Epica prep report

The Actif Epica is a 130 km ride/race from St. Malo to Winnipeg, via dirt roads, gravel roads, and the Crow Wing Trail. It happens on Feb 15, in two weeks. I've signed up. The course map indicates five check-stops with "stages" varying in distance from 12 to 30 kms. Today I rode 12 miles (19.2 kms) to see what that might be like. I rode a circuit of 9 miles of dirt roads that are not cleared, with three miles of gravel all-weather roads. It was -18'C and the wind was about 13 kms from the NW. I rode North first, for 4 miles, West for 1 mile, South for 5 miles, and so on. There were a lot of drifts.

 Here's what I learned:

The bike

I commute to and from work (16 kms round trip) all winter, so I have an idea of what I'm in for. But I'm not going to use the cross bike a commute on for this race. On the advice of a racer from last year's race, who did use a cross bike, I've decided to ride a 26" mountain bike (no cash just now for a fat bike and, though I'm sorely tempted by them, I'm not certain yet), on which I have put the fattest tires I could find (2.65 inch downhills). They worked pretty well today. I had to get off three times, but for the most part I could ride over the drifts or follow the tracks of a whatever truck or tractor or snowmobile had gone before. I'm happy with the bike decision, though I'll have to adjust the set-up to get the right riding position. It's too upright for me. 

Shifting

You have to be patient, and anticipatory, when you shift. Even when it's only -18'C, the shifter and derailleur are pretty slow to "click" into place. I've got some aerosol de-icer I'm going to spritz into the levers to de-grease them. 

Goggles

I sweat. Even without a face mask, my goggles were frosting up at 4 miles. I didn't treat them with dish soap (which I definitely will), but I'm guessing it will be unlikely that I'll be able to use them for a full 20 kms. Either I'm going to have to slow down, and not generate as much heat, or I'll fog up. 

Sweat

Damn. I just sweat too much, and I have this lie I tell myself, that if I'm not sweating I'm not working hard enough. It's a pain in the ass, really. And it's really not great for this race. I wore three layers today: a lightweight hooded polypro baselayer, a lightweight zipped fleece, and a uninsulated windbreaker. I was not cold, ever. By the end of this 20 kms the base layer was completely wet, and my thin skullcap and the baselayer hood were fused, by ice, to my sideburns (shave them off?) and it hurt to remove them (1st world problem).

Boots

I was sure that my ankle high winter-rated Columbias would be enough, if I wore good merino wool socks. This has just proven not to be the case. I believe it'll be Sorels for me. I'll take the straps off the traps, and still use the plastic pieces to help stabilize my feet on the pedals.

Gloves

Awesome. Thank you Farm Service for your super leather-palmed, unbranded, work mitts. No problems there.

Legs

Two layers was enough. Bike shorts (obviously), a mid-weight base layer, and then a wind-barrier front overlayer (also tights) was just fine. Not hot, not cool. I may put something over my left knee, which has some sensitivity issues due to a past injury. 

All in all, I'd be fine with race day being a day like today. If I had a picture of the roads it'd look like snow drifts over a dirt road, and sometimes, just snow drifts, and no road. Good times ... sorta.

A pleasant holiday; a cold return

This year's winter break has been, well, wintry. As a clan we began by travelling to Canmore for five days of skiing. The weather never got colder than -10'C, and got as warm as 3'C. I spent four days skiing at the Nordic Centre and one day at Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Four of those days were with fellow clan members, and one was solo, while the others took in the thrills and spills of Mt. Norquay.

(I have decided not to ski downhill. Maybe not ever again, but I certainly have lost my appetite for what used to give me thrills. Now I'm happy to avoid lifts and lift lines and lift tickets and equipment with weight like a stone to help gravity slam your ass down the slope. I dropped the kids and spouse off at the hill and headed back for the Nordic Centre.)

The Nordic Centre was in fine condition, and two night skis were the highlight. They light 6.5 kms of tracks and keep the lights on until 10 pm. While there's a $10 charge per skier for day use, at night you ski for free. Sweet!

The day at Peter Lougheed began climbing for 4.5 kms up the well-tracked WhiskyJack Trail, and then skiing a long way back down following a series of untracked trails that, after about 16 kms take you back to the parking lot. A total of more than 20 kms. Beautiful.

Up the WhiskyJack

Obligatory family photo at the "top"

Tall tall trees and fairytale snow

A detour resulting from the summer flood

This, my friends, is proper, sensible winter out-of-doors activity, in Alberta winter weather. The return home reminded us that we were Manitobans, and winter weather has its variations. Which is not to say that Alberta doesn't get cold. It's just that Manitoba always does. It may be a little earlier this year, but let's face it, we knew it was coming. Why are we so surprised? I don't know, but after skiing in -2'C, I couldn't bring myself to squeak and lurch my way around the trails here, at -25'C. (I still haven't skied here this season.) 

Which brings me to riding in the cold. I commute by bike all year 'round. I have done so for twenty-two of twenty-four years of my working career. Currently my commute is a reasonable, eight km one way, gravel (6.5 kms) and road (1.5) ride. Every year there are a few cold rides. By cold I mean -30'C or colder. Today was one of those days: -36'C, -46'C windchill (whatever that means); the wind came from the WNW at 20 kms, and to get to work I rode into it. It took me just over thirty minutes to get to work today.

At work, after the ride, I looked like this.

I'm a slow learner, perhaps because of an unhealthy tolerance for "getting by on something that works ... sort of". My goggles usually fogging up by the end of the ride. I sweat a lot. By the time I get to work I'm wet and hot (except for the extremities: fingertips, toe-ends, and one other member). I'm trying to figure out how to juggle the heat and moisture I'm generating with the need to keep the wind and cold out. Generally on an 8 km ride, it's not much of a concern, but I've registered for the Actif Epica, so I need to figure out how to ride at a steady pace for a long time, and not heat up (and sweat) over much, but stay just warm enough that I don't slowly frost up into a block of ice. It's a delicate, and vital, balance.

That, and I need to manage the goggle fog thing. BP at my lbs suggested dish-soap on the goggle lens. I tried it today with some success. On the way too work, when it was really cold, there was much much less fogging (icing actually) than usual. At the end of the day, on the way back, it was clear that the lens needed a second treatment. So it's a solution, but a high maintenance one. Maybe that's just the way it is on a bike at -30'C.