At least in the race department.
The rest of the trip was grand. Robin and I enjoyed a beautiful drive on quiet Wisconsin roads as we watched the fall colors creep into the trees with every mile. We had a quiet, cute, and clean hotel room. And we enjoyed two great dinners (and beers) at the Angry Minnow Brewery, the first night with Steve and Cody, and second with the Eppens (Tandem Champions! Again!). And to make things even nicer, the drive home was significantly faster than the drive there.
As for my race . . . well, I can think of three significant changes to make before next year.
First, I will not eat a big greasy breakfast. I knew the race would be long and hard and due to my predisposition towards bonking I felt I should fuel up with things I know I like. Eggs, potatoes, and toast always work well for me, but the Northwoods style breakfast did not sit well. I had some nice burning acid reflux until just after OO. Yuck.
Second, I will wake up even earlier to get my bike on the start line. In '01 I scored a great spot a little after 6 am. This year I was there at about quarter to 6 and there were already a few hundred bikes on the line. And that didn't include the preferred starters. I saw the sign saying when I could put my bike down, so I will be there that early next year.
Third, I will ride my mountain bike more. I had lots of plans to do this and I have a number of silly reasons for not doing it, like getting Poison Ivy and being lazy about finding the right gear ratio to run. For the most part bikes are bikes, but rigid single speeds do work some special muscles, and right now it hurts to bend over and tie my shoes.
I had a really great time between about mile 15 and mile 30something. I felt strong on the hills and rolled well with some fast, small groups, even taking some pulls on the fireroad climbs. My gear choice felt pretty good, too. At least in those miles it did. I did a lot of "running" in the last 8 miles or so. But I do think this was the year to be on a single speed. The rain, sand, and puddles really wrecked some drivetrains, and in the final few miles I watched one poor young soul look down in bewilderment as his chain sucked the derailleur right off his frame. So at least I didn't have that to contend with. And I shouldn't next year either.
Perhaps I will have some more thoughts later, and if I'm lucky some photos. After perusing the plethora of photos available already I can say that being a mediocre finisher is not a good way to get your picture taken. It seems the documenters all reloaded their camera cartridges when I went by, so I'll either need to speed it up or slow it down to get some photo love next year.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Final Preparations
This was the last weekend before the big
Chequamegon 40 mountain bike race. I have been spending the last few rides on my singlespeed to get used to it. I should have done this many weeks ago instead of days ago, but oh well.
I got some lighter and faster rolling tires for the race and also put a big 36-16 on the 1x1. I'm hoping it is not too tall for me, but other Cheq vets are telling me I should go bigger and just prepare for some running over the crests of the hills. Ouch! I think I'll stick with what I've got. It feels good on the hilly gravel routes I've been testing it on. And I also don't have any bigger options.
Today I met Steve and Jim for some nice riding out at Sugar Bottom. Steve is also doing the Fat this year, and we spent many miles convincing Jim to give it a go next year. Others decided to take a more secretive approach to their final preparations and not accompany us to Sugar Bottom. I have no idea what those secret preparations entail, but they will no doubt involve some fancy razor work.
The trails were in much better shape than the last time I went in late July. There was still poison ivy everywhere, though. Hopefully I steered clear of it. I pre-medicated and post-medicated, so that could make a difference, too.
The ride was nice and relaxed in the beginning and then picked up a lot when we ran into big Todd on his singlespeed.
I was worried about pushing a large 36-17 on the twisty, hilly trails today, as I am used to running a 33-17, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I hope that means I'm ready for the race.
Chequamegon 40 mountain bike race. I have been spending the last few rides on my singlespeed to get used to it. I should have done this many weeks ago instead of days ago, but oh well.
I got some lighter and faster rolling tires for the race and also put a big 36-16 on the 1x1. I'm hoping it is not too tall for me, but other Cheq vets are telling me I should go bigger and just prepare for some running over the crests of the hills. Ouch! I think I'll stick with what I've got. It feels good on the hilly gravel routes I've been testing it on. And I also don't have any bigger options.
Today I met Steve and Jim for some nice riding out at Sugar Bottom. Steve is also doing the Fat this year, and we spent many miles convincing Jim to give it a go next year. Others decided to take a more secretive approach to their final preparations and not accompany us to Sugar Bottom. I have no idea what those secret preparations entail, but they will no doubt involve some fancy razor work.
The trails were in much better shape than the last time I went in late July. There was still poison ivy everywhere, though. Hopefully I steered clear of it. I pre-medicated and post-medicated, so that could make a difference, too.
The ride was nice and relaxed in the beginning and then picked up a lot when we ran into big Todd on his singlespeed.
I was worried about pushing a large 36-17 on the twisty, hilly trails today, as I am used to running a 33-17, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I hope that means I'm ready for the race.
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