Stage racing partners (Part 2)

Here's Lou's views on choosing a stage racing partner.

M: What do you look for in a partner for multi-day races?
Lou: Someone without a huge ego, who is patient and wont give up when it’s hard. Someone with a similar riding style…a climber.

M: What's the main challenge when racing with a partner?
Lou: Communication.

M: Any advice on choosing a partner?
Lou: If possible ride together before the race. Discuss various situations. What do you do when one of the pair can’t keep the pace since it’ll definitely happen.

Stage racing partners (Part I)

Dan McCarthy is a veteran of a number of stage races. He’s done La Ruta six times, the Transrockies twice and this April he will be participating in the Cape Epic for the first time. He will be teamed up with his wife in the mixed category. Dan is familiar with both sides of the teammate experience having been both the faster and slower rider at the Transrockies Challenge.

M: What do you look for in a partner for a multi-day race?
Dan: Finding a partner for a multi-day race is extremely difficult. The ideal situation is to find a local rider with very similar abilities and riding styles (climber vs. strong technical). I’ve only raced twice in a race that required a partner and the first time I was substantially slower than my partner and the second time I was substantially faster. The more races you do, the more people you meet to find that ideal partner, plus you can use the race mailing list to find partners as well. My next multi-day race that requires a partner will be with my wife. That should be fun!

M: What's the main challenge when racing with a partner?
Dan: The main challenge for me both years was just trying to keep together. One partner would be stronger than the other, so it was tough staying together. This is even going to be harder in Cape Epic, since my wife and I have such different riding styles. The advantage is that we live and train together so we can figure it out as we go along.

M: Any advice on choosing a partner?
Dan: Get as much info about the partner as you can, race resume, type of bike they ride, strengths/weaknesses and if possible meet up for a ride.

M: What was your favorite day at the Transrockies Challenge?
Dan: The days all kind of blend in together, but I do recall that in 2004, the day after the extremely long hike-a-bike the course had some great fun single track, mostly slightly downhill. We did that section in 2005. I think it was day 4.


Finding a suitable partner is perhaps the most difficult part of preparing for a stage race. I’ve seen teams fall apart after only a few days at the Transrockies Challenge due to a various reasons like mismatched expectations, extreme differences in strength or conflicting personalities. The worst situation seems to be when both teammates assume they’ll just “have fun”, have never ridden together and perhaps have never met each other in person. The idea that you’re just going to have fun is a total crock because once you’re lined up at the start and everyone takes off like it’s a two hour XC race all those plans of taking in the scenery immediately go out the window.

Training, Fun and Adventure

I missed a XC race I was supposed to do today for training. Seems like the training ride I did yesterday left me a little out of it (Lynda’s workouts can do that). I swung by Switchback Cyclery after the ride to pick up Louise’s & my packets for the VQ next week. It wasn’t till I got home that I remembered that I had a race today and shouldn’t have left the bike with them for some maintenance. The S-works isn’t quite built up yet and there’s no way I’m racing my 30+ pound pig of a trainer so I went out for a long road ride. From the way my legs felt, I probably would have gotten spit out of the back of the pack at some point.

I got a little bored today riding around for half a day, no one to race to the top of a hill or a stop sign. Training with a partner at least once a week keeps everything fun. Last year was the first time I actually trained with a friend on a regular basis. I haven't found a regular training partner for this year yet. Even the group fun rides are few and far between. Having a big race in April has pushed everything forward. I have to forego current fun on the local trails for a future adventure in South Africa.

Speaking of fun rides, here's a picture from the peak of a local mountain after the hardest, steepest hike-a-bike I've ever done. It was supposed to be a fun ride. Notice the fake smile--was already dreading the return hike.

Another training race is right around the corner

I'll be preriding part of the Vision Quest course this weekend with friends. It hasn't rained much here in SoCal so I probably don't have to practice the following technique (demonstrated by my good friend and former training partner, Shaun) when crossing streams.

Stage Race Training & Tips

This is a review of a couple of documents I found on the Cape Epic website related to training for a MTB stage race. The first is a Training Guideline and the second is a race report that contains a number of good tips.

The Training Guideline is aimed at the riders who will be doing a stage race for the first time, who don't have a coach or some sort of structured training plan and whose goal is to finish the race. It gives a brief overview of training, zones, keeping a log, cross training and overtraining. The assumption is that the reader has at least 10 hours/week to train and up to 15 hours/week the month before the race. Anything less than 10 hours/week and the event will be more painful than fun. For the experienced racer, this is probably not something you have to read. The main thing that I found useful was a few words about partners:
1) Try to train with your partner
2) You will need to ride at the speed of the slower rider
3) "Friendships will be severely tested if one partner starts clobbering the other..."

Those three statements sound obvious but it's harder than it seems, especially #2. If you're the type that hates getting past on a training ride or who picks up speed when you see a cyclist in the distance and will even make adjustments to your training ride to follow said cyclist just to catch up an pass then you might be better off not being the stronger of the team otherwise #3 will be a serious issue. Believe me it's no fun, been there done that. So #1 is key.

The race report was written by a fellow who describes himself as an average cyclist and raced the CE in 2005. He will be back again for round two this year. It's a good read and it's intended for "first time participants." I took first time to mean first time at the CE, but after reading it there is useful information for stage racing in general.

Page 12 has a good idea on what to do if you find that you are unable to eat before a stage. Sounds wired, but that happened to me twice in '04, once at the Transrockies and also on one day at La Ruta. I almost puked just looking at a bagel while standing in the breakfast line at the former. Chapter 7 has a good overview of what you'll be doing at a stage race every day. Chapter 8 has some useful suggestions like taking earplugs and tips on how to toughen up your arse. Never tried that and hope I never have to. I would also suggest taking a mp3 player. I can't fall asleep with earplugs but I can when I'm listening to my favorite tunes. It'll drown out most noises, but there are some people who can snore like a horse and even a mp3 player won't help! You know who you are.

The main points to remember are again about partners:
1) "Choosing the right partner can either make or break your Cape Epic"
2) "The partnership you create will be the foundation of your race. It will determine whether you have fun or your Cape Epic experience becomes an eight day long nightmare!"

Olympic MTB Endurance Gold?

So what makes a sport an Olympic event? I lifted the following right out of the WSJ. In order for a sport to be considered for the Olympics, "..it must be played in at least 25 countries and on three continents... An event needs to have been included at least twice in world or continental championships, and must be played by men in at least 50 countries or women in at least 35 countries."

Given those requirements, perhaps a Marathon event might be next. I know it's popular in Europe, raced in South America and there are events in North America. I could see either a 2-person team event or a 24 hour solo event next. The 2-person event because the UCI seems to be slowly moving into the endurance world; UCI points will be awarded at the Cape Epic. Having a governing body behind a sport adds some weight. As far as a 24 solo event, there aren't any governing bodies but Kona is attempting to have a "Global Championship." (Check out this blog for a series on the future of endurance racing.)

In reality, events like short track and downhill will probably make it first, but that's ok because billards is on the list of recognized sports. I had a hunch that all those hours spent in the pool hall playing 9-ball for pitchers back in the day might come in handly.

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Mental games

It was a chilly SoCal weekend to be hitting the hills; I actually had to wear two layers. There weren’t many folks out on the road so I was surprised to find this little squirt tailing me for some time. After a mile or so he pulls up along side, ‘Buongiorno! Which way to the San Francisco?’ It was Il Pirata himself, Marco Pantani. “Hey dude, you’re late man.” ‘Che?’ “Never mind. Hey race ya to the top of that next hill.” I didn’t expect to win seeing that now he’s a ghost he has an insane power to weight ratio but it was very windy so I figured that it would all even out. Needless to say I got smoked (chain was skipping), but I was able to catch up on the flats before the next hill drafting off of Coppi. Can you believe Il Pirata didn’t even have the decency to have a rematch? Turned right on Grand Ave. and started heading north…

Climbs of the TA and TR (Part 2)

For anyone that had issues reading Braille via the computer screen here it is again, notice that I’ve added more content. :-)

The TR has approximately 40K over seven days and the TA has about 60K in 8 days. That’s about 5700/day and 7500/day respectively. There are usually 1-2 climbs/day at the TR whereas at the TA there are 2-3/day. That doesn't include either rollers or hills that take up to 10-15 mintues to get over...plenty of those.

You’ll definitely want a partner that’s a strong climber for either race. Actually, I take that back. You’d want a partner that has similar ability on the climbs otherwise one of the pair is going to get plenty of opportunities to take pictures at the summits. That’s fun for about two days then it begins to test your patience. So what do you do if you can’t or didn’t find an equally matched partner? I’d say it’s definitely more important to take the best climber you can find similar to your own ability to the TA, at the TR you can get by. I’ll have more on that in a different post.

Most of the climbs at the Transalp are on roads. I was surprised that most mountains in the Alps have well maintained roads to the top unlike here in the States, but that's beside the point. The majority of them are long AND steep. If you’re from SoCal picture a really long climb with a grade similar to 1) Tapia over on the edge of Malibu Creek State Park, or 2) Tuna Canyon off of PCH or 3) the first 3rd of the Mt Wilson Toll Road (up to Henninger Flats). The climbs of the Santa Anas, like Harding or Maple Springs to the Peak, are about the right length but they’re not steep enough. The 330 up to Big Bear would give you a pretty good idea (Either of these would make a good training ride: Ride Around the Bear or CCP100) There are a few singletrack climbs at the TA, maybe 3 or 4 if I remember correctly, but none are very long or technical. Most of the singletrack at the TA is downhill.

There are many more singletrack climbs at the TR. The first three days in ’05 were different from the first three in ’04.

In 2004:
Day 1: Fire road and doubletrack climbs. Nothing special about them, just about any 1-hour fire road climb in SoCal will do. The doubletrack was steep in places but rideable.
Day 2: Seismic lines, singletrack and doubletrack climbs. The Canadian Rockies is the only place I’ve ever seen seismic lines. Steep 10-foot wide clearings that go straight up the side of a mountain over the top then on to the next mountain. The double track climbs were pretty steep maybe half were rideable by a good climber…plenty of roots and rocks to get over.
Day 3: More seismic lines and steep double track. If you’ve done La Ruta then some of the doubletrack is like that on day one down in Costa Rica.
These three days were much more fun than the first three in 2005 which were extremely boring because of the very very long sections of flat road; say at least 20-25 miles of mind numbing flatness on days 2 & 3.

In 2005:
Day 1: Essentially a XC race so a lot of short steep little boogers…roots were common.
Day 2 & 3: Fireroad and double track climbs. The fire road climbs on these two days aren’t steep or long. Maybe like the road climb back to the start/finish at Sea Otter or the first 4 miles of North Ridge (going East) in Chino Hills State Park or the last road climb after the last CP at the Brianhead Epic or the fire road climbs at Big Bear that were part of the Amateur Cup races.

I’ll cover the last four days in an up coming post…

Note: If you know climbs that are similar to the ones mentioned feel free to add them in a comment and I'll add them to the post.

Manny’s Approach to La Ruta

Manuel Prado is only starting his third year of racing and he’s already had some impressive finishes both in local SoCal races and in some of the bigger endurance events. Manny finished 19th overall at La Ruta last year. To see some of his training rides just check out the Geoladders site…long rides with plenty of climbing. Anyone looking for an extremely strong partner for some of the 2-person team races would do well to have Manny as a partner. Had I known he was from SoCal, I would have asked him to be my 2005 teammate for both the Transrockies Challenge and the Transalp Challenge. I expect that Manny would quickly establish himself as someone to keep an eye on should he decide to start doing more 12-hour solo, 24-hour solo, and 100+ mile events.

M: What was your first multi-day race?
Manny: La Ruta.

M What years did you do La Ruta? Does it get any easier?
Manny: I did it in 2004 and 2005. I think second one was easier because I had a strategy and knew the route better. The first one was the hardest.

M: What tires do you like for CR?
Manny: I like the Continental Twister Pro and Specialized Fastrack 2.0.

M: Do you prefer a hardtail or full suspension?
Manny: I like to fly down hill so FULL suspension.

M: The finish rate at CR is about 1/3 to 1/4. What do you think is the most important determinant for a first timer finishing? No mechanicals, a little luck, fitness, no crashes,etc...?
Manny: Race with all your heart and have faith; you will overcome anything.

M: What does it take to put together 3 good days?
Manny: I'm still trying to figure that out, but there’s nothing like a good training base.

M: Did you train differently this year as opposed to last year?
Manny: Yes I rode less this year and still did well, but I supposed I should ride more.

M: What 5 items are the most important to take with you each day?
Manny: Mental strength, tubes, a pump (not CO2 for long events), light multi-tool like the Specialized EMT Race, extra Sram power link and lots of gels.

M: How do you deal with cramps down in CR?
Manny: I normally don't cramp, so I don't know.

M: What's your favorite thing about La Ruta/Costa Rica?
Manny: The mental challenge and the adventure, it is not the typical race where everything falls into place so you have to improvise.

M: How do you deal with the mud down there?
Manny: The Continental Twister Pro tires and lots of lube. Be careful when shifting. I broke my derailleur in 2004 and that wasn't good.

M: Do you think you'll ever do the Guanaride in CR in July?
Manny: I did it last year and it was a blast, I'll do it again this year if God allows it.

M: What are some of the races are you doing this year?
Manny: The Cal State XC series, The Granny Gear 24 hour races, La Ruta and The Guanaride.

M: Any tips for racers? Dos and dont's?
Manny: Be friendly and don't think you know everything. Open your mind and you'll find the answer.

Manny setting the fastest lap (as is often the case) at the 12 Hours of Temecula:

Climbs of the TA and TR (Part I)

This is a first in a series comparing the climbs of the Transalps and the Transrockies. In an effort to be more accessible and reach a wider audience, I've decided to publish in a slightly different format. If your computer monitor doesn't support Braille please post a comment with your address and I'll get a hardcopy off to you.

Cape Epic Silliness

Today I have to fax not only a Cape Epic liability disclaimer but also a medical questionnaire that needed to be filled out by a doctor stating that I'm fit to ride approximately 100km per day or about 900km over 8 days. It's the first time I've needed a doctor's "ok" to race. I think participation in an event like the Cape Epic is something of a selfselective process. Who's seriously going to fork over a small fortune just to get in over their head and call it fun? (Ok, forget about the geezers you see riding the full suspension Ti rig on the beach path with bar ends sticking straight up.)

I think a MTB skills assessment would be more appropriate. Something to certify that the rider in question 1) will not be lame and walk sections of sweet singletrack, 2) can ride over roots & rocks, wet or dry, without holding up half the pack, 3) can handle exposed singletrack and 4) verifies that the rider can do a certain amout of his own maintenance so the mechanics aren't tied up with trying to find the cause of "strange noises."

The canonical cycling book?

I was browsing the shelves at the local Borders last night after getting a few geek references. As I strolled through the sports section looking for one of the climb Mount Everest and barely survive adventures, I noticed that there are ALOT of the dummies books for various physical activities. There's Running for Dummies, Tai Chi for Dummies and Walking for Dummies. Walking?! That one's probably supposed to be in the infant's section. I used to think that yoga WAS for dummies. That is until Lynda got me started on a program. Now I can't hold a book and read while doing poses except for maybe in downward dog. So with that multitasking prerequisite Yoga for Dummies wasn't an option; I'm worse off than a dummy. I went the video route. The hardest choice there was naked yoga or non-naked yoga, but that's a different story.

Looks like the TDF is pretty complicated as there's a Tour de France for Dummies. Ya think ole Johan handed that out to the new Discovery team members like Gusev, Lowe, and Van Goolen? "Read up guys, ya gotta know it inside and out." I didn't see one for cycling or swimming. Swimming I can understand; not as easy to describe as jump in the water and move your hands and legs.

Anyway, a quick Amazon search at home produced what I suspected...Bicycling for Dummies exists. Apparently, it's pretty good! One of the reviewers stated, "This is the best book I've seen on bicycling" and gave it a 5 star rating. Hmmmm...tempting, very tempting.

Update: There is also the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cycling. So which one is better? From the reviews I think this one is aimed at the folks that are used to riding a bike with one gear and are looking to step up to gears: "I don't change gears, gears are for people who can put chains back on. That is all behind me now! I know what the different sized Chain Rings (lingo alert!) do, and which ones I want the chain on while I'm gasping up some hill."

Personally, I always go for the book with more pictures.

Best laid plans

I won’t be doing the cross-country race I had scheduled for next Sunday after all. There’s been a change in plan. I’m a little bummed because I wanted to try my hand at the XC race report genre--those epic tales with excruciating detail whose length rival that of Tolstoy’s tome, War and Peace.

We usually find our protagonist on the way to the race with the favorite super light hardtail, complete with some new bling bling components, ready to do battle. At this time of year, it’s typically the first race after a long lonely winter of massive training sessions (think Rocky in Siberia – Rocky IV). So the gun goes off and the struggle begins. The racer describes every breath up the first hill, the dew glistening off the flora alongside the single track, the smell of the morning air and the shape of the various rocks in the rock garden that awaits racers after a punishing second climb. There are fierce attacks and counter attacks on the second lap. On that lap the rider notices that one of the rocks in the rock garden stands out from all the rest, a gnarly looking rock that has moved into the best line through all the jagged edges. By the time the third lap has begun, the rider has punched it to the limit, fallen back a few spots, got a second wind and is moving back up through the field. Our hero is redlining again on the third time through the rock garden when by some force the rock hits the rear wheel attempting to disturb the harmony between racer and bike...

The tale can have one of two endings at this point:

In the first, the racer curses the rocks, loses concentration, goes off course, crashes and begins cursing the bike; for the bike, the rocks and even the Gods are undermining best laid plans. A dash for the finish line ensues but the damage is done and the racer is lucky not to get a DFL or DNF.

In the second, our protagonist reacts gracefully without anger towards the rock and in that moment has a gestalt. There is no distinction between the racer and the rock, no difference between racer and any of the other rocks. The racer thus realizes the truth of the statement, “I ROCK!” Hence, the inner giant is released, the zone is entered and the racer rides with a passion the likes of which not even the Greek Gods have seen. Rivals are reeled in and our hero rides off to glory if not a podium spot.

Plans for self-supported solo racing

This year has just begun and I’m already penciling in events on next year's calendar. I’m planning on trying one of the longer self-supported races for the first time. The challenge of having to be self-contained adds an attractive extra dimension to a race.

I don’t want to go about it the way I did with 24-hour solo events. It took me a good 4-5 races before I sort of figured out what worked well for me in terms of pacing and nutrition. I’m going to try and reduce the learning curve by training with an experienced ultra-distance athlete, Desert Dan Cain. Dan’s been doing long-distance routes and races since the late 70’s on both bike and on foot. He's raced and won events like the Pacific Crest Trail 100 ultra marathon. In the past few years, he’s gotten into the local 12 & 24-hour solo scene-- a few weeks ago he won the 12 Hours of Temecula race.

When I asked him if he was up for some 6-8 hour training rides I got a “What? Only 6-8 hours?” This is coming from a guy who rides up to 14 hours on training rides. Guess I’ll have to take my lights. This is going to be interesting…

Dan showing the solos how it's done.