Video of the Dirty Dozen

During the race i would often hear a rustle in the trees. Spectators would be hiking in the woods for good vantage points, sometimes I'd see a flash or hear the snap of a shutter. To my surprise, some of these dudes were packing video cameras, and they pieced together a ~3 minute video of the race. See if you can spot Bubb's 3 cameos ;)

The Truth Hurts

I came to a realization early on this time.

Somewhere around 5 hours in, I realized how bad this was going to suck. The heavy pondering of what's next? You're questioning yourself, and starting to suffer. The weary fatigue has yet to come, but you know it is coming. Like some blood thickening chemical that is slowly building up from your excess consumption of crunchy water mix. Now that sticky energy mix you so desperately rely upon pumps in your legs, slowing you down.
The shit that coats your lips, and after 2 laps of forgetting to put some on when in your pit stop, you finally remember to put some lip balm on. All of this is weighing heavy on your head, because there is no shelter, no place to hide...
The Truth Is, everything is going to get worse. Get over it, and ignore it any way you can.

After that I was plugging lap after lap and having fun to mask the pain, to distract my brain from questioning my motives for continuing. Ok, it is fair to admit that I'm a bit of a lunatic, but I sang in a really off key voice any song I could think of for a few laps. That backfired on me though, when I kept repeating the chorus of a song, so I switched to making up my own lyrics. I learned how to dial in corners to exit with blistering speed with sound effects that I would provide. Every time the trail dropped away suddenly, I would air it out instead of rolling through, and I would pull wheelie drops off the plywood/2-by-4 water crossings. I learned how to air it out and cross up my bars when dropping into steep sections, something I ahven't ever done in 15 years of trail riding. I contemplated my future, my life goals, and my love(s) lost. The Hurt in my life cannot be hidden when I have been broken down to this degree, you have to stare it all in the face and examine it all in precise, agonizing detail. The faces of your past, staring back at you waiting for your answer.

The mental game cannot be trained for like the physical. One cannot spend extra hours on the trainer or log additional miles to prepare the brain for the inevitable mindfuck you experience when on a bike for this sort of duration.

This is The Truth, The Answer.
This is my edge.
This is how I win.

Now time to clean the steed

Jersey Represent!

In 11 hours, 53 minutes I logged 11 laps (~10.5 mile course) to win the Solo Sport division at The Dirty Dozen!

When I checked in after lap 10 (my goal was to do 10 laps) I was in first place, but the timekeeper told me that at the start of lap 10, the 2nd place dude was only seconds behind me. I had wanted to quit, but I couldn't let myself give up 1st place that easily. If I was fighting for 2nd/3rd I would have called it a day and been happy. I cranked really hard for the entire lap, blowing any reserves I had left and cramping horribly. I did not get passed by a single rider but in the last 1.5 miles a light appeared behind me and I had to assume that I was being chased down... The final climb is 3/4 of a mile from the finish and I screamed my way up the hill. Literally.

I may have been the one to pedal for 12 hours, but I owe this win to the Matus family from Giddings, TX who worked as my support crew for the entire race. Not only did they put me up for 2 nights but they also drove me everywhere, gave me moral support during the race, and helped me out with the odds and ends of race logistics. I have never had so much help during a race before and each time they aided me they gave me minutes of advantage over my competition.
A beautiful family, they are truly blessed to have each other.

THANK YOU!!!!

I haven't felt well all day. My systems are all haywired, and I hurt all over.

Post-race notes:
- padded gloves rock. You lose control, but you gain comfort. I have no hand-related issues that usually plague me post-race.
- my heart rate was normal in the first few hours, but I struggled to keep it below 155 for the first 3 laps. After 6 hours, my heart rate worried me as it was below 120 at times, and below 135 most of the time. I don't know the reasoning for this, but I need to find out.
- more chest and abs work needed. my training regimen has included a lot of that and I've felt an incredible improvement since last summer's races.

<edit - I had planned to do this race with music. Not just music, but like all 12 hours tuned in just enough so I didn't drown out the trails. I had soldiered up a backup battery pack for my iPod 40gig (3rd gen) I stupidly forgot the iPod at work so I went without. The trails at Bluff Creek were so crazy that if I had headphones in I think I would have crashed a lot. The trails are so different from anything I've ridden, composed of mostly dry hardpack. EVERYTHING was fast, and in your face. Most of the trail would wind from one curve into another and another... there were no straights. The ground was pebbly, but some spots were hard clay and fast dirt. On the turns you'd have to listen to ground to hear when your tires were starting to break free. The balance so delicate to master... In the later laps my morale improved dramatically because I was starting to get the course dialed that despite the discomfort and pain in my legs, i could have some amazing fun.

I'm kinda down on racing right now because the costs are really high and I don't really have a firm grasp on my motivation for being a "racer". Gonna take a step back for a few months. Ride, just for fun.
/>

Ask Bubb

max said...

Hey Bubb, I found your blog looking for Vicious Guru info..
Can you tell me what kind of rear tire clearance you get on that sweet thing?
blog out.

1/21/2006 6:42 PM

Well Max, Riding an average XC type rim I can easily fit a Kenda Nevegal/Kinetics 2.35" tire with room to spare. I think this is the maximum size I'd run though, as a 2.4 might rub in some instances. Just FYI, i run either Stan's Olympic ZTR rims or Bontrager Maveric rims (race/everyday) depending on what wheelset.

I love my Metal Guru!

Wagons west

This is only my 2nd long-distance trip for biking.
The first time I'll be riding further west than the NJ/PA border in fact.
15 years of MTB riding and I still am a noob, still green to the 2 wheeled word out there.

Texas bound for The Dirty Dozen in Warda, TX. The weather looks great, maybe even too warm. I'm packed and nervous. So much to worry about, I already forgot my iPod at work, even though I spent many hours soldering and re-soldering different home-made backup battery packs until I made one that is perfect. Oh well...

First Look: Shimano M225 shoes

Farewell my beloved Sidi Dominators.
It has been a 14 year love affair that is about to come to a close. My first pair of bright blue and neon yellow Dominator 2's (which lasted 5 seasons) stayed on a few more years in my closet, even though they were worthless and covered in duct tape. They served me so well from the day I ditched toe clips back in the mid-1990's, that I could not bare to throw them out. They even moved from one closet to another as I moved homes, but finally found the bottom of a waste basket on the 2nd of such moves a few years back.

The latest pair of Sidi Dominator's I owned were ridden hard for 1 season but I had no idea how much power my beat-up soles were giving up until I tried on a new pair last week. Mine were just plain 'ol worked over. I can't see spending $229 (MSRP) each season for new shoes, so I've opted to try a new shoe, the Shimano M225 which is $169 (MSRP).



The silver shoes, garish compared to the black Sidis, feature 2 wide velcro straps for the forefoot wih a ratchet-style buckle and strap across the top of the foot. All 3 straps feel comfortable and most importantly, feel like they do a good job of working independently. Too many shoes on the market offer mulitple straps that when cinched tighter, create slack in the other straps... which leaves me to wonder, what is the point of having so many then?
My first thought was that no mesh/synthetic shoe will fit as well as the Lorica (synthetic leather) Sidi uses. I would size down a 1/2 size with Sidis to allow for stretch and the glove-like fit I grew so familiar with. The M225 seems to have a slightly higher volume toe box than the Dominators, which works well with my flat feet that over-pronate. The heel too feels wide, a problem for me since I have a narrow heel, but I've opted to remove the stock shoe liners (which come impregnated with a minty-fresh smell, nice for those with swampfootitis, or a different unsightly foot ailement. Wash 'yo feet heathen!) from day-1, and use custom molded Sole Ultra insoles. The insoles are thicker than stock, so the overall shoe volume is decreased. I'm also testing a pair of SuperFeet insoles (green) this week to see what feels better. The former offers a more comfortable feel, but the later grants more positive support. Either way, both have iron-clad return policies so I can return whichever one I like less for a full refund. At $30-$40 a pair, these insoles allow me to get a cheap alternative to fully custom orthotics at 1/8th the price and I can trash these in the mud without a 2nd thought.

For the M225, Shimano uses an incredibly stiff carbon-reinforced sole that is almost too stiff for my liking. I know the benifits of this type of sole, but the downside is that it severely mutes the tactile feedback from my pedals... which made the first few clip-ins "blind" and very clumsy. During my first ride with them today I missed pedals a few times, which is a few times too many. The shoes are being used with a pair of Crank Bros. Eggbeater SL pedals, and I think the cleats will need to have 1 shim added to allow for smoother dis/engagement. That gripe aside, holy power-transfer batman! Soles plus the, uhm, Sole [in]soles (3 is the magic number) have created an amazing bike-body interface. I need to ride on these longer to see in my initial impressions fade with break-in.

Too cold to be out on a bike?

J***** K******
Sent : Monday, January 16, 2006 12:20 AM
Subject : Bubb Spied on 14th


Last seen Sat. 11:45 on 14th St. doing wheelies on the sidewalk. Wanted to shout your name but the windows on the car were frozen shut.

Thanks to my new jacket, on the way home from Brooklyn, a little biking went down.
On Sale now @ EMS

T-minus 1 week, time to get the race rig built so I still have time to work out the bugs.
Frame was stripped, with 2-3 ounces of water pouring out from the BB shell. Luckily, I coated the whole thing with Wurth CU-1100 copper-paste grease so there's virtually zero corrosion. I will have to Weigle the seat tube tomorrow to inhibit a tiny bit of rust in there.



Got my RockShox SID World Cup back from SRAM, they did not waranty my lowers (snapped the dropout off bombing down a fire road), so for a nominal cost they put on new lowers and new seals. I opted to not go with the heinous blue lowers, and instead got a greenish-gray color, and they even noted my lack of decals when I sent it in, and sent it back the same way. Not a big deal, but a nice customer-service touch. They even called me to verify before they shipped.



In 13 months, the fork has been in for waranty work 2 times... hopefully this time it will last the whole season. The carbon steerer tube & crown were replaced, as were the uppers (all 3 are bonded into a single unit).

1 Week To Go...

a little over a week left for me to prepare for the Dirty Dozen 12 hr. race.

So many things to do. My bike isn't even set up yet, and I haven't ridden it in over 2 weeks. It is still a single-speed, pending some Avid Flak Jacket cables for my derailuers. My Stan's NoTubes Olympic Rim strips and yellow spoke tape arrived, as did my Kenda Kharma tires. I also got my season-supply of Hammer Gel & Sustained energy from e-caps.com... all that is left is to set up the bike and pack my stuff.

Weather is on its way downhill for the weekend so my last hard ride will have to be tomorrow's commute. I'm packing a digicam along so if the weather is nice, I'll have some pics to share.

My left achillies is sore tonight from a post-work urban assult session on the new Evil... another urban sesion to go down in Brooklyn on Sunday night. Then just a week long taper to race day.


Best German Biker Evar

F*cking Cold!

Keeping to the 2-days-a-week bicycle commute that takes me a shade under 40 miles, round trip.
40 miles isn't a whole lot, but when you have to get up early (to prep, eat, dress) ride 1.5 hours uphill to work, stay on your feet all day long, then ride the 20 miles back home... you get the idea.
I'm not much of a roadie, and try to avoid riding in group rides only because they feel alien to me after spending so much time playing in the woods with my long-time riding buddies. Spending so much time on road (2 hours each way, door-to-door) alone is starting to grow on me though.
In my last 2 commutes I've run into two of my customers riding their bikes to work, and for some really dorky reason, I totally get off on that. "*I built that commuter bike he's riding to work today," I thought, as we smiled and exchanged enthusiastic passing greetings. You spend so much time seeing these people in a familiar context, under the same roof, with the same bikes and new anecdotes. To see them on the road is something special. For that alone, the introvert that I am, has started to shout hellos to commuters that I recognize.
"Recognize" is to be used loosly; this time of year leaves little skin exposed, so you rely on other attributes. Be it their horrificly orange jackets (guilty as charged) or the familiar bike beneath them, in 3 weeks I've started to see The Regulars each ride.

I've become such a weather-whore. I am constantly checking so that I may prepare the correct gear for my ride. Too much, and the ride up some of these hills becomes a brutal test of wills as I drag all the gear uphill without the aid of the MTB gears I'm so used to spinning through. Too much and you sweat like a hog in July, stewing in your own humid vapors, only to freeze on the downhills as the vapor condenses on the inside of your clothing. Too little, and you freeze.
This morning they called for 34 degrees with a 20 mph headwind. Great! Cold, windy, and uphill to work. Super. Taking ther ferry across the Hudson to NYC seemed much warmer than that, and after riding north on the Hudson River pathway for only 5 minutes, I stripped down and removed my thin wool base-layer. Much better! I even took off my neoprene booties which I've grown to love.
The weather played a cruel joke on me today though, with the temperature dropping rapidly after 4 PM and the winds picked up. I thought it would be great to coast home with the aid of a tailwind but that wind made it so hard to stay warm as it whipped up from the west, blowing over the choppy, white-capped Hudson. By the time I made it to the ferry terminal i was shivering and worried: 8 minutes to the next ferry and no shelter, and the temps were still dropping. I curled into a ball and hid behind a sign, much to the amusement of some former frat-boy who probably gets off on watching dudes strut around in spandex.
Obviously, I didn't die. I made it home, and have learned a valuable lesson: bring an emergency extra layer.

Today I had on:

Mountain Hardware Wicked-T
it's great all 4 seasons as a wicking layer.


Craft Wool Base Layer

The best 3 season piece I own. Great on its own for cooler days, it never smells bad like synthetics, layers extremely well due to its thin contruction and high breathability.

Nike Sphere Hooded Thermal Jersey

moderately warm, it is incredibly soft and the hood is a great feature. I wear this as a sweatshirt when lounging around. It's that comfortable.

Louis Garneau bright orange windproof jacket

Sorry, no pics... it is a 3 year old model that I bought new off the rack at work since nobody wanted it.

As far as legs go, I've never had cold legs. I wear Biemme Rap Knickers with windproof knee panels and on colder days I throw on a pair of leg warmers from Descente.

If the weather is nice enough to ride next week, I'll drag a digicam along to capture some of the sights along the way. I cannot wait until I can do the ride in casual warm-weather clothing and holla at all the smokin girlies along the way.

Foes Racing 2006

Being a Foes rider myself (Foes FXR) I'm excited to see that the people at Foes have changed a ton of things for their 2006 line-up. Gone is the interrupted set tube on the FXR, and they've added a new "2:1" compression ratio shock, meant to reduce the leverage ratio, allowing for lower spring rates and more durable suspension components. They've also updated their website, so take a peek.

Pinkbike did a full write-up (or rather, the folks at Foes passed along some marketing info.)

Data Logging

The wonder that is called Silly Putty.
The above links have nothing to do with Data Logging or biking. But, for the sake of sharing information -- and purely in the scientific sense -- I've use the power of freedom of information to show you usless crap about pink shit.

I'm going to try to start recording random ride information. A loose collection of thoughts. It all started with me keeping a pad at work to write down stuff like phone numbers, and listing supplies/parts for future orders. Now, trying to get a handle on too much (Caffeine + ADD) x Hyperactivity has led me to write down the most mundane details, so that I won't forget them at a later date. Chicken scratch written haphazardly across pages in my 99-cent spiral notebook, with no regards for the faint blue lines trying to keep things straight. It looks a mess, but with a quick scan down one page I can recount all the important names, catalog order numbers, payroll, and idle thoughts of the last 18 hours of business.

After the 24 Hours of Allamuchy I posted some thoughts:

08.29.05

I spent most of the day eating.
I ate leftover pad thai, and leftover chow fun from last night.
Then I rode uptown, picked up iced coffee, a pair of dvd's, a pint of ice cream, bacon, stuff to make turkey burgers, and a #12, hold the mayo cheeseburger from Jonny Rockets.
I ate the burger and ice cream before, I'm eating a bacon cheddar turkey burger w/ hot sauce right now.

Yesterday, I took 1st place, men's solo, 19-29 division in the 24 Hours of Allamuchy.
I rode 11 laps of the 10.5 mile course in a shade over 24 hours, unsupported.

Notes for improvement:
- Need a new folding chair, one with leg rests and a higher back
- more of the drinkable cans o' soup
- rain gear, and tarp or rain protection
- foot beds and padded gloves(?)
- dual suspension in the future(???)
- mud gets through single shorts, wear a double layer from the start, plus it gives extra padding

It occured to me recently that I wouldn't have recalled my last thoughts in August half a year later had I not written them down. I'm still dirtbagging it to some extent, being thrifty on the accessories so that I can spend bigger on the bikes themselves.

I have the rain jacket, but from now on it is a must to tote along. Still don't ride with let alone own a pair of padded gloves. After the severe beating they took last time, you'd think I'd wise up.

Like a "to do" list or your scribbled notes for the grocery store, I'll begin logging items to reflect upon later.
Here's what has to happen in the next 2 weeks:
- Need to resupply on Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel
- Need to order Kenda Kharma DTC 2.0 tires
- Need yellow rim tape from Stan's
- Ground ship CO2 cartridges and other bulky items to race in advance to allow less baggage in transit
- Convert SS back into a geared bike ASAP
- Ride to work Wed. & Fri