4 to finish and was hoping that I had not gone too far into the reserves which could subsequently impact the remaining days.
At this point in the race, my cardio system was starting to adapt to the multiple days on. The first day of racing, my heart rate was constantly in the 150's with an occasional visit into the upper 160's and lower 170's (my max). By day 4, my heart rate could not get above 145...the mind was willing but the body was no longer able. It is really interesting to me how the body will adapt or protect us from overload.
It was a 5 1/2 hr stage for me and the late finish (due to the late start) was bound to impact the next day which happened to be an early start...just how were the legs going to feel for Day 5?
It was a late start as we had to take buses and ferries to the start line. By the time we lined up, the mercury on the thermometer was steadily going up up up. The day included lots of climbing in exposed positions to the sun. This was going to be a long day.
Just about everyone I talked to had one bad day throughout the 7 day race. Mine just happened to be on the longest and hardest day. I knew what was in store on the very first climb when the legs would just not respond. This day kicked my butt! In many ways. this day reminded me of the Silver Rush 50 with lots of exposed climbing and difficult terrain. The temps were in the upper 80's and low 90's which also contributed to my suffer-fest of a day.
Most of the climbing was steep, much of it was un-rideable with hike a bike sections where you just watched the sweat dripping off you as you pushed your bike up steep inclines.
The peak right after Aid Station 2 provided some amazing views of the bays but I was in my only little world of pain while trying to keep the pedals moving. As usual, the riding was hard and the last long downhill was fast, but also technical with guess what? roots and rocks!! At this point my lower back was screaming at me and it was difficult to even enjoy the downhill. The day eventually ended but not without taking a heavy toll on the body. I felt really beat up after the stage and it took me a long time to recover throughout the evening.
As soon as I finished, I gulped down a bunch of liquids and food to try to help the body stay hydrated and fueled because there was a tough day of riding the next day too. There was a lot of sitting around and trying to re-fuel and not worry too much about just how miserable the body felt. I had dug into the reserves on day 4 to finish and was hoping that I had not gone too far into the reserves which could subsequently impact the remaining days.
At this point in the race, my cardio system was starting to adapt to the multiple days on. The first day of racing, my heart rate was constantly in the 150's with an occasional visit into the upper 160's and lower 170's (my max). By day 4, my heart rate could not get above 145...the mind was willing but the body was no longer able. It is really interesting to me how the body will adapt or protect us from overload.
It was a 5 1/2 hr stage for me and the late finish (due to the late start) was bound to impact the next day which happened to be an early start...just how were the legs going to feel for Day 5?
Monday, July 11, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 3
Given the technical challenges and the access (or lack thereof) during the BC Stage Race, I am trying to get caught up and capture the days from memory while they are still relatively fresh...so here goes for day 3:
We had an early start to the day since we would be required to do some travel to get to the start of the race for day 3. We took a bus from Campbell River to the ferry terminal where we were all in 'hurry up and wait mode' until the ferry departed for Powell River where we were going to race. As a result, it was a late start time. Since the ferry was late on departure, we ended up having little time once we landed in Powell River to sort everything out and get the head in 'race mode'. As usual, the ferry rides provided amazing views of the inside passages around BC.
Day 3 was the turning point of sorts for me as it was the first day that the terrain would not cause me to fall off my bike. After a lot of falling the first two days, I realized that my mind was a little rattled. I swapped out my rear tire from a Schawlbe Fast Fred to a Maxxis Crossmark and lowered my tire pressure a little in order to better fit the terrain we were riding. It ended up being HUGE difference. A more aggressive tire on the rear meant that it was not nearly as slick through the never ending roots and rocks...it also did wonders for my fragile state of mind at the time too.
The stage itself was a 51km stage with a little over 1,000 meters of elevation gain throughout the course:
The terrain unrelented with a climb to get us to elevation at the beginning of the day and then continued rocky, rooty, slippery as snot on a doorknob (to use the BCBR phrase), technical singletrack. At points it was difficult to stay hydrated because the terrain demanded your full attention. The best places to hydrate and eat was usually on the uphill climbs. The good news was that I was starting to ride better, the bad news was that there was still many, many a root to ride over! Imagine a spiderweb of roots with them going in every direction. The saving grace was that the scenery was absolutely spectacular (as usual),
We had a great base camp location right on the water with amazing views looking east. This part of the world is really impressive with tons of lush green vistas and snow capped peaks. All this lushness also meant that it was just the perfect recipe for a breeding ground for roots!
At this point, the legs were holding up OK and I was starting to get anxious about Day 4 which had been highlighted as the single hardest day in the 7 day stage race - let's just say that it did not disappoint!
We had an early start to the day since we would be required to do some travel to get to the start of the race for day 3. We took a bus from Campbell River to the ferry terminal where we were all in 'hurry up and wait mode' until the ferry departed for Powell River where we were going to race. As a result, it was a late start time. Since the ferry was late on departure, we ended up having little time once we landed in Powell River to sort everything out and get the head in 'race mode'. As usual, the ferry rides provided amazing views of the inside passages around BC.
Day 3 was the turning point of sorts for me as it was the first day that the terrain would not cause me to fall off my bike. After a lot of falling the first two days, I realized that my mind was a little rattled. I swapped out my rear tire from a Schawlbe Fast Fred to a Maxxis Crossmark and lowered my tire pressure a little in order to better fit the terrain we were riding. It ended up being HUGE difference. A more aggressive tire on the rear meant that it was not nearly as slick through the never ending roots and rocks...it also did wonders for my fragile state of mind at the time too.
The stage itself was a 51km stage with a little over 1,000 meters of elevation gain throughout the course:
We had a great base camp location right on the water with amazing views looking east. This part of the world is really impressive with tons of lush green vistas and snow capped peaks. All this lushness also meant that it was just the perfect recipe for a breeding ground for roots!
At this point, the legs were holding up OK and I was starting to get anxious about Day 4 which had been highlighted as the single hardest day in the 7 day stage race - let's just say that it did not disappoint!
Monday, July 4, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 2
Stage 2 was going to be interesting mostly to see just how the body was going to respond. I felt pretty beat up yesterday after the ride so it was interesting to see whether or not the body was going to have enough time to heal and get ready for Day 2. I sat around the food tent and grazed after yesterday's race. I also ran a Compex active recovery sesion followed by running the massage stick over the tired legs. It must have helped because the legs felt OK today - they did not feel snappy by any means but after a tough Day 1, I was expecting some heaviness.
I will be following the same protocol again tonight with a Compex active recovery session followed by 'the stick'.
As for today's stage...it was similar to yesterday although much much rootier! The middle section of the 48km was filled with roots and nastiness...it really forced many a dismount and some sketch downhilling. The rumor has it that Day 3 tomorrow is going to be filled with roots from start to finish - so today's middle section is only a teaser of what is in store from start to finish tomorrow. We had slightly less climbing than we did yesterday but it was still a hard day. The last 7 km were phenomenal though. The reward after getting beat up all day was a downhill that was superb. It was fun, fast, flowy...and most importantly it was SMOOTH. People in these parts love their roots and their rock - WOW. I am not used to having people pass me on the downhill but that happened a fair amount today.
The biggest culprit was the rear tire. My super low profile rear tire did not like the wet slippery rocks. I think the support staff also inflated my tires overnight (they do that if they see low tires) and I believe they way way way over-inflated my tires which defeated the purpose of being tubeless on today's terrain. I am swapping out tires to a more aggressive rear tire in order to be better equiped for the remaining days. The rear tire was definitely a loose cannon today and I paid the price with knock to my ego on the tekkie skills and also with a couple of great falls - one which could have turned out badly but fortunately did not!
All in all, this is definitely a tougher venue than I thought it was going to be and I believe that these first two days were the easier days all week so things will only ramp up over the week - Giddy Up!
I will be following the same protocol again tonight with a Compex active recovery session followed by 'the stick'.
As for today's stage...it was similar to yesterday although much much rootier! The middle section of the 48km was filled with roots and nastiness...it really forced many a dismount and some sketch downhilling. The rumor has it that Day 3 tomorrow is going to be filled with roots from start to finish - so today's middle section is only a teaser of what is in store from start to finish tomorrow. We had slightly less climbing than we did yesterday but it was still a hard day. The last 7 km were phenomenal though. The reward after getting beat up all day was a downhill that was superb. It was fun, fast, flowy...and most importantly it was SMOOTH. People in these parts love their roots and their rock - WOW. I am not used to having people pass me on the downhill but that happened a fair amount today.
The biggest culprit was the rear tire. My super low profile rear tire did not like the wet slippery rocks. I think the support staff also inflated my tires overnight (they do that if they see low tires) and I believe they way way way over-inflated my tires which defeated the purpose of being tubeless on today's terrain. I am swapping out tires to a more aggressive rear tire in order to be better equiped for the remaining days. The rear tire was definitely a loose cannon today and I paid the price with knock to my ego on the tekkie skills and also with a couple of great falls - one which could have turned out badly but fortunately did not!
All in all, this is definitely a tougher venue than I thought it was going to be and I believe that these first two days were the easier days all week so things will only ramp up over the week - Giddy Up!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
BC Stage Race Day 1
We finally got up to the start of the BC Bike Race yesterday and after travelling for 3 days it was nice to set up camp for a couple of days. Cars, buses, seabus, and more buses finally brought us to our destination yesterday afternoon. I kept an eye on the weather as the clouds were threatening and it could have made for a really bad race day today. Fortunately, mother nature played nice and spared us the rain that was looming.
Day 1 was 54km and 1,200m of climbing (will download profiles once I get back home). It was a fast start with everyone jockeying for position on the 6km of road and dirt road. After the mass start, we got dumped into singletrack which all of a sudden came to a grinding halt once we got there....bottleneck extraordinaire! The trail was not all the technical where we turned onto it so I am not sure what the hold up was. There was a lot of stop and go for about a mile until things opened up and people got a little more spread out.
We stayed in super fun twisting singletrack for a few miles before we got dumped onto the road where we climbed for about 500m to the first Aid station. The climb was good because it gave everyone a chance to spread out a little more. The herd was starting to thin. Once we left the Aid station, we stayed level for about a mile before we got dumped into some super gnarly tek action. There were places that you just had to try and ride out because there was no place to bail at all. I was definitely not in my flow and it took me off my game. I generally consider myself an OK descender but the downhill really toyed with my head. I ended up going ass over tea-kettle a couple of times and then my mind never righted itself. You had to stay super alert and focused or you could end up taking a bad line with some big gaps to clear if you launched...DOH.
The bottom of the descent kicked us out on some gravelly doubletrack and we stayed on that for about 8km until we got to Aid Station 2...I heard a guy have a total yard sale about a minute after I got through a really sketch steep gravel section. I did not linger at the Aid Station and moseyed on. We had a short, steep, tekkie climb which eventually dropped us out on to new trail that was rooty and lumpy. It reminded me of my NE riding days with lots of rock and roots that forced you to slow down and then get out of the saddle to gain speed again.
All in all, it was a great day - no mechanicals and no injuries....I have a new found respect for the local crew who rides as these trails beat you up and the combo steep, root, rock, gravel is enough to keep you puckered up....time to get some rest and get ready for more pucker action tomorrow!
view of our 'Base Camp':
Day 1 was 54km and 1,200m of climbing (will download profiles once I get back home). It was a fast start with everyone jockeying for position on the 6km of road and dirt road. After the mass start, we got dumped into singletrack which all of a sudden came to a grinding halt once we got there....bottleneck extraordinaire! The trail was not all the technical where we turned onto it so I am not sure what the hold up was. There was a lot of stop and go for about a mile until things opened up and people got a little more spread out.
We stayed in super fun twisting singletrack for a few miles before we got dumped onto the road where we climbed for about 500m to the first Aid station. The climb was good because it gave everyone a chance to spread out a little more. The herd was starting to thin. Once we left the Aid station, we stayed level for about a mile before we got dumped into some super gnarly tek action. There were places that you just had to try and ride out because there was no place to bail at all. I was definitely not in my flow and it took me off my game. I generally consider myself an OK descender but the downhill really toyed with my head. I ended up going ass over tea-kettle a couple of times and then my mind never righted itself. You had to stay super alert and focused or you could end up taking a bad line with some big gaps to clear if you launched...DOH.
The bottom of the descent kicked us out on some gravelly doubletrack and we stayed on that for about 8km until we got to Aid Station 2...I heard a guy have a total yard sale about a minute after I got through a really sketch steep gravel section. I did not linger at the Aid Station and moseyed on. We had a short, steep, tekkie climb which eventually dropped us out on to new trail that was rooty and lumpy. It reminded me of my NE riding days with lots of rock and roots that forced you to slow down and then get out of the saddle to gain speed again.
All in all, it was a great day - no mechanicals and no injuries....I have a new found respect for the local crew who rides as these trails beat you up and the combo steep, root, rock, gravel is enough to keep you puckered up....time to get some rest and get ready for more pucker action tomorrow!
view of our 'Base Camp':
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
BC Bike Race - Bike Choice
After some due diligence on the course over seven days and a couple of inquiries I had to relent and accept that the best bike choice was to take the full squishie. The singlespeed was left behind mostly because of it being rigid and having no cush which would start to catch up with the body after a few days.
I think going the full squish route will also up the fun factor on the descents too. I am still dialing in the stiffness on the fork and the shock and trying to figure out what the right mix is without giving up too much for the climbs. The plan is to do a more thorough bike review of the Blur XC after the race and compare it to the TallBoy and the LT. My first thoughts are that the TallBoy is an awesome bike but not nearly as fast or playful as the Blur XC. They are both great bikes but the XC excels where you expect it to with super fast reaction time and very precise handling. The TallBoy just does not let you throw it around on tekkie sections like the XC....more to detailed review to come...
I think going the full squish route will also up the fun factor on the descents too. I am still dialing in the stiffness on the fork and the shock and trying to figure out what the right mix is without giving up too much for the climbs. The plan is to do a more thorough bike review of the Blur XC after the race and compare it to the TallBoy and the LT. My first thoughts are that the TallBoy is an awesome bike but not nearly as fast or playful as the Blur XC. They are both great bikes but the XC excels where you expect it to with super fast reaction time and very precise handling. The TallBoy just does not let you throw it around on tekkie sections like the XC....more to detailed review to come...
Monday, June 27, 2011
BC Taper
I have been on a pseudo taper for the last week. Last Monday night was a hard 2 hr effort, then a day off, then another 2 hour session on Wed, then 2 days off and a mellow 2 hr effort on Saturday, then Sunday off. I might or might not ride this week to rest the legs and get them ready for the BC Bike Race that starts this upcoming weekend. It is hard to know how the legs are going to feel until a couple of days into the race.
It is good to be on the road, but at the same time being on the road definitely creates some extra work/planning, etc...not sleeping in your own bed does not make for the most sound sleep but it will be better than the upcoming week in tents after spending the day riding. It is all good considering the upcoming fun of riding every day for seven days!!! yeehaaa
It is good to be on the road, but at the same time being on the road definitely creates some extra work/planning, etc...not sleeping in your own bed does not make for the most sound sleep but it will be better than the upcoming week in tents after spending the day riding. It is all good considering the upcoming fun of riding every day for seven days!!! yeehaaa
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