Three-Hour Tour

Yesterday, I installed a cyclometer onto the Beast so that I could more easily keep track of how long I ride on my training runs. Of course, it also allows me to watch my average speed, and whatnot, as well.

I left the house a little after 12:30, which was a about an hour later than I wanted to leave. But, of course, the installation of the cyclometer pickup was problematic, on the fat wheel and fork, and it took me a while to get everything working.

I ended up using a wine cork, trimmed to fit, as a spacer to get the pickup close enough to the magnet.
Once that was done, and the wire was routed (I still prefer the wired version to the wireless, because I'm old...) I was ready to roll.

After I got the bike ready, I changed clothes and took off. Once again, I rode over to the Highline Canal Trail, and headed west. This time, I watched the cyclometer and just rode until I had been riding for an hour and a half. At that point, I stopped and checked my mileage (15.06 mi.), then turned around and headed back.

The return trip took an additional nine minutes. This was due to not only the fact that it's slightly uphill on the way back, but I was really feeling the effort in my quads. Fifteen miles of pretty much nonstop pedaling, mostly in snow and mud, on a single speed fat bike will do the to you.

My quads were burning, before it was over.

I stopped here on the way out, and the way back, to eat some almond butter and drink water. This is on the way back.

New pedals. These are really grippy, and I had to pay attention to how I oriented my feet, because it took some effort to change, as I was rolling.

I'm feeling pretty good about how my training is progressing. I am taking a rest day, today, and plan on hitting it hard, again, tomorrow. The temps were in the 40s, today, and are supposed to reach the mid-50s, tomorrow. So, I may take the race bike out and hit the paved trail for a big loop to see how the setup suits me. If not, then I'll do a repeat of this ride.

Sixty three days to go until the COG 100...

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The Racer, The trainer and the Sore-Legged Rider

Yesterday, I realized that all of my parts had come in, and I was able to build the Racer up, for the COG100 race. I decided to bring the frame and work-stand in, along with the necessary tools, so they could warm up while I was out on my training ride.

Before I put the frame in the stand, I figured I should swap out the seat posts, and put the SunTour suspension post in. Once I did that, it only made sense to install the seat into the clamp. Then, I was curious how the post felt, so I put the cranks on. But, before putting the cranks on, I thought I should go ahead and remove the two chainrings I didn't need...

One thing led to another, and I ended up building the bike, completely, before jumping on the Beast and heading for the snowy trail. It was late enough that I cut my training ride short, to one hour, to avoid running out of daylight and dealing with falling temperatures.

It was about 60 degrees, when I was riding, and the sun was out. So, once I got home, I was a muddy mess from riding across the melted stretches of the trail.

This is the suspension seat post I plan on using. I think it will be beneficial. I hope the neoprene cover keeps the dirt and grit out...

The 22-tooth cog and sliding dropouts...

Here are a couple of shots contrasting the training bike (Beast) and the racing bike (Racer).     26x4" tires, compared to 700x45c ... Switching to the smaller tires for the race should be a boost.

It was cold and windy, today. The bar mitts were nice, under the conditions on the trail.

Today, the temperature while I was riding hovered right around 30 degrees, about 30 degrees colder than yesterday. This is how the weather is, a lot, here in Denver. The wind was howling, and the 45 minutes I rode into it, on the way home, increased the training value of the ride. My legs are sore, and so are my arms, just as they should be after a good mountain bike ride!

I'll be commuting by bike, when possible, after I go back to work, tomorrow. If I can't, due to scheduling, I'll bust out the rollers and get some butt time in the saddle that way. The race is only 67 days away, and I have a few days out of town for work coming up in March. So, I have to get the most done, every day that I can squeeze in.

I'm also working through how to race an endurance race without going totally off of the Keto diet. I ate too many carbs when I was in Memphis, this past weekend, and it kinda made me feel crappy.  I know I'll have to up the carb intake, somewhat, but I just don't want to overdo it.

That said, I'm feeling pretty good about how the training has gone, so far. I just hope that I can keep it up, consistently.

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The Almond Butter Band

I went out, once again, on the single speed fat bike, today. Twenty five miles, two thirds of which were on the snow and mud of the Highline Canal.

I was pretty pleased that I was able to do another ride like this, the day after having put one in for the first time in probably a year and a half. It was a good ride, in the best of wintertime conditions. The skies were mostly sunny, the temps were in the mid 50s, and there was little wind.

I will have to skip riding, these next few days. I am going to Tennessee to take care of some family business. When I get back, I will have a couple of days off. I hope I can get another couple of good rides in before I have to return to work.

It's a long, hard row to hoe when you are trying to regain your fitness, with a relatively short deadline. It is only 73 days until the C.O.G. 100 race, and I am in need of some gumption.

Hopefully I can find it!

One of my challenges is figuring out to fuel myself while maintaining a relatively low carbohydrate input. I filled my goo flask with Almond Butter, and took it with me today. I liked the taste and the texture, as I rode. And, the Almond Butter seemed to fuel me up, pretty well. But, it was hard to squeeze the stuff out of the flask.

I ordered some packets of Almond-Butter-based fuel, the other day, and it arrived, today. It looks like it might do the trick. It comes in a disposable flask, and has coconut butter and chia seeds, plus some other stuff, in it to thin it down, add calories and also make it a bit more well-rounded, nutritionally. I hope it works out well to eat it as I ride.

In the meantime, more bike parts hit the porch, today. My single-speed cog and spacers came in, for the racer. And, single-speed chainring bolts. The inner tubes also arrived, today. The new seat post should be here within the week.

I'll start building the bike when I get back into town. But, I will continue training on the fat tire bike. The added resistance should speed up my training and lead me to fitness a bit quicker than the normal bike would.

Wish me luck!

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Good Ride

A muddy mountain bike is a happy mountain bike.

Today, I took a longer training ride (about 25 miles), at a slightly lower pace than the last two. I wanted to get some miles in, but not burn myself out for tomorrow. 

Most of the trail was snowpacked, but the sun had melted the snow, in places. That's why my bike is muddy.

It was a beautiful Winter day, and the sun was so intense that I was pretty lightly dressed. This is one of the the things that, even after living here for 26+ years, amazes me about Denver. It's never this comfortable in the middle of Winter in West Tennessee...

Part of my ride was on packed single track trail, along the course of the Highline Canal Trail. This is the kind of stuff I built the single speed fat bike for.

My glasses were so dark from the sun that I could barely see my phone as I was taking pictures.

Once I got home, I sat in the sun and enjoyed the warmth in my front yard. It was a good day, and I feel like I got some decent saddle time in.

I need to do it again, tomorrow.

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C.O.G. Blogging Beats

Wow, it's half a month into 2019, and I finally got around to making a blog post. I know that blogging is becoming more and more archaic in the Social Media Age (a thing which I have bemoaned on occasion, here), but it still is the best medium for some forms of discourse.

For the next couple of months, I'll be posting about the lead-up and preparations for an event in which I'll be participating. If someone does happen to read it, that will be very cool. If not, I have a record of this for myself.

If you look at the blogroll on the right-hand side of the screen, you will find a listing for "Guitar Ted". Mark, the real guy behind "Ted", was the co-originator and Race Director of the Trans Iowa gravel race for 14 years. This past year, he announced that the Trans Iowa (a 300+ mile race on gravel roads) was done, and he would be moving on.

Shortly thereafter, he floated the idea of a 100 mile, gravel road race, for single-speed bikes. This was dubbed the C.O.G. 100 (Creatures Of Gravel). The details can be found here, if you want the specifics. In short, it is an unsupported (no aid stations, etc.) 100 mile race outside of Grinnell, Iowa, on an unmarked course. Navigation is by old-school cue sheets, and there is only one resupply opportunity on the course (and one slightly off-course).

GT's description:

Course Update: I have re-routed the course to avoid a bridge that we discovered was out during recon a week or so ago. The mileage will be 111.87 miles. There will be an option to hit a convenience store at Mile 43 where you could leave the main course, and take a little over two mile detour to a convenience store. So, out and back to the course again you're looking at almost 5 bonus miles to make a pit stop. That would bring your total to approximately 117 miles for the day, barring any off course mistakes, etc...

Otherwise you'll have to pack water and food to make it to Mile 87 where there will be a convenience store just a few paces off the route. That will be a store that is pretty obvious as you are riding along, so there shouldn't be any issues finding it. But, those are the only suggested resupply options. Remember- There Will Be NO AID STATIONS- NO OUTSIDE SUPPORT ALLOWED- YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU! 


Considering the fact that I haven't ridden a bicycle in a serious manner for the past couple of years, this race presents me with a real training challenge. From the time I signed up, until Race Day, is only a span of 78 days (74, as of now). There is a day's worth of travel to get to Grinnell, from Denver, and I have a four-day trip out of town coming up, this week. Recovery days and other extenuating circumstances will probably also come into play, so I have to make my training count.

That said, I went out for some snowy training rides on Saturday and Sunday of last weekend. The picture at the top of the page is from my Saturday ride. I didn't go far, but I went hard, on a relatively high-effort bike on snow and ice. So, I got a good workout.

This picture is from Sunday's training ride. You can see a theme developing...

In addition to getting myself in shape, I have to build a bike for the race. as well. I am utilizing my old alloy 29er frame, with sliding dropouts, to build up a bike that I hope will be the most appropriate bike for this. Parts are trickling in and, once it's complete (or close to it), I will post about the build. In the meantime, I am agonizing over the gearing, since the course is said to be quite hilly, with numerous steep rollers.

That kind of terrain is not my favorite, to be honest.

So, I have to try to gear the bike low enough for short, steep hills, and high enough for the downhills and flats. At this time, I am leaning toward a gear in the 58-62 gear-inch range. I don't want to be so slow on the easy parts of the course that I have to spin my legs off to make the cut-off time (10 hours), but I don't want to blow my knees out on the climbs, either.

Here is a short list of the challenges involved, as I see them, and subjects of upcoming posts:

1. Physical fitness and ability to sit in the saddle for 100 miles (That is something which was once routine to me!)

2. Building up an appropriate bike

3. Gearing the bike correctly

4. Clothing - Weather at that time of year is highly variable in that part of Iowa!

5. Fuel - I have been following the Keto Diet since July of last year, with a weight loss of 35 pounds. I will have to modify that, somewhat, to engage in endurance cycling. But, I don't want to go completely off of the plan. 

6. What to carry on the bike, and how - This is actually not as big a challenge as some of the others, due to my experiences riding numerous solo, mixed-terrain centuries, a few years back.

I have a reserved hotel room for that Friday and Saturday night, in a hotel just a couple of miles from the Start/Finish, and I have the CRV in which to make the trip. I'm hoping to get Brad to go along as moral support/emergency extraction (in case of a DNF - the organizers are not offering any aid, at all, as part of the challenge). If he can't make it, I have a short list of other candidates to ask.

I don't want to make this too post darn long, plus I need to get out on a longer, lower-effort ride today. So, I'll end this here, for now.

More to come...

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