Paul Carpenter Ultracyclist

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RAAM Reports – Paul (elaboration and song by TDog)

I cannot begin to tell you how good 8 hours of sleep feels, but it certainly worked and I missed the rainstorm overnight so double whammy! The crew spent their time watching Simpson re-runs as we were in their home town. Roused early at 2.00 am by the Dog Pound, I did the usual routine of backside maintenance with “The Medics” (Roger and Susie), clothing choice and breakfast/petrol for the day before starting out with a spring in my step (it was Springfield after all)! The Dog Pound started the day with Amy MacDonald on the PA, which made a change from the AC/DC’s Highway to Hell which I now know all the words to – what is it with these guys?

It was a good day though. Walsh came and went, and the Kansas state line was crossed with a sense of achievement: California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and now Kansas – bring it on Dorothy! From now on in, the day was shaping up well. I was a bit worried that I was beginning to look like a bottle of Gatorade, and my food choices were becoming more varied such that the crew were having to send out runners ahead to scour the small towns for culinary delights – Arby’s springs to mind.

There was a great atmosphere on the road today, with a lot of teams coming through and people waving on from the oncoming cars, trucks, and side of the road. The RAAM media stopped by to ask about the ‘experiment,’ how I was doing – any hallucinations etc., or perhaps I was just imagining that? I’ll have to look at the photos to see if I was off my head or in it.

Mike Dunlap passed me, having had the good sense to abandon around Flagstaff and soak up the atmosphere rather than the pain. We had some good ultra racer banter then he sent me on my way with a cheery wave – the lucky git!

Then it was just a case of grinding out the miles with a view to getting to Time Station 28 at El Dorado. As to the pain, I’m taking shares/stock in Advil, and we had some fun going though the town with the steel plates and sculptures – kept expecting to see Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward from the Wickerman, spooky!

Pushed on to El Dorado against my will. I wanted to stop in Maize but my crew are sadists and told me I couldn’t have any more food or drink if I didn’t press on. I made El Dorado, got four hours sleep and set off again, but my left knee sent me a message to throw in the towel. Since it had given up, I had to do so, too. What an end to a fantastic journey. The song goes:

(Needs to be sung in the way of “Is this the way to Amarillo” by Tony Christie)

I found my way to El Dorado

When suddenly my knew went bado

So now we’re all so sado

That this year’s RAAM is done for me

But at least I made it to El Dorado

By Cervelo, Felt and lumbago

So I can say never again no way

Until my butt is fixed you see.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

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Abuse from the Saddle: My Story So Far

06/14/10

by Paul Carpenter (elaboration by TDog)

It was nearly over before I even got started. RAAM, like any competitive race, can throw its googlies in early despite preparation beyond the normal. After the best part of 10,000 miles in the saddle in training this year, the last thing I expected was saddle sores on the first day, but get them I did, and with a vengeance (I still believe my crew put chili powder in my shorts for not splashing out on an RV—it’s not like I didn’t get some cracking vans and all..).

Anyway, for my 50^th birthday, Melissa bought me this new, really expensive Cervelo bike for RAAM. Mistake (sorry, sweetie). It would have been more comfortable riding a penny farthing or a hobby horse.

Here it is. The ‘F’ word (Fun) will not be uttered until Day 6.

Borrego Springs was so hot I thought of asking for a frying pan and some eggs to make an omelet on my seat, but couldn’t take my hands off the handlebars as they had welded to the tape, which made drinking my water bottles a bit difficult. That’s my excuse for dehydration anyway.

I nearly chucked the towel in at Blythe, but had made up a lot of time in the desert due to putting my spinnaker up in the massive following wind (not really–in case the RAAM officials are reading, though I reckon Jure Robic had one, so did Gulevitz and everyone else in front of me…).

What drove me on, apart from my pesky crew, was the fact that it was my son Sam’s 21^st birthday on the Friday, and there was a celebration planned at Congress with a huge chocolate cake and all, and boy, do I love chocolate cake! I phone ahead to let everyone know that as it was Sam’s birthday, I would let him have some cake, but the rest was for me as I plainly needed the calories.

After all that cake and a quick sleep in the RV (I mean Joe’s van), I stormed up Yarnell Grade on the Felt (probably because I couldn’t sit down as they had forgot to fit the saddle). That rectified, at the top I breezed off into the distance toward Prescott with new shorts and plenty of pads on my bottom. I can tell you now, I may have had more attention to my backside as a baby so many years ago, but I have NEVER had so many people look at my arse as on this trip. As scientific studies go, it wouldn’t have surprised me if they had brought along a photocopier to sit on at every time station to record it for posterity. (What he doesn’t know about, yet, is the number of digital photographs I took which are poised to go out into cyber space if…Melissa).

The Dog Pound crew was running the show as we breezed into Prescott, where they ripped off to Walmart for the weekly shopping, and left me in the car park on a red chair on my own. I don’t mind telling you I was a little scared with all those huge RV’s around me and strange speaking people—but then that’s the RAAM time station for you. The kids soon returned having bought their own chocolate cake, and gave me a coffee with 7 creamers in it. That’s when I started to get sick—multicolored Gatorade yawns—hours of fun.

We left Prescott and tracked down Gregor as I was on climbing legs, feeling on top of my game (not being able to sit in the saddle makes for good climbing!). On the descent through Jerome to Cottonwood, I played it safe and Gregor took his life in his hands to catch me at the bottom. I checked into Cottonwood at the same time as Gregor but his crew were quicker to the draw than mine and he clocked in 2 minutes earlier—I’m not bitter—but I am twisted enough to do this mad race!).

The ride through the Navajo reservation was uneventful, but the ride into Kayenta was interminable, and when I finally got to Monument Valley it was dark, so I missed the superb views. Great. Not.

At Montezuma Creek, my crew volunteered to let me sleep in the van for 3 hours while they got hypothermia in the storm outside. To be honest, I was getting worried about the potential rising hospitalization or funeral costs for my crew. I shouldn’t have worried though as JDog is a funeral director and reckoned he could get me a really good rate. In the worst case, Melissa brought along her favorite garden spade and we would have made do with that.

Montezuma Creek to Cortez was slow, wet and not nice at all, followed by a worse run up to Durango. I really should have stopped at Durango as I desperately needed to see what was new at the bike shop there, but in reality (which I have yet to return to), I ate the world’s biggest pizza and set out again for Pagosa Springs. That was probably a mistake on my part as I should have got some rest at Durango. However, the prospect of a jacuzzi and a replay of the England v. US World Cup game kept me turning the wheels in the rain.

Patched up in Durango by the able Roger and Susie and tended to by Melissa (no—I was really too tired, it wasn’t a headache!), I set out early for Wolfcreek Pass. The crew said I did well, but I remember little of it except it was really cold at the top. Even the Smokey Bears had stopped smoking! Neck problems kicked in harder on the descent requiring more work from Roger and Susie and I was glad of the pre-prepared neck brace, although not the sexiest cycling apparatus in the cycling bag of technology.

The ride to Trinidad meant two more huge climbs up to nearly 10,000 feet. I was wasted by Trinidad, and should have slept longer but left for Kim early in the morning. I could not maintain pace with Rick Carpenter and Holger, and after discussion with the crew, headed to Springfield for an 8 hour sleep which made a huge difference. Tuesday, June 15^th saw an early start and a complete turnaround in both my physical and mental state. I even got in some cracks concerning beached whales! TBC.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

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Dog Pound Update 13^th, June

Pagosa to Trinidad.

Who would have thought it, to end up in the Caribbean after a couple of hundred klicks from Pagosa, Colorado! The Dog Pound (DP) took over after letting Paul soak up the jacuzzi whilst watching TV (World Cup: US v. UK)—not letting us in to share his tinnies and carry out—he’s having a blast.

Melissa drew the short straw and decided to risk all by joining the DP in White for the ride—leaving Mann Powered and his crew to come out of cryogenic sleep, brought on by the DP keeping the air con on at -273 degrees Celcius or zero Kelvin (absolute zero to the uneducated). We thought it was to keep the flies asleep but TDog had to unsnap his arms to make it to the air con unit and rip the plug from the sockets. Happy days as we thawed out.

We let Melissa drive as we told her from leading crew information that there were Colorado Smokey Bears on Wolfcreek Mountain waiting for criminals breaking law enforcement speed restrictions—which Melissa duly obliged. JDog, being well versed in how to behave when confronted by Smokeys, instructed Melissa on the fine art of not getting shot or using wisecracks when the Smokey says ‘Do you know why I stopped you Sir, er, Ma’am’ when he noticed her obviously not male features. It worked—only a warning. So Joe Jamison, crew chief, still leads the penalty race—leading by fine example!

At Alamosa, TDog topped up his fridge magnets and postcards and JDog walked off the 10,000 calories they have been eating before breakfast each day, and Melissa parted ways, having topped up her repertoire of ‘adult’ humour—not before imparting a few of her own—another side of her dark horse, lawbreaking and dirty joke telling side—who would have thought it.

The Dog Pound took the reins and settled back into eating—not bad as JDog had already ripped off for a ‘True Grit’ Buffalo sandwich—beats avocado, cheese, ham, mayo, sunscreen and mustard, eh Paul!? (CDog reckons he can protect Paul’s skin from sunburn from the inside out).

After fairly uneventful but monstrous climbing, we stopped at La Vieta so Paul could get his usual ‘Mr. Creosote’ 6 course meal while JDog and TDog made the petrol station for beef jerky to add more aroma to the follow car—Chris!

And so to the Continental Divide at 10,857 feet. Paul was pretty hacked off towing us behind with his red tractor beam, but we appreciated it. Shortly (and we are not the tallest of crews), Rick Carpenter joined us and asked Paul if he wanted to form a duet. We supplied the melody from the tow vehicle and they made wonderful music together, looking great in their matching neck braces (the Carpenters re-united!!).

Rick decided Paul was out of tune so left to head to the summit where they met later to take the applause. We duly obliged.

On the descent, Paul couldn’t stand the smell anymore so asked for oxygen, again selfishly not asking us if we wanted any even though we were the poor bastards in the van with CDog. God he produces more gas than Siberia.

I took the advantage to play a trick on Paul and locked on to his rear brake—he never noticed all the way to Tobago-I mean Trinidad, but we were killing ourselves in the follow vehicle as we watched him struggle downhill! What fun!

Anyway, that’s our shift over—hope you like it!

Keep on getting it!

TDog, JDog and CDog

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

               Day began at 0100 and headed out to Montezuma Creek – we got there early and slept in white until follow (Joe/Roz/Susie) arrived.  I looked like the best stop was the closed petrol forecourt at Montezuma Creek. Paul arrived tired and we put him down (not in the veterinary sense!) at 0200 until approximately 0500. Weather started cold and damp and turned to storm and damp L. Paul slept as VIP in the van and we curled up in sleeping bags having unloaded plenty of gear. We had successfully taken over the forecourt. Jay did not have a sleeping bag so he played Tetris on his phone until his hands froze solid and then he succumbed to the comforts of the van and slept with Paul – who spurned his advance as he was too tired…..

                Tim and Chris (Chris kept warm in his sleeping bag by pumping out his air from his backside J) slept between the gas pumps until the rain started and woke them up – wet. Tim described it as Japanese water torture as it kept dripping on him while the mad dog barked all night (it has nothing upstairs). Paul woke in bright spirits and leapt out of his makeshift bunk shouting “BRING IT ON!” (not really – he crawled out at the speed of a striking snail…)

                The Indians from Navajo arrived to fill up with gas to find a new tribe had stolen their ‘forecourt’.( Gas station to you US citizens out there J) So we moved – slowly.

                We set off at 0600 at a pace. The weather was awful. Jay used his advanced navigational skills learnt in the US Army to lose us at the first turn left (he has a 50% hit rate J)

                Paul plodded on until we advised him that we were playing Russian roulette with the petrol (gas) tank and would not make the next habitable destination. He allowed us to proceed (he is a nice man…) but we ran out of fuel with 12 miles to go according to the fuel gauge and the miles to empty meter. Jay offered to fill the tank with raisins but I thought we had done enough damage already.

                Tim (T-Dog) put the car in neutral gear and coasted to civilization. He would not slow down for the bends that read 15mph as this burnt non-existent fuel so we hung out of the opening doors to swing it round the bends (in the wet). We made a disused gas station after cutting corners, running stoplights, and driving the wrong way down the carriageway. To cut a short story shorter, we got the fuel just in time and headed back to get Paul. He was doing just dandy…

                We made Cortez where we had a “top up Paul session.”Tim messaged Paul’s neck (having refused point blank to go near his ass. Chris didn’t mind so he did it.) Jay just had the world’s longest pee which he’d been holding in for three days.

                After a team meeting where we all agreed it was the crew chief’s fault – we then set off to Durango to try and beat the RAW riders.

                Jay perfected his DJ skills with the PA by hailing passers-by who loved his intelligent banter and showed their appreciation with a salute (although I can’t figure out why they only used the one finger?)

                This ride was tough for Paul but he’s a trooper and with a Simple Minds track on the PA and three simple minds in the car following him, he knew he was safe.

                We left after the world’s longest shift where the wrong part of T-Dog’s body was really stiff (his calf had rigiditis fossilitis from doing 7.5mph for a lifetime – or what seemed it). At least Chris has matured into a fully fledged expert in profanity by now – his mom and dad will be proud J!

                We shot on to Pagosa Springs while Paul checked in to Durango and ate everything in sight. We feared for our lives, but at least he threw everything up again later so his bulimic secret is now out.

                We let Sam drive so he could get some speeding tickets – more on that later…

                Paul got to Pagosa and go to the Jacuzzi – he is so selfish. Jay learnt a new word – egalitarian – which he now uses all the time. One day I’ll tell him what it means…

                               

                                                                                Bye for now

                                                                                                T-Dog

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

Congress Time Station.

 

Wow. This was the first extended stop. Five hours. Paul was due to arrive in 3 hours from the time we, the support vehicle, arrived, then we spent another couple of hours there with him. I had heard about the Congress TS from Paul’s experience during RAW. Our hosts, the Sierra Vista motel manager, Cindy and the Bullshifters Biking Club’s, Susanne were unbelievable. They had food, water, shade, a wading pool and a motel room to clean-up in. But, best of all, they had a birthday cake for our son Sam’s 21^st birthday. It was a wonderful place to be.

 

For Paul, Congress was the rest stop before climbing the Yarnell Grade. The locals called it the Yarnell Hill. It is a 7 mile, 7 percent grade climb, with a 2000 foot gain in elevation  Paul started it about 5:30 pm in 100 degree heat. The incentive for reaching the top was that it would be 10 degrees cooler up there.

 

Over the next 8 hours, Paul also climbed 6 miles to Iron Springs, descended into Prescott then up again over Mingus Mountain and down into Cottonwood. That was a short sentence for such a massive accomplishment.

 

Cottonwood was Paul’s first good night’s sleep. He slept in a bed for 3 hours, snoring away. He set off with the sunrise on to Sedona. En route, we managed to find him his sorely sought after cappuccino and pastry at the Sedona Pink Jeep Java Cafe. He also managed to inhale some scrambled eggs, hash browns, and wheat toast. His food consumption is noteworthy because Paul has a tendency not to eat and drink enough when he rides. So we’re happy he’s eating and drinking.

 

On to Flagstaff where he climbed twenty miles of long gradual uphill and 10 miles of steep uphill. Out of Flagstaff on the long gradual downhill he became sleepy and took a nap for 10 minutes.

 

I said goodbye to him in Cottonwood. The next time I saw him was Tuba City, inhaling a cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry shake. He looked happy.

 

It is now Saturday, June 12^th. We are waiting for Paul in Cortez. He slept in the van last night in Montezuma Creek after a long day’s ride. In Cortez it has been thundering, lightening and hailing, but he has not ridden through this. From here, however, he climbs into the Rockies where it will drop to the low 30s. Hopefully, it will stay dry.

 

By the way, we are a bit of a travelling circus. We have three vehicles and three crews working roughly twelve hour shifts. It has been an interesting learning experience swapping vehicles, shifting luggage and supplies, organizing sleep stops and all sorts of details along the route. We have informally named our teams the (self-proclaimed) ‘A’ Team (Sam, Joe Mann and Roger), the Dog Pound or the Boys (Tim, Chris and Jay), and the JR’S (Joe Jamison, Ros, and Susie). I (Melissa) float between the groups with the credit card.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

At 2:33 pm central time Paul left Oceanside bound for Annapolis. The start was a time trial style at 1 minute intervals. The RAW riders went first then the RAAM riders with the rookies leading off followed by seniority with Jure going last.
The sun came out as we headed out with temps in the upper 70’s. Sam, Roger and I were up first in the follow vehicle. The first 20 miles there is no support, the next 35 miles is limited leap frog support areas, at 7:00 pm local time we can do follow support. Leap frog is tough because you are in and out of the van about every 20 minutes.
Paul was strong up the big climbs up to Lake Henshaw and to the descent at the Glass elevator at around 4500 feet. The glass elevator is a 9 percent descent that takes the rider from 4500 feet to the desert floor at 200 feet. Starting the descent the temperature was 74 and by the time we got to the bottom it was 99. The van could not keep up with the bikes on the descent and the brakes were a little hot by the time we got down.
The wind was pretty favorable through the night and even switched from the south as we headed north to Blythe to meet the rest of the crew for a scheduled exchange at 2:00 AM. Our crew had been working for 14 hours but were still pretty pumped. Paul took a shower and 45 minute nap before heading out with Joe and Rose Mary Jamison and Susie. The three of us then slept from 4:00 to 7:00 before breakfast, laundry, vehicle change with Tim, Jay and Chris.
Paul rode strong through the night and was eating and drinking very well. He switched from his Cervelo to the Felt in Brawly to see if he could get more comfortable. It seemed to help but his “back side” is still his biggest concern. He has been changing shorts about every 100 miles and cleaning and lubing regularly to stay on top of his bottom.
Please post comments and we will read them to Paul during the night.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

This afternoon we started the trek west to Oceanside for the start of RAAM and so begins Day 1 of our RAAM adventure.  This is not to be confused with Day 1 of the race which is June 9th or Day 8000+ which reflects the amount of time I have had competing in RAAM in my consciousness or Day 500+ which reflects the time since I committed to racing this year.

A lot of days and it seems for each one there is some item spread across the three vehicles we have.  Bikes, spares, clothes, lights, food, fluids, medical supplies, including a defibrillator, to mention just a few things. Haven’t counted every item but 8000 seems like a good estimate–perhaps there is some game we can invent here (guess the number of items in the vehicles).  Hopefully better than half of what we have I hope not to use, particularly the defibrillator.

We met up in Muscatine IA at Joe Mann’s house and finished loading his minivan to add to the rental minivan and our car.  Some of the crew are helping drive the vehicles and gear cross country–Joe, Rosemary, Joe, Chris, Jay, and Melissa.   We will meet up in Los Angeles with Sam and Tim and in Oceanside Susie and Roger and along the route Steve and Angel.  We left around 3.30 pm and reached Lincoln, NE just as a thunderstorm moved in.  Some spectacular lightning.  Tomorrow the adventure continues and we hope to reach Utah.

It is still hard to comprehend that this is really happening!  I feel very fortunate that I am living a dream I have had for so long and that I am getting to share that dream with so many great and supportive folks.  Indeed, without my crew my dream will be just that–a dream.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

My last blog covered my travails at the Heart of the South and identified some areas needing work.  Dru Dixon, a good friend and fellow ultra rider, read the blog and got in touch.  He was planning a 3 day ride over the May 1^st weekend around his home in Missouri and invited me to join him and help me work on nutrition and pacing.  He was also prepared to modify his plans and base the ride out of his in-laws home which is in Rhineland on the RAAM course between the TSs in Jefferson City and Washington.  So, presented with the chance of getting some big miles on the RAAM course in the good company of a fellow ultra rider, I jumped at the offer.  No offense to Larry and Calvin’s challenge, a ride I love, I thought this was a much better training opportunity.  This proved to be very true.

 

I drove down to Rhineland Friday morning setting off at 3.30 am and arriving around 9.30 am.  By 11 am we were on the bikes and heading west along the RAAM route to Jefferson City, about 42 miles away.  Forecast wasn’t promising and we were guaranteed that we were going to get wet.  Being unsupported we were traveling heavier than we would have liked, but not with as much gear as Hoodoo which we both rode unsupported last year.  First few miles along the flood plain were great.  Then we hit some successive sharp climbs with some fast descents which got the blood pumping.  Through those it was then back on the flat flood plain to Jefferson City.  We took US54 across the bridge and heading west there was no effective shoulder.  We stayed on US54 west to pick up the RAAM route rather than diverting to the Capitol Building.  Scary as the traffic was moving past us at 60+ mph.  We also had to be very careful negotiating the on-ramps and off-ramps. 

 

Out of Jefferson City it was a series of long but relatively easy rollers.  US54 is a 4-lane highway with traffic moving very fast and numerous on- and off-ramps to negotiate.  The shoulder is wide but covered with rocks, poor surface, and what’s left of blown truck tires.  Not long out of Jefferson City en-route to Camdenton it started to rain and just as it came down I flatted.  We pulled off the road and took shelter under someone’s front porch.  About the only building around so we were a little lucky.  Flat fixed we were on our way again dealing with rain and wet roads.  Before reaching the turnaround at Camdenton it was Dru’s turn to flat.  We weren’t so lucky this time and there was no where to take shelter to fix the flat. 

 

US54 got busier the closer we got to Osage Beach and the shoulder disappeared once in the series of communities between Osage and Camdenton.  The last 20 miles to the TS at Camdenton were hectic what with the traffic, the rain, and no shoulder.  Drivers were pretty considerate but it wasn’t a relaxing ride!  We ate before turning around and heading back the way we had just come.  First hour was fine.  Traffic was lighter but still no shoulder.  When the shoulder did start up it was back to avoiding the rocks, potholes, and blown tires.  At dark we stopped to set-up lights, put on another layer, and re-fuel.  Just as we got ready to get going, down came the rain with thunder and lightning not so far away.  Everything got very dark and with the wet roads it was even harder to pick out the debris on the shoulder.  The poor visibility didn’t help when negotiating the on- and off-ramps.  It rained on and off all the way to Jefferson City making it slow going.  We got off US54 and followed the RAAM route into town which was a great improvement.  Stopped to re-fuel one more time and warm up a little.  Rode past the Capitol Building and then back over the Missouri River (a bike lane going east!) on US54.  Back onto US94 and the flood plain and some welcome relief from the rollers and the fast heavy traffic on US54.  We reached the sharp climbs at Bluffton still wet and a little chilled but were soon warm pushing up the sharp climbs.  With tired legs and 170+ miles already in our legs the 15% climbs were a challenge. 

 

We had hoped to be back to Rhineland by 11 pm, have a quick bite to eat, a shower and be off to bed to be ready to start again around 6 am.  We actually got back to Rhineland wet, cold and tired a little after 1 am.  Much later than planned, but then again we hadn’t anticipated two flats and how much the rain would slow us down.  We had covered 205 miles with a total time of 14 hours, a good 2 hours of that fixing the flats, re-fueling, and dealing with being wet.  I’d reckon we had about 11:45 of actual on-bike time.  Unfortunately our day got even longer as we had to spend an hour washing the bikes down to get them ride able for the next day.  There was grit everywhere!  We also had to wash a lot of our gear as we needed it again the next day.  After doing this and eating and washing up we finally got to bed around 2.30 am with a 6 am start looking unlikely!

 

We got about 4 hours sleep, which was more than I had the night before, and were back on the road Saturday around 8 am.  Forecast was for more rain later in the evening so more gear to carry and more fun to look forward to!  With this in mind and the later start we decided to modify our plans.  The initial plan was to ride out to the Greenville, IL TS about 150 miles away and then back for a 300 mile ride.  We still kept the 300 mile goal but would only go as far as the West Alton, MO TS just over 100 miles away.  If the weather turned nasty we would be closer to home and if the rained didn’t materialize we could close out the miles with some loops around Rhineland.  We were both a little heavy legged after Friday’s fun in the rain and the route out from Rhineland to the Washington TS has some good rollers and more of those sharp climbs.  Add in it was chillier than anticipated and we decided that at Washington TS a short warm-up break was needed.  We missed the turn out of Washington and got a little off course before realizing our mistake—bonus miles!

 

Back on the route we encountered a number of riders as we crossed the bridge at Washington over the Missouri River.  We tried to get a draft but the group were moving too fast to get on the pace line.  Looked like some race was underway and much later in the day coming back we saw a constant stream of cars with bikes mounted so some ride had taken place.  The route took a number of twists and turns over the next 40 miles that come up quickly and required some stops to make sure we hadn’t missed a turn.  We were using the RAAM route sheets and it highlighted how important it is that you know how to read them!  This section also had some more sharp climbs and quite a bit of urban riding that kept us on our toes.  The last 30 miles to the TS at West Alton were flat and barren.  The day was also starting to warm up and we hot some very hard headwinds.  We both ran out of fluids which made things even harder and couldn’t reach West Alton soon enough.  Not sure what I was expecting reaching there, but the one Mobil and one BP gas station wasn’t the oasis I was hoping!  Not much appetizing to eat and right on US67 another busy 4-lane highway not exactly scenic.  What with the stops to check the route, the hard riding over the last 30 miles we were well behind our schedule.  All-in-all though, we weren’t too displeased with the 114 miles we had covered in about 7.30.

 

Since we were behind schedule and the threat of rain was still present, rather than retrace the route back we decided to take US94 all the way.  US94 was flat and rural for the first 10 miles and now we had a nice tailwind.  Past New Town and into St. Charles it became more urbanized and the traffic got heavier and the rollers returned.  We had a 20 mile section much like US54—4-lane highway with fast moving traffic and lots of on- and off-ramps.  Good shoulder but again a lot of debris and I got another flat.  Finally US94 left the urban corridor that is part of the western most suburbs of St. Louis and became much more rural.  Not sure this was any safer with one or two drivers suggesting we should find alternative means of transportation.  This section which took us back toward Washington also had a lot of short sharp climbs followed by fast descents.  We were getting a good work out!

 

Eventually we reached the Missouri flood plan and had in essence completed a large loop.  Dark had descended but so far no rain.  Dru thought the last 30 miles we had were all along the flood plain so nice and flat.  There was little wind so we were anticipating a brisk last few miles after stopping to re-fuel and put on some warmer clothes.  Well, didn’t quite work out that way.  It was flat and friendly for about 10 miles, and then came 8 miles of torture.  We hit a succession of short sharp climbs and hairy fast descents in the dark.  It felt like the section was never going to end!  Fortunately it did and the last 10 miles back to Rhineland were on the flat flood plain.  We arrived back just before 11 pm and had managed to miss the rain.  We had logged 210 miles which was well short of our target but felt like a major achievement.  Rather than push our luck we ate, showered, and slept. 

 

Sunday we were back on the road just before 8 am.  We had planned to be out at 6 am, but as with the previous day amended plans given the change in circumstance.  The plan for the weekend wasn’t to kill ourselves, but to get some quality miles on the RAAM route and work on nutrition.  Aside from the last stretch to West Alton, nutrition wise things were fine.  I also made a decision about nutrition that I feel will help make sure I get enough calories.  While I have no doubts about the nutritional value of gels and the like, I have no desire to eat them.  There is nothing, to me, remotely appetizing about these products.  I am much more motivated to eat ‘real’ food.  It’s a psychological rather than a nutritional issue that has perhaps impacted my caloric intake.

 

With a 6-hour drive in front of me, we kept the ride Sunday to about 5.5 hours.  I wanted to be back on the road home by 2 pm.  This gave us enough time to ride the 85 miles to round out the 500 miles for the weekend.  The route Dru picked out had more than its fair share of sharp climbs and rollers but enough flat flood plain I couldn’t whine too much.  Route had us back on the RAAM route repeating the last 22 miles along US94 out of Jefferson City into Rhineland.  Got lucky with the weather again and seemed to skirt around the rain clouds.            

 

I am very grateful to Dru for reorganizing his weekend and providing me this opportunity for some quality miles and a first hand look at a part of the RAAM route I have never ridden.  Also, many thanks to Mary-Jo, Dru’s wife, for all her help washing clothes and helping out and to her parents for their hospitality.  While plan A was to try and ride 600 miles over the course of the 3 days, given the weather and the challenging nature of the route, I was very pleased with the 500 miles.  This was much better training than the hammer fest that would have been Calvin’s.  A number of pluses came out of the weekend and some more lessons were learned.  In no particular order:

 

1. Make sure you understand how to read the RAAM route map—it will save time and heartache down the road (GPS aside).
2. Be adaptable as circumstances and conditions change—a few minutes break can sometimes be time saved than trying to tough something out.
3. The RAAM route is very variable (terrain, traffic, road conditions) and can change quickly so be prepared.
4. Get a triple chain ring for one of the bikes!
5. Even a Mickey D’s Angus burger is more appetizing than another hammer gel or power bar 10 hours into a ride when you are wet and cold.  I am going to better with ‘real’ food rather than the more specialized products as I am more likely to eat.
6. I rode strongly up all the hills and even after 480 miles coped comfortably with some 15% climbs.
7. Despite a little soreness at the start of each day I was soon able to get back into a rhythm—I was also back on the bike for my commute Monday morning.
8. The 500 miles came at the end of the week having already ridden 250 miles over the course of Monday through Thursday.  750 miles for the week with some tough climbing is very pleasing.
9. Given the limited sleep I had over the course of the weekend I felt I dealt well with feeling sleepy.  On the bike I had just one brief moment when I felt a little drowsy.  Was during the section to West Alton not long after having gone a while with no fluids.  Thursday night I had 3 hours of sleep and was up from 3 am Friday morning through to 2.30 am Saturday (basically 24 hours straight), 4 hours of sleep Friday night, Saturday up 18 hours followed by 6 hours of sleep, and Sunday out for 6 hours on the bike and then a 6 hour drive home finally getting to sleep around 11 pm. 
10. Don’t seem to have any major saddle soreness even though I was ‘breaking in’ a new saddle (new saddle, familiar model).  A little tender but nothing to keep me off the bike for the commute to work.  Balms seem to have done a good job and were applied at regular intervals.
11. No major aches or pains to speak of.
12. To quote from one of my favorite author’s, Douglas Adams, and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, DON’T PANIC.  It also does help to have a towel handy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

In the build up to RAAM, my plan was to take part in a number of events to train myself and my crew.  While my primary objective was RAAM training, a key part of that was building confidence by finishing and finishing strong.  Well, as they say, “best laid plans.”  So far, these races and other events surrounding my preparations have seemingly done the opposite.  My confidence is low and I feel overwhelmed by RAAM and I am questioning the wisdom of competing.  Of my last four races, two have resulted in DNFs, both 500 mile races.

 

Racing in the Heart of the South brought me to my lowest point. I made the decision to quit the race with 85 miles left to ride feeling dispirited, unprepared and incapable of finishing RAAM.  I feel angry at myself for quitting and I am wondering to what degree, as I now try to make sense of everything and map a strategy for RAAM, I am rationalizing that decision as opposed to taking a more reasoned perspective.  At what point does trying to explain a negative outcome become an exercise in rationalizing away the possibility that you lack some fundamental attribute necessary to be successful? Self-belief is a powerful force and along with hard work can make the seemingly impossible happen.  However, without some of the necessary basic skills, no amount of self-belief can make it happen.

 

With RAAM approaching all my deficiencies feel as though they are coming home to roost. I am struggling to come to terms with the question “what makes me think I can do RAAM?”  The past six months feel like everything is pointing toward the answer that I am getting way out of my depth with RAAM.  I feel as though my modicum of success the past few years is deluding me into thinking I am more capable than I really am.  I will race RAAM this year, fulfilling a 20 year dream.  This isn’t about whether I will be at the start June 9^th. This isn’t about how well I will do. It is about trying to figure how to approach the race to maximize my chances of finishing.  So, as I reflect on my training and preparations the past few months and look to the time remaining before RAAM, where is the line between rationalizing away my failures and inadequacies and addressing problems that can be solved.

 

My HOS experience has led to me to take a long hard look at my riding the past few years.  Doing so a number of things started to surface.  First, my ultra racing experience is limited.  I ride lots of miles each year commuting to work and have done so since the late 1980s, but these miles are done without purpose or focus in the sense of preparing me for ultra races.  Basically, I have no training plan that incorporates a building phase, a peaking phase and a tapering phase.  I ride to work each day and ride as far as I can weekends.  There is no focus or strategy to these rides.  I joke that if I get a tailwind it is resistance training and a tailwind is speed work.  Second, I have approached races with no specific nutritional plan in mind and have made no effort to monitor my intake.  HOS was the first time I kept a log and it showed I didn’t eat soon enough, often enough or take in sufficient calories.  This brought home my poor habits, namely, on my commutes I don’t eat or drink and it is not uncommon on a weekend century ride, especially in the winter, to not eat or drink.  Last, I don’t do as well as a job on race strategy as I should.  I tend to go with a ‘what-will-be-will-be’ approach.

 

At this point, building an extensive training regime is probably too late. However, I do have some time for some focused training rides where I can work on some specific issues, primarily, nutrition and pace.  I had convinced myself that getting miles in was sufficient.  Heart of the South painfully brought home that clearly miles alone are insufficient. Living in Northern Illinois, I don’t have much opportunity to ride long steady climbs, let alone the back-to-back sharp rollers encountered on Heart of the South. I knew HOS had some major climbing, but the last time I rode any hills was at Hoodoo 6 months ago, and that didn’t exactly turn out well.  I did okay through to 400 miles and on many of the earlier climbs and sharp rollers, and the long climb up to Fort Mountain.  Things started to fall apart on the climbs on the approach to Cheaha.  I was still doing okay on the steady 6%ers, but the sharper climbs I just couldn’t get over.  I’d get halfway up and run out of gears.  On the fourth occasion the prospect of walking the last part was just overwhelmingly and after talking with the crew, I decided to quit. I rationalized that continuing, despite having nearly 18 hours left on the clock, made no sense in that I risked injury, exhausting my crew, two of whom hadn’t crewed before, and that my allergies were causing me to wheeze and cough making breathing hard. The flip side is whether the problems are more fundamental.  With hindsight, I should have taken that break and then reevaluated. It may not have changed the outcome, but now I am left to second guess. 

 

The nutrition log we kept showed I took in about 50% of the calories needed and that I started to eat and drink too late.  I was playing catch up all the time but the deficiency kept getting bigger.  In shorter, easier races, I have been able to ‘hide’ this problem.  This isn’t so easy on longer, harder events.  My crew chief noted he was concerned that I’d have enough in the tank for the final 100 mils given what I was eating.  His words were prophetic and I need to heed them more.  I also had no clear idea in mind of what I wanted to eat or drink or how this would vary over the course of a 500 mile race let alone 3000 miles.  Again, I can argue the merits of whether this is a post-event rationalization to make me feel better rather than something that can be addressed.  However, on reflection, my Hoodoo and RAW experiences, along with the log I kept and my past eating habits, suggest there is much too this.  It is also consistent with the advice of many wiser and much more accomplished ultra cyclists than me. We had a crew meeting recently and this was a major item of discussion and several strategies have been established to try and ensure I take in enough calories and eat early and often.  I feel this is something that can be rectified and we have a viable plan.

 

When I first started I was much more inclined to ride my own pace as I had little idea of what I was doing and no notion that I could stay with the leaders.  I didn’t try to stay with the pack.  In most of my races now, my strategy is to stay with the lead group and/or as close to the lead riders as long as I can.  Hang on for as long as I can then suffer to finish.  In the shorter events I can do that with varying degrees of success.  In many longer races that approach has probably cost me miles, a prime example being Sebring in 2009 where we rode the first century in about 4.10 but I only finished with 415 miles.  On the HOS, I probably worked too hard to keep the other riders I knew would be right up there in my sights rather than riding more conservatively early on.  I recall one moment vividly when I stopped for a break but on seeing two riders pass in quick succession was back out despite not having taken the break I needed.  Certainly, you can argue that this is the type of challenge and motivation that pushes you to new heights. However, if it is counter to your race strategy or may interfere with finishing strong, is it the best approach?  I think fixating on staying with the leaders shouldn’t have been my goal.  I should have gone in with a coherent plan in terms of pace and other objectives as well as knowing the route.  I didn’t but need to do this for RAAM.  My model should be my approach to RAW.  I had a clear goal—to finish—and while I had a time I thought was achievable, it was a secondary consideration.  Winning, or any place, wasn’t an objective. My plan for RAAM will be too start conservatively and not worry about my competitors.  Use the race clock wisely and take breaks to keep myself from getting too tired especially early in the race.  Know the route well and plan accordingly.  Closely linked to this is making sure breaks off the bike are purposeful and done efficiently and also adopting a sleep strategy that allows me quality rest.  My initial plan of two 90-minute sleep breaks everyday now seems overly optimistic in light of how HOS turned out and knowing my own sleep patterns.

 

Rationalizing or reasoning?  My crew did an admirable job of pointing out all the pros and cons I was facing as I dismounted before the top of another climb and contemplated dropping out.  I made the decision to quit so that rests with me as does working through the consequences. Reflective on the race, I feel there are some useful observations that have been made and things that can be addressed before RAAM.  From that perspective, a successful ride assuming I can make the changes!  I rode 430+ very tough miles and so got some excellent training miles in my legs on terrain I cannot find close to home.  This will help prepare me for RAAM.  My crew got invaluable training and also a much better picture of me as a rider and the issues they will need to address to help me on RAAM.  While some say that you can learn more from your failures than your successes, it is often the case that we don’t look quite as closely at the successes as compared to the failures.  I would have much rather learned all of this and had finished the race and gotten a much need boost of confidence as RAAM nears.  This wasn’t to be so time to move on and work on the things I can control.

pjc1 RAAM Preparations

By Daryl Kunz, Larry Ide & Paul Carpenter

Florida in February… sunny, warm, and a welcome break from dreary cold, snowy Illinois.  Yeah right.  We (Daryl, Larry, & Paul) made the 1300 mile trek in search of warmth and some good early season miles.  We got the miles, but not the warmth, but I (Paul) didn’t room with Larry and Daryl (it was Valentine’s Day weekend after all). 

Drive down was uneventful, not a typical Larry trip—no vehicle purchased.  We reached Sebring late Thursday evening and checked in to the hotel.  In the hotel bar we met fellow Big-Dog Kurt Searvogel, recumbent rider Birdie Mama and RAW racer Tim Richardson and his wife Irene.  Tim, who had flown from Gibraltar, had planned to race as preparation for the RAW, but a run-in with a dog had left him with a broken collarbone, broken ribs, and a shattered elbow.  Larry and Tim swapped collarbone stories.  Kurt continued his 12-pack training.

With heavy rain forecast for early Friday afternoon, the three of us and Kurt rode several laps of the mid-loop before noon.  Not long after getting back to the hotel the heavens opened and down came the rain and in came the wind. With nothing to do at the hotel, there was a lot of nervous energy flying around and some liberal trash talking.  The rain let up early evening but not the wind (metaphorical and literal).  Trip to the supermarket kept us occupied for a while and Daryl was kept busy re-packing the ice in his cooler.  Later in the evening we parked the vehicle in the transition area ready for the morning.     

Race day dawned cold and windy.  The forecast was for a high in the low 50s, colder with the wind, and overnight clear skies and temperatures close to freezing.  With the three of us doing different events, Larry and Daryl the drafting 24 hour and Paul the non-drafting 24 hour, we set out in different groups.  Larry shot off with Kurt, the Bacchetta boys, and the fast 12 hour riders.  Daryl and I were a little more sedate (sensible).  The race starts off with three loops of the Sebring race track before heading toward Sebring and out into the orange groves.

The ride up to Frostproof (not a prelude of what was to come) the turn-around point, was tough with a cold headwind.  Larry was with the front group but as always, he had to make it harder, losing his pump and having to stop to pick it up and then chase the pack down.  Daryl found a small group to form a pace line that ran about 15 minutes behind the lead group.  Paul was further back riding solo.  The return back to the race track was fast with a stiff tailwind pushing us along.  Larry lost the lead pack at about mile 60 and got back a little over 5 hours for the 100 miles.  About 15 minutes later Paul rolled in closely followed by Daryl.

The mid-loop had a tough section into the wind down US98 and some cross/tailwind around De Soto.  The lap finished with a fast, partly downhill, section.  The wind was making life hard for everyone and with the temperatures never getting much above 50, the 24 hours was starting to feel very long.  The three of us didn’t see much of each other on the mid-loop.  Larry and Paul squeezed out nine of the mid-loops with Daryl managing eight (it would have been nine but he dropped his chain).  All of us had over 200 miles by the end of 12 hours forming a good base for the last 12 hours of the race.

Transitioning from the mid-loop to the night loop is not easy at Sebring as you have to pack up the vehicle and drive it over to the track, unload, and move supplies to pit lane.  Fortunately, Paul’s wife Melissa who had come along for the ride was able to do this for us saving us considerable time.  Riding the track at night sounds ideal, and the absence of vehicles is a welcome change, but the darkness and wide open spaces can make it challenging to see where you are going.  Larry managed to avoid the expansion cracks this year, but Daryl found it hard to find a line.  During the evening, more than one rider ended up off course. 

The first 6 hours on the track passed uneventfully.  The temperature then started to plummet.  It dropped from the day high of 50 down into the 40s and then after midnight down to the low 30s.  A layer of frost had formed on the coolers and all our gear by the end of the race.  We all struggled to find enough layers to keep warm and nutrition became a problem.  It was so cold Larry couldn’t even drink his coke and he was dry heaving during the last hours of the race.  Daryl and Paul tried the concession soup and Daryl proceeded to throw it up a few minutes later and Paul struggled to keep it down for the rest of the race.   

Having got off to a good first 12 hours we all hoped to rack up some good miles by the end of the race.  The cold though made us all re-evaluate our goals.  Daryl pressed on and was very pleased with his 302 miles and more so his first ever first place medal in the 55-59 drafting age group.  Larry also won his drafting age group (50-54) with 389 miles.  In the RAAM qualifier Paul place third in his age group (50-54), but first in the vehicle with 393 miles. 

After the awards ceremony we had to pack the van which was almost as hard as racing.  We were all very cold and everything was an effort.  We then had the prospect of the 1300 mile return drive.  We were on the road home by about 8.30 am and the first part of the drive was smooth.  As we reached Tennessee the rain started to fall and soon turned to sleet and snow.  In Kentucky the conditions worsened and after fishtailing once we decided it was time to pull off the road for the night.  Turned out to be a good move as next morning on US57 we passed a dozen or so vehicles that had spun off the Interstate.

If you want the real stories of Sebring though, you need to read our separate reports!

THE END.

pjc1 Ride Reports