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.

Muerto Challenge report

This Spring when operacion muerto declared the summer challenge to be to ride from Virden to Falcon Lake, Franklin and I immediately said that we would make an attempt. On July 6 & 7 we began our journey. Below are our words and pics following that attempt.

July 6, 2013

Weather: Wind SE 13km all day, except after midnight when it picked up a bit.

Franklin’s report

7:45am - Left Virden carrying food and 1 gatorade & 4 litres of water

8:12am - Crossed the Assiniboine against a “road closed” sign. Turns out the road was passable for bike.

10:45am - On top of Old Baldy just east of Deerboine Colony. 90 kms in the roads have been ideal.

Unfolding, and checking the map, again.

12:00 - Brandon; lunch at Humpty’s. Had the Classic Burger. Couldn’t eat my fries. Not feeling well. Large chocolate milk & water. Added 2 Powerades & 1 litre of water.

The hills and winds roads of the Whitemud watershed.

A steep one: 7% grade.

Six miles of sand along an conservation corridor (right next to the powerlines!?). 2:15pm - Mile 64N is a conservation corridor … read: sand! The roads in general since Brandon have been loose gravel.

3:15ish - Stopped at a potato farm for water on mile 65N. Added about 3 litres.

4:15pm - 155km in. Not quite halfway. Hitting a wall. Also the last of the big climbs.

5:00pm - Austin for supper: Onion chicken Teriyaki with guacamole sub; 500ml chocolate milk & 500ml of orange juice (2 – 500ml waters in jersey). @200km I hit another wall; not sure how to finish

The first mile of Darrel Rd.

The end of Darrel Rd.

9:33pm - Darrel Road turns out to be a pasture and a field. We can bike through the pasture, but must walk through the field.

July 7, 2013

Weather:  Over night, thunder and rain threaten, but that's all. Wind shifts to come from the West at 20 km/h and by midday it's 30'C (and more).

9:45pm  - The Portage Sandhills Wildlife Management area – the sand had been graded, but we kept breaking through the crust and plowing our bikes. Maybe 4 miles of this. Couldn’t stop because the mosquitoes were terrible. Fell and broke my pedal, so I couldn’t clip in on that side anymore.

10:30pm - Through the Sandhills, on good gravel. Turns out we only had just over four hours to go.

12:30am - Confusion over how to get into the city when the road turns to dirt and grass. We play it safe and go on roads Paul has travelled before.

2:00am - On Roblin Blvd. out of the gusting wind. The lightning storm is chasing us in. We make it in to the perimeter and stop at a Shell station for water. I still have some left. We depart and my bladder hose hooks into the spokes and rips the nipple off. We carry on.

2:45am - Arrive at 661 Campbell for a rest. 335 km in, 15 hours 39 minutes on the bike. Rod & Connie’s place offers showers, food & rest.

6:30am - Wake up, turn on the A/C and go back to bed. Not feeling well.

7:30am - Wake up, tell Paul he is on his own. Call Bethany and go back to bed.

Paul texts later to say he finished at 6:10pm, and went 190 km. Good for him, I couldn’t have done it.

Paul’s report

Everything Franklin reports checks out, as far as I experienced it. I’ll continue with my timeline. Since Franklin had the camera (his phone), the pictures from here on in are limited to the one I asked Brennan to take and email to me at the Falcon Lake Golf Course. 

7:30am - Hearing that I’m on my own, and that Franklin’s okay with me continuing, I make coffee and oatmeal for breakfast.

8:10am - Back in the saddle, heading toward Dugald Rd.

9:25am - Stop at Deacon’s corner for a shit and 2^nd breakfast – coffee, cinnamon bun, & banana. (a little surprised that I can shit)

11:45am - Ride south off the course into St. Anne for lunch and water.

3:30ish - Found the through road (Railway Bridge Rd) from Hadashville over to the road to Prawda. Fuel stop here: chocolate milk, butter tart, apple turnover, water.

5:55pm - The double water-bottle holder attached to my seat falls off (the heads of the two bolts holding the clamp shear off) and it’s water bottles all over the highway. Fortunately there’s no traffic and I can retrieve them. I redistribute my load, stuff the two bottles into my jersey, and carry on.

6:10pm - Pull in to the Falcon Lake Golf Course. A Fat Boy, fries, and a Corona never tasted so so good.

Notables

Ups

- The terrain north of the #1 between Virden and Brandon was beautiful. Riding the hills there was great!

- The fire and logging roads between Richer and the road up to Hadashville were at times super fun (Riding the water stretch was fun; it seems that sand is better for bikes when it’s wet than when it’s bone dry.)

- “saltstick caps” electrolyte capsules – I don’t think I could have found/carried enough Gatorade, etc, to keep my salts and electrolytes up, to make the water and food work – these capsules saved my ass. This I believe.

- The potato farmers north of Brandon who turned on their garden hose and let us fill up with the coldest, bestest tasting water ever. 

- Burgers and fries.

- A tail wind on Day 2.

Downs

- Sandy gravel: The gravel west of Portage tends to be much softer, with a fine fine grit that just sucks the life out of you.

- A broken pedal.

- A headwind on Day 1.

- The loss of a hardworking companion and intrepid navigator.

- Tendonitis in my left Achilles.

Final words (Paul)

I've never ridden this kind of distance before. It was daunting from the outset, but once you're in it, you just keep going. It's the kind of endeavour that, before you enter into the heart of it, you're more aware of the risks than when you're in the midst of it trying to manage those same risks. I'd much rather be in the thick of it moving and working, than standing back and trying to anticipate what might go wrong. Not that preparation and standing back isn't crucial, it's just not real enough to get me going.

Yet, finishing and having ended the suffering is sweeter still than being in the middle of it. Of course the paradox of it is that the sweetness of finishing cannot happen without being in the midst of the suffering. At some point during Day 1 we talked, briefly (pant pant), about the philosophy of suffering. In my religious background suffering is viewed as redeeming when done for righteous causes. I don't buy this approach anymore. Suffering is not merely a necessary evil that happens to you, that one endures. Suffering is to be pursued and then pushed through. It's a cliche to say it - but it strengthens and matures. It is a good all its own.

Maps

Below you'll find images of the maps we used. The route we rode is in yellow. The other markings are notes and failures and possibilities. 

Dirt roads, gravel roads - and it's hot hot hot

In the heat of the day (up to 35'C) I rode today, following this route (although it's not totally accurate because Google Maps doesn't let you map your travel on dirt roads - the route I rode did not include Hwy 30, but it did include the road one mile West of it, going North into A-town).

I took along 2 litres of water, which was probably not enough for this heat. That is, my sense the 1 litre per hour would be enough, will not be enough if it's 30+'C. This is a concern. It will be addressed ... somehow. 

More Muerto prep

I wrote this on the 18th, but forgot to "publish" it. Hence the delay.

17 June 2013

50 kms of gravel and dirt after work. 

This was my first time out with the heart monitor working. Roughly speaking, at 48 years of age, my maximum heart-rate should be between 165 and 175 (anaerobic - race day), my speed training heart-rate should be between 155 and 165, my strength training heart-rate should be 145 to 155, and my endurance-training should be between 135 and 145. If I want to endure it should be 125 to 135, and if I need to recover, it should be between 95 and 125. All in all the information is helpful. On this ride I spent 20 minutes riding at a speed training rate, which is too much. Although I still spent the bulk of the ride within the strength and endurance ranges, I was still working too hard for too long, breaking down muscle rather than strengthening it. I've got some habits to change. What else is new?

18 June 2013

52 kms of gravel and dirt in the morning, with FR. 

No heartrate monitor this time, but I could feel it that I'd been out working hard the day before. Like I say, old habits die hard. But I'm working on it.