Sore

Since riding the Ragnarok on the 14th and then the Mammoth on the 21st my legs were getting pretty tired. I had been planning to go to El Burrito Mercado in West St. Paul to pick up some salsa but thought that it was foolish to drive there to buy $10 worth of stuff. So on Tuesday I headed out on the bike to hit some hills and then make my way over. After the first hill I could tell that my power just wasn't there like it usually is. I continued on my planned route to see if it would come around, it did not. I got to Highwood Ave. and couldn't power up the steep part of the first climb so I said "fuck it" and headed straight to the store. I wanted to scope out a new climb but that will have to wait.


After the store I rode back across the river for some easy spinning and had a nice fast ride back home. I got in 21 miles and 1,100 ft of climbing so not a bad ride.

Bob and I waiting on a tire repair

The Luge

On Wednesday Cooper didn't have baseball so I knew that I could get out early before the group ride and get some hard miles in. I started out going through half of BC and then back down to Highwood Ave. which got me the day prior. I climbed it well and continued on to Carver. I did a lap there and then headed back to BC. I could really feel all the climbing in my legs. They just felt sluggish. I got to the lot about 5:15 and there was no one there so I decided to go home and grab a couple of beers to drink after the ride. I even turned on the TV because I wanted to see what all the talking heads were saying about the World Peace suspension. I got back to the lot about 5 minutes before the ride started, stashed my beers, and took off. It was a nice ride with a good pace. We had to stop one time to repair a flat but that wasn't a big deal. We've brought back the "Jesus Saves Challenge" that kind if disappeared last year. It is always fun to try and climb it and with the tacky/damp conditions the tires grip well and it makes it a little easier if that is possible. I think that 3 of us made it all the way to the top. The rest of the ride my climbing energy was spent. I just went along at a casual pace. I ended up with 28 miles and 2,200 ft of climbing which is pretty good for that mileage in this area.




After that I decided to take the rest of the week off. I'll get some miles in today though.

Mammoth 70 (Actually 66)

I had been debating all week whether I was going to show up for the Mammoth. Doing the Ragnarok the week prior I wanted to spend the weekend with the kids and as of Wednesday afternoon was sure that I wasn't going to go. Then the GF said that she wanted to take the kids to the omnitheater and the Pirates exhibit so I decided to take advantage of that time.
This was billed as a 70 mile group ride, but I knew better. Anytime that you get 100 people together there are going to be people that want to go as fast as possible. I like that. Most rides there is not a large group of people pushing you to go faster so I go at my pace and thats that. The morning of looked like it was going to rain all day, but after a few minutes of deliberation I decided to still go and cut the course if it started raining too much (Or find the nearest gas station and buy a six pack and hang out) I decided to set the bike up 42x16 since I heard the course was pretty flat. We start the ride and they tell us that the Gandy Dancer is almost all downhill for the last 16 miles so I base my strategy on just getting there. We start out and I am near the back and have to slowly pick my way towards the front. After about 2 miles of mostly downhill paved road I catch up with the lead group of 20 or so people. I hang on with them for a few miles but after some more gradual downhills I decide that it is not worth spinning my legs as fast as I can to keep up. I slowly start catching some of the people that had dropped off the lead group and was moving at a pretty good speed (18-19mph). Once we hit about mile 20 things got really sandy.

I rode about 80% of this and ran the rest.

At mile 25 they had a checkpoint set up with water, coke, and PBR tallboys. I passed on all three and decided to just eat a waffle.

Once we got started again there was a lot of pavement. I worked with another guy and we were able to keep up a 19mph pace, both on SS. By the time we hit the Holiday store in Cushing my legs were getting fried. I dropped off and pedaled at a slower pace for a mile or two. Then I decided that I needed a energy bar once I hit a gravel road

Gravel roads are kind of a novelty in Wisconsin.

There was a slight uphill on this road that I didn't feel like riding up and eat/hold a bar so I walked the short distance to the top and finished the bar. 

From there I knew there wasn't much till the Gandy Dancer so I pushed myself to try and catch some people. This also turned out to be the hilliest section of the course and my quads were screaming like never before. Usually when I start to feel them twinge I drink some water and take it easy for a minute or two, not today. With the Gandy Dancer getting close I just kept pushing them. At the peak of the last climb it felt like they were about to burst out of my legs. 

I finally hit the Gandy Dancer after going through a restaurant parking lot and down a grassy hill. I don't think this was exactly "right" but whatever. The Gandy Dancer was not what I would call "Downhill" but it wasn't uphill so I was fine with that. I started at about 15mph and slowly worked my way up from there. The big problem was all the intersections that you have to stop at and look for cars. You lose all of your momentum and then have to work to get it back. I finally got up to a 17mph average with about 3 miles to go. Once I hit the paved path I knew the end was in sight. I started to push it hard with whatever energy I had left. I got back to the bike shop in 4 hours and 14 minutes (4h09m ride time) with a 16mph average. I was pleased with the way that I performed learned some things along the way. I think that as of right now 42x16 is a little too steep for me if there is going to be around 2,000 feet of climbing and that 42x18 is the way to go for now. 

The course was not something that I would just go ride by myself, but all in all it was a fun day on the bike and I plan on doing it again next year. Another great event put on by the Wooly Bike Club.

It's all downhill from here

Well. yesterday was the fifth running of the Ragnarok 105 and my third go at it. The first year my goal was just to finish and completed it in 8 hours 50 minutes. Last year I wanted to break 8 hours but with a longer course that wasn't happening. I came in at 8 hours 40 minutes. Yesterday was a different story. I trained a little harder, getting in 80-120 miles a week for most of the month of March. to make things different I decided to ride my Bianchi San Jose Pro SS. I wasn't completely sure how I would fair on all the hills with only one gear, but a pre-ride a couple weeks ago left me feeling like I was strong enough to do it. 

The day started out early with a 5:01am wake up. I had all my stuff packed up so I drank some Powerade and got dressed for the day. On the way down to Red Wing I stopped and picked up Curt and started to mentally prepare for the race. We got to Mississippi National at about 6:55 and checked-in. At 7:15 they had the pre-race meeting and we soon gathered to start the race. At 7:30 we rolled out to the first section of gravel and the race was on. I just rode comfortably and didn't try and hammer it up any of the hills. I was going at a good pace and was passing a few people so I was happy about that. After seeing the below video I was happy to learn that I was only 45 seconds off the lead, even with my casual pace.  As we turned on the the second small stretch of pavement I started to notice that everyone ahead of me was turning on next gravel road (45) and I knew that was not correct. I continued to on to Churchill Rd and found myself to be the new race leader. I lead the race on and off for next 6 miles before starting to get passed by the now back on track original race leaders around mile 25. I rode strong and tried to grab onto to a few of the fast groups that came by for as long as I could. At the 41 mile check point I shed my pants and undershirt. It was too hot to continue dressed like that. The next 40 miles was "easier" and wound its way through the valley. This is where riding the single speed become frustrating. I knew that I had plenty of strength to push a higher gear and go much faster if I had it, but such is life. I rolled into the Lake City checkpoint and saw some people who had passed me earlier sitting outside of Kwik Trip so I knew that I could not mess around if I wanted to stay in front of them. I slammed a Red Bull, ate some beef jerky, refilled my almost empty water supply and took of again. Two weeks ago we did a ride that was the exact same finish as this years race so I knew exactly what was in store. I pedaled as fast as I could to "Heaths Hill" because I knew that I was going to be walking part of it and get a little break. I stopped just before the summit to drink half a Premium that the Almanzo guys graciously had waiting for the racers. From there it was an all out fucking grind. We immediately went back down all the elevation that we had just gained and started right back up. Strangely enough both of these roads are called "335th" even though they do not run parallel to each other. At that point I started riding and chatting with Eddie. We had been leapfrogging each other all day, but at this point I just needed some conversation to get my mind off pedaling. I broke away from him near the top of 335th but once again he caught me and stayed ahead for good. Climbing Huenke was a task that I knew if I wanted to finish strong was going to be tough. I rode as much as I could but once I felt like I was just mashing the pedals I walked the remainder. From there it was mostly down hill and i ate a gel and tried to get my spirits real high for the final climb to the finish line. I started the slow rise to where it gets real steep and started to feel like shit. I made it about 1/4 of the way up the final climb and had to walk. I've never felt that bad with the finish line in sight. A lady driving by asked if I needed any help, there was no way in the world that I was going to accept any help with .1 miles to go. Not a chance. As I neared the top I hopped back on my bike for the last 50 yards and crossed the finish line in 7 hours and 55 minutes. I was really happy with my time and the effort that I gave out there. All the pain and mental anguish quickly faded as I rode the three miles back to the parking lot. 

This race once again proved why it is my favorite of the year and is one that I always look forward to doing. I don't think that any event for the remainder of the year will be as overall challenging or as fun as the Ragnarok, it's all down hill from here.

Thanks to all the organizers and supporters for making it a great event!

In the U of M jersey at 45 seconds

Do work.

Preparation

Well, it's that great time of year again, early April when the weather is unpredictable and I have have 108 miles of gravel to ride. The Ragnarok is my favorite race of the year and it comes up very quickly in the season. This year I have been fortunate to have been riding a lot since late February (I know there was little snow, but I don't ride for an extended amount of time when it is below 20 degrees).

I usually don't post a lot of pictures, even though I should, so I thought I would take a few of the preparations involved in getting ready for the race gear wise:

Here is all the things that I will either be carrying with me or have on me.

Here is just about everything put in the bag. This is the first year that I have had to take rain gear with me. The first year was sunny, last year was cloudy, but no rain. This year there is predicted thunderstorms. After last years Almanzo I am not taking any chances. And truth be told, while bulky, the rain gear doesn't weigh much at all.

Now it is time to get the bike ready. It is all tuned up and ready to ride. I had put all the bags back on it and make sure that I had all the emergency tools that I may need. (Note: I just remembered to grab a quick link. Packed)

So here are the before and after pictures of the bike all loaded up. I am hoping to add a frame bag before the Almanzo so that I can take some of the stuff out of my Osprey.

 

Here is the revamped drivetrain. Surly spacer kit and tug, chain and cog. I'll be running 42x20. That seemed to work fairly well on our 72 mile ride a couple of weeks ago.

Finally I aired up the tires and lubed the chain so that all I have to do is put it on the rack in the morning.

It's going to be a tough day out there, the roads are rough and are probably going to be wet, there will probably be rain and the hills haven't gotten any smaller. In an event like this it is hard to say "I want to finish in x place or better" so I'm going for under 8 hours (And hopefully no chicks beat me). 

Idiot As Usual

So I kept hearing this cracking sound from what I thought was the rear hub on the SJ. This was something that I knew I should not attempt to fix myself so I brought it in to the Angry Catfish to have it looked at before the Ragnarok this weekend along with my Gary Fisher which was in dire need of a tune up and a longer rear brake cable. Turns out that when I had taken the bash guard off of the cranks and moved the chainring to the other side I did not flip the chainring over so that the bolt heads would seat properly and hold the chain the proper place. This created uneven tension on the chain and when I would hear the crackling noise it was the chain stretching. So I got that issue resolved and they are fixing up the front brake as well.

On another note I got in my first mountain bike ride of the season in at Battle Creek. The weather was a little chilly, but a good time. The group moved at a pretty good pace for this time of year as well.

On Thursday I headed down the ravine with Josh to get in some challenging fat bike riding. It is always fun to go down there and mess around for hour or two. I didn't have any major crashes but I scrapped up my shins in a little. I think that the plants that are growing up through the rocks may make it too difficult to navigate a path in a couple weeks though. That's alright, it is a fun place to just mess around at in the fall when most of the "serious" riding is done.

 

Saturday was a planned 75 mile ride starting in Cottage Grove and going through Prescott and back. The weather did not cooperate. Oh, and Curt threw up 10 miles in. We ended up riding to the border, then through Afton and back around for a grand total of 44 miles. I was happy with this distance because it began to rain harder and harder and my hands were starting to go numb.

The weather for this Saturday is not looking too good as of now, but hopefully it will clear up. Either way, 108 miles will be ridden through Goodhue County.

(From the buzz I've heard there may be a fair amount of people gathering here on Saturday)

Science Fair 2012

Today was Cooper's science fair. He did his project on pulleys. It turned out pretty good for having me help him. That red ribbon says "Honorable Mention" which is grade school code for second place. First place is known as "Superior."

Here are a few of my favorite projects from all the grades:

Usually you have to get arrested to have this sort of fun, but this kid claims you can do it at home.

I learned a lot from this presentation. A lot.

This is a Space Colony. I don't know why people fear space travel. It appears that there is hospitable land and at least one river. Maybe the fear comes from the river sharks. (Not pictured: Man riding a horse.)

This was a group project and I was fortunate enough to meet and talk to the two girls who were interested in sharks. The first thing they told me was how long it took their Dad to make the shark.

My favorite project by far. Superior.

(At first you would think that the parent didn't help the kid at all and there is something to be said for that, but when you look closer, it says "We" and I have to assume that a parent was involved and I feel kind of bad for the kid.)

I also really liked this one because he just put a poster on his poster board. Genius. 

If you look closely at the cut out text, you will see that you can find rocks on the ground!

This is all in good fun though. I am sure that these kids did there best and had a good time learning something that they didn't have to. I also liked that out of all the projects there was only two volcanoes. 

Also, in full disclosure, I did 90% of Cooper's project. He glued the paper down and repeated what I told him to say, so it is nice to see that I can put together a 2nd place 2nd grade project, rather than a parent who did the same thing as me but got a "Participant" ribbon.

Rad Wing

I put together a little group ride today down in Red Wing. We had a group of 10 and set out for 71 miles of gravel riding. He weather started out a bit cold, but it warmed up to a an ideal temperature. It was a rather uneventful ride which is good. The big winner of the day was Neil. He got bit by a dog and had 2 flat tires. I think something else happened to him as well. It was a good training ride for the Ragnarok in 2 weeks. It has me questioning my choice of bike, but I'll just man the ef up deal with it. It will make finishing all that much better. I think I should work on some hill repeats though, just to be safe.