Today in my life.

Good breakfast, some home projects, hill repeats, good supper, and then Tri house recklessness. Dog with eyebrows, dancing, scooby doo mystery machine temporary tattoo appearing to drive down the oldest's butt crack, etc. This is my life.

Ragnarok, Iditarod

Ragnarok this last weekend was fun.  I took to the race as a hard training event after how I have felt this spring, and it became that for sure.  Off I went with enough food and water to carry me through the day. I spent the first 20 miles with legs that felt like wooden stumps; getting dropped on the climbs and regaining contact with the front group coming down.  On the first of 3 push bike min maintenance road climbs I lost the front group for good.  I would proceed to ride the last 80 or so miles by myself for the most part.  After the top of that first MMR climb I would proceed to pass 4 legit riders (and 1 non legit) on my way to the finish.  Below freezing start, mud, ice, bone chilling wind, near deer collision, passing a duallie tractor on a narrow MMR downhill, all made for quite a day.  All in all, conditions were less than ideal, but having spent most of my riding time training in in similar conditions it was "just another day". Oh, and Iditarod?  Just got this in an email.  Nothing is set...anxious. "We received your entry form and check in the mail today. You are very qualified to enter the ITI with two finishes in the Arrowhead and one win in the Tuscobia 150, but we have nearly 40 race veterans signing up and many rookies to evaluate.  We will let you know when we make our final decision which rookies will receive a spot in the 2014 race in early May and publish and 2014 roster."

Don't mind me.

I am just nervously mailing a check.

If....

If this year were a triathlon, Proto and I would be heading into T1.  The snow is melting off, dirt is taking over.  Now I just need to get Proto out of the wetsuit.

Oh, and this?  Just my new "so pro" jacket.

Fat Bike Birkie

Image stolen from fat-bike.com.  I am number 241 hiding in the picture, I removed my outer jacket before the start.

Anywho, this last weekend was the Fat Bike Birkie race up in Cable, WI.  I was conflicted about the race because I didn't know how stoked I was ride ski trails.  However, the race was a blast, well organized, and well supported by the community.  That is to say, a lot of people were out cheering.  I am not sure if there is a flat section on this trail and many sections were roller coaster fun.

My race was not all that impressive.  I had been hacking lung butter up the week before hand, and my warm up with Meiser and Horkey from Salsa (just kinda happened) gave me the impression it was not going to be a good day in the saddle as I couldn't catch my breath.  Of note, the three of us were all on Prototypes.  How cool were we.  I was on Proto, Horkey was on the carbon bike marked "Proto" (copycat), and Meiser was on some unmarked brushed alloy frame with the original unreleased double holed rolling darryls.

Anyways, within a mile I found myself already throttling back the effort as not to go all asthma attacky (yes I did have on the cold avenger).  I hovered around 20th as I would start to push the effort and then be forced to back it way down.  Just after the halfway point I had to stop a few times just to catch my breath.  I just shut down my race mentality after that, stopped to chat with Greg (a recent Rochester to Hayward transplant) at a rest stop, turned into Diana McFadden's rolling motivational coach, and stopped to pick up a few dropped bottles.  Well I ended up with around 50th I think.   My pep talk was not enough for "Todd's Wife" to move one spot up into first.  The winner Jake killed it.

This race was much more fun than I expected, I got to catch up with a lot of friends, and a visit to Cable is always a lot of fun.  I didn't stick around for the after party so I could head home quickly to be with the family.

Well, now I am hitting up my steroidal inhaler daily to strengthen the lungs as I have been woke up almost every night for a few hours coughing up crap.  I really should have done this before the race, but I am not that smart.

HUNGRY?

Clicky, clicky.

I am blowing up part ???

Looks like the guys at fat-bike.com love me as I got all linked up again on their site.

Not only that, my picture made it onto bikerumor.com as I have been having a little fun over there.  Now this is not the first time that I have made it onto bikerumor either.

I am taking the Jo Mama brand global y'all.  Look for my face on billboards, my name on the backsides of womens' trackpants, and my new hit album with Justin Beiber.

Proto is all like, "nag, nag, nag".

 So lately Proto has been whining about us not getting out enough together (you know how a spouse can get), so I set up a fun overnightfor the two of us.

 Here is Proto, all dolled up.

Proto kept asking, but I would not say where we were headed.

I could just tell Proto was having fun now.

We ate.

 

We gazed at the sky

After several hours of fun, we settled down for the night.  Temps got around 5 for the low that night. No, I didn't wear the mask all night, and no, I was actually really warm in my bag.  Sleeping pad will be changed however.

Around 5pm I woke a second time from either a coyote of wolf howling and could not get back to bed so off Proto and I went to finish our adventure.  Came across this frosted tree and couldn't help take a picture.  Yeah, it is not all artsy, but I took several pictures with my "ok" camera to get this beauty.  It was around 5 degrees at this point still. 

Proto is now happy with me, well at least until I get myself in the doghouse again.

Getting old, having kids, and riding

If you have been riding long enough you'll notice a pattern.  As people have kids or get a new job things change; bellies may grow, they're gone more, or disappear all together.  I disappeared some when out of college and got me a "real job".  My belly grew dramatically, riding seemed not very important, and I thought being successful meant working hard to eventually earn the big bucks.  Finally the stress caught up, I found a way out, and I went on to drop a bunch of lb's, get faster, but most importantly enjoy life more.  Then the wife went and got herself knocked up.

I had seen the pattern.  I knew that history had taught me that life in the drive thru lane was not far away.  Something else can happen though when you have a kid.  Time management becomes much more important.  Getting out for a long ride has a sweeter taste.  It is harder to accomplish, but it is great.  I managed to ride a bunch that first year and had a great season of racing.  Then the wife went and did it again.

Number 2 child has been with us for over a year now.  Last year I was determined to not let our red headed trouble maker cause problems in my hobby.  Then came the month long ordeal of a 6 month old being really, really sick last spring.  That zapped most of my motivation to be a racer boy the rest of the year, only gearing it back up for Arrowhead.  Oh, how I love to ride my fat bike.

So, here we are to 2013, and things are different.  I still want to race, but the mountain bike I plan on is one that will carry a much higher degree of fun and a lower degree of racer boy.  I am working on making this bike a reality and it should be ready here in a month or so.  There will be far less carbon.  It will weigh more.  It will not be raced less.  In fact, it will be fun to toe the line with others on the type of bikes I have been rocking for the last many summers.

As I have grown older I have been able to reflect back.  For instance, I turned 35 last week.  This summer will make it 20 years of me racing a bike, some years more than others.  I race against guys now that were born when I first hit the start line at Millville.  Deathrider, Joe Parkin, Jon Sandberg, Gene Oberpriller, Jeff Hall, Bob Boyd were some of the biggest baddest names in the local scene at that time.  Results were often found out in the mail weeks later, we all waited with baited breath for the new Chi-Chi's poster to tell us where we got to race that summer, things like the 24 Hours of Buck Hill (when it was 3 times the length) had riders running lights with powerful 10 watt bulbs that lasted maybe 90 minutes, WORS was a joke both in size and competition to the MN series, and Mike Reimer took pics of it all. 

Now, my summer will be spent with the highest emphasis on fun.  My bike will be a "fun" bike.  The last few years had me start questioning why I was racing around on a stupid light super high dollar, but ultra fast carbon wonder job.  At some point you reach the point where that stuff seems excessive, and I have passed that point.  No, I have not ruled out carbon, or ever riding a bike like my Superfly 100's from the last several years.  So look for me this year to hopefully avoid the bigger gut, but still sweating it out and all with a bigger smile than normal.  And if I can beat some carbon wonder jobs in the process, all the better.

Oh, and my summer ride will present itself when you are prepared to see my summer ride.

Wanna trade?

I am looking for 2 suspension forks. Both 100mm Fox F29 or the ability to be turned into a 100mm, but more than likely one will be turned to 80mm. One or both need to be a straight 1 1/8", minimum 8" long. One can be a tapered. QR or thru axle. Both in good condition because I actually plan to ride them.

Me? I've got a Salsa 170mm rear hub (the less expensive one) and brand new 2012 15mm thru front/12X142mm rear Bontrager Race X-Lite Wheels.

Also, I have a cabin up in Cable, WI just 1/2 mile from Telemark. This is about the most ideal location for hitting up trails in the area. I ride to Rock Lake/Ojibwe/Danky Dank/Seely Pass/Esker all from the front door.

Hit me up, charlytri (@) yahoo dot com.

Taking Proto on a date.

 So I have had a bad itch for a fun ride since Arrowhead.  Saturday morning rolls around and all I hear about is the rain coming the next day.  Considering we just finally got snow again, I assumed there would be no snow for awhile again.  Soooooo, I had the time off from the family and was quickly searching the MN DNR site for nearby cool trails.  Off I went to the Mississippi valley in search of fun trails instead of repeating my same old same old trail that is riding distance from the house.

The trail had just enough snow to make it "real".  No grooming, high 20's, soft snow, but oh so fun.  The 2 bluff climbs and rolling hills added to the fun.  The trail went slower than expected plus it went far longer than the online map said.  Finished with 3 1/2 hours of snow fun and then an hour of gravel/pavement shortcut for 4 1/2 total.  Proto and I had a good date.

Picture dump ahead.

The beginning was through a river valley surrounded by bluffs.

Up and over.

The occasional fort.

About 30 minutes in it gets nice and hilly as well as plenty wooded.  With the soft snow, it was especially tough on the hills.

I rode without my jacket, just my base and vapor barrier.

If you look close you can see the flags placed on the corner to prevent drunk sled heads from going into river.

My view to the right for much of the ride.

Proto really loved this bridge.  He might just get his chance to see it this spring on April 13th.

Rolling downhill to ride next to a different river.

Another bridge crossing.

Looks like we need flags on the barbed wire fences as well.

Winter or summer, I see a tree covering the trail and I try to remove it.  There were a ton of branches in between me and Proto.

Starting the first of 2 bluff climbs.

More flags.

Did plenty of this towards the end.

The loop I had planned was taking too long with soft snow and pushing up the majority of 2 bluffs.  I had to high tail it back on gravel to get back in time.

The farthest bluff was conquered earlier in the ride.

It was either a mile of this, ditch, or busy highway to get back to the car.

Arrowhead cont.

Just some short snippets from the memory and thoughts:

-The race is well put on and I hope as the organization changes it only continues or gets better

-I keep thinking about a 100mm rear rim.  I have it.  Next year maybe.

-I really do love my bike.  I think 9:zero:7 makes a fantastic product.  I plan on using this same bike for pretty much all my races this year, so look out!  Also, the Cold Avenger makes my Arrowhead finishes possible.  And that is amazing.

-The people of the race go a long ways to making this the race it is.  I can say in 4 years of this race I have only found one person that I didn't want to continue our conversation.  That one person may surprise you.

-This year I saw a ton of wolf tracks.  Mainly from checkpoint #1 to #2.  I also saw 5 piles of scat, I assume wolf, in that area.

-During my 10 mile stand and grunt finish the snow was falling heavy.  I couldn't even make out the tracks well at all of the riders that were about 45 minutes in front of me.  At one point I did notice tracks pop out of the woods, go up the line I was riding, and then back into the woods 8 feet later.  Those were wolf tracks and they were fresh.  Fresh as in the dumping snow had not touched them yet.  It was at that time I yelled to scare him away further, but also wished I had been looking up as I am sure I would have gotten to see the tuff of fur run off.

-I have been confused about my body's lack of need for calorie replenishment.  Hydration yes.  Muscle soreness check.  But food not much.

-There is a lot of MN vs. AK rivalry.  I join in on it.  That being said, everyone I have met from "up there" is super nice and I enjoyed their company.

-My asthma was a pain...again.  I wonder how things would go if I could breath normally without a mask as opposed to gingerly with.  The other way to look at it is the fact I should pat myself on the back to push through those times and finish at all.

-This race is getting popular.  I worry too popular.  I wonder if it might someday the bike portion would be run separately.  That would be too bad in the sense that I have met a lot of great people that run and ski the event.

-I worried out loud at the finish during the snowstorm if people were prepared to bivy.  I think a lot of people come to the race barely having looked at their equipment.  I was one of those the first year.  If it had been pouring snow AND -20 there would have been a lot of people in serious hurt as I think they don't prepare enough for the "what if's".

-I desperately want to take my bike to the Iditarod Trail Invitational.  Only problem is I would be looking at a $4,000 or so trip ($1,000 just on the race entry).  That is about $3,500 more than I could plan on.  Yes, I am a landlord with properties.  That essentially means I am land rich and cash poor.  Well actually I will EVENTUALLY be land rich.  Ben Doom has already volunteered to hide in my luggage so we can split an airfare (about $700 round trip, btw).  Factor in bike transport costs (Maybe $500), lodging (???), flight back to the start (????), new gear for the adventure (?????), and I think $4,000 sounds about right.

2013 Arrowhead recap.

Sorry, no pics at the moment.  I will try not to be too wordy, I feel like I could write a small book on everything I saw, did, and went through.

So this was my 4th year toeing the line up at the Arrowhead 135; 135 mile race on snowmobile trails from International Falls, MN to Tower.  Competitors choose to either bike, run, or ski.  I love bikes, hate running, and don't ski.  Temps range any given year from 35F to -50F.

My time there has been with mixed results; 2012, 2011, 2010.  Two DNF's due to asthma, and then a 7th place finish.

This year I had the knowledge of what it takes to finish.  This year I wanted to thrive, not just survive.  It ended up being the other way around.  However, I did survive and that is something.

The start was uneventful until Buffington got to the front and drove a nice good tempo in the roughly 20F temps.  We all loosely followed, and before we got ten miles in there was Todd Mcfadden(Local Pro Mtn Biker),  Jason Buffington (last year's run winner, this year's Tuscobia winner), Kevin Breitenbach (last year's winner), Jeff Oatley (2011, and 2010 winner), and myself (weird man-boy).  I was quite comfortable with the pace and was surprised not to see a few faces including Dan Dittmer and Ben Doom.  We would continue over Hwy 53 about 20 miles in like this, no one in sight.

After another 10 miles I asked the group their favorite breakfast as to break up the silence.  Oatley would respond with "pizza first, Chipotle second" and then got to the front to push the pace.  At this point I brought down my Cold Avenger mask thinking we were near the 32F point that I use to determine it's use.  After a bit my power would drop, and I would drop off the pace.  I soon realized my mistake, put the mask on, and continued through checkpoint #1.

Soon after I would pass Buff who said his legs were not in a race mood.  I felt good, was in a solid 4th place, and took the mask down again as we hit hills because I am an idiot.  Soon, my power was dropping again as Doom and Buff would catch up.  I would follow with Doom for a bit before the asthma started being a real pain.  Buff would pass.  Soon I would yo-yo with Dittmer a bit.  With my asthma problems I forgot to eat.  As I bit off a hunk of my carbo bomb there was no water left in my camelback.  Crap.  Dittmer would catch back up with me and let me know we still had 12 miles left to the halfway point, my stop for water.  I have only guesses as to what happened, but I found it very puzzling I was out of water.  With no water, I couldn't eat as well.

So I limped forward for the next 90 minutes or so, hungry and dehydrated.  I ate a little and washed it down with snow, but that only works so much.  Exhausted, hungry, and thirsty I would cross Elephant Lake to the Melgeorge's cabin.  I sat.  Never did I plan on sitting until the finish.  Two grilled cheeses, a bowl and a half of soup, a bunch of water, a bit of pop, and I left with a bloated gut full of food.  The next bit of trail after was fast I I felt decent again.  The steep hills that normally required pushing were now covered with snow that allowed us to ride much more than normal.

About halfway to the 3rd checkpoint my overall dehydration really was taking a toll on my muscles.  I rolled into Ski Pulk in a lot of pain.  The snow was now pouring down.  Every muscle in my body wanted me to throw in the towel, but there was never ever a thought of dropping.  If I had to push it the last 25 miles I would finish.  If I had to bivy and rest, I would finish.

I left Ski Pulk after some hot chocolate and time in a chair.  For the next 15 miles or so I would ride less and push more.  The snow was getting deeper and deeper.  I had been in 8th place, but John Gorilla and Eric Peterson zoomed by while I suffered in pain.  Not wanting to push the last ten miles, I shifted the bike into my 32X12 and stood; using only my body weight to bring forward momentum to the bike.  The last ten miles I stood, one slow pedal stroke after another.  Slowly, I would finally finish.  My time was 18ish hours.  Roughly 1 hour longer than last year.  The course was overall faster (except for the snow I rode through the last 25 miles). 

My thoughts on my race are mixed.  I was gunning for a top five or better finish.  The way the race started I thought that was going to happen.  Between my mask removal and running out of water that hope was dashed.  I still am not sure how I ran out of water.  My pace from last year was the same (effort was less).  I used the same bladder.  I MAY have not had it full at the start.  That is one guess.  I MAY have drank more especially when I took my mask off.  That is another guess.  Anyways, it happened. I have been dehydrated since.  Not hungry, just trying to rehydrate the body.

Congrats to Todd McFadden!  Bringing the win back to MN is great!  Those guys from AK are hard not to like, but you have to route for the home team.  My eventual goal of Iditarod will have to wait until I can win an entry or win the lottery.

Proto (my prototype 9:zero:7 186mm bike) was flawless.  A fantastic bike indeed.  I wish I could have done it more proud.

Now I plan for the next Arrowhead.  My favorite race of the year.

Prerace meeting

Yikes, that there were a lot of fast guys. Fingers crossed for a good ride. Trail is soft, but at least there is no shortage of snow.

Time for my prerace rub down from the man servant.

Proto, you ready for Arrowhead?

First, some thank you's and recognitions are in order. My wife is amazing. She is at home with our 2 rug rats while her parents help (thank you).

Thanks to 907 fatbikes. Awesome company, awesome people, great support.

Thanks to the crew at Rochester Cycling and putting up with me and my constant needs.

Thanks to the crew at Penn in Woodbury. You did me a huge favor and it won't soon be forgotten.

Thanks to my man servant, J-Palm, aka Juicy Peach. It is great to have company

We're about ready to go to the prerace meeting. J-No, Chocalate Moose and the fancy Giovani's missed you. I guess we are next door to Oatley. I plan to send a hooker to his room tonight. Tomorrow will be tough, tough, tough. My preride today had me full of doubts of even finishing. Such is nerves

Look for updates at www.arrowheadultra.com under results.

Btw, what is better than a cool prototype frame? One with dropouts and the ability to be ridden. Eh B.A.

This is weird.

This is my 4th year going to the Arrowhead 135.  This is the race I dream about all year long.  This is THE most important race for me each year both in racing and sheer fun.  But this year is weird. My drive up with J-No will be replaced by J-Palm.  He is an Arrowhead virgin and is coming just to see the sights and sounds, not to race.  There will be no Farrow with his huge smile.  There will be no Deathrider and our constant questioning of each other's preference in "partners".  There will be a stacked field.  The last 3 years of been won by 2 different Americans who can see Russia from their house.  I would love nothing more than to end their streak.  I feel like my fitness is the best of the 4 Arrowheads, and my breathing (my biggest handicap) has been handled really well this year.  If that goal is possible has yet to be seen.  Beyond those 2 though, there are a bunch of other strong riders, both returning and new.  I can give a list of around 7-8 names that I think are all in the running depending on how things shake out. That said, I am sure I will have fun.  The racers are a tight knit group and I find myself more immersed in that group each year.  I look forward to seeing all those faces again.  I look forward to riding in the area again.  I look forward to seeing how I stack up.  I look forward to battling my asthma and the other racers.  I look forward to the prerace meeting.  I look forward to meeting in the building right before the start.  I look forward to the start, with frozen breath everywhere, blinky lights blinding you, people bundled up, skiers and runners pulling their sleds, and all before the sun comes up.  I look forward to the first 10 miles of straight flat as we get going, and then around Gateway where it heats up, crossing Elephant Lake to the halfway point, pushing my bike up miles of steep hills after, the last flat 25 miles, and then crossing the finish line. I look forward to every moment and can't wait until next year.

Proto can fly!

So it came to my attention from a loyal reader that I wasn't clear enough that I had won this last weekend.  Just to make it clear, I won.  I not only won, but I crushed the spirits of all who tried to get between me and the finish.  Plus, crossing the finish line the only other person that can be seen is a dog walker.  Add in I showed off a finish line celebration that will make Alberto Contador change over from his pistelero gun gestures.  I dominated like Lance at the Tour.  It was shameful the way I destroyed the egos of all who dared to toe the line with a masterful artisan fat bike dominator like myself.  All hail Charly, king of the "Get Fat with Pat" fatbike race.

There, was that clear enough?  This is a picture of me crossing the finish line with a little style.  We had about 1/2 mile of this road every lap. 

Picture viciously stolen from here.

Proto is now injured.  I found that my upper der pulley was badly cracked.  It fell apart when I simply touched it.  That could have been bad for Arrowhead.  Pulleys should be here tonight.  Then some more vroom vroom.

Congrats Salsa Cycles!

There is something that all the big brands can hold place high on their mantel.  It is an honor that has always been for the "big guys", the true movers and shakers.  It has always been that the little guys are stuck on the sidelines only wishing they could join in on this coveted acheivement.  Well Salsa, fret no more.

Say hello to your own disgraced doper riding your bike!  You have stepped up to the plate against the big boys and knocked this out of the park!  This would be Levi Leipheimer soaking up his "Adventure by Bike" by poaching a local mountain bike race.  Now I await the well thought out public announcement that they are not supporting, have never supported, nor will ever supported Levi "Wheel Sucker" Leipheimer. 

Bravo Salsa, bravo.  Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc. look out!

Now I want to see Micheal Rasmussen on a Surly Big Dummy.

Good Proto, good boy.

Well, I think I said I wasn't going to race this weekend, I guess that was a lie.  I had been eyeing up the "Get Fat with Pat" race at the MN River Bottoms since Deathrider showed me around a few weeks back.  It is hard to pass up a Penn race because they are always a blast.  Also, Hillside is an extra 45 minutes of driving and I had plans for Sunday.  I robbed studs out of my old Nokians and loaded the two middle rows on my Escalators.  Studs like these are worthless when you lean the bike over hard.

It looked like a great turnout considering there were 2 other races going on that day.  The course had seen warmer temps then when I was out there, so now it was a mix of snow, mud, ice, dirt, and flooded over ice.  Chris Fisher, Jeff Young, and I got a small gap pretty early on.  I kept yo-yoing off the back as my chain would fall of my recent drivetrain modification and I would work my way back up.  Fisher would flat and Barry Tungsteth would follow close behind.  The race was 2 laps of an 8 mile course and I got a gap on Jeff while we hit the trail on the second lap.  The second lap would prove to be an even wetter and muddier affair as the warm temps would melt off ice and unfreeze the mud.  I would go on to finish it out for the win with mud on my face and freezing water up my nether regions.

Thanks to Cory "El Lion" Gross for the pics.  Josh has some good ones here as well.  A fire at the start and midpoint in the laps (complete with Hooligans) helped with the atmosphere.

Body is firing on all cyclinders.  I could have gone out for lap three and probably would have, but conditions (and me) were so wet by then and the temp was dropping.  Feeling the best I ever have going into AH.  Now, if only the lungs cooperate.

This section was early in the lap; me leading us through the swamp area on lap 1.

Me again, making some kind of smart remark to "El Lion"

We would ride in the water about 100 yards past where the water narrows in the distance.  You could ride in the grass, but that was incredibly slow.  I think everyone rode on the water's edge which was about 4" deep over ice.  Really, really fun.

I think I was robbed.

They're gone! Crap, not another bike related theft.