July 3rd...What I Learned...50 talking points

General thoughts:

1. If I had to do it again I'd use the lightest velomobile I could afford. An XS carbon Quest comes to mind though that's at the far end of what I could afford. Would also take a hard look at the Milan GT.

2. Low weight almost trumps everything though an ultra-light Mtn Bike, for example, would not be fun across the plains.

3. Comfort is critical. My socked GR was just that.

4. I wore a wrestling singlet w/top straps cut off and an elastic waistband sewn in by Carol(wife)

    Reason? Seams are only on the side, not front or back. Comfortable though revealing so have to be aware of that an either wear a long jersey or throw over some ultra-light running shorts.

5. Socked GR was difficult to work from. Too time consumming. Every stop...change out clothing, grab something out of panniers, run into 7/11 to grab a bite. Every type of transition took too long, race wise, with the socked bike. With a velomobile, you just hop in or hop out. No problem especially w/o cover on.

6. Fairing/sock on GR helped with cold weather but not as much as I thought it would.

7. Half the time during the race it seemed I was cold and, hence, made a lot of time consuming changes of clothing back and forth.

8.Handling at low speeds required a lot of concentration...energy...on the GR at speeds under 6mph especially when fatigued and at night. Especially at night!

Specific:

1.Milan GT or Quest XS

2. Keep gear to absolute min.

3. Keep weight to absolute min. 5-10lbs. less will make a difference, energy wise, in the 

mtns particularly.

4. One change of cycling apparel

5. Wool jerseys worked well. Never smelled

6. Sleeping system a must...goose down bag/blanket, mattress, bivvy

With a velo, and I don't recommend it necessarily, you could probably sleep in it w/a tarp throw 

over your head if raining and a down blanket for warmth.

7. Pace? Went too hard first few days...500 miles in 2.5 days in the mountains w/70lbs. If I did it again, I'd probably take it a bit easier. The push overnight into Baker City took a lot out of me. IIRC, I went 43 hours on three hours of sleep.

8. Next time would take McKenzie Pass alternate route. 14 miles further but easier gradient

to deal with. McKenzie Pass really trashed my body.

9. Listen to your body. Take care of it. Down run yourself into the ground.

10. Setting aside my 'thrush' infection, my antibiotic ordeal, and my heart issue, I felt good overall during 75% of the race. I was initially concerned w/recovery each day but I surprised myself.

11. I cannibalized my body too much. Two weeks later I'm still my 'high school' skinny weight of 150lbs. Lost nearly ten pounds of non-water weight. Though I know I lost muscle mass I was confirmed what I always suspected...I'm good at 'fat burning'.

12. A trike platform would solve low-speed handling issues on climbs yet would still be fast on descents. 3x20", though maybe slight slower on the flats or rough pavement than a 20x26" setup, would be my choice.

Note: 

Day two... had climbed McKenzie Pass and was heading to Redmond or Prinville for the night. I was beat! Some tailwind and genenerally flat to rolling w/granny gear climbing on some. As I left the town of Sisters, a man on a trike along the side of the road yellled 'Go Rocketman'. Fast forward three minutes, I'm cruising at 28-32 mph and I look in my mirror and he's on my tail! Unbelievable!

Over the next 8 miles or so, he drops me on the first 3min. climb and puts 3/4 mile on me over the next 20 minutes. I can never catch him. 'Paul' pulls over, a real nice lean man of my age, riding an ICE tricked out light trike. I find out later from a good friend, who knows Paul well, said he's one of the fittest and strongest riders anywhere and he climbs like a scalded cat. Anyway, Paul was a good example of what can be done with a very strong rider on a light trike. It makes me reconsider a trike for the TransAm as long as I could run bright flag/strobe on a streamlined mast.

13. Rumble strips, w/poor shoulder, would be a challenge on some two-lane roads w/frequent semi traffic. Would have err on side of safety and thread your way thru that section.

14.Easy access to food on bike.I used a one gallon plastic milk jug zip-tied to handlebar w/a large cutout. Worked well.

15. Hydration? Would continue using water bottles over hydration unit. Had four/24oz bottles on handlebars. Could refill w/different drinks. Easy to clean. Btw...found out real soon that warm/hot water-bottle water is real difficullt to get down.

16. Which liquids worked well?

 Discovered too late but McD's sweet tea goes down warm or cold. Could fill up 4-24oz water bottlles for a buck. Coke worked well when diluted w/ice. Contains more phosporous/magnesium over most beverages.

Ice cold 4% milk, not chocolate, worked well one day as, at that point in the race, chewing, with thresh infection...was coming more of an issue. That one day I consumed 4 quarts.

17. Food?  Would take a hard look at JV's Infinit liquid fuels . I know Willie swears by them. If they worked out well would ship resupplies down course General Delivery or to motels/hostels along the way. Would call motels ahead of time to set it up. Would supplement w/hot meals as well. 

18. Motels? A hot shower, etc, at the end of the day was a welcome relief. Camping out wasn't bad either as long as showers were available. I could of used a hot shower, though, when I had to spend the night on the top of Lolo Pass. 

19. Carbent? I have one sitting in the garage. What I don't like about it is 'hard crank' interference when adjusted for my inseam. Though a great climber, I know the crank interference during the race would become an issue, due to low speed climbing, fatigue, etc.

20. Lights? I should of run a front generator. Don't know if it's a possibility on a trike. Would have been

easier than what I had. Reason for not? Another $400. Might light system, that was trouble free, would run up to 7hours. Cost? $17 from Amazon.

21. Beleive it or not, I never really had digestive issues on the bike...no stomach pains,diarrhea, etc in spite of the antibiotics I was on for most of race.

22. Tires? Glad I went with 28mm Ultremos. Would run 'em again.

23. Panniers? Under one pound. Worked great though, knowing what I know now, would of used my rear rack for mounting them.

24. XTR rear derailleur, grip shifters, Ultegra front derailleur...drive train in general...worked beautifully.

25. Rear 29er rear wheel w/BB7 worked flawlessly. Glad I had it. Had one nasty 3-5 mile twisty 13% downgrade that I was glad I had them! I've never been on a gradient that steep for that long.

26. Dura Ace front hub w/18 spokes on light rim. Tire/wheel combination rediculously light. Performed flawlessly. no issues.

27. Handlebar cell phone mount. Quick and easy to connect/disconnect. Secure.

28.Fairing? Glad I went w/CF Easy Racer fairing as bike fell over for various reasons once smack dab across a boulder. Lexan on fairing would of cracked.

29. Gearing? Went w/58/42/26 and 11/32XT cogs. Worked well though the 11X34 would of allowed me to spin slightly more. 58 tooth worked better than I thought.

30. Downhill speed? I don't think I ever hit over 52mph w/sock at 7000'. In many cases, running without sock would of been faster evn at the top in w/headed tucked down IMHO.

31. Tailwinds? Socked GR is faster w/out sock as there's nothing in the back dor the wind to push against.

32. Sock? Excels  in the 15-50mph speed range, on moderating temps, quartering winds, flat cruising, and carrying speed on run-outs. Would save 3lbs., however, w/o...mast/sock.

33. Mirror? Wouldn't ride w/o one.

34. Heart-rate minitor. Chose to ride w/o. Rode by perceived effort. Would do it again.

35. $$  Two credit cards, ID, medical issurance card, and $500 cash to start out. Would do it again.

36. Baggage? Worked out to about 20lbs...clothing,electrical items, lights, med supplies,hygiene,extra tire/tunes, tools, etc. Not a lot I could whittle down allowing for contingencies.

37. Tried to carry an extra 1000 calories on the bike at all times. Saved my neck on numerous occasions. Preferred food...large Payday candy bars...3-4 at 500 calories each, small packages of 

cream-filled Orioles, Performance Powerblocs chewables at 33 callories each.

38. Cold weather gear? Had it shipped to Hamilton, MT, P.O. General Delivery for use in the Rockies.

At times, I was riding with a wool sweater, wool jersey, long-sleeve lycra jersey, and rain/wind jacket, knee warmers and was still cold. Like I said, my body has a low cold tolerance. In Hamilton, I picked up thick rain rights, long sleeve wool jersey, water proof socks and was still cold especially on the ride into W. Yelllowstone w/socked bike.

39. Navigation? Was OK going w/maps...about a pound. Maybe gps if a next time.

40. Communication? Handlebar mounted iPhone. Saved my bacon numerous times w/making arrangements, navigation, etc. Wouldn't ride w/o one.

41. Seat time? Yeah...too little. It was more attributed to fatigue than comfort. 

42. Would consider using two bents. 

A light-weight comfy trike for the first 2000 miles...to Pueblo, CO...and then change over to the GR or mid-racer, or ? to the end. Or, ship the trike to Kentucky for the start of the Appalachians. However, would prefer doing it on one bike.

43. Trike? Perhaps a tail-faired trike would work well across middle America

44. I'm dollowing Allan closely on the development of his "Bullet" velomobile body. We email. It's light and inexpensive and made of kevlar for toughness. Doesn't look all that much different to the DF velo that's been recently released though I know there's a world of difference across the design spectrum.

45. Spousal support? In my case...imperative. Often my wife got me through the day via iPhone messages and arrangements.

46. Would of used General Delivery more than I did and was planning to once I reached Pueblo, CO, where the coast headed eastward off the Rockies.

47. Competitiveness? With the weight I was carrying I was fortunate enough to be around 18th out of 42 riders though many of those were probably not racing. 30lbs off my bike and onto the bikes of my nearest competitors probably would of allowed me to move up a bit ;)

48. Gold Rush kickstand: I was able to trim down the kickstand llegs and still keep it functional.

At 1.25 lbs...indispensible. Woulldn't ride w/o it due to convenience ecery single time I stopped.

49. I had a very good and extremelly knowledgeable friend as my long distance coach. We kept in contact daily. His advice and encouragement indispensible. We had our disagreements as expected.

I learned a great deall from him and his support team, Unfortunately, I didn't akways follow it or could follow it for various reasons. Btw, we're still close friends.

50. To wrap it up if I were to do it again?

     Take a long hard look at three wheels especially a light velomobile w/speed, weather protection, and easier handling on the long climbs.

     Take far less than I need. You can always buy items on the road

     Stay in the saddle longer

     Use of hub generator if possible

     Learn how to stay warm on the bike

     Keep it as light as possible. Five pounds does make a difference fatigue wise on climbs

     Would plan my days/layovers/pace more carefully and would err on the side of 'too easy' for the first 3-5 days.

That's it. Feel free to post questions not answered. I normally proof read before posting but not this time. Tired now though have a cord of wood to move down the hill so...

Cheers and thanks for reading...

john

     

      

     

      

  

 

Motivation to push on...

Cross posted on BROL

Many thanks for the words of encouragement and support along the way and now that I'm back at home. It did, does, mean a lot to me.
My learning curve was steep and slow as I'm very much a rookie at this thing.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned, and I thought about this a lot on the road, is the continuing motivation to be competitive in this long a race.
I always wanted to finish respectably in the race as in the top 1/3rd or so... but when the top 10 riders...the Italian group, Mike, Edward, Jason and a few others...have got a gap on of at least a 1,000 miles...do you knock yourself out and miss a lot of "America and its fine people" to finish 13th rather than in 16th position?
I've been texting w/"RN" the last few days...a young strong rider in the race that I somehow managed to be competitive with at least for the first 1100 miles or so...and noticed he hadn't been moving down course for a long, long time period. I'm talking for about a day or so.
He texted back to say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the "gap is so big" that he was enjoying himself a bit off the bike.
My point...

My "Big Calorie" breakfast stop about an hour after the climb out of White bird, Idaho. This fine lady I met allowed me to join her for breakfast. We had a great time and she told me her life story. I got pretty good at just listening to people and keeping my mouth shut though hard to imagine.

I couldn't eat it all and so I got a 'doggie bag' for the rest and she took it home literally for her dogs.

She also shared she has a pet bull elk. She said, and I do forget her name, that the bull elk was very happy when Fish and Game dropped off two females on her acreage:)

June 29th...Why I made the decision to pull out of the race

This is a copy of the posting I made on www.Bentrideronline.com some days ago. It gives a general description of my bike/gear and then the time frame/conditions leading up to withdrawal from the race.

A bit about the race...w First of all, I want to thank you all for your incredible support throughout the past ten days of my racing the TransAm. This is my first look, some 15 days after the start of the race, to visit the BROL forums and I haven't looked at the other post in this thread...yet. Needless to say, the word I received throughout the race from my very limited contacts were extremely encouraging and motivational. To you all...I'm most indebted and I truly mean that. Right now, I'm sitting in my favorite Starbucks penning a few race reflections.I am indebted, especially, to the following people for any personal success I might have experienced throughout the 1333 miles into West Yellowstone. 1.Carol...my wife, my love, and my digital ride partner and social media correspondent 2. Robert Johnson and his wife who walked me literally through many difficult passages and victories throughout my journey 3. Lonnie Morse: Dear friend and advisor and expert Easy Racer consultant 4. Hundreds of others well wishers and the Good Lord who delivered me safely through the difficult times. Special thanks to Rand, Randy, and Thom O. Some random facts/comments: Rider race age 64 Bent: Socked GR w/ultegra frt brake and BB7's rear disc on 29er wheel 58/42/24 Ultegra crank w/ 11/32 xt cogs. XTR rear derailleur. Koolback seat. Seat base weld broke just outside W Yellowstone...seat base actually fell off the bike when I stood up...BUT it was my own fault for my misloading of seat bags on top of seat frame. Tires: Ultremos both ends(700x28mm on rear)...one flat Loaded bike weight w/all fluids: 70 lbs I usually rode w/96 ounces of liquids Favorite bike fuel:Ice cold 4% whole milk Emergency back-up calories of ~1000-2000...Large Payday's, Powerblocks. Clothing: Merino wool short/long sleeve jerseys w/waterproof pants and Shower's Pass WP socks plus assorted other jerseys. Shorts: Wrestling singlet cut off at the waist w/added elastic. There are ONLY side seams and no front/back seams. Had virtually no seat comfort issues of any significance throughout the ride. Body weight on June 7th start: 158lbs Weight on return home after fully hydrated: 149lbs. Lost a pound a day while eating as much as I could on the bike. Longest day: 233 miles w/10,000' climbing Shortest day: IIRC...around 71 miles Avg. daily mileage to West Yellowstone: 148 miles/day IIRC Estimated total climbing to that point. Just my estimate:80,000' Total time to distance taken from retracing my route one Trackleaders: 300 miles 1day/6 hours 500 miles 2days/13 hours 800 miles 4days/13 hours? 1000 miles 6days/6 hours 1300 miles 9days/3 hours? My longest moving day on the bike was just shy of 16 hours. I know, I was off the bike way to much to be very competitive. Along those lines though, the average TransAm racer was what I called "30/30"...carrying 30 lbs less gear/bike and 30 years younger. My game plan was to try and maintain a 'middle of the pack' position and then, once I reached Pueblo, CO, start making up time and reeling in what riders I could across mid-America. As the race progressed, I did find myself getting stronger and recovering better than I thought. I was reasonably confident that once I hit the plains, and could get into a good long steady rhythm, a 22-24 mph cruising speed would be doable disallowing any wind influence. The trouble riding the mountains was the difficulty in locking into any long-term rhythems. Though I never or rarely went anaerobic, accelerating the bike/climbing took a fair amount of energy due to the weight, etc. One of my toughest pulls was climbing three passes between John Day and Baker City most of which happened at night. The first pass was a 9 mile pull of 5-6% with no let-up...none. I ended up walking 15-30 minutes on that climb due to calf pain. I finally rolled into Bake City at 3:15 am after climbing the 2nd and 3rd pass on a quiet mountain rode. I was so cold and shaking so badly that, at times, I had difficulty steering the bent. I then lost my headlight. Fortunately, a car came up behind me and stayed there so I could use their beams to see my path for the next hour. Like I said...I was extremely cold.  I was up and on the road, IIRC, by 8:00am or so. Another low mileage day faced me and, on a long, steep sustained climb into Halfway, OR, I found myself walking about 90 minutes due to extreme slope, strong headwinds, and a troubling left calf muscle. I survived though Unfortunately, I found myself going to bed on an empty stomach due to unusal circumstances or poor planning, on at least three occasions. The Payday candy bars? Coming out of Wisdom, OR, with nearest services 46 miles down course, the Payday got me there. I might mention I was surprised at my weightloss during the ride. I was already what I considered a lean 158# and so I reckon, what I have suspected for quite some time, my body is fairly efficient at cannabalizing itself hopefully w/not too much loss of lean tissue. So fast forward to this past Monday: It was a cold, wet, hilly 71miles heading toward West Yellowstone. Rumble strip, poor riding surface, and semi truck traffic about five feet away. At one point, the wind/rain was so strong that I pointed the bent into the wind/rain, planted both feet firmly on the ground, and tried to ride it out motionless hoping it would soon pass. Eventually it did and several miles further down the road is when I picked up my only flat. Ten miles out side of Yellowstone, I stopped, stood up to stretch, and my seat base hit the ground. I rode on several miles and then noticed my wife had texted me. Said snow was expected in W Yellowstone and NOT to plan on camping out if at all possible. She soon posted she found a room for me at the Madison Hotel (hostel) in town and to head in that direction.  Within 30 minutes of reaching the Madison, the sky literally opened up in an ice cold torrential downpour of hail and rain for the next hour or so. Thank God I was inside. To make a long story short, the following morning I had breakfast w/two new hostel friends and returned to the lobby to sit/rest/reflect around 9am. I wasn't feeling well and also had a case of 'Thrush' that made eating/chewing difficult...a different trip to the ER for that...and became aware of my high heartrate for the first time. Using the timer on my iPhone, my resting HR held a steady 160bpm for the next 4 minutes and then converted back to normal(60ish), and then 5 minutes later converted back to 160bpm. FWIW...I counted 16-17 beats in 6secs then add a zero. This continued on throughout the morning without let up. At one point, and I'm feeling a sense of deep, deep fatigue at this point, I layed on my floor of my room where I felt my heart far exceed my capacity to count that quickly. Fast forward to 2pm that afternoon. I walked across the street to a small medical clinic where I was promptly informed their not an immediate care facility. They asked what was wrong, however, and had a nurse check out my pulse/bp. Within the next minute, they had called 911 and within three minutes I was on an 80 mile ambulance ride to the nearest large medical facility in Rexburg, Idaho. Throughout the 90minute drive, my heart would 'convert' between rhythms...150-160 and then back into the 60's. This converting would take place radomly over a period of several seconds. A bit disconserting to say the least. Fortunately, they were able to record on paper as this was happening as well throughout my three hour stay at the Rexburg(Madison) Medical Center. Fast forward to Thursday afternoon in the W. Yellowstone Cafe while waiting for my flight out. The low point of my race. Upon checking my heartrate, I estimated it to be in the low 40's and skipping every 3rd beat. Five seconds later, it was red-lined at 160 bpm. At that point, I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it ;)  I did actually broke down for the first time during the race while on the phone with my wife. It was tough. Yesterday, Friday, I got admitted to the Good Sam Medical Facilityin their ER. Fortunately, my heart put on a good show for the physicians/cardiologist varying from 39-125 beats while quietly at rest. This Wednesday I meet with an electrocardiologists for consultation for surgery to repair the electrical circuits in my heart. It's called RF Ablation and, in my case, it can be a life changing surgery where they use a catheter to gain access to the heart and 'kill' a small part of the heart responsible for the mixed up electrical signals. It seems my heart currently has two speeds while at rest...fast and slow...with changes between the two taking just seconds. I might note that when the cardiologist left my ER room yesterday, he turned to me and said 'you are going to racethis next year aren't you'? I said I was done with ultra racing upon which he said 'we can fix this thing'. You'llbe 100% fixed. Go for it!

Update:Cardiologist diagnosed me with SVT...supra ventricular tachycardia. Says it's rarely life threatening and recommends no treatment. Indicated It may never return or it may. They have the highest success with ablation surgery...killing a small  electrical-generating part of the heart from the inside...if I'm in an SVT rhythm at the time. The SVT rhythm is a rather unnerving experience to go through to say the least ...mine lasted six days...especially if it's your first experience with them, you're a long ways from home and familiar faces, and your dealing with it alone. My room in W. Yellowstone On the road somewhere outside Wisdom, MT

June 27...updates

This is cross posted to Bentrideronline.com

Daily Distances and Observations:

      At the start of the race, I knew I had ZERO chance of winning or placing. I'd be lucky to finish in the top 1/3 of the field. I could live with that. Considering the field... their experience, their age, their equipment...my goal was always to turn in a respectable performance for myself. A 22 days crossing would be incredible. 25 days very respectable as a 170 mile/day average. More than a month...not so good at least in my mind.

I did manage, according to "Trackleaders.com" to cover the first 800 miles in a little over 96 hours(four days) which was good for me, but I was unable to sustain that rate. The race has always been a race against myself. My fears. My demons. I didn't face any lesser or harder hardships, I'm sure, than any of the other racers. We were all experiencing and dealing with the same type of issues throughout the race. Definitely this race was  my biggest physical/mental challenge ever in my 64 years.

      There was no doubt that my dealing w/cold weather and nutrition/hydration would be a huge challenge for me to overcome. They were.

Day 1:  234 miles...Astoria to Coburg. 10,000' climbing. A long non-eventful day.

Got about five hours sleep camping out.

Day 2: 122 miles...Coburg to Redmond. Up and over Mckenzie Pass. Spent 4.5-5 hours on this climb w/o any real let up. Trashed my body this day. One of my toughest days I've had on a bike...ever.

Day 3: 227 miles...Redmond to Baker City. Five major passes this day riding to 3:15am. Dealt w/pre-hypothermia. Can't remember being this cold for this long while riding.

Day 4:   84 miles...Baker City to Snake River in Hell's Canyon. Pulled left calf muscle on first climb heading east of Baker City. At one point, started to turn bike around around and head the 15 miles back into Baker City but, after some time, kept going primarily w/just right leg for power. (Cramp/muscle pull stayed with me until Lowell, Idaho, the next afternoon.) Strong winds, coasted whenever possible at low speed, estimated I walked 90 min up "The Wall". Could apply little pressure to pedals. Glad when day was over. Disappointing mileage after getting off to a good start.

Day 5: 144 miles...Hell's Canyon to White Bird. Rolled in just before dark. Services closed. A rough day. Poor road, heavy truck traffic. Some dandy climbs. A no fun day.

Day 6: 150 miles...90 min climb out of White Bird w/70 mile river grade climb up to Lolo Pass last 1/2 of day. Arrived at top at 10:15pm. Last 90 min of climbing, gradient kicked up to 6%. Rain last two hours. Not ideal but I managed. Spent night camped out on concrete walkway in front of men's restroom.

Day 7:   73 miles...Lolo Pass to Hamilton. Not a day I'm proud of. Severe dehydration from previous day, couldn't eat as everything tasted extremely salty and I mean everything, and 'thrush' in mouth was being to make chewing difficult. Also, picked up 'cold weather' package at Hamilton P.O. to keep me warm over the Rockies.

Day 8:  78 miles...Hamilton to Wisdom, MT. Made a costly navigational error that cost me at least two hours. Rolled into Wisdom at 5:30 PM w/squall line across the mountains in front of me. The three passes ahead went up to 7400'. I was cold and made decision to stop for night though way short mileage wise. No services for next 46 miles. Got lots of sleep and felt good next morning though hungry.

Day 9: 145 miles...Wisdom to Ennis. IIRC, three major climbs today. Felt good overall rolling into Ennis, MT, other than my mouth. Had a spaghetti dinner that night and could barely chew as 'thrush' made chewing all but impossible. Could eat only half. Tongue was covered in prickly red pimples.

At 1am, walked across street to ER Center. Left lower leg swollen, varicose veins huge, recent calf pain, difficulty walking w/o limp, severely dehydrated prior days. Wanted to rule out a DVT and get some meds for my mouth. Successful on both counts.

Day 10:  76 miles...Ennis to West Yellowstone. At 65 miles into ride, seat base fell off my GR. Weld had snapped due to my own fault w/pannier placement. Limped into Yellowstone and stayed at the Madison Hotel...(hostel)... for next three days due to  heart issues. A very cold day at the 6600' elevation. Snow was in the forecast for the next morning. It did.  Withdrew from race and headed home Thursday evening. Riding wise, though short, a tough day. Wind, rain, climbing, poor road, rumble strip, narrow rough shoulder, truck traffic, first and only flat. I do remember the wind and rain so strong that I pointed nose of bent into the wind, tried to hid behind fairing from the rain, anchored both feet on the grade, and waited for the squall to pass. It did.

As the race progressed, I fell apart. I learned a great deal should I ever think about racing this again. I probably won't but just sayin'. Most of the time rolling down the road I was in good spirits and upbeat. I had a ball during much of the race and am grateful for the opportunity to give it a go. I'd never done anything like this before and it was definitely a challenge. I knew I absolutely drove my coaches crazy with my poor performance and felt like I was wasting their time. I'm sure I was. But they stayed with me through it all. They were faithful to the end. I value their friendship.

Though I rode on ten days, the running "Race Clock" had me for 9days/9 hours total time. My daily mileage average was a disappointing 142 mile average though I will say, on my behalf, the total climbing from Astoria to W. Yelloowstone was reported to be 71,000' depending on which data you went with.

What I learned...good and bad

1. A much lighter race platform. Like 30 lbs lighter. Had a conversation w/racer Ed Pickup back in Astoria. I asked about his bike/gear set up and final weight less fluids. Bike...15lbs., gear...under 9lbs. Age 23. Came in 3rd overall IIRC!

2. Learned too late but McDonald's Sweet tea goes down warm or cold. I could fill up four 24oz water bottles for $1.

3. To stay on the bike. I failed at this. Coaches wanted me 18 hours/day moving time. I just couldn't do it. Maybe on the long flats in mid America later in the race but not initially. My longest day 'moving' was only 15:45.

For my own information, I checked reliable sources on the  average 24hr/cycle seat time of John  Schlitter and Dennis Johnson in their amazing RAAM victories. 15 hours and 19.5 hours respectively with full RAAM support. I'm not even sure they, even being the legends that they are, could  pull off 18 hour days unsupported in the mountains w/70lbs of bike. I know I couldn't.

4. A real need to dial in my nutrition/hydration and get it together. I'm learning. My one gallon 'feed bucket' was a real success however for easy access to food,

5. Develop quick transitions and stops w/bent. Loaded down, bent felt more like a 'vehicle' than a bicycle. Cumbersome at low speeds, walking, maneuvering, and a real handful on slow steep climbs especially in the rain and at night. I remember falling over into a wet flower bed outside a Hamilton Motel. It was fatigue. Required a lot of energy just to keep it pointed straight on 6% sustained climbs. Btw...there was no such thing as a quick stop/clothes change, etc.with socked GR.

6. Should of gone w/hub generator. What's another $400, eh.

7. Slept 3/9 nights on the ground. I was ok with that.

8. Burned up too much bodyweight. Needed to eat more. Lost 9lbs in 9days and it's stayed off ten days later.

9. Heavy duty antibiotics not recommended just prior to and during  race. Created unforeseen problems for me later.

10. Observation though obvious: Workload climbing took a lot out of me and, yes, I did gear down and spin. Estimated long steep climbs took 15-25% longer than competitors. Descents, being faster, resulted in shorter recovery times.

11. Schwalbe Ultremos? Couldn't be more pleased. One flat on last day. In the rain of course. BB7 rear disc. Glad I had it!

12. I never let my mind go to the "Q" word...quit. It wasn't an option until a 911 call and a hospital trip to the ER for heart issues. At that time, it was the right decision. 

13. Once moving at speed, the socked GR was a rocket ship! Never reached what I call high speeds...I did it hit 52 mph once... but she handled beautifully once over 8-10 mph. The ride of Keys pass was incredible :)

My lunch buddy and new friend in New Meadow, Idaho. Dave opened up and told me about his life over lunch. It was tough. We're close enough in age that we could of attended the same high school together.

Wisdom, MT  An incredible place to stay for $65 a night. Full kitchen, living room, huge bedroom.

Great view!

My new friend, Dong. He's a visiting Vietnamese college lecturer who's riding a fully loaded, not shown, Honda Trail 90 across the US from north to south. We hit it off really well and spent some down time together in Yellowstone while waiting out the weather and medical issues.

Beautiful Halfway, Oregon. Just south of Halfway about ten miles was the start of the notorious climb known as "The Wall". It was ;)

Racing is on full bore!

My apologies for not keeping up with my blog during this past week of raicing the Trans Am. The only excuse Ihave is a constant high level of fatigue and spotty wi-fi or none at all. You might notice a few mistakes in my blog postings because I'm using Siri and times I must slur my words so my apologies on that as well.

Right now I'm laying on the bed in my motel room in Hamilton, Montana. I feel disappointed in my performance today because I only covered 76 miles. I had much higher goals for myself. 

Last night I had the privilege of climbing Lolo pass which is a pretty long climb of  80 miles that's gradual and kicks up at the end to a 6%+ grade of five miles. Unfortunately, the last hour or two was spent riding in the rain, in total darkness except for my bike light, with a slipped contact lens, and I was climbing at a very low speed. I ended up with14 hours on bike and covered 176 miles BTW, my morning had started w/ a 9 mile climb up and out of the valley floor. as it turned out, I spent the night at the top of Lolo Pass, 5200'...camping out on a concrete sidewalk next to the boys bathroom. All of my clothes were wet to some degree which made for an interesting night :-)

As of this afternoon, I've riden 1033 miles since the start of the race on June 7. If I had to guess of the altitude gain I'd put it somewhere around 50,000 feet of climbing. It might be less, and might be more. I found out from talking to Nathan Jones, the race organizer, that the first day of riding from Astoria, Oregon, to Coburg, Oregon, had over 10,000 feet of climbing. It's all good fun!

Unfortunately, some issues have recently surfaced that are causing me concern...dehydration;) I'm working on it but body parts that aren't suppose to swell up...are.

June 5th...final preparation

It's been a busy day. My Patriotic body sock came in today as well as some misc. electronic plugs, etc

It bike out a spin down Riverside Drive and have a few thoughts...

1. Bike is fast enough w/o wearing my aero helmet.

2. Final bike weight, without food/water comes in right at 52lbs.

3. Decided to take two chargers and both lithium batteries though there's a weight penalty in there.

4. I'll count on getting a good night's sleep tomorrow night and not tonight.

Note: Some of my postings the past four months have refered to on-going stomach pains that never   seem to go away. I kind of wrote it off as just stress going to my stomach. Fatigue and slight sore throat have plagued me along with the stomach pains?

Well, this past Monday I went in again to see the doctor and they ran some test. Tonight, the Dr. left a voice mail at 5pm...didn't retreive it untill 8:45pm...and said I had   H. Pylori bacterial infection in my stomach. It's an extremely stubborn to get rid of and requires a cocktail assortment of drugs...PrevPac to knock it. The good news...we've identified the problem.

The bad news...there isn't a pharmacy in the valley that had it in stock. Also, the price? In the neighborhood of $200-400. What willl probably happen is Carol will have to drop ship it to me. We think Hamilton, Montana, will be the spot.

Here's a few pics of the bike. It's coming together.

After the pic was taken below I modified the entire luggage section of the bike.

June 4th...Important links

www.transamrocketman.blogspot.com    (I know...you already found it)

www.trackleaders.com/transam14  (you can follow my progress in 'real time')

www.transambikerace.com   (general race information)

http://mtbcast.com/site2/trans-am-bike-race-2014/   (you can listen to dailly voice mails of racers)

http://www.inspiredtoride.it  (Yes...they're making a documentary about the race! With two film crews, 

                                            filming begins tomorrow.)

A huge thanks to Robert Johnson, TerraCycle, "Randy", Thom Ollinger, Jim Verheul, and countless others for your assistance without which this ride would not be possible. My biggest thanks, however, goes out to the love of my life...my wife Carol. She's a saint. 

A couple of random bike pics.

Not very streamlined, is it?

This looks a little more aero from these two angles...you think

And this...  BTW...fairing height is not settlled, yet.

June 2nd....Monday

I'll keep it short and sweet as I'm turning in for the night a bit early.

A note to say I went to the doc today for gastritis...I think it's nerves...and he put the leeches to work to see if any nasties are growing in my stomach. Other than a stomach ache for the past five months, I feel pretty good. Doc will let me know asap if antibiotics would be of help. Regardless...we're heading out Friday morning for Astoria. There's a race meeting Friday afternoon at 3:30 in Astoria  and I'll be picking up my satellite "Spot Tracker" then.

Started narrowing down my clothing choices with a postal scale at my side. First round...9lbs of clothes! That just isn't going to work. No way.  Second round? Got it narrowed down to roughly 5lbs but had to leave out some cold weather clothing. I've got to have my cold weather gear, though.

Looking at my maps and studying the course profiles, I don't climb above 5200', IIRC, until after  nearly riding a 1000 miles which places me just east of Missoula, MT. A thousand miles to Missoula is crazy! Back in '02, it was only 550 miles with the route Michael Wolfe and I chose. I guess there's something to be said  for plate tectonics these days ;)

Anyway, the plan now is to ship my warm weather clothes to Missoula care of General Delivery. I'll pick them up on my way thru town in preparation for West Yellowstone and into the high cold passes of the Rockies. Tomorrow, Carol and i will sit down and start packing boxes to ship here and there.

Btw...to illustrate how much I hate being cold...a big wuss in other words... I'm laying on the living room floor typing this in summer shorts covered by workout pants, socks, wool sweater, wind/waterproof jacket, and a thick Himalayan-style  stocking cap and...I'm still cold. Living room temp? 75F! Yeah, I know...

June 1st...five days and counting

i'm using my personal secretary, Siri, to take notes on my posting today as I attempted yesterday. it's much better than typing and will be my preferred method once I'm on the race.

Yesterday I ended up fiddling with the bike and made some new adapters for the fairing. I'm hoping  my new carbon fiber ferry arrives today but I'm prepared to go with what I have at the currently.

One of the issues that has been plaguing me for the past six months has been stomach aches and stomach pain. in the past I've had problems with my stomach and in that particular case it was stress related as far as I can determine. at that time the doctors ran every test they could including sticking a scope down my throat and thank God I was unconscious at the time. I have an appointment today with my general practitioner to see if he has any kind of a quick fix or suggestion to help me deal with this throughout the race.

I got in a quick 23 mile ride yesterday and I'm glad I did it because I found out that my new expensive back saver foam I was using for the seat foam would not be satisfactory for the trip. I switched out that seat for my Kool Back seat with the mesh back and, though it is heavier,  I will plan to race with that as comfort is paramount to keep me going.

I'll have more to report tonight as I am hoping the fairing arrival as well as my body sock. Otherwise, I will stay with what I have, make a quick phone call to overnight body sock from a good friend, and go from there. as I mentioned in a previous post, a film crew will be following us... not me since I'll probably be off back going over the Rockies, but nonetheless, a film crew will be following the race. I posted a link about the film below. Enjoy.

June 1 my new iPhone.

I'm dictating on my new iPhone 5c and it tempting to see how this works rather than me struggle with the keyboard while I'm on my race. So far it looks like it's going to work out. I listened today to an empty the cast show of a razor by the name of Billy Rice. I learned something very important and that is magnesium and phosphorus deficiencies can set in rather rapidly causing major gastric distress and processing of food. According to Billy Rice who is racing in the Trans Am this year and is a strong competitor in the tour divide race the answer is to drink dark colas periodically because they're loaded with magnesium and phosphorus. I will definitely heed that advice. So today I'm going out for a light probably 20 miles been on my recumbent. Later today I'm working on my packing and seeing how light I can go on the race. From what research I've been able to gather looking at different bike packing set ups I'm convinced there are going to be racers on the road,not counting water and food, that will be running 25 to 30 pounds ready to roll on the road. This concludes my first verbal dictation. I think this is going to work out really well for posting while I am participating in the race however long that will be.

Here's an old picture of me at PIR circa 1998. I am the guy on the far right and having looked at this just now it seems like I'm huge though I wasn't. By the way, the bike I was on was an adjustable seat on-the-fly carbon high racer I built that was as fast as any unfaired bike currently running today with, of course, a select few of high-end bents.

May 30th...Friday. Important links at bottom of page and...everything's on track.

Still sorting out odds and ends equipment wise on the bike but I'm 90% there.

Waiting for Easy Racer carbon fiber fairing to arrive as well as my new patriotic body sock.

The good news is, if they don't come in, I can run with what I've got and still be efficient and competitive in my own right w/o it messing with my mind. 

Remeber the 'turtle and the hare' race? My race strategy is exactly that. Time in the saddle...or T.I.T.S. for short. The norm for me is to always keep moving. Note worthy to help me accomplish that... I have some 'aircraft grade quality' back saver foam arriving next Monday that's reported to absorb 90% of the impacts. It's thin and it's very expensive. It'll go on my seat and wrap aways up my lower back. I decided to remove the cobra seat and am now running the heavier, less performance oriented Kool Back seat with the reason being comfort. 15-18 hours/day in the saddle? Comfort trumps everything.

I'm no longer going to focus on ' mileage for the day' but rather hours in the saddle. So regardless of conditions and my speed, providing I haven't bonked or am dangerously tired and confused or injured, I'll just keep pedaling. I can eat and pee without ever having to get off the bike though I prefer to stop when I pee ;) 

The theory is, come around day six or so, a lot of the racers will be battling the saddle sores, achy hands, neck, back etc and, being the turtle, I hope to just keep on cruising in my very efficient and comfortable machine and start to reel them in. At least that's the theory. Coming off the Rockies, I hope to start reeling in some of the racers. I know there's going to be a fight during the first 36 hours to see who's out in front and my hope is there's going to be a lot of tough and strong racers who overdo it a bit with the adrenalin stuff. We'll see.

As to the bike:

In the cockpit area, I'll have the following:

Easily accessible one gallon feeding trough

Four water bottles w/another one in the panniers though will run with minimum amount of fluids, weight wise, through the Rockies for obvious reasons.

iPhone handlebar mounted w/a quick disconnect

Headlight system

speedometer

Like it or not, have been off the bike this week but getting plenty of leg muscle stimulation by pushing, shoving, walking, climbing around our property with the uneven terrain we have. I don't feel I'm losing anything 'bike wise' though the next three days will work in some easy rides.

This weekend, I start my bike packing going with the minimum hopefuly. Goal is under 60lbs. w/lighter being better.

Btw, had a nice long talk yesterday with my race consultant, Robert johnson.  Robert, along with his wife Adrienne, are truly seasoned ultra-racing coaches and crew chiefs with many RAAM races under their belt. Robert was also our crew chief on our two very successful Race Across Oregon Recumbent Team victories. They're both my only "go to" contacts during the race at any time...any day...any stress going on at the time. Very level headed. Like I said, they're both experts in coaching high level competitors to the finish line across the US and I'm fortunate to be able to call them both my friends and coach. 

Did I mention there's going to be a full length documentary about the race?

Here's a link to get you started.

http://www.bikingbis.com/2014/05/28/ride-the-divide-film-crew-returns-for-trans-am-bike-race/

With the link below, you can follow my actual real-time progress during the race

http://trackleaders.com/transam14

With this link, you can listen in on my actual "call-ins"...voice mail...during the race.

http://mtbcast.com/site2/

May 25th...Sunday...I found some more speed...

I'm writing this Monday evening sitting in my lounge chair contemplating my day. Had a good productive day and felt physically good for most of the day though my back is hurting right now.

Carol is still in L.A. so I'm a bachelor for a few more days. Since I rode my intervals yesterday, today was an easy day. Actually, I stayed off the bike but was out and about digging and hauling in the garden for the better part of a day so I did give the legs a rest as well as some exercise. AYK, we live on a hill with a great view but everytime I go to the garden from our house/garage it's a drop/climb of 15-20'. All good exercise. Btw...from now until race day, June 7th, I'm in the maintain mode. Keep the legs loosened up, nothing too long, too intense, avoid sick people, top off my glycogen stores, and relax and work on strategy, planning, etc.

Quick review of yesterday's ride.

With my tires changed out to Ultremos at both ends, and with my new tear-dropped shaped Bell Javelin TT helmet, I set out to ride Decker Road which is a 43 mile round trip ride from the house depending on which exact route I take. " Riding Decker" has a littllle bit of everything thrown in. Some valley floor riding, some rolling hills, some -1% fast highway riding, and a blazingly fast .3 mile 6-7% downhill that I've used for equipment testing the past 25 years. It also has about a mile long climb that varies from 4-7% just long enough to get into a good cadence and hold it for awhile.

I didn't aggressively tackle the climb anywhere on the course but climbed at more or less race pace.I didn't notice much of a bump in speed for much of the ride 'out' due to the wind more or less in my face. What I did ride aggressively, though, was charging the downhill, as usual, trying to eke out every last bit of available speed. 

History: On Tuesday's descent on this hill, I couldn't get it pass 50mph. Nada. For the record, my best ever w/socked GR AND Aerojacket rear disc cover was an accurate 52mph. I'd have to say my average max descent speed on that hill is right at 51mph. Rarely do I ever hit 52.

Today was different, though. With my speedo accurately recalibrated to account for the Ultremo's slightly smaller tire diameter...yes, I did a roll out with paint in the garage...I hit an amazing 56mph!!

It blew me away. The only changes made between this run and the many others preceding it were the tires and the helmet.That's it. That's a huge improvement that I wasn't expecting. Thank you, Lord :)

Also, coming back down the highway hammering, I set PR's for various stretches of the highway I'm so familiar with. It was a rocketship! Keep in mind that the speed increase was WITHOUT my Aerojacket disc cover and WITH my saddlebags empty though they were. I'm very pleased with the improvement to say the least.

Analyzing my helmet, which I believe was the main contributor to the increase, it almost looks to be a perfect teardrop all the way from the front lens to over and around my head in a very aero flow. AYK, my fat head sticking up in the airstream, with it's multi-vented helmet design, acts like a parachute when compared with the design of the  Bell Javelin TT helmet.

OK...what about the tires? The rear tire swap out from the Kojac to the Ultremo saved 6 ounces  of rotating weight...tube/tire combination... when compared with the Kojac. I could feel the difference. The bike, though only 1/2lb lighter, felt very snappy in it's acceleration. It was fun!

Future upgrades expected this week?

1.Carbon fiber "Double Bubble" fairing...reportedl to be noticeably faster than what I'm running now.

2. New Patriotic body sock

3. Will install Aerojacket wheel cover as, having done several hours of qualitative analysis, came to the  conclusion it's going to give me some free watts during the race. My fear of it being dangerous during strong cross winds/truck traffic will be solved by pulling over, coming to q complete stop, and quicky removing the body sock tucking it up under the front fairing. What's cool is I don't even have to get off the bike to do it.

Here's a link to a tire/speed calculator I found very interesting. It took me a few  minutes to get familiar with it but once I did, I found it extremely informative. Enjoy...

http://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/componentaerodynamics.aspx

May 21st...

Was supposed to be a quick ride down and back to Coburg at 75 miles for the round trip.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, flated again on new Durano on the front. Less than 90 miles on the tire, on good pavement, a pin hole leak in the tube though it immediately began to "hiss", but the side wall and tread ahad a resultant tear 1/3" long. Totally unacceptable quality especially for a $40 tire which seems to be the acerage price these days. Anyway, but a boot in the tire and road back against a nasty headwind for almost the next two hours. Did I say I couldn't run more than 30psi due to fear of the the tire casing ripping.

Well...my order from TerraCycle came in today and the new tires/tube look fantastic. Willl need to order another Ultremo 451 as backup though. Thanks TC!

Also, my new Javelin aerohelmet from Performance came in. Looks wild...fits good an comfortable.

Btw...while I was down in Coburg, just north iof Eugene eight miles or so, I made a reservation at the RV Park...$18 for the night of June 7th. This means I'm planning on completing the full 233 miles the first day and will have a shower waiting for me. Also, Mc Donald's is close by...great $1 menue...as well as a nice 24 hr truck stop restaurant. So I'm comitted for at least 233 miles God willing. God Willing is how I look at this whole race thing as we have absolutely no guarantee we'll even be here tomorrow. None. Read the news and you'll see what I mean. No guarantee. Everyday is a gift from God. Period.

75 miles for the afternnon ride and a hard 38 miles on the way back home due to poor road surface, for the most part, strong headwinds, and 30psi in a 100psi tire. It's alll good :)

Here's a pic of the helmet below. I got solid white to reflect the heat and to attract driver's attention perhaps a bit more with the shininess. I'll try it out to see how comfortable it is on a hot day. Will possibly carry two helmets though prefer not to. Also, the helmet should prevent sunburn on my baldhead through the otherwise cooling vents. Anyway, it sure looks fast.

May 20th....a quick post

Have riding with intensity the past week...40-60 miles in the hills and pushing the flats  in some cases.

Feels good to be training for 'power' and feel my leg strength quickly renewing. 

Have been experimenting with different bike foods, race strategies, efficiency on the bike, studying my maps every night, planning out overnight stops, restaurants, mini marts, campgrounds...not super detailed but am now getting into this part of the planning stage.

Will take a hard look at getting an iPhone today.

Noteworthy: 

I crashed Sunday afternoon. Was riding only 15mph or so on the bike path when the front tube blew out thru the side wall of my Durano. Was in a slight turn and immediately was down and sliding for 10-15 feet. Had just a few nicks...nothing serious.

What I learned: Check bike pad alignment before every ride. Have tire boot material handy. I didn't.

Realize that losing a front blow out could be a dnf or worse depending on circumstances. 

Guard, check, and recheck tires before every ride.

Btw...I was on my way out to the course to check my DH speed when I decided to turn back early and cancel the test. It of saved my life. Thank you Jesus.

Other than that...all's OK and on track to make the start Lord willing.

Btw...this is not my final configuration. 

Coming:

New carbon fiber double bubble fairing

New Patriotic sock

Possibly running disc in rear.

New aero helmet to try

May 12th, 13th....Monday Tuesday. 110 miles total.

Not much to report other than an 88 miler at race pace...easy does it... with wind and hills yesterday(Monday). My elecrolytes were way up but my speed was way down. Purchased and used a bottle of Extreme Endurolytes and they seemed to help out my effort in yesterday's modest pace.

Like I said, geared way down and didn't push any of the climbs like I normally would if I was out with the Saturday morning fast guys. My fast guy average speed would be knocking on the door of 20mph average. Yesterday's was 17.2 avg. 

Changes to the bike? No rear disc, heavier rear wheel/tire, rack, panniers, etc. but still only 41lbs rolling out the door. It was rather warm as well. Here's the problem I'm having: I don't do well eating on the bike. I frequently have stomach aches and hence am not into eating and that goes, generally speaking, off the hike as well.

Example: Had a large breakfast around 10am. Hit the road around 12:30pm for the five hour ride.

My total food consumed? 

1/3 cup assorted nuts at most

one 6oz can tomato juice

one small Reser's bean burrito...Maybe 200cal. Very small and plain.

32oz Cytomax

Nearly a quart of water

4-5 Endurolytes

For nearly a century ride...it hardly seems like enough. Not sure what to do at this point diet wise though Carol is picking up a box of Payday candy bars for me to try on tomorrow's ride.

Then there's today. An easy 22 miles tommeet "Startle" for coffee at Starbuck's today. Took it easy.

Total for Monday/Tuesday:

110 miles at around a17-18mph avg.

May10th...Saturday...being lazy bones

      A lot of things going on the past three days...all positive...in regards to training/resting/ and equipment

Let me get this out of the way first: I'm fully recovered from any training from the prior week and am chomping at the bit for a long training ride at around race pace. In other words, long but not difficult heartrate wise. 

      And speaking of heartrate. I don't know if it was the afternoon "Five-Hour Energy" I consummed early Thursday afternoon or what, but later that evenning my heartrate/bp was going skyward at an alarming rate. On random checks w/Blood pressure cuff I was seeing sitting Tachycardia rates in the 120 bpm range. Sometimes twice in a minute's time. That is, when I could fire up the cuff in time...20 sec delay...to get a reading. This was after sitting at the kitchen table very quietlly for at least an hour. It continued on until I went to bed around 2am occuring  every few minutes. I haven't had a "Five Hour" drink since and it hasn't been a problem. Perhaps too much potassium/salt in my diet as of late?  I don't think so. I've quit worrying about it although yesterday I decided to go back on my bp meds to see what effect,  if any, they'll have. I'll probably go back off of the meds for the race, though.

So what's happened the past few days?

      Bought a roll of Tyvek and picked up using a sewing machine today. I cut out and sewed up a Tyvek bivy for my 1lb. down bag complete w/pillow. Total weight was 9 ounces! Plus it's big enough for me to completely cover up during a rainstorm. This was prototype # 2. All seams were sewn w/machine by yours truly. Prototype #3 will be configured slightly different and will have a side 30" zipper. I sewed the bivies with print-side out and then turned the bag inside out so they're totally white. Final bivy bag will be sewn with heavy duty thread with seams sealed. Carol volunteered to sew the zipper in as my machine sewing skills are primitive.

      To answer Randy's comment, I do plan to "bushwack" my way across the country grabbing a motel room when "extremes" are encountered. Extremes? Extreme weather. Extreme hardship. Extreme mental anguish/fatigue. Extreme dirt where I need a good shower. What I'd like to do is time my riding where I could roll into a campground with showers and food nearby, such as a KOA's around 7-8pm, recharge myself, get to bed by dusk, and then get up around 2-3am and start my day. I've posted this before but I'd prefer moteling it when in bear country. I'm not opposed, btw, of pulling off the side of the road in some obscure location, and crawling into my bivy.

Eating on the road? I've managed to find an ultralight 'pocket on a belt' that will ride on my left hip and provide easy access to 'pocket' food. In addition, I cut the top off a one gallon plastic milk jug and it nestles nicely between my front water bottles providing once again easy access to finger food.

What else is going on?

      One item that was stressing me out was I had promised a Rwandan friend that I'd help her fund raise for a Rwandan waterwell project. That would've required me to set up/develop a web page "4Rwanda" with donations/storylines, etc. which is definitely not me. I'm not tech savy. Fortunately for us both, Julie emailed me yesterday to say the money is coming in and my fundraising efforts, though still welcome, are not necessary after all. Whew! God bless Julie and her donors.

      Sleeping? My complete sleeping system will be coming in under three pounds including the bivy, bag, and air mattress. It'll provide plush sleeping w/2.5" of air comfort enough to sleep on my side without bottoming out.

What else has been happening?

      My good friends at TerraCycle are putting together some fast but sturdy tires/tubes combinations from Schwalbe for me.I'll be running a 451mm Ultremo up front with a Durano as spare as well as a 700x28mm Ultremo in the back w/another one as a spare. I orginally wanted to run a rear Durano but there's none in the country in the 28X700 size. With a little research, it appears the fastest performance tire, best handling, and toughest available in a 700x28mm out there is the Ultremo.

      The Conti 4000S ii...700x28mm would be my top choice as well but there's none in the country. Zero. Not until mid-late summer. 

      I'm also getting a rack to hold 5 water bottles on the handlebars as well as small piece of lexan to add to my CF fairing to streamline the airflow over my head.

      Bought a speedo extension kit for my Cateye.

      Ordered a pair of recumbent shorts...Kucharik bent shorts...as well as a seamless wrestling singlet though would need to carry an ultralight pair of shorts whenever I walkied around in public.

      Ordered a mummy style "Big Agnes" air pad. I mistakenly bought the regular size mattress pad locally and had to return it. Too big.

      Also ordered a 120 count bottle of Hammer's "Endurolytes Extreme" that's now on kitchen table.

      Ordered yesterday a new Patriotic bodysock for the race. Melanie does nice work at a fair price.

      That's about it. It looks like the next week, starting tomorrow, will find us in a dry and warm atmospheric bubble between 70-87 as the high building during the week. I'm planning on a good workout for Sunday, Monday, rest Tuesday, and then at least a double century on Wednesday. That's the plan anyway.

Cheers

Here's a pic of my old friend Rand w/a very simillar setup to what I'll be running during the race.

He was extremely fast in this set up. wish I had his power

 

 

May 7th...a rest day

Worked around the house...

Btw...my one pound goose down sleeping bag arrived!

Will order Tyvek today to make a bivy sack.

Also, my "Rocketman" embroidered 100% Merino wool short/llong sleeve jerseys arrived.

Chances are I'll be shipping home the long sleeve jersey once I'm done with the Rockies.

My weight is down more than 10lbs since Christmas and holding steady at 158lbs. which, incidentally is the lowest I've been since 1971. Fortunately, most of my mass is in my leg muscles;)

I'd work out the upper body but everytime I do I start packing on the weight so, for now, I'll deal with a slight upper body which is a far cry from my 335 lb. bench pressing days of college.

  

   

Tuesday...May 6th...A totally different day. Thanks Randy!

     I received an email from my internet friend, Randy, who's been around the block a few times when it comes to recumbent racing, training, and nutrition. He's one of the few guys I listen to these days on training advice. Thanks my friend:)

In a nutshell:

      From Randy's perspective I've come to this decision. 

I suspect I've been running low on electrolyte levels much of my training time. Why? Unexplained tachycardia, high level of fatigue after a training ride, slow recovery, poor 'electrolyte' nutrition and awareness, etc. 

      My last long ride...this past Wednesday...found me riding 225 miles in heat w/little electrolyte replacement. So, yesterday, taking Randy's suggestion to look at good potassium rich foods, my wife and I made a trip to Costco and picked up a case of V8 mini cans, bananas, apricots, etc.

      So began my quick journey to 'recharge' my low potassium stores via V8's, apricots, bananas, fried potatoes w/beans(last night's dinner), plus other choices.

      Today's ride found me meeting Dave Miller..."Startle"... at Starbucks around 2:30pm. We do that about once a week. Anyway, around 4pm we headed out toward his house in the foothills of the coast range. About 1/2 mile from his home, I broke off and continued on to the community of Bellfountain. The only way to get to Bellfountain is via a lot of climbing. The longest climb today was about ten minutes in the 4-6%

range. Anyway, lots of climbing with some intervals thrown in the mix. I have to say, I felt amazingly strong especially considering I was on a 37lb. bent.

      I did reset my speedo at the turnaround...Bellfountain...and recorded an avg speed of 20mph for 24 miles. I say 24 miles because that's when I flated. Fortunately, it was a slow leak and I was able to limp home having only to pump it up twice. Had only 25psi whenI arrived   home. Surprisingly, it didn't feel that much slower.

     Tires? I'm re-evaluating which tires to run for the race. After changing out the rear flat, I realized that with my rear rim being what it is that it's a real bear to pull/replace the tire! I can see it easily taking 20 minutes on the road which is impossible to make up within the day's riding. BTW...I hate changing tires. Then again, who doesn't.

      I'm taking a good look at running Duranos front and back. I'm running one on the front...451mm... right now and will probably run it during the race. I'm going to pick up a folding 700x28 Durano real soon and give it a go. 

Stats:

69.1 miles

Avg speed: 20mph when sampled for 24 miles. Includes roughly 20 minutes of climbing in the 11mph range.

Energy level: high

Recovery: Excellent! Btw, I'm writing this Wednesday morning.

Weeks mileage round up?

339 miles in past seven days.