Time for 2013

Here we are at the end of 2012 but I won’t be doing a wistful retrospective of my cycling year. Not to say I don’t enjoy reading the yearly overviews on other blogs, but this past year’s cycling has been pretty…normal. No serious injuries, only a few equipment issues, and generally run-of-the-mill race results. (For example, remember when I got 36^th at the DINO Brown County race? Wow, good times….)

But with 2012 about to become a distant  memory, it is time to look ahead and see what kind of trouble I can get into in 2013. Presently, my cycling calendar is as follows (maybe events in italics):

1.       Jan 5: Polar Bear Pedal (non race)

2.       March 9: Sub 9 Death March

3.       March 23: Barry Roubaix

4.       April 28: DINO Tune Up Town Run

5.       June 3: DINO Brown County

6.       June 16: DINO French Lick

7.       July 1: DINO Mustcatatuck

8.       July 7: Rangeline Rampage

9.       July 22: DINO Versailles

10.   August 12: DINO France Park

11.   August 26: DINO Southwestway Park

12.   September 8: 24 Hours of DINO (6 hour solo)

13.   Brown County Breakdown (non race)

14.   Sub 9 Gravel Grovel

The thing about this year is that I’ve actually assembled a formal training plan. My sister got me a copy of The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible by Joe Friel for Christmas and it has proven to be an interesting read. Admittedly, I’ve actually had a fun time developing the plan. However, the most difficult part has been to try to compensate for my work schedule. Often during the week my only time on the bike is my morning and evening commute which can be 4, 7, or 9 miles each way depending on the route I take. My only trail time will likely be on the weekends. To compensate for this I plan to get trail and endurance workouts on the weekends while focusing on intervals and hill repeats during the week, both of which can be done along my route to and from work, or after I get home in the evenings at several locations within a 5 minute ride of my house. The plan itself starts on January 1 with prep and base workouts and then I will gear up for the Barry-Roubaix in March.

The Barry Roubaix is what I am considering the start of the season. I’m operating under no delusions of grandeur, but I’m still hoping to make a good showing for myself (maybe top 50%?). The Death March race is a maybe. In looking at the map for this year the number of checkpoints has been increased dramatically and it could provide a good warm up for the BR. Still, I’ll be on the fence for a few weeks. The core of the season is the DINO races. I decided to race Category 3 again this year. While I had a few top five finishes in my age group last year, and one podium, I feel I need to try for some more consistent success at Cat 3 before trying Cat 2.

I’m skipping the first DINO race at Warsaw, not because I don’t like the course for recreational riding, but because it’s a longer drive and I didn’t like racing the course last year. I like Versailles State Park more, and since I skipped VSP last year, I figured I would make an effort to go to VSP (and also French Lick which I skipped last year).

One of the “maybe” events is the DINO Rangeline Rampage, a time trial at Rangeline Park in Anderson, Indiana. It is a very technical trail system with a heavy emphasis on man-made features. I have ridden it in the past, but have never ridden ALL the expert trails, which will be used for the TT. I figured the full suspension 26 inch bike I am building (another post) might be good for this type of racing.

The 24 Hours of DINO is also a maybe, although I suspect it will be a priority as September draws closer. I wasn’t happy with my performance last year and feel that I have some unfinished business with that race.

I imagine additional races may pop up. There are typically some time trial events as well as special mtb races put on by DRT Racing and Planet Adventure. Those will be tossed in as I have time. The lack of events in May is unfortunate, but this will be some solid build time with some recreational/training trips around the state.

Outside of the racing, I would also like to travel out of state to ride more often. I hit Vermont this summer and did some riding there but have generally been anchored to Indiana. I’d like to check out trails in Michigan and Ohio if possible.

Beyond cycling I would like to do more camping and paddling this year. Additionally, I would like to dust off my telescope and get back into astronomy. In years past I would drag my telescope for hours of stargazing but this hobby has been placed on the back burner of late due to work and life in general. Anyway, happy 2013!

Now that was good winter riding!

Merry Christmas Eve to all! My wife and I are about to host a short holiday get-together but since our preparations were completed well ahead of schedule, I figured I could ramble on about my second  snow ride of the year.

After my less than satisfying ride on Friday I decided to try again on Saturday. The morning dawned cold and clear with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees. I arrived at Town Run Trail Park on the north side of Indianapolis a little past 8 am and found the trail perfectly frozen with parts covered in a light layer of snow and other sections completely clear. The single speed once again got the call for what was an absolutely fantastic ride. Something about riding in the early morning, combined with the cold and snow,  that just made for a great time. The first lap took me almost an hour to complete due to two downed trees that needed some hike a bike, and several stops to clear out downed limbs the result of windy weather we had on Thursday (although one the smaller of the two trees had actually been downed by a beaver).

A victim of recent winds.

The north loop was very fast while the southern loop had a great deal of ice covering, which required some caution, and several sections of clear frozen trail. The snow which was on the trail was fairly shallow, except on a short section of technical trail on the return leg. The snow had drifted in this section and was fairly deep with a few parts at axle level.

Heading into some deeper snow. The snow really helped smooth out the roots and rocks in this section.

I was the first bike on the trail but I did run into several hikers and trail runners out enjoying the morning. Overall, it was a great morning and I’m glad I hauled myself out of bed early enough to ride before the thaw. Central Indiana is forecasted to get nailed by a winter storm tomorrow evening into Wednesday. The amounts of snow vary based on which local news station you watch, but right now it looks like we could between 5 and 9 inches. This should make the commute on Wednesday interesting and may provide some other riding opportunities. We’ll see how this all plays out. Merry Christmas to all!

First snow (and ice) ride of the year

I took Friday off work to celebrate my birthday and to take  my first snow ride of the year. We not snow Thursday night, part of a massive storm which covered the most of the Midwest. Unfortunately, the conditions turned out to be not quite ideal for a ride. The big problem was that prior to the snow the temperatures had been up in the fifties, so a rather sharp drop in the temperature Thursday evening was quickly followed by about two inches of snow. As a result, the ground did not have a chance to freeze before the insulating snow. Come this morning I could tell the ground underneath the snow had not frozen meaning I’d be running into quite a bit of mud. My trip to the Town Run Trail Park on the north side or Fort Ben was out of the question.

Instead I opted for a ride around the Butler University campus and the Central Canal Towpath (a crushed limestone green way that cuts through Indianapolis) on the Monocog. Getting to campus was a trick since all the neighborhood roads were covered in ice. Once on campus, I found some snow, but some of the trails I usually spin around on were only partially covered in snow with lots of mud as a result of the lack of a solid freeze last night. 

The Tow Path is usually perfect for snow riding but someone (either Butler folks or the water company) had plowed the path leaving a crushed limestone mud and ice fest. I didn’t end up in the canal proper, which considering some of the ice pockets I encountered was quite the achievement.

In the end of I rode the perimeter of the university soccer and softball fields which did have a solid layer of snow. No mishaps save for almost endoing into a snow filled drainage ditch as I was cutting across a field. Overall, not exactly the snow ride I wanted, but there is supposed to be a hard freeze tonight. Considering that most of the trails I saw today were almost snow free, or on their way to being snow free, I’m hoping the exposure combined with tonight’s freeze will harden them up for an early morning ride up at Town Run.

Trader's Point Cross Race Report (Some mud involved)

The night before the final Indiana Cyclocross Series race (and Indiana State Cross Championship) I decided I should probably get my bike back into working order. The Gravel Grovel had been hard on it, the broken spoke, numerous loose and out of adjustment spokes, shifting problems, and multiple creaks. Finding the spoke I had to replace the broken one was not the right width, I was forced to scavenge a spoke from an old set of Little 500 wheels I had in the basement. Seemed to work ok, but that rear wheel was very out of true. I messed with adjusting spokes and got it better, but not great. Still it would work for the race.



Struggling up one of the many hills.

The race was held at a horse farm in an area called Trader's Point on the northwest side of Indianapolis and just outside of Zionsville, Indiana. Friday saw almost nonstop rain which continued overnight so I was expecting mud. Race time weather was supposed to be scattered sunshine with highs in the 50s. In actuality it was overcast with a high in the low to mid 40s. The course started on a short gravel climb and then went to grass for the remainder with rolling terrain, multiple sharp off camber turns and two sections requiring run ups. No barriers for this race. As expected the course was a mud pit. The run ups, while steep were also nothing but pure mud so I was watching the earlier racers struggle to clamber up to the top. My tires. Kenda Kross Supremes, while good for light trail and dry conditions just plain suck for mud. (see Backyard Cross Report) Still, I went with what I had.

I started well enough and was in the  middle of the pack as we hit grass. From there it was a train through the mud with people slipping all over. Not even two minutes in and my tires were caked with mud. Coming out of a tight turn I accelerated to the outside of a group and found myself sliding into the tape course markings and then into a little mud filled divot that I could not get out of. I dismounted and had to run for about twenty feet during which time most of the remaining riders passed me. I remounted and continued to slog my way through. I handled the run ups just fine, as well as a few very muddy off camber turns. However I did crash just past a tent set up by the Shamrock Cycles team. No big deal as people were crashing left and right.

Heading into one of the final turns before the climb to the finish line.
The mud was everywhere and made cornering quite hairy.

The end of the lap was back to the gravel hill which I charged up and passed a few people. The remaining laps went about the same way, including a crash in the exact same spot on the second lap. Not much speed, lots of careful turns, and climbing up the two run ups. I passed several people and kept going back and forth with a guy from Bicycle Outfitters Indianapolis team. I would pass him on a climb and then he would pass me as I picked my way through an off camber turn.
 I finally dropped him on the gravel climb towards the start/finish line on lap three. I did get passed by a guy with a Planet Adventure jersey who I tried to stick to with an eye towards re-passing him later. We were both passed by two of the leading riders on our 4^th lap, meaning that would be our last lap. I stayed close to the PA rider and rounding the last grass turn found us on a grassy/muddy straight away leading to the gravel climb to the finish. The PA rider accelerated with me a few feet back. On the hill I was on his wheel but started having shifting problems in the rear and I couldn’t seem to find a gear. (chalk that up to the mud) At the top of hill I pulled around to his right and got my front wheel even with his rear wheel but could not make the pass. As expected I finished in the bottom half of the standings, but overall had a fun time. Like my past cross races, I enjoyed the final two laps much more than the first few. I like the one on one racing that takes place in the later laps when I focus on  beating the riders around me to the line.



Just missed catching the PA rider in the final few hundred feet.



So my first cross season (all three races) concludes. A few thoughts: First, I wish I could use my bar ends. I rely on them so much when riding mtb, and in racing to give me leverage for climbing and for sprinting that I find myself grabbing for them when I need to power out of a turn or sprint.

Second, maybe I will focus on the earlier season races. I like cross but I can’t see myself doing a full season, especially after riding DINO. I see it as more of a fun activity to help develop racing skills. The earlier races are usually drier and would likely favor my mtb focus.

Lastly, my tires. While I like the Kenda Kross Supremes, I think I would still like a wider tire. The Kendas are 35mm, but I am more confident on wider tires. I don’t think I need my 2.1 inch mtb tires, but perhaps a 700x40 or 42 would instill more confidence (especially on the sketchy turns) while still having lower rolling resistance.

Anyway, no more races this year and time for some good old fashioned recreational riding. I plan on assembling a full training plan for the new year with a focus towards the DINO series in the spring and summer. The Access 29er is being taken out of rotation for a while for a complete overhaul. It took a beating this year, especially with the Gravel Grovel and the cross races and I need to address a periodic clunking sound from the headset area. Any mtb rides I go on will be with the Monocog 29er which is easier to maintain with the upcoming snow and ice. Also, I will start building up my full suspension bike in the coming weeks. Just need to gather a few more parts. I had planned to use an older Shimano crankset for this build but last week I ordered a Shimano SLX double ring crankset I found online for a closeout price. Should work well for what I hope will be a bike that will be useful for more technical trails. (i.e. Rangeline in Anderson, Indiana)

Oh, and I pulled trigger and signed for the 36 mile Barry-Roubaix gravel/dirt road race in March. I figure training for that will begin in earnest at the beginning of February. Should be a fun time!

Polar Bear Pedal II

A bit of advertising on this one, but anyone in the Indianapolis area (or central Indiana) should give this ride some thought. Yes, it is on January 5 and it will likely be cold. And yes, there could be some snow and/or ice. But the fun factor of the ride easily outweighs those otherwise negative points. Last year was the first try for this ride and I think it was a huge success. It was a bit cold, and it started to snow (sometimes heavily) but the atmosphere was great. Plus I got to ride next to a guy with some sort of sound system rig on his bike which was blaring Ride of the Valkyrie by Wagner (think helicopter attack scene from Apocalypse Now) for the first few miles which was quite inspiring. Here are the details:

What: Polar Bear Pedal II

Where: Indy Bike Hub, 222 East Market Street 

When: Saturday, January 5, 2013 

Time: Registration/Check-In 9 a.m. Ride Starts 10 a.m.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the granny gear (Gravel Grovel 2012 Race Report)

Turns out, I’m not an endurance racer. Not that I didn’t already know that as the 6 hours of DINO was a pretty clear shot across my bow. But after Saturday’s Gravel Grovel, I realize I need to train more to ever hope of competing in these races.

But, despite this gloomy intro, I was fairly happy with my race overall. This year’s edition of the GG had a change in start line from the Maumee Boy Scout Camp to the Midwest Trail Riders Camp. This venue was conveniently located right of 446 which made for very easy access from Bloomington. Also different from last year was the weather. Saturday was partly cloudy but with temps in the mid 20s, with a projected high in the 30s. A slight change from last year’s 50+ temps. The course also changed slightly but the mileage was still set at 62. 

A view of the riders behind me at the start. Not sure why I didn't take a photo in front of me as well.

My weapon of choice was of course my mountain bike, only with the cyclocross tires I have been using of late as opposed to my standard Maxxis Ignitors.  My primary goal was to finish the race in under 5 hours. Luckily, my knee issue form earlier in the week was a non issue for the entire ride.

The roll out was fairly orderly and I was in the front half until the course hit a hard left turn onto  a slight hill and the first of the gravel roads at which point everyone freaked out. A few people hit the dirt, while some weren’t in the proper gear and lost momentum in the gravel and had to hike out of the traffic jam. I was properly geared and I stayed upright but I still got caught in the jam and had to dismount for a short run.

 The first hill was at the end of Hunters Creek Road, a straight up paved climb. Not too bad, and I managed to spin past several people. Once up on level ground  (Tower Ridge Road) many of these people I had passed caught me and there was some more loose pack riding leading to a turnaround at Todd Cemetery.

Just before the next turn south there was a short downhill followed by a slightly longer uphill. I proceeded with caution due to my skinnier than normal tires, and upon hitting the bottom of the descent I began to get a little squirrely and found myself drifting to the far right and onto the shoulder. Kind of a controlled drift, but still kind of uncontrolled because you know if you try to correct the drift too abruptly you will crash. I recovered but had drained my speed and was starting to go uphill. However, while focusing on not flying off the road, I had forgotten to downshift, so I hit the climb in a terrible gear and was forced to stop halfway and run. I lost the pace line I had been in and was passed by a few other riders including a tandem.

 The route turned south towards Hickory Church and followed some generally rolling terrain until hitting a sizable climb on the eastern side of the Maumee Boy Scout Reservation. This was followed by some pavement, then more gravel which took everyone back to the Tower Ridge Rd. This was followed by a descent down to Maumee Bridge.

Around this time I began to hate my cyclocross tires. Maybe they were rolling faster but I could nto tell. All I could tell was that they were sketchy on the gravel, shaky on the descents, and the ride was terribly rough, even with the lockout off on my Reba. Next time I will use my Ignitors and save the cross tires for…cross races!

Just before Maumee Bridge I ran into a rider pulled off on the side of the road. Usually if I see someone stopped I will slow down and ask if they are ok. If they have a tube out or are otherwise repairing the bike I figure they can help themselves. This guy was just standing eating a power bar. I slowed and asked him if he was ok, and he responded with the quote of the day: “Yeah, I’m just sick of all this gravel.” Amen to that. Crossing Maumee Bridge leads to Combs Road, the most mountain bike-ish section of the ride which includes a brutal climb. Liberal use of the granny gear allowed me to conquer that hill without walking.



Gravel Grovel self portrait. Still early in the race since I'm not
gasping for air yet.



Following Combs was the climb up Elkinsville Rd. hill which was just as bad as it has always been. Upon declining on the other side I was heartened to see that almost every rider coming back from Story was walking their bikes of the hill. Good, I wouldn’t be the only one walking when I come back that way. 

After that downhill was a flatish/windy section over to the Story Inn SAG stop. Following up on my pledge from the 6 Hours of DINO, I availed myself of a banana since I had felt some cramping start just after Combs. As I expected, it was terrible. BUT, I had no cramping problems for the remainder of the ride.  While at Story I called my wife to let her know my progress, loaded up on some snacks, and made a quick bathroom break, and was off again. Save for the hike a bike up half of the Elkinsville Road climb, the route out of Story was fairly uneventful. After crossing the Maumee Bridge the route went south of the scout reservation and followed Polk Patch Road to an intersection just north of the metropolis of Norman, Indiana. There was one large, and several slightly smaller hills in this area. Nothing to worry about, except the Forest Service had just laid brand new gravel along this section which made riding extrmely difficult.

I had been riding with another guy for a few miles through the aforementioned new gravel hell when I heard a tinkling sound coming from the back of my bike. I remarked that I thought I had a broken spoke and after listening for a second, he seconded my diagnosis. I rode for a few more minutes but began to worry the spoke might get caught up in the chain and foul up my drive train. I pulled over, and sure enough, broken spoke. I had a spoke wrench but for some reason I could not unscrew the spoke. I wrestled with this for several minutes before in my desperation seeing if I could bend the spoke to loosely wrap it around the spoke next to it. It would still make noise but at least it would stay out of my drive train. I tighten the adjacent spokes a bit and took off. About 10-12 minutes had been wasted and I had been passed by about 5 riders.

Crossing my fingers the rear wheel would hold I continued and eventually arrived at the Hickory Church SAG. As I rode by a volunteer he said six miles left. I gritted my teeth and accelerated into the best section of the course which consisted of smoother than normal gravel roads (sometimes almost a dirt road), short easy elevation increases, and then a rapid descent to a flat valley section leading to the finish line. I was pushing hard and was at 18-19 mph almost the entire time.

I came into the finish line with a time of 5:08. So much for my sub 5 hour goal. I had a feeling I would not make it, even with the speed in the last 6 miles. But, if you consider the time I spent trying to deal with my spoke I would have likely been well under the 5 hours. Ah well. That is life. Once again, despite a mid ride hate thought (just like last year) that I was never going to do this race again, I had a great time and will come back for more. The post ride food was great as always, although next year  I hope Yats serves Chili Cheese Etoufee.

I was hoping to win a few door prizes, but the awards ceremony which was supposed to start at 3:30 did not start on time and my wife and I had to leave at 4 to get back to Indy to get our dogs out of the kennel. Too bad, since there seemed to be a relatively small crowd hanging around for the awards and I liked my chances.

Full race results may be found here. Looking at some GPS tracks of the race it appears there was just over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Not a  bad day in the woods. Except for a cross race next week I have no more races until sometime next year. I’m flirting with doing the Sub 9 Death March for a second time, and I’m also thinking of trying out the Barry-Roubaix race in my old stomping grounds of Michigan. Sounds like a fun race.