Tour de Lincoln

Due to rain the last couple days, riding has been confined to the city limits. Not the best or most interesting riding, but there are lots of new trails that I haven't seen and others that I haven't ridden for a long time, so it wasn't all bad.

Saturday dawned early with the Havelock Charity run (no I didn't run)...


Afterward Ryan and I met up with no real plan except to explore the city trails and get some miles in. MapMyRide uses way out of date Lincoln maps, so my mileage estimate is rather rough, but I figured 32 miles round trip. Most exciting moment involved a mud induced slide of both wheels through a under-street tunnel....still learning how to ride that Lemond.

Where now? A decision point at Holmes Lake.

Is this Colorado, or southeast Lincoln?

Photo op...

Today, I headed back out, on the El Mariachi this time. Compared to the cross bike, I felt like a monster truck on the mtb. Stable, comfy, and slow... Hoping that the rain would hold off I headed toward Pioneer's Park. Ended up with 30 miles and an even 100 for the weekend. Next goal is consecutive 50 mile days. 55 days till the Laramie Enduro...

2009 Laramie Enduro

The Laramie Enduro reached their registration limit this week after only 9 days. Last year it took 3 months to reach the 400 entry limit. I made it into the race from the waiting list last year, but I am a little less optimistic this year due to the apparent increased interest. May have to consider a new option...

Half a Hundred

Today was the Psycowpath race at Ponca State Park. I decided it wasn't worth the money and time to drive up solo for just an hour of racing because ultimately these XC races are just a secondary goal for this year.

With my real goals in mind, I set out this morning for a long ride with no plan other than to ride to Branched Oak State Recreation Area and check out the condition of the trails. It was an absolute bluebird day with no wind. The ride out was great, except I was chased by 3 dogs, one of which was a very large rottweiler. To this point, I had never been chased by a dog on a gravel road, so I really wasn't sure what to do (any tips?). I was able to ride away from them, but I'll admit I was pretty scared by 2 of the 3 dogs.

I got to the Area 1 campground at the lake about and hour and a half into my day and rode straight to the trailhead. The trails were just about perfect from a moisture standpoint, but they were way overgrown. I decided I didn't really want to be sweaty, itchy AND full of ticks so I turned around and headed back to the campground. I contemplated heading home at this point but I wanted to get some more miles in and I was feeling really good so I decided to keep going. I had already determined that I was going to head home on a different route to avoid the crazy dogs so I needed to come up with a new plan. I refilled my water bottles and headed out to do a lap of the lake.

I am usually meticulous in my route planning so heading out blind was a bit of an adventure. I chose several roads that didn't go through the way I wanted them to, but I ended up at home just the same. Right at 4 hours total time on the bike and a new personal record for distance ridden on my mountain bike at 50 miles (close enough for me). My nutrition and fluid intake was pretty good and my legs felt strong all the way to the end. Heres the map:


I've found that I really enjoy these longer rides in the country, but I am ready to get some singletrack riding/racing again. Next race on the schedule is the Cornhusker State Games, July 20th at Branched Oak; should be fun and hot. I think the early registration deadline is Monday. I need to remember to sign up.

I also found out today that I am officially off the waiting list and onto the roster for Laramie. Its time to get serious about training. I'm glad I banked this half-hundie today instead of driving to Ponca.

Since You've Been Gone

Crazy weather throughout the Midwest has wreaked havoc on my racing and training plans over the last month. We've been spared the severe flooding that Iowa is experiencing but we still have received 16.5" of rain in the six weeks since I posted last. Several races were postponed, cancelled, or altered because of this unprecedented amount of rain. The Branched Oak 12 hour race was one that I was really looking forward to, but Robb and I had to make an executive decision not to race in the mud. Bummer.

Due to these circumstances (and others yet to be mentioned) I only did two big rides during this time. The first was the Platte River Riot 6 hour Marathon race on May 18th. I obviously wasn't racing to win, so I went out with only the expectation to ride for as much of the 6 hours as possible and to learn some things about myself that would help in preparation for the Laramie race. I probably sat around a little bit more than I should have, but when it was all said and done I did 5 laps (roughly 1000 ft of climbing per lap), one less than I had hoped to do. The good news is that my nutrition plan worked great, and unlike in the past, after the race was over I was cogent and ready to eat the free hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Cycleworks folks. As usual Tom got some great pictures. Here are a couple, check out his site for the rest.



Two weeks later Robb and I headed out for a long ride up to Branched Oak. I have always wanted to ride out that way, and I wasn't disappointed. Heading east-west by the lake, the hills were much bigger than what I was riding east of Lincoln. Very fun, and an area that I will be exploring much more often in the near future.

So Who Won?

Missed out on the Psycowpath race today. I inquired the powers that be, and found out that I could have driven up and ridden in the sport race and not jeopardized my ability to race beginner for the rest of the year, but I decided it wasn't worth it. I did however plan on driving up and just riding some laps, but when I went out to the garage to load up my bike, I discovered I had a flat tire. Really strange too, because when I got the tube out, I couldn't find a leak. Not really sure how to explain that. I stuffed a new tube in just to be sure. Anyway, I ended up not doing any riding today.

I did get a ride in on Saturday however. Since I knew I wouldn't be racing this weekend, I headed out for my longest training ride of the year so far.


As soon as I hit the gravel, I could tell this was going to be a good ride. My legs felt really strong the whole time, and I pushed it pretty good through the wind and over the hills. It was just one of those perfect days. The route was good too. I am learning to appreciate anew the the beauty of Nebraska as viewed from a gravel road on a bicycle. I think next weekend I am going to ride to Elmwood to stretch it out to 50 miles. Anyone else interested?

Why would I do such a thing? Well, registration for the Laramie Enduro filled up this week, so I sent in my info to get on the waiting list. I am number ten on the list, and I am told this pretty much guarantees that I will be racing 111k in Laramie on July 26th. Let's get crazy!

Laramie?

I have a big decision to make soon about a certain race in Wyoming. Only 56 spots left. Robb is already signed up, and I know he'll kill it. There is no chance I could finish this race right now, but with 90 days to train, I am pretty sure I can be ready. I am going to need to really push and do some long rides on the weekends. Part of me wants to just sign up, thereby forcing myself to prepare. We'll see.

I'm healing up pretty well and am itching to get out and ride. I took my bike to MWC this week and Nate got everything running smooth again. I plan on riding both Saturday and Sunday and would like to hook up with any Lincoln-folk who will also be riding. I'm flexible on time and willing to drive/ride/meet anywhere. Suggestions? Leave a comment.

Laramie Enduro 111K

The focal point of my race season will be the Laramie Enduro. From their site:

"Situated in the Laramie Range of Southeastern Wyoming, this course covers some of the best mountain bike track in the region. The course is a fast and extremely fun loop, covering no ground twice. It includes virtually every kind of trail and surface a mountain biker is likely to encounter in the Rockies, from wildlife trails to single track to dirt roads. It is equally well suited for geared bikes and single speeds.

The course is a challenging 70+ miles which climbs over 8,600 vertical feet, all at elevations over 7,500 feet. You’ll race over high grass plains, through serene aspen and pine forests, and through the renowned rock-climbing venue of the Vedauwoo (pronounced Veda-Voo) Recreation Area. This event is not for the casual rider. You can finish this race, but don’t take it lightly."

This will definitely be a big step for me, as the longest mountain bike ride I have ever done is 40 miles, on flat terrain and at a much lower elevation. I have no delusions of grandeur, my goal this year will be to finish the race in the allotted 10 hours. I can focus on being fast next year. All the other riding and training I do this year will be in preparation for this event. I am really pumped.