Gran Gravel 500

One does not typically plan to quit a race (DNF) - do they?

The Gran Gravel 500 is a new 500 mile unsupported gravel event cooked up by Billy Rice to help raise cancer treatment funds for the St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan Texas.  The ultra started at 5am 04/22 and if racers finished in time, they could then join in a multi-distance ride on 04/24.

A 500 mile unsupported event in April was perfect timing to shake down my Tour Divide rig and expose (the many) gaps in my preparation.  SheilaT and I had somewhat opposing goals.  For SheilaT, strictly a race.  For me an epic training ride.  For both of us, to do the best we could, complete the entire 500 mile distance, and if possible, finish by 5:00 pm on Sunday 04/24.

I just want to summary the highlights and takeaways - not do an extended race report.

Day 1 - College Station to somewhere in the Davy Crockett NF
Chilly start with temp in the high 50s.   No jacket - too much trouble to have to stow early after warming up.  Tyvek and arm warmers were fine.
Double paceline with escort first 20 miles then let the pack off to set our own pace.
The sunrise was a "this is why I ride moment".  Fog close to the ground adding a beautiful contrast to the surrounding purple sun-kissed hills and trees.  I took one shot of the moon setting.  I hope SheilaT got some of the sunrise/fog.

Super pleased with 181 miles the 1st day.  Goal was 200 but by midnight knew we needed sleep.   Riding conditions were amazingly good given the epic flooding earlier in the week in nearby Houston.  Sand roads that would have been deep and troublesome if dry, were fast rolling hard pack. One road still had standing water "lakes" but were rideable.  Climbs were mostly long and rolling.  I'm guessing 25% pavement (1 mandatory pavement re-route to avoid unridable mud road).

Sleep location was just off the road in the woods.  We passed up an actual NF campsite just outside Groveton but deemed it way too early to stop.   I used an SOL bivy with assorted clothes as my sleep kit.  Was warm enough.  Bivy is open at the head.  A mesh would have been good  - keep mosquitoes out.
--Dog barking in the distance the whole time were were down.  A bird.  A really loud, repetitive bird.  I would have shot said bird.  Pack of coyotes - crazy close by.   Maybe managed an hour of good sleep.  Should have gotten up and left.  Ever hopeful?

Day 2
Rolled out in the dark.  After a bit I remarked that the road surfaces had really changed.   I don't think I would have made that 200 mark without it having been a 24hr push.  The roads turned softer and very rutted from runoff really slowing progress especially in the dark.
Sun-up brought dryer roads but very different terrain.  Gone were yesterday's fast rollers.  Today was steep climb repetition.  Tired from no sleep and maybe affected by the humid heat, it took us 10 hours to do 77 miles to Palestine - a very different pace than the day before.

Once in Palestine, I decided to stop.  My saddle was trying to kill me.  I'd been having trouble with it; know I need to change it; super tired of buying one to try and it not working.  I've got a pile of saddles that suck.

Billy Rice came out and got me - a logistical saver.  SheilaT carried on and is making her way in drizzle to Trinity as of this writing.  She will finish.  She's like that.

By the numbers:
I rode 258 miles in about 36 hours.
The route has 18k feet of total climbing.  In the 1st 1/2 is 11k.  Elevation stacked on the front end.
Chased by dogs - at least a dozen
Rabbit chases - 2
Frog -1

I have a couple of special powers.  A car will always come by if I pee.  Case in point - a spectacular pee fail early on Friday on a dirt road that I'll bet sees 1 car a week.
I find toys on the road.  Most famous is Sharetha Barton.  I should blog how I got her.  Saturday we were riding the shoulder of a paved road and I saw a dirty, face down I don't even know what.  I u-turned and grabbed him.  He is Flat Stanley.  I like the port/starboard wristband thing he's got.
Not an hour later on some back forest road, an orange pterodactyl.  I gave him to SheilaT cuz he matches her new Niner.

 




Gear wrap-up:
Could not be happier with Klite.  Need cache battery to buffer phone charging at low speed.
Saddle history: Terry Butterfly for 2011 TD.  Paddled 2012, 2013.  Got new Butterfly for 2014 TD.  Mfg had changed something and at moderate distance, the center sags.  Thought it was defective and got another, same thing.  Tried Selle Italia Lady with same style - had same problem.  Terry Liberator Race - don't remember the issue but did not work.  Got a Bontrager lady something off ebay.  Nice shape but hard as a rock.  Specialized Lithia - comp model and super heavy so did not consider it a contender.  May go back to it.  Have been loaned a fizik Vesta to try.
Alpkit gas tank came in.  It looks great.  Can't wait to rig the charging wires in a more practical way.

Now, a nap.

Training and Not. Up and Down

My very very worst thing is consistency.  It's cold outside.  It's wet outside.  I had a hard day at work.  I love my big chair at home...  My inner battle is constant.  I will watch what I eat today.  I will do the scheduled workout today...   If you are reading this hoping to find a magic pill for having a perfectly executed plan, wrong place.  I have great weeks and less than weeks.  Some weeks I eat lean proteins and salads and others it's guac and martinis.

Carry on.

It is now April.  This is what Tuesdays after work in April look like.  I pack 9 pounds of water and sand on the bike in addition to usual gear and my drinking water.  Mesa is a popular hill to repeat and I'm a bit envious of the roadies on 17 lb carbon sticks as they lap me on the circuit.  But really, they have no idea.
 

SheilaT and I have been focusing on the Gran Gravel 500.  The plan of course is to slowly ramp up mileage and weight (the bike's not mine).  March looked pretty good with goals met at higher levels than the same time in 2011 or 2014 TD prep.  

April, well....my consistency monster has been in town.  And then there was this day.  A really bad day.  The 2nd weekend I had a 100 planned on Saturday and a 50 for Sunday.   Saturday was sluggish from the roll out.  

Commence self talk.  You can do this!  You have to do this!  Just keep going, you'll feel better soon! That point where you are as far as you can get on the loop from home and totally bonk and you are keenly aware no one is home to come get you...  Carry on.  Oh, and there was intense lightning just before it started to rain.  There is only one way to get there from here.  

Once home I had to work the experience into the context of the bigger picture.  There will be days like that on the divide.  There will be only one thing to do and there really is only one way to get "there" from where I am at the time.   This is the philosophical me.  What is the lesson or what was the good that I got out of the experience?  Training is not just throwing down the miles.  

Then there is the Project Manager me.  My next thoughts are risk mitigation.  Why was I so sluggish?  Why did I bonk so badly?  I'll never really know.  I did take a hard look at nutrition the day before and even more important were recovery actions I'd done (or not) after a hard effort at Castell the weekend before.  No massage or foam roller time.  Tons of car time that week + desk time.  Toxic legs?  Who knows.  But the risk of the event repeating itself is mitigated by paying more attention to post workout self care and over all nutrition.  

Gear

New PZ shoes were too wide.  Mfgs really need to make narrower choices for women. 

Replaced 2010 Oakleys.  Had to get same model off ebay - I could not find a frame that accommodates my narrow pupil distance (read skinny head).  They should arrive this week. 

Alpkit finally got production of large size gas tank bags with a power cable port.  On order and should arrive any day. 

Saddle - see next blog post ;-/

March Madness

Miles and miles and of course, more gear.

With the countdown now in single digit weeks, the cycle (see what I did there) of do what I can during the week and pack the miles on the weekend is firmly established.  Last night was the Fargo with my normal stuff + 8.5 lbs of sand forcing Mesa, my favorite local hill, into submission.

I did take some time to paddle.  Jeff's 4-man race boat needed a fill in and it just sounded like too much fun to pass up.  30 miles on a healthy San Marcos river.  A fabulous day.   I regret that I did not make it a priority to keep paddling while training for TD.  So little time.

I'm not sure if it helps or hurts, but Billy Rice roped a bunch of us into this crazy event at the end of April - 500 miles of banjos and pit bulls though the forests of east Texas (CHI St. Joseph Health Gran Fondo/ Grangravel 500).  It spurred me into a flurry of bike rigging activity such as putting on the SON hub and Klite, aero bars, and deciding where food can go with the smaller Fargo frame bag.
SheilaT and I took a long weekend for a scouting mission out east.  Fun, beautiful and scary.  No, huge man at the Point Blank Exxon, I don't want to come with you to see your puppy.  And Oy, the dogs out there.  Pepper spray is so going in the kit.  Maybe bear spray!

We road about 100 miles of the route and camped.  Riding into the night was great testing for the Klite.  It was fantastic.  I do see now why racers carry a cache battery.  I plugged the iPhone into the Sinewave USB charger so it would stay charged during the day.  Because there is "relatively" little elevation, the phone charged well.  Coming into towns when our pace would slow is when I noticed the vibration coming from the phone as it lost and regained the charge.  About 4mph seems to be it.  Above that, all good.  I will get a battery to buffer the charge interruptions that certainly will happen on the divide climbs.    

The coolest "training" was my brother coming in from Boston to do the Castell Grind gravel event with me (near Llano, Texas).  So so much fun!  The cyclists pretty much rent the town, ride gravel on gorgeous flower-lined hill country roads, then party all night.  With a training ride on my schedule again the next day - for me it was party lite but super fun none the less.  

Gear progress:

Saddles - sticking with the WTB Volt for now.  

Shoes - found a new Pearl Izumi shoe with a BOA closure, carbon infused shank and running sole. Sould arrive soon.  

Bags - my Revelate Feed Bag from 2011 is starting to look rough.  Purchased a new one and also a    larger front storage pocket.  This should help offset not having as much space in the frame bag. 

Helmet - if I don't cut my hair, I'm going to need a new one.  The one I bought for 2014 is not very    ponytail friendly.  Hmmmm

Gloves - really a bit too late, but need to settle on a glove set up.  I want to make some sort of pogie for the bars too.  Blocking the wind seems to be a bigger deal than actually staying dry. 

9 weekends left......