Some race reports draw from such a compelling in-ride story that they practically write themselves.
This is not one of those race reports.
Absent such a story, I'll take the opportunity to thank some cyclists without whom my mountain biking wouldn't be what it is.
And I mean that in a good way.
At the risk of one or more embarrassing omissions, here they are in more or less chronological order:
- Shannon S, you had the misfortune to catch me at the very beginning of my MTB "career."
You may not remember it, but you taught me how to position myself on the bike while climbing and how to let the bike roll through switchbacks on descents.
Also, you fished me out of that stream
when I came to a standstill before gracelessly toppling 15 feet down a 45 degree granite slope.
The descending advice didn't really come into play at WWMTB, but the climbing help certainly did.
And I endured a "similar" fall on the soft singletrack loop right before the WWMTB finish, as long as you allow "similar" to refer only to the graceless toppling part.
This time around, I landed on a shallower mud slope, but still with enough momentum that I did a full somersaulted before popping back to my feet.
No harm, no foul, just a muddy christening of my brand spanking new MacGregors kit
(my 2013 kit fared worse on its inaugural wearing).
Thank you, Shannon.
- Bob J, on the tactical side, the excellent 2015 MacGregor kit (at right) that graced my form is your design
(more photos here).
More strategically, though, you've been a tireless source of advice on all things cycling.
(You're forgiven--barely--your dashing of the chocolate milk recovery drink myth.)
Thank you, Bob.
- Elden N, aka The Fat Cyclist,
it's through you that I know of Leadville and it's through you that I'll have a fighting chance of finishing Leadville sub-12.
Elden is currently an Ambassador for World Bicycle Relief.
WBR is a great cause through which you can make a concrete difference in a person's life.
World Bicycle Relief is mobilizing people through the Power of Bicycles. We envision a world where distance is no longer a barrier to education, healthcare and economic opportunity.
Simply put, WBR raises funds to put bicycles in the possession of "[e]ntrepreneurs, farmers, healthcare workers and students in rural Africa."
A donation of $147 is enough to provide a bicycle.
$50 supplies a mechanic with the tools to support a number of bicycles.
$25 buys a spare wheelset.
And $10 buys a small maintenance kit for the bicycle owner.
If you'd like to support this transformative cause, you can do so through Fatty's fundraising page
here.
Thank you, Elden.
- Doug B, prior to Boggs Funduro
(Part I |
Part II |
Part III), it's hard to believe that we'd only spent on the order of 15 minutes together in person.
By virtue of your blog and countless email exchanges, it feels like it's much more than that.
(In a good way.)
You're my somewhat faster model for finishing Leadville sub-12.
You've taught me "heavy feet/light hands," proper descending positioning on the bike, and the value of proper nutrition
(perhaps more importantly, the
near-disaster of improper nutrition).
Thank you, Doug.
- Stan S, like Doug, is a Leadville Finisher who's shared a number of tips on fitness and nutrition.
Stan's an imposing dude, and I really don't want to come back to him from Colorado with a sad story, so I guess I'll finish.
Thank you, Stan.
- Chris D, whom I met at Boggs Enduro as part of
Team World Bicycle Relief,
shared two tips, both of which I put into play at Whiteface.
1. I'll never be able to describe the variable ankle pitch technique Chris explained to me so I won't try.
It definitely added power on the climbs, though.
2. Chris' second tip--of his own invention, I think--was also useful on the climbs, but only when they got steep enough to force me off the bike and into a walk (more on this below in the Dave Wiens section).
Don't just push the bike, rest your chest on it.
Think it looks silly?
I bet it does.
But it worked (if only because of the forced change in body position).
Thank you, Chris.
- Steve the Bike Guy (http://stevethebikeguy.com/,
Facebook,
Instagram,
@stevethebikeguy on Twitter,
Pinterest,
Google+,
Yelp [Yelp!? Who has a freakin' Yelp handle!?], and
Vimeo) did a quick turnaround on a Rock Shox dropper post installation.
I first rode a dropper post bike out at Boggs Funduro--the ability to get the saddle down (and therefore my seat down and back) on the descents
adds a lot of confidence on the descents.
At Whiteface, I was psyched never to be passed a descent while passing perhaps a dozen or so riders.
The dropper post was a big part of my confidence to get that done.
Thank you, Steve.
- Dave Weins has won the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race more times than any other male.
So I guess you could say that the guy knows what he's doing in an endurance MTB race.
As an aside, Dave finished 3rd at Whiteface this year, less than a minute back from overall winner Mathieu Belanger-Barrette.
Dave was unique in the top 20 (of 321 entries), though--he's the only one in the 50-59 age group.
Which is MY age group.
Which pretty much means I'm never winning a major MTB race.
Before the Saturday pre-ride at Whiteface, Dave passed out a number of tips including this one: there's no shame in walking the bike.
I learned in practice his main point: the effort it takes to ride a steep pitch hits your cycling muscles hard.
By walking, you tax a different group, saving the biking muscles for biking.
The value of his advice repeatedly proved itself: once I remounted when the grade flattened out, I'd quickly pass and gap riders who had inched past me on the really steep sections.
Thank you, Dave.
Below "The Numbers," I've added some notea from my ride more as reminders for next time than as part of my race report.
But feel free to enjoy them anyway.
The big takeaway, though, is the sense that a Leadville finish is achievable.
It won't be easy--there's still a lot of training ahead, I'll need to stick to my race and nutrition plan, and I'll need good luck.
But it's there for the earning.
You're better than you think you are,
you can do more than you think you can.
- Ken Chlouber, Leadville Race Series founder
and 14 time Finisher
The Numbers
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Race Notes
- My older son and his friend Sam joined me for the trek out from Boston.
Their plan was to do some kayaking/paddle boarding on Lake Placid while I was off satisfying my cycling habit.
We hadn't made it all the way through Sudbury late Friday afternoon when we heard an unexpected scraping emanating from the rear of my sport utility van.
An inspection quickly revealed that the entire hitch receiver was rusted through and sagging.
Fifteen minutes later, we'd emptied the luggage, stowed the bikes (my Specialized Rockhopper 29er and my
Framed Minnesota 3.0 fat bike) inside, reloaded the luggage, and were on our way.
- We grabbed dinner at
MacLaomainn's in Chester VT, then lodged overnight my sister's place in nearby Londonderry.
- Saturday breakfast was at Battenkill favorite
Bob's Diner in Manchester VT followed by the drive north to Lake Placid.
- I met up with fellow Team Fatty member Doug B where the boys dropped me at Whiteface for the Saturday
pre-ride before they continued on to check out the Lake Placid scene.
- Following the pre-ride, Doug drove me back to Lake Placid. Next on the agenda: a fat bike ride with Doug and his friend Duncan Kennedy.
Among his many talents (mountain biking, professoring at Clarkson, and blogging, Doug's a luger.
One of his luge buddies is Duncan Kennedy.
THE Duncan Kennedy.
No, not this Duncan Kennedy, but
US Luge Olympian Duncan Kennedy.
We had a great ride
on some trails around Lake Placid, then met with up with Doug's wife Coreen, Duncan's wife Kelly, and my son's for a great dinner at
Liquids and Solids.
- Tire pressure: 40psi as measured by my floor pump gauge.
- I'd never ridden my mountain saddle for more than a few hours.
Early on, in a slight bit of discomfort, I thought that I might have erred in not swapping in my road saddle.
Fortunately (?), the climbs soon distracted me from that discomfort with their own brand, and I never gave my saddle another thought.
- At one point on Springfield Road not long after the start, I passed a rider wearing a Team Fatty kit.
"Team Fatty!," I called out, and once he saw the Team Fatty sticker on my Camelbak, he replied.
I only saw him again once (still outbound as I made my way back inbound just after the turnaround aid station), and didn't get his name.
- There were three aid stations: the first at 9.3 miles, the second at the turnaround at 31.8 miles, and the third being a repeat of the first at 51.3 miles.
I skipped the first essentially useless stop, laden as I was with my Camelbak
(Carborocket 333 Half-Evil Lemonade)
and more
Gu Roctane and similar than any five humans should consume in a one month period.
- I like riding with a Camelbak, and with just a bit more discipline, think that it will help me stay on my nutrition plan.
One downside--it's hard to tell how when I'm starting to run low.
Which is why I want one of these for Leadville.
- After the big downhill off of the Jay Road summit, the road turned up for a short bit before heading to the turnaround singletrack.
Toward the top of that climb, I noticed some trouble shifting.
Looking down, I could see what appeared to be something wedged between the middle and big chainrings.
Upon closer inspection, I could see that a section of the middle ring was bent noticeably toward the small ring.
The large and small rings offered enough overlap that I never really needed the middle one the rest of the way, but the big shift from large to small and vice versa caused a chain drop or two,
When I got back, I relayed the story to Bob J (of course), not being able to imagine how only the middle ring could have been damaged.
He responded that this can happen when shifting under too much load (which was a polite way of saying operator error).
A few blows from a hammer and the middle ring is back to being true.
Not wheel true, so call it truthiness.
- It was at the 51.3 mile aid station that I almost made the biggest mistake of my race.
A volunteer offered me a bacon-infused pancake.
I declined.
He offered again.
I declined again.
Another rider took one and downed it.
The sound of satisfaction that emanated from that rider is a sound I won't soon forget.
The bacon-infused pancake was delicious and an oasis of real food in a desert of Gu.
- It was at the 66.3 mile mark (that is, post-finish) that the event planner made the biggest mistake of the race.
Our one free drink coupon offered Budweiser or Shock Top.
At a bit after 3pm, and well before the 3:30pm awards ceremony, I presented my coupon.
JEFF: "Shock Top," please.
BARTENDER: "I'm sorry, we're out."
JEFF: "Oh. Well, what can I get instead?"
BARTENDERN: "Just Budweiser."
First, I distinctly recall the coupon saying "beer."
Technically, Budweiser doesn't qualify.
Second, there should have been a better backup plan to being out of the better beverage.
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