Go and get some extra gear, for winter fat bike season is near!

Hello & Happy Thanksgiving, Internet!

I went for a fat bike ride the other night.  It was off the cuff and I had 15 mins to grab all my gear and head over to my friends house so we could get a ride in after work but before dinner.  The idea was to spin on trainers in my living room after work, because it was going to be quite chilly with upwards of 20 mph winds.  However, it didn't take much motivation on either side to do anything to avoid the trainer.  So, out into the cold, dark, windy night we went....

Luckily I had my lights charged & mounted, and my Osprey still 75 % packed from last weekend's mountain biking outing.  I was set up for success, but made sure to pack a few extra things due to the dropping temps and wind.  Freezing temps & below = not the time to forget something.

After the ride, I drove home and started unpacking all the bags of crap in my car (I mean, all my awesome gear).  As I was sub-sorting my gear into piles, I thought it would make a kinda fun blog post if I took pics of all this gear and wrote about it.  So - starving, cold and sweaty, I took a few extra minutes to click some pics.

Here we go:  this is my "what to pack for cold rides" slash "mini-gear review" post!

So first off, I mentioned I grabbed my "Osprey", and by that I mean this hydration pack here.  Osprey makes several different models of hydration packs, and within those models there are various sizes as well.  I happen to own the Osprey Raven 14 (the women's specific version of the Raptor 14), which I picked up at Gus' Bike Shop.  Did you know if shops carry a brand, they can order stuff for you in different sizes and colors?  Yup, just ask!  I had to have this in green.  It was worth a short wait.

This is one of the larger bags, and most of the time it's bigger than I need for something like a warm mountain bike ride, when I'd grab my small Camelbak.  HOWEVER, if I'm snowshoeing or hiking or bike commuting when I've forgotten to stash stuff at work the day before - or in this case taking a fat bike ride where I may want to stash an extra layer, this is the weapon of choice.

It's loaded with lots of features like a 3 L easily removable hydration reservoir, a helmet grabber (that plastic thing right above the Osprey logo), easy access pouch, compression straps, hip belt w/ zipper pocket for my chapstick.  Lots of thoughtful features.  Anyway this is what it looks like packed with a bunch o' crap.

See that large tube in the front?  That's a spare Surly fat bike tube.  They are HUGE!  Also the pump sticking out the side there is a Topeak Mountain Morph.  More on that later.

Women's specific ergonomic straps, plus the mouthpiece is magnetic and stays put!  Note my chapstick in one of the hip belt pockets.

The little green twist light clipped on there didn't come standard.  I got that from roadid.com, it's one of the little supernova lights, and it's a bright little bugger.  Be seen by bears.  Also, not pictured, I just got a road ID that I had custom inscribed with "Powered by tacos"

P.S. sales today at RoadID:   https://www.roadid.com/C/HighViz

Check this out, the bottom of my bag has a roll out tool pouch!  This is what I was carrying:

• VeloChampion multi-tool with chain breaker, spoke wrench & built-in tire lever
• Big fat Pedros ergonomic green tire levers.  Why not carry the best when you have the luxury of space?
• Park Tools VP-1 Vulcanizing Patch Kit (for like, if I was out of options and had to really get serious)
• Dollar bill (for use as a patch between tire & tube - energy gel wrappers or scraps of trash also work)
• Park Tools GP-2 Glueless Patch Kit - these suckers are self-sticking.  You get 5 patches and a little square of sandpaper to rough up your tube just a bit before sticking it on.  Been having good luck with these as a temporary quick fix to get home.  The pack of 5 is the size of a quarter.  I don't leave home without one!
• Cat's tongue individual wrapped towel (for wiping grease off hands - such a luxury when you have the space to pack extra things!)

You will want these things when freak things happen like your friend runs over a seemingly harmless little stick when it's 37 degrees, dark and 20 mph winds.

So back to the pump - the Topeak mountain morph can mount directly to your bike frame several different ways.  It converts as below w/ a little fold out foot pad, handle and flex hose.  It can handle Presta, Schrader & Dunlop valves by switching around little bits in the nozzle.  It worked really well the other night.  CO2 is often faster & less weight to carry, but I like the idea of having infinite air.

Fully "morphed" pump.  Also note the Osprey hydration reservoir to the right.

Folded up & locked, configuration for throwing in my pack or frame mounting:

You're gonna want some lights too!  I always carry two - one on my bike pointed more towards the ground, so I can see what I'm about to run over, and one strapped to my helmet, so I have a light that moves where I'm looking.  Also, if one goes out, I have redundancy.

I'm currently using a Cygolite Expillion 850 lumen light on my helmet:

I also have a Barfly mounted Light and Motion 1500 lumen Taz on my bars.

Both of these lights recharge via micro USB - so I can charge them wherever I am - work, car, home.  Another little tip - don't run your lights full strength unless you have some particular need (e.g. race, gnarly section of trail where you want a little more light).  This will drain the batteries fast.  So, my 1500 lumen light I'll run on the 750 lumen setting and it will last 2-3 hours, instead of 1 hour at 1500.

What else did I bring?  I had on my new favorite wind blocking long sleeve Craft baselayer!  The front is Gore windstopper fabric, and with a 20 mph wind this thing was my friend:  craft-active-extreme-2.0-windstopper-crewneck-base-layer-womens

Got a new softshell jacket from Garneau at the KMC Cyclocross Festival that I'm rather fond of, and some clear lenses in my Oakley Quarter Jackets (yeah, the kid's frames work best for my face) for night riding.  Why bother with cycling glasses at night?  I wear them to keep the wind, dirt and rogue sticks out of my eyes.  There is always something trying to poke your eye out on the trail.

Pearl Izumi tights.  Lots of nice reflective bits.  No chamois cause Pearl's Chamois and I aren't friends.  Garneau wool socks.

Speaking of chamois - get yourself some good chamois butter!  I am currently using Mad Alchemy's LaFemme Chamois Cream.  It is good stuff! 

Oh my, this is a large pile of stuff!  From left to right-ish:

• Vanderkitten long sleeve thermal jersey:  I packed this in case I needed an extra layer.  I didn't but I was happy to have it just in case.
• Lake 303 boots:  The big guns of winter cycling.  They are not cheap but they will change your cold weather cycling world, if you've got the coin.  Equipped with boa closures and SPD cleats.  Put on some thick wool socks, stick toe warmers to the top of your socks, slip your feet in these puppies & you will be smiling all day long with warm, dry feet.
• Kask helmet w/ Cygolite Expillion:  I already talked about this stuff above
• Purple Craft ear warmer:  I prefer to wear something over just my ears until it's below 20 degrees, when I'll switch to full beanie.  That's just me, personal preference.  I hate when my head overheats.
• Cutaway iamnottedking hyperfunctional neck gaiter:  This little guy is soft and silky, and can be worn many different ways:  balaclava, just ears, just neck, pulled up from neck to cover mouth.  Stashes in a pocket hardly taking up any room.  I own 4 or 5 of these because I use them so much in the cold weather.
• Pearl Izumi Elite Softshell gloves:  I find these are warm enough for me in the 20s-30s range.  Below that and I just switch to snowboarding gloves.
• Nutrition stuff:  I love the Skratch raspberry & orange chews!  They have a sugary texture on the outside.  Also pictured:  Justin's maple almond butter & Untapped maple syrup packet.
• Hand/foot/body warmers:  I always keep these around - the body warmers are pretty ridiculous!  If you really have no body heat of your own I suppose you could stick one of these inside your jacket.  I use the toe warmers all the time.
• Garmin Edge 810 bike computer, because:  data

Besides all that, I like to keep a can of seltzer in the car, a warm pair of socks, a down jacket and fuzzy lined slip on clogs for the drive home.

That really is a lot of stuff to think about, for an hour a half bike ride!  Forget some of the essentials, though, and you'll be pretty miserable.

King Challenge and a couple of other Autumnal Anecdotes

This is a long overdue blog post.  I love to write, but somehow always get bogged down with work and riding bikes (I know, my life is tragic!) to make much of the writing thing fit into my schedule, besides long boring statistics laden reports that I get paid to write.

So anyway, it's FALL, the BEST SEASON EVER, and I have a few things to talk about.

First off, let's discuss "pumpkin spice".  I have some qualms with this phrase, and what is has come to represent. 

Pumpkin:  Festive orange gourd.  Pure unadulterated bliss.  Cut in half, scrape out seeds, bake, eat w/ a fork w/ some butter and/or maple syrup drizzle - or make puree for baking treats like muffins.  Make a pasta sauce out of it, nom noms.

Spices that are typically used in pumpkin dishes:  Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger etc.  Delicious in baked goods.  If used to make a "pumpkin spice" beverage, you will actually end up with a delicious Chai type concoction, but it won't be reminiscent of pumpkin.

"Pumpkin Spice":  A chemical additive which contains neither pumpkin nor spices.  Can be found in Starbucks lattes and such.  Typical components are sabinene, eugenol, cinnamic aldehyde, terpenes, vanillin etc.  These chemicals are totally approved by the FDA and safe in the quantities used, but have no actual pumpkin or spices and only hit 5 % of the "top notes" to trick our brains, which works quite well.

Eat/drink whatever you want, but I'm sticking to the real stuff.  Science lesson for the day, over.

Here is something else that I find amusing about Fall.  I am SUFFERING here, and this guy is catching Pokemon or looking at his Instagram account or some such.  I am probably guilty of this at races too, but it's quite a funny juxtaposition so I'm posting it so you get a chuckle:

Now that all of that is out of the way, I bring you to my real reason for this post.

The King Challenge is coming up soon!  Really, wicked soon!  Like two weeks from yesterday....it's held on Sat Oct 15th, and I want you all to ride, volunteer or donate, if you can!

Why?

This ride supports the Krempels Center, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with brain injury from trauma, tumor or stroke.  They are a local organization out of Portsmouth, NH.  Of all the charity rides I could do, I'm happiest to support something close to home.  Not only that, but myself and many friends have had personal experience with TBIs (traumatic brain injuries - the acronym is not as commonly known, I'm finding, unless you end up getting one).  Even with a mild TBI it took me a year to get back to "normal" and 5 months to be cleared from my vestibular therapy and fix my vision/focus.

From a recent e-mail (excuse the copy/paste, but I can't say it any better):

Krempels Center is committed to providing services to all brain injury survivors in need – crucial for the many who are unable to return to work after their injury. We will never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. Eighty-five percent of our brain injury survivors receive scholarships to attend Krempels Center.  The success of the King Challenge and your fundraising helps us provide services to many survivors, regardless of their financial status.

So, I am on board as a King Challenge Ambassador this year, skipping Day One of the Craft Grand Prix of Gloucester to do this ride instead.  If you know how nutty I am about cyclocross racing, and also understand that Craft is one of my team sponsors, then you'll appreciate that this is a big deal.  I figured, Craft GP Gloucester would be just fine without me for a day, but I could make a difference in getting others excited & raise funds for the King Challenge.

BESIDES all that, this event is put on by +Arlon Chaffee / Loco Cycling.  Arlon puts on some great local events for us, and promises you won't go hungry or thirsty with all of the excellent sponsors on board.  Support these rides!!

Oh yeah, and then there are perks like getting to ride and hang out with +Ted King and all the pros and celebs he brings to the party.  This year's line-up includes:

• Timmy Duggan (Road)
• Tim Johnson (Cyclocross)
• Sarah True (Tri)
• Ben True (Running)
• Sean McDonald (WMUR NH Chronicle)
• Bill Strickland (Bicycling Magazine)
• Mike Richter (Hockey)

There are SRAM / Mavic cars and motos, raffles, fluffernutters, beer tent, autographs, pics w/ pros & celebs, kids skills course (with bikes/helmets to borrow!) put on by Seacoast Velokids and more.  Autographs, beer tents, kickin' fall foliage at it's PEAK typically...

I have been running some +Cycliq cams to try to advertise with some cheeseballs ads, and will post more later, but this blog post more thoroughly captures all my thoughts.  I'll be running these cams when I ride the King Challenge on Oct 15th and would be happy to pull out some vid clips & rad on-bike still shots of anyone who rides near me.  Think of how cool you'll look with a shot like that on your mugbook profile!

Last year we had a huge group from +gusbikeshop and this year we'll have the same - also adding a She Rides Seacoast team to show our support from the local women's cycling community here!

I'm also calling out any cyclocross racers I know who are racing Gloucester - it would mean a lot if you could join as a virtual rider, and add the hashtag #kingchallenge to your Strava track Sat Oct 15th!  There are no reg fees, no minimum fundraising (donate your coffee money to yourself for a week - it adds up fast!) and you can even join teams like She Rides, Gus' or add your team to the mix!

I'm calling out the Cycling Fun Facebook community here too - would any of you consider joining us as virtual riders?  Maybe starting a "Cycling Fun" team?  Remember - no fees or minimums to sign up and you could hashtag #KingChallenge on your Strava track whenever you do you "virtual ride"!

King Challenge.  Saturday October 15th.  http://www.kingchallenge.org to sign up or donate today!

Here is a link to my personal fundraising page & story:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jennifer-murphy-6/2016KOTRC

Here is a link to the She Rides Seacoast team.  Do you like the free events we put on and wished you could say thanks somehow?  A $5 or $10 donation to our team page would really mean a lot to us!!  You can find our donation page here:  https://www.firstgiving.com/team/334549

Ok, that's about it.  I am in need of some snacks and a nap.  Thanks for reading!

Triple digits

So, it has happened.  I can finally say I have biked 100+ continuous miles in one day!

If there's one thing I've been consistent about in the past, it has been saying that I could really care less about riding a century.  100 miles.  Not 100k, that is a normal weekend ride.

I didn't care, I really didn't.  I didn't see the point.  I don't do well in the summer sun and I am not in century-worthy shape until summer time anyway.  So, what's the point?  Go out and get heatstroke and a sun-induced migrane?  For what?  I had meant to do a century several times in the past few years, just to say I had done one so no one would ask anymore.  Everything fell apart every time I legitimately tried to ride one though - whether it was me being sick or hurting my knees / IT bands.  Each time I missed one, I was not disappointed either.

So a few months ago, when Jim asked me if I wanted to do a century ride with him from a Brewery, to benefit the Tour De Force ride he does every September, I knew it was my time.  We were going to be up in NY, and the choices were to sit around and wait for him to finish, or to get off my butt and finally do this thing.

I think anyone can fake 50 miles, but much after that and it becomes a mental game, and a keen awareness of your (my) lack of a true core.  Below is the rundown of my thoughts at different mile markers:

Mile 0:  Awesome, it's overcast and mild out.  My ideal weather!  Let's do this thing!
Mile 11:  Oh hey, we are climbing kind of a lot.  I'm feeling good, I'm gonna sit back and crank these out.  They are Strava segments after all!  Gotta get all the girl Strava stuff!
Mile 20:  Wow, the Chasm is pretty impressive!!  Oh, Jim is throwing up into it, gross.
Mile 25:  Rest stop!  Down about 4 orange segments, refill water & mix my self-carried skratch hydration packets.  Wait, there is no port-a-potty here?!  Where am I gonna pee??
Mile 27:  My saviour, a Stewarts gas station with a restroom!  All the women on this ride are in line here with bladders about to explode.
Mile 34:  Cruiiising along, easy peasey.
Mile 40:  Not bad at all, slight downhill pitch here I think?  Or false flat.
Mile 50:  Lunch stop, halfway point, feelin' good!  Cram down some food, don't sit around for long.  We see a storm on the horizon over Lake Champlain.  Blinky lights go on.
Mile 52:  Oh it's raining, awesome!  I actually would prefer the rain to the sun.  Nobody else does, but this is my weather right here!  Feelin' great!
Mile 58:  Everything hurts and I want to die.
Mile 58.2:  Seriously, I'm noticing every tenth of a mile tick by now.
Mile 59:  WTF.
Mile 60:  Headwind, forever.
Mile 61:  Cornfields.
Mile 62:  Why am I still on my bike?
Mile 66.6:  I am going up a hill, this suuuucks, I want to be off my bike saddle now.
Mile 67:  Ermehgerd that is seriously the most scenic thing ever!  I need to take pictures of this sweeping farmland landscape.  I make Jim stop and get off the bike to take a few snaps.  Feels good to get off the saddle for a minute.
Mile 68:  SERIOUSLY.  WTF.  HEADWIND.
Mile 69:  Still noticing the mileage at this point....
Mile 70:  Woooosh!  It's the Dark Side Cycling paceline!  Other cyclists, what a sight for sore eyes!  We jump on for a short reprieve from the wind.  We are now averaging 18 mph easily!  We got out of the headwind and turned right, nearly at the border of Canada.  Everyone is happier now.
Mile 73:  Well that was fun, but they are gone now.  Oh, are these sprint points?  Well, might as well half-way try...
Mile 75:  Rest stop!  We re-group with the Dark Siders and roll out as a big paceline with the intention to roll in together.  I take down an Untapped maple syrup packet in preparation.
Mile 77:  Dropped like half the paceline immediately because we are pulling 18-20 mph.  Jim and I still on with the Goshen dudes, about 6 or 7 strong at this point.
Mile 78:  Feeling STRONG, got my second wind.  Taking pulls off the front with slight inclines at 19-20 mph!  I am pulling 20 mph and feeling great!
Mile 80:  Still crankin'!  This is my previous longest ride mileage from circa 2013.  Everything from here on out is new territory!
Mile 85:  I drop back from my pull and tuck in tight to the back of the paceline noticing Jim is not there.  Whoops.  He is going to be mad I think, but I honestly didn't hear him yell that he was off.  I drop back and collect him.
Mile 86:  Ok Jim and I are back together in the land of cornfields, cruising along the Western shores of Lake Champlain on our own now.  We drop the pace down.  The sun is back out and we are beginning to dry off in earnest.
Mile 90:  I am cramming a protein bar down my throat because I know I'll get a headache if I try to subsist entirely off of sugar.  It is thick, I am using lots of water to get it down bite by C4 textured bite.
Mile 95:  Oh MAN, this is going to HAPPEN!!!  I'm gonna see 100 miles pop up on the odometer soon!
Mile 96:  Still stuffing energy snacks in my face, because I know I can't possibly eat enough today to fill the calorie deficit.  Also, that was a good effort back there...
Mile 98:  Wait for it....wait for it....
Mile 99:  Rolling back through town, eyes transfixed on my Garmin to see the moment it pops up with the "100" number.  I look around for landmarks so I can tell everyone where exactly I hit my first 100 miles.
Mile 100:  YUUUSSS!!!  Victory!!!!  I roll by the Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce building and watch my Garmin tick from 99.9 to 100 miles!  No decimal points anymore on the display once you hit triple digits!
Mile 101:  The track I loaded said the course was 101 miles.  We still seem to be a ways from the end.  What gives?!?  I want to be done.
Mile 102:  WTF WTF WTF
Mile 103:  The novelty of 100 miles has worn off and I just don't want to be on my saddle anymore!!
Mile 103.4:  We roll through the giant inflatable "Finish" banner.  It is anti climactic in a way as I skid through the dirt and have to unclip a foot to regain my balance.
Mile 103.6:  We bike up the ramp right to the door, get off our bikes, and go in our room for the night at the Valcour Brewing Company.  Sweet sweet victory!  I am out of my kit immediately.  Time to shower and get beer and food!!!!

30 minutes after finishing:  Yeah I'm NEVER riding 100 miles again.

Next day:  Wow, that was really awesome.  I'm so glad I finally rode 100 miles, 6 hours on the bike!  What an accomplishment, to finish strong too!  I was thinking this wouldn't be a big deal, but it kinda was!  Maybe I will do this again someday, if the stars align...

So my advice?  Definitely ride 100 miles at least once in your life.  It's an awesome experience.

A Tale of Two Spring Classics

It's that time again, time for long endurance gravel rides and races through the gorgeous dirt roads of Vermont!  Don't ask me why they're called "classics" when some of these rides have only been around a short while, entrenched in all but a few years of history, but I will use the terminology anyway.

I'd like to tell you a tale of two Spring Classics.  A little over a year ago, back in mid-Jan 2015, I found myself in the off season getting excited about a new kind of riding with my newly purchased cx bike.  Early registrations save money, so there I was signing up for things.  I registered for Rasputitsa and the Vermont Overland Maple Adventure Ride (aka VOMAR).  Why did I sign up for these things?  Well, honestly, because both promised awesome food.  A chance to visit a working sugar shack and partake in maple goodies almost right off the tap, and then the promise of a poutine bar after Rasputitsa.  I was sold.  The other key component was getting riding buddies to sign up.  A lot of friends signed up, we worked out accommodations and meals.  It was sounding too good to be true!

See, back in winter of 2015, we were getting absolutely pummeled by nor'easters.  But in the middle of the two-to-three feet of snow days, it seemed like the last weekend of March and the first week of April were SOOOOO far away.  Sunshine and tulips by then, right?

WRONG.

Part I:  VOMAR (I pronounce this as "VOH-mahr", maybe I'm the only one who says it out loud)

March 29th comes along - a bunch of gals wearing winter gear huddled together for a photo op.  Patti, Joan, Erin, Bet and myself (there may have been more I've forgotten, sorry!) started the day in Woodstock and headed out for 25 miles of maple adventure.  No big deal, anyone can knock out 25 miles, right?  Right off the bat, the road kicks UPHILL.  Whew ok, no time for warm ups huh?  My heart cries a little.  As the ride goes on, Erin, Bet and Patti peel off and I never see them til the end.  Joan and I chug along together laughing at the ridiculousness that is VT gravel.  I pass her on the uphills (slowly) and she more than makes up for it on the downhills, bombing past me down the steep grade like a madwoman, screaming back advice to me such as proper foot position for descents.  Like it's that easy.  I'll just put my feet parallel to the ground and half-close my eyes and try not to brake...

Such a modest description of this ride existed in BikeReg.  This part of VT is just full of uphill peanut butter mud.  It gets to a point on subsequent climbs where everyone is off and pushing their bike uphill.  Some can ride a tad further than others, but it seems everyone is walking at some point, regardless of their bike or gearing.  On one particularly steep hill, Joan and I found ourselves pushing the bikes once again.  She took two still-warm sweet potato halves out of her camelbak, and offered me one.  This thing, I swear, was the best tasting sweet potato I've had in my life.  Warm and packed full of nutrients, it put a genuine smile back on my face...until I realize I had dropped one of my gloves.

UNGGGHHHH!

Yes, I actually made an agonized noise almost like that, and make sure you add a tinge of whining when you read it to yourself.  We spot my glove a ways down the hill.  I look at Joan, and she says "I'll hold your bike" and smiles.  So off I go, walking back down the hill to retrieve my glove, which will be 100% necessary for the next icy descent.  Trudging back up the hill, both gloves in tow, we continue on.

This ride is hard, but it is also full of gorgeous scenery.  Miles of stone walls and tapped maple trees - with buckets/taps/spiles and networks of tubing running down slopes to collection tanks.  Old and new methods of sap collecting juxtaposed.

Eventually we get to a deep rutted snow covered class IV (or VI, I never remember) road.  We try to ride through the snow, but it just isn't happening.  Quick stop to take some hilarious WTF?! pictures of us & our bikes w/ the road ahead as the backdrop.  We trudge forward, and we are rewarded at the end - there is our stop - the maple sugar shack!!

We partake in all sorts of maple goodies - parfait, shortbread and straight up maple syrup shots.  There are hot drinks and locals to chat with.  Lucky for us, the owners even let us into their house to use the restrooms.  At this point it had been hours, and we were only at the 17 mile mark, I believe.

It was at this point that we contemplated bailing out of the ride, as we were cold and just wanted to be done.  But, that wouldn't have made for a good story, so we hopped back on our bikes and headed into town.  Lucky for us, it started with somewhat of a descent.  Joan got us around the last climb of the day as she was familiar with the area.  We headed back into town and I was rewarded with a maple bourbon shot at the finish!  Covered in crusty mud, we headed over to The Worthy Kitchen for some amazing bites and drinks!

Part II:  Rasputitsa

After suffering at VOMAR, I had just enough time to have slight modifications made to my bike in an attempt to better prepare for Rasputitsa.  I understood now what I would be in for, and hoped an 11th hour change to a slightly smaller chain ring would combat my lack of fitness for Vermont's climby-ness.  I met Bridgette at Gus' and we threw the orange bikes up on the roof rack.  A three or so hour drive landed us up in the area of Burke, VT.  We drove up and down the roads, looking for subtle signage that we kept missing, through thick dense fog.  GPS wasn't really an option here with bad cell reception, so we went off landmarks like "turn at the lake".  Eventually we found the cabin we reserved through Airbnb.

This cabin was glorious!!  It had striking views of a (snow covered) lake, a large impressive fireplace, and an amazing kitchen.  It takes a special kind of person to leave these comforts and go ride their bike through the snowy ice-mud.  But alas, that's what we were all there for!  We hit up registration and picked up our numbers the night before, then cooked a nice meal and set out our gear for the morning.  I remember realizing at this point that perhaps I did not have the right gear for the weather forecast in Burke the next day.  We spent some time trying on Diane's extra layers and learning about Sport Legs.  In the end, I went out with just the gear I brought.  Didn't even take the shower cap (cheap head protection when you don't own one of those fancy snap-on shells).

And then, the toilet wouldn't flush!

Heheh.  Yes, this is the reason you should always go on these trips.  These are the things you just can't make up.  We all had a go at plunging the toilet.  There didn't appear to be anything stuck in it.  We were all baffled, and eventually Joan had to make the call to the owner to get someone to come out and take a look at it.  Of course, they couldn't come out til the next day, and of course I had to pee in the middle of the night.  Not wanting to wake the others, I grabbed my headlamp and ventured out into the driveway.  It was pitch black and freezing outside, and there were lots of scary noises coming from the woods.  I didn't go far.  When all was said and done the next day, it turns out the leach field had frozen!  The owner was apologetic and offered us back 1/2 our money.

But anyways, on to the race!  Yes, Rasputitsa is technically a race.  However, I was there just to finish.  As it turns out (spoiler alert), that didn't happen.  First off, we almost couldn't drive out of the long, winding icy dirt driveway that our cabin was on.  We had to call and get a plow in the morning!  Once we started, Joan and I made it about 15 miles in and turned around to head to town and save ourselves.  My fingers had gotten sweaty and then nearly frozen inside the thin neoprene gloves I had on.  I didn't have warm enough layering.  It was snowing at the start of the ride.  I have never been so cold on a ride as when Joan and I were on open stretches of pavement heading back into town into the wind.  I was chilled to the bone for about an hour afterwards.  Lessons learned the hard way that day.  We got a hot coffee, and one for Patti as well, then drove the course trying to save her as we assumed she would be freezing to death as well.  We got to a point on the course where cars could no longer traverse.  Patti had entered Cyberia, never to return??

So we headed back and hit up the post race grub and beer, which was quite amazing.  We waited and eventually Patti rolled in, looking like she was mentally so very done with this race.  We went back in for more grub, then headed back to our cabin sanctuary.

When we got back to the cabin, I busted out my Vitamix and offered up whole fruit margaritas (one orange, one lemon & one lime, peeled) sweetened with maple syrup.  I divvied out the margs into glasses, and passed them around.  I took a sip and wrinkled my nose.  Something didn't seem right.  I added more maple & took another sip.....bleh!  So I said "sorry, I don't know why these taste bitter - it almost tastes like grapefruit."  Everyone kind of looked at me and said "well, yeah, you put a grapefruit in it".  Apparently I grabbed a grapefruit instead of an orange out of the citrus stockpiles we had going in the fridge, and everyone just assumed this was what I meant to do.  Grapefruit margaritas, blech!

So that's about it.  When I find myself sitting around contemplating WHY I signed up for Rasputitsa again this year, I remind myself that even though it would be nice to finish and check this one off the list (as it was my only DNF to date), it will inevitably provide me with more ridiculous stories that I just couldn't make up if I tried.

See you next weekend?

Things I learned and highlights from my 2015 cyclocross season

This blog post is LONG OVERDUE, but it needed to happen.  I wanted to document my intro into cyclocross and racing in general, if for no other reason than to have a written record of the experiences for myself.  I hope it offers up some insight and a little window into the world of cx as a newbie for anyone who may be looking to get into racing this fall as well.  Enjoy!

White Park

Ok, this one I didn't race, but I signed up for the "Try Cyclocross" session.  I signed up through BikeReg so I'll include it.  Having never ridden a real legit course, I wanted to see what I was in for the day before my first "real" race at Sucker Brook.  This was cool in so many ways - one it was FREE, so it was accessible to anyone w/ a bikereg account.  Two - our guide was Becca Fahringer, who is a badass elite racer.  Three - I learned tons of logistic type stuffs that everyone who races probably takes for granted.  The obvious stuff, you know, like:

-Start grid:  What it is, where it is, and make sure you FIND IT before you go off gallivanting around the course.  Make sure you are here 15 minutes before your race, because if you miss call-ups you start in the back.

-Registration:  Find it and get your number.  You need to show your license.  Make sure you confirm which side your number should be on.

-Finish line:  Another important "must find" before you go out warming up.  When a race is finishing, folks will gather here to jump on the course and pre-ride when the race winner crosses the line.  This ensures that you will not pass anyone still actively racing.  This is also where lap cards are posted, letting you know how many laps are left to go (although throughout the season I noticed they were notoriously wrong / missing / not updated etc...so I always yelled "AM I DONE?!")

There were other not-so-obvious things I learned as well, the most important being "WASH YOUR HELMET".  We were privy to Becca's story about getting ringworm from a sweaty helmet.  I took that one to heart, and made sure to velcro-out and wash my helmet padding after each race from that point forward.

Us newbies stayed and watched our friends race, figuring out what was going on.  Then we watched the 1/2/3 Women & Men race.  Watched Becca win for women, then Dylan McNicholas who had come to our Gus' skills clinic trounce the men's field....and then play in the sprinklers to cool down.

Ah, so exhausting to watch races all day - lets all go downtown and get burritos!

Sucker Brook

Exactly 1 day after observing the races at White Park, it was time to jump into my first CX race, which also happened to be my first bike race EVER.  There was a lot to take in.

Here are some things I learned:

-You can ditch waterbottles / extra layers at the start line or with teammates

-Bring your water bottle and energy gel to the line (Untapped for me EVERY 2015 RACE)

-Use a fifth safety pin to keep your number from bunching up.  Pin the middle of the side closest to your armpit (thanks for that one Kathy!)

-Your heart rate is pinned literally within 10 seconds off the start line, and stays there the WHOLE RACE.  No joke.

-Racing to the best of your ability is an AWESOME feeling.

-Racing is both physically AND mentally exhausting.  I constantly take in the environment, obstacles and who's around me - calculating each move & which line I'm taking.  Think of a gps that goes "recalculating - recalculating - recalculating".

-I tend to get tunnel vision and can't comprehend what's going on too far to my left or right, and for the most part it doesn't matter.

-I friggin' hate running through sand.

-Don't take sharp corners when turning onto pavement with aired down tires.

-Dust is harsh on your lungs and makes you really thirsty.

-This sport is ridiculously hard.  But awesome.

-I can't talk while racing.  Words don't come out.

-My metabolism goes into crazy time overdrive for the rest of the day.  Plan to graze throughout the day.  I didn't eat enough calories for dinner (believe me I THOUGHT I did) and woke up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding, starving.

Craft Gran Prix of Gloucester, Day 1

-Woah.  This race is way bigger than Sucker Brook.  There are tons of people here and a huge field.  What have I gotten myself into?!?

-Having mechanical support and headquarters in the team tent is AWESOME.  It is something I took for granted until race #3 when I didn't have a home base.

-Run-ups can be walk-ups if you turn your bike sideways and block everyone to preserve your position.

-I learned the word "chicanes", as in "SRAM chicanes".  Chicanery.  It's a fun word.

-This is one of those races that lots of Pros go to.

-Everyone is totally approachable in this sport.  In fact, some of the pros were looking to see if folks had extra room to drive their spare bikes back to Portsmouth.  What kind of weird sport is this?!?

-Never look back, especially at the finish line.  Just go go go!  There was a picture of me that I found where I'm looking over one shoulder at the finish line, not seeing anyone, but you can clearly see the girl fast approaching on the OTHER side where I'm not looking.

-I learned that I could fall and get up and continue on.  This was HUGE for me, especially after my head injury.

-The beer tent is where you want to be after.

-There were real restrooms at this one, that I didn't even notice until the end :(

-Photographers like to come out to the races & they post links to their photos on crossresults.com!

I came back for the afternoon of Day 2 to hang in the beer tent and continue a Craft Sportswear facebook page takeover, as I'd been chosen to post pics & vid as a Craft page moderator.  I remember wishing I had a better camera...and internet connection.  It was still pretty cool.  The beer tent was good stuff and I saw some friendly faces.

The Night Weasels Cometh

When I decided to take up this sport, a lot of it was riding on these "Weasel" races.  I heard the hype, and resolved to be a part of any weasel-age I could.  So, even though this was on a Wednesday night, I packed up my bike and headed down to Shrewsbury, MA.

-This race is UPHILL ON A SKI MOUNTAIN.  It's a small ski mountain, yes, but skiing doesn't work without uphill and I sure did feel it.

-I suck at climbing.  So.  Very.  Much.

-Water lines are a thing, and you don't want to hit them.

-It's hard to see far enough ahead at speed in the dark.

-Learned that Crossresults.com points determine your number and hence your start position in the grid.

-Downhills + Wet Grass = lots of slippage.

-This is not the weasel where you dress up.  People take this one more seriously.

-I learned who Katerina Nash was.  She was on the course in the Pro/1/2/3 race while us Cat 4s were also on the course a minute behind.  She won, of course.

-One of the announcements to us expendable Cat 4s was to please get out of the way / don't knock over the pro riders who were in town between Gloucester & Providence.  "We want them to come back".

-I very happily let the pro/elite racers by, and it was cool that they encouraged us to keep going as they were trouncing us.

-We had a cornering clinic at the Airfield w/ Nicole Duke literally the day before I went to this race.  I learned to get out of my saddle and re-position my weight over the frame, moving the bike under me.  I got some high speed practice at Night Weasels, and was thrilled that I managed to stay upright.  Well, I fell once from exhaustion & lack of coordination while running my bike over an obstacle, but that was my own fault.

Minuteman Road Club CX Race

-Starting to get the hang of things now.  I have a routine and I feel much more confident for the first time now that I'm sticking to plan.  I know what to expect and when.

-A shopping bag of food and a cooler of food/drink is part of my normal packing routine and accompanies me to the races.  I have everything I need and then some.

-I'm knowledgeable enough now to realize a team mate has his number on backwards.  We stop him and fix it.

-Strange race induced memory lapses take place - making me forget, for example, that there are logs I need to dismount for, on lap 3.  They were there for lap 1 & 2 as well....but I comically ran smack into them on lap 3.

-Starting to master the running / flying remount.  Well, maybe not with 100 % best form but I flippin' STICK IT.  I realize that this is one of my party tricks that lets me regain ground and pass other cat 4 racers.  Take it where you can get it.

-Got to race on mulch for the first time.  It's pretty sapping.

Casco Bay

-Holy hell, Portland is cold and windy!!!

-Stuff that I fumble through in pre-ride, like the big off-camber turn, is always rideable in the race with enough adrenaline pumping through my veins.

-Took Jordan Dube's advice on layers.  I was going to head out with too much on.  Glad I listened, because I ended up dressed just right.

-This was the first race that I didn't get a headache after.  It all had to do with temperature.  Even though it's hard to warm-up in the cold, I find my niche weather here.  I can do my best in this weather, and prefer it.  45-50 degrees?  I'll take it.

-Settle down, Portland.  You're windy, we get it.

-There were expensive cupcakes and cheap coffee for sale.  I went for the cheap coffee.  It was okay.  Mental note to stop at Holy Donut before next year's race.

Orchard Cross

The biggun'!  I spent Saturday helping the team build the course, and generally being confused about wrapping tape around apple trees.  It naturally sorted itself out.  After hours of work, I had the privilege of pre-riding the course with team mates.  I remember the first time we hit the cornfield, yikes!  We provided recon to the tractors to go tear up that mess and whatever else we found along the way, including some holes and sharp rocks.  At the end of the day, there was the most amazing pop-up pump track, and that was only PART of what we pulled off.

-On race day, there were apples abound!  Someone had made a heart out of the dropped apples, and I mean, this was actually ON the course.

-Apples.  I friggin' LOVE apples.  Crisp, juicy, refreshing apples.  Straight from the tree.  Mel and I snagged an apple each post course tear down - and it may have been the best apple of life.

-My race went pretty well.  It was my 5th best overall for the year for crossresults points to determine my line up.  The rain held off, but I had clear lenses just in case.  It was awesome to see (well, hear, really) so many friends on the sidelines cheering for us.

Rounding the corner behind the apple tree leading into the last set of barriers (near the beer tent) I skidded out on the last lap taking the corner too hot.  My leg came out and somehow I found myself hopping on one leg as my bike went in the other direction, but I never fell.  I still can't entirely figure out what happened.

-PUMP TRACK!!!!  Hoooly crap this was SO GOOD.  I got some air, unintentionally.  AMAZING.  It was only a few inches but it felt like I was flying.

-The costume race was a blast!  I was an alligator, had to pin up my tail so it wouldn't get caught in the chain.  I pulled off one running remount after the last set of barriers.  I knew it was a huge risk with the inseam of my costume, but figured at that point I was done racing so it didn't matter so much if I ate it.  Lucky for me, I stuck it.

-Having signed up for the Cycle Smart International pre-ride with Adam Myerson at the next race in Northampton - I was entertained to see him in the costume race  Not knowing anything else about this guy, it certainly made an impression on me.  This is a dude who not only rides well, but has the proper level of seriousness to race with a jack-o-lantern on his head.  That thing must have been at least 10-15 pounds!

-There was a heavy Gus' team presence in the beer tent.  We cheered on everyone heartily.  And by everyone, I mean EVERYONE.  Give us a few beer tickets and some cowbells....it doesn't take much.  "YEAH ORANGE GUY, COME ON ORANGE GUY!!!!".  I remember being in the beer tent during the last race, and getting to see Dylan actually stop and do a push up to raucous applause because he was so far in the lead.

-Figuratively EVERYONE I know showed up for course tear down.  I had volunteered last year and had such a blast - honestly that was one of the experiences that stuck with me and convinced me that these were the type of people I needed to hang out with.  We tour down the course and had an awesome little after-party.  I left with a Pedros mini-pit kit.  I was psyched because I LOVE a clean bike.

-I used a butter knife after this race to get the mud & grass out of my cassette.  Said butter knife is now a part of my mini-pit kit.

-Cider donuts.  Need I say more?

Cycle Smart International Day 1

Okay, before day 1 lets talk about the afternoon/night before, because there's important stuff to cover here.  I learned a lot from the pre-ride with Adam Myerson with a few team mates.

But, even before that, lets talk pie.  I was driving in, and went by a PIE BAR.  Yes, the Florence Pie Bar.  Stopping dead in my tracks, I found a place to ditch my car and treated myself to pie.  A piece of quiche followed by a slice of brown butter pumpkin pie.  I was in heaven by myself in this little hole in the wall place.  Wash it down with a coffee.  Now, go find my team mates and pre-ride in an hour.  I knew it was not the most intelligent food choice right before riding my bike, but guys....it was a PIE BAR.  I had no choice, really.

Pre-ride!  Dirtwire was filming and that was cool, because I got to see myself and team mates in the clips afterwards.  I remember Adam taking us through three key sections and walking us through the lines.  Then afterwards, we got to ride those sections and get advice on how to ride them better, then do it again.  This was a pretty unique offering and SO valuable.  I upped my sand technique for sure.  Instead of just hearing "don't fight it", which isn't entirely helpful, I learned to ride the tops instead of on my hoods, and kind of unweight or lift up slightly.  It worked, whatever I did.  Haven't looked back since.

That night, we went out to an awesome dinner & then we went to get our numbers at Northampton Coffee, and they were screen printed on cloth!!!  Most legit numbers ever.  My favorite to date.

On the way back we stumbled upon a candy shop and could not stop ourselves.  I grabbed some Jordan almonds, and we stared in amusement at the giant cannoli full of little cannolis that you could custom order...it was like a cannoli-copia.

Bet, Mel, Kathy and I stayed in a hotel in downtown Northampton, and the Katz were right down the road from the course.  It was super fun to stay over and I'm making a plan to do both days of this race next year!

RACE DAY!!!

-This was one of my favorite courses of the year.  The pre-ride and instruction the night before, along with just a straight up fun course, really made for a good day.  This result ended up being my 4th best race of the season.

-I think the salmon I ate the night before served as some sort of power food.  I really felt good for this race.

-I remounted my rear wheel after one of the run ups.  Ouch!  Also I think this was the race where Bet ended up with blood on her white bike frame.  It was pretty wicked looking.  There are pictures somewhere...

-The end of this race will stick with me as one of the most memorable parts of the whole season.  As Bet was passing me on one of the last turns leading up to the straightaway / finish line, she yelled "get on my wheel!" which I GLADLY did.  I blocked another girl and hung on to Bet's wheel, then we sprint finished against each other, neck and neck!  Mel captured the moment in an amazing photo.  Bet took the win, then we reveled in how awesome that moment was!

-Sara took me home to feed me after our race, and then we smuggled beer in our backpacks and biked back to watch the races from the sand pit and the pro-only section from the woods.

-In the kids race, we watched Jonah Katz actually spin his pedal straight off the bike, get pit-crewed by dad, then go on to finish his laps!  It was awesome, that kid has some determination!

-I'm sad to say I didn't stick around for day 2, but Sara Katz was on the podium in 1st place and texted us a picture of her big win.  I was so bummed to miss it - I will stay the whole weekend next year for sure!

Monstah Cross

-This was a race that promised sillyness in that it encouraged costumes.  Bet, Kathy & I showed up with silly hats, but we were in the minority.

-It was REALLY windy.  Like, even windier than Portland!  Or at least AS windy as Portland.

-There was little technical content on this course.  It was mostly just a grass crit with some barriers and WIND.

-Did I mention it was windy?

-I didn't do so well on this course.  The lack of technical features meant I was at a disadvantage.

-Still got some cool pics from the day.  Nothing like looking at your shadow and seeing an alligator silhouette.

Shedd Park

-It was freezing in the morning!  During pre-ride, the grass was glistening with frost.

-Two big hills on this one.  The first was always rideable for me, and the second kicked too steep by 1/3 of the way up.  Figured out in the pre-ride I was faster dismounting at the bottom and running it.

-I had a great start, and narrowly avoided a pileup crash on the first corner coming off the cinder track.  I remember fishtailing wildly for a few seconds but regaining control and pushing past the mess to give myself a decent position.  I did well in this race, my second best finish of the 11 races I did this season.

-I was drafting someone quite close through puddles on the cinder track, which was reflected in awesome pictures of my face afterwards.  I had cinder track EVERYWHERE, including spots on my teeth.  I was like a mud leopard!

-This was another one of my favorite races of the season.  A must-do for next year.  Close by and a little of everything as far as terrain goes.

NECX BAR Finals

-Wait....finals?  Yeah this one stands for "New England Cyclocross Best All-around Rider" .  Technically that should make it "NECX BAAR" but I'll let it slide.

-Apparently there were a bunch of races in this series.  So if you did some or all of them, you placed in somewhere within this double-secret contest.  Go figure!

-This was a fun course.  Wasn't expecting too much from previous years reviews, but it was decent!  I would come back and do this one again.

-We had an impromptu team tent here.  It was nice to have team headquarters.

-I felt ill at the start, luckily my race wasn't until 12:50 and my stomach sorted itself out.  Lesson learned, stick to routine race food.  Oatmeal with an egg in it, some almonds, maple syrup, cinnamon, shredded unsweetened coconut etc etc.

-Got my third best finish of the year on this one.  Not bad....

The Ice Weasels Cometh

I can't believe I saved this one til the end to write about.  This was the most insane race.  Hands down the most fun, everything it was hyped up to be and more.

Bet, Kathy and I stayed in a hotel the night before.  Such a great idea!!  There was a hot tub and a restaurant with awesome food attached to the hotel.  A must do again for next year.

-The course was STUPID FUN!!!  Best course of the year, hands down.

-Costumes!  People having FUN and not taking this too seriously.

-HAND UPS!  It's hard to drink when your heart is pounding.  I need more practice for sure.

-Donut hand ups!!!!  Candy canes, cupcake bites, dog kisses, high fives, flamingo pulls, basically if you can dream it, it was there.

-MASSIVE crowd with a keg cheering in the woods.  What a blast.

-Fireworks (fountains) in the log on the backside of the course.

-SILLY HATS

-A marching band!

-Food trucks!!  Ice cream, coffee, grilled cheese, TACOS!!!

-Fat bike race!

This race was everything I'd hoped and dreamed it would be, plus so much more.  So, so much more.  I want to ride this one again and again and again.

The only downside here was that Alex wrecked his collarbone and we spent some time in the Providence Hospital.  But, in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much worse.

I also left my Untapped Maple water bottle at the start line, abandoned in RI, never to be seen again.  I'll miss you, water bottle.

Until next year....