July 9th - Last blog post. It's been quite awhile since I last wrote here but it's time to get back to business. Looking back on the season, I have truly found a new love for a different type of discipline in racing that suits my natural talents and abilities. For 2011, I had decided to venture into a more endurance distance race format, even though previously my longest race to date was about 32 miles. I had no clue how a season of long races would affect me...
My urge to just get out and ride for hours on end was just what I needed. Last year, I stacked my race season full of 1-2 hour races with some short track ones thrown in for good measure. At the end of the season, I had felt as though I was more concerned with keeping up with faster riders, comparing my times to theirs, and failed to see my own progress. Moving up to the Cat 1 field in the Fall was definitely the right move. As it allowed me to get a taste of where I needed to be, how much I needed to train, and which segments of a race I had to improve upon for the upcoming season. It also allowed me to tap into some longer races in preparation for a season of long courses.
Through the help of Curt Nash and Jake Wells at Dogma Athletica, I was able to develop a much more consistent and stronger fitness level than the previous year leading into my first few races of the season. This was evident during my first race of the season in Prescott, AZ. 50 miles and a lot of climbing for April; just 17 days after throwing the skis into the storage closet for the summer.
The Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott, AZ. A great race, event, and venue which I will head back to again next year. Moving forward through the season I jumped in last minute for the Front Range 60 Half Marathon and then finished May off with the Gunnison Growler. 64 miles of the smoothest, yet still technically demanding singletrack around. Gunnison was really a turning point for me when I started to realize that this longer race format was a solid choice. For me, racing for 7 hours felt no different than a 1 hour race from a fatigue level.
You see, in a long distance format, I find it easier to take in all aspects of the event. I'm not just out there to hold onto the wheel of the guy in front of me for an hour or so. I have time to take in the whole journey, enjoy the course, and finish satisfied because I conquered the course. Yes, others will be faster that day, as others will be slower. But the best part is that when it's all said and done, you walk away completing something amazing. While podium results are great, disappointment from defeat I found was elevated in shorter distance races, working in a counter-productive manner towards my goal.
Another aspect of endurance racing I enjoy is how much more various factors play essential roles in finishing strong including Nutrition, Comfort, and Product Performance. Here are some of our sponsors that continually provide us with the keys to obtaining successful results:
Nutrition - Infinit Nutrition made replenishment during a race simple. You can build your own formula, choose from pre-built formulas, or take a survey to help guide you into creating the perfect blend of essential energy ingredients to get the job done. Their product eliminates the need for bars, gels, chews, or anything else that in essence, just becomes too much to coordinate while racing your bike. Even taste buds are factored into the formula because you can choose between 3 different flavors as well as the intensity of the flavor in your mix. It tastes great cold as well as warm, so you don't have to worry about getting fresh bottles to ease your stomach. Infinit also makes a great pre-race and post-race product called Mud. It is a coffee based drink that can be mixed with water or milk and provides you with a great mix of carbs and protein to get you rolling or refueled. Team Garmin-Cervelo uses them and take a look at their Tour de France results this season... one of the best in the teams history. Fellow teammate of mine Josh Tostado just won his 3rd consecutive 24 Hour Solo National Championship on Infinit. The results speak for themselves.
Comfort - At first, I was skeptical as to how much of a difference a new set of grips could actually make in a race. For me, my grip choice always revolved around which ones offered the stickiest compound so I could attempt to "gain" time on descents. In the grand scheme of things, races are won on the climbs and the flats. I got a set of GX2 Carbon grips from Ergon International this year and this was the first time I was able to see pure results from a grip. It only takes a few rides to find the ideal hand position for descending but the big difference is the other 90% of the ride where the typical numbing of the hands and sore wrists come into play. The GX2 grip (will be the GS2 grip in 2012) allowed me to switch up between 3 distinct hand positions during a ride. For steep climbing, the bar end gave me more leverage on the pedals while applying just enough forward weight to keep the front wheel on the ground. For the flats and gradual climbs, resting my hands at about a 45 degree angle to the sides of the grip while using a couple fingers wrapped around the bar end, relaxed the nerves and blood flow through the hand. Numbing went away and the wrists were always comfortable. A standard grip forces you to maintain a twisted forearm which in the demands of mountain biking, applies a lot of intense pressure on the elbow and wrist joints that are now in a non-natural position. Most of the time, our hands are at our sides almost parallel with our hips. Try walking for a mile with the palm of your hands facing directly forwards or backwards. Uncomfortable, yes? Ergon grips alleviate that incorrect hand posture, including the intense angles at which your wrists are forced to rest against your handlebars. Finally, the grips still offer a traditional style hand position for those times when staying upright matter more than comfort.
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| Flats and Gradual Climbs |
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| Steep Climbs |
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| Descending |
Product Performance - When you throw down almost 2,000 miles on the dirt in a season, it's expected that you'll have to swap some tires, get a new chain, replace a few spokes, etc. The last thing you want to do is replace larger more expensive components. This was my first year running a Stan's No Tubes wheelset. I opted for their new Crest rim featuring a wider profile to allow for users to run larger volume tires and benefit from increased tire profile/tread contact. All of this equates to greater efficiency and traction. Coming from years of relying on Easton hubs, the Stan's house brand hubs had a lot to live up to. Despite the common notion of "the lighter you get, the weaker the structure", my Stan's wheel set has lived up to the hype. Besides changing one tire due to tread wear, I have run the same tire all season for 8 months through sand, mud, rock gardens, and streams without ever getting a flat. Even with a small dent in the Crest rim for half the season, the flawless design in their BST technology with Stan's tire sealant has kept me rolling through anything that comes in my way. Last year, a fast flat change on a thru-axle rear hub cost me 6+ minutes. 6 minutes could sometimes contain half the field you're racing in which could make or break your race. The other great aspect of the rim design and sealant is it allows the rider to choose a tougher line because you don't have to worry about pinch flats and sidewall scrapes. Yes, if you literally slice your sidewall open, you're going to get a flat. Stan's can't fix that and neither can you except by replacing the tire. Although the price of their house brand hubs are very economical (not a bad thing), their performance and maintenance are as good as the high end brands. Upon disassembly of my freewheel, I was pleasantly surprised to see very little contaminants within the freewheel mechanism. The seals work well and their 3 pawl system allows for very consistent and reliable engagement under any circumstances. All around these wheels have kept me rolling all season long. Even after a few broken spokes, the rims are still true.
All three of these product sponsors helped improve my season so much and I can't thank you guys enough! Through the support of Bach Builders and our sponsors, the remainder of the season led myself and fellow teammate Eric Rubottom to a 4th place finish in the 12 Hours of Snowmass Mens Duo category. The course was 8 miles in length but provided a daunting 1800 feet of climbing per lap which by the 6th lap had my legs screaming. We sat around 5th all day long just a few minutes behind 4th, but when the 3rd place team fell back to 4th they sat up and did not go out on their 11th lap. We did not find this out until after the finish of the race, but something had told me to go out and finish my 6th lap even though we didn't see any chance of improving placement. This scenario brings me back to the beginning and proves what I love about endurance racing. Upon starting my 6th lap, I was only racing the course itself as well as myself for the pure satisfaction of conquering my goals. Had I been racing only to follow the wheel ahead of me, I probably wouldn't have gone out for lap time that seemed unattainable.
With maybe a few smaller races to finish off the remaining sunny days this season, I look forward to riding with Bach Builders again next season. Let the training begin!
TMP
P.S. - We're going to try and get this blog rolling on a more consistent basis again so please, feel free to come with me on this journey! Thanks
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