One very long winter later, and April 18 has popped up kind of before I expected it. Sure, I've been riding some before the event, but not to the level that one would consider actually training. So I went into this thing, just hoping to survive, and maybe, maybe even finish.
To that end, the finishing part, Ryan and I went up with out a bail out option. We didn't have any kind of support crew. No one to bail us out. We started, and the only way we were going to get back was to ride the whole way. One option. One goal. It worked.
We rolled out of the sack at 6am, ran into the local bakery/coffee shop for a quick energy shot, and made it back to the start for the 7:30 roll out. There were no real nerves this morning like I get at short mtb or CX races. It was a super relaxed atmosphere. Untill Ryan decided that he needed to fiddle with his shifter..."I'm not getting all my gears!" he says...
I laughed at him.
The roll out was nice. Of course there were the rabbits, out to get the KOM points. The rest of us sat in and got ready for a long day.
on to the second section of gravel.
So the first half went by with out a real hitch. Ryan was off the front, riding strong enough that I couldn't really keep up with him. I rolled into the check about 5 minutes after he did. After a bit of fiddle farting around, eating and repacking, we took off again. This next section was the flattest, and also the hardest part. Miles 50 to 60 were fine, but 60 to 73 or so were the lowest point for me. Even though I'd been eating well enough, it obviously didn't matter. We stopped, pulled up the ground and I proceeded to stuff my face. I felt good the rest of the race, but Ryan never could really get over it.
This was a really nice smooth climb up a B road for 3 miles or so. Just a nice constant grade.
They take thier ferbuyfer's seriously here.
Aaaannnd that's what we rode.
 |
| From ragnarok |
103.3 miles. 7:34 on the bike. 8891' of climbing. 13.7 mph average[I was going for 14, but that last hill killed me.] 47 mph max. 8000 calories burned.
So that's that. Follow the links for more pictures.
Listening to: Johnny Cash//The Big Battle via iTunes suffle function.
8 comments:
Nice shots Marty. It's nice to see your stats as well. 8891' of climbing. Holy crap! Nice job on the finish. It was great to spend some time catching up!
Thanks Troy! T'was good seeing you too.
Nicely done...maybe I'll join ya next year.
So, is it a common place for Ryan to fiddle before a ride like that? I've been witness to it once too...
Nice ride though guys. We got 195 miles in this past weekend but it was all on tarmac.
Marty, T.C. here, singlespeed rider from Minneapolis. Nice riding all those miles with you guys. You got photos of some of the most memorable items - I was trying to describe that 4x4 to people after the race.
Best of luck with the shop and I hope we can pedal this thing together again in 2010.
(also, I am "lugged" on the Morc site)
Later.
Awesome shots! I gotta say, better you then me, but it looks like you guys had a blast. That truck is awesome, just awesome.
Looking forward to Decorah this weekend. I'm putting the finishing touches on the secret weapon, muah hahaha!
Isn't that truck just pure awesomeness?
Nate - I think its a nervous habit of Ryan's to fiddle like that!
Yeah, that truck is sweet. Not sure about street legal, but I'd rock it. Looks like it may be chopped a bit? Hard to say, the wheels throw off the proportions so much. Cool anyways.
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