Day 10 struggled to get going.. seems to be a common theme. So rode to Riverside (where I had really wanted to get to last night) and found the promised cafe for breakfast. It was a reall cool place. The manager, an old guy, was sat at a table in the middle of the room meeting with his friends. One was the BLM Land Manager and the other a Ranch guy. Just amused me that these guys all met up for a coffee and a chat every morning before going off to work. Really cool. So I sat and listened to them chatting for a while.
Eventually got back out there. There was a lot of strong head wind around, which did change direction every now and then. Scenery was beautiful and I started clocking up some miles. Felt really good crossing the border into Colorado. Barren open road - felt like the middle of nowhere.
had I mentioned my left hand stopped working a few days ago. No strength in it - not even able to do up my zip. Well I figured out why - its because I scrunch my hand as I hold my bars. So I have been trying to do a lot of hand exercises - just opening and closing - feeling a lot better now. Maybe I dont need to go find a doctor to see if my hand is going to fall off after all!
Shame was I rode really strongly up a long hill and was really looking forward to the descent. However a very strong headwind ruined that! Very depressing when you have a giant downhill and the wind stops the drama of it.
Met mum and dad in Kremmling which was awesome. Also managed to get my bike tuned and some air in my wheels there. Felt really good when I left Kremmling with big plans for the next few hours of cycling. I had been warned about the roadworks (road completely dug up) just a mile or so down the road by some bikers I had met earlier. Ridiculous piece of road - what had they done? Just gravel at best - at worst like sand and impossible to move. Stupid. Rode round the lake after the roadworks which was really pretty and I felt good. However I was expecting a 31 mile ride to Silverthorne but obviously my numbers were wrong. After the lake I pulled into a really strong headwind which along with the extra 15 miles just killed me. I was really bummed as i had hoped to reach at least Breckenridge and maybe even Fairplay. But I was dead so decided to get a hotel room. the thought of an Arby's cheered me up - closed. Mc Donalds then - closed. Burger King? Thats right - everywhere seems to close at 10pm here.Weird - its just off the I70 - I've been to tiny towns where they stay open later. Domino's Pizza delivered to my hotel room instead!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Trans Am Days 7,8,9 It's still all about the food!
Pretty good three days of riding.
In a hotel room right now 'cos i was freezing cold last night. I am smelly and horrible and have had two nights at the side of the road so am ready for a hotel night. I wanted to make it to Riverside and had plenty of time but I called ahead and there was no answer from the hotel there. I didnt want to take a chance of not getting a room and there not being anywhere to eat so this seemed the better option.
Two days ago 190 miles - pretty good day after my earlier problems. Felt much better food wise (still spending way too much time stopping to eat - but hey I guess thats just me). Yesterday was a real good day - a good tail wind in the morning which I paid for in the afternoon with a strong head wind.Stopped at a great cafe and met a really nice guy travelling the route in the opposite direction. He was touring but covering about 160 miles a day. Thats not touring - thats faster than some of us in this race! He is thinking of doing the race next year. So it was cool to talk to him in this really nice riverside cafe which served some of the best food ever. Meatballs and mashed potato and coffee cheesecake.
That was really good!
I did struggle to get to town as it got late. Headwind in the dark and getting cold.Seemed never ending. I tried to stay in a hotel but all full as there was a Beer Festival going on. So I literally walked off the main road into some long grass and lay down. As I was lying there I could see people walking along the path above me - and I remember thinking "They can totally see me". An dth enext thing I knew it was morning! So that worked!
Today was another good day. Wind helped. Seemed like a cross wind most of the time. I rode well until I got a flat tyre. Bit of a bummer. Put more sealant in it but it just won't stay full so I will have to see what happens overnight. I will probably have to put a tube in in the morning.. But that all cost me some time. However felt pretty good all day. Finally figured a few things out. It's a constant management problem - eat this, drink this - don't eat that, don't drink that. It's weird. This race seems to be more about managing food than cycling. Seems I am catching up slightly with the two guys just ahead. maybe I'll catch them yet!
Am hoping that when I wake in the morning I wont feel as awful as when I wake in my bivvy bag. My body aches everywhere. Wish my knees didn't feel as though they were going to explode. Maybe to do with the high cadence I try to keep. My muscles aren't really too sore - just my exploding knees. Odd. Oh well!
This is kind of funny: When I was talking with the guy yesterday he was asking all sorts of questions about the race. This is what I explained. Basically I get up in the morning and hurt all over, hungry and feel sick. Try to eat some food while wondering what on earth I am doing - this is ridiculous. get on my bike and struggle for a while, just trying to get going. A couple of hours in and I begin to think " OK this is not so bad. I could ride a few more hours" Then half way through the day and I've clocked up some miles and think "OK Yes I can do this. I can do another 100 easy" Then I get to about 150 miles and think that I can go all night! I can catch anyone! About an hour later and now I am feeling tired. At the 200's my thoughts are "OMG. Make it stop" And then at the 220's I am back to thinking" Why am I doing this? I want to go home"
So, pretty much full circle - nearly every day.
Today was nice though. I only did 170 miles so an easy day and I get to go to bed at 9 pm. I plan to get started again at 3am though. Good night!
In a hotel room right now 'cos i was freezing cold last night. I am smelly and horrible and have had two nights at the side of the road so am ready for a hotel night. I wanted to make it to Riverside and had plenty of time but I called ahead and there was no answer from the hotel there. I didnt want to take a chance of not getting a room and there not being anywhere to eat so this seemed the better option.
Two days ago 190 miles - pretty good day after my earlier problems. Felt much better food wise (still spending way too much time stopping to eat - but hey I guess thats just me). Yesterday was a real good day - a good tail wind in the morning which I paid for in the afternoon with a strong head wind.Stopped at a great cafe and met a really nice guy travelling the route in the opposite direction. He was touring but covering about 160 miles a day. Thats not touring - thats faster than some of us in this race! He is thinking of doing the race next year. So it was cool to talk to him in this really nice riverside cafe which served some of the best food ever. Meatballs and mashed potato and coffee cheesecake.
That was really good!
I did struggle to get to town as it got late. Headwind in the dark and getting cold.Seemed never ending. I tried to stay in a hotel but all full as there was a Beer Festival going on. So I literally walked off the main road into some long grass and lay down. As I was lying there I could see people walking along the path above me - and I remember thinking "They can totally see me". An dth enext thing I knew it was morning! So that worked!
Today was another good day. Wind helped. Seemed like a cross wind most of the time. I rode well until I got a flat tyre. Bit of a bummer. Put more sealant in it but it just won't stay full so I will have to see what happens overnight. I will probably have to put a tube in in the morning.. But that all cost me some time. However felt pretty good all day. Finally figured a few things out. It's a constant management problem - eat this, drink this - don't eat that, don't drink that. It's weird. This race seems to be more about managing food than cycling. Seems I am catching up slightly with the two guys just ahead. maybe I'll catch them yet!
Am hoping that when I wake in the morning I wont feel as awful as when I wake in my bivvy bag. My body aches everywhere. Wish my knees didn't feel as though they were going to explode. Maybe to do with the high cadence I try to keep. My muscles aren't really too sore - just my exploding knees. Odd. Oh well!
This is kind of funny: When I was talking with the guy yesterday he was asking all sorts of questions about the race. This is what I explained. Basically I get up in the morning and hurt all over, hungry and feel sick. Try to eat some food while wondering what on earth I am doing - this is ridiculous. get on my bike and struggle for a while, just trying to get going. A couple of hours in and I begin to think " OK this is not so bad. I could ride a few more hours" Then half way through the day and I've clocked up some miles and think "OK Yes I can do this. I can do another 100 easy" Then I get to about 150 miles and think that I can go all night! I can catch anyone! About an hour later and now I am feeling tired. At the 200's my thoughts are "OMG. Make it stop" And then at the 220's I am back to thinking" Why am I doing this? I want to go home"
So, pretty much full circle - nearly every day.
Today was nice though. I only did 170 miles so an easy day and I get to go to bed at 9 pm. I plan to get started again at 3am though. Good night!
Trans Am Days 5 and 6 Things not going so well
Enjoyed a good night in the hotel. But was just so difficult to leave in the morning. So nice to shower and especially wash out my bike gear as it was beyond belief bad. So bad that I didn't even try to wear my socks yesterday I rode barefoot. I think they could have stood up on their own. But of course at 5.30 am it was all soaking wet - the heater had automatically turned off. So I turned the heat on and immediately fell back to sleep for a couple of hours. So then when I finally got moving it was late. I went for breakfast and just felt really awful. Maybe I slept too long - that meant 8 hours without any food. Who knows? I struggled for 20 miles. Found a littlevtown and had a great bowl of chilli. 10 miles to the next town when I couldveat again. I feel like I am building up my food levels in the mornings having lost it all during the night. Maybe I should try to eat more before I go to bed. Anyway it's a beautiful day so I need to keep riding/racing. It's a fine line between racing and surviving and just going a little slower to actually be able to have some fun and enjoy the ride. Just trying to figure out where that line is.
Well here I am sitting in a log cabin at a Hot Springs. The last two days I have spent far too long sitting in cafes and restaurants trying to catch up with food. Yesterday I killed it riding. Rode 195 miles in 12 hours but then wasted just as many sitting around eating. I just feel yuk and started getting a scratchy throat today. It's just not worth it. So I have stopped at this funny little place and have myself a cabin. Ate and then took a dip in the natural hot springs. It's now 9 pm and I amhaving an early night. I will get up early in the morning and carry on riding. Need to try to figure out this whole ride/eat thing. It's not like when I have the boys supporting me in the van with food ready whenever I want it. It's not working as well as I had hoped. But my goal is to finish - so I just need to work it all out.
I am falling apart: soles of my feet bruised. Shoes feel too small so riding without socks. Then calves cramp up. Need my compression socks for calves and Achilles. Knees feel they are going to explode. Quads feel wonderful. Bottom a little sore. Stomach never happy. Back and shoulders - in and out good bad. Covered in mosquito bites.
Arrived in Hamilton really late last night and stopped in a little park. Probably should have stopped earlier. Had stopped at Mc Donald's earlier and felt great and then continued to a petrol station at around midnight. But their tills were down and so they couldn't serve me and so I felt dreadful by the time I reached Hamilton. Shame because I had overtaken one guy and was within 10 miles of another. Of course they are both way ahead of me again now.
But I still think it's best to recover and feel good again. Then I just need to figure out how to ride and eat and stop less often. Good night.
Well here I am sitting in a log cabin at a Hot Springs. The last two days I have spent far too long sitting in cafes and restaurants trying to catch up with food. Yesterday I killed it riding. Rode 195 miles in 12 hours but then wasted just as many sitting around eating. I just feel yuk and started getting a scratchy throat today. It's just not worth it. So I have stopped at this funny little place and have myself a cabin. Ate and then took a dip in the natural hot springs. It's now 9 pm and I amhaving an early night. I will get up early in the morning and carry on riding. Need to try to figure out this whole ride/eat thing. It's not like when I have the boys supporting me in the van with food ready whenever I want it. It's not working as well as I had hoped. But my goal is to finish - so I just need to work it all out.
I am falling apart: soles of my feet bruised. Shoes feel too small so riding without socks. Then calves cramp up. Need my compression socks for calves and Achilles. Knees feel they are going to explode. Quads feel wonderful. Bottom a little sore. Stomach never happy. Back and shoulders - in and out good bad. Covered in mosquito bites.
Arrived in Hamilton really late last night and stopped in a little park. Probably should have stopped earlier. Had stopped at Mc Donald's earlier and felt great and then continued to a petrol station at around midnight. But their tills were down and so they couldn't serve me and so I felt dreadful by the time I reached Hamilton. Shame because I had overtaken one guy and was within 10 miles of another. Of course they are both way ahead of me again now.
But I still think it's best to recover and feel good again. Then I just need to figure out how to ride and eat and stop less often. Good night.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Trans Am Days 3 and 4
So my second nights sleep was under the bridge. I was just so hot - not to mention stinking, sweaty and gross. I had planned on sleeping in my bike gear but it was so disgusting I chnged into my down gear. Of course that was hotter still. An interesting night! Yuk. Of course in the morning I had to put on my super sweaty shorts and top again. Can't even talk about my socks.
Day 3. Breakfast, then Brunch and lunch.
A lot slower today. Just feel like I need to eat all the time. And the heat doesn't help. Very pretty though. Just didn't seem to be getting the miles in along the rolling hills but picked up a nit at the end of the day. Was able to stop at a
Title town and stock up enough for the final section. Just about made it.
Found a cafe and thought if I slept close by I would be able to have breakfast in the morning. I trenches into the woods and just threw down my sleeping bag. Same problems of course - I was just as disgusting and gross - well, worse really. However I slept pretty good.
Day 4: woke up next morningand my bike gear was just too wet to put on at this stage so I rode in my down pants and jacket for a while. I was too early for the cafe in the end but knew there would be somewhere else in about another 20 miles so I started riding. Made sure I had plenty of water and rode alongside a beautiful dam a climbed to the top. After about half hour of riding I was so hot I decided to put my bike gear on - actually wasn't so bad putting it on while warm! A beautiful morning alongside the lake. Then turned slightly inland with a bit of a climb. Found a great little place for breakfast. Carried on with another climb - seemed unbearably hot. Every time I reached a town I stopped for far too long - eating and drinking. Ha ha. That's one thing that confuses me. Everywhere I go I ask for Dr Peppers and a water. I get the two glasses of drinks but only ever one straw. Are you supposed to share? Is it just me only allowed one straw?
Anyway the day went on. It was so hot that half way up one long climb I just stopped and fell asleep under a tree. When I woke the clouds had rolled in and it was a little cooler. It felt great. Really helped me finish the climb. Down the other side and came to a salmon River. There were cars parked up everywhere. People fishing. One guy was selling smoked salmon so I pulled over to buy some. They were huge salmon - about 2 feet long - seemed so big for such a small river. So I bought some thinking that should help me later on. It did. About 9 pm I got to the start of a 10 mile climb. I ate one of the salmon and a sandwich. The climb seemed to go on and on and on but I made it. Amazing hough. Pitch black with twinkling lights beckoning at the bottom. I was actually on a road parallel to the Highway so every now and then would be lit up by cars passing in both directions. Eventually reached the top and enjoyed a good descent to a village. I was undecided as to whether to continue but in the end was tempted by a hotel room for the night.
Day 3. Breakfast, then Brunch and lunch.
A lot slower today. Just feel like I need to eat all the time. And the heat doesn't help. Very pretty though. Just didn't seem to be getting the miles in along the rolling hills but picked up a nit at the end of the day. Was able to stop at a
Title town and stock up enough for the final section. Just about made it.
Found a cafe and thought if I slept close by I would be able to have breakfast in the morning. I trenches into the woods and just threw down my sleeping bag. Same problems of course - I was just as disgusting and gross - well, worse really. However I slept pretty good.
Day 4: woke up next morningand my bike gear was just too wet to put on at this stage so I rode in my down pants and jacket for a while. I was too early for the cafe in the end but knew there would be somewhere else in about another 20 miles so I started riding. Made sure I had plenty of water and rode alongside a beautiful dam a climbed to the top. After about half hour of riding I was so hot I decided to put my bike gear on - actually wasn't so bad putting it on while warm! A beautiful morning alongside the lake. Then turned slightly inland with a bit of a climb. Found a great little place for breakfast. Carried on with another climb - seemed unbearably hot. Every time I reached a town I stopped for far too long - eating and drinking. Ha ha. That's one thing that confuses me. Everywhere I go I ask for Dr Peppers and a water. I get the two glasses of drinks but only ever one straw. Are you supposed to share? Is it just me only allowed one straw?
Anyway the day went on. It was so hot that half way up one long climb I just stopped and fell asleep under a tree. When I woke the clouds had rolled in and it was a little cooler. It felt great. Really helped me finish the climb. Down the other side and came to a salmon River. There were cars parked up everywhere. People fishing. One guy was selling smoked salmon so I pulled over to buy some. They were huge salmon - about 2 feet long - seemed so big for such a small river. So I bought some thinking that should help me later on. It did. About 9 pm I got to the start of a 10 mile climb. I ate one of the salmon and a sandwich. The climb seemed to go on and on and on but I made it. Amazing hough. Pitch black with twinkling lights beckoning at the bottom. I was actually on a road parallel to the Highway so every now and then would be lit up by cars passing in both directions. Eventually reached the top and enjoyed a good descent to a village. I was undecided as to whether to continue but in the end was tempted by a hotel room for the night.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Trans Am Day 1 and 2
Just want to begin with a few thank yous. To Kevin for picking me up from the airport in Portland and helping me put my bike together and getting my stuff ready before I set off for Astoria. Another huge thank you to Jason at JinjimCycles for building such an awesome bike - it's great! Also to Charlie from BodyFloat who came down to the start to check my BodyFloat seat post - he dialed it in and rode with us for a while.
The group start was really cool - not as many as I thought - about 40 riders turned up. It was a misty, eerie start to the day - temperature was perfect. The ride started off zig zagging through little country lanes and gave plenty of opportunity to chat to the different riders - from all over the world. It was cool to see all the different bikes in action. One guy on a velomobile, another on a single speed and another on a Time Trial bike. Plenty of road, cross and touring bikes. We travelled along the coast road, dipping inland now and then. Some beautiful scenery - as if the mist was floating over the river and fields.
I did mange to goatee wrong way twice on the first day - those of you following on Spot Trackleaders will have seen this. My Garmin got water in it a few weeks ago and I just can't get rid of it which makes the screen difficult to see. Especially in the position Imhad it down on my stem. So I have moved it now up,onto my aerobars and although it is at a weird Nile I can see it more clearly. No more wrong turns!!
Felt I rode well that first day - felt awesome - 245 miles and I couldn't believe how great I felt at the end of the day. It helped that the terrain was mainly flat and that there was a tail wind for most of the day. Managed o stay in a hotel the first night which provided an opportunity to charge my phone properly. I have three different leads - any one of which will wok with certain chargers but not others. Very confusing. Anyway I am fully charged and plan to keep my phone in airplane mode as much as possible. Just check in evey now and then for texts and voice messages.
After a good sleep I headed out early and felt good all morning. Too much stopping though - for meals - I just couldn't get my food intake right. Weird - today felt more like the first day than the first day did. I began to struggle - there were some big hill climbs but Impowered up them OK and enjoyed the descents and great views. View of the Sisters was spectacular and the snow on the mountains also made for some great scenery. As the day progressed it got really hot and I started to feel really crappy. It was my feet that suffered most. Started with my right foot feeling blistered, then cramps and bruising in my left foot. So I slowed down and stopped to stck my feet in the river for a while. Very soothing. I worried that I didn't want to push too much too early and then realized that was exactly what I had been doing. Pushing hard all days. Trying to power up those hills - my legs didn't mind but I guess my feet did. I need to ease back a little - spin the pedals a little bit more. Pedal up the hills rather than power up them! There is a long way to go.
I reached a long 15 mile downhill and decided I would stop for the night at the bottom. Easier said than done- couldn't find anywhere to stop. River on one side of the road and cliffs on the other. When I got past the cliffs there was barbed wire alongside. Eventually I reached a bridge and crawled under to get some sleep.
The group start was really cool - not as many as I thought - about 40 riders turned up. It was a misty, eerie start to the day - temperature was perfect. The ride started off zig zagging through little country lanes and gave plenty of opportunity to chat to the different riders - from all over the world. It was cool to see all the different bikes in action. One guy on a velomobile, another on a single speed and another on a Time Trial bike. Plenty of road, cross and touring bikes. We travelled along the coast road, dipping inland now and then. Some beautiful scenery - as if the mist was floating over the river and fields.
I did mange to goatee wrong way twice on the first day - those of you following on Spot Trackleaders will have seen this. My Garmin got water in it a few weeks ago and I just can't get rid of it which makes the screen difficult to see. Especially in the position Imhad it down on my stem. So I have moved it now up,onto my aerobars and although it is at a weird Nile I can see it more clearly. No more wrong turns!!
Felt I rode well that first day - felt awesome - 245 miles and I couldn't believe how great I felt at the end of the day. It helped that the terrain was mainly flat and that there was a tail wind for most of the day. Managed o stay in a hotel the first night which provided an opportunity to charge my phone properly. I have three different leads - any one of which will wok with certain chargers but not others. Very confusing. Anyway I am fully charged and plan to keep my phone in airplane mode as much as possible. Just check in evey now and then for texts and voice messages.
After a good sleep I headed out early and felt good all morning. Too much stopping though - for meals - I just couldn't get my food intake right. Weird - today felt more like the first day than the first day did. I began to struggle - there were some big hill climbs but Impowered up them OK and enjoyed the descents and great views. View of the Sisters was spectacular and the snow on the mountains also made for some great scenery. As the day progressed it got really hot and I started to feel really crappy. It was my feet that suffered most. Started with my right foot feeling blistered, then cramps and bruising in my left foot. So I slowed down and stopped to stck my feet in the river for a while. Very soothing. I worried that I didn't want to push too much too early and then realized that was exactly what I had been doing. Pushing hard all days. Trying to power up those hills - my legs didn't mind but I guess my feet did. I need to ease back a little - spin the pedals a little bit more. Pedal up the hills rather than power up them! There is a long way to go.
I reached a long 15 mile downhill and decided I would stop for the night at the bottom. Easier said than done- couldn't find anywhere to stop. River on one side of the road and cliffs on the other. When I got past the cliffs there was barbed wire alongside. Eventually I reached a bridge and crawled under to get some sleep.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
TransAm Bike Race 2015 June 2 2015
Well I hope I am ready! It's a bit late now if not as I am on the plane on the way to Portland. Whew!
The last week has been good and I managed to test out my bike with some decent rides with plenty of altitude and plenty of weather as well as a good few miles! There have been a few stressful times - today was like that. I woke at 5am ready to pack my bike and fly to Portland with a 9.30 flight. Then my very clever phone tells me I am due to fly in 18 hours. That's not right. That was when I realized I had got my am and pm mixed up. That is why I prefer 24 hour clocks! I normally fly BA and they always use the 24 hour format. All in all it was good - -gave me more time to get ready. I soon had the bike in the box and
ready and packed with just one thing left to do - load the maps on my GPS. This turned out to be a nightmare and ended up taking me the rest of the day. What ever I tried didn't work. I think I need a new computer. Eventually I managed to download them probably not by the easiest method. That was a relief.
But other than that I am feeling good.Had a few good training rides this week and my first trip up pass. The bike is great thanks to Jason at Jinji Cycle. We made a lot of good choices building it. My Apidura bags work great and with the help of some vacuum bags my stuff fits with room to spare. Which is awesome! I have also been using my recovery boots regularly and all in all am feeling good. I am ready to go.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Guinness World Record News
Its been as busy as ever here on the mountains in Beaver Creek so far this season -another great Birds of Prey Downhill World Championship for 2012! Had a message from Guinness a few weeks ago saying that my world record had been broken!! Gutted! Well - no not really - I always knew it wouldn't take too much to break it. But at least the news has spurred me into activity - it's obviously time I set a new one! The plan is to do so in Europe this summer from Norway to Spain!! So now I need to get planning and training!! Obviously haven't had much chance to get out on the bike recently so my plan is to take time off in January to go on a long multi day training ride !!! More details about all this later. As usual I will be raising money for Lupus research (haven't asked anyone for donations for ages!!) I am also looking for fresh sponsorship so if anyone is interested (or knows someone who might be ) please let me know!! Now I just need to get my brother to update my website - and I promise to start writing those blogs again!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)