2015 Iditarod Recap Part 1 of 3: A once in a lifetime race for the second time.

The Iditarod Trail Invitational is a once in a lifetime type race, and I lined up to conquer the trail a second time (here is my recap from last year).  No words can express the gratitude to the people that have made this happen...again.  First and foremost is my wife for being home when I am not.  Not just while in Alaska, but out training, or downstairs tinkering for the race.  Thank you to my parents, both blood and "in laws" for making sure my kids are safe while I am gone as well.  I can honestly say 9:ZERO:7 makes the best damn fat bikes out there, but they are amazing people as well that have made this race possible...again.  I am lucky in my product support, and was stoked with the increased carrying capacity, decreased weight, and emotional support of Bike Bag Dude Bags.  As it looked like we may be swimming in the race, I was also glad my gear would be water tight.  Also, Nextie rims have been nothing but bomber, along with my gear from Wolftooth Components.  Rochester Cycling is THE place to go for fat bikes in SE MN, and also my flexible employer.  Cold Avenger has made it possible for me to breath in these events with my asthma.  Also, Bob Marhefke sold me a used seat post that kicks butt.  My Ritchey WCS is really light and flex, making all my dreams come true, but it is used, making me feel like a second class citizen:)  Also, thanks to Christopher Tassava for borrowing me a headlamp when I couldn't find mine.

That being said, this year was different than last.  We found the money this year to fly the wife up to Alaska as well, with her and I spending some alone time before the race.  We had an amazing amount of fun in a short amount of time, with Becky set to fly out after the start of the race.

The race would start this year at the historic Knik Bar.  Historic in the sense that this is where almost every edition of ITI has started.  The bar itself has the classic family style atmosphere....

Animals for the kids.

People eating, I had me a chicken sandwich.  Last year I had a way cooler sounding Reindeer sausage.

Racers and spectators everywhere inside and out.

The temps for our race did not look impressively cold, in reality they looked fairly warm with highs predicted in the mid 30's, lows in the teens.  There had been a warm up in the area and a subsequent cool down, so ice was to be present pretty much everywhere.

Near the start line with Bill Fleming, super cool guy, co-owner of 9:ZERO:7.  Stayed with him and his wife Sheryl, both phenomenal hosts.

Well, the race started across the slick and icy lake.  The start was fairly low key and I found myself in front rather quickly, HOLESHOT!  There is no set course for the race, only set checkpoints, so the fastest route for the first section includes some gravel and paved roads.  After the first 20 miles though, we would not see another accessible road for the the rest of the race.

HOLESHOT!  Followed by John Lackey, sworn enemy, super nice guy.

Not the Iditarod trail, but faster.

Uh yeah, still not the Iditarod trail

After awhile we finally reached Flathorn Lake, 30 miles in.  The lake was mostly a fresh inch or 2 of snow and a slight headwind as we dredged across.

The money shot.

Jay Petervary just after taking a selfie.  He was admiring my sweet bike.

The boys know who pulled across Flathorn, laying fresh tracks and providing a wind break.

There was plenty of ice out there, including the Dismal Swamp.

We then traveled through the Dismal Swamp for a few miles before turning onto the Susitna River.  Up river we went, now a lead pack of 7 riders including myself, Andrew Kulmatiski, John Lackey, Kevin Breitenbach, Jay Petervary, John Logar, and fellow MN boy Ben Doom.  The river has one main trail that is ridden in by the snow machines.  At one point the trail seemed to split.  Some of us went left (Myself, Andrew, and Logar) while the rest went right.  There was a bulge in the ice between the 2 routes, and when we were able to make visual contact with the other group it was obvious they were in full attack mode.  I was told it was instigated by Jay and continued with Kevin.  The left route would get bogged down, so when we moved over onto the same track with the other group they had a decent gap.  Andrew and I would trade hard pulls trying to get back to the group with no change in the time gap.  We were flying down the river, only 50 miles or so into a 350 mile race.

The drop in onto the river.

Into the Yentna checkpoint 59 miles in I would see Kevin and Jay making their way out (we got there roughly an hour faster than last year's record pace).  I would grab a couple of cokes as I figured it would be quicker than trying to fill my camel bak as I wanted to head out with the "lead group".  Well, Ben and I were headed down the river, Ben in full on mode still until I asked him if he planned on driving that pace through the night.  With that we dropped our pace some.  Kevin and Jay were up river, out of sight, and I think the rest of us were together at that point.

Me-
"Ben, do you plan on keeping this pace all night?", Ben- "No"

Soon, we would see a light slowly approaching in the night, too high to be a snow machine.  Kevin would meet us, showing off a finger on his left hand that was now sideways after he dislocated it falling on ice.  He was thinking his race was done, trying to figure out whether to head to Yetna and Skwentna to get pulled out.  I consider Kevin a friend and a super tough guy, so it was hard to see him so frustrated as he thought his race was over.  We convinced him to go to Skwentna, the farther of the 2 checkpoints.  I voted and the group agreed to all ride in together, effectively neutralizing the race for a bit.  As we rode along, I spoke with Kevin, reminding him who he is and what he is capable of.  Sometimes we just need a reminder of how bas ass we are.  Then I changed the subject and soon found out that French Toast Crunch cereal had been discontinued because of the French's stand on the Iraq war, but it was now back in production.  Yeah cereal!  Take that Obama!

Into our second checkpoint, Skwentna, 90 miles in and I still was feeling good.  Jay would already be laying down sleeping somewhere as he was headed to Nome (despite his really aggressive race tactics early on).  I would chow down my chicken noodle soup and bread roll then start getting my boots on as others were still eating, they were a bit in shock I was headed out already.

So onward I went, feeling good through the Shell hills and past Shell Lake Lodge.  The swamps after had been a slushy mess a week ago and it was evident that before that slush froze, the snow machines of the Irondog race had chewed it up.  So I headed through the lumpy icy swamps.  When you are out front by yourself you can't help but think of taking it to the end, but I knew darn well it is a long race and this was only the beginning.  The last 5 miles or so before the checkpoint I would slow some as no matter what I did my breathing was labored.

Over Fingerlake,and I was first into Winterlake Lodge at 2:30am, a few hours faster than the record setting pace of last year.  The owner would wake from his slumber, and I would be given instructions on where our first drop bag was and what cabin to use for rest.  After sorting out my drop bag and having a run in with the loose sled dogs that howled like a pack of wolves, Lackey would roll in closely followed by Kevin.  I was pumped Kevin was there, still in the fight.  I would eat, and then lay down in the cabin with my legs up and a timer set for 45 minutes tucked into my hat.  When I woke I felt pretty good.  The chamois butter I applied stung like a thousand needles, which would would be an indication of things to come.

As I went to check out, Ben and Kevin were still there in the lodge, Jay had just rolled up, Lackey had just left, with Andrew and Logar leaving quickly after eating.  Headed out to tackle one of the toughest parts of the course, I was still with the front group and had the advantage of a few z's.  Upward I went into the hills with my headlamp lighting the way.

Leeeavan, on a jet plane, going to race Iditarod again.

As you read this I will be getting ready to head out to Alaska, set to race the Iditarod Trail Invitational again.  This race is full of worry.  Two weeks ago I was wondering how I would handle endless miles of -40F temps.  Boy, was I wrong.  Right now it is very warm there, temps the last few days in Anchorage got up into the +40F's.  THAT is a difference!

A week before we set out is the Iron Dog race, a similar race held on snowmobiles (snowmachine if you are Alaskan).  They are encountering even less snow then last year, which doesn't worry us on bikes.  However, the amount of overflow and unfrozen river crossing could be crazy.  Here are some pics and video.  This is what worries me.  I would rather ride at -20F then ride at 35F and wet.

Another race recap FFF

The Fat Tire Frozen Forty (FFF) has been a race I have wanted to do as it looked so well organized and fun; 4 ten mile laps of singletrack in the winter.  This year it worked out and I smirked as the weather called for temps just below zero as I knew many would have a hard time riding for around 4 hours or more in those temps.  As I drove up taking an inventory in my mind of what I packed I realized I forgot a helmet and food.  A plea to on Facebook and a stop at Walgreens solved that problem. 

The start.  If you think you can see me than you are wrong.

Got to the venue without much time.  Snagged a helmet from Tom Morgan (THANKS, and I need to look at getting me one of those Lazer helmets) and my registration info and I set out to get a warm up in.  Time was short and I hit a section of singletrack.  It passed a road, knowing the start was approaching I took this "short cut" back which wasn't a short cut.  When I realized my mistake I thought surly the unplowed bike path would take me back to the start in a great feat of short cuttedness.  Well, that was a worse idea as I showed up to the start 5 minutes after everyone started; a first in my 20+ odd years of racing. 

Coming through lap 1, handing out high 5's.

So I set out to ride hard for 4 hours and see how well I could do; plans unchanged.  Only now I would sprint, slow, say "when there is a chance could I pass", ride by, say "Thanks!", repeat.  Well, that is unless I get behind Guse:)  My BB7 brakes started locking up in the rear (needed lube I guess) at the same time my hose kept pulling out of the lever (hose was getting caught on the stem when turning the bars).  A lap in and my right knee was bothering me with pain, not use to the short hard bursts I was putting it through.  Eventually after 2 laps the pain was more than I wanted to deal with as Iditarod looms 2 weeks away, DNF. 

I was a comedy of errors that day, probably should never had gotten out of bed.  On a side note, GREAT RACE.  Well done, and plenty of people having issues with the cold like I expected.

Iditarod stressing

So it is about 2 weeks to go to Iditarod.  This week I have been stressing it quit a bit for two reasons.

One, I am freaking out about possible super cold temps.  It took me awhile to figure why this was bothering me much more than last year, then it dawned on me that last year was the winter of polar vortexes.  It seemed like every other day I could go out in -20F weather with strong winds bringing the wind chill down to around -50F.  Riding and surviving that can boost a man's confidence.  This year I am not even sure have more than a couple of sub 0 degree rides, and they certainly weren't near the same tenacity.  So, after reflecting on our winter here last year I was able to relieve myself of some mental burden.  Except for when I was PM'ing with super nice guy Kevin Breitenbach and he put a little fear of death in me if the actual temps get down closer to -40 or -50.  Thanks Kevin.

The other stress for me has been getting the dropbags for the race done.  I gave myself a timeline of yesterday (Friday) to get my 2 drop bags in the mail to Anchorage in time for them to get flown out to miles 135 and 200 of the 350 mile race.  Packing these bags you need to figure out how many calories you may need for what could be very long periods of time out in the middle of nowhere with only your gear to survive on.  I set out around 10,000 calories per drop bag.  Then there is the matter of how to get those calories, in what form, and how many types of food as you can't mentally eat just one type of food for days on end.  Add in things like none food related items and figuring it all out can get tough all while making sure it is also under the maximum 10 pounds per drop bag (as these are getting flown out in small planes into remote Alaska wilderness and landing roughed in run ways.

I like to have everything as unpackaged as possible and in ziplock bags (with slides for easy open/close).  My food this year consists of Pringles, maple candied bacon, some snickers bars (cut into smaller pieces), summer sausage (cut into smaller pieces), Espresso gel packets (for caffeine and something different), Peanut M&M's, and a homemade mix consisting of peanut butter, oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, honey, dried cranberries, and cacao nibs.  I like to write the calories on each bag for keeping track during the packing phase.  During the rip open and shove it into spots on the bike during the race phase I really am not thinking calories in each individual bag.

Homemade goodies that look just like your typical bar....

My none food related items would be some hand warmer packs (which I never use, but figured might come in handy), batteries for my light (lithium works much better in the cold), packs of chamois cream , and some gum (never ride with it but figured it might help during the tired times).

The obligatory shot of what is in one of my dropbags dropbag.

All packed up.

So here is one part of the process that is pretty cool.  The post office has those "One Rate" boxes.  Unlimited weight, ship anywhere in the United States with a 2-3 day transit time and one set rate.  Now these one rate boxes are usually more expensive...unless you are shipping a heavy box to Alaska.  One large one rate box holds both dropbags, would have cost me 3x the amount and almost double the transit time had I used my own packaging.

Well, there you go, a bit more insight on the big race.

Arrowhead part 2.

Just some semi interesting notes I remember on the race.

-Jay ran into Gateway, maybe to get a roller dog or grab a pack of ciggs?
-I was having trouble with my BB7 rear brake leading up to the race (my fault), switched to my Hayes Prime (which I love in the summer) because temps weren't supposed to get very low.  Pads eventually stopped retracting about halfway through.  Finished with a decent amount of brake rub, good thing I only had a rear brake!  Reminded me why I use mechanicals in the winter.
-Did I mention that the grill cheese at Melgeorges was amazing!
-I saw no signs of wildlife, bummer.
-The fresh snow layered onto each limb of each tree was spectacular.
-We all were riding Dillenger tires.
-Jorden had the widest tire set up (clown shoes with Dillenger 5's).  This may have helped in the final sprint as there was a soft patch a tad before the line (Todd can be seen having to dismount through it in the video).
-Jorden was using bungee straps to hold his bag on his bars.  Over harder bumps we would hear buzz, buzz, buzz as his bag would make contact with the tire.  That is getting fixed for him soon;)
-Tim had the most narrow tire set up, Fatback 77mm rims, Dillenger 4 tires.
-I had 90mm rims, D4 tires, a good combo for the day.
-My instance at sitting on the back backfired some towards the end of the hills as the snow would get crunched down, soft, and unrideable when I would try to ride some of the hills.  I would catch back on without problem though...until I didn't.

During the race I started to give people in the front group yearbook labels, like "most likely to succeed":
-Charly Tri "Most likely to sit back and almost pass out":)
-Jorden Wakeley "Most likely to not stand" and  "Most likely to not say anything" 
-Tim Bernston   "Most chatty" "Nicest Guy"
-Jay Petervary  "Most likely to pull"  "Most likely to hoot and holler"
-Todd McFadden "Most likely to have too high of tire pressure"  "Best climber"  "Worst climber (because his high tire pressure would throw him off line or spin out)"
-Kevin Breitenbach  "Most likely to emulate Mark Seaburg and bring a Subway sub"

The 4 way finish for the win.

Arrowhead 135 recap (and 2 others), 2015

So before I recap this year's Arrowhead, let me give a quick recap of my 2 races prior.

Sostice Chase
It has been awhile now, but I did the race as a "tune up" race before Tuscobia.  Went something like this: piss poor start position, then stuck behind crash, rode really strong through the field, moved up to 5th with 4th place in sight halfway through after removing my mask, breathing got all messed up, faded hard, put mask on, rolled in for 8th or so.  Throat locked up for a few minutes after the finish, lungs messed up as a result.

Tuscobia 150
Jay Petervary would show up, lungs messed up still, legs felt great, after 3 hours my lungs revolted and I could barely ride on flat terrain.  DNF.  Big difference from winning the same race last year.

My uber fast Whiteout ready to race.

Before the start in my White Avenger costume.  Thanks Sveta for the pic!

Arrowhead 135
Last year I didn't finish this race as I was still having troubles from illness.  This year I was extremely confident I would have a good race.  At no time was not finishing a thought in my mind.  Lungs felt good, I felt good.  On the same note I picked 5 guys that, to me, anyone of them could win:

-Jay Petervary, previous Arrowhead, Tuscobia, Iditarod (350 and 1,100), and Great Divide winner.
-Kevin Breitenbach, previous Arrowhead and Iditarod winner.
-Todd McFadden, course record holder at Arrowhead, super fast mountian biker
-Tim Berntson, 2nd place (barely) at both Arrowhead and Iditarods
-Jorden Wakeley, Stupid fast XC mountain bike racer, the wildcard

My plan for the race was to shadow these gentleman, let them fight it out and beat each other up, and seize on opportunities.  With my asthma I didn't want to follow their surges stroke for stroke.  With an inch of fresh snow on the ground the start was anything but quick as no one wanted to set track for everyone else.  Temps were in the 10-20F range, so no one struggled with the cold.  The leadout was so low that the lead pack 8 miles in was long enough for me to stop and relieve myself without ever seeing the tail end of the group.

Following Steve Yore into the 1st checkpoint, he would pull over and have me go by as we left.  Thanks Tom Morgan for the pic!

So, I did what I intended; followed wheels.  Into Gateway (the first checkpoint at mile 35 miles in) the group was still fairly large, but breaking up.  A few miles out and it was 6 of us 'off the front' (me and the 5 people mentioned before).  I stayed with my game plan letting others set the pace.  For some reason I was battling some nausea and light headedness.  Nothing severe, but noticeable.  As we rolled into Melgeorge's I was feeling a little crappy, more nausea, but I was still with the lead group and had not been dropped on any of the hike a bike hills which was my biggest concern.  Legs and body felt completely in control.

Rolling across Elephant Lake towards the halfway point.  Thanks Chris Gibbs for such a great photo, www.c5photo.com

Walking into Melgeorge's I was calm and focused.  Mary Pramann (the Legend's wife) poured Coke into my bottle (to help the stomach) as I set out to the bathroom to fill the reservoir (there was a line at the kitchen sink).  With a freshly made grilled cheese and a bottle full of Coke I was second out the door behind Jay knowing others would join me and at least most of us would get back together.  That was the best dammed grilled cheese of my life and my stomach was incredibly happy with the meal.  Seriously, it was just some bread and cheese, but for some reason it just made everything in the world glorious at that moment.

We would all join forces once again.  Working our way through the trail the pace dropped some.  It was actually pretty funny how slow we went for awhile, almost like the calm before the storm.  I continued to hang at the back of the group, mentally I wanted them to count me out as a contender, which at that point was the exact opposite of how I felt. 

The sun had gone down and we were now in the 10 miles leading up to the last checkpoint: ski pulk.  My nausea had returned, but nothing severe.  I had been eating and was not worried about calories.  The terrain was a lot of steep up and down with a fair bit of pushing, and my legs felt GREAT.  Roughly 100 miles in and my legs were feeling almost the best all race.  I knew I was going to the finish with this group and couldn't help but relish the fact I can lay down a mean sprint.  Under my mask I was smiling, but I made sure not to hint this to the fellow racers.

Then it hit.  I am still not 100% what IT was, but every time I blinked my eyes were rolling back in my head.  Really quickly I became disoriented, dizzy, and using the bike to stand.  It felt like despite my body working on on cylinders, my brain had a lack of blood sugar.  With my asthma I have grown use to not carrying sugar laden food with me, so I slammed a 5 hour energy; the only thing I thought could help. A Red Bull (RED BULL!) would have been perfect in the situation as I think the sugar would have been the fix.  Soon, the brain would get out of its funk.

I rolled into that last checkpoint, grabbed a couple of cookies and drank a small bit of coke and set off right away.  I had a 15 minute deficit to try to make up, but I figured with how my legs felt there was a chance I could catch up.  But as I descended wakemup hill, my stomach started tightening up on me.  Then it completely locked up (I blame the 5 hour energy).  My body wanted to curl up in a ball from the pain, my mind wanted to try to snap my pedals off in power trying to catch up.  My body won out, I limped along, stopping frequently to eat a handful of the fallen snow in hopes it would help (they give ice chips it to women in labor for the same reason).  The snow helped a tad, and I rolled into the finish 51 minutes behind for 6th place.  The top four sprinted, with 1st and 2nd going to exactly who I thought it would go to when I unhitched from the group; Jorden and Tim.  Jay was third, Todd fourth, Kevin would come in 10 minutes back for 5th.  Steven Yore, a super strong rider whom I had not see since Gateway rolled in for 7th about 20 minutes behind me.

At the finish, feeling quite uncomfortable.  Thanks to the Arrowhead FB page for the pic!

As I laid on the ground in pain and discomfort with a small bit of water and broth in my tummy, Lynn Scotch would make the "I am finished and alive" call to the wife for me.  Soon, my stomach would open up and I felt great again, ready to get some food and hit the trail again if needed.  Oh well, too little too late.

My 9:Zero:7 Whiteout loaded up with Bike Bag Dude gear, Nextie Carbon Rims, and Wolftooth Components goodies all worked flawlessly.  The Coldavenger mask was on during the whole race and I had very little problems with my asthma.  Rochester Cycling continues to help me make my races happen, and is THE place to get your fatbike goodies in Southern MN.

Next up is Iditarod on March 1st, giddy up!

Not a Coach's Corner

In a few month's time I will turn 37.  Geez I am getting old.  It truly feels not nearly that long ago I was lining up for my first race in 1993 at the Spring Creek Motocross Track in Millville (I was 18th out of 30 juniors in the beginner class).  20+ years of racing; some years a lot, some years very little, some success, lots of none.  Jeesh, I AM old.

I have a fair bit of experience I guess.  Enough that I take a lot of things I do for granted, assuming it is well known knowledge.  I have been asked about coaching before (by those that don't know me enough).  Well, I don't want to be responsible for others, as I can barely handle myself with my life duties.  So this is my first and maybe last installment of what I think as far as training.  With all this there can be differences between what I know and what I do because I am human and forget.

-It is not all about riding, but mostly.  Core work and stretching is more important than you think.  You hear all the time about core work.  Well, it is for a reason.  You really don't have to go crazy with tons of different workouts, but do it up.  Stretching is must as well.  As I age it really seems important.  I get more aches and pains, many related to all the hours in the saddle over the years without care and attention to the core and stretching.

-I have done weights, I really don't anymore.  See previous note.  Now, I do like to do what I call on bike lifting.  That is, hard gear, low rpm riding intervals.  I don't do them often, but especially for slogging long miles in fat bike adventures I find they do the trick.

-4 hours.  That is the magic number.  I have found this on my own, and found other sources saying the same.  Your training rides don't need to be much more ever.  Sure, you may want to be an ultra warrior and think mindlessly going out for 8 hours on a Saturday is the key missing ingredient to you dominating all things ultra.  I would argue it would be far more beneficial to do back to back days of 4 hours.  Beyond 4 hours and your return on investment greatly diminishes, but your recovery greatly increases.  Ride what you can, but don't worry about those guys posting about an all day training ride.

-Race races you don't want to focus on.  I like the long stuff and like to focus on it.  However, I know shorter race intensities help with that training.  If you want to go faster for a long period you need to learn how to go fast period, and short intense races are the way to do it.

-Leave the gadgets at home.  Look at your watch for ride time, maybe use mileage to help gauge how much time is left for you to get home.  My handlebars are electronic free.  Mentally I love to look around at my surroundings and scout out new places to explore.  Most people out there with power and heart rate really aren't doing it right anyways or at all.  Your brain will thank you.

-Read Joe Freil's coaching bible.  It is a great resource, pull from it what will help you the best.  Don't let it be an end all be all though.

-There is no magic pill or energy drink, sorry to burst your bubble.  Those guys that crush the field week in and week out do it through hard work and genetics, not because they preloaded with some sweet new formula of crap.

-Most of all, take everything you read as suggestions.  My crap, what others do, it may not be right for you.

Saturday

Do you like people?  Fatbikes?  Fire?  Liquid refreshments?

This Saturday is Global Fatbike Day, a made up holiday that gives us an excuse for a fun, purely social ride from Rochester Cycling this Saturday at 5:30pm. Bring lights, ride for an hourish, then it is time for fire and drinks courtesy of the shop. Like I said, social. Preferred method of transportation is fat tire as we'll be rolling in the snow, but all are welcome.

Why I freaking love 9:ZERO:7

It has been awhile now since I started riding 9:ZERO:7 fatbikes.  It started with one of their first frames; a near red offset frame mated up to a pugsley fork and their own branded rims.  From the onset Bill and Jamey, the owners, have only had one thing in mine, making a great product and smartly growing their brand in a market that is quite dynamic.  I could go into details and changes they have made in design and manufacture to accomplish this, but I will not bore you, just know that they don't ever rest.




I work hard to be the best I can be at winter races that take me deep into the wilderness, no matter the weather severity, and back.  Iditarod is the best example so far.  350 miles of incredibly remote Alaskan wilderness where dogsleds, snowmachines (Alaskan speak for snowmobile), and airplanes rule; cars don't have anywhere to go.  Literally, after 10 miles or so there was no way to return or be rescued by car.  For 340 miles you rely on you, your equipment, and checkpoints for survival.  So yes, I try to take me physical condition quite serious.

On that note I take my equipment quite serious.  9:ZERO:7 is now on the 2nd year of the carbon Whiteout.  There are certain attributes that I would have asked for in this frame and they have hit each one.  Yes, this bike is carbon.  Yippee!  Guess what, the market has several carbon fatbikes to choose from and going from the barometer of simply weight, the Whiteout is not the lightest (insert horrored gasp).  Nope, not the lightest.  However, as Bill told me, "we could have made it lighter, but we wanted a durable product".  Hear that?  I have heard of many instances of people finding out that their super light carbon fatbike is not on the durable side of the spectrum (but it was a little lighter!).  I take great joy in knowing that my frame is stupid light, but also I don't have to worry about having to deal with issues on the trail because of failure.  Not that it couldn't ever happen, but the chances have been greatly reduced by design.  Beware when the biggest highlight of a frame is only what the scale says.

Now my really light bike is also able to run the stupidest of the stupid large tires.  Is that my routine set up?  Nope.  However, I have that in my arsenal of tricks and I sure as heck don't want to give it up.  When the weather out side is frightful, the Whiteout makes it so delightful.

You have seen my conversion this summer to make my Whiteout the Hit It right?  Yeah, my bike is a badass snowmachine and a take no prisoners mountain bike with a shock as well.  Back up kids, this thing rips.

I truly feel that I have the best do it all, shred the gnar, pound the powder fatbike to push my body to it's extremes on.

 

So what I am trying to say is this.  Thank you Bill, Jamey, and the rest of the 9:ZERO:7 crew for making the absolute best f#%$ing fatbike out there!   I couldn't be happier.

I did the Du!

So I loath running.  Really, I despise it.  Why would I want to run when I have a perfectly good bike?  I don't know, it just doesn't make sense.  Well, due to a set of circumstances I found myself signing up for the Des Moines Off Road Dirty Duathlon with my buddy Mark from Kansas City.  Wanting to have fun with it all we made our own "race jerseys".

His:

Mine:

I was running about once a week for a few miles leading up to the race, complaining most of the way.  The course was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run.  The bike course was 3 laps while the run course was a shortened bike lap (got all that).  The course was all singletrack, nothing to overly difficult but with plenty that would trip up a beginning mountain biker.

The run went more or less as I expected.  Those that ran well left me to gasp and wheeze my way around the first 2 miles.  I hit the bike leg around 10ish? overall, including the teams.

Picture thanks to Eric Roccasecca 

That first bike lap confirmed that my abilities on the bike far outweigh my abilities running as I made my way into 5th very quickly.  The next few laps were spent passing lapped traffic, and trying to get the left calve to stop cramping when bunny hopping logs was needed.  The stupid run now had me getting odd cramps.  Towards the middle of the third lap I slid out on a corner and laid in pain for 30 seconds as my left calve completely locked up.  Onwards I finally went.

The run was a bit painful.  I sucked even harder and now I had weird muscle pains and walked the steeper hills.  Luckily I built enough of a gap on the bike I held onto 5th place.  Near as I could tell, the difference between me and the next 4 riders was their ability not to suck on the run.  I'll take that.  Mark would go on to win the race proving he is a stud.

Afterwards was fun hanging out with the cool Iowegians at the awards and having them take turns ogling the 9:ZERO:7 Whiteout equipped with Nextie carbon rims, Bike Bag Dude custom bag, and Wolftooth goodies.  The bike worked perfectly like always.

I would go on to put in another hour on the local paths as I have goals I am trying to hit.  Then loaded my belly with Chipotle on the drive back, because it is too damn good not to.  BTW, Des Moines is way cooler than I expected.

PS. Running Blows.

Gangter is as gangster does.

I sit here, patiently for a new 9:ZERO:7 frame to arrive.  My trusty carbon bike has lasted through a plethora of summer and winter races.  Has brought me all the fame, money, and glory there is to garnish from succeeding in my winter ultra goals last year.  I threw a Bluto on it this summer, rode it hard, and put it it away wet without a wimper.  Alas, my fork mounted roof rack was not as tough.  At 75 mph I heard my bike dislodge from it's rooftop perch on my car, then watched as it somersaulted down the Interstate.  THAT was the one thing that could kill my bike. 

So know I train for this winter's fun events and my clapped out beater bike.  A bike that has been abused for far too many years.  A bike that has been broken, rewelded, repainted, had the parts stripped off, and had inferior parts installed.  Outfitted with some Bike Bag Dude bags, I put in the hours, looking out the window for brown santa. 

And since everyone likes a picture, one of the family from this summer.

Let's start this thing back up.

Frolicking around this summer on my sweet ride.  I have had the opportunity to really "pimp my ride" the last several months.  I want to thank 9:ZERO:7 for making such an amazing bike.  My Nextie rims have been stupid light, crazy strong, and unrelentingly air tight (I have both a 65mm and 90mm set to play with).  Wolftooth continues to make the best wide/narrow chainrings in the biz, plus the GC cog still is kicking dirt after all winter's riding.

The Bluto on the Whiteout is hot.  Love it.  Now that I have more narrow rims (shown) the bike handles like I want as I blast tight corners and such. 

Look for me to start updating more.  Getting this blog back to the 2 person readership it once enjoyed.  Hope everyone else's summer has been great as well.  Winter is looking to be even more fun!

Iditarod Race Recap, in pictures.

First off, I want to thank those that made this race possible for me, my wife Becky, my parents, and 9:ZERO:7 fatbikes.  Becky understood when I had to leave for roughly 2 weeks while her and the kids suffered from pneumonia.  My parents would watch my children everyday as Becky would go to work, tiring them out as well in the process.  And lastly, 9:ZERO:7 makes the best damn fatbikes out there and made my trip a reality.  If it was not for the help from these people I would have poured over pictures on the Internet like I have for many years instead of taking them myself.  I was also riding gear that made the race easier including Wolftooth's GC 42 tooth cog on the cassette and the Cold Avenger mask for my asthma.  I appreciate their support immensely.

I took all of these pictures.  The far majority of pictures on the trail were taken while I was riding.

One word would sum up my feelings in the start area, surreal.  I have dreamed about this race, studied it, drooled over it, and been scared crapless by it.  And there I was, ready to ride/push 350 miles into remote Alaskan wilderness.  The tough veterans were traveling the full 1,100 miles to Nome, though the 350 seems to get the most attention.

Bill and I at the start.  Bill is co owner of 9:ZERO:7 and a great guy that let me stay at his place. 

They had this stand at the start, the drive out was a decent distance, so hell yeah I had a reindeer sausage before the start.

Official start line.

And we're off.

Only course rule is you need to check in at different points.  The fastest way to CP #1 would be to hop on this gravel road for a bit.

Then onto pavement.  Where we were going though, you are not able to drive.  Only fly or travel on the trail.  We were quickly down to 8 or so riders on the front.

We had groupies following us as we headed out.  Jamie (other co-owner of 9:ZERO:7), Will (1st loser behind Ned Overend at the Fat Bike Nationals), and Dilly.

I was told this was the "pipeline" trail.  I only assumed there was an oil pipeline under us, just one of many firsts for myself. 

Coming across Flathorn lake, roughly 30 miles in.  Made bikerumor.com's pic of the day.

Hitting Yetna river it was down to Kevin Breitenbach, Tim Bernstom, Alec Petro, Todd McFadden, and Myself  on the front.

Leaving Yetna station after having some really good chicken noodle soup and being creeped out by the kid in a side room playing Nintendo 64.

Leaving Yetna at 59 miles in I backed my pace down as my asthma flaired up.  I would get into Skwentna after the other 4 at 90 miles and see Kevin casually sipping coffee with his feet up.  I was confused at this point.

I followed everyone's lead and set out my clothes to dry.  Meanwhile I ate and put my legs up.  10 hours in and I was starting to feel it.

We were in the middle of nowhere, watching piped in motocross.  More confusion.

They had a dog.

I left Skwentna, got a tad lost, froze my camelbak, got dehydrated, slept at Shell Lake Lodge breifly along with a bunch of other riders, and left there in the dark with Todd (fellow MN'n) to head down the trail.  As the sun came up there was a discussion about the trail kicking our butts more than we expected.  It dipped down to -10F

After my front wheel sunk into the snow causing me to hit the ground hard and shaking me up, and then a clumsily fixed broken chain, I rolled on to Finger Lake well behind Todd.  This is home of Winterlake Lodge (in the distance) at mile 130.  Winterlake Lodge is by far our nicest checkpoint and location or #1 of 2 dropbags.

Todd and I would leave together once again.  He would soon leave me as I struggled to breath in the now hilly terrain.  My asthma seemed to take 15-30 minutes to settle after each stop.

Looking down part of the Happy River Steps.  This was a big struggle just to push up as they were quite steep.

I am not sure what lake this is, the pilots here called it Helicopter Lake as there was a downed helicopter there.  I spoke with them a bit as one of their sons came over with the treasure he found in the wreckage.

Looking back at Helicopter Lake.

I don't think this was a normal tree.

Puntilla lake, home of Rainy Pass lodge about 165 miles in.

The sun was setting on Rainy Pass.  As I came in to this stop, I was thinking a 1-2 hour break and continuing with plans to sleep at the top of the pass or in Rohn, out next stop.  Pete Basinger was leaving and Francis Lambert was getting ready to leave.  Todd was set to go into touring mode, sleeping till early morning as to see the pass in the light.  After a few minutes I agreed, and we were joined by Eric Peterson (also of MN).

The cabin was used for hunting and quite old.  I slept under Pumba.

At roughly 3am Todd would wake us.  We would fine dine on cans of soup heated over the stove before departing.

The outside.  Leaving the cabin my asthma suffered along with my butt as the skin was worn away.  Both got better after 30 minutes, both would be problems after each checkpoint.

The trip over the pass went more up then down, but this guy walked almost all of it.  We would pass him, making sure he was alright. 

Damn you Todd, you said we would see the pass in the light!  Eric and I would enjoy the top together as Todd had moved ahead.

The downhill was awesome for the most part.  Some flat, some sketchiness, some bushwacking, and lots of all out 2 wheel drifting downhill radness.  There was lots of hooting and hollering from both of us.

Eric in part of Dalzell Gorge.

Just one of many stream crossings that would make me think.

We came out onto this frozen river.  Whole thing was glaze ice except where the trail had packed down snow.

There were plenty of moose tracks, but no moose.

Pulling into Rohn I was asked, "brat or reindeer sausage?"  Well, I already consumed reindeer at the start, so brat it was.  I wish I remember the 2 volunteers there because they were awesome!  Coolest checkpint I have to say.  Felt the need to do a duckface selfie as a joke.

There is a cabin, but it was being prepped for the dog sleds to come.  We got a nice heated tent.

Last year someone whipped out a satellite phone and updated Facebook.  Seriously.

There were lots of people here and I was grew annoyed as I wanted to be further ahead in the field.  I set out ahead of everyone else, certain Todd and Eric would catch me as my lungs warmed up.  Kevin and Tim left about 12 hours before us (I left at 10:40am), Pete Basinger (6 time winner) about 11 hours, and Francis Lambert about 2 1/2 hours.  There would be numerous riders leaving right after me.

Just crossing more glare ice.  There was a reason almost everyone had studded tires this year.

Looking down the steepest part of the Post River Glacier.  It took me a long time as my studded boots were not working at all.

I rode most of the rest.

In the Farewell Burn, a million acre area decimated by fire years ago.  This picture is looking back at what we had just gone through.

This section was free of almost all snow.  Warm temps with a strong tail wind made it super fast and fun.  It was about here that I decided to go all the way to McGrath without another significant stop; race mode reengaged.  Doing the math, I thought I might be able to get in under 3 days, maybe.

Just one of many lakes we crossed.

This was possibly the biggest lake we crossed after Flathorn.  The trail was way off in the distance and I just followed the few tracks I could find all the way across.

The rolling hills of the burn would give way to flat, straight, and snow.

This is Bob going out to hunt Moose.  He would tell me Francis was 2 miles up.  Can you say motivation?  At this point we were going into a headwind and lots of open area.  It hurt some.

I think this was "fish cabin"  I could be wrong and someone will probably correct me in the comments.

Rolling into Nicolai after 300 miles, having not seen anyone else since Rohn except for Francis whom I passed about 5 miles back.  Surprisingly, Pete was still at the checkpoint getting ready to leave.  Knowing I had made 11 hours up on him in 100 miles he now was firmly in my sights.  I first met Pete at Skwentna, and he proved over and over to be a really nice guy, willing to share info from his experience.  Todd would roll into Nickolai 15 minutes after me, Francis about 20.  I would stay for about 30 minutes, leaving before Todd and Francis, running into Eric on the way out.

Can you see the one and only moose I saw all race?  Todd would soon pass me on the way to McGrath and we would exchange words as we both knew it was almost done and our times to McGrath were going to be faster than anyone had in a previous year.  I would catch Pete about halfway trying to tell a joke that I don't think landed.  The last 20 miles was really rough.  I wanted to eat more, I wanted to drink more, I desperately wanted to lay down and rest, but overwhelmingly I wanted to keep up my pace so that I would not see Pete or Francis until the finish as I was wanting the top 5 finish.  It was the hardest time I have ever had on the bike. I ended up not following the fastest route, but still held on to 5th!  I went from top 5 to 15th or so and back to top 5!  I rode the last 170 miles in about 23 hours with no sleep and 2 stops that totaled about 90 minutes.  I was ready to lay down.  Finished in just under 2 1/2 days.  About 7 hours behind Kevin and Tim, roughly 10 hours ahead of Jay Petervary's record set the previous year.  Yeah, it was fast out there.

The finish is great as there is a ton of food and friendly conversation.  Kevin would not only win the race in record time, but as I walked in the door at 2am, he was there with a hug and a congratulations.  On my way out he, like most people I meet, wanted a selfie.

The finish, complete with bikes.

The only way back is to fly or turn around and take the trail.  Despite the tiny airline check in, we still had to check in 2 hours early.  Funny.

Eric, Todd, Francis, and I would eat at the Iditarod Trail Cafe where they have a autographed picture of Ron Jeremy and bacon cheese burgers for $18.  Food is expensive when it all has to be flown in.

The guy in the truck stopped and asked us if we "smoked marijuna."  He assumed to do the raced we had to be stoned and proceed to tell us how he had been high for the last 20 years.  I believed him.  For the record, no I do not despite my face here.

Eric got yelled at as he rode his bike because they assumed he was a terrorist.

From Anchorage we would go our separate ways.  What an amazing trip with amazing people.  I have never met a finer group of people at a race.