Breck 100: Pre-race Report: Give It Hell

You’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to be grateful. Because before long, it will be taken. So enjoy it while it’s here. I had a small scare at work that nearly took what I love about my job, away. It was a good scare. Kind of like the one in January where I could have been wiped off this gorgeous planet, but somehow I was spared. I was in the position of asking, "Why not me?" Not the typical "Why me?" disconnect that people typically display. We’re all so lucky and we don’t even know it. I’m grateful I have the ability to ride a bike, nevermind the ability to have the legs that I do. I bitch and bitch when they don't show up at the races but I need to come to my senses by watching the Olympics this summer. South African, Oscar Pistorius, will compete in track for the 400 meter and 400 meter relay and hopefully this will be enlightening. Why? Well, he is a double amputee competing in the "able-bodied" olympics with prosthetic legs, that's why. Perfect example how if you don't train your mind, your body will not follow. Maybe then, I will finally stop complaining that my legs don't show up when I need them most. I'm planning on showing my gratefulness by giving it my all at the Breck 100. Gonna give it my legs, my heart, my hell. And those close to me, those not associated with my cycling side, know best and know just how much hell I have to give.

Courage Classic: Riding to Benefit Children's Hospital Colorado

Amidst a fantastic season of racing thus far in 2013, I have the opportunity to ride in the Courage Classic to benefit the Children's Hospital of Colorado on July 21 to July 23 in the Summit County area. Ever since being first employed at a recent position in the mental health field at Third Way Center, I've had a great affinity for the treatment provided by the Children's Hospital and their staff. Whether it's the dynamically pleasing environment, the top notch medical staff, the medical advances, or the technology and research involved, if you have not had the opportunity to see it for yourself, it is quite a sight to be seen. I am currently employed at Global Technology Resources Incorporated who has shown a strong form of support in recent years and I am incredibly happy to partake in this cause and experience this environment. GTRI is represented this year by several individuals, including good friend, Brett Ebben and we all are striving to provide donations to Children's Hospital. Please join me in assisting Children's Hospital by donating at the link below to support fantastic treatment for the youth of Colorado. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated! See how the donations are allocated here.

Donate to the Courage Classic benefiting Children's Hospital Colorado

If you are attending the event this weekend, please say hello! I'll also be representing the Trek Bicycle Store by wearing the team kit throughout the three days of riding.

Thanks and take care!

Tim

24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest Solo: 1st Place!

It would only make sense to begin with an update on my recovery from the January accident...I'm better than better. I'm better than I was before the accident. With the great gift of Boulder Center of Sports Medicine and my DPT, Larry Meyer, this past weekend was a dream come true. He not only restored my spine and hip alignment, but gave me the knowledge of my asymmetries which will only make me stronger on the bike. Since the accident, frustrations from an ineffective chiropractor had left me wondering if I would recover in time for this season. Within a few weeks at BCSM, I heard the words that had an unanticipated and immediate impact, something along the lines of "Tim, you're 100%." It was at that moment where a profound understanding took place as if I was given my dream again. I was ready to charge on and immediately my confidence towards 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest began to grow substantially. What was so bizarrely entertaining was that I knew something magical was going to stem from this very moment and it couldn't have been more true.

Later in the same week, another monumental occasion presented itself. The totaled bike from the accident was still salvageable with quite a few adjustments. I was on the way to Golden Bike Shop who had been helping me with its resurrection. It didn't dawn on me until I was on the way there of how symbolic it was to have both myself and my bike back to good health in the same week. It was an effort towards justice and the statement that if life is going to try to keep me down, it would have to hit me with something bigger than a Toyota 4Runner the next time.

I couldn't take the synchronicity lightly. The following week I had returned to see Larry for a Basic Medical Bike Fit at BCSM. What better person to perform your bike fit than your DPT?! He made adjustments that I never thought of by my own observations. For instance, I understand now that my left femur is 8-10mm longer than my right and therefore we made several adjustments to help me avoid sitting crooked on the saddle for the first time in my life. I've never felt better on a bike and in the race over the past weekend, it showed. Not a single muscle cramp in 24 hours of racing. At the Voodoo Fire previously in the year and previous to BCSM, I was cramping and aching in about eight locations in my legs.

I realized that not only my body and my bike were aligned, but also the stars. It was undeniable through the language of life that I was being given an opportunity to do something great. Therefore, I prepared for the magical. It was the best way to frame it to myself to focus only on my goals and not the outcome. I've understood lately that attention to detail is one of my strengths and due to racing my first unsupported solo, I had no other choice but to be prepared. And for the preceding three weeks, all I did was think about how to prepare for the race and how to be so prepared that it was as if I did have someone for support. I was looking forward to a race with no support so that if I'm struggling in a future 24 hour solo when I do have support, I have no excuses because I know that I've done this on my own.

Clothing, arranged by thinnest layers on top, thickest layers on the bottom.

This is what preparation ultimately looked like on race day.

Scored a few water bottles from Bike Source. Thanks Jeremiah!

My go to tool box for Honey Stinger.

I also have to thank Ben Welnak, of Twenty2 Cycles, for keeping me in line before the race. And by in line, I mean not riding my bike for an absurd amount of hours before a solo. Here's how it started and it ended with him saying something about how I would drive a coach nuts with how I train. I'm still not sure what he's talking about :). Thanks to Ben putting up with my shenanigans, I think this is the first race in the last two seasons that I've tapered properly for.

Ben checking in before the race. Coincidentally, I was on my way to an "easy" ride so I pulled a U-turn and went back home like a good boy.

THE RACE

The 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest race started at noon on Saturday, June 16, and went to noon on Sunday. The course was 99% glorious singletrack with 1100 feet of climbing per 16 mile lap in McGaffey, NM, a 9 hour drive from Denver. It sits at around 8,000 feet in a desert climate and was 95 degrees the day of the race.

Speaking of ADHD...

Thankfully, for once, there was no Le Mans start. My wish had come true, no looking like a bunch of tools running like we're dancing on hot coals to our bikes in carbon fiber soles. The race was underway and luckily the start was uneventful and I was finally riding my bike. Hallelujah! I can't explain how difficult it is to taper correctly by riding much less and allowing recovery to set in which also means to allow ADHD to kick my ass. No joke, cycling is my Ritalin and when I don't ride, my ADHD is through the roof like you would not believe. Thing is, I don't think people really notice because my ADHD is heavily regulated not by medication, but by cycling.

Lap 1 was underway and I must have been super hyper because I was a Chatty Cathy towing another soloist from San Diego around on the first loop. I'd tell him, "ok, I need to shut up now so I can save my energy for the race." Things is, I just kept on talking and playing getting to know you. My legs were feeling just the same and rearing to go but I stayed close to my goal of settling into my 24 hour pace and remaining under a determined heart rate for once.

Lapping through for the second lap was just like every following lap with no support of any kind. The lap throughs consisted of wiping the chain, applying lube, and stocking up on nutrition and hydration. Despite not ever lingering in the pits I still seemed to have lost quite a bit of time there. Maybe around 45 minutes to an hour over the course of the race which is unacceptable, especially since Nationals will be held here next year. That number will need to be cut down to less than ten minutes by the help of support.

The next several day laps were more of the same. Sheer awesomeness. I was dialing in the course well and due to adequate rest, I had hero legs I've never had before. Hero legs that not only lasted throughout the day laps but took me 13+ hours into the race with not much but mild discomfort in my legs going into the witching hours. I was dialed. I hadn't had to reach for the iPod or caffeine until the 1am mark which I did because that was part of the plan. I went into the witching hours ready to cast a spell on them and cast a spell I did. I did suffer from sleep deprivation where I was blanking out a bit and seeing things, but that's expected and was very tolerable by dialing back a hair on the mean and ripping descents. Like usual, I had an incredible amount of inspiration going into this race (see the busy handlebar). Where riders will have sayings like "shut up legs" on their bar, I have numbers. I won't disclose what the numbers mean unless it's to a close friend, just know that there is a deep seated therapeutic rational which is like motivation on steroids. Nothing makes me ride harder when the going gets tough than those numbers and the picture of my badass pro brother playing basketball against Kobe to the left.

When I first saw the sliver of light at 5:30am, I started picking up the pace more and making the final push to the end. I honestly had been riding so well that I just figured that I was in first place. If you ask me, my mindset had me in first place even before the race. A very helpful supporter of positive morale that I met before the race had asked me about how I was feeling about the race and I divulged an emotionally charged, "I think it's my time." I just knew. I didn't ask what place I was in until going into the 13th lap at around 6am where I was told that second place was only sixty minutes behind me. On lap 13, I therefore went at a cross country pace to give myself some insurance. When I lapped through, I was told that second place had made twenty three minutes on me. This is the only time when not having support made things difficult. I thought, "how could this possibly be?" I couldn't understand how in the world I just pulled a 1:26 13th lap and didn't put time into somebody, but rather someone put 23 minutes into me. Things weren't adding up but the only choice I had was to haul ass. I therefore very briefly panicked but regained composure and raced 1:24 laps on laps 14 and on my final lap, lap 15. I later found out that when they were giving me the time splits between me and second, I was actually a lap AND thirty seven minutes ahead which still doesn't make any sense. I ended up crossing the finish line seconds after second place who had completed his 14th lap. I think he thought he won when he crossed the line until it was announced that the winner was behind him. It was such a bizarre ending but I was so happy to be no longer confused and racing like my life was at stake, literally. I pretended like wolves were chasing me. Whatever it takes. If you have to play tricks on yourself to ride so hard that the pain brings you to the verge of tears, then that's what you need to do. There is no other choice in my mind. Nobody was going to take this away from me.

2012 Results and Lap Times

After years of dreaming, believing, and hard work, I finally won my first mountain bike race ever. For all the sacrifices, the cold winter rides, the suffering, it was well worth it. With such a fruitless sport of mountain biking, it gave me such joy to reap the rewards of everything I've been through ever since I first heard of 24 hour solo mountain bike racing a decade ago. I don't feel this race changed a thing, it only solidified my thoughts and beliefs around myself and 24 hour solo racing and where I want to take it. This was a great effort, a great first effort, but I'm leaving it at that. It was one win, no more. For instance, when I returned to work on Tuesday, I was so supported by my coworkers who decorated emails, meetings, and my cubicle with congratulations. It was so unexpected and so appreciated to have people support you. When Thursday came around, I couldn't focus with all of the congratulations around and had to take down the balloons, streamers, etc in order to focus on the next 24 hour race which looks like either 24 Hours in Colorado Springs Nationals or 24 Hours in Moab. I have a long way to go to fulfill my dream, so I've been analyzing where I can make improvements. It's not a time to relax just because I won.

SUPPORT

As for support leading up to the race, I have to thank Candlepower Tech for sponsoring me with the Trail Torch 1800 which has been a killer lighting system in training and racing. Don't believe me? Check the shoot out on MTBR. Sickest light out there and if you want to demo mine, please don't hesitate to ask, I'm always up for a night ride! Also, with support from Stan's NoTubes, I've been racing on the Race Golds which I haven't had to true yet this year I swear there's a motor in them! I'm lucky to have the support of Maxxis for tire selections in training and racing. I don't hesitate to run anything but the tried and true, Ikons in every race. Thank you to the Trek Bicycle Store Boulder and Louisville for your incredible support in keeping my Trek Superfly Pro 100 on the trail. Always a warm welcome when I walk into the shop, you guys rock! Thank you Ergon for keeping my hands happy when wrenching on the handlebar for 24 straight hours. I can't wait for the new SM3 saddles to come out! Also, thanks to Honey Stinger for making such incredible products, especially the Honey Stinger Waffles which are my #1 go to food for on the bike nutrition to restore calories in the ultra endurance events.

Most of all, thank you to Zia Rides, Lisa, Lindsay and the rest of the crew for organizing such a fantastic event and thank you to the team of volunteers that rocked day and night! You guys are all awesome and have built some fantastic memories over the weekend. I understand that it is chaotic to try to create such a fantastic mountain biking atmosphere and culture in the New Mexico area, I really appreciate your hard work. See you next year at the 24 HITEF Nationals!

So excited to ride my bike for 24 hours non-stop!

24 HITEF Articles

Mountain Flyer

Thanks for reading,

Tim

Spring Training Block

Lately, I've decided to begin physical therapy at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine to continue the rehab process originating from the accident in January. The chiropractic work was not exactly meeting my expectations. How do I know? The first visit with Larry Meyer at BCSM aligned my body better than six weeks of chiropractic work. Sold. Now I have a medical bike fit next month scheduled and couldn't be more excited, mo' powa'! After a few visits, I am confident that my body will be in a better balance than before the accident. A balanced body for the first time in months allowed my mind to balance and whole heartedly believe in what I want out of racing again such as the 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest solo in June and the 24 Hour World Championships solo in September. I can finally breathe again.

What this means is I can stop thinking about how uneven my pedal stroke is and therefore the countless symptoms aching my body throughout and start thinking about the next major race, 24 HITEF. Beginning with the Voodoo Fire race on April 21, I have been involved with a four week block. I've skipped a couple RME races that I anticipated and when asked what my plan is for this month, I've always answered with, "I just want to ride my bike." This 30 day block will end on Sunday, April 20, one week before the Original Growler race. The plan has also been to climb 100k+ on my Trek Superfly Pro 100, using asphalt and dirt roads only when necessary. I'm guessing the singletrack has equaled to about 95%. Also, the goal within the goal this week was to complete a four day binge of Mount Falcon to LOTB and back. Same course, same gear (including my stellar lighting system by Candlepower Tech), similar nutrition, and to be faster than the day before. I have my many reasons for this redundancy and it was as much to feed and test my mind and strengths (i.e. feeding my self diagnosed autistic tendencies to repeat patterns) as it was to feed my body. Every day, I tried to find pockets of time, power, and recovery to beat the previous day's effort. Loved this idea and see Strava for latest stats.
After work today, it's off to Gunnison to round off my training block and recon the Original Growler course with Brett Ebben. I'm thinking two to three 2010 course laps on Saturday and a lap on Sunday which would put me well over my goal for the month so we'll see.

See you out there,

Tim

Today's Colorado Trail Ride

I took the suggestion of Ben Welnak of Twenty2 Cycles to ride Indian Creek and the Colorado Trail segment 1 for the first time and I can see now what all his rave has been about. As a New Englander, it brought me back home which created so much life to this ride. Good thing because I'm not quite sure what possessed me to pack a 20 whatever lb bag this deep into successive training days since the Voodoo Fire race last Saturday. Here's the ride details on Strava. Unfortunately, I was chased out of Buffalo Creek by threatening weather which shortened my ride by a few hours. Next time! That just means I'll have more energy tomorrow when I'm off to Nederland for the West Mag and Dot trails and if I'm fealing frisky I may see how Sourdough is fairing. I absolutely love West Mag since it's another trail system that reminds me so much of back home. Here's today's set up which includes seven water bottles, two of everything, lights, 2000 calories, and I thought of packing an extra saddle since the one in the photo has a bent rail and is probably on borrowed time.

Tour Divide

Friday evening and tucked in a pocket of the mountains. It's taken years of training but this week I've arrived in a personal and ultimate way - to feel like I can ride as much as I damn well please. One day, I will ride an overdue stretch of twenty seven hundred miles. I don't know if I'll be ready, but I sure as hell will be ready to try.

Voodoo Fire: Pro/Open Category: 14th Place, 20th Overall

I was full on the gas for 66 miles yesterday in my first Pro/Open race, stoked about the effort and finished in 5:06:39. This RME race was an fantastically organized event! Still heavily feeling symptoms from the accident. Starting physical therapy at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine this week and hot yoga soon to follow. Must get aligned! Big thanks to @trekstoreco and Les Handy for their amazing support!

More Than Meets the Eye

It's currently 21 degrees outdoors and on the backside of what I would call the witching hours. With a case of insomnia last night for a good reason, it's a great moment to explain what I mean by "More Than Meets the Eye."

It's been eons since my visit to the blogging universe. Since the 24 Hours in Frog Hollow to be exact. Life has been full of surprises. To catch up to speed, I've been riding here and there. I missed out on seeing my brother for the holidays but QT was spent with my parents and friends in New Hampshire. I started a new career path with a company that I absolutely love. Then two Saturdays ago, I was hit by a Toyota 4Runner...while riding my bike. I really believe that you can't truly manifest another's story of being struck by a vehicle until it happens to you. It's incredible how hyper vigilant I am of every 4Runner in town. Before being t-boned, I took a mental snap shot of something I may never forget.

I can't recall ever feeling like my life was so out of my control more than at that very moment. The site of the 4Runner grill before impact is where I've been stuck but every day is more space between that grill and me. Anything could have happened and I've considered myself lucky ever since. In the first zombie-like week after the accident, I overheard two associates on separate occasions uninfluenced by me state "sometimes you're better off lucky than good." I sat in my cube while those words showered me in truth.

With a therapeutic career background, I can't help but strive for justice out of this scenario. How dare someone be so reckless that it jeopardizes another's life? I'm not vindictive but I want justice. It needs to be something constructive that I can wrap my mind around. Putting a price on life by a reimbursement check only goes so far. I understand that I do have my life and therefore the upcoming season I'll go great lengths to achieve my goal, "Do What You Can't." Justice is digging in the trenches of suffering, because in the suffering is when I feel most alive. Pain literally makes me laugh out loud. It's the statement that I am here and I'm not going anywhere. It's the statement that life can hit me with a 4Runner but you better believe that I'll get back up and charge on.

***

What I mean by "More Than Meets the Eye" is that you don't go outside at this hour to feel the 21 degrees of chill to your bones. You go outside to train in 21 degrees of life. You understand that today's training ride doesn't start when you finally get a leg over the saddle. It started years ago. There's such a strong current of momentum in life, it just needs to be identified or chased. In my case, an origin point is 13 years ago when I turned a mountain bike magazine page to Chris Eatough and my first understanding of 24 hour solo racing. Deep down I knew there was something there - one reason to always acknowledge your gut feeling, a golden rule of mine. That's where today's ride starts and for example it's where the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo begins as well. If I were to approach a start line (of anything in life) without the understanding that there's something greater there than what I see with my eyes, I'll never survive. It reminds me of a push/pull relationship. It's about what you've experienced and chosen to lead you to that very moment...the push. And where your goals and dreams are...the pull. In my mind, it's a blurred start and finish line and it's been one giant race this whole time. Toward what destination, I'm unsure. I know of my goals for the months ahead and that my dreams have become reality. Most of me believes that I've "arrived," the rest is just icing on the cake. It'll just be a shit ton of icing! I'm not quite sure what lies ahead but I'm sure as hell training for it. I am incredibly enthused for my next race, 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, in 3 weeks. It's a fantastic feeling to start with the momentum that I've experienced and a blessing to have the opportunity to race. It's a gold mine to understand how lucky I am to experience indescribable depths of pain for those next 24 hours.

Now it's off to Trek Bicycle Store Colorado to pick up a fat slice of justice pie. Delicious and the source of insomnia! Photos to be posted on twitter.


See you out there,

Tim

Entrance of a Great Cavern

"Having wandered some distance among gloomy rocks, I came to the entrance of a great cavern...two contrary emotions arose in me, fear and desire - fear of the threatening dark cavern, desire to see whether there were any marvelous things in it."

-Leonardo da Vinci

After what feels like quite some time, I still and often reflect on what exactly I want my future in racing to look like. I believe this thought to be in its adolescent stage. From my observation of others, I wouldn't be too far off by thinking it may be a moving target. I can say that I have become hooked on a particular racing style that lives up to every word of the quote above. 24 hour solo racing. I know there are more hooks than just this one and I'll have bigger fish to fry soon enough. Think stage races like La Ruta and earlier today I realized the inevitable of racing the Tour Divide in an upcoming year. Undeniably, I've been unintentionally training for this race for a while. In the meantime I'll stick with what's intoxicating for the 2012 season, the 24 Hour Solo World Championships in Canmore, Canada. The race location was very recently announced and coincidentally, I've been thinking a lot about the Worlds and when I would commit to it. I had no idea that I'd be so lucky to have it this soon. With a race of this caliber, I'm unsure of the qualification process and whether having four 24 hour solos under my belt by June will suffice for acceptance. All I can do is crush it at the next two 24s (see 2012 Tentative Race Plan) and increase my chances for selection.

A few nights ago, the Trek Bicycle Store Racing Team held its first meeting to congratulate each other on a great 2011 season and to meet its new members and the upcoming season. We also discussed our sponsors for the season which I am super excited about and is a vast improvement from 2011. To start, Trek and Bontrager are major sponsors for the team and will provide us with fantastic carbon bikes and components. Hopefully, I'll be racing on something like this in 2012! Trek Bicycle Store (Boulder and Louisville, Colorado) will be the team shops. Already, I've gained great confidence in their staff and team members for the upcoming season of racing, coaching, purchases, repair, friendships, camaraderie, you name it. Again, I'll be supported by Brad Keyes at CarboRocket and Honey Stinger out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado but this time it'll be at the team level instead of individual sponsorship support. Both of these company's products make up a very high percentage of nutrition during training and races. The combination of the CarboRocket 111 drink mix and Honey Stinger Waffles are my hands down favorites. I've still yet to have a Stinger Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich, soon! Coincidentally, I recently was accepted to the Maxxis grassroots program for individual riders but the Trek Bicycle Store Racing Team also has them as a new sponsor for 2012 as well. You'll see me rolling Maxxis Ikons all season without question. To add to the excitement, I've been accepted to Stan's NoTubes Pro Level Sponsorship Program. Stoke level is super high! I can't wait to rock a set of Race Golds! As for the most cycling specific products on the planet, Ergon is also sponsoring the team. I've been a huge fan of their ergonomic grips and bags and I can't wait to see how their saddles fit. Seeing that I plan on racing nearly 200 hours in 2012 (versus 120ish in 2011), saddle fit will be a critical piece of bike fit. As I've stated in previous race recaps, I've been racing on borrowed Radical Lights which have been a blessing and a must have for the upcoming season of training and 24 hour solos. Also, MTB Coach, owned by team member Curt Wilhelm, will also sponsor us this upcoming season with his knowledge of training and racing endurance events. Other sponsors also include Highpoint, a major player in deck & landscape lighting in the area, owned and operated by Jonathan Davis of the team. Another team member that has chosen to sponsor us is Adam Haid with his own company, Haid Consulting Enterprises. Last but not least, Avery Brewing of Boulder, Colorado is again on board to provide celebratory ales for great race results. I'll need to take a tour!

Speaking with Tim Miller about the upcoming season while Les Handy is caught in stare down with his cookie.

Trek Bicycle Store Boulder

Trek Bicycle Store Sprinter Van for races. Ummmm....awesome!

Trek Bicycle Store Racing Team uphill bicycle practice.

See you out there,


Tim

25 Hours in Frog Hollow Race Recap: 3rd Place

To start, I'm unsure if I'll ever be able to verbalize my gratitude for those that were critical toward my success at the 25 Hours in Frog Hollow, nor will I be able to express every lesson learned. But, I will try.

Sometimes half the battle is getting to the start line. And in that battle is where you find the strength to finish what you started. I facebooked this idea after rogue waves of adversity tested my patience and resilience in the week leading up to the race. Days before, I encountered mechanicals with my chronically ill and only mountain bike. Exhibit A: a taco'd rear wheel from a Moab trip had visited two bike shops before the hub body was dubbed the sole survivor and replaced with all new internals and laced to a new rim. B: the midnight before the Davis RV camper left for Virgin, Utah, the rear shock made noises I've never heard before. My fear was that my race was over before it started. I took it into Golden Bike Shop just hours prior to leaving Denver where Russ and Dane swiftly diagnosed and made the repair. In asking what was wrong, Russ stated that there was "almost no oil left in the shock." Hilarious and a classic move on my part. I refrained from telling them that my fork felt like peanut butter since I think it would've sent them over the edge! C: before realizing that my tire had a poorly constructed bead, I had stans'd up and seated it, placed it in the back seat of my car before it exploded off the rim. Stan's everywhere. Twice.
Just hours later, I met up with the Davis family for what came to be one of my favorite weekends of the year. Traveling and living in an RV for the weekend spoiled me beyond belief and set a new standard for race weekends, not only for the luxury but also for a family setting and support. After picking up Eszter Horanyi and Chris Miller in Grand Junction, we arrived the following day under a gorgeous sky and surroundings of Virgin, Utah, home of 25 Hours in Frog Hollow. I was in awe at the Zion National Park backdrop, which was most gorgeous at sunrise come Sunday. This race is where Eszter and Jonathan would compete in the duo category, I in the solo category, and Tanner, Jonathan and Kathy's son, would race solo as well. Keep in mind that Tanner is eleven years old and completed 8 laps for 102.5 miles. Insanity! My first hundo ever on a mountain bike was last year at the Breck 100 to add a little perspective. And, for more adversity, later that evening I rolled and sprained my inner ankle on the rutted out clayish terra before the course recon. I then got some RICE in, and not the kind that a Filipino mother force fed her son all throughout his youth :).

Weather wise, the following day was a different story. It was fairly chilly to start the race (see Garmin screenshots below), but a blanket of clouds and light precipitation passed, followed by a clear sky. The race began at 10am. Although, since it is considered the longest single day bike race in the world, the clocks were changed back an hour immediately after the Le Mans start to satisfy daylight savings.

The first three laps were spent at a much higher pace than anticipated. I continued lapping through the tent complaining that I was going out too fast yet I wouldn't slow down. In the middle of the fourth lap is when I had an unfortunate mechanical. Without much force to the rear derailleur, the spring snapped and rendered my shifter useless. No spring meant no counter tension to the derailleur cable, and no counter tension meant I was short on luck. On the return to the pit, I was spun out the entire time and made a poor attempt to regroup and instead, contemplated where to draw the line in adversity.

Chris shows no mercy.

We asked around for another spring or rear derailleur but to no avail. Lynda Wallenfels would bring another derailleur but that was hours away. We, more like Chris, tried everything but the best we could muster was manually placing the chain on the fourth largest cog and basically running a "triplespeed" or 3X1 drivetrain. There were times while I was riding where I had to give the derailleur a heel kick or pull to have the right gear. Joy. Not only did I have to manage mashing on pedals for the next three laps, but also deal with ghost shifting plus or minus two cogs for the next four hours until the derailleur showed up. For those three laps, my flow was disrupted, mentally I was breaking and visiting that "dark place" I had hoped for in my last blog post. I guess you can't pick and choose which dark place you're asking for! A terrible moment for me was when Bill Martin, eventual winner of the race with 20 laps, passed me only six-ish laps into the race. He steadily climbed while I felt like I was going in reverse. It crushed me and was a mental blow. I thought it was over. I wanted to compete and here I was displaying my amateur status and being passed this early in the race.

Where to draw the line was another riddle I had contemplated daily leading up to the race. How much money, time, patience, and resilience do I commit to even start this race before I pull the plug? It seemed like what could go wrong, did. More and more I engage in these experiences as if they are merely a test of my courage. I had contemplated where one draws the line when it's time to surrender to adversity. I'm not sure if Chris saw it on my face or if I had told him, but the image of him having a second and suitable rear derailleur in his hand made it easier to breathe. I had so many thoughts at that moment. I thought less about quitting and more about surging back up the ranks. But most of all, the thought that underscored everything, was hope. It felt like the first time in a while that something went more right than wrong. Granted, the "new" derailleur from Dave Harris was tweaked so I couldn't use the two large cogs of a 32 tooth cassette for the remainder of the race. This forced me to keep track of which gear I was in at all times and at every cog shift, I whispered what numbered cog I was pedaling for the remaining 15+ hours. Chris saved me, it wasn't the first time that weekend and it wasn't the last. Another time was when it was in the "witching hours" before sunrise. 13 hours is a long time of darkness no matter how you cut it. At one of the pits, I complained of having no energy, my legs were fine, but my nutrition was sinking and I couldn't tell why. Again, Chris was ahead of the game and had been frying the ultimate race superfood during my previous lap. Bacon. Topped with cheese and wrapped in a tortilla was another image of hope out of Chris's hand. I thought, "how could I ever stop with this much support?" Also, how could I ever stop with Lynda Wallenfels cheering me on and giving me advice along the way. I later had to tell Jonathan that a leading motivator was to have Lynda there in the pits. Just having her present by the campfire was plenty inspiration for me. I was determined that if I wanted Lynda to be my coach someday, then I didn't have a choice. I not only couldn't quit, I couldn't afford to give anything less than everything I had.

Once the 3X1 was turned into a 3X7, it was on. I asked Kathy if she could check the standings to see what I needed to do to get back to 3rd place. I then set off into the night with a bike, body, and spirits that felt brand new. When I returned, I was in seventh and smiling since power in my legs returned. Another lap or two and I was in sixth, then fifth. Towards the later part of the race, I was so brain dead that I couldn't tell how much time I had left to race or when I'd first see the sunrise. By then, it was the "witching hour" and I didn't believe that the darkness had an end. Eventually, I was proved wrong by the greatest sunrise of my entire life. I truly can't imagine a time where I was more happy to see the sun. Whether it's due to the disrupted circadian rhythms or not, I immediately found a new sense of energy and pushed hard for the remaining laps, so despite the fluctuating time in the pits, the last four laps had consecutively negative time splits down to a 1:12:17 split on the last lap. I was in position to return to the timing tent before the 25 hour mark which meant I had the opportunity to go for another lap and secure my placing. I missed it by one minute. Although, in the end I realized that I still would've placed 3rd despite the extra lap.

Bill Martin in 1st, Dave Byers in 2nd, and myself in 3rd.

At the time of the finish, I had raced 18 laps equal to 231 miles, 19,375 feet of climbing in 25 hours and 1 minute, good enough for 3rd place in the solo geared category and good enough for my first podium finish ever!

So, where do I draw the line? After this experience, I've learned that I'm even more uncertain. Maybe that's because the line is that much further away.

Here's a killer video by Chris Miller of the race...

So many thanks goes out to those who helped me make my first podium finish come alive. Anthony Thornton proactively offered his Radical Lights, not one, but two for this endeavor. Ben Welnak, of Twenty2 Cycles, who let me borrow his wheelset and yet another Radical Light while Amy was very encouraging as always and also donated tons of Halloween junk food calories and to my cause. Nom, nom, nom! Golden Bike Shop for their unwavering efforts to have my bike race ready when I need them most. Brad Keyes at CarboRocket for hooking me up with their fantastic product which was the only liquid carbohydrates I resorted to all race and experienced absolutely no GI Issues. Honey Stinger for their Waffles and Chews which I began and finished the race with. The Davis's for their wonderful family environment and for allowing me a piece of real estate in their RV for this very special trip. It was so motivating and supportive to be amongst the Davis family where Kathy was incredibly helpful in the pits, Berkley organizing the chaos in the timing tent, getting a high five of energy from Tanner out on course and Jonathan's advice before, during, and after the race. Eszter Horanyi for her racing wisdom and to travel with such a badass mountain biker was truly exciting. I also feel inclined to thank Dave Byers and Bill Martin for making their way down to Virgin, Utah despite the weather forecasts and pushing the pace so high. Without them, I wouldn't have learned what I did this weekend. I heard that Bill had an unfortunate fall so I hope he's ok. Given that he's one of the toughest enduro junkies around, I have no doubts that he's not letting this slow him down. I hope to race with and against these guys next year for another battle in the desert. Thanks to Lynda for her support and advice to get back on the bike when I'd linger in the pits. Also, thanks to Dave Harris for his endless support and for the second derailleur. I'm sure I wouldn't have podiumed with a triplespeed for the remainder of the race, although I would have tried! A big thank you to Cimarron Chacon and the Gro Promotions group and magnificent volunteers who helped organize an amazing 25 hour event. A special thanks goes to Chris Miller, who without his help, I'm not sure finishing what I started would've have been possible. He was clutch when my bike, my emotions, and my nutrition were in disarray. I seriously will never forget how much his help meant to me and made me realize that racing at this level cannot be done without the support of others.

Not only did Jonathan and Eszter win the Coed Duo, they also won the Duo Overall with a little encouragement from Lynda. 

Lynda with her students, Jonathan, Lynda, Eszter, and Dave. Unbelievable job everyone! 

Stoked to win some Ergon GS1's for 3rd place!

The first four breakfast plates were all mine. Nothing stands a chance the morning after a race.

I made the home page for Singletrack.com! 

Tanner's clearly more focused on recovery than I am with his legs elevated.

Weather for the first 17 hours

Weather for the last 7 hours

Singletrack Competitor online news home page

XXC Magazine (pages 38-43)

Singletrack Competitor article

MTB Race News article

25 Hours in Frog Hollow home page


See you out there,

Tim