Thursday, June 12, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Thank you!
The 2014 Tour Divide's Grand Depart is just around the corner. I need to say "thank you" to a lot of folks.
First, my wife. Thank you for being my best friend and my supporter. Thank you for putting so many things in our life on hold so I can pursue such a big adventure.
My parents. Thank you for giving me all the tools in my life to attempt something so intimidating. I look forward to seeing you in New Mexico; don't forget to pick me up.
People who have ridden bikes with me over the years. Thank you George, Monica, & Andy; Aaron from law school; my wife; V-Day folks; Dr. Gibby; GAP/C&O trip friends (Valerie, Than, Brian, Eric, etc.); random folks I've met from races, the internet, or just out for a ride; and random wheels I've clung to.
Tour Divide veterans. Thank you for your advice and wisdom; Mike Kerley, Ollie Walley, and Chris Bennett.
Bike shop folks. Thank you to the folks at Spokes Etc. on Quaker Lane for helping me figure out my rig, and dealing with all my weird requests; specifically, Jack and Garrett. Thanks to the folks at Seven Cycles for building a frame that is fast enough to drop some road bikes and strong enough to carry 3 weeks worth of gear over mountains. Thank you to Mister or should I say Herr "Rohloff," or whoever designed this miracle of engineering, your hub is pretty amazing.
The office. I work at a great place and have an awesome boss that is allowing me to take a whole month off. Thank you Rachel, thank you Allison for filling-in, and thanks to everyone at the Board who makes it a special place.
The race "organizer" and folks who make it the race what it is. Thank you to Matthew Lee, MTB Cast, Spot Tracker folks, Topofusion for your GPS foot steps, and all the people along the way who shift an extra 3 feet over when they see a cyclist on the road.
First, my wife. Thank you for being my best friend and my supporter. Thank you for putting so many things in our life on hold so I can pursue such a big adventure.
My parents. Thank you for giving me all the tools in my life to attempt something so intimidating. I look forward to seeing you in New Mexico; don't forget to pick me up.
People who have ridden bikes with me over the years. Thank you George, Monica, & Andy; Aaron from law school; my wife; V-Day folks; Dr. Gibby; GAP/C&O trip friends (Valerie, Than, Brian, Eric, etc.); random folks I've met from races, the internet, or just out for a ride; and random wheels I've clung to.
Tour Divide veterans. Thank you for your advice and wisdom; Mike Kerley, Ollie Walley, and Chris Bennett.
Bike shop folks. Thank you to the folks at Spokes Etc. on Quaker Lane for helping me figure out my rig, and dealing with all my weird requests; specifically, Jack and Garrett. Thanks to the folks at Seven Cycles for building a frame that is fast enough to drop some road bikes and strong enough to carry 3 weeks worth of gear over mountains. Thank you to Mister or should I say Herr "Rohloff," or whoever designed this miracle of engineering, your hub is pretty amazing.
The office. I work at a great place and have an awesome boss that is allowing me to take a whole month off. Thank you Rachel, thank you Allison for filling-in, and thanks to everyone at the Board who makes it a special place.
The race "organizer" and folks who make it the race what it is. Thank you to Matthew Lee, MTB Cast, Spot Tracker folks, Topofusion for your GPS foot steps, and all the people along the way who shift an extra 3 feet over when they see a cyclist on the road.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Preparing/training for the Tour Divide: Lose a bike, brush some teeth, get cold
My main goal is to simply finish the Tour Divide in a respectable time. So, if you are looking for advice on how to crush the race and end up on the podium, keep on looking.
About a year and half before the race, I started reading about how to train for the Tour Divide. The good news was that I had been preparing for the race even before I knew what it was. I had been an avid recreational cyclist for about three years (50-100 miles a week), which was not an ideal foundation, but it gave me a fitness base to work with.
The bad news was that I was only giving myself a year and a half to train. Here is what I've been up to for the last 18 months (in no particular order):
(1) I got married!
(2) I lost a bike. Rather, I lost a bike's worth of weight, about 20 lbs. The last time I was at this weight I was junior in high school.
(3) Base building, base building, base building... 10 months before the race I took a good 2 1/2 week break, had my heart rate zones established with a VO2 max test, and spent almost 5 cold months cycling alone in zones one and two.
(4) I brushed my teeth. For the 2-3 months leading up to the race, I tried to do preventative maintenance on my Achilles tendons by brushing my teeth.
I guess I should explain how the two are related. My electric toothbrush has a 2 minute timer built into it. So, twice a day, for 2 minutes straight, I stood on the stairs and did calve raises.
(5) I did some work on my core. Not as much as I'd like, but lots of planks. I got a lot out of Tom Danielson's book.
(6) Ride lots. I rode when it was uncomfortable. I rode when it was dark. I rode alone a lot.
(7) I met Strangers on the internet. Chris Bennett (3x vet.) and Ollie Walley (2012 winner) were in the D.C. area for work and extended an open invitation to join them and a local friend, Mike Kerley (2012 racer) for dinner. I tagged along, got some good advice, and had my copy of volume 5 of the Cordillera signed (Chris edits this and Ollie did the forward).
I was not worried about being able to complete the race until I met up with Mike a few weeks later for a morning ride. Mike is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the race. He thinks a lot about time/weight saving strategies; he probably has a lot of time to do so because he commutes 60 miles round trip each day. Mike is super strong on the bike, but Mike also pulled the plug on the 2012 race when the carbon belt (same belt I'm using) driving his bike ripped in half. He could have taken a day to have a new belt mailed to him, but he was too far behind in his timetable to finish the race and make it back to his job. If someone as strong and prepared for the Divide as Mike could run into trouble, I certainly should not underestimate the race.
All three of those guys have been a great direct source of knowledge. Each one has different strategies and strengths, so it has been great having them as resources. I've made some big changes based on thoughts from those three. I picked up some BRD ankle braces for my Achilles, and the calve raises I mentioned above were suggested by Ollie. Mike didn't really talk me out of bringing anything, but after he explained what he needed to bring, I dumped some significant things: long sleeve wool base layer, spare bib shorts (in favor of a wool under liner), smaller light set up, I ditched my maps and switched my back-up GPS, I also switched from an ultra light Thermarest to a torso length closed cell foam pad with a radiant barrier (industrial bubble wrap sandwiched in mylar).
(8) I joined a race team, V-Day. This is a pretty cool group based around Washington, D.C. The founder, Daniel, started the team about 13 years ago. He wanted to put together a team that did not make crazy demands on the riders (well, actually no demands period). There are no fees or dues, there are no racing requirements (if you race, that is great, if you don't, no one cares). While there are only a few dozen people on the team, the age range is from the 20s to mid-60s.
Daniel did not want riders to worry about buying a new kit every season, and he liked the idea of promoting non-profits, so he got the permission (that is, I think he did) of a few non-profit groups to feature them on the team kit. Typically, a cycling team, even an amateur team, sells ad space on their jerseys by having a company or companies sponsor them. As sponsorship changes, the jerseys change and that usually means riders fork over some decent $ each year for new kits. Here, however, the title "sponsor" is V-Day and that is not changing anytime soon.
In case you were wondering, V-Day is "a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls." You might be familiar with the group if you've ever seen the "Vagina Monologues," because they are responsible for that.
The team is about as underground as you can get. There is no website, and I only started riding with them because the founder is neighbors with one of my friends.
I believe that to get stronger and faster, you need to ride bikes with people who kick your butt. The team has a good supply of people that can do that to me.
About a year and half before the race, I started reading about how to train for the Tour Divide. The good news was that I had been preparing for the race even before I knew what it was. I had been an avid recreational cyclist for about three years (50-100 miles a week), which was not an ideal foundation, but it gave me a fitness base to work with.
The bad news was that I was only giving myself a year and a half to train. Here is what I've been up to for the last 18 months (in no particular order):
(1) I got married!
(2) I lost a bike. Rather, I lost a bike's worth of weight, about 20 lbs. The last time I was at this weight I was junior in high school.
(3) Base building, base building, base building... 10 months before the race I took a good 2 1/2 week break, had my heart rate zones established with a VO2 max test, and spent almost 5 cold months cycling alone in zones one and two.
(4) I brushed my teeth. For the 2-3 months leading up to the race, I tried to do preventative maintenance on my Achilles tendons by brushing my teeth.
I guess I should explain how the two are related. My electric toothbrush has a 2 minute timer built into it. So, twice a day, for 2 minutes straight, I stood on the stairs and did calve raises.
(5) I did some work on my core. Not as much as I'd like, but lots of planks. I got a lot out of Tom Danielson's book.
(6) Ride lots. I rode when it was uncomfortable. I rode when it was dark. I rode alone a lot.
With wind chill, -3 degrees F.
I put in a lot of base miles, not too fast, not too easy. I work a regular 40-hour work week, so I tried to make the most out of every ride.
(7) I met Strangers on the internet. Chris Bennett (3x vet.) and Ollie Walley (2012 winner) were in the D.C. area for work and extended an open invitation to join them and a local friend, Mike Kerley (2012 racer) for dinner. I tagged along, got some good advice, and had my copy of volume 5 of the Cordillera signed (Chris edits this and Ollie did the forward).
I was not worried about being able to complete the race until I met up with Mike a few weeks later for a morning ride. Mike is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the race. He thinks a lot about time/weight saving strategies; he probably has a lot of time to do so because he commutes 60 miles round trip each day. Mike is super strong on the bike, but Mike also pulled the plug on the 2012 race when the carbon belt (same belt I'm using) driving his bike ripped in half. He could have taken a day to have a new belt mailed to him, but he was too far behind in his timetable to finish the race and make it back to his job. If someone as strong and prepared for the Divide as Mike could run into trouble, I certainly should not underestimate the race.
All three of those guys have been a great direct source of knowledge. Each one has different strategies and strengths, so it has been great having them as resources. I've made some big changes based on thoughts from those three. I picked up some BRD ankle braces for my Achilles, and the calve raises I mentioned above were suggested by Ollie. Mike didn't really talk me out of bringing anything, but after he explained what he needed to bring, I dumped some significant things: long sleeve wool base layer, spare bib shorts (in favor of a wool under liner), smaller light set up, I ditched my maps and switched my back-up GPS, I also switched from an ultra light Thermarest to a torso length closed cell foam pad with a radiant barrier (industrial bubble wrap sandwiched in mylar).
(8) I joined a race team, V-Day. This is a pretty cool group based around Washington, D.C. The founder, Daniel, started the team about 13 years ago. He wanted to put together a team that did not make crazy demands on the riders (well, actually no demands period). There are no fees or dues, there are no racing requirements (if you race, that is great, if you don't, no one cares). While there are only a few dozen people on the team, the age range is from the 20s to mid-60s.
Daniel did not want riders to worry about buying a new kit every season, and he liked the idea of promoting non-profits, so he got the permission (that is, I think he did) of a few non-profit groups to feature them on the team kit. Typically, a cycling team, even an amateur team, sells ad space on their jerseys by having a company or companies sponsor them. As sponsorship changes, the jerseys change and that usually means riders fork over some decent $ each year for new kits. Here, however, the title "sponsor" is V-Day and that is not changing anytime soon.
In case you were wondering, V-Day is "a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls." You might be familiar with the group if you've ever seen the "Vagina Monologues," because they are responsible for that.
The team is about as underground as you can get. There is no website, and I only started riding with them because the founder is neighbors with one of my friends.
I believe that to get stronger and faster, you need to ride bikes with people who kick your butt. The team has a good supply of people that can do that to me.
Tour Divide Gear List
Bike:
First Aid:
- Seven Sola SLX, Gates Carbon Belt, 46x20, Rohloff laced to Enve XC 29er rims with Sapim spokes, Easton EC90 29er front wheel, 3T ARX team stem. Niner fork (quick release), Jeff Jones H Loop ti handlebars, Thomson Masterpiece seat post with aftermarket ti hardware and cut to minimum length, SRAM BB7 disc brakes, TRP levers, ESI chunky grips, Deda bar tape, 1/8 closed foam padding on handlebars as needed, Shimano XTR cranks & BB, 2 Arundel side loading cages, 1 King ti bottle cage, Selle Italia SLR Super Flow saddle, Continental Race King tires, Stan's valves, Stan's sealant, K-Edge holder Garmin mount, 3D printed back up GPS mount, Chris King headset,
- Head: Ground Effect Baked Beanie, Champion System cap, Specialized Prevail helmet
- Riding Gloves: Specialized BG Gel long finger gloves.
- Bibs & Jersey: one set, V-Day kit from Champion System.
- Base Layers: Defeet wool top, Rapha wool shorts.
- Socks: two pairs, one Defeet the Blaze, one Defeet high top Aireators.
- Cold: wool buff, Defeet arm warmers, Defeet knee warmers, regular buff, cashmere mittens.
- Rain gear: Gore Bike Wear ALP-X 2.0 GORE-TEX Active Jacket, Mtn. Laurel Designs eVent mittens, Ground Effect Helter Skelter 3/4 rain pants, Klim knee length gore tex socks (motor cycle socks).
- Shoes: Pearl Izumi X Project 3.0 mtb shoes.
- Other: BRD ankle braces, two; Craft sun sleeves.
- Garmin 800 w/ N. America city maps on a micro SD card. Topofusion large GPX tracks.
- Garmin eTrex 20 (backup GPS).
- Sheets with profiles & places to eat printed on 6 pieces of legal size Nat'l Geographic Adventure paper.
- Cue sheets cut down to turns, food stops, and possible water stops printed on 8 pieces of legal size Nat'l Geographic Adventure paper.
Mechanical:
- Fiber Spokes, two.
- Valve core remover.
- 8 mm open hex wrench for Rohloff emergency shifting
- Short hex wrenches, 3, 4, 5.
- 7 ft. Gorilla tape
- 1 tire lever
- 2 Park patch kits
- Leatherman Squirt multi-tool
- 1 brake cable
- 1 spare Gates Belt
- 2 spare tubes
- 2 spare ti chain ring bolts
- 2 spare disc brake pads
- 1 spare ti seat post clamp bolt
- 2 spare Shimano mtb cleats
- Zip ties
- Lezyne Drive Lite hand pump
First Aid:
- Alka-Seltzer
- Ibuprofen
- First Aid kit
- ZPacks Hexamid Solo tent (carbon fiber pole, extender beak, cuben fiber inner tarp).
- ZPacks 30 degree 5'9" bag (length is about 5'6"), down treated with water repellant stuff.
- Cocoon silk bag liner, woman's size.
- 1/8" closed cell foam pad torso size.
- Radiant barrier 5'4" roll cut to body shape.
- Revelate Sweet Roll handle bar mount dry bag, plus straps to keep it off the front wheel.
- Revelate Pika saddle bag
- Revelate pocket, mounted to Sweet Roll
- Revelate Mountain Feed Bag, stem mounted grub bag
- Wingnut Hyper 2.5 pack (no bladder)
- ZPacks cuben fiber dry sacks
- Spot Tracker Gen 3
- Cell phone
- Spare batteries
- Lithium rechargeable battery cell
- Minty Boost (backup for battery cell), AA USB battery charger
- USB cord (for Spot, cell phone, battery cell)
- Garmin 800 USB cord
- Platypus 3 liter collapsible bottle.
- Specialized 26 oz. water bottle, one.
- 1 oz. bleach
- Eye drops
- Assos cream
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Tooth brush/floss/paste
- Olympus WS-803 voice recorder
- Wipes
- 3D printed 2 liter bottle fender
- Fenix LD 15
- Fenix LD 20, plus Two Fish bike lock mount
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
A bike to survive the zombie apocalypses or my 2014 Tour Divide rig
  |
| "Why is this thing in the corner that I pee in?" |
Nonetheless, as days turn into months after the initial zombie outbreak, when resources are scarce, you may return to your garage and find value in a bike. The downsides to a bike are obvious; it offers almost no shelter or protection, it runs on your valuable energy, and even in a zombie infestation, there is going to be some idiot who cannot help themselves from stealing bikes.
The upside of a bike is that it is much faster than hoofing it. It does not run on gas. And, in a pinch, it can be used as a big club.
 |
| "Undead stay back!" |
This all brings us to an interesting dilemma when choosing a bike. Do you go for a faster machine like a road bike? Do you pick a tricycle for its carrying ability? A hybrid for its comfort and versatility? A cyclocross bike for more terrain options? A mountain bike for its toughness? A fat tire bike to take on mud, sand, and snow?
Maybe you take your beloved vintage steel Colonago so you can at least go out in style.
 |
_____________________________________
Frame: I went with a titanium frame. It has a reputation for being as comfortable as steel (which I'm a big fan of) but much more durable. It isn't quiet as light as carbon, but it should last much longer. The folks at Spokes Etc. (particularly, Jack) in Alexandria, Va., did a great job with the bike build. Since it was a custom bike, they took my body measurements, measured one of my bikes, and walked me through a worksheet describing everything from what I wanted the bike for, to whether I pedal when I turn. The frame maker, Seven Cycles, did a phone interview to talk more about me and what I wanted. Seven drew up a frame plan, and Jack at Spokes Etc. put together a Dr. Frankenstein's monster bike to mimic the geometry that Seven proposed.
I have not raced the Tour Divide yet, nor have I been chased by zombies, but I can attest that this thing is pretty to look at.
Drive train: I decided that I should minimize the need for a mechanic. Whether it is because zombies have eaten all the local bike shop guys, or because I'm pedaling through the Great Basin, there will be times more often than not when I cannot simply expect someone to dangle out of a moving car with an allen key to adjust my rear derailleur. So, I went with a Rohloff hub. This thing is a beefy (like 3.5 lbs.) rear hub that has a crazy complicated set of planetary gears packed into it. The gears are all sealed inside bathing in oil. There are no derailleurs waiting to be snagged by zombie hands or derelict tree limbs. The grip shift is simple and the indexing is done in the hub, so there is even less to worry about from mother nature. As an added bonus, if your cables snap, you can shift this thing with an open head 8 mm wrench (a 4 gram tool!) by removing the exterior shift box with your fingers.
Keeping in line with the idea of low maintenance, I elected to go with a Gates Carbon belt to drive the Rohloff hub. The big upside of this is that it does not require any lubricant. Which means no weird black smudges all over your leg. It also means sand and dirt does not build up and virtually no cleaning is necessary.
The drive train is very reliable, but it comes with some cons too. It required some add-ons to the frame (sliding Paragon drops, and a spot in the seat stay that could break open to replace the carbon belt). Also, the weight of the Rohloff is very noticeable when you pick the bike off the ground. That said, however, I don't notice the weight while I'm riding and the belt is lighter than a regular chain. I will be carrying a spare belt for when I'm out on longer rides because it is not something most bike shops keep on hand.
Lastly, for the cranks and bottom bracket, I found a good deal on a Shimano XTR triple, so money drove that decision.
Wheels: The drive train required a custom wheel build. As I mentioned before, the Rohloff is a heavy item, so I had Bill (superstar wheel builder) at Spokes Etc. lace it to an Enve carbon XC 29er rim with Sapim spokes. The front wheel also has a carbon rim, it is an Easton EC90 wheel that I found 50% off. It seemed like a pretty good deal, so I actually bought it about 2 months before I even started talking about having a frame built.
I stocked up on Schawbe Marathon Extreme tires that I had used in 2012 for the Dirty Kanza, so I had those mounted tubeless to both rims. For some reason, neither wheel held air. I even brought in a second, brand new, pair of Marathon Extremes. So, for the time being, I decided to go with Stan's the Crow (tubeless, of course). To race the Divide, I plan on running Continental Race King tires.
Brakes: I've used Avid BB7 disc brakes and have been happy with them. And, in a zombie throw down, I don't want to worry about bleeding hydraulic fluid, so mechanical brakes were the obvious choice. The bike shop suggested TRP brake levers, and I have really liked their feel, I think there is a spring return in the lever, which is awesome.
Cockpit & Fork: Light but not the lightest, simple, and comfortable. I went with a rigid Niner fork. My only quasi regret on the whole bike is not opting for a through axle. I pulled the 3T ARX Team stem off my cross bike to save some money. And the handlebar is a Jeff Jones titanium H-Loop bar with ESI Chunky grips. After riding on it (roads mostly) I like it more than drop bars. I can get nice and aero or super relaxed with the swept bars and the handling has been flawless over ice and snow.
Lets see, other stuff... I tossed on a K-Edge mount for my Garmin 800. I went with a Chris King headset. They have a good reputation, and I hope it is warranted.
Pedals: Shimano XTR pedals. I've had weird issues with these over the last few years. I picked up some titanium spindles from a third party. And, I managed to mess up one pedal when I repacked everything. Later, one of the spindles snapped in half as I was standing on a descent to get the cranks spinning fast (in yet another I-can't-believe-I-cheated-a-wipe-out moment, I managed to only put a knee down).
Post & Saddle: Thomson Masterpiece post with a Selle Italia SLR Superflow saddle. I had the post on my cross bike, and the saddle was the cheapest thing that I could find that mirrored my other saddle that died recently. I guess I could upgrade to a titanium post (Seven includes a carbon insert to keep Ti from bonding to Ti in such a situation), but I'm not sure I'll save that much weight and I've been comfortable so far.
I am going to race the 2014 Tour Divide!
Wow, well, I've stated it for the universe to see/read, so I guess I'm definitely going to do it.
What is "it?" The Tour Divide is many things to many people. My favorite description of it comes from Mike Kerley who raced it in 2012,
"It is like being homeless for three weeks. You smell because you don't really shower much and you are riding a bike all the time. And, you get really comfortable with sleeping in public places."
The boring description is that it is a mountain bike race from Banff, Canada, to the New Mexico/Mexico border. It lacks things that normal bike races usually have; such as support crews (you only have access to resources along the route that everyone else can access), teams (no drafting, no dividing up gear with a buddy), and prizes (unless you consider hanging out with border guards in the desert a prize). There are some rules and it is loosely directed by they guy who won it a bunch of times, but you are probably not reading this posting for such information.
I imagine you are here because you fall into one of five categories:
(1) You are like me, you are racing it for the first time (or thinking about doing it) and want some insights (you may want to find a better source);
(2) You are a veteran and want to relive all the dumb mistakes a rookie makes;
(3) You know me personally, think I've made a big mistake, and want more information to talk me out of this. Or, the race is over and you want to get caught up so you can pretend like you've been listening to me for the last year or so;
(4) You are a fan of the race (a big hello to all 15 of you out there, obviously no one has introduced you to Netflix);
(5) Or, you are a big fan of zombies and dove 30,000 pages into a Google search and are now very upset at this waste of time.
Which brings me to my last point in this posting. I plan on "racing" not "touring." I'm a middle of the pack guy in most physical activities, and I cannot imagine that will be different here. But, this is likely my one shot at doing this adventure, so I'd like to push my limits. A simple way to do that is to imagine zombies are coming. I do not need to move fast, but I need to keep moving. They are coming. Pedal like zombies are coming.
What is "it?" The Tour Divide is many things to many people. My favorite description of it comes from Mike Kerley who raced it in 2012,
"It is like being homeless for three weeks. You smell because you don't really shower much and you are riding a bike all the time. And, you get really comfortable with sleeping in public places."
The boring description is that it is a mountain bike race from Banff, Canada, to the New Mexico/Mexico border. It lacks things that normal bike races usually have; such as support crews (you only have access to resources along the route that everyone else can access), teams (no drafting, no dividing up gear with a buddy), and prizes (unless you consider hanging out with border guards in the desert a prize). There are some rules and it is loosely directed by they guy who won it a bunch of times, but you are probably not reading this posting for such information.
I imagine you are here because you fall into one of five categories:
(1) You are like me, you are racing it for the first time (or thinking about doing it) and want some insights (you may want to find a better source);
(2) You are a veteran and want to relive all the dumb mistakes a rookie makes;
(3) You know me personally, think I've made a big mistake, and want more information to talk me out of this. Or, the race is over and you want to get caught up so you can pretend like you've been listening to me for the last year or so;
(4) You are a fan of the race (a big hello to all 15 of you out there, obviously no one has introduced you to Netflix);
(5) Or, you are a big fan of zombies and dove 30,000 pages into a Google search and are now very upset at this waste of time.
Which brings me to my last point in this posting. I plan on "racing" not "touring." I'm a middle of the pack guy in most physical activities, and I cannot imagine that will be different here. But, this is likely my one shot at doing this adventure, so I'd like to push my limits. A simple way to do that is to imagine zombies are coming. I do not need to move fast, but I need to keep moving. They are coming. Pedal like zombies are coming.
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