This Week on the Bicycle

Due to weather conditions on the mountain passes and a 24 hour bug that hit me like a ton of bricks late in the week, it was decided that I was to stay close and take it easy. As always, I had no qualms with back to back weekend days spent at Buffalo Creek. It's by far my favorite place to ride a bicycle in the Colorado foothills. Brett Ebben and I spent both days exploring fire roads covered with 6" of fresh powder.

Saturday...

Wellington Lake

That's a broken rear fender.

Sunday...

More Wellington Lake 

So typical.

Colorado Trail Segment 3

Buffalo Burn, always so sweet no matter what time of the year.

Thanks for reading,

Tim

This Week on the Bicycle

Thanks to Santa Cruz Bicycles for their tremendous support, I spent the early part of the week building up my ultimate training bike, I've named Jonesy. It's for the big back to back weekend climbing days in Moab, Fruita, Crested Butte, Keystone, and most of all, Breckenridge. Golden Bike Shop had put in the finishing touches to get me on the trail in time for the weekend. I'm finally equipped with a bike that can take the abuse of big day rides without a full time mechanic to be on call 24/7.

After the Amasa Back descent, I nicknamed it to Drop City, it was amazing what I already do on my new all mountain bike.

After my first drop at Dead Man's Ridge, I immediately thought of hot butter on a warm biscuit, I wonder why :).

Pipe Dream Trail

Possibly my favorite climb in the universe, Porcupine Rim Trail's first section.

Porcupine Rim view.

On Sunday, Fruita's Kokopelli Trail.

Thanks for reading,

Tim

This Week on the Bicycle

The week...

First ever ride with Ida en route to work.

I've got a great feeling about sunrise (and sunset) rides this year.

Another sub 15 degree commute with Oscar, chalked up to the winter ultra endurance racing  that lies ahead.

The weekend...

One of many stunning views in my first winter wonderland joyride with Ida in Winter Park.

This site grabbed such a hold of me that I've spent all of tonight researching what I need to have and know to spend a few peacefully quiet nights here.

For the first time in my life, I want winter to last.

Foxton Road en route to finally finding my way via bicycle to Buffalo Creek. 

Deckers.

Platte River Road, just gorgeous.

Tim

2013 Riding, Racing, and Courage

Here's what I've drawn out to map what I want 2013 to look like. I'm expecting more and different styles of riding and racing than 2012. Lots of bikepacking on a Santa Cruz Highball C or soon to be super cushy Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc, more back to back giant rides and overnighters in Moab, Crested Butte, and of course Breckenridge. That place has my heart. In Autumn, I'm addressing the absenteeism of a fat bike in my life to avoid the seemingly weekly wintry defeats of dead end trails due to 6" of powder. The Arrowhead 135 is on my radar in 2014, and ultimately the Iditarod Trail Invitational in 2015. That'll be the story, I'm sticking to it, and this year will be phenomenal amounts of adventure, new beginnings, and a helluva grand time. There's no way I'm going to let myself grow old with regret, wishing I would have grabbed life by the horns while I still had the legs and the courage. Here's to living in the moment and going confidently in the direction of your dreams...

See you out there,

Tim

My Brother Has Arrived

You know you've arrived to superstardom when you have your very own beer commercial. Here's my brother, Chris Lutz, who plays professional basketball for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association. Way to get back up Chris!

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10151435102747485

Thanks for watching!

Tim

2012 24 Hour Solo Nationals Podium Change: 4th Place

I received news this morning regarding the article below. It's the first time that my podium standings have been affected by a competitor taking a banned substance. In this case, his name is Cyril Jay-Rayon (#2 spot in the pic below) from California and the prescription drug is Provigil. It helps you stay awake and increases strength. Maybe someone should introduce him to coffee. I heard it's glorious and it's race legal :). It's a very upsetting situation. I thought I was safe from the shenanigans in 24 solos but apparently not. I by no means think anyone else that are top 24 solo competitors are taking banned substances. I'm not going to say that it's good that the race was sanctioned by USA Cycling due to their foolish decisions regarding the 2013 24 hour racing categories. But, fortunately drug testing was mandatory for the top two finishers. It's a careless and selfless act and for what? If you need to take banned substances to compete in 24 solos then you don't belong. If you don't want to or can't race in circles for 24 hours banned substance free, then don't. Leave it to those that do enjoy it. Hell, I can't get enough of it and I wish 24's were 30's, 36's, or 500K's with the same format. I did two of four 24's in 2012 unsupported and faired well by doing the following: be prepared, drink coffee, think positive, be patient, intelligently eat and drink, don't be a hero, and ride your bike. If that doesn't work and you lose, then you lose with grace and dignity to honest and bad ass riders. And, whether you win or lose, learn the lessons.

The podium has officially been shifted by USA Cycling, placing me in 4th. At this point, I don't need the world to know and I don't need a new medal to prove it. That's not what 24 solos are about. I want others to know that this is a careless and selfless act that affects others and ultimately brings significant damage to the identity of the user and further poisons a sport that needs rebuilding from these types of episodes.

I've been informed of great news on a global level of 24 hour racing by the president of the Mountain Bike Australia federation. WEMBO, the organizer of the 2012 24 Hour Solo World Championships in Italy had mandated drug testing for the top 10 males and top 7 female riders. That's fantastic news and a breath of fresh air! All the more reason to motivate me for the 2013 24 Hour Solo World Championships in Canberra, Australia, also put on by WEMBO. Word is, Australia is the place to be for a 24 solo racers. It's THE race of all races for me, so hopefully I will have the privilege to be a part of this experience.

USADA article
http://www.usada.org/media/sanction-jayrayon123112

USA Cycling anti-doping article
http://www.usacycling.org/cycling-athlete-jay-rayon-accepts-sanction-for-anti-doping-rule.htm

USA Cycling nationals race article
http://www.usacycling.org/chambers-kirkland-ride-to-2012-24-hour-mtb-nationals-solo-titles.htm


It was and always wil be a spectacular day in my life, but I'm not done yet. I'm not even close and I'll do it drug free.

Thank you for reading. I apologize about the bitter post but actions like this are inexcuseable.

Tim

25 Hours in Frog Hollow Solo: 3rd Place

25 Hours in Frog Hollow was fast and in hindsight, I should have raced it faster. I ended with 21 laps, good for 273 miles, 23K of climbing, and finished in 25 hours, 34 minutes and unsupported. I’m still having difficulty emptying the tank on 24 solos. I had a 1:07 last lap which was my 5^th fastest lap and explains what direction I will be taking my training regimen…power and confidence. I always have the next race to get it together, 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.  I’m beginning to collect the tools to start applying more structured and measured training. Actually, any structure whatsoever would be more than I’ve had in years. For kicks, I did my first set of 3X20’s on a commute from work on the Thursday following the race. I’ve kept going out for rides since then to find the bottom, but it’s as if I’m already recovered. As always, I’ll take everything my legs give me.

If there is a race that I hold closest to my heart, 25 Hours in Frog Hollow is it. Cimarron Chacon, race organizer for Gro-Promotions, consistently presents a fantastic race venue with a friendly race atmosphere in one of the most gorgeous places in the world. The Mount Zion National Park is the back drop. That’s ridiculous. During the race, I remember taking mental snapshots of the sunset against Mount Zion and hoping I didn’t crash because I couldn’t peel my eyes off how unreal it was. I told myself that when the night is long, I have the sunrise to look forward to. It proved to be the greatest sunrise I’ve ever experienced. With mechanicals aside, it certainly helped to have the best witching hour laps of my life, so I had that going for me.

The course, located in Virgin, Utah was ultra fast this year, blue groove fast. The best trail of all, the Gem Trail, is a euphoric experience every single time. If you don’t know, then you need to take a look for yourself. It’s insane and I got to rail it 21 times and it never grew old. Racing is so much fun at Frog Hollow, it just doesn’t ever seem to hurt as much as the other 24’s. Do I need to mention that I’ll be back next year?! Whether I do the 24 Hour Solo World Championships next year or not, three weeks is plenty of time to travel back to the States and race like hell. 

Unfortunately, mechanicals continue to be a critical issue still. This time around, my fork was so packed up by 10pm at night that I raced the next 13 hours with literally an inch of sticky travel. Luckily, I’ve experienced this issue with my fork all year so I’ve become accustomed to it. I also experienced a broken spoke on both rear wheels by 4am so to compensate with the issues and for the rest of the race, I switched the pro pedal off to lean the bike back a bit and tip toed around the technical terrain that threatened the life of my wheel. I now know to adjust my 24 hour race template to include three wheelsets and two forks. Lesson learned. I have a secondary race bike from the Golden Bike Shop on the way so hopefully that’ll alleviate these issues. As always, thanks to Bo, Matt, Dane, and Taylor at GBS for helping me find the right bike for training!

Being nearly two weeks removed I am finding it difficult to provide a play by play of the race. It all seems to become a blur after the race and I swear I have a short term memory when it comes to racing. Maybe it’s because the day after the race, I had started focusing on the next 24 hour solo. Hell, I recall that I was thinking about 24 Hours in the OP on my last lap. By now, I’m identifying errors and corrections for winter training and racing the next 24. 3^rd Place was nice but I’m not exactly going to the races to lose. Congrats to Mark Wallace for getting 2^nd place and to Andy Wiedrich for hauling ass and snagging the top spot. It was great to race against those guys and it was pretty awesome that the podium racers all lived within 45 minutes of each other. It was bizarre that none of us passed each other during the race so it seemed that our standings had been established within the first several hours of the race.

The most dominating thought that lingers from this race is the question “Why didn’t I go faster?” I have no idea what I was waiting for. As if I was going to die from racing my bike too fast (actually that is a possibility, see the film 24Solo and you'll know what I mean). Maybe it’s because I’m so far removed from the race that the memory of how much suffering was involved is completely erased. But the thing is, I know that for the entire duration of the race, I had very little build up of lactic acid in my legs which brings me back to the question, “Why the hell didn’t I go faster?” Am I pacing for a 30 hour race? I’m not leaving everything on course which is a problem that will need to be addressed. Again, 24 Hours in the OP.

I’m going to the Philippines Sunday for a couple weeks to see my brother, so I couldn’t be more excited! There is no place I’d rather be than to be a spectator in the stands and watch him play. This will be the “off season” since I really don’t have a choice but to eats tons of sushi like it’s candy J and watch my brother kill it in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Petron Blaze Boosters. When I return, I'll throw a leg over the new bike and power meter for a heavy but very fun volume of winter training on canyon roads and finding clean trails wherever I can.

In closing out the last race of a solid 2012 season, I'd like to thank Candlepower Technology with their amazing lighting system, the TT1800. It puts me in the position to go fast during the night laps and removes me from the mercy of a poorly performing lighting system. Maxxis for supporting me in 2012 and 2013 with, hands down, the best racing tire on the market, the Maxxis Ikon. Nothing rails better than this tire while providing superior durability. Honey Stinger for their waffles and new organic gels which I use extensively in training and racing. I have fortunately been able to dial and schedule my intake during the 24 hour solos and these two products have provided an answer to avoiding GI stress and minimizing the race menu to only a few necessary products. Some racers like variety but I've learned lately that all I need is a few, select options. Also, Ergon for making products that fit the rider instead of the rider having to fit to the product. I couldn't imagine racing a solo without the Ergon GS2 grips. These grips allow for several hand positions and enough platform to minimize hand numbness even during the longer races. Thank you to Stan's NoTubes for the support this year and hopefully, I'll be back on board in 2013! I need me some indestructible wheels for training like the Flow EX's! Of course, thank you to the employees at Golden Bike Shop for being my bike's hospital and for the fantastic hospitality each time at the shop! Most of all, thank you to friends and family for the support along the way! I may have gone unsupported but it takes a village to get to the start line and is a massive boost of confidence when you know others are cheering for you and awaiting your results.

Thanks for reading! 

Tim

Preparing for 3 24 Solos

Stating that I am emotionally charged is an understatement. Taking on 3 24's in 5 weeks isn't going to be an easy task and will be a trip to remember, including the good and the not so good. I've been revisited by a special thought this morning. I understand that the races are races and in the moment, it looks like you're in a battle with the riders ahead and behind you but this is nowhere near the case. It's not a battle, it's a war within oneself and the only person I've truly competed against is the very person that intimidates me the most...myself. Nothing scares the shit out of me more than my own expectations. I have so much respect for all the fantastic riders that I will see very shortly because I know that they think the same. I know they're out to challenge themselves and see how alive one can truly feel.

I know that all this training, racing, and challenges I present myself are to maintain my sanity. Honestly, if I passed on these 24's it would create an insanity that would just rip me apart. So here goes nothing, for all those training rides and all the justice I need in my life, I'm ready to throw down. I'm so motivated by the poor relationships in the past that didn't show an ounce of support for my habits and for the lady that hit me with her 4Runner in January. This is a message that I've left those people behind. I just wish I could race myself from this past June when I won my first 24 hour solo because psychologically and physically I would kick the snot out of that dude. I'm not going to lie, I have had detailed thoughts of going down to the 24 Hours of Enchanted Forest course next spring all by myself to set up shop, simulate the race, and beat my results from June. I wouldn't put it past me. Besides, it would give me more time on the Nationals course for 2013 and 2014.

See you out there,

Tim

5 Weeks, 3 24 Hour Solos: Nats, Moab, Frog Hollow

I’ve heard of a story that occurred at Woodstock in 1969 between Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix took the stage and performed one of his miraculous songs while Clapton stood with the audience and in awe. After the song, the story is that Clapton turned to someone and expressed his new question, “What do I do now?”

 

That’s how training on the bike is and has been for a while, especially lately. For as much control as I think I have over this behavior, I’m not so sure I have as much control as I think I do. It must be the way I’m wired. It must be Type A. If there were a Type A+, that would be me. Every night after a ride, I am typically satisfied with my ride but by morning, that satisfaction is long gone and in that new day I need to prove myself all over again. There’s part of me that assumes the Clapton role and part of me that assumes the Hendrix role to get to where I want to be. Sometimes I feel like I’m the driver, sometimes I feel like I’m the passenger just watching the story develop and in wonder of what I’m going to do next. It’s one in the same with my analogy that what’s today’s ceiling is tomorrow’s floor and I continue like I’m building a skyscraper. What was once satisfaction becomes the expectation. This can somewhat explain why I continue to ride the way I do and lately has been no exception. Suddenly, my typical 18K feet of climbing in Breckenridge every weekend is not enough and I already have ideas for next summer to start at night and end in the next day’s light. I don’t really have much of a choice. The ceiling’s are brief and are almost always a barrier that our own mind has built. Breckenridge training over the last 2 months, weekend in and weekend out has been such an enlightening experiencing that I am still tremendously confused about what has transcended and how my mind and body has developed in ways that are overwhelming at times. If you don’t take your mind where it needs to go, the body will never follow. So if there are barriers that are unbroken and excused by excuses then there’s no way I will succeed. I’m about to challenge myself with three 24 solos in 5 weeks beginning with Nationals next weekend to see what I’m made up of. To see if all this internal dialogue is true. To see if the belief in myself is limited or unlimited because honestly, I think I’ve been searching for a roof that just doesn’t exist. If I believe I can do anything I set my mind to, then that gives me the liberty to exhaust that option.

 

Yesterday, I decided to add Nationals to my fall race schedule so this should be interesting on many levels. I’m just unbelievably fortunate to be alive and to have the ability to say there’s nothing I’d rather do with my life than to race 24 solos against racers like Tinker Juarez, Cameron Chambers, Josh Tostado, and Bill Martin, amongst others. In the next six weeks, I’ll be racing against all of them. Nothing is certain and I have no clue what’s in store, but I can be prepared. It may be hell but I’m so easily and unbelievably motivated and inspired by so many entities and incredible people, that if I need to put myself through hell to get to where I need to be, then hell it is.

 

See you on the trails,

 

Tim

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.